(For the final day of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem in which the speaker is identified with a mythological figure. It may be on the nose, but I had to go with the “American Prometheus” himself.)

American Prometheus, they name me,
The man who stole the fire from the gods,
Never returned.
Shall I justify my actions
As the fairest of the factions
That ignited chain reactions
And left everybody burned?
I was spurned.
For no good deed goes unpunished
While the bad are not admonished,
And you’d frankly be astonished
At how in-between deeds fare.
I was there,
Leading teams so complex,
Daring dreams of what is next,
All for loyal intellects,
Intent to see the fire burst.
What is worse,
That I built this capability
Employed to end hostility
Or shirked responsibility
For everything it cost?
I am lost
In my chains, writ in ink,
Where the eagles barely blink,
As I think and I drink
And I offer up my liver to atone
For what I’ve sown.
_____________________________

MPA rating:  R (for language and nudity)

This review certainly feels overdue! While everyone was hopping on the Barbenheimer bandwagon last year, I stuck with the more serious half of that mash-up, Christopher Nolan’s ambitious biopic of the “father of the atomic bomb.” Based on the biography American Prometheus, this film would have been very different in more conventional hands. I can envision a version of it that follows the chronological events of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life and climaxes with the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, perhaps followed by a final scene where he grieves his role in the war and a footnote about how he was effectively disowned by the government. That might have been a great movie on its own, but it’s too pedestrian for Nolan, who instead created a non-linear epic to view Oppenheimer’s life and work from as many angles as possible.

In the role for which he will likely most be remembered, Oscar winner Cillian Murphy epitomizes J. Robert Oppenheimer in all his genius, hubris, and folly. From his time as a physics student admiring Niels Bohr (Kenneth Branagh) to his romantic rendezvous with Communist connections (Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt) to his being approached by General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) to lead the Manhattan Project and beat the Germans to the atomic bomb, the film presents Oppenheimer as level-headed yet prone to bad choices, aware of his own limitations yet confident in his expertise. By itself, this is the film that Oppenheimer could have been, and Murphy still would have excelled in it.

But interspersed with the scientist’s road to fame are scenes of later bureaucratic proceedings, including Oppenheimer’s security clearance hearing in 1954 and the Senate confirmation hearing of former Admiral Lewis Strauss (Oscar-winning Robert Downey, Jr.) for Secretary of Commerce in 1959. Though these parts can threaten to be dry, they offer a wealth of clues pertaining to Oppenheimer’s work and beliefs, how others viewed him, and the underhanded tactics used to besmirch suspected Communist sympathizers at the time. After years of struggling and building an impromptu town at Los Alamos, the testing of the first atom bomb in the New Mexico desert would understandably be the high point of the film, and indeed it made a friend of mine tear up in the theater with the grandeur of the historic explosion (made more impressive by not using CGI, according to Nolan). Yet this moment oddly serves as a false climax around two-thirds into the three-hour runtime, and Nolan instead manages to make those bureaucratic sessions into a riveting culmination of all that’s come before. It still may feel anticlimactic to some, but Nolan pulls it off better than anyone else could.

It’s hard to believe that Christopher Nolan had never won an Oscar before this film, considering his reputation for smart blockbusters. As much as I loved The Holdovers, I celebrated Oppenheimer’s seven Oscar wins last month, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Score, Best Cinematography, and especially Best Supporting Actor. (Like Brendan Fraser the year before, I’m so glad Robert Downey, Jr., has proven his talent beyond his action movie days.) If the Academy had gotten around to adding the Best Casting category this year, I’m sure that Oppenheimer would have won that too, since its huge cast is full of recognizable stars, even in mere cameos, including Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, Jason Clarke, Alden Ehrenreich, Josh Hartnett, and Gary Oldman.

With its convoluted method of presenting Oppenheimer’s story, the film is perhaps not the most accessible or entertaining of biopics, and I could have done without a few unnecessary nude scenes trying to justify its R rating. Its presentation of President Truman and the women in Oppenheimer’s life is far from flattering, and some complaints are also valid about how it omits Japanese perspectives of the bombings or the Native Americans and downwinders living around the bomb testing site. Yet any single movie can only present so much, and it’s hard to imagine a biographical film that is more comprehensive in its exploration of one man’s life and impact. Inception remains my favorite Christopher Nolan film, but Oppenheimer is a masterful history lesson and a well-deserved peak for his career as a filmmaker, one that I hope he can continue to top in future efforts.

Best line: (Kitty Oppenheimer, in a context different from the bomb’s development but no less applicable) “You don’t get to commit sin and then ask all of us to feel sorry for you when there are consequences.”

Rank:  List-Worthy

© 2024 S.G. Liput
796 Followers and Counting

(For Day 20 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem that recounts a historical event. Perhaps it becomes too abstract here, but I was inspired by this film and the passing of the 13^th Amendment.)

“All men are created equal.” How simple! How fair!
Yet full of bull exceptions from the start.
While for decades, we disputed
Who exactly “all” included,
Each amendment added justice a la carte.

