Christopher Nolan is one of a handful of directors who can reasonably lay claim to the title of "greatest of his generation." Oppenheimer will do nothing to damage that claim, and plenty to advance it.
Everything about the film screams “epic.”
Let’s start with the cast – you’re doubtless already aware of the talent-heavy top-billed ensemble who have been doing the rounds promoting the film. Cillian Murphy as the titular J Robert Oppenheimer, the key scientist behind the first atomic bomb; Emily Blunt as his wife Kitty; Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr as the military men overseeing the project; and Florence Pugh as Oppenheimer’s mistress Jean Tatlock.
Oppenheimer
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristopher%20Nolan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECillian%20Murphy%2C%20Emily%20Blunt%2C%20Robert%20Downey%20Jr%2C%20Florence%20Pugh%2C%20Matt%20Damon%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Beyond this, though, every “minor” role seems to find another A-lister cropping up on screen. Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, Jack Quaid, Josh Hartnett, Olivia Thirlby and Tom Conti are just some of the big names taking on roles that, under another director, would likely be cast from unknowns grateful of a half-day on set.
Gary Oldman pops up for what he modestly described to Deadline as "one scene, a page and a half" as President Harry Truman, but which feels like an Oscar-winning turn in the hands of such a talented director.
Nolan is a man of such attention to detail that even his own eldest daughter, Flora, makes a brief appearance in a harrowing apocalyptic scene. Nolan’s explanation? “The point is that if you create the ultimate destructive power, it will also destroy those who are near and dear to you."
There are plenty of other flags that we’re dealing with “serious” fare here, rather than the bubble gum offerings of the global box office’s other big release this weekend, Barbie (out in the UAE on August 31).
The frequent use of black and white for the scenes of the US establishment’s attempts to discredit the physicist due to his post-war pacifism and left-leaning politics are a solid reminder that this is “art,” as is the film’s three-hour runtime.
That hefty length is perhaps as useful a viewpoint from which to judge Oppenheimer’s merit as any. Even as someone who literally watches films for a living, any requirement to spend upwards of around the 130-minute mark in a cinema seat sparks an internal debate as to whether it actually requires any longer than two hours to unfold. Oppenheimer passes the two-hour test with flying colours, and the chunky 180 minutes went by in a flash, pardon the questionable atomic pun.
Part courtroom procedural, part history lesson in the development of humanity's most terrifying creation, part primer in the basics of theoretical physics, part romantic drama following the philandering of a flawed scientific genius with a touch of the Don Juan, and even home to some almighty explosions that would put your typical summer blockbuster to shame – there’s an awful lot to unpack here, and Nolan does so expertly.
It’s testament to the filmmaker’s skill that, whether he’s telling the story of a fictional, caped billionaire keeping crime off the streets of Gotham or one of the 20th century’s most significant, yet least celebrated, scientists, Nolan is able to get right under the skin of his subjects and make the audience feel like we’ve known the characters all our lives.
This applies not only to Murphy’s Oppenheimer, but Blunt’s put-upon wife, Pugh’s libertine mistress, Damon’s grudgingly admiring military master and Downey Jr’s scheming naval officer turned would-be politician too. By the end of the film we know every one of these characters, their hopes, dreams and motivations, as if they were our best friend – or worst enemy, in certain cases.
Ever since Nolan’s 2000 breakout Memento, it’s become almost compulsory for the conversation to turn to Oscars each time the director releases a new film. Thus far in his career, although his films have racked up plenty of wins, Nolan himself has been restricted to five unsuccessful writer/director nominations.
Oppenheimer could well be the film that finally changes that.
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
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MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Born November 11, 1948
Education: BA, English Language and Literature, Cairo University
Family: Four brothers, seven sisters, two daughters, 42 and 39, two sons, 43 and 35, and 15 grandchildren
Hobbies: Reading and traveling
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
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The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
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Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Group B
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Oppenheimer
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