Kathleen Norris on Oppenheimer & Indiana Jones

Kathleen Norris on A SOBERING OPPENHEIMER; A FUN INDIANA JONES

I seldom write about current films for one simple reason: I seldom see them. The COVID pandemic has kept me out of movie theaters for the past three years. Even now, I follow my physician’s advice and wear a K-95 medical mask when I’m in an indoor space, especially when there are a number of other people around. I saw the wonderful “Everything Everywhere All At Once” last year in a theater and am glad I did; it deserves to be viewed on a big screen. But I chose to see it at a weekday, mid-morning showing, when the theater wasn’t likely to be crowded.

This week I took the same precaution when I went to a movie theater two days in a row. First to see “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” (James Mangold, director) which was a nostalgia trip. I have good memories of seeing the four earlier films with my husband and friends. The “Holy Grail” film stands out, because two Benedictine monks took me to see it on my birthday shortly after its release, and they kept up a quiet but hilarious theological commentary throughout. When Jones reached the site of the Grail, and met the ancient knight who’s been guarding it for centuries, one monk whispered: “Ah, Brother Fidelus - I know him well.” More about the “Dial of Destiny” later; now I need to talk about “Oppenheimer,” (photo above; written and directed by Christopher Nolan) which I went to see at 10 AM on its opening day.