‘Barbie’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on October 18, 2023 by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

I went into “Barbie” with very little knowledge of the film beforehand. I was aware that it gained a lot of money at the box office, and I also knew it was the most talked about movie of the summer. It broke records at the box office, as stated, and it’s the rare film that has received positive reviews with critics and also with audiences as well. It’s an important film in today’s world. Of course, I heard of the Barbie brand name in my 38-years on this planet, but I didn’t consider myself the key demographic for this film. However, the expert direction of Greta Gerwig and the top-notch writing from herself along with her long-time partner, Noah Baumbach, made this a very, very enjoyable viewing experience. I also believe it can create healthy and meaningful conversations for families after they watch it together. It’s the power of cinema.

“Barbie” opens up by introducing us to Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) living in Barbieland. She sees a world populated by Barbies, Kens and other characters, even if it is full of mundane routines at times. One of the Barbies is even President (Issa Rae). One day, Stereotypical Barbie notices she has flat feet and is starting to think about her own mortality. This is met with confusion by those in Barbieland where everything, on the surface, is always sunshine, rainbows and lollipops. They tend to live in denial at times. The Kens like to hang out at the beach and seek approval from the Barbies. This most certainly applies to one Ken, played by Ryan Gosling. When Stereotypical Barbie meets Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), she realizes that someone has been playing with her and causing her to have bad breath, flat feet and even cellulite.

Ken insists on following her into the real world where he and Barbie are mocked, ridiculed and even thrown into prison. Barbie is not used to men making comments on her appearance and even groping her. Ken, on the other hand, likes it in the real world as he sees the opportunities and respect that come with being a man. He didn’t have those same privileges in Barbieland. Barbie meets young Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) who lays into Barbie about how she has given young women unrealistic expectations of how they should present themselves in the real world. This is news to Barbie, who becomes quite depressed.

When the Mattel CEO (Will Ferrell) finds out that Barbie is running loose in the real world, he wants to ensure she is put back into her box, as he doesn’t like the fact that worlds are colliding. Barbie also learns more about what caused her to have problems in Barbieland. She wants to find out how to make things better not only for herself, but for everyone else. Since Ken is starting to feel overly confident and selfish, this puts Barbieland in serious jeopardy. It’s up to Barbie, Sasha, and Sasha’s mother, Gloria (America Ferrera), to make things right not only for all of the Barbie’s out there, but for the entire Barbieland as well, which includes numerous Kens and also Allan, played by Michael Cera.

For a movie about a collection of dolls, “Barbie” has a lot to say, and it says it quite well with humor, intelligence and a powerful sense of self-awareness. The filmmakers are also not afraid to take Mattel to task as well for some of their decision making. This is a film about change, growth, empowerment, and being the best version of yourself. It’s also a beautiful looking film with some of the best cinematography I’ve seen in a long time. It’s filled with color, vividness and life. At times, the film can be a little too on the nose and it does lag a little in the end, but this is a really, really good movie that is hugely entertaining while also having a strong message behind it at the same time. It’s really remarkable what Gerwig has achieved with this film. She took a lot of chances with this film, but nine times out of ten, they were the right chances to take.

“Barbie” is going to cause an uproar with certain groups of people and, quite frankly, that is their burden to carry around with them. As the old expression goes, “For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who don’t, no explanation is good enough.” It’s fine if you don’t like the film, but if you are getting caught up in certain aspects of the film’s subject matter, you are missing the point entirely. “Barbie” is well-acted, well-made, incredibly funny, and it has a wit to it that I’m sure many audiences will appreciate.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are tremendous here, of course, and the rest of the cast is top-notch, featuring such actors as America Ferrera, Rhea Perlman, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Simu Liu, and Will Ferrell. They know exactly how to hit all of the right notes with this material. Everyone has bought into the film here, and they know how to sell it just perfectly. This is sophisticated humor, and the actors are never too over-the-top or winking at the camera too much. Of course, there are moments where the movie is breaking the fourth wall, such as when its narrator, Helen Mirren, talks about it not being a good idea by the filmmakers to have Margot Robbie complain about being ugly, but those moments make sense because it shows the movie is right there with the audience in terms of what we are thinking.

