Nolan’s films occupy a unique space in pop culture. Though it’s sometimes hamstrung by clumsy dialogue – a necessary evil, perhaps, given how much Nolan needs to explain – Tenet is rarely less than thrilling to watch. Seek it out, if only to marvel at the entertainingly inane glory of what we once had and are in danger of never having again. Cinematography : someone below mentioned that this had a mission impossible feel where the locations dictated the storyline and i agree with this. It's been almost a month since Tenet was released and all these weeks later, we're probably still no closer at understanding it all.. I also want to know how the soundtrack is. There's not a lot to say about the acting. Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster is already infamous for its barely audible exchanges. Just hundreds of men running, yelling, shooting at things (not exactly what) and blowing things up (or whatever the opposite is of blowing things up in time-reversed action), while there was a "B" line following two characters, and a "C" line following two more. Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real-time. Thanks to the rewind feature and internet access, the movie is … It's a conceit that feels like one you could just maybe get away with in a Golden Age or Silver Age era comic book. And there are many action sequences, most of them heists of some sort, all delivered in typical Nolan style: technically assured, eschewing visual effects in favour of practical effects when possible (there's one involving a Boeing 747 and I'm willing to bet that Nolan used a real plane instead of CGI), but also sometimes confusing. 0. Or a car might find itself flipped on a road before it's flipped. IM SHOCKED!! There were other sequences where we revisit previous scenes from another perspective. Big, bold, baffling and bonkers. Despite this, it remains more interesting than most other tentpole movies and acts as a beacon for the director’s strengths. Listen to Apocalypse Now – you hear everything.” Price agrees: “If you watch old movies, you might hear some sound effects here and there but now they go nuts: somebody’s walking across the room in a leather jacket, you hear the zippers clink and the creak of the leather and every footstep is right in your face.”, When television became commonplace in the mid-20th century and challenged cinema’s dominion, cinema needed to distinguish itself; it needed to prove that it could justify people leaving the comfort of their homes. I don’t think that was just your cinema. "Tenet" is big and ambitious, but Nolan is more caught up in his own machinations than ever before. I can't recall watching a film like this and throwing my hands up in the air. Mathew Price is a production sound mixer who has worked on The Sopranos and The Marvellous Mrs Maisel. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Loved the concept, construction and execution. Nolan clearly likes to play with his toys, and is fascinated with the concept of time, whether it be in a non-fantastical genre (Memento, Dunkirk) or science fiction (Inception, Interstellar). Email. Tenet review: Christopher Nolan's thriller is a palindromic dud, Rain is sizzling bacon, cars are lions roaring: the art of sound in movies | Jordan Kisner. Final Trailer Full spoilers via Reddit and Pastebin: ... to see this (including me) in the next few weeks is made to sign an NDA and can fined and/or put in jail for spoiling Tenet . Random thoughts: the opening sequence seems inspired by the 2002 Moscow terrorist hostage crisis, and one of the characters' homes, an Indian billionaire, seems clearly modelled on this real-life home of an actual Indian billionaire. At its best this is a ride that manages to be viscerally thrilling while still being emotionally and intellectually engaging, all in ways that are truly, uniquely cinematic. The sheer meticulousness of Nolan’s grand-canvas action aesthetic is enthralling, as if to compensate for the stray loose threads and teasing paradoxes of his screenplay — or perhaps simply to underline that they don’t matter all that much. As with most problems, every department assumes that another department is to blame. Soundtrack/Sound mixing : like i said outside of the issues with dialogue in parts to this movie which did hurt it my god the rest was fantastic, opening scene in particular was pulse racing. It's been funny to watch people come to this realization. News & Discussion about Major Motion Pictures, Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. I created a separate thread on this, but it was removed by the mods and I was told to post my thoughts in this thread instead, so here goes: I went into Tenet knowing nothing about it. ReddIt. “The first thing I do is create a solid dialogue track, and then everything else has to come up to it and not exceed it,” he says. Altogether, it makes for a chilly, cerebral film — easy to admire, especially since it's so rich in audacity and originality, but almost impossible to love, lacking as it is in a certain humanity. The film’s dialogue has been criticised by reviewers and audience members for often being impossible to make out. Price believes the problem is partly that modern directors have so many more tracks to play with, causing “track overload”, the result being that “the dialogue gets short shrift a lot of the time”. There are timeline twists, back-stabs, and more than a few paradoxes. It’s a real shame Tenet isn’t it. Tenet Review: John David Washington carries the weight of the film. And after five months stuck in front of the small screen, maybe being a little overwhelmed is no bad thing. “I think we’re bombarded,” Paul Markey, a projectionist at the Irish Film Institute, says of modern films. Don’t worry, it’s happened to all of us. This is probably his worst for sound mixing. Don't be surprised if a conspiracy theory-minded Nolan fan goes on Reddit, claiming to have found the answers to Inception's ending and if life itself is just a dream on watching Tenet in reverse. Debicki does as much as she can with what she's given, and Kenneth Branagh most easily rises above the material. r/tenet: The biggest subreddit dedicated to Christopher Nolan's Tenet. CRISTOPHER NOLAN?? Tenet is not an easy movie to understand. Although many viewers claim that films are getting louder, Bochar says that the opposite is the problem: “All of us in the industry will tell you point-blank that generally every single cinema is playing it lower than it should be.” A studio’s reference level tends to be around 85 decibels, or 7 on the Dolby scale, he says. All in all, Tenet delivers a mix of outstanding performances and unforgettable inverted sequences in another masterpiece of film making that will leave you on the edge of your seat. No one could possibly mistake “Tenet” as being by anyone but Christopher Nolan. “Think about it: the first few Star Wars [films], we heard them all. Yes, after months of impossible impossibilities that … The Irish Film Institute has been playing Tenet at 4, Markey says, because 6 was “ridiculously loud” when tested. