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Post by JangoB on Sept 20, 2023 23:20:51 GMT
I liked it quite a bit but to me it's the lesser of Gerwig's directorial efforts so far. Which is not a surprise since it is, for better or worse, a splashy piece of corporate entertainment. Although it must be said that it's corporate entertainment which does have some things to say (and yes, preach) and does manage to tackle its brand in a fairly unexpected and interesting way. I can even squeeze out a forced excuse for its fairly flat shooting style - the frames themselves may be unremarkable but a lot of them are filled with so many fun details of production & costume design that maybe them being unremarkable is actually a useful way to help us catch all of those details within them. The cast is incredibly enjoyable with Margot Robbie delivering one of her better performances which occasionally (and surprisingly) taps into actual depth (not something I usually associate her acting with) and Ryan Gosling stealing the show by committing to full-on goofiness even in the moments that are meant to be sincere which results in those moments working perfectly on both levels. I even enjoyed the Will Ferrell storyline (and performance) although those bits felt more like a Will Ferrell movie spliced in that other Barbie movie that was unfolding. And I have no problem whatsoever with Gerwig's handling of the Mattel of it all: the suits are depicted as complete morons driven only by profits but at the same time they're harmless morons who are more cartoony than hateful. I think not attacking the company but actively poking fun at it is a decent compromise. Not that a major Barbie motion picture would/could ever be a rant against the corporation behind it anyway.
I do think that the movie takes somewhat of a dive during the unfortunate America Ferrera speech which sticks out like a sore thumb. I mean, Gerwig and Baumbach both gave us a variant of that same speech in their 2019 double bill anyway (with Little Women coming out victorious because of how the sentiments relate to the period the film takes place in) so I guess they decided to combine it into one joint monstrosity... and I hope they got it out of their systems once and for all. I'm sure it was supposed to be rousing but to me hearing the words "It is literally impossible to be a woman" in a 2023 film turned out to be less about raising my fists and more about rolling my eyes. Not even Emily is as blunt as the writing in this sequence and the cheesy reaction shots of all those Barbies don't help matters either. It's not just about the exaggerated obviousness of the words - the problem is that before this scene (and after it!) the movie presents its agenda via humor, wit and jokes. And pretty much all of that works! But the second it decides to become completely straight-faced and lecture-like about its message is when it kind of loses me. This even affects the follow-up sequence with Barbies coming out of their patriarchal stupor and outsmarting Kens by catering to their mansplaining (kensplaining?) because the gags are interrupted by Ferrera's character continuing her quest against oppression by literally talking into the camera. I don't have anything against the message itself but as far as means of delivering it go, I'll take silly jokes over in-your-face lectures any day of the week. Thankfully the movie rebounds rather nicely after all of that and doesn't take other significant missteps, eventually sticking the landing in a pretty cool way by first hooking us with some genuine emotion and then closing the curtain with a sure-to-be-remembered final line which is simultaneously funny, weird, unexpected and strangely touching. I just wish that whole "Let's get serious for a while" segment wasn't in the movie at all. The Orson Welles scene in Mank left me with similar feelings - remove that embarrassment and you've got yourself a nice smooth ride with no real bumps.
Again, I devoted a whole passage to that sequence because I felt that it was unworthy of the rest of the movie. And what I'm saying by that is that I liked the rest of the movie just fine! Especially the whole storyline about Gosling's Ken discovering patriarchy and essentially executing a coup d'état... just because he wants a girl to love him. Poor bastard.
