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lady-wildflower · 5 months

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I'm... really not a fan of the bigeneration or the subsequent ending for 14.

Don't get me wrong, fun concept just... horribly executed for this show. The fuck? Completely undermined and overshadowed Ncuti's introduction as the Fifteenth Doctor, even in its visuals!

Like, most of my analysis is about 14, because most of the remaining episode was about 14!

Scene itself. Instead of being a direct continuation, with Ncuti being the unambiguous new Doctor, Ncuti fuckin... sprouts off of David? He's literally an offshoot. There's a narrative argument to be made that the Fifteenth Doctor isn't a direct continuation of the Doctor and that he's more akin to the Metacrisis Doctor. And the gag of them dividing clothes between them is funny, but Ncuti didn't get any major elements of David's costume! As a character transition, he did not become the main Doctor of the scene, and as the episode continued I kept having to remind myself that Ncuti was the new Doctor because he wasn't wearing the costume! They should have given Ncuti what David was wearing and vice versa!

And then the rest of the episode continued to treat 15 as something that had offshot from 14. The rest of the episode was about 14! 15 didn't even get his regeneration to be the star! It just does Ncuti Gatwa a massive disservice to muddle up the introduction of him as the Doctor this way. It's a fun concept, but it shouldn't have been kept in such an important part of the show in this form - do it as an expression of the Toymaker not understanding Time Lords and 15 points out that he can't fight just one part of the Doctor, and the Doctor brings all of him with, and have 14 reintegrate into 15 after the Toymaker's influence disappears, or something. Fifteen didn't even get anything to do that wasn't continuing 14's plan and 14 was the lead!

AND THEN!

If you're going to go with this, and have 14 be the Doctor who gets therapy and settles down.

WHY GIVE HIM A FUCKING COPY TARDIS?!

It's such blatant spinoff fuel! It undermines the entire purpose of that scene. If the 14th Doctor is a chronic adventurer who needs to settle down, why give him a goddamn adventure box?! It's like a story about an alcoholic recovering... but retiring to run a brewery, and that never being addressed.

Also: 14 existing opens up a huge can of worms. Is 15 even the legitimate continuation of the Doctor, as I mentioned before? Is either of them? Can 14 regenerate again, and as such will he inevitably have to leave the Temple-Nobles behind and revert to his old ways? And also, narratively, we've already done this for fuck's sake, we got Metacrisis Doctor settling down with Rose! If you want stories about the settling down Doctor, go read Tentoo/Rose fanfiction, at least that doesn't muddy up the base spine of the show! ALSO, why the fuck are we doing the Doctor therapy this way when the character who's supposed to be the main Doctor now, the Fifteenth Doctor is flying away and NOT getting therapy?

It's just so messy but it strikes me as a darling that should have been killed in the first draft.

#doctor who #doctor who spoilers #doctor who specials #doctor who specials spoilers #dw #dw spoilers #the giggle #the giggle spoilers #fourteenth doctor #fifteenth doctor #bigeneration

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denimbex1986 · 5 months

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'It should come as no surprise that Russell T Davies, the man behind Queer As Folk, the one who first made Doctor Who tangibly gay, has returned to the franchise with what might be its queerest outing yet. But even we were surprised by quite how integral LGBTQ+ themes would be to the story this time around.

Much has been made of David Tennant and Catherine Tate's return, yet it's Yasmin Finney's brand-new character Rose who's at the heart of this Star Beast special.

Donna's daughter befriends The Meep first, and she's also the one who saves London when The Meep reveals itself to be evil. What's special about this is that it's Rose's trans identity specifically that proves key to her victory.

When we last saw her mother, Donna had absorbed some of the Doctor's energy, creating a 'metacrisis' that would have killed her if the Doctor had not erased her memories. But when she's reminded again of the Time Lord's existence in this latest episode, Donna survives intact, and that's because when she gave birth to Rose, she unknowingly split that energy between them, halving their potentially devastating impact.