All in all, “Barbie” was one of my favorite viewing experiences of 2023. As stated earlier, it is not perfect. At times, it is a little too self-aware for its own good, and the last thirty minutes or so tend to drag a bit. However, it is easy to see why this film garnered so much attention at the box office and with mainstream audiences. A movie about Barbie could have easily been banal and vapid. Instead, they trusted that audiences can be smart and they want something more out of a Barbie movie. I really enjoyed “Barbie,” and I can’t wait to watch it again.

* * * ½ out of * * * *

4K Info: “Barbie” is released on a single-disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It also comes with a digital copy of the film. It is rated PG-13 for suggestive references and brief language. It has a running time of 114 minutes.

Video Info: The 4K look of this film is really, really on-point with its lively HDR and tremendous color palette. It is not so bright that it will hurt your eyes or cause any discomfort. It knows when to pop and when to shine and it always looks sharp, clear, and incredibly rich. It’s a visual feast for audiences. This movie was made for 4K.

Audio Info: The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is also vibrant and really consistent throughout the entire film. It has a nice bass to it, as there are tons of great songs sprinkled throughout the soundtrack of the film. Dialogue is easy to understand without any issues. Subtitles are in English, Spanish and French.

Special Features:

Welcome to Barbie Land – featurette

Becoming Barbie – featurette

Playing Dress-Up – featurette

Musical Make-Believe – featurette

All-Star Barbie Party – featurette

It’s A Weird World – featurette

Should You Buy It?

HECK YES!! I don’t care what age you are or what gender you identify as, if you have a sense of humor and heart, you will really, really enjoy Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” This is a great example of how to do a big studio film the right way while also making a ton of money at the box office. The audio and visual aspects are also top-notch and really, really well done. It’s a gorgeous looking transfer with an incredible Dolby Atmos soundtrack. We also get some pretty cool special features as well. “Barbie” is one of the biggest surprises of 2023, and it is the kind of film I love to see out of Hollywood. It comes out on 4K on October 17th, and it is a day-one purchase. I don’t know if there will be a steelbook edition at some point or not, but this is the kind of film you would not mind double dipping on in the future. This one comes highly recommended!

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free. The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ Movie and 4K/Blu-ray Review

Posted on May 30, 2023 by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit Correspondent, Tony Farinella.

Your enjoyment level for “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” will depend on how funny or clever you find its main protagonist, played by Zachary Levi. Personally speaking, he is an actor I’ve never been a fan of, especially in these films. I found his performance incredibly irritating, silly and annoying. I understand he’s trying to portray a silly high schooler as an adult who is learning how to be mature and deal with his new superpowers. However, I just found his performance to be very grating after a while. He’s very over the top. I’m all for a superhero film where they have some fun as it doesn’t have to be so dark and dreary throughout. There is room for every type of superhero film out there, and I fully respect and get that. However, he is not the right actor for balancing the goofy scenes along with the more serious action sequences.

Our film opens up in a museum in Athens, Greece where two of the three daughters of the Titan Atlas break in to steal the Wizard’s broken staff from the previous film. Billy Batson (Zachary Levi) is trying to keep his family together as he’s about to turn eighteen and is worried he will be thrown out of the house as his foster parents, Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans), are struggling to keep it all together financially. He’s also suffering from a case of imposter syndrome. In essence, he’s insecure and also struggling to figure out his place in the world. Can he keep his “Shazamily” of foster siblings together, as they are maturing and developing their own interests and unique personalities?

However, he has to act fast as two of the daughters of the Titan Atlas, played by Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, have captured his brother Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) along with a newly repaired Wizard staff. Early on, they are also dealing with controversy for their crime fighting methods in Philadelphia. In fact, they are now known as The Philly Fiascos thanks to some of their mishaps, even though their hearts were in the right place. As mentioned previously, the family has a lot on its mind. For Freddy Freeman, before he was captured, he had a crush on a girl named Anne, played by Rachel Zegler. Pedro Peña (Jovan Armand) is keeping a secret he’s not sure he’s ready to share with the world quite yet.

Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman) is trying to accept growing up while still being a kid at heart. Eugene Choi (Ian Chen) is preoccupied, and Mary Bromfield (Grace Caroline Currey) wants to get into college and is focusing on her studies. They must come together as a family and put their individual interests aside in order to conquer The Three Daughters of the Titan Atlas. They work better when they are together, but it is important they get on the same page and focus on the task at hand. From here on out, we get a lot of explosions, special effects, bad jokes, and a big finale. The film was never boring and it kept my attention for its over two-hour running time. However, it just fell flat for me because of Levi’s performance and just the fact that the film lost its sense of direction near the end and went all over the map.

