Tag: Rami Malek

Oppenheimer Review: One of Christopher Nolan’s Best.

Christopher Nolan is one of my and many other’s favourite directors working today.
His name attached to a project alone is enough to get my butt in a set.
I have even liked some of his films which have received criticism, like most recently Tenet.
Nolan’s Oppenheimer, however, has been getting mostly non-stop praise and, after seeing the film in Xtremescreen, I can say that this praise is entirely deserved.
Oppenheimer is a biographical film following the life of the titular J. Robert Oppenheimer, called the father of the atomic bomb.
Cillian Murphy plays Oppenheimer in his first leading role in a Christopher Nolan movie, and he does so flawlessly, conveying so much emotion with just his eyes.

This is Murphy’s best performance to date.

His performance is masterful, as we watch Oppenheimer go from studying abroad, to eventually leading the Manhattan Project, to his downfall during the shameful years of the McCarthy Era.
I would not be surprised if we saw Murphy get at least an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
He should not be alone in getting a nomination, however, for there are other actors whose roles in Oppenheimer make them deserving as well.
There is Emily Blunt as Kitty Openheimer, who steals the scene in an interrogation with Jason Clarke’s Roger Robb, which makes her deserving of a Best Supporting Actress nod.
As for Best Supporting Actor, the nomination without a doubt has to go to Robert Downey Jr, who delivers what is one of the best performances of his career as Lewis Strauss. 

I will be upset if Robert Downey Jr. does not at least get nominated for his role in Oppenheimer.

Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, and Casey Affleck are some of the many, many big name actors who makes appearances in this film and they all do excellent.
But what is good performances without good direction, and Christopher Nolan delivers that in spades with a stunning look into Oppenheimer’s mind in all of its beauty and terror.
This terror especially comes into play with the Trinity Test, the first test of a nuclear bomb, which is the most intense moment I have seen on screen all year. 

The build up to the blast had my heart pounding.

The way the cinematography (Hoyte van Hoytema), the editing (Jennifer Lame) and score (Ludwig Göransson) all combine during the Trinity Test creates such a beautifully haunting moment.
This moment is maybe even matched by Oppenehimer’s reaction to the aftermath of the successful bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed hundreds of thousands.
Nolan and Murphy portray the effect these horrible events had on Oppenheimer perfectly, leading an ending scene which gave me goosebumps.
I think the last time a movie’s ending left me feeling so haunted was when I saw the ending to Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder. 

The ending of Oppenheimer will stick with me for a while.

After seeing Oppenheimer I would go as far to say that it is not just an excellent film but one of Christopher Nolan’s best, right up there with the likes of Inception and The Dark Knight.      
The film is three hours long and when it was over it felt like barely any time had passed and that may be the highest praise I can give it.
I cannot recommend Oppenheimer enough.
It not only provides a haunting look at the creation of nuclear weapons but a look at the flawed yet sympathetic man who fathered them.

Bohemian Rhapsody: Safe? Yes. Entertaining? Also Yes.

3 and a half stars
Even if you are not a big fan of music it would be strange if you had not heard of Queen.
Their music remains some of the greatest of all time and their lead singer, Freddie Mercury, is one of the best showmen of all time.
As a result, it was only a matter of time before a biopic was made about their rise to stardom and Bohemian Rhapsody is that movie.
Named after one of their most famous songs, the film went through a rough production with Bryan Singer being fired as the director, although remaining credited.
Many critics have disliked how Bohemian Rhapsody seems to play it safe when telling the story of Queen rather than dealing with the darker and more controversial aspects of Freddie and the band.
However, while this is certainly true, with Bohemian Rhapsody telling the typical biopic story we have seen before, the film still manages to be very entertaining due to the enjoyable music sequences and an Oscar worthy performance by Rami Malek .
Malek’s performance as Freddie Mercury is so good that you could be forgiven for thinking that it was Freddie himself on stage.

Freddie of Rami.jpg
Rami Malek gives a potentially Oscar worthy performance as Freddie Mercury, making him both eccentric and human. 

And, even though the film does play it safe in some areas, various aspects of Mercury’s life are shown in detail like him coming to grips with his sexuality and even hinting at a cocaine addiction.
This combined with Malek’s incredible performance makes him come across as very human and not just as the persona he presented on stage.
The music sequences are also entertaining with it being difficult not to sing along in theaters.
However, while this does make the film an entertaining watch, it is still not without its faults.
As I said, the film is a standard biopic that we have all seen before and puts the creation of songs over the band members’ struggles.

music bohemian rhapsody.jpg
With the exception of Freddie, none of the band members are focused on. Rather it is their music that takes center stage.

Along with this, the film is full of various inaccuracies.
I believe when creating a film based off a true story it needs to be mostly truthful so it is respectful towards actual events, although some creative liberties may be necessary.
Bohemian Rhapsody, however, has so many inaccuracies and, combing this with the prioritization of music over character development, this makes it feel like the film is trying to be about Queen’s music rather than the band as people.
Still, there are many moments of humanity in the film for Freddie that come from Malek’s performance, which stops this feeling from spilling all over the film.
And, even though the film does priorities the music over the actual story, it does not change the fact that Bohemian Rhapsody is still entertaining.
Check it Malik’s excellent performance and the musical sections because those will certainly “rock you.”