Oppenheimer depicts a bygone age.
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CATEGORY: MOVIES (6 MIN)
Box office nuke
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Movie theaters took a huge hit during the pandemic, and many people wondered how long the traditional cinema could resist the onslaught of countless streaming services. But the brick-and-mortar institutions may have been saved by a stunning phenomenon: Barbenheimer. Two widely anticipated movies released on the same day in the same summer brought millions back to the theater.
The first, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, captured the story of the titular scientist who led the Manhattan Project, creating the first atomic bomb. For the Acton Institute
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, Titus Techera writes on this epic, praising it for weaving together moral and practical themes while still capturing audiences’ attention with stunning sequences.
Techera spends some time applauding the excellent actors such as Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, and Robert Downey Jr., but he focuses on the general effect of the film. Techera says he sees an America in Oppenheimer that pursued serious purposes and took its responsibility as a great country seriously. He lauds the movie’s depiction of the scientists who strove to harness nature as a weapon against great evil.
And, of course, Techera mentions the gripping portrayal of the test of the first atomic bomb in New Mexico—a truly show-stopping moment.
Read Techera’s full review here
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Weekly Poll
RESULTS: 7/20/23
Last week, we asked: Are most universities good or bad for America? 61.4% of respondents answered "mostly good" and 26.3% answered "mostly bad."
Do you think J. Robert Oppenheimer was a good American?
[A] Yes
[B] No
[C] Unsure
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CATEGORY: MOVIES (9 MIN)
Our Barbie world
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The second half of the summer blockbuster combo is Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Gerwig, known for her 2019 take on Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, brought stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling together to create a film very different from Oppenheimer in style and substance. But the movie about the doll, not the one about nuclear weaponry, may have generated the most online debate.
In Compact
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, Nina Power reviews Gerwig’s film and analyzes the reaction to its message. There are many instances of feminist influence in the film, Power writes, and not all of them are very positive. Power notes the not-so-subtle critiques of male influence in the movie and the general avoidance of many issues men face.
But after all, Power says, this is a movie about Barbies, and one major positive takeaway Power finds is that the film admits actual differences between men and women. In an era where many contend that there is no inherent biological distinction between the sexes, Power sees Barbie at some level as a refreshing reminder of scientific truth. And Power believes the film acknowledges (perhaps not as well as Oppenheimer) that human suffering exists—a reality that might help audiences come to grips with even more important truths.
Read Power’s full take on the movie here
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CATEGORY: PODCAST EPISODE
The Crisis of the Modern World | Glenn Ellmers
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In this episode:
Glenn Ellmers joins the podcast to discuss his new book, The Narrow Passage, about the permanent political problems that stem from reason in politics
how the modern project rejects the humility of the classical tradition and has ushered in the philosophic tyranny of the modern administrative state and woke ideology
why the Left is built upon a contradiction between postmodernism and a belief in rational post-political expertise
Texts mentioned:
The Narrow Passage: Plato, Foucault, and the Possibility of Political Philosophy
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by Glenn Ellmers
“Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid”
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by Jonathan Haidt
“German Nihilism”
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by Leo Strauss
The Soul of Politics: Harry V. Jaffa and the Fight for America
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by Glenn Ellmers
claremont.org
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“PODCAST: Glenn Ellmers on Harry Jaffa and the Soul of Politics”
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by The Anchoring Truths Podcast
Watch Now
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ISI’s 70th Anniversary Gala &
Linda L. Bean Center Dedication
September 28th, 2023
This fall, join us at our 70th Anniversary Gala
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featuring Tucker Carlson, Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, and Linda Bean, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Together these are some of the most influential figures in America today.
We will also host a pre-event panel featuring longtime friends of ISI including Annette Kirk (Russell Kirk Center), Gene Meyer (The Federalist Society), Ed Feulner (The Heritage Foundation), and Dan McCarthy (ISI), discussing the 70th anniversary of three conservative classics: Russell Kirk’s The Conservative Mind, Leo Strauss’ Natural Right and History, and Robert Nisbet’s The Quest for Community.
We will have a lobster dinner in honor of Tucker and Linda’s mutual connection to the state of Maine, and seating will be limited to 150 guests. Our VIP ticket holders will have the chance to meet ISI trustees and event speakers in a private reception beforehand.
Reserve your tickets here
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Join us in Wilmington, DE >>>
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Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
Do Senior Days Curtail Free Expression?
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via The Cornell Review
“As with the Cornell Code of Conduct, instead of guaranteeing at least the degree of free expression that is in the Student Code, seniors participating events were asked to sign away their rights to free expression.... the free expression rights of students during Senior Days is only as broad as the thickness of the skin of event staff.”
CATEGORY: MOVIES (5 MIN)
America’s cinematic past
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Throughout its recent history, American culture has been shaped in many ways by the movies which capture audiences’ imagination. Stories all over the world have helped to build the mythos of nations, and what in the past may have been fulfilled by oral epic poetry now realizes itself on the big screen.
In this week’s Intercollegiate Review
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archive, Anthony Sacramone highlights twelve films that transmit America’s myths. His selections cover a wide variety of genres, and the perpetuated myths are not always positive. Sacramone notes that his first listed movie, Birth of a Nation, certainly created a wildly inaccurate and offensive depiction of southern history.
But other films, like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and High Noon, tell a much more heroic tale of American courage and success. Sacramone also discusses more recent classics like The Right Stuff and The Dark Knight, which raise difficult questions about what it means to be a hero and what sacrifices individuals are willing to make for society’s good.
Sacramone believes these movies have “reflected America back to itself through the decades, for better and worse.” Curious as to which other films made the list? Discover all twelve right here
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Thought of the Day:
“Both the man of science and the man of action live always at the edge of mystery, surrounded by it.”
- J. Robert Oppenheimer
Join ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club
It’s never been easier for you to support our mission—and stay part of our community—with ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club!
For just $19.53 a month, you can join the fight and “pay it forward” by educating the next generation for ordered liberty.
Join the Club
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