Now Playing

 

The biggest weekend of the year arrived on Friday, and it did not disappoint. Below are my takes on all the week’s new releases I saw.

Barbie (Theaters)
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, and Will Ferrell
Synopsis: How do you create a feature film based on a toy? Three different live-action G.I. Joe films would suggest it’s harder than you think. And yet, in the hands of Gretta Gerwig, we get something engaging and masterful with Barbie. In the film, we meet stereotypical Barbie (Robbie), who is living her dream life in Barbieland. She’s surrounded by all her fellow friends and Barbies, and she’s surrounded by a number of Kens, including Beach Ken (Gosling), who is completely smitten. But in the midst of her dream life of parties and dancing, Barbie starts having some strange thoughts. Soon, her daily life goes off the rails. She turns to the wise sage—Weird Barbie (McKinnon)—who suggests she needs to venture out into the real world to find out what is troubling the one playing with Barbie. So, despite hesitation, Barbie and Ken head to the real world. It isn’t what they expected. The world isn’t what Barbie hoped, while Ken gets wild ideas about how to improve his situation, while Barbie connects with the head of Mattel (Will Farrell) and her biggest fan, Gloria (Ferrera). Gloria, in particular, gives Barbie the nudge she needs to become the woman she wants to be. It was hard to know what to expect from a film like this. It’s famous IP but how does it work as a feature film? In the hands of Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach, we get something that beautifully explores the toy for what it is but more importantly considers culture, the role of women and what it means to be human. That’s a tall order for any movie but Gerwig the director pulls it off beautifully. The look for this film is stunning. The world built for Barbieland is completely engaging and feels like a dream. The costumes pop and the way the worlds diverge is perfect. From the moment you begin, the look pulls you in and leaves you hooked. So, too, does the script. There is humor, pathos and some incredible observations. From the jump it crackles and sets the tone for the film. But it’s not just the projection that pulls you in, it’s the performances. Robbie is perfect in the lead role, bringing humor, grace and depth of emotion. Gosling is an idea screen partner, bringing some interesting depths to Ken. He also provides a lot of the humor. Most of the performances are great. I was moved by Ferrera and delighted by McKinnon. One of the most fun performances comes from Michael Cera as Allan, who provides comedy throughout the production. Barbie is a beautifully crafted film that’s full of humor and heart. It’s one of the best films of the year and should be a huge hit this summer.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for suggestive references and brief language.
Verdict: Four and a half stars out of five.

Oppenheimer (Theaters)
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Robert Downey, Jr., Florence Pugh, and Emily Blunt
Synopsis: The other half of the Barbenheimer weekend was this epic biopic from Christopher Nolan. It focuses on the life and career of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Murphy), the physicist who helped create the atomic bomb. It was a crowning achievement and one that would haunt him for the rest of his life. In this biopic, which was shot for IMAX and runs three hours, we see his life play out. In a parallel story, we see the confirmation hearings for Lewis Strauss (Downey), the man who butted heads with Oppenheimer. Nolan uses color to differentiate, offering the narrative from the perspective of Oppenheimer in color and the narrative from Strauss in black-and-white. All of it is intense and quite stirring. I won’t belabor a plot for a film that’s telling a factual story. Instead, I want to focus on the craft. There aren’t any directors like Nolan, and he brings the sheer weight of his talent and vision as a director to this project. The performances are also strong. Murphy is great in the lead, while Downey, Damon, Josh Hartnett and Alden Ehrenreich stood out among a talented and diverse supporting cast. This film isn’t perfect and there will be those that are rightly disappointed by some of the people in Oppenheimer’s sphere who get short shrift in this film, such as Jean Tatlock. But this is a film about Oppenheimer and remains focused on telling the story of the world through his eyes. It’s an epic and stunning achievement for Nolan, one that should be on nearly everyone’s best of the year list. And it’s a film that demands to be seen in theaters. So, get out and give it a watch.
Rating: Rated R for some sexuality, nudity and language.
Verdict: Four and a half stars out of five

Stephen Curry: Underrated
Synopsis: Apple TV+ is home to some incredible and incredibly diverse content. That ranges from TV series to movies, like this new documentary on Stephen Curry. It follows his record-setting achievements in the NBA, chronicles his life as a son, husband and father, and goes back to chronicle his beginning, including his time at Davidson. A good sports biopic draws you into the world of its subject while informing and inspiring. I certainly got that from this film, which tells Curry’s story in an engaging and compelling way. For fans of sports or just fans of good stories, this documentary is worth checking out.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
Verdict: Three stars out of five

They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix)
Starring: John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris, and Kiefer Sutherland
Synopsis: On a busy weekend for new theatrical releases, Netflix joined the party, too, with a science fiction film from writers Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier. In it, a small-time hustler named Fontaine (Boyega) finds himself caught in something he never expected. After seemingly dying the day before, he wakes up and resumes his routine. When a pimp (Foxx) and a working girl (Parris) point out the conflict, the trio go on a journey of discovery that takes them to some unexpected places. This is a film unlike anything I’ve seen. There’s a strong sense of style and writing, while the film offers the interesting twists of stories and creates an unexpected world for this type of genre. The performances are solid, particularly from Boyega in the lead role. I quibble some with the overall execution and it was a bit dry at times for me. The twists were engaging enough but it didn’t quite deliver everything I would have wanted. Still, it’s a solid watch and an interesting addition to the Netflix catalog.
Rating: Rated R for pervasive language, violence, some sexual material and drug use.
Verdict: Three stars out of five