gudaulin

Tenet certainly doesn't pose an intellectual challenge and is one of those films that you'll enjoy the most when you think less about time paradoxes, the motives of the film's characters, and their quest to defeat the Bond-like villain. As a popcorn flick deliberately reminiscent of Agent 007 stories in a sci-fi coat, and as an action spectacle, Nolan's film really works. Thanks to John David Washington, we essentially have the first "non-white" Bond in history. I enjoyed the dynamic opening opera heist, where Nolan drew inspiration from a real terrorist act. Kenneth Branagh also pleased me, intentionally building his villain as a monstrous comic book character. Overall impression: 65%.

When I read Mika Waltarii's extensive novel many years ago, it was a profound experience for me on all levels. Waltari conceived "The Egyptian" as an opportunity to bring everything known about ancient Egypt and its culture to the Western reader at the time of the novel's creation. Egyptology is still developing, and new discoveries might slightly revise the content of Waltari's text, but I still believe that if I returned to reading it, I would definitely not be disappointed. Michael Curtiz's film is just a historical reminder of a certain chapter in the development of American studio cinema. In the 50s and 60s, these expensive costume projects from ancient empires were everywhere and represented the showcase of the production at that time. The Egyptian certainly is not one of the better films, and today the shallowness and trimming of the multi-layered novel motives directly annoy me. It's just a costume blockbuster from the 50s... Overall impression: 40%.

I intentionally give The Wedding Guest a fourth star because it seems somewhat underrated to me. However, I understand the cautious reservations because the director couldn't decide what genre he's actually filming, and labeling it as a thriller is somewhat misleading or unsatisfactory. Michael Winterbottom fails to properly build and maintain tension. It's simply a hybrid that oscillates between drama (which, on the other hand, lacks a deeper psychological profile of the main characters) and the aforementioned thriller. The film benefits from the exotic settings of Pakistan and India, as well as the theme of arranged and forced marriages. Acting-wise, both the charming Radhika Apte and Dev Patel deliver what is expected of them without any issues. Overall impression: 65%.