Knives Out (2019) film review

Year: 2019
Running Time: 130 minutes
Director/Writer: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Christopher Plummer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Katherine Langford, LaKeith Stanfield, Jaeden Martell, Riki Lindhome.

Knives Out is now showing in cinemas everywhere thanks to Studiocanal.

Rian Johnson's murderous affair, Knives Out is a return to the glory days of the whodunnit. With it's atmosphere of dread and intrigue combined with a spectacular cast who all deliver captivating performances, Knives Out is a reminder of how much fun cinema can really be when everything comes together with perfect timing.

Knives Out feels like Johnson's tribute to Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot stories. In particular, the film follows the formula of Murder on The Orient Express with it's grand cast and their intriguing and colourful characters, each with a motive for committing the cruellest of crimes. The location here, which is incredibly important in such a story as it needs to have just as much character as the humans, is the exquisite, atmospheric and often quirky Massachusetts manor of bestselling author, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). After his untimely death following his 85th birthday party, private eye Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is called in to investigate his death. Even though the easiest conclusion to make about the cause of death is to rule suicide, Blanc believes that one of the family members has something to hide and that Thrombey's death is the result of creative foul play.

The film is a rare type of multi-layered mystery. It plays very much on the idea of things aren't always as they seem and even when you know that things aren't as they seem, how they aren't still remains a mystery. There is a certain level of predictability to Knives Out, but at the same time, it manages to be unpredictable from another angle.

However, it is Johnson's storytelling that is the keeps the film flowing and intrigue high despite whether it is predictable or not. The screenplay is airtight with extremely witty and entertaining dialogue. This characters are all unique and, despite the astounding situation, are relatable as far as personalities in big families go. No family gathering involving money and alcohol is ever a quiet event when there are clashing personalities the way there are in Knives Out. There is no doubt that in the film that Harlan's nurse, Marta (Ana de Armas) is perhaps the purest of souls and has the bad luck of being involved in situations beyond her control. The other characters have large personalities and have all been tainted by Harlan's money, which in turn has made them all dependant, greedy and, to an extent, bitter. Each has a motive to kill, but it is the journey of getting to know each of the characters and laughing at their qualities that makes Knives Out as fun as it is.

The stellar cast give their all when bringing these highly entertaining characters to life. Again, the film is very much like an Agatha Christie novel with Daniel Craig leading as the famous Benoit Blanc. He is indeed entertaining and full of life, but it is Ana de Armas as Marta who the film revolves around and she is such a gentle and endearing leading lady. She immediately earns the audience's love and respect, which is consistent throughout the film. Chris Evans gives new life to the stereotypical spoilt rich kid-adult as Ransom and, like any narcissistic character wishes to do, is the star of every scene he is in with his impeccable timing and enduring sarcasm. He is a fantastic presence in the film and undoubtedly an audience favourite. Michael Shannon, Jaime Lee Curtis and Toni Colette are all also extraordinary characters, who unfortunately don't receive as much screen time as the previously mentioned.

Knives Out brings back the lost art of making the murder mystery fun. With it's individual form of black comedy and host of brilliant characters, it is a film that transports you into a wild world of family turmoil that has never been so enjoyable.

8.5/10

The Last Station

The Last Station
Year: 2009
Director: Michael Hoffman
Cast: Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, James McAvoy, Paul Giamatti

In My Own Words
Today I am sure I was the youngest person in the cinema to watch “The Last Station”. I’m not entirely sure why that was, but don’t get me wrong, it didn’t bother me at all. I don’t particularly see why “The Last Station” has been particularly stereotyped as being just for the older audience. Maybe it’s because in Sydney it was advertised as closing the Seniors Film Festival at Dendy Cinemas 2 weeks ago, or maybe it’s because Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer are headlining it. Or maybe it is because the combination of Leo Tolstoy, romance and the early 20th century time period just do not seem even remotely interesting to the youth of today. I’m not quite sure that many of the young generation today would know who Leo Tolstoy is, unless they are avid readers like myself. I myself think that “Anna Karenina” is one of the beautifully written books, so I was overjoyed to know that there was going to be a movie about the great man and that Christopher Plummer was playing him. I really believe Plummer did the role complete justice, as did Helen Mirren in playing Countess Sofya.

I have always had a love hate relationship with films which are filmed in a non-English speaking country, but have English dialogue. “The Last Station” is another one of these films. Sometimes I think I would prefer to see a film set in a country and spoken in the same language as it would make it more realistic, but at the same time I understand why such films are done in English as it increases the audience scope. So many people get put off by the idea of going to see a film in a foreign language as they feel like it is work watching as well as having to read at the same time. Some films with the foreign country and English dialogue can really irk me, especially when the dialogue also has the wrong accent, but this film was not one of them.

By the way, does anyone else have the problem where anytime they see Christopher Plummer, all they can think is “The hills are alive with the sound of music…” No? Maybe it’s just me. Anyway, these are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“The Last Station” is one of those films which you watch, and forget that you are actually watching actors act. Although the film can seem a bit slow in parts, the acting is absolutely superb and is to be celebrated. The film may not suit all film goers, as period piece author biopics are not to everybody’s liking. “The Last Station” retells the last year of celebrated author, Leo Tolstoy’s (Christopher Plummer) life. In particular, it focuses on Tolstoy’s relationship with his wife, Countess Sofya (Helen Mirren). As a result of mixed political views, their marriage of 42 years was extremely turbulent, but could also be extremely passionate and loving. The film completely captures the raw emotion of their relationship, as well as the relationships of Tolstoy and the Countess with all the people closest to them.

