New movies this weekend: Party with 'Barbie,' watch Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'
Gird your loins, America: "Barbenheimer" is finally upon us.
This weekend, that fabulous doll Barbie comes to the big screen with a meta comedy fantasy starring Margot Robbie and directed by Greta Gerwig. And if you're thinking double feature, then you'll of course want to pair it with Christopher Nolan's historical thriller about J. Robert Oppenheimer, with Cillian Murphy as the man behind the atomic bomb. Elsewhere, John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx headline a Netflix sci-fi Blaxploitation mystery comedy and NBA star Stephen Curry gets the documentary treatment, courtesy of Apple TV+.
Here's a guide to new movies that will satisfy every cinematic taste, plus some noteworthy theatrical films making their streaming and on-demand debuts this weekend:
If you dig positive messaging with your existential crises: 'Barbie'
There's plenty of sass and sensibility in this zany adventure that's as enjoyably self-aware as "The Lego Movie" but takes the time to tackle big issues like identity and the meaning of life. When things begin to go awry in her idyllic Barbie Land existence, Sterotypical Barbie (Robbie) heads to the Real World – with a nitwit Ken (Gosling) in tow – to fix the situation. The film is packed with clever gags and pop-culture references, though its big heart and honest view of the world through a doll's eyes are what you'll remember most.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you think World War II history is the bomb: 'Oppenheimer'
Blistering and thought-provoking, Nolan's true-life thriller chronicles Oppenheimer's work with the Manhattan Project of the 1940s and America's race to develop the atomic bomb before the Nazis and Russians. Murphy's phenomenal as Oppenheimer, a flawed genius who rises to become a hero but is later vilified by the country he loves: The scientist's moral quandaries and public criticism of the country's post-war arms race makes enemies of powerful men, including politically minded foe Lewis Strauss (a fantastic Robert Downey Jr.).
Where to watch: In theaters
If you have a fondness for Blaxploitation cinema: 'They Cloned Tyrone'
A satirical mashup of 1970s style with contemporary social issues, the groovy sci-fi pulp mystery centers on Fontaine (John Boyega), a drug dealer who's shot dead by a rival. Fontaine wakes up the next morning, is confused by folks wondering how he's still alive, and alongside a couple of associates – pimp Slick Charles (Foxx) and prostitute Yo-Yo (Parris) – begins to undercover a sinister underground conspiracy in the Black community that involves mind control and, yep, cloning.
Where to watch: Netflix
If you're a big hoops nerd: 'Stephen Curry: Underrated'
A shiny new documentary about the NBA's all-time three-point champ makes sense. But director Peter Nicks (also behind the recent Hulu doc "Anthem") mostly avoids Curry's pro career and focuses on his underdog story as he becomes a quiet, undersized North Carolina high school phenom and then slowly takes the college basketball world by storm at Davidson. The movie also takes a fascinating look at Curry's personal life, the long road to getting his degree and the support system that made him not only the player but the man he is today.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
If you want to be majorly creeped out: 'Cobweb'
Eight-year-old Peter (Woody Norman) is bullied at school and finds no sanctuary at home due to the constant taps coming from inside his bedroom wall. His cold parents (Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr) don't believe him and want him to knock it off. But after the mysterious presence begins talking to him, Peter acts out violently and starts to think his mom and dad are hiding something. The opening of the family horror is much stronger than the ending, but there are enough delightfully freaky sights overall to make this a must-see summer chiller.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you could use a remarkable romance: 'The Deepest Breath'
The gripping documentary follows the separate lives and later, the close relationship between Italian freediving prodigy Alessia Zecchini and safety diver Stephen Keenan, whom the record-breaking champion hires to train her to conquer the legendary but dangerous Blue Hole in Egypt. While it's best to not know much more than that, the movie is an insightful exploration of the hows and whys of a death-defying sport and crafts a heartbreaking and life-affirming love story between two adventurous athletes forever bonded.
Where to watch: Netflix
Dive in: 'The Deepest Breath': Love and danger mix in Netflix's heart-wrenching freediving movie
If you prefer your action movies completely cheesy: 'Mad Heidi'
A gore-filled, grindhouse take on the classic children's book "Heidi," this gonzo B-movie set in a dystopian Switzerland stars Alice Lucy as the title Swiss girl who's taken from her grandfather and locked up in a brutal women's prison by a dairy-pushing fascist dictator (Casper Van Dien) with no mercy for the lactose-intolerant. Heidi escapes, of course, and is turned into an ax-wielding warrior in pigtails for a "Swissploitation" adventure full of female bodybuilders pumping blocks of cheese, machine gun lunacy and many homages to shlock cinema.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play
Also on streaming
The DC superhero film "The Flash," which features Ezra Miller (playing two different versions of the Scarlet Speedster) and Michael Keaton back in Batman's cape and cowl, is now available to rent/buy on Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play and Amazon.
The animated coming-of-age comedy "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken," about a teen girl (voiced by Lana Condor) who learns she's the latest in a long line of monstrous protectors of the sea, is also available to buy/rent on Apple TV and other on-demand platforms.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New movies to watch: 'Barbie,' 'Oppenheimer,' 'They Cloned Tyrone'
