Tension is key factor in The Nest and that element begins once the film starts. At first, the family in the film seems normal, but one of the characters feels otherwise. The sense of tension is heightened through eerie music and faded cinematography which make the film more dramatic. With very low lighting, the acting by Jude Law and Carrie Coon deepens the emotions in The Nest as their resentment towards each other grows. Law and Coon who already on bad terms are negative throughout. The Nest is engrossing due to its cinematic tone which raised my curiosity always wondering what will come of their worsening problems.

The film takes place in the United Kingdom in the late 20^th century. Jude Law is Rory O’Hara, an egotistical, opinionated, and self-absorbed entrepreneur. Carrie Coon is Allison O’Hara, a mom with tons of hobbies who tries to put her kids first, but always questions her spouse’s judgment. They start out in a normal single-family home, but Rory convinces them to move to an English Country Manor, so he can rejoin a business to help it grow. Allison feels she does not have much say given she does not earn the income, so she goes along with Rory’s ideas. Once they are moved in, the dynamic goes downhill. Allison starts to come across notifications of bills that Rory has not paid, and she also learns there is previous debt she was unaware of. Rory keeps assuring her they will be fine, but the question is whether they will be.

What makes the problems even worse as their debt keeps building is that Rory and Allison are complete opposites. They fall into frequent arguments about who is in the wrong given their recent move into the manor. The film is like a verbal boxing match between them.  Rory believes he is not in the wrong, because he is a powerful man who is only going to keep growing more successful.  However, from the debt that Allison keeps coming across, she struggles to believe that Rory is entitled to the power over making decisions about their lifestyle. Throughout the movie, more scenarios take a turn for the worse. Rory starts to fall apart with his business plans as tries to keep covering his tracks from Allison.  And, Allison comes across even more deceitful information on Rory’s end. The more lies and half-truths that rise to the surface just stirs the pot even more for Rory and Allison who both play their roles so brilliantly that I could not take my attention away from The Nest.

Due to the use of tension shown technologically well and coupled with amazing acting, I am going to give The Nest four stars. The film is like real life and leaves questions for the audience concerning how issues tend to arise and also struggle to find resolution. Throughout The Nest, I kept asking myself if there was going to be a resolution. Viewers will have to watch and see for themselves. Do not miss The Nest.

This time of the global pandemic has been tough on the movie industry especially with cinemas being closed for months and studios postponing new releases, releasing some films directly to streaming, or just putting films on hold. However, it has given people in the film industry innovative ideas to create movie experiences that are both fun and safe. And, in addition to those two important elements, some of these experiences are also nostalgic. Recently, at the Music Box Theatre’s lounge garden, I saw the 1931 Charlie Chaplin classic, City Lights. The film was restored and shown outside to an audience of just twenty people. I have never laughed so hard during a 1930s Chaplin film. The outside Chicago ambience on a summer evening made City Lights a truly captivating, nostalgic experience.

City Lights focuses on a silly tippler that has fallen in love with a blind lady. He struggles with various frustrations due to her blindness, but decides to pursue quirky scenarios to help her medically. The lead is the Tramp, played by Charlie Chaplin. The film tells the story by including text during some scenes and also through the body language of the characters. Chaplin’s movements and facial expressions were what really hooked me on City Lights. I found his persistent ideas to find ways to get money for medical purposes both inspiring and memorable. The background of the Music Box Garden made the setting feel like we were in the era of Chaplin which I found rewarding.

When it comes to Chaplin comedies, I believe that showing his films at events like this should be done much more often. City Lights is a true representation of Chaplin and what made him into a Hollywood icon. Even though he has been dead for many years, his movies still sell many Criterion DVDs and his films are regularly screened at Art House cinemas.  In addition, his quotes about life and his witty dialogue throughout his career have spanned many generations. Chaplin once said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” He was right, and if I did not make it to that City Lights screening. I felt my day would have been wasted, because once the film started I could not stop laughing.

Overall, the City Lights experience allows the audience to feel like we are not in an era of technological advancement and the set-up keeps people safe during the pandemic. The film was satirical which had the socially distanced crowd around me laughing throughout the film. I love the Music Box Theatre, their lounge garden, and Chaplin. This was an event that was worthy, and there will be more. Four stars.

Director Christopher Nolan took the risk and pushed for months in uncharted times during the pandemic to have Tenet released to cinemas in states where they are open. This film has a reported budget of $225 million and is ranked as one of the most expensive films in Nolan’s directing life. Tenet is visually enticing throughout its 150 minutes, but the film requires much analytical thinking from its audience over the primary conflicts. Nolan’s directing goes above and beyond with the static audio, and that makes Tenet amazing at various moments, but it also makes the dialogue hard to hear at times. That is why there have been several mentions of audio issues, but it’s ultimately Nolan’s creation of ambience which he uses to carry his audience through the world he creates with his directing.

The film is set in an era of global espionageand Tenet is an unknown organization. A CIA operative without a name is the protagonist played by John David Washington. He is chosen to take part in a global task to prevent an attack potentially as lethal as World War III that may happen in the future. Robert Pattinson plays Neil, the assistant who is helping the Protagonist. The focus of their mission (in terms of espionage and global terror prevention) is to prevent a renegade Russian oligarch with foresight intelligence from starting World War III. The enemy behind this is Andrei Sator, and he is played by Kenneth Branagh. With the futuristic skills of the mysterious organization, the Protagonist and  Neil are faced with the challenge of analyzing  patterns of events that have happened, and then going back and redoing them, or trying to go back and fix what could potentially do more damage.

In Tenet, the moments which go forward and then reverse provide the element which requires self-analysis for the audience. The missions are mentioned in bits, but then later the missions go on without explanation. That is why viewers need to watch the film carefully to put together the pieces (especially when an event happens and then happens a second time). Some viewers may interpret that this film is similar towards Nolan’s Inception (2010). I believe there are similarities, but Inception’s characters explained the tasks and how to format the missions. In Tenet, the missions just come around with various twists and turns and are then repeated. Nolan makes his audience use their mind more in this film.  I found myself excited during much with of the film with the limited explanation of events creating the excitement for me. But then, however, I would find myself contemplating whether a scene had already happened. Given the film involves action after action, I felt it was an intensely thrilling cinematic event. And, seeing it in IMAX made it much more amazing, because this film was shot with IMAX cameras.

Overall, I will give Tenet three stars. However, it is one of those films that you should think carefully before watching. It is a long one, and some people may be uncertain about going back to movie theaters. However, if you are ready to take the chance, Tenet is the film that the world has been waiting for. It may feel different than the other works by Nolan, but not much different technologically given it is just a different approach to an original project.