Oppenheimer (2023) (Christopher Nolan's doing his film again)

[buzby]

As I acknowledged above, expanding the film to cover the uranium stuff would produce a different film that would be out of scope for the biopic, and yet even so I can't help but feel it would have been cool.

You could make biopics of basically every scientist involved in the Manhattan Project and get compelling stories out of them. Edward Teller for one, the Hungarian Jew who fled from his home country to Germany after a Communist revolution, and then had to flee to the US after the Nazis came to power. His hatred of the Nazis drove his work on the Manhattan Project, then after the war his hatred of Communists led him to become the chief US nuclear weapons cheerleader. He was shunned by his colleagues over that, his condemnation of Oppenheimer and for being a credit thief (specifically for his self-promoted reputation as the 'father of the hydrogen bomb'), and he eventually helped Israel develop their own nuclear weapons programme.

Klaus Fuchs is another, a German Communist who fled to the UK  in 1939 and was part of the British delegation on the project, he passed information on the plutonium implosion design and hydrogen bomb designs to both the British and Soviets on his return in 1946, was imprisoned for 9 years for treason and deported to East Germany on release, and may have then played a part in assisting the Chinese nuclear weapons programme after the Soviets cut them off.

[Terry Torpid]

The entire film, Murphy as Oppenheimer reminded me of someone, and I couldn't think who it was. Now, about two months later, it's finally hit me: David Byrne from Talking Heads. He lost so much weight he looked like he was wearing the big suit.

Get that biopic made Nolan!

[popcorn]

The entire film, Murphy as Oppenheimer reminded me of someone, and I couldn't think who it was. Now, about two months later, it's finally hit me: David Byrne from Talking Heads.

100%.

I also thought he sounded quite a bit like Keifer Sutherland.

[popcorn]

The entire film, Murphy as Oppenheimer reminded me of someone, and I couldn't think who it was. Now, about two months later, it's finally hit me: David Byrne from Talking Heads.

Forgot about this post and saw Stop Making Sense at the cinema last night. When Byrne was shot from the side, in profile, he kept reminding me of someone but I couldn't think who. Then I remembered...

[phantom_power]

Has anyone seen the 1989 Paul Newman film Fat Man and Little Boy about the Manhattan Project? He plays the character played by Matt Damon in Oppenheimer and Howlin' Mad Murdoch himself Dwight Shultz plays Oppenheimer. Is it any good?

[Junglist]

I hear they dropped a lot of bombs over on the high seas

[touchingcloth]

Why was this 3 hours long? Atrocious screenplay.

[Mister Six]

Annoyed by how much I loved this. Incredible screenplay, brilliant editing, wonderful performances. Only quibble is that the stakes for the two framing stories are "man might lose government security clearance" and "man might lose job", which are ultimately a bit lame as these things go, and also I'm not sure if was really about anything as such. Still, a really great cinematic experience.

[Minami Minegishi]

Really proud of my wife for turning to me 30mins in to say "holy fuck this is boring - it's just one long trailer"

[Goldentony]

and you didnt immediately question the use of holy fuck?

[badaids]

They should have used a little artistic licence and called it Opiumhuffer, livened it up a bit, forget all that nonsense about bombs or whatever it was they were prattling on about.

[Terry Torpid]

I thought it was very stereotypical to have an Irishman set off a bomb. They should have come up with something less cliché.

[checkoutgirl]

Only quibble is that the stakes for the two framing stories are "man might lose government security clearance" and "man might lose job"

This is my issue with it. I just can't give a fuck about the last hour of the film because the stakes are non existent. Lop that off and end it when the bomb works which we all knew anyway because nuclear bombs exist.

The moral conundrum was a bit annoying as well. If he didn't make the bomb there was a queue of geniuses ready to do the same.

It was fine but people raving about it is a bit much.

[elliszeroed]

I would have liked more science/ solving the issues that led to the creation of the bomb. Although that might have required a more "team" focused movie.

And I'm not sure about the film not showing the effects of the bomb, the devestation, the death, the suffering. If you're going to have Oppie give thought to that, then I think the horror needs to be shown, actually, even if he doesn't, the horror needs to be shown, without it, the film may as well be about a guy struggling to build a decent fireplace.

[tourism]

hated this slurry

[badaids]

I would have liked more science/ solving the issues that led to the creation of the bomb. Although that might have required a more "team" focused movie.

Have you read Command and Control, or The Making of the Atomic Bomb? They both cover this brilliantly.

[Goldentony]

the stakes are non existent.

watching modern american fascism kick into gear?  Felt like the entire post bomb coda was basically yelling it in everyones face, unless ive got it wrong!

[Small Man Big Horse]

I watched this over the course of two nights and enjoyed the first ninety minutes, but the second instalment felt like quite a big anti-climax. I don't regret it, but it's a 7.0/10 kind of movie for me, and nothing happened that came as a particular surprise.

[Johnboy]

Really proud of my wife for turning to me 30mins in to say "holy fuck this is boring - it's just one long trailer"

oh, god, yes, that's it exactly, I was looking for a way to describe it, that's it

[SteveDave]

Really proud of my wife for turning to me 30mins in to say "holy fuck this is boring - it's just one long trailer"

That was my take on it too. Like Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" for people who read books.

We turned it off after the first test bomb dropped due to it being bedtime. We'll watch the final hour on Friday night. Don't tell me if they do drop the bomb on Japan or if cool heads prevail.