‘KNIVES OUT’ (Rated PG-13)

A thoroughly modern makeover of a murder mystery worthy of Agatha Christie, “Knives Out” is a razor-sharp take on the classic elements of the genre with an all-star ensemble of thespians well-suited to delivering a stylish entertainment.

The recipe for writer-director Rian Johnson’s whodunit is steeped in the timeless formula that undergirds most murder mysteries, namely taking a group of eccentrics, mixing with a handful of faithful staff, adding one dead body, and then letting a detective sort it out.

The element of death is that of world-famous author and family patriarch Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) on the night of his 85th birthday celebration at his gothic mansion attended by his extended family members.

As a successful mystery writer, Harlan may have been able to foresee how his death would play out during an investigation of what is either a suicide or a matter of foul play while relishing the havoc that would ensue for his covetous deadbeat relatives.

Harlan’s snooty eldest daughter, Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), is a chip off the old block. A driven, self-made businesswoman, she shares much in common with her deceased father. But is it suspicious that she immediately resists the intrusion of a detective’s inquiry into family affairs?

Linda’s dashing husband, Richard (Don Johnson), is second-in-command at his wife’s successful real estate business. He certainly enjoys the privileges of wealth, and as a philanderer he’s too slick not to be a suspect.

The only son of Linda and Richard is Ransom (Chris Evans), an aimless, spoiled, trust fund kid. As the black sheep of the family without a moral compass, Ransom was overheard having a nasty argument with his grandfather on the night of the birthday party.

Harlan’s youngest son, Walt (Michael Shannon), may be running the family publishing business but his inferiority complex is only heightened when his plans for a major expansion are torpedoed by Harlan’s refusal to cooperate.

Walt’s wife Donna (Riki Lindhome) seems on the verge of about to snap at any moment, and their rebellious son, Jacob (Jaeden Martell), is a scowling prep school bad boy who trolls the internet.

The widow of Harlan’s deceased older son, Joni (Toni Collette), struggles to keep her lifestyle business afloat, while her daughter Meg (Katherine Langford) needs financial aid for her college education. Both of them rely heavily on the largesse of the Thrombey fortune.

Rounding out the Thrombey clan is the family’s eldest member, dear old Nana (K Callan), who’s so old no one even knows her age. Though a woman of few words, she could be more observant than anyone else, possibly aware of some important clues to solve the mystery.

The most relevant staff member in the household is Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), the daughter of undocumented immigrants. As Harlan’s trusted caregiver, she was possibly the last one to see him alive. What secret is she trying to conceal?

The Hercule Poirot in this murder investigation is Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, a Southern-fried private eye who was mysteriously hired by an anonymous party to join Lieutenant Elliott (LaKeith Stanfield) and Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan) to interview all suspects.

The fact of a wound to Harlan’s neck and a knife still in his cold hand suggests an obvious open-and-shut case of suicide to the police lieutenant and state trooper. But to the renowned Benoit Blanc that’s all too convenient as he suspects foul play.

Interestingly, Blanc enlists the help of Marta, a doe-eyed innocent, who turns out to be incapable of telling a lie without uncontrollably vomiting. She proves a useful ally for the private eye to chip away at each family member’s dubious alibi.

Moreover, at least on the surface, Marta has less reason for any personal grievance or motive in the death of her beloved employer. Her job is secure with Harlan, and the claim of the Thrombey clan that she’s a member of the family is an obviously insincere sentiment.

Even more importantly, the solicitous Marta appears to be the most normal person in the Thrombey household despite her propensity for an unnatural reaction to mendacity. As a result, should Marta be the likely one above suspicion?

The film has many flashbacks, but even knowing how Thrombey died is only cause to raise more skepticism. Blanc refers to the case as one with a hole in the middle, referring to a donut hole that ends up with only more holes.

One of the film’s best moments comes when the family lawyer (Frank Oz) gathers the entire Thrombey clan for a reading of Harlan’s will, which serves to trigger more acrimonious recriminations and harsh misgivings.

The joys of a good murder mystery are many, from the red herrings that grow more frequent and twisted to the layers of weirdness and eccentricities of the sycophantic family members under suspicion.

“Knives Out,” which entertains with its witty dialogue and lively shenanigans delivered by delectably oddball characters, should spark a comeback for more whodunits that are just as clever.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

A wise and loving father fishing with his two sons.

