It’s been nearly a year since my friend Alice and I watched Barbie in theaters. We both loved it and I had no complaints, though in the back of my mind I couldn’t help but wonder about the other road not taken: Oppenheimer.

The motel is an avid Christopher Nolan fan. His directing style and moral principles (no cgi, no phone, no email, printed scripts, and yes, you must fly to him or he comes to you!) aligns with the motel’s perfectly. He embodies everything the motel believes in, and I don’t think the movie industry appreciates enough all he’s done for modern cinema. I admire anyone who sticks to what they believe in, and Nolan is the pioneer of his choices. He opts for older film techniques versus newer ones because in his mind, they just look better. And he’s right. It’s the same principle as older camera techniques just looking better than what you can take on your iPhone. His choices led Oppenheimer to win the Oscar for Best Picture so I’d say the guy definitely knows what he’s doing and he’s damn good at it!

This film is a masterpiece. The culmination of science, history, war, politics, and human emotions is an amazing feat. It’s difficult to wield different subjects together but he did it in astounding seamless fashion.

One thing I also love about Nolan’s work is his commitment to elegance. The costumes here, though seemingly typical for a historical picture, are well tailored and presented. No flashy colors, true to Nolan’s style. The script, the things the characters say and do, have class, intelligence, and impact. He has always given so much trust to his audience.

The amount of work and dedication put into this picture also clearly shows. A star esemble cast, with no shortage of talent or extranneous information. No excess information with no contributing essence to the plot. In true minimalist and signature efficient fashion, Nolan avoids it artfully.

This movie deserves all of the acclaim it’s gotten – and then some. Like RDJ says, watch it once, then watch it again! It is well worth it.