#cillian murphy theater

[luluartpop]

Cillian Murphy - Ballyturk 2014

[magnetostits]

the barbenheimer experience i had was so funny i saw oppenheimer first and in a quiet scene we could literally hear ken singing in the theater next to us and then during barbie it when was quiet we could hear a fucking explosion coming from the oppenheimer screening

[stairwayto--hell]

Cillian Murphy 🎭 in the play The Shape of Things 2002

[hello-god-its-me-sara]

Theater kid Cillian Murphy my beloved please return to me

[icecrematorium]

Nuke your hunger and thirst this summer at AMC Theatres!

[creature-once-removed]

I've been reading and watching some reviews of Oppenheimer and am shocked at the way some people don't seem to be able to connect to characters who are a little bit closed off and inwardly complicated.

This is a film you need to bring your own empathy to. It isn't actively provoked and drawn out of you.

Which, given that it deals with the construction of the Atomic Bomb, I think is something that should be self explanatory. If you go into making this thinking "Oh I will make people feel so bad about the bombs" you're already headed in the wrong direction. It's not the question whether or not it's bad. The question is whether or not you realize it's bad when no one tells you outright how to think about it.

This movie is incredible for doing this.

[cillixn]

finally got oppie tix 😌

[moorheadthanyoucanhandle]

GONE FISSION

Opening in theaters this weekend:

Oppenheimer--This biopic splits time the way its hero splits the atom. Narrative is fissionable to writer-director Christopher Nolan; he skips back and forth between episodes of Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) as a bumbling student, then as a philandering rising star in the new field of quantum physics, then as the determined yet haunted lord of Los Alamos, then as a post-bomb martyr to '50s era red-baiting. It glides along smoothly through its fractured scheme, beautifully shot by Hoyt van Hoytema in black and white and varyingly muted shades of color depending on period and point of view, and pushed along by a solemn Philip Glass-esque score by Ludwig Göransson.

Often crowned by a horizontal wide-brimmed preacher-style hat that makes him look like Brad Dourif in Wise Blood, Murphy uncannily captures the bursting, wide-eyed, near-ecstatic face that we see in photos of Oppenheimer. But he manages to give the performance a human dimension, with everyday foibles and touches of humor. He's not a pageant figure.

Murphy carries a star presence. But he's very ably supported by a huge, colorful gallery of star character players: Robert Downey Jr. as AEC Chairmen Lewis Strauss and Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence and Benny Safdie as Edward Teller and Tom Conti as Albert Einstein and David Krumholtz as Isidore Rabi, Oppenheimer's menschy colleague who makes sure he eats and nudges his conscience, and Matthew Modine and Casey Affleck and Kenneth Branagh and Rami Malek and Alden Ehrenreich, to name only a few.

They're all entertaining, but two in particular jolt the movie to life: Florence Pugh as Oppenheimer's joyless lover Jean Tatlock and Matt Damon as the practical-minded, professionally unimpressed Leslie Groves, representing us laypeople in his deadpan, flummoxed scenes with Murphy. For a while it seems like Emily Blunt is underserved as Kitty Oppenheimer, but near the end she gets a juicy, angry scene opposite AEC lawyer Roger Robb (Jason Clarke), who has underestimated her.

Other than maybe a few too many scenes of the young "Oppie" having visions that look like the psychedelic mindtrip at the end of 2001, there was no point where I found Oppenheimer less than absorbing. Few would suggest that this ambitious, superbly acted, superbly crafted film isn't a major, compelling work, a vast expansion on Roland Joffé's watchable but modest Fat Man and Little Boy from 1989. If Nolan's film isn't quite completely satisfying, there could be two reasons.

One is that trying to arrive at a moral conclusion about this movie's hero seems impossible. Put (too) simply: on the one hand, Oppenheimer won World War II for the good guys and checked fascism (not checkmated it, alas) for more than half a century. On the other hand, his invention has the potential to ruin the world for everybody. Both can be true, and the ambiguity is unresolvable.

