I love your point about men and women and the illustration of the conversation in "When Harry Met Sally" (one of my favorite movies). You're confused, but then again, isn't all of society confused these days about what conclusions about gender are acceptable to share in public?
It is a confusing time - partly because what we consider to be society is becoming so fragmented, a trend that is exacerbated by the poverty of the communication that we engage in, both in venue (like this post - me, a stranger to most of you showing up in these 4 paragraphs) and in the quality of the critical thinking and expression we are capable of anymore.
I wonder how this undercurrent of confusion is showing up in our movies these days? For example, another Irish movie "The Banshees of Inisherin," where two guys who had been lifelong friends are confused about how to continue their friendship.
As I reflect on this theme in the context of my friendships, I find that I've been avoiding friends who confuse me and gravitating to those who help me process ambiguity and perhaps draw closer to truth. Which maybe is why I read your essays, Jeff.
It really was. All of them. I loved the undertones of that movie, the subtle nod to the civil war on the main island, the isolation of being so far away from the conflict, and how nobody talked about anything. But everyone could see that something was clearly happening. And I liked the ending. Friendship is a funny thing, as is humany. We are both frustratingly fragile and surprisingly resilient.
Beautiful article. Barbie definitely pointed out the masculine vs the feminine, which really tells us that balance is needed. The Kens experienced in Barbie Land what many women will say they experience in the Real World. Again, it all comes down to a healthy blending of both the divine masculine and the divine feminine. And what is cool about this is that it's got nothing to do with gender but certain energy attributes. Males and females can both tap into these energy streams when needed. And like natural laws suggest, balance rules.
Last year, I read the Irish writer Claire Keegan’s lovely novella “Foster,” about a girl from a dysfunctional family who is sent for the summer to live with relatives. The novella was made into a 2022 film titled “The Quiet Girl.” It’s mostly spoken in Irish with subtitles. It’s beautifully filmed, captures much of Irish culture, and despite its slow pacing, is lyrical and moving. The book and film say so much with so little. In contrast, many of the big Hollywood movies today want to tutor us with one agenda or another. Their causes may align with one’s political views or not, but sometimes I want to escape the left/right battles and culture debates and simply get lost in a wonderful story. I saw Oppenheimer, too, but it left me with not much. And the Barbie movie, well, no thanks. However, “The Quiet Girl” remains in my thoughts and heart.
Wow. I will check it out. I am moving in the direction of more movies like this. It's a discipline to share understated art. Of course, I appreciated what the Barbie movie was trying to do, but I just didn't enjoy it. Granted, I can respect art that attempts to disturb the comfortable—I have seen Picasso's "Guernica" in person and it is much to behold, a lot of which would unnerve almost anyone—but that doesn't mean I have to say something is good if I don't think it is. In my mind, Barbie tried to do too many things, including create a piece of avant garde art whilst marketing to the mainstream. But I also admit that it just may not have been for me.
Regarding "Oppenheimer," it appears Nolan has jumped the shark. Or at least moved from a more story/concept-driven filmmaker to trying to outdo his last spectacle. He's probably more Spielberg than Kubrick. And that's just fine, but it's not for me. I haven't really liked much of what his done from "Interstellar" on. My favorite of his works is still "Memento." I also think "The Prestige" and "Inception" are wonderfully fun and deep. Interesting to watch and easy to go back to, even years later.
But, yeah. I might just be getting older and more curmudgeonly/stuck-up in my tastes. Blockbusters don't do it for me anymore, and I say that regrettably as a movie buff. I like movies more than books! But it seems that is changing.
I'll check out "The Quiet Girl" and will counter that with another rec. If you haven't seen "The Banshees of Inisherin," it is beautiful work of heart that is dazzling to behold, slowly builds, and culminates in a heartbreaking, layered ending. I loved it. Certainly tracks with the "filmed in a beautiful part of Ireland" sub-sub-genre and has a fascinating subtext that it never quite fully tips its hand to. I think you'd like it a lot, if you haven't already seen it.
