'Tenet' Review

It's been a while since I shared a review. So long, in fact, that there's a new interface to the backside of this site since I used it last. With movie theaters shut down from COVID-19, I haven't been motivated to write in months... Nearly six months now, but I knew Tenet would reinvigorate my interest. As you can tell, that intuition proved correct... even if the film was delayed two or three times along the way. In a fun viewing exercise, I watched Christopher Nolan's entire filmography in reverse chronological release order leading up to Tenet. I am delighted to finally fill a few blind spots. 

Regardless, theaters are reopened, and I'm ecstatic. I've watched many movies these last six months and will share reviews in good time, but I knew it would only be right to return with a review for my most anticipated film of 2020. 

'Tenet' Review

Nominated For: Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects.

Won: Best Visual Effects.

Synopsis: Armed with only one word - Tenet - and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys beyond a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real-time.

Runtime: 150 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence/action, some suggestive references, & brief strong language)

Who should see it? Fans of Christopher Nolan and action movies.

As the latest addition to visionary writer-director Christopher Nolan's esteemed filmography, Tenet is Nolan's most expensive project to date, and he even regards it as his most ambitious. Considering that the filmmaker's tackled Batman, space exploration, dream heists, World War II, and storytelling in reverse chronology, this speaks volumes about Tenet's scale and scope. Spanning all of Nolan's work, the director's indicated a fascination with time, which he takes to a whole new level through the concept of "inversion." Inversion essentially means to experience events in reverse chronology. You move forward, but your surroundings move backward, and the same can happen vice-versa.

Coupled with intricate fight choreography, this plot device sets the stage for many impressive action sequences you'll be hard-pressed to forget. I'd dare say Tenet features the most exhilarating onscreen action I've seen since Mission: Impossible - Fallout, and Nolan's insistence on executing practical stunts certainly boded well for the final product. 

Atmospherically, the film is well supported behind the scenes by frequent collaborators and fresh blood. Nolan mainstays, such as cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema and production designer Nathan Crowley, continue to contribute masterful craftsmanship as one would expect. Meanwhile, Nolan had to part with two longtime peers. Editor Lee Smith was occupied seamlessly stitching 1917 together while composer Hans Zimmer opted to instead work with Denis Villeneuve on Dune due to his love of the source material. In light of this creative shake-up, Nolan turned to editor Jennifer Lame (Hereditary, Manchester By The Sea, Marriage Story) and the recent Academy Award-winning composer of Black Panther, Ludwig Göransson. As an admirer of their work, I've been interested to see how they'd fit into Nolan's creative space, and I'm excited to report that the two pulled their respective weight a thousandfold.  

That said, the sound mix is one element of the film which was noticeably lacking. While I adored Göransson's propulsive score, it was sometimes overbearing, making it difficult to hear the expositional dialogue. This had to be a deliberate choice by Nolan, and I had no difficulty following along, so it's not a huge sticking point for me personally since the "more difficult to interpret" sections of dialogue were ultimately inconsequential. However, I can see how it would really annoy others, so be forewarned. I'm eagerly anticipating the Blu-Ray release so I can watch the film with subtitles and dive deep into the behind the scenes bonus features. In the meantime, I'll surely revisit Tenet in theaters.

Suppose his breakout performance in BlacKkKlansman somehow wasn't enough to convince you John David Washington has what it takes to headline a blockbuster. In that case, Tenet will alleviate any concerns in a matter of minutes. Washington possesses a natural magnetism and intensity befitting of The Protagonist, which instantly draws you into the character. Nolan effectively utilizes Washington's star power, ensuring all eyes remain glued to the screen.

Playing second fiddle, Robert Pattinson's Neil proves to be a welcome supporting presence. Pattinson is currently enjoying a substantial career resurgence, emerging hot off a streak of first-rate indie performances to work with Nolan and don the Dark Knight's cowl in Matt Reeves' The Batman. Here, the onscreen pairing of Pattinson and Washington electrifies the inverted insanity. I hope to see this dynamic duo reunited down the line, potentially in Gotham City.

Filling out the supporting cast are Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, Dimple Kapadia, Himesh Patel, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Michael Caine in a swath of varied roles. Debicki and Branagh are most impressionable, portraying an exasperated damsel and a nefarious arms dealer, but everyone hits their mark. Whether they exist to spout exposition, incite nuclear catastrophe, or captivate the Protagonist, each cast member makes the most of their screen time.

After months of anticipation amidst delays and a pandemic, all I have for Christopher Nolan and my readers is a word: "Wow." For a filmmaker whose work has explored the depths of dreams, space, Gotham City, and the second World War, I consider that high praise. An inverted compliment, some may say. Nolan's palindromic take on international espionage is an invigorating actioner that hopefully helps theaters bounce back from their most desperate hour. If you're able to see it and feel comfortable venturing out to the cinema, seek Tenet on the largest screen possible!

