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Natalie Portman recommended The Ministry of Special Cases in Books (curated)
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Happy Death Day 2U (2019) in Movies
Jun 27, 2019
It carries on from the first film and links in nicely! You must see the first to appreciate sone of the humour in this dark, but hilarious time- travelling comedy! (1 more)
Quite sad in places too- there’s a real story behind the humour. A dilemma the main protagonist must face when she realises she can get exactly what she wants when she is in control of her destiny!
A time travelling theme with a moral dilemma!
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Menu (2022) in Movies
Nov 24, 2022
Puts the DARK in Dark Comedy
If a Film Comedy is Milk Chocolate and a Dark Comedy is Dark Chocolate, then the new film THE MENU (Directed by Mark Mylod - Game of Thrones) is the SPECIAL INTENSE (90%) Dark Chocolate of films.
And I mean that as a compliment.
Written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, THE MENU tells the tale of an exclusive, isolated restaurant, the 12 clients that head out to the secluded island this restaurant is on and the ego-maniacal, celebrity chef that runs this restaurant - and this dining experience. What starts out as a satire of these types of restaurants, the chefs and the hero-worship of it’s clientele turns into something much, much more sinister.
This is a film in 2 parts - the first part is a satire of the “Foodie” World with the dishes being somewhat absurd - and believable - as the attendees gush over the dishes, trying to interpret what they are being served and why. The 2nd half turns darker - as the real theme of the night emerges - but it is not the horror/slasher film that one is led to believe in the trailer, it is more of a psychological suspense thriller with some gore to accentuate the themes. (But make no mistake, there IS gore).
Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort in the Harry Potter films) is the perfect choice as the central figure in this film, Chef Slowik. He controls the screen by standing still and when he speaks and goes into action he pulls the audience - and his clientele - into his web.
Anya Tayor-Joy (THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT) is growing into an actress that is extremely interesting to watch on film and she more than holds her own up against Fiennes in their scenes together. She becomes just as much a force as he is.
The supporting characters in this adventure are interesting ranging from the always good John Leguzamo to Judith Light to Nicholas Hoult and Janet McTeer. They all flesh out characters that could have been just 2 dimensional background characters, but in the capable hands of these performers, they become much more.
Special notice needs to be made of Hong Chau (DOWNSIZING) as Chef Slowik’s main assistant. She pretty much holds down the center of the first part of this film (as we build up the entrance of Fiennes’ character) and she pulls it off with an understated strong performance.
Director Mylod treads an interesting line in THE MENU as he starts this film as a satire, moves it to a dark comedy fairly quickly and then moves it to a much darker place while still keeping the satiric and dark comedic tones as the more sinister things are happening. It’s a tightrope walk to be sure, and Mylod pulls it off.
It’s the type of film that will be difficult to find an audience for it is 2 types of films put together as one - and neither will totally satisfy hard-core fans - but for someone who is looking for an intelligent suspense film (with some gore and, again, let me emphasize that there IS gore) than this MENU will satisfy.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And I mean that as a compliment.
Written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, THE MENU tells the tale of an exclusive, isolated restaurant, the 12 clients that head out to the secluded island this restaurant is on and the ego-maniacal, celebrity chef that runs this restaurant - and this dining experience. What starts out as a satire of these types of restaurants, the chefs and the hero-worship of it’s clientele turns into something much, much more sinister.
This is a film in 2 parts - the first part is a satire of the “Foodie” World with the dishes being somewhat absurd - and believable - as the attendees gush over the dishes, trying to interpret what they are being served and why. The 2nd half turns darker - as the real theme of the night emerges - but it is not the horror/slasher film that one is led to believe in the trailer, it is more of a psychological suspense thriller with some gore to accentuate the themes. (But make no mistake, there IS gore).
Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort in the Harry Potter films) is the perfect choice as the central figure in this film, Chef Slowik. He controls the screen by standing still and when he speaks and goes into action he pulls the audience - and his clientele - into his web.
Anya Tayor-Joy (THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT) is growing into an actress that is extremely interesting to watch on film and she more than holds her own up against Fiennes in their scenes together. She becomes just as much a force as he is.
The supporting characters in this adventure are interesting ranging from the always good John Leguzamo to Judith Light to Nicholas Hoult and Janet McTeer. They all flesh out characters that could have been just 2 dimensional background characters, but in the capable hands of these performers, they become much more.
Special notice needs to be made of Hong Chau (DOWNSIZING) as Chef Slowik’s main assistant. She pretty much holds down the center of the first part of this film (as we build up the entrance of Fiennes’ character) and she pulls it off with an understated strong performance.
Director Mylod treads an interesting line in THE MENU as he starts this film as a satire, moves it to a dark comedy fairly quickly and then moves it to a much darker place while still keeping the satiric and dark comedic tones as the more sinister things are happening. It’s a tightrope walk to be sure, and Mylod pulls it off.
It’s the type of film that will be difficult to find an audience for it is 2 types of films put together as one - and neither will totally satisfy hard-core fans - but for someone who is looking for an intelligent suspense film (with some gore and, again, let me emphasize that there IS gore) than this MENU will satisfy.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
The Comical Tragedy or Tragical Comedy of Mr Punch
9.0
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Book
A young boy stumbles across a Punch and Judy show at the pier and enters a world of extraordinary...
Suburbicon (2017)
6.0
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Movie Watch
‘Suburbicon’ is a peaceful, idyllic suburban community with affordable homes and manicured...
Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated Shimmer Lake (2017) in Movies
Aug 2, 2018 (Updated Aug 2, 2018)
This is a Netflix original "dark comedy" crime drama. The acting was good and the cinematography was too. It's a small town crime story involving a group of people that grew up together and knew each other well. It's told in a backwards style so the events happening are shown in reverse order. The story unfolds quite well and keeps your interest the whole time. It has a few laughs and a pretty good twist to the end that isn't too predictable. I liked this movie overall. Nothing too graphic for kids either. Worth a watch!
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Ghost (1990) in Movies
Jun 21, 2019
Ditto
young couple sam & molly are in the middle of starting their lives together in their new home, when they are attacked one night resulting in Sam's death.
After sam refuses to move on, now having unfinished business, he begins Looking for answers. In need of help, sam meets a spiritualist fraud who terrifyingly (yet hilariously) discovers she has the gift.
This romantic/comedy/thriller manages to perfectly mix the dark and light tones of the movie, with edge of your seat, heart pounding moments.
Starring Patrick swayze, Demi Moore and Woopi Goldberg and Tony Goldwyn.
After sam refuses to move on, now having unfinished business, he begins Looking for answers. In need of help, sam meets a spiritualist fraud who terrifyingly (yet hilariously) discovers she has the gift.
This romantic/comedy/thriller manages to perfectly mix the dark and light tones of the movie, with edge of your seat, heart pounding moments.
Starring Patrick swayze, Demi Moore and Woopi Goldberg and Tony Goldwyn.
Versusyours (757 KP) rated Tales of Halloween (2015) in Movies
Nov 4, 2019 (Updated Nov 4, 2019)
A varied range of stories with differing degrees of success. There are 10 tales that cover the range of horror from urban legends, comedy, gore, Grimm fairy tales and many othe horror tropes. As with most anthologies the stories are short and sharp with the plot of each story being apparent quite quickly and there are a few twists and turns that keep you guessing.
There is enough in the collection to make you look out at the dark corners of your room a little bit more nervously and I will never look at a pumpkin the same way again.
There is enough in the collection to make you look out at the dark corners of your room a little bit more nervously and I will never look at a pumpkin the same way again.
Don Hertzfeldt recommended The Great Dictator (1940) in Movies (curated)
