The Odyssey - Spoilers and Random Thoughts

My spoiler-free review of The Odyssey conveys the gist of my thoughts on the film, but I had a lot of stray branches I wanted to touch on that warranted its own post. So this will be much more disjointed and filled with SPOILERS.

IMAX 70MM

As a Nolan fan, I go into his films wanting to like them. Actually, I want to like everything I see, but with Nolan I’m willing to rewatch a film a few times if it isn’t clicking with me the way it is with others. This is what happened with Oppenheimer, which took me multiple viewings to fully enjoy. (I plan on revisiting Dunkirk again in the future, because I was very underwhelmed with that one while others consider it his best work.) Anyway, it’s something I’m aware of, and it’s why I usually like to put some time between watching his films and reviewing them. I take the format I watched them in into the equation, as well. In this case, it was 70MM IMAX.

The Odyssey is the first film I’ve seen in 70MM. The closest IMAX to me (in Evansville, IN) is standard. I was able to make the trip to Indianapolis for this film, however, finally seeing a film in 70MM. I was taken aback at first with the height of the screen, but I ended up loving the format. 

The point of all this is that there were factors at play that amplified my enjoyment of this film, and only time, and smaller formats, will tell if this one will keep its place among my favorites of Nolan’s filmography. But right now, I really fucking liked it. 

The Logical Follow-up to Oppenheimer

For most of the film, the only issue that was forming was Odysseus’s guilt and reluctance to go home. It didn't click with me what the problem was. He won the war, so what was the problem? The deception of the Trojan horse and the sack of Troy are so embedded in culture that I never even thought of the emotional impact of such betrayal and misery. So when he revealed all of this to Penelope and Athena (who is in the form of a priestess executed in front of him), it hit me hard. This is a man reckoning with the death and carnage brought on because of his plan, which he sees reaching beyond just Troy as he set the example that the rules of hospitality no longer need to be honored. This is just like the back half of Oppenheimer in which he takes indignity and indignity because he feels like he deserved it. 

Oppenheimer was criticized (most notably by well-known subtle person James Cameron) by some for not showing the effects of the bomb and instead focusing on Oppenheimer’s personal experiences. Since he was not there when the bombs dropped, the film would not show them. The focus is instead on his feeling of guilt which is manifested quite effectively in his victory speech (that isolated scream gives me chills no matter how many times I hear it) and his imagination of stepping through charred bodies. 

With The Odyssey, Nolan gives you the bomb and the guilt. We witness the sacking of Troy as Odysseus watches on in horror. I don’t think this is Nolan responding to Oppenheimer criticism. It’s just that this time he chose a story in which the creator of destruction personally witnessed it, as well. Anyway, there should be no bullshit complaints this time about literally showing what the main character feels guilty about. 

On a side note, I thought the casting of Benny Safdie as Agamemnon was interesting since he played Teller in Oppenheimer, who focused on surpassing the atomic bomb by developing hydrogen weapons. He’s the arbiter of destruction here, as well, wanting war with Troy no matter the reason. His characters also end their screen time in both films with a woman looking at them quite angrily, in both cases deservedly so.

Costumes and Casting “Controversy”

First off, I think the vast majority of people being bitches online about the casting and the costumes of this film are either bots, people who never planned on watching the movie ever anyway, and/or racists/transphobes. This is why I didn’t want to even acknowledge it in my actual review because it’s so fucking stupid. But I’m a creature of the internet, so I’ll get into it a little bit.

The Lupita Nyong’o shit is just racist, plain and simple. This is a modern film about a fictional epic, the cast is who it is. Beauty is famously in the eye of the beholder, so if she’s not beautiful enough for you, then fine, but don’t be a bitch about it. She’s great in the small amount of screen time she has, by the way. Nolan needed an actress in a dual role that could convey supreme sadness in one scene and righteous fury in another, and he chose well.

Also, if you’re pissed off about Nyong’o, but you’re okay with Matt Damon or any of the other non-Greeks playing Greeks, then that says it all. It’s a fucking movie about a mythological story, so it’s not going to be “historically accurate,” whatever the fuck that means anyway. I fucking hate the internet sometimes.

The other target of online bullshit is the casting of Elliot Page. At first, people thought he was cast as Achilles, but it turns out to be Sinon, the soldier left behind to convince the Trojans the horse was a gift. I’ve seen some people post things in defense of the casting along the lines of “Calm down, he’s not playing Achilles.” I get that since Achilles was supposed to be a huge warrior (my Humanities professor complained about Brad Pitt being too small for the role back when Troy was coming out). But even if he was Achilles, who gives a fuck? It’s not like Achilles would have a big role in this film if he was featured in it, so I don’t get the outrage. It’s all just transphobic bullshit, and it’s exhausting. For the record, I thought Page was great in the role, especially in the speaking dead sequence. 

