Tag: Glenn Close

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

2025   Netflix

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  2 hr  24min

Comedy ~ Crime ~ Drama ~ Mystery ~ Thriller ~ Whodunnit

Directed by:  Rian Johnson

Starring: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.

Benoit Blanc Is Back!

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery pulls Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) into his darkest case yet, summoned to a tight-knit rural community gripped by scandal after the shocking death of the fiery, domineering leader of the local Church Priest Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin).

The prime suspects are:

They all weave a tense net of alibis, grudges, and histories amid Sunday services and midnight reckonings that expose abuses and shattered vows. What starts as a tidy whodunit spirals through labyrinthine twists, feints within feints, alibis that devour each other, revelations that flip loyalties upside down, and a mid-film bombshell that redefines every suspect’s soul, culminating in a finale as merciless and mind-melting as Blanc’s previous cases, all without a single predictable step. The mystery tightens around these players, pushing Blanc into moral gray zones the prior films merely grazed.​

Where Knives Out skewered privilege and Glass Onion mocked tech excess, Wake Up Dead Man excavates power, belief, and institutional weapons. It plays like a gothic church whodunnit, playful and twisty, but heavier emotionally with brutal fallout when truths erupt. Classic puzzle joys (alibis, herrings, reveals) persist, yet it probes who earns forgiveness or escapes when the “godly” circle wagons.​

Craig continues to have a blast as Benoit Blanc, but this time the charm and drawl hide a man genuinely shaken by what he uncovers. The case forces Blanc to confront not just who committed the crime, but what kind of world keeps letting the same patterns repeat, giving him some of his most haunted and introspective moments in the Knives Out trilogy. Yet even in the darkest scenes, Craig threads in just enough wry humor and observational wit to keep Blanc feeling like the same eccentric detective fans love, now pushed to his limits instead of simply amused by human folly.​

True to the series, the ensemble is loaded with memorable suspects and side players, each with sharp, specific motives and grudges that gradually peel back as the investigation deepens. Performances bounce between fervent righteousness, brittle denial, and raw vulnerability, underscoring how faith, shame, and community pressure can twist people in different directions. The dynamic between the younger characters and the older “pillars” of the town is especially juicy, framing the mystery as a generational clash over who gets to define truth and morality. Josh O’Connor’s brooding Jud steals scenes as faith’s black sheep; Glenn Close’s Martha and Josh Brolin’s Wicks embody belief’s sharp edges.​

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is highly recommended for anyone who loved the first two films and is ready for a darker, more emotionally loaded spin on Blanc’s world. It keeps the clever structure, rug-pull twists, and character-driven revelations that made the other two movies a hit, while pushing deeper into messy questions about belief, justice, and who gets to walk away clean when the dust settles. You know what Bobby says:

Turn off the lights and devices,

Make some popcorn,

Grab a beverage,

and

Stream This Movie!

Knives Out

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Debuts on NETFLIX Friday December 12, 2025

Benoit Blanc Is Back!

New mystery, new cast, same sleuth!

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery hits Netflix this Friday, December 12, 2025, bringing Benoit Blanc back for his darkest and twistiest case yet. Daniel Craig returns as the legendary Southern sleuth, drawn into a chilling new mystery tied to a small-town church, buried sins, and a death that refuses to stay in the past. With a moodier, more gothic tone than Knives Out and Glass Onion, this new chapter promises razor-sharp turns, rich atmosphere, and the kind of slow-burn suspense that’s perfect for a December movie night.

Joined by a stacked ensemble cast—including Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, and more—Blanc finds himself surrounded by liars, believers, and survivors, each hiding something worth killing for. As secrets rise to the surface and loyalties splinter, the question isn’t just who did it, but what waking the dead will cost everyone involved. Queue it up on Netflix this Friday and let the guessing game begin.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery ~ Photo by John Wilson ~ Courtesy of NETFLIX
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery ~ Photo by John Wilson ~ Courtesy of NETFLIX
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery ~ PHOTO BY FRANK OCKENFELS ~ Courtesy of NETFLIX
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery ~ Movie Poster ~ Courtesy of NETFLIX

Back In Action

2025   Netflix

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  1 hr  54min

Action ~ Adventure ~ Comedy ~ Family ~ Spy

Directed by:  Seth Gordon

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Andrew Scott, Jamie Demetriou, Kyle Chandler, and Glenn Close.

“What if Mr. and Mrs. Smith had kids?”

Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz star as Matt and Emily, Secret Agents for the CIA. Matt and Emily have done what spies aren’t supposed to do, fall in love with each other. Right before their assignment, Emily realizes she is pregnant. Their mission doesn’t go as planned and they end up on a plane fighting off the crew who turn out to be covert spies themselves. Right before the plane goes down, they share a parachute and escape, landing safely. They both agree that, since Emily is pregnant, this is the perfect time to fake their deaths. Disappear off the grid, start from scratch and build a family.

Fast forward fifteen years and they are the typical suburban family. Matt and Emily are raising their fourteen year old daughter Alice and their twelve year old son Leo. Constantly battling too much screen time on their children’s devices, juggling work and after school activities. They even drive a mini-van to soccer practices and games that Matt coaches. As they try to control Alice’s covert underage nightlife activities, their cover is blown and they are forced to take the kids into hiding with them. They head to England where Emily’s Mom Ginny (Glenn Close), a former Secret Agent for the MI6, lives on a sprawling countryside estate outside of London.

