What Is The Last Film You Watched? (2020 films)

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I am seeing Bill & Ted in a movie theater this evening.  I’m not excited about the movie, I never had strong feelings one way or another for the original and never saw Bogus, but I am very excited to go to the theater again.

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

Watch out for other people!

[KK 3,307]

It was definitely strange sitting in a theatre of 30 people, seated in pairs separated by alternate rows and many seats.

 

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

 

Tenet

 

"It is a tale (...) full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." - Macbeth

 

This is Nolan's worst film. Shallow characters, a blistering sound mix, completely unintelligible plot, a poor script and, naturally, a slew of massive setpieces that kind of just...happen. It's an exhausting cycle of action and exposition, and neither are strong enough to distract from the other's flaws. Dibecki is good, Brannagh is ridiculously hammy, and Washington and Pattinson could never possibly muster enough charisma to make something of their roles.

 

In the way of the score, there's not much to what Göransson delivers that stuck out to me. It's quite clear he works best when he's given a generous amount of creative space, something only Coogler and Favreau have really lended him thus far. A collection of synth ostinati, obnoxiously loud blasts and occasional interjections from a set of electric guitars is all there is here. 

 

All in all, I can't say I got anything out of this. First time in a recliner seat theatre, so there's that (not sure if you know the one @KK, the downtown Landmark). Now when can I see Green Knight?

[Hurmm 91]

Tenet. 

 

Interesting concept, but truly an awful movie. The dialogue in the first half is, and I'm not joking here, at least 90% exposition. It really was just expository dialogue randomly filmed in various locations around the globe. The effect would have been the same if they just filmed the entire half in a cold, dark office room. Would have possibly solved the terrible editing involved as well. 

 

Second half is where most of the action happens, and they are half decent, but along with the indecipherable plot it all amounts to nothingness. 

 

All the characters are uninteresting, all the actors are pretty terrible, John Washington mistakenly presumes that a pair of serious eyes and facial hair equate to acting and charisma. Terrible all round. The only one who looked like he was having a bit of fun was Branaugh. 

 

[bruce marshall 1,315]

All the hate for TENET from this board must mean its damn good!

😁

[KK 3,307]

1 hour ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

All in all, I can't say I got anything out of this. First time in a recliner seat theatre, so there's that (not sure if you know the one @KK, the downtown Landmark). Now when can I see Green Knight?

 

Not familiar with it! But I always presumed the Cineplex VIP tickets had reclining seats. I watched Tenet at the Cinesphere at the Ontario Place. It's an impressive screen.

 

2 hours ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

In the way of the score, there's not much to what Göransson delivers that stuck out to me. It's quite clear he works best when he's given a generous amount of creative space, something only Coogler and Favreau have really lended him thus far. A collection of synth ostinati, obnoxiously loud blasts and occasional interjections from a set of electric guitars is all there is here. 

 

 

Oh I'm sure Göransson was afforded a lot of creative space. He's been working on it for some time, with what I assume is a lot of creative dialogue with Nolan. He's just writing to Nolan's preferred aesthetic. I think it's important to remember that a large bulk of Göransson's career is actually rooted as a producer in the hiphop world.

[publicist 4,643]

1 hour ago, KK said:

Oh I'm sure Göransson was afforded a lot of creative space. He's been working on it for some time, with what I assume is a lot of creative dialogue with Nolan. He's just writing to Nolan's preferred aesthetic. I think it's important to remember that a large bulk of Göransson's career is actually rooted as a producer in the hiphop world.

 

Even acknowledging Nolan's house style to plaster every minute with loud banging i found the sound design (hesitating to file it under 'music') aimless and, frankly, not helpful. It will be a dividing work - movie and score - and i already see the fractions rising, one declaring it a brilliant challenge of traditional, linear storytelling, others a confusing, full-of-itself mess. Listening to the music by itself, i definitely fall into latter camp, as i see nothing beyond beyond deafening surface gloss (prove me wrong).

