48 | AUGUST 10 • 2023
GADOT’S NEW FLICK,
MORE SACKLER TSURIS,
ANIMATED FUN, BARBIE
AND “OPPY”
Heart of Stone is a thriller
film that starts streaming on
Netflix on Aug. 11. Basic plot:
International intelligence
agent Rachel Stone (Israeli
actress Gal Gadot, 38) works
for a mysterious “good
guy” agency called Charter.
This agency keeps a secret
eye on other spy agencies.
Stone, pretending to be a
computer tech, infiltrates a
British intelligence unit that
is being taunted by a master
hacker.
Heart of Stone is the first
film that Gadot has pro-
duced.
British Jewish actress
Sophie Okonedo, 54,
has a big supporting
role as Nomad, another
Charter agent. Okonedo,
a Tony-winner, was Oscar-
nominated for Hotel
Rwanda.
Oy, vey — I thought one
major series about the
now-disgraced Sackler
family was enough. You
may recall Dopesick, the
2021 Hulu series about how
Purdue Pharma, a compa-
ny owned by the Sacklers,
flooded the country with
oxycontin, a highly addictive
opioid drug. For a very long
time, Purdue Pharma down-
played how addictive the
drug is.
On Aug. 10, the six-epi-
sode Netflix series Painkiller
will be released in its entire-
ty. Dopesick was based on
a book of the same name
about the Sacklers and
the oxycontin epidemic.
Painkiller is based on two
long magazine articles cov-
ering much of the same
ground.
Three Sackler brothers
(Arthur, Mortimer and
Richard), all physicians,
founded and ran Purdue
Pharma. It was a small
company until they began
marketing oxycontin in 1996.
Arthur died in 1987, and he’s
not in the series.
Mortimer died in 2010. I
gather he is a minor charac-
ter in the series. He’s played
by veteran character actor
John Rothman, 74. Trust me,
you know Rothman’s face.
Richard Sackler (died
2017), and his son, Dr.
Raymond Sackler, now 78,
are major characters in the
series. Matthew Broderick,
61, plays Raymond.
Strange Planets is a 10-epi-
sode adult animated series
that premiered on Aug. 9
on Apple TV+. It’s based on
a bestselling graphic novel
of the same name. Apple
publicity says: “Strange
Planet is a hilarious and
perceptive look at a distant
world not unlike our own …
relatable blue beings explore
the absurdity of everyday
human traditions.” Hannah
Einbinder, 28, the co-star of
the hit series Hacks on HBO,
has a big (voice) role.
Einbinder recently joined
other striking writers and
actors in a public protest.
She told Indiewire that
management was trying to
“bleed out” the unions. She
added: “It’s inhuman frankly
… the horrible position the
average writer and actor has
been put in thus far.”
Here are some excerpts
from the Wikipedia article
entitled Barbenheimer:
“Barbenheimer is an
internet phenomenon that
began … before the release
of two blockbuster films,
Barbie and Oppenheimer,
on July 21. The dichotomy
of Barbie — a fantasy com-
edy about the doll Barbie
— and Oppenheimer — an
epic biographical thriller
about physicist J. Robert
Oppenheimer, scientific
director of the Manhattan
Project, which developed the
first nuclear weapon [1945]
— prompted a comedic
[internet] response, including
memes and merchandise
… instead of Barbenheimer
creating a rivalry, many sug-
gestions to watch the films
as a double feature emerged
… cast members of both
responded by encouraging
audiences to watch the films
on the same day.”
As I write this (July 31),
Barbie has grossed over
$750 million worldwide, and
Oppenheimer has made
over $400 million worldwide.
Yes, the two films have
prompted a few articles
that mention Oppenheimer,
before going into the back-
ground of Ruth Handler
(1916-2002), the creator of
the Barbie doll. Notably,
a Wall St. Journal July
20 article (“She was the
Oppenheimer of Barbie. Her
Invention Blew Up.”). This
article begins with stating
that Handler founded her
toy company (in her garage)
in the same year (1945) that
the first atom bomb was
dropped.
But I haven’t seen a sin-
gle article that notes, in the
same article, that Handler
and Oppenheimer were
Jewish. Nor have I seen a
meme or piece of merchan-
dise that says this. Such a
“thing” may exist, but I hav-
en’t seen it.
I would really love to see
a meme or a T-shirt or a
poster that has images of
Oppenheimer and Handler
side-by-side. The caption
should read: “The Jewish
father of the A-Bomb and the
Jewish mother of Barbie.”
Except for the word “Jewish,”
that’s what these two inven-
tors were called in their life-
times.
Oppenheimer and
Handler’s creation (Barbie)
are worldwide hits. Can’t
Jews get a little reflective
glory? Can’t we openly shep
nachas via a T-shirt? Such a
T-shirt would be a souvenir
of an incredibly unlikely cul-
tural event.
I realize the doll Barbie
and the making of the atom
bomb are not without contro-
versy. But, I say, “go with the
moment.” The public loves
Oppy, now, and they adore
Barbie.
CELEBRITY NEWS
NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST
ARTS&LIFE
JTA
Hannah Einbinder
JAMES SALZANO
John Rothman
GAGE SKIDMORE
Gal Gadot