Film Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'

[Massive Spanner]

I thought Interstellar was a great sci-fi film, that people seemed to want to completely pick apart and call nonsense because the sci part of it didn't quite add up. Which is fine, but it had some really cool concepts. Could've done without the Matt Damon bit, though.

Nolan is a weird one, for me, he's made films I love (The Prestige, Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Memento), films I find horrendously overrated (Dark Knight Rises, Inception), and some absolute trash (Tenet) - but he undeniably tries to at least do something different than most big budget Hollywood directors and for some reason gets ridiculed and hated on for it, like, why?

He really needs to turn down the fecking music score a bit though.

 

[Sweet Square]

The 3 ages of Nolan
1998-2002 - interesting and innovative
2005-2012 - watchable popular popcorn
2014 on - visually impressive rubbish

Fair enough, I’ve still to watch his first film. I get The Batman stuff is enjoyable reactionary blockbuster stuff(Although it’s very weak to compared to other big movie directors), I’ve never got into Inception just because it’s ripping off a better film(Paprika).

Agree with you the last era although at least Tent was so Nolan that it annoyed everyone, which makes it somewhat interesting.

Located Gareth Southgate's Caf account.

Hey I’ve got plenty of free time now!

 

[Rooney in Paris]

I thought Interstellar was a great sci-fi film, that people seemed to want to completely pick apart and call nonsense because the sci part of it didn't quite add up. Which is fine, but it had some really cool concepts. Could've done without the Matt Damon bit, though.

Nolan is a weird one, for me, he's made films I love (The Prestige, Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Memento), films I find horrendously overrated (Dark Knight Rises, Inception), and some absolute trash (Tenet) - but he undeniably tries to at least do something different than most big budget Hollywood directors and for some reason gets ridiculed and hated on for it, like, why?

He really needs to turn down the fecking music score a bit though.

What do you find weird, with regards to your second paragraph? People love to hate things that are popular. If internet boards were a thing back then, Mozart probably would've been hated by vast swathes of the population.

 

[Leg-End]

I actually think this could be a return to form for Nolan, the trailer has me interested.

Not that his form has been bad, it’s just the last 2 films have been 7 out of 10’s for me and he’s set the bar high in expectations.

 

[The Corinthian]

I know cinema is all about the vibes and it’s almost impossible to say why I like x film so much but can someone say why they like Nolan work ?

Is it the science stuff ? The plots ? Acting ?

I do enjoy listening to the guy talk about film and he clearly cares about film as a form of art but for me at least I’ve always found his films are basically instagram posts for middle age dads. Why isn’t this the case ?

Most of his films are different in terms of subject matter and storyline to the usual mainstream guff you see in the cinemas. That's where his credit lies. Even when he was given Batman, he at least tried to something different, on what was a franchise that has been around for ages. His war movie was different in the sense it was 3 parallel storylines on the same beach over the course of a day, a week and a month. There's plenty of better sci-fi movies out there, but Interstellar at least tried something with what is still a relatively nascent field of study. I didn't love Tenet, and I didn't hate it either - if it was any other director, I think I'd be on the side of 'pretentious shite' but because of Nolan as a director, I give him a bit more leeway.

I wouldn't say I'm a fan of Nolan, but I do know that a Nolan movie tends to be better than the usual blockbuster/mainstream offering. I also have a soft spot for him as he went to my uni and filmed some of his stuff there (hehe).

 

[Berbaclass]

People complaining that sci-fi movies are weird
Isn’t that the point.

 

[Mr Pigeon]

Hopefully this is just a straight up "film". I always felt that his focus on the three different timelines in Dunkirk affected the rest of the movie. It made for a heart racing third act but there were moments when the film didn't hit (the sunken ship being spotted by the pilots before it happens etc). It was trying too hard to be clever for me, if that makes sense, and it's something Nolan does a lot.

I'm not saying that movies need to be simple. Nolan movies often strike the right balance between entertainment and thought provoking. But with Dunkirk he started going up his own arse a little bit and the end result was Tenet, which just seemed more about Nolan showing how smart he could be and less about making a good movie.

So far so good with this film, even though it's just a trailer. I'm genuinely excited for everything this director does and that's not going to change any time soon.

 

[Massive Spanner]

What do you find weird, with regards to your second paragraph? People love to hate things that are popular. If internet boards were a thing back then, Mozart probably would've been hated by vast swathes of the population.