As Donna's memories return, Rose's innate Timelord energy is then activated too, enabling her to stop Meep with newfound knowledge and abilities from her position on the ground.

Rose's non-binary identity stems from The Doctor's. (The show finally acknowledges them to be gender-fluid after they presented as both male and female over the course of the franchise). That means the source of Rose's power comes directly from her nature as a non-binary individual, positioning her as a hero because of her gender identity and not despite of it.

That's not to say Doctor Who shies away from the difficulties trans people face in real life. Earlier on in the same episode, bullies deadname Rose in the street and soon after, Donna's own mother, Sylvia, accidentally misgenders Rose as well, despite her good intentions.

Donna's response to all this? "I would burn down the world for you, darling," and honestly, that's how we feel after seeing some of the negative feedback these scenes have received online.

Despite scoring strong reviews from critics and the majority of fans, it seems not everyone is celebrating Doctor Who's much-lauded return.

On Rotten Tomatoes, trolls are review-bombing the episode, bringing the audience score down to 41%, which is a huge contrast from the critics rating of 89%. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and the episode won't be to everyone's tastes, but when comments suggest the show 'needs to stop pushing talk of pronouns onto kids', it's safe to say most of these opinions are grounded in hate and ignorance.

Imagine being shocked that a show about an alien who regularly changes their body and gender would dare acknowledge such concepts?

In the days following the special, a hashtag named #RIPDoctorWho continued this backlash on X/Twitter, to which Doctor Who casting director Andy Pryor said the following:

"Just stopped by to say that on @bbcdoctor who (or any of our work) we don't work hard to cast inclusively for publicity. We do it because we like stories. & stories should speak to all of us & include all of us. And if one person feels a little less alone, then."

With more queer cast members on the way, including Neil Patrick Harris as the villainous Toymaker and Ncuti Gatwa as the new face of The Doctor himself, the future of Doctor Who is looking queerer by the day.

But it's not just the future that's queer.

To those who baulk at more inclusivity in future seasons, we can't help but wonder: What show have you been watching this whole time? Because Doctor Who is super queer — and it always has been.

Yes, even before Jack Harkness slapped a guy's arse or Bill Potts fell for a puddle named Heather, the Classic era channeled queerness with how it defied the establishment and stood up for those who need it most. It's hard to exaggerate how much stories like this resonated with LGBTQ+ people at a time when positive representation was almost non-existent on screen.

It's no wonder then that a sizeable chunk of Doctor Who's fandom identifies as queer, even if the show wasn't able to address LGBTQ+ fans directly until (queer lifelong fan) Russell T Davies regenerated the franchise in 2005.

But now, all these years later, The Star Beast ushers in a new chapter for Doctor Who where the show can finally live up to the inclusive ethos it's always striven for.

That's not to diminish the positive steps other showrunners have taken in the interim. 2015's 'Sleep No More' featured Doctor Who's first trans actress, Bethany Black, and season twelve's 'Praxeus' successfully flipped the 'Bury Your Gays' trope, although the less said about how season 13 handled #Thasmin the better.

And it's not like everything is suddenly perfect now. Rose's metacrisis abilities could feed into sci-fi tropes around trans/non-binary identities being considered "alien", plus the inclusion of Rose's deadname has garnered a mixed response from the trans community online.

While some argue this has given trolls the opportunity to use that name venomously against her character, others point out that transphobia is a reality the show shouldn't shy away from.

The moment when Rose calls the Doctor out for assuming Meep's pronouns might feel a bit-on-the-nose for some too, although if this kind of talk immediately heralds the end of the franchise for you, you might want to cast your mind back a few decades to 1972's 'The Curse of Peladon' where the Doctor and Jo discussed Alpha Centauri's pronouns at length.

But still, seeing trans and non-binary identities celebrated to this degree is very much welcome regardless, especially in a family show with such a huge fanbase like Doctor Who. This is the kind of storytelling that saves lives, trolls be damned.

