Oppenheimer - the movie

[Car-Guy]

^^^^
Well of course Los Alamo wasn't where "the bomb" was tested, but it's where a lot of testing/development (maybe even accidents?) took place.

 

[Harris4crna]

We saw Oppenheimer yesterday at the cheap senior matinee show. It was very well done and provides ample food for thought about the nature of progress, personal ambition, hubris, regret, fear and change. It is a movie that goes above and beyond the basics of the story about Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project. I think it well worth watching for anyone.

When I was young, I served on a US Navy ballistic missile submarine. After each of our frequent practice missile launches, I had plenty of opportunity to reflect on the consequences of having developed the atomic bomb, and something very much like the closing scene played in my head sometimes.

My only recommendation is to avoid the IMAX theater. It was painfully loud.

Haha, interesting, i watched the movie recently in IMAX. Agree with you 100%, it was very loud...would not recommend. Relate to spending time on the sub, but in my time it converted to a GN from a BN.

 

[Koolau]

Sorry. Sorta on a roll here.


This isn't THE map I found before, but A map that could tell a lot of "fall-out" stories. YMMV


https://ieer.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2002/02/bonetot.pdf


Returning you to Oppenheimer now as YMMV.

 

[Koolau]

^^^^
Well of course Los Alamo wasn't where "the bomb" was tested, but it's where a lot of testing/development (maybe even accidents?) took place.

Accidents? Oh, yeah! Watch "Fat Man and Little Boy" as one of the scientists "Tickles the Dragon's Tail." It ends badly for several people. Very dramatic - not the only time it happened IIRC. All true though the movie dramatized some stuff, I'm sure. (So did Oppenheimer, I'm guessing.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Man_and_Little_Boy#Reception

 

[bmcgonig]

My 26 year old son was with me and had read Oppenheimer's biography, "American Prometheus" and he said the movie was very true to the book, though it left out a lot of details.

Agree. His life after losing the clearance wasn’t a pitiful as portrayed in the movie. He traveled a lot and was welcomed everywhere even in Japan. He died of cancer of course, but he seemed quite at peace with that.

Also, the schadenfreude in the movie at the comeuppance of Strauss not being confirmed for secretary of commerce wasn’t really in the book at all. The part that Rami Malek played of condemning Strauss at the hearing wasn’t in the book either, as far as I recall.

Movie theaters today are amazing. Leather recliners. They sell beer and wine. Way too loud for me but I now bring earplugs.

 

[lucky penny]

I saw it in a regular theater & it was plenty loud & impactful.

Is an IMAX movie always louder? I thought it just meant a bigger screen. Since I watch many movies on my computer, a movie screen seems large indeed.

As someone who's been to movie theaters only a handful of times since the pandemic arrived, I REALLY enjoyed the theater experience. Big screen, reclining seats; you can choose your seat ahead of time and/or go when it's not crowded. Now i just need more movies that are worth the price of admission.

 

[Koolau]

Agree. His life after losing the clearance wasn’t a pitiful as portrayed in the movie. He traveled a lot and was welcomed everywhere even in Japan. He died of cancer of course, but he seemed quite at peace with that.

Also, the schadenfreude in the movie at the comeuppance of Strauss not being confirmed for secretary of commerce wasn’t really in the book at all. The part that Rami Malek played of condemning Strauss at the hearing wasn’t in the book either, as far as I recall.

Movie theaters today are amazing. Leather recliners. They sell beer and wine. Way too loud for me but I now bring earplugs.

I assume the loudness is to discourage the use of cell phones - or at least to cover up the sound of people talking on them. How rude!

 

[lucky penny]

Agree. His life after losing the clearance wasn’t a pitiful as portrayed in the movie. He traveled a lot and was welcomed everywhere even in Japan. He died of cancer of course, but he seemed quite at peace with that.

He died of throat cancer at 63, not surprising after constant smoking. His brother Frank had a good career as a teacher & died of lung cancer at 72 (also a heavy smoker).

I'm eager to read his bio, American Prometheus. From what I've read, losing his clearance, which cut him off from his career at age 49, was a major, humiliating blow, though he engaged in other activities & always had many supporters.

 

[stephenson]

Re theaters - most of the time I forget foam ear plugs, so usually end up with a bit of TP (can add or subtract to "tune") I both ears.

I used to complain to the theater staff, but they looked very sheep-like.

 

[6miths]

DW and I enjoyed it. We were happy to have read American Prometheus prior to seeing it for much more in depth background. Agree that it was way too loud in the IMAX format. I happened to have recently added the NIOSH sound level meter app to my phone and turned it on just out of curiousity. Peak volume was 119 dB. Ouch.

 

[Koolau]

DW and I enjoyed it. We were happy to have read American Prometheus prior to seeing it for much more in depth background. Agree that it was way too loud in the IMAX format. I happened to have recently added the NIOSH sound level meter app to my phone and turned it on just out of curiousity. Peak volume was 119 dB. Ouch.

Wow, that's like a couple notches below a fan jet.

 

[lucky penny]

DW and I enjoyed it. We were happy to have read American Prometheus prior to seeing it for much more in depth background. Agree that it was way too loud in the IMAX format. I happened to have recently added the NIOSH sound level meter app to my phone and turned it on just out of curiousity. Peak volume was 119 dB. Ouch.

Many have mentioned the very loud sound in IMAX. I'm curious -- was that just in a few scenes or noticeable throughout the movie?

Thanks for mentioning the NIOSH sound level meter app. I will check that out.

 

[John Galt III]

Years since I've seen a movie, but the rocking chairs were a nice plus. But not enough to make up for the half hour of ads before the movie. I'm done. Hope to see Oppie when it comes on TV. Always thought he got a raw deal later in life. I wonder if the movie is true to his actual life and his "involvement" with the "commies."

I lucked out and have a theater near me that does show ads before the show, but they are silent ads for local places, and still pictures, not moving. Soft music plays in the background. Somebody comes out before the show sometimes and asks people to turn off their cell phones. $8.50 for seniors. It's never too loud for me, since I have poor hearing. But they have caption devices and headphones available for free at the box office, which I take advantage of sometimes. I go there to see a movie about 10 times a year. Like other folks, the movies I actually want to see are few and far between.

 

[swakyaby]

I brought foam earplugs to the imax theater, just in case, and I did end up wearing them throughout the movie. I did notice my Apple watch repeatedly warning me “Loud noise level,” but not a surprise. I have been told that Imax theater rooms have special shakers installed in the flooring so that in certain scenes the floors and the seats vibrate. Also, the projectors run very high wattage so that special ventilation is required in the projection room to keep from overheating. I think the vibrations enhance the sensation of loudness without the volume having to actually be that loud.