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DJMrB
Reviews
Tenet (2020)
Easily the worst Nolan film to date.
Let's start with some positives.
It looks like a Nolan film, that is to say, technically gloriois and expansive. Good performances, particularly from Debicki although Nolan has regurgitated her character from The Night Manager.
The storyline is utterly meaningless and deliberately exhausting. It's so baffling that by the time you get close to figuring a scene out you've missed the next - and that happens over and over again, which in the end left me not caring about any of it.
You'll go home, read painfully written CliffsNotes, and realise it was all pointless anyway. You'll feel annoyed at yourself for reading up about it, longing for a non-existent deep and meaningful. It's a big waste of time and, ultimately, unlike inception which had something powerful to say about perception and choice, or Interstellar which had something to say about dimensions and humanity, Tenet is a technically brilliant load of nonsense.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Possibly the most important movie you will ever see if you've ever felt that life can be cruel
In preparation for writing this comment, which I am compelled to write for reasons which will become clear, I read a fair few of the major critics to see, if on this occasion, they had seen and felt what I had.
James Bernadelli suggests this film should be known as the "Pursuit of Richness"; another column I have read suggests that the money-will-solve-your-problems resolution is depressing and not the message Hollywood (or art in general) should be trying to put across.
I ask myself when the last occasion might have been that any of these critics genuinely had to :spoiler: run, under painful, embarrassing duress, from a cab - because they didn't have the money; or when the forces of life seemed to conspire against them so unfairly that they broke down in tears. Spoiler: when your wealthy boss, who you CANNOT disappoint, asks you to borrow the last five dollars in your wallet, and you know that that money is all you have in the world - to feed your family, to pay your gas.
You go through times in life when you feel that things couldn't possibly get worse - and then they do - and then they do again. Sometimes, (like Chris and son at the beach towards the end of the film) you just want to get away from it all, other times you cry. Sometimes, and this is rare, you laugh - because if you don't you'll cry. You know that if you let it all become too much, you will sink to the bottom of the sea.
Chris Gardner (not the real one perhaps, but the one in this movie) is my personal hero; my shining example; my inspiration - the guy that never allows himself to sink - even when he can feel his shoelaces trailing on the seabed.
I realised as I was watching this film that I was watching another me, so I never once stopped rooting for Chris. When he :spoiler: fixes the scanner in the shelter, I felt like I had fixed it.
I'm still working on getting the job that earns me enough to have a less painful life - when Chris finally achieves it, I want it for him so badly that I feel it in the very fibre of my being.
I suppose that it doesn't matter that much that Chris wants to succeed as much for his son as for himself. In a way, the fact that Chris has a son makes this movie emotionally frightening and if (and only if) our basest fears are being toyed with by the director, it is only in exactly the same way that we sometimes look up in to the sky and say - like Jim Carrey in "Bruce Almighty" - is there anything else you could possibly do to me today? In my life, God doesn't appear and explain why he keeps toying with me. The truest belief is in oneself and one must never lose it.
I adore this movie and I couldn't be more grateful for its existence. It comes at a time when I need it most. Its message: Keep going - never, ever give up.
And so I come back to those reviewers. Money certainly doesn't mean happiness in this existence, but no money, in this cruel capitalist world, can cost you your life. Do not be judgmental of those who want more, it might just be enough to pay for their son to eat, to keep a roof over his head, to keep their dignity. This film is not about rags-to-riches as some reviewers have said. It's not about the American dream either. It is about dignity and integrity and how money (or lack thereof) could easily strip you of both.
Chris Gardner never loses either and for this, he is an inspiration to us all.
See this film TODAY.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Terrible, terrible, terrible.
Yes, my worst fears have come true - Hollywood is dying. And it's taking all the movies with it...
Briefly, because I don't wish to spend too much time pondering on this film (as there is truly nothing to be thinking about)- the Matrix Revolutions is convoluted, tiresome, ill-considered and a waste of time.
The only saving grace is the much improved sfx which in places, were awesome.(Rain scenes)
Forget this, and watch your copy of the Matrix a dozen more times. It will give you more pleasure.
Keanu Reeves, hang up your sunglasses and head for the hills. Please.
Tiresia (2003)
Dark, fearless, haunting, impressive
VERY MINOR SPOILERS
I am excited for two reasons - first, having moved to France I can now drown myself in French cinema. Secondly, this may be the first time that I have been the first to comment on a movie for IMDB. I might even actually be convincing you cinema-goers out there to see a film that I liked. How wonderfully,innocently exciting.
And, yes - I am trying to persuade you to see this film. Watching Tiresia is not an easy Sunday night at your local multiplex, but it is a good film.
Shocking, disturbing, horrifying in places, Tiresia is suberbly acted by a strong cast, with special note to both actors in the eponymous role. In places the camerawork is a little shoddy but this is easily overcome with dramatic set pieces and chilling imagery that will leave you with nightmares for weeks. Trust me.
Tiresia, the story, is of a transexual prostitute who is captured and brutally stabbed, to survive and rebuild what remains of this character's seemingly hopeless existence. However the beauty in this film is not to be found in its story, but in the incredible transformation of Tiresia. Without wishing to reveal too much, watch carefully as the director forces us to see Tiresia change.
I highly recommend this film, although you rednecks and scousers out there (you know who u are)might not find it at your local cinema. Hunt it down where you can. 8/10
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
The Man Who Wasn't There is exquisite film-making.
The Man Who Wasn't There is exquisite film-making.
It is slow-paced, black and white, with more than a nod to classic film noir, but let that not detract from these masters at work. The way this film is photographed is simply divine and Billy Bob Thornton gives a performance that leaves no room on screen for anyone else... even the ever-essential James Gandolfini.
TMWWT is deep, spiritual, funny, painful but above all, meticulously assembled with some of the finest character empathy the Coens have ever achieved.
Excellent, I love it - 8/10
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
A wonderful, perfect, crucial film
Requiem is a work of art. Aronofsky has created a dramatic climax so shocking and absorbing that it is hard not to feel overcome by it. This film is excellently cast, with Ellen Bursten producing a masterful show-stealing performance.
The dreams presented in this work are human, imperfect - but totally real. We feel the highs and lows with every character, the director here totally in tune with his audience.
Camera work and visual effects are mindblowing and remind us that film and imagery still have a continued power to shock.
This film is a powerful must. 9/10