[KK 3,307]

To be honest, the whole thing was so deafening that it was hard to make anything out at all. What little that managed to avoid getting buried in the mix sounded like some mildly interesting, if noisy, electronic playtime. And I admit, I'm playing the optimist here, because I like Göransson, so I like to suspect there could be 5-10 minutes of something maybe worth listening to. But yes, like Dunkirk, the overall philosophy here seems to be that when being assaulted with so much visual and audio noise, you just throw more sound back at it.

 

To think, 10 years later, Zimmer's Inception comes off as the far subtler hand in Nolan's filmography...

[publicist 4,643]

Zimmer is, even considering his limitations as a composer, a great dramatist. And you hear that in Inception and Interstellar, but i take a wild guess here and say that seeing the road Nolan was taking with Dunkirk he had no qualms leaving Tenet, as both Bond and Dune are far more promising prospects than another Dunkirk-like noisefest.

[Brundlefly 2,385]

30 minutes ago, publicist said:

It will be a dividing work - movie and score - and i already see the fractions rising, one declaring it a brilliant challenge of traditional, linear storytelling, others a confusing, full-of-itself mess.

Frankly, it seems like that dividing work was Inception. So far, I'm reading the same review for Tenet over and over.

[publicist 4,643]

I don't think both films are comparable at all, and my friends and i reacted all favourably to Inception when it came out. We all hated Tenet.

[KK 3,307]

Inception was hardly dividing though, at least with the masses. If anything, it really cemented Nolan's super stardom. It was the ultimate summer event movie.

 

Tenet on the other hand, I just can't see gathering that kind of unanimous enthusiasm. The number of times I kept hearing "Wtf" and "It's trying way too hard to be Inception" murmured as we walked out with the crowd was telling.

[KK 3,307]

I've seen some respectable critics dishing out surprisingly positive reviews though. Call me a cynic, but I suspect this might be the industry currying Nolan's favour, given how much he lobbies for the future of film and cinema.

[publicist 4,643]

6 minutes ago, KK said:

I've seen some respectable critics dishing out surprisingly positive reviews though. Call me a cynic, but I suspect this might be the industry currying Nolan's favour, given how much he lobbies for the future of film and cinema.

 

Even worse, it's trendy self deception. There may come a time when Nolan's breaking of linear barriers will become the norm but it ain't now and this ain't the movie to herald it.

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

Why is the vampire guy wearing a suit that's three sizes too large?

[bruce marshall 1,315]

52 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Why is the vampire guy wearing a suit that three sizes too large?

Maybe because, unlike that nut job Chris Bale, he didn't relish spending six months in the gym to ' bulk up' for the role?😎

[Naïve Old Fart 9,515]

49 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Why is the vampire guy wearing a suit that three sizes too large?

Maybe he thinks he's David Byrne, in STOP MAKING SENSE?

 

6 hours ago, KK said:

The official rule is that you keep them on unless you’re eating popcorn or having your drink. Most people leave it off for the duration of the film, mostly because they seat you so far apart from each other to begin with.

Thanks, for that. Unfortunately, there are no cinemas at all within a one hundred mile radius of where I live, so my chances of watching TENET at the cinema are slim, to say the least.

For all those citing that it's too loud...perhaps a viewing on a smaller screen might yield more positive results? Watching a film on a TV screen often allows me to "step back", both physically, and emotionally, from the film, and to watch it far more objectively. Just a thought.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Bill and Ted Face the Music was nice and positive but dissipated immediately, melted like cotton candy.  Nobody comes out of it looking bad or embarrassed which is sort of an accomplishment in itself for a 30 years later comedy sequel.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

10 hours ago, KK said:

Not familiar with it! But I always presumed the Cineplex VIP tickets had reclining seats. I watched Tenet at the Cinesphere at the Ontario Place. It's an impressive screen.

Ah okay, I recall that you had spent some time in my area while you were in university, so I thought I'd ask. It's a neat little place, and kind of hidden too. In a courtyard on top of Jackson Square. I never would have known it was there, really. They renovated the place about five or six years ago, if my grasp on time is correct, and now each of their, oh, 10 or so screens have recliners and very spacious aisles. New experience for me, and it was a pleasant one at that. 

 

I'm not a big fan of the Cineplex chains, so the Landmark is a nice one to tag for any big movies that are worth watching. Otherwise I only visit the Westdale and the Playhouse, both of which are also recently renovated . Here's hoping they all stay open though! 