I’m completely aware that sequels are part of Hollywood when a film is successful, especially when we are talking about a superhero film. People will flock to them. There is a built-in audience already. The “Shazam!” films have been directed by David F. Sandberg, and I was a huge fan of his previous two films: “Lights Out” and “Annabelle: Creation.” The film looks really good, as he has a keen visual sense. However, I didn’t feel the heart of the film as much as I would have liked, and it’s a big problem here. I liked it better than the first one, but when the lead actor is such a ham on screen and so phony and fake with his line readings and performance, it really takes you out of the story. I liked everyone else and thought they did a really good job, but once it becomes a bloated mess and Billy Batson turns into a one-line machine, the film just didn’t work for me. If you liked the first one, you will like the second one. If you didn’t, there isn’t anything here that is going to change your mind or convert you to this character and this franchise.

* * out of * * * *

4K Info: “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is released on a two-disc 4K and Blu-ray combo pack from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It has a running time of 130 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of action, violence and language. The film comes with a digital copy to be redeemed as well.

Video Info: We are treated to a beautiful Dolby Vision transfer here that really stands out and pops. The film looks beautiful on 4K, especially the action sequences. Even though they can be overdone and unnecessary at times, I can admit when they look beautiful. My issue is more of the fact they don’t hold as much weight when the emotional heart of the film isn’t present. The darks set the mood when it needs to, and the film is also filled with color and light when it calls for it.

Audio Info: The Dolby Atmos track is also really, really good here. With a film that relies heavily on action, you worry about the film being so loud that it takes you out of the film. Here, thanks to the Dolby Atmos track, it’s never too loud or soft. It’s perfect throughout the entire duration of the film.

Special Features:

SHAZAM! Let’s Make a Sequel – featurette

The Rock of Eternity: Decked Out – featurette

The Shazamily Reunion – featurette

The Zac Effect – featurette

The Sisterhood of the Daughters of Atlas – featurette

Pay By Play: Scene Breakdown – featurettes

Ben Franklin bridge collapse

Rooftop battle of the gods

Unicorn ride in Philadelphia

Epic showdown at the baseball stadium

The Mythology of Shazam! – featurette

Director’s Audio Commentary with David F. Sandberg

Deleted Scenes, Alternate & Extended Scenes

Should You Buy It?

As a 4K disc, it looks and sounds out of this world. I’m a big fan of what Warner Brothers does with its 4K releases. They really place a high importance on giving their big screen movies a proper release on 4K with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. There are also a lot of special features here, so if you enjoy “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” you will enjoy this disc and its special features. If I’m grading this movie overall, it’s just average. It was watchable and entertaining at times, but it’s a film I have no interest in rewatching, and I don’t think it will have great repeat value. There are rare moments where the heart of the film is on display, and I liked those moments. The main struggle here is the balance between comedy, action and drama. The film doesn’t quite pull this task off successfully during its over two-hour running time. When it does, it’s good fun. When it doesn’t, it’s very bland and uninteresting. This is a film in search of a tone. If you are a fan of this franchise, you will be happy with the 4K release. If you are watching this for the first time or didn’t enjoy the first one, this sequel is not going to win you over.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free. The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

Eye In The Sky

Posted on November 24, 2016 by The Ultimate Rabbit

When it comes to drone warfare, it seems like such an easier way to fight an enemy without having to put “boots on the ground.” But like Snake Plissken said over and over in “Escape from L.A.,” the more things change, the more they stay the same. Just as in previous wars, there will always be much destruction and an inevitable number of civilian casualties. The question comes to this: is war worth it? Is it worth having all these civilian casualties while trying to take out the enemy? Now some might think these are easy questions to answer, but this is not the case at all, especially to those at the front line.

This is made clear in Gavin Hood’s intense thriller “Eye in the Sky.” It stars Helen Mirren as Colonel Katherine Powell who has been tracking a British citizen-turned-terrorist for six years and finally has her tracked down in Kenya. Thanks to local operative Jama Farah (“Captain Phillips’” Barkhad Abdi) and his nifty high-tech surveillance, she discovers this spy is quickly preparing along with others to carry out suicide attacks. As a result, what started as a mission of capture becomes a mission to kill terrorists, and Colonel Powell has drone pilot Steve Watts (Aaron Paul of “Breaking Bad”) target the safe house the terrorists are in and is prepared to take them out, but then a 9-year-old girl enters the kill zone to sell some loaves of bread, and she won’t leave until she sells them all. This quickly triggers an international dispute as the United States and British governments debate over whether or not to take action.

