KnockBack, Episode 70: Interstellar
Added 2019-06-13 16:00:03 +0000 UTCChristopher Nolan is one of the modern world's most talented filmmakers, full stop. If you ask 10 people what their favorite Nolan flick is, you may very well get 10 different answers. (Really. He's directed 10 films.) Yet, in a catalog of works-of-art, Interstellar may very well be greatest of them all. Released in 2014 to an astounding critical reception and with hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars grossed, Interstellar tells the unusual (and riveting!) story of the end of the world, and how a daring trip through space and time might just be able to undo Earth's dire, apocalyptic situation. When it comes to storytelling, Interstellar is thorough, but in terms of its rigorous and realistic science that hinges upon what's actually possible, Interstellar's a movie so deep, you could drown in it. So let's drown for a bit, shall we? Not like Dr. Doyle on Miller's Planet, mind you. Metaphorically.
Comments
Finally watched Interstellar tonight and the first thing that came to mind was how I missed this episode two years ago 🤣 Great discussion, gents
Joe McPartlin
2021-02-12 06:43:02 +0000 UTCThis was an amazing episode! I love this movie and loved the way you guys dissected it.
Nick
2019-06-29 16:51:32 +0000 UTCMust watch the movie again - missed the diverted funds bit. I still don’t think that world would be able to produce enough to be to create such a structure but who knows.
Jeremiah Lyne
2019-06-28 17:30:31 +0000 UTCJohn Adams is great, yes! I forgot that one.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-25 01:45:40 +0000 UTCFor reals tho I really enjoyed the episode as well. I also hope he does another sci-fi film. I’ll be first in line to see it
Jose Garcia
2019-06-25 01:45:40 +0000 UTCI know, I know. =D
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-25 01:45:28 +0000 UTCIsn't the argument that the ship was built in secret and using diverted funds for many years?
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-25 01:45:22 +0000 UTCVery cool. =)
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-25 01:44:56 +0000 UTCUnsettling stuff!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-25 01:44:50 +0000 UTCI don't necessarily disagree, but I don't see any reason why we can't start on our own first. We don't need anyone to establish a base on the moon and Mars. We can do that alone. We can build shit in low Earth orbit, and do all sorts of great stuff without international cooperation. But I agree that to go interstellar (literally), we'd need to think bigger. And I think that even if we did go to another star as the US and not Earth, we should obviously bring folks from other countries along for the ride. =D
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-25 01:44:34 +0000 UTCYou would lol. You’re a basssssstuuuuuurd
Jose Garcia
2019-06-25 01:44:20 +0000 UTC=) =) =)
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-25 01:43:04 +0000 UTCYou're out of your mind, Eugene! =D
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-25 01:42:59 +0000 UTCI heard you mention that there was a lack of good content about the Revolutionary War. Might I suggest HBO's John Adams? Probably one of the better miniseries they ever did. Everything is to the period, and Paul Giamatti is excellent
Richard Kikuchi
2019-06-23 20:16:26 +0000 UTCI've been telling you for years, but for the love of all that is good on this earth please watch The Prestige, Col. It's my favorite movie of all time. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO IT!!!
Alex Gates
2019-06-21 22:06:46 +0000 UTCGreat sense of exploration in this movie, when they were going through space, I always appreciated how exposed the film made you to dangers. I still felt it was one of Nolan’s weaker movies though - I couldn’t get over the numerous plot holes: Still don’t know how a poor society managed to create the insane space ship at the end. Also, why not just live on the space station, looked great!! Also, surely it would have been easier to just fix earth or move underground.
Jeremiah Lyne
2019-06-21 17:33:00 +0000 UTCI was so happy to see that you guys did an episode for Interseller. It’s one of my all time favorite Movies and is probably the main reason why I named my son Cooper :)
McChicken66@gmail.com
2019-06-21 15:32:36 +0000 UTCJust to let you guys know, the concurrent timelines you were alluding to is a real theory in quantum mechanics that also relates to the fact that your body dying does not kill what you are in essence and there are infinite permutations of your life happening at the same time all the time. It is fucking fascinating and I highly recommend you look it up and read further into it.
Brett Carlson
2019-06-21 02:13:12 +0000 UTCGreat episode Colin. Interstellar my favorite space drama ever. I am hugely into the universe as well. I am up nightly into the darkest hours just to catch a glimpse at the stars. Human beings used to be foward thinking in regards to what your brother was saying. It is only in recent decades that with the rise of technology the further inward society has turned which seems counterintuitive. I have to say though I disagree with America needing to stick our flag in space. The only way anyone is really going to explore space in the capacity this movie presents is with GLOBAL cooperation. The cost for space travel will be orders of magnitude higher then any one country could afford. We would go bankrupt immediately if a mission failed. In order to see space in person human beings collectively needs to work together. We need the best minds from all around the world. People forget that we are all the same species. America is a figment of our imagination. It has no real basis in reality. Borders are imaginary lines and society is simply an unspoken contract to work together for a common goal. We need that translated on a global scale for space travel. There are already many countries working together at the large hydronic collider facility. Americas collider was shutdown and never finished if you remember.
