I just watched The Menu, and while I am glad I didn’t watch it in theaters, I enjoyed it enough to recommend it. If you like the artsy and mysterious thrillers that are becoming a staple in A24’s catalog, The Menu is worth checking out.
The Menu takes place at the Hawthorne, an exclusive restaurant built on a secluded island where only a select few can dine. At $1200 a plate, the restaurant becomes an exclusive dining experience for the rich and famous. Unfortunately for the latest round of guests, tonight’s menu is something they won’t easily forget.
The film is breathtakingly beautiful. I am always in awe at the attention to detail put into cinematography. I am obsessed with the sterile perfection of the restaurant and kitchen and was even more in awe at the imaginative plating of the food. The colors, the lines, and the props have been meticulously organized to give this film its beautifully creepy atmosphere. I recommend The Menu if you are a nerd like me who is obsessed with visuals.
The plot is fine for what it is, but it is predictable. If you have seen any other A24 thrillers, you can guess what is going to happen. This follows a similar formula but with a more absurd tone. The film is still fun, and I appreciate the risks it takes, but do not expect an awe-inspiring twist or many surprises.
The acting is fantastic, and you should enjoy this movie for the performances. Without spoiling too much of the movie, the characters are creative, and the actors do a great job of doing them justice. My only complaint with this movie is that the ending is a bit disappointing. I didn’t hate this movie, but it was what I expected. While I appreciate the social criticism it makes, I believe this movie tries a little too hard to be deep. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the point of this movie is to be over the top in its pretentiousness, but there are a few areas where I felt it missed the mark.
That said, I enjoyed The Menu. The performances are great, the cinematography is breathtaking, and it has a solid narrative. This wasn’t worth the theater ticket, but it’s great for something you throw on at home. If you have been interested in this movie, you can now stream it on HBO Max. If you have seen this movie, I am curious to know your thoughts on the ending.
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Movie Review: 7 Women and a Murder (2022)
7 Women and a Murder is a quirky take on the murder mystery genre that I believe is worth your attention. The movie is originally in Italian, but dubbing in different languages is available. I always recommend watching it in the original language, but I get the need for accessibility. The English dubbing is fine, but I felt it lacked some of the intended charm.
Six women have gathered at a beautiful mansion for Christmas. Disaster strikes when the women find that the patriarch has been murdered. Alone and secluded in the mansion, the women must now survive the night until help can arrive. Will they find a killer amongst them, or will the killer claim more victims? Will the women make it to Christmas?
I liked this movie. I thought the story was fine, the acting was great, and the twist was interesting. It is a little slow, but it wasn’t so bad that I felt the need to turn it off. I loved how colorful this movie is. The costumes and mansion seem to have been carefully curated to create some very appealing shots. I particularly enjoyed how the mystery unravels. Each woman has a narrative or secret that they reveal, and the movie does a great job of bringing them together for the big reveal.
This movie deals with the idea of womanhood as it relates to a single man who is absent. I don’t want to ruin the mystery, but it makes valid criticism about the idealized archetypes of women by showing characters who are more complicated.
If you don’t mind reading subtitles and are in the mood for something quirky and different, watch 7 Women and Murder. You can stream it now on Netflix.
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Image by Davie Bicker from Pixabay
Movie Review: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Knives Out shouldn’t have had a sequel. While Glass Onion isn’t bad, it lacks the charm of the first one. I didn’t hate this movie, but it does feel lazy and uninspired. While the first movie pokes fun at the genre, this one pokes fun at the fact that it isn’t a real mystery. Glass Onion is a murder mystery board game live play with fantastic actors and little direction. It is fun to watch at least once, but it loses what little charm it has soon after.
An eccentric millionaire has invited a group of his influential friends to his island where they will solve his murder. The game is supposed to take the whole weekend. Blanc has mysteriously been asked to join the weekend games and activities. But what starts as a game quickly turns real. There is a killer among them. Can Blanc find out who before it is too late?
The acting in this movie is great but expected from this cast. Honestly, the acting is the only reason this movie works. This movie is essentially characters reacting to a situation with a weak plot to move them through the mystery. The movie does a great job of placing clues throughout, but the mystery can be solved without them. If you are looking for a fun mystery to solve, Glass Onion won’t provide one. It even goes on a long unneeded rant about how it doesn’t.
The narrative and concept are weak, but the characters that interact within this game are where this movie’s charm lie. Whenever the movie veers away from the main cast to develop a backstory, I found it to be slow and boring. This movie is more about how characters react to a situation than the actual mystery. Unfortunately, anything that doesn’t involve these characters is boring, only serving to pad the movie’s run time. The backstory bits drag and aren’t well-acted. It was made apparent that this movie was made with characters and actors in mind but
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Movie Review: Gone in the Night (2022)
Gone in the Night shouldn’t be a movie. This movie is the biggest waste of time on the platform. Nothing happens in this movie. There is barely a plot, and the twist is terrible. If you are considering watching this movie, don’t.
