#knives out movie review

[bigtreefest]

Let’s talk about Knives Out

Spoilers below the cut

🔥🤤sweater daddy. I wish that was all I had to say. Well, it is, but it also very much isn’t.

1st Watch

After knowing what happens in the end, I had never liked Ransom (Chris Evans’s Character) until I went through with my second and third rewatch. So on my first watch, it was exciting because all the twists and turns really catch you by surprise. It’s such a wonder who would pull such an elaborate plan and why. Ransom is obviously awful. That’s why the dogs hate him. It’s such a sign of character. But for some reason, he’s helping Marta, and I loved it. He appeared so genuine and like he was really trying to find the best way to help her. Benoit Blanc’s accent is also hilarious and so is the fact that none of them really care to know where Marta’s from.

The dogs love Linda and Linda is honestly not that terrible of a person when it comes to everyone else. She actually loved her father as seen by the way they shared notes, but idk. Everyone’s flawed and she still expected money and inheritance

2nd Watch

I started to pick up on the symbolism and more details of the movie. Chris Evans looks even better in his sweaters. But if you look closely, they’ve got tears and holes. What does this mean? But the sweater is nice before Harlan dies. Does this mean Ransom looks nice on the surface, but if you look deeper, something’s wrong? Does this mean he started to crumble after Harlan’s death? They also bring up the fact that Marta is the only one who beat Harlan at ‘Go’ more than Ransom. Does this mean that if Marta weren’t around, Ransom would’ve gotten the inheritance? Or would he have been cut off like everyone else still? Or, does this mean that Marta was a better strategist. Even though Ransom did a lot of the work, she took the final step in lying in order to get him to confess to murder. Also, Meg on that phone call? Was she really apologetic or was she trying to get that money?? And why didn’t Harlan keep paying her tuition, it was her mom’s fault. But I guess she was technically a mooch like everyone else.

And obviously there’s the fact that everyone lies to Marta about wanting her at the funeral. Don’t lie to save face, you couldn’t have all gotten outvoted.

3rd watch

I’ve fallen in love with Chris Evans as Ransom even more, not just because of the sweaters, but because in this time, I read some really good fanfics that redeemed him. The movie is cast so perfectly and I love the subtleties. Plus, I’ve always had a little bit of a thing for guys who are awful for me if they’re hot (it’s a fatal flaw, I know, I’m working on it, but can you blame me?). Ransom is so smart, and it’s a shame he uses it for evil because he was so close. Anyway, let’s talk about alcoholic beverages. My investigation into this started because I wanted to know the mixed drink Ransom ordered at the bar (which which I still haven’t figured out yet, but I think it was a Manhattan?)

Look at the alcohol in the movie, though. The whole family is always luxuriously drinking scotch or champagne. Ransom, on the other hand, orders craft beer at the bar with Marta, which separates him from his family, but hopefully makes him seem more relatable to her. Even tho craft beer is the rich man’s beer lowkey. Then, he uses a large bottle for set fire to the Medical Examiner’s office. This whole time, we don’t see Marta drink at all, which separates her from the family. Not to mention, Ransom builds a literal wall of beer bottles between the two of them at the restaurant, showing physical separation despite his offer of assistance. The bottles are also apparently in one of the positions of ‘Go’ called Atari. This is an attack position, meaning Ransom thinks he has the high ground. Incorrect. This is all just a posed by the separation we see at the end of the movie where Marta is looking down at them on the balcony while they all look up at her, once again separated but the tables have turned.

Overall, a great movie and a great look for Chris Evans. The costume designers and casting directors knew what they were doing. As much as I hate to say it, I WOULD NOT have been immune to Ransom’s charms.

Sources cited:

Drinks Meaing

Go Atari Reddit Post

Good Casting

Gifs

[ladyantiheroine]

I really have to hand it to Rian Johnson. The whole whodunnit murder mystery genre is one that can get really stale. There’s only so many unique things you can do with the set-up of “someone is dead and we need to figure out the who what where and why of it all.”

But Knives Out and Glass Onion managed to make the genre feel fresh and genuinely twisty. Not just in the typical “the murderer wasn't who you thought it was, it was actually this guy!!” kind of way.

When I saw the Glass Onion trailer with the whole “every person has been invited to a murder mystery party game” set-up I found it…a bit corny. But I shouldn’t have underestimated this franchise because it took that Clue-like scenario and completely flipped the table on it.

