Purely Academic with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman
Jul 23, 2026 · 3 hr 8 min · 12 segments
Christopher Nolan is dominating theaters once again with his adaptation of *The Odyssey* starring Matt Damon, so we’re taking the opportunity to not just talk about the new movie – which is excellent…
Sean ChapmanHostJonathan LackHostI often find myself... respecting like I respect his like talent as a filmmaker immensely he's clearly very good at what he does sometimes I I really respond to his work sometimes I don't I was very divided on Oppenheimer for instance his movie from three years ago this is the most I've like unabashedly liked one of his films in quite a long time I think it's his best film other than Interstellar I really loved it I think it's a really One, it's a much more faithful, like, take on the Odyssey than I thought you would kind of ever get from Hollywood, doing stuff like the telemachy part of the story and all of that.
But I also think it's like a very engaged adaptation that is trying to say something with the text in the modern world, and I like that a lot.
And it is also just a, you know, kind of mind-bending spectacle on the level of production and all of that stuff.
The most recent Christopher Nolan movie I'd seen before this is actually the dream one that I'm just probably...
No, The Dark Knight Rises then would be the most recent one I'd seen because I've not seen Interstellar, Oppenheimer, Tenet.
I think it was just like a thing where I, you know, I don't see a lot of modern movies.
I often find myself... respecting like I respect his like talent as a filmmaker immensely he's clearly very good at what he does sometimes I I really respond to his work sometimes I don't I was very divided on Oppenheimer for instance his movie from three years ago this is the most I've like unabashedly liked one of his films in quite a long time I think it's his best film other than Interstellar I really loved it I think it's a really One, it's a much more faithful, like, take on the Odyssey than I thought you would kind of ever get from Hollywood, doing stuff like the telemachy part of the story and all of that.
But I also think it's like a very engaged adaptation that is trying to say something with the text in the modern world, and I like that a lot.
And it is also just a, you know, kind of mind-bending spectacle on the level of production and all of that stuff.
The most recent Christopher Nolan movie I'd seen before this is actually the dream one that I'm just probably...
No, The Dark Knight Rises then would be the most recent one I'd seen because I've not seen Interstellar, Oppenheimer, Tenet.
I think it was just like a thing where I, you know, I don't see a lot of modern movies.
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