A wild Barbenheimer summer

If you asked me a few months ago what I thought the summer's biggest movies would be, I’d probably shrug while pointing to anticipated superhero movies like Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, the newest Indiana Jones, and get a little more excited when mentioning Across the Spider-Verse. But the fact that it’s a pink fever dream about one of America’s most famous brands and a three-hour biopic about a man some people may only know by name (if that) that’s partly shot in black-and-white?

I’ve seen both Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer twice, and I love both of them. That’s another thing I didn’t expect, even as Barbenheimer—the internet-fueled double feature that took hold of us and never let go—more or less saved an entire industry this summer. I know people who rarely go to the movies for anything—or mostly just see the MCU’s latest offerings—who went out to see at least one of those movies. And sometimes, struggled to find a screening because everyone else was doing the same damn thing.

It’s also been incredible to watch and see it trickle down to other films that people didn’t expect would do well but are having better times at the box office than what were surefire hits just a few years ago. Maybe that means we’ll eventually start getting more than just movies based on more Mattel properties. MAYBE?!

The summer is unofficially coming to a close. But it also means we passed another benchmark: The one-year anniversary of this newsletter!

I’m so grateful for everyone who’s read Knit(ting) Flicks, shared it with their friends, recommended the newsletter, and subscribed, even though I might not write updates often. And in the coming weeks/months, I’m attempting something wild (for me): A full-fledged crochet project. It’s not my strong suit—I’ve only made a handful of amigurumi plushes and used it for a hat cast-on—and I don’t know if I’ll ever truly get the hang of it.

But I have a niece who is obsessed with Sprocket from Fraggle Rock. There are very few plushes of that character sold anywhere that don’t cost upwards of $200+, and I have a pattern I can potentially adapt the colors to that might work as a stand-in. So you might have that to look forward to—or not if it becomes a mitigated disaster. I’ve made no promises!

Here’s to Year Two!

The Knit: Pioneer Gloves

Pattern: Ravelry / Direct

Yarn: ChileKnitz Glitter Sock in Salpicón

This pattern is incredibly no-nonsense—and customizable enough that I can make them long or short and in different sizes—and great for beginners who want to try their hand at gloves. It’s actually the second pair of gloves I’ve knitted with this pattern this year, and I’ll probably make more with it.

I’ve been sitting on the yarn for a few years; I picked it up at the last pre-COVID Vogue Knitting Live. But, like the Antler Toque I made a couple of months ago, these gloves are designated for charity, and I’ll probably cast on a hat to match them soon.

And it’s a shame my camera can’t do it justice because the yarn is incredibly sparkly.

The Flick: Interstellar

Streaming: Paramount+; Prime Video

I’m very hot and cold on Nolan. I didn’t like Inception much the first time I saw it at the insistence of an ex—it played much better when I watched it in 70mm at the Museum of the Moving Image earlier this month—and Memento got somewhat tainted by the same person, who got annoyed that I figured out the movie’s concept in less time than he did. I’m generally irked by Nolan’s whole thing about Dead Wives™️. But on the other hand, Dunkirk and Oppenheimer ruled. The jury’s out on some of his more mind-twisty films like The Prestige or Tenet, and his Dark Knight trilogy has so much baggage attached to them for how they influenced the next 15+ years of superhero movies that I can’t really rule on them remotely objectively.

That meant turning toward Interstellar, a movie I knew very little about apart from it involving Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway in space, and it seemed to be pretty divisive for reasons that escaped me. I got the impression that people hated it, but Letterboxd told a different story. I started watching it on a Sunday night, not knowing that the movie would be almost three hours. (Otherwise, I might’ve saved it for another night.)

And, reader, I fucking loved it. It also kind of broke me.

I wasn’t expecting how much of an emotional juggernaut Interstellar would be. How, even with all of the space jargon and brain galaxy-ness of some of the later sequences, it would be the characters who roped me in. Who carried the weight of the movie. Who turned me into a blubbery mess multiple times. The visuals are astounding, and it has an absolutely god-tier Hans Zimmer score. And I’m very glad I wasn’t tapped into all of the discourse around Interstellar at the time because I got to enjoy it on my own terms.

