Tag: christopher nolan

Keep the ‘Barbenheimer’ Excitement Going With These 8 Podcast Deep Dives

July 31, 2023

The simultaneous release of Barbie and Oppenheimer was so widely anticipated that the internet gave the historic opening weekend a name: Barbenheimer. 

Barbie, written and directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie, brings the world’s favorite doll to life in a fantasy-filled, comedic adventure with an epic soundtrack. In an entirely different direction, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a three-hour biopic about the father of the atomic bomb. The combined debut was a success, bringing in more than $311 million for the fourth-highest-grossing opening weekend in U.S. history. And both movies generated existential questions that have left fans wanting more. 

Spotify’s Podcast Editorial team curated an evolving list of the best Barbie vs. Oppenheimer podcasts, which can be found under podcast browse. Take a listen to learn more about the business behind Barbie or the conspiracy theories that surround the Manhattan Project, or just sit back and hear people gush about Ryan Gosling’s performance as Ken.

“Mattel Bets Big on Barbie” 

The Journal.

Spotify Studios 

After watching Barbie, many were left curious about Mattel’s unique role in the film. The Journal. is here to answer all your questions and then some. Robbie Brenner, Executive Producer at Mattel Films, discusses the challenges they faced while bringing the beloved Barbie doll to life in cinematic form. Plus, she shares some exciting news about what’s to come from Mattel Films (did somebody say Polly Pocket movie?). 

“The Manhattan Project” 

Conspiracy Theories 

Spotify Studios

This episode of Conspiracy Theories covers the true story of the top-secret military program that inspired Oppenheimer. Not only does the episode cover the official story in detail, but also all the captivating conspiracy theories it inspired—from aliens to a fluoride cover-up to a pagan cult. 

“The Enduring Appeal of Barbie” 

Into It: A Vulture Podcast with Sam Sanders

Vulture 

Barbie and fashion have always gone hand in hand. In this episode of Into It, host Sam Sanders sits down to talk all things Barbiecore with two fashion experts: Danya Issawi, fashion writer for New York Magazine and The Cut, and Darnell–Jamal Lisby, a fashion historian. Expect to hear some personal stories of what it was like for them to grow up with the doll that defines American girlhood.

“Christopher Nolan on ‘Oppenheimer,’ Mr.Cartoon on ‘Just My Imagination,’ Brooklyn Sudano on The Treat” 

The Treatment 

KCRW

Who better to hear from than the Oppenheimer filmmaker himself? On this episode of The Treatment, host Elvis Mitchell speaks to director and writer Christopher Nolan about his work. The pair discuss themes that run through Nolan’s work and are especially apparent in Oppenheimer, including “the danger of knowledge.”

“‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’s’ Epic Weekend Face-Off” 

The Town with Matthew Belloni 

The Ringer  

On this episode of The Town, a podcast that covers all things Hollywood, host Matthew Belloni is joined by David Herrin. Herrin is the founder of Quorum, the industry leader in film data research and insights. Conversations include the marketing strategy behind Barbie, the birth of “Barbenheimer,” and the role COVID-19 played in creating an opening weekend unlike anything they have ever seen.

“The Barbie Tapes: A Toy is Born” 

LA Made: The Barbie Tapes 

LAist Studios

From the time Barbie first entered the toy scene in 1959 until the release of Barbie in 2023, the brand and the doll have been at the center of controversy and culture. “The Barbie Tapes: A Toy is Born” is the first episode in season two of LA Made that tells the true story of Barbie in the words of her creators. The series covers Barbie’s colorful history from start to finish, illuminating details that we all may have missed. 

“A Barbie v. Oppenheimer Game”

Pop Culture Happy Hour 

NPR 

First, play along as the NPR hosts discuss “pop culture’s most contentious matchups.” Then, if your friends still haven’t seen Oppenheimer and you don’t want to spoil it for them, listen to this episode to hear the hosts gab about the plot, the cast, and the complicated history behind the movie. And when you finish listening to “Oppenheimer,” you can check out one of Pop Culture Happy Hour’s two episodes on Barbie, one with spoilers and one without.

“The ‘Barbie’ Deep Dive w/Greta Gerwig!”