And now, with the impending arrival of more trans actors and characters in Yasmin Finney's wake — including Jinkx Monsoon, Mary Malone and Pete MacHale — Doctor Who's next season promises to be more inclusive than ever before.

If you have a problem with that, remember that your hero, the good Doctor, would never discriminate against trans people, or any other marginalised group for that matter either. So why would you?'

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absentlyabbie · 5 months

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how could you possibly not instantly adore fifteen? when he is ncuti gatwa especially??? he is gorgeous and darling and marvelous and fresh and i've had him for like fifteen minutes and he already feels so much more even. he left a lot of the jagged edges in fourteen/ten, who desperately Needs to actively smooth them out, and as a result he gets to be... more wisely, knowingly empathetic, i think. steadier and readier to move forward by true choice.

he's seen shit and felt it and lost it and he's changed and changed and changed and left all and none of it behind and now it's just... he's embraced it. fifteen feels like a doctor who has looked himself frankly in the mirror and accepted the whole thing with a firm and resolute nod with a followup of a vivid, excited grin. at last a doctor not running running running forever away, but striding and sprinting and strolling toward.

and perhaps he could do it only because the last him finally made the bargain of stop and stay. he's the catalyst and the healing all in one. they both are. the mutual point from which they diverge in dually needed directions.

i haven't watched doctor who in years and years, frankly, but for him? i'm so delighted to see where he goes and the revived, more solid joy he goes there with.

#one COULD argue fifteen left the heaviest baggage that could no longer simply be carried behind with fourteen #but sometimes you need to #and because he did he sort of speedran the recovery process by coming After #but lbr fourteen was so weary and he NEEDED the staying and the being and the processing #and also still needed to know he was moving onward and forward and COULD recover #the hope of seeing fifteen DO that told fourteen it could BE done and made it possible in the first place #ahhhh good stuff

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perfectly-princely-emo-nightmare · 10 months

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Fanders we got FED today!!!!

Okay here’s my little review of The Sides Need a Nice Day

Patton was trying so hard to make Logan happy!

“Logan seems to be having a tough time lately.” Ya don’t say.

“Are those my notecards?” Logan you’re probably the only person with any spare notecards in the house lol

He looks so happy to go to the library!

Patton darling, you need to chill

Why was Start a Compost Bucket an option? Does Logan do gardening?

Ncuti Gatwa is a snack tbh

“I did it :D” Patton you are too cute for this world

Virgil being nice to Roman!

Prinxiety shippers got FED tonight!

“Okay here’s the thing, Roman seems to be a bigger, whinier, drama prince than usual.” YA DONT SAY

Virgil’s probably the only one who will even talk to Roman right now, poor baby.

“Royal pain in the ass himself” add another one onto Roman and Virgil’s massive list of nicknames boys

I have not listened to the new We Didn’t Start the Fire yet but anything by Fall Out Boy is a banger, so…

I love that “Stab stuff with your sword” was an option. Truly he is related to Remus.

I’m honestly with Roman on the spider thing. Sorry Virge.

“Ask crush out for drinks” That is a very anxiety inducing thing and for Virgil to make that a choice for Roman was very sweet.

Not sure if crush meant Thomas’ crush or Roman’s crush

Roman going on about Princes always doing the right thing is very apt

Someone give him a hug please

Virgil changing the story to make him happy was super cute.

I guess being unnecessarily foreboding is an involuntary reflex for Virgil?

I swear Janus was just doing this to fit in

“He’s an absolute freak but freaks deserve nice days too” I’m getting that framed that’s hilarious

“Where do we keep the pens?” Probably Roman’s room

Remus why are you in the closet, you’re openly gay

Smashing a car that doesn’t know how to park is a fucking MOOD! Remus is doing what we all want to do.

