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Reviews
Ferrari (2023)
Compelling story; very good acting; not what people expected
So I'll start off by saying that I'm a big fan of Michael Mann's films. It's unfortunate that past efforts like Miami Vice and Blackhat were too complicated for mainstream audiences and probably too simplistic for diehards who know the details of the stories he was telling (hence their lackluster box office numbers). Ferrari took a long time in development and, as such, I became familiar with the details of the particular period the movie focuses on (Spring/Summer 1957). From the reactions of the audience I saw it with, the drama and humor both came through, especially with the catastrophic crash during the Mille Miglia at the end.
The acting leads all did a very convincing job, and I think Penelope Cruz will be recognized with an Oscar nomination. The movie is not a life story movie, but covers a short and critical period in Enzo Ferrari's career. Definitely worth seeing, and a different type of movie from what Michael Mann's followers have seen in the past.
Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
Very solid, concise version of the Manhattan Project and the people involved
I'm writing this review because I revisited this movie in advance of the release of Oppenheimer. I think this film does an excellent job telling the story in a concise way and bringing in the drama and subplots that make it such an interesting tale to tell. The acting is strong all around, the scenery well approximated Los Alamos and the White Sands area and the Trinity site. Sure, there are some reviewers here who'd like to see the 19-hour version where every little detail is included, but that's not realistic (and I'm sure Nolan couldn't include it all either). I'm sure the people who wrote reviews here anxiously await Oppenheimer (as I do). This is a worthy telling of the story. Also check out Trinity and Beyond for a real documentary about nuclear weapons development.
Neutron Bomb (2022)
Great companion to Trinity & Beyond
Peter Kuran really knows how to tell a story! Trinity and Beyond is an excellent documentary that capitalized on much of the declassified Cold War-era nuclear testing footage as well as interviews with the people who worked firsthand in those programs. Neutron Bomb is an excellent addition to T&B and his other films about the history of nuclear weapons development in the US and around the world. They've gone through years of footage and data to tell the stories of these terrible weapons that continue to shape the world we live in. I highly recommend watching both films, as they are time capsules in their footage and interviews about the thinking behind the decisions to develop them and provide insights into their role in the world today.