Posted on 12/19/2022 11:26:09 AM PST by Red Badger
The epic is heading for a strange head-to-head with Barbie at the box office
Universal has released the first full trailer for Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s film about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist closely associated with the invention and detonation of the first atomic bomb in the 1940s.
The tone is epic and serious as we see a montage of the bomb being devised and prepared at the Manhattan Project site in New Mexico, while Cillian Murphy, as Oppenheimer, looks on, aghast at his creation.
“They won’t fear it until they understand it, and they won’t understand it until they’ve used it,” he says in voiceover. “I don’t know if we can be trusted with such a weapon.”
Many of Tenet and Inception director Nolan’s preoccupations are present and correct: science, explosions, awe at the mysteries of the universe, fear of the cost of progress. Notably not present in the trailer is most of the incredibly starry supporting cast Nolan has assembled for the film, which includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh, as well as a reported one-scene cameo from Gary Oldman.
Nolan, who loves practical effects and shooting on film (Oppenheimer is shot on 65 mm IMAX film by regular Nolan collaborator Hoyte van Hoytema, including a world-first sequence of analogue IMAX black-and-white photography) claims to have recreated an atomic test “without the use of computer graphics” for the movie. Yikes.
Oppenheimer will be released on July 21, 2023, which is the very same day that Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie’s Barbie hits theaters. Barbie was recently the subject of a similarly epic, though much less serious, teaser trailer which riffs on 2001: A Space Odyssey by Nolan’s idol Stanley Kubrick.
Although the two films clearly have different tones, they both rank among the most anticipated of next year (even more so after these trailers), both boast starry casts and hot directors, and both have a reported budget of $100 million. It’s rare to see two big studio beasts such as these pitted directly against each other at the box office.
There’s an extra bit of spice to this rivalry: Oppenheimer will be distributed by Universal Pictures, in a departure for Nolan, who had stayed with Warner Bros. for 20 years before dramatically breaking with the studio over its shift toward streaming. Barbie’s distributor? Why, it’s Warner Bros.
I’m also pleased to see Nolan cast Cillian Murphy in a leading role. He played a lot of smaller parts in Nolan’s previous films. I thought he was really good in Peaky Blinders (and in the other parts he played) and look forward to seeing him in a leading role.
Ping to sphinx for potential movie list thread addition... May not fit the wholesome family movie criteria but may be of interest...
I’ve been told that the Soviet A bomb was a replica of our atomic bomb. Now that sounds like a story worth telling.
“It’s a boy.” Edward Teller. BTW, Oppenheimer was was quoting the Bhagavad-Gita in a stilted translation.
Sakharov said that the Russian atomic scientists had a copy of the Los Alamos “Black Book”, the top secret atomic design handbook. It’s not that the Russians could not have developed an atomic bomb, just that they saved billions in development cost by learning from the Americans.
Stalin knew about the a-bomb before Truman. While he was vice-president Truman did his homework, read all his briefings and was as ready on day one as he could make himself but FDR never brought him in on the a-bomb. People I know say that if it had come out that Truman had the a-bomb and had refused to use it, the outcry and calls for his impeachment would have been deafening. Everyone was sick of the ******* war by 1945.
That’s from the Bhagavad Gita. Hindu god of death.
Memento was absolutely one of the strangest and most unique movies that I have ever seen, and I have seen quite a few.
I found the whole thing fascinating to watch, but...I have never been able to recommend it to anyone.
It was a fascinating movie
It was so bizarre to explain...five minute segments, beginning at the end of the story, being sequentially played backwards as the movie progresses, and at the end...you are seeing the first five minutes of the beginning!
At least that was how I remembered it!
monkeyshine — Good catch. Glad to loop in the movie ping list. My theoretical target is not necessarily “wholesome family movies.” I’m always looking for “conservative” movies, broadly defined. Given the politics of the industry, there aren’t a lot of card carrying conservatives in the business (and both of them need all the support we can give them), but I do believe that reality is conservative. Filmmakers who are committed to telling honest stories can and sometimes do make movies that are culturally or thematically conservative whatever the politics of the writer and director may be. But back to Oppenheimer:
I have been aware of the movie but haven’t done my due diligence on it. I’d love to hear what freepers have to say. It’s been a long time since I’ve read up on the Oppenheimer case and I’d have to refresh my memory. If I recall correctly, it was never established whether Oppenheimer was a CPUSA member or a traitor. However, there is no question that he was a man of the left, that he had a deep network of communist friends, associates and affiliations from college and grad school forward, and that he lied repeatedly to the FBI when he was getting his security clearance. Stripping him of his clearance was obviously the correct thing to do.