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Post by Pittsnogle_Goggins on Sept 24, 2023 17:46:42 GMT
I liked it quite a bit but to me it's the lesser of Gerwig's directorial efforts so far. Which is not a surprise since it is, for better or worse, a splashy piece of corporate entertainment. Although it must be said that it's corporate entertainment which does have some things to say (and yes, preach) and does manage to tackle its brand in a fairly unexpected and interesting way. I can even squeeze out a forced excuse for its fairly flat shooting style - the frames themselves may be unremarkable but a lot of them are filled with so many fun details of production & costume design that maybe them being unremarkable is actually a useful way to help us catch all of those details within them. The cast is incredibly enjoyable with Margot Robbie delivering one of her better performances which occasionally (and surprisingly) taps into actual depth (not something I usually associate her acting with) and Ryan Gosling stealing the show by committing to full-on goofiness even in the moments that are meant to be sincere which results in those moments working perfectly on both levels. I even enjoyed the Will Ferrell storyline (and performance) although those bits felt more like a Will Ferrell movie spliced in that other Barbie movie that was unfolding. And I have no problem whatsoever with Gerwig's handling of the Mattel of it all: the suits are depicted as complete morons driven only by profits but at the same time they're harmless morons who are more cartoony than hateful. I think not attacking the company but actively poking fun at it is a decent compromise. Not that a major Barbie motion picture would/could ever be a rant against the corporation behind it anyway. I do think that the movie takes somewhat of a dive during the unfortunate America Ferrera speech which sticks out like a sore thumb. I mean, Gerwig and Baumbach both gave us a variant of that same speech in their 2019 double bill anyway (with Little Women coming out victorious because of how the sentiments relate to the period the film takes place in) so I guess they decided to combine it into one joint monstrosity... and I hope they got it out of their systems once and for all. I'm sure it was supposed to be rousing but to me hearing the words "It is literally impossible to be a woman" in a 2023 film turned out to be less about raising my fists and more about rolling my eyes. Not even Emily is as blunt as the writing in this sequence and the cheesy reaction shots of all those Barbies don't help matters either. It's not just about the exaggerated obviousness of the words - the problem is that before this scene (and after it!) the movie presents its agenda via humor, wit and jokes. And pretty much all of that works! But the second it decides to become completely straight-faced and lecture-like about its message is when it kind of loses me. This even affects the follow-up sequence with Barbies coming out of their patriarchal stupor and outsmarting Kens by catering to their mansplaining (kensplaining?) because the gags are interrupted by Ferrera's character continuing her quest against oppression by literally talking into the camera. I don't have anything against the message itself but as far as means of delivering it go, I'll take silly jokes over in-your-face lectures any day of the week. Thankfully the movie rebounds rather nicely after all of that and doesn't take other significant missteps, eventually sticking the landing in a pretty cool way by first hooking us with some genuine emotion and then closing the curtain with a sure-to-be-remembered final line which is simultaneously funny, weird, unexpected and strangely touching. I just wish that whole "Let's get serious for a while" segment wasn't in the movie at all. The Orson Welles scene in Mank left me with similar feelings - remove that embarrassment and you've got yourself a nice smooth ride with no real bumps. Again, I devoted a whole passage to that sequence because I felt that it was unworthy of the rest of the movie. And what I'm saying by that is that I liked the rest of the movie just fine! Especially the whole storyline about Gosling's Ken discovering patriarchy and essentially executing a coup d'état... just because he wants a girl to love him. Poor bastard. That sequence resonated the most with my audience in a sold out show and got the biggest positive reaction so not sure most of Barbie’s target audience would agree.
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Post by JangoB on Sept 24, 2023 18:03:34 GMT
I liked it quite a bit but to me it's the lesser of Gerwig's directorial efforts so far. Which is not a surprise since it is, for better or worse, a splashy piece of corporate entertainment. Although it must be said that it's corporate entertainment which does have some things to say (and yes, preach) and does manage to tackle its brand in a fairly unexpected and interesting way. I can even squeeze out a forced excuse for its fairly flat shooting style - the frames themselves may be unremarkable but a lot of them are filled with so many fun details of production & costume design that maybe them being unremarkable is actually a useful way to help us catch all of those details within them. The cast is incredibly enjoyable with Margot Robbie delivering one of her better performances which occasionally (and surprisingly) taps into actual depth (not something I usually associate her acting with) and Ryan Gosling stealing the show by committing to full-on goofiness even in the moments that are meant to be sincere which results in those moments working perfectly on both levels. I even enjoyed the Will Ferrell storyline (and performance) although those bits felt more like a Will Ferrell