August 2020 – Page 2 – Movie Retakes

Lord, Miller, Morales & Fiallo Team for Miami-Set Comedy at Universal

Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The LEGO Movie) are expanding their roster of upcoming projects at Universal Pictures by teaming up with Natalie Morales (Dead to Me) and Cyrina Fiallo (Abby’s) for an untitled Miami-set comedy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Based on a pitch from writers-turned-stars Morales and Fiallo, the film will focus on a Cuban-American woman as she is forced to return to her overbearing family in Miami or a baptism, a quinceañera, a wedding and a funeral, with the tone and themes being compared as akin to Nia Vardalos’ My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

The duo are set to write the script and executive produce the project alongside Will Alegra from Lord Miller Productions and Vincent Nastri of Bleecker Street Entertainment, while the eponymous duo will produce the film with their production banner’s President of Film Aditya Sood and Universal Pictures, where they have a major first-look deal and have been frequently setting up new projects in the year since. Sources report the film is also being seen as a close-to-home project for Lord, who hails from Miami and is of Cuban descent, as well as Morales and Fiallo as they are both originally from the Sunshine State and have Cuban heritage.

The untitled comedy marks the latest feature project Lord and Miller have backed at Universal after last week brought word that the duo would be reuniting with 22 Jump Street stars/comedians The Lucas Brothers for an untitled film that the latter duo will write and star in. It also marks a reunion between Morales and the former duo as the 35-year-old star appeared in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as Miss Calleros, a teacher to the titular protagonist.

(Photo Credits: Getty Images)

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New to Stream: Crackle’s September 2020 Movie & TV Lineup

New to Stream: Crackle's September 2020 Movie & TV Lineup

New to Stream: Crackle’s September 2020 Movie & TV Lineup

Crackle, the free streaming network, has announced its September 2020 movie and television lineup, including new originals and exclusives such as Spides, an eight-episode Crackle Original sci-fi series premiering on September 17. The full list of September titles can be viewed below!

New Crackle Original Series in September

Spides (September 17): The Crackle original series Spides is an eight-episode sci-fi series following a murder investigation that somehow takes a darker than the police expect. A club drug known as “Blis” has hit the streets and is resulting in disappearances, violence, death, and possibly something even worse. Trail the investigators as they enter a perilous underground world of criminals, synthetic narcotics, and psychic phenomena. We hope you’re comfortable on the edge of your seat, because you’re in for a wild ride!

New Crackle AVOD Exclusives in September

Corporate Animals (Feature, September 1): In this hilarious dark Crackle exclusive, Demi Moore plays a self-obsessed CEO of an edible flatware startup. Looking to raise the bar in the organization she takes her corporate crew on a team-building excursion led by the wonderfully inept Ed Helms. All goes according to plan until a cave-in traps everyone far below ground and even further from any hope of rescue. As hunger becomes their constant companion, this edible startup wonders what (or who) they’ll have to eat next.

Metro Sexual (Series, September 1): Hilarious Australian sit-com gives you a peek behind the doctor’s curtain at a small local sexual health clinic and their wacky employees. Uncomfortable doctor visits have never been so funny!

Blue Iguana (Feature, September 1): When two ex-cons working dead-end jobs in a greasy spoon diner get the caper of a lifetime dropped into their laps, comedy quickly ensues. Sam Rockwell (Jojo Rabbit, The One and Only Ivan) and Ben Schwartz (Space Force, Parks and Recreation), lead the crew chasing the most sought-after diamond, the Blue Iguana, as you hold your sides and try to keep up!

New Channels Coming to Crackle in September

Crime Time (Launching September 1): The channel created for armchair detectives everywhere! Get your sleuthing skills on with great shows such as the classic Unsolved Mysteries, as well as Forensic Files, Psychic Investigators, and features like An American Crime.

Trapped Channel (Launching September 1): Feeling trapped? Find a little freedom with a channel that delivers titles like the hilariously dark Corporate Animals, action-packed 10 Cloverfield Lane, zombie classic Train To Busan, and beautifully bizarre Dave Made a Maze!

Sam, Snakes, and Planes Channel (Launching September 1): Join us in celebrating all things snakes, planes, and Sam Jackson with titles like Changing Lanes, Black Snake Moan, the series Pan Am, and hyper-reptilian feature, Anacondas: Trail of Blood.