Brett Carlson
2019-06-21 01:49:16 +0000 UTCYESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS FINALLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYY :)
Jose Garcia
2019-06-20 17:51:09 +0000 UTCInterstellar ranks below prestige, memento, dark knight, inception, dunkirk, and batman begins for me due to some silly, mawkish "power of love" dialogue/plot twists and some questionable acting (worst performance by a cameo in history). However, there was plenty to love in this movie like the most awesome narrative implementation of time dilation I've seen. Anyway, would love to get your Nolan rankings at some point, Col. Only one I haven't seen is the following.
Eugene Lanzoni
2019-06-18 14:15:16 +0000 UTCOh man, that's super cool.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-18 03:46:47 +0000 UTCI saw this one at the Air and Space Museum In 70mm IMAX. Went in completely blind, no trailers, no info. It’s the best theatrical experience I’ve ever had.
Koray Savas
2019-06-18 02:44:02 +0000 UTCIf I could get someone on Fireside Chats that could speak to all of that, I totally would!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-17 20:43:08 +0000 UTCColin, not sure which of your podcasts this would go (Side Quest or Fireside Chat), but I'd love to hear your thoughts about the recent black hole image & perhaps expand into topics like event horizon, dyson sphere, rare-Earth theory, etc. Love your insight on those subjects. Thanks for the great content!
David Passman
2019-06-17 18:38:01 +0000 UTCMaybe something to consider!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-17 00:32:25 +0000 UTC...!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-17 00:32:14 +0000 UTCKip Thorne's book is a must-read. Thanks for listening! <3
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-17 00:32:10 +0000 UTCI really need to watch it.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-17 00:31:49 +0000 UTCIt's so good.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-17 00:31:43 +0000 UTC=D
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-17 00:31:38 +0000 UTCI think I saw this come and go, but I never watched it. I'll check it out!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-17 00:31:29 +0000 UTCInteresting!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-17 00:31:17 +0000 UTCLOL.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-17 00:30:21 +0000 UTCI am so glad that I caught this in the cinema its such a cool movie and done so well. Im considering renting a cinema near me to watch it as a birthday bash, they allow you to rent out an entire room to watch or play games and its relatively affordable price for having the experience again. Look into it!
Scott MacLure
2019-06-16 19:18:46 +0000 UTCwe all know what the event horizon really is guys, c'mon.
Petre Cismigiu
2019-06-16 13:26:13 +0000 UTCInterstellar is also one of my favorite movies and I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. I was not aware of Kip Thorne and his book so I have placed it on my summer reading list. I must offer a few only slightly related comments as you all pretty much summed up my feelings on this film. First, I have no issue with Dagan's joke about address numbers. I have relatives on a small countryside road in Ireland who receive mail simply addressed to their name, street, and county. Their house and the two others on the road, all spaced out by a mile or so, do not have a number. Second, while I agree with your thoughts on horror movies broadly, you should both watch Hereditary as it is quite excellent. It doesn't use cheap jump scares and is quite unsettling thematically. Thanks to the both of you for this podcast series - keep doing God's work.
Kevin Sullivan
2019-06-15 22:38:06 +0000 UTCMan you could say this about any Nolan movie with a good argument, but the prestige might be his best film.
Will Ellis
2019-06-15 20:12:15 +0000 UTCListening to the podcast made me want to watch it again ASAP! So I did and it just gets better and better every time. I can’t wait for Nolan’s next film.
G Mac
2019-06-15 19:37:04 +0000 UTCLoved the brief conversation on the horror renaissance! You brought up two of my favorites from the past few years, The Witch and Hereditary. I felt the need to take a shower after my first viewings of each and Toni Collette was absolutely robbed an Oscar nom.
Joe Mertens
2019-06-15 15:25:02 +0000 UTCOnly half way on the episode (amazing as usual) but before I forget, have you watched “Mars”? It’s a Tv show from the Nation Geographic channel. It’s amazing. It’s half fiction half documentary and really goes deep into the political and social implications of living in Mars. Check it out: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_(2016_TV_series)
Hugo's Desk
2019-06-15 13:24:39 +0000 UTCMy wife and I took acid and watched this movie one night, it was quite the experience.
Ryan Murdoch
2019-06-15 06:34:34 +0000 UTCIn my freshman year of high school, I told this girl that I’d take her to my school’s homecoming dance. Instead, I took her to see interstellar L M A O. What a first date that was.
