Double Dip - Knives Out & Uncut Gems Are Two Of 2019's Best

One of my earliest movie memories involved watching the great Murder On The Orient Express in middle school.  Why we were watching it, I have no idea, but I was hooked.  I spent the entire movie at the edge of my seat, desperately trying to figure out the murderer's identity.  We watched half of it before lunch and half after.  My classmates and I spent the entire lunch break discussing our theories.  From that moment on, I was hooked on the "Who-dunnit" format.  The problem with that is that Hollywood seemed to sour on the idea of the all-star murder mystery format.  Recently, Hollywood has tried to revive the format with Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight and a remake of Murder On The Orient Express to mixed results.  They were either too long or just unwanted, but at least the format was making a comeback.

That's why I was pumped for Rian Johnson's Knives Out from the moment I saw the trailer.  I'm a little late in seeing this one, but I'm glad that I finally got an opportunity to watch it, because it might be the most fun I've had at the theater all year.

Knives Out is a bit of a comeback for Johnson after his polarizing, yet refreshing take on Star Wars (2017's The Last Jedi), and he doesn't disappoint as the director of this ensemble whodunnit.  You can tell he's freed from the weight that Star Wars brought upon him (and the legion of toxic fanboys who will never be satisfied).  He fills every frame in this movie with joy, humor and suspense, and the result is a top-notch movie that I hope revives the genre.

Knives Out doesn't stray too far from its format.  It picks up a week or so after the birthday party (and potential murder) of a successful murder mystery writer (played with an almost kid's like glee by Christopher Plummer), whose quirky family all stand to gain financially from his death.  There are many suspects and the spider's web that is woven together kept me captivated the entire time.  Without spoiling it, I will say that this movie is more of a how-dunnit than a traditional who-dunnit, but I enjoyed this particular twist.

The entire cast gets to shine in this one.  From Jamie Lee Curtis & Don Johnson and relative newcomer (to American films at least) Ana De Armas, to Chris Evans (in full a-hole mode here), Michael Shannon and LaKeith Stanfield, every actor seems like they're having the time of their lives.  Every character is richly developed and adds their own personal intrigue to the story.  Every performance could easily have stolen the movie, but I'd have to give that crown to Daniel Craig as the inspector hired to put the pieces together.  He is not above self-deprecation, but is seemingly in control the entire time.  His "Foghorn Leghorn" southern accent only adds to the laughs.

I can't say enough about this one.  If you have a chance to see it before awards season officially kicks in, you should definitely take that opportunity.

The other gem (pun intended) of a movie that I recently had the pleasure of watching was Uncut Gems.  It's an intense film from the Safdie brothers, a duo that have established themselves as master filmmakers after only a few movies.  Their previous film, Good Time, was one of my favorite films of the year that it came out and told a similar story of a down-on-his-luck criminal struggling to stay ahead of his bad decisions.

Uncut Gems ups the ante in every way from that film.  It features a never-better Adam Sandler, in the performance of a lifetime, as a degenerate gambler/jewelry dealer who can't seem to get out of his own way.  Did I mention that this movie is intense?  It starts with its foot on the gas and doesn't ever let up.  You can't help but white knuckle your seat when you sit through this.  It's shot and acted in such a frenetic way that it never stops to breathe.  I absolutely loved it and it just may be the best movie I've seen all year. 

Back to Sandler for a moment.  I realize that he's way past his prime as a comedic star.  He's responsible for some of the worst movies of all-time.  Audiences have abandoned him to the point where he had to go to Netflix to get his bro comedies made.  I'm not faulting him for that.  Hell, If I could goof around with my buddies and get paid for it, I would do it in a second.  However, when he manages to step out of his comfort zone, he usually delivers in a big way.  From Punch-Drunk Love, Spanglish and Funny People, to the underrated Reign Over Me, Sandler has proven that he's a more than capable dramatic actor.  He's unbelievable here.  I wish he'd take more chances in his acting choices going forward, but I wouldn't be excited if he lines up another Grown-Ups after this one.  I really can't laud his performance enough here.  He displays the right blend of sleaze and confidence here, while also slowly crumbling under the weight of decisions.  He definitely deserves to be (at the very least) nominated for his performance, and I think he should win outright.

You have to go see this one.  It will not disappoint and will certainly make my top 10 of the year.  I really can't see it dropping out of the top 2 or 3 of 2019 for me.

Naysayers Be Damned! The Rise Of Skywalker Is A Triumph

Star Wars, like everything else in 2019, has become polarized.  2017's The Last Jedi fractured the fan base almost to a point of no return.  People are vehement in their defense of (I'm in that category) or their hatred of that film.  Somehow Rian Johnson simultaneously sent the franchise in an exciting new direction while also murdering the childhood of countless (toxic) fanboys.  I, for one, loved that film.  Its primary message was "in order to move forward, you have to kill the past."  It was a bold new direction for the franchise that always looked to the past, and I was very excited to see where they were taking it.  Sure, there were flaws (Mary Poppins-Skywalker, anyone?), but damn if Rian Johnson wasn't afraid to take big, bold steps.  I guess I'm in the minority because Disney went back to the well with JJ Abrams (director of spectacular Force Awakens) to right the ship.  The Rise Of Skywalker is definitely more of a course correction than a step in a new direction, but holy moly is it a fun ride. 

I've long maintained that the biggest mistake Disney made with this new trilogy of films is that they didn't allow a singular vision to tell the complete story.  They were more concerned with pumping out a new film every two years than telling a cohesive story through a new trilogy.  I contend that if they let JJ direct the entire trilogy, there would be a lot less polarization in the fanbase.  The Force Awakens opened up a new set of characters and stories, while weaving in past favorites.  Last Jedi did the opposite.  It was as if Johnson was burdened by the other film rather than growing the story from it.  Important characters (well, at least we thought) were killed off without reason and other important characters spent their time middling through weird side quests (casino scene, I'm looking at you).  What Skywalker does smartly is get the band back together.  Rey, Poe, Fin, et al have always been stronger together, and this film proves that point to a T.

Skywalker opens up with a rumor of the return of Emperor Palpatine, and our yin and yang (Rey and Ren) homing in on his potential locations.  Battle lines are drawn as both The First Order and The Resistance move towards one final battle.  I don't really want to spoil anything, but there are some truly breathtaking battle and fight sequences in this one, and the story being told, while familiar, is downright entertaining.

Going back to our group of heroes, their chemistry shines in this one.  Finn and Poe bicker like a pair of brothers and the connection of Rey and Ren really drives this film to its spectacular conclusion.  That's not to say that the old guard doesn't get their moment in the sun.  This film weaves in the late Carrie Fisher (from a mix of deleted scenes from the first two films) admirably and she's given the send-off her character deserves.  The great Billie Dee Williams returns as everyone's favorite space playboy, Lando.  I couldn't help but cheer out loud during his scenes.  Nostalgia plays a big part in this film, but it never feels forced.

Returning to my original point of a fractured fan base.  It seemed like The Force Awakens had everybody screaming for joy, while The Last Jedi was a critical hit and a audience miss.  The Rise Of Skywalker is more of a return to safety, but I didn't mind the nostalgia romp.  JJ Abrams had the unenviable task of finishing the Skywalker saga, while also bringing the aliented fans back into the fold.  If the audience reaction from my screening tonight is any measure of success, then he did so on both fronts (there were a couple "thank you JJs" yelled as the credits rolled.).

I absolutely loved The Rise Of Skywalker.  It did a fantastic job of finishing off the Skywalker saga, and was a hell of a lot of fun.  As I said during my review of The Force Awakens... congratulations JJ, you made a triumphant film!  Go see it!