Remus having a date with Bloody Mary is so canon lmao

#sanders sides #roman sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #remus sanders #thomas sanders #janus sanders

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cipher-fresh · 5 months

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Idr if you’ve mentioned before, but what was your opinion on the whole “bi-generation” thing in the new dr who specials? Ive heard alot of differing opinions on it

I'm split- ha, ha- on how I feel. I don't like it from a Doylist perspective, but I can appreciate it Watsonianly, if that makes sense? I'll go with my negative feelings first.

One one hand, it feels like a very obvious "Bring David Tennant Back" button that RTD can press at any time. A generous interpretation would be that it feels like RTD got too attatched to David Tennant as the Doctor and is too afraid to kill his darling, and only killed him last time because someone was going to showrun after him. Bi-generation denies Ncuti being the focus of his own introduction- (while I do think he stole every scene he was in, its the principle of not having to share his introduction with anyone else, you know?). It's also left semi-unexplained why this even happened, how did the Doctor's body decide the regeneration after 13 was the one where it was official he needed to settle down, and then bi-generate so he could live with Donna and her family? I hate that Fourteen didn't really even "die", and while it seems like he will at some point in the future and merge back into 15, and then become 15- it breaks your immersion and feels super obvious that RTD did this so David Tennant didn't have to die. I'm also not a fan of RTD saying that there are bi-generated versions of every Doctor out there somewhere, all existing at the same time. I like how regeneration acts as death, and that the Doctor has to face that, but here we never get the catharsis of death and rebirth. A less kind interpretation of this decision could say that this might have happened because Disney didn't want RTD killing off the most profitable and popular version of the Doctor from the 21st century, so they can keep using him in spin-offs like that UNIT one that appears to be confirmed.

But in terms of in-universe storytelling, it's really sweet? 14 and 15 are overjoyed by each other's presence and go for that hug immediately, and are wonderfully in sync. David and Ncuti interacting was the absolute highlight of the episode, they bounce off each other perfectly and seeing 15 assure 14 that he'll be okay was very touching. 14 settling down and living with Donna is really nice in a fanfictiony way, you know? I'd love to write about 14 starting to live a human life while still being himself, becoming a part of the Noble family and working on healing from all of his scars, the dead companions and all the people he's failed to save. 14 healing from his trauma and taking a break also gives 15 a blank slate for the show's narrative to get new viewers, and face new threats.

To summarize- bi-generation so 14 can live a domestic life is nice fanfiction, I kind of wish it wasn't canon, but also this is the single most joyous hug I've ever seen in my life

[ID: Four screenshots of 14 and 15 hugging immiediatwly after the bi-generation, then holding each other's faces. 15 says "So good to see you. Oh, so good!" as Mel looks delighted.

Two screenshots of 15 comforting 14 after the defeat of the Toymaker, 15 puts an arm around 14's shoulders as 14 puts his head on 15's shoulder. 15 then kisses him on the forehead.

The two final screenshots are of 14's disappointed face after 15 stops hugging him, then smiling when he hugs 15 again. /End ID]

#image #updates from cipher #doctor who #doctor who spoilers

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masterskywalkers · 5 months

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Y'know, I'm not actually sure how I feel about the twist / ending in Doctor Who? I'm going to have to sit on it for a while - because I'm certain RTD has plans for this - but right now I'm just a bit 🤨 Cut for spoiler talk;

So I was mostly excited about this episode because I wanted to see Tennant's Doctor go up against the Toymaker (NPH was just an added bonus in the role) and for the most part the Toymaker did not disappoint. NPH did an incredible job with the character and the chaotic fey-like quality that character brings. I think the last time I felt truly uncomfortable in a DW episode was Don't Blink back when it first aired, but the dolls in this episode really gave me that 'oh shit, I do not like this it's creepy' energy. I'd rank that part of the character up there on my favorite interpretations in New Who next to Capaldi's classic Cyberman episode.

