Now Playing: What did you see at the movies?

[prisma]

I really appreciate the cartoonishness of Barbie in retrospect because it makes it the way the right is responding that much crazier. This is a movie where the entire board of Mattel rides a giant 7 or 8-person tandem bike into Barbieland but someone how the message of the movie is to hate men?

I am really glad I saw it on opening night because the backlash press has made me sad. It's a movie that critiques the patriarchy (which is not the same as critiquing men) and the furor of the response basically makes the movie's point about the toxic nature of patriarchy, IMO.

I'm going to see Oppenheimer tonight and I am honestly a little worried about sitting through a 3-hour movie. I have a tailbone injury and I am really shifty when I have to sit in one position for a long time.

[chitowngirl]

Jul 28, 2023 10:24:19 GMT -4 prisma said:

I really appreciate the cartoonishness of Barbie in retrospect because it makes it the way the right is responding that much crazier. This is a movie where the entire board of Mattel rides a giant 7 or 8-person tandem bike into Barbieland but someone how the message of the movie is to hate men?

I am really glad I saw it on opening night because the backlash press has made me sad. It's a movie that critiques the patriarchy (which is not the same as critiquing men) and the furor of the response basically makes the movie's point about the toxic nature of patriarchy, IMO.

I'm going to see Oppenheimer tonight and I am honestly a little worried about sitting through a 3-hour movie. I have a tailbone injury and I am really shifty when I have to sit in one position for a long time.

That’s what I love about the recliner seats…I can change the seat position throughout the movie.

[Ladybug]

Nov 18, 2005 14:33:27 GMT -4 prisma said:

I really appreciate the cartoonishness of Barbie in retrospect because it makes it the way the right is responding that much crazier. This is a movie where the entire board of Mattel rides a giant 7 or 8-person tandem bike into Barbieland but someone how the message of the movie is to hate men?

I am really glad I saw it on opening night because the backlash press has made me sad. It's a movie that critiques the patriarchy (which is not the same as critiquing men) and the furor of the response basically makes the movie's point about the toxic nature of patriarchy, IMO.

I actually had sympathy for Ken and the message of the movie is that the patriarchy is bad for MEN too. A major plot point of the movie is the radical idea that men have feelings and need love, respect, and validation. /s And the dudebros are protesting this? Make it make sense.

[scarlet]

My favorite Ken line and one that probably pissed off the giant man-babies whining about the movie: "To be honest, when I found out the patriarchy wasn't about horses, I lost interest anyways."

[prisma]

I feel like this is an unpopular opinion judging from the rapturous praise I've heard about Oppenheimer, but I wasn't crazy about it.

Full disclosure: because it was three hours long I got home past my bedtime and had to get up same time today and I am CRANKY.

It was definitely an important story that needed to be told because younger generations seem not to be aware of the atomic bomb and its implications. So I'm glad it's out.

But I was really annoyed at the film-making aspect of it, especially since I've heard such praise for it. It felt overwrought and bombastic, which I guess it required of these types of huge blockbusters. The use of music and visual effects felt like I was being hit over the head with a sledgehammer. The last 1/3 of the film is basically a courtroom drama, part in a committee room and part in an open congressional hearing, and Nolan injected soooo many things (music, effects) to ratchet up the drama so it wouldn't feel anti-climatic after the detonation of the bomb (which happened around hour 2). I don't know. It just felt really heavy-handed and I think audiences are intelligent enough to have handled a little bit more subtlety.

I was also a little surprised that the movie didn't really show (or explain in more depth) the extent of the destruction from the bomb. They mention numbers, but numbers that large are really hard to fathom. I went to Hiroshima five years ago this month and the museum at the impact site does a really good job of showing you the extent of the death and destruction. I'm sure they wanted to keep the narrative focused on Oppenheimer but the realities of what the bomb did really affected how he conducted himself after the war. Maybe a little more detail about the excruciating suffering of the Japanese people and less of Florence Pugh's boobies. Who ever mentioned "sexposition" upthread, I agree.

In sum, my assessment: an important, complicated, nuanced real-life story told with the film-making toolkit of movies like "Independence Day."

[Ridha]

Jul 28, 2023 10:24:19 GMT -4 prisma said:

I really appreciate the cartoonishness of Barbie in retrospect because it makes it the way the right is responding that much crazier. This is a movie where the entire board of Mattel rides a giant 7 or 8-person tandem bike into Barbieland but someone how the message of the movie is to hate men?

I am really glad I saw it on opening night because the backlash press has made me sad. It's a movie that critiques the patriarchy (which is not the same as critiquing men) and the furor of the response basically makes the movie's point about the toxic nature of patriarchy, IMO.

Is the tagline of the movie not “She’s everything. He’s just Ken.” though? Forgive me but that does sound pretty mean spirited and anti-men/a man, as opposed to the patriarchy. I haven’t seen it nor have I read reviews of the crazy right, but that tag line alone turned me off for its Mean Girl masquerading as Empowered Girl vibes.

[ratscabies]

I haven’t seen the movie yet, but what Enquiring Minds want to know is: does it touch on her long running affair with her side piece, GI Joe?

I’ll show myself out.

[phillipa]

Aug 1, 2023 1:27:09 GMT -4 Ridha said:

Jul 28, 2023 10:24:19 GMT -4 prisma said:

I really appreciate the cartoonishness of Barbie in retrospect because it makes it the way the right is responding that much crazier. This is a movie where the entire board of Mattel rides a giant 7 or 8-person tandem bike into Barbieland but someone how the message of the movie is to hate men?

I am really glad I saw it on opening night because the backlash press has made me sad. It's a movie that critiques the patriarchy (which is not the same as critiquing men) and the furor of the response basically makes the movie's point about the toxic nature of patriarchy, IMO.

Is the tagline of the movie not “She’s everything. He’s just Ken.” though? Forgive me but that does sound pretty mean spirited and anti-men/a man, as opposed to the patriarchy. I haven’t seen it nor have I read reviews of the crazy right, but that tag line alone turned me off for its Mean Girl masquerading as Empowered Girl vibes.

That's portrayed to be a bad thing over the course of the movie. Ken has an existential crisis, and in the end he's encouraged to find purpose. There's even a musical number "Just Ken" where he's like, why do I even exist? It's funny and light-hearted but there's a lot of depth behind it, which also sums up the entire movie pretty much.

[Ladybug]

Jun 22, 2021 13:36:50 GMT -4 Ridha said:

Is the tagline of the movie not “She’s everything. He’s just Ken.” though? Forgive me but that does sound pretty mean spirited and anti-men/a man, as opposed to the patriarchy. I haven’t seen it nor have I read reviews of the crazy right, but that tag line alone turned me off for its Mean Girl masquerading as Empowered Girl vibes.

Watch the movie before making a judgement. The tagline is not the entirety of the movie. This is what I said in a previous post:

Feb 10, 2006 17:47:02 GMT -4 Ladybug said:

I actually had sympathy for Ken and the message of the movie is that the patriarchy is bad for MEN too. A major plot point of the movie is the radical idea that men have feelings and need love, respect, and validation. /s And the dudebros are protesting this? Make it make sense.

It's not a "mean girl" movie or message.

[batmom]

Also, the Barbie-verse is all about Barbie. It just is. Ken was an accessory doll. To pretend otherwise is to ignore the reality of the toy. But the movie plays with that beautifully and manages to make it so layered.

And if we're honest, Ken's lucky he got any billing or story at all. The vast majority of movies are a) male centric and b) don't give nearly so much depth or billing to their female accessories. Erm, sorry, I mean 'co-stars'