I went to see "Oppenheimer" last night. As a physics graduate this has
much interest for me, to see all those names I know from textbooks
appearing on screen.
However if any umrat is thinking of seeing it be prepared for a hard
night's work.

For reasons, probably of Art, the writer/director has chosen to present
the story in a non-chronological order. OK I can live with that, but he
makes it difficult by using both blacl/white and colour stock. This
might have been useful as an aid to chronology but no! Some of the
grainy b/w scenes actually take place in time after some of the those
shot in colour.

The music track is abominable. It is far too loud (in one place it
obliterates the speech track for as long as half a minute) and often
breaks out in loud noises having nothing to do with the visual matter.

There are some good performances (though why JRO is portrayed as having
a piecing in his ear is not clear). Tom Conti as Einstein! There were
three or four other British actors - Ken Brannagh as Bohr for example
and the chap playing Pres Truman was very convincing (forgotten the
actors name - it's my age you know. He played Smiley in the film of
Tinker, tailor etc).

I thought Brad Pitt could have been more abrasive as Gen Groves.
I shall probably go and see it again though if only to see if I can get
a better grip on the time-line.

Mike Ruddock

On 28/07/2023 09:28, Mike Ruddock wrote:
> I went to see "Oppenheimer" last night. As a physics graduate this has
> much interest for me, to see all those names I know from textbooks
> appearing on screen.
> However if any umrat is thinking of seeing it be prepared for a hard
> night's work.
>
> For reasons, probably of Art, the writer/director has chosen to present
> the story in a non-chronological order. OK I can live with that, but he
> makes it difficult by using both blacl/white and colour stock. This
> might have been useful as an aid to chronology but no! Some of the
> grainy b/w scenes actually take place in time after some of the those
> shot in colour.
>
> The music track is abominable. It is far too loud (in one place it
> obliterates the speech track for as long as half a minute) and often
> breaks out in loud noises having nothing to do with the visual matter.
>
> There are some good performances (though why JRO is portrayed as having
> a piecing in his ear is not clear). Tom Conti as Einstein! There were
> three or four other British actors - Ken Brannagh as Bohr for example
> and the chap playing Pres Truman was very convincing (forgotten the
> actors name - it's my age you know. He played Smiley in the film of
> Tinker, tailor etc).
>
> I thought Brad Pitt could have been more abrasive as Gen Groves.
> I shall probably go and see it again though if only to see if I can get
> a better grip on the time-line.
>
> Mike Ruddock

Interesting, thanks. I had intended to go to see this, and after reading
your remarks about the music, I have booked a "captioned" performance on
Sunday afternoon.

John

On Friday, July 28, 2023 at 9:28:46 AM UTC+1, Mike Ruddock wrote:
> I went to see "Oppenheimer" last night. As a physics graduate this has
> much interest for me, to see all those names I know from textbooks
> appearing on screen.
> However if any umrat is thinking of seeing it be prepared for a hard
> night's work.
>
> For reasons, probably of Art, the writer/director has chosen to present
> the story in a non-chronological order. OK I can live with that, but he
> makes it difficult by using both blacl/white and colour stock. This
> might have been useful as an aid to chronology but no! Some of the
> grainy b/w scenes actually take place in time after some of the those
> shot in colour.
>
> The music track is abominable. It is far too loud (in one place it
> obliterates the speech track for as long as half a minute) and often
> breaks out in loud noises having nothing to do with the visual matter.
>
> There are some good performances (though why JRO is portrayed as having
> a piecing in his ear is not clear). Tom Conti as Einstein! There were
> three or four other British actors - Ken Brannagh as Bohr for example
> and the chap playing Pres Truman was very convincing (forgotten the
> actors name - it's my age you know. He played Smiley in the film of
> Tinker, tailor etc).
>
> I thought Brad Pitt could have been more abrasive as Gen Groves.
> I shall probably go and see it again though if only to see if I can get
> a better grip on the time-line.
>
Thanks for that, Mike. After the huge wave of publicity over Barbenheimer it's refreshing to read your review of the film and its presentation at the cinema.

I found this article in the Guardian interesting:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jul/27/its-exactly-as-theyd-have-done-it-in-the-1910s-how-barbenheimer-is-leading-the-anti-cgi-backlash

It seems that both Barbie and Oppenheimer have gone back to good, old-fashioned model-making and in-camera tricks for the special effects. I had wondered, with reference to your colour/b&w issues, whether they were using a grainy b&w effect in order to help splice original antique footage into the film but a) it seems they created their own 'nuclear' explosion in the studio - not that that means they didn't also use original footage elsewhere as well - but according to the Evening Standard:
https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/oppenheimer-american-flag-stars-stripes-mistake-christopher-nolan-movie-b1096559.html
the coloured sections represented the story from Openheimer's point of view..

I'm sorry the sound was so bad. It's a complaint often made about cinema experiences today - along with other people talking and using their mobile phones. I wonder if going to a different cinema where the projectionist understands sound a little better or perhaps to an IMAX cinema where the staff ought to be better trained?

I've found the quality in the IMAX and ordinary cinemas in Bradford at the National Science and Media Museum (formerly the National Media Museum (formerly the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television))) has been excellent but if you can't find well trained professionals there, where can you find them?

