Barbie & Oppenheimer.
Barbie Trailer, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2023.
(hover/click for pink)
Chloe Buxton, Barbie:
Just like the rest of us, in the lead up to seeing Barbie I had been overwhelmed by the
promotional material for the film. From multiple teaser trailers, to a real life Barbie dream house
airbnb, to collaborations with Ice Spice and of course Margot Robbie’s iconic press tour outfits.
This movie’s marketing team were doing the absolute most - and it paid off. I was pleasantly
surprised and actually blown away by Greta Gerwig’s box office breakthrough. I’ve been a huge
fan of Gerwig’s ever since her release of A24s
But I have to say I think Barbie provided far more substance
than any of us could have anticipated. Gerwig lures us into a false sense of security with the
fun, satirical glitz and glamour of Barbie’s perfect world. But when things begin to go wrong (like
irrepressible thoughts of death…) Barbie is forced to venture into the “real world”. Where
suddenly the humour and the irony of the opening act is completely gone. Although we think
Barbie world is stupid, nonsensical and overwhelmingly pink - the “real world” begins to seem
like a stark and frightening comparison. At least in Barbie land, women are able to look at any
chosen career path and find a multitude of role models to look up to, from President Barbie to
Nobel prize winning Barbie. Women uplift each other and feel a sense of community with their
peers. Barbie is horrified to discover that in the real world, construction sites do not feature
supportive women throwing non-violent, non-sexual compliments her way. Ken soon realises
that men actually rule the real world, and he’s not being sarcastic. Images of real life men, on
the faces of money, faces carved into mountain sides, political leaders, sports stars, CEOs…
they’re all men.
These are obvious examples we’re all used to seeing, and honestly day by day
they don’t even enter our sphere of consciousness as they’re so frequently taken for granted.
But by creating such a hyper feminine world, where Ken is almost side lined and given nothing
to do except be an accessory to Barbie, when looking back at the real world we begin to be able
to question the imagery of men we are confronted with every day in comparison to women. We
are also able to examine the role women are expected to play in the lives of men in the real
world. If men are busy ruling the world under “patriarchy” (as Ken grapples with) - what does
that leave women to do? One of my favourite lines Ryan Gosling came out with in an interview
about playing Ken was “behind every great Barbie there’s a Ken, who’s totally fine with that”
.
Honestly this film packed in way more laughs than I expected, from all the barbie’s sitting
around a campfire letting their Ken’s sing them acoustic guitar songs and eye rolling at each
other, to Ken’s mojo dojo casa house that just had horses playing on multiple TVs.
Although in
reality we know gender isn’t as simple as Barbie and Ken, Greta Gerwig is a genius for
managing to lure us all into cinemas expecting to watch a light hearted comedy about a pink
and perfect world and actually making room for us to be able to examine the role of women in
society. She managed to gross over $350 million globally in her opening weekend and she
actually got all of those innocent Barbie fans to listen to thought provoking feminist monologues.
It was fun, bold, emotional and intelligent - I expected nothing less from Greta. 5/5 from me.
by Chloe Buxton, July 2023.
Oppenheimer Trailer, Universal Pictures, 2023.
Zeeshaan Rahman, Oppenheimer:
If you’re going to watch it you have to be in it for the long run because this cinematic masterpiece is a long one. With stunning visuals (and the prior knowledge to it all being made without CGI) the movie captures your attention the entire time.
Although I found the middle a little long winded, my focus stayed on the movie completely as every little detail goes by so quickly you’ll need to be paying attention. As a sucker for war and political films from the build up of the bomb dropping all the way to the climactic end of the entire film I couldn’t help but become entranced in all aspects of the movie.
The music was an especially big sense overload for me as it unexpectedly elevated the film into a whole new standard for me. Every single actor played their role to an unbelievably realistic level however Cillian Murphy’s and Robert Downey Junior’s performances alone could make me rewatch the film multiple times as, in my opinion, they set a new precedent for todays standards in acting.
I am scheduled to watch the film again in a regular cinema but I 100% recommend watching it first in 70mm as it takes a new perspective in to how a films should be watched.
by Zeeshaan Rahman, July 2023.
Oppenheimer Trailer, Universal Pictures, 2023.
Oliver Spicer, Oppenheimer:
There’s a certain trouble when adapting history into film. To put in bluntly: we already know what happens in the end. Its why often parts of history that are mostly unknown or have details not yet in public knowledge are used. The story of the atomic bomb is neither. Instead, there are several sub-stories that are told at once where the drama mostly comes from a hearing in which Oppenheimer is being questioned about his allegiance to the USA. There is a little worry that the bomb test will destroy the Earth but as we know that didn’t happen, it is mostly ignored apart from the final line.
I think if you are looking for a story about the creation of the atomic bomb - or a film that discussing its moral implications - then this is neither. It is a biopic that happens to feature the nuclear arms race. But Nolan does not let go of his quest-like stories and use of time even when adapting - although a more subtle tone than his earlier career.
I liked the film, enjoyed the physics references. It was not the saviour of cinema as some heralded it online, but it never claimed that itself. And when you cause a new film stock to be invented that’s always a win.
by Oliver Spicer, July 2023.