Another problem with the film, however, is a matter of simple showmanship. Back in 1994, James Cameron brought his silly action picture True Lies to a point where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis kiss while, far in the distance, we see a mushroom cloud erupt on the horizon. Triumphant, but then Cameron pushed his luck, piling on one last struggle with the villain in a Harrier jet. I remember thinking (and writing) at the time that when your hero and heroine kiss in front of a mushroom cloud, the movie is over.

Oppenheimer, obviously a very different movie, is uneasily structured in the same way. The scenes leading up to the Trinity Test at White Sands in 1945 are riveting, pulse pounding. The explosion and the immediate aftermath, ending the war in Japan, is a stunning dramatic climax.

But then the movie keeps going, for another hour or so, detailing the war of spite and will between Strauss and Oppenheimer, and the revocation of Oppenheimer's security clearance. It's interesting, provocative material in itself, but it seems a little petty and trivial after the "I am become death; destroyer of worlds" stuff. Given Nolan's supposed consummate skill at scrambling sequence, couldn't he have somehow structured the movie to end with a bang and not a whimper?

Barbie--Something is rotten in the state of Barbieland. As this, her first live-action feature begins, our titular heroine finds herself haunted, right in the middle of raging dance parties at her Dreamhouse, by thoughts of death. Still more alarming, when she steps out of her pumps, her feet go flat to the ground.

To be clear, the Barbie in question, played by Margot Robbie, is "Stereotypical Barbie," the blond, inhumanly thin and leggy iconic version of the Mattel doll. She shares the relentlessly cheery pink-plastic realm of Barbieland with countless other Barbies of every race and body shape and profession, all happy and accomplished and untroubled and mutually supportive. They're dimly aware of us in the "Real World"; they believe that their own harmony has created an example that has led to female empowerment and civil rights over here.

The Barbies also share Barbieland with Ken (Ryan Gosling) and countless variant Kens, as well as Ken's featureless friend Allan (a perfectly cast Michael Cera). But the guys exist entirely as accessories to the relatively uninterested Barbies. Ken's unrequited fascination with Barbie makes him subject, unlike the Barbies, to dissatisfaction.

Barbie goes for advice to "Weird Barbie" (Kate McKinnon), whose hair is frizzy and patchy and who's stuck in a permanent split. She's told that her troubles come from the dark feelings of somebody who's playing with her in our reality, so she sets out on a quest to the Real World, emerging in Venice Beach. Barbie connects with a mom and teenage daughter (America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt) whose relationship is strained; she's also pursued by the all-male board of Mattel, led by Will Ferrell. Ken, meanwhile, learns about our patriarchy, likes what he hears, and heads back to Barbieland alone to institute it, with himself at the top.

Mattel was founded in 1945, the same year as the Trinity Test, and there are probably feminist social critics who would argue that Barbie, invented in 1959 by Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler (well played by Rhea Perlman in the film), has wreaked only a little less havoc on the modern psyche than Oppenheimer's gadget. Even though I'm in exactly the right generational wheelhouse (I was born in 1962), my own childhood experience with Barbie was very limited, and thus so were my nostalgic associations with her.

Even so, this nutty fantasy, directed by Greta Gerwig from a brilliant script she wrote with Noah Baumbach, made me laugh from its inspired first scene to its Wings of Desire finish. Narrated in the droll, arch tones of Helen Mirren, it manages to come across as both an ingenious pop-culture lampoon/celebration and an unpretentious but surprisingly heartfelt deep dive into the implications of the Barbie archetype. I wasn't a big fan of Gerwig's 2019 version of Little Women, but here she builds her world with the freedom of, well, a kid playing with dolls, but also with the confidence and adult perspective of an artist.