... But the Toymaker is undefeatable. He is a celestial fiend, a being of cosmic power. You don't defeat or kill him - you trick him, and then he waits until the next meeting. And I don't feel that the 'trick' with the ball game worked. It felt like a cop-out. I think the episode was rushed towards the end, which kind of sucks because this could have been something really special. I would have rather that they won the game and the Toymaker grudgingly accepted it, until next time. (Although my God, this is a character you do not introduce often unlike others the show has worn out. Keep their mystery and only release them every so often).

The ending itself left me ... lukewarm as of right now? I don't know how I feel about the bigeneration, and I'm not sure I like it? Also what does this mean for however many timelord / variant timelords are now running around? We have two doctors (Tennant and Ncuti), the Doctordonna, Donna's Daughter, The Master, Jenny's still out there somewhere - there's so many and I'm just like 'we still haven't brought in characters like Romana or Rani! We still haven't used Gallifrey - and it's been ten years since we used a whole anniversary special to save it!'

I wish we had more old who characters pop up in these specials too :( I love that they explored further material and older episodes for them (the Star Beast was a treat, and I don't think anyone expected the Toymaker of all characters to return, especially given the erm ... racism/cultural appropriation conversation the old 60's version brings up these days). But I feel like Jodie's last few episodes are the best tribute to them, and those aren't even specials. While it's nice to see Mel again, I miss my darling Ace, and she would have fit right in at the Doctor Donna family table at the end. Although it was nice to have Fourteen and Fifteen acknowledge Adric, and our dear Sarah Jane.

The best part of the episode however was the Toymaker dancing to 'Spice Up Your Life' and causing havoc. That was a peak 'I Can't Decide' with the Master moment, and it will forever be a fav.

#doctor who

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mellicose · 6 months

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Me as I started to watch the New Doctor Who Special and the bullshit commenced almost immediately:

Me as I tried to suspend disbelief at the Doctor's "sOnIc ShIeLd"

After RTD sanctimoniously dresses down the Doctor through Donna and her spawn:

Told yall it was gonna be a shitshow. Bloody hell what is RTD on ... he cannot be serious LMAO

I tried to watch in good faith, but it's the same as trying to keep a smile on as someone methodically rubs bullshit in your eyes while repeating "It's for your own good!"

It's not, and I reject it. David, darling, it couldn't have been worth it, even for a friend. He shit on his own legacy as Ten. They ruined Davros. They put the gays to shame with their constant saccharine, humiliating pandering. Oof.

I'm so sorry, Ncuti.

PS:Not going to lie, though. I wish my mother and grandmother constantly, unrelentingly complimented me for my mere existence. Kinda jelly tbh

#doctor who #doctor who special #fourteenth doctor #david tennant #donna noble #trash is trash #this isn't a matter of taste it's objective smelly and rotten

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bearinabandana · 2 years

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If I had a nickel for every time on this episode when the doctor regenerated to some dude who WASN'T supposed to be there and ISN'T the fourteenth doctor I'd have two nickels. If I was to count the number of times the doctor HAS regenerated into the right guy, my darling 14, ncuti gatwa-- I WOULD HAVE NO MF NICKELS

#dw spoilers

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laularlau8 · 5 years

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Sex Education Entertainment Weekly Review

