Weekend Watch - Barbenheimer

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating and review. This week, we’re looking at the cinematic event of the year, the double release of Barbie and Oppenheimer, which have combined to form the 4th-largest American box office weekend in history – and the only one headlined by non-franchise films. Barbie comes from director Greta Gerwig, cowritten by her and Noah Baumbach, starring Margot Robbie as the primary titular character, joined by Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp, Kate McKinnon, Hari Neff, and many others as the many iterations of the iconic doll and Ryan Gosling as the leading Ken, joined also by Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, and many others as the other Kens in Barbieland. America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Will Ferrell, Helen Mirren, and Michael Cera round out the star-studded comedy that has ruled the weekend. Oppenheimer, from writer/director Christopher Nolan, stars Cillian Murphy in the titular role, supported by another star-studded cast, headlined by Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Alden Ehrenreich, David Krumholtz, Benny Safdie, and Florence Pugh. Both films, and this weekend, are sure to go down in cinematic history, so let’s get into it.

Barbie Letter Grade: A-; this is the type of film that studios should strive to get back to for their blockbusters!

Oppenheimer Letter Grade: A; Nolan delivers a masterclass of a biopic, drawing excellent performances from every actor in the film!

Barbie Review:

                Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is sure to go down in history as a modern classic of satire, production value, and comedic excellence. Every role in the film feels perfectly cast, from Margot Robbie’s complex leading lady to Ryan Gosling’s perfectly himbo-coded Ken to Will Ferrell’s bumbling CEO to America Ferrera’s harried mother/secretary to every supporting Barbie, Ken, and Allan. It’s a fantastic cast that help sell Gerwig’s vision of the mythical Barbieland and the almost real “real world” and allow the film to thrive in its massively important messages of female empowerment and the importance of defining yourself intrinsically rather than extrinsically.

                Barbie’s production design might be some of the best of the year, starting obviously with Barbieland but extending also to the real world, particularly the office-scape of Mattel where we get a particularly fun chase scene and some great contrast to the brightness of Barbieland. The attention to detail that went into the creation of the sets and their intentional artificiality makes this a film that will undoubtedly stand the test of time. The subtle (and not-so-subtle) changes that occur there throughout the movie only add to the film’s sense of itself, drawing the audience into a fantasy land where truths about our own world can be put on full and aggressive display as only satire can do.

                The comedy and story of Barbie, as crafted by Gerwig and Baumbach and then delivered by their stellar cast, hits the right note in just about every scene. The depth of the film’s satirical critique of modern society can only be appreciated when you take a step back and look at the whole thing. This is not a film, as some have argued, that “hates men” or “wants to set the feminist movement back fifty years” or “seeks to villainize all men”. It is a film that uses its childlike premise and perspective to peel away the façade of society’s nuances and lay everything out in its most basic terms. The reverse parallel between Barbieland and our own world highlights the flaws of gender-driven/sexually-motivated systems of power – namely that they are overly reductive and generally ineffective in creating well-running, equitable, informed, and ethically acceptable societies. By showcasing this argument through humor (sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes on-the-nose, sometimes slapstick, sometimes other forms), the audience is invited to embrace gender as a definition of self without it being a cookie-cutter or archetypal label that defines your entire potential for life. Patriarchy is the film’s villain, not because the filmmakers view men as villains, but because they want to reject fully the idea that gender (or implicitly, income, occupation, family status, nationality, race, sexuality, age, etc.) can define anyone’s individual worth or efficacy. You need only look at the story arcs of both Barbie (Robbie) and Ken (Gosling) to see that this is the message being portrayed. The only real issue with the film’s story/comedy/messaging comes in its climactic monologue from America Ferrera’s Gloria in the third act about the struggles of being a woman in a patriarchal society. The monologue itself is excellently done, hearkening to Laura Dern’s Oscar-winning performance in Baumbach’s marriage story in its tone and content, but its issue lies in the fact that the moment feels a bit unearned, given all that we’ve seen of Gloria’s life up to that point in the film (not a whole lot). For a character to make so many sweeping statements speaks to the state of her society, but when so much of the film has taken place away from that society, it feels like there should have been a little bit more lead-in to the moment, however valid it might be.