Emmy Winners Channel (Launching September 17): Kick back and walk through television history with some of the greatest Emmy winners in the entertainment industry like Tina Fey, and the casts of TV classics All in the Family, The Carol Burnett Show, and Barney Miller.

Because Aliens Channel (Launching September 17): Sometimes a strange time calls for a strange channel! Check out the sci-fi excellence of the Crackle Original series, Spides, the classic My Favorite Martian, and features like Alien Hunter and Starship Troopers: Invasion!

New Crackle Spotlight Titles in September

White House Down: While touring the White House a D.C. police officer (Channing Tatum) has to battle terrorists in order to save not only his daughter but also the President (Jamie Foxx) from certain destruction.

Dead Man Down: A mobster’s lieutenant (Colin Farrell) is helped by a woman (Noomi Rapace) who seeks revenge on the man who permanently scarred not only her face but her entire life.

Stealth: Three pilots (Jamie Foxx, Jessica Biel, and Josh Lucas) deep in a hush-hush government program must use all their skills and brains to outthink an AI computer program that is dead-set on starting World War III.

The International: An Interpol agent (Clive Owen) and an American District Attorney (Naomi Watts) risk their lives to battle an international banking conglomerate and bring their illegal arms dealing to the world stage.

Wind Chill: When two college students (Emily Blunt and Ashton Holmes) heading home for Winter Break encounter a snowstorm and a wrong turn, the weather ends up being the least of their terrifying problems as the past truly comes back to haunt them.

Hard Rain: A star-studded cast tells the story of the nephew of an armored-car driver (Christian Slater) who, during a flood, battles a gang of thugs led by Morgan Freeman to keep three-million dollars from flowing into their hands.

Additional New Movies in September

12 Round Gun

13 Ghosts

Above Ground Level: Dubfire

All We Had

Another You

Army Of Frankensteins

Baffled!

Bat 21

Beneath The Harvest Sky

Blue Iguana

Bodysnatch

Breakable You

Creature With The Atom Brain

Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus

Dave Made A Maze

Don’t Knock the Rock

Dying Laughing

First To The Moon

I’m Not Here

Jonestown: Paradise Lost

Killer Bees

Lake Placid 2

Manny

Manson

Moon Man

Mr. Sardonicus

Rampart

Saving Jaws

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder

Starship Troopers: Invasion

Sunlight Jr.

The Damned United

To Sleep With Anger

U Want Me 2 Kill Him?

Wind Chill

Additional New TV Shows in September

Backlot (Season 1, Episodes 1-49)

Backlot (Season 2, Episodes 50-52)

Father Knows Best (Season 2, Episodes 1-37)

Grand Designs (Season 11, Episodes 1-9)

Grand Designs (Season 12, Episodes 1-7)

Psychic Investigators (Season 2, Episodes 1-15)

The Carol Burnett Show (Season 1, Episodes 1-31)

The Goode Family (Season 1, Episodes 1-13)

Thunderbirds (Season 1, Episodes 1-32)

Urban Legends (Season 1, Episodes 1-15)

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Exclusive: Chris Matheson & Ed Solomon on Their Bill & Ted 3 Cameos!

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Exclusive: Chris Matheson & Ed Solomon on Their Bill & Ted 3 Cameos!

Orion Pictures provided ComingSoon.net with the chance to speak with Bill & Ted Face the Music co-writers Ed Solomon & Chris Matheson, who also co-wrote the first two films. Now that the film is out today and earning some most excellent reviews, we asked them about their cameo as demons during the hell sequence in the threequel! The cameo follows a tradition of them appearing in the previous films, first as “Stupid Waiters” in Excellent Adventure and then as “Stupid Seance Members” in Bogus Journey.

Click here to rent Bill & Ted Face the Music on PVOD!

ComingSoon.net: Bill & Ted are your characters, but there’s also YOUR characters. You went from ice cream guys to New Age guys, and now you’re demons. So talk a little bit about your characters’ arc in these movies.

Chris Matheson: I think you just said it. Ice cream guys to New Age guys to demons. That’s it.

Ed Solomon: I think it’s pretty fair to say that what you pointed out is really correct. The movie really is about those characters. It’s about the Ziggy Piggy ice cream guys as they attempt to find meaning in a sort of New Age way, but ultimately end up as demons in hell. And I think that the reason we aren’t in more of the movie is I think Dean felt as though we would really distract from Alex and Keanu. I’m just joking. I can’t even… the idea of seeing that in print makes me barf into my own mouth. No… (laughs)

Matheson: We did, we loved the idea that the ice cream guys somehow had just fallen apart and were now in hell. Like, you know, that stuff just strikes us as kind of funny.

