"Tenet," directed by Christopher Nolan
(PG-13, 2 hours, 30 minutes)
Search your memories of the recent summer; you may recall that this is the film that was single-handedly going to revive the traumatized film industry from its covid-19-caused paralysis.
Because of numerous delays in its release date and an astounding amount of over-hype, it didn't achieve its lofty goals. Many of us didn't venture out of the house into the pandemic world to sit through two and and half hours of Christopher Nolan-generated visual fantasy when it finally landed in theaters on Sept. 3.
So if you're feeling guilty about your film-world betrayal, here's your chance to redeem yourself, as "Tenet" is now streaming on HBO Max and is available on Blu-ray and digitally.
If you've seen Nolan's work in "Inception" and "Interstellar," multiply the frame-bending imagery and perplexing plot and you'll have an apt description of this amazingly expensive ($200 million) and baffling film that more or less deals with a secret agent who journeys across time to prevent the start of the next world war.
Gorgeous, messy, imaginative, and inconsistent, it's an exercise in running down storylines that leap from present to past to future with little regard for logic or linear presentation. Some will find it wearisome; others will be fascinated.
With John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh.
"The Wolf of Snow Hollow" (R, 1 hour, 23 minutes) For fans of the monsters as men and back again genre, this black comedy follows an overworked cop who struggles to hold onto some sense of sanity when fear grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Maybe werewolves are involved? With Jim Cummings, Robert Forster, Riki Lindhome, Chloe East; written and directed by Cummings.
"The Dark and the Wicked" (not rated, 1 hour, 35 minutes) Not terrifying, but satisfyingly scary, this dread-infused horror drama concerns evil goings-on that consume a family at an isolated farmhouse, where Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) and his sister Louise (Marin Ireland) are under siege from nightmares that don't go away when the sun rises. With Lynn Andrews; written and directed by Bryan Bertino.
"The Beach House" (not rated, 1 hour, 28 minutes) For those who prefer horror films that echo the real world, here you go, with an efficient, unpredictable story of a college-age couple who, hoping for a romantic getaway, get caught up in a struggle for survival when unexpected guests -- and the surrounding environment -- exhibit signs of a mysterious infection. With Liana Liberato, Noah Le Gros, Jake Weber; written and directed by Jeffrey A. Brown.
"Alone" (R, 1 hour, 38 minutes) Violent and tense, this is a gripping thriller that involves a recently widowed traveler who is kidnapped by a wannabe killer; her only chance to free herself is to escape into a hostile wilderness. With Jules Wilcox, Marc Menchaca, Anthony Heald; directed by John Hyams.
"Infidel" (R, 1 hour, 48 minutes) A by-the-book international thriller, bolstered by strong performances, in which an American who is kidnapped and put on trial in Iran must rely on his desperately determined wife to get him back. With Jim Caviezel, Claudia Karvan, Hal Ozsan; written and directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh.
"Waiting for the Barbarians" (not rated, 1 hour, 52 minutes) An underpowered, simplistic political intrigue populated with miserable characters in which a government apparatchik (Mark Rylance) stationed in a colonial outpost starts to wonder why he's so loyal to his country's rulers.
Rylance's performance makes it worthwhile. With Johnny Depp (weird as always), Robert Pattinson, Greta Scacchi, Harry Melling; directed by Ciro Guerra.
"The Opening Act" (not rated, 1 hour, 30 minutes) A story about ambition and creativity, this subtle comedy concerns Will O'Brien (Jimmy O. Yang), who has a steady job but yearns to succeed as a standup comedian, then gets a chance to emcee a comedy show where he'll open for his hero Billy G (Cedric The Entertainer). Should he or shouldn't he? With Alex Moffat, Debby Ryan, Neal Brennan, Ken Jeong, Whitney Cummings; written and directed by Steve Byrne.