                Barbie is one of those big studio films that manages to live up to the hype thanks to some excellent performances, great production design, and solid writing that leave audiences with a minimally flawed film and a great time at the theater. Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, and Ryan Gosling again have the fullness of their talents on display in this film that is sure to stick around for a while in modern cinematic discourse.

Oppenheimer Review:

                Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has set a new standard in biopics, delivering a devastating historical narrative in a way that keeps its audience fully engaged and guessing for its entire three-hour runtime. It is a dialogue-driven film full of hearings, interspersed with conversations about politics, metaphysics, and the scientific community that never actually manages to feel as boring as all of that sounds, which is a triumph in and of itself. Nolan manages to deliver a well-paced narrative that only gets you lost a few times and that is one of the most well-acted films of the year, top to bottom.

                At its heart, Oppenheimer wants to tell the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer as honestly as it can, taking the good with the bad and leaving the interpretation up to the audience. It invites you to empathize with the historical figure who is at least partially responsible for one of the biggest atrocities in history, and it accomplishes this goal not by attempting to justify any of the evils that he wrought but by showcasing the human behind it all. Oppenheimer isn’t a hero or a villain or even an antihero; he is a man thrown into some of the muddiest waters in history and asked to swim back to the surface. We get to see the worst parts and best parts of Oppenheimer’s life – both personal and professional – as portrayed in Cillian Murphy’s subtle but gripping performance. The people he wronged along the way and his awareness of that wrongdoing play a key role in making this film as successful as it no doubt will continue to be.

                While I wish that the narrative let you in on a bit more of its side characters’ (RDJ’s Lewis Strauss and Jason Clarke’s Roger Robb for examples) motivations, the overall narrative structure – jumping around between hearings and history – works well in keeping you engaged and presenting its true message, which is only tangentially related to the person of Oppenheimer. The film’s final moments, though not chronologically the last point in the film’s timeline, offer a chilling and gut-wrenching conclusion to Oppenheimer’s work. From the very start of the film, we see Oppenheimer plagued by this fear and guilt and fascination over the work that he conducts, offering an awareness of his own nature and the nature of humans toward self-destruction. His participation in and enthusiasm for the creation of the atomic bomb only serves to reinforce this message, and Nolan makes it all the more clear when we finally see what it is capable of (in gloriously enrapturing cinematography and sound design). Nolan wants his audience to understand that our “othering” of our fellow humans and our own selfish desires for self-preservation over the good of all others are in fact leading us down a path of self-destruction, just as Oppenheimer set himself up for his own demise, the human demand for “defensive weapons” has set us up for our own violent destruction.

                Led by Cillian Murphy’s commanding performance and a plethora of strong supporting performances, Nolan’s Oppenheimer manages to tell the truth about its subject while also offering a deep truth about humanity, marking it as the new gold standard for biographical films. It’s not always the most perfectly paced or explained film, but on the whole, it offers a new perspective and a meaningful message that the world needs in this time.

Weekend Watch - The Menu

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers, is The Menu, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, Nicolas Hoult, Hong Chau, and many others in an ensemble dark comedy. This social commentary set in the world of high-end restauranting hit theaters this weekend. The Mark Mylod directed film has been creating quite a buzz since it was first announced. Let’s get into it.

Letter Grade: A-; it’s the most fun I’ve had at the theater in a while, but there’s a few things to nitpick.

Should you Watch This Film? Absolutely! Unless you’re the third grader that came with his family to our screening who I don’t necessarily think was old enough to appreciate how good this film is.

Why?

                The Menu combines elements of a lot of different films to create a unique meal all of its own. From the eerily subtle horror elements of Midsommar to the intense kitchen shots of Chef or Burnt or Boiling Point and the on-the-nose social commentary of The Big Short or Succession, each piece of this film feels a bit drawn from elsewhere, but in the end, it is undoubtedly its own film, making something relatively new out of its old parts. Its thrilling elements play well with the darkly comedic releases of tension, keeping the audience in an ebb and flow of intensity and relief as we unravel what the evening has in store for the twelve dinner guests and their cooking hosts. At certain points, the film drifts a bit further toward the absurd than it might need to, creating discomfort with the film rather than with its characters, but it never goes so far afield as to be unable to reel its audience back in. By the time the meal’s story (and that of the film) has been told, the audience is left with a combined sense of disgust, satisfaction, and awe, just as Chef Slowik (or is it director Mark Mylod and writers Seth Reiss and Will Tracy) intended.