movie spliced in that other Barbie movie that was unfolding. And I have no problem whatsoever with Gerwig's handling of the Mattel of it all: the suits are depicted as complete morons driven only by profits but at the same time they're harmless morons who are more cartoony than hateful. I think not attacking the company but actively poking fun at it is a decent compromise. Not that a major Barbie motion picture would/could ever be a rant against the corporation behind it anyway. I do think that the movie takes somewhat of a dive during the unfortunate America Ferrera speech which sticks out like a sore thumb. I mean, Gerwig and Baumbach both gave us a variant of that same speech in their 2019 double bill anyway (with Little Women coming out victorious because of how the sentiments relate to the period the film takes place in) so I guess they decided to combine it into one joint monstrosity... and I hope they got it out of their systems once and for all. I'm sure it was supposed to be rousing but to me hearing the words "It is literally impossible to be a woman" in a 2023 film turned out to be less about raising my fists and more about rolling my eyes. Not even Emily is as blunt as the writing in this sequence and the cheesy reaction shots of all those Barbies don't help matters either. It's not just about the exaggerated obviousness of the words - the problem is that before this scene (and after it!) the movie presents its agenda via humor, wit and jokes. And pretty much all of that works! But the second it decides to become completely straight-faced and lecture-like about its message is when it kind of loses me. This even affects the follow-up sequence with Barbies coming out of their patriarchal stupor and outsmarting Kens by catering to their mansplaining (kensplaining?) because the gags are interrupted by Ferrera's character continuing her quest against oppression by literally talking into the camera. I don't have anything against the message itself but as far as means of delivering it go, I'll take silly jokes over in-your-face lectures any day of the week. Thankfully the movie rebounds rather nicely after all of that and doesn't take other significant missteps, eventually sticking the landing in a pretty cool way by first hooking us with some genuine emotion and then closing the curtain with a sure-to-be-remembered final line which is simultaneously funny, weird, unexpected and strangely touching. I just wish that whole "Let's get serious for a while" segment wasn't in the movie at all. The Orson Welles scene in Mank left me with similar feelings - remove that embarrassment and you've got yourself a nice smooth ride with no real bumps. Again, I devoted a whole passage to that sequence because I felt that it was unworthy of the rest of the movie. And what I'm saying by that is that I liked the rest of the movie just fine! Especially the whole storyline about Gosling's Ken discovering patriarchy and essentially executing a coup d'état... just because he wants a girl to love him. Poor bastard. That sequence resonated the most with my audience in a sold out show and got the biggest positive reaction so not sure most of Barbie’s target audience would agree. And that's fine! I'm happy to disagree with them and continue to enjoy the other aspects of the movie. One that's been really growing on me is Robbie's performance - I think there's genuinely something special going on there.
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Post by Brother Fease on Dec 3, 2023 3:35:55 GMT
Just watched this today. My vote is "solid, breezy fun". Definitely moves at a great pace and gets its message across about individuality pretty clearly. It is not as good as Lady Bird or Little Women. Gosling is probably the best standout. Robbie was fine, but do not really see it as an Oscar-caliber performance. Also, the whole thing feels very safe.
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rhodoraonline
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Your Generosity Hides Something Dirtier and Meaner
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Post by rhodoraonline on Dec 3, 2023 20:46:03 GMT
Watched it some weeks ago and found it a lot of fun. I'm not seeing why Ryan Gosling deserves a nom for this. So many better contenders out there. I'm really rooting for America Ferrera to steal a nom. They should be campaigning hard for her.
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Post by Brother Fease on Dec 4, 2023 2:45:09 GMT
Watched it some weeks ago and found it a lot of fun. I'm not seeing why Ryan Gosling deserves a nom for this. So many better contenders out there. I'm really rooting for America Ferrera to steal a nom. They should be campaigning hard for her. I feel the movie is more of a technical achievement than anything else. Gosling is the standout, but not quite sold on why this deserves any acting Oscar nominations. It is a safe movie with a good message that is explained to us at the end.
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Post by PromNightCarrie on Dec 26, 2023 16:51:26 GMT
It's the type of film that I can see would be fun to watch with a group in a theater. The success is completely understandable. However, streaming it later didn't do it for me - particularly the script and humor (which is just not my cup of tea, okay? I'm too dry ). I will say: Never mind all this fuss about America Ferrera (???) and Ryan Gosling. Margot Robbie is the great thing about this.
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Post by quetee on Dec 26, 2023 17:51:41 GMT
Since I've had my share of Barbies as a kid and even have some collectibles, I enjoyed looking at the production design more than anything. I liked the beginning of the movie but that Will Farrell subplot is really bad.
