Film & TV Lunch Club: July 2023 - Think Pink
Marie Antoinette, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Legally Blonde
July 2023 has been a long time coming (for me, anyway). The peculiar, extensive and genius build up to Greta Gerwig’s third feature film, Barbie, has got the world in a bit of a tizz. A couple of key moments in getting me fully invested were reading comments from the interview in The Hollywood Reporter where Margot Robbie said, “All we can say is whatever you're thinking, it's not that,” and then when the first trailer dropped in December last year parodying 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is highly anticipated and I hope it will be much loved on release.
Barbie | Teaser Trailer | Warner Bros Pictures
I know the discourse has often steered into a competition about whether people will go to see Barbie or Oppenheimer (why has everything got to be so polarised? Many people will likely see both and enjoy them both - people can be more complex than ‘this or that’), but this friendly rivalry will likely result in better box office takings for both films. Plus, how incredible is it having two non-franchise films being the centre of the summer cinema calendar for a change?!
After talking about it extensively in multiple WhatsApp groups and after looking through this Twitter thread compiling some of the marketing for the film (why wouldn’t I want my two bedroom terrace house to smell like the Barbie Dreamhouse?), I am giddy at the thought of going to see Barbie when it’s released on 21 July. And, for the record, I will probably double-bill it with Nolan’s biopic because otherwise I’ll get film FOMO.
Back to Barbie: to mark this iconic and magenta-infused occasion, this month’s theme is ‘Think Pink’. We’re honouring the film that contributed to a worldwide shortage of pink paint by engulfing ourselves in a selection of rose, watermelon, bubblegum and fuchsia hues captured by filmmakers to date. Some of them are drenched in pink, while others use pink sparingly, and some have a notably pink scene, prop or element - Natalie Portman’s wig in Closer, for example!
Below you will find the selection of titles to watch for the theme, as well as a long list which you can use as a watchlist. Each film on the short list has a method for watching but please note that these are correct as of today (for UK viewers) and are subject to change.
🎞 July Selection 🎞
The Grand Budapest Hotel Trailer | Dir. Wes Anderson
Marie Antoinette (2006; Dir. Sofia Coppola)
The retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 14 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen, and ultimately the fall of Versailles. Stream on Lionsgate+ or rent from on Apple TV, Amazon, Google or YouTube.The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014; Dir. Wes Anderson)
A writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge. Stream on Disney +.Legally Blonde (2001, Dir. Robert Luketic)
Elle Woods, a fashionable sorority queen, is dumped by her boyfriend. She decides to follow him to law school. While she is there, she figures out that there is more to her than just looks. Stream on the MGM Amazon channel or rent from Amazon and other online retailers.
🎬 The Long List: Optional Extras 🎬
Other notable films/TV shows suggested for the theme:
Grease - Good girl Sandy Olsson and greaser Danny Zuko fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance? Look out for the Pink Ladies!
Mean Girls - “On Wednesdays we wear pink.”
Suspiria - A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.
Spring Breakers - Four college girls hold up a restaurant in order to fund their spring break vacation. While partying, drinking, and taking drugs, they are arrested, only to be bailed out by a drug and arms dealer.
Pretty in Pink - A poor girl must choose between the affections of dating her childhood sweetheart or a rich but sensitive playboy.
Barbarella - Barbarella, an astronaut from the 41st century, sets out to find and stop the evil scientist Durand Durand, whose Positronic Ray threatens to bring evil back into the galaxy.
But I’m a Cheerleader - A naive teenager is sent to rehab camp when her straitlaced parents and friends suspect her of being a lesbian.
The Pink Panther - Bumbling Inspector Clouseau must solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and find out who stole the infamous Pink Panther diamond.
Pink Floyd: The Wall - A confined but troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.
Atomic Blonde - An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.
Last Night in Soho - An aspiring fashion designer is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer. But the glamour is not all it appears to be and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something darker.
The Love Witch - A modern-day witch uses spells and magic to get men to fall in love with her, with deadly consequences.
The Neon Demon - An aspiring model, Jesse, is new to Los Angeles. However, her beauty and youth, which generate intense fascination and jealousy within the fashion industry, may prove themselves sinister.
A Cinderella Story - Routinely exploited by her wicked stepmother, the downtrodden Samantha Montgomery is excited about the prospect of meeting her Internet beau at the school's Halloween dance.
Singin’ in the Rain - A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Closer - The relationships of two couples become complicated and deceitful when the man from one couple meets the woman of the other.
Burlesque - A small-town girl ventures to Los Angeles and finds her place in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer.
Drive - A mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - A young woman separated from her lover by war faces a life-altering decision.
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters - A fictionalized account in four chapters of the life of celebrated Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.
Valley of the Dolls - Film version of Jacqueline Susann's best-selling novel chronicling the rise and fall of three young women in show business.
Barbie in the Nutcracker - Barbie shows that if you are kind, clever and brave, anything is possible in this tale of Clara and her amazing Nutcracker , who set off on an adventure to find the Sugarplum Princess.
If you watch along this month, please comment with your thoughts on the selection! Similarly, if you have any other suggestions for the longlist, feel free to share your recommendations.
🔜 Next Month 🔜
The theme for August will be SISTERS so if you have any recommendations for this one ahead of time, just drop me a message or comment!
I love this theme! I discovered The Umbrellas of Cherbourg in college and I have loved it ever since.