THE BARBENHEIMER EXPERIENCE (2023)

Title: THE BARBEN HEIMER EXPERIENCE 

Year: 2023

Directors: Greta Gerwig & Christopher Nolan

Presently the future of Hollywood is uncertain because SAG (Screen Actors' Guild) and WGA (Writer's Guild of America) are on strike for the first time since 1960. 

Due to the rise of streaming services & the complications surrounding a dcline in wages and residuals, SAG and WGA are seeking better compensation and benefit plans with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

As a result of this strike film production has halted. Actors cannot promot their work, appear in any film festivals, attend screenings or participate in any conventions. The Oppenheimer cast attended the red carpet of their first screening and then left the scene at midnight before the film began. 

News reports have been circulating about the Barbenheimer phenomena. Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer both premiered on the same weekend and the internet has made memes about going to both as a double feature. 

These two films couldn't be more different in tone. One is a glitzy glamourous production of cotton candy fluff and the other is an apocalyptic nightmare about the potential for global destruction. I suppose the stark contrast is the appeal? I went to both because I'm a film nerd and I like both directors. Going to Barbie was a bit weird considering I'm a 32yr old male & most of the audience were pre-teen girls in pink shirts. 

Connecting Oppenheimer and Barbie are themes of Americana. Barbie is classic American, as is  the Nuke. Both are part of American history for good and bad reasons. Both reperesent the best and worst of the Western Hemisphere. Both are bound to make a killing at the box office. 

My reviews of each are below:  

Title: Oppenheimer
Year: 2023
Director: Chritopher Nolan
Country: US
Language: English






In 2020 Warner Bros. botched the distribution of Christopher Nolan's Tenet and as a result Nolan decided to leave his longtime studio for the greener pastures of Universal Studios. There he developed Oppenheimer - albeit with a smaller budget than he was accustomed to. Even with more restrictions placed upon him he was able to create a fairly memorable epic.

This is the story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

Drawing from the 2005 biography American Prometheus:The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer Nolan and editor Jennifer larner create a non-linear narrative from fragmented information spanning a lifetime. Strucuted aroudn two proceedings that switch from monochrome to color, Oppenheimer evokes the political films of Oliver Stone (JFK, 1991)

Oppenheimer is an incredibly cerebral film that has the feel of an epic. It's scary, insightful, imaginative, haunting, vulnerable and powerful. There are a few scenes that left me in awe. The cinematography, sound design, score, production design and editing are exquisite; each pulling their weight to give us an edge-of-your-seat film.

I'm not a big fan of Chrisopher Nolan, I hated Inception (2010), but I must admit there is something really special about this picture. I think it will win many awards and be known as one of the best films of the 2020's

Title: Barbie

Year: 2023

Director: Greta Gerwig

Country: US

Language: English

 In any other hands Barbie (2023) would be a soulless corporate cash grab, but Greta Gerwig & screenwriter Noah Baumbach are self-aware and talented enough to create nn impressive artistic endeavour out of the material. Her previous pictures, Lady Bird (2017) & Little Women (2019), were nominated for many Oscars. Barbie (2023) will likely be nominated for Oscars too.

In this, Barbie (Margot Robbie) suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence.

Subversive, satirical and silly - Barbie's spectacular production is the stuff of dreams. Gerwig lets her creative impulses run wild with impressive set design, remarkable choreography, and jaw dropping cinematography. It's a Grade 'A' Hollywood treatment that is sure to stun audiences. 

Baumbach and Gerwig's script gives Barbie (and Ken) some much needed dimension. The characters' have profound conversations regarding gender roles and woman/manhood. Gerwig's treatment isn't necessarily kind to the Barbie brand, as criticism regarding the dolls' negative influence on society is laid out. 

Margot Robbie's incredible performance is nearly overshadowed by Ryan Gosling as the mimbo Ken. His charming stupidity is a highlight in this film; I particularly like his obsession with singing his emotions out. Barbie is a fun film. I hope Gerwig continues with her success.