Glass Onion 2022
★★★½
This review may contain spoilers.
this was pretty good I am torn on whether it was better than the first or not because on the one hand it does feel like a step up from the first one in some pretty big ways but mostly this film is funnier than the previous one for sure, lot's of small gags and stuff make this one pretty cool.
one thing that is much improved from the first film is the music in this film is awesome to start classical and have that play in as almost a motif of sorts littered through the film, choosing old school song from Nat King Cole is a big win, the harpsichord playing in the background, when the soundtrack gets big and bombastic is easy to say it's at it's best but the subtle moments are what make this score a stand out for sure.
I like the set dec, it looks great, I am pretty sure I said this last time but tons of small details sell this environment, even the environments that we see for only a few seconds or a few minutes are still full of life and character building things for the film when things come crashing together literally it makes this massive environment so much fun to play in I assume for the actors.
some cool meta-commentary that stood out to me however it was probably def not intentional but Rain has Edward Norton talk about being a disruptor and breaking the norm taking something familiar and disrupting it and I see that as a way of him explaining his Star Wars Film, and so that was pretty cool again probably adding something to the film that wasn't there here but it would be cool if intentional.
I like the writing, it's very funny and also pretty clever, the movie twist is pretty great but the twist at the end is even better, I felt like we were going to leave off on a bit of a sadder note than we did and then it kept going, wish it had a bit of a sadder ending but that is my wish the ending we got was big bombastic and full of so much catharsis after 2 hours of sitting and waiting for that catharsis, the structure of the film is great to, much like TLOU2 a big mid-story twist takes over and carries you with a new interpretation to the end of the film and I liked that,I like that Rain gave the film the time it needed to build to the twist and I like that he had some guts to do the twist and essentially say no we aren't going back to that ending scene I am gonna take you through all of Helen's perspective here which was pretty cool -- there is a wierd flashback to Blanc giving her the Klear that I didn't like I feel like we defenitly didn't need that flash back it disrupted the tension of the film I get they are trying to hammer it home here but it felt in my own opnion that it wasn't needed there.
the acting was really great here, I really liked Leslie Odom Jr. he was soo good in this film the way he portrays someone who is guilty of his own actions but is still there for someone who he thinks needs him is great, the way he is manipulated by Edward Norton's character the looks that he gives his closest friends of like please don't look down on me even though I know we are all making similar choices was great. Edward Norton is clearly the stand out in this film the man who manipulates both the audience and his closet friends I think what sells it is knowing he is manipulating them and from my watch and what I gathered he understands that he knows that he is manipulating them yet he continues to do it anyways, the sympathy that he injects in this larger than life character was fantastic the moment where he remenises on the bar was so moving you really see his character longing for those times maybe wishing he had done things differently. I also really liked Janelle Monae wow she did great with two different characters she had to pull off two entirely distinct personalities and she did great in this film, I also loved Madelyn Cline she was so great her character is kind of tragic and the way she brings this strong headed trying to put on a brave face to that kind of role is amazing, I hated that Dave Bautista died mid-film because I loved his character and the acting that Bautista was doing was phenomenal so it sucks we lost him so soon, and of course Kathryn Hahn the sympathy and most importantly the understanding that you feel for her character she has done some pretty messed up things but you still understand her and while you don't agree her acting and her character make you empathize with that and Kate Hudson doing some great work of someone who is desperately trying to fit in with a group of people who are smarter than her and how that does bug her to a degree but she tries so hard to not let it like when she is remensing on the times when she felt included with her assitant Peg by the pool wow that was some great acting, Jessica Henwick also was amazing for the little she gets to do you understand where she is coming from, the scene where she runs away from her boss who she has been trying to protect and keep tgoterh all this time just her to give up its some pretty steller acting or how she pleas for Miles to not make her make the statement wow that was a good scene to, it's all so amazing as well. truly bringing it home and filling out the rest of the cast. obviously, Daniel Craig is good I love him National Treasure, just felt weird not writing how great he is.
the cinematography is great in this film some nice long wide shots that establish the room early on before we get closer to these characters physically, I like how the shot at Andi was framed close to the hand and how it pierced the great glass, I liked the lighting of the neon sign whenever someone stood under it, I liked how the glass on the floor was shot, I liked the cut back to the Mona Lisa every single time it closed that whole sequence was phenomenal truly a great framing device that is later used as a reveal, one of my favorite moments was the recontextualization of Andi's death and how that whole scene was once again shown but we just held on Andi I know we were focused on the hot sauce but man when it held on her that was great listening to them talk in the background wow that was great.
liked the VFX on the glass onion's core that was super cool and trippy to look at, I wish the fire looked a little less controlled and started spreading, the wide shot of the boat looked a little green screened, and everything else was pretty convincing VFX wise just somethings here and there that I was oh that could have used an extra polish
nobody even threw stones in this glass house, just fire.
notes below
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- I like the shots in the factory.
- I like the cut to the vibe of birdie
- ooo I like this nice long zoom as he is recording his video to Jimmy Kimmel.
- I love these props.
- I love the split screen.
- shhh I'm Shazaming it.
- the music in this scene where they are doing the music is fantastic, love the vibe of it.
- love classical music, very fun.
- AMUNG US!!
- is his accent slightly different? or am I not used to it again?
- the music is so much better in this film oh my gosh the wonder it has, the themes that it matches.
- Ethan Hawk cameo boiiiiis!!
- I love the costume design of the film, the outfits are so extravagant.
- the water while they are talking on the boat looks a little green screen-y
- those who throw stones in glass houses?
- ooo I like the dong sound effect, very deep rumble.
- ooo I like the visual effect on the glass onion heart.
- the neon glass onion in the glass onion is funny.
- I like how she slid into the frame.
- I like the jazzy sting as she is reminiscing on the past.
- like Lionel's beard.
- is there some meta-commentary about his Knives Out / Star Wars films here when he is talking about disrupting things, I mean I know that it's actually him commenting on Andi but there is a meta-commentary here about Rain and his Star Wars movie.
- Batista is very good in this film.
- the empathy that Ed brings to Miles is so potent.
- I like the sound design on the glass tap and how long it rings out.
- the set decorator in the glass onion is amazing.
- I loved how the neon lights cast onto Benoit when he stood under it.
- I like how the closing of the glass on the Mona Lisa is used as a tension builder in the scene, it going off helps build tension because it literally disrupts the disrupters.
- Miles trying to come up with a plan you see him quickly formulate it.
- I really like that wide shot on the terrace.
- this is a good twist, recontextualizes pretty much the entire movie, making watching it a second time a very different experience.
- also that purple tie is to die for I want it.
- why is Miles dressed like Steven Jobs?
- the fact that he is really bad at clues and among us is very funny.
- I like how Rain recontextualizes scenes, taking scenes we already saw and not only introducing them in a new light but allowing the audience to have that AHA moment before the movie.
- I really like the soundtrack in this montage when she is searching the rooms
- that back-and-forth screaming was pretty funny.
- when Helen is shot that harpsichord goes so haaaaard omg.
- I like that we stayed on Andi I know that we were focused on the hot sauce but allowing us to focus
- I like how the camera keeps going through the glass
- I don't think we needed a flashback to the Klear being handed to her, it disrupted the tension.
- The Mona Lisa is an amazing song to end this scene.
