Oppenheimer (2023)

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Prior to seeing this, I really didn't know much about the man himself, save for his now famous glib Vishnu rip-off, ashen-faced with the horror and guilt of the worst decision he ever made on a grainy black and white video.

When one of the world's greatest living filmmakers decides to make a movie about him, however, I suddenly became at least a bit more curious. Not maddeningly so, you understand, but enough.

I got the impression that he was never a renowned altruist in the most honest sense of the word. Even after Japan had felt his remotely long-armed sense of mighty justice dressed up in a philosophy that even this smart-arse didn't really understand, he still seemed more bothered about his reputation and if everybody still liked him.

"You're not just self-important, you're actually important."

This flew by if I'm honest, thanks to a stellar cast that only a few could assemble these days. You can truly count on one hand the number of Directors that have both the filmmaking kudos and global mass appeal that Nolan commands. And thank goodness that Barbenheimer was only rotten on one side of the cyanide filled apple. Not a complete waste of time, after all was a common response from peers and friends after sitting through both of these on the same day last week.

Having sat through both now, I know exactly what they mean. Nolan has done it again, creating an actual cinematic masterpiece that you need to concentrate on, drawing brilliant performances from particularly Murphy and Downey Jnr who both (if you'll pardon the pun) radiate in their respective roles. Compare that to Barbie, where you don't even really need to be sitting down and facing in the right direction.

Can't fault it. End of.