Calendar Feedback: Is ‘Oppenheimer’ missing something? Plus TCM and Kevin Spacey

A singular perspective

No one ever went broke criticizing [“Critics object to film’s victim erasure,” Aug. 7]. Despite its three-hour length, “Oppenheimer” “leaves out so much.” Not to denigrate the anti-nuclear war movement or the horror and death at Hiroshima/Nagasaki, but it’s a biopic of Robert J. Oppenheimer, which is why it continues for an hour after the bomb is dropped. It’s not a historically comprehensive documentary; it’s a work of art with a specific point of view on the man as well as war, ambition, envy, patriotism, jealousy, hubris, betrayal, politics, venality, physics, achievement, antisemitism, morality, notoriety, guilt, second thoughts, futility and power — to name a few.

Mitch Paradise
Los Angeles

::

Also apparently “erased” from the film “Oppenheimer” were the Rape of Nanking and countless other atrocities in China, the occupation and ethnic cleansing of Korea, the infamy of Pearl Harbor and much, much more. With this in mind, one wonders what [the Japanese prime minister from 1941-44, Hideki] Tojo would have done with the bomb.

Kevin Smith
Newbury Park

::

Movies

‘Oppenheimer’ doesn’t show us Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That’s an act of rigor, not erasure

Christopher Nolan’s movie has no interest in reducing the atomic bombings of Japan to a trivializing, exploitative spectacle, despite what some would want.

Aug. 11, 2023

A repository of movie magic

Many thanks for Robert Lloyd’s article about TCM and its importance to movie lovers [“It’s the same old story: We need TCM,” Aug. 6]. The constant assault of 24-hour news and assorted media outlets on our senses is just too much to take in. TCM is a place to remember, refresh and restore and, most important, to remind us of the treasures and wonders that movie magic still holds. The variety of comedies, dramas, musicals, documentaries and tidbits about character actors who were the foundation for a truly classic film. The passionate hosts who share wonderful, insightful stories and, of course, the late great Robert Osborne, who happily shared films with a hungry audience who appreciated his love of the movies. That world of make-believe has been preserved and become something we viewers hold dear and a resource for future generations to discover, learn from and ultimately fall in love with. I agree, Mr. Lloyd, “Long live TCM.” We need it now more than ever.

Frances Terrell Lippman
Sherman Oaks

::

Defending Kevin Spacey

I reference Mary McNamara’s article [“Let’s be honest about Kevin Spacey,” July 31] and her rather harsh evaluation of Spacey’s trials (literally) and tribulations. In a seven-year period, both civil and criminal courts have found him not guilty of the offenses alleged. Perhaps his only real crime is not being able to filter and distinguish between a flirt and a friendly gesture. Either way, he has been punished by his failure to work or gain respect for seven years, which is long enough for anyone accused but never found guilty of inappropriate conduct. I suggest that Ms. McNamara leave her hatchet in the lumberyard where it belongs.

Barry Rubin
Beverly Hills
::

A lament for TV listings

I am a longtime subscriber of your Sunday printed newspaper. I am very disappointed regarding the removal of your weekly TV listing from your Calendar section. That was the one thing that made your newspaper a must-read for me. I would use it to set my TV recording for the week.

I signed up for your suggested Screen Gab newsletter, which I have read. It does not provide the TV listing information your Calendar column used to provide.

Your paper has gotten smaller and smaller. And the cost has gone up higher and higher.

Therefore, I have decided not to renew my subscription in print or in digital.

If you can tell me that you will reinstate the weekly TV listing, I will reconsider my decision. And if not, do you have a recommendation where I can get a weekly TV listing similar to the listing you once published?

Michael Weinstein
Thousand Oaks