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Knives Out Review

Knives Out is a classic whodunit mystery directed by Rian Johnson and starring a bevy of really talented actors.  Ana de Armas takes a front and center role here, but Daniel Craig and Chris Evans play very prominent parts as well.  Like most people who have seen this movie, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  In terms of completely original murder mysteries, it’s probably the best to come out in several years. 

After The Last Jedi got mixed reviews, I was curious to see what Rian Johnson could do with a more scaled down film that fits more into his wheelhouse.  I think he really hit his stride with this movie, both as a writer and a director.  Careful writing is obviously extremely important when crafting a whodunit.  A few words or phrases can become very important clues later on.  Johnson handled this aspect very well, largely through a prolonged interrogation scene that gives the audience much of the exposition they need to understand who this family is and why they are so dysfunctional.

Johnson and cinematographer Steve Yedlin also used visual storytelling and metaphors very well throughout this movie.  Given that much of the story takes place in an old-fashioned manor house, it would have been easy for this film to look dark and gloomy.  The opposite is often true, though, and it feels like every shot is lively and bursting with color.  Additionally, this film makes great use of objects to tell us about individual characters or the family as a whole.  Johnson makes great use of everyday objects like a mug and a baseball while also throwing in eccentric decor like a giant wheel of knives.  Together these disparate elements tell us how this family is like others on the surface but completely dysfunctional underneath. 

The actors in this movie all nail their parts, although some characters are definitely more developed than others. A lot of people are talking about Daniel Craig’s boisterous performance as a Southern gentleman detective, and for good reason.  He’s a captivating and hilarious presence whenever he’s on screen and his pure charm makes you want to listen to everything he says.  It’s absolutely over the top at times, but this is largely an intentional reference to the cliches of the genre.  But despite this absolutely loaded cast, Ana de Armas really carries this movie as the nurse and friend of the murder victim.  She’s a very likable protagonist with a good heart that you can’t help but root for, especially when she’s surrounded by such shitty people in this family.  She also has a lot of moments that test her emotional range as an actress, and she nailed all of them.  I won’t say too much about Chris Evans’ character but, rest assured, he definitely gets his moments here too.

I didn’t have many serious complaints or flaws that I want to point out with this movie.  If I had to pick one, it would be a pretty unusual plot device that gets used a lot.  It’s a mild spoiler, so skip to the next paragraph if you want, but one of the characters has a “tell” whenever she lies.  Sometimes when people lie they blink, or touch their face, or sweat a lot.  The character in this movie vomits uncontrollably.  A lot.  While it is played for comedy, and often succeeded in drawing a laugh, its such a bizarre concept that I had to look it up and see if its medically possible.  It turns out the answer is yes, kind of.  Check out the link below if you want to learn more.  Either way, its a funny but also extremely convenient plot tool that Johnson made frequent use of whenever he had no better alternative. 

Despite a few minor critiques, this is a really good movie and a good blend of comedy, intensity, and mystery.  If you like the genre or are simply eager to see a Rian Johnson film other than The Last Jedi you should check it out before it’s no longer in theaters.  This is actually a really stacked time of year for movies, and awards season is shaping up to be really good this year.  I’m going to try to post as many reviews as I can in the coming weeks and months so stay tuned for more.

Rating: 8.5/10

https://slate.com/culture/2019/11/knives-out-marta-vomit-lie-detector-condition-real.html

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Jumanji: The Next Level Review

Over the weekend I saw Jumanji: The Next Level, which is of course the sequel to 2017′s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.  This film was directed by Jake Kasdan and features the same cast of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black.  This time, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, and Awkwafina join in on the action as they attempt, once again, to survive the perils of Jumanji’s treacherous jungle.  Some spoilers lie ahead, but nothing you couldn’t gather from standard marketing materials.

I enjoyed the first movie in this franchise, and I was optimistic but not overly excited to see the sequel.  It surprises me how quickly they made this film and I can’t help but feel that the studio tried to rush out a sequel in order to strike while the iron was hot.  This film definitely has its merits and successfully plays the role of a popcorn-munching holiday season comedy.  Beyond that, it fails to accomplish much.  

This movie follows a formula that many blockbuster sequels do: take what made the original good, change it up a bit, and add even higher stakes.  This movie tries a lot to get you invested in the teenage friends that will inevitably inhabit the avatars we are familiar with.  It actually takes a surprisingly long time, about 15 or 20 minutes if I had to guess, for everyone to get back into the game like we all know they will.  Much like the first movie, I really don’t care too much about these characters and to be honest I couldn’t remember their names without looking at IMDb.  I imagine most moviegoers will feel the same way.  

