John Carpenter Disliked the Best-Reviewed Movie of the Year: “I don’t want to talk about things that I haven’t enjoyed”
Chad Collins
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It was almost a year ago that the summer box office was revitalized with a double feature unlike any other. I’m talking, of course, about Barbenheimer, the pairing of both Barbie and Oppenheimer as 2023’s biggest summer tentpoles. With Barbie, it made sense. It was a popular IP with a strong cast and director attached. Oppenheimer was stranger. Yes, it was Christopher Nolan, but it was also a 3-hour biopic filmed, in part, in black-and-white.
Well, Oppenheimer especially defied expectations, grossing a ton of money and ultimately winning Best Picture at March’s Academy Awards. All’s well that ends, I guess, unless you ask famed horror director John Carpenter. He didn’t like it all that much.
In an interview with Last Donut of the Night, John Carpenter was asked about a ton of things, including noir and video games. He was also asked what recent movies he’d been a fan of. While he declined to comment on Barbie, he did have a little more to say about Oppenheimer.
Carpenter remarked, “I don’t want to talk about things that I haven’t enjoyed,” before going on to say, “Oppenheimer was OK. It was alright. Everyone’s praising it as the movie of the century– I don’t know about that.”
I really liked Oppenheimer, and even in my echo chamber, I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone call it the movie of the century. It was really good, and certainly deserving of its Best Picture win, but I’m not sure it’s Nolan’s best (that’s obviously Insomnia). Maybe John Carpenter’s comments will finally be the nudge Nolan needs to make that horror movie he’s been playing around with.
In the same interview, Carpenter did respond, “You’re a child. That pisses me off” when the interviewee shared their age, and that alone is worth the read. You can check out the full interview here, and be sure to let me know on Twitter whether you agree with Carpenter or not.
Did you like Oppenheimer? Hate it? What would you like to see John Carpenter do next? Sound off @Chadiscollins.
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