By John Corrado

New releases for the week of July 21st, 2023.

Theatrical Releases:

Barbie (Wide Release): This is the biggest day for movies in quite some time, with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer both opening in theatres (aka the Barbenheimer double bill). First let’s talk about Barbie. I saw it at one of the Blowout Party early screenings the other night, and Gerwig knocks it out of the park, taking what could have been a simple toy movie and crafting it into a gleefully entertaining yet also thought-provoking and even genuinely touching film about identity and autonomy. It features wonderful performances by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, who steals every scene as (just) Ken, while the colourful production design and costumes are a feast for the eyes. I’m kind of in awe at what Gerwig pulled off. I had a blast with this one, and it was great to see so many people in costumes at the theatre! (Full Review)

Oppenheimer (Wide Release): The second half of your Barbenheimer double bill is Oppenheimer, the latest film from modern master Christopher Nolan. Nolan’s film, which features a stacked cast, is a hard-hitting historical drama about scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy), and his race to invent the atomic bomb during World War II. It’s playing in IMAX and 70mm. (Review coming soon!)

20 Days in Mariupol (Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema): This portrait of the first few weeks of the war in Ukraine, captured by journalists on the ground covering Russia’s illegal invasion, is one of the toughest films you will likely ever see, but also a vital piece of documentary filmmaking that speaks to the importance of capturing video evidence in a world of propaganda and lies. (Hot Docs 2022 Review)

More Releases: Concrete Valley (TIFF Bell Lightbox), Cobweb (Limited)

Streaming Releases:

The Deepest Breath (Netflix): This A24-backed documentary (which arrives on Netflix after screening at Sundance and Hot Docs) is a portrait of champion free divers Alessia Zecchini and Stephen Keenan that plays as a mix of extreme sports documentary and tragic romance. It’s not quite in the same league as Free Solo or Fire or Love, but it plays in a similar vein, with director Laura McGann offering a mix of candid interviews and some stirring reenactments, including suspenseful underwater sequences. It’s worth checking out.

More Releases: They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix), The Bear: Season 2 (Disney+), Stephen Curry: Underrated (Apple TV+)