 

10 hours ago, KK said:

Oh I'm sure Göransson was afforded a lot of creative space. He's been working on it for some time, with what I assume is a lot of creative dialogue with Nolan. He's just writing to Nolan's preferred aesthetic. I think it's important to remember that a large bulk of Göransson's career is actually rooted as a producer in the hiphop world.

Yeah, I suppose I mistake limited room to work with for a very open opportunity aligned with Nolan's vision. I'll still listen to the OST and hope to dig a few tracks out of it, as I'm very interested in Göransson as a composer, even when he's working in a medium I wouldn't normally enjoy. He most aligns with my tastes when he draws upon a wide variety of genres in his musical background, and fuses them together, which is why I mention Coogler and Favreau. So yes, Nolan has given him no less than they did, but the vision is totally different. 

[KK 3,307]

1 minute ago, The Illustrious Jerry said:

Ah okay, I recall that you had spent some time in my area while you were in university, so I thought I'd ask. It's a neat little place, and kind of hidden too. In a courtyard on top of Jackson Square. I never would have known it was there, really. They renovated the place about five or six years ago, if my grasp on time is correct, and now each of their, oh, 10 or so screens have recliners and very spacious aisles. New experience for me, and it was a pleasant one at that. 

 

Ah you meant in Hamilton! Thought you meant Toronto (forgot that you live around Hamilton). Yea I've been there a bunch of times, but for some reason, don't remember reclining seats. I think the more enduring memory is that of how much of a dump Jackson Square is...that whole place needs a proper makeover. But I know Hamilton's going through a gentrification phase, so maybe they'll finally clean the place up.

 

Westdale is great! I think the last thing I watched there was a screening of Nolan's TDK. But I remember they used to play a lot of smaller films, which is neat. They shut down for renovations for the last year or two I was there. Are they open again? Would love to pay it a visit sometime.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,356]

18 minutes ago, KK said:

Yea I've been there a bunch of times, but for some reason, don't remember reclining seats. I think the more enduring memory is that of how much of a dump Jackson Square is...that whole place needs a proper makeover. But I know Hamilton's going through a gentrification phase, so maybe they'll finally clean the place up.

 

Westdale is great! They shut down for renovations for the last year or two I was there. Are they open again? Would love to pay it a visit sometime.

I believe the reclining seats are a more recent addition; my buddy said they'd had them for a few years now.

 

And yes, The Westdale reopened at the start of 2019, if I recall correctly. It's looking quite nice indeed, and they play a solid selection of classics and smaller/arthouse releases, which makes it something of a haven. Ideally I'll be able to catch The Green Knight there later this year, as that certainly fits the bill. COVID-wise they reopened at the end of July. I've visited three times since 2019, intermixed with many trips to the Playhouse, a little further east, but fairly interchangeable and also new in town. Here's hoping there will be ample opportunity to fully utilize the memberships that I purchased in January, dear me! 

[Romão 2,274]

Sometimes I think some of Nolan's concepts and the rules he sets up for them might be much better suited for video games. A bit like Portal, if you will

[Edmilson 7,434]

Even with all the restrictions, it looks like Tenet will be a box office success. The first theatrical hit since Sonic the Hedgehog, I believe.

 

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/08/tenet-53-million-international-grosses-strong-1234583438/

[bruce marshall 1,315]

1 minute ago, Edmilson said:

Even with all the restrictions, it looks like Tenet will be a box office success. The first theatrical hit since Sonic the Hedgehog, I believe.

 

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/08/tenet-53-million-international-grosses-strong-1234583438/

You love reporting those box office results, don't you!😁

[Edmilson 7,434]

Just now, bruce marshall said:

You love reporting those box office results, don't you!😁

 

Indeed I do. I write about box office to my friend's website in Portuguese. Unfortunately, Covid made box office reporting unfunny for countless months.

[A24 4,331]

The American press still loves Nolan and his cunning ways!

