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Rewatching 'Tenet' (at Home) in the Year of Christopher Nolan. Plus: Steve McQueen!

December 18, 2020/ 96 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins · Chris Ryan

Chris Ryan joins Sean and Amanda to rewatch 'Tenet' now that it's streaming, then Steve McQueen stops by to close out 'Small Axe.'

10 films across 2 segments.

AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.

Rewatching 'Tenet' (at Home)Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan

Tenet poster

Tenet 2020

All three rewatched it at home and liked it more the second time. Chris watched on his MacBook with headphones and closed captions on; Amanda says it looked and sounded better on her TV than it had at their drive-in screening months earlier. Dialogue that got lost in theaters lands with captions and a 10-second rewind, making the plot (if not the physics) easier to follow. Favorite scenes: the Freeport heist ('that's a fucking plane, man'), the reverse bungee jump in Mumbai, the opera-house raid, the car chase. They call it the most self-aware Nolan movie yet, with John David Washington's protagonist as a genuine change of pace from Nolan's usual inscrutable leads, and Robert Pattinson's Neil doing a lot of the film's humor.

In conversation'Small Axe,' his five-part BBC/Amazon anthology (Mangrove, Lovers Rock, Red, White and Blue, Alex Wheatle, Education), wrapped that weekend

Widows poster
Steve McQueen on

Widows 2018

McQueen's own film, and the first of his movies he's shown his daughter.

Cars poster
Steve McQueen on

Cars 2006

McQueen's son went through a phase of watching it on repeat at bedtime.

Occupied City poster
Steve McQueen on

Occupied City 2023

The documentary he was shooting at the time (referred to here by its working title, 'Occupy City'), on the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam from 1940 to 1945.

The Rules of the Game poster
Steve McQueen on

The Rules of the Game 1939

Rewatched during quarantine. McQueen calls it possibly the first great farce and loves how quickly it moves.

Five Easy Pieces poster
Steve McQueen on

Five Easy Pieces 1970

Rewatched during quarantine. He singles out Karen Black's performance and the wordless final scene.

Some Like It Hot poster
Steve McQueen on

Some Like It Hot 1959

Shown to his daughter: his pitch was a black-and-white comedy with a female lead and Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. She loved it.

The Apartment poster
Steve McQueen on

The Apartment 1960

Also shown to his daughter, on a Billy Wilder kick.

Chungking Express poster
Steve McQueen on

Chungking Express 1994

Rounded out the Billy Wilder day with some Wong Kar-wai.

Blackboard Jungle poster
Steve McQueen on

Blackboard Jungle 1955

McQueen traces rock and roll's arrival in the UK to this film's use of 'Rock Around the Clock,' with Sidney Poitier and Glenn Ford.

Also mentioned raised along the way

Nolan comparisons InceptionInterstellarThe Dark KnightThe Dark Knight RisesMemento

In passing The MatrixEyes Wide ShutOn the Waterfront42nd StreetMankWonder Woman 1984News of the World

Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads

TV Modern FamilySmall Axe: MangroveSmall Axe: Lovers RockSmall Axe: Red, White and BlueSmall Axe: Alex WheatleSmall Axe: Education

Games FIFA World Cup Launch Edition

Ads Boar's HeadFanDuelCarvanaStarbucks