The Big Picture

The Ringer

Greta Gerwig is the mastermind behind Barbie. On this episode of The Big Picture, she discusses her approach to recreating the iconic doll for the big screen, the unique challenges she encountered, themes that run through Barbie and her previous work (Lady Bird and Little Women), and the movie’s overall cultural impact. 

Whether you want to revisit history or take a trip to Barbie Land, Spotify’s Podcast Editorial team has you covered on podcast browse. Check out these podcasts and more on our Barbie vs. Oppenheimer shelf.

Composer Hans Zimmer Talks Music’s Starring Role in Movies

April 3, 2019

Do you feel your pulse starting to race as the orchestra picks up in pace and volume during the final sword fight in Pirates of the Caribbean? That’s all Hans Zimmer. Emotion-heightening music is the hallmark of the legendary composer, who curated Spotify’s Film & TV Favorites playlist in honor of National Film Score Day today, April 3.

Zimmer has more than 119 credits across film, TV, and video games, as well as an Academy Award for his score on the classic film The Lion King. Over the last decade, his compositions have elevated a slew of high-profile films, including Interstellar, Hidden Figures, 12 Years a Slave, The Dark Knight Rises, and dozens more.

Zimmer spoke to For the Record about his process for matching music with a scene, what it’s like performing for a live audience, and what he listens to when he’s not working (spoiler alert: he rocks out).

Your scores can be subtle, as with the Christopher Nolan films, or lively and upbeat, as in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. How do you strike the balance so the music doesn’t overpower a character or scene, and instead elevates and enhances the moment?

I suppose if you’ve done roughly a hundred movies, you learn how to balance these things—that’s all part of the learning curve. Certain actors you can push much harder. For instance, I could always be more romantic in my scores to a Jack Nicholson film because Jack himself is so tough that it doesn’t become sentimental. It depends entirely on the character and the actor. I’m sure there are a few times that I’ve goofed and overpowered the character.

How do you decide how little is too little, or how much is too much?

You really look at the whole movie. If you look in the long form that the storytelling of a film really has, you figure out pretty quickly if you’re doing the right thing—if your balance is right or if your balance is off.

What other films and composers inspire you?

To be really honest, any composer who manages to get a film finished and done and released is a hero of mine. It’s so hard to get a film, come up with an original idea, execute the original idea, not get trampled underfoot by the sound effects, and actually have your film released. So, I think anybody who actually makes it through is a hero.

I think Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer wrote the best cue of last year for the TV series Babylon Berlin, which is absolutely amazing stuff.

Talk about the reactions to your music when you perform for live audiences—particularly at Coachella two years ago, when you played music from Inception, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Gladiator, and The Lion King.  

Coachella was like a dare. Somebody asked if I wanted to do Coachella and I thought, “Take an orchestra and a choir out into the desert? I don’t think that has been done before.” So, it was exciting to put that sort of music in front of an audience that doesn’t expect it. And we were doing something new, something different. Performing The Lion King meant something because everybody who was there had at one point heard it as part of their life. It was quite emotional for me that night.

What is it about modern scoring, such as your music or that of Ramin Djawdi of Game of Thrones, that is so attractive to live audiences?

It’s because we’re starting to break down the walls. I thought long and hard before we did Coachella about what I didn’t want to do: be boring, dull, not put on a show, have somebody conduct and have my back to the audience. That’s not who I am, and that’s not who Ramin is, either. Yes, he’s conducting, but then he suddenly gets his guitar out. We’re much more rock-and-roll, and we treat the orchestra as a big band, which I think makes a difference. It certainly allows the audience to connect with the orchestra. Suddenly they realize that these musicians are human beings and they are part of us and we are part of them, and it’s not some sort of weird, elitist thing.

When you’re not scoring, what music—or which artists—do you like to listen to for fun?

Always for fun is Manu Chao, and Kraftwerk is always good. Usually I don’t listen to film music (when I’m writing, it’s impossible to listen to other people’s music), but I’m rediscovering things like John Williams’ Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which is just a magnificent piece of music. Oh, and The Clash—“London Calling” just popped back up. And The Damned’s The Black Album, which I had something to do with.

Enjoy the updated Film & TV Favorites playlist curated by Hans Zimmer.