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Teodora’s Movie Reviews: “Joker: Folie à Deux” (2024)

*Spoilers will be discussed* Few would have expected a sequel to Joker (2019), exactly 5 years later. The main reason comes down to the fact that it genuinely seemed as if there would be strictly a stand-alone movie, approaching the figure of the villain far more differently than any superhero blockbuster. Todd Phillips’ Joker brought on-stage a seemingly ordinary man, but with a far less typical life, given the burden he’s had to carry since forever. Arthur Fleck, the protagonist, was shown to be falling deeper into madness, as a result of abject circumstances, both back home and in a crumbling Gotham City from the 80s. The latest version of Joker was, consequently, the “product” of a miserable childhood, an aggravated mental illness and a society that would mostly turn a blind eye to individuals similar to Arthur. Those familiar with the first film would, perhaps, attest to the idea that the story had an impactful message and provided a well-thought-out and self-enclosed world
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Teodora’s Movie Reviews: “Barbie” (2023)

*A few spoilers will be discussed* Since July 21 (known hereafter as Barbenheimer day, as a result of the well-known, simultaneous release of two seemingly contrasting films, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer ), I’ve returned to the former two more times, ultimately having me wonder, on each occasion, what brings me back to the cinema, after all. The go-to answer is that there is something inevitably addictive about the movie’s (smart) silliness, accurately showcasing how dolls present themselves, how people (children and adults) tend to handle them and how playtime unfolds. How can one not have fun when they discover that Margot Robbie’s Barbie is to be seen walking around in tippy toes, even when she’s not wearing high heels? Going further, small daily activities, such as eating, drinking, brushing teeth, showering, will look simulated to viewers, but feel real strictly to the featured dolls (for you may still end up with a carton of expired milk in Barbi

Teodora’s Book Reviews: “Be Prepared” by Vera Brosgol (First Second Books, 2018)

Summer camps may easily be gold mines of bizarre and humorous events, as literary / cinematic pieces have demonstrated time and again. Vera Brosgol’s graphic novel Be Prepared (2018) announces the same atmosphere, which is most certainly eccentric, almost chaotic (despite the rules that are never absent within camps) – and yet, the book manages to stand out due to the author’s cultural angle. What the readers receive is the unfiltered perspective of a nine-year-old Vera (since the featured recollections are inspired from Brosgol’s real-life childhood), who has moved from Russia to America at the age of five and struggles to fit not just in American sisterhoods, but also in a taxing Russian summer camp. The fact that Brosgol draws significant inspiration from her own experiences as a young immigrant and camper gives the plot a particular charm which cannot be reproduced that simply. There’s a curious mixture of absurdity and solemnity throughout young Vera’s accounts, all engulfed by

“Millennial History” and “Symphony of Progress”: Access to Reality through Contemporary Theatre

(upper side: Symphony of Progress ; lower side: Millennial History ) “ Do you think we are naïve? ” “ No. Naïve is a too diplomatic term. People is ignorant. [sic] Misinformed, uninterested. Not naïve. ” A brief exchange as such is what has stuck with me since going to the documentary-concert Millennial History (Resonate Productions, Netherlands), at the beginning of this month. Those same lines resurfaced even more prominently while attending a radio-like play called Simfonia progresului / Symphony of Progress (HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Germany & teatru-spălătorie, Moldova). Both performances were part of the National Theatre Festival held in Bucharest (5-13 November 2022) and they have ended up reminding people that contemporary theatre has different purposes altogether, namely to be – or feel – real . To openly address political and social issues. Ultimately, to urge the members of the audience to step out of their wilful blindness. The two shows do have different origins an

Teodora’s Movie Reviews: “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022)

This year’s summer kicked off quite beautifully with the hit movie Top Gun: Maverick (and this comes from someone who hadn’t watched the prequel from 36 years ago). I only set off with a concise synopsis and awaited the development of the story (and was occasionally told by my mother, during the screening, that certain scenes were almost – or entirely – replicas of ones from the 1986 film). The echoes start right away, with the intro being shot from the same angles, in the same setting, with the same soundtrack (the Top Gun theme song, soon changing to the invigorating Danger Zone from Kenny Loggins). For some reason, whether you are familiar with Tony Scott’s 1986 motion picture or not, the theme track’s chime seems to instantly enthral people of different generations, one way or another. For whom does the bell toll? Apparently for us all. In time, it has become only partially clear why Joseph Kosinski’s sequel has had quite a resonant impact on individuals who had barely heard

Teodora’s Movie Reviews: “Thor: Love and Thunder” (2022)

*Spoilers will be discussed (spoilers for this movie and other films belonging to Phase 4 of the MCU)* The fourth instalment. Of Thor . The latest addition. In Phase 4. Given the massive success of Thor: Ragnarok back in 2017 (for the movie did ensure some comic relief within the Marvel universe and provided us with a fresh perspective of Thor himself), plenty were eager to know where Love and Thunder would be heading to and whether it would preserve a similar tone. This time around, the director, Taika Waititi, was also in charge of the script, amping up the entire atmosphere – and it showed. His visions, somewhat clashing with Marvel’s trademarks, definitely sparked some heated opinions from comic / MCU-savvy fans (in opposition to Waititi’s separate devoted audience). Some belong to both of these categories – and they might just notice how Love and Thunder manages to equally be a Marvel production and a Waititi film, blending characteristics from each side in a curious, but c