Barbenheimer is upon us

The Independent’s entertainment newsletter [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( July 22, 2023 [View in browser](   You wait ages for the most anticipated film of the year, then two come along at once. This weekend, Christopher Nolan’s three-hour epic [Oppenheimer](and Greta Gerwig’s dayglo fever dream [Barbie](are out in cinemas, and the battle of Barbenheimer finally reaches the cinema-going public. Obviously, it's a bit arbitrary to pit a serious film about the inventor of the atomic bomb against a playful riff on an iconic plastic toy, just because they’re out on the same weekend, but it will be intriguing see where the audience’s appetite lies. (Also: I agree with my colleague Ellie Muir that Boppenheimer would have been a far more enjoyable portmanteau.) The good news is that it should be a delectable summer for moviegoers either way, with both films garnering strong reviews this week. Our critic Clarisse Loughrey was more partial to Barbie, [awarding it five stars]( and calling it “one of the most inventive, immaculately crafted and surprising mainstream films in recent memory”. But [she rated Oppenheimer too](, describing it as Nolan’s “best and most revealing work” in her four star review. Don’t miss our Saturday Interview today with Nolan and star Cillian Murphy, more of which below… 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' arrive in cinemas this weekend (Warner Bros/Universal) Elsewhere this week, I found Timothy Spall’s performance in BBC drama The Sixth Commandment almost unbearably poignant to watch. Ellie Harrison’s[feature on the heartbreaking true story behind the show is a must-read](. Nick Duerden’s [interview with actor-turned-novelist Kate Hardie](, whose debut is an unflinching account of motherhood, is truly excellent, as is Andrzej Lukowski’s profile on[departing Royal Court artistic director Vicky Featherstone](. (Her successor, New Diorama founder David Byrne, [was announced this week](.) Also: it was a great starter for ten for Amol Rajan, who won five stars from Sean O’Grady [for his first stint in the University Challenge chair](. Lucy Webster wrote that the furore around comedian Rosie Jones’s documentary, Am I a R*tard, [distracts from its important message](. Nicole Vassell [talked to Doctor Who star Pearl Mackie]( about her new play about Grenfell at the National Theatre, which she thinks “might be the most important job I ever do”. And finally, don’t miss this [excellent look at the novelists who are skewering the ickiness of true crime](, by Katie Rosseinsky. On her recommendation, I’m reading Rebecca Makkai’s I Have Some Questions For You and it’s brilliant. Jessie [@jessiecath](   What to do this weekend Books | [Seventeen by Joe Gibson]( Expect this to be one of the most talked about books of the year. Written under a pseudonym, this shocking memoir describes the affair between a 17-year-old male student at a prestigious private school, and his 35-year-old female teacher. Now an adult, Gibson assesses the impact the relationship had on his life, and demonstrates the stark failures in duty of care that he experienced during the 1990s. Jessie Thompson | Arts editor [@jessiecath](   Theatre | [Grenfell: In the Words of the Survivors]( Verbatim theatre specialist Gillian Slovo has turned her hand to the experiences of those impacted by the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Using interviews conducted with survivors, Slovo's show puts their experiences centre stage. Doctor Who star Pearl Mackie appears in the production, and [spoke to Nicole Vassell this week]( about how this may be the "most important job I ever do". Jessie Thompson | Arts editor [@jessiecath](   Film | [Oppenheimer]( Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan’s best and most revealing work. It’s a profoundly unnerving story told with a traditionalist’s eye towards craftsmanship and muscular, cinematic imagination. Here, [Nolan treats one of the most contested legacies of the 20th century]( – that of J Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy), the “father of the atomic bomb” – as a mathematical puzzle to be solved. Clarisse Loughrey | Film critic   Film | [Barbie]( While it’s impossible for any studio film to be truly subversive, especially when consumer culture has caught on to the idea that self-awareness is good for business (there’s nothing that companies love more these days than to feel like they’re in on the joke), [Barbie gets away with far more than you’d think was possible](. It’s a project that writer-director Greta Gerwig, co-writer (plus real-life partner and frequent collaborator) Noah Baumbach, and producer-star Margot Robbie were free to work on in relative privacy, holed up during the pandemic away from the meddlesome impulses of Warner Bros and Mattel executives. Clarisse Loughrey | Film critic   TV | [Am I a R*tard?]