Oppenheimer

I finally watched Oppenheimer—on my phone. No, I am kidding. On a decent-sized TV, at least. It’s magnificent, of course. Masterful filmmaking, and wow, what a cast!

This isn’t a review, but there is one thing I’m trying to get my head around. The movie sort of felt like a three-hour trailer, for itself. It wasn’t the traditional biopic of who this person is, how his childhood affected him, what he wanted, his struggle to get it, etc.

It just sort of starts, and jumps around, and keeps going, and going and going. It’s not entirely clear what the point is, but it is most definitely interesting.

I think the way it is scored has a lot to do with this aesthetic, with propulsive music playing through scenes that would normally not be scored that way.

I dimly recall reading interviews, and commentary, that made clear this was entirely Christopher Nolan’s intention. And it sort of recalls the way Maestro was structured.

In any event, a towering achievement.