Not everything in the movie works; in the second half the narrative gets a little lost at times in some very strange musical numbers/battle scenes, and the whole thing comes close to going on a bit too long. And it's hard to say just who this movie is for. It hardly seems intended for little girls; however smart, they're too young for the commentary about female identity to mean much to them yet. It seems more like it's meant for adult women with both a fondness for and an ambivalence toward Barbie.

No doubt there are those who would also complain that, however witty and self-effacing, the movie amounts to a feature-length commercial for the brand. But in the age of Marvel and other such franchises, it seems a little late to object to this.

The revelation in the film is Margot Robbie. It seems ridiculous that she's able, in the role of freaking Barbie, to give a performance of such subtlety and nuance and shading and quiet, unforced wistfulness, but she does. And she gets to deliver the best last line of the year.

Theater Camp--Joan, the founder of "AndirondACTS," a slightly gone-to-seed theater camp in upstate New York, has fallen into a coma. The job of keeping the struggling camp afloat falls to her decidedly non-theatrical "crypto bro" son Troy. Meanwhile the devoted instructors work with the exuberantly happy campers to mount the shows, including an original musical about the life of poor comatose Joan (Amy Sedaris). Needless to say, all does not go smoothly.

The creators of this Waiting for Guffman-esque "mockumentary" comedy, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, know the world they're depicting well; all of them have been doing theater since they were small children. Gordon and Lieberman co-directed, from a script by all four; Platt and Gordon play Amos and Rebecca-Diane, the utterly enmeshed, co-dependent acting instructors and Galvin plays the low-profile tech director.

They capture the camaraderie and the sense of belonging that theater can give kids, and their affection for that world is unmistakable, but they're careful not to get too sentimental. The envies and resentments and passive-aggressive denigrations among theater folk, especially at this often professionally frustrated level, are vividly represented.

Getting laughs from the self-important vanities of theater people is pretty low-hanging fruit, I suppose, but Theater Camp is nonetheless often hilarious. The film also manages to get a little deeper at times, touching on the irony that while theater can create a haven and a community for misfit kids, this can generate its own clannishness and exclusionary snobbery, as in Amos and Rebecca-Diane's coldness toward the imbecilic but well-intentioned Troy, charmingly played by a sort of poor-man's Channing Tatum named Jimmy Tatro.

The real joy in Theater Camp, of course, is the acting: Platt, Gordon, Tatro, plus a few vets like Sedaris, Caroline Aaron and David Rasche bring the material to life. But as Glenn, the long-suffering backstage drudge who really ought to be onstage, Noah Galvin, who replaced Platt on Broadway in Dear Evan Hansen, is the revelation among the adults in the cast. He's a knockout.

The revelation among the kids playing the campers is, well, pretty much all of the kids playing the campers. There are some real singing, dancing and acting prodigies in this company. If there was a real theater camp somewhere with this kind of talent, their shows would sell out.

[jakeotters]

SEEING THE DARK KNIGHT AND THE DARK KNIGHT RISES ON SATURDAY 😭😭😭

[luluartpop]

Cillian Murphy in so many theatre productions in Galway, including the original rehearsal scripts for Discopigs.

Source: @UniOfGalwayASC on twitter

[deadcitygazette]

“I am, at the moment, stunned and emotionally recovering from having seen it,” Bird said. “I think it is going to be a stunning artistic achievement, and I have hopes it will actually stimulate a national, even global conversation about the issues that Oppenheimer was desperate to speak out about — about how to live in the atomic age, how to live with the bomb and about McCarthyism — what it means to be a patriot, and what is the role for a scientist in a society drenched with technology and science, to speak out about public issues.”

That's historian Kai Bird who co-wrote the Pulitzer-winning “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” working alongside the late Martin J. Sherwin. The screenplay for Nolan’s film is adapted from the book, which serves as a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American physicist who led the Manhattan Project in the creation of the atomic bomb.

That's the whole article & you can watch the trailer for Christopher Nolan’s OPPENHEIMER, coming to theaters on July 21st, below.

[fabiwasabiii]

[hello-god-its-me-sara]

[denimbex1986]

'It's July, which means it is also the month of Barbieheimer!