Wynona Ryder and her boyfriend plan to spend a weekend in the woods in an effort to save their relationship. But when they get to the cabin, they find that the cabin has been double booked. Another couple is already spending the weekend, but they decide to share the booking. Everything seems fine, but in the morning, Ryder discovers that her boyfriend has run off with another woman. She eventually decides to find out what happened to him, and it unravels to be one of the slowest and most disappointing mysteries you will ever see.
Gone in the Night wastes its talented cast on poorly written and forgettable characters. There is barely a story to this movie. Most of the time you are watching Wynona Ryder go on boring dates and lazily search for her missing boyfriend. What little story exists in this movie is brushed over so you can make it to the next boring date. The narrative exists as an inconvenience because of its collection of fake-deep rants and boring scenes with Winona Ryder. The big reveal is brushed over so quickly, it barely exists. If you are going to make a thriller, give your mystery some screen time.
Gone in the Night is supposed to be a thriller, but it isn’t thrilling. There is no suspense or buildup. Things just happen, and then it just ends. It tries to be deep by ending on a cliffhanger, but who cares? There wasn’t enough development for it to work. Don’t watch this movie, nothing happens. You can stream it on Hulu, but it isn’t worth the data.
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Series Review: Wednesday (2022)
I have seen enough bad Netflix adaptations and spinoffs to be skeptical about the success of Wednesday. While the casting seemed perfect, I refused to get too excited. I was pleasantly surprised by this spinoff. While it may not be perfect, it is a solid series that you should consider watching.
After a terrible prank, Wednesday is sent to Nevermore, a school for gifted outsiders. The school is full of werewolves, vampires, and people who just don’t fit into the rest of society. Wednesday is resistant at first but slowly comes to tolerate the change. There is something sinister lurking in the woods around Nevermore, and Wednesday loves sinister. Wednesday finds herself in the middle of a mystery full of murder, mayhem, and conspiracy. It is enough to put a smile on her otherwise pale and gloomy face. Can she get to the bottom of things before the year is out?
This is the fourth show in this supernatural school genre I have seen this year. While I noticed that are a lot of parallels, it manages to be a unique enough narrative. The story and lore are tame and easy to follow, the aesthetic is visually appealing, and Wednesday is a fantastic protagonist. Some of the writing and acting aren’t great, but it isn’t bad enough to stop watching.
The mystery in this series is well-developed. It will keep most audiences guessing until the big reveal at the end. I can assure you that there is enough misdirection to muddle your theories as soon as you make them. If you are paying enough attention, there are enough clues to solve the mystery early on. It isn’t overtly obvious unless you know what you are looking for, so I would avoid spoilers. It is refreshing to see a mystery with good attention to detail. There is nothing worse than watching a sloppy mystery where the solution is over-rationalized nonsense at the end.
The characters in this series are fine, although they get sloppy the farther removed they are from Wednesday. The acting is inconsistent between the supporting actors unless they are close to Wednesday. It isn’t bad, but it is noticeable. This might be intentional since outside of Wednesday, most characters are one-dimensional.
Wednesday is a fantastic protagonist. I was afraid they were going to make her a generic brooding goth girl, but there is some surprising depth to Wednesday. I like that Wednesday isn’t perfect. She makes mistakes, loses, and is even wrong sometimes, but she learns from her downfalls. She may not admit when she makes mistakes, but she tries harder, attempts to make amends, and experiences meaningful character growth. The series does a tremendous job of building up her growth and highlighting those important moments. Wednesday will not end in the same place where she started her journey.
My only complaint about this series is that the ending is a bit sloppy. I lost interest because the pacing feels rushed as the series tries to close up all the different plot threads it’s set up throughout the season. It still remained an enjoyable experience and one that I recommend to everyone. This is a different tone than any of the source materials. This is a lot more serious dark and structured more like a teen drama. It has a lot of similar themes, but with a lot less fan service. That said, this is honestly one of the better ones of the genre I have seen. You can stream it now on Netflix.
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Movie Review: Amsterdam (2022)
When I watched the trailer for Amsterdam, I believed it would be an okay movie. I figured it would be something you could throw on when you don’t really want to pay attention while being entertaining enough to pass the time. It has a solid cast, and it is based on a true story. I was wrong in my initial prediction because Amsterdam is a dull movie that you shouldn’t watch.
The movie is about three strangers who are brought together by war. They make a pact to always be there for each other. For a time, they live a happy fantasy in Amsterdam. Circumstance pulls them apart until the day fate reunites them in America. Burt and Harold are accused of a murder they didn’t commit. They must now come together and solve this crime or face false prosecution. Can they do it in time and save the country? Yes, they do. This movie is based on a true story. Read the wiki instead.
The movie didn’t leave an impression. I have already forgotten what this movie is about, and I sit here struggling to write a proper review. This film is a poorly told reimagining of a better story. Essentially, this film is a collection of people being quirky when they are supposed to be solving a murder. As a result, this movie lacks all urgency. The characters have a clear deadline, but they spend a lot of time fooling around.
This isn’t a difficult mystery to solve. You will know who the bad guy is as soon as he walks into the scene. They don’t do a great job setting him up as a bad guy, leaving the big reveal at the end to be a huge disappointment. Without the urgency or suspense, there is nothing driving this movie. I couldn’t get invested because I knew everything would be okay in the end.