There are plenty of story twists and turns as they try to vanish again, and protect their kids. It is a familiar storyline but then aren’t all the spy movies. The agents go on an assignment to retrieve the thing the bad guy has that will disrupt the working order of our world. That’s always the mission, but this time it involves kids, and Matt and Emily love their kids. The kids are awesome on their own, they have been raised well and being a spy runs in their blood. They just don’t know it yet. I really liked McKenna Roberts as Alice, and Rylan Jackson as Leo. There is plenty of action and a few laughs as Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz hold their own on the fight floor and the acting stage.

It has been over a decade since Cameron Diaz made a movie. She had decided that she needed to focus on her personal life, raise a family, and get off the Hollywood grid. Jamie Foxx approached her with this film and she said, “If I’m going to do a movie, I’m going to do it with Jamie. No questions asked.” It was really good to see her “Back In Action”, I think she did an awesome job, kicking butt and taking names, the Cameron Diaz we all know and love.  You could feel the chemistry and the love between Jamie and the kids. She can still hold her own acting and fighting. Job well done and welcome back Cameron Diaz.

I had watched Jamie Foxx’s Netflix special on Netflix What had happened was….where he talks about his medical ordeal for the first time. Very touching story, if you get the chance you should watch it. In a nutshell Jamie came down with a mysterious illness, basically his brain started hemorrhaging for no apparent reason. He almost died, was in a coma, came to but couldn’t move his body. He then spent agonizing months in rehab and physical therapy learning how to walk again. Seeing him “Back in Action”…..you want to jump up and scream YEAH! GO JAMIE!!!! Job Well Done on all accounts, and welcome back Jamie Foxx. Ya still got it!

I love the soundtrack to the fight scenes, perfect! I loved the story, I loved the action, I loved seeing Jamie and Cameron together raising kids, I could feel the love! They did everything to protect their kids and it shone through in the movie. I didn’t pay much attention to what the bad guy was up to or the device he wanted, a mere subplot behind the parents fighting for their family and their kids.

Yes, yes and yes. I can’t wait to watch it again, and I just know there’s a sequel coming…BRING IT ON!

Highly Recommended!

Two Thumbs up!

Brothers

2024   Amazon MGM Studios

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  29min

Action ~ Crime ~ Comedy

Directed by:  Max Barbakow

Starring:  Josh Brolin, Peter Dinklage, Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, and Brendan Fraser.

“Family is a life sentence.”

Josh Brolin stars as Mike “Moke” Munger who is recently married and has a baby on the way. His wife is throwing a housewarming party and has invited his in-laws to come. She instructs him to bring home a BBQ Party Platter from work. He works at SWEET ASS BBQ but upon arriving at work his boss informs him that he is fired. He tells Moke that he received a call from the Bureau of Labor and Employment. They informed him that Moke neglected to let them know about his prior criminal convictions and have to let him go. Upon arriving home he is surprised by the appearance of his Twin Brother……..

Jady Munger (Peter Dinklage) who has been serving time in prison for getting caught in a robbery. Jady and Moke had always been a criminal team but that night Jady got caught, Moke escaped and swore off the crime life and has been trying to live a straight life. He has come to convince Moke to do one last “Job”, he can’t do it without him and they both really need the money. Moke reluctantly agrees and they head out on the road.  Jady tells him they have to make a stop to a woman’s house he has been corresponding with for the last seven weeks from prison. Moke again reluctantly agrees and they stop, knock on the door, and……

Bethesda Waingro (Marisa Tomei) comes to the door, and Jady and Moke are invited in. Jady has an ulterior motive for meeting Bethesda that Moke doesn’t know about. She is unwittingly going to help them in their “Job”, Jady is going to steal her work badge. Jady and Bethesda go off into the bedroom to spend some time and Moke waits in the living room. And is suddenly surprised by an orangutan who sits next to him on the couch. They hightail it out of Bethesda’s house, Moke running from the monkey and Jady running from Bethesda. They go to the hotel where Moke is surprised by…….

His Mother Cath (Glenn Close), who has been gone for thirty years after running from the police following a jewelry heist. It’s the beginning of a dysfunctional crime family caper full of adventure  and laughs. M. Emmet Walsh plays the crooked Judge who is the father of Jail Corrections Officer Farful (Brendan Fraser). Officer Farful used his father to get Jady out of prison to track down Cath who has hidden the unrecovered Jewels and is blackmailing him into finding them. And Brendan as the whacked out very intense Corrections Officer was pretty funny. It was nice to see Marisa, beautiful as ever, as the freaky hippy lady. The Orangutan Monkey was surprisingly completely CGI, given the closeness of the scene with Josh Brolin, they didn’t want to take any chances with a live animal.

I purposely didn’t watch this right away when it came out thinking, “That’s just going to be too silly and stupid for me to handle.” Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage as twin brothers? Look at them, they couldn’t be more different physically. But I was running late last night and really didn’t have two hours to watch a movie and this is a short one. And I thought, I could stand to watch some comedy, something light-hearted. It was everything I thought it would be and more. Yes, it was silly, a little stupid, but then again, that is the point. And it delivered that and much more. It was a familiar plot line and yet it was a little different.

I found myself rooting for Moke and eventually Jady. Trying to do good for themselves and constantly knocked down by life. I really started to believe that they were brothers in spite of their difference physically. Josh and Peter did a great job of convincing me they had known each other all their lives and had that kind of family bond. I enjoyed it, I found myself laughing quite a few times at their antics. And I felt for the two of them trying to be a better version of themselves. And in the end it was all about family, how you never give up on your family, no matter what. I thought that was a good message and a little heartwarming at the end as they gathered for Thanksgiving.

So yes, I would recommend it, just remember it is good clean silly fun.

Two thumbs up!