Norman Maclean wrote about a time like that in his book “A River Runs Through It,” and here's a poem by Todd Davis that catches much the same feeling in far fewer words.

That's not to denigrate Maclean but to point out that there are many ways for us to write about our lives.

The poet lives in Pennsylvania and this poem is from his book “Native Species,” published by Michigan State University Press.

Thankful for Now

Walking the river back home at the end
of May, locust in bloom, an oriole flitting
through dusky crowns, and the early night sky
going peach, day's late glow the color of that fruit's
flesh, dribbling down over everything, christening
my sons, the two of them walking before me
after a day of fishing, one of them placing a hand
on the other's shoulder, pointing toward a planet
that's just appeared, or the swift movement
of that yellow and black bird disappearing
into the growing dark, and now the light, pink
as a crabapple's flower, and my legs tired
from wading the higher water, and the rocks
that keep turning over, nearly spilling me
into the river, but still thankful for now
when I have enough strength to stay
a few yards behind them, loving this time
of day that shows me the breadth
of their backs, their lean, strong legs
striding, how we all go on in this cold water,
heading home to the sound of the last few
trout splashing, as mayflies float
through the shadowed riffles.


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2019 by Todd Davis, "Thankful for Now," from Native Species, (Michigan State University Press, 2019). Poem reprinted by permission of Todd Davis and the publisher. Introduction copyright @2019 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

‘21 BRIDGES’ (Rated R)

There are several good reasons to enjoy the ticking clock deadline imposed on a NYPD detective leading a citywide manhunt on the island of Manhattan for a pair of cop killers in a drug heist gone horribly wrong in “21 Bridges.”

The detective who devises the desperate but ingenious plan to close all avenues into and out of Manhattan is played by the charismatic Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed the legendary, iconic baseball player Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in “42.”

Boseman also depicted the story of Thurgood Marshall, as a crusading civil rights lawyer who would later become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, in “Marshall.” On top of that, who can forget his role as Black Panther in “Captain America: Civil War?”

As the fulcrum around whom the police activity is centered one fateful night, Boseman’s Andre Davis has had the DNA of a New York cop ever since his police officer father was killed by violent criminals when he was just a kid.

Andre’s reputation is such that he has, metaphorically speaking, several notches on his gun for taking out cop killers, which put him in the crosshairs of an Internal Affairs hearing. He could be a Dirty Harry if “21 Bridges” turns into a franchise.

While Chadwick Boseman’s compelling, earnest detective is probably the best feature in what in many ways is an exciting but still relatively standard police procedural, finely paced chase sequences and daring shootouts make for plenty of lively action.

The ill-fated night of the drug heist begins when two hapless, obtuse crooks, Michael (Stephan James) and Ray (Taylor Kitsch), break into a restaurant to steal 50 kilos of uncut cocaine stashed in the freezer.

Before they make a clean getaway, a slew of police officers from the 85th Precinct show up. A blazing shootout results in the death of all eight of the police officers and one civilian inside the restaurant.

NYPD Captain McKenna (J.K. Simmons) arrives at the crime scene and so does detective Andre Davis. Knowing of Andre’s reputation, McKenna’s interest is in nothing less than seeing that street justice, if necessary, be meted out before the night is over.

When Andre comes up with the plan to shut down all 21 bridges that connect Manhattan to other boroughs of the city as well as New Jersey, he’s ordered by the brass to track down the cop killers by early dawn, so as not to inconvenience daily commuters.

Much to his chagrin and because he functions better as the lone crusader for justice if not retribution, Andre finds himself saddled with a partner in narcotics detective Frankie Miller (Sienna Miller), a single mom filled with apprehension about surviving the night.

One major problem for the two killers, aside from the fact that the trigger-happy Ray is a psychotic live-wire, is that the total amount of cocaine stashed at the restaurant was 300 kilos, which raises questions about who’s behind an obviously huge narcotics ring.

Questions are also swirling in the mind of Andre, as well as for the audience. How did it come to pass that so many police officers from the same precinct arrived on the crime scene when there was no evidence of a break-in and no alarms went off?

Moreover, Michael and Ray were under the impression that their holdup at the restaurant was to be a modest heist of a fraction of the actual cocaine stash on hand. Sensing a set-up, they have to unload the drugs fast with an unsavory bunch of thugs.

