Robert Pattinson Scene Stealer Extraordinaire

Jeva Lange from The Week has written an opinion piece about Robert Pattinson and his scene stealing performances. Below is an excerpt, but you should read the entire article by clicking on the link HERE:

I wish I could tell you more about their performances [ensemble cast in The Devil All the Time], but by the end of the film, the only thing I could think about was Robert Pattinson.

It’s admittedly baffling that the former Harry Potter and Twilight star somewhere along the line morphed into one of the greatest living actors, but it’s even more baffling still that he keeps somehow getting cast in secondary roles where he then effortlessly snatches the movie away from the sorry souls who’d signed up thinking they were going to get to be the “leads.” How has no one learned better yet? You don’t want to be in a movie with this guy; he’s only going to steal the show.

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The Devil All the Time is only the latest example …

Part of why Pattinson’s performances in The Devil All the Time and The King rise above his hapless costars’ is because it seems as if he frequently operates on a totally different page than the rest of the cast and crew. In the moody and atmospheric The Lighthouse, where he plays more of a true co-lead, for example, Pattinson claimed that he “didn’t really think it was a horror film, because I thought it was so funny.” Some believed he was trolling with his over-the-top French accent in The King. Mashable’s Angie Han, in sharing her pan of The Devil All the Time, suggested that Pattinson was actually doing a sort of meta-performance with his campy, whining reverend, claiming he was the only one on set who seemed to recognize how comedic the movie actually was. Though I felt more generously toward The Devil All the Time than she did, I’m convinced by her argument; Pattinson stands out because his performances are often cleverer than the movies he’s in. When that’s the case, his more earnest costars don’t stand a chance.

Reviews of Robert Pattinson’s performance as Neil in Tenet

**UPDATED: 22 Sept 2020:

Pattinson seems far more ready to slip into his character, with a gleaming smirk that provides a dash of levity to the proceedings.” Slash Film

The embargo’s been lifted and initial reviews for Tenet are in – slightly mixed, but as per usual I’m just going to focus on what they say about Rob – good and bad. I will update as the film is released worldwide – so here we go.

The Sweet

BBC: … with the aid of a louche British fixer, Robert Pattinson, who deserves his own spin-off film.

Total Film | Games Radar: Pattinson puts forward a strong case for his casting as Bruce Wayne, deploying dapper swagger as the capable and faithful Neil. 

The Guardian: As for Robert Pattinson’s raffish wingman, brilliant and dapper and apparently based on Christopher Hitchens? Pattinson is never less than watchable. And his affectations can be a welcome distraction. But he still just seems like some bloke who’s got drunk in Banana Republic’s scarf department.

The Evening Standard: Neil (Robert Pattinson; jauntily effete and utterly delightful).

The Globe & Mail: … shady-slick operative (Robert Pattinson) in the Tom-Hardy-in-Inception mould … He still has a perfect eye for casting (Pattinson and Branagh delight and surprise), and everything overwhelms in just the right way.

The New York Times: … Neil (a delightful Robert Pattinson) …  is also blessed to be playing off an equally unflappable Pattinson — their chemistry, rather than the sexless semi-flirtation between Washington’s hero and Debicki’s damsel, gives the film whatever romance it has.

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First “Unofficial” Reactions to Tenet are Positive

Jordan Ruimy from World of Reel has given us a glimpse into two reviews/reactions he has received from two journos who have seen the film, one in Toronto the other in Europe. Here is an extract with *no spoilers*:

This was clearly made for Nolan fans, through and through, they will love every single minute of it and it’s also his best movie since “Inception.” It’s akin to Scorsese going back to mob movies or John Ford making another Western. A sort of back-to-the-basics approach for Nolan after making “Dunkirk.” There are so many twists and turns in “Tenet,” it has a puzzle-like nature to its story and the weight of the action scenes is enormous. The 150 minutes just flew. Quite honestly, I still don’t fully grasp a few things within the story, a second viewing will help clear a few things up but it’s very much a time-travel movie done in the most deliberately complicated of ways. If Inception was about dreaming, then “Tenet” is about reversing time and righting the wrongs of the past. The locations are also stunning, this was shot on-location in many countries. This will probably make a boatload of money because it gives Nolan fans exactly what they want and the final scene does bring the need for multiple viewings.

and

“Contrary to mainstream moviegoers, I am not an unabashed fan of Nolan’s movies. For example, I find his best work was actually “Dunkirk,” in that movie he tried to abstain from giving us his usual puzzle and just made this masterfully technical and minimalist vision of WWII. Other films of his I like are “Memento,” “Insomnia,” “The Prestige” and “The Dark Knight (up until the final 20 minutes). No, I don’t particularly love “Interstellar” and “Inception,” they felt like forced visions to me, as if he was trying to show off, purposely confusing us in the process, rather than just telling his story in coherent fashion. I also never thought he was that great at shooting action, he doesn’t like lingering on a shot for too long, always cutting from shot-to-shot. Regardless, “Tenet” is not “Dunkirk,” but we already knew that would be the case, it is, however, far better than “Inception” and “Interstellar” because a) there isn’t as much exposition b) the actors actually act, especially a stellar John David Washington, I also loved Elizabeth Debicki’s role, Robert Pattinson is the cool and calm demeaned fella ala DiCaprio in Inception c) the reverse-engineering plot device is actually not that complicated, you can actually follow this movie and not get too lost. Yes, much like some of his other movies, “Tenet” plays a lot with time and fate, but it does so in refreshingly concise ways. The action scenes are also flat-out great, It feel like Nolan has learned a lot from his experience in “Dunkirk,” he’s now much more confident in the way he stages his action, there’s barely any overreaching, it all feels very effortless. [my emphasis]

