I wish I had read this earlier: we looked at tix for the Webb Chapel Road location and they were all sold out, except for a 10:30 showing. So it's off to a regular, non 70mm IMAX showing in Frisco.
I just watched this movie for the first time 2 weeks ago. Odd, because Inception is my favorite movie and yet I don't follow movies or entertainment much but I've thoroughly enjoyed every Christopher Nolan movie I've seen. My wife is pushing me to watch The Prestige and Momento next. I suppose I should listen to her.
I think Interstellar was a really bad film. There was no suspense on the outcome for the human race and the science was awful.
Plot - will the human race survive? They sprinkle in the documentaries of people talking about how dusty and difficult life was back then. Well if even a million people died in getting the human race to survival - that would have been the subject of the documentaries. So we know about 15 minutes in - the human race survives fine. All of them.
Science - the spacecraft launches with a booster stage, an upper booster stage, then the craft is out of the earth's gravity and it can go elsewhere. So far all good. It then lands and boosts off of planet after planet. What, it suddenly had a magical drive that didn't work to leave earth?
My wife would disagree-she says the movie isn't at all about the human race and space: it's a story about a father and his relationship with his daughter
Very fair point. And then the survival of the human race is the McGuffin. But having the McGuffin fail on both plot and science grounds - still ruins it.
Sonny, thanks for this. I love anything Nolan does, especially his use of Quantum Mechanics in so many of his films. Big fan of “Interstellar”, and I’m sad not to be able to see it in IMAX.
We're fortunate to have an art-house cinema near us, and we're members. The last film we saw in 70mm was 2001: A Space Odyssey, and it was really heartening to see so many people in attendance who had never seen it. The host asks during his introduction to the film. I'm planning to take in the Dune double feature in January (only part 2 in 70mm). Sonny, we have a guest room, if you want to visit Boston in the winter!
I’ve seen it in 70mm twice at the AFI Silver in Silver Spring, MD, and it’s one of those movies that absolutely changes depending on how you see it. Like, I had watched it on DVD before that and thought “eh, okay.” But seeing it in 70mm was like “oh yeah, yeah, now I get it.”
I grew up in Takoma Park and went to high school in Silver Spring. My jr high school class went to see 2001 at the Uptown on Connecticut Ave in Cinerama when it first came out. I remember my head swiveling back and forth with the sounds of the opening scenes played through those amazing speakers.
My local IMAX shows Interstellar on 70 mm several times a year. I think they have a copy that is permanently on site, as there are probably more copies in existence than operational IMAX film projectors.
Your point about INTERSTELLAR being more like a Spielberg film instead of Kubrick is spot on. Some of the scenes in space with the Endurance remind me of 2001, but the overall "vibe" is like a Spielberg film.
I did not realize that the release has been extended until I read your review. Just bought my ticket to see it on Monday. The past three weeks have been busy because my wife just gave birth to our first daughter. I'm sure I may see the movie differently now than in previous views.
One of the things I don't like about Interstellar is the treatment of the daughter's character. We get glimpses of her and her frustrations, but the end I felt like I was supposed to care about her more than the writing actually supported. I had not connection to her. It made the ending scenes with her character hollow. Yes, we are seeing all of this through Matthew McConaughey's eyes, but this was a big hole in the writing. It felt odd, and I have never understood the great love for this movie because of it.
Footnote 2 is outstanding, addressing the urgent question all attentive readers of this review (OK, maybe just this reader?) had as we dove into the piece.
Many years ago in Chicago I went to see three movies, all shot in 70mm, over three nights in Lincoln Park: Days of Heaven, 2001 and Ran. They set up a giant screen and speakers around the park for surround sound. It was an amazing experience.
I don't know how well 70mm translates to IMAX, but there are lots of great epics that make for great destination viewing.
Interstellar is one of my favorite movies, and I've seen it several times (always on a small screen, unfortunately). If you really want to nerd out, I recommend Kip Thorne's book, "The Science of Interstellar."
I read it many years ago, and recently while watching a Nova episode on the solar system, they were talking about tidal heating of a moon, and I understood the general idea thanks entirely to Kip's book (tidal gravity was why Miller's planet had gigantic waves).
Kip also explains in great detail why the black hole in the movie has what looks like two perpendicular rings of light. Now, even the Star Trek cartoon Lower Decks depicts black holes this way, but Interstellar was the first movie or TV show to put this depiction of black holes into the mainstream.
The original Apocalypse Now was this way for me and my film school pals in the late 70's. An artsy movie with no opening or closing titles. Though AN is hardly a tear jerker.
I wish I had read this earlier: we looked at tix for the Webb Chapel Road location and they were all sold out, except for a 10:30 showing. So it's off to a regular, non 70mm IMAX showing in Frisco.
I just watched this movie for the first time 2 weeks ago. Odd, because Inception is my favorite movie and yet I don't follow movies or entertainment much but I've thoroughly enjoyed every Christopher Nolan movie I've seen. My wife is pushing me to watch The Prestige and Momento next. I suppose I should listen to her.
