Assignment 17- Jasir Rahman- Rian Johnson's Shot Composition

SPOILER WARNING FOR KNIVES OUT AND THE LAST JEDI 

Depending on your view of the divisive 2nd installment of the Disney Star Wars trilogy, you may despise or praise the mind of Rian Johnson.  I found myself in the latter camp after viewing The Last Jedi.  Perhaps I allowed my nostalgia to get the better of me, but I found myself mesmerized by the film despite its flaws.  The magnificent shots, nuanced performances, and plot twists ultimately left me engaged throughout the entire film.  Having discovered Johnson's work, I was excited to hear he'd be in the director's chair for Knives Out.  Needless to say, it was fantastic storytelling and it carried over the same things I thought made (approximately 2/3rds of) The Last Jedi great. 

The vast Star Wars universe gave way to fantastic shots throughout The Last Jedi that drew the audience into these vast unknown reaches of the galaxy.  The best shots, in my opinion, come right after one another during the climax.  General Holdo's sacrifice of ramming into a First Order Dreadnaught at lightspeed.  While the logistics of such a move within the context of the universe have been hotly contested, the resultant shot provides a (literal) jaw-dropping moment for those in theaters, demonstrating beauty, destruction, and shock as you watch the ship break into fragments in silence, allowing the moment to truly sink in.  Not only does Johnson have a hold over static shots, but also action setpieces, as he directed a fantastically engaging sequence in which Rey and Kylo Ren fight off Snoke's guard in one glorious shot.  Despite the smaller scale, Knives Out is not without its own great shots.  The opening shot of the mansion plays on all the tropes of whodunit mysteries to the extreme.  A low angle of a dark mansion framed by an old tree in the foreground with fog that serves as a prelude of the mystery that has yet to unfold, all accompanied by a whodunit score that is a bit over the top which sets the tone for the film that is about to be seen.  The whodunit trope is continued throughout the entire film with the minute details, such as light bleeding through windows and grain, that were added to make this film that was entirely digital look like it was shot on film.  The scene in which the family is interrogated was blocked in such a way that it worked from multiple angles, all while maintaining shot continuity and maintaining the mystery of Detective Blanc with backlighting obstruting his face from clear view.  The final shot of Marta high on the balcony above the family as she sips from the "My House, My Rules, My Coffee" mug that belonged to the now deceased patriarch Harlan is a gratifying moment for the audience as it demonstrates her victory in an ironic fashion.