geezer cinema: oppenheimer (christopher nolan, 2023)

First, a personal note. This is the 200th movie in our ongoing Geezer Cinema Tuesdays!

You go to see Oppenheimer with great expectations. It's big, it's long, it's IMAX! They are going to set off an atomic bomb without using CGI! It's an event, like Barbie only without the dolls!

Well, Christopher Nolan doesn't hold back when the bomb goes off. But one of the interesting things about Oppenheimer is how talky it is. You think, well, three hours long, but there will be action to keep us awake. But much of the movie consists of people talking to each other. It's not static, and the conversations help make real characters out of those talking heads. It's not boring. If you come in expecting to see a movie about a man, you won't be surprised, and maybe that describes most of the audience. But if you come in expecting to see an atomic bomb go off, you might feel a bit empty.

I mean, the bomb goes off, and it's impressive, and then if you look at your watch, you'll notice there's still an hour to go.

I liked the movie, although I admit I'm surprised that some people have already seen it more than once. But as I thought about it, I realized that sometime down the road, I might want to watch it again, too. I feel like I would be more in tune with what Nolan was after, once I'd reflected on the movie for a few years.

I have seen 11 movies directed by Christopher Nolan, and I have liked every single one. Yet I never think of him as one of my favorite directors. I saw Barbie before I saw Oppenheimer, because I wanted to check out Greta Gerwig's latest. I have more than liked every picture Gerwig has directed ... I do think of her as one of my favorite directors. But she's only directed three films so far. She's got a great track record, but Nolan has that in quantity as well as quality.

Ultimately, there is no reason to compare the two films, other than their being released at the same time. Both are successful, artistically and at the box office. But I scratch my head trying to understand the people who did a Barbenheimer. And I don't know that it helps you appreciate either of the two movies if you watch them on the same day.