Review: Tenet

A new Christopher Nolan feature is seen by many as more of a event then just a new film release. His mind-bending ideas-driven projects for the last 20 years has seen him as one of the most ambitious and popular directors of all-time.

That perfect mix of arthouse structure with the budget of a summer blockbuster has given us many memorable cinematic experiences. So any new release of his always that almost unfair amounts of hype and expectation.

However, this particular feature is also seen as a beacon to restart the film industry since lockdown. So there is also that financial pressure as well as critical.

In a nutshell, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. The prologue certainly gives us an idea of the pace and tensity of its action. After that, this is when I feel we lose many demographics. I always appreciate Nolan with his stories. The way he respects the intelligence of the audience and feels we can keep with the information being given to us.

This time, something felt amiss. The script sounded complex and intriguing. But the execution in its coherence never made me understand or feel emotion for the stakes involved. Plus, there was an unnecessary amount of times when everyone was mumbling through the script or the bass heavy music somewhat drowned out what was being said. I try and avoid calling this downfall out. But it was a real struggle for tuning the ears.

If you've seen the trailers, you will have seen some unique action sequences with a time-bending environment. It was hard to not appreciate that. But like the dialogue, it felt empty. There is one action sequence towards the end of the first act though that was pretty impressive to watch. With Nolan being known for trying to make everything as practical and authentic as possible, seeing what they did in that particular scene has to be commended.

With more characters being introduced, I was still struggling to understand or feel anything, and yet the frenetic pacing still had my heart racing and my eyes glued to the screen. So by the time the second act was coming to an end, I felt my patience could reward me.

It managed to do that up to a point. There are some brilliant action sequences that are totally unique in its look, exciting to watch and it really makes you wonder how on earth did they make that work when filming it. Also, I did feel I was beginning to get a grasp on the story. This was the only time when I felt that vintage Nolan magic.

The performance aspect of Nolan's films are rarely award worthy. But they usually do the job well. This time, it either just about felt satisfactory or miscast. John David Washington was fine but never felt strong enough to carry the film as the lead. I never felt that presence I saw from him BlackKklansman.

Robert Pattison had that suave and cocky appearance which was great to see. But like Washington, something was missing to make him feel at all memorable. I continue to enjoy Elizabeth Debicki's development in major Hollywood films. There is a great amount of confidence in her acting and was the closest thing to a stand-out out of the entire cast.

As for Kenneth Branagh, he did not seem to fit the bill of what was required. None of his actions ever felt threatening to warrant the title of main antagonist. So in the end, his character felt a bit weak and the choice of casting Branagh was wrongly judged.

Some aspects I can however give all the plaudits to, is the production design, cinematography and the score. With Nolan's regular collaborators of cameraman Wally Pfister and composer Hans Zimmer now absent. It came down to Hoyte Van Hoytema and Ludwig Goransson to take the helm and they respectively gave us some spectacular imagery along with a thumping score that is worth experiencing in IMAX.

I must begin my conclusion by saying that this film won't feel satisfying for many types of audiences. It certainly scrambled my brain. But I felt sticking with it felt rewarding enough and gave me enough hope that there is enjoyment to be had.

Sadly on a first viewing, this felt too ambitious, even by Nolan's standards. This is by far my least favourite of his back catalogue. There are ideas and action sequences reminding me of the famous 'Backwards' episode from Red Dwarf. But on a cinematic scale with a bigger budget. However, it contained a narrative that was as coherent as Quantum Of Solace. You can feel there is a compatible story in here. But it never hit the mark for me.

I was glad the third act did somewhat save the experience, and have enough memorable moments to take home with me.

It will be interesting for me and many others if multiple viewings will effect anything. Is there something I missed, will seeing the film with subtitles clear things up? It's rare for a film to change my opinion of it entirely. But nevertheless, I will keep a close eye on how this film ages whilst remaining excited for Nolan's next venture.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Greyhound

With the current events forcing us to miss out on cinematic events, I thankfully have yet to see a new release via a streaming service that did not feel worthy of seeing on the big screen.

But when I heard the news that this biographical war drama would be shown on said platform. I did have a feeling this would be the first true cinematic experience that we would be losing.

I'm sorry to say that I feel I was right. But in some way, that is also a good thing as this was a thrilling and enjoyable watch.
From the beginning, the tension was constant and kept mounting up to some cool vintage wartime battles that made me fall in love with the genre all over again.

What made that start exciting for me, was how they portrayed the process of how decisions are made on a battleship. It was weirdly fascinating and satisfying that ramped up the tension perfectly. Not once did you feel alienated from the lingo. You knew exactly what was happening and who makes what orders.
Also, the use of the hand-held camerawork was effective during the interior scenes.

