Barbie: Ken Meets the Manosphere

Summary

Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, comes to the real world and learns about the manosphere.

I was excited for this film for months before it came out and I have to say it delivered in every way I could ever have wanted it to. This is probably my film of the summer if not film of the year.

I think this film did everything right it was funny but also soulful, it was very timely and relevant but also not overly preachy, though plenty will disagree with that, it had the idea of Barbie be silly but also mean something in terms of the world of the film. In terms of tonal balance this film was sublime.

I thought the trip to the real world was inspired, and I thought seeing Barbie have to deal with becoming in a sense defective and seeking out a journey of self-exploration was a very relatable concept for a lot of people. I liked the sheer horror that Barbie had when she came to the real world and saw how women are treated and had her naivety shattered, the manosphere stuff with Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, was perhaps the film at its most grating but even then it saved it with good jokes and commentary. I do believe that the Andew Tate esque manosphere stuff will age the film horribly in years to come, but I can excuse it as it worked really well to give the film a villain that felt earned rather than doing oh the evil toy company is now going to invade Barbie land and enslave them or some contrived thing like that.

Overall, I genuinely think this was a treat of cinema this year.

5/5

Pros.

It is funny

It is timely

It is surprisingly deep

Robbie is fantastic

It is well paced

Cons.

None

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Sous Le Courant: An Emotionally Harrowing Trip To Brighton

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

An escapist weekend away to Brighton becomes the start of a powerful emotional journey for two friends.

The French New Wave lives strong within the bones of this short, if that is your kind of thing then you will find a lot to enjoy here. It highlights the fleeting nature of life and the human condition and how one can never run too far away from their troubles before they come back to them. It has a perhaps downbeat feel to it though I would say ultimately there is a hopefulness there even if it is one that is born from the grim.

The acting from the two main characters is very powerful and I think both leave quite the impression. They feel real in a way that a lot of characters in films never do, they feel like people you could meet, people who you might see out and about, there is no element of Hollywoodization here.

My main critique of this film would be that it is not for everyone, for some who like moody reflective pieces then this will have an appeal but for others then they will be put off by the gritty realism at times. Also for me I would have liked a little more detail plot wise I understand it is a short but I would have liked to have gotten to know the characters more.

3/5

Pros.

The realism

The emotions

The ending.

Cons.

It is quite grim

It will not be for everyone

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Asteroid City: Are We Alone In The Universe

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A group of people end up trapped out in the dessert where they are visited by an alien being.

As many of you know I am a big Wes Anderson fan, and as such there are things in this film that I can overlook especially as after The French Dispatch Anderson’s last and probably worst film I was in dire need of a good Anderson film again.

For the most part I thought the cast worked well and Anderson’s trademark quirk and charm was there in abundance for all to see. There are a number of good moments peppered in throughout the film, some cheer worthy even, and Jason Schwartzman anchored the film perfectly.

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this film feels very messy at times and I think Anderson tried to do too much, especially with the play inside of the film aspects of it, again this crossed back into stuff he was doing in The French Dispatch that didn’t work there or here. The film as a whole would have been better if Anderson had just tried to tell a linear story rather than trying to go for a more meta textual approach.

Overall, better in many ways than The French Dispatch but there is still some modern Anderson issues here, it is understandable for a filmmaker to want to try and shake things up, but these new changes can’t help but make you miss Anderson’s older films.

3.5/5

Pros.

An interesting narrative

Back to form

Anderson’s charming quirks

Solid performances across the board

Cons.

It comes across as a little smug at times

Pacing issues

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Blackberry: The Rise And Fall Of A Titan

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The rise and fall of one of the most prolific mobile phone companies of the Noughties.

So let me start off by saying that this is a fantastic showing from Glenn Howerton. He is on top form here and really does prove that he has solid dramatic chops, it is a shame his agent has him doing sub-par series like Velma that totally waste his talents. Through and through this is Howerton’s film.

Moreover, as far as the rise and fall of x company films go this one was quite compelling and interesting for the first hour and a half, we’ll get to that other half an hour in just a moment. I found myself really interested and engaged with how the company was slowly losing its soul over time and thought that the cast did a really great job getting me to care about the characters.

