What Movie(s) Did You Watch Today?
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Hot Monkey
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Watched it on demand on Amazon prime this weekend while waiting out the heavy rain. Some (albeit predictable) twists and turns but never really got that interesting IMO. Minimal character development and wooden acting from Affleck kinda felt like he mailed it in. Production value felt like it was made for TV as well. Like the whole thing could have been an extended episode of NYPD Blue. I'd skip it unless it was free maybe.
Hot Monkey
Well-Known Member
Took my father to see Oppenheimer today on the big XD screen will post more of a review later but it was definitely a Christopher Nolan flick top to bottom. Pretty intense never let up on the viewer felt like I had been in a fight after.
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I grew up in Los Alamos. I got the local "Oppenheimer scholarship" when I graduated from high school. I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing this one soon.
Just saw it with my son Daniel. Pretty incredible…..while I was lukewarm on Dunkirk and NOT a fan at all of Tenet, Nolan is back on his game, imo, for this one. While simply fascinating from an historical standpoint, it’s incredibly deep on so many levels. Left the theater thinking about both the absolute wonder and destruction humans are capable of. Couldn’t help to think where we’d be in the world today if not for so much avoidable AND unavoidable conflict.
Hot Monkey
Well-Known Member
Agreed Oppenheimer was top notch stuff from Nolan.
Casting, acting, storytelling, pacing, editing, visuals and most especially score and sound effects were absolutely top notch. Nolan definitely leaned hard on very deliberate use of sound effects and score to maintain a steady and escalating pace, tension building and audience engagement from start to finish. This is a three hour historical documentary but it feels riveting and engaging throughout IMO. Might even have wanted a little break from the intensity it felt like it just never let up. I was tired after it ended. Not a criticism just an observation. And whatever legislation was passed a few years back in CT regarding max SPL in theaters was 500% ignored. This move was very LOUD. I saw people covering their ears. Like metal concert loud. I loved it but fair warning on the SPL at least in bigger XD or IMAX theaters. I believe this may also have been very deliberate to set up a contrasting and eerily silent particular scene to make if all the more dramatic... a gimmick which also worked very well IMO. Great performances all around. Super stacked cast even in small almost cameo roles. Emily Blunt should get a supporting actress Oscar for this IMO she kinda stole the movie in several scenes. But the whole cast was great and it was crazy how many faces were recognizable again even in small roles throughout the film. Hard to even rattle off a list just go to IMDB the cast list is crazy. Gary Oldman as Truman (short but outstanding performance) is so far down the list it's almost comical.
Highly recommend seeing this and on the biggest possible screen. Don't wait to stream it. Nolan left some of the politics in of course because this is just a big part of the story and actual history. But it never feels preachy IMO just story telling, almost ruthless and unrelenting in it's presentation.
^^ its funny you mention the score. I loved it and what it added to the movie. I appreciate how he collaborates with his composers early and often and allows them to have an influence on his storytelling and he’ll actually mold the movie around the score at times in fact. Interstellar is a stand out for this (at least for me). BUT I was saying to Daniel, of all the mastery of movie making Nolan is gifted with, I wish he’d strike a slightly better balance for how the score overwhelms the movie and the audience at the most important times. i know it has a purpose as the score can certainly reinforce the emotional beats. but imo he needs to find a way to rein it in when it drowns out important dialogue.
Hot Monkey
Well-Known Member
Agreed it was effective but also unrelenting as I mentioned I wish there could have been some breaks or lulls. It never let up. Probably my only (small) gripe with the movie. Still really enjoyed it.
would you both say this is at or even surpassing the level of interstellar?
i honestly have been avoiding the details of oppenheimer, just because i want to keep the integrity of not knowing. yes, i know he 'created' it, but aside from his apology (which is on ewtube), i didnt look further into it.
interstellar is a scifi flic, this is not. so there is a different paradigm on this so i understand too.
i honestly have been avoiding the details of oppenheimer, just because i want to keep the integrity of not knowing. yes, i know he 'created' it, but aside from his apology (which is on ewtube), i didnt look further into it.
interstellar is a scifi flic, this is not. so there is a different paradigm on this so i understand too.
