Rian Johnson Invites You To The Benoit Blanc Mystery Thread

[Black Narcissus]

 

[heathjack]

me & my mom & DAD saw it last friday!! i really enjoyed it!! it was different form the other movies we seen!! it kind of remind me of murder orient express remake!!

 

[KaijuDude1992]

This was excellent. Very entertaining and compelling from beginning to end, although I do think the payoff could have been just a little bit stronger. Craig and Evans make this so damn enjoyable though and Ana de Armas is really fantastic as the one who does most of the carrying. I know it's technically an ensemble, but it felt like to me that the majority of this movie was really resting on her shoulders which is also the reason why I kind of wish that we got to see more of this amazing cast interact with each other, because their just wasn't enough of it IMO.

9/10

 

[Enriquespy]

This was a really good film.

He is showing that he is a solid director, capable of succeeding in much different kind of films.

Also, Ana de Armas looks much cuter in this film than in the Bond trailer.

 

[writer0327]

I like that Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig both seem down to make that happen if the movie does well enough.

What would be considered "well enough"? Budget of $40M and so far its box office is at $120M WW.

Hopefully they make it happen. A murder mystery movie during the holiday season? I think they could really have something here.

 

[flickchick85]

What would be considered "well enough"? Budget of $40M and so far its box office is at $120M WW.

Hopefully they make it happen. A murder mystery movie during the holiday season? I think they could really have something here.

I think it's already done well enough. But I doubt we'll hear about sequel prospects for a while. I'm sure they both have other projects on the horizon to worry about and Rian might not want to make anything official 'til he has a solid new plot in mind. Hopefully that won't take as long as Brad Bird with The Incredibles though, lol.

 

[tzarinna]

I didn't really care for this movie. I loved staring up at Daniel Craig, other than that I wasn't impressed.

 

[Schlosser85]

I think it's already done well enough. But I doubt we'll hear about sequel prospects for a while. I'm sure they both have other projects on the horizon to worry about and Rian might not want to make anything official 'til he has a solid new plot in mind. Hopefully that won't take as long as Brad Bird with The Incredibles though, lol.

I'd rather they not rush it until they have an ensemble and a plot as good as this one.

Also Rian said he'd like to have Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Laura Dern in the ensemble next time. Make it so, Rian!

 

[writer0327]

I'd rather they not rush it until they have an ensemble and a plot as good as this one.

Also Rian said he'd like to have Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Laura Dern in the ensemble next time. Make it so, Rian!

Rian says he has a title and a plot ready to go.

 

[Mysteryman]

Rian says he has a title and a plot ready to go.

Title?
"Get Those Knives Back Out"!"

 

[Schlosser85]

Title?
"Get Those Knives Back Out"!"

Knives Outer!

 

[Schlosser85]

I rewatched this today, and picked up a couple more details.

Previously I thought

Spoiler

Fran was only revealed to have a cousin who worked as a receptionist at the lab during the big climactic reveal and I thought that was kind of overly convenient and contrived, this time I noticed she mentioned it at the party earlier.

Love the foreshadowing where Harlan says Ransom is so spoiled and arrogant he doesn’t know the difference between a real knife and a prop.

I also think I appreciate Evans’ performance a little more on each viewing. You can see the layers and the wheels turning in his eyes on rewatches.

I do think the big reveal and the way the villain is outed could have had a little bigger payoff, but still a super fun movie and it’s great to watch the whole ensemble playing off each other.

 

[scarlet-witch]

I still think about Craig yelling "That little nazi boy *********ing in the bathroom"

 

[flickchick85]

I rewatched this today, and picked up a couple more details.

Previously I thought

Spoiler

Fran was only revealed to have a cousin who worked as a receptionist at the lab during the big climactic reveal and I thought that was kind of overly convenient and contrived, this time I noticed she mentioned it at the party earlier.

Love the foreshadowing where Harlan says Ransom is so spoiled and arrogant he doesn’t know the difference between a real knife and a prop.

I also think I appreciate Evans’ performance a little more on each viewing. You can see the layers and the wheels turning in his eyes on rewatches.