POOR OTIS CAN’T MASTURBATE. IT SHOULD BE SIMPLE—he’s a high school boy, after all—but he’s repulsed by the mere idea of it. What he can do is talk to teens about their sexual hang-ups, using techniques he’s observed from his sex therapist mother, Jean (Gillian Anderson). Of course, Mom’s pathological openness about coitus is likely why Otis (Asa Butterfield) can’t hoist his own petard—but who says growing up is supposed to be easy? A sweet, progressive British dramedy from newcomer Laurie Nunn, Sex Education blends teen sex-romp tropes with a refreshing level of empathy. While there’s plenty of sexploitation humor—prepare for close-ups of human nether regions and a remarkable number of phalluses—the show is focused on how its teen characters learn to respect each other, and themselves. Though Otis would prefer to fade into the crowd at Moordale Secondary School, his best friend Eric (played with ebullient charm by Ncuti Gatwa) has one goal: to move up the social and sexual food chain. What Eric doesn’t know is that sex is proving problematic for many students, including well-endowed bully Adam (Connor Swindells). After Otis gives Adam some impromptu advice about his performance anxiety, misunderstood bad girl Maeve (Emma Mackey) persuades Otis to open a de facto sex-therapy clinic at school. Otis is good at helping his peers with their intimacy problems, whether it’s a lesbian couple having terrible sex or a girl with an overactive gag reflex. Butterfield brings an appealing authenticity to both sides of Otis’ personality—the awkward geek and the mature therapist—and his scenes with Gatwa brim with the goofy chemistry of boyhood best mates. As the quietly meddlesome Jean, Anderson exudes confident sexuality while showcasing her often-overlooked comedic skills. She can transform even the simplest dialogue (“Darling, you’re wearing a hat”) into a multilayered punchline. But really, Sex Education belongs to the kids. It may not be the first show to portray teens as real people, but its commitment to considerate intercourse (in both senses of the word) between young men and women is rare. “What makes you feel like you need to give your boyfriend b--- jobs?” Otis asks one girl. To a client who finds her body “disgusting,” he says, “If you don’t like yourself, how are you supposed to believe that [your boyfriend] does?” It should be noted that most of the series is written by Nunn and/or other female writers, so yes, Otis could be considered an idealized version of male enlightenment—a beacon of Positive Masculinity who’ll render toxic dudes extinct. To that I say, it’s about bloody time. A–

This show contains the following:

HC Hedwig and the angry inch cosplay

GAE Gillian Anderson stroking an eggplant

VW “A room of one’s own” by Virginia Woolf

AE Alien themed erotica

#gillian anderson #sexeducation review #another good one #stroking an eggplant #sounds like a gillian thing

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denimbex1986 · 11 months

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'In one corner, veteran heavyweight Christopher Nolan. In the other, nimble visionary Greta Gerwig. Their big films come out on the same day – but whose will triumph at the box office?

We live in divisive times. Opinion is more tribal and entrenched than ever, the value of reasoned argument and willing compromise plummeting by the day. This volatility could spread to the multiplex next month, where a battle of the blockbusters is destined to make previous cinematic standoffs – Mothra v Godzilla, Alien v Predator, Kramer vs Kramer – look like games of playground pat-a-cake. Get ready, then, for Barbie v Oppenheimer.

Directed by celebrated auteurs (Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan respectively), and hyped by multiple trailers over the past year, both movies are scheduled to open on the same crowded day. Forget your QR codes: this is one time to buy a physical ticket and save the stub to show your grandchildren. Future generations will want to know where you stood on 21 July 2023 when Barbie met the bomb.

In the pink corner is Gerwig’s DayGlo toy story starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, who while away their days happily but vacuously in Barbie-land. In a plot apparently borrowed from Enchanted and The Purple Rose of Cairo, with a dash of Don’t Worry Darling, they swap their cosseted fairytale existence for our harsh modern world. (The trailer shows Barbie having her police mugshot taken after walloping a Venice Beach groper in the face.) The cast incorporates hot young things Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Jamie Demetriou and, most excitingly, the new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, as well as old hands Michael Cera, Kate McKinnon and Will Ferrell; Helen Mirren is on narrating duties.

The 39-year-old Gerwig is arguably as big a selling point as Robbie or Gosling, as well as a guarantor of quality control. The three-time Oscar nominee directed Lady Bird and Little Women, as well as co-directing with Joe Swanberg the long-distance love story Nights and Weekends, back in the days when she was the doyenne of the lo-fi indie “mumblecore” movement. Her co-writer on Barbie is her partner, the director Noah Baumbach, with whom she wrote gems such as Frances Ha and Mistress America. Back in 2010 when she was promoting Greenberg, the bittersweet Baumbach comedy which became her Hollywood springboard, she spoke of her childhood habit of jumbling up the letters in her name: “In second grade, I’d be writing ‘Great Gerwig, Great Gerwig’ on everything,” she said. These days, it’s more than just an anagram.