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. When he watches films or TV shows at home, he turns on the subtitles in case of clarity issues – he is far from the only one – and will limit the TV’s dynamic range. Robert Pattinson plays second fiddle without letting himself be put in the shade. That's certainly true of Tenet, and not unusual in a story involving time travel. As he adds layers he has to make sure he can still hear the words. Elizabeth Debicki's character carries the emotional weight of the story, but it feels detached from the main idea. But I think it is fair to consider it a companion piece to Inception. Tenet will get people to the theatre, but it’s a bittersweet taste of cinema for the first time back. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts In Nolan’s case, Price and Bochar are confident that the director does it intentionally. In this case it involves the question of who is the protagonist (rather awkwardly actually put in those terms: "I'm the protagonist of this story" is an actual line in the film). Like the films are made by scientists. Reddit. This has been corrected. This is kinda what I imagined it'd be like, really cool and entertaining but ultimately just Nolan on steroids, probably has a really long third act too. Scott Davis - Aug 21, 2020. Maybe it's possible that Christopher Nolan has been put on this earth just to provide an excessively interesting retirement for Michael Caine. Tenet, which has been pushed several times by … But in a story that, like most Nolan movies, is ostensibly grounded in reality (something that was one of the defining aspects of his Batman movies for instance), it just doesn't come across as plausible. Any of these review praise the soundtrack? Twitter. The "gimmick" in the story is expressed through the conceit of "inverted" objects, objects sent back in time and which - upon arrival - somehow run backwards in contravention to normal entropy. I just finished watching it in Dubai and had the exact same issues with the sound and the dialogues. Tenet is not Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, but it is another thrilling entry into his canon. Scenes would be very loud and you could hardly hear any of the dialogue. It’s a challenging, ambitious and genuinely original film packed with compelling performances – Washington and Debicki are especially excellent – which confirms Nolan as the master of the cerebral blockbuster. Casting : Excellent as always , became a fan of Pattison in this one and Washington definitely carried himself as the main character. “Hngmmhmmh,” says Pattinson. Press J to jump to the feed. As sound technology advances, why are films getting harder to hear? The result is that as impressive as the craftsmanship and originality of Tenet is, other aspects of the movie prove to be frustrating. Although I did see the poster and ran across a comment recently that speculated it might be a sequel to Inception. For me, it was "Inception." But cinemas will often play the film at 4 (around 75 decibels). Working with other editors, his job is to layer a film with multiple levels of sound. “The more expensive movies have got, the more of a bombardment they become on your senses.”. Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is a mysterious movie, one I can’t possibly explain, at least not without a dozen more viewings. An earlier version incorrectly said the dynamic range of TVs was “more extreme” than in cinemas. There are some nods at both in Tenet. As the above list might suggest, Tenet felt familiar. Still cant wait to see it however, first movie in the cinema for what seems like ages. Sound engineer Ron Bochar, who was nominated for an Oscar for his mixing on Moneyball, thinks so. Felt NOTHING at the end. Someone described Nolan films "people who give awkward hugs" and boy is it apt. Member. Read more. Directed by Christopher Nolan. I've long thought that Branagh is at his best when he's playing bad guys, whether he's hamming it up shamelessly (Wild Wild West) or providing nuance, warmth and appeal to the most horrific of people (Conspiracy). The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. This means that even “a crazy, batshit scene” with numerous layers of sound is easy for a mixer to control. Linkedin. There are undoubtedly more recurring motifs, but these are the main ones I noticed. Christopher Nolan directed a technically impressive, emotionally cold movie? I think Nolan is aware of this, cause he lampshades it by having a Doctor Exposition tell the main character (and us) that he (we) shouldn't try to make sense of it. In an era – and a pandemic – in which home streaming dominates, cinema may be forced to pull out the stops once more. The other was the climax, which quite frankly I thought was a mess. Cinemas will not necessarily play a film at the recommended level of 7 if they feel it is too loud. It is an analysis of the work itself for posterity. Here, we answer all your questions about Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, including what happened in the ending. In my cinema the sound mixing was off. Tenet ending spoilers follow.. I just got out of an advance screen in Sydney and I agree. Facebook. Or rather do be, and savour it. IMHO, his best film is "The Prestige", because that story perfectly fits