I think Interstellar was a really bad film. There was no suspense on the outcome for the human race and the science was awful.
Plot - will the human race survive? They sprinkle in the documentaries of people talking about how dusty and difficult life was back then. Well if even a million people died in getting the human race to survival - that would have been the subject of the documentaries. So we know about 15 minutes in - the human race survives fine. All of them.
Science - the spacecraft launches with a booster stage, an upper booster stage, then the craft is out of the earth's gravity and it can go elsewhere. So far all good. It then lands and boosts off of planet after planet. What, it suddenly had a magical drive that didn't work to leave earth?
1 star
My wife would disagree-she says the movie isn't at all about the human race and space: it's a story about a father and his relationship with his daughter
Very fair point. And then the survival of the human race is the McGuffin. But having the McGuffin fail on both plot and science grounds - still ruins it.
Sonny, thanks for this. I love anything Nolan does, especially his use of Quantum Mechanics in so many of his films. Big fan of “Interstellar”, and I’m sad not to be able to see it in IMAX.
We need more IMAX theaters!
It might improve in such a theatre, but, whilst not a bad film, it just isn't a very good one,either.
Thanks for spreading the word! Haven’t been to that IMAX in a long time. I would love to see Interstellar there
We're fortunate to have an art-house cinema near us, and we're members. The last film we saw in 70mm was 2001: A Space Odyssey, and it was really heartening to see so many people in attendance who had never seen it. The host asks during his introduction to the film. I'm planning to take in the Dune double feature in January (only part 2 in 70mm). Sonny, we have a guest room, if you want to visit Boston in the winter!
https://coolidge.org/programs/cinema-70mm
I’ve seen it in 70mm twice at the AFI Silver in Silver Spring, MD, and it’s one of those movies that absolutely changes depending on how you see it. Like, I had watched it on DVD before that and thought “eh, okay.” But seeing it in 70mm was like “oh yeah, yeah, now I get it.”
I grew up in Takoma Park and went to high school in Silver Spring. My jr high school class went to see 2001 at the Uptown on Connecticut Ave in Cinerama when it first came out. I remember my head swiveling back and forth with the sounds of the opening scenes played through those amazing speakers.
I stood up and saluted this newsletter?
My local IMAX shows Interstellar on 70 mm several times a year. I think they have a copy that is permanently on site, as there are probably more copies in existence than operational IMAX film projectors.
Your point about INTERSTELLAR being more like a Spielberg film instead of Kubrick is spot on. Some of the scenes in space with the Endurance remind me of 2001, but the overall "vibe" is like a Spielberg film.
I did not realize that the release has been extended until I read your review. Just bought my ticket to see it on Monday. The past three weeks have been busy because my wife just gave birth to our first daughter. I'm sure I may see the movie differently now than in previous views.
Congrats!
One of the things I don't like about Interstellar is the treatment of the daughter's character. We get glimpses of her and her frustrations, but the end I felt like I was supposed to care about her more than the writing actually supported. I had not connection to her. It made the ending scenes with her character hollow. Yes, we are seeing all of this through Matthew McConaughey's eyes, but this was a big hole in the writing. It felt odd, and I have never understood the great love for this movie because of it.
Footnote 2 is outstanding, addressing the urgent question all attentive readers of this review (OK, maybe just this reader?) had as we dove into the piece.
Look, I just needed to explain why I was at an 8 AM showing, I'm not a complete loon.
So, Sonny Bunch is not a loon. That could be the title of a fun film.
*complete* loon
Many years ago in Chicago I went to see three movies, all shot in 70mm, over three nights in Lincoln Park: Days of Heaven, 2001 and Ran. They set up a giant screen and speakers around the park for surround sound. It was an amazing experience.
I don't know how well 70mm translates to IMAX, but there are lots of great epics that make for great destination viewing.
Interstellar is one of my favorite movies, and I've seen it several times (always on a small screen, unfortunately). If you really want to nerd out, I recommend Kip Thorne's book, "The Science of Interstellar."
I read it many years ago, and recently while watching a Nova episode on the solar system, they were talking about tidal heating of a moon, and I understood the general idea thanks entirely to Kip's book (tidal gravity was why Miller's planet had gigantic waves).
Kip also explains in great detail why the black hole in the movie has what looks like two perpendicular rings of light. Now, even the Star Trek cartoon Lower Decks depicts black holes this way, but Interstellar was the first movie or TV show to put this depiction of black holes into the mainstream.
Brought my boys, 15 & 13. Words don't do it justice.
The original Apocalypse Now was this way for me and my film school pals in the late 70's. An artsy movie with no opening or closing titles. Though AN is hardly a tear jerker.
My favorite factoid is still that Nolan sold the corn grown in the film for profit
Yeah that’s hilarious. It’s like the ultimate story of his efficiency.
He's truly meticulous as a creator. Doesn't always land the plane, but he's in rare company