Yep, Martin McDonagh knocked it out of the park with Banshees. And perhaps we’re just becoming curmudgeons, or maybe the quality of movies has become formulaic and less inspiring. Thanks for a thoughtful post. Jeff.
John: I definitely think there are great movies out there (I suppose the snobs call them "art films"); they just seem harder to find. You've got to dig. Regarding finding good media, I find myself going back more. For films, I've been slowly whittling away at Ebert's list of "Great Films." Some are not great, others are fun surprises. But it's nice to have some sort of guide. Like a liberal arts education in popular culture. :)
We watched "Annie Hall" last night. Can't say I loved it, but Woody Allen clearly made choices. And he has a voice in his films that is unmistakable and inimitable.
I am happy that I know the Christian Jesus and that God our Father knew our “fallen” human thinking and bondage led to the requirement of our Saviour’s rescue plan. God is GOOD.
Proverbs 14:12) There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
We all need the transformation provided by salvation, his Word ( scripture) and his Holy Spirit! Stinking thinking is a human flaw but there is hope in the good news/ gospel.
Too many characters saying too many smarty things too quickly through an abominable sound system. What was Strauss so pissed off about? A missed opportunity. (Oppenheimer, not Barbie.)
Both the fantasy Barbie world and creators of destructive weapons are going nowhere good….”Narrow is the way to life! Few there are who find it.” ( says Jesus.) There are ditches on both sides of what seems logical to most human thinkers.
This is an interesting take. I have yet to see Oppenheimer, but I agree with your wife's interpretation of Barbie: it was a work of art; everything about it was intentional and thoughtfully put together. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that you didn't "get it." What is there to "get?" As with all art, it's open to interpretation - and that's the beauty of it! I wrote a post recapping some things that I loved about the movie if you're interested (https://livelearnlauren.substack.com/p/10-things-i-loved-about-the-barbie?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2).
At its core, though, the Barbie movie is a heroine's journey. I'm in the process of writing a more detailed essay about Barbie's quest for identity and what we can learn from it (dropping our egos, etc). Admittedly, it feels silly exploring this superficial "plastic" story with such depth, but I think there's something more here worth discussing!
Hey Lauren. It's not that I didn't get it. It's that I didn't like it, and that confused me. I could clearly see that choices were being made, but from my own limited perspective, it felt frenetic and chaotic. Every time I said to my wife, "but what about...?" She would say, "that's the point." And I thought, well, maybe there's something here here. ;)
Maybe what makes a man like a movie (or any piece of art) is not always what makes a woman like that same piece. Perhaps these differences are not worth denigrating but celebrating or at least examining a little more closely.
FWIW, our final takeaway from the Barbenheimer extravaganza was that both movies were just movies and it was a nice publicity stunt to encourage folks to see both in the same weekend. But that the idea that this is really one conversation with two perspectives was one I wanted to untangle for a while. Hence, the piece.
Absolutely, you’re totally right. None of it is about the movies (but at the same time, it is, isn’t it?! ;). It’s hilarious watching people’s interpretations of media, which says a lot more about them than it does about the media itself. We view everything from the lense of our own biased perspectives. The differences between men and women and how/why we interpret/enjoy things is valid and deserves pondering. However, I will push back on this idea a bit, because I believe that at our core- in our very souls- we are much more alike than we are different. And I think with some effort, we can cross the masculine vs feminine divide to accept some universal truths. One being that our identities themselves are fluid, which is something that I think Barbie illustrates well. I also love the dialogue happening here, which is a product of good art- no?!? It gets us thinking. My husband and I have had some great conversations since seeing film, and based on all the op-eds, so have many others. All that said, totally valid that you didn’t like the Barbie. I get it :) Not all art is for everyone, right? Anyway, thanks for elaborating on your response here and for checking out my post, it means a lot!
I love your point about men and women and the illustration of the conversation in "When Harry Met Sally" (one of my favorite movies). You're confused, but then again, isn't all of society confused these days about what conclusions about gender are acceptable to share in public?
It is a confusing time - partly because what we consider to be society is becoming so fragmented, a trend that is exacerbated by the poverty of the communication that we engage in, both in venue (like this post - me, a stranger to most of you showing up in these 4 paragraphs) and in the quality of the critical thinking and expression we are capable of anymore.
