'Knives Out' Review

Nominated For: Best Original Screenplay.

Synopsis: A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.

Runtime: 130 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for thematic elements including brief violence, some strong language, sexual references, and drug material)

Who should see it? Fans of whodunnits and murder mysteries.

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Knives Out is an ode to the work of Agatha Christie set amidst today's contentious political climate. A Thanksgiving release is quite fitting considering the volatile nature of family get-togethers, so once you finish scarfing down turkey this Thursday, visit your local multiplex to solve a uniquely entertaining murder mystery. Knives Out offers all the fun of Clue without the insufferable board-game bickering. 

Johnson kicks things off by thrusting viewers straight into the scene of the crime. He then efficiently characterizes the members of the Thrombey family while establishing each of their potential motives through a series of police interviews seamlessly strung together by editor Bob Ducsay. The board has been set with an audience understanding of the prime suspects, and we're only fifteen minutes in. An elaborate unwinding of truth and justice follows closely behind. In the search for a killer, Johnson deceptively tinkers with the truth. When the family members lie, he ensures the audience remains sure of the facts rather than steering them away to elude suspicion. However, there's undoubtedly a sleight of hand at play behind the camera as Johnson shifts your focus from figuring out whodunnit to more pressing matters. 

As a result, the narrative of Knives Out is wildly unpredictable since each twist changes the course of the story and, by extension, the mystery. On second viewing, I noticed that Johnson drops clues without calling direct attention to them. The hints may be disguised as an innocent joke or irrelevant happenstance, but, as any detective knows, every detail matters. Contributions from Johnson's frequent collaborators further fortify his efforts in the form of Steve Yedlin's stately cinematography and an engrossing score composed by Rian's cousin Nathan Johnson. Not to mention, superb work from production designer David Crank, as the Thrombey mansion provides an intricate, embellished setting for the sleuthing shenanigans. At the center of it all, Johnson's sharp screenplay leads audiences down a winding path of absurdity, animosity, and intrigue that amounts to one of the year's most entertaining moviegoing experiences. 

Heading the star-studded cast, Ana De Armas and Daniel Craig are the two breakthrough performers. De Armas continues to impress while Craig's clearly having the time of his life as renowned detective Benoit Blanc, hamming things up with his Southern drawl and kooky disposition. The shared moments between their characters tend to be among the film's best, though the eccentric personalities in the Thrombey family give them a run for their money. 

Comprised of veteran actors and up-and-comers, the A-list ensemble assuredly inhabits their roles of entitled A-holes and make the most of every morsel Johnson sends their way. This includes the likes of Christopher Plummer, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Jaeden Martell, and Katherine Langford, who each relish in the Thrombey family's argumentative nature and distinct attributes. On the other side of the investigation, LaKeith Stanfield and Nathan Segan portray an amusing pair of police officers dead set on closing this peculiar case. 

Gripping murder mysteries don't reveal themselves too often, but Knives Out is guilty as charged. To no surprise, Rian Johnson's dunnit again! One can only hope it's successful enough to warrant further exploits with Detective Blanc.

Film Assessment: A

'Sorry to Bother You' Review

In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre universe of "power calling" that leads to material glory.

Serving as his feature film debut, Sorry to Bother You was written and directed by rapper and musician Boots Riley. Words that will surely arise in plenty of discussions afterwards are ambitious and unique (or at least terms synonymous to those) because I guarantee you that you've never seen anything quite like Sorry to Bother You. If you're someone who's sick of the summer's franchise fare, this might be the undeniably original breath of fresh air that you've been looking for. Whether you actually like it or not is difficult for me to say, as it depends on your tolerance for the film's outlandish scenarios, but I'm confident Sorry to Bother You will be way too weird for most general audience members. 

For his first feature, Riley's got plenty to say regarding race relations, corporate greed, and capitalism in general. His script was ultimately too ambitious for its own good though since there's such a heavy-handed socio-political subtext lingering over the narrative. I've seen many comparisons to Get Out, but I'd argue there are some substantial differences between the two films as well. Namely, Jordan Peele's subtlety in communicating his message versus Riley's ostentatious approach. This is by design of course, but I found Riley's method to be far too "in-your-face."

I'll say I was onboard for the first two acts of the crazed comedy, but was totally lost in the ending insanity. At that point, the humor lost its edge and everything skewed towards being bizarre rather than funny whatsoever. Sorry to Bother You seems to have found favor with critics and audience members on the basis of being a satirical cautionary tale, but Riley's depiction of reality is ultimately too unfocused and absurdly over exaggerated to possibly take seriously. The strange satirical piece is riddled with an overabundance of interesting ideas, but Riley can't quite tie them all together effectively due to his inexperience as a filmmaker. This problem rears its ugly head as the film progresses and subplots involving certain supporting characters are all but abandoned in favor of some zany shenanigans. 

