I’m not the person to talk to about the latest films showing in theaters. I only make it to the movies every few years, and only when something I’m really excited about comes out (the most recent was “Downton Abbey: The Movie” in 2019). Otherwise, I have no idea what’s showing. That said, even I couldn’t ignore the “Barbenheimer” craze, which has had me looking up showtimes for the first time in four years.
If you’re unfamiliar with “Barbenheimer,” the term is a portmanteau of the titles of two recent blockbuster films: “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” which were both released on July 21. Though they seem like complete opposites — the first being a live-action comedy about the iconic doll, and the latter a biological thriller about the man who is credited as “The father of the atomic bomb” — their simultaneous release and the hype surrounding each film has encouraged many to go to the theaters and watch the two back-to-back. Hence, Barbenheimer.
It’s not the first time two iconic films have been released on the same day. Not by far! I started looking back at the release dates over the last few decades, and there were some surprising ones. For instance, think back to Oct. 14, 1994. Don’t tell me you don’t remember … how could you possibly forget the release of “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Pulp Fiction,” widely considered two of the greatest movies of all time? A year later, on Nov. 22, 1995, “Toy Story” and “Casino” came out. Not unlike “Barbenheimer,” these two films were massively different, and were intended for vastly different audiences, but they both received critical acclaim and have not been forgotten in the years since.
Another fantastic pairing was “Die Hard” and “A Fish Called Wanda,” which came out on July 15, 1988. While both were undeniably successful, “Die Hard” has remained more of a household name over the years, with a large following that watches it every year during the Christmas season. There’s still debate over whether it’s truly a Christmas movie, though, as opposed to films like “Elf” and “Love Actually”; the only debate about these two films is which is the BETTER Christmas movie. And wouldn’t you know it, they were also both released in theaters on the same day: Nov. 7, 2003.
Some of the films that came out together are such unlikely pairings that I couldn’t help but laugh. While “Barbenheimer” may appeal to the masses, I doubt that the same people lining up for “The Shining” on May 23, 1980, were also staying late to watch “The Gong Show Movie.” Or “The Green Mile” and “Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo,” which both graced theaters on Dec. 10, 1999. More recently, the neo-noir crime thriller “Marlowe” was released on the same day as the cinematic marvel “Cocaine Bear.”
There are so many more, but alas, no more room. If you’re in the mood for an oddball double feature, though, all of these can be checked out of the Ocean State Library system.
Top Requested Books
1. “The Five-Star Weekend” by Elin Hilderbrand
2. “Covenant of Water”
by Abraham Verghese
3. “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
4. “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano
5. “Happy Place” by Emily Henry
6. “Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett
7. “Zero Days” by Ruth Ware
8. “None of This Is True” by Lisa Jewell
9. “The Wager” by David Grann
10. “The Only One Left” by Riley Sager
Top Requested DVDs
1. “Avatar: The Way of Water”
2. “Book Club: The Next Chapter”
3. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”
4. “Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret”
5. “The Ritual Killer”
6. “Sisu”
7. “The Lost King”
8. “About My Father”
9. “Scream VI”
10. “Turn Every Page”
This Week
MONDAY — 12-1 p.m., Yoga in the Park with Chelsea Hauck – An all levels yoga practice; 2-4 p.m., Quilting Group – Bring your supplies and practice your yarn crafting skills with others; 4-4:30 p.m., Tween Graphic Novel Book Club – We’ll read and talk about some of our favorite graphic novels; 4-5 p.m., Teen Cryptid Club – Join us in ghost hunting, discussing alien landings, and cryptozoology; 5-7 p.m., Teen D&D Creators Club – A chance to have all of your D&D questions answered, build worlds, and even play our teen-created D&D trivia game!
TUESDAY — 11-11:30 a.m., Mini Monets – This month we’re making stamp art using corks in the style of Andy Warhol; 1-4 p.m., Community Resource Advocate – Visit our volunteer Community Resource Advocate, who can help connect you with local services/resources; 4-5 p.m., Tabletop Tuesdays – Ages 8-12 are invited to join us in playing various tabletop role-playing games; 4-5:30 p.m., Dungeons and Dragons – This program is for teens in grades 7-12, and preregistration is required; 5:30-7:30 p.m., Knit and Crochet Group – a friendly yarn craft club.
WEDNESDAY — 9:30-10:00 a.m., Essentrics Stretch in the Park – Bring a mat, bath towel, and water; 10-10:30 a.m., Family Storytime – Geared towards ages birth-11 years; 2-3 p.m., Animation Nation – An exciting LEGO stop-motion movie making program for ages 9-12. Registration is not required to join; 5-6 p.m., Pride Club – Meet other LGBTQIA2+ teens and allies while enjoying snacks, playing games, and hanging out; 5-7 p.m., Polly Seip Exhibit – Check out this month’s exhibit in the Hoxie Gallery, and meet the artist; 8-10 p.m., The Colonial Theatre presents “The Tempest” – Admission is free, but you must register at https://colonialtheaterart.org. Enjoy a pre-show concert beginning at 6:30 pm, by the United Theatre. This show will run through Sunday.
THURSDAY — 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Friends Pop-up Book Sale – Check out the Pop-up Book Sale on the esplanade; 3-3:30 p.m., Scary Story Society – This month, we’re discussing “Small Spaces” by Katherine Arden; 4-4:30, Summer Fun in the Park – Join us in the park and play around with hula hoops, jump ropes, ribbons & lawn games; 4-5 p.m., Crafternoon Thursday – Stop in for weekly crafting activities and snacks; 5:30-7:30 p.m., Chess Club – Players of all skill levels are invited.
FRIDAY — 10-11 a.m., Yoga in the Park with Michael Dotolo – Join us for yoga practice on the back side of the pond.
SATURDAY — 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Westerly Writer’s Group – Share work, discuss readings, and write in response to prompts in this group-led writing workshop; 11 a.m.-12 p.m., Sensory Playtime – This month, we’re playing with sensory bins will be themed around the beach.
Cassie Skobrak is an adult services librarian at Westerly Library & Wilcox Park.