Giving Ryan a nod for this would be blah. Overall, the script and Greta should miss.
I did like the dancing scene though then again I typically like most dancing scenes in movies
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Post by TylerDeneuve on Jan 8, 2024 20:01:24 GMT
Barbie: or, the Woke Purple Rose of Cairo
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Nikan
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Post by Nikan on Jan 8, 2024 23:55:57 GMT
So tired of this movie What was Robbie on about when she thanked Matel for their "Risk-taking" at GG? Like did anyone for one second think this would not perform well at least in box office or in regards to the brand's reputation? Or do they just throw any word when they're high on their success in this business?
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Post by mikediastavrone96 on Jan 9, 2024 1:28:18 GMT
So tired of this movie
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Nikan
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Post by Nikan on Jan 23, 2024 15:54:28 GMT
He he he. My condolences It's hardly a loss though. This movie made history, and enough buck for the people involved to not leave the house for a logn time.
I have a feeling that Robbie will find a way to star in a future Lanthimos project though...
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Post by ibbi on Jan 23, 2024 17:15:37 GMT
I have a feeling that Robbie will find a way to star in a future Lanthimos project though...
That's Best Picture nominated Producer Margot Robbie to you, SCUMBAG!
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Nikan
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Post by Nikan on Jan 23, 2024 17:41:29 GMT
I have a feeling that Robbie will find a way to star in a future Lanthimos project though...
That's Best Picture nominated Producer Margot Robbie to you, SCUMBAG! Shit, that totally slipped my mind ngl... Just like I had forgotten Brad Pitt the producer was an Oscar-winner, three months after his first win, um... It doesn't matter, that's what I'm trying to say. Still, well played.
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Post by pacinoyes on Feb 23, 2024 19:35:00 GMT
Nikan.......this is for you Nik the Knife.......
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Nikan
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Post by Nikan on Feb 23, 2024 21:41:20 GMT
Nikan .......this is for you Nik the Knife.......
Love it my man, and how those 30 mins are actually it's best part!
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Post by Joaquim on Feb 24, 2024 14:38:55 GMT
Nikan .......this is for you Nik the Knife.......
Oh God is Piers really doing the Tucker Carlson laugh now?
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Post by Martin Stett on Apr 24, 2024 1:10:47 GMT
This isn't "being a woman." It's "being A NORMAL, RESPONSIBLE HUMAN BEING WHO ISN'T A FUCKING NARCISSISTIC CUNT."
I'm a man. I have to deal with this same shit. But if you call it "patriarchy" you can ignore that Ken actually has to have an education and qualifications too. If you are this obsessed with how people see you, you're not living. Here's a reality check, sister: the world doesn't care about you. Not because you're a woman, but because you're a human. You battle this by finding meaning in the people around you, in your work, in your religion, whatever it is that you imbue meaning into. You will get out of life what you put into it.
On a side note, this movie troublingly spits on Ken for just wanting a human connection with somebody else. I could understand it if the movie accepted that Barbie can't be the woman he needs, and they can both grow from this point... but he's instead left stranded without hope or anything to latch onto - the guy is going to be a misogynist incel in no time with the way he's abandoned here - and Barbie is allowed to have deep human emotions in "the real world" in a flat, didactic ending sequence that never fucking ends. That's fine, but god DAMN is Ken shafted.
Fuck this movie.
