Knives Out: Sharpest Writing of 2019?
Knives Out doesn’t just defy the whodunit narrative, it uses the weaknesses to its advantage. It’s well aware of the genre’s faults and tropes

Two mental patients bond in an imaginary heaven where nothing bad can ever happen, only to realize that being cured of their condition would mean accepting the harsh realities of life. He lives in a mental hospital, but escapes to his own private heaven to spend his days with his dead mother. She was a deeply disturbed woman who turned her back on reality following a traumatic experience. When they meet in heaven, they are happy. Now, a doctor has appeared in heaven claiming to possess the cure that could restore normalcy to their lives. But what's normal about a world with so much pain, and why would they ever want to return to a world with nothing to offer them but heartache and misery?
Knives Out doesn’t just defy the whodunit narrative, it uses the weaknesses to its advantage. It’s well aware of the genre’s faults and tropes
Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing is a gritty, darkly funny thrill ride through 1998 New York, with Austin Butler delivering a raw, magnetic turn as Hank Thompson—a washed-up ex-ballplayer turned bartender whose life implodes after cat-sitting for his punk neighbor drags him into a violent underworld of gangsters, crooked cops, and chaos. Brutal yet unexpectedly hilarious, the film blends noir grit with midnight-movie absurdity, proving Aronofsky can reinvent himself while Butler cements his status as a true movie star.
Overall, “Dark Fate” is a run-of-the-mill flick. Together, Reyes and Davis have excellent chemistry, but their characters’ story is nothing new, lacking surprise and deep emotion. During the middle points, the film drags considerably, and when the action hits, it feels consistently tight, eliminating the rhythm and fluidity of conflicts.
It’s 5:30am. The baby’s crying, but you need to finish prepping for your big pitch at work that morning. What do you do? You do the near impossible: both. That's what "Workin' Moms" is all about.
American Fiction is a genuinely entertaining film with a few lessons.