Barbenheimer (3/n)

With Friday night dinners and Monday night cinema as my rituals, I've watched Barbenheimer (in the right order).

As the spouse of a real-life scientist, Oppenheimer's portrayal of scientists struck me as quite amusing. I'll acknowledge the film's fantastic cast, but the storyline felt convoluted and complex.

I observed that the impact of the nuclear bomb was somewhat glossed over. The most vivid reaction I recall is Cillian Murphy's horrified gaze at the screen as he witnesses its effects.

Gary Oldman's portrayal of Harry Truman was fleeting, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, whereas Robert Downey Jr. delivered a fantastic performance as the "pseudo-villain." As for the film's subdued and gentle audio, I found it rather vexing.

Lastly, I considered the love scene highly offensive due to Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh using the Bhagavad Gita book between them. This addition by Christopher Nolan was largely fictional and unnecessary. However, it highlights the significant Hinduphobia present among the British elite, as evident in the book "Chums" frequently associates caste with the British near-aristocracy.

Having expressed my thoughts, let's now shift our focus to Barbie.

The cast in Barbie was commendable, and it brought a smile to see Ryan Gosling reprising his role from La La Land. I say this with a touch of humor, but the treatment of feminism in Barbie felt somewhat clichéd and predominantly centered around a white perspective. Although there were attempts to showcase diversity, Barbie still came across as the quintessential Aryan-American blonde princess.

To some extent, my perspective might appear overly attuned to modern sensitivities and progressiveness. Nevertheless, I hold the view that it's more genuine for creators to wholeheartedly embody their own identities and portrayals. Looking at the works of Nolan & Gerwig, I detect a somewhat conventional and neo-WASP portrayal of American ideals, which some might term a "whitelash." Given that Oppenheimer's most enduring quote (in reality) originates from Lord Shiva, the film could have gained valuable insights from a Hindu member within the production team. In contrast, Barbie seemed to follow a more predictable and standardized path toward incorporating (all pun intended) diversity.

I acknowledge that America Ferrara's character carried a certain reactionary undertone; the film attempted to subtly sprinkle these hints throughout. However, I personally struggled to regard the movie with the seriousness it aimed for, perhaps due to the exaggerated playfulness associated with Will Ferrel’s turn as Mattel CEO.

Admittedly, I'm not a film critic, but I'm appreciative of Barbenheimer's commendable performance. It's certainly two films that merits viewing (maybe not on the same day, I watched them a week), and I'm content to have experienced it on the grandeur of the cinema screen, especially in IMAX format.

Adieu. Until next time.

Zeek Out.