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Post by urbanpatrician on Apr 24, 2024 1:13:28 GMT
Barbie is not a real movie
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Post by urbanpatrician on Apr 24, 2024 1:38:15 GMT
This isn't "being a woman." It's "being A NORMAL, RESPONSIBLE HUMAN BEING WHO ISN'T A FUCKING NARCISSISTIC CUNT." I'm a man. I have to deal with this same shit. But if you call it "patriarchy" you can ignore that Ken actually has to have an education and qualifications too. If you are this obsessed with how people see you, you're not living. Here's a reality check, sister: the world doesn't care about you. Not because you're a woman, but because you're a human. You battle this by finding meaning in the people around you, in your work, in your religion, whatever it is that you imbue meaning into. You will get out of life what you put into it. On a side note, this movie troublingly spits on Ken for just wanting a human connection with somebody else. I could understand it if the movie accepted that Barbie can't be the woman he needs, and they can both grow from this point... but he's instead left stranded without hope or anything to latch onto - the guy is going to be a misogynist incel in no time with the way he's abandoned here - and Barbie is allowed to have deep human emotions in "the real world" in a flat, didactic ending sequence that never fucking ends. That's fine, but god DAMN is Ken shafted. Fuck this movie. Martin_Stett.... what are your thoughts on Poor Things? Don't remember you talking about it. Yes, I agree fuck Barbie, but I genuinely thought Poor Things was even worse. Yes I know foreign cinema is still thriving, but genuinely Hollywood is at a very bottom point. I liked literally 6 movies in the last 7 and a half years and half of those were non mainstream.
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Post by Martin Stett on Apr 24, 2024 1:40:19 GMT
Martin_Stett.... what are your thoughts on Poor Things? Don't remember you talking about it. Yes, I agree fuck Barbie, but I genuinely thought Poor Things was even worse. Yes I know foreign cinema is still thriving, but genuinely Hollywood is at a very bottom point. I liked literally 6 movies in the last 7 and a half years and half of those were non mainstream. Haven't talked about it because I haven't seen it yet. And yes, Hollywood is at the worst it has *ever* been, near as I can tell.
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Post by countjohn on Apr 24, 2024 1:55:34 GMT
Martin_Stett.... what are your thoughts on Poor Things? Don't remember you talking about it. Yes, I agree fuck Barbie, but I genuinely thought Poor Things was even worse. Yes I know foreign cinema is still thriving, but genuinely Hollywood is at a very bottom point. I liked literally 6 movies in the last 7 and a half years and half of those were non mainstream. Haven't talked about it because I haven't seen it yet. And yes, Hollywood is at the worst it has *ever* been, near as I can tell. 80's was worse but that was because it was harder to have boutique releases back then. Mainstream was just as bad. It sure as hell isn't classic Hollywood or the 90's anymore.
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Post by countjohn on Apr 24, 2024 2:01:22 GMT
This isn't "being a woman." It's "being A NORMAL, RESPONSIBLE HUMAN BEING WHO ISN'T A FUCKING NARCISSISTIC CUNT." I'm a man. I have to deal with this same shit. But if you call it "patriarchy" you can ignore that Ken actually has to have an education and qualifications too. If you are this obsessed with how people see you, you're not living. Here's a reality check, sister: the world doesn't care about you. Not because you're a woman, but because you're a human. You battle this by finding meaning in the people around you, in your work, in your religion, whatever it is that you imbue meaning into. You will get out of life what you put into it. On a side note, this movie troublingly spits on Ken for just wanting a human connection with somebody else. I could understand it if the movie accepted that Barbie can't be the woman he needs, and they can both grow from this point... but he's instead left stranded without hope or anything to latch onto - the guy is going to be a misogynist incel in no time with the way he's abandoned here - and Barbie is allowed to have deep human emotions in "the real world" in a flat, didactic ending sequence that never fucking ends. That's fine, but god DAMN is Ken shafted. Fuck this movie. Martin_Stett.... what are your thoughts on Poor Things? Don't remember you talking about it. Yes, I agree fuck Barbie, but I genuinely thought Poor Things was even worse. Yes I know foreign cinema is still thriving, but genuinely Hollywood is at a very bottom point. I liked literally 6 movies in the last 7 and a half years and half of those were non mainstream. I still haven't seen Barbie because I just have no desire (not sure if I ever will, maybe if I'm riding another Max trial and have nothing to do). But it's hard to imagine anything being worse or more unpleasant than Poor Things. I'm going to keep annoying people about it, I liked being the forum villain after it came out.
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Post by Martin Stett on Apr 24, 2024 2:33:36 GMT
"I do not have a vagina! We do not have genitals!" Question: How does Barbie know that these men are catcalling her? Heck, how does she know what a vagina is? We had already established that Barbie and Ken don't know why he would stay overnight for boyfriend-girlfriend stuff. Ergo, they do not know what sex is. Ergo, Barbie would have NO REFERENCE for what these men are doing!
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