LINDA MARRIC
TENET
Cert 13 Out now
After endless delays and continuous doubt over it being released this side of Christmas, Christopher Nolan’s latest sci-fi juggernaut is finally here and, boy, was it worth the wait.
Star of BlacKkKlansman (and son of Denzel) John David Washington is fantastic as the unnamed protagonist. He plays a CIA agent who finds himself caught up in a world of ruthless arms dealers, hitmen and assorted criminals as he navigates a complex timebending plot against humanity.
In order to halt the start of the Third World War, our hero teams up with the enigmatic
MATTHIAS & MAXIME
Friday on MUBI
CIA operative Neil – Robert Pattinson in his best role yet – and Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), the ex-wife of criminal mastermind Andrei Sator (played by Kenneth Branagh).
Nolan mixes classic spy tropes and clever modern sci-fi to give us a handsomely made film packed with twists, turns and stunning action set pieces. Those familiar with his other complicated narratives, like Inception or even Interstellar, will be relieved to know that Tenet is in the same vein.
While the plot here might require more concentration, there is still much to enjoy even if you find yourself baffled by the highly complex premise.
Composer Ludwig Göransson, who has
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taken the place of Nolan’s longtime musical collaborator Hans Zimmer, provides an oddly, but appropriately Zimmeresque score. Meanwhile, Debicki and Washington both perform magnificently – she as the femme fatale willing to do anything to be free again and he as the man who holds humanity’s fate in his hands.
For me, however, it’s Pattinson who truly nails it as Neil – impressive and beautifully measured.
Tenet plays around with ideas of space and time, but at its heart is an oddly traditional spy thriller. The result is admittedly uneven, but it’s by far Nolan’s most ambitious film yet. Just don’t think too much about it and enjoy the ride.
Friday on Amazon Prime Video
Washington
Pattinson
This wickedly funny horror comedy marks the feature directorial debut of former music video director Ninian Doff.
It follows a trio of wayward Glasgow schoolboys who, as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, embark on a character-building trip to the Scottish Highlands, alongside a strait-laced camper.
Hilarity ensues as the boys find themselves hunted down by a shadowy figure (played rather brilliantly by Eddie Izzard). Hot on their trail too is a group of hapless police officers – played by Kate Dickie, Alice Lowe and Kevin Guthrie – who believe them to be a terror gang. James Cosmo delights as a hip-hop-loving farmer.
Out on DVD Sept 1 and Blu-ray now
A passable, if flawed, romantic comedy in which Maggie Sherwoode (Dakota Johnson) is the long-suffering personal assistant to overbearing global music superstar Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross). Her aim is to help the talented young musician David Cliff (Kelvin Harrison Jr) release his first album, which she produces, while falling for his charms.
Under Late Night director Nisha Ganatra, it’s a romcom that’s well acted and executed, but let down by a screenplay that feels at least two decades out of date.
There’s a lot to enjoy here, not least through Johnson’s understated and wonderfully breezy delivery – just don’t go expecting anything out of the ordinary.
Friday in cinemas and Curzon Home Cinema
Veteran writer/director William Nicholson (Shadowlands) delivers a limp and weirdly disjointed family drama starring acclaimed actress Annette Bening as Grace, a woman struggling to come to terms with the end of her marriage.
Bill Nighy plays Edward, the husband leaving her for another woman after 30 years, while God’s Own Country star Josh O’Connor is the couple’s troubled grown-up son caught in the middle of the painful break-up.
With an excruciatingly simplistic plot and dialogue which could have easily been lifted from a Radio 4 afternoon play, Hope Gap simply doesn’t cut it. Dialogue and storyline aside, its biggest failing is that, unfortunately, Bening is terribly miscast here. Her wandering accent – is it Cockney? is it Home Counties? who the hell knows? – becomes more and more jarring the longer we go on.
Overall, and as well-meaning as it is, Hope Gap just feels too stunted and old fashioned to work in a contemporary setting, and Nicholson’s directorial style fails to measure up to his earlier work.
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Classic spy tropes meet modern sci-fi in a film that’s packed with twists
RISING PHOENIX
Friday on Netflix
This stunning docu-feature charts the history of the Paralympic games from their genesis to their place in global modern-day culture.
Celebrating compelling stories of triumph over adversity, this lovingly crafted and deeply moving film highlights the sacrifices made by some of the best athletes of our times.
Footage from London 2012 is bound to trigger a certain twinge of nostalgia, but the film also carries a wider message about how disability is perceived in the world we live in.
With the 2020 Paralympics postponed, Rising Phoenix presents a timely opportunity to revisit some memorable moments.