With that said, the film was aesthetically pleasing and I can't help but respect Riley's ambition and unique voice as a fresh filmmaker. The gimmicks of "the white voice" and dropping the telemarketer desk straight into someone's home during calls could have easily been overused and tiring to watch, but Riley employs these shticks somewhat sparingly and his use is often justified. However, I noticed that the dubbing and lip-syncing were often mismatched and that was fairly distracting to me. I'm unsure if it was intentional for comedic effect or not, but it was glaring nonetheless. 

If there's one thing that keeps Sorry to Bother You afloat though, it's the exceptional ensemble assembled for the project. As the leading man, LaKeith Stanfield furthers his rise as an increasingly reliable actor by exhibiting an immense range and incredibly expressive physicality into Cassius' mannerisms, attitude, and personality. Playing Cassius' girlfriend, Tessa Thompson has spunk to spare and dominates the screen as Detroit. I especially liked the dynamic between Stanfield and Thompson because it so off-kilter and the two had great chemistry.

Jermaine Fowler, Steven Yeun, Danny Glover, Terry Crews, and Omari Hardwick are tasked with portraying Casius' friends, co-workers, and family, and while they each do a solid job with the material provided, the actors feel underutilized in the grand scheme of things. Familiar voices you will hear in varying capacities over the course of the hour and forty five minutes include David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Lily James, Forest Whitaker, and Rosario Dawson.

Rounding out the cast, Armie Hammer is an eccentric CEO who's intimidating on account of his obsessive fixation on the bottom line, and that leads to a few interesting revelations to say the least... I'll preserve the surprise for the sake of ensuring you're as shocked as I was, but those who have seen the film probably know exactly what I'm referring to.

For better or for worse, Sorry to Bother You is unapologetically "out-there" in spite of a forgiving title. With the upmost confidence, I can assure you that it certainly will be one of the weirdest films you see all year.

Film Assessment: B

'Get Out' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Jordan Peele, Best Actor; Daniel Kaluuya, and Best Original Screenplay.

Won: Best Original Screenplay.

In Get Out a young African American photographer Chris is invited by his white girlfriend Rose Armitage to visit her family over the weekend. Chris questions the invitation because he's unsure how Rose's parents will react to the revelation their daughter's involved in an interracial romantic relationship. Once the couple arrives, Chris notices plenty of suspicious behavior from Rose's family and while seeking the truth only gets further drawn into the bizarre ongoings.

Get Out is written and directed by Jordan Peele, marking his directorial debut and second feature length screenplay credit following last year's Keanu. Peele is most well-known for being part of the Keye and Peele comedy sketches and up to this point his career really specialized in comedy, but Get Out verges into the horror/thriller genre and stands well apart from Peele's previous work. Peele demonstrates social awareness with his direction and screenplay, not only creating suspenseful surroundings, but also effectively incorporating social commentary on current race relations. He doesn't skew it entirely on one side of the spectrum with racist generalizations or stereotypes and the way Peele is able to amplify the anxiety of real world situations to genuinely thrilling sequences is downright brilliant. 

Peele incorporates nice doses of comedic relief in Get Out you probably won't see coming and does a great job fleshing out his characters with his script. My only nitpicks are that certain twists don't hold up under scrutiny and that on occasion it's slightly predictable when it abides too closely to the formulaic design of most horror films. On the flip side, I need to give props to editor Gregory Plot, cinematographer Toby Oliver, the sound design team, and the score composed by Michael Abels for taking the tension to another level with precise execution in all areas. 

In the casting department, Daniel Kaluuya makes for an exceptional lead as Chris, providing a performance that's both subtle and well-defined. Kaluuya makes the suspense more believable with fantastic facial expressions extenuating his situation and authentically communicating awkward social environments. Elsewhere, Allison Williams puts forth a surprisingly complex characterization as Rose and the facets of Rose's family each get an opportunity to send a chill down your spine as respectively portrayed by Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, and Caleb Landry Jones. Marcus Henderson, Betty Gabriel, and LaKeith Stanfield are also unnerving in their respective roles and LilRel Howery stands out as Chris' friend Rod Williams with some great comedic delivery. 

Peele really outdid himself with his directorial debut and the talent at his disposal really worked wonders with the meager $5 Million budget. To sum it all up; stop what you're doing, Get Out and go see this!

Film Assessment: A-