I wonder how this undercurrent of confusion is showing up in our movies these days? For example, another Irish movie "The Banshees of Inisherin," where two guys who had been lifelong friends are confused about how to continue their friendship.
As I reflect on this theme in the context of my friendships, I find that I've been avoiding friends who confuse me and gravitating to those who help me process ambiguity and perhaps draw closer to truth. Which maybe is why I read your essays, Jeff.
Wow, Seth. I love where you are these days. It's fun to reconnect with you. But please don't cut off your fingers and throw them at my door. ;)
Ha! Shocking scene that was!
It really was. All of them. I loved the undertones of that movie, the subtle nod to the civil war on the main island, the isolation of being so far away from the conflict, and how nobody talked about anything. But everyone could see that something was clearly happening. And I liked the ending. Friendship is a funny thing, as is humany. We are both frustratingly fragile and surprisingly resilient.
Beautiful article. Barbie definitely pointed out the masculine vs the feminine, which really tells us that balance is needed. The Kens experienced in Barbie Land what many women will say they experience in the Real World. Again, it all comes down to a healthy blending of both the divine masculine and the divine feminine. And what is cool about this is that it's got nothing to do with gender but certain energy attributes. Males and females can both tap into these energy streams when needed. And like natural laws suggest, balance rules.
Thanks for reading, Scarlet. :)
Last year, I read the Irish writer Claire Keegan’s lovely novella “Foster,” about a girl from a dysfunctional family who is sent for the summer to live with relatives. The novella was made into a 2022 film titled “The Quiet Girl.” It’s mostly spoken in Irish with subtitles. It’s beautifully filmed, captures much of Irish culture, and despite its slow pacing, is lyrical and moving. The book and film say so much with so little. In contrast, many of the big Hollywood movies today want to tutor us with one agenda or another. Their causes may align with one’s political views or not, but sometimes I want to escape the left/right battles and culture debates and simply get lost in a wonderful story. I saw Oppenheimer, too, but it left me with not much. And the Barbie movie, well, no thanks. However, “The Quiet Girl” remains in my thoughts and heart.
Wow. I will check it out. I am moving in the direction of more movies like this. It's a discipline to share understated art. Of course, I appreciated what the Barbie movie was trying to do, but I just didn't enjoy it. Granted, I can respect art that attempts to disturb the comfortable—I have seen Picasso's "Guernica" in person and it is much to behold, a lot of which would unnerve almost anyone—but that doesn't mean I have to say something is good if I don't think it is. In my mind, Barbie tried to do too many things, including create a piece of avant garde art whilst marketing to the mainstream. But I also admit that it just may not have been for me.
Regarding "Oppenheimer," it appears Nolan has jumped the shark. Or at least moved from a more story/concept-driven filmmaker to trying to outdo his last spectacle. He's probably more Spielberg than Kubrick. And that's just fine, but it's not for me. I haven't really liked much of what his done from "Interstellar" on. My favorite of his works is still "Memento." I also think "The Prestige" and "Inception" are wonderfully fun and deep. Interesting to watch and easy to go back to, even years later.
But, yeah. I might just be getting older and more curmudgeonly/stuck-up in my tastes. Blockbusters don't do it for me anymore, and I say that regrettably as a movie buff. I like movies more than books! But it seems that is changing.
I'll check out "The Quiet Girl" and will counter that with another rec. If you haven't seen "The Banshees of Inisherin," it is beautiful work of heart that is dazzling to behold, slowly builds, and culminates in a heartbreaking, layered ending. I loved it. Certainly tracks with the "filmed in a beautiful part of Ireland" sub-sub-genre and has a fascinating subtext that it never quite fully tips its hand to. I think you'd like it a lot, if you haven't already seen it.
Yep, Martin McDonagh knocked it out of the park with Banshees. And perhaps we’re just becoming curmudgeons, or maybe the quality of movies has become formulaic and less inspiring. Thanks for a thoughtful post. Jeff.