I do think the big reveal and the way the villain is outed could have had a little bigger payoff, but still a super fun movie and it’s great to watch the whole ensemble playing off each other.

Yeah, I've found on rewatches that the little things in this movie that on first viewing felt a little too convenient or contrived were actually set up rather well ahead of time, and I had just missed it. What you just posted is one example, and for another, as I was walking out of my 2nd viewing, I overheard someone telling her friend that

Spoiler

she was loving it until it got too contrived with the bit about Ransom swapping the medicine and knowing what medicines to switch and how much, and Marta switching them back and all that. And I wanted to butt in and tell her that they actually set that up in the dialogue early on, with Marta saying all the family members knew his medicine regime (for emergencies), so if I were Ransom and wanted him to die and needed Marta to appear at fault (but not go away for murder), then that is literally THE first and most logical idea I would have to get it done. Her primary job is his medicine. So make her screw that up, and you're home free, easy peasy. It's not particularly convenient or contrived at all, and seems like a perfectly natural idea for him to have under the circumstances, imo. And of course Marta giving him the correct doses by eyeballing without needing to look at the labels because she instinctively knows what the medicines look like, and then freaking out when she sees the labels is totally natural, too. Good nurses CAN easily tell medicine apart by how it looks (my sister is one). But seeing the wrong label on something you just gave someone in your care would throw anyone into a panic, regardless of instincts. But of course I didn't butt in to point any of that out because I didn't want to be that person, lol.

 

[samsnee]

I rewatched this today, and picked up a couple more details.

Previously I thought

Spoiler

Fran was only revealed to have a cousin who worked as a receptionist at the lab during the big climactic reveal and I thought that was kind of overly convenient and contrived, this time I noticed she mentioned it at the party earlier.

Love the foreshadowing where Harlan says Ransom is so spoiled and arrogant he doesn’t know the difference between a real knife and a prop.

I also think I appreciate Evans’ performance a little more on each viewing. You can see the layers and the wheels turning in his eyes on rewatches.

I do think the big reveal and the way the villain is outed could have had a little bigger payoff, but still a super fun movie and it’s great to watch the whole ensemble playing off each other.

Agreed that I wish a little more suspicion could have been played out longer with other family members. They had the big interview scene in the beginning and then the will reading, and that was about it.

 

[Schlosser85]

Agreed that I wish a little more suspicion could have been played out longer with other family members. They had the big interview scene in the beginning and then the will reading, and that was about it.

Yea they spread out the red herrings and make

Spoiler

Johnson, Collette, and Shannon

all look like suspects with motives, but IMO as it goes along it gets kind of obvious it's

Spoiler

Evans.

 

[Schlosser85]

I still think about Craig yelling "That little nazi boy *********ing in the bathroom"

lol Craig is hilarious in this, especially with his doughnut analogy that keeps getting more convoluted.

 

[Schlosser85]

The subtle character moments are fantastic.

Meg

Spoiler

She revealed that Marta's mother is undocumented. Despite this betrayal, she somewhat remains good in the end. She hugged Marta when she returned to the mansion to confess. Meg also was the first to admit that leaving the inheritance to Marta was Harlan's decision and that the family should accept it.

Jacob

Spoiler

Screaming Marta is an "anchor baby" after all of Harlan's will was read.

Also the running joke where no one can keep straight where Marta's family is from (Don Johnson first says her family is from Ecuador, then later says they're from Uruguay, and Chris Evans calls her Brazilian), and how each family member tells Marta "I thought you should have been at the funeral, but I was outvoted".

Also how Don Johnson hands her his dishes while he's talking during the Trump argument, when she's not even a maid. Lots of little touches that belie how she's supposedly "part of the family".

On my second viewing I also noticed something else. During Jamie Lee Curtis' recollection/description of the party, she's at Dad's right hand while the cake is being set down, but during Michael Shannon's recollection, we see the exact same moment played over again, except this time Shannon is in Curtis' spot. Like each of them mentally visualizes themselves as being "the favorite" and the one close to Dad.

It's also kind of a funny moment when Curtis starts calling out Blanc on trying to bait her, and asking if he thinks she's dumb enough to be provoked into talking family dirty laundry in front of the cops, and then we cut immediately to her husband talking **** about everything, lol.

