Hello all! It has been a while since I posted as I took an unplanned hiatus. But I’m in the mood to blog again so I’m taking advantage of it while I can. As lockdown restrictions are starting to ease in London, it means more places are starting to open which means I can go and do things that doesn’t involve the four walls of my home. Starting with, I went to a Cineworld cinema (as I am a loyal Cineworld cardholder) last week to see some new films and decided to blog about the cinema experience and what the films were like.

The Cinema Experience

So, I think the time you go to the cinema factors into your whole experience. My first trip last week was mid afternoon on a Wednesday, so it was relatively quiet-ish. As soon as I walked in (through their one way system) there was hand sanitiser on the door ready to be used and you have to wear a face mask throughout your time in the cinema (apart from eating/drinking obvs) which was fine by me. On the website it did say that e-tickets would be used but I did see that they did have the screens available to print off your tickets if that’s what you’d prefer. This is what I did, because I’m a scrapbooking fiend, but I was comforted by the fact they had wipes available to clean the screens with. Then they had more sanitiser available at the stations where the staff check your tickets/let you in while being able to keep the distancing in place. All the staff wore masks which added an extra layer of protection which was great. At the snacks counter there were stickers in place on the floor to keep the distancing in tact as well as screens up to protect the staff. I did notice that the pick’n’mix stand was out of use but whatever you could get behind the counter was available. When you book your tickets for the films online, you do have to leave 2 seats in between each ‘bubble’ (whether that’s yourself or the people you’re in a bubble with) and keep your distance, which was the case across all 3 films I saw. Truth be told, it was so nice having plenty of legroom above all else. Overall, the cinema experience was really pleasant and I can’t wait to go and see more films at Cineworld. (This isn’t a sponsored/press/gifted/what have you post from them by the way, I do genuinely just love Cineworld).

The Films I Watched

Tenet

Oh this small film? Christopher Nolan’s tale of time finally gets a cinematic release after being pushed back multiple times. I think this was a truly good choice on the studios part for this film to be the first one released once lockdown restrictions eased. This film felt like a proper cinematic experience. Filled to the brim with incredibly awesome action sequences and stunts. The cinematography and performances across the board were all excellent. The score was pulse raising. Watching all of this on a huge screen was genuinely so thrilling and it felt so wonderful to be back in a cinema again.

However. I think I understood about 50% of what was going on in this film. At the core of it, this is a film about the Protagonist (yes, that’s actually what John David Washington’s character is called/listed as) trying to stop the end of the world from happening. Some timey-wimey stuff goes down and things get blown up. Now, I’m not a Christopher Nolan film buff so maybe there’s something in his style that I just did not get because I’ve only seen The Dark Knight Rises and Dunkirk. Or perhaps I am too dumb to have been able to follow what was going on. That said, I did have a good time watching it on the big screen and I would recommend it if you’re looking for a cinematic experience. But I do understand that not everybody is rushing out to head to the cinema right now and this film isn’t really a must see in my opinion.

Babyteeth

This is a quiet film about a young girl called Milla who develops a relapse of cancer while falling for a much older boy named Moses. It’s a slow burn of a film that focuses on Milla’s first love while she is still fighting cancer. I really liked the score and music used in the film, which helped bring the atmosphere to life. The film also shows a really fantastic central performance from Eliza Scanlen as Milla along with great performances from Ben Mendelsohn and Essie Davis as Milla’s parents. However, I felt like the plot was a little bit all over the place at times. There were some moments that occurred in the film that never were never mentioned again. I also felt the ending, although predictable, was rather abrupt and wasn’t much of a satisfying ending. Despite this, I still thought it was a good film and an impressive feature film debut for director Shannon Murphy, but I wouldn’t rush to see this film.

An American Pickle

Based on a short story by Simon Rich, this film follows a Jewish man who migrates to America from Eastern Europe gets preserved into a pickle brining for 100 years, eventually waking up in 2019 Brooklyn. From there, he adjusts to modern life by moving into his only living relative’s apartment and eventually becomes an internet sensation with his own pickle business. Playing both main characters is Seth Rogen who gives wonderful performances in this. Although this is a comedy film, I didn’t find it all that funny. And I felt like the struggle between society in 1919 versus 2019 was pushed aside for silly hijinks between the two relatives. Despite this, I still rather enjoyed just how ludicrous and ridiculous it was and found it a very entertaining film. I also found that the film had a lot of heart, particularly in the importance of acknowledging your family’s history. I would recommend this one if you’re looking for something fun with a lot of heart.

And those are the films I saw over the last week at the cinema. Have you seen any of the films mentioned above? If you have, what on Earth went down in Tenet?

Stay safe and speak soon.