Month: July 2023

‘Barbie’ fashions an enjoyable, ingenious cinematic playdate

Jeff Mitchell

“Barbie” (2023) – I’m a Barbie girl in the Barbie world.  Life in plastic.  It’s fantastic.” – Aqua, “Barbie Girl” (1997) “Ain’t that America?  Home of the free, yeah.  Little pink houses for you and me.”  – John Mellencamp, “Pink Houses” (1983) Ruth Marianna Handler created the original Barbie doll in 1959, and she, the President of Mattel, Inc. from 1945 to 1974, launched a billion-dollar-a-year toy juggernaut.  The 11.5-inch blonde-hair trendsetter/fashionista/all-American woman resonated with an unfathomable number of girls (and some boys) for 64 years.  Mattel launched multicultural varieties…

‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ has a one-note plot but conducts a symphony of bold, brawny action

Jeff Mitchell

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (2023)– James Bond is dead.  The “No Time to Die” (2021) filmmakers sadly saw to that. Long live Ethan Hunt!  Twenty-seven years ago, “Mission: Impossible” (1996) – a feature film directed by Brian De Palma and starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt – revived memories of the long-running television show (1966 – 1973), and the movie recaptured that famous theme song, along with a lit fuse that danced across the screen.  Who would’ve thought that almost three decades later, Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible” series…

‘Joy Ride’ is a wild, uproarious trip, the funniest movie of the year so far

Jeff Mitchell

“Joy Ride” (2023) – Have you ever grabbed some friends and organized a road trip?  Who hasn’t, right? Think back to that ride to the ballgame, amusement park, beach, or “the second largest ball of twine on the face of the Earth” (a “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983) reference).  Did all your plans go perfectly?  Of course not; mine rarely do, if ever.  Going through the memory Rolodex of foolishness, I can recall: severely burning the top of my head – for the first time – at an all-day outdoor concert…