Solomon: Yeah, we just were glad we actually got to play a part. We were going to play a different part, but we got cut. And then, at the last minute we got shoved in, which I’m glad we did because I’m really glad we got to have a little part in it.

Bill & Ted Face the Music centers on Bill S. Preston (Alex Winter) and Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves), who are now fathers and have yet to fulfill their rock ‘n’ roll destinies. Their lives change when they are visited by a messenger from the future who warns them that only their song can save life as we know it.

Click here to own Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure!

Click here to own Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey!

Joining Winter and Reeves are Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) and Brigette Lundy-Paine (Atypical) as Bill and Ted’s daughters, respectively. The film will also feature Anthony Carrigan (Barry), Jillian Bell (Workaholics), Kristen Schall (Toy Story 4), Holland Taylor (Gloria Bell), Kid Cudi, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, and Beck Bennet. William Sadler is also set to reprise his role as Death alongside franchise returners Amy Stoch and Hal London Jr. Newcomer.

Bill & Ted Face the Music is now in theaters and on Premium VOD!

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Diamond Select’s Spring 2021 Preview Includes Marvel, Mortal Kombat & More!

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Diamond Select’s Spring 2021 preview includes Marvel, Mortal Komba t& more!

It’s almost September, which means the September Previews catalog is on its way to comic shops around the world from Diamond Select Toys that features a dozen items you’ll have in your hot little hands come February including toys based on Avatar: The Last Airbender, Disney, Iron Giant, Marvel Comics and more! Check out the upcoming figures in the gallery below!

Avatar: The Last Airbender Deluxe Action Figures Series 3 Asst.

Get ready to feel the earth move! Fan-favorite earthbender Toph joins the action figure line based on Avatar: The Last Airbender in this epic third assortment! Toph is joined by Firelord Ozai, dressed as he appears in the Battle at Wulong Forest. Each 7-inch-scale figure features approximately 16 points of articulation and includes alternate hands and element-bending accessories. Packaged in deluxe window box packaging. Designed by Eamon O’Donoghue, sculpted by Richard Force, the figures run for $25 each and can be pre-ordered here!

Castlevania Gallery Dracula PVC Diorama

The antagonist of the Castlevania animated series on Netflix, Dracula rises from the flames in this dramatic Gallery Diorama. Crafted from high-quality PVC, it features detailed sculpting and paint applications and comes packaged in a full-color window box. Designed by Caesar, sculpted by Alterton. Formerly a GameStop exclusive, the diorama runs for $50 and can be pre-ordered here!

Disney D-Formz PVC Figurine Counter Display

Time for Disney to D-Form! The D-Formz line of super-cute PVC figurines expands into the Disney Universe with this all-new assortment. Featuring stylized sculpts of Tron, Jack Sparrow, VINCENT, Kermit, the Mad Hatter and the Rocketeer, each approximately 3-inch figure comes packaged in a full-color blind box. With 12 figures in every counter display, you’re guaranteed to get two of each figure! Designed by Barry Bradfield, sculpted by Rocco Tartamella, the figurines run for $8 each and can be pre-ordered here!

Iron Giant Vinimates Attack Mode Iron Giant 4” Vinyl Figure

The Iron Giant goes into full-on Attack Mode in this all-new Vinimates vinyl figure! Depicting him with his dome up, chest plate open and all weapons live, no one is safe from his extraterrestrial onslaught! Measuring approximately four inches tall, this vinyl figure features detailed sculpting and paint applications, and comes packaged in a full-color window box. Designed by Barry Bradfield, the figure is set to run for $10! (Item #SEP201924, SRP: $9.99)

Legends in 3D Video Game Kingdom Hearts Mickey Mouse 1/2 Scale Bust

Hail to the King! Kingdom Hearts’ resident royal Mickey Mouse gets the Legends in 3D treatment with this half-scale resin bust. Measuring approximately 10 inches tall, it depicts a portrait of Mickey in his black Organization 13 robes atop a pedestal. Limited to only 1,000 pieces, it comes packaged in a full-color box with a certificate of authenticity. Designed by Joe Allard, sculpted by Varner Studios, the bust is set to run for $175 and can be pre-ordered here!