Beyond that it gets murky. There were a LOT of fellow travelers in cultural and academic circles in the 1930’s, and many of them were fools, not traitors. And to compound the problem, the Roosevelt administration was both compromised itself and, even among non-communist New Dealers, largely indifferent to the problem. (With some honorable exceptions.) So it gets hard to sort out.
If we have any Oppenheimer experts here, weigh in.
And lest I forget, is the movie any good? I’ve not seen it yet but will get around to it before long.
It takes a certain type, I guess. Surely not for everyone but I too like unique movies. Far too many canned script type stuff out there. Memento had a very unusual premise and plot, and probably set him on the path to do films with other unusual premises like Inception.
If you didn’t see The Prestige, I think it’s also extraordinary.
Must read - note to self.
Yeah, I should have checked on that. There’s been buzz for over a year about it but I had lost track of the release dates.
Did you catch Amsterdam by David O Russel? I wouldn’t call it a “Conservative” movie in intent but if you look at it the right way...
...the tables have turned so much vs the politics of, say, Roosevelt through the 1970s, Particularly for the left. What the left used to believe in then now mostly belongs to the right, and what the left believes in now belongs to the populist fringe as cover for corporatism bordering on the fascistic.
The traitor was Klaus Fuchs who the Brits sent to the Manhattan Project. He was a Communist and passed the A Bomb designs to the Sovs. After spending a few years in a UK prison ended up in East Germany to enjoy his socialist paradise.
Klaus Fuchs was one of the traitors. There were more, including David Greenglass. How many? I don’t think anyone has a good idea. The Roosevelt administration was compromised at senior levels and was looking for Russian agents about as hard as Team Biden is policing the border. I exaggerate, but only slightly. FDR and many of his senior people simply didn’t carte, and that created an environment in which the outright traitors could thrive.
Oppenheimer’s brother was certainly a communist - a party member. Oppenheimer was primarily simultaneously very arrogant and very naive. He literal thought he was above all that. The Reds didn’t need him as a party member all they needed to do was manipulate his ego to get what was needed.
Barbie? I love Margot Robbie and would watch her reading the phone book. But ... Barbie?
So if you are like me (and hopefully better) than I think you will appreciate this list:
Time Changer. A Bible scholar living in 1890 climbs aboard a time machine to see how the book he wrote will affect future generations and is stunned by the results. Gavin MacLeod, Hal Linden
The Cross and the Switchblade . Based on the true story of Pastor David Wilkerson, who ministered to NYC gang members, including Nicky Cruz, leader of the toughest gang in NYC in the 50's. Has a very real and raw street-level quality without sentimentality but with action and some humor, and a moving message that needs to be heard today, BLM included.
Amazing Love: The Story of Hosea. When tensions mount between members of a teen group, a young pastor attempts reconciliation by sharing the story of the Old Testament prophet Hosea. Sean Astin (son of Addams family star) plays the part well of a pastor with his wife taking teens on a camping trip. Humorous but with with the best portrayal of an OT prophet I have ever seen as the pastor tells his story.
Letters to God . Tyler Doherty is an extraordinary eight-year-old boy armed with strong faith and courage as he faces his daily battle against cancer. Surrounded by a loving family and community, Tyler's prayers take the form of letters he sends to his ultimate pen pal, God, on a daily basis. These letters find their way into the hands of Tyler's postman, Brady, who is at a crossroads in his life, searching of Tyler's shining spirit, bravery and grace. Inspired by a true story, Letters to God delivers a message of home, faith and courage that others can apply to their own personal struggle regardless of what they may face in their everyday lives. [Very well done and moving. But communities are not that nice as in the movie.]
Loving the Bad Man. A young Christian woman gives birth to a baby conceived when she was raped, keeps the child, and uses her faith to help her assailant find God. [Powerful, and moving (can make grown men weep, but rejoice in awe at the end). Music about 30 min. into the film is a downside though. ]
Come the Morning. A single mother travels across the country with her three children to find the man who deserted them, and have a shot at a better life. [Older movie and with honesty and quite realistic depiction of life on the street. a Billy Graham production.]
A Matter of Faith . A Christian college student finds herself in a crisis of faith when her father finds her biology professor teaches evolution as the answer of life. [Student gives some good responses.]
Badge of Faith. Based on the true story of a Virginia police officer who was paralyzed while on-duty and fought his way back through sheer faith.
