At first, I thought Knives Out was going to be like a repeat of Murder on the Orient Express (2017). That is because the plots and premises are similar, and so it appeared that Knives Out was just intended to be a moneymaker based on both the trailer and cast. I was wrong though, and Knives Out is spectacular, crazy fun and hysterical because it leaves trails of many interesting twists. This is one of the best films by Rian Johnson. The movie has a top-notch cast, great writing, and is a joy ride for the Thanksgiving holiday season. It is the perfect feel-bad yet stellar film for the family (if families believe their kids are old enough to handle the material).

The film focuses on the death of a crime novelist, Harlan Thrombey (played by Christopher Plummer). It is his 85^th birthday and he is found dead on that day. The detective assigned to the case of Thrombey’s death is Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig). He is structured, organized, opinionated, and seeks to figure out who is guilty of this death. In order to solve the case, he starts to get to know the dysfunctional family associated with Harlan. There is Marta Cabrera (played by Ana de Armas), Linda Drysdale (played by Jamie Lee Curtis), Joni Thrombey (played by Toni Collette), Ransom Drysdale (played by Chris Evans), Richard Drysdale (played by Don Johnson), Meg Thrombey (played by Katherine Langford), Walt Thrombey (played by Michael Shannon), and Jacob Thrombey (played by Jaeden Martell).

Blanc’s assistant on the case is Lieutenant Elliott (played by LaKeith Stanfield). Blanc gets to understand how everyone in this family either accepts or denies each of the others. A majority of that is based on wealth, power, and jealousy. Blanc comes to understand that the hatred and shame that has been around this family is why there are tons of signs that start to lead to the truth regarding the death of Harlan. However, some statements or events are not accurate, so this puts Blanc on edge to determine who is most at fault.  He is basing his assumptions on the egos of particular people and the actions that may have caused them to be held responsible. The film is a portrait of jealousy, lies, and money.  However, it is funny to watch while at the same time being suspenseful.

Now, what was most fun to watch in Knives Out was how one of the characters has a lying disorder. I thought that concept was quite clever. I am not going to reveal who the character is, but when someone tells a lie, the disorder causes the person to vomit.  This is another reason I found this movie to be so clever.   Once the authorities recognize this disorder, they start to realize there is more to the case than they know.  Also, the confrontation scenes with the family are dazzling. They get verbally abusive with creative words and get physical with comic violence.  Knives Out is a mystery/comedy flick that don’t require deep thought by the audience.  That is because whenever there is a moment of realization, anger or guilt, there is also laughter.

When I saw this movie at the Chicago International Film Festival, Rian Johnson and Michael Shannon were in attendance for a discussion. I remember when they talked about the movie, they were commented that it was a fun movie to make. That is because much of the cast has done other films where there is dysfunction.  This is probably one of Johnson’s best films and as a fan of his, I believe Knives Out takes the cake. Therefore, I give this one three and a half stars.

“You might be demonstrating a failure to show appreciation.” Those words are said by Joe Pesci in his role as Russell Buffalino in The Irishman. That line of dialogue is the context of the harsh outcomes of what this film has in store for its audience. Director Martin Scorsese creates a Mafia thriller that is not only a masterpiece, but also a reunion of incredible actors he has worked with on other Mafia-themed films over the years.  The Irishman is vast with its story, its narrations, its solutions, and is realistic with why its characters end up with unpleasant consequences. The film has a line up of Grade A actors who all deserve to be in this movie. They include: Robert DeNiro (as Frank Sheeran), Al Pacino (as Jimmy Hoffa),  Ray Romano (as Bill Buffalino), Harvey Keitel (as Angelo Bruno), Bobby Cannavale (as Felix ‘Skinny Razor’ DiTullo) and many other great actors that Scorsese has worked with on other projects. The film does have heavy scenes of violence that are disturbing, but not consistently like a variety of the other Mafia films that we have seen Scorsese direct.  The movie is simply enthralling with narrations that will leave audiences surprised during many moments.

The plot of the film starts with Frank Sheeran who is ashamed of himself and his brutal past. He is someone who (back in the day) was a wealthy hitman, and he learned to be a killer from his time serving in Italy in World War II. His thoughts and regrets start to make him look back at what it was like to be a Mafia man while working with the Buffalino family who were all about crime.  Russell Buffalino was the king of that family and the other man who Sheeran had lots of respect for worked within the family as well as serving as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters was Jimmy Hoffa. Hoffa disappears, and this starts to make Sheeran come to terms with himself about the connections he had, the violence he caused, and the lies that caused catastrophes. The film is a mosaic of events and actions which are either rewarding or cause betrayal. As the film unfolds and fragments of stories are pieced together, viewers start to get an idea of what will happen as the conflicts with The Irishman are revealed. The result is three hours plus of greed, violence, betrayal, and trust.