Anyway, Glass Onion is a great movie. It has similar themes, archetypes, and tropes as Knives Out but not in a way that feels like a copy-paste of the latter. It rhymes but doesn’t repeat.

My brain is leaking but in a good way.

[deep-sea-scholar]

Okay I need to rant about Glass Onion for several paragraphs

WARNING: SPOILERS!

Glass onion is phenomenal, and I personally enjoyed its themes more than the first Knives Out movie.

Now don’t get me wrong, Knives Out is arguably the better film, but its strengths lie in the complexity and brilliant execution of its core mystery.  It’s a fantastic self-contained story about a shitty rich family and the people they directly affect.  The members of the family range across the political spectrum and all express different ideologies, but the moment a migrant working-class woman has a legitimized shot at their inheritance they band together to prevent her from improving her life.  It's interesting commentary on how wealthy people can talk a big game about helping others and being good people, but ultimately fall morally short when such actions threaten what they feel they “rightfully deserve.” But that's arguably the limitation of the film as its focus is entirely on the interpersonal conflict between the Thrombey family and Marta.

Glass onion isn’t limited by that.

The entire thematic core of Glass Onion concerns the damage that the rich and powerful can do to the world if they aren’t supervised, criticized, or limited. 

Aside from our lovely detective Benoit Blanc, the murdered Andi Brand, and her twin sister Helen, all of the characters are shitty people that are damaging the world in a uniquely horrible way as a direct consequence of the unchecked power and wealth they wield.

To start we have Governor Claire Dubella.  Her success in her political career has relied almost entirely on monetary support and influence from the films big bad and Elon Musk/Jeff Bezos analogue Miles Bron. Her platform has good objectives, and she’s passionate about hard topics like climate change, but her ability to act is entirely limited by the influence Miles has on her.  If Miles wants her to do something, she feels like she has no choice but to, which results in her greenlighting an experimental powerplant that Miles wants built to advocate for his new fuel source.  It’s untested technology, it’s volatile and dangerous as fuck, and Claire feels like she has no choice but to go along with it because if she doesn’t Miles will withdraw support from her career, or worse, support her opponents.  She likens it to selling her soul, and it really is.  She willingly undermined the health of her constituents for the sake of saving her career, and the shitty part is that Miles only controls her because she lets him.  She could deny the power plant, or leave Miles, at any time, but she doesn’t because she perceives the personal risk as to great.  She is a politician that won’t stand up for the people she represents, and no one calls her out on it.

Next, we have Duke Cody, the Alpha male men’s rights streamer who is just like, the absolute worst person in this film.  His views and opinions are incredibly toxic, his actions and beliefs directly hurt the people he influences through the hurtful products he promotes, and thanks to Mile's wealth and influence both he and his terrible, terrible, terrible opinions have official backing and some form of legitimacy.  He’s almost the direct inverse of Claire, being someone who really shouldn’t have support, but is getting it anyway because he’s Mile’s friend.  And because Miles doesn’t care and is giving Duke support and helping him dodge legal trouble, he enables Dukes terrible opinions and lets them influence and hurt people.  

Then we have Birdie, my personal favorite of the disruptors.  She is a fashion designer, media star, and breathtakingly, beautifully, stupid. She’s not actively malicious like some of the other characters, but she is just so fundamentally incapable of thinking things through. When paired with her wealth and influence, this results in horrifying real-world consequences.  She has her iconic fashion line of sweatpants made at the most infamous sweatshop in Bangladesh not because she doesn’t care, but because she thought a sweatshop is just a shop where you make sweatpants.  She’s just very stupid, but at the very least has the decency to be aware of it.  She even decides to own up to her Bangladesh mistake of her own volition, independent of the plot.  The problem is that no one corrected for her, or guided her, or worked to influence her decisions.  Miles just cared about what her brands could do for him and was perfectly willing to throw her under the bus to preserve his image.

Last of the four Disruptors is Lionel Toussaint.  Not much to say about him actually, he’s fairly straightforward.  He works directly under Miles as a scientist and is a parallel for the people that want to have confidence in tech ‘pioneers’ like Elon Musk.  After all they’ve been successful, and things have worked out in the past, surely, we can give them leeway with new technology development.  But there’s a reason why technology is prototyped and tested, and that’s because things always go wrong, and you need to take time and care to figure out how to ensure new technology is safe.

Which leads us to this asshole.

