Agents, mutants and visionaries: August has a lot in store – in the form of "Tenet" the future of the film industry may be.
Will the highly anticipated sci-fi thriller "Tenet" finally manage to usher in the new blockbuster era on the fourth attempt? August 26 is still chosen to serve the starving cinema-goers the new strip by Christopher Nolan (50). The wait until then could be the comedy "Irresistible – Irresistible" with Steve Carell (57), the drama "Ways of Life – The Road Not Taken" with Javier Bardem (51) or the biopic "Tesla" with Ethan Hawke (49) in shorten the title role. For comic fans, the new mutants of the "X-Men" should target it.
"Irresistible – Irresistible ,, August 6th
Political advisor Gary Zimmer (Steve Carell) is supposed to help the Democratic Party gain more support from the rural population. His brilliant idea: he wants to support the retired veteran Colonel Hastings (Chris Cooper, 69) in his campaign for the mayor's office in the small town of Deerlaken. Unfortunately, it turns out too quickly that a high-profile campaign in the country has its pitfalls. To make matters worse, his efforts also call on his archenemy, the unscrupulous Republican Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne, 41).
Assessment:
The sometimes absurd fight between Democrats and Republicans – now brought to the screen by satire master Jon Stewart (57). With "Irresistible – Irresistible", the former "Daily Show" presenter may be addressing an ancient American topic, in the midst of increasingly dirty preparations for the US election campaign and the already global omnipresence of Donald Trump (74), political satire is recommended but also outside of the United States.
"Ways of Life – The Road Not Taken", August 13
Leo's (Javier Bardem) daughter Molly (Elle Fanning, 22) is troubled by the increasingly critical mental state of her single father. As they wriggle through a stressful day in New York City and try to cope with everyday life, Leo keeps losing himself in two realities of life that he could have experienced: The passionate marriage to his childhood sweetheart Dolores (Salma Hayek, 53 ) in Mexico to a life in solitude on a remote Greek island, where the chance meeting with two young tourists brings painful, uncomfortable insights to light.
Assessment:
The moviegoers can look forward to heavy food in the drama "Ways of Life – The Road Not Taken" by Sally Potter (70). Main character Leo’s illness is brought to the attention of the viewer in a way that exceeds space, time and reality. What is memory, what is imagination and what is a mixture of both? Of particular note is Javier Bardem's haunted performance, which once again underlines that he is one of the best in his field.
"Tesla," August 20
The young engineer Nikola Tesla (Ethan Hawke) is a promising employee in Thomas Edison's (Kyle MacLachlan, 61) Electric Light Company. But soon there will be a break between the two very opposite men, which will make them lifelong rivals. The brilliant but socially awkward immigrant Tesla turns to the industrial magnate George Westinghouse (Jim Gaffigan, 54), who from then on finances Tesla's work on his pioneering power system. At the same time, the ingenious inventor is already working impatiently on a new ambitious banker J.P. Morgan (Donnie Keshawarz) funded project. Tesla meets Morgan's daughter Anne (Eve Hewson, 29) and is faced with the decision to continue giving up his work or love.
Assessment:
Not only Thomas Edison recently got his own biopic (with Benedict Cumberbatch, 44), but now also Nikola Tesla. Somehow fitting, the feud of the two inventors and visionaries extends to the present day. "Tesla" offers insights into an ingenious and complicated spirit that has contributed significantly to shaping our everyday life. At the time of his creation, Tesla received little recognition – high time to change that in a cinematic way.
"Tenet", August 26th
The Third World War only seems to be a matter of time. To save the entire world from destruction, the "protagonist" (John David Washington, 36) has only one word at his disposal: Tenet. His mission leads him into a shady world of international espionage, where the laws of physics don't seem to apply. Time travel? No. Inversion.
Assessment:
Christopher Nolan's new film "Tenet" now has huge expectations. And not just because, with the exception of the first epochal impressions, almost nothing is known about the plot of the film. In Corona times, "Tenet" could shape the future of the entire film and cinema industry. Is blockbuster entertainment possible in the pandemic, i.e. profitable? Nolan likes to venture into unknown territory with his films and deals with existential questions – the launch of his new film could now be literally existential for an entire industry.
"X-Men: New Mutants," August 27
In an isolated hospital in the middle of nowhere, a group of young mutants is held for psychiatric testing. As the events become more and more uncanny, the new skills and friendships of the inmates are put to the test. Will they be able to escape from the clinic?
Assessment:
The social criticism of the previous "X-Men" films paired with horror elements? That sounds like a promising development of the story about the mutants with superpowers who actually only want to live a normal life. "New Mutants" gathers young talents like Maisie Williams (23 "Game of Thrones") or Charlie Heaton (26, "Stranger Things"), who have made a name for themselves above all as series stars. If you like the colorful world of Marvel films, you could suffer a dark shipwreck with "X-Men: New Mutants".