Light off some fireworks and don some pink because, in a little over a week, both Barbie and Oppenheimer will hit theaters. On July 21, these highly anticipated films will debut on the same day — and the world may never be the same. It's the movies, as God, Mattel, and Robert Oppenheimer intended.

But here's a little rundown in case this portmanteau has you scratching your head.

What is Barbieheimer?

If you are not, as the kids say, very online, you may be asking yourself, "What the hell is Barbieheimer?" Well, my friend, let me tell you — it is the cinematic event of the century. Not since Darth Vader told Luke that he was his father have we had a movie moment quite like this.

Barbieheimer is the mash-up of two films, Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. Some might say that a neon-pink Mattel toy and "death, destroyer of worlds" are counter-programming at its finest, but au contraire, cinephiles are here to tell you that the only thing that makes sense in this meaningless life is to see them both (preferably on the same day). While there are those that would paint this as a fierce rivalry, perhaps even a battle for cinema's soul, we prefer to think of it as an opposites attract rom-com.

As soon as people realized that these two highly anticipated movies (that are seemingly divergently opposed) were premiering on the same day, a new word was born — Barbieheimer. We believe it's listed in the dictionary as a synonym for perfection because Barbieheimer is the realization of the peak of human potential. It is, to borrow from another classic movie, the stuff that dreams are made of.

Is it "Barbieheimer" or "Barbenheimer"?

It's both, it's neither. Just like Barbie and Robert Oppenheimer, you can be whatever you want — a doctor, a prom queen, an astronaut, or even the inventor of the atomic bomb.

The thing about the internet is that no one agrees on anything and everyone wants to take credit for everything. Thus, the meme of this portmanteau has trended two ways — as both Barbieheimer and Barbenheimer. We suppose your preference is for whether you want to give more of the title to Barbie or Oppenheimer, but why choose when you can have both? (Though we draw the line at Oppenbarbie).

In the spirit of equity, Barbieheimer affords both films the same syllable count in the word.

What have the stars of Barbie and Oppenheimer said about Barbieheimer?

Just a reminder for when you're posting those thirst tweets that movie stars and directors read the internet too. Many members of the teams involved with Barbie and Oppenheimer have weighed in on the discourse about Barbieheimer. Imagine Christopher Nolan commenting on the Barbieheimer phenom — which he did! The filmmaker told IGN that he finds the obsession "terrific."

In a very "preserve the theatrical experience" type of way, he said, "Summer, in a healthy marketplace, is always crowded, and we've been doing this a long time. I think for those of us who care about movies, we've been really waiting to have a crowded marketplace again, and now it's here and that's terrific."

For her part, Barbie director Greta Gerwig is tickled pink by it all. "It's all love — double up, double up twice," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "I think you've got to see what the experience is, Barbie then Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer then Barbie. I think you've got to take all of the journeys."

Back in May, Matt Damon, who plays director of the Manhattan project, Leslie Groves, in Oppenheimer, was one of the first cast members to wade into the discourse. After Vanity Fair introduced him to the concept of Barbieheimer, Damon only had good will for both projects. "People are allowed to go see two movies in a weekend," he proclaimed. "Oppenheimer is one of them!"

Cillian Murphy, who plays the titular physicist in Oppenheimer, is similarly pro the double feature idea. "I can't wait to see Barbie," he told Spanish publication La Vanguardia. "I love Margot Robbie, I love Ryan Gosling, I want to see them now! I don't know what the debate is about, although it's not that I have an overwhelming opinion about it either. My advice would be for people to go see both, on the same day. If they are good films, that is what the cinema wins."

Even stars who aren't in either movie are getting in on the trend. Tom Cruise and his Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie encouraged fans to return to movie theaters this summer by posting photos of themselves with tickets for a Barbieheimer double feature.