God's Outlaw. The story of William Tyndale, who bravely dedicated his life to translating the Bible into English, and publishing it for everyday people.
Behind the Sun. A young man raised as a Muslim in the Middle East becomes a Christian during his college years in the U.S., setting the stage for conflicts back home. [Recommended watching. Realistic and inspiring but not PC.]
Tortured for Christ. The true story of one pastor dares to stand up against the Soviet Union's ban on religion, enduring torture and solitary confinement for his beliefs in this true story.
Years of the Beast The battle between God and satanic forces centers this dramatic telling of the book of Revelation as oppression, evil and mistrust befalls the world. [Another Rapture movie, but the best one, with very good script and acting (Gary Bayer=, Jerry Houser). Although I believe that is the first resurrection at the end of the Trib., yet the scenario these believers experience can easily much represent what believers in general will face during that period.]
The Pilgrim's Progress . Animated tale of a man obsessed with finding truth and escaping a city’s destruction who encounters hardships, foes and victory in his faith journey. [At bottom "You May Also Like" offers more animated Bible theme stories.]
C.H. Spurgeon: The People's Preacher.
Billy Graham: An Extraordinary Journey
Canvas Cathedral: Billy Graham's Crisis of Faith
Hudson Taylor: Into the Heart of the Dragon
The [Aryan] Couple. [Inspired by] The true story of a Jewish Hungarian man [Martin Landau] depicts his desperate fight with Himmler and Eichmann, as he tries to save his family from Nazi death camps. [Well done and powerful.]
For Love's Sake . When a grieving widow spirals into suicidal depression and loses custody of her children, her therapist becomes the life raft that will save her. [It is a better movie than you may think: the British state versus a Christian mother and her children and her victory. I think it is based on a true story.]
WWJD II: The Woodcarver . An experienced woodcarver takes a troubled teen under his wing and, in doing so, brings the teen and his family back together and back to God.
The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry . Dustin and his two best buddies are twelve year-olds looking forward to a summer of fun in 1970. When Dustin mows the lawn of seventy-five year old Jonathan Sperry [Gavin MacLeod], a man he has seen at church, a unique friendship develops. What happens the rest of this summer is something Dustin and his friends will never forget.
The Way Home. This drama is based on the true story of a rural community that is forever changed when they must help a local family search for their missing son. Quite well done with some good acting.
Free Indeed: The Phil Thatcher Story. How one of California’s most notorious criminals during the 1920s and 1930s was reformed after meeting Jesus Christ in his Folsom prison cell.
The Climb . Two mountain climbers, one courageous and religious, the other strong and self-reliant, form an uneasy bond after a life-changing rescue mission
Second Glance . Living as a Christian seems rather pointless to high-school senior Dan Burgess [David A.R. White], until he gets his wish to experience life as an unbeliever.
Pamela's Prayer. On the day a girl is born, her mother dies, and her life unfolds in daily prayers with the father who raised her to stay pure until her wedding day.
The Trail. In 1848, Amelia and her husband join the last caravan headed west in pursuit of California gold. After a savage attack, she is left alone to battle hunger and the elements.
Cry From the Mountain. Kayaking through the Alaskan wilderness, a man and his son experience a life-threatening accident. Will help from a mysterious stranger save them?
USS Indianapolis : The Legacy. Experience this groundbreaking film, the story of the greatest sea disaster in U.S. Navy History, told for the first time by only the men who lived it. In the most top secret Navy mission of World War II, the crew of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis delivers components of the atomic bomb to Tinian island. Four days later, two Japanese torpedoes sink the ship in the Challenger Deep, triggering an epic tale of survival. For five days, the 880 men who make it into the water battle searing sun, thirst, hundreds of sharks and ultimately each other. Just 317 survive only to band together again in a fifty-year fight to clear their captain's name. Set to a soaring original score, this incredible story unfolds with rare WWII footage, previously unpublished photographs, and new footage from one of the last WWII-era heavy cruisers still afloat. USS Indianapolis: The Legacy shows us that through courage and faith, ordinary men can survive the crucible of nature, and emerge extraordinary heroes.
He certainly was not evil. He was given a task and the tools and resources to accomplish it. The war was on, and the Germans were already working on an atomic device of their own. There was no question of the necessity. Further, the use of the weapon(s) ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives. A reluctant hero perhaps? What happened after the war was largely out of his control. The genie was out of the bottle and other people advanced the science and technology.
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