 

Rotten Tomatoes:

 

Tenet: 82%

The New Mutants: 29%

[KK 3,307]

 

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

 

A surreal breakup movie that gets lost in Kaufman's cracked consciousness. As I expected, I'll need to revisit it before I can really say anything about it, but I like it. It's very familiar territory for Kaufman but I don't think that's a bad thing. I just wish the characters didn't feel so distant and there wasn't so much verbal ideating in long car drives. Cast is great though.

 

Will check it out again sometime soon.

 

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

1 hour ago, KK said:

A surreal breakup movie that gets lost in Kaufman's cracked consciousness. As I expected, I'll need to revisit it before I can really say anything about it, but I like it.

 

Ooh, new Kaufman at last? Is it as "actively" depressing as his other recent films?

[KK 3,307]

It's bleak and touches on a lot of the same existentialist ideas, but I think it ends on a slightly more uplifting note than Synecdoche and Anamolisa.

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

That's a relief. I've always found Synecdoche particularly devastating.

[KK 3,307]

Yea...that one's a hard watch. But his masterpiece, it remains.

 

This one flirts more liberally with comical and absurdist, but it lacks the earnest optimism of his earlier films. Something which he shed entirely with Synecdoche, I think.

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

14 hours ago, KK said:

I'll need to revisit it before I can really say anything about it...

 

Can't wait to read your explanation of what was happening!

[A24 4,331]

I'm Thinking Of Ending Things

 

 

The trip to the parents was OK, the first part with the parents was sometimes funny. It was during the second part (at the parents house) that I lost interest and even fell asleep during the couple's ride back home, but I did manage to see the film's best and most intriguing scene (see photo above) which could have been from a Lynch movie. Most of I'm Thinking Of Ending Things, however, could have been a stage play or a book. Note that I wasn't a fan of Being John Malkovich either.

[Sweeping Strings 2,354]

Saw Tenet again, in the hope that it might make more sense if I was less tired. 

Erm, nope ... still good-looking, still technically impressive and still starts well. But still descends into largely incomprehensible bollocks and never really recovers.  

[A24 4,331]

Well, before watching it again, you could have watched a 'Tenet Explained' video on youtube.

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

Sweeps is working on it. It isn't going very well.

[crocodile 8,000]

It's not meant to be understood. Only the chosen ones get it.

 

Karol

[Jurassic Shark 12,055]

I wonder if Nolan really gets it.

[crocodile 8,000]

Blasphemy!

 

Karol

[Sweeping Strings 2,354]

18 hours ago, crocodile said:

It's not meant to be understood. Only the chosen ones get it.

 

Karol

People with a physics degree?

Maybe the woman who shows the Protagonist 'inversion' and tells him that it's best not to think about it too much was also addressing the audience. Hard to tell without a fourth-wall break, lol. 

[Quintus 5,399]

Imagine spending time trying to work out and thinking about a bad movie. As if there's something to unlock, when there isn't. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,515]

Imagine spending time thinking about a Nolan movie. Period.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Tenet is the biggest pile of shit I have seen in a long time. It fails in storytelling, it fails whenever the main character is on screen. What a miscast role. He has zero charisma. Oh my god was this movie loud. Its visually ugly. And the gimmick was laughably bad.  After 6 months away from the theatre what a major disappointment. Christopher Nolan your bloated 300+ million w/marketing film makes your terrible Intersteller and equally terrible Inception seem less awful.

[A24 4,331]

Mulan streaming brings in more money than Tenet theatre. Cinema is in trouble.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

11 minutes ago, AC1 said:

Mulan streaming brings in more money than Tenet theatre. Cinema is in trouble.

What does Disney charge?

[A24 4,331]

No idea. About the same price of a ticket? 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

10 minutes ago, AC1 said:

No idea. About the same price of a ticket? 

$30 on top of a Disney+ subscription. 

[Edmilson 7,434]

I wonder if Disney will say how much money has Mulan earned so far. Most streamers don't reveal their numbers, only when the condition is favorable to them. You won't see Netflix saying that the new season of The Crown was less watched than the previous season.

[A24 4,331]

From what I read, Mulan made 30 million while Tenet only did 10* million so far (in more or less the same period). It's an underperformance and doesn't sound good for Dune.

 

°First reports said it was 20 million but apparently that was an error