Her opponent is the 52-year-old Nolan, a five-time Oscar nominee who has heft on his side. His is the weightier directing CV (12 films), with Oppenheimer his longest yet: he recently confirmed that it is “kissing three hours”, which makes it more than an hour longer than Barbie. This is serious, spectacular event cinema, shot with Imax cameras and booked long ago into all that format’s venues – to the apparent chagrin of Tom Cruise, whose latest Mission: Impossible adventure opens a week earlier but will be relegated to smaller screens the instant Oppenheimer drops.

Nolan’s cast is every bit as impressive as Gerwig’s; as well as the perpetually haunted Cillian Murphy as the physicist Robert J Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb, Nolan has assembled Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Robert Downey Jr, Gary Oldman and Kenneth Branagh. The chances of any of them rollerblading à la Gosling in Barbie are negligible, which may help explain why Gerwig’s film is on track to have the more impressive opening weekend. Not that Oppenheimer will exactly bomb.

Barbie also has the edge when it comes to marketing opportunities, as might be expected of any movie adapted from merchandise. This goes way beyond the valley of the dolls: among the many tie-in products is an inflatable Barbie pool-float golf-cart, a Barbie dog’s basket, and an electric toothbrush capable of 36,000 sonic vibrations a minute – the same effect you get from watching Oppenheimer in Imax.

Unlike Barbie, Nolan’s film probably doesn’t have its own Exclusive Oral Beauty Partner, though given his protagonist’s chain-smoking tendencies there may be a teeth-whitening deal in the offing. And we shouldn’t rule out Oppenheimer throwing its hat in the ring when it comes to headgear. As far back as 2010, one plaintive user on thefedoralounge.com was searching “for a lid like the one the famous nuclear physicist wore,” citing a “2½-inch snap brim and a very thin ribbon” and concluding that “such a hat would be positively atomic”. Factor in the Cillian Murphy effect – this is the man who helped popularise the Peaky Blinders newsboy cap/undercut combo – and the Oppenheimer fedora and brown wool coat could be the look to replace Barbie’s summery pink once the nippier months roll around.

Some mild shade has already been thrown between the film’s respective camps on social media. “Greta Gerwig could do Oppenheimer but Christopher Nolan couldn’t do Barbie,” observed one tweet. Another overreached by proposing that “Margot Robbie could do Oppenheimer but Cillian Murphy couldn’t do Barbie” – clearly the work of someone who has never seen him in Breakfast on Pluto or Peacock. But the encouraging thing about the Barbie v Oppenheimer discourse is that, by and large, it has not followed the contours that often prevail in our online interactions. For anyone who loves cinema, the vibe feels closer to a cuddle than a cage fight.

There is real genius in this tactic of opening films catering for different audiences on the same day (known as counter-programming). The canny part is not what separates Nolan and Gerwig but what unites them: despite a clear contrast of style and sensibility, both directors possess a comparable skill, intelligence and passion, and tend to inspire loyalty in their fans. This same situation could never have arisen had Oppenheimer been pitted against, say, The Super Mario Bros Movie. Though that film is a smash, having grossed more than $1bn worldwide to date, it has nothing in it to propel cultural conversation along with profits.

Opening two films together that share similar DNA would also produce less of a spark. The experience of going to an afternoon screening of Ghostbusters on opening day in December 1984, then coming out and going straight back in to see Gremlins at teatime, was thrilling for my friends and me as 13-year-olds (especially as Gremlins was rated 15), but it was a routine sort of double bill on reflection: both were comedies that trafficked in the scary or supernatural.