Marvel Animated Spider-Man 1/7 Scale Resin Bust

Cue guitar riff! The theme song to Spider-Man: The Animated Series will definitely run through your head every time you look at this resin bust based on the hit cartoon! Sculpted in 1/7 scale and standing approximately 6 inches tall, this bust depicts a 1990s animated-style Spidey spraying a webline and preparing to swing. Limited to only 3,000 pieces, it comes packaged in a full-color box with a certificate of authenticity. Designed by Barry Bradfield, sculpted by Paul Harding, the bust runs for $60 and can be pre-ordered here!

Marvel Comic Gallery Days of Future Past Wolverine PVC Diorama

Fight the future! Sporting his look from the dystopic future that is the “Days of Future Past” storyline, Wolverine rocks a leather jacket and grey temples in this all-new Gallery Diorama! With his claws fully extended and standing on some rubble, Logan looks ready for a tussle, and stands approximately 9 inches tall. This piece is made of high-quality PVC and comes packaged in a full-color window box. Designed by Caesar, sculpted by Alejandro Pereira, the diorama runs for $50 and can be pre-ordered here!

Marvel Comic Premier Collection Silver Surfer Resin Statue

Watch out Thor, the Surfer is coming! Swooping down to the surface at incredible speed, the Silver Surfer rides his shimmering surfboard in this dynamic statue. Hand-sculpted by Clayburn Moore based on a classic Marvel Comics cover, this statue pairs well with the Premier Collection Thor statue, and stands approximately 12 inches tall. It is limited to 3,000 pieces and comes packaged in a full-color box with a certificate of authenticity, the statue runs for $175 and can be pre-ordered here!

Marvel Comic Premier Collection Thor Resin Statue

Thou shalt not pass… without checking out this statue! The second full-size resin statue in the all-new Marvel Premier Collection is none other than Thor, God of Thunder! Based on a famous 1969 cover image, Thor wears his timeless classic outfit and swings his hammer as if preparing to hurl it skyward. Crouching on a circular base designed to represent Bifrost, the rainbow bridge of Asgard, this approximately 9″ statue of Thor is limited to only 3,000 pieces, and comes packaged with a certficate of authenticity in a full-color box. Sculpted by Clayburn Moore, the statue runs for $150 and can be pre-ordered here!

Marvel Movie Gallery Team Suit Captain America PVC Diorama

Whatever it takes! Captain America suits up to avenge his fallen comrades in the newest Marvel Gallery PVC Diorama from Diamond Select Toys! Based on his appearance in Avengers: Endgame, Cap strides towards the viewer in his white Quantum Realm suit in this approximately 9-inch sculpture featuring the likeness of Chris Evans. Crafted of high-quality PVC, it features detailed sculpting and paint applications, and comes packaged in a full-color window box with fifth-panel door. Sculpted by Rocco Tartamella! Formerly a GameStop exclusive, the figure runs for $50!

Marvel Select Rampaging Hulk Action Figure

It’s the Hulk of a lifetime! For years, fans have asked Diamond Select Toys to make a classic-style Hulk action figure, and now they have! Measuring approximately 9.75 inches tall with 16 points of articulation, this iconic character will become a centerpiece in any Marvel figure collection. Includes one set of alternate fists and an alternate Cosmic Hulk head. It comes packaged in display-ready Select figure packaging with side-panel artwork for shelf display. Designed by Yuri Tming, sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios, the figure runs for $30 and can be pre-ordered here!

Marvel Video Game Gallery Spider-Man on Taxi PVC Diorama

The hit video game Spider-Man is now the newest Gallery Diorama! The web-slinger hitches a ride to the hit sculpture line in style, crouched on a Daily Bugle sign atop a New York City cab in his new, already-iconic costume. Measuring approximately 9” tall, this sculpture of Spidey preparing to fire a web is made of high-quality PVC and comes packaged in a full-color window box. Sculpted by Cortes Studios. Formerly a GameStop exclusive, the diorama runs for $50 and can be pre-ordered here!

Mortal Kombat Gallery Scorpion Deluxe PVC Diorama

Get over here! From the hit Mortal Kombat video game franchise, wearing his outfit from Mortal Kombat 11, Scorpion launches his kunai (chain-spear thingy) at an opponent in this dynamic, deluxe Gallery Diorama. Cast in high-quality PVC, it features detailed sculpting and paint applications, and comes packaged in a full-color window box. Designed by Nelson X. Asencio, sculpted by Salvador Gomes, the diorama runs for $75 and can be pre-ordered here!

