Barbie! Bombs! Blanche DuBois?

For movie theaters across America, from locations owned by AMC, the largest theater chain, to independent arthouse cinemas like The Moviehouse, in Millerton, N.Y., Friday, July 21, turned out to be an impromptu national holiday. The duel release of "Barbie," the surreal comedy about a sentient doll directed by Greta Gerwig and written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, and director Christopher Nolan's bleak World War II drama "Oppenheimer," became a cultural countdown of opening day rivalry (or double-feature viewing) dubbed "Barbenheimer." AMC Chief Executive Officer Adam Aron posted on Twitter on Friday morning that more than 60,000 AMC members had purchased opening day tickets for "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," "tripling" as he wrote, tickets purchased two weeks prior at AMC. That Friday in Manhattan, the visual landscape declared the winner long before the box office. The unmistakable sight of young women in bright pink outfits — as if a secret dress code had been decided upon that morning — spelled out that taking female fantasy seriously can lead to major financial success. As movie theaters have turned into a struggling industry, with fewer returning patrons since the pandemic began and Regal Cinemas continuing to close theaters this year, Barbenheimer weekend produced the highest grossing opening weekend since 2019.

While "Barbie" was the clear winner nationally ($155 million, the largest opening ever for a female director), in Millerton the films ran a closer race. "Both films did extremely well this weekend and sales were close — 'Barbie' edged out 'Oppenheimer' slightly," said Moviehouse co-owner David Maltby. "It was great to see so much excitement from people heading back to the movies in force."

Under the direction of proprietors Maltby and Chelsea Altman and a new nonprofit board led by Altman as chair, The Moviehouse has sought to revitalize its connection with the area's film community by offering one-night-only programming and live Q&A's with actors and directors to make screenings feel like events. On Thursday, July 20, in a twist of Barbenheimer divergent programming, The Moviehouse invited actor Nick Westrate to direct a live production of Tennessee William's 1947 work of fraught social realism in the American South, "A Streetcar Named Desire." Starring Lucy Owen, Brad Koed, Mallory Portnoy and Will Rogers. Westrate's "Streetcar" turned the theater into a make-shift black box stage, thoroughly challenging what to expect from The Moviehouse. An explosive production for a small space with no set dressing, the two-room New Orleans apartment in which William's caustic, sweaty drama takes place was made to feel even smaller — one room? Half a room? Actors wandered into the aisles and rows of seats, stretching for room to expand their bodies, with performances large enough to render the sold-out space claustrophobic and trembling with every outburst. Here, the battle of the sexes was so close, it was nearly audience-involved performance art.

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie By Fred Duval

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie By Fred Duval

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie By Fred Duval

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie By Fred Duval

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie By Fred Duval

Latest News

East Canaan's CowPots to face the 'Sharks'

Amanda Freund of East Canaan will appear on the television show "Shark Tank" on April 4 to pitch CowPots.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

CANAAN — Fans of the television show “Shark Tank,” stay tuned. On Friday, April 4, Amanda Freund of East Canaan will be facing the panel, imploring members to invest in her unique product: cow poop.

Freund and her father Matthew Freund produce and market CowPots, which are made from the abundance of manure found on their dairy farm. Matthew Freund, realizing cows were producing more manure — 100 pounds per cow per day — than was needed for fertilizing fields for crops, came up with the concept of the pots. Years of trial-and-error experimentation finally resulted in success. In 2006 he began selling the biodegradable pots using 100% composted manure to local stores. Now the pots can be found in outlets across the country, as well as internationally.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotchkiss lacrosse ices Kingswood Oxford 19-0

LAKEVILLE — The Hotchkiss School opened the girls varsity lacrosse season with a big win in the snow against Kingswood Oxford School.

The Bearcats won 19-0 in a decisive performance March 26. Twelve different players scored for Hotchkiss, led by Coco Sheronas with four goals.

Keep ReadingShow less
HVRHS releases second quarter honor roll

FALLS VILLAGE — Principal Ian Strever announces the second quarter marking period Honor Roll at Housatonic Valley Regional High School for the 2024-2025 school year.

Highest Honor Roll

Grade 9: Parker Beach (Cornwall), Mia Belter (Salisbury), Lucas Bryant (Cornwall), Addison Green (Kent), Eliana Lang (Salisbury), Alison McCarron (Kent), Katherine Money (Kent), Mira Norbet (Sharon), Abigail Perotti (North Canaan), Karmela Quinion (North Canaan), Owen Schnepf (Wassaic), Federico Vargas Tobon (Salisbury), Emery Wisell (Kent).

Keep ReadingShow less
Thomas Ditto

ANCRAMDALE — Thomas Ditto of Ancramdale, born Thomas David DeWitt Aug. 11, 1944 in New York City changing his surname to Ditto at marriage, passed peacefully on Pi Day, March 14, 2025. He was a husband, father, artist, scientist, Shakespeare scholar, visionary, inventor, actor, mime, filmmaker, clown, teacher, lecturer, colleague, and friend. Recipient of numerous grants, awards and honors in both the arts and sciences, a Guggenheim and NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fellow, he was a creative genius beyond his time. In addition to authoring scores of papers, he held several patents and invented the first motion capture system and the Ditto-scope, a radically new kind of telescope. He was a pioneer in computer generated video, film, and performance.

When not hard at work, he was always there to help when needed and he knew how to bring smiles to faces. He loved his family and pets and was supportive of his wife’s cat rescue work.

Keep ReadingShow less