Movie Man Dem | Barbie's Broke Beginnings Before she was a big time box office success, Barbie was slumming it in the low res haven of straight to dvd animated features. This week, we're looking at Barbie Swan Lake, and try to recover from the nightmare of dead eyed characters. Tune in for one of our grossest episodes yet!
'Oppenheimer' (2023) Review: A Triumph of Terror As a young man with visions of a hidden universe, J Robert Oppenheimer lays in his Cambridge university dorm, beset by an inability to rest. He’s instantly portrayed as brilliant, yet carries with him a darkness. His mind may be unmatched, but his humanity screams louder than any theory he could present. At times he is cruel, other times cold and unfeeling, and then overwhelmingly ridden with guilt. The most important man who ever lived, creating a weapon without an equal. ‘Oppenheimer’ takes such a complicated figure and fastens you in to his unique perspective. As you watch the development of the atomic bomb, you’re infinitely intrigued by its herald. Cillian Murphy’s performance of the legendary scientist is multifaceted, seeming vulnerable and exposed in one frame, yet operatic and enigmatic in the next.The invention itself has a devastating effect, but the film’s warning goes beyond the terror of dropped of the bomb. The sequence in which the bomb is first tested is nothing short of an audio-visual marvel, but the true danger of the film lies in the protagonist’s presence. As he corrals the world’s scientists to follow behind him Robert Oppenheimer is magnetic, more akin to a cult leader than a lowly whitecoat. His followers express their qualms, but with one impassioned speech he rallys the troops towards a terrible victory.Despite this statement on statesmen, ‘Oppenheimer’ is non committal in its portrayal of its subject.…
Movie Man Dem | Interstellar: An Emotional Juggernaut In the year 2014, Christopher Nolan had put away The Dark Knight and gave the world a peek into the stars. Interstellar! The emotionally crushing, visually exciting, and enthralling modern epic that shows the strength of humanity in the face of an indifferent universe. Yeah. We like this one.
'Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One' (2023) Review: Terrifically Tense The daring crew of highly skilled agents known as the Impossible Missions Force once again are called to save the world. This time facing off against an artificial intelligence called ‘The Entity’ that takes the very tools the team has come to rely on, and turns them into liabilities. The characters are isolated, the threat is prescient, and the stakes have never been higher. An outlandish story that feels ripped from the headlines, ‘Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ arrives amidst strikes from actors and writers in the American film industry, focused in part on the use of Artificial Intelligence to create works of fiction. In a similar fashion Ethan Hunt and his team rebel against the supercomputer that holds the world hostage. For a franchise that’s been largely focused on chemical warfare, information exposure, or a good old fashioned nuclear bomb, the pervasive threat of predictive AI is unique. Some viewers may find the obstacle difficult to swallow, but the film creates a personal connection utilising faces from Ethan’s past. Even if you don’t buy into the science of this fiction, ‘Dead Reckoning’ ensures emotion is at the centre of its story.As the man who can do it all, Ethan Hunt is faced with the limits of his abilities, but it’s a limit that gets pushed repeatedly. Once more Tom Cruise devotes his time in front of the camera to performing the kind…
Movie Man Dem | Clueless A.K.A The Miseducation of Cher Horowitz The story of a blonde beauty going through a life-changing series of events and coming out the other end a more conscious being. No, it's not 'Barbie', it's Clueless. The 1995 classic discussed by the Movie Man Dem. Join us as we take joy in the lives of LA private school kids and their high-stakes drama
Movie Man Dem | Independence Day Is Perfectly Dumb 4th of July is an American holiday, but when aliens attacked planet Earf, that day became a global event. There's no better time to discuss Roland Emmerich's iconic flagship film 'Independence Day'. Damian loves to hate it, Bam just loves it, and special guest, cinematographer Randy Randy is there to make this day a day we will never forget
'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' (2023) Review: A Send Off Fit for A Legend With as many iconic characters as he’s played, Harrison Ford could very well have hung up his blasters, hat, and trenchcoat a long time ago. Instead, he’s maintained a firm grip on his legacy, thus far giving each of his legendary roles a proper goodbye. Now with ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ the hope is Dr. Jones can receive the same treatment, for one last grand adventure.In terms of his performance, ‘Dial of Destiny’ definitively cements Ford as the only suitable choice to play the character. Indiana Jones may be known for death defying stunts, but as an older more seasoned explorer, he’s unable to pull off the impossible like he once could. The film takes place at the time of the moon landing, putting Dr. Jones in a time and place that’s swiftly moving on without him. Ford leans into the character’s isolation, giving the swashbuckling adventurer more pathos and solace than ever before.It’s an intimate portrayal, that’s not without history. After a lifetime of near death experiences, Indy has suffered more than most. The weight of loss is heavy, but the rest of the characters are there to lighten the load. Phoebe Waller-Bridge plays Helena, Indiana’s goddaughter. She’s capable, cunning, and charismatic like any good companion should be, and the two have great chemistry on screen.The character work is grand, but for…
Movie Man Dem | Spider-Verse and the Cacophony of Betrayal Let's do this one more time. Miles Morales and his Spider-friends return for what may be the greatest Spider-Man movie of all time. Naturally Bam and Damian recruited some help to talk about the epic animated adventure 'Across the Spider-Verse'. Listen in to hear what we thought
'The Flash' (2023) Review: Falls Flat Finally watching The Flash is a moment that feels misplaced in time. If the multiverse laden adventure of The Flash had been released just under a decade ago, it likely would have been revolutionary. Instead, with the explosion of multiverse-related cinema in the past few years, The Flash feels like too little too late, and the legal issues of of its lead, Ezra Miller, doesn’t help matters.This is a shame considering the material in the film has incredible potential. The first half of The Flash gives you a bona fide superhero, using his amazing abilities in true blockbuster fashion, saving as many people as he can. Slowly, but surely, the film shifts gears, as the trauma of his father being wrongly accused of his mother’s murder weighs heavy on the Scarlet Speedster. With a tearful run faster than the speed of light, Barry realises he can use those amazing abilities to travel through time, and save his mother’s life.It’s in the second half that the movie starts to come undone. As Barry navigates the repercussions of his actions, he starts to see the ripples of time unfold. Much of the movie is spent with Barry and his younger more obnoxious self. At one point, the film makes a commentary on his annoying nature, but its self-awareness only increases the irritation.The story gets messier the more it goes on, with inconsistencies getting quickly swept away in favour of the next nonsensical plot development. Characters do and say…
Movie Man Dem | Inside Out - Pixar's Best Movie? Pixar has made many a film. They've told a toy's story, a bug's life, and even a car's too. They've made us feel for all manner of inanimate objects, but with Inside Out, they made us feel, for feelings. Truly one of the greatest animated movies, but is it Pixar's best? We come to a conclusion on this week's episode.