giberoutatime
Lifetime Total
1+
Poll Taker
10x
IMDb Member
22 years
Reviews
Oppenheimer (2023)
Nolan does it again....
I am not a fan of Christopher Nolan. He ruined Batman, Dunkirk was a mess and his other movies are overly complicated story mad libs. He is a competent director but his brother is a better writer. All that being said... I think this was his best film since Memento.
It is not a great film. It's too long, too distracted and too unfocused. It makes sense it was based off a historical biography, because it has no clear plot. It also doesn't work as a biopic because we don't really learn anything about Oppenheimer over the movie except he was 'brilliant' and had a high opinion of himself. He knew Communists ( on a college campus, go figure) so that's drama I guess. He was a womanizer, maybe too smart for his own good? Character traits that scrape the surface but are never fully explored. RDJ does a phenomenal job as the secondary main player but you are never quite sure who he is or what he's doing in the story.
Basically the 'drama' or conflict is non-existent. A bunch of know it all scientists disagree with one another- that's basically the extent of the conflict. We all know the stakes of the Manhattan Project but here it's almost a background objective. No real drama or stakes that the audience can invest in.
Like a lot of reviewers I can concur that the editing is distracting. You can follow it but it's tedious. It could've been done so much better. It's like Nolan makes the narrative intentionally confusing because that's what his audience expects. That or he doesn't know how to tell a straight front to back narrative. Like much of the film it just comes across as unnecessarily grandiose.
Remember mini-series in the '80's or the disaster films of Irwin Allen or the Loveboat? That's kind of how this film felt with Cameos. Oh, look it's Rami Malek - I wonder if he already had his Oscar because it's such a small part. Is that Gary Oldman as Truman? Didn't he win an Oscar for playing Churchill? Will he not be satisfied until he plays all Allied leaders? Those are thoughts I had while watching the film. That's how distracting the cameos are. I did enjoy seeing Macon Blair in a high pedigree film. Blue Ruin was awesome! But I digress... James Remar showed up and I thought he was Truman at first but after about 3 minutes into the scene I realized he was Henry Stimson. It took another two minutes before he was addressed as such by another character. That's why I was frustrated. Title cards; time stamps, Characters cards would be helpful but Nolan is a 'genius' so his audience must be as well.
The score was annoying and never shut up to let us focus for any length of time. The sound design was good but also distracting because it was emphasized more than the actual story. The frame was too close to the action all of the time. I guess it's meant to create a sense of intimacy but there are too many characters who we don't know and the timeline jumps around so much (from color to Black and White also) that times, places and events are hardly established. Only because we see certain settings over and over again (over 3 hours) do we start to figure out where some things are (Congress, the security renewal panel etc.)
I did say it was his best film since Memento, this is because it's based off something real and not a comic book, a fictional novel or a specifically weird and unnecessarily complicated premise. The performances were good. I can see Murphy getting an Oscar. He was fantastic but we just never got to know much about the actual man, that's my only problem with that Character. RDJ is fantastic as (spoiler) the antagonist. This is meant to be a twist at the end and does kind of work as an insight into the kind of egos among elite science/government types. Shades of Fauchi. Matt Damon was good but underused. Same with Emily Blunt. Casey Affleck was in this but for the life of me I don't know what his character had to do with anything. This film was too bloated. Too many characters and no real plot.
The bomb gets made and we win the war. Huzzah! But wait, people die and he feels...sad maybe? Much like Oppenheimers actual politics, it's never really made clear. Yes, he's the hero hailed as the 'father of the atom bomb' but he has no real voice in how they are used. He realizes that he can't put the genie back in the bottle. Some criticism feels they don't show the horrors of the bombs enough and Nolan made a deliberate choice to focus on the man and not the actual carnage (though it is alluded to in a dreamlike way). I can respect that choice at least. It's not a war film. It's not an anti-war film. It's a bio pic that plays more like an overly stylish and overlong HBO film. If this were any other director this film would be a solid 6. But since it's Nolan the fanboys are calling it a masterpiece, it ain't. While I don't think it's a home run it is a solid swing that misses more that it hits (for me anyway) but I respect the effort. Einstein was the most entertaining character in my opinion. See it for Florence Pughs tits if nothing else, they get about as much screen time as the actual explosion.
It is not a great film. It's too long, too distracted and too unfocused. It makes sense it was based off a historical biography, because it has no clear plot. It also doesn't work as a biopic because we don't really learn anything about Oppenheimer over the movie except he was 'brilliant' and had a high opinion of himself. He knew Communists ( on a college campus, go figure) so that's drama I guess. He was a womanizer, maybe too smart for his own good? Character traits that scrape the surface but are never fully explored. RDJ does a phenomenal job as the secondary main player but you are never quite sure who he is or what he's doing in the story.
