KNIVES OUT

Release Date: Malaysia, 28 Nov 2019

Genre: Thriller

Running Length: 2:00

Cast: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Christopher Plummer

Director: Rian Johnson

Screenplay: Rian Johnson

KNIVES OUT is one of the most entertaining, smart and enjoyable films I've seen this year. 

The movie starts off like the board game Cluedo. Harlan Thrombey (Plummer), a renowned and rich crime novelist is found dead in his huge mansion the day after his 85th birthday party. He has invited his dysfunctional family, and there are many of them, to his party. Of course, everyone at the party is a suspect and in comes famous Detective Benoit Blanc (Craig) to investigate this mysterious death. 

And that's all I can say about this movie. Because anything more than that will rob you of your joy in watching this well-written, well-directed and well acted movie. 

The highlight of this movie is Daniel Craig's Blanc. His southern drawl is one of a kind and his method of investigation is refreshing. He is detached from logic and intuition and believes that the evidence will eventually show up. It's nice to see him moving around in a nonchalant laid-back manner, compared to his portrayal of James Bond. 

The other highlight is of course the ensemble cast of calibre actors, with most of them playing against type. You are glued to what's unfolding in front of you because of its sharp dialogue and not because of some car chase action scene. In fact, there is only one car chase scene in the entire movie and the remark at the end of the chase was funny in a self-parody way. 

Go watch this classic whodunnit? murder mystery on the big screen!

RATING: 9/10

THE SHAPE OF WATER (Malaysia, 22 Mar 2018)

Genre: Fantasy / Romance
Running Length: 2:03
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Screenplay: Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor

I can understand why THE SHAPE OF WATER recently won the Best Picture at the Oscars. But it's not because of a compelling story but it checks most of the boxes of what the Academy voters were looking for at this current time. It was the safest choice. It would have been interesting if Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri won because it would have been a controversial pick.

What's the movie about?
Set in the 1960s, a mute and lonely cleaning lady who works at a top secret government facility forms an unconventional relationship with a scaled creature that is being held in captivity. She attempts to free the creature from the sadistic government agent. 

What I like about it?

• The overall grandeur of the production. It's beautiful to look at and the set designs are detailed and rich. 
• The creature. Thank God the filmmakers didn't use CGI but instead opted for the traditional hours and hours of make-up job. But then it's a Guillermo del Toro film :) 
• Eventhough it's a fantasy, it's still a more realistic adult fairy tale story vs Beauty and the Beast. In this movie, the creature do behave dangerously like an animal at times. 
• Unconventional choice for a leading lady. Instead of choosing a pretty young thing, the filmmakers decided to go with a mature lady with a next door neighbour looks. And Sally Hawkin's performance as an "incomplete" lonely lady in love with a non-human being is very believable. She's very likeable here.  
• Homage to classic musical movies. Cinephiles out there will love what delToro did here. 

What I didn't?

• Shallow approach to inclusiveness, racism, homosexuality, women's empowerment, the black community, the Cold War, the Russian spy and technological unemployment. It felt as though the filmmakers threw in a buffet of such Oscar worthy subjects just to get noticed by the Academy. It was very heavy handed.      
• Unbelievable antagonist. Although Michael Shannon's performance here is scary and intense, his frothing at the mouth character is unbelievable and overly stereotyped (All white, heterosexual, Christian, American men are evil).
• Boring. Despite such an interesting concept, I was actually bored throughout most of the film. I wasn't immersed with the characters and some parts were just too predictable. (Three Billboards is much more interesting in its unpredictability and characters' arc).

RATING: 7.5/10

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (2016)

Genre: Science Fiction / Thriller / Drama
Running Length: 1:40
Cast: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Jaeden Lieberher, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Sam Shepard
Director: Jeff Nichols
Screenplay: Jeff Nichols

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL is a frustrating watch. It's a character driven low budget small film. The premise of the story is familiar; how would ordinary people of the world react if someone with special powers is placed among them. It reminds me of M Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable but the payout in the end doesn't justify the "what's going on" slow-burn built up. In fact, it implodes as it crosses the finishing line when the big reveal is made known.

I get it. It's not about the destination but the journey. It's about a study on "what would a father do to protect his loved one". I get it. But still, the story of getting there gets less interesting as it unfolds. Also, the audience is left with more questions than answers when the credits rolled.

The story is about a father and his young son (who possesses special powers) who is on the run from those who would want to take advantage of the boy's gifts. We are talking about the military and the Ranch, an ajaran sesat sect where the boy grew up.

The cast puts on a credible performance but it's disappointing how this movie falls apart towards the end after starting so remarkably.

Rating: 4.5/10