Oppenheimer (2023): Checking the second big box-office box of July, it was finally time for Nolan’s much acclaimed Oppenheimer. I’ll say it straight-up: I liked the movie, but it has too many weaknesses to be a masterpiece; heck, to be even Nolan’s best (Batman Begins, I’m [controversially] looking at you, baby). The cinema part of the movie is impressive, as it ingeniously conveys the sense of dread and moral angst its titular character is faced with post-bombing. There should be moments that will stick with you, because they touch a nerve and build up some emotion. However, even in spite of Cillian Murphy’s performance, there’s just too much going on around him to maintain a strong emotional interest. In particular, the confirmation hearing starring Robert Downey Jr.’s character felt weak to me, while other characters (especially the love interests) were made to carry some heavy narrative points without an adequate build-up. These are the inherent challenges when making something as big as Oppenheimer and I reckon that while they hamper the movie from being great, it’s still a memorable experience out at the movies. Just no Mission Impossible, you know? 8
Metronom (2022): Alexandru Belc goes back to the early 70s to tell us a somewhat familiar story of communist “oversight”, when a group of high-schoolers gets rounded up for a letter drafted to Radio Free Europe. While the story doesn’t go anywhere very exciting and our lead, Maria Bugarin, offers a restrained, fairly one-note performance, the film captures enough nuances of the times to stand out, with a foolish love-story successfully contrasting the perverseness of the whole situation. 7
Falcon Lake (2022): A coming of age story, littered with moments of sweetness, sexual exploration and awkwardness, Charlotte Le Bon’s debut feature is an emotional, if not extremely fulfilling ride. The relationship between a soon-to-be 14 year-old boy, shy and frail, and a 16 year-old girl, seemingly confident, yet eager to belong, grows into something with a lot of heart, in spite of its naivety. Or maybe exactly because of it. It’s unlikely for the story to surprise you as it delivers what should count as a finale hinted at from the very first shot, but Falcon Lake’s vibe has its entrancing moments, making it a decent story of young love. 7
Joy Ride (2023): Hollywood recently realized what a big market the Asian-American community actually is, so it’s been pumping it with content ever since. This is very much an unremarkable road trip comedy with a decent execution and the odd chuckle, which came across as (good-ish) formula to me. It’s Adele Lim’s first feature film, but she gets good performances from her mostly likable leads, which is why Joy Ride just about provides the odd speck of joy. 6
The Guilty (2021): The American remake of the Danish original about a cop doing 9-1-1 duty and finding himself embroiled in an apparent kidnapping works just about well enough to not be a waste of time. That said, it’s bombastic approach is inferior to the original’s more brooding and mysterious set-up. Thankfully, we have Jake Gyllenhaal to entertain us, so things aren’t that bad, as well as some well-known voices over various audio channels. So, you know, it’s a copy with some slight adaptation, nothing to get too excited or too irritated about. 6
tributary stu 