For me I would say it’s my favorite Non-Batman flick from Nolan. AND I’d still put it ahead of The Dark Knight Rises.
AndySTL
Well-Known Member
I saw it last night too and unfortunately I could not get a seat in the IMAX theater. That being said I think the was done justice on a standard screen as well.
I agree with pretty much all points on your review. The sound takes the viewer on a rollercoaster. There are times I just needed a break. I can't recall any other movie that made me feel like this. Maybe Interstellar did as well but I don't recall it being as stressful as Oppenheimer was at times.
Overall I really enjoyed it and think I may go back a second time before it leaves the theater.
Hot Monkey
Well-Known Member
Exactly I needed a break somewhere to gather thoughts, appreciate the weight of events and story being told. A second viewing might yield a lot of observations missed while absorbing the impact of initial one.
Hot Monkey
Well-Known Member
Very different subject matter so hard to compare directly. Both are excellent just hard for me to call one better then the other. Both are probably modern era standard setters for me in their respective genres. Maybe Oppenheimer more then Interstellar as far as standard setting goes. Can't recall a recent history based film with this kind of impact since maybe The Nightingale. Maybe 1917 is in this limited category as well. But I would put Oppenheimer well ahead of both of those which would be more like honorable mentions.
i think thats the thing about these two movies.
it actually sounds unfair now, given that these are two totally different beast.
like comparing a good red wine to a wheat beer.
Hot Monkey
Well-Known Member
Watched Don't Worry Darling this weekend. Enjoyed it. Kind of a darker Truman Show with a some little Matrix and/or Dark City elements thrown in. Made me want to rewatch The Signal which was a bit of a sleeper sci-fi IMO in this same alternate reality genre.
Amidst all the hoopla, I went and saw Barbie w my wife and SiL. The critics (pro and general audience) were on point with this movie. Surprisingly entertaining and hysterical. Probably a bit woke for some, but this is the world we live in for now. I enjoyed it and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
Master Gardener,
Joel Edgerton was great in this role, but as a watch enthusiast i kept staring at his watch.
anyways, it felt like an A24 lite movie.
not that bad, maybe a rental, but i kinda did laundry folding when i watched it. not bad, but i couldve watched something better.
character development was a bit lacking, stiff around the edges, definitely moody.
Joel Edgerton was great in this role, but as a watch enthusiast i kept staring at his watch.
anyways, it felt like an A24 lite movie.
not that bad, maybe a rental, but i kinda did laundry folding when i watched it. not bad, but i couldve watched something better.
character development was a bit lacking, stiff around the edges, definitely moody.
Hot Monkey
Well-Known Member
We enjoyed it. Slow burn for sure and we were hoping to see a little more of the back story and character development like you said.
Spoiler alert:
Did you get the sense that Sigourney Weaver's character had some kind of checkered past with her family being WWII Nazi's and/or Nazi sympathizers? And that was maybe why she was so infatuated with her pet gardener? Or maybe how he ended up working for her in the first place? Maybe she even had some connection or silent partner support role for the gang he was running around with prior to his gardening position/witness protection situation? The German pistol from her father and some comments she made gave us that impression.
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great observation, although i didnt catch it completely, but now that you've mentioned it i think thats the reason 1. she employed him, knowing his background and somewhat history. 2. that despite being in the witness protection program (which is why he has a handler), that SHE allowed him to stay at her estate. 3. this also is the disgust in her sister and/or niece, thats why she didnt introduce herself or interact with her, especially welcoming her to the estate.
heres my question to you, the
heres my question to you, the
driving scene, where they were on the road and the plants trees and everything blossomed, i am assuming that was an ethereal moment for both of them, a moment of exploration and somehow enlightenment. or was that real? it cant be.