Travis Scott is another inclusion that has bothered some, but not so much for his role. The end credits feature a Scott song. Once again, so what? I saw one clickbait post saying it would be like “if Schindler’s List ended with an Imagine Dragons song.” First off, the comparison makes no fucking sense; at least pick an artist from that time period if you’re going to make that joke. Second, the film doesn’t “end” with the song; it plays over the credits. You know, the same way Tenet had a Travis Scott song play over the credits? I’m not even a fan of Travis Scott’s music, but I don’t care if his music plays over the credits. 

There were also plenty of complaints about the costumes. Most recently a picture of Jon Bernthal was released in which he was wearing a simple leather doublet. Dipshits online were complaining that this would be more suited for hunting than for war. Well, he wears it while hunting pheasants (or some other such bird). It’s just a perfect example of “Wait until you see the movie before you criticize it.” 

The other costume that caught shit was Agamemnon’s exaggerated armor. I thought it looked odd myself in the first trailer, but in the film it’s used to great effect. Agamemnon is the real reason behind the war, so the armor works as this imposing dark image a few times in the film, and it’s a powerful visual each time. It’s my favorite costume choice in the film.

“Who is your daddy, and what does he do?”

Some of the dialogue from the trailers has been scrutinized, most notably the use of “dad” and “daddy” and Matt Damon yelling “Let’s go!” as the soldiers run seemingly into battle. This is the only pre-release stuff that did give me pause. It didn’t take me out of the movie or anything, but yeah, couldn’t we just go with “father”? Although Pattinson uses “daddy” to mock Holland, so I guess that works. But if there was one thing I’d change, it would be that. But, again, it did not bother me at all during my viewing.

The “let’s go” moment is another example of not knowing the context. The scene is not a battle charge; it’s Odysseus and his men fleeing the dead. I think it’s okay to yell “Let’s go!” in that scenario. I think people were assuming it was more like a Deadpool and Wolverine “Let’s fucking go” kind of moment, but that’s not the case. For me, I didn’t even know people had an issue with it until after I saw the movie, and it certainly didn’t stick out to me while watching it.

More importantly, the daddy issue in this film is interesting to look at in regard to Nolan’s filmography. Cobb in Inception is trying to get back to his kids. Cooper leaves his children for (nearly) their entire lives, and seems especially indifferent to his son who he just thinks will be fine without him. Oppenheimer has to have someone else keep his child, and his children don’t factor into his life seemingly at all in the film. And Batman…well, we all know about his father since we’ve seen his death committed to film a half a dozen times at this point. 

And now we have The Odyssey, the ultimate coming home story. Telemachus barely remembers his father yet his life is dominated by his absence. And when Odysseus finally makes it home, they get one bonding slaughter and it’s, “See you later, son, I’m sure you’ll be a great king.” Some have theorized that this is Nolan’s way of conveying his own guilt for being away from his own children while making films. I don’t know about that, but one thing is for sure: he’s making it loud and clear that he doesn’t think fathers are all that necessary in the raising of children. Something tells me he has a real “hand’s off” approach to parenting. 

We Live in Annoying Times

As I stated above, I go into all movies wanting to like them, so it annoys the fuck out of me when people seem to want to hate something, especially out of racism or transphobia or any other misguided hatred. I didn’t comment on any of that crap in my review because I want this film to be judged by watching it.

And all this isn’t to say if you dislike The Odyssey then that means you’re racist or whatever. It’s perfectly fine to dislike it for legitimate cinematic reasons. But if you hate it before you even watch it, you’re just wrong. 

For me, even the thought of these "issues" left my mind as I watched the movie because I found the whole experience so immersive. And hopefully, that's the case with anyone else distracted by this nonsense.

Final Randomness

I’ve rambled enough, but I did want to mention a couple other things briefly. 

This isn’t exactly a comedy. In fact, I was kind of surprised by how dark the story was in content and tone. But there are a couple very funny moments. First, Corey Hawkins taking an arrow right to throat as he tries to say “Odysseus” really got me. And John Leguizamo (who was the surprise of the movie for me) has the funniest line when he asks, “Did we win?” (or something like that; I’m awful at remembering exact lines) after the battle with the suitors. It was just the perfect moment of levity after such a prolonged sequence of righteous violence.

Speaking of violence, I didn’t know this was R-rated until I heard the third “fuck.” There was certainly more blood than other Nolan films, but it wasn’t gratuitous or graphic enough to assume an R-rating. I suppose that pig sequence played a factor because those transformations were fucking gnarly. 