The museum and its cinemas have been closed for an extended period for major renovation work but the cinemas will be reopening on August the 4th. And what will they be showing?

?

??

???

Barbie.

Nick
nickodell49@yahoo.ca

Nick Odell <nickodell@bigfoot.com> wrote:
it seems they created their own 'nuclear' explosion in the studio - not
that that means they didn't also use original footage elsewhere as well
> Nick
> nickodell49@yahoo.ca
>

Some years ago, at a time when Auntie’s studio space was at a premium and
time was short, I recorded the narration for a programme about the
Flixborough disaster for the producer Jolyon Jenkins and after we had
completed recording the voice artist for the narration and she had gone on
her merry way, Jolyon asked if I might happen to have an effect of a huge
explosion as he had found nothing suitable in the Beeb’s library. I hadn’t
anything in stock and offered to create a bespoke one for him; this I did
with a mix of rumbles, ocean roars and a few other effects and he was very
pleased with the outcome and this was used in the final programme.

--
Toodle Pip, Mike McMillan

On Fri, 28 Jul 2023 15:55:21 -0000 (UTC), Mike McMillan
<toodle.pip1@virginmedia.com> wrote:

>Nick Odell <nickodell@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>it seems they created their own 'nuclear' explosion in the studio - not
>that that means they didn't also use original footage elsewhere as well
>> Nick
>> nickodell49@yahoo.ca
>>
>
>Some years ago, at a time when Auntie’s studio space was at a premium and
>time was short, I recorded the narration for a programme about the
>Flixborough disaster for the producer Jolyon Jenkins and after we had
>completed recording the voice artist for the narration and she had gone on
>her merry way, Jolyon asked if I might happen to have an effect of a huge
>explosion as he had found nothing suitable in the Beeb’s library. I hadn’t
>anything in stock and offered to create a bespoke one for him; this I did
>with a mix of rumbles, ocean roars and a few other effects and he was very
>pleased with the outcome and this was used in the final programme.
>
>--
>Toodle Pip, Mike McMillan

We had a film night at home just now. Miss Willoughby and the Haunted
Bookshop just went onto whichever subscription allows us to watch it
without paying specifically for it. It was about the level of Father
Brown and I quite enjoyed it, although guessed the story quite early
on. I did say part way through 'this is the first of a series of Miss
Willoughby films they will make' and B said 'surely not!' But If you
google it iot tells you the second is being filmed now :)

No subtitles though all the speaking was fairly clear.

On Friday, July 28, 2023 at 3:55:23 PM UTC, Mike McMillan wrote:
> Nick Odell <nick...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
> it seems they created their own 'nuclear' explosion in the studio - not
> that that means they didn't also use original footage elsewhere as well
> > Nick
> > nicko...@yahoo.ca
> >
>
> Some years ago, at a time when Auntie’s studio space was at a premium and
> time was short, I recorded the narration for a programme about the
> Flixborough disaster for the producer Jolyon Jenkins and after we had
> completed recording the voice artist for the narration and she had gone on
> her merry way, Jolyon asked if I might happen to have an effect of a huge
> explosion as he had found nothing suitable in the Beeb’s library. I hadn’t
> anything in stock and offered to create a bespoke one for him; this I did
> with a mix of rumbles, ocean roars and a few other effects and he was very
> pleased with the outcome and this was used in the final programme.

That's a seriously flashy KF IMO. To look after all those knickers you keep waving around, you must have a very generously proportioned underwear drawer.

Nick
nickodell49@yahoo.ca

On Friday, July 28, 2023 at 8:53:43 PM UTC, Vicky wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Jul 2023 15:55:21 -0000 (UTC), Mike McMillan
> <toodl...@virginmedia.com> wrote:
>
> >Nick Odell <nick...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
> >it seems they created their own 'nuclear' explosion in the studio - not
> >that that means they didn't also use original footage elsewhere as well
> >> Nick
> >> nicko...@yahoo.ca
> >>
> >
> >Some years ago, at a time when Auntie’s studio space was at a premium and
> >time was short, I recorded the narration for a programme about the
> >Flixborough disaster for the producer Jolyon Jenkins and after we had
> >completed recording the voice artist for the narration and she had gone on
> >her merry way, Jolyon asked if I might happen to have an effect of a huge
> >explosion as he had found nothing suitable in the Beeb’s library.. I hadn’t
> >anything in stock and offered to create a bespoke one for him; this I did
> >with a mix of rumbles, ocean roars and a few other effects and he was very
> >pleased with the outcome and this was used in the final programme.
> >
> >--
> >Toodle Pip, Mike McMillan
> We had a film night at home just now. Miss Willoughby and the Haunted
> Bookshop just went onto whichever subscription allows us to watch it
> without paying specifically for it. It was about the level of Father
> Brown and I quite enjoyed it, although guessed the story quite early
> on. I did say part way through 'this is the first of a series of Miss
> Willoughby films they will make' and B said 'surely not!' But If you
> google it iot tells you the second is being filmed now :)
>
> No subtitles though all the speaking was fairly clear.

I thought OfCom rules about subtitling became much more strictly enforced after the Great Channel 4 Subtitling Debacle of 2021. Or doesn't that apply to streaming services?

Nick
nickodell49@yahoo.ca