Miles goddamn Mona Lisa Burning Bron.

The absolute, motherfucking, shithead moron directly responsible for everything bad that happens in this film.

I lied about Duke Cody because this absolute buffoon is the actually the worst person in this film.

He manipulates politicians into endangering their constituents for his own gain, he enables the absolute worst and most toxic people by giving them legitimate platforms, he promotes influencers without caring for what their unchecked actions result in, and he deludes the people that work for him and want to believe in him with self-assured delusion.  This man is arrogant, an indiscribable moron (worse than Birdie because at least she acknowledges her failings), dangerously delusional, obsessed with control, and most damning of all, unchecked.

Miles Bron is a direct look at how too much unchecked power, wealth, and influence results in unmitigated disasters.  He doesn’t care about helping people, because he doesn’t take the time to make sure untested technology is safe for the public, handwaving legitimate concerns with denial and false assurance.  He doesn’t care about his friends, because he murders two of them the instant, they become a threat to his control.  He’s not smart, because all of his genius is the result of other people, he’s just skilled at advertising it as his own to get the credit.  All he cares about is doing what he wants and being in control, because his opinion and self-worth and legacy is more precious to him than any other thing in the world.  The man is a lie so absolute, so convoluted, and so stupidly straightforward that the slightest piece of truth will bring the facade of his existence crumbling down.  And it’s hard to acknowledge something like that in the real world because someone that successful being that malicious and dumb sounds incredibly stupid.  It’s an easy lie to buy because it’s more believable than how stupid the truth is.

Anyway, ultimately my conclusion is that we see a strikingly accurate portrayal of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk in this film, and it was very cathartic seeing their hopes, ambitions, and house burn down around them.  Because billionaires like them are shithead morons that lie to and manipulate everyone, and their arrogant and harmful self-delusions compound through the people they manage to influence.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[eclecticfeverdream]

Now this review has reached its target audience. if we're talking about the Mamma Mia! And Knives out/Glass Onion venn diagram I'm right in the middle.

[benoits-neckerchieves]

Feel free to explain why in the comments or reblog with ur favourite scenes or whatever

[ghostofanovelwriter]

If Phillip was Rian Johnson’s way of improving the John Watson “they were only roommates” trope then I wholeheartedly accept.

[comfort-zone-magic-zone]

Let’s talk Glass Onion:A Knives Out Mystery! Janelle Monáe did her thing!!! Honestly, it was better than Knives Out! The cast was spectacular and it was really funny and enticing. Y’all should know I love a good murder mystery by now and this one was a great. Y’all at home watching Christmas movies and I’m over her watching Monáe burn the mother fucking house down! Go watch!

[taibhsearachd]

Okay, having finished Glass Onion, it is a masterpiece on par with Knives Out...

I will actually lose my shit if I don’t get a romcom fic of Benoit Blanc and what’s-his-name Hugh Grant.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

I saw “Glass Onion” a few days ago with one of my cousins. Just some miscellaneous thoughts:

1) I hope Jeremy Renner has seen the movie. If he hasn’t, he definitely should once he gets out of the hospital.

2) Some of the cameos were…random. Like, yes, the role of “vaccination checker” definitely needed the talent of Ethan Hawke to bring out the complex layers of the role. But seriously, it feels like some of the actors were just bored and had a free day to help Rian Johnson out.

3) I did like how the movie was structured. It was sort of a pseudo-Rashomon where instead of conflicting accounts, we were just not seeing the full picture because we were not aware of a different character’s POV. It’s actually clever.

4) If I had to nitpick, I was a little annoyed that Benoit Blanc was written in a way that he just happens to know the answer to everything. Yeah, I know, he’s the detective, but the way he’s written in the movie makes him feel omnipotent. It’s fun to figure the mystery out along with the character, so it’s a little disappointing when the mystery is just solved for the audience, if that makes sense. It’s like they’re telling us what was happening instead of showing, which isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, but can still be annoying.

5) My cousin: “Jessica Henwick was just vibing in the movie lol. Everyone else had these big dramatic roles, and then there’s Jessica just showing up every now and then.”

6) Rian Johnson claims this movie isn’t about Elon Musk…but I feel Musk had to have inspired this movie a teensy bit. Maybe that’s just Rian covering his ass so he doesn’t get sued for defamation.

7) Amogus

8) If I had to pick a cast member who stood out, I’d obviously pick Janelle Monae. But Batista definitely gets second place, he really killed it as Filipino/Greek Andrew Tate.

