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While We Watched is a captivating, provocative and illuminating documentary about the struggles of Ravish Kumar, an Indian journalist, to report the fair, honest and balanced news in India where Narendra Modi serves as Prime Minister. Kumar knows how important journalistic integrity is, but he faces a lot of opposition and even death threats for daring to report the truth and to criticize as well as question the government. No matter what setbacks he experiences, he remains determined to continue to maintain his journalistic integrity without caving in to complacency by kissing the government's ass---or to be the government's whore like other media outlets are. Director Vinay Shukla does a great job of following Ravish Kumar's experiences at work at NDTV India while also showing some glimpses of his life at home with his wife and daughter. He's lucky to have a loving, supportive wife. Fortunately, Shukla doesn't dwell on his private life, though, so this doc is mostly focused on Ravish Kumar's work as a journalist. Kumar comes across as a brave, diligent, warm and compassionate critical-thinker who encourages his viewers to think critically, too. It's an uphill battle, especially when his ratings plummet. While We Watched is very well-edited and often fast paced which makes it feel more cinematic and even a little thrilling on a palpable level. This isn't the kind of doc that just throws talking heads in front of the camera nor is it a fly-on-the-wall doc like Frederick Wiseman's films are. It's equally moving and inspiring to observe Ravish Kumar fighting not only for truth, but also for democracy in a country, much like the United States, where democracy isn't functioning as well as it could or should be functioning. At a running time of 1 hour and 34 minutes, While We Watched opens at IFC Center via BRITDOC Films. Barbie  Barbie (Margot Robbie) lives a blissful life with Ken (Ryan Gosling) in Barbie Land, a utopia run by women. One day, she discovers that she no longer has the perfect looks that she's always had and starts to question her own mortality. With the help of Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), she and Ken venture out from Barbie Land into the real world in Los Angeles to find the girl who owns her. The screenplay by writer/director Greta Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach brims with wit, tongue-in-cheek humor and, surprisingly, warmth, tenderness and wisdom to boot. Although the premise above describes the basic plot, it's not just about Barbie's quest to find her owner; it's fundamentally about her quest to find her true self and to learn the meaning of being a human being. With a less sensitive and smart screenplay, this could've turned into a clunky, tonally uneven and meandering mess, but it doesn't at any point. Gerwig and Baumbach have a wonderful command of tone. They're unafraid to add silliness, zaniness, goofiness, campiness and to break the fourth wall at times while grounding the film in genuinely tender and wise moments of humanism. They concurrently avoidcheesiness and schmaltz. Most importantly, they see and treat each character with compassion and empathy. Case in point: when Barbie sits down on a bench next to an elderly lady and calls her "beautiful," the elderly lady's response, which won't be spoiled here, is profound, moving and surprising instead of being maudlin, corny and predictable. In another scene, albeit a longer one that will be remembered and referenced for years to come, Gloria (America Ferrera), an employee of Mattel, gives a powerful speech filled with perceptive observations about the way that women are treated in society. It's a scene that could've easily become preachy, but it doesn't, which is yet another testament to the filmmakers' command of tone. Small details like the words on Ken's shirt are witty and clever--you'll probably discover even more details that you may have missed the first time around if you see the film a second time. There are many other surprises, big and small, throughout Barbie, which help keep it feeling fresh, fun and captivating from start to finish. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are well-cast as Barbie and Ken while exuding plenty of charisma and superb comedic timing. Gosling has a delightful musical sequence that's impressively shot and choreographed. America Ferrera deserves a Best Supporting actress nomination for her terrific performance, especially during the monologue that she delivers with palpable passion, rage and tenderness. Everything from the costume designs, set designs and use of color add visual style that provide eye candy. It's also very well-edited and moves along at a brisk enough pace without any scenes that overstay their welcome which is a rare feat these days. Barbie, one of the best films of the year, is a funny, witty, empowering and crowd-pleasing delight brimming with warmth, tenderness and wisdom. It's also one of the best films of the year, and it's destined to become an all-time classic.
 Cobweb  When Peter (Woody Norman), an 8-year-old boy, hears knocking on his bedroom wall in the middle of the night. He wakes up his parents, Carol (Lizzy Kaplan) and Mark (Antony Starr), to tell them, but they just shrug it off as normal sounds from the house. He continues to hear the knocks and his parents continue to invalidate his feelings. Meanwhile, the only person who's concerned about Peter is Miss Devine (Cleopatra Coleman), his substitute teacher, who shows up to his home after she notices a disturbing drawing that he made in class. The screenplay by Chris Thomas Devlin begins promisingly as it creates a sense of psychological horror while teasing the audiences with different horror elements. The audience knows as much as Peter does about what's going on inside his well. Is the thing inside his wall real or supernatural? Is it all in his head? Can his parents be trusted? What's up with the spider that crawls on a table in Peter's classroom? Will Cobweb turn into Arachnophobia? There's very little exposition initially which helps to build some suspense, but as the plot progresses, it becomes abundantly clear that his parents cannot be trusted and that, despite the misleading title, Cobweb will not turn into Arachnophobia, although another spider does show up in the third act. Unfortunately, the psychological scares begin to wane as Peter discovers a dark secret about his parents that has something to do with what's inside his bedroom wall. In an undercooked subplot, bullies torment Peter at school. Why add more conflict to the plot when there are already enough conflicts going on within the main plot? The screenplay could use more focus as well as some comic relief or some other form of levity to counterbalance its serious tone. Even Halloween, The Babadook, Pan's Labyrinth and, more recently, Insidious: The Red Door and The Boogeyman have some levity. That said, Cobweb does have a few scares, but they're far and few between, and the third act feels rushed and lazy without taking enough risks. Director Samuel Bodin and screenwriter Chris Thomas Devlin know where to take ideas from, but not where to take them to. Also, can filmmakers please stop including a scene with a child making a drawing that looks creepy? It's tiresome and uninspired. Cobweb is lucky to have a solid cast because they help to make the film feel less dull. Woody Norman gives a strong performance that rises above the vapid screenplay. Lizzy Caplan gives a mediocre performance while her role remains shallow and underwritten, unfortunately, so she's not really given enough of a chance to bring Peter's mom to life. The production values are solid, though, and add a little creepiness through the lighting, production design and camerawork. The title card drop is also visually interesting, although it's not nearly as memorable as the title card drop in the recent Evil Dead Rise. At ideal running time of 1 hour and 28 minutes, Cobweb is mildly entertaining and occasionally scary, but often undercooked, unfocused and lazy.