All figures are set to hit shelves in early 2021!

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Premium Cuts

Director’s Cuts. Special editions. Extended editions. With the ability to create so many different versions of films, audiences can get lost in the naming conventions, and not really know what they’re getting.

Highlander

Highlander gets the trilogy treatment, a reboot with a twist, and a new canon. Read the Sully Brothers’ pitches along with a featured pitch from friend of the show, Corey Thompson.

Not Today, Satan!

How many times have you heard someone say, “Hollywood is running out of ideas?” Should all the reboots get the boot, or could horror be immune to retake overkill?

Bill & Ted Face the Music Review: Nostalgia & Fun Outweigh Predictability

Rating:

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8/10

Cast:

Keanu Reeves as Theodore “Ted” Logan

Alex Winter as William “Bill” S. Preston, Esq.

Brigette Lundy-Paine as Wilhelmina “Billie” Logan

Samara Weaving as Theodora “Thea” Preston

William Sadler as Grim Reaper

Kristen Schaal as Kelly

Anthony Carrigan as Dennis Caleb McCoy

Jayma Mays as Princess Joanna Preston

Erinn Hayes as Princess Elizabeth Logan

Holland Taylor as The Great Leader

Kid Cudi as himself

Jillian Bell as Dr. Taylor Wood

Hal Landon Jr. as Captain Jonathan Logan

Amy Stoch as Missy

Beck Bennett as Deacon Logan

Directed by Dean Parisot; Written by Chris Matheson & Ed Solomon

Click here to rent Bill & Ted Face the Music!

Bill & Ted Face the Music Review:

Looking at his career for the past 25 years, it’s hard to believe Keanu Reeves was ever once an airhead on film and after years of trying to get the ball rolling, he and Alex Winter have finally returned as the excellent time travelers Bill & Ted for the long-awaited threequel and though it may not live up to the legacy of the originals, Bill & Ted Face the Music proves to be a plenty fun and nostalgic trip for fans of the franchise.

The stakes are higher than ever for the time-traveling exploits of William “Bill” S. Preston Esq. and Theodore “Ted” Logan. Yet to fulfill their rock and roll destiny, the now middle aged best friends set out on a new adventure when a visitor from the future warns them that only their song can save life as we know it. Along the way, they will be helped by their daughters, a new batch of historical figures, and a few music legends – to seek the song that will set their world right and bring harmony in the universe.

The idea of revisiting the titular duo in their mid-40s is a great concept and the script explores it pretty well, touching on themes of their inability to grow up and the struggle it’s brought to both their families and lifestyle in relatively decent fashion. Though it may not be to the height of some prestige dramas touching upon similar themes, it proves to resonate at a deep enough level to feel believable as Bill and Ted grow over the course of the story.

The humor present throughout the story may not quite click as nicely as it did the first two rounds in 1990 and ’91, but it still mostly proves to be effective for newcomers and longtime fans alike. The time-traveling continues to deliver plenty of outrageous hijinks both in the various past and present eras, from the titular duo running into increasingly nonsensical future versions of themselves to their daughters assembling the ultimate band to save the world from catastrophe, and it all proves an absolute blast from start to finish.

One of the film’s biggest highlights is the story’s handling of the loss of George Carlin, the legendary comedian who played Bill & Ted’s mentor from the future, Rufus, who would guide them from a distance on their time-traveling journeys in order to keep the timeline of a utopian future intact. When development on the film first began a decade ago, Winter confirmed the role of Rufus would not be recast and rather than leave him out entirely, the writers find a truly beautiful way to honor his character and keep him alive throughout the film in a manner similar to the Jumanji sequels, but feels much more emotionally rewarding, bringing a tear to my eye in multiple moments.

Not to mention the performances from its ensemble cast all prove to be a joy to watch, namely those of Reeves and Winter who effortlessly slip back into the roles that first made them household names. Having seen Reeves in the far-more straight-faced John Wick franchise for the past five years, save from a hilarious self-burning cameo in Always Be My Maybe, it’s great to see he can still portray a stoner-level airhead believably and the chemistry Reeves and Winter share together is not indicative of a near-30-year gap between sequels.

Samara Weaving has certainly been a badass to watch in the horror and thriller genres of late, but she shows her range a the daughter to Reeves’ Ted and sparks just as believable of chemistry with co-star Brigette Lundy-Paine as their on-screen dads. And after Bogus Journey, no Bill & Ted would be complete without William Sadler’s Death and with the story taking place long after his first appearance, he gets to shine in an even more nutty and hilarious take on the Grim Reaper, even if it’s not for nearly long enough.

