Barbies, Bombs & Severed Hands
I have some thoughts on things.
I know we’ve discussed the Barbenheimer phenomenon quite a lot here, but the unfathomable success of the double feature seems to have led to a resurgence of sorts for movie theaters. This is the closest films have been to the center of culture for quite some time, which is nice in a lot of ways … and also hell on earth in one way in particular.
Over the weekend, I saw Oppenheimer again. It’s still great, as was the popcorn I ate and the sparkling water I stole, but we’ve got to do something about these phones. I don’t mean to sound like a pious asshole from up on high, but we need more policing (not actual policing, that certainly won’t help) when it comes to people texting, messaging and scrolling during movies.
A (Chaotic) Night At The Theater
I’ve written about this before, but the thing is that you don’t have to go to the movies if you don’t want to. Like, if you’re going to be on your phone the entire time, just stay outside. It’s fine. We don’t all have to be annoyed because your patience is paper-thin. And, on top of that, if you’re going to be a jerk, at least be a sly jerk.
On my second viewing of Oppenheimer, I counted three people (just in my direct vicinity) with their phones out. One, in particular, had hers on in full brightness and was just reading about the movie that was taking place right before her. I appreciate the quest for more knowledge, but maybe just wait? Like, what’s your fucking deal. It’s just infuriating.
One other guy right in front of us was looking through Instagram and checking the scores of baseball games. The outcomes aren’t changing because you can Google. Just put it away.
It feels worse than ever before, and I don’t know if this is due to the pandemic destroying people’s ability to be in public places or if everyone just sucks a little more than usual. It does seem like a growing trend though with this poor theater conduct, fans throwing things during concerts and the heckling outbursts across the sports landscape.
I understand that we were all trapped inside for some time, but maybe take a breath and try not to be the worst version of yourself. Also, if you don’t think I very quietly yelled at the woman to put her phone away, you’ve never met me.
Apologies for that rant, but isn’t that the entire reason to have a movie newsletter? Anyway, the good news is that people are ravenous to see things on the big screen, and, boy, do I have some recs for you?
If you saw Barbie and Oppenheimer and are still fiending for that movie theater hit, perhaps you can try one (or all) of these good-to-great recently-released movies.
The scariest movie I’ve seen so far this year, Talk to Me is fun for the whole family, as long as your family loves screwed-up horror centered around a severed hand that allows you to connect to the spirit world. It’s one of my favorite theater experiences in a while, as I found myself curled up into a ball with my feet on the chair in front of me during the entire final act. I loved it. Constructed for only $4.5 million, this Australian thriller made over $10 million on its opening weekend and has been a word-of-mouth sensation. Lead Sophie Wilde is so damn good as the traumatized protagonist. Just great bonkers stuff.
I’m honestly not sure how many theaters Amanda is playing on, but if you can see it, you should immediately. Just looked it up, and it’s only playing in New York at 2:30 p.m. at the IFC Center, so you’re probably going to have to catch it on streaming unless you live on MacDougal and can take the day off. This dark comedy is about a young woman who decides she’s going to make a friend. It’s both very simple and all over the place. It’s very, very funny and one of the best things I’ve seen this year.
A confounding love triangle, Passages centers on a narcissistic director, his longtime boyfriend and a woman that the former is having an affair with. That’s not really a spoiler as it’s in the trailer and happens right after the movie starts. I got to see this one early, but it comes out this week and deserves a closer look. It feels like a novel at times really focusing on one man’s exploits and whether he can fix a broken situation or not. It’s bleak.
Theater Camp is a movie that was seemingly made for Upper West Side Manhannites that have a musical theater background, and my showing had every single one of them. This comedy is made out of love but is also quite biting when it comes to ridiculing those who try to make a living as an actor. Ben Platt and Molly Gordon are solid leads, but it’s the loaded supporting cast from Ayo Edibiri to Noah Galvin to Jimmy Tatro that makes this all hum.
That’s all I’ve got right now. It’s time to start thinking about the next unhinged double feature of Poor Things and The Zone of Interest, which is set to become Barbenheimer for deranged people.