That’s it for now. I hope to watch this film again soon, probably in standard IMAX. And who knows, once I’ve had a chance to watch it three or four more times, maybe I’ll write some more nonsense about it.

Oppenheimer - "Can You Hear the Music?"

 

“Can You Hear the Music?”

I am an admitted Nolan fanboy (Tenet was my favorite film the year it came out), so I was extremely excited to see Oppenheimer this past July. After leaving the theater, I appreciated how great it was (the acting, music, sense of scope, etc.), but I didn’t exactly enjoy it. I had the same reaction to Dunkirk (which I need to rewatch, since I like this film more each time I see it). I just thought that I preferred Nolan when he stays in the fully fictional world; his true stories were too limited by history. 

A few months later, I was able to watch it again at home, and again, and again…I’ve watched it eight times now. Initially, I only watched it a second time because it’s Nolan, and seemingly everyone had declared the film a masterpiece. I just wanted to see if what I missed would suddenly click. And it did.

My relationship with this movie is best summed up by the scene between Niels Bohr and Oppenheimer early in the film. He asks how good Robert’s mathematics skills are, and when he hears they aren’t great, he says, “Algebra’s like sheet music. The important thing isn’t, “Can you read music?’ It’s ‘Can you hear it?’ Can you hear the music, Robert?”

This perfectly sums up what I have loved about Nolan’s past two films. I will never understand the science behind what’s going on onscreen, but I love the feeling and experience created in the films. Nolan has caught shit for his sound mixes being so loud that dialogue cannot be understood, but that’s the point. Hearing specific details about how inversion works in Tenet or quantum physics works in Oppenheimer would be completely wasted on my dumbass. But an amazing score set to riveting visuals I can understand and enjoy. I can hear that music.

Speaking literally about music, this is something else that has been vital in his past two films (although almost all of his work features prominent scores). Tenet utilized a complex score that incorporated backwards music, and helped set the tone for a grand, serious story about saving the world. Likewise, Oppenheimer’s score is equally complex (in ways that I don’t completely understand due to my lack of musical knowledge) in how it shifts seamlessly from important moments of history to foreboding tones of what this work will lead to while also featuring softer moments of the human relationships established throughout. The cliché is that a score should be enjoyed but not noticed, but with Ludwig Göransson’s Tenet and Oppenheimer scores, it is clear that the score can be an integral and noticeable aspect of a great film. Hans Zimmer may have made Nolan’s most famous (and copied) scores, but Göransson has made the best and most complementary ones. 

With Tenet and Oppenheimer, my first viewings left me a bit confused and not exactly blown away, but thanks to Nolan’s reputation and visuals along with an interesting score, I knew I needed to revisit these films. Because of this, my appreciation of both films only grows with each new viewing. And this has led to Oppenheimer becoming the most watched film for me in Nolan’s filmography. I don’t fully understand what’s going on here, but I can hear the music, and that’s all that matters.

Small Moments in a Big Film

While Oppenheimer is this big film essentially about the end of the world filled with huge moments and lengthy and dense dialogue scenes, it’s a film filled with little moments that I love that bring me back to the movie again and again. I just wanted to mention them here.

First is the “Can you hear the music?” scene I went into detail about above. I have nothing to add there aside from that I’ve seen a YouTube clip of this scene posted by someone at a screening that featured a full orchestra performing the score live, and I am extremely jealous.

The introduction of Groves is great. Damon isn’t getting enough credit for his performance here, providing some drastically needed humor to this serious film. And I love it when he sends Dane DeHaan off to dry clean his jacket.

This is also the first time you hear the theme that plays signifying the friendship developed here that reappears a couple more times later on.

I was worried about Einstein being in this movie at first because he’s become more of a character than an actual human at this point in history, but the scene in which Oppenheimer tells him about the possibility of igniting the atmosphere put my fears to rest.

Casey Affleck showing up to be a creepy bastard.

The way the score starts to incorporate Geiger counter noises as they get closer to completing the bomb…er…gadget.

The Trinity test, of course.

The crux of the film, and the most effective individual moment, for me is Oppenheimer’s speech after the bomb had been dropped. The sound design of this moment puts you right into Oppenheimer’s mind as he wrestles with this celebration of death he feels responsible for, but the standout moment is when a scream is isolated from the cheering crowd. Within a jubilant, patriotic assembly, such a scream would just blend in; but isolated from it, it sounds more like someone’s response to witnessing a nuclear weapon destroy the world around them. I get chills every time I watch this scene, and I’m getting them as I write about it.

