The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that things are in motion for the sequel and that Rian Johnson is prioritizing the film with a focus to potentially start shooting in 2021.

Grossing $250 million worldwide, Knives Out struck a cord with audiences who brought into it’s twisting narrative and smartly drawn out characters, especially that of the debonair, if eccentric Blanc, who once again offered Craig a terrific part to showcase his talents.

We’ll have to keep our eyes on this, but given how much fun Knives Out was to watch, we’re certain that this one will hold plenty of excitement for audiences.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Image: Studio Canal

The post Daniel Craig set to return in ‘Knives Out’ sequel appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death.

When given carte blanche to work on his original projects, director Rian Johnson is an artist who always strikes gold. And Knives Out is another genius piece of cinema from the master filmmaker and here he takes his audience for a spin. Telling the story of the death of famed crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), who dies under mysterious circumstances, in a situation that could have been directly inspired by one of his own works. It soon becomes clear that this death has more to it, and with debonair detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) on the case, soon things heat up. Constructed with multiple character arcs and interweaving narratives, Johnson creates a story that goes completely from A to Z and trust me when I say you never see what’s around the corner.

Stepping into center screen in Knives Out is the always capable Daniel Craig and here he arrives on the scene as the debonair private detective Benoit Blanc. Described as ‘the last of the gentlemen sleuths’, Blanc is a man who can see ten steps ahead at every moment, and whose detection of the truth, and ability to withstand misdirection is unparalleled. But with this case, he may just have found a mystery which could even give him a challenge.

Craig portrays Blanc as the smartest guy in the room, and for fans expecting some kind of riff on his James Bond persona, well, Blanc is an entirely different character. Craig’s Blanc is a thinker, a man who sits back in the corner and just looks on and studies the environment, he’s interested in detail and the complexities of human motivation and psychology. In all, it’s a character unlike anything Daniel Craig has played before and it’s a masterful performance on behalf of the actor.

Facing Blanc in Knives Out are the extended Thrombey Family. A diabolically lecherous and hideous group of people who are just the worst and whom are grovelling at the vast fortune of their patriarch, Harlan Thrombey. Sparring with Craig is Chris Evans as Hugh Ransom Drysdale, Harlan’s grandson and a completely spoiled, country-club brat, and the absolute prat of this family. Self-centered and smarmy, Evans excels here as the arrogant and smug Ransom and gets to shed his usual good-guy persona for a character who is completely diabolical. He’s a very bad boy, and whenever he appears on the screen, and worms his way into the other characters around him, chaos is sure to ensue. Evans performance is a great change of pace for the actor, and it’s fun to see him completely go in the total opposite direction.

Ransom is one of just a many number of despicable characters that make up the cast of Knives Out and all of them belong to the Thrombey family. Haughty, arrogant, repellent and completely at war with both themselves and those around them, the Thrombey’s are a collection of diabolical characters and they prove to be a stellar cast for this ultimate mystery tale.

There’s Jamie Lee Curtis as the pantsuit wearing tiger mother Linda Drysdale, Don Johnson as her weasley husband Richard Drysdale, and it’s from these two characters that Ransom was spawned. Michael Shannon on the other hand stars as the oafish and pathetic Walt Thrombey, while his wife Donna Thrombey (Riki Lindhome) is a complete new-money upstart and his son Jacob Thrombey (Jaeden Martell) is an alt-right troll who lives to misbehave. Then there’s Toni Collette who portrays self-proclaimed influencer guru and free-loading hippie Joni Thrombey, while her daughter Meg (Katherine Langford), is an outspoken college feminist who for all intensive purposes is a good person, although happy to follow the whims of her family whenever it suits here. Together the Thrombey’s create havoc at every turn and Knives Out is all the better for it.

Stuck in the middle of all of this is Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), a registered nurse and the caregiver and confident to Harlan and who is the most normal, unassuming person within the whole story. But with a few twists along the way Marta, soon finds herself in terrible danger, along with being under the watchful gaze of Detective Beniot Blanc himself. For de Armas, the role of Marta is an incredibly rich character for her to dive into, and the role and her situation within the narrative leads to some very rewarding moments for her as an actor. de Armas also spends a lot of time on screen besides Daniel Craig’s calculating private eye, and it’s fun to watch each of them interact, especially as the stakes build and the clock winds down as to who was responsible for the death of Harlan Thrombey.

Finally rounding out this incredible cast is the legendary Christopher Plummer who at age 89 is still going strong and brings a strong sense of gravitas to the role of master crime writer Harlan Thrombey. Cantankerous and hard-nosed, Plummer’s portrayal of Thrombey at first comes off as extremely stern and strict, but just like everything in this film, appearances aren’t all what they appear to be. Plummer gives Knives Out its soul and whenever you see him appear on screen he is sure to capture your attention with a strong sense of authority and world-weariness. It’s a treat to see Plummer perform with such a complex and multi-layered character and his presence in the film is a real vindication to Rian Johnson’s talent.