The strength of this movie is, as one would expect, the comedy.  I’m usually pretty hard to crack, but this film did make me laugh several times.  The funniest person in this movie is Awkwafina, and second is probably Jack Black.  I won’t go into tremendous detail on what was funny to avoid spoiling any jokes, but I do have two major critiques about the jokes in this movie.  I’m disappointed to say The Rock really fell flat for me in this movie.  As you know if you’ve seen any commercials or trailers for Jumanji, Danny DeVito’s character ends up in The Rock’s avatar.  He therefore has to impersonate DeVito’s voice and mannerisms, which he does... poorly.  On paper, this is a really funny concept but it failed to work in practice.  Johnson’s attempt looks considerably weaker when (spoiler alert) later in the film Danny Devito switches avatars and becomes Awkwafina, who does a much better job impersonating him.  

My second big complaint about this movie is that a lot, and I mean a lot, of the jokes are about Danny DeVito and Danny Glover being old.  This film acts as though simply because they are old they know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about video games.  They barely know what a video game is, and they have no idea what is going on throughout most of the movie.  To be fair to the writers, there are plenty of elderly people who know nothing about video games or technology in general.  Nevertheless, I still find it troublesome that their two characters are so clueless they come off as senile at times.  This gimmick is entertaining in the beginning, but gets old pretty quickly.  By the third act its downright grating when Devito���s character has still learned absolutely nothing about where he is or what they are doing.

My final critique of this movie rests in the action sequences, or lack thereof.  Considering the nearly endless parameters that the writers have to work with, I left disappointed by the relatively uninspiring creative choices.  Our heroes face many threats throughout their quest, and you do get the sense by the end of the movie that they are in danger.  The final act offers a thrilling sequence with a series of bridges and an entertaining boss fight of sorts.  The lead up to that is very tame by comparison.  Out of all the things they could have picked to lead off the action, they chose to do a chase scene with... ostriches.  Not even giant fire-breathing ostriches with spikes around their feet, either.  Just a lot of regular ol’ ostriches.  This is one of several instances that made me wonder if time constraints or visual effects budgets made the writers settle for something less than extraordinary.

I don’t want to give the impression that I totally hated this movie, because I didn’t.  I liked it just a little less than the first entry in this franchise.  This movie happens to be one of those cases where the good parts were relatively predictable and the flaws deserve more detailed discussion.  I left the theater feeling like I got my money’s worth, partly because I didn’t have extremely high expectations to begin with.  Jumanji: The Next Level is a funny and entertaining action comedy, just don’t expect it to be a transformative experience. 

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The Mandalorian Season One Review

The Mandalorian is a Disney+ original television show starring Pedro Pascal and created by Jon Favreau.  In addition to featuring a supporting cast of Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, and Giancarlo Esposito, the show also created a legend of our time: Baby Yoda.  Logging just eight episodes in its debut season, the show follows a conflicted bounty hunter as he attempts to honor the creed of his people, the customs of his profession, and his heart’s desire.  If you haven’t seen the show yet, I highly suggest you check it out.  Some spoilers lie ahead if you wish to turn back now; otherwise, “this is the way.”

I’ll be honest: I’m a really big Star Wars fan.  I should qualify that by saying I haven’t consumed every bit of the Star Wars canon, and I’m not extremely familiar with the Expanded Universe.  I know this qualifies me as scum; force choke me if you must.  Nonetheless, it is one of my favorite franchises dating all the way back to my early childhood.  This makes it somewhat difficult to review anything Star Wars related because I’m always subconsciously rooting for it to be good.  I allowed this to get the better of me with The Last Jedi, and I defended that film for far too long.  In short, I tried to approach The Mandalorian with an open mind but without letting my inner fanboy take over my sensibilities.  I’d like to believe that this review is as neutral as possible but if I do sound overexcited please forgive me. 

Before I get into The Mandalorian in detail I want to take a brief step back to 2015.  Before The Force Awakens cam out, everybody was excited to see Star Wars again.  Despite box office success, some people dismissed Episode VII as too derivative of A New Hope.  Others were just happy to have new characters, a diverse cast, and a competent director in J.J. Abrams.  I will go to the grave believing that the single biggest mistake Disney made since purchasing Star Wars was hiring Rian Johnson to direct The Last Jedi. While he is clearly capable of creating a great film in his own right, his vision clashed significantly with Abrams’ and the end result was a very divisive movie that split up the Star Wars fan base.  It made at least half the fandom bitter and jaded towards anything Star Wars that Disney produced.  People desperately needed something to unify them and make them remember why they love Star Wars again.  I’m happy to report that season one of The Mandalorian is exactly what the fans, and Disney, needed. 

I feel as though its only proper to begin a review of The Mandalorian by discussing Din Djarin himself as portrayed by Pedro Pascal.  I liked him in Game of Thrones and I like him even more here.  Some people might assume that having a mask cover your entire face makes acting easier.  To some extent this is true.  Not having to express emotions with one’s eyes and mouth alleviates some of the burden.  However, its also a unique acting challenge to make people get invested in a character whose face they can’t see.  The fact that so many love this character is a testament to good screenwriting and Pascal’s acting ability.  The audience actually roots for Mando to keep his mask on because the writers made it a crucial part of his identity.  Additionally, Pascal has to express emotion through the intonation of his voice, the speed at which he turns his helmet, and his deliberate pace when he walks.  This is far more difficult than people realize, and Pascal deserves a lot of credit for making this season the success that it was.

