It did not occur to me, until I finished getting dressed this morning, I was looking back at myself from two years ago.
Corduroy dungaree dress, burgundy turtle neck, black t shirt, black tights, my beaten-up Old Skool Vans. A common outfit of my 19 year old self, who when she could get out of bed, would throw the same things on to turn up 20 minutes late to an hour long lecture.
It’s strange, how a certain item or song or piece of clothing can hold such strong memories to the point where if I close my eyes, I am there again. If I listen to Bob Dylan’s Positively 4th Street I am on the bus from Oxford Road to Fallowfield, exhausted after university where I was not paying attention and desperate to go home. My corduroy dungaree dress reminds me of my final few weeks of term, exhausted but enjoying volunteering, yet still so anxious to be anywhere but my small flat. Trying to put in the effort.
If I close my eyes, I can see myself dashing over the tram lines on St Peter’s Square, hurrying to where I needed to be so I could go back home. Not stopping to take in my surroundings, to allow myself to enjoy where I was. Or I am in a train station, worried my ticket is not right, only feeling I can breath again when the city is behind me.
I have worn this corduroy dungaree dress since then, creating new, happier memories to associate with. But that 19 year old me is sewn into it, and we have to coexist alongside each other. I am not her anymore, but she is still me. One day, my 21 year old self will take her back to the train station, to St Peter’s Square and she will feel calmer and fresher perhaps she will allow herself to finally take in the surroundings.
Director: Christopher Nolan Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh
“We live in a Twilight world,” states The Protagonist (John David Washington) at numerous points in Christopher Nolan’s new film, Tenet. The phrase is a code for The Protagonist’s role as a CIA agent, as he spins deeper into a web of the threat of World War Three, technology to invert time, and a lot of physics.
Like with most of Nolan’s filmography, Tenet is another impressive original story that is just as impressively complicated to follow. More along the lines of Inception than Interstellar, Tenet is not a film about travelling through time, but inverting time instead. No matter how many times it is explained to The Protagonist – and the audience – it does not become any less confusing.
Despite the confusing physics, Tenet is enjoyable to watch, mainly thanks to the charisma of Washington and Robert Pattinson’s billionaire Neil. The main focus points are the stunts, a plane crash involving a real Boeing 747 was captivating to watch and creates the question of how did they do it.
The Protagonist (John David Washington) and Neil (Robert Pattinson)
A common feature of Nolan’s films is a plot driven story and Tenet is no exception. None of the characters have much emotional depth to them, yet they work with the little material they have to build a fully-fleshed character. Elizabeth Debicki’s character Kat was underused, serving only as an emotional device to antagonist Andrei Sator, played by Kenneth Branagh. The lack of character development leaves Branagh occasionally acting like a caricature of a sci-fi villain, to the point where his performance became somewhat amusing.
The detailed plot makes way for a very fast-paced film, with little breathing space inbetween. This then starts to feel like one exposition after another and without much concentration, a hard story to follow. This is not helped by the distracting sound mixing, giving a muffled effect to the score which leaves the all-important dialogue almost impossible to hear.
Tenet is an original and enjoyable film to watch if focused solely on its plot. Trying to watch it for character depth leaves it feeling unfinished and muddled at times. However, it was a great first film to be welcomed back to the cinema.
Rating: 3.5 stars Please only go to the cinema if you are feeling well enough to go!
Lockdown has had a few perks. One of those has been more free time, which I’ve used to get back into reading after not having the time whilst I was finishing my degree. Working through my ‘to read’ stack has been a great distraction to the environment around me. I had forgotten how nice it was to get so immersed in a story you find yourself reading the entire book in a few days. Here is the list of what I’ve read – so far – during lockdown.
