HOME MOVIES

Knives Out
Knives Out

Knives Out (PG-13, 2 hours, 11 minutes)

By turns daft, wry, surprising, intriguing and obvious, Knives Out is a throwback to witty mysteries with clever characters that alternate between being predictable and, well, not.

Its lengthy running time never dissolves into drudgery in a lively whodunit concerning the unusual death of aging crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). After far too much finger-pointing by a high-maintenance array of ill-behaved relatives, renowned Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is hired (by whom?) to investigate, sure of only one thing: everyone in the Thrombey family is a suspect.

Watching Craig’s performance — complete with a passable south Louisiana accent, which doesn’t go at all with everyone’s image of him as James Bond — in unraveling a tangle of lies, obfuscations, emotions and dead ends is in itself worth the price of admission.

With Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martell. Blu-ray special features include audio and in-theater commentary by director Rian Johnson, two deleted scenes, an eight-part “Making a Murder” documentary, featurette “Rian Johnson: Planning the Perfect Murder,” and a Q&A with the director and cast.

Frozen II (PG, 1 hour, 43 minutes) Fans of the original Frozen from 2013 have grown up some since then, and so has this franchise, which is more complex and challenging than the original. Princess Elsa — who’s figuring out how to control her powers — along with Anna, Kristoff and Olaf, heads off on an expedition to free the residents of a nearby enchanted forest from a dense mist that’s imprisoning them. Animated with voices of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad; directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee.

End of the Century (not rated, 1 hour, 24 minutes) A unique, dramatic use of time travel is set forth in this stylish, intriguing drama about two handsome young men, attracted to one another when visiting Barcelona, come to the realization that they have already met two decades earlier. With Juan Barberini, Ramon Pujol, Mia Maestro; written and directed by Lucio Castro. Subtitled.

Synonyms (not rated, 2 hours, 3 minutes) A young Israeli adventure-seeker journeys to Paris, armed with his essential Hebrew-French dictionary, in hopes of leaving his troubled heritage and identity behind. With Tom Mercier, Quentin Dolmaire; written and directed by Nadav Lapid. Subtitled.

The Climbers (not rated, 2 hours, 5 minutes) Stunning scenery of snow-swept vistas and characters who interact with passion in the harsh environment make for a satisfying adventure drama about four exhausted members of the China Everest Climbing Commando who are making their fourth attempt at conquering the mountain’s ultimate challenge to the summit: North Ridge. Based on actual events in May 1960. With Jackie Chang, Ziyi Zhang, Jing Wu; written and directed by Daniel Lee. Subtitled.

Upcoming Events