When it comes to his own entirely focused directorial works, Rian Johnson likes to delve in and dissect apart a genre to build something new. Just like he did with Brick, The Brothers Bloom and Looper, Johnson crafts something original here in Knives Out and he completely turns the detective genre on its head. His film is both a homage and deconstruction of the detective genre, and he seeks to unpack it to deliver a new viewing experience to his audience. While he plays with the usual tropes of a debonair detective, intriguing murder and a wild and eclectic cast of characters, Johnson really turns things up a notch and the result is a film that is completely different and unique within the realm of the detective genre and it will hold the attention of its audience and is sure to keep them on edge the whole time.

From beginning to end, Knives Out is sure to grip your attention and deliver some serious twists. It’s a clever, calculating piece of cinema and for those wanting something that will make them think, well, they’ll certainly find it here, and it’s certain to keep audience hooked right to the very end.

Image: Studio Canal

The post ‘Knives Out’ – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Following the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey (Daisy Ridley) has gone to seek out revered Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to learn from the great Jedi himself. But darkness rises, and the resistance is threatened and on its last breath of hope as Rey hopes to learn to control her great powers to help restore order and peace to the galaxy.

For those of you afraid of spoilers. Don’t worry, you’re in good hands here. There will be none in this review. Instead, I implore that each of you goes and sees this amazing film for yourself and let its layered themes and multi-arched character journeys wash over you. It is from the mind of celebrated writer/director Rian Johnson that the world of The Last Jedi springs and while watching this film you feel every beat of his creativity and passion for this fantastic sci-fi universe. Johnson is a lifelong Star Wars fan and he understands George Lucas’ characters intimately and uses his knowledge to present a side of them that was there all along, but which until now we had not seen. Johnson is also a gifted writer and his knack for structure, and prose also find their way into a very well-crafted script and a plot that keeps you guessing proving that he was most-definitely the right man for the job here.

The world of this new Star Wars saga expands here, and this is specific to the characters of Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Each of these two characters go on a journey of growth as they learn new things about themselves and each other. Part of what makes for a great sequel is the fact that the stories characters must grow in some dramatic way, and that is certainly the case here. The prominence of each of these characters to the success of The Last Jedi also adheres to the film’s thematic emphasis on balance. The idea of balance between light and dark is essential to both these characters and Johnson’s exploration of it via these two characters makes for a very interesting experience.

If there was one moment I was waiting for though then it was most definitely the return of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. As a child, Luke was always my favourite character and I can assure longtime fans that Hamill does not disappoint as the Jedi master. But Hamill’s now aged Luke is not the man we once knew and is portrayed as a monastic figure and whose appearance within the story brings another big theme into the movie. That of the position of the force and its deep spiritual subtext of belief and hope. Like Rey, Luke himself goes on quite a journey, and his is one of an interesting interior reflection. As a viewer and lifelong fan of Luke Skywalker, I was pleased that Johnson focused his attention on Luke’s spiritual side as it offered something different and unexpected along with considerable growth for the character. Hamill is in top form throughout the entire film, and fans will be pleased that he has made his return.

If you’re looking for spectacle and size then you’ve come to the right place as Johnson fills the screen (preferably IMAX, trust me you have to watch this in IMAX) with extraordinary action set piece and large-scale sets. He has a knack for art direction, and The Last Jedi is filled with rich colours and intricate details that reflects its different environments from the forgotten earth of Ahch-To to the glitz and glam of the casino planet Canto Bight to the read earthed salt plains of the planet Crait. While each of these settings might be vast in their construction, they are also intimate and there is a real sense of care with each of these new worlds. Both production designer Rick Heinrichs and cinematographer Steve Yedlin, both heavy hitters in the industry, bring their all to this production, and alongside Johnson, these three artists create the far away universe we have come to love and explore through Star Wars.

A lot of thought has been placed into making Star Wars: The Last Jedi a very exciting ride and this extends to the film’s larger than life battle sequences. While I won’t discuss the action involved as to not run into spoilers lets just say that there are all kinds of towering space battles and if you like lightsabers, well, you’re in for a treat.

But in talking about Star Wars: The Last Jedi one cannot pass the presence of the late, great Carrie Fisher who made her final appearance on the big screen as General Leia Organa before her sad passing. While we only got to see Leia for a moment in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, here she has a far grander role and her presence reflects the grace, decorum and strength of character that Fisher brought to both the original Star Wars films, along with the science fiction genre in general. Like the other characters, including her brother Luke, Leia herself goes on quite a journey and becomes the symbol for one of the film’s most poignant symbols: hope. Believing when no one else will, Leia’s faith in the power of the force and in the good of others is a poignant reminder of the strength of Star Wars and of what Fisher brought to it. I can say that I welled up a little with our princesses final scene, but Fisher’s performance is flawless and Johnson along with the cast and crew do right by her with a very fitting film.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or have only recently entered into the Star Wars universe you’ll be guaranteed to love Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Both large in scale and intimate in its narrative and character development, this is a film that has been crafted with love and attention from a group of filmmakers who have such passion for what they do and the universe that George Lucas created. Do yourself a favour and make sure you go and watch this film as soon as you can (preferably in IMAX) because you won’t be disappointed.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

The post ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.