Westside Messenger - December 15th, 2019

PAGE 12 - WESTSIDE MESSENGER - December 15, 2019
The interwoven thread between greed
and death has been the focus of two movies
released in just as many weeks at the theater.
The first to mine the dual subjects
came out around Thanksgiving and was a
throwback to the whodunit era. The second
and more serious offering was released this
past weekend and was a throwback to,
well, every era. The former is the more
buzzed about option while the latter is an
important, albeit depressing, piece of work.
While vastly different in tone, both are
worthy of a watch.
There are some who believed that director
Rian Johnson was finished after a
groundswell of backlash for his involvement
with “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
Such was the anger for this film and his
vision that multiple petitions made the
online rounds, begging the studio to change
the film. Some even swore that they would
never support a film written or directed by
him again.
Likely reeling from the intensity,
Johnson went back to his smaller fare roots
and wrote and directed “Knives Out,” a
murder-mystery akin to the beloved “Clue.”
In it, the audience is taken to the day
after the apparent suicide of a famed mystery
writer on the night of his 85th birthday.
While trying to unwrap the mystery of
this potential murder, the detective on the
case, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), also tries
to solve the secondary mystery as to who
hired him to solve the mystery.
The prime suspects in the crime are
vast, as the late novelist Harlan Thrombley
(Christopher Plummer) has many after his
fortune, namely his family. Throughout the
course of the film, we see various points-ofview
and get to know these self-serving
members and delight in their lying and
scheming ways.
With an ensemble cast that includes
Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Chris
Evans, Michael Shannon and Don Johnson,
the movie can feel a little over-stuffed but
it is the presence of actress Ana de Armas
that grounds this film. Her role in this
whodunit is that of Harlan’s home health
aide who may know some (or all) of the
buried secrets in this wealthy family.
While it may not be as clever as it sets
out to be, “Knives Out” is great fun, filled
with twists and turns and a terrific performance
by Craig. Though his accent
wavers at times, some of his lines, particularly
those comparing his mysterious hiring
to that of a donut with seemingly endless
donut holes, had me laughing out loud.
In contrast, nary a laugh is to be found
in “Dark Waters” but it is an equally
engaging movie in an entirely different
way.
The script was mined from multiple
journalists (Nathaniel Rich, Mariah Blake
In Entertainment
www.columbusmessenger.com
Two movie reviews with one common theme - greed
and Sharon Lerner) and their respective
publications which detailed the poisoning
of the air and water supply in Parkersburg,
West Virginia by DuPont.
The loosely based film stars Mark
Ruffalo as Robert Bilott, a corporate attorney
who gets roped into listening to a perceived
paranoid hillbilly as a favor to his
grandmother. Said perceived paranoid hillbilly
is Wilbur Tennant (a terrific Bill
Camp), a cow farmer who believes his herd
has been poisoned by the land he shares
with the chemical company.
He shows Robert the preserved intestines
of his cows, noting the blackened
teeth, enlarged spleens and hearts and
shakenly relays that he had to shoot many
of them due to aggressive behavior. At first,
Robert is skeptical but agrees to take the
case and sue DuPont with the approval of
his boss Tom Terp (Tim Robbins).
During the discovery phase, Robert
uncovers that they knowingly exposed
their workers, the townsfolk and just about
everyone and everything else to dangerous
“forever chemicals” for their bottom line.
The movie takes place over the decade
plus of Robert’s legal battle with the company
and shows how it changes his life, the
lives of his family, and the lives of everyone
who shares this world. It’s an infuriating
look at this public health crisis that is still
ongoing with more horrors unfolding, and
The Reel Deal
Dedra Cordle
useless government
officials that enable
these companies in
order to line their
pockets.
While there are
depictions of bright
spots in the film —
some of those who faced life-threatening illnesses
were granted millions in settlements
— it’s cheapened by the fact that
these people, the heads of these companies
who do this, belong in prison but will never
be held to that level of account for their
malfeasance.
“Dark Waters” is not a fun watch, nor is
it an easy one, but it is a worthy one that
brings attention to an infinite crisis and
shine the light on some of the people who
fight tirelessly and thanklessly to bring
them to (some) justice.
Knives Out: B+
Dark Waters: B+
Dedra Cordle is a Messenger staff writer
and columnist.
FILL Y
OUR HOME WITH
GREA T WATER
BOGO! Buy a Pr
emier Series W ater Soft ener and
Get the K5 Drinking Water Station FREE *
Kinetico believes everyone deserves GREAT WA
ATER.
That’s why we are offering
our BIGGEST DISCOUNT EVER on our most popular water treatment tment equipment.
Wh y a Water Softener?
• Protect plumbing and water-using
appliances from hard water
• Continuous supply of high-quality,
soft, clean water
Wh y the K5 Drinking Water Station?
• Solves the toughest water-quality
challenges
• Worry-free, great tasting ting drinking water
* Expires 12-31-19. Cannot be combined with other offers, and restrictions apply.
Must purchase a Premier Series Water Softener at full retail price to receiv
eive the
K5 Drinking Water Station for free. Does not apply to previous purchases. Valid
at Canal Winchester, OH Kinetico dealer only.
OFFICIAL WATER TREATMENT TMENT PROVIDER
Call today for a FREE, in-home water test.
800-444-1387 • www.kineticocolumbus.com
om