GameSimp
2019-06-15 05:53:55 +0000 UTCIndeed!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:32:46 +0000 UTCI wish I saw it in the theater, period. =(
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:32:42 +0000 UTCDavid Bowie plays a car? That's fucked up.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:32:26 +0000 UTCIt's on the list!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:32:17 +0000 UTCI believe this one was voted on by the audience. Our only rule is that something must be "done" to have an episode of KnockBack, and obviously, Interstellar is a standalone.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:32:11 +0000 UTCWe can't talk about everything, unfortunately. We will always leave something out. But it also gives us cause to perhaps return to some of these topics in the far-flung future (no pun intended).
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:31:50 +0000 UTCWow! Hahaha.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:31:28 +0000 UTCI have no idea what this in reference to, but I'm sorry that I disappointed you. =\
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:31:21 +0000 UTCYou probably did! I did the first two times!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:31:10 +0000 UTCDid we miss that or something? It's been months since this was recorded.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:31:00 +0000 UTCAwesome! Glad you enjoyed the film.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:30:34 +0000 UTCI hope you enjoy!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:30:09 +0000 UTCBrooooooo. Get me there.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:30:03 +0000 UTCWow, that's high praise, 'cause I love me The Shining. I'll look into it!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-15 02:29:43 +0000 UTCOne of my favorite movies as well! Nolan truly is a master.
Austin Ashworth
2019-06-14 21:25:17 +0000 UTCBig shout to the sound and music design! Get that 5.1 surround sound blasting! The build up in the track "coward " wow when it kicks in!!!! Wish I watched in IMAX!
Simon C
2019-06-14 18:39:07 +0000 UTCYou really do need to watch The Prestige. David Bowie as Tesla!
Brent Lindquist
2019-06-14 14:53:59 +0000 UTCDude you guys HAVE to watch the prestige
Kyle Goodrich
2019-06-14 13:57:30 +0000 UTCA 4 and a half year old movie considered retro? 🤔
Brandon Soto
2019-06-14 12:36:28 +0000 UTCI’m very surprised neither of you brought up the score
Michael Courtney Jr.
2019-06-14 10:59:26 +0000 UTCReally excellent episode about a wonderful film. I have just ordered the Nolan 4K blu-ray collection after listening to this, i haven't bought movie disc for about10 years.
Dan Parsons
2019-06-14 07:39:13 +0000 UTCYo Colin, I’m a little disappointed in you for not remembering the fantastic mini series, John Adams, starring Paul Giamatti. But fear not, all is forgiven for all the hard work you do for our entertainment.
Red Head Redemption
2019-06-14 03:05:08 +0000 UTCI’m gonna have to rewatch it. I think I missed a lot.
Anthony Longo
2019-06-14 02:03:49 +0000 UTCAdult Murph gets the data via the watch she finds when she goes back home. The second hand is moving in Morse code.
Alex Cabrera
2019-06-14 01:34:07 +0000 UTCJust watched the movie for the first time, so that I can listen tomorrow. This ranks up there with when I tried McDonald's hotcakes because of your recommendation. What a film!
David Graham
2019-06-14 01:26:03 +0000 UTCYikes. Way to ruin it.
Devon McCarty
2019-06-14 00:30:47 +0000 UTCWould anyone believe me if I said that I turned to my girlfriend during the book scene at the beginning and called the end of the movie?
Steve
2019-06-13 23:24:34 +0000 UTCGod, I can’t wait to listen to this tonight
Nicholas Perfect
2019-06-13 23:16:15 +0000 UTCThe timeliness of this episode is crazy. I know you want to go to Mars, and I can safely tell ya that all the mighty space-nerds are proactively working on the best course of action to get you there. I spent the majority of today researching and writing the script for a video project I'm doing with NASA and the company I work for here in Cleveland, Ohio. The project piggybacks on the process of In-Situ Resource Utilization (taking elements from Lunar or Martian surfaces and turning it into Oxygen), and then using the process of Liquefaction to convert the Oxygen into a liquid fuel source. That fuel would be stored and available for whatever interstellar traveler's fuel light flipped on. My company helped them "stress test" some of the components they want to use to pitch this process to the powers that be as a viable method of fuel harvesting. Just thought it was kind of cool to have spent most of my day researching the practical travel methods to the Moon and Mars, and then to see this. Also, great movie.
Devon McCarty
2019-06-13 23:02:24 +0000 UTCI'd go as far as to say that Hereditary is a 10/10 oscar-worthy film and the best horror film since The Shining, I can't recommend it enough. (I may have oversold the movie. either way, it's great)
Michal Dudic
2019-06-13 21:26:50 +0000 UTCNope, still not seen it.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:20:01 +0000 UTCYeah, I don't know what the hell that means. But I believe you. =D
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:19:54 +0000 UTCGo on...