After that, the action still keeps moving along nicely. The momentum does somewhat lose its edge in the second half. I think the lack of character development may have been the reason.

Speaking of character, there is a lack of gravitas that you would expect in a film like this. We do have some nice little moments that felt like a nice change of pace from the action. But they don't last long enough to make this film more than just sea battle involving ships and submarines.

Thankfully we do have Tom Hanks quite literally at the helm. He does continue to have that expected presence on screen. While I don't feel this is an instantly memorable character to add to his back catalogue. There is still that sense of comfort whenever he is in control and doing his duty.
The rest of the cast as an ensemble do a really good job. That sense of authenticity was help by the supporting cast as well as Hanks. Notable mentions I have to give are Stephen Graham who continues to expand his list of major collaborations and Elizabeth Shue, who is always a delight to see on screen.

The visual effects play a key part and overall were pretty good. They gave a great sense of the environment everyone was experiencing. Plus, the mix of the sound design made for a true war battle.

For a feature that on paper sounds quite grand and epic in its scale, I was certainly not expecting to see the film I got in the end. It does enough to come in at 90 minutes, and is essentially a prolonged action sequence that catches some decent character moments, but has no intention of including sub-text.
While I would have liked some of the latter, the action does make up for it and gives you a true edge of your seat war action drama. Sometimes simplicity works and I think it did a good job of keeping me engaged for almost all of its duration.

This was most definitely the first film I have seen since lockdown that I felt needed to be seen on the big screen.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga

I must begin this review by saying, that I'm a fan of the Eurovision Song Contest. I believe the first contest I saw was back in 2000. I have not missed one since.

My initial love for it was for the statistics of the voting segment of the show as I love my stats. After that, I have come to embrace the Eurovision culture and always fall in love with the show and joyous vibe it gives off.

So when I hard that an actual Eurovision film was being made, I had to see it no matter how bad it may look in the build-up. The tone in the marketing looked somewhat promising as the over-the-top comedy seemed to be the right way to fully capture the spirit of the show.

Now after seeing it, I have they have achieved that and then some. Sadly, while I feel non-fans of the show will see this a sub-par comedy where the gags aren't particularly strong. I feel the fans will fully embrace this. It really captures the vibe the shows gives off and is a wonderful replacement for the cancelled 2020 contest.

There also some cool cameos from previous Eurovision winners and other personalities you associate with the show. Plus, they show great authenticity in terms of the format and rules of the show.
One important aspect that needs to work for a Eurovision film, is the songs. It felt like they created every type of song you expect to see. From the total rubbish, to the guilty pleasures, to the absolute belters that you can't get out of your head. Certain songs will quickly be added to my playlist.

I felt the performances were pretty solid overall. Will Ferrell was a good choice in casting as he can fit into type of film in his film. His chemistry with Rachel McAdams felt genuine and I believed in their friendship. McAdams herself was great to watch and showcased herself well when her character was in the spotlight.
Dan Stevens was great playing the most stereotype Eurovision singer imaginable. Stevens continues to show great range and I continue to look forward to his next project.
Pierce Brosnan, Olafur Darri Olafsson were particular favourites of mine from the supporting cast. I also have to give props to the only cameo that I will mention, and that is Graham Norton. Having him be part of the film worked a charm and I can see it pleasing many viewers.

So while the Eurovision aspect I felt was right on the money. As an actual film, it's an ok comedy. Some of the gags work and the rest either fall flat or overstayed its welcome. The story structure is certainly one we've seen before and done better.
But the obvious Eurovision edge it has will certainly make it more memorable and give it a strong rewatchability factor for a certain demographic.

I never really thought that Eurovision needed a film. But in these current times, the timing of its release was perfect and with the possibility of a lack of new releases in 2020, this could end up being my feel-good film of the year.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Da 5 Bloods

After claiming his first ever Oscar last year for BlackKklansman, director Spike Lee now has his follow up.

It's hard to know what to expect with any directors next project after it being their most successful from an awards perspective. For this particular situation, I think it will be a tough one as BlackKklansman was such an important film for so many.

For this one, while this still covers a serious topic, the tone seems to be mix between drama and adventure. It actually felt like a bit extreme in its shifts. Almost as if two different films were fighting to be the primary genre.

The drama side of the story is really interesting. The accompanying Vietnamese landscape is terrific and becomes a character in itself. As for the adventure side, it started well. But it somewhat lost my engagement the longer it went on. What I did like about that side of the story was the similarities to Treasure Of The Sierra Madre and its themes of greed.
There were some nice little historical elements presented on screen at certain times to make us aware of certain unsung heroes or little known bits of history. I was a bit sniffy with the way they were presented as it felt a bit preachy. But I did warm to it eventually.

With the Vietnam War being an integral aspect of the plot, I liked how they transitioned from past to present and how it helped with the story.

