Barbie

 Remember when blockbusters felt like event films?  Films got diluted and no longer felt like events, multiple Star Wars films, comic properties, it made things feel less special. Well Barbie felt like an event, especially the past month or so with the promotional tools at hand. And upon seeing that theatres were sold out last night, a certain buzz of electricity hit the air. Granted i went to a 9:30 showing at Dundee(a small art house) but the mere presence of how stoked people were felt like the biggest cinematic event since Force Awakens in 2015. People were dressed up and theme drinks & snacks were sold. Now i never played with Barbie growing up, but my uncle had a Kirk & Uhura Barbie set in the package, that was most of my knowledge. As a teen i felt much like the character of Sasha, i found the toy to be a negative reflection and give false ideas, but the film tackles that, it tackles ALOT of things. If you told me 20, 10, 5 years ago that Barbie would be one of the more philosophical films, a film with a message and depth, i would have laughed. Luckily Greta Gerwig avoids the curse many indie darlings face when heading to do big studio projects, she got to keep her voice and injected it into every scene. If this wasn't Barbie this could easily have been a campy cult film like the Apple but she used this to tell a tale that is equal part fantasy, even in the real world, and is a satire for perfection, even in Barbieland. This is the more visually stunning film of the past few years, maybe since LaLa Land, and the sets & costumes deserve recognition as does the cast that put in alot of heart all while having fun.