Christopher Nolan took a playful swipe at streaming while introducing a Los Angeles screening of “Oppenheimer” that was devoted to spotlighting the film’s craft. Crew members reunited for the event Monday evening, billed as “The Story of Our Time: The Making of ‘Oppenheimer.'” The director said a lot of time and energy has gone into assembling the “Oppenheimer” Blu-ray so that it preserves the film’s soundscape, which is one reason moviegoers should buy a physical copy as opposed to waiting for the movie to stream.
“Obviously ‘Oppenheimer’ has been quite a ride for us and now it is time for me to release a home version of the film. I’ve been working very hard on it for months,” Nolan said. “I’m known for my love of theatrical and put my whole life into that, but, the truth is, the way the film goes out at home is equally important.”
“‘The Dark Knight’ was one of the first films where we formatted it specially for Blu-ray release because it was a new form at the time,” he continued. “And in the case of ‘Oppenheimer,’ we put a lot of care and attention into the Blu-ray version… and trying to translate the photography and the sound, putting that into the digital realm with a version you can buy and own at home and put on a shelf so no evil streaming service can come steal it from you.”
Release date: 22nd November 2023
Tech specs: Blu-ray.com
I think a big part of the issue is that people don’t have home stereos like they did in the 80s. It’s hard to mix sound so that it sounds good on flatscreen TV speakers and $80 wal-mart sound bars.
I’ve got a pretty good sound bar with separate subwoofer. It’s about as good an audio setup as any non-audiophile is likely to have. And you know what? Blockbuster movies still sound awful on it.
I love Interstellar to bits- it’s one of my favourite films, and I’ve watched it at home several times. But the sound mix on it is just dire; dialogue that you can’t hear over background wind-rustling-in-trees sound effects, crescendo music so loud that it wakes the neighbours, scenes which oscillate from whisper-quiet to shake-the-masonry and back again within minutes.
There’s no excuse for that; it’s just bad mixing.