However, it isn’t all sunshine and roses, within the last act of the film things go off the rails quickly, mainly they side-line Howerton’s character for big stretches which hurt the film a lot, and then they try to tie it all together with a montage of this is where they are now scenes at the end, this doesn’t work as it feels like after spending over an hour getting you to care about these characters the film just drops the ball with them at the end.

Overall, Howerton makes this film as good as it is, but the disastrous third act really hurts the film significantly.

3/5

Pros.

Howerton

The early pacing and the rise parts of the film

The soundtrack

Cons.

The last act really drops the ball

The final act also side-lines Howerton, a terrible move

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Ted Lasso: Season 3 Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The friendly American football coach, played by Jason Sudeikis, goes home.

The final season of a much beloved show like Ted Lasso was always going to be sad and this was sad but it was also disappointing. As the credits rolled on the final episode of the third season I released that in a sense the show had peaked with the second season and maybe should have ended there.

Though I enjoyed most of the character work this season did, and the endings that most of the characters got, I also thought that at times it was overly indulgent. By that I mean it would go to a place of being overly sentimental, it would spend vast sections of episodes dedicated to the fate of a very minor character in the scheme of things and yes whilst it may have been well done it felt like filler as the actual story of the season was relatively short.

Moreover, the decision to make Ted sad, which really was a second season development, came back to hurt the show as it could no longer really pull off the quaint small town charm and positivity that had worked in the first season so well. Giving the character depth and complexity was a good thing and I am not saying he should have stayed a one note caricature but I think they took Ted’s sadness too far, so much so that it gives the third season a real sense of heaviness that sits within until its closing moments.

Overall, the third season was still good don’t get me wrong, but it was a noticeable step back from the other seasons and clearly evidenced at times the need for the show to end as it was becoming long in the tooth.

3/5

Pros.

It does some good character work

It has a number of sweet moments

It has some of the same charm as the earlier seasons/

Cons.

It is overly sentimental at times to the point of feeling indulgent

There is a lot of what can only be described as filler

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Reality: The US’s Further Edging Towards Fascism

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The story of Reality Winner, here played by Sydney Sweeny, and her arrest.

This film made me angry. It so perfectly points out and captures the American hypocrisy with their love affair with free speech only ever extending out to what they agree with. I think the film wants you to be angry at what happened to Reality, who at the end of the day was leaking information that was in the public good, not selling nuclear secrets to the North Koreans.

It is a thoroughly uncomfortable watch from start to finish as the film ramps up the tension and the claustrophobic nature of the raid. You like Reality within the film feel the walls closing in and increasing escalation.

Sweeny is terrific here and really gives a layered and nuanced performance, I think there is something so heart breaking about the fact that her life is over essentially and she just wants to make sure her animals are okay. Perhaps it is because I am not American and am fairly detached from their news cycle, but this film made me feel bad for Winner in real life and think that the US government want to bully their own citizens into maintaining this image of them being infallible when that just isn’t true.

Overall, this is a great anti-US protest peace illustrating the US’s increasing slip into being an authoritarian fundamentalist nightmare.

4/5

Pros.

Sweeny

The tension

The emotion

The core of the story and the message it has

Cons.

It is unpleasant to watch at times

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Yellowjackets Season 2 Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Mysteries from the first season are tied up and new ones are born as the Yellowjackets sink further into the darkness.

This may be the first time I have written about Yellowjackets, I really got into the series last year and was eagerly awaiting this season, I was going to do an episode by episode series of reviews as I do with some shows but instead decided to do a broader season 2 retrospective as I don’t know how many of you would be interested in me doing weekly coverage. Do let me know if you are and I will do it for season 3.

For the most part I thought this second outing was more of the same, in the best way. It delivered on the character moments we had wanted to see since the first season, mostly noticeably getting together all the survivors, that we know off in the present day scenes. It also flushed out many of the mysteries from the first season in both the past and the present and it was nice to get those answers. Of course this is the kind of show wherein whenever they give you an answer hundreds more questions are posed.

The performances across the board were great throughout the season and that goes for both the flashback wilderness and present day scenes. If I had to pick a best for the season I would be split between Christina Ricci who does a lot more with Misty this season even getting a full on musical number, Elijah Wood who enters as a new character but by the end of the season immediately becomes a favourite or Sophie Nelisse who acts the hell out of her scenes this season.