The character of the Mandalorian also stands out to me because in many ways he exemplifies the qualities of a good action hero.  Again, good screenwriting.  He comes off as a believable bad ass from the minute he slices a guy in half with a door in Episode 1.  However, unlike other Star Wars protagonists of late, he never feels overpowered either.  Audiences need to feel like their hero is in danger of getting hurt or dying in order for excitement to register.  There are many moments in this season where Mando gets his ass kicked.  He gets electrocuted by Jawas, gored by a Mudhorn, pinned down by Bounty Hunters and almost blown up several times.  However, like any good action hero, he always manages to bounce back and lives to fight another day.  This is why audiences truly respect this character who, at the end of the day, is just a human being like all of us. 

Another great, and perhaps underrated, aspect of this show is the amazing score by Ludwig Goransson.  I really liked his work on Black Panther as well and I’m looking forward to any future projects he works on.  This is the first time I can remember that anyone other than John Williams has made an original and memorable Star Wars score.  The main title is freakin’ awesome.  It’s the perfect blend of tribal mysticism and the military marches we’ve come to know and love.  Fortunately, this space opera comes with some great overtures to highlight it.

Before I sound like a total fanboy, let’s talk about a few issues I have with the show.  There are certainly issues you can nitpick from a canon perspective but that isn’t my main concern.  My biggest complaint would be the sometimes haphazard nature of the show.  Episode 5 in particular felt like a sizable departure from the main story.  Episode 6, while more entertaining, similarly broke from the overarching narrative to give us a little bit of Mando’s backstory.  I don’t necessarily have a problem with this video game mission approach to the show, but I do hope that some of these side quests get paid off more significantly in future episodes.  I also would have liked a more consistent emphasis on the supporting cast members like Carano’s Cara Dune and Weathers’ Greef Carga.  Even Kuill could have used more screen time if for no other purpose than to make us more attached to him before his untimely death.

My complaints, in the long run, are relatively minor.  Compared to my overall respect and enjoyment of this show, they pale in comparison.  One major reason why is that Disney spared no expense in making this show the best it could possibly be.  The visual effects, where I feared they might skimp, were better than a lot of feature films.  The show felt cinematic, like Game of Thrones did at its best.  The cinematography was mostly great as well.  I particularly liked Taika Waititi’s direction in the season finale.  That shot of Mando finally using a jetpack to latch onto Moff Gideon’s TIE Fighter deserves to be on a poster.  I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the closing shot of Gideon holding the fucking Darksaber.  I can’t wait to see Giancarlo Esposito in an expanded role in Season 2 and hopefully beyond.  If he can play half the villain he did in Breaking Bad it will be a success.

And, of course, I had to save the single best part of this show, by far, for last. Baby. Fucking. Yoda.  This is one of the most well-concealed plot twists in recent memory.  Disney, somehow, did a fantastic job of keeping Baby Yoda out of marketing materials and trailers in the pre-release process.  When I first saw that adorable green face for the first time I somehow screamed, laughed and cried out in excitement at once.  This character is great for so many reasons besides obviously being the cutest thing to come out of 2019.  The Child makes Mando extremely conflicted and puts him in the most difficult quandary of his life: honor his code as a Bounty Hunter or follow his instincts and protect this child in need?  Baby Yoda also kicks a lot of ass for a one-foot-tall fifty year old.  His obviously strong connection to the force presents a myriad of options for his future: will he train as a Jedi, be a powerful vigilante, or turn to the dark side?  I’m kidding, but I’m also serious; he did force choke Cara Dune after all.  And he’s grown up among a series of explosions, laser beams, and punchy storm troopers.  That’s a pretty traumatic childhood.  Clearly, Baby Yoda has turned into a phenomenon and sparked an infinite number of memes, songs, and art.  I think it’s well deserved and I can’t wait to see more adventures in baby sitting with our little green friend. 

My thoughts on The Mandalorian can be expressed very simply: it’s fucking awesome. There is a whole lot to like about where this story is going and what Favreau and the slew of directors have done so far.  They’ve managed to inject genuine excitement into the fan base for what feels like the first time in a very, very long time. Additionally, Disney needed to knock one out of the park in order to salvage their reputation and preserve fan interest in one of their most valuable franchises.  Despite a few minor missteps, season one of The Mandalorian is a fantastic and I eagerly anticipate season two whenever it comes out.  If you haven’t seen it yet, go check it out.  Baby Yoda alone makes it worth it.  I have spoken.

Rating: 9/10