 The Island 
 Oppenheimer  In 1954, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), a physicist, develops a nuclear bomb with the help of other scientists as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project in a race against the Germans who are also building their own nuclear weapon. 4 years later, Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), the commissioner the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), attends a Senate confirmation hearing and discusses his role in Oppenheimer's security clearance. The screenplay by writer/director Christopher Nolan, based on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin's book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer, focuses more on Oppenheimer's work than on his private life with his wife, Kitty (Emily Blunt). Nolan tells Oppenheimer's story non-linearly, jumping back and forth between two timelines: Oppenheimer's struggles to build the nuclear bomb and the senate hearing of Lewis Strauss who tried to discredit Oppenheimer and to revoke his security clearance. Oppenheimer covers a lot of ground while bombarding the audience with characters who are just there to move the narrative forward. Fortunately, Nolan does an effective job of introducing all of the characters and what their relationship is to Oppenheimer without leading to any confusion about who's who and what their motive is. Oppenheimer's dynamics with the U.S. Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) is the most interesting. He incorporates the right amount of exposition in a way that doesn't dumb things down for the audience while, concurrently, including a little bit wit and comic relief, i.e. a joke about humble scientists. There isn't much levity, though, so, there are a few scenes that do indeed feel dry and pedestrian. The Trinity Test scene is among the film's most exhilarating and nail-biting scenes. The most powerful scene, though, is when Oppenheimer attends a private hearing where he and his lawyer respond to accusations that he's a security threat and has Communist ties. TThere are some undercooked subplots like Oppenheimer's affair with Jean (Florence Pugh). What does he see in her? Why does Oppenheimer cheat on his wife? Nolan doesn't explore Oppenheimer's marital life enough. Fortunately, he has a knack for maintaining suspense. He escalates the suspense gradually and keeps you at the edge of your seat, even if you already know where the story is headed toward. Oppenheimer has exquisite production values with visually stunning cinematography that deftly merges style and substance without feeling over-edited like Dunkirk. Interestingly, the flashback scenes are in color while the Senate hearing scenes are in black-and-white instead of the other way around which would've been too conventional. The images of the atomic bomb exploding are equally beautiful, cinematic and terrifying. Everything from the sound design to the music score, costume design and lighting are superb all across the board. Admittedly, there are so many cameos here that it becomes distracting at times, much like in The Thin Red Line, but everyone on screen is very well-cast, even for actors like Dane DeHaan, Tom Conti and Gary Oldman who merely show up for a few minutes. The performances, though, are among the film's many strengths. Cillian Murphy gives the best performance of his career as Oppenheimer. He transforms into the role physically, emotionally and psychologically while briefly opening the window into Oppenheimer's heart, mind and soul so that you can grasp that he has a conscience and is capable of introspection. More scenes with him being introspective would've made the film a lot more emotionally resonating. The film's emotional depth comes from the performances, not from the screenplay. Cillian Murphy deserves an Oscar for Best Actor. At a running time of 3 hours, Oppenheimer is a gripping, provocative and spellbinding biopic.
 Return to Dust  Ma Youtie (Wu Renlin), a farmer, enters into an arranged marriage with Cao Guiying (Hai Qing). They gradually fall in love while struggling with poverty. If you're looking for a quiet, unassuming, un-Hollywood love story that doesn't try too hard to please or to entertain audience, then Return to Dust might be the film for you. Writer/director Li Ruijun has a simple plot without any surprises or heavy-handed moments. As a portrait of a husband and wife living in poverty, it's not as unflinching nor as emotionally devastating as Ken Loach's social-realist films. Everything that happens in Return to Dust can be predicted from a mile away, but that's forgivable. Ruijun focuses more on the blossoming romance between Ma and Cao as they struggle with adversities. Cao has medical issues that leave her physically disabled. That doesn't stop Ma from staying with her and taking care of her. They don't have any big fights or arguments. Nor are there any villains per se, but there are toxic people like Ma and Cao's family who look down on them. Their families arrange their marriage to get rid of them because they see them as a burden. How do Ma and Cao feel about their toxic families? Return to Dust leaves a lot unsaid and understated, for the most part. It's often hard to grasp what they're thinking and feeling, though, except when it's obvious, like when Ma tours an apartment and quickly realizes that his animals won't be able to live there. He and Cao don't have much materialistically or financially, but they have each other and they don't give up their determination to live a quiet life as farmers in rural China, far away from the hustle-and-bustle of city life. Return to Dust is beautifully shot with some breathtaking scenery. Its poetic cinematography becomes not only part of its style, but also part of its substance. The performances remain natural and, much like the screenplay, understated and nuanced. Li Ruijun grasps the subtle power of silent moments. That said, he moves the film along at a snail's pace at times. While it's refreshing that he trusts the audience's patience, he trusts it too much which leads to scenes that overstay their welcome and become repetitive around the hour mark. Less is more. With tighter editing, Return to Dust could've been a much more captivating love story.
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