For the performances, while I don't think there were particular standouts. But as an ensemble, it was pretty strong. They all bounced off each other well and gave us a group of characters with an authentic sense of brotherhood and you can feel their respective haunted pasts.
So props to Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jnr as well as Melanie Thierry, Paul Wlater Hauser, Jasper Paakkonen, Johnny Nguyen, Sandy Huong Pham, Van Veronica Ngo and Chadwick Boseman.

The strongest aspect of the film for me was the score by Terence Blanchard, who is Spike Lee's regular composer. It's traditional grand orchestra quality it gave off really worked in certain scenes. That army and mystery vibe it gave off worked really well. I will certainly be listening to it again.

To conclude, while I feel there were a lot of positives, it never beyond the level of good. Almost everything felt pretty entertaining. But it felt short of giving it a strong re-watchability.
Spike Lee's style never always works with me. But I'm always intrigued by a new project and appreciate his films. This for me worked well for the most part. While it did not feel as impactful as some of his best, there's still plenty to enjoy.

As mentioned before, it looks great, the performances are all solid and the general story is intriguing even though the tonal shifts didn't work for me all the time.

With all the recent events occuring, the timing of its release is scarily on point. So this is certainly a film to be seen in 2020.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Banker

With the current situation meaning the only destination for new releases at the moment is via streaming. It is intriguing which films are taking the risk of not having a theatrical release.

With this particular film, it is the ever-growing Apple TV that is has chosen to showcase its end product.

Being inspired by a true story, coming from the same director as the enjoyable The Adjustment Bureau and containing a quality cast, I was certainly up for being entertaining from this story.

The opening act introduces our characters and their respective backgrounds well. I liked the story was already making unexpected swerves. So much so that it turned from a Pygmalion/My Fair Lady situation to a heist or caper story with a unique difference. By that point, my engagement had drastically enhanced and I was there for the ride for the remainder of the duration.

What I liked about it the most was the script. There is a lot of necessary bank and real estate lingo being used in many conversations. But it is executed in a way to still make it work for anyone to understand and never make you come out of the film.

It also worked due to the convincing and highly memorable performances. It was nice to see Anthony Mackie be the lead as I never really saw him as an actor capable of carrying a film. But I'm happy to see him prove me wrong and give strength and confidence in his character that made him extremely watchable.
That as well as his chemistry with the always charismatic Samuel L. Jackson gave us a fun partnership that I would like to see in future projects. Nicholas Hoult was as solid as you might expect and it was great seeing Nia Long be part of this project and become a memorable minor character. It was also nice seeing Colm Meaney have a part in this as I haven't seen him for a while and he always delivers.

Other aspects worked well. The production really showed off the the period well and the score enhanced all the scenes well.

I enjoyed this a lot more then I thought I would. This is a very rewarding watch and it's true story inspiration really gives it that edge that can be a real crowd-pleaser.
While its pay-off doesn't quite match the impact of its previous two acts, it's still satisfying enough to not detract my overall enjoyment. I hope this gets more access then just an Apple TV distribution.

Rating: 8/10

My Top 10: Quentin Tarantino Films

For the past 30 years, Quentin Tarantino has been been a calling to multiple generations as a gateway to cinema for a mature audience. Me included.

My first Tarantino experience was like for many others, eye-opening, highly memorable and made you see films in a totally different way.

While paying homage to many styles Tarantino saw through his childhood, his slick style of dialogue, glorious cinematography, romping soundtrack, iconic characters and bloody violence have made him one of the most influential personalities in the industry.

His back catalogue may not be extensive. But one thing is for, the release of a Tarantino film is always seen more as an event then just another project.

It won't surprise me for a second that every other people's list will be different to mine. But I think we can all agree, that Tarantino is one of the greats.

I have seen all but one of Tarantino's 11 films. I am yet to have seen his debut of My Best Friend's Birthday which is now partially lost. I am not counting Sin City and Four Rooms, as he was only either a guest director or directed a partial segment of it.

I will give a short review of my top 10 as follows:

10) Death Proof - While it may be Tarantino's weakest work, it's a still a solid watch.

Seen as Tarantino's homage to grind-house cinema, it sees a stunt-man stalk two groups of women as part of his murderous plans.

Whether the build-up works for you or not, it's worth it for the amazing car chase.

9) Jackie Brown - I probably need to re-watch this as I have not seen this for a long time. But some see this as Tarantino's best. It's most definitely the least Tarantino-looking film he's ever made.

It sees a middle-aged flight attendant get involved in a conflict that could see her go to jail or potentially gain a huge profit.

It's a solid crime drama with some cool twists and has a stellar cast.

8) The Hateful Eight - An Oscar-winning western mystery epic sees a collection of peculiar characters take shelter in a cabin during a winter storm.

