 |  |
The Menu
Writer Jonathan Swift once laid out a definition of satire as a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own. This remarkably astute definition holds up well some 300 years later. If Swift exchanged the word glass for plate, his quote could almost stand for the tagline in director Mark Mylod’s newest film, “The Menu.” An awkward blend of the “Ten Little Indians” theme mixed with black comedy and tossed with abject horror, Mylod has created the ultimate film-tasting menu for an audience - no reservations required.
An ensemble cast rules this picture and contains the likes of Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, John Leguizamo, Paul Adelstein and Janet McTeer as uber-wealthy elitists who converge on a tiny private island that holds the incredibly exclusive restaurant known as Hawthorne. The impeccable Ralph Fiennes plays the delish part of creepy celebrity head chef Julian Slowik, whose bevy of sous chefs and maitre’d’s surround him with military-like precision as he announces the tasting course before each service.
Foodie culture has always been wildly popular, and the film spares no expense in creating some of the most visually stunning dishes peppered with rarified ingredients and coupled with pronunciations that would challenge even Gordon Ramsay. As the courses progress, little revelations about Chef Julian and his sous chefs are revealed with sometimes-deadly proportions. The buildup alongside the courses served give each audience member a slight taste of what is to come, and the film lets you know that, like a true plate tasting, an entire meal must be served before a critique is made.
Colin Stetson penned the film’s score, which combines both a playful elegance and dramatic upswing as to accompany each course, no matter how fantastic or disturbing it may be plated. Golden Globe nominations and various critic societies have lauded the performances by Taylor-Joy and Fiennes who are constantly at odds in the film. Do fast food and fine dining mix? Only in a quirky, over-the-top film like “The Menu” can that be answered.
White Noise
Actor Adam Driver lately has been trending into Christian Bale territory with his willingness to take on acting roles where there is a physical transformation to a point that you almost do not recognize him. In the totally absurdist comedy “White Noise,” you find Driver going to the absolute comedic maximum. And it works. The film is based on a novel of the same name by author Don Delillo, who was something of a cult writer of just about anything.
For the this film, we are caught up in all the neon and absurdities that existed in 1984 as Driver takes the role of Jack, a professor in a field that’s yet to be truly founded. His wife, Babette, played here with perfect comedic wit by actress Greta Gerwig, helps to keep her own wily household in line with the all the children they share between them. The kids follow mostly in Jack’s footsteps of wild interests and absurdities, all the while searching for normality in their town.
It takes a man-made natural disaster to upheave Jack and his tribe and take them on a preposterous series of events before any third act ever begins. The film plays two ways; on the surface it’s comedy fun and just below that is pure nominalism. After viewing this film, it sounds like a class that Jack would certainly teach.
Writer Jonathan Swift once laid out a definition of satire as a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own. This remarkably astute definition holds up well some 300 years later. If Swift exchanged the word glass for plate, his quote could almost stand for the tagline in director Mark Mylod’s newest film, “The Menu.” An awkward blend of the “Ten Little Indians” theme mixed with black comedy and tossed with abject horror, Mylod has created the ultimate film-tasting menu for an audience - no reservations required.
An ensemble cast rules this picture and contains the likes of Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, John Leguizamo, Paul Adelstein and Janet McTeer as uber-wealthy elitists who converge on a tiny private island that holds the incredibly exclusive restaurant known as Hawthorne. The impeccable Ralph Fiennes plays the delish part of creepy celebrity head chef Julian Slowik, whose bevy of sous chefs and maitre’d’s surround him with military-like precision as he announces the tasting course before each service.
Foodie culture has always been wildly popular, and the film spares no expense in creating some of the most visually stunning dishes peppered with rarified ingredients and coupled with pronunciations that would challenge even Gordon Ramsay. As the courses progress, little revelations about Chef Julian and his sous chefs are revealed with sometimes-deadly proportions. The buildup alongside the courses served give each audience member a slight taste of what is to come, and the film lets you know that, like a true plate tasting, an entire meal must be served before a critique is made.
Colin Stetson penned the film’s score, which combines both a playful elegance and dramatic upswing as to accompany each course, no matter how fantastic or disturbing it may be plated. Golden Globe nominations and various critic societies have lauded the performances by Taylor-Joy and Fiennes who are constantly at odds in the film. Do fast food and fine dining mix? Only in a quirky, over-the-top film like “The Menu” can that be answered.
White Noise
Actor Adam Driver lately has been trending into Christian Bale territory with his willingness to take on acting roles where there is a physical transformation to a point that you almost do not recognize him. In the totally absurdist comedy “White Noise,” you find Driver going to the absolute comedic maximum. And it works. The film is based on a novel of the same name by author Don Delillo, who was something of a cult writer of just about anything.
For the this film, we are caught up in all the neon and absurdities that existed in 1984 as Driver takes the role of Jack, a professor in a field that’s yet to be truly founded. His wife, Babette, played here with perfect comedic wit by actress Greta Gerwig, helps to keep her own wily household in line with the all the children they share between them. The kids follow mostly in Jack’s footsteps of wild interests and absurdities, all the while searching for normality in their town.
It takes a man-made natural disaster to upheave Jack and his tribe and take them on a preposterous series of events before any third act ever begins. The film plays two ways; on the surface it’s comedy fun and just below that is pure nominalism. After viewing this film, it sounds like a class that Jack would certainly teach.
RSS Feed