While most war movies enthrall viewers with bullets and bombs exploding constantly, “Eye in the Sky” leaves us in sweat-inducing suspense as we wonder if and when an explosion will go off at all. What’s great about Guy Hibbert’s screenplay is it never condescends to its characters or give us annoying ones who are out to make bone-headed decisions for their own benefit. Every reason each character gives for firing or not firing at the target makes perfect sense, and it adds to how difficult the question of attacking these terrorists with this little girl nearby is to answer. On one hand, stopping these terrorists will prevent the loss of many lives, but if the little girl is killed it will come back to aid the propaganda wars being fought against governments. Everyone is looking for a way to keep the blood off their hands, but no one gets off easy.

Watching this situation play out reminded me of a scene from “Blue Thunder.” This classic 1980’s movie is about a high-tech helicopter, and the characters see it do a demonstration of a strafing run where red dummies are terrorists and the white ones are civilians. In the course of shooting at the targets, all the red dummies are blown away as well as a few white ones. This leads the government official Fletcher to tell helicopter pilot Frank Murphy, “There’s one civilian dead for every ten terrorists. That’s an acceptable ratio.” To this Murphy replies, “Unless you’re one of the civilians.”

You almost want to laugh at the government officials who keep trying to contact their higher ups to get permission to obliterate the terrorists as it comes across as passing the buck. But whether or not there is an advantage to attacking or not attacking, there’s also how the rest of the population will interpret how their governments act. This is something governments can never fully control, and they are fully aware of the consequences of doing something and of doing nothing.

Gavin Hood has had a tough time in Hollywood ever since he won the Best Foreign Film Oscar for “Tsotsi.” His abduction thriller “Rendition” received a mixed reception, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” proved to be a mess as it was undone by too much studio interference, and “Ender’s Game’s” chances of becoming a franchise of movies crashed as soon as it opened. But with “Eye in the Sky,” Hood is really in his element as he was once a soldier and has a clear understanding of the military’s responsibilities and the conflicts they endure. He’s also smart to not answer any of the questions the movie poses as he is not about to offer easy answers. Aside from the terrorists, there are no good or bad guys here, but instead, professionals trying to win a war against terrorism as well as the minds of the people.

Hood also shows how the drone pilots actually have it even harder than troops who see the action up close. They may be many miles away from their targets, but they can still see their targets up close and still have their finger on the trigger. At the movie’s press conference, Hood told reporters drone pilots have a higher rate of post-traumatic disorder than those troops who experienced armed combat up close. Having an actor like Aaron Paul playing the drone pilot gets this point across very well as we watch him suffer just as much as he did as Jesse Pinkman on “Breaking Bad.”

Mirren remains an impeccable actress, and she follows up her nasty turn as columnist Hedda Hopper in “Trumbo” with a much different character. Eager to stop another terrorist attack from happening, she undergoes tremendous stress while waiting for an answer from her commander. Mirren makes you feel her stress two-fold, and yet she never seems to break a sweat.

It’s also great to see Abdi here as he proves his Oscar-nominated performance in “Captain Phillips” was no fluke. His character is closest to the line of fire, and we watch as he does his best to do his work while under the prying eyes of fearsome soldiers. Abdi perfectly captures Jama’s desperation as he does what he can to save the little girl from a tragic fate, and he is riveting throughout.

The movie also contains the last onscreen performance from the late Alan Rickman who portrays Colonel Powell’s commanding officer, Lieutenant General Frank Benson. Rickman is as impeccable here as he has been in any other role he has played, and he will be deeply missed. He also has one of the movie’s most definitive lines which comes up towards the end, and he delivers it in a truly unforgettable way.

“Eye in the Sky” is one of those rare thrillers which thrills you just as much as it makes you think. The reality of drone warfare is hard to escape, and this is especially the case after watching this movie. As much as many of us want to leave life and death decisions up to others, Hood forces you to question what you would do in the same situation. You may not like the answers you come up with, but you can’t turn a blind eye to it forever.

By the way, in the case you were wondering, the Alan Parsons Project song of the same name is not featured in this movie. Bummer.

*** * * ½ out of * * * ***