It's a well developed story with many memorable characters that is beautifully shot with the iconic Ultra Panavision 70 which Tarantino resurrected.

The cast list is impressive and they all bring their A-game.

7) Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood - Taratino's latest feature that is seen as a homage to the final years of Hollywood's Golden Era.

It sees a fading TV actor and his stunt double looking for one last major project in their respective careers.

It's a slow burner. But it manages to absorb you into the Hollywood lifestyle and has several iconic sequences.

6) Reservoir Dogs - Taratino's breakthrough feature sees several criminals suspecting one of their colleagues is a police informant when a bank heist goes wrong.

It's well structured, written with a lot of wit and introduced the filming industry of Quentin Tarantino is all about.

5) Kill Bill Vol. 2 - The follow-up to the first Kill Bill which sees 'The Bride' continue her quest for vengeance.

It's a thrilling conclusion to this epic story that also gives a bit more backstory to our colourful characters.

The soundtrack is still tip-top and the action never stops.

4) Django Unchained - An epic western drama about a slave who is releases by a bounty hunter and promises to help him free his wife from a brutal plantation owner.

The performances by Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio in particular are spectacular, the film is a real cinematic spectacle and the soundtrack works perfectly.

Tarantino is always known for his spaghetti western style in most of his works. This is as spaghetti western as it gets.

3) Inglourious Basterds - A thrilling and exciting war drama that sees a rogue group of U.S soldiers head over to Nazi-occupied France to assassinate the major leaders of the Third Reich.

It contains my favourite opening scene of all-time. Also, it introduced the world to Christoph Waltz.

This works so well as a cinematic fantasy look at World War Two whilst also paying homage to the war genre.

2) Pulp Fiction - When people think of Tarantino, this film is usually the first they think of.

Winner of the Palme D'or, an Oscar winner and seen as one of the greatest films of all-time. This crime drama full of stories inter-twining over each other may very well be Tarantino's cinematic masterpiece.

1) Kill Bill Vol. 1 - My first Tarantino experience and one that I will never forget.

Seen as a homage to grindhouse martial arts films, Uma Thurman stars as 'The Bride', a mysterious former assassin seeking vengeance on the team that betrayed her.

The amazing opening it has really sets the tone for a action-packed thrill ride that has all the right ingredients for a fully fledged cinematic experience.

I think even if it was my first Tarantino film, I strongly feel this would still be my favourite.

Review: Artemis Fowl

As I have never read the books and only know this brand by name, I went into this pretty cold.

But from a storytelling perspective, I think it's pretty safe to say that this feature will make fans of the books pretty angry.

The introduction was perfectly fine. The opening gives you an interesting concept that when done well, it can be a solid watch.

But as the film went on, you begin to realise how little of a story we are actually going to have. There's no journey and no adventure of any kind. It's honestly just a prolonged action sequence. It doesn't gain any momentum and never brings this world to life.

Also, there is an annoying amount of over-exposition. This is a device in films that I usually gloss over and it is sometimes necessary and it is usually executed really well that you don't even notice it. But this one did it in such an lazy and obvious way that did not make it entertaining whatsoever.

The only things going for it was the action and the visual effects. The former was not a big positive. It was just perfectly fine to not make this a total waste of time. Plus, the visual effects were solid and never took me out of the film.

The casting was disappointing on the whole. The youngsters of Ferdia Shaw and Lara McDonnell did a solid job with what they had. But the way their characters were written and developed never made them engaging.
The way the titular character is hyped, you expect so much. In the end, you get a kid who lacks charisma and seems to be quick at obtaining information and staying alive for 90mins.

I didn't see the need for Judi Dench or Colin Farrell in this. Especially Farrell, who is basically doing what Chris Pine did in A Wrinkle In Time. Said film is actually a perfect example of what has happened to this film. But at least A Wrinkle In Time showed more interesting imagery.
I have to mention Josh Gadd, as he was more annoying then funny. I understand the hate for Gadd. But I rarely jump on that bandwagon as I don't often see him in that way. Sadly, I saw that in this and couldn't care less for his character.

So while I have never read the book, anyone can see that something was missing. It felt too safe, inoffensive, sterile and lacking that magic, risk and edge. It just looked like another middle of the road Disney feature that they just wheel out as filler.

These are the type of films that actually annoy me more then the films that are actually rubbish. While I felt there's nothing really bad about it from a film-making perspective, there's just nothing good about it. Apart from maybe the visual effects and the interesting concept.
I'll leave the hateful reviews to people who have read the books and know how good the film can be. But from me, I'll say that there's many worse family fantasy films out there. But I cannot recommend this unremarkable feature with source material that shows us the potential of what this could be.

Rating: 6/10