Film Assessment: A

'Widows' Review

A police shootout leaves four thieves dead during an explosive armed robbery attempt in Chicago. Their widows have nothing in common except a debt left behind by their spouses' criminal activities. Hoping to forge a future not their own terms, Veronica joins forces with the other three women to pull off a heist that her husband was planning.

Based on an '80s TV miniseries of the same name, Widows is director Steve McQueen's follow-up to the Academy Award-winning film 12 Years a Slave. In addition to helming the crime drama, Mc-Queen co-wrote the screenplay alongside Gone Girl and Sharp Objects scribe Gillian Flynn. The prestige names circling the picture don't stop there though, as the ensemble is stacked with all-star acting talent I'll discuss momentarily, and acclaimed film composer Hans Zimmer even scores the intricate heist flick. Whether Widows will be a prominent player in the awards race remains to be seen, but I believe it's rightfully earned its spot in the conversation for some coveted Oscars.

From the get-go, McQueen captivates audiences with an intense getaway intercut by glimpses of the tranquil domestic life shared by the four thieves and their spouses. Throughout the film, false reflections are employed as a reoccurring symbol which is not only beautifully photographed by cinematographer Sean Bobbitt, but indicative of the struggle of grieving a loved one as Veronica is often haunted by an image of her deceased husband Harry when she looks out the window. It's also worth mentioning that Widows contains the most unique camera placement I've seen all year, as a one-take conversation inside the back seat of a car is shot from the front passenger side exterior to highlight the change in locale from a poverty-stricken neighborhood to a wealthy one (there's deeper meaning to it, I promise).

On that note, Widows is loaded with commentary related to race, gender, socioeconomic status, political corruption, police brutality, and violence to name the topics most prominent in the narrative. However, the film never feels overburdened by the abundance of subject matter. In fact, everything eventually coalesces in an incredibly satisfying manner within a tense, enthralling thriller. Though it should be mentioned that Widows is not an action-heavy heist movie as it's being marketed. Action is present and incredible in execution, but not abundant. McQueen and Flynn are much more concerned with exploring the ensuing character drama, and Widows is all the better for it.

As I alluded to earlier, Widows has a star-studded cast, and everyone brings their A-game. Viola Davis is sensational in the lead role, demonstrating extensive range that should garner her another Oscar nomination at the very least, while Elizabeth Debicki and Michelle Rodriguez each turn in career-best performances. Cynthia Erivo, who was recently a highlight of Bad Times at the El Royale, continues to show a knack for acting as she matches her experienced costars at every opportunity while Liam Neeson, Jacki Weaver, and Carrie Coon are relegated to small but vital roles.

Brian Tyree Henry and Daniel Kaluuya portray Manning brothers Jamal and Jatemme respectively, lending a sense of gravitas to their characters which makes their screen presence all the more intimidating and impressionable. Kaluuya is only onscreen for about ten minutes, but he really makes the most of it by exhibiting a razor-sharp intensity and collected composure which will surely place him among the year's best supporting performances and most intimidating antagonists. Meanwhile, Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall juxtapose them as a father-son duo of scheming politicians.

I still need to watch American Animals, but for now, Widows easily curb-stomped Ocean's Eight and snatched its crown as the year's best heist film. Unlike the year's other diverse female-lead heist, Widows rejuvenates the genre with stylish filmmaking techniques and a sense of purpose. McQueen's got plenty to say and a lot of ground to cover but somehow gets away executing a complex smash-and-grab without ever sacrificing quality or entertainment value.

Film Assessment: A+

'The Cloverfield Paradox' Review

The Cloverfield Paradox chronicles the unexpected results of a scientific experiment involving a particle accelerator aboard a space station as the crew become isolated and must fight for their survival.

In all honesty, I was not expecting to be reviewing this film anytime soon... It had bounced around with a couple different release dates in the past year and I had no idea if it would ever see the light of day... For those who don't know about The Cloverfield Paradox's marketing stunt, the film had no prior promotion before the Super Bowl whatsoever... Then they released a thirty second teaser and announced it would be available to stream on Netflix hours later after the game. Now, this idea is entirely unprecedented and Netflix literally made history last night. Sure, there had been rumblings about the the film going to Netflix these past few weeks and there were also rumors that surfaced just before the game about it being available afterwards, but still, they were just rumors. There was little confirmation. However, Paramount, Bad Robot, and J.J. Abrams pulled off another insane marketing stunt with the help of Netflix. As a marketing major myself, I couldn't help but admire their audacity!! Honestly, once the Avengers: Infinity War TV spot aired, I was ready for the game to end so I could finally watch the third entry to the Cloverfield franchise.