Shut your whore mouth.
(Fair point)

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Shut your whore mouth.
(Fair point)

 

[Iker Quesadillas]

I'm not a fan of his either. *ducks*. Obviously a very talented director and can shoot a helluvan action scene but his films are really not as clever/philosophical as he seems to think but he has a very dedicated fanbase that eats his cod philosophy and pseudo science up.

I honestly have no idea what this is even referring to. I understand the complaint about Nolan's movies being too "clever", but philosophical? What philosophy do his movies even have? There is more "cod philosopy" in Fight Club or The Matrix than in his entire filmography combined.

 

[The Corinthian]

What’s cod philosophy?

 

[Scandi Red]

What’s cod philosophy?

Under the sea
Under the sea
Baby it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me

 

[The Corinthian]

Under the sea
Under the sea
Baby it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me

Is that Plato or Socrates?

 

[Pickle85]

I honestly have no idea what this is even referring to. I understand the complaint about Nolan's movies being too "clever", but philosophical? What philosophy do his movies even have? There is more "cod philosopy" in Fight Club or The Matrix than in his entire filmography combined.

This book should answer your questions! https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781498513524/The-Philosophy-of-Christopher-Nolan

 

[Pickle85]

I honestly have no idea what this is even referring to. I understand the complaint about Nolan's movies being too "clever", but philosophical? What philosophy do his movies even have? There is more "cod philosopy" in Fight Club or The Matrix than in his entire filmography combined.

Also this one: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/christopher-nolan-9781350139961/

 

[Spoony]

I thought The Following was very good. Surely you cnuts liked that? And Memento wasn't bad either. But hisbig budget stuff has been more miss than hit. (I'm not counting Batman...so there).

 

[Iker Quesadillas]

Also this one: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/christopher-nolan-9781350139961/

Robbie Goh examines how the director's postmodern inclinations manifest themselves in non-linearity, causal agnosticism, the threat of social anarchy and the frequent use of the mise en abyme, while running counter to these are narratives of heroism, moral responsibility and the dignity of human choice.

I can't say I've ever heard a single Christopher Nolan fan talk to me about the mise en abyme in his movies.

 

[Pickle85]

I can't say I've ever heard a single Christopher Nolan fan talk to me about the mise en abyme in his movies.

Ok. Clearly you've never talked to any Christopher Nolan fans that were philosophers.

 

[arthurka]

The anti Nolan brigade will be getting ready for the release of this …

Count me ready to tear apart another pretentious mess by the master of pretentious messy borefests.

 

[oneniltothearsenal]

Better than 21 imo
Everything all at once, Northman, Banshees, Tar, Top Gun were all bangers

I haven't seen Tar, Banshees, or Broker yet so may change my mind but I thought Northman and Top Gun were really fun but nothing special.

So far, I liked Card Counter and Nightmare Alley from 21 more than anything I've seen in 22, although I did think the Dune adaptation had great ambiance and sound editing and I look forward to the next one.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

I can’t wait to be deafened by music and sound effects and barely be able to hear dialogue.

He demands that there be no ADR on his films, hence why the dialogue gets buried by the music and SFX/PFX. I have no idea why he does this.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

Prepare for another movie where casuals claim "you didn't like it because you didn't get it" even though there's a character in it that will explain everything like he's an IKEA instruction manual.

Oh and why did Cilian Murphy constantly look constipated in this?

 

[Scandi Red]

Prepare for another movie where casuals claim "you didn't like it because you didn't get it" even though there's a character in it that will explain everything like he's an IKEA instruction manual.

 

[oneniltothearsenal]

I thought Interstellar was a great sci-fi film, that people seemed to want to completely pick apart and call nonsense because the sci part of it didn't quite add up. Which is fine, but it had some really cool concepts. Could've done without the Matt Damon bit, though.

Nolan is a weird one, for me, he's made films I love (The Prestige, Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Memento), films I find horrendously overrated (Dark Knight Rises, Inception), and some absolute trash (Tenet) - but he undeniably tries to at least do something different than most big budget Hollywood directors and for some reason gets ridiculed and hated on for it, like, why?

He really needs to turn down the fecking music score a bit though.

