Tenet (2020)
Christopher Nolan's sci-fi infused spy-thriller, about the hunt for a secret chemical formula with the power to reverse the flow of time, is a finely acted and engaging film, but I couldn't help feeling that I really did not enjoy this on a smaller screen as much as I would have done at the cinema. While there was a lot going on in the set pieces, I just didn't find them particularly interesting to look at - the idea of having time running forwards and backwards simultaenously is interesting, but it never quite felt to me like the film was able to put that on screen in a way that did it justice. Maybe on the big screen or in an imax cinema, it would work better?
On the whole, it was a film where I often found myself thinking 'oh, that's clever', but never 'oh, that's impressive'.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
A bittersweet ode to the tinsletown film industry at the close of the 1960s, this is, I think, Tarantino at his most whimsical and charming, offering a glimpse into the long, symbiotic friendship between a fading western star and his disreputable stuntman (Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt), running in parallel to the rise of tragic real-life starlet Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). Like so many of Tarantino's films, it runs rather long, and initially I found the parts focusing on Tate's dreamlike exploration of her own success a little ponderous in comparison to DiCaprio's frequently very funny railing against his own decline. As the film moves into its second half and the two plots converge, however, it all comes together brilliantly - the film is now a infamous for its violent climax, but in practice, it's hard to imagine any other ending working so well as it does.
If I'm trying to be objective, I think Hateful 8 is a slightly better film, as it feels more focused, but personally I feel this is my favourite thing Tarantino has done since Jackie Brown.
