Couch Theater – December 28, 2023

#MiddleburyCT #Movies

“Barbie” (PG-13) – The highest-grossing film of 2023, clocking in at $1.4 billion, is finally out on streaming! Margot Robbie stars as the titular character in director Greta Gerwig’s fourth feature film opposite a very sassy Ryan Gosling as none other than Ken. The film follows Barbie in Barbieland as she experiences an existential crisis after waking up one day and no longer being “stereotypically perfect.” With the help of Ken, Barbie travels to the real world in an attempt to find the child who’s playing with her – her “owner,” if you will – so that she can return to her perfectly pink life. So far, its director, lead actress and supporting actor are all nominated for Golden Globes, and the film itself is nominated in the Best Motion Picture and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement categories. With the cultural movement that “Barbie” became this summer, the last nomination should be theirs for the taking! (Max)

Barry Keoghan, left, and Archie Madekwe star in “Saltburn.” (Prime Video photo)

“Saltburn” (R) – “The Banshees of Inisherin” star Barry Keoghan jumps into the role of Oliver Quick, a misunderstood, straight-edge student at Oxford University who struggles to fit in with his classmates. After a coincidental meeting with a popular student named Felix (Jacob Elordi), Oliver becomes fast friends with Felix and eventually gets invited to spend the summer at Felix’s family estate, called Saltburn. The estate is buzzing with bizarre characters who filter in and out of the lavish property, including fellow Oxford student Farleigh (Archie Madekwe) and family friend Pamela (Carey Mulligan). As the summer comes to an end, Oliver realizes that the life he enjoyed at Saltburn is the only life he wants to live. Out now, this psychological thriller is director Emerald Fennell’s sophomore film, her debut being “Promising Young Woman,” which also features Mulligan. (Prime Video)

“Beau Is Afraid” (R) – Directed by Ari Aster (“Midsommar”), this film features Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix – and got Phoenix his seventh Golden Globe nomination. He plays Beau, the son of a wealthy businesswoman named Mona who grew up to become a very anxious, accident-prone adult. Beau receives news that his mother died in an accident as he was on his way to visit her, and as if his astronomically bad luck couldn’t possibly get worse, he gets into an accident himself after hearing the news. While the date of his mother’s funeral looms closer, all of his plans to get there go awry, and Beau surrenders to a series of trippy experiences that push him to let out the grief and guilt surrounding him. With an ensemble cast of Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Michael Gandolfini and more, this surrealist horror film is out now, after a disappointing box-office release. (Paramount+)

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