Brilliant movie for 2019; Well Worth the Watch and Surprisingly Hilarious

Rating: 10/10 (10 January 2020)

Rian Johnson actually spoofs himself and the genre in this (what will soon be) modern classic.
After a consensus failing on his Star Wars take with The Last Jedi, Johnson actually returns to his best and perhaps most famous roots by digging into his Breaking Bad roots. That's right. Some people might have missed it, but I picked up on it easily since that is one of my favorite shows, and Johnson directed some of its most famous (and notorious) episodes (Ozymandias....Fly respectively).
Make no mistake- Knives Out is absolutely its own thing, but Johnson was not hiding his roots here. First of all, ask yourself, what was his most famous directorial scene from Breaking Bad? Was it, when Skyler chooses the knife instead of the phone in the climactic scene? Of course, and she pulled the "knife out" there, as in knives out. Second, wasn't Johnson the director of the notorious "bottle episode", which is equally hated and beloved? Well yes, and this is a claustrophobic movie mostly set in one single place- a mansion. Third, the actress (De Arma) literally acts just like "Lydia" in most scenes of the movie- an anxiety-ridden, desperate, back against the wall performance. He could have just put Laura Frasier in the role and you couldn't have told the difference. Fourth, the dark humor, which is generously spread throughout the movie and never forgotten. How about the cell phone usage reliance for so many scenes, but with dark humor reiterated along with it?
Yes, Johnson learned a lot from Breaking Bad (as well as brought so many great episodes to it), and he brings so much of his brilliance into this fun, dark comedy. How many people caught the Game of Thrones reference with the knife throne at the end? There is just so much dark humor spread all throughout this and so many fun homages and references. Some people won't fully get it, and yes I admit it is a little over the top at times to some extent, but not enough so to say it's anything less than a great movie, especially for 2019, where originality is lacking. However, this movie has more than originality going for it. What a fun time and an immersive and enjoyable (although very slow and bumpy) "ride".
I've now seen 1917, Richard Jewell, The Irishman, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Joker, and some others, and ironically, if it all came down to it, this would actually be my Best Picture vote for 2019.
10/10