Knives Out (2019), Death on the Nile (2022), and Murder by Death (1976)

Knives Out is a fun comedy-mystery "whodunnit" movie that I really enjoyed! It features a great cast and great actors that I really like such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer, and Michael Shannon, who is once again playing a sleazy, cold-hearted antagonist who is one of the suspects. The movie features Daniel Craig as the chief inspector/detective solving the case, and he creates a new movie character that is similar to other classic detectives but unique and original in his own regard. A murder was committed in a mansion and everyone is a suspect. The main lead in the movie (and one of the suspects) is Ana de Armas who plays a the patriarch's assistant. 

What I love about this movie is that even once you know the outcome, it's still a fun movie to watch again and enjoy a second time. (I enjoyed this one twice so far).

2022's Death on the Nile was not as good, in my opinion. It's a remake of a 1970s version that I haven't seen so I didn't know the outcome. However the movie could have used a bit more humor in my opinion. It stars and is directed by Kenneth Branaugh, who is a fan of the Poirot detective mysteries, but I feel something didn't work about the movie. Maybe it was the cast. Maybe it was that I just didn't care about the characters enough to invest emotionally into it. I don't recommend it. 

Another take on Death on the Nile from She Likes Movies

Finally on a related theme, I watched the 1976 spoof of murder mysteries Murder By Death, which was written directly for the screen by Neil Simon, a fan of mysteries who wanted to make an homage. The detectives that are spoofed are Poirot (played by James Coco), Marples (played by Elsa Lanchester), Nick and Nora, Sam Spade, and Charlie Chan, a Chinese detective which today modern audiences would consider an outdated and offensive character due to his stereotypical presentation. Back in the 70s, I think the audience of the time would be more familiar with the character. Peter Sellers plays the role in "yellowface" makeup and heavy accent. He's trying to make fun of character, but its also offensive at the same time. 

All the detectives are invited to Truman Capote's dinner party where he promises there will be a murder. Not sure why Sherlock Holmes wasn't invited or why no one jokes about that in the film.  I found some of this movie to be amusing but it mostly falls a little flat 40 plus years later. 

What's unfortunate is that the movie has a phenomenal cast, including Oscar Winners and Nominees. Alec Guiness plays a butler, and Maggie Smith and David Niven play the Nick and Nora characters. Sam Spade is Peter Falk, who was huge on tv with Columbo at the time. James Cromwell has a supporting role. It feels as if everyone was hoping this would be a classic comedy for the ages, but it's one that few remember. It's worth seeing if you like anyone in the cast or are interested in a spoof on detectives. Or if you liked the movie Clue and want to see something similar to that. 

Another take on Murder by Death from Diary of a Movie Maniac

Thor and other summer blockbusters of 2011

Thor (2011)

The trailer didn't look too appealing when I saw it a few months ago, but after all the good word of mouth I checked it out and was not disappointed. I have to hand it to director Kenneth Branaugh; he does an excellent job in directing this action-fantasy film based on the Marvel comic book of the 1960s, which I never read. In the film, Thor is stripped of his powers and banished to the planet Earth (but he goes back eventually). There's drama, action, and romance in between. This may sound campy but Branaugh steers it away from that direction. There are a few "fish-out-of-water" jokes here and there but for the most part it's handled very well.

I did some research afterward and discovered that the film uses many characters that were in the original comic books and the storyline of Thor coming to earth is not some gimmick to attract 2011 audiences; it actually happened in the comics - Thor falls in love with an earthling named Jane Foster. Natalie Portman is Jane. I recommend Thor if you are looking for an entertaining fantasy/adventure/romance this summer. PG-13: Sci-fi and action violence.

This movie gets an A from me.

Green Lantern (2011)

I enjoyed it but I think it could have been better. Maybe Ryan Reynolds was too annoying for me. I enjoyed learning about the Green Lantern Corps and the origin of the superhero; I really didn't know anything about him at all, and according to what I've read, this film is faithful to the comic books. The special effects are cool and I never knew how interesting of a character Green Lantern/Hal Jordan is. The violence is mostly sci-fi battles with aliens. There is a disturbing scene where Angela Bassett gets thrown into a glass wall and apparently dies. I really like her and didn't want to see her get killed that way. There are also a fair amount of swearing and sex talk so you might want to think twice about bringing young children to this film.

This movie gets a B - from me.

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

...is the first Pirates movie I've ever seen. I didn't feel like I missed much from the other movies. From what I've heard this is a better movie than the other two sequels. I thought the movie was worth it. There are some great costumes and sets and some great action sequences. Johnny Depp the pirate is joined by Penelope Cruz, who plays a former lover. The plot of the movie involves the pirates (joined by Blackbeard) in a race to the Fountain of Youth. I liked this movie but it's a bit dark and violent. I wouldn't recommend for small children.

PG-13: Sword battles and deaths, vicious mermaid attacks, sexual innuendo, voodoo dolls and magic spells, Russian roulette, hangings, stabbings, people getting slapped in the face, etc. From the good people at Disney.

This movie gets a C from me.

Super 8 (Don't read this if you don't want spoilers!)

Yes there is an alien in it. An alien! It comes out of the train that crashes and a bunch of 12-year olds see it all happen while they are shooting an amateur zombie film. The train crash is pretty cool and the best part of the film. The rest was a snoozer for me. This felt like ET, Close Encounters, Stand By Me, Bad News Bears, Breaking Away, and Goonies were thrown in a blender and this came out. There's an actor from Gremlins in the film who plays an important part but I won't tell you who. This movie could have been better but let me down at the end. It got too melodramatic...too much crying and drama. I didn't think the film needed that, really. Some of the kids are annoying; the most annoying is a kid with braces. Did you see Poltergeist II? Remember the kid with braces? I REALLY wanted to see what happened to that kid happen to this one in Super 8.

PG-13: Swearing by the kids throughout and some scenes where you think dogs and people die (but they don't).

This movie gets a C- from me.

Did the book have poo and crotch jokes?

Mr Poppins Penguins

I only watched about 15 minutes of the film before I walked out and left the theater in disgust; I couldn't stand this film (which should have been called Mr POOPER's Penguins) any longer, even with a cameo by Angela Lansbury. In the first 15 minutes there are two scenes of penguins crapping on someone (including one penguin sticking its butt in a guy's face and crapping on him), a man getting kicked in the crotch, and a penguin in a toilet. What a stupid film. Why does every so-called "kids movie" involving animals have either pee, crap, and/or crotch attacks? This was the case in last summer's Marmaduke (which I also walked out of). In that film, there's pee, crap, fart, and crotch jokes and one guy even drinks a glass of pee after a dog urinates in it.

I'm just old fashioned. I prefer animal films like Benji, Babe or The Adventures of Milo and Otis.

Rated PG: (some harsher words were obviously dubbed, such as when a guy says, "I don't give a rat's butt"), crap and crotch jokes.

This movie gets an F from me (from what I've seen).

PS I'm not the only one who didn't like this film. Read this review from someone who knows the book: