Interstellar

Earth is becoming uninhabitable so when a mysterious rip in the space- time continuum appears, mankind reaches into space, seeking a new planet to inhabit. This expedition will not "go gentle into that good night..." References to Dylan Thomas' classic are made throughout.

There are reasons why an audience will sit through a 169-minute, PG-13 space-jockey movie. We start with the script, co-written by Christopher Nolan (Oscar nominated for "Inception") and Jonathan Nolan (Oscar nominated for "Memento"). Next is the direction: Christopher Nolan (AFI win for "The Dark Knight Rises"). On the other hand there are reasons why an audience member will fidget: No closed captions and too many essential plot points are murmured. This is important because the plot IS complex and unless you already understand how relativity works in relation to quantum physics...or something... you might be in big trouble. I know I was. ...sigh...

Okay... Let's move on to the stellar cast:

• Matthew McConaughey (Oscar for "Dallas Buyers Club") Cooper is an explorer investigating what's beyond that worm hole because he doesn't want his children doomed to extinction on Earth.
• Casey Affleck (Oscar-nominated for "The Assassination of Jesse James...") Tom tries to make his father proud and be a good farmer, but Nature seems to be against him.
• Mackenzie Foy ("Black Eyed Dog") Young Murph is a precocious little girl and the apple of her proud father's eye. She does NOT want him to go into space!
• Jessica Chastain (Oscar-nominated for "Zero Dark Thirty") Murph is still angry with her father, but she becomes a scientist anyway.
• Ellen Burstyn (Oscar for "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore") Old Murph reminds us how important that wristwatch is.
• Anne Hathaway (Oscar for "Les Miserables") Amelia Brand is a voluntary crew member on that exploratory spaceship. Why?
• David Gyasi ("Panic") Romilly is the only crew member who dreads when he isn't in suspended animation because he suffers from motion sickness.
• Michael Caine (Oscar for "The Cider House Rules") Dr. Brand has Plan A ready to go. Plan B will soon follow...he hopes...
• David Oyelowo (SAG-nominated for "The Butler") is the school principal where Young Murph is having trouble fitting in.
• John Lithgow (Oscar-nominated for "Terms of Endearment") Donald has always resented his son-in-law's adventurous nature.

The impressive list goes on and on; there are familiar faces everywhere. Suffice it to say, this VERY complex plot and the dazzling special effects finally wore me down. My companion had to explain missing parts of the plot after we left the theater. A sharp-eyed JayFlix colleague spotted this in a national newspaper:

Hollywood, we have a problem: Dialogue is getting harder to hear.
CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK:

While pursuing their artistic visions, 

some directors are making films with garbled dialogue, 

distracting background chatter and thumping sound effects.
http://wapo.st/13Rqhqw

This is a brilliant movie, but sometimes too much of a good thing is just too much... Like the overwhelming music (see above) that made me think of "...the mighty Wurlitzer..." In my opinion, this is a case where Nolan's reach exceeds his grasp, and his disdain for the movie-going, ticket-buying public is on full display.

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Take a look:
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2284039193
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