Tiny Reviews Department: "Barbie", "Talk to Me", "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and "Past Lives"

• TALK TO ME

I followed a tip: don’t watch the trailer and just go watch the movie. I did it. And I liked it a lot. While it doesn’t offer the same level of satire as Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Talk to Me is a commentary about Gen Z’s TikTok and social media culture and how things derailed because of the need of being cool, the need of being seen and universally accepted. Sophie Wilde delivers an outstanding breakthrough performance here with an unsympathetic character she approaches with sensibility – even for those who never felt any warm towards Mia, there’s no way to deny her ability to carry the whole movie – and the young Joe Bird excels in some of the most terrifying scenes. As an horror piece, Talk to Me is never too scary, but it is chilling and it features some very graphic visual horror elements that can make you look away for some bits. It is never surprising, but it can cause nail bites. The makeup team’s work should be highlighted and so does the sound department. Considering the small sized budget, it’s impressive how Talk to Me was able to achieve the quality standards some big production horror film can’t. As a movie, it is very good. As an horror movie, it raises above the bar of recent ones.

RATING: 7/10 

• BARBIE

Greta Gerwig did it again. Her approach to the iconic doll is one of the funniest comedies in recent movie history and it offers an important comment on patriarchy, from a feminist and positive perspective. In fact, the contrast between the female-dominated Barbieworld and the real world is quite the best commentary possible on how the non-dominant gender has a lot of troubles in succeeding on having a relevant role in society. Margot Robbie is perfectly cast as Barbie (the one who’s anything than just the perfect version of Barbie) and she displays a whole range of emotions, embodying a doll AKA a woman having an existential crisis. In fact, Barbie is a movie about the search of meaning and the need to achieve something as a personal. The same search for meaning applies to Ken, played by an hilarious and magnetic Ryan Gosling – he excels as “a ten” trying to prove himself solely based on the fact that he’s a man after years relying his happiness on a woman’s acceptance of him. It’s a satire about how movie plots play reverse in the real world and that’s quite the smartest thing about Barbie. America Ferrera also excels in a scene-stealing monologue about the women’s role in society and the society’s expectations and (cruel) demands around women – here, she has the best lines in the whole movie and it’s a moving moment. Visually, everything looks perfect – the production design is amazing and the costume design is amazing to look at (and both play a huge part in the narrative itself). Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography graces the screen with beautiful colors and intense close-ups that highlight the acting qualities of the ensemble. Billie Eilish’s song “What Was I Made For” gets a delicate intensity due to the scene we first hear it, while “Just Ken” is a comedic number by itself and Gosling’s biggest star moment in the movie. In terms of directing, Greta Gerwig used a lot of classical references here – from 2001: A Space Odyssey-esque incredible opening sequence, to Singing in the Rain numbers or The Creation of Adam painting – and while they give the movie a very refined touch, I expected Gerwig to create her own future classical reference scenes. Don’t get me wrong… the simple fact of making this movie work is a huge accomplishment by itself, but I have a lot of faith in Gerwig and I really wanted her to go next level already. So, Barbie is a great time at the movies, with a very simple plotline we feel we have already seen somewhere, but with a lot of satire and social comment. Lovely and smart and somewhat delightful.

RATING: 8/10

• SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE

This movie (and its previous installment) made me realize Spider-Man movies should have always been animated features. I was really hyped for this one and it didn’t disappoint. Many regard it as an animated super-hero movie, but I found Across the Spider-Verse as a coming-of-age tale. Like Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, where the main character has a love interest, the real love story here is not between Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, but between Miles and his parents – and that’s the most beautiful thing about Across the Spider-Verse. In terms of ideas, it features some very complex ones (the concept of multiverse, the concept of chain reaction, the concept of interference in time and future dimensions), but it succeeds in its execution, not only because these ideas are well-explored in the script, but also because of the direction of Joaquim dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K.  A very well written movie, better than many award-winning ones in this department, and it has incredible visuals to match and a dope score that also features amazing tunes. It’s a world of many colors, with perfectly stylized characters that recall their own different worlds and backgrounds (with Spider-Woman/Gwen Stacy’s world winning the title of “the most beautiful world” thanks to its amazing use of colors) and the ensemble voice cast delivers without any false note. An engaging plotline makes the audience go deep dive in the multiple Spider-Man worlds and the final plot twist will leave you really looking for the next chapter of this story. It might well end-up as my favorite film of the year (it is, so far).

RATING: 9,5/10

• PAST LIVES

A tale of innocent and platonic love of two individuals that shared a childhood but then grew-up apart only to meet again years later. The plot is quite simple and you feel you have already seen this kind of story being told, but what elevates Past Lives above other romantic dramas is its sensibility. Celine Song’s directorial debut (she also wrote the screenplay) is handled in a way that’s able to carry many delicate feelings and emotions. It almost makes the audiences wondering about a meta approach: “what if… they have met before in their adult lives?”, “what if… she has never leaved Seul?” or “what if she wasn’t married already?” – and that’s proof about how compelling this narrative actually is. Past Lives also works beautifully thanks to a pair (or a trio) of fantastic acting performances from both Greta Lee and Teo Yoo. And while Lee’s acting turn as a very down-to-earth, feminist and strong willed woman who’s decided to conquer the world in her own way is a fascinating one and she carries the movie on her back, truth is Teo Yoo was the one who moved me the most with his soulful eyes and a heart full of hope. Lee got my attentions, but Yoo got my heart. In fact, I only felt the real emotional punch of the movie in the last scene, something I believe to be on purpose – Song presents us something that’s very stoic on the surface, but then she uncovers all the feelings and heart underneath it. I was never bored, but at times I felt the movie to be underwhelming… then the third act almost got my heart crying. That was the moment I was able to understand that everything prepared the audience for that last scene. Past Lives grew a lot on me since the moment I watched it… and it still grows on me, to be honest.

RATING: 9/10