21st July 2023 - lives were changed.
I, of course, am referring to the release of the films OPPENHEIMER (Christopher Nolan) and BARBIE (Greta Gerwig). 2 films, 2 audiences, same day.
Sadly, due to the fact we live in a capitalist society whereby we must seek out regular employment in order to pay our bills and afford silly little lattes, I couldn't go to see either film on release day as I was working but we booked the double feature for the following day. It was a weekend of great cinema and witnessing the triumph of human perseverance to find the fun in absolutely anything.
To mark the occasion, my fiancé and I bought ourselves t-shirts from etsy which formed the base of my outfit. However, this was only the first step. I also sported a very-pink makeup look and as Oppenheimer was the first film of the day, a black trench and black sunglasses completed the 'fit. It just so happens that the weather was absolutely horrendous with rain all day so the coat was a practical choice but mark my words- the trench was a non-negotiable regardless.
There is nothing wrong with our local indie cinema, but we wanted to see Oppenheimer in IMAX of which required us to make a 2hour drive to Plymouth. As fiancé is a cineworld unlimited member, we got 10% food and drink so this is why I am marrying him really. I did not get any food as I think seeing Oppenheimer fasted, in IMAX, shattered from getting up early to drive to the cinema is what Nolan would have wanted.
As we stood in the queue, I saw masses of pink and black outfits, suits, cowboy hats, and it was beautiful. I felt truly at home.
12pm: Oppenheimer.
Review to follow but in short: Christopher Nolan made me sit through a 3 hour film where nothing fun happens and I thanked him for the privilege. That takes an incredible film to achieve. Plus, the real bomb that was dropped in the screening was a slight inconvenience but my god, it added to the escapism for sure. (BTW: if you're looking for a toliet-break because again, THREE HOURS, but don't want to miss anything, go when Oppenheimer asks to visit his brother. If you go then, all you need to know when you return is that Oppenheimer got his security clearance.)
After a quick trip to the hospital to recover from my injuries, our next stop was some much-needed fuel as a double-feature is no joke and requires serious endurance. There was only one place for it- five guys. A bacon cheeseburger and biscoff milkshake later, I had finally shaken off the existential dread that humans are going to destroy the world and it was time for an outfit change. Black trench and black glasses were ditched, fun white sunglasses were on and we were off to BARBIE.
4:50pm: Barbie.
WOMEN ARE AMAZING and I love being a woman. What a lovely film full of beautiful people and a beautiful message. Humans are still awful but I feel less sad about it now.
REVIEWS (minor SPOILERS)
Oppenheimer
Controversially, and a massive surprise to myself, I enjoyed Oppenheimer more. It took me a while to get invested, I guess that is one benefit to a three hour film but again, THREE HOURS?. Sorry. Anyway, in terms of performances, I honestly do not think anyone gave a dud and I would even say everyone was fantastic, though a lot of big-hitters only had a handful of lines so there was not much to play with. Cillian Murphy gives quite possibly the best performance of his career and given his showreel, the bar was VERY very high. RDJ is also standout, but my favourite singled-out performance is Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, specifically in the hearing scene toward the end of the film. Suddenly, a relatively lacking character TRANSFORMS and gives the BEST dialogue delivery of the entire film. The performances well deserve oscar-buzz, however I also wanted to highlight the sound design. The way sound is used in pivotal scenes such as the Trinity Test is astounding, but it really shines throughout the entire movie.
Rating: 8/10. One point off for the length (SORRY NOT SORRY I will not explain my hatred for long runtimes any further) and one point off for the female characters as I understand this is a film based on heavily male history, but I do wish the female characters were fleshed out a lot more
Barbie
I don't know what I expected this film to be like, but I don't think anyone else did either. It certainly is not my favourite Gerwig film, however I will say that for the other Gerwig films I have seen, I always grow in my fondness of them overtime and upon reflecting about them, their messages, etc. I am already looking back at the messages of Barbie and finding myself respect the script and the movie more and more than my immediate reaction once the credits rolled yesterday.
The casting is perfection. Robbie and Gosling are, as expected, absolutely charming but my personal favourite cast member is Rhea Perlman who emerges as Ruth, inventor of Barbie.
Whilst the plot I think is perfectly fun, it was certainly the message I enjoyed much more than the actual performances. It is a bit complicated, there are certain scenes and moments of dialogue that I think are some of the best I have seen but as a whole I think the performances are overshadowed by the message, which isn't necessarily a bad thing and is certainly a credit of the screenplay. I do hope that men will understand what Gerwig is trying to do with this film and hopefully the film will have a positive impact on how they interact with the women in their life.
Rating: 6.5/10, but the jury is still out. Fiancé hasn't stopped playing "I'm Just Ken" so maybe that is bringing the score down a bit. He's had it on a loop for a week, send help.
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