arnoldpoon

In case I forget, congratulations to Leung Chiu-Wai for winning the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. In this film, I love his peevish acts and nonchalant lack of stare.

Set in a time when people of Hong Kong were known for their neon lights, poster-ridden lampposts, and distinctive hairstyles, the film has simple characters with complicated characters. But what captivated me was the plot that might seem too ordinary at the first glance, and yet outstanding in its storytelling. It was well-paced: no arcs have been rushed; each character has their emotional attachment. (I discovered later it was adapted from a manga) There were no excesses. Nice production designs too. This kind of combo might have been commonplace then; it is no easy sight today.

Despite Oppenheimer's patchy reputation, Nolan has put forward a reasonably fair assessment in this day and age. In the storyline, Louis Strauss acted as a counterweight to the heroic side of the father of the atomic bomb, and went on to reveal in a one-liner the possibility of a malicious side of the calculating physicist. What undergirds the complexity of the assessment harks back to a witty remark made by Albert Einstein, accompanied by a few amazing shots, that will make things 'click' into place. Though I also lament that nothing more comes out of the Prometheus analogy.

I do notice the back-and-forth switching between B&O and coloured clips which sets apart, of course, the chronology and also reinstates the mood change. This kind of nudge is helpful. It keeps me aware of the sorry condition that the aspect ratio 1.43:1 is not available where I am, for me to enjoy the enhanced white-hot scene. Pity.

To be sure, physicists are smart and most are funny in person like Richard Feynmann. However, some brilliantly written dialogues strike me as out-of-character. Even the entourage of Strauss could drop some vitriolic lines. Someone should have toned it down, not overshoot.

A few harmless bloopers are noticeable, such as the villains having no problem with abducting someone up and down a cliff, and being too merciful all the time. Otherwise, the plot is thoroughly enjoyable, to say nothing about the Mediterranean set designs. Bashing the tomb-raiding old-timer suits the ongoing fashion without sounding preachy. The most exciting bit, albeit predictable, (which I'm not about to disclose) is reminiscent of Stephen Hawking's extraterrestrial invitation tendered after the fact. It is well hidden not to spoil the fun of the popcorn-laden audience. Oh and as for the AI face swapping, I was seriously duped until I saw the eyebrows twitching unnaturally.