John: I definitely think there are great movies out there (I suppose the snobs call them "art films"); they just seem harder to find. You've got to dig. Regarding finding good media, I find myself going back more. For films, I've been slowly whittling away at Ebert's list of "Great Films." Some are not great, others are fun surprises. But it's nice to have some sort of guide. Like a liberal arts education in popular culture. :)
Good point. There are good films here and there, and I’ll have to explore Ebert’s list. 🙂
We watched "Annie Hall" last night. Can't say I loved it, but Woody Allen clearly made choices. And he has a voice in his films that is unmistakable and inimitable.
“But, yeah. I might just be getting older and more curmudgeonly/stuck-up in my tastes.”
Definitely a part of it. Although you’ve always been quite pretentious in that area…
-Salt of the earth Oklahoman
Haha. Piss off, Oklahoma. ;)
I am happy that I know the Christian Jesus and that God our Father knew our “fallen” human thinking and bondage led to the requirement of our Saviour’s rescue plan. God is GOOD.
Proverbs 14:12) There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
We all need the transformation provided by salvation, his Word ( scripture) and his Holy Spirit! Stinking thinking is a human flaw but there is hope in the good news/ gospel.
Hi Laurel. I'm confused by this comment. Can you elaborate on its relevance to this piece I shared?
Too many characters saying too many smarty things too quickly through an abominable sound system. What was Strauss so pissed off about? A missed opportunity. (Oppenheimer, not Barbie.)
Both the fantasy Barbie world and creators of destructive weapons are going nowhere good….”Narrow is the way to life! Few there are who find it.” ( says Jesus.) There are ditches on both sides of what seems logical to most human thinkers.
OK. :)
This is an interesting take. I have yet to see Oppenheimer, but I agree with your wife's interpretation of Barbie: it was a work of art; everything about it was intentional and thoughtfully put together. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that you didn't "get it." What is there to "get?" As with all art, it's open to interpretation - and that's the beauty of it! I wrote a post recapping some things that I loved about the movie if you're interested (https://livelearnlauren.substack.com/p/10-things-i-loved-about-the-barbie?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2).
At its core, though, the Barbie movie is a heroine's journey. I'm in the process of writing a more detailed essay about Barbie's quest for identity and what we can learn from it (dropping our egos, etc). Admittedly, it feels silly exploring this superficial "plastic" story with such depth, but I think there's something more here worth discussing!
Hey Lauren. It's not that I didn't get it. It's that I didn't like it, and that confused me. I could clearly see that choices were being made, but from my own limited perspective, it felt frenetic and chaotic. Every time I said to my wife, "but what about...?" She would say, "that's the point." And I thought, well, maybe there's something here here. ;)
Maybe what makes a man like a movie (or any piece of art) is not always what makes a woman like that same piece. Perhaps these differences are not worth denigrating but celebrating or at least examining a little more closely.
FWIW, our final takeaway from the Barbenheimer extravaganza was that both movies were just movies and it was a nice publicity stunt to encourage folks to see both in the same weekend. But that the idea that this is really one conversation with two perspectives was one I wanted to untangle for a while. Hence, the piece.
Anyway, it wasn't really about the movies. ;)
Absolutely, you’re totally right. None of it is about the movies (but at the same time, it is, isn’t it?! ;). It’s hilarious watching people’s interpretations of media, which says a lot more about them than it does about the media itself. We view everything from the lense of our own biased perspectives. The differences between men and women and how/why we interpret/enjoy things is valid and deserves pondering. However, I will push back on this idea a bit, because I believe that at our core- in our very souls- we are much more alike than we are different. And I think with some effort, we can cross the masculine vs feminine divide to accept some universal truths. One being that our identities themselves are fluid, which is something that I think Barbie illustrates well. I also love the dialogue happening here, which is a product of good art- no?!? It gets us thinking. My husband and I have had some great conversations since seeing film, and based on all the op-eds, so have many others. All that said, totally valid that you didn’t like the Barbie. I get it :) Not all art is for everyone, right? Anyway, thanks for elaborating on your response here and for checking out my post, it means a lot!