Knives Out

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  • Knives Out

    If you like a good old-fashioned Agatha Christie style "houseful of suspects, each with an equal motive and a dead body" murder mystery, Rian Johnson has a modern update on the genre for you. Although the circumstances of the crime itself are pretty standard fare (was the family patriarch's death suicide or murder? which one of the kids might have stood to gain most with him out of the way), Johnson and the ensemble cast of stars put a fresh post-2016 spin on the whodunit of it all. Even though I'm usually crap at figuring out these types of plots, I actually guessed correctly at the big twist but Daniel Craig's southern fried Poirot/Holmes has so much fun with the explanation scene I didn't feel cheated at all. Super fun and satisfying.

  • #2
    Re: Knives Out

    Exceeded my expectations. Even though I figured out the killer early on, it was just a very enjoyable cinematic experience. Ana De Armis was terrific as the kind hearted nurse. Chris Evans is really good in this one, playing against type. I was a fan of Murder on the Orient Express (2017), so I always welcome these type of movies as counter-programming to all the comic book hero and IP sequels. It has 100% fresh among the top critics and has the second largest Thanksgiving live action weekend behind Creed 2. Very well deserved. I've enjoyed most of the Holiday offerings so far.

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    • #3
      Re: Knives Out

      Looks fun but I'll pass. Rian Johnson helped wreck Star Wars and was smug about it so he won't get a cent from me (doubt he cares but oh well).

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      • #4
        Re: Knives Out

        Originally posted by DDoc View Post
        Looks fun but I'll pass. Rian Johnson helped wreck Star Wars and was smug about it so he won't get a cent from me (doubt he cares but oh well).

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        • #5
          Re: Knives Out

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          • #6
            Re: Knives Out

            I liked it, though it could easily have been 30 minutes shorter. It had a kind of comfortable and familiar 1970s feel to it and the cast were clearly having a good time.

            Craig was spot on with Kevin Spacey's House of Cards accent.
            TimeStorm & Blurred Vision Book info & blog: https://stormingtime.com//

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            • #7
              Re: Knives Out

              I'm not sure what I think of Knives Out just yet...I am still pondering whether I saw something quite good or just OK.

              Breaking it down:

              The trailer with Frank Sinatra singing I Want to Live. I wish that song was featured in the film, but trailers are their own art form and that trailer worked for me.

              Intro/Set-up all good. We meet the characters quickly, but get their essence established.

              Plot doesn't have to reinvent the genre, but most audiences these days have forgotten the whodunnit segment. I am happy to see this material make it to the screen and we have some more coming, like an updated version of Death on the Nile. (Note to the young folks here...read an Agatha Christie book.)

              Acting is good. Standouts are Toni Collette and Ana de Armas IMO. There will be mixed opinions on Daniel Craig, but I liked what he did with it. I could see him doing his character again in another film. AND, it is always good to see Emmet Walsh is still alive and working (227 imdb credits and counting).

              Cinematography, sets and visuals are very nice overall. There is a good coloring to the film which could have come off very gray and bland. Maybe they punched up the colors a little in digital post, but it could just be good work from the start by the crafts involved.

              Directing and the all-important writing...it is always hard to judge a script without actually seeing it. Furthermore, when a person writes and then directs, a lot of the script stays in that person's head (Tarantino for example has awful written scripts IMO, but he sees the final product intended even if it is not on the pages).

              If you want non-cgi, non-comic, non prior-IP, etc, types of films, this is what they look like. I'm thankful this Thanksgiving weekend that Lionsgate and a few other studios still greenlight projects like this.

              I gave it a 7/10 on imdb.

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              • #8
                Re: Knives Out

                I immensely enjoyed this film. I was rooted to my seat the whole time. Even though I figured out the twist early on it did not detract from my liking this movie.

                The production design is off the charts! What a joy to see such detail in the chaotic nature of the house's decor. From what I understand the library scenes were filmed in a real library in a Massachusetts mansion but they added so much to the room it didn't look much like the original. They kept the large floor rug and books and some pictures. And like a previous poster mentioned, they punched up the color in post as the room in the film is much richer in color than that of the original, which is a bit faded with age.

                One thing that stood out to me was the large oil painting near the circular knife display that shows a treasure chest with skull. I would love to find out who the artist is and/or the title of that painting. (if anyone knows please post)

                I loved the humor and subtle jokes in this movie. ie: the one about the grandma's age was my favorite. They even mentioned the old Clue game.

                I felt everyone did an excellent job acting and I liked the pace of the film. Beautiful cinematography. Highly recommend. Is a nice change from all the recent super hero films, over the top stupid comedies, and depressive art films.

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                • #9
                  Re: Knives Out

                  Solid movie. Great cast, fun and enjoyable. The killer was way too obvious (knew it 20 minutes in). Also, don't really get people saying Ana de Armas was great. She was easily the worst part of the film and I find her acting cringe worthy in everything she's in. Michael Shannon was great.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Knives Out

                    A video found on imdb relevant to this forum...short discussion of plot twists, misdirection and reveals.

                    https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1359003...g20_rj_plot_sm

                    HTML Code:
                    https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1359003417?listId=ls091818593&pf_rd_m=A2FGELUUNOQJNL&pf_rd_p=7090d937-4684-407c-a2e5-2cfb5b01fb71&pf_rd_r=D1GK6V2A5VCGNNZPKEWY&pf_rd_s=right-3&pf_rd_t=15011&pf_rd_i=nm0295484&ref_=nm_gg20_rj_plot_sm

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