9) Okay, another nitpick. I liked the overall movie, but I did not like the “look how quirky I am!” tone that Johnson was going for. It’s fine for the first third of the movie, but just becomes obnoxious as the movie goes on. I would’ve preferred a more mature, grounded mystery, but hey, that’s just me.

Overall review: As someone who didn’t care for “Knives Out” (I think I gave that movie a letter grade of C or C-), I thought “Glass Onion” was a massive improvement. The mystery was better thought out, the characters were more engaging, and, aside from Jessica Henwick, the cast was better utilized. I just would’ve preferred less quirkiness and a climax that wasn’t just Daniel Craig explaining the mystery. So, for a letter grade, I give it an A-.

[cactuswizardmoviereviewer]

Knives Out (2019)

We did a Knives Out and Glass Onion double feature watch.

Initial ranking i dub thee the first 5 star movie of the year

graph made by sennamatic

[iheartfrogs1904]

GLASS ONION IS GOOD.

I remember reading reviews for glass onions saying “it’s not as good as knives out”, “it was boring”, “it was predictable” SHUT !! I disagres, it’s so fun and silly, It’s SO CAMP. Don’t get me wrong, Knives Out was really good but personally I liked glass onion more. The main girl in knives out was such a sweetie but I liked how the girl in glass onion had a more active role in helping expose them all for being RUDE N MEAN. It was also more grandiose and the main detective guy had more style in it, I thought that striped swim suit was such a cute look honestly. I think I also just liked Cassandra better, she was so active in avenging her sister and was really smart, not that the girl in knives out wasn’t smart but she was just more normal than Cassandra, like Cassandra is CAMP, she made a whole plan AND FULLFILLED IT!! Both the girl from knives out and Cassandra r so shy and sweet people though, love them both such great main characters. I also love the duo of Cassandra and Blanc they r such smart silly billies.

[saraclements]

Rian Johnson has done it again. Just like an Agatha Christie novel, Glass Onion feels fresh and even bigger than the previous Knives Out mystery. It scratches that same whodunnit itch as the first, but it also feels entirely different. There is a new mystery, a new location, and new characters, but Johnson also finds new ways to keep the audience on their toes. A film that’s genuinely hilarious from beginning to end, and with a powerhouse ensemble, we need at least five more Knives Out mysteries.

Continue reading my review.

[doriangrayreboot]

(Some spoilers for Glass Onion)

I’m absolutely in love with Glass Onion and I have a few thoughts. I loved the writing; the twists were not too outlandish or predictable. I was very pleased with the fact that Benoit Blanc was confirmed as queer. The characters of “The Disruptors” (minus Andi) are all very hate-able (as intended.) Each character is hated for different reasons but they can all be relatively disliked on the same level since they’re all rich, sociopathic nightmares. The main thing that I want to spotlight is Janelle Monae Robinson’s show stopping, Oscar-deserving, spot on acting. She played Andi/Helen wonderfully. The scene where Helen is wreaking absolute havoc on Miles’ home is very satisfying. If you notice the others only joined in for the smashing of the glass sculptures. The rich will only join in for so much “disruption” before they begin clutching their pearls. Ironic, ain’t it? Anyways, Glass Onion was great. Eat the rich. (Yes, I’m writing this partly to spite Ben Shapiro.)

[rosecorcoranwrites]

It's like, another well-crafted mystery comedy (despite what some people may say)!

Today, I rave about Glass Onion and rant about the fail discourse surrounding it! Get ready for dead interns, contrivance, and my inability to correctly name characters* *I accidentally call Blanc "Miles Blanc" a couple times at the end, because I have problems with names, and was going to add text over it saying "Benoit Blanc", but considering it took 25 HOURS for this video to upload to Youtube (no joke) I'm not gonna sweat it.

[thebunsquad]

Hello everybunny and welcome to the very first episode of the Backslog. It's time to talk about the media we experienced this year.

[benoits-neckerchieves]

Hey guys! Thank you to the 298 people who voted in my Daniel Craig poll, and an extra thank you to those who left comments / tags, it’s been really interesting for me! If you wanna know how it went, I’ve made a little graph :)

Note: commented / tagged answers that weren’t originally options have been added as their own category and deducted from the ‘other’ %. The remaining votes for ‘other’ were unspecified. You can see the poll here.