🎀 magic & myth in GRETALAND 🎀 Sure, she sold out, SO WHAT? // IN A THROWBACK TO THE 1932 FEMALE MOVIE-GOER ransacking her nearest Cinema Shop after a night out at the theatre marveling at Joan Crawford’s ruffled frock in Letty Lynton (the obscure MGM swoonspectacle that sparked *the* dress craze of the decade, presumably selling over 500,000 replicas) I recently saw hundreds of Peruvian screen shoppers similarly lose their heads to the same HIDEOUS Barbie dress while managing orders at my ex girlfriend’s fashion store (which she named after Madonna’s The Virgin Tour — I swear I’m not making this up!).
Excellent review! I feel I now have an insightful overview of the film’s various successes and failings thanks to you, Ms Stunwyck, and accordingly I have moved Gerwig over to the edge of the abyss in my mind, right next to where Wes Anderson had sat before he fell in. Was he pushed? I cannot say. But I can say that Gerwig must now redeem herself with another “Little Women,” or possibly suffer the same fate! It’s in her hands, that much is clear. But yes, thank you again Ms Stunwyck for this penetrating review.
Oh no!! Please don’t push Wes Anderson off the edge of the abyss of your mind just yet!! If you were to entirely eradicate him from your consciousness, WHOM ELSE could I come to when I feel like badmouthing him & his idiotic, repetitive, self-important & overrated body of work?! Plus, unlike him, Ms. Gerwig *does* have some redeemable qualities to her career & personality, beginning from being *the* hipster It Girl of 2014-2015 via her two films with husband Noah Baumbach (I love them both LOL though mostly bc of nostalgia 🥲) + her breathtaking screen adaptation of Little Women that nearly KILLED ME from awe when I watched it at the cinema. I think you should give Barbie a chance in spite of my review... (I’m very likely going to rewatch it this week as apparently I am a masochist lol 😑)
Yikes, it’s too late for Wes, he’s gone! But I can still attempt to share your negativity regarding his overrated corpus of twee by yelling them into said abyss, just in case sound can carry way down to where he eternally is in my mind…
But as for Greta, no, she has not fallen in yet, and I will watch Barbie, I promise, and perhaps by doing so, it will NOT be too late to save Ms Gerwig from spending eternity with Wes in the abyss of my mind…!
LOVE this review, you’re so valid! Amazing points, just incredibly thoughtful work here. I was able to turn off my brain while consuming the movie for the most part (kind of like a baby sensory videos and current seasons of drag race) and enjoy it, but like everything here is just so IMPORTANT AND NEEDS TO BE SAID QUEEN, YES! Like I need this in the NYTimes or something, it’s giving think piece! Love u and your writing babe xoxo 💋
Wren this is so sweet thank you so much for reading!!! 💝🎀😭 And PLS I cannot sit through any of the new Drag Race seasons, they feel soo flimsy and FAKE and toned-down as opposed to the OG ones..... lol I love it that you brought them up bc indeed they make such a good comparison with Barbie (garish, high-budget, fever-dreamish but just vapid underneath 😂).... I also thought YOU were valid btw & I was happy to read you had a blast at the movie theatre (as u should!!)... love u too 💋
Many things to say about this review (supongo que hablaremos en inglés aunque ambos somos de Perú lol):
“Can this theatricality & tackiness by avid women audiences remain in vogue for years to come, PLEASE?” yeah it's called Cosplay, many women have been doing it besides anime with Marvel, Star Wars, Suicide Squad, Wednesday (technically not cinema, but you get me), and many more to come. I say cosplay because, with few exceptions, almost nobody dress like that, that whole tacky and hideous barbie dress is a costume, not a fashion statement. In Perú, and most specifically Lima, we are eons away from levels of fashion from the Garment District, Paris or Berlin.
“with such a fabulous marketing campaign & the (non-Mattel) people involved, can you really blame a gal for harboring dreams of ✨ misandrist ✨ grandeur?” yeah, and quite easily. What differences Gerwig from mediocre directors like Elizabeth Banks and her boring misandrist Charlie's Angel, is that Gerwig never force a male antagonist without a good reason. If you were expecting for something like that, then you may have loved the Barbie's Amy Schumer's Cut. And Mattel was definitely going to be involved, is one of their most successful IP, and if they were not included, then Warner is gonna, and if not, then Sony. They will do whatever within their power to make sure that every single men, woman, and NB sees this movie.
“What mostly upset me, instead, was the inane creative choice to allow the zany, cartoony antics of Barbie Land to leak into the grim “real world” thereby nullifying ALL of the accomplished bits in the script that REALISTICALLY portrayed how dehumanizing objectification can feel”. If they didn't do that, then Barbie would have literally died at the moment she entered the real world because her insides are made of plastic. That's what makes this sort of 2 world movies work (i.e., Jumanji, Who framed Roger Rabbit, Space Jam), because that's what creates the dynamics, if not then they wouldn't bother with making these 2 worlds at the same time. That nullification that you mention is not made by allowing the 2 worlds to collide, but made by the plot.
“Forever 21 pro-women politics aside, I cannot downplay how gleeful I have felt while witnessing flocks of women spectators prove that PINK IS THE SUPERIOR COLOUR and that, well, movie-going magic is *still* very much alive. “ BLACK is the superior color, Pink comes and goes, but the always attractive aesthetic of black present on emo, goth, metal, e-girl, alternative and many more is always present. Movie going has always been alive, the pandemic made it feel dead, but let's just wait for another marvel, DC, Disney, and boom.