My one complaint of this season would be that some of the storylines overstayed their welcome. Mainly I am talking about Shauna’s affair, and don’t get me wrong Shauna, played by Melanie Lynskey, is one of the best characters on the show and her storyline was interesting I just thought that they dragged it out for far too long. I think that it could have been condensed down and then the extra screen time could have been given to the other non-Misty Yellowjackets in the present day who needed a bit more attention.

Overall, one of the best show’s on TV, but a minor step back from the heights of the first season.

4/5

Pros.

The characters

The mystery

The style of the show

The ending

Cons.

Shauna’s present day storyline got a bit too much screen time

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Are You There God It’s Me, Margaret: Finding Out Which Faith Is Right For You

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

An adaption of the Judy Blume book of the same name which tells the story of a young girl, played by Abby Ryder Fortson, coming of age and finding her place in the world.

I will preface this review by saying that I haven’t read the book this film was based on and am not very familiar with the works of Judy Blume.

I was excited to watch this film as the trailer gave off a very quirky sensibility, it reminded me of the works of Greta Gerwig and Wes Anderson. However, upon watching it I found it to be a much more straight forward coming of age tale then I was expecting. That is not necessarily a complaint as it was still enjoyable, and strong performances from most of the adult cast, especially Rachel McAdams, did a lot to elevate it.

I also thought the film’s focus on religion was interesting and nicely separated it out from a lot of other coming of age films that are obsessed with budding romances, dances and raging hormones. I liked that the film didn’t shy away from showing how much of a destructive force religion can be in some cases and that it tried to have more of a serious conversation on the topic. Sadly though, I will say that the conversation this film wants to have would have been made much better if it had gone just a little further, as what it is saying now is fairly surface level.

Overall, an interesting coming of age film that is boosted by its performances and decision to focus on religion over teenage angst.

3/5

Pros.

The focus on religion

McAdams, Bates and Safdie

It is fun

Cons.

It is a little surface level at times and an exploration of greater depth could have really been interesting

It has pacing issues in the form of second act lulls

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She Is Love: An Art House Rom-Com In All The Worst Ways

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A woman, played by Haley Bennett, traveling for business ends up staying at her ex-husband’s hotel.

So I will give this film props for trying to do something new with the standard rom-com formula, it does try and subvert some of the obvious cliches and that is to be applauded. However, instead of presenting tired and worn cliches the film instead encompasses a bunch of pretentious art house tosh that makes little to no sense and will leave you scratching your head.

The relationship held between the romantic leads, played by Bennett and Sam Riley, is deeply toxic, though I suppose that is sort of the point of the film. Yet you never really get to understand the ins and outs of it all as the conversations and wider narrative of the film seems to want to jump between things rapidly. The effect of this jumping around is disorientating and off putting.

Overall, though it tries to do something new this film falls headfirst into the well of pretentious art house nonsense.

1.5/5

Pros.

It is short

Bennett is trying.

Cons.

It makes little narrative sense

It is pretentious

The leads have no chemistry at all

It manages to have pacing issues despite being fairly short

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Paint: Wes Anderson Without The Charm Or The Heart

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A quasi parody of Bob Ross, mixed with an original story, creating a mess.

I am a big fan of Owen Wilson and so his presence drew me to this film. Upon watching it I can say that Wilson himself was good, but that he was probably the only good thing about the film ultimately.

The parody elements didn’t work, and the humour of the film felt incredibly flat. At times I didn’t know whether the film wanted me to view it as a comedy or as more of a drama as they try and put in character work, which suggests it views itself as more of a character piece, but ultimately this doesn’t help to make the film funnier or the characters more likable.

Building upon that the message of the film is all over the place, on the one hand we are told to like Wilson’s character and root for him in this journey to find new meaning in his life, but on the other he is shown to be a massive creep and all round pretty crummy, so which is it? I understand the film is shooting for the more nuanced answer of the character being bad but then turning it around, however, it just feels confused and not fully thought out.

Overall, barely even passable, if you miss this one don’t sweat it.

2/5

Pros.

Wilson

It is short

Cons.

The character work is confusing

It isn’t funny

It takes itself a bit too seriously at times

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