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.
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“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.
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*
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.â€
…
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.
Robert Pattinson, once again, shows that he just might be the finest actor of his generation with a brave and crazy performance as the Dauphin of France, Reno Reviews
I’m very late with putting this together as I was overseas when The King premiered in Venice and so I missed posting the initial reactions. But as usual I like to roundup reviews that focus on Rob’s performance – so here it is a tad late but as they say better late than never. Note: there are a few in The Cruel that actually praise Rob but overall thought he was miscast.
THE COOL
Film Inquiry (Venice FF)
A snippet of a devilishly chic inspired performance from Robert Pattinson injects several larger layers to the proceedings, even if his accent will come under particular scrutiny. However, he is drastically underused…
The Film Stage (Venice FF)
The son of the Daphine, for instance, is played with considerable camp by Robert Pattinson. … Pattinson’s attempts to rectify this by using an affectatious French accent are amicable enough but they are played for rather questionable laughs.
Espinoff (Venice FF)
Robert Pattinson steals the show.
Fotogramas (Spain) (Venice FF)
With the years, Pattinson has proven to be a brilliant blank page on which the most disparate directors outline characters of all stripes and backgrounds. This time Pattinson indulges in one of his feasts of histrionics, facing his enemies with a sibylline evil, always bordering on cruelty. A new proof of the chameleonic character of an actor who still has a lot to tell.
Evening Standard (UK) (Venice FF)
As his rival, the Dauphin, Robert Pattinson is preposterously fabulously pert and camp, a hoot every moment he’s on screen.
The Skinny (UK) (Venice FF)
If you enjoy your period epics with a touch of camp, Pattinson’s gleeful turn as this bitchy Frenchman should bring you plenty of joy; each comic appearance adds a moment of lightness to the gravity of Michôd’s film.
BBC Culture (Venice Film Festival)
The film’s liveliest scenes come when the army reaches France, and Robert Pattinson camps it up as the ludicrously evil Dauphin.
One Room with a View (Venice FF)
…and Robert Pattinson threatens to steal the show in a few hilarious scenes, charmingly mangling English as a second language as the Dauphin of France.
Vanity Fair (Venice FF)
And then there’s Robert Pattinson, matinee idol of a half-generation ago, who shows up for a few scenes as the sneering, lewd dauphin of France. He’s got a riotous wig and a French waiter from The Simpsons accent (say chowder!) that had the Europeans in my audience hooting with laughter. (I couldn’t quite tell if they were irked or amused.) It’s a delightfully ridiculous performance in a movie that otherwise takes itself very seriously.
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“it’s the most ferocious acting of Pattinson’s career.” Variety
As usual, I am going to do a roundup of reviews coming out of Cannes initially (The Lighthouse is being called the hottest ticket in Cannes), but will update this post regularly as the film gets released. The reviews will focus on Rob’s performance, but if he’s not mentioned (which will be ridiculous for this film), then I’ll give an overall review of the film. NOTE: Some reviews may contain ***spoilers*** so read at your own peril. I’ll try to keep out the spoilers in the extracts below.
The Cool
IndieWire (Directors’ Fortnight Cannes)
The movie provides a welcome platform for these actors to unleash their wildest abilities: Pattinson spends the first half sulking around, his eyes darting every which way as he attempts to make sense of his dreary surroundings. But when the material calls for him to unleash his fury, his eyes bulge and his body quakes in a pure show of physical intensity. It’s the sort of showboating the actor tends to avoid, but this histrionic material gives him the ideal excuse to lash out, and with winning results.
The Wrap (Directors’ Fortnight Cannes)
Both Pattinson and Dafoe seem to have a great time — you could not say as much for their characters, I suppose — letting madness take its toll, and both abide by the rule of “go big or go home.†Dafoe carries more of the dialogue for the first half, but Pattinson anchors things with a sturdy physical performance that will no doubt calm those concerned about a certain reported upcoming role.
When he does get to loosen to his tongue, the actor tears into his lines with scenery-chewing glee, at one point delivering an invective- and insult-filled monologue that the Cannes audience greeted with mid-film cheers.
CineVue (Directors’ Fortnight Cannes)
Robert Pattinson proves himself once more to be a fearless character actor who brings a layered understanding to Winslow and does not hold back when the shit almost literally hits the fan.
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