KNIVES OUT - 2019's newest whodunnit thriller by Rian Johnson

RATING: 5 Stars

As their backs are turned, these A-List celebs become slay-list in Rian Johnson's new whodunnit mystery flick.

Featuring a coveted cast led by Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas and Christopher Plummer, and then incredible supporting performances from Lakeith Stanfield, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson and Katherine Langford.

Following the anonymous hire of P.I. Benoit Blanc (Craig) to discover the truth behind the mysterious death of Harlan Thrombey (Plummer) who was found dead in his home library with a slit throat. Supposedly, a suicide but Blanc suspects there's more to this death than meets the eye.

Enter the affluent Thrombey family, living life by the millions, working in the family business and all of whom were present on the night of Harlan's death. Also present were housekeeper Fran (Patterson) and nurse Marta (de Armas).

Thus antics ensue as each present member of the Thrombey family and company are interviewed by police detective Elliot (Stanfield) and mystery-thriving Wagner (Segan).

Unlike other Cluedo-style films previously, Knives Out isn't afraid to keep it simple, creating twists and turns that are logical yet still surprising. So carefully and cleverly plotted, you, much like the detectives are just as intrigued when Blanc uncovers new pieces of the puzzle. All leading to the classic drawing room reveal of the person behind it all, the conclusion is just so satisfying and perfectly laid out.

For a film running for two hours and fifteen minutes, it is a long one but will continue to keep you guessing. You'll find yourself thoroughly enjoying the unrecognisable Southern 'CSI KFC' drawl of Craig's, the boyish cheekiness brought out by Evans, and de Armas hypnotic but such expressive eyes as a true show stopper.

And the score is absolutely fantastic and the tone it sets as Blanc uncovers the mystery could not be more spot on. Composed by Rian's cousin, Nathan Johnson, the two grew up together and would create home movies - hence why the score is so in tune with the film as the two cousins are with each other's creative style.

Knives Out is the ideal film for those who love a thoroughly enjoyable mystery with some on-point sattire thrown into the mix. Rian Johnson has written the perfect whodunnit reminiscent of Agatha Christie's work. Keeping the viewer quite literally on the edge of their seat and whispering to their fellow moviegoers about who was behind the heinous murder. I, myself, will certainly be going back to watch this movie whilst it is still in session.

Knives Out in cinemas from Thursday 28 November, don't miss your chance to see one of top movies of 2019!

Think lovely thoughts xo

JOKER - A thought provoking origin story of the Clown Prince of Crime

Rating: 4.5 stars

Following the controversial film of Suicide Squad in 2016, Todd Phillips’ Joker focuses in on DC’s most well-known villain and the story of how he came to be the coveted Clown Prince of Crime. From the first shot to the very end, audiences are treated to a gritty, fine-tuned, sophisticated woven tale of Arthur Fleck, a failed comedian seeking connection in the streets of Gotham City. Much like his comic counterpart, he wears two masks – one where he puts on a show and paints his face as a clown-for-hire at his day job, and the other projecting his attempts to fit in with society despite being bullied, isolated and disregarded. As society’s views on him become more and more obvious, Arthur slowly begins his descent into a dark world of madness, vengeance, and betrayal, ultimately transforming him into the criminally insane mastermind known as the Joker. 

Joaquin Phoenix delivers a phenomenally, gut-wrenching and thought-provoking performance as the titular character, from the way Arthur interacts with society to the inner thoughts shared in both his journal and with his social worker. He never misses a beat.

Joker presents a whole new controversial origin story for the iconic DC villain, one where Todd Phillips’ loosely makes use of a real-life medical condition to explain the criminal’s infamous laugh. The Pseudobulbar Affect or PBA, is an emotional disorder where the person’s outward emotions are completely disconnected to that of their inner emotions, manifesting in uncontrollable fits of laughter or weeping in situations deemed inappropriate.

Now, I personally am on the fence about using real-world mental conditions in films to portray the struggle of characters – particularly those considered villainous – and their isolated connection to society. But I will say, Joker plays this out really well by using Arthur’s “condition” as a way of enhancing the character’s disconnect with the real world around him, people seeing him as ill and essentially giving more reason for his journey down the dark path and why he would later end up in Arkham Asylum.

Given the story follows a lonely, disturbed man in a dark, chaotic and unconventional city such as Gotham in the early 1980s, it’s important to be able to capture both the darkness and sensitivity of the city and its titular character.

Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir creates an eerily beautiful soundtrack for the character, full of melancholy to reflect the inner torment that Arthur experiences throughout the film. ‘Call Me Joker’ is a theme often played throughout the film when he starts what could be this enchanting almost metamorphosis of a dance. Phoenix himself even credits Broadway performer, Ray Bolger – most well-known for his role as Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz – where Joaquin takes inspiration from Bolger’s The Old Soft Shoe.

“There’s this odd arrogance almost to his movements” and this is something that Arthur portrays in his movements when dancing up and down the steps or in the grimy bathroom.

Joker is truly a fantastic piece of cinema – depending on where you stand. It plays around with the idea of the iconic DC villain, taking a more twisted turn in way of his origin story and how he became to be the leader of Gotham’s underbelly. In some strange way, it’s bleak and gritty but at the same time is able to bring those uplifting undertones of finding his freedom amongst Gotham City and its chaos.