( In this Channel 4 documentary, Rosie Jones doesn’t hide away from just how vile the ableism she receives can be. Despite the pressure on disabled people in the public eye to always be positive and strong (lest we invite even more unwanted pity), Jones makes the tough decision to show the emotional toll being on the receiving end of hatred and abuse inevitably takes. In doing so, I think she manages to take what some might perceive as weakness and turn it into strength. Lucy Webster | Writer     [The Saturday Interview – Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy]( [Oscars image]( Cillian Murphy stars in 'Oppenheimer', the latest film from Christopher Nolan (Universal) How's this for a blockbuster? This weekend,[Jacob Stolworthy speaks to the formidable due behind Oppenheimer](, director Christopher Nolan and star Cillian Murphy, to find out more about what goes into making one of the biggest films of the year. Murphy in 'Oppenheimer' (Universal) Read an extract from our Saturday Interview below… Nolan’s “encyclopaedic” knowledge of Oppenheimer protected Murphy from becoming too aware of any pressures his director was facing. Instead, he searched for a way to “connect with and find the truth” of Oppenheimer “in every moment” of the film. In preparation, the actor watched David Lean’s 1962 epic (and noted Nolan favourite) Lawrence of Arabia “in terms of the scale and the life story aspect”. Also on the homework list was MiloÅ¡ Forman’s Amadeus (1984) “because of Salieri and Mozart, that kind of competitive relationship”, which was echoed via Oppenheimer’s dealings with the slippery philanthropist Lewis Strauss (Downey Jr), a key increasingly obstructive figure from Oppenheimer’s life in the years following his creation of the bomb. [Read the full interview here](   Weekend Shelf-Care Weekend Shelf-Care Michael Pedersen It's unsurprising that Scottish poet Michael Pedersen has been shortlisted for a new category at the Forward Prize, one that specifically rewards the performance of work itself. Pedersen's readings of his poetry, which explores love, loss, friendship and masculinity, are some of the most extraordinarily engaging that I've heard. Last year, he published a memoir, Boy Friends, about his friendship with late Frightened Rabbit singer, Scott Hutchison. Now comes his third poetry collection, The Cat Prince & Other Poems. A book I recently read and loved is… Sara Pascoe’s Weirdo, her first fiction novel after a couple of sublime dollops of non-fiction. It’s brilliantly bizarre, full of chirrups and quirks. Nearly every page conjured some sort of visceral reaction from my body — whether a wince, gasp, guffaw, grimace or yelp. The central character of Sophie Collins, and the world that orbits around her, has been masterfully and mischievously sculpted. My three fantasy literary dinner party guests would be… Ada Limón — the current US Poet Laureate: her pounding horse heart / genius beating machine, her triumphing like a girl, her praise of mystery, her raincoat sanctum, I want to hear more of it all. JRR Tolkien — I grew up on his books, immersed in his world, his language and lore, to feast and cup clink with Middle Earth’s architect is not something I could miss. Arthur Rimbaud — yes, a version of himself that’s part the spry star-gazer from the poems and part Leonardo DiCaprio’s depiction of him in Total Eclipse. Not finishing books: my stance is… Give it everything you’ve got, persevere, pontificate, prod at the papery edges, let it rest and come back to it revivified, ruffle its feathers, there may be majesty just around the corner/over the flip of a page. But if it’s still not thrumming for you, then move on — there’s too much gloriousness out there waiting to be read to thrust forth regardless. As Andrew Weatherall said: Fail We May, Sail We Must. My writing routine is… Gonzo, galumphing and gracious — it cheeps to the tune of the vicissitudes of life. I’ve convinced myself I’m at my peak on intense residencies in kooky buildings in remote locations, but arguably I’m at my floruit in my wee bunker of a flat in the west end of Glasgow pretending I’m on a residency at home. The desk features a mountain of books I’m drawing from, the walks are soundtracked by literary podcasts. Coffee and fruit shakes over wine and a pipe. 'The Cat Prince and Other Poems' by Michael Pedersen is out now in hardback (Corsair, £12.99) Enjoy a year of unlimited digital access for just £99 £20 ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   [INDYBEST]( / [BEST BUYS]( [12 best changing robe for camping, outdoor watersports and beach days]( These [insulated, waterproof coats]( keep you warm and dry (and bang on trend). 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