Oppenheimer

 

Oppenheimer

This is a brilliant movie. I listened to the audio book “American Prometheus”. Christopher Nolan selected  historical events of the book and remixed them into a compelling  story. The story is not sequential but effectively jumps around . There is more to the movie than the  atomic bomb. Besides his scientific endeavors he had a superficial connection to communism, an extra marital  affair and was the subject of FBI surveillance.

There is a plethora of historical characters in this film. The four main characters are:

J. Robert Oppenheimer- Cillian Murphy

General Leslie Groves- Matt Damon

Lewis Strauss- Robert Downey Jr.

Kitty Oppenheimer- Emily Blunt

Cillian Murphy bears an uncanny resemblance to Oppenheimer. He plays the role with fragility and confliction to  the atomic bomb project. The atomic bomb project is the culmination of his scientific endeavors but he understands the dangers to humanity he is unleashing. He is soft spoken and not angered even when persecuted. It is challenging  playing an emotional role while staying controlled.

Matt Damon played the good guy and the sort of bad guy. General Groves likes Oppenheimer but he has to enforce secrecy “compartmentalization” at the camp. This is an easy role for Damon. Most  of the time his conversations are civil without  confrontation, although frustrating.

Robert Downey Jr. plays a pivotal role in the movie. This movie is equally about Strauss and Oppenheimer. Strauss was Oppenheimer’s nemesis. In the scenes for Strauss’ nomination for Secretary of Commerce, Nolan filmed it in black and white making it a film within a film. Robert Downey Jr. looked haggard. He plays the role as a conniving politician with a vendetta against Oppenheimer.   

 My main complaint with Emily Blunt is that her screen time was too short. Kitty was Oppenheimer’s anger. Blunt plays Kitty as a controlled explosion. With all their marital problems she remained by Oppenheimer’s side.

The rest of the cast is fabulous.  Their varied contributions were essential to the film.

It is recommended to watch this movie in IMAX. I have never been a fan of IMAX and my position is unchanged. IMAX uses thunderous sound which sometimes makes hearing  dialogue difficult. As for the atomic bomb explosion at Trinity the scene lasted less than a few minutes out of three hours.  Buy popcorn instead.

There are two bloopers (that I saw) in the movie.

fyi- Oppenheimer died at 62 and his security clearance was  posthumously reinstated.

 

A Quite Place Part II

 

A Quite Place Part II

A Quite Place Part II is the sequel to the original 2018 film. This takes place about a year later than the original.  It is less tense than the original film because we know about the sightless long legged monsters with hyper hearing terrorizing the locals. But there are still enough moments in the film to make you jump.

I thought this was going to be an origin movie. Aside from a brief appearance by John Krasinski and fire balls raining from the sky the main part of the film is the family’s struggle for survival. Emily Blunt is the heroic mother protecting her children played again by Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds and a cute uncredited baby. New to the film are Cillian Murphy and Djmoun  Hounsou. Murphy takes on the male role after Krasinski death however Blunt is the family’s matriarch protecting the family. Jupe is still the boy terrified by the monsters and his sister the brave young girl who confronts them. The family is still trying to survive in the hostile environment where the monsters hunt humans attacking at the slightest sound. Besides caring for two older children Blunt has to take care of a baby which presents new obstacles. The contrast of a deaf girl battling monsters with super hearing is the main juxtaposition of the movie.

There were some clever elements in the script that kept the movie fresh. Some of the monsters’ vulnerabilities were revealed and the children’s bravery were showcased. These scenes highlighted Krasinski’s directorial skills.

All the actors were excellent. It is still intriguing how Simmonds uses signing to complement her expressive performance.  Cillian Murphy is the reluctant protector of the family. He gives a strong intense performance. Regrettably Djmoun  Hounsou  only has a brief appearance.

This clearly is a post pandemic film. Seeing this on a TV screen, even a large one, does justice to the film and especially to the sound effects. If there is a part three maybe unanswered questions will be resolved.  Why did the creatures come to earth, what is their purpose and who is keeping the lights on?

A Quiet Place

This is a little movie with good suspense and moments of sheer freight. The movie is about a family that must silence all sources of noise to survive. There are monsters who attack upon hearing sounds. To quash noise the family walk in bare feet on sand, they eat their meals on leaves using their hands and play monopoly using crocheted pieces. They use sign language to speak. The monsters are hideous with huge ear canals and are mindless eating machines.

The family lives on a farm. The father is played by John Krasinski, who also directed the film. Emily Blunt plays his wife and they have three kids. They live in a state of pervasive fear.  Every motion has to be though out as life or death situation. This is especially hard with kids who unwittingly are prone to noise. One of those kids Millicent Simmonds, who is actually deaf, gives an outstanding performance. The entire cast is great. Emily Blunt has some tense scenes that will make you cringe.

My knowledge of directing is limited but I think Krasinski has done a fine job for his maiden outing.

The films has some plot holes. Where did the creates come from, where is everybody, how are corn fields still well tended, who keeps the electricity going? With a modest $17m production budget the film went to the heart of the story and peripherals are left to the audience’s imagination.

This movie is a spiritual successor to the Twilight Zone or the Outer Limits. It felt more like a novella rather than a complicated script. I think Rotten Tomato was over generous giving the film a 95% (this is not the Godfather or Deer Hunter). That said the box office is to date $88m. Guess Kraninski will get more directing gigs.

At $15+ a ticket you may want to watch this On Demand. By all means, go to the movies if you wish, but keep the noise down.

Edge of Tomorrow

This movie is a combination of “Ground Hog Day” and “The Expendables”. It is a fun summer movie. Tom Curse and Emily Blunt are futuristic soldiers battling an invading alien force. The kicker is that Tom Curse keeps repeating the same day. How he restarts the same day is cruel but funny. The karma shtick works well from being to end and gives the film a holistic feel.

Acting is not a big concern for this film, this is an action flick. In contrast to his bravo performance in “Cocktail”, Curse is once again “Tom Terrific”. Curse is more light hearted here than the grim Ethan Hunt persona in “Mission Impossible”. Returning to yesterday is fraught with problems least of all convincing people you were already there.

Emily Blunt is a Special Forces bad ass (Ha Ha Ha!!). I like Emily Blunt, she is a good actress, but she is more suited to afternoon tea than storming the beach in full Lululemon black body armor. She and Tom are a team, unequal in the beginning but they catch up. Rather than a sex object Blunt is a highly trained killing machine. Tom starts out as a slacker and Emily whips him into shape (whipping is the least of his problems). This dynamic makes for good chemistry between the actors.

The aliens were quite different. They looked like chrome covered Ramen noodles with a bad over bite. It is not clear why they are invading the Earth, the problem is how do you get rid of them?

Two other likable character actors are Bill Paxton and Brendon Gleeson (“The Guard” and “In Bruges”). Paxton is the hard charging Master Sargent who is mustering his troops for battle. This is a departure from his more sedate roles, but he pulls it off with mustached gusto. Gleeson plays a general and he has really put on the pounds. Mercifully the only action he sees in the movie is diving for a box of cookies.

This is a safe movie for the whole family. No sex, no mindless gore, no cursing…and no kids.