| Image

Review: ‘Knives Out’ is the Funny, Fresh, Twisty Thrill We Need Right Now

In my opinion, there are two reasons that movies exist. Either they are a medium of self-expression or they are a way to entertain us. The latter of these two is almost certainly going draw thousands to the movies over the Thanksgiving break.

Knives Out immediately draws you into the mystery surrounding the death of wealthy author, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). You are there at the scene of the crime, the Thrombey estate, and immediately are shown the dead body. The location scouting and production design teams have to be given credit for their work. In the estate (the primary location throughout the film), the Thrombey family’s wealth is immaculately stated in every detail of the house; whether it be the excess of ridiculous objects, narrow hallways with many rooms, or the many paintings of Harlem himself, it’s clear. They are wealthy; part of the elite.

However, the stellar writing of writer/director Rian Johnson’s script clearly makes this family out to be spoiled and ridiculous, leading to some genuinely solid laughs from start to finish. However, Johnson interestingly takes an approach that completely undermines the conventions of the murder mystery genre. Johnson initially follows the tradition of giving us a motive for all the characters to kill him, but he pulls the rug from under you. Once that happens, the movie becomes something fresh. It’s unpredictable and will keep you on the edge of your seat with an atmosphere thick with tension and dialogue designed to keep us laughing.

The narrative juxtaposes three sides of this story: the family, the police, and, our main protagonist, Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas). As with many films of this generation, there is clearly a social commentary in this movie. There are clear connections that Johnson makes between the contained story of the film and our present political climate. It’s not subtle at all, and the message is not revolutionary, but it leads to a great punch at the end that ultimately leaves you in a good mood.

Nothing needs to be said about say anything about acting in this film. The cast is star studded. Chris Evans. Daniel Craig. Toni Collette. Jamie Lee Curtis. Michael Shannon. Lakeith Stanfield. All of the performances here are solid. Ana de Armas in particular grounds the film with an excellent performance. It’s believable and has some genuine (albeit, limited) depth. Prior to Knives Out, she had never held a lead role in a major Hollywood film. Praise must be given for being able to give such a good performance among the powerhouse actors in the movie.

Overall, this whodunnit has excellent direction from a talented writer/director that continues to make great movies. Yes, you could wait to see the film when it comes out on digital, but you risk being stabbed in the back with spoilers. This is the type of movie that doesn’t come along that often. It’s an original story in a mostly underrepresented genre in today’s studio releases. It’s definitely worth multiple viewings when the chance presents itself.

4.5/5 STARS

| Image

Review: ‘The Current War’ is Not Worth the Two Year Wait

Since its production, The Current War has hit several obstacles on its way to wide release. Due to its connections to The Weinstein Company, it was shelved after Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment allegations came to light. After the distribution rights were twice resold, two years later, the movie is finally here. The Current War is supposed to be about the “War of Currents” of the late 1800s, but it comes off more like a documentary about Edison and Westinghouse where the “current war” takes a backseat.

There are some great things about this movie, like its ensemble cast. Benedict Cumberbatch plays his classic “arrogant genius” role as Thomas Edison, and Michael Shannon does a great job of portraying George Westinghouse. The supporting cast, consisting of Tom Holland, Nicholas Hoult, and Matthew Macfadyen, set up an amazing stage for the main cast to showcase their amazing performances. The excellent costume and set designs take you right back to 19th century America. Dustin O’Hallora and Hauschka do an excellent job in creating the soundtrack; it readily captures the theme of the movie. The cinematography is fantastic too, as a lot of the scenes are visually appealing. However, there is one fatal flaw in this film that makes it fall apart: bad writing.

The Current War is too abstracted for a general audience. It assumes that the audience is already aware of certain concepts, such as the differences between direct and alternating current. It would have been better if they had took the time during the film to explain these scientific concepts to the audience. Additionally, Tesla’s two Phase solution was realistically one of the most important turning points for the war, but it is hardly mentioned in the movie. Another flaw is that the narrative only showcases the events from the point of the experts (Edison, Westinghouse, or their employees). We never get to see how the people of America felt at the time. A common man’s perspective would have been refreshing and would have provided the necessary contrast in the movie.

Secondly, the pacing was off. The first 30 minutes of the movie covers over five years of the war, but the rest of the movie only focuses on the following three years. The transitions between the scenes and beats seem abrupt. A particularly important scene involving Westinghouse is split throughout the movie and is shown in parts. By the time we can get to its ending, it falls apart and loses its meaning. Throughout the film, the characters come across various life-altering moments. However, it feels like these moments have no effect on them. The dialogue is uninteresting and the interactions between the characters feel unnatural.

Even though Nikola Tesla was an integral part of the War of Currents, he was a missed opportunity in The Current War. Telsa’s ability to demonstrate his ideas using simple experiments was the key reason for his success. But, The Current War fails to showcase this quality of Tesla. That said, it did a great object in highlighting Tesla’s Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and germophobia. It’s referenced to in multiple scenes throughout the film.

This is one of the movies where the individual parts, such as the acting, cinematography, and sound, are impressive. However, the flawed writing fails to bring these aspects together for a good story. Considering the success of National Geographic’s American Genius episode on the same topic, the big screen adaption of the War of Currents failed in providing an engaging story and experience despite having a ton of potential.

2.7/5 STARS