First Reactions to Robert Pattinson #TheDevilAlltheTime Trailer

It seems Rob may have stolen the limelight yet again. Below are some comments and reactions to Preston Teagardin and the cast as a whole for #TheDevilAlltheTime trailer

Concrete Playground

He’s played a shimmering vampire in the Twilight films, a circus newcomer in Water for Elephants, a photographer friend of James Dean in Life and a desperate small-time criminal in Good Time. Also on his resume: battling in the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, stepping into Salvador Dali’s shoes in Little Ashes, roaming around the Australian outback in The Rover, heading to space in High Life and enduring a nightmarish seaside ordeal in The Lighthouse. Yes, we’re talking about Robert Pattinson, who’ll also add Batman to his hefty list of roles next year — but, before then, he’s playing a creepy man of faith in Netflix’s new thriller The Devil All the Time.

Since leaving terrible supernatural teen romance franchises behind, Pattinson has chosen many an impressive, interesting part. Indeed, add the David Cronenberg-directed Cosmopolis and Maps to the Stars, the unnerving The Childhood of a Leader, biographical drama The Lost City of Z and Shakespeare adaptation The King to the above lineup, too. So, playing an unholy and unsettling preacher in a small Ohio town between World War II and the Vietnam war seems right up his alley. That said, as The Devil All the Time’s just-dropped first trailer shows, Pattinson is just one of the film’s many stars.

We Got This Covered

Robert Pattinson, in what looks to be a scene-stealing role as a twisted preacher …

Collider

This movie looks tremendously intense but also kind of delicious? Pattinson is absolutely chewing the scenery as a devilish preacher, and I can’t wait to see him square off against Holland. While most people might associate these two performers with their franchise roles, they’ve done their best work in smaller-scale dramas, and I’m happy to see them continue to make these kinds of films.

The AV Club

Robert Pattinson can play a piece of shit like nobody’s business, so let us celebrate the actor embracing his dark side one last time before he becomes our new Caped Crusader. Pattinson leads the cast of Netflix’s upcoming The Devil All The Time as an “unholy preacher,” playing just one in a whole ensemble of unsavory backwoods characters. 

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Robert Pattinson also appears in a haunting supporting role as a soldier, whose cold-blooded vein rsesembles that of the Colonel.

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Waiting for the Barbarians has been released at a few festivals, the main being its World Premiere at Venice Film Festival in September 2019. Below are reviews that focus on Rob’s performance. I will update this with reviews as the film is released. *Updated: New reviews starting Mark Reviews Movies*

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THE COOL

BFI (Venice Film Festival)

His decision to take her back to her people leads to his own arrest as a traitor and torture at the hands of the vile Mendel (Robert Pattinson). His fall is precipitous and his humiliation and torture cruel.

Variety (Venice Film Festival)

… including a foppishly snarling Pattinson … For arthouse distributors, villainous supporting turns by Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson will bolster the kerb appeal of a film likely to divide critics at some cost to its commercial prospects.

Mirror UK (Venice Film Festival)

…but Robert Pattinson gives a much more effective but underused turn as the oppressive Officer Mandel who is barely able to contain his toxic rage.

IndieWire (Venice Film Festival)

Because once Johnny Depp turns up again to take on the hordes, this time with Robert Pattinson’s sadistic Officer Mandel in tow, we already know who are the real barbarians — but that doesn’t stop this film from hitting that point and hitting it hard.

The Playlist (Venice Film Festival)

 Notwithstanding how central torture is to the film, we see very little of it and most comes after the arrival of Joll’s repulsively violent apprentice, Officer Mandel (Robert Pattinson).

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First Reactions to IMAX screening of Tenet by IMAX employees

Some IMAX employees had the opportunity to watch a screening of Tenet before its worldwide release. Deadline has reported the reactions as follows:

Due to strong ties between Imax Corp. and filmmaker Christopher Nolan, a number of employees have gotten a look at his long-delayed film, Tenet, as it gets ready to finally make its commercial bow on August 26.

“Several people at Imax were involved with Tenet at the post-production phase,” CEO Rich Gelfond said Tuesday during a conference call with Wall Street analysts. “Their reaction was, ‘Oh my God – I forgot how great it was to be in a movie.’ Tenet is just a beautifully filmed, beautifully made, wonderful movie. … It wasn’t just one person, at one age. It was a number of Imax employees who spontaneously said that to me.”

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Descriptions of internal Tenet reactions came in response to an analyst’s question on the earnings call about the company’s staff getting to enter theaters again. That experience has remained out of reach for U.S. film fans for the past four months. CFO Patrick McClymont added to Gelfond’s comments by observing that “a number of our colleagues” were in China last weekend to “try out” the newly refined theatrical setup. Imax said 409 of its locations there have reopened, with several new precautions in place.

You can read the full article by clicking on link above.