Basically the 'drama' or conflict is non-existent. A bunch of know it all scientists disagree with one another- that's basically the extent of the conflict. We all know the stakes of the Manhattan Project but here it's almost a background objective. No real drama or stakes that the audience can invest in.
Like a lot of reviewers I can concur that the editing is distracting. You can follow it but it's tedious. It could've been done so much better. It's like Nolan makes the narrative intentionally confusing because that's what his audience expects. That or he doesn't know how to tell a straight front to back narrative. Like much of the film it just comes across as unnecessarily grandiose.
Remember mini-series in the '80's or the disaster films of Irwin Allen or the Loveboat? That's kind of how this film felt with Cameos. Oh, look it's Rami Malek - I wonder if he already had his Oscar because it's such a small part. Is that Gary Oldman as Truman? Didn't he win an Oscar for playing Churchill? Will he not be satisfied until he plays all Allied leaders? Those are thoughts I had while watching the film. That's how distracting the cameos are. I did enjoy seeing Macon Blair in a high pedigree film. Blue Ruin was awesome! But I digress... James Remar showed up and I thought he was Truman at first but after about 3 minutes into the scene I realized he was Henry Stimson. It took another two minutes before he was addressed as such by another character. That's why I was frustrated. Title cards; time stamps, Characters cards would be helpful but Nolan is a 'genius' so his audience must be as well.
The score was annoying and never shut up to let us focus for any length of time. The sound design was good but also distracting because it was emphasized more than the actual story. The frame was too close to the action all of the time. I guess it's meant to create a sense of intimacy but there are too many characters who we don't know and the timeline jumps around so much (from color to Black and White also) that times, places and events are hardly established. Only because we see certain settings over and over again (over 3 hours) do we start to figure out where some things are (Congress, the security renewal panel etc.)
I did say it was his best film since Memento, this is because it's based off something real and not a comic book, a fictional novel or a specifically weird and unnecessarily complicated premise. The performances were good. I can see Murphy getting an Oscar. He was fantastic but we just never got to know much about the actual man, that's my only problem with that Character. RDJ is fantastic as (spoiler) the antagonist. This is meant to be a twist at the end and does kind of work as an insight into the kind of egos among elite science/government types. Shades of Fauchi. Matt Damon was good but underused. Same with Emily Blunt. Casey Affleck was in this but for the life of me I don't know what his character had to do with anything. This film was too bloated. Too many characters and no real plot.
The bomb gets made and we win the war. Huzzah! But wait, people die and he feels...sad maybe? Much like Oppenheimers actual politics, it's never really made clear. Yes, he's the hero hailed as the 'father of the atom bomb' but he has no real voice in how they are used. He realizes that he can't put the genie back in the bottle. Some criticism feels they don't show the horrors of the bombs enough and Nolan made a deliberate choice to focus on the man and not the actual carnage (though it is alluded to in a dreamlike way). I can respect that choice at least. It's not a war film. It's not an anti-war film. It's a bio pic that plays more like an overly stylish and overlong HBO film. If this were any other director this film would be a solid 6. But since it's Nolan the fanboys are calling it a masterpiece, it ain't. While I don't think it's a home run it is a solid swing that misses more that it hits (for me anyway) but I respect the effort. Einstein was the most entertaining character in my opinion. See it for Florence Pughs tits if nothing else, they get about as much screen time as the actual explosion.
Last Night in Soho (2021)
That got dark quickly (spoilers)
Just caught this on HBO Max. Was really surprised- in a good way. I like films that don't always go where you expect and this film is definitely that.
Edgar Wright leaves a lot of his trademark humor and jump cuts behind to invest instead in technically stylish retro nostalgia of 1960's London ( the titular SOHO). Fashion student Ellie leaves her Grandma and her safe country home when she gets accepted to Fashion school in London. Ellie is an easy target for the other city girls in her school and soon finds a small room to rent off campus. Her first night in her new apartment we are introduced to Sandie, a bright eyed fashionista and wannabe singer who used to live in the same apartment in the '60's.
Ellie becomes obsessed with Sandie and starts to imitate her in many ways. We know that Ellie has mental issues due to her Mom killing herself when Ellie was Seven. Ellie becomes embroiled in Sandies story and begins to improve herself.
Sandies story quickly becomes dark however, like, really dark. Her boyfriend/manager ends up tricking her out at the club. Matt Smith plays a pimp. Suddenly the retro fairy tale about the swinging '60's becomes a cautionary tale about sex trafficking. Somehow the story gets even darker from there. I won't spoil too much but I will say it reminded me of STIR OF ECHOES with Kevin Bacon.
I can see this movie really divided people. Some loved it, others hated it. I thought it was really good and certainly a departure from Edgar Wrights other work. Kudos for the effort Sir!
