- Precise, captivating and confident- Rian Johnson is in full control here
- It is the auteur’s fifth feature film- the narrative twist like Looper with the biting dialogue of his debut Brick

even when you’ve solved the mystery- the writing and storytelling craft on display rewards a rewatch
- opens with the establishing shot of the mansion and the dogs running in slow-motion

opens with the establishing shot of the mansion and the dogs running in slow-motion
- It entertains, yes, but there’s high storytelling and acting craft on display as well, and the film has something to say on wealth, immigration, inheritance and race in addition to how its irrefutably well executed
- Nods to Agatha Christie, Murder She Wrote (in the text), Clue (in the text- Plummer’s Harlan Thrombey “lives in a Clue board) are felt
- The knife throne makes for a nice décor piece– but the entire mansion is a great place to send two hours in for a mystery

The knife throne makes for a nice décor piece– but the entire mansion is a great place to send two hours in for a mystery
- It’s an all-star ensemble -getting talents like LaKeith Stanfield, Toni Collette and Michael Shannon in support is a miracle

It’s an all-star ensemble -getting talents like LaKeith Stanfield, Toni Collette and Michael Shannon in support is a miracle
- Ana de Armas follows up on her promise in Blade Runner 2049– pure genuine goodness embodied and she’s magnificent here. Daniel Craig’s accent – man– I’m not sure “Foghorn Leghorn” in the text— but it’s a good performance regardless of where you think his accent lands because of the confidence he has. Like James Bond- he’s always one step ahead.

Daniel Craig’s accent – man– I’m not sure “Foghorn Leghorn” in the text— but it’s a good performance regardless of where you think his accent lands because of the confidence he has. Like James Bond- he’s always one step ahead.
- Any excuse to have The Rolling Stones “Sweet Virginia” works for me in the finale
- Recommend
Can anybody recommend a book to learn the basics of filmmaking.
Drake,have you seen any Bollywood films?If yes which ones did you like.
@Hitchscorstanricosawa- how about Film Art- an introduction by David Bordwell? You know I see 500-750 movies per year (used to be more) and haven’t seen many Bollywood films. A few here and there. Do you have any to recommend?
many editions of film art are available on amazon.Should I buy the latest version or is their an earlier version that is better?
@Hitchscorstanricosawa– I haven’t read all the versions. I wouldn’t pay the extra money just to have the newest version. It is a pretty common textbook for film students so the price a new one is crazy high
I have seen many Bollywood films but very few are well directed.I think they are made just for the entertainment of indians.The few good ones are inspiring stories like lagaan(very long but you might like it if you know about cricket),3 idiots and some have excellent acting like gangs of wasseypur(mainly for indian people though).Films like sholay(inspired by seven samurai),deewar are classics in india.some other good ones are dangal,taare zameen par.timeout has a ranking of 100 best Bollywood movies but I doubt if you’ll like any of them.do you think making movies by sidney lumet is a good book?
@Hitchscorstanricosawa- thank you for sharing. I’ll add these to my list to watch. I have not read Lumet’s book- sorry
@Hitchscorstanricosawa Great observation about Bollywood films. I agree that most of them are great in content but have unremarkable direction (3 Idiots, Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par). They are also difficult to understand as an outsider.
@Drake I would suggest you to check out some Indian (not specifically Bollywood) directors who have made acclaimed movies: Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj, Mani Ratnam, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, Anand Gandhi and Guru Dutt.
@Sar- thank you for visiting the site and for the comment here. Good suggestions. Any directors stand out above others? I have Guru Dutt written down from a previous comment/visitor and do plan on seeing as many of Dutt’s films as I can in 2021
@Drake Guru Dutt is a classic Indian director and it is best to start with him. I haven’t watched enough of their movies to rank these directors but I would like you to start with Anurag Kashyap. He has been influenced by Western cinema and is also a very good friend of Martin Scorsese (One of his films is edited by Thelma Schoonmaker).
@Sar- this is great- thank you again!
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