However, Issa Rae, who features in Barbie, has some very specific thoughts about the order audiences should see the films. "[It's] hilarious," she told THR of the meme. "I love that there's solidarity though where people tried to pit us against one another, but now it's turned into like a double-feature situation. Obviously you should see Oppenheimer first and then cleanse your palate with Barbie. Oppenheimer is about an atomic bomb, people are gonna die. I want to end my weekend, I want to have mimosas and drinks and cocktails after Barbie, I don't want to like sulk."

What's the right way to watch Barbieheimer?

This brings us to the greatest question of our age — what order should you watch Barbieheimer? Is it better to start or end the day with Barbie? The internet is full of arguments for both preferences, but we're going to officially advocate for Oppenheimer first, Barbie second.

Look, we're journalists. We basically invented the concept of an all-nighter. We are not morning people. If we have to face our own mortality when we get up in the morning, we might as well do it while confronting the specter of nuclear holocaust too. Someone on Twitter suggested pouring yourself a cup of steaming black coffee and smoking a cigarette before you see Oppenheimer — and we endorse at least half of that (which half depends on whether our Health and Wellness officer is reading this). But let's be real, Oppenheimer is the hair of the dog — sobering and bracing in the utmost. It's a literal wake-up call.

Then, once you've plumbed the depths of man's capacity for evil, you can work through your existential crisis and your Oppenheimer-induced brush with nihilism with the aid of happy hour and some cosmopolitans ('cause they're pink, duh). Prepare your body to bathe in the magenta haze of Barbie. Ryan Gosling is just Ken, and you know what Ken? You're doing great, sweetie. Being just Ken is more than enough. Er, what's that? Barbie thinks about death too? Okay, maybe also book a reservation for post-Barbie drinks too.

Where can you find the best off-brand Barbieheimer merch?

Inside you there are two wolves and you need to let both of them out to play…

Just because Warner Bros. and Universal haven't teamed up on any movie swag doesn't mean there's not plenty of wardrobe options for Barbieheimer day. Designers on sites like RedBubble, TeePublic, and Etsy have created more designs than there are Barbie accessories.

We're big fans of this one, which features Barbie watching the pink mushroom cloud of the atomic bomb. It almost has Asteroid City vibes if you want to throw in another summer movie. Here's a similar take on the mash-up, this one with tons of t-shirt colors.

TeePublic also has plenty of Barbieheimer swag, including this t-shirt that conjoins Barbie and Oppenheimer's faces. If you want to get into the Frankenstein-assembled-parts nature of this odd mash-up, how about a Barbie t-shirt and an Oppenheimer t-shirt literally sewn together?

If you want something a bit more subtle, how about a baseball cap featuring Oppenheimer's famous cribbed quote, "Now I am Death, the Destroyer of Worlds" in the jaunty pink Barbie font? Might as well look cute while expressing your existential dread.

How are people embracing Barbieheimer?

Lest you think this is some internet trend with no application in the real world, think again.

Besides the aforementioned merch and buy-in from the stars of the movies, Barbieheimer is reaching the box office too. Variety reported that AMC Theaters has already sold over 20,000 same-day tickets for Barbie and Oppenheimer, suggesting that a not insignificant number of people are preparing to do the ultimate double feature. All that could add up to an awful lot of Barbie dream houses in ticket sales.

Whether you're the kind of person to think pink or one who walks around with a (mushroom) cloud hanging over their head, you can't deny the power and influence of Barbieheimer.'

[msclaritea]

"Breaking: Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and Paramount Pictures are battling it out to snatch up Danny Boyle's #28YearsLater.

"Warner Bros. is the current frontrunner to land the horror package."

Great. We're never gonna be rid of this privileged bastard. They're basically saying that Cillian Murphy has already been handed the oscars 2024 and all the talk about Paul Giamatti is just that. Notice that they have Michelle Yeoh in endless horror films, too.

There are horror genre films being announced every goddamn day.

[daveb0w]

'The Destroyer of Worlds'

'Oppenheimer' by Christopher Nolan