With the Civil War near-over, it hinged upon one vote
Whether slavery was truly at an end.
The Radicals were egging
On the timid, even begging
For the courage to be willing to offend.

For offense was unavoidable with rampant opposition.
There was no opinion free of vitriol.
But the President’s supporters
Had resolved to get three quarters
Of the states to redefine their use of “all.”

It bewilders modern senses that freedom was contentious,
That worth was based on race and shade of skin,
But this was second nature
To the warring legislature
In which the new amendment had to win.

Agreement is impossible for monolithic sides,
But single individuals can sway
Their moral qualms, if any,
And the future fates of many
If only they know justice won’t delay.
________________________

MPA rating:  PG-13

It was just a few months ago that I said in my last blogiversary post that Lincoln narrowly missed out on being List-Worthy but might make the cut with another watch. Well, just revisiting some scenes for this review made me realize this historical masterpiece from Spielberg deserves its place in my Top 365. Based on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s biography Team of Rivals, the film encapsulates the last four months of Abraham Lincoln’s life, particularly the hard-fought battle in the House of Representatives to get the 13^th Amendment approved before the Civil War’s end.

My main complaint after seeing Lincoln was how dense and talky it can get with its closed-door strategy meetings and political maneuvering, but then again, it’s remarkable how well it conveys its messages with so many characters and agendas in play. No surprise, but the film’s greatest asset is Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role, a native Brit disappearing completely into the iconic American President. The voice, the weariness, the righteous indignation, the political acumen, the moments of folksy wisdom shared with his subordinates – with every scene, he proves how much he deserved that third Best Actor Oscar.

Yet he also leaves room for others to shine, a cavalcade of excellent supporting roles filled by both established and rising stars, from Colman Domingo and David Oyelowo in the excellent opening scene, to the likes of David Strathairn, Hal Holbrook, Michael Stuhlbarg, Walton Goggins, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jared Harris, and Adam Driver. As far as Oscar-nominated roles, Sally Field is good as the overwrought Mary Todd Lincoln, but Tommy Lee Jones is a hoot as Radical Republican leader Thaddeus Stevens, a role that probably would have won him Best Supporting Actor if not up against Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained.

Lincoln is a showcase of talent at every level, from its layered portrayal of Washington politics and a script both subtle and on-the-nose to its array of skilled actors making the most of every scene. I tend to think Lincoln wouldn’t have used profanity as he does here, but otherwise, Day-Lewis’s performance will surely go down as the definitive cinematic portrayal of the 16^th President.

Best line: (Lincoln) “A compass, I learned when I was surveying, it’ll, it’ll point you true north from where you’re standing, but it’s got no advice about the swamps, deserts, and chasms that you’ll encounter along the way. If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp… what’s the use of knowing true north?”

Rank: List-Worthy

© 2024 S.G. Liput
792 Followers and Counting

(For Day 6 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to base a poem off of some other poem in a different language from the Poetry International website, drawing inspiration from the sounds and letters. I used “Jailhouse Haikus” by Basque poet Kirmen Uribe, and tried to mimic the flow of the sounds while tying the meaning to this film about an unfortunate sailor.)

Bane of chart and map,
Against which straight courses drift –
An ignorant man.

Hang on and look out,
Bet and build and don’t compare –
Better to just dare.

Look, the open sea.
I’ll sail, only heart speaking.
Error? I care not.
_________________________

MPA rating: PG-13

We’re so used to underdog biopics being tales of misjudged heroes overcoming adversity and earning their place in history over all the naysayers. Think Rudy, Rocky, and The Rookie. After all, why would anyone want to watch an underdog story that doesn’t end happily? That is the question I was left with after seeing The Mercy, a biographical drama starring Colin Firth as amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst. In the late 1960s, Crowhurst came up with a ship design that he felt confident could win the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, in which sailors would circumnavigate the globe alone on their yachts. The first half of the film has all the hallmarks of an inspirational history lesson, with Crowhurst betting his home and his business on one crazy idea he believes he can make happen, yet it’s no spoiler for anyone familiar with the notorious tale that things do not go as planned.

I debated whether or not to disclose the film’s ultimately sad turn, but I felt it was worth including, and it’s hardly a secret when looking up the movie. As an American, I had never heard of Crowhurst’s story and so was not expecting the ultimate tragedy of the tale. It’s a sad and open-ended account in real life, so the same is true for the film, which tries to fill in some gaps with speculations beyond the logs Crowhurst left behind. I will credit Firth, as well as Rachel Weisz as his devoted wife Clare, both of whom give excellent and nuanced performances. There is a place for tragic heroism and stories that remind us that well-intentioned hubris is no guarantee of success, if only to contrast with the overabundance of stories telling us the opposite. It’s just hard not to be disappointed at the reminder.

Best line: (Sir Francis Chichester, famed sailor) “To only do what has been done before is to live one’s life in the shadow of other men.”

Rank: Dishonorable Mention

© 2023 S.G. Liput
784 Followers and Counting