Catching up with Palisadians

The Post Goes Through Past Shows and Movies Featuring Locals

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

For this week’s edition of “Catching up with Palisadians,” I did not go far back. In fact, I only went to 2019, to see what Palisadian Jamie Lee Curtis brought to the Rian Johnson written and directed “Knives Out.”

In the classic murder mystery whodunit inspired by the novels of Agatha Christie, a set of detectives investigates the suspicious death of the patriarch of the affluent—and dysfunctional—Thrombey family.

Curtis plays Linda Drysdale, the oldest daughter to her father Harlan, played by Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”). The case is pursued by detectives Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, and Lieutenant Elliott, played by LaKeith Stanfield.

The roller-coaster ride begins when the family discovers their father has died, peaks when they realize he has changed his will one week before his death and left everything to his caretaker and confidant Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), and unravels as they try to convince Marta to return the money to the family and Marta grapples with her own part in the twisted story.

“Knives Out” was thoroughly entertaining, from start to finish. I watched with three family members—all of which have different and varied tastes in entertainment—and we were all enthralled and invested for the duration of the 130-minute film.

During her time on the screen, Curtis’ character and her reactions to the situation her father left behind for his family to deal with were spot on. Highlights of her relationship with her father include a secret way of communicating, adding to one of the many twists of the storyline.

The film garnered Johnson an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but was beat out by Han Jin-won for “Parasite.” “Knives Out” took home a healthy handful of prizes, including Top Ten Films of the Year from the American Film Institute and Best Cast from the Hollywood Critics Association.

In June, “Knives Out” became available to stream for free through Amazon Prime.