This movie is a success because, IMO as a random from the internet, they know what they are and hold no pretension to be anything else that a fun and solid film. On the contrary, I believe your critic falls short due to the constant pretentious nature of your redactions and references, unrealistic and almost cartoonish expectations and the confusing imposing of certain feminist politics (the examples you provide are easily questionable about those topics because I don't think melodramas of the pre-code era were really that interest in a fair portrait of feminist politics).
Excellent review! I feel I now have an insightful overview of the film’s various successes and failings thanks to you, Ms Stunwyck, and accordingly I have moved Gerwig over to the edge of the abyss in my mind, right next to where Wes Anderson had sat before he fell in. Was he pushed? I cannot say. But I can say that Gerwig must now redeem herself with another “Little Women,” or possibly suffer the same fate! It’s in her hands, that much is clear. But yes, thank you again Ms Stunwyck for this penetrating review.
Oh no!! Please don’t push Wes Anderson off the edge of the abyss of your mind just yet!! If you were to entirely eradicate him from your consciousness, WHOM ELSE could I come to when I feel like badmouthing him & his idiotic, repetitive, self-important & overrated body of work?! Plus, unlike him, Ms. Gerwig *does* have some redeemable qualities to her career & personality, beginning from being *the* hipster It Girl of 2014-2015 via her two films with husband Noah Baumbach (I love them both LOL though mostly bc of nostalgia 🥲) + her breathtaking screen adaptation of Little Women that nearly KILLED ME from awe when I watched it at the cinema. I think you should give Barbie a chance in spite of my review... (I’m very likely going to rewatch it this week as apparently I am a masochist lol 😑)
Yikes, it’s too late for Wes, he’s gone! But I can still attempt to share your negativity regarding his overrated corpus of twee by yelling them into said abyss, just in case sound can carry way down to where he eternally is in my mind…
But as for Greta, no, she has not fallen in yet, and I will watch Barbie, I promise, and perhaps by doing so, it will NOT be too late to save Ms Gerwig from spending eternity with Wes in the abyss of my mind…!
… Ms Masochist :)
LOVE this review, you’re so valid! Amazing points, just incredibly thoughtful work here. I was able to turn off my brain while consuming the movie for the most part (kind of like a baby sensory videos and current seasons of drag race) and enjoy it, but like everything here is just so IMPORTANT AND NEEDS TO BE SAID QUEEN, YES! Like I need this in the NYTimes or something, it’s giving think piece! Love u and your writing babe xoxo 💋
Wren this is so sweet thank you so much for reading!!! 💝🎀😭 And PLS I cannot sit through any of the new Drag Race seasons, they feel soo flimsy and FAKE and toned-down as opposed to the OG ones..... lol I love it that you brought them up bc indeed they make such a good comparison with Barbie (garish, high-budget, fever-dreamish but just vapid underneath 😂).... I also thought YOU were valid btw & I was happy to read you had a blast at the movie theatre (as u should!!)... love u too 💋
Many things to say about this review (supongo que hablaremos en inglés aunque ambos somos de Perú lol):
“Can this theatricality & tackiness by avid women audiences remain in vogue for years to come, PLEASE?” yeah it's called Cosplay, many women have been doing it besides anime with Marvel, Star Wars, Suicide Squad, Wednesday (technically not cinema, but you get me), and many more to come. I say cosplay because, with few exceptions, almost nobody dress like that, that whole tacky and hideous barbie dress is a costume, not a fashion statement. In Perú, and most specifically Lima, we are eons away from levels of fashion from the Garment District, Paris or Berlin.
“with such a fabulous marketing campaign & the (non-Mattel) people involved, can you really blame a gal for harboring dreams of ✨ misandrist ✨ grandeur?” yeah, and quite easily. What differences Gerwig from mediocre directors like Elizabeth Banks and her boring misandrist Charlie's Angel, is that Gerwig never force a male antagonist without a good reason. If you were expecting for something like that, then you may have loved the Barbie's Amy Schumer's Cut. And Mattel was definitely going to be involved, is one of their most successful IP, and if they were not included, then Warner is gonna, and if not, then Sony. They will do whatever within their power to make sure that every single men, woman, and NB sees this movie.
“What mostly upset me, instead, was the inane creative choice to allow the zany, cartoony antics of Barbie Land to leak into the grim “real world” thereby nullifying ALL of the accomplished bits in the script that REALISTICALLY portrayed how dehumanizing objectification can feel”. If they didn't do that, then Barbie would have literally died at the moment she entered the real world because her insides are made of plastic. That's what makes this sort of 2 world movies work (i.e., Jumanji, Who framed Roger Rabbit, Space Jam), because that's what creates the dynamics, if not then they wouldn't bother with making these 2 worlds at the same time. That nullification that you mention is not made by allowing the 2 worlds to collide, but made by the plot.
“Forever 21 pro-women politics aside, I cannot downplay how gleeful I have felt while witnessing flocks of women spectators prove that PINK IS THE SUPERIOR COLOUR and that, well, movie-going magic is *still* very much alive. “ BLACK is the superior color, Pink comes and goes, but the always attractive aesthetic of black present on emo, goth, metal, e-girl, alternative and many more is always present. Movie going has always been alive, the pandemic made it feel dead, but let's just wait for another marvel, DC, Disney, and boom.
This movie is a success because, IMO as a random from the internet, they know what they are and hold no pretension to be anything else that a fun and solid film. On the contrary, I believe your critic falls short due to the constant pretentious nature of your redactions and references, unrealistic and almost cartoonish expectations and the confusing imposing of certain feminist politics (the examples you provide are easily questionable about those topics because I don't think melodramas of the pre-code era were really that interest in a fair portrait of feminist politics).