Despite a lot of things going right in the film, there are a handful of things that go wrong that keep it from matching or surpassing its predecessors, with the two biggest flaws coming in the form of its usage of CGI and its fairly predictable nature. One certainly doesn’t go into a Bill & Ted movie expecting to see them lose or be left with an Avengers: Infinity War-level cliffhanger, but there are moments in which the film’s humor or story does tend to feel a little too familiar and convenient in comparison to the past. While the time travel element never looked superb in the prior films, and it does get a decent enough face lift in the threequel, the problem is the decision to create completely green-screen environments for Hell and the future in a truly unconvincing manner.

The preceding films took a more practical approach to bringing the underworld and the utopian future to life that actually felt pretty real and indicative of a competent effort made on the department of the effects department, but be it assembling a cast full of expensive talent or the lack of a desire to actually create believable sets, we’re instead treated to what’s obviously empty warehouses coated in green that makes the worlds feel empty and hollow.

Despite some of the flaws on display throughout, Bill & Ted Face the Music proves to be well worth the wait with a story that is full of heart, effective airhead personas and great performances from its cast, resulting in a plenty fun and nostalgic adventure for longtime fans that could even convert newcomers.

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Lionsgate Acquires Kevin Coughlin & Ryan Grassby’s Mother Land

After a competitive bidding war amongst various studios, Lionsgate has acquired the latest project from Mean Dreams co-writers Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby, a horror spec entitled Mother Land with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen attached to produce.

The story is described as a timely and high-concept piece that deals with a family who has been haunted by an evil spirit for years and their safety and surroundings come into question when one of their children begins to question if the evil is even real.

Coughlin and Grassby wrote the 2016 feature Mean Dreams, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and starred Bill Paxton, and was heralded by the Los Angeles Times as “a beautiful, dangerous picture of rural America with echoes of Terrence Malick.”

Lionsgate’s Aaron Janus and Chelsea Kujawa and 21 Laps’ Emily Morris will oversee the project, while Levy and Cohen will produce for Levy’s banner. Mother Land marks the most recent project 21 Laps has sold amidst quarantine, with last month seeing their acquisition of the highly-sought-after Reddit No Sleep article My Wife & I Bought a Ranch for Netflix, as well as successfully rebooting Unsolved Mysteries for the streaming platform and are currently awaiting to resume production on the fourth season of Stranger Things.

21 Laps has also moved an untitled time travel pic starring Ryan Reynolds (Free Guy) from Paramount Pictures to Netflix while seeing their post-apocalyptic film Love and Monsters recently set for a PVOD release by the former studio on October 16.

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Tenet Review: It’s Hard Not to Be Impressed

Rating:

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7.5/10

Cast:

John David Washington as The Protagonist

Robert Pattinson as Neil

Elizabeth Debicki as Kat

Dimple Kapadia as Priya

Michael Caine as Sir Michael Crosby

Kenneth Branagh as Andrei Sator

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Ives

Himesh Patel as Mahir

Clémence Poésy as Laura

Martin Donovan as Victor

Written & Directed by Christopher Nolan

Tenet Review:

DISCLAIMER: ComingSoon.net does not condone attending screenings at indoor movie theaters/cinemas at this time due to risks of contracting COVID-19. This review was supplied by a writer outside our staff in England who had already seen the film “Tenet” on their own accord. The author was not assigned to attend the screening by ComingSoon.net editors.

2020 has been a truly wild year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a large part of the world being under lockdown for months, and some areas still quarantined. However, one “visionary” director had a movie he believed would save movie theatres after months of closure. This “visionary” is Christopher Nolan, and the film is Tenet—but it’s being marketed in such as way that it should be all capitalised as “TENET,” as if it’s the saviour of cinema, and maybe even the cure for COVID-19 itself.

Nolan’s films are always an event, and with Tenet being the first major studio film release across the globe since March, it most certainly is that. The strange thing about Tenet being ahead of, for example, Wonder Woman 1984, is that it’s a far riskier release than a known quantity, like a sequel to a fun spandex spectacular. However, Nolan was adamant that his film would be first, despite it being delayed three times. It’s also risky because it stars the up and coming young actor John David Washington (Denzel’s son) as “The Protagonist” (that is literally the character’s name), whose most high-profile film to date was BlackKklansman. Then there’s the puzzle-box nature of the film, which is bound to cause divisions in the audience, but could also attract second or third viewings—only time will tell.