The conspiracy deepens when the killers seek out money launderer Adi (Alexander Siddig) at his luxury apartment where an apocalyptic gunfight is waged on both sides of a steel-reinforced door before they escape with a bag of cash and two thumb drives with incriminating evidence.

For a variety of reasons, Andre doesn’t know who to trust among his colleagues in law enforcement, including a pair of FBI agents that appear invested in a certain outcome.

Getting at the truth results at one juncture in having Andre showing great restraint, contrary to his usual approach, when trying to reason with the more sensible Michael that his chances of survival hinge on the release of a hostage.

Most people will hardly notice or care that most of the filming took place in Philadelphia, with the notable exception of location shots at such places as Grand Central Station and the Meatpacking District. What counts is that the essence of the underbelly of New York City is neatly captured on film.

The ticking clock countdown to an early morning deadline raises the stakes on all sides and the revelation of corruption that detective Andre Davis uncovers is not altogether surprising.

Explosive action is intrinsic to the spectacle and thrills of “21 Bridges” and the intensity of the action results in an overall satisfying police thriller, but the lead detective’s crafty pursuit of his prey is what deserves our attention the most.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The 1941 murder mystery, “The Maltese Falcon,” starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, screens at the Soper Reese Theatre on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 1 and 6 p.m.

Entry to the film is by donation.

Many film historians consider “The Maltese Falcon” the first in the film noir genre. It put down the foundations for that moody, black and white image of mean streets, knife-edged heroes, dark shadows and tough dames.

Based on Dashiell Hammett’s detective classic, the film is also noted for John Huston’s directorial debut and Sydney Greenstreet’s first film role.

Then there’s Humphrey Bogart who rose to stardom as the hard-boiled San Francisco private eye, Sam Spade.

The film received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Greenstreet, and Best Screenplay for Huston.

The movie is sponsored by Mo Carpenter and by Carpenter & Carpenter. Rated PG. Run time is 1 hour and 41 minutes.

The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, 707-263-0577, www.soperreesetheatre.com .

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Ring in the holidays with a celebration of local art and artists at the Middletown Art Center’s Members Holiday Show Opening Reception this Friday, Nov. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Engage in an evening of art and culture in downtown Middletown.

“The holiday show is different from most of the others we hang because there is no unifying theme. This makes curating more challenging, but very rewarding,” said Programs Director and co-curator Lisa Kaplan.

MAC professional members and affiliated artists who have participated in juried and curated exhibits throughout the year are featured in the show.

Authentic, locally made, high quality and affordable are just some of the common denominators of the work on view.

“We encourage everyone to join us at the opening reception or during hours of operation to see the show. Take pride in our local talent, and consider giving the gift of unique artwork while supporting Lake County artists and our local economy this holiday season,“ said Kaplan.

On Saturday, Dec. 14, from 4 to 8 p.m., the MAC will host a variety of artists and maker vendors inside the gallery and studio, and be a Passport to Fun station as part of Christmas in Middletown.

The MAC is a vibrant cultural hub and nonprofit dedicated to weaving the arts into the fabric of Lake County communities.

Exhibits and opening receptions are just one of many enriching events MAC hosts. These include dances, classes, films, performances, art and wine pairings and First Fridays.

Consider becoming an annual member with special discounts while helping to sustain local arts and culture, and art education. Donations to MAC are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated.

MAC is located at 21456 Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29 in the heart of Middletown.

Gallery hours are Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment at 707-809-8118.

Visit www.middletownartcenter.org to learn more.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The 1944 melodrama, “Gaslight,” starring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer and Joseph Cotten, screens at the Soper Reese Theatre on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 1 and 6 p.m.

Entry to the film is by donation.

When top-flight stars join forces in performing a beautifully directed psychological thriller, the effect is strong, so strong that this film led to the coinage of a new word: "gaslighting," which describes behavior that seeks to manipulate other people’s fears in order to undermine their sanity.

Filmed in black and white, set in foggy Victorian England, and directed by George Cukor, this dark, Hitchcock-like mystery brought Bergman her first Best Actress Oscar.

It also features an 18-year-old Angela Lansbury in her first film role.

The movie is sponsored by Tomkins Tax Consultants. Rated PG. Run time is 1 hour and 54 minutes.

The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, 707-263-0577, www.soperreesetheatre.com.