Happy First Day of September, folks! Well, even though the last day of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere isn’t until September 22, the ‘ber’ months have begun, which means Summer days are definitely numbered. It’s also the first MN Summer during a pandemic… where we, citizens of the world, had to cope with self-quarantine and stay-at-home order. I can’t even remember the last time I actually went to the movie theater!
Well, my hubby and I finally decided we’ll be seeing TENET this weekend!! The theater would only operate in 50% capacity by blocking seats, and they’re committed to take strategic measures in accordance of CDC, WHO and local health authority guidelines. Of course we’ll be wearing our masks while inside the theater.
So anyway, stay tuned for my review of TENET… in the meantime, here are movies I saw this month:
New-to-me Movies
I watched first two on this list, The Ottoman Lieutenant and The Promise, back to back. I wasn’t all that impressed by The Ottoman Lieutenant with its rather cheesy love triangle, but was curious to read about the history behind the film. So I went to Wikipedia and was inspired to watch The Promise right away upon reading it. Apparently both films were within a month of each other in 2017. Per Wiki, the perceived similarities between the films resulted in accusations that The Ottoman Lieutenant existed to deny the Armenian genocide in 1915.
Man I wish I had known that before I watched the movie. It’s so disturbing how the Armenian genocide inspired Hitler and the Nazis in exterminating the Jews two decades later. Any piece of art that tries to deny/shift blame about something so atrocious as systematic mass murder has no right to exist. Even if the film were good, in this case it wasn’t, I still think it should not have been made, let alone released publicly. I’m surprised Sir Ben Kingsley (whose most famous role is in Schindler’s List!) was part of the cast!
I’m hoping I could write more about The Promise, which is a far better film of the two, and was actually based on historical events. It was directed by Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) and had a great cast – Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale, Charlotte Le Bon and Marwan Kenzari.
The Ottoman Lieutenant
The Promise
The Personal History of David Copperfield (review upcoming)
Project Power (read Ted’s review)
EuroVision Song Contest (read Vitali’s review)
TV Shows/Miniseries
BBC’s Miranda
Black Mirror (Season 4) – Crocodile + USS Callister
ITV/PBS’ Victoria (season 2)
BBC’s The Night Manager
Rewatches
Sleepless In Seattle | The Rocketeer | Cinderella | Tarzan | Casino Royale | Netflix’s MEDICI: THE MAGNIFICENT
Since I still have Disney+ subscription, I decided to rewatch some of Disney favorites (though I actually owned The Rocketeer and Cinderella blurays, ahah). I know I’ve been talking about MEDICI a lot lately, trust me… I will unveil my massive two-part Medici appreciation post in the next week or so!
MOVIE OF THE MONTH
The Personal History of David Copperfield
I had been wanting to see this since it came out last Fall in the UK. Its US release was supposed to be in May this year, but of course it was delayed due to Covid-19. Well, it was well worth the wait! Even though I’m actually not that familiar w/ this Charles Dickens’ classic (I think the only two I’m familiar with are A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations), I really enjoyed the film. Dev Patel did a fantastic job as the lead, a result of brilliant color-blind casting, and further proves he’s a versatile actor. I can’t wait to see him tackle yet another classic character that’s typically played by a Caucasian actor… The Green Knight.
Well that’s my viewing recap of August. What about you, and what’s YOUR favorite film of the month?
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FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
I so bad want to see Tenet but… things in Georgia aren’t getting any better and I’m not risking my health to see that film. I heard about those 2 films about the Armenian genocide as I saw a documentary about the genocide that also explored the making of The Promise. I heard that The Ottoman Lieutenant is horrendous while The Promise is just OK.
We mulled it over for a while but a friend of mine did go to a theater and barely anyone was in it, so we decided to give it a go. I’ll definitely be wearing a mask and even gloves when I do go!
The Promise is actually better than I thought, not spectacular but still well worth a watch, esp w/ those actors and how important the story was.
I’ve been avoiding reviews of TENET, it will be the first Nolan’s film since INSOMNIA that I won’t be seeing on the big screen. I’m actually very angry at him for insisting that the film should be open during the pandemic. If he really wants as many people to see it on the big screen, he should let Warner Bros. push the release date to next spring/summer. Some people, like myself, aren’t going to risk healthy safety just to see a film.
I’ve watched so many shows on streaming services and some movies this past month. I finished the German show DARK on Netflix, a great and smart show that more people should watch. Watched Tom Hank’s GREYHOUND on Apple TV and also started on the series SEE. I’ve just recently started watching COBRA KAI on Netflix, a great followup to the KARATE KID saga.
Was it Nolan who wanted to delay the release but WB insisted on opening? In any case, in this new world we live in, there probably isn’t a ‘good’ time to release movies anymore. Who’s to say next year the situation will be better by next Spring/Summer? I think now people should use their own discretion as to what works for them… if I see more than half the people in the theater I might decide to ask for a refund or go to a less popular screening time.
I watched a ton more stuff on Netflix/Prime/Hulu as well. Finally got around to The Night Manager which was excellent.
From what I’ve read and it’s been reported, Nolan was adamant that the film comes out this year. Warner wanted to push it to later this year or next since they don’t have any big movie for next summer. The Batman was supposed to open next summer but got pushed to October because of COVID. I think they’ll probably move Wonder Woman 1984 or Dune to next summer.
Yeah I thought The Night Manager was great, Hiddleston did a good job of auditioning for the Bond role but I think his time has passed. Lol!