The Menu: It was only a matter of time before the world of upscale restaurants got the "eat the rich" satire treatment and while its targets are mostly very easy and obvious, The Menu is able to hit them pretty consistently. Ralph Fiennes is a fucking hoot as an esteemed chef who runs a prestigious restaurant named Hawthorne-which resides on a private island where the chef and employees live and work together-in which the guests pay $1,250 per person to eat a multi-course meal that is tied together by an overarching theme that slowly reveals itself as the night progresses. On this night, the guests are in for a particularly special treat as the chef prepares his most ambitious meal to date that features all sorts of surprises for his guests... if they can survive the night.
When The Menu is at its best, it's one of the funniest movies of the year. There are some dark comedy bits (particularly in the final third of the movie) that had me doubled over with laughter and the interactions between Fiennes' chef and the protagonist Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy-giving yet another great performance) have a playful combativeness to them that makes them an electric pairing. It's not quite as effective when it attempts to comment on how chefs sell their souls and turn into egomaniacal, power-hungry monsters in order to serve people who are too self-absorbed to appreciate all of the sacrifices that are being made by the people making/serving them their food and that leads to some lulls in the laugh department in the middle of the film. That being said, none of its satirical missteps are strong enough to overtake all of the bullseyes it hits or prevent it from being consistently entertaining, so The Menu is still very much worth a watch for anybody who likes dark comedies or is interested in seeing foodie culture receive the loud, proud double freedom rockets it deserves.
Grade: B
Bones and All: Bones and All is the shockingly symbiotic genre hybrid that Luca Guadagnino was put on this Earth to make. Meeting at the intersection of Guadagnino's two great cinematic loves (romance and horror), Bones and All is an achingly romantic film that just happens to be about young cannibal drifters that exist on the pitch-black margins of a cold, dark world. Taylor Russell and Timothee Chalamet are both exceptional as the flesh-eating lovers who find comfort in finally finding someone who accepts them for who they are after being ostracized by everybody else that loves them due to their proclivity and the passion, empathy and caring that drives their relationship makes it the rare on-screen romance that is not only believable every step out of the way, but is filled with the kind of real, undeniable love that is at the heart of every great relationship.
On the more macabre side of its delicate genre dance, Bones and All finds its groove by relying heavily on ominous atmospherics-that especially take shape in the forms of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' desolate, acoustic guitar-driven score and a deeply unsettling performance from Mark Rylance as a fellow cannibal that becomes fixated with Russell's character after their paths cross in a pivotal early scene-to sell the fear of being on the open road without any resources or outside people to protect you from potential harm. Using this kind of feeling-based approach to horror is far more effective for a movie like this that is more invested in human connection than the visceral shocks of gruesome violence (there are some gory moments here and there, but it's not nearly as gruesome as a movie about cannibals could've been) and this largely understated style is precisely why the ending is so haunting. This is easily my favorite film that Guadagnino has made, and I hope he'll make more uniquely ambitious project like it in the future.
Grade: B+
The Inspection: Sometimes finding a sense of belonging can happen in the most unlikely place and that's the idea that The Inspection is built around. Inspired by the real world experiences of writer/director Elegance Bratton, The Inspection tells the story of a 25-year-old gay man (Jeremy Pope-who gives a gut-wrenching, powerfully understated performance that deserves to be in the Best Actor conversation) who has been homeless since age 16 after he was kicked out by his homophobic mother (Gabrielle Union-in a completely different type of role for her that demonstrates how badly the industry has failed to use her acting ability in the past) who decides that the only way to get out of the rut of poverty and isolation he's been stuck for the previous 9 years is to join the Marine Corps. The narrative of being an openly gay man joining the Marine Corps during the era of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (the film takes place sometime in the mid-2000's) serves as a very potent metaphor for the strength and perseverance it requires to survive in a place where you are hated and bullied for simply being yourself and its fragmented snapshot-style narrative effectively boils down the experience to the most painful moments of discrimination/humiliation, surprising moments of compassion and human connection and the ultimate satisfaction of overcoming adversity to achieve what you set out to do. The Inspection is a movie with a big heart, raw sense of honesty and unique perspective that will hopefully make people develop a greater empathy for people like Bratton that had to go to great, unconventional lengths to find the purpose they had always been looking for.
Grade: B+
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery: Turns out Knives Out was just a warmup for Rian Johnson in the whodunit genre. Glass Onion is the work of somebody who is not only in complete command of their craft but is having the most fun they've ever had on the job. The dense collection of misdirection-driven twists and reveals are delivered with an infectious glee and seem to be designed to only become more rewarding upon repeat viewings once the viewer knows how all the puzzle pieces fit together, which is really just the ultimate sign of Johnson's dedication to concocting mysteries that have plenty of layers yet also contain answers that are hiding in plain sight if you know where to look.
I'm going to avoid detailing the plot to protect spoilers since this is a movie that really rewards those who go in as blind as possible, but I will say that I believe Janelle Monae, Kate Hudson and Edward Norton are the standouts among the new cast members, Daniel Craig is even better as Benoit Blanc this time around and by coming out at this moment in time, the film gained an unexpected extra dose of social relevance that makes Johnson look clairvoyant. If the Knives Out franchise remains this fun, energetic and clever, they should make at least 5 more of them and hopefully Netflix will give those future installments the more expansive theatrical release they deserve since these movies are such an incredible watch with a crowd and the pop that the final third of Glass Onion got in a theater just can't be replicated at home.
Grade: A
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