What I’m Reading

• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros: Yes, I’ve read this year’s big fantasy BookTok hit, and yes, I’m just as antsy for the second book as you’d expect. (November can’t come soon enough!)

• Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann: Parts of the narrative can feel like watching copaganda come to life before your eyes, but Grann really knows how to weave a story together in a comprehensive way that leaves you horrified and disgusted. (And I’m anticipating the movie version even more now.)

• Cackle by Rachel Harrison: I’m not the hugest horror person, but I got started on October’s prompt for my SFF book club (“bring a spooky book to class”) extra early with a recommendation from my friend Sam and a very short wait time at the library. (To the point where my September book hadn’t come through yet.) And it’s just so fun and joyful, and I was rooting for the witches the entire time.

Shameless Plugs

• Have you watched Nimona yet? You should really watch Nimona.

• I went long on Barbenheimer ahead of release day, although one thing I mused about it—that people would try making Barbenheimer happen again—has already come to pass. And it’s just one of the summer’s best memes; with a year that also gave us orcas eating the rich, it had stiff competition.

• I properly reviewed Oppenheimer (which I loved) and didn’t mention Barbie or the plastic doll in the room once in said review, so you’re welcome, Nolan.

• I waded through The Deepest Breath, a documentary that’s both thrilling and treats the tragedy around its two protagonists like a mystery to be teased and unraveled in a way that felt gross.

• Let me again join the chorus of how I wish Heartstopper (season 2 is now on Netflix!) was a show I had when I was younger. But not every single queer romance show/movie needs to be life-changing or the modicum of perfect representation, as is the case with perfectly average (but still pretty fun) Red, White & Royal Blue.

• Have you really gotten into the USA Network series Suits since it dropped on Netflix in June? You’re not alone!

Knit-Dates: Flying Fox Shawl and Mineral Wrap

One item took me about a month to make, the other over three years. One shed like hell, and the other twisted and risked knotting up so much it was a potential risk every time I used it.

They’re both very pretty—the former was a gift, and its recipient seemed to love it; I’m incorporating the latter into my fall aesthetic—but I’m glad to be done with them.

Knitwear of the Week

Knit: See-through black (circular holes) and light green (cabled) sweaters befitting for the dance floor or an agent of chaos.

Worn By: Tomas (Franz Rogowski), the fullest embodiment of a “messy bitch who lives for the drama” I’ve encountered in a movie in a long time, in Passages.

Costume Designer: Khadija Zeggaï

I first caught Passages, the latest film from director Ira Sachs, at Sundance in January. While I wasn’t familiar with Sachs’ previous work before this, I was immediately taken with the absolutely messy love triangle between Tomas (Franz Rogowski), a movie director who had just finished filming his latest project; Martin (Ben Whishaw), Tomas’ long-time husband who’s more than familiar with Tomas’ moods; and Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos), the French teacher with whom Tomas starts an affair. It’s great, which I confirmed when I watched it again with a nearly sold-out crowd at the IFC Center; seek it out if it’s playing in your city (or check it out once it heads to MUBI).

In recent weeks, Passages has gotten much more attention for the NC-17 rating it received from the MPA, along with Sachs’ condemnation of the MPA for the rating, than for the film itself. (Sachs and MUBI chose to release it unrated.) But the sex scenes are only part of the thorny (and also horny) tango that Passages is performing.

But I am utterly obsessed with almost every item of clothing Tomas wears, from the see-through sweater he wears on the dance floor to the crop top he stumbles back to Agathe’s flat before meeting her parents for the first time.

OB. SCENE.

Want to nominate your own Knitwear of the Week?

I’m now offering you a chance to nominate your favorite piece of cinematic knitwear. I’ve got more information about what I’m looking for here. So, if you’ve got one, send an email over to [email protected] with your pick!