Tenet

Liam Hall said:
If you've never studied quantum theory you might call it a thesis. I prefer to call it total bollocks.
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I haven't seen the movie or studied quantum physics.

But I have read some pop sci explainer books by Michio Kaku (check out Parallel Worlds - it'll blow your poo pooing mind: https://www.google.com/search?gs_ss...msung-gj-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8)

Quantum Physics is fascinating and far crazier than star trek (ok, there's overlap). And it's the best theory our best minds currently have.

It's not even new science. The theories have been developed for the past 60+ years
 
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I actually don't care if it's bollocks or not. The rules the movie sets up, and how they work, is internally consistent, and I think Nolan actually pulls of the whole reverse entropy idea cinematically. That part works for me. It's everything else regarding the plot that is confusing, the who needs what from whom and why that gets lost amidst all the sci-fi shenanigans.
 
Batutta said:
I actually don't care if it's bollocks or not. The rules the movie sets up, and how they work, is internally consistent, and I think Nolan actually pulls of the whole reverse entropy idea cinematically. That part works for me. It's everything else regarding the plot that is confusing, the who needs what from whom and why that gets lost amidst all the sci-fi shenanigans.
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I'm not saying quantum physics is bollocks. I'm saying the movie is bollocks, mainly for the points you mention.
 
Tenet dropped 2/3 in revenue the second week, from $20M to $6M. That is not a good showing.
 
ahalpert said:
They should have released it streaming...

Or made a better movie...or both
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It's still very difficult to work out the proper financial arrangement between the theater chains and the top streamers. And that concerns not only the top markets such as North America and Europe but all the smaller regions. And, with some $200M spent, they'd have to get close to that to just break even from a streamer. Complicating the matter is that AT&T Warner Bros. owned streamer HBOMax can't handle such a sum and other streamers wouldn't touch it with a tent pole.

This isn't a bad piece, though his second paragraph provides no reason for his accounting.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/09/18/tenet-box-office-hollywood-future/

PS. HBOMax counts the cable subscribers in its totals. Otherwise, it has something like 5 million fresh ones.
 
I was reading an article about the film "Rhythm Section". It set the record for the lowest box office $numbers for a film opening in more than 3000 theaters (opening weekend). The writer at the end of the piece mention that the film was "made" by the same company that put out the Bond film, saying that despite the bad figures of Rhythm, they should be raking in the cash with "No Time to Die"..... little did they know.

This has been a bad year for films that don't cater to the streaming business model.

Nolan fans after they see "Tenet" in theaters, spreading Covid:
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BTW, "Rhythm Section" is not that bad. I would say it is a good film overall, with moments of bored and cliche, and then bits of greatness. Perhaps worth a thread of its own.
 
That snippet where the main character enters a room, gets the world's shortest, 4 min Jedi training/pep talk and by voice instruction only starts moving things with his mind was certainly a WTF-moment.
 
this movie is a giant cartoon mallet bashing you over the head and not one recognizable human being occupies this story. JDW is Very Handsome and has a Great Beard and wears many Fine Suits. Tenet might be about Very Handsome Men with Great Beards wearing Fine Suits. He begins the film in a raid on a symphony and he’s in the CIA or something. He saves someone: exciting! Someone saves him: thrilling! There is a mysterious figure: who could it be?! But wait! JDW is caught! Oh no! He dies, kind of but not really!
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https://www.laineygossip.com/review...being-occupies-this-pointless-story/67713/amp
 
Finally saw it tonight. It’s definitely a movie meant to be consumed as a multi viewing puzzle and not as a linear 2 hour experience. Perhaps the line should be “you need to rethink what a movie is” (to riff off the dialogue in the movie). I agree that as a result it breaks some expectations of what counts for enjoyment. It’s hard to be emotionally invested in a fight when you don’t understand what they’re fighting for, or who is what. In that way it can feel a bit hollow.

On the other hand, that’s sort of the point in some ways and the movie explicitly calls that out toward the end (the antagonist says this, calling the protagonist an ignorant zealot). This is Nolan’s most “indie” film since prestige, memento, and following. It really is, despite some of the big budget flair, an art house style film - cerebral, and breaking from norms.

Taken for what it is, I think it’s a really wonderful piece of work. I can tell that enjoyment of it is unlocked in the process of multiple viewings and working out the problems it presents. If one comes into it for a kicked back single Friday night viewing I think it’d be a dissapointment.

Thematically there’s way more going on here at a philosophical level that goes beyond science, but delves into religion, theology, mythology, philosophy, and theories of existence. That’s what captured me the most; not the time and mind bending plot, but that the entire thing is more of a layered meta statement on reality, fate, intuition, the classical ideas of premonition, guardian angels, physical/spiritual realm, prophecy, Armageddon, etc. Thought a lot of Norwegian folklore and ragnorak while watching and now I’m thinking it may have not been coincidental that Oslo was such a big location. The idea of ragnorak and circular time was a huge cornerstone of their mythology. And of course the 9 realms in Norse mythology somewhat mirrors the 9 pieces of the algorithm.

Also check out the Sator stone, and how each name there (opera, arepo; sator, rotas; tenet) is a palindrome like tenet and used in the movie.
 
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Btw my wife showed me a half hour of the climactic part of Dunkirk last night (right before I meant to go to bed, cruelly)

It was fantastic. Gorgeous, riveting, excellent rising/falling dynamics of action and music. Imparted a clear sense of orientation of action for a very complex landscape with tons of characters.

And it gave me the feeling of survival stress I get from watching a horror movie. Hence I lost an hour of sleep when I tried to go to bed.

I think Nolan benefitted from having a historical record to limit and ground his vision. I haven't seen tenet, but from what I've heard and from having seen interstellar and inception, I feel like his original stories are increasingly overcomplicated and have a diminishingly authentic personal element

Man....when tom hardy's fuel ran out and his propeller stopped spinning....pure audiovisual poetry
 
ahalpert said:
Man....when tom hardy's fuel ran out and his propeller stopped spinning....pure audiovisual poetry
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I saw that in a packed Imax theatre on the first day of its release. The silence at that moment was extraordinary, a true piece of cinema magic. It's probably the reason I've been so critical of Tenet as it just so far away from the coherent piece of art that Dunkirk was.
 
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