Cinema
Oppenheimer
Director Christopher Nolan certainly has a knack for creating gripping, intense, and immersive cinematic experiences, and his latest film Oppenheimer will not disappoint those of you partial to Nolan's somewhat dark, complex style of film-making laden with existential conundrums and paradoxes galore.
Boasting an all-star cast including Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Kenneth Branagh, and Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer is one part biopic and one part psychological thriller, recounting how US physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team of scientists developed the atomic bomb in a top-secret New Mexico facility at the height of World War II.
It's a film that toys with the concept of time, or more specifically, the countdown to doomsday as scientific progress clashes with the morality of creating a weapon with the god-like power to end all life on Earth. There are no easy answers here, and in true Nolan style he leaves it up to the viewer to ultimately piece this puzzle together.
Provocative and profound, Oppenheimer is an absolute must-see.
Barbie
At first glance, it's very, very easy to dismiss Barbie as just another shameless cash-in, and there's no doubt that Lady Bird director Greta Gerwig has had her work cut out for her in bringing a refreshingly modern and self-aware Barbie to the glory of the big screen.
Truth be told, Gerwig's Barbie is more of a playful satire than a flaky commercial reboot. Scratch the surface and this dated doll has been remoulded to embrace a brave new world where equality and diversity are celebrated and embraced.
Yes, it's hammy, OTT, and completely bonkers, but a director of Gerwig's quality knows exactly where she wants to go with this source material.
Prepare to be confused – and pleasantly surprised!
Netflix
They Cloned Tyrone
A comedy-sci-fi-thriller with an intriguing story and a top cast, Jamie Foxx and John Boyega star in this visually dazzling flick that tells the story of down-at-heel African American neighbourhood inhabited by pimps, prostitutes, and dealers, where some very strange things are going on. Playfully splicing murder mystery with a dash of cunning science fiction, director Juel Taylor gives us a colourful and multi-layered yarn that'll keep you invested in the action until the very end.
Disney +
The Bear – Season Two
Easily one of the most engaging and quality series to emerge in the past year, season one of The Bear was an absolute triumph, providing magnificent perform-ances, relatable characters, and a superbly simple storyline that saw talented young chef Carmy return home to Chicago to take over his family's run-down sandwich shop after his older brother's untimely death.
It's got the psychological complexity and emotional hand-wringing of David Chase's The Sopranos while delivering a tightly packaged foodie-family-drama as Carmy tries to turn a lazy and unambitious kitchen crew into a professional, hardworking and motivated team.
It doesn't get any better than this, folks – do not miss it.