his approach to film-making. Sound effects and music tracks exist on faders that can slide up and down. Tenet review: Christopher Nolan's thriller is a palindromic dud. It did so partly by becoming bigger and louder. So a bullet might leave a hole in a glass before it's fired. Meanwhile, I'll post some short reviews on the movie. With John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Juhan Ulfsak. “It really isn’t a mystery. Time has run out. This made what is an already confusing movie even harder to follow. I found the time bending made sense in Inception but in this movie it didn't. Still confused? Which makes it fascinating when a movie like Tenet comes along, because Tenet is a complete misfire. Nolan outsmarted himself on this one. He's always watchable as a villain no matter how good, bad or mediocre the surrounding movie. I felt like Dunkirk was the same way but the nature of that film lends itself very well to Nolan's cold, detached style. The upside to not going to such a screening is that I’m not bound by any embargo; I’m free to scour stray Reddit posts in order to piece together a semblance of Tenet’s plot and climax. So much weight has been placed on Christopher Nolan's newest film Tenet that it almost isn't fair. But it isn’t just Nolan’s films. But while it does tread new ground, Tenet is the ‘safest’ film from Christopher Nolan in some years. The Tenet ending might have you scratching your head. This article was amended on 4 September 2020. Previous 'The Devil All The Time' Review. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Price suspects the director wants to make the audience work harder to understand the dialogue; he thinks Nolan believes this will make the film a more immersive, engaging experience. One was the opening, where I had some problems following the beats (something that was not an issue in other - better - Nolan opening heists, like the ones in The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises or even Inception). Critics Consensus: A visually dazzling puzzle for film lovers to unlock, Tenet serves up all the cerebral spectacle audiences expect from a Christopher Nolan production. Rotten Tomatoes: 78% (41 reviews) with 6.98 in average rating. In other words, say what you will about the tenets of Tenet, at least it has an ethos. Beatty realised that projectionists, not directors, have final say on a film. For Bochar, the priority is dialogue. And, like Inception, which based the different characters' roles in the team on key film making roles, there is a metafictional aspect to Tenet. Reddit LinkedIn ... Talk “Tenet” Warner Bros. View Gallery 20 Photos. There were more than a few parts where I could not make out the dialogue. But it’s hard to escape the sense that less might have been more. (In cinemas the dynamic range – the range between the loudest and quietest sounds – is wider than on home TV screens, and, although the sound is compressed in the transition to TV, the range can still be so wide that you are forced to turn up the volume for dialogue, then down again for action. The projectionist was turning the volume down. Tenet (M, 151 mins) Directed by Christopher Nolan **½ . 71 Share on Reddit; ... Blu-ray Video and Audio Review: Tenet looks flat out gorgeous in 4K, which shouldn’t be surprising when it comes to a Christopher Nolan blockbuster. The intent of this review is not to encourage or discourage anyone from attending a theatrical screening at this specific time. But ultimately, this sequence just failed to cohere for me, and I watched with detached interest at best, and boredom at worst. вЂ�Tenet’ Review: Christopher Nolan’s Long-Anticipated Time Caper Is a Humorless Disappointment "Tenet" is big and ambitious, but Nolan is more caught up in … Twitter. As with other movies, the scores are set to change as time passes. Oct 25, 2017 5,290 Atlanta, GA. Aug 18, 2020 #37 ... review … Tenet is one of those movies that must've felt like a great idea in the writing process but really didn't come through on screen. Everyone is fine or better. “Mmghh nmmhhmmmm nghhh,” replies Washington. ... Facebook 0 Twitter Reddit Tumblr 0 Likes. There are two sequences that suffered most in this last regard. Cool movie though but yeah that let it down for me. Half the dialogue was unintelligible. He gives the most entertaining performance in Tenet, investing even hoary cliches like "If I can't have you, no one will" with intensity, and is probably the best thing about it. by Eric Ital 2 months ago Facebook. Tenet review: Christopher Nolan's thriller is a palindromic dud. There is a wonderful exchange in Christopher Nolan’s latest film, Tenet, between Robert Pattinson and John David Washington. Walked away confused and so did most of my group. ‘Listen to Apocalypse Now – you hear everything’. In a typical 2020, it would've been just another blockbuster set amongst half a dozen others. Imax expects about 90% of its global network of about 1,400 theaters to be back open by the end of August. If the film is available in your area please follow local public health guidelines if you chose to see it in the theatre. Once again seizing control of the medium, Nolan attempts to alter the fabric of reality, or at least blow the roof off the multiplexes. Tenet is a cerebral experience and I left knowing I loved it but didn't totally understand everything. ), Is it actually a modern phenomenon? But I wish he had used it to better tell either an emotional story or a more thematic one. Don’t be. “Somebody wrote the words and actors are saying those lines, so there’s got to be some priority.” He doesn’t know any re-recording artist who would deliberately obscure a story point. Which is advice I eventually took to heart. And if you can, you need to see this visually stunning movie on a big screen. Reopened theaters finally have a major new movie to show in Christopher Nolan's 'Tenet,' a sci-fi thriller that looks great while confusing you. I found it very hard to follow what was going on. But I think Tenet ends up being too clever (or silly) for its own good. That, by the way, isn't a criticism - after all there are very few original ideas left, and those sequences themselves worked pretty well.