                Aiding in the film’s delivery of its assortment of film styles is its ensemble cast, mostly of faces you’ll recognize but can’t quite put names to and a few big hitters to supplement it all. Ralph Fiennes leads the kitchen as Chef Slowik, bringing all the menace of his Voldemort performance while maintaining a bit more humanity, keeping the audience sure that he’s not the one to root for but not convinced that he’s the one to root against. Anya Taylor-Joy brings mystery and intrigue to the evening as Margot, a last-minute fill-in as Nicolas Hoult’s Tyler’s date to the dinner. She shines as a burgeoning scream queen here (though not really screaming, more as the ideal “elevated horror” final girl), exploring the mysteries of the restaurant’s staff and consistently going against the grain of the rest of the guests in satisfying fashion. Hong Chau (who you might know from Downsizing or HBO’s Watchmen) brings a worthy combination of comedy and intensity to her role as the restaurant’s hostess, Elsa, a matter-of-fact second-in-command to Slowik whose character arc is just as mysterious and complicated as the leads. The rest of the guests, headlined by Nicolas Hoult as an annoying Instagram influencer and John Leguizamo as a washed-up actor looking to rebrand as a travel host, bring the rest of the flavor to this menu, each bringing his or her own brand of flawed wealth to the screen exactly as you’d want an ensemble to work, accentuating the film’s central themes with performances just memorable enough to be unique without overshadowing the film’s main characters.

                The Menu’s blend of thriller, dark comedy, and food, delivered by a satisfying ensemble cast, will leave audiences full and satisfied by the time the credits roll, even if not every bit of the meal lands perfectly. Watching it in a theater with plenty of other viewers certainly adds to the experience, and I recommend it if you are able to make it. If not, when this comes to streaming, it should definitely hit the top of your watchlist. Check it out when you can.

Weekend Watch - Barbarian

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch, where each week we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a review and recommendation. This week’s topic is the surprise hit horror film that dropped last weekend, Barbarian, starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long. The film is about two people who have unintentionally double-booked an Airbnb and then discover some surprising secrets in the house’s basement. Since its release, it has taken critics and audiences by storm, surprising most viewers with a remarkably original story and take on the genre. Let’s get into it.

Letter Grade: B+; the film’s originality and willingness to bend the mold doesn’t mean that it has fully broken out of some of the more predictable tropes of horror films.

Should you Watch This Film? If you are looking for a new horror film as spooky season approaches, this is one of the better ones out right now for sure.

Why?

                Like most fans and critics have already said, Barbarian succeeds at holding its audience’s attention with some of the most surprising twists and turns in recent horror history, creating a refreshingly original experience in the process. What starts out as a fairly straightforward stranger danger horror flick soon morphs into something much more interesting than that initial premise. The film’s blend of suburban horror and social satire comes through in a way that never feels derivative of anything else. The biggest issue most people will have watching this film will be with some of the wild choices made by the film’s protagonists, which is true of most horror films, but which also works to set up some of the better parts of the film, including its quick and stressful climax. For horror acting, the leads – Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long – overdeliver in their performances, doing work that is rarely surpassed within the genre, at least in films with comparable budgets. Campbell’s idealistic Tess makes a solid “final girl” that the audience can easily root for even through her many questionable decisions. Skarsgård’s enigmatic Keith works well in the role marked out for him, walking the line between dangerous villain or lovable sidekick as the audience gets to know him (his past role as Pennywise in the It films probably lent a lot to his character’s ambiguity as well, solid casting choice). Long’s problematic and troubled AJ serves as a great foil for Tess and solid comedic relief when needed as well. Honestly, each of them delivers perfectly on what the script asks of them, and it’s a very impressive outing from the trio. The fun originality of Barbarian’s disjointed story pairs with some solid acting from its leads to create one of the biggest surprise hits of the year. Check it out in theaters if you get the opportunity.