In a nutshell, Tenet is basically Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys if it was incorporated into a James Bond-style spy film. The Protagonist is recruited by a shadowy government agency to help bring a stop to World War 3, and thus the extinction of all life on the planet. The only way to stop this is using Time Inversion, which is basically a form of reverse time travel, where the entropy of objects is reversed to allow you to travel back in time. The contact from the government is old Hal Hartley regular Martin Donovan, who is always a pleasure to see on the big screen. He was also in Nolan’s first studio film, Insomnia. Soon Robert Pattinson’s dashing yet slightly debauched Neil arrives, who essentially becomes the wingman for The Protagonist and in many regards ends up being the most important character in the whole film. R-Patz claims he based the mannerisms of the character on proto-neocon Christopher Hitchens, and you can see it, especially when he is disappointed that The Protagonist doesn’t drink on the job. This puts him in a rare club of actors that includes Bruce Willis, who played the Hitchens-inspired character Peter Fallow in The Bonfire of the Vanities.

From its opening scene centering around a terror crisis, which is the sequence that played before Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker film on IMAX, the film is just pure cinematic spectacular. The film puts both the best and worst of Nolan on full show. It never lets up, and by the middle you are exhausted, which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, Nolan is a director who can’t write women to save his life, and he is terrified of any kind of sexuality… this is the man who made Catwoman deeply “unsexy” in The Dark Knight Rises, whereas Tim Burton’s Batman Returns was the horniest film of 1992! Elizabeth Debicki’s Kat is the only female character of note in all of Tenet, and is just there as a cog in the mechanism of the plot—she acts as a way for Washington and Pattinson’s characters to get to the villain of the piece, Kenneth Branagh’s Russian oligarch Andrei Sator. The other women in the film are simply present to spout exposition, but Nolan is an equal opportunist: to be fair, most of the men are put in the same position, like Michael Caine in his glorified cameo.

If The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was like a greatest hits album of David Fincher’s films, Tenet is the equivalent for Nolan. The set pieces come one after another, from the opening sequence to the big car chase, a backwards bungie jump and, of course, the grand finale. The scenery is also breath-taking, with the film being shot in Denmark, India, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States and even Estonia—it’s first large-scale film partially shot in Estonia since Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker. The cinematography by Nolan’s new go-to Hoyte van Hoytema adds to the scope of the film. It never quite achieves that moment of jaw-dropping cinematic bliss, like the opening of Dunkirk or the tesseract in Interstellar. All the typical mind-bending science fiction you would expect from the director of Inception is present, and, no, it’s not a sequel, although it could in theory share the same Nolan cinematic universe.

The futuristic battle sequences in the desert, glimpses of which were shown in the “final trailer,” are all from the final act. The general action of the film is for the most part very reminiscent of the opening sequence of Inception, before you are taken into the dream within a dream. All of the Time Inversion bullet impacts and explosions are impressive, often due to their simplicity: it’s mainly just shooting the action backwards and forwards. Perhaps the most dazzling sequence is the airplane crash heist, mainly because they blew up a real Boeing 747, and it’s all in camera with real flames. Sadly, using real fire is becoming a scarcity in films today, and CGI fire almost always looks fake.

The performances are fine. Nobody in particular stands out, although Pattinson has a couple of humorous moments and radiates serious movie-star charisma, even if it’s by far one of his weaker performances in recent years. In his first big-budget starring role, John David Washington pulls his weight, but much like the name of his character, it’s a nothing role in lieu of the mechanics of the puzzle Nolan is presenting to the audience. He’s just the man who’s trying to slot all the pieces in the correct place to save humanity.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson in completely unrecognisable as Ives, who is part of the team The Protagonist and Neil assemble for the final onslaught of the film. He is mainly there for more exposition. It’s the kind of role any actor could play, but I guess you never turn down the Nolan.

It goes without saying that Tenet is a must-see, even if it’s just so you can be a part of the conversation. If you aren’t quite ready to go to the movies again, you are probably safe to stay home a little longer. The film cost upwards of a quarter of a billion dollars to produce, so it might be playing longer than the typical movie in theatres, and that means even the hesitant should get a chance to see it on the big screen. Nolan has made better films, but Tenet is a culmination of his distinctive filmmaking, so it’s hard not to be impressed.