Truman calling Oppenheimer a cry baby.

Oppenheimer snubbing Strauss’s loser son and fiancée. 

Matthew Modine’s righteous anger at the closed hearing: “Excuse me, gentlemen, if I become stirred. But I am.”

Oppenheimer realizing Groves had Pash transferred.

Groves’s nod to Oppenheimer as he leaves the hearing. And, “But I don’t think I’d clear any of those guys,” and Jason Clarke’s dickhead smile in response.

Emily Blunt’s takedown of Clarke: “‘Cause I don’t like your phrase.”

Downey, Jr.’s angry meltdown at the end, during which they should have just had young Han Solo hand him an Oscar.

Emily Blunt’s response to Teller’s attempted handshake.

The final scene revealing the conversation with Einstein, and that perfect ending moment, conveying the guilt Oppenheimer will carry with him for the rest of his life.

Random Thoughts / Favorite Quotes

As a lifelong resident of Indiana who grew up playing basketball, it’s hard to associate the sound of people stomping on gym bleachers in a negative connotation.

With each rewatch, I enjoy the old man (John Gowans, who was first credited as an old man in 2003) in the hearing more and more. It’s great when he laughs along with Emily Blunt, but his best moment is when Oppenheimer tells them that Berkeley only had the leading physics department once he had built it, and the old dude nods like, “That’s right, motherfuckers.”

It’s nice watching young Han Solo and old Iron Man be slight dicks to each other for the whole movie while Jeff from American Dad! just kind of hangs out, eating soup and whatnot.

The same dude who brought Michael Myers his mask in Halloween (2018) is the same dude who suggests treason to Oppenheimer. This fucker needs to just leave people alone.

Oppenheimer putting on his high-waisted pants and dorky hat and grabbing his pipe is treated with the same reverence as the first time Batman puts on the Batsuit.

James Urbaniak was brought in to say one line about trees with a German accent.

Before his standout moment near the end in his testimony at the hearing, Oscar-winner Rami Malek’s main role is to have writing implements taken or smacked away by Oppenheimer.

Dane DeHaan has aged to become the perfect wormy guy in a movie.

It took me eight watches of this to finally notice that someone was playing the bongos two different times at Los Alamos: at the Christmas party/Niels Bohr surprise and after the Trinity test. With very little research, I found out it was Richard Feynman, and he really did play the bongos.

“Birth control is a little out of my jurisdiction, General.”

Groves, seeing a pregnant Kitty: “Clearly.”

“I worry about an America where we do these things and no one protests.”

The isolated scream during the pep rally speech gives me chills every time.

“You shook his fucking hand?” Why did he tell her that he shook his hand?

“...but I don’t think I’d clear any of those guys.”

The score takes on a softer tone when Groves leaves the hearing and gives Oppenheimer a nod. It’s the little moments like that that stick with me.

In fact, that part is actually a little theme that plays during another moment when Oppenheimer realizes that Groves had Pash transferred. It’s the “Groves was really my friend” theme.

“Only a fool or an adolescent presumes to know someone else’s relationship.”

I now believe that Lewis Strauss was behind the JFK assassination.

Emily Blunt deserves a nomination just for that look she gives Teller when he goes to shake her hand.

Top Ten of 2023

This year started slow for me. Up until July, my favorite movie of the year was Dungeons and Dragons. Nothing against that movie (it’s still in my top ten), but I was getting worried about how I was going to fill up a list of ten. But then all the heavy hitters started coming out, and I could have easily made this a top twenty, which I kind of did by including ten honorable mentions. Aside from the top two films, I could see this list being completely different every time I write it, so this is just what it is today. There’s something about all of these movies that I loved, and I thought this was one of the better years for film in recent memory. As always, I want to remind the twenty or so people who read this that these are my favorite films of the year, not the “best” films. Finally, there were a few movies I wanted to watch that I didn’t get to yet, but I can’t put off this list any longer. They are: Godzilla Minus One, Saw X (I will get to this one and update my rankings for the whole franchise, too), and Thanksgiving. There’s a ton of stuff I didn’t watch, but these three are the ones that I felt could possibly make my list. 

Oh, and I’ve done this differently from year to year, but the last few I’ve been starting with the number one film and working down from there. I think most people do more of a countdown style, but I don’t for whatever reason. Anyway, here you go:

1. Poor Things

I’ve already written a full review of this, so I’ll just add this: every year there’s a movie that is seemingly universally beloved that doesn’t click with me. Some stuff just isn’t for me, no matter how well made it is. That’s nothing special. What is special is when something like Poor Things comes out, because it’s one of those movies that I immediately love so much that I simply cannot understand how literally every one who sees it doesn’t think it’s the best film of the year. Normally, I come away from a film I love thinking, “Well, I liked it a lot, but I’m a weirdo.” With this one, I think you’re the weirdo if you don’t love this movie. 