The cast was fantastic: Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy were fantastic! Matt Smith was both charming and creepy. Terrence Stamp was awesome per usual and the late Diana Rigg steals the show in the end. Not what I was expecting but a solid horror surprise that I would watch again. A solid 7 stars!
Edgar Wright leaves a lot of his trademark humor and jump cuts behind to invest instead in technically stylish retro nostalgia of 1960's London ( the titular SOHO). Fashion student Ellie leaves her Grandma and her safe country home when she gets accepted to Fashion school in London. Ellie is an easy target for the other city girls in her school and soon finds a small room to rent off campus. Her first night in her new apartment we are introduced to Sandie, a bright eyed fashionista and wannabe singer who used to live in the same apartment in the '60's.
Ellie becomes obsessed with Sandie and starts to imitate her in many ways. We know that Ellie has mental issues due to her Mom killing herself when Ellie was Seven. Ellie becomes embroiled in Sandies story and begins to improve herself.
Sandies story quickly becomes dark however, like, really dark. Her boyfriend/manager ends up tricking her out at the club. Matt Smith plays a pimp. Suddenly the retro fairy tale about the swinging '60's becomes a cautionary tale about sex trafficking. Somehow the story gets even darker from there. I won't spoil too much but I will say it reminded me of STIR OF ECHOES with Kevin Bacon.
I can see this movie really divided people. Some loved it, others hated it. I thought it was really good and certainly a departure from Edgar Wrights other work. Kudos for the effort Sir!
The cast was fantastic: Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy were fantastic! Matt Smith was both charming and creepy. Terrence Stamp was awesome per usual and the late Diana Rigg steals the show in the end. Not what I was expecting but a solid horror surprise that I would watch again. A solid 7 stars!
Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland (2016)
Does for the Series what Serenity did for Firefly...
.... in that it gives closure on an awesome TV show in a more entertaining than expected fashion. Fans will love it!
Granted it's not all exactly the same. Different Goathouse, not all the cast is there (but more than I expected really) and it's just not the same without Rev Theory, but other than that....
DUDE! This is what fans have been waiting for!!! Thad was only a supporting character on the show at first and like Urkel on steroids (or rabies) he immediately became the star of the show and thus the center of the movie. But really Thad is BMS! And his story is our story. Only with more sloots.
The trailer only covers like the first half hour of the movie so there is much more to see I promise. We do see what has become of the other characters... Larry for instance. Radon and even Craig Shilo make an appearance. Coach has an interesting little plot line that is pulled from the headlines. Donnie has an arc of sorts... Sammy and Mary Jo are there and I dare say even Alex gets a sort of closure. But remember... This all takes place before the start of the season so there is plenty of room to add future BMS adventures!
It's not perfect but it's better than we could've hoped for, waaaaay more graphic than Spike would allow (language, full frontal sloots) and drug use galore!!! If you get past the party scenes the story picks up a bit more and there are even a couple of their trademark film spoofs. Alan Ritchson has made a name for himself doing a variety of film roles but will always be known as Thad Castle. He's a producer on this piece and hat's off to him and the whole team who kept the dream alive and made this awesome film. Watching the behind the scenes stuff on YouTube really makes one realize how limited they were filming; I'm glad they pulled it off. Kudos.
THADLAND is a must see for any true BMS fan and gives the characters and this world the over-the-top; egotistical; insane yet cathartic send off that the show never could. God Bless America and God Bless Blue Mountain State!
Granted it's not all exactly the same. Different Goathouse, not all the cast is there (but more than I expected really) and it's just not the same without Rev Theory, but other than that....
DUDE! This is what fans have been waiting for!!! Thad was only a supporting character on the show at first and like Urkel on steroids (or rabies) he immediately became the star of the show and thus the center of the movie. But really Thad is BMS! And his story is our story. Only with more sloots.
The trailer only covers like the first half hour of the movie so there is much more to see I promise. We do see what has become of the other characters... Larry for instance. Radon and even Craig Shilo make an appearance. Coach has an interesting little plot line that is pulled from the headlines. Donnie has an arc of sorts... Sammy and Mary Jo are there and I dare say even Alex gets a sort of closure. But remember... This all takes place before the start of the season so there is plenty of room to add future BMS adventures!
It's not perfect but it's better than we could've hoped for, waaaaay more graphic than Spike would allow (language, full frontal sloots) and drug use galore!!! If you get past the party scenes the story picks up a bit more and there are even a couple of their trademark film spoofs. Alan Ritchson has made a name for himself doing a variety of film roles but will always be known as Thad Castle. He's a producer on this piece and hat's off to him and the whole team who kept the dream alive and made this awesome film. Watching the behind the scenes stuff on YouTube really makes one realize how limited they were filming; I'm glad they pulled it off. Kudos.
THADLAND is a must see for any true BMS fan and gives the characters and this world the over-the-top; egotistical; insane yet cathartic send off that the show never could. God Bless America and God Bless Blue Mountain State!