Although the film is there to tell the story of Tolstoy’s last year, it is more about the characters. The direction by Michael Hoffman is spectacular in this way, as he brings out the best in all the actors who take part in the film and it is unbelievable how the audience feels as if they personally know and empathize with each of the characters. Unfortunately, being a character driven film, this does slow down the pace of the film which some audience members will find to be a disadvantage, while others will realize that every moment in the film adds to the realism of each of the characters. The visuals are also quite stunning of the Russian countryside in which Tolstoy and his family made their residence. The only downfall with the direction is that some of the landscape panning shots are a little too fast and do not allow for the audience to take in all of what they see on screen.

Both Plummer and Mirren earned themselves Academy Award nominations for their performances in “The Last Station” and this is not a surprise at all. Mirren is absolutely superb as Countess Sofya. She shows so many emotions within the film and does each perfectly. Mirren has said of this film that she did not look too much into how the Countess was in real life, but created her own interpretation of how she believed the wife of Tolstoy should have been. She excels at this and definitely brings the character to life. Plummer is also wonderful as Tolstoy, created a completely lovable characters whom the audience immediately falls in love with. James McAvoy is also brilliant as Valetin Belgakov. When he meets Tolstoy for the first time is particularly a stand out moment, showing the true emotion of a pupil meeting his hero for the first time.

“The Last Station” cannot be missed by anyone who is a Tolstoy fan, or a fan of great acting. There are many moments which linger once the film is finished and make this one of the finest biopics of the year.
8/10

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Panassus

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Panassus
Year: 2009
Director: Terry Gilliam
Cast: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Tom Waits, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell

In My Own Words
Another movie I had the pleasure of seeing for free as I also won tickets to this! I did not know much about this movie when I walked into the cinema. All I really knew about it was that it was a fantasy and that it was Heath Ledger’s last movie. This fact in itself will draw crowds to see it. The movie itself, I found interesting. It was one of those movies that I go home and look up information about, particularly about how the film managed to be finished without one of the main characters. From doing this, it was easy to see how the films opening was a great deal delayed. The script had to be rewritten and Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell had to be brought in. I won’t go into the reasons why these actors were brought in, as it would definitely contain spoilers for those who plan to see the movie. However, it is admirable that this movie was finally released, as many movies become unfinished projects when one of the leads dies in the middle of filming. For example, 1962 movie “Something’s Got To Give” remains unfinished due to the death of Marilyn Monroe.

I’m glad I saw this movie, as it is not often a movie comes out like “The Imaginarium Of Doctor Panassus”. It was something different and although not a movie I would go out and buy on DVD, was a pleasant watch. However, it is slightly odd, or very odd, depending on what you are into.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“The Imaginarium Of Doctor Panassus” is a clever, visually stunning fantasy movie, that some will adore, but it will also seem a little too far fetched for others. If you enjoy films that combine the modern world with fantasy without crossing over into the sci-fi genre, this movie may well be for you. While fantasy fans will flock to see this film, so will many others just to watch Heath Ledger in his last performance on the big screen. “The Imaginarium Of Doctor Panassus” is all of these things... a Heath Ledger tribute, stunningly beautiful and completely and utterly bizarre.

Thousand year old story-teller and imagination guider Doctor Panassus (Christopher Plummer) is the leader of a travelling sideshow in modern times, which is extremely unsuccessful. As a result of a wager he made with the devil, Mr Nick( Tom Waits), sixteen years ago, he is in danger of losing his beautiful daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole). A new wager is set up to see who gets to keep Valentina, both Mr Nick and Doctor Panassus vie to be the first to collect five souls in the Imaginarium. With the appearance of a mysterious stranger, Tony (Heath Ledger) the competition turns out to be more than what everyone involved has bargained for. “The Imaginarium Of Doctor Panassus” is very slow to begin with, but speeds up in the second half to the point that it is almost going too fast. The story gains momentum and becomes intriguing in the second half, thanks to the entrance of the Imaginarium in the film. The visuals created for the Imaginarium are amazing, and are likened to a cross between the visuals in “Lord Of The Rings” and “Corpse Bride’, beautiful yet dark. Even the stage for the Imaginarium is beautiful and vintage, as are the costumes used for Doctor Panassus and his troop.

The first image of Ledger in the movie is almost spooky, like seeing an image from beyond the grave. It is an extremely different role to the ones in which Ledger was known for, although it isn’t too far removed from the Joker in “The Dark Knight” in some sequences. It is a fitting farewell to the Australian actor, and a fun and pleasant last role for fans to remember him by. The role of Doctor Panassus, as played by Plummer, is supposed to be of a role in which people feel sorry for and connect with. However, he just comes across as a drunk who doesn’t show much feeling until the very end. Perhaps the best performance in the movie is by model turned actress Lily Cole. Her portrayal of the young and naïve Valentina show both the strong and weak sides of her character. Valentina is both a temptress and a child and Cole is perfect in the role. She shows how she has made the successful transition from model to actor and has a promising acting career ahead of her. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell’s roles are more like cameos, there in place of Ledger. Their roles are, however, not clearly defined, and are more like talking points for the audience to decode and come to their own conclusion about what they mean after the movie.

As mentioned, it is a great story and very clever. The writers did a great job of reassembling the script after the shock of having one of the major stars die. One would have to imagine what their Imaginarium would be like. However, much of the film is not thoroughly explained and can be confusing. It is not a realistic movie at all, which is inevitable of it being a fantasy film, but it can come across as extremely bizarre. This degree of strangeness will be a reason why people both love and hate the film.

7/10