Wake Up Dead Man

 A Knives Out Mystery - starring Benoit Blanc

Third in the series of Daniel Craig detective vehicles. Set in upstate New York, but definitely an English Village vibe, and new priest is assigned to the small parish. He finds a ultra-controlling, cult-like figure running the church. When he is murdered in a closed room (the impossible crime), Blanc comes in to clear everything up. A fun clashing of Blanc's ultra-rationalism with religious fervor and miracles. As is typical, every key character has motive to be a killer, and sorting out what is known in flashback after setting the scene is the storytelling mechanism. A really good entry into the series. Well done. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Glass Onion

A Knives Out Mystery - starring Benoit Blanc

Daniel Craig reprises his role of Blanc, this time invited to a murder-mystery play on a private island by a billionaire tech bro.  Only it turns out there is a real murder and Blanc needs to solve it. Only it turns out ... well, without spoiling, let's say that 80% of the plot plays out, and then is shown again in flashback to reveal backstory, and then the 20% finale wraps up. Effective as a mystery plot device, but I think a bit of editing to speed up the pace would make a stronger film. The plot is remarkably similar to Murder Mystery 2 (which I saw first), but was released later. So in my watching, this felt derivative, but it was definitely better. A nice combo of Holmsian insight, Colombo-like bumbling, and Austin Powers excess. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Knives Out

Daniel Craig is Benoit Blanc, famed detective. Sort of a cross between Holmes and Columbo. He is hired by an anonymous source to solve the suicide (murder?) of super wealthy author Harlan Thrombey. When Thrombey's will is read, and the entire estate left to his nurse/caregiver - the family is agast. And now Blanc needs to solve the case to show she didn't do it to get the money. A fun murder-mystery that is fully aware of how pretentious it is. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Song Sung Blue

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson play Lightning and Thunder, two members of a Neil Diamond cover band based in Milwaukee. Their meeting is a chance encounter at a cover band fest at the local fairgrounds, and the chemistry is instant. But life is not easy for these two. The film tells the story of their rise to local fame over the course of a couple of years. While showing the difficulties they encounter, the film definitely lives in the clouds just above the grit and grime of tragedy, showing the silver lining result after crushing storm after storm. Which is appropriate -- as these two seem to exude positivity and resilience. If you are a Neil Diamond fan, you will love this movie. If not, it is a pretty good Hallmark Christmas movie. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Sinners

Michael B. Jordan plays the twin brothers Smoke and Stack, a pair of southern gangsters just returning home to Mississippi after a stint working with Capone in Chicago. They are setting up a bar, music, gambling joint to try to bring their cash earning experience back home. Of course, there are racial undertones as well as questions about the acceptance of these "criminals" back into their community. And to drive this all home (since just being straight about race is fake news), we jump to an allegorical portrayal of racial tension in the form of vampires. And oh my, this is effective. The ugly-ness, the evil, the tension, the no-win hopelessness. Writer/Director Ryan Coogler knocks this out of the park. I'll need to sit with this for awhile and then go back and watch it again as it is one of those films that you don't see everything the first time around. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Jay Kelly

George Clooney plays Jay Kelly, a 60 something movie star who is, perhaps for the first time, forced to confront his true self, and not the self he has been playing as a character for the past 35 years. A meandering drive amongst family drama, relationships born of business necessity, and legacy formation. Kelly confronts the true value of his life, which is particularly sensitive in an industry that is meant to value not what is true, but what is pristine. There are many levels to the explorations here, but none of them are "dramatic reveals". You really have to journey with the actors and dig a bit into yourself to gain from any of the levels. Director Noah Baumbach doesn't do the work of reflection or thinking for you, but instead sets the stage that invites you do to the work yourself. 

4 stars (out of 5) 

The Thursday Murder Club

Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnen, and Ben Kingsley are all living in the same senior living residence and have joined together to form the titular Thursday Murder Club. They are working on solving a cold case of one of their friends (recently ill) as a last gift to her before she passes. Turns out the cold case is more relevant to their current living situation that they suspected, and that the three also have fascinating (and highly relevant) pasts lives and skillsets. The local constable is a great supporting role and the caricatures of the other residents plays on tried and true tropes quite effectively. Overall, this feels more like a BBC miniseries than a feature film, but these days, who can tell the difference. 

3 stars (out of 5)