Yeah, I find the Nolan hate a bit silly, it really just comes off as hating someone because he's popular. He makes movies that are much more ambitious and entertaining than all the other Hollywood blockbusters that Hollywood just churns out cookie-cutter style. Memento was a fantastic twist on the noir concept and one of the most original neo-noirs I've ever seen, rather than just a retelling of 1940s concepts. I greatly enjoyed The Prestige and I'm a sucker for putting Tesla into a movie. I loved Inception too. Probably one of my all-time favorite blockbuster-type movies and I can only think of a few of those big-budget movies that entertained me as much (Villeneuve's Dune is also up there for recent ones). And I even enjoyed Tenet, I found it very entertaining even if it wasn't one of his better movies, it was still vastly superior to most superhero movies and other blockbusters.

His films might not make it into my absolute top tier of movies but he passes the test of characters making meaningful decisions for stakes that matter (which most blockbusters don't).

 

[Vidyoyo]

Prepare for another movie where casuals claim "you didn't like it because you didn't get it" even though there's a character in it that will explain everything like he's an IKEA instruction manual.

Oh and why did Cilian Murphy constantly look constipated in this?

Incredibly pretentious and unnecessary. Kind of post that leads to this ridiculous schism between art house and popular cinema.

sorry RiP

 

[Volumiza]

Incredibly pretentious and unnecessary. Kind of post that leads to this ridiculous schism between art house and popular cinema.

Ha

 

[The Firestarter]

Prepare for another movie where casuals claim "you didn't like it because you didn't get it" even though there's a character in it that will explain everything like he's an IKEA instruction manual.

Oh and why did Cilian Murphy constantly look constipated in this?

isn't the ikea manual considered rather cryptic or this precisely what you meant, it kinda works both ways

 

[Dirty Schwein]

Incredibly pretentious and unnecessary. Kind of post that leads to this ridiculous schism between art house and popular cinema.

sorry RiP

I'm not wrong though. Look at LDC in Inception

isn't the ikea manual considered rather cryptic or this precisely what you meant, it kinda works both ways

 

[Volumiza]

I thought Interstellar was a great sci-fi film, that people seemed to want to completely pick apart and call nonsense because the sci part of it didn't quite add up. Which is fine, but it had some really cool concepts. Could've done without the Matt Damon bit, though.

Nolan is a weird one, for me, he's made films I love (The Prestige, Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Memento), films I find horrendously overrated (Dark Knight Rises, Inception), and some absolute trash (Tenet) - but he undeniably tries to at least do something different than most big budget Hollywood directors and for some reason gets ridiculed and hated on for it, like, why?

He really needs to turn down the fecking music score a bit though.

Yeah, well said. Pretty much sums up my thoughts. Saying that, Interstellar is one of my favourite movies alongside 2001 and Memento is still an awesome film, arguably the best film released back in 2000 IMO.

Batman begins and TDK, Prestige, Inception are real top tier films too and although none of them are perfect, like you, I appreciate his efforst to bring difference / depth to what are essentially nowt more than blockbusters. SOme of his ideas are wide of the mark but rather that than off the shelf bullshit. The anti Nolan sentiments genuinely baffle me.

Tenet though, fecking puke of a film.

 

[Gringo]

What a bunch of overly critical snobs.

Tenet is really the only movie he's made where he missed the mark for me. He's still one of the handful of directors I will go see on opening week.

 

[Shakesy]

Wow. I love Oppenheimer and Nolan... This is a movie that cannot fail..

 

[VorZakone]

Wow. I love Oppenheimer and Nolan... This is a movie that cannot fail..

You love the scientist Oppenheimer?

 

[Shakesy]

You love the scientist Oppenheimer?

Yup

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Saw a trailer last night. What's with all the weird shots of glassy eyed awkward staring into nothingness?

 

[Shakesy]

Saw a trailer last night. What's with all the weird shots of glassy eyed awkward staring into nothingness?

Just watched it now and my god it looks fantastic. Can't wait.

 

[Shakesy]

For anyone who loves biographies, read American Prometheus. Hopefully Nolan's movie comes as close to it as possible.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Soooo... People are already taking shots at this, 7 months before it's released, on the basis of a... Trailer?

This place never disappoints for certain things.

 

[Charlie Foley]

Is that Plato or Socrates?

Plato fish and chips

 

[Wibble]

Soooo... People are already taking shots at this, 7 months before it's released, on the basis of a... Trailer?

This place never disappoints for certain things.

It doesn't seem a natural fit for Nolan so that might be it.

 

[Shakesy]

It doesn't seem a natural fit for Nolan so that might be it.

Well, he did make Dunkirk. Not his best though.