Contributed by Irene Alegria, LFS Intern
Knives Out (2019)
Director Rian Johnson gave audiences a whodunit mystery film in the form of Knives Out (2019). With a star-studded cast featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas, this film follows a family fighting over assets after an untimely death.
This film makes the viewers a part of the mystery at hand. The cast is able to portray their respective characters as pieces of a puzzle that the audience must put together.
The plot itself is not different from other whodunit mystery stories. Someone dies in a mysterious way, people start to suspect one another, and towards the end you may or may not have guessed who was responsible.
What makes Knives Out (2019) different is how the characters start to show their true intentions to not only each other but also the audience.
From deeply rooted family drama to fights over the estate, each character at one point seems plausible to have been the killer. This is especially important when involving the viewers in the story as their initial suspect may change over time as the story progresses.
This film is a great way to spend time with family and friends as viewers can work together in order to solve the mystery.
Knives Out (2019) is available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.
Remember the Titans (2000)
Remember the Titans (2000) features Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Ryan Gosling, and Ryan Hurts in a story of sports and racial harmony.
Denzel Washington, portraying Coach Herman Boone, gives an amazing performance in this film. With a story featuring themes of racial tension and something as ingrained in American culture as football, the director, Boaz Yakin, was able to bring to light those realities in a way that viewers would be able to see through a story of sports.
The film is largely one of football featuring realities of race relations. This way of storytelling makes an otherwise hard story to tell easier on viewers, making them feel good at the end.
The way characters are utilized in the film to tell a story is especially notable as the viewers are able to see the growth of those on screen.
From the difference in how coaches treat the teenage football players to how those very players interact with the coaches, the film does a good job in presenting the emotions of those on screen without having to verbalize it.
Remember the Titans (2000) is a heartfelt film available for streaming on Disney +.
Clue (1985)
A classic whodunit film, Clue (1985) is a comedy film that is both campy in nature and thought-provoking. Like other whodunit films, the film engages the viewer in trying to solve the mystery as it leads to the reveal at the end.
Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Lesley Ann Warren, Colleen Camp, Michael McKean, Eileen Brennan, Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull, and Lee Ving rake in the roles of all your suspects.
As the intro progressed, the audience is introduced to the characters, Wadsworth, Mrs. White, Miss Scarlet, Yvette, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard, and Mr. Boddy.
Being inspired by the board game of the same name, Clue, the film focuses on the multiple characters each being seen as the main suspect with characters often turning on each other followed by a set of funny but unfortunate events.
The campy nature in which the dialogue and cinematography are portrayed lends itself to the whodunit nature of the film and the overall quick pace of the film.
With a script riddled with jokes and one-liners, this film is not only a good watch but an easy one with a run time of only 88 minutes.
Clue (1985) is available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.