geezer cinema: glass onion: a knives out story (rian johnson, 2022)

Sometimes I'll copy-and-paste an old review to show that a new movie is the Same Old Same Old (see Wes Anderson). I liked Glass Onion quite a lot, just as I liked Knives Out, but I was interested to see that my comments about the first movie hold true for the sequel as well:

You expect one of those all-star nostalgic Agatha Christie movies, that work their way through retread material that appeals to the extent is reminds you of all the other such movies you've seen. What makes Knives Out different is that it uses the format as a template, but the cast and the tricks aren't stale. Rian Johnson makes it all appear fresh, which wouldn't seem possible. There is enough to satisfy the fans of the old school, but Johnson goes beyond the old, and everyone is having so much fun, you can't help but be entertained.

Johnson gives his movie a modicum of class consciousness ... not enough to rattle the nostalgia fiends, but enough to give the film something extra. There's really nothing remarkable about Knives Out, but it's very well done and it's just quirky enough to raise it above the normal giant-cast mystery.

Other than Daniel Craig, this one has a whole new cast, and they do enjoy themselves. Janelle Monáe in particular is getting a lot of Oscar talk, and it's deserved ... she and Craig are the best things about the movie. What matters most of all is that the Benoit Blanc franchise is in full swing, and so far, it's an enjoyable ride.

Spoiler alert

Here are some of the cameos in Glass Onion. This isn't really a spoiler, but you might want to be surprised, so close your eyes before you read the list underneath the trailer.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hugh Grant, Ethan Hawke, Angela Lansbury, Natasha Lyonne, Yo-Yo Ma, Stephen Sondheim, Jake Tapper, Serena Williams