If We were Villains – M.L. Rio
Rio starts the book at its ending – narrator Oliver has just finished a ten-year sentence for a murder he may or may have not committed. We are then transferred back in time to a decade prior, where one of seven theatre students – of which Oliver is one – is found dead. Anticipation runs through the entire book, making it a fast-paced but well-written story, and is fuelled by the desire to find out why and how Oliver ends up in prison. Characters keep secrets from each other and the reader, not allowing anyone to know the true story until the very end. If you have read Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, you may find If We Were Villains to be like the former’s younger cousin. It is not as intense or as heavy as Tartt’s novel, but a compelling and worthy read nonetheless.
GOTTA GET THEROUX THIS – LOUIS THEROUX
Beginning at his childhood and working up to his early days at the BBC and onwards, Gotta get Theroux This is a great read for anyone wanting to get into journalism. The way it is written, it’s easy to imagine Theroux narrating it as if it were a documentary. A lot of the book is focused on the When Louis met Jimmy episode and his relationship with Saville, which does get a little uncomfortable to read at some points. However, I still found Theroux’s autobiography to be highly interesting and entertaining.
NORMAL PEOPLE – SALLY ROONEY
Like every other young adult, I binged Normal People in a few days. And then I immediately bought Rooney’s novel afterwards. And then I read the book in under a week. I loved it so much, I could’ve read it in one sitting. Following Connell and Marianne’s story over their final months of high school and their entire time at Trinity College Dublin is both a joy and incredibly sad. Rooney made each character feel so real it was impossible to not empathise with them. I wish I could read it for the first time again a million times over.
CALL DOWN THE HAWK – MAGGIE STIEFVATER
I started to read the first sequel to Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle series last year when it was initially released. I, however, did not have the time to properly read it – cheers degree! – So I finally finished it last month. I do think it would’ve helped if it hadn’t taken me months to finish it, but I did enjoy getting to revisit the characters from the previous series. If you are new to this series, I would recommend reading The Raven Cycle first. Call Down the Hawk does work separately to the former, but you will have a better idea of the characters and why they do the things they do.
NORWEGIAN WOOD – HARUKI MURAKAMI
Norwegian Wood is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I was completely immersed from the first page it was impossible to put it down. Murakami has such an incredible way with words I felt I was there alongside narrator Watanabe. Each character is so complex it seems as if they are real people. It’s also very interesting to see the difference of when the book is set, the late 1960s, and to when I read it. So many things have changed, in regards to society’s perception of mental illnesses, and so many things still seem the same. I guess university halls are always destined to be disgusting.
Currently, I have just started One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest. I’m a couple of chapters in and enjoying it so far. After that, there’s a few books I want to read, including Sally Rooney’s other book Conversations with Friends, as well as the sequel to Call Me by Your Name and the prequel to The Hunger Games. Is there anything else I should read? Please let me know!
In my first post I had mentioned I would post a review of Before Sunrise the following week… and I didn’t do that. Life happens and I don’t want to put pressure on myself when I’m not feeling too good – Cheers mental illnesses!
But now that I’m feeling motivated and with a clearer outlook on what I want to achieve during my year off before applying for my Master’s degree, this blog will keep me both entertained and ensure my writing skills don’t get rusty.
I’ve also decided to branch out from just film reviews. Expect to find some TV show reviews, my opinions on entertainment news and maybe the occasional book post. And maybe some non-media things. Who knows.
Not sure what my first “proper” post will be, but I know it definitely won’t be in three months time!
As of this Thursday, I am officially a University Graduate. Crazy!
Let me introduce myself. My name is Sarah, I’m 21 years old and a soon-to-be Media and Journalism Graduate from Northumbria University. I am finally getting round to starting my film blog, something I have been telling myself to do for years.
Hello, it’s Sarah
Cinema is my greatest passion, and it’s the thing I miss the most during this lockdown. My aim is starting with once a week, post a review of a film I’ve watched. I’m also going to post thought and opinion pieces of all things related to the film industry.
My first review will be my favourite film, Before Sunrise. I’ll post it next week, when I’m no longer a University Student. (Crazy to think!!!)
Sarah Reviews Films 