Barbenheimer — Blog

Barbenheimer Part 2

Let’s begin by saying how lucky we are here in San Francisco to have a proper IMAX theatre. One of about 40 in the whole world capable of showing Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer in the way it was shot: IMAX 70mm film. The image quality is beyond anything digital is currently capable of, and the vastness of the multi-story screen utterly fills the peripheral vision. It is indeed motion picture film at its qualitative zenith. Kudos to Nolan for being just about the only director to fully use this fantastic medium.

This is why whenever there’s a new Nolan release, I make it a point to go see it in IMAX. Sadly, didn’t do that for Tenet, because of the bloody pandemic.

You’re going to be disappointed if you’re coming into Oppenheimer looking for a Michael Bay-style romp about the atomic bomb explosion. This movie is a pure character piece on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer vis a vis the invention of nuclear weaponry. And as a character piece, Oppenheimer is superbly done. The audience is with the titular character practically the entire time. The story structure can be a bit Nolan-esque (read: it jumps around), but the whole story gathers itself nicely once the picture is complete.

Of course, a character piece can only be done with brilliant acting. There’s superb acting talent in Oppenheimer, and superb acting all around. The highlights are, expectedly, Cillian Murphy (J. Robert Oppenheimer), Robert Downey Jr (Lewis Strauss). and Emily Blunt (Kitty Oppenheimer).

I really like this movie, and will definitely see it again - but with captions. There's so much detail in the dialogue, but somehow Nolan refuses to mix the speaking parts louder. It's been an ongoing thing since The Dark Knight Rises. Other than that, the sound design/score is magnificent. Particularly during the trinity test sequence: as the atomic bomb explodes, all manner of sound was cut. After a bit, the loudest bang you can think of pops shockingly in. This perfectly mimicks how physics work: you see before you hear, because light travels faster than sound.

For a film that’s three hours long, there needs to be an intermission in the middle for people to take a breather and a bathroom break. For Oppenheimer, the perfect place to break is exactly where you think it is.

Barbenheimer Part 1

Alright, it’s the movie double-feature of the summer: Barbie and Oppenheimer. I am seeing the latter in proper IMAX 70MM film this coming Monday. Barbie I saw yesterday evening, and here are my thoughts. (Spoilers, obviously.)

I think it’s a brilliant move to have an auteur filmmaker like Greta Gerwig to helm this film. Barbie is refreshingly layered in its expected commentary on the legendary doll brand. We did not get a cookie-cutter hero’s journey, which is a surprise given how safe studios play it these days with franchises. Bold move by Mattel to hand the reins over completely to a director’s singular vision. It’s partly why Barbie has such a buzz around it (and Oppenheimer, as well): audiences know they are in for something different, something unique.

Historically, was Ken always such a needy nice guy? The Barbie movie played on the theme that Ken is completely dependent on Barbie. His happiness is totally hinged on her whims and approval. Who knew the blonde-haired buff guy on the beach is such a clingy nice guy? Whose every action to seek approval from Barbie only erects the barrier further higher.

So then Ken fully embraced the “men’s right movement”, the pendulum swinging completely the other way. The patriarchy looks super attractive when it seems to solve all the resentment Ken has towards Barbie. No need to seek approval when the world view is women are the enemy, and only the docile, placate-able ones should be let in. What a pleasant surprise to see this particular commentary on masculinity in Barbie. And we thought it was going to be just about feminism vis a vis the titular doll.

Ultimately, Ken arrives at a happy medium between being a doormat and Andrew Tate. Barbie needs him to be his own person, to have his own life and dreams. That is what will make him attractive and trustworthy. She also admits her part in their relationship, how she took him for granted.

Barbie gets a recommendation from me. Onwards to Barbenheimer Part 2!