Oppenheimer .

Given the two possible options presented to me this weekend I decided on the gloomy retelling of the Robert Oppenheimer story. Given that Pink is my least favorite color. This also marks after a several year hiatus my return to an actual movie theater.
Presented by accomplished and talented director Christopher Nolan. This epic historical retelling of the famed nuclear scientists brilliantly gifted, complicated and contradictory life runs for just over three hours. Nolan leaves few stones unturned in his portrayal of the man, the times and turmoil scientific and political that he lived in.  Rivetingly played by Cillian Murphy.  Robert Downey Jr also spellbinding as political snake Lewis Strauss. Matt Damon as the military chief Leslie Groves is quietly memorable. Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s sometimes fiery wife. Florence Pugh’s impact is outweighed by her brief appearances as Oppenheimer's sometimes moral conscience and lover. The political lynching that he endured towards the end of his career while important and dramatic to the story seemed overly drawn out. Overall it is a credit to Nolan and his crew that he pulled of this daunting project with such accomplished finesse and care.
A technical point I was struck by the dull flat digital (the new norm) projection on the screen. It’s a shame that after all the trouble that Nolan went to shooting this epic on 65mm film, that  what we are presented with is these lifeless images on the screen in the in the name of economic expedience.

 Asteroid city.

In the immortal words of Nigel Tufnel the rocker from Spinal Tap. Referring to the volume knob on his guitar amp         “These go to Eleven”
Which is what Wes Anderson has dialed up on the weirdness scale in his  new film Asteroid City.                                       Anderson perhaps the newest  addition to the list of modern American director’s who’s cinematic work can be readily identified with them. He has not so much carved out his own niche as created his own particular visual world. Asteroid city adds to and continues his explorations into his peculiar universe. Working with what has become in. Certain cases his repertory group of actors in including ,Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton,  Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Steve Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie.
In this multi layered fantasy set in the 1950’s Anderson has constructed a play, shot in black and white set on a stage is purposely one dimensional, hosted by a serious commentator. This then morphs into a film set in desert town of 87 complete with crater left behind by an asteroid.  A gifted stylist Anderson has managed to make the movie part of the film mesmerizingly strange with its bleached pastel colors, (apart from Scarlett Johanssons lips) startling dolly shots and meticulous production design.
The child actors cast are all perfect and brilliant.                      
The star studded cast are….star studded, in their goofy magnetic Anderson way. It seems that the director is increasingly comfortable with the unusual worlds he creates. We are all in some way the beneficiaries.