'Oppenheimer' // a movie discussion
Explicit content warning
08/25/23 • 46 min
1 Listener
How does one reconcile great achievement with a resultant aftermath that includes a massive death toll and perhaps the eventual death of the world? Can anything with those actual results and possible further outcomes even be considered a success at all? And how should we either celebrate or punish the people responsible for such things? These questions, along with plenty of others, are at the heart of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a film with a relentlessly intense pace and swirling collection of talents flexing almost ridiculous levels of craftsmanship.
At the center of the swirl is Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer. Murphy's portrayal of a complicated genius who sees the world and its constituent parts in ways others don't or can’t, and who seems to feel he deserves both praise and punishment for what he's accomplished, is in the mold of Peter O'Toole's turn in Lawrence of Arabia.
Playing the counterweight, as Lewis Strauss, Robert Downey Jr. gives what is certainly one of his best performances of recent years, and quite possibly also of his career. Each actor holds the screen in transfixing ways, while together providing something of a balancing act across the film. On one side we have the rare person whose thoughts can change the world in irreversible ways, while on the other we have the epitome of a bureaucrat. Friction was inevitable.
The multi-layered, non-linear narrative and stylized cinematic theatrics are, in their way, surprisingly reminiscent of Oliver Stone’s work, especially ‘JFK.’ That said, the themes of the story and the styles employed in its telling are at once very much in line with Nolan’s previous work, even while representing a major leap of maturity. His interest in playing with time and chronology has never worked so well and his exploration of the often blurred lines between heroic and villainous figures has never been put to such perfect use. The ultimate result is one of the best movies of recent years.
J. McVay and Charles Hinshaw discuss the latest film written and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical theorist who led the team that created the first atomic bombs during WWII. Also in the film are Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., and plenty of others.
===
Mentioned in the episode:
Stereoactive Movie Club Ep 21 // Hiroshima Mon Amour
https://www.stereoactivemedia.com/ep-21-hiroshima-mon-amour/
===
Episode Credits:
Producer/Host: J. McVay
Guests: Charles Hinshaw
Music: Hansdale Hsu
Produced by Stereoactive Media
How does one reconcile great achievement with a resultant aftermath that includes a massive death toll and perhaps the eventual death of the world? Can anything with those actual results and possible further outcomes even be considered a success at all? And how should we either celebrate or punish the people responsible for such things? These questions, along with plenty of others, are at the heart of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a film with a relentlessly intense pace and swirling collection of talents flexing almost ridiculous levels of craftsmanship.
At the center of the swirl is Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer. Murphy's portrayal of a complicated genius who sees the world and its constituent parts in ways others don't or can’t, and who seems to feel he deserves both praise and punishment for what he's accomplished, is in the mold of Peter O'Toole's turn in Lawrence of Arabia.
Playing the counterweight, as Lewis Strauss, Robert Downey Jr. gives what is certainly one of his best performances of recent years, and quite possibly also of his career. Each actor holds the screen in transfixing ways, while together providing something of a balancing act across the film. On one side we have the rare person whose thoughts can change the world in irreversible ways, while on the other we have the epitome of a bureaucrat. Friction was inevitable.
The multi-layered, non-linear narrative and stylized cinematic theatrics are, in their way, surprisingly reminiscent of Oliver Stone’s work, especially ‘JFK.’ That said, the themes of the story and the styles employed in its telling are at once very much in line with Nolan’s previous work, even while representing a major leap of maturity. His interest in playing with time and chronology has never worked so well and his exploration of the often blurred lines between heroic and villainous figures has never been put to such perfect use. The ultimate result is one of the best movies of recent years.
J. McVay and Charles Hinshaw discuss the latest film written and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical theorist who led the team that created the first atomic bombs during WWII. Also in the film are Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., and plenty of others.
===
Mentioned in the episode:
Stereoactive Movie Club Ep 21 // Hiroshima Mon Amour
https://www.stereoactivemedia.com/ep-21-hiroshima-mon-amour/
===
Episode Credits:
Producer/Host: J. McVay
Guests: Charles Hinshaw
Music: Hansdale Hsu
Produced by Stereoactive Media
Previous Episode
'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' / Writers and Actors on Strike
1 RecommendationsJ. McVay and Charles Hinshaw discuss ‘'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' – directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, and Pom Klementieff.
They also discuss the current strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, the unions representing writers and actors who work in film and television – including Charles’ perspective as a member of SAG-AFTRA.
===
Episode Credits:
Producer/Host: J. McVay
Guests: Charles Hinshaw
Music: Hansdale Hsu
Produced by Stereoactive Media
Next Episode
‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ // a movie discussion
J. McVay and Charles Hinshaw discuss the latest – and, most likely, final – installment in the Indiana Jones series. Directed by James Mangold, ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ stars Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore, and Mads Mikkelsen. It’s now available to watch on Disney+.
Back in 2005, J. McVay went to a midnight screening of ‘Raider of the Lost Ark’ at the Paris Theater in New York City. Karen Allen was there and talked about a fourth Indiana Jones movie was finally about to happen and she'd heard that Natalie Portman was in talks to play the daughter of Indy and Marion.
A few years later, the movie she seemed to describe was out, but with Shia as their son, instead of anyone as their daughter. And now we have a fifth movie in which Indy has a daughter figure. Perhaps this was a course correction to whatever developments Karen Allen spoke of... or perhaps not. Who knows?
‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ is more than capably directed by James Mangold. That said, Spielberg’s absence is somehow felt throughout. After all, it seems a bit odd that a film that almost certainly will be the last in the series due to its star’s age doesn’t doesn’t just... have the same director as the four that came before it.
Harrison Ford is reasonably believable as an octogenarian action star, and the film does embrace his aging, but it’s all an odd choice for a character that, River Phoenix and Young Indy aside, seemed in some ways ageless. In the end, it’s hard to see this as a necessary installment in the franchise.
===
Episode Credits:
Producer/Host: J. McVay
Guests: Charles Hinshaw
Music: Hansdale Hsu
Produced by Stereoactive Media
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