Marketing gimmicks aside, you came here to read my thoughts on the film itself, correct? Well... I'm going to be especially vague on plot details to avoid spoilers, but without further ado, here we go! The Cloverfield Paradox is another anthology entry following Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane, meaning it's not a direct sequel to the others but takes place in the same universe with slight connections to the other two entries in the series. The film's directed by Julius Onah and features a screenplay written by Oren Uziel and Doug Jung. Onah seems to tap right into the franchise's core sensibility of suspense while bringing another genre to the forefront. Where Cloverfield was a found-footage monster movie and 10 Cloverfield Lane was a claustrophobic thriller, The Cloverfield Paradox is a sci-fi horror.

I've already seen some comparing it to Alien, but to me, it was hardly anything like Alien... If anything, I actually appreciated that the crew's situation was entirely unlike the one we're used to seeing in those films. This crew was facing something completely different, and I liked that change of pace for the genre considering how Life was such an Alien rip-off last year. My only issues were that some crew members were underdeveloped, the film was a little slow to get going, it fell into some of the space station movie tropes, and that it seemed really odd that the term "Cloverfield" was used so often in universe considering neither of the last two films did that... I'm not into all the ARG stuff so I could be wrong, but it just seemed odd to me regardless. Overall, I liked the visual effects, performances, Bear McCreary's spectacular score, and how Dan Mindel effectively navigated capturing a claustrophobic setting as cinematographer.

The stand-out cast members were undoubtedly Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Brühl, Chris O' Dowd, and David Oyelowo, who each turned in a fine performance. Mbatha-Raw, in particular, really impressed me as Ava Hamilton and made for an engaging lead character that I could really get behind as I was especially intrigued by her character's central conflict. On the flip-side, Elizabeth Debicki seemed to act a little wooden and stilted, which didn't quite work for the character. Her motivations also seemed to suddenly shift at one point, and while I understood why she did what she did, the change took me a bit off-guard. All the other members of the ensemble were good in the capacity utilized.

While I wouldn't go as far to calling The Cloverfield Paradox the best Cloverfield movie, I consider it an interesting addition to the anthology and think it's well worth watching from the comfort of your own home. For the most part, I felt The Cloverfield Paradox was successful in what it set out to achieve by connecting the grand Cloverfield-verse while providing some impressive visuals and stimulating space thrills along the way. 

Film Assessment: B-

'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' (2015) Review

Although The Man From U.N.C.L.E. contains various similarities to other spy films, it proves to be a great love letter to 60's spy films from director Guy Ritchie. It also happens to be the fourth spy film released this year with the new Bond flick Spectre to close out this year of spy movies in November and while I have yet to see Spy I can say that this film didn't really click with me the way Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation and Kingsman: The Secret Service did as I loved both of those films but for different reasons. This film doesn't quite stand apart from most spy films as seeming to be a generic spy film set in the 1960s during the midst of the Cold War. However I did really enjoy the film and was engaged throughout with fun action sequences, beautiful cinematography, awesome production design, and some great montages. There was some subtle humor and gags that made me laugh but there wasn't really much comedy to the film that I feel could have certainly elevated the fun spy adventure. The film also boasts some great performances. Henry Cavill is certainly a standout as the American spy, Napoleon Solo, who is slick, arrogant and full of more life as compared to his serious performance as the Man of Steel. Armie Hammer is very entertaining as the Russian spy, Kuryakin, and it's interesting to see a little more range from Hammer as he does a fine job portraying a tough Soviet and actually does a great job with his Russian accent as it sounds very believable. The two leads work quite well as a dynamic duo with Cavill playing a clean cut gentleman spy while Hammer is the rough weathered KGB agent. This allows for a little situational comedy when the two are working together and a few quick one-liners from Cavill. Rounding out the central cast is Alicia Vikander as Teller, who turns out to be more than a damsel in distress and makes a capable female lead. The film's main villain, Victoria Vinciguerra, portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki makes for an interesting criminal mastermind but isn't quite given the development necessary to make her a memorable villain. The film does however have an interesting plot with a few unexpected twists and turns along the way to make the film more interesting and make it a little more than a stereotypical spy flick. One part of the film that is used quite effectively is the film's score with some great music choices that work well with the action unfolding onscreen. I wouldn't say the film is the best thing I've seen from Guy Ritchie, since I actually prefer his take on the latest Sherlock Holmes films starring Robert Downey Jr., but it does make for an enjoyable spy popcorn flick.

Film Assessment: B-