2. Oppenheimer

I wasn’t crazy about this the first time I watched it. I knew it was good, but it didn’t click with me. I thought it was like Dunkirk for me, a movie I know is good, but I didn’t love. Then I watched Oppenheimer five more times. The acting, the structure, the mood, the music, it all just came together for me. It’s like when Niels Bohr asks Oppenheimer if he can “hear the music.” At first I couldn’t, but now I’m hearing it, in typical Nolan too loud fashion. In any other year, this is my number one, but the sheer joy I get from watching Poor Things changed that. Still, this is a movie I love, and maybe after watching it four or five more times I’ll feel prepared enough to write a full article about it.

3. Killers of the Flower Moon

It’s Scorsese, and it’s a big sweeping story about horrible things people do in the name of greed. Of course, I’m going to love this movie. And I’m really enjoying this later stage in his career in which he makes sure no one can claim he’s glorifying any of the terrible behavior of the criminals in his films. These are horrible people and are presented as such. What made this stick with me long after watching it was how successfully Scorsese was able to show how these people didn’t even consider the Osage as fellow humans. This is a terrible moment in history, and Scorsese presents it as such.

4. The Zone of Interest

No other movie on my list has stuck with me after a single watch as much as The Zone of Interest has. Initially, I thought the idea of the movie was more effective than the movie itself, but that’s not true because it stuck with me so strongly. It’s not a movie that I would typically want to watch again, but I feel like I have to because it keeps popping up in my mind, and I feel the need to watch it again. Much like the title of writer/director Jonathan Glazer’s previous film, this one just gets under your skin.

5. The Iron Claw

This is another one that stayed in mind long after watching it. The tragedy of this wrestling family is compelling, and the performances are great across the board, but it’s the mood of the film that worked most for me. The wrestling is treated with such seriousness, despite the innate silliness of the profession, that it creates the perfect tone. 

6. John Wick: Chapter 4

Enough with the miserable stuff, the John Wick franchise is a perfect example of what I want from action movies: a good time. This is somehow still fun four movies in and nearly three hours long. This is a fitting swan song to the most dependable action franchise in recent memory.  

7. The Holdovers

This was going to be in the honorable mentions, but I watched it again the other night, and it made its way into the top ten. Giamatti is great as always, but I mainly appreciate that a story that could easily delve into weepy melodrama stays funny and touching throughout.

8. The Killer

I’m a Fincher fan, so this was right up my alley. It’s also quite funny, as Fassbender keeps repeating rules like a mantra throughout despite breaking every one of them. Good stuff.

9. Barbie

Next to Poor Things, I found this to be the funniest movie of the year. The sequence in which the Barbies conspire to take down the Kens cracked me up and also hurt with how accurate it was (fun fact: I would be the type of Ken who could be distracted by asking me about The Godfather).

10. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Next to Poor Things and Barbie, the funniest movie of the year. I had to watch it again to make sure I legitimately enjoyed this movie and it wasn’t just that I enjoyed it because I was expecting it to be garbage (thanks to the disastrous previous live action adaptation). But this is just awesome, even when you don’t compare it to crappier versions of it. The talking to the dead soldiers sequence put me over the top with this one.

Honorable Mentions - I also really liked all of these, and I’ll explain why in one sentence or phrase or name for each.

The Boy and the Heron - Miyazaki is a blindspot for me, so maybe this isn’t as good as his best, but I wouldn’t know, so I loved it.

20 Days in Mariupol - Should be required viewing for people like me who tend to ignore the news because it’s too depressing; yeah, it’s depressing, and the least I could do is be aware of it.

Leave the World Behind - I know this one made a lot of people big mad with the ending or whatever, but I had a lot of fun with it.

Napoleon - I am so happy that Ridley Scott is still out there making classic epic action movies with a touch of weirdness; looking forward to the director’s cut.

The Promised Land - Mads fucking Mikkelsen growing potatoes.

Robot Dreams - The most delightful surprise of the year for me.

Dream Scenario - Amusing metaphor for fame in our shitty digital world.

Beau Is Afraid - This one is wild, but it makes the list for the perfect encapsulation of anxiety exhibited in the first act.

Smoking Causes Coughing - So weird, so funny.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - Saved this for last because people would probably stop reading if they knew this made my list, but fuck it, I love these stupid, crazy movies; I’m sick of superhero movies for the most part, but if they’re willing to be this goofy and weird, then I’m in.