 

[TheGuy]

Also the running joke where no one can keep straight where Marta's family is from (Don Johnson first says her family is from Ecuador, then later says they're from Uruguay, and Chris Evans calls her Brazilian), and how each family member tells Marta "I thought you should have been at the funeral, but I was outvoted".

Paraguay too said by either Linda or Jacob.

Also how Don Johnson hands her his dishes while he's talking during the Trump argument, when she's not even a maid. Lots of little touches that belie how she's supposedly "part of the family".

Yeah. Every good thing said by the Thrombeys to Marta are a mere front. But I found that part where Walter said to Marta that the Thrombeys will help her family as genuine.

On my second viewing I also noticed something else. During Jamie Lee Curtis' recollection/description of the party, she's at Dad's right hand while the cake is being set down, but during Michael Shannon's recollection, we see the exact same moment played over again, except this time Shannon is in Curtis' spot. Like each of them mentally visualizes themselves as being "the favorite" and the one close to Dad.

Didn't notice that. Even in their relatively old age, Harlan's direct children are still pretty much reliant on him. Goes to show how ****ed up their family is.

 

[Schlosser85]

Paraguay too said by either Linda or Jacob.

Yeah. Every good thing said by the Thrombeys to Marta are a mere front. But I found that part where Walter said to Marta that the Thrombeys will help her family as genuine.

Didn't notice that. Even in their relatively old age, Harlan's direct children are still pretty much reliant on him. Goes to show how ****ed up their family is.

Well Linda has her own real estate company, so she’s more or less independent. Her husband seems to live off of her though, and Joni was completely leeching off of Harlan. And it’s said Ransom has never had a job at all.

 

[jolldan]

Now see that's how you make a movie!

I really enjoyed this from start to finish.

The actress who played Marta really came in to her own throughout the film she started off a little shy but im guessing that was intended. The big stars like Curtis, Shannon, Plummer and Evans all knocked it out of the park. (Especially Evans imo, he shook of being Cap like it was nothing and played this real jack*** very convincingly)

Not even really much of a complaint but Craig's accent especially at the beginning of the movie seemed really shaky it seemed to get a lot better throughout the film (not actually sure if it improved or I just got used to it) but it was funny at times that Evans characters compared him to Foghorn Leghorn because that's what he reminded me of.

So big congrats for Johnson I was very hard on him after Star Wars (deservedly so I feel) but this was great fun and felt like it actually had decent re-watchability for a mystery which is a nice change for me. If I were to compare him to a chef I would still say he makes bad pizza (star wars movies) but everything else is aces.

 

[TheGuy]

Well Linda has her own real estate company, so she’s more or less independent. Her husband seems to live off of her though, and Joni was completely leeching off of Harlan. And it’s said Ransom has never had a job at all.

Linda may be more or less independent, but that fat share of the inheritance is certainly worth more than her own fortune.

 

[Schlosser85]

Craig’s accent is over the top and hammy but I think you just get used to it.

And yea Evans is great and you can tell how much he’s enjoying himself getting to be the anti-Steve Rogers. Though he does

Spoiler

kind of turn the Steve earnestness back on when he’s smooth talking Marta in the restaurant

 

[Schlosser85]

Linda may be more or less independent, but that fat share of the inheritance is certainly worth more than her own fortune.

I think she was gunning for the house too, she’s all excitedly grabbing her husband’s hand when it’s mentioned in the will reading.

Side note, I do think she cares for her husband more than vice versa. She instinctually grabs for his hand when she’s excited about something, while if you watch he’s kind of disinterestedly loosely holding it back and almost looks like he doesn’t really want to be holding her hand.

 

[TheGuy]

I think she was gunning for the house too, she’s all excitedly grabbing her husband’s hand when it’s mentioned in the will reading.

Side note, I do think she cares for her husband more than vice versa. She instinctually grabs for his hand when she’s excited about something, while if you watch he’s kind of disinterestedly loosely holding it back and almost looks like he doesn’t really want to be holding her hand.

Oh. Didn't notice that too.