What makes the combination of Barbie and Oppenheimer sing is that it is unlikely but not nonsensical. And though the films’ subjects are markedly different, there will be some overlap between their audiences. The major Rorschach test of our era, one Twitter user has suggested, will be whether you follow Oppenheimer with Barbie or vice versa. It’s no longer the case of “either/or” that it first appeared to be but rather “which one first?”. The Picturehouse chain is even extending the double bill idea by screening a selection of both directors’ past work in the coming weeks; audiences can see Lady Bird take flight alongside Interstellar, or pair Little Women and Dunkirk in a double bill of wartime stories, albeit from different wars.

Contrary to the way the rivalry was initially framed, this is no replay of the hostile Blur v Oasis Britpop war of the mid-1990s. Even the formulation of Barbie v Oppenheimer misrepresents the tenor of this unusual pairing: shouldn’t it be the more harmonious Barbie x Oppenheimer, in the style of today’s brand collaborations? Whichever film prevails financially, the result will be less meaningful to audiences than what these movies represent in a post-pandemic landscape that has seen famished exhibitors begging for new product.

Next month’s clash only came about in the first place because of Nolan’s commitment to cinemas over streaming. He would likely have set up Oppenheimer at his usual home, Warner Bros, had that studio not instigated a policy in 2021 (no longer in force today) of releasing its films simultaneously in cinemas and on HBO Max, in response to uncertainty during the pandemic. (Nolan, remember, had ruled out a streaming release for his previous film, Tenet, back in 2020 when cinema exhibition was at its most precarious.) Warner Bros still hopes to woo him back. Barbie is a Warners film, and if the studio had been distributing both pictures, they would never have let them go out on the same day. But Nolan took Oppenheimer to Universal – hence the scheduling pile-up.

No matter. The impact of Covid and the streaming revolution have been bruising, even in some cases annihilating, to parts of the industry. But contrary to the tagline from Alien Vs Predator – “Whoever wins … we lose” – the outcome of Barbie opening in lockstep with Oppenheimer can only be positive. Whichever one triumphs, cinema rules.'

#Oppenheimer #Christopher Nolan #Cillian Murphy #Barbie #Greta Gerwig #Margot Robbie #Tenet #Dunkirk #Ryan Gosling #Emily Blunt #Rami Malek #Matt Damon #Lady Bird #Peaky Blinders #Little Women

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thewingedwolf · 5 years

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@encephalobruxa I mean it’s not even just a “award shows are rigged bc the people that decide it are all out of touch, super bigoted, or both” (which is 100% why pose didn’t get more for example) it’s like they genuinely don’t watch 90% of tv or film!!!!

I mean the people who would most likely get noms for Sex Education are white (ncuti gatwa deserves it the most tho) and it doesn’t get nominated despite being popular and featuring critic darlings asa butterfield and Gillian Andersen bc like.....Why?? Kristen Bell doesn’t get a nom for tgp (or manny or William or d’arcy or Jameela) bc they don’t actually watch it they just nominate ted Dansen bc he’s ted Dansen. I mean SHIT a knight of the seven kingdoms was very well reviewed and had a lot of viewers but they nominate the shitty finale bc......like these binvhes probably don’t even watch got!!!!! They just nominated the iron throne bc it was the last ep!!! They’re just lazy and watch 5 shows per award season. It’s like 50% they’re boring and 50% they’re racist!!! Enough!!!!!!!

And don’t even get me started re: your bsg comment and how genre shows/movies are shut out bc these people are snobs bc I Will rant about it for several hours

@addictsitter RIGHT!!!! And what gets me is it’s not like this is some indie show four people watch, it’s produced and directed by RYAN MURPHY and both mj and Dominique have been beloved by the critics for their performances! Meanwhile how many jokes were made about how Lena like #scammed hbo for that check bc all she did was drink and look out windows?? Like I don’t think Gwen and Sophie were that impressive this season (not bc I dislike them as actors, bc they barely DID anything) but at least they had one good episode each. Lena did NOTHING and Dominique gives her whole heart to every episode she’s in.

#replies #like usually the grammy’s make the most mad but these are.whew. its literally all barry and got

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