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:19:36 +0000 UTCDissent!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:19:10 +0000 UTCI'll look into it!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:18:58 +0000 UTCI think I get it. LOL.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:18:49 +0000 UTCHell yeah.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:18:23 +0000 UTCOh man, I woulda been bummed to miss even a second! Glad you stuck it out.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:18:15 +0000 UTCEverything surrounding Miller's Planet is exceptional.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:18:01 +0000 UTCIndeed.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:17:46 +0000 UTCOh man, I bet. I've never seen it better than 1080p.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:17:40 +0000 UTCThank you for your support! <3
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:17:30 +0000 UTCPlease enjoy.
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:17:18 +0000 UTC=)
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:17:13 +0000 UTCI'm so scared!
Colin Moriarty
2019-06-13 21:17:08 +0000 UTCDude.... you’ve never seen The Prestige?! That movie is brilliant. Knowing that you are a very busy man, when you have time, go watch it! It’s on Netflix!
Will Hahn
2019-06-13 19:52:47 +0000 UTCA square (2D cube) is surrounded by 4 1D lines on its edges. Pretty easy to see in your head. A cube (3D shape) is surrounded by 6 2D squares on its faces. Also pretty easy to see in your head. A tesseract is surrounded by 8 3D cubes on its "faces". We can't visualize this @.@
Adrian Garcia
2019-06-13 19:30:09 +0000 UTCIt was kind of explained a bit above but the best way I could "visualize" a tesseract which is basically a 4 dimensional cube is to compare it to the lower dimensional analogies.
Adrian Garcia
2019-06-13 19:27:43 +0000 UTCAgreed. His narratives were a lot more sound in his earlier works.
Andres
2019-06-13 19:21:49 +0000 UTCNolan’s biggest strength is staging things so they seem powerful and profound, his use of music is great, technically he’s a great film maker, he creates visual feats that are easy to get swept up in, but when you actually think through what’s happening, it’s frequently laughable. He’s far more pretentious than intelligent (in my opinion).
Rob
2019-06-13 19:14:44 +0000 UTCAs a math major who had to take physics classes all the way up to quantum physics.. this movie takes fat liberties with its "science." And that not even getting into the cringe-y love narrative. The power of love? Seiously? This is Nolan's best work? What an insult to Memento.
Andres
2019-06-13 18:00:14 +0000 UTCAlso!! I highly recommend the book “Black Holes and Time Warps” by Kipp Thorne if you’re interested in learning more about the physics of black holes on a cursory level. It’s my favourite book of all time and I think you would really love it. The book starts by setting up a science fiction scenario, then you spend the rest of the book understanding why certain events occurred during the story.
Adam Carscadden
2019-06-13 17:43:41 +0000 UTCHey Col! Loving the episode. Just wanted to explain the tesseract. You were correct in saying “a tesseract is to a cube as a sphere is to a circle.” It’s what’s called a hypercube, and it’s just extending the mathematical description of a cube to a hypothetical fourth special dimension. A tesseract’s shadow would form a cube. (Just like how a cube’s shadow would form a square.) hopefully this clears up what a tesseract is a little bit!
Adam Carscadden
2019-06-13 17:37:19 +0000 UTCNot really about the American Revolution but more about political figures during it in its first few episodes is HBO's John Adams. Love that series.
Barrett Boswell
2019-06-13 17:35:51 +0000 UTCI love this movie. So good. I went and saw it in theaters and I had to pee from about 15 minutes into it. I kept thinking that the movie can’t be that long and it was so good that I didn’t want to miss anything. Well I did end up making it through the whole movie and hurried to the restroom afterwards. Needless to say I had the longest pee of my life at 2 minutes and 6 seconds.
Trent Miller
2019-06-13 17:23:25 +0000 UTCHaven’t listened to this episode but I will say this. I saw this movie in the theaters and it was one of the best expletives I’ve had. Beautiful movie and what a great experience. My favorite moment is them coming back to the black scientist saying “you’ve been gone for 27 years” the acting from him was brilliant.
Andrew
2019-06-13 16:42:15 +0000 UTCHands down my favorite movie. 2nd favorite, Inception of course! In Nolan We Trust
Dan Sievers
2019-06-13 16:32:52 +0000 UTCWas the first movie I bought on 4K disc and is stunning.
John King
2019-06-13 16:11:25 +0000 UTCHave been going through a lot of Knockback episodes lately and love that Colin and Dagan share my admiration for Christopher Nolan. So excited for this one!
Juan Paolini
2019-06-13 16:06:47 +0000 UTCYes! My favorite movie ever! *Happy Dance*
WalknTalknStvnHawkn
2019-06-13 16:04:01 +0000 UTCYes! One of my favorites! I was excited/expecting this episode when Colin mentioned how much he liked it
Nicholas Cowley
2019-06-13 16:02:57 +0000 UTCSo excited!
MayorGarbageMan
2019-06-13 16:00:29 +0000 UTC
