Tag Archives: katherine langford

KNIVES OUT (2019) – My rating 8.5/10

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Knives Out is a murder mystery written, produced, and directed by Rian Johnson. Described as a modern take on the whodunit, the film follows a family gathering gone awry, after the family patriarch’s death leads a master detective to investigate. I looked forward to seeing this film and it did not disappoint.

 

Wealthy crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) invites his family to a party at his mansion to celebrate his 85th birthday. The next morning, Harlan’s housekeeper Fran (Edi Patterson) finds him dead, apparently having slit his own throat. An anonymous figure hires private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to investigate. Blanc is accompanied by Detective Lieutenant Elliot (Lakeith Stanfield) throughout the investigation.  Blanc learns that Harlan had alienated many of the family: he had threatened to expose his son-in-law Richard Drysdale (Don Johnson) for having an affair; cut off his daughter-in-law Joni’s (Toni Collette) allowance for stealing money meant for Megan (Katherine Langford) his granddaughter’s tuition; fired his youngest son Walt (Michael Shannon) from his publishing company and cut his lazy grandson Ransom (Chris Evans) out of his will. Harlan’s daughter Linda Drysdale (Jamie Lee Curtis), Harlan’s mother Wanetta who is affectionately known as “Great Nana” (K Callan) and Harlan’s nurse Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas) are all still in Harlan’s favor.

Knives Out is a typical “who done it” film cleverly put together by Rian Johnson for the modern viewer. I thought this ensemble cast was brilliant as was their story. Clear and comprehensible, the pieces were placed coherently and fit like a glove. If you’re looking for a good brain teaser, Knives Out is your cup of tea. Most of the family had a motive to murder Harlan but only one did it.  Find out when you see Knives Out! The film received critical acclaim, particularly for its screenplay, direction, and acting, and has grossed over $132 million worldwide against a $40 million budget. At the 77th Golden Globe Awards, the film received three nominations in the Musical or Comedy categories: Best Motion Picture, Best Actor for Craig, and Best Actress for de Armas. Check It Out!

[KNIVES OUT is Oscar-Nominated for Best Original Screenplay — Totaling 1 Oscar nomination]

 

13 REASONS WHY (2016) – My rating: 9.5/10

“13 Reasons Why” is not a movie but instead a 13 episode series streaming on Netflix about a young teenager who enters high school with all the expectations of a student with their whole life ahead of them. The series focuses on a female who happens to be very pretty with no visible sign of deformities, always trendily fashioned and no brain malfunctions. In other words, she seems quite normal. For some reason, she was taken advantaged of via a form of bullying over the years, which caused her reputation to take a roller coaster ride during her time in high school while her self esteem plummeted as well. After committing suicide, 7 double sided tapes, that she made for the students who contributed to her demise were allocated for each one, which made for a brilliant series everyone should see.

The series starts with Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette), who returns home from school and finds a mysterious box of seven double sided cassette tapes laying on his porch. The tapes are recorded by Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford), his classmate and unrequited love, who tragically committed suicide two weeks earlier.  These 7 double sided tapes reveal an emotional audio diary, detailing the 13 reasons why she decided to end her life. With each package of tapes, Hannah instructed the following: each person who receives a package is one of the reasons why I killed myself, so after each person has completed listening to the tapes, they must pass the package on to the next person. If anyone decides to break the chain, a separate set of tapes will be released to the public.

NOTE: Each tape is addressed to a select person in her school and details their involvement in her inevitable suicide. Responsibility for the separate set of tapes was given to Tony Padilla (Christian Navarro),  who is Clay’s best friend.

These are the school members who Hannah held responsible:

Episode 1 Tape 1 Side a
Justin Foley (Brandon Flynn)  – Jessica’s boyfriend and Bryce’s best friend

Episode 2 Tape 1 Side b
Jessica Davis (Alisha Boe)  – was Hannah’s best friend

Episode 3 Tape 2 Side a
Alex Standall (Miles Heizer)  – Jessica’s boyfriend

Episode 4 Tape 2 Side b
Tyler Down (Devin Druid)  – School photographer

Episode 5 Tape 3 Side a
Courtney Crimsen (Michele Selene Ang)  – Most popular girl in school

Episode 6 Tape 3 Side b
Marcus Cole (Steven Silver)  – Basketball team player

Episode 7 Tape 4 Side a
Zach Dempsey (Ross Butler) – Basketball team player

Episode 8 Tape 4 Side b
Ryan Shaver (Tommy Dorfman) – School poetry curator

Episode 9 Tape 5 Side a
Justin Foley (Brandon Flynn)  – Jessica’s boyfriend and Bryce’s best friend

Episode 10 Tape 5 Side b
Sheri Holland (Ajiona Alexus)  – Cheerleader

Episode 11 Tape 6 Side a
Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) – Hannah’s true love interest

Episode 12 Tape 6 Side b
Bryce Walker (Justin Prentice)  – Justin’s best friend

Episode 13 Tape 7 Side a
Kevin Porter (Derek Luke)  School guidance counselor

In addtion, Lainie Jensen (Amy Hargreaves), was Clay’s mom, Olivia Baker (Kate Walsh), was Hannah’s mom, Andrew “Andy” Baker (Brian d’Arcy James), was Hannah’s dad and  Matt Jensen (Josh Hamilton), was Clay’s father.

If you subscribe to Netflix, you merely have to choose “13 Reasons Why” to experience this incredible story that could change the way one looks at what bullying can cause.  This is a life changing look at a very serious problem.  Many schools are viewing the series as a  possible standard for their students.  I think it’s a must see for everyone!