The Irishman felt like a Goodfellas reunion.  However, it is not a continuation, although it has many of the same actors in the same era (being in the 1950s and 60s), and with the same type of conflicts in which mob families and businesses conduct shady business that spirals out of control. Joe Pesci is the best in his part, because for his age, he still plays the role of angry mob man well. He has the presence, the vocal delivery, and the creepy grins (the ones that we know him well for in the Home Alone movies).  His character does not care about anyone’s success but his own.  And, for being out of the loop with movies for awhile, Pesci has redeemed himself with The Irishman. I believe he gives an Oscar-worthy performance.

Robert DeNiro is talented at hiding his emotions in many of his movies. And, he also does well with this in The Irishman. He tells his story through narrations and it helps the audience understand why his character has his emotions bottled up inside. Essentially, he is trying to keep the peace, but at the same time does not want to end up in jail or get involved in law suits (even though he deserves the law suits for his involvement in felonies he has committed). There is a scene in the movie where he is talking with Bill Buffalino (part of the Buffalino family and an attorney).  When Bill talks with him about honesty, Frank is very mellow and good at making it seem like he is not lying (when he is). Ray Romano is the perfect attorney in this role because he is skilled at playing a non-confrontational character. His quietness and laid-back sense of humor help show that DeNiro’s character is in a safe place since Romano’s character is conflict-free.

The Irishman may be at the top of my list for 2019. I loved this movie. I was immediately hooked on it and was curious about what would happen with many scenarios in the film. Scorsese brings us on a journey that is dazzling, visually captivating, and dark. The film is meant to be seen in theaters and various locations in Chicago will be getting it before it comes to Netflix later this year. I believe that the ideal way to experience this heavy and amazing crime drama is the big screen. Be ready for a rollercoaster ride of lies, mayhem, and dark connections. Four stars!

Edward Norton is an actor that is one of a kind due to an unusual reputation for how he believes his art of acting should be. In many of the films he has starred in but not directed, he has some disagreement, conflict, or different belief regarding his approach to movies. With Motherless Brooklyn, he is the lead and the director. If audience members know Norton and his background well, they will be able to tell he is the director of Motherless Brooklyn. That is, in part, because the film has a captivating plot. However, perhaps Norton is trying too hard which led to moments that do not make sense in a movie that is a crime drama. Overall, I enjoyed this movie although it often dragged on.   Still, it is worthy of a viewing with patience.

Motherless Brooklyn is about a private detective, Lionel Essrog (Norton), in New York in the 1950s who suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome. He is a talented, introverted detective who  experiments with drugs to try to help calm his mood along with his disorder. One day, his mentor and one of his only friends, Frank Mina (played by Bruce Willis) is murdered. This puts Lionel on an OCD journey to try to solve Frank’s murder. Lionel starts to come out of his shell in a serious way to try to figure out who Frank had in his life and what might have caused the murder. There is a wealthy business man, Moses Randolph (played by Alec Baldwin), Lionel’s colleagues Tony Vermonte and Gilbert Coney (Bobby Cannavale and Ethan Suplee), and many other faces that may have something to do with Frank’s murder. The struggle with Lionel’s disorder during his investigation is that he can burst out with words that should be kept quiet or words that may raise questions.

The film is attention-grabbing with suspense and solutions that are found, but the ten to twenty-minute conversations in the movie do not make Motherless Brooklyn more enticing. That is because there are elements in those conversations that have nothing to do with the murder of Frank which is an example of Norton trying too hard. Now I know Norton wants his movie to have a purpose, however, it would be best if those long discussions were relevant to what the outcomes to the movie’s conflicts were. I believe Norton is a brilliant actor, but as a director, he still needs some improvement. Admittedly, he did a good job with the scenery and demonstrating how solving murder cases was a much bigger challenge during that time period. However, he just added way too much dialogue in most of the movie.

Overall, Motherless Brooklyn, deserves two and a half stars as it is worthy for its acting. However, it might be boring if people go in without doing research. It is a crime movie that lacks connection to what the central conflict is. Brilliant actors and beautiful scenery, but poor dialogue. Honestly, I am surprised this was the opening for The Chicago International Film Festival.  While I am glad I saw it, I just feel it could have been much better if Norton took more time to work on it.