My biggest issue with this movie is how it whitewashes the hardships African-Americans faced during this period. Any hardship that black characters face in this movie is always easily quelled by a convenient white savior. I don’t even want to get into the terrible and shameful virtue signaling that was a constant throughout this movie. This lack of real adversity leaves the audience with a weak story and an even weaker ending. The big moment when Harold and Valerie choose to be together knowing the dangers involved isn’t the powerful moment it should have been because there isn’t any tangible danger. I know they will be okay because everyone seems to be supportive and they will get the help they need to live together in peace. I didn’t care for this relationship because it was forced and pandering
Don’t waste your time on this movie, even if you can watch it for free. It isn’t worth it.
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Movie Review: Bullet Train (2022)
Before I start, I’d like to give a special shoutout to Impromtdude for buying me coffee. I really appreciate you my dude. It means a lot to have your support. I’ll do my best to keep making better content, and I will be sure to review the Fallout series when it’s out! Now without any further ado, my review:
I am glad I did not see Bullet Train in theaters. I really wanted to watch this movie when it came out, but thankfully I never got around to it. Bullet Train isn’t a bad movie, but it isn’t worth the theater ticket. If you can stream it or rent it, those are the ideal circumstances in which to watch this movie. Bullet Train is a beautiful and interesting concept that ultimately falls flat because the story isn’t good.
Fate has gathered Ladybug and a group of hungry assassins on a bullet train to Kioto. Bad luck seems to follow Ladybug, and now he finds himself in the middle of a logistical nightmare. The assassins are on this train to carry out conflicting missions, turning the train into a colorful battleground. Who will make it to the end of the line? Who is behind this mixup? You have to watch to find out!
There is no question that the acting in this movie is great for the most part. There are some fun and memorable characters that do their best with what they are given. I love the aesthetics of this movie. The costumes, the colors, and the sets are fantastic. Bullet Train is such a pretty movie, but it loses me with its story. The movie is set up like a mystery of sorts, although you can probably solve it in the first few minutes. It will constantly jump between groups, and it becomes tedious quickly. Each group gets a back story, each blander than the last, and you get a bit more of the mystery to piece together. It’s this formula throughout, and I honestly stopped caring because I just wanted more action. Bullet Train has some solid action scenes, and it makes me sad that there weren’t more.
A big issue with the plot is how heavily it relies on fate to work. The constantly regurgitates the idea that fate has heavily handily brought all these events to unfold on this train. This movie literally derails itself to make every narrative fit together as destiny. They make some ridiculous rationalizations in this movie that ruin the overall tone. What could have been a cool, colorful, and fun action thriller turns into a boring cartoon. It is a shame because there are a few moments that work well. This movie had potential, and it was wasted. Maybe they shouldn’t have spent so much money on cameos and instead focused on making a better movie.
If you want something to watch that isn’t a huge commitment, this is a solid choice. You can throw this on, do your chores or work and pay attention only to the cool bits. If you are looking for a cool action movie, there are better options for you. I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch this, but you won’t hate it if you do.
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Series Review: The Watcher (2022)
The Watcher is a suspenseful drama full of fantastic actors that is fine at first, but it certainly overstays its welcome. I was fully invested for the first half of the series, but the show becomes tedious towards the end. It isn’t a bad show, and you won’t hate it if you sit through it, but it should have been shorter.
The Watcher is a series based on the real events of a family being sent threatening letters when they move to the suburbs of New Jersey. Strange things start to happen to the family as they attempt to settle into their new lives. There is an ominous force messing with the family. The family grows increasingly paranoid as they desperately try to determine the cause of the unexplainable events in the house. Will they ever find the cause of all this evil?
I have mixed feelings about this series because the pacing is terrible, and the ending is disappointing. I think Netflix was trying to drag this series out, as most streaming services do with their original content, to keep people watching. The slow pacing hurts the narrative, making it hard to recommend. There is too much build-up to an ending that doesn’t deliver a satisfying conclusion. The last two episodes are pointless and add little to the story. This series should need to be condensed to be a more effective narrative
Toward the end, the series gets repetitive. The couple will get a clue and follow the lead toward a big confrontation only to be proven wrong by a new lead. This keeps happening to the point where I grew tired of the couple and as a result, less sympathetic. The Watcher does a fantastic job at showing the growing obsession and paranoia in the family, but it does a terrible job unfolding its mystery. This puts me in a weird place because I love the initial presentation, but hate how diluted it becomes.
If you have nothing else to watch, this is a good choice. Just be aware of its faults. I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it, but you can stream it on Netflix.
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Series Review: The Midnight Club
The Midnight Club is a huge waste of time. Even if you enjoy horror anthologies and mysteries, this is a very weak entry into either genre. I wouldn’t bother with this series even for the morbid curiosity.
The Midnight Club is a collection of poorly written and acted ghost stories that exist within a mystery. In a hospice designed for teens with terminal diseases, a club was formed to help cope with the ever-looming death around them. The teens gather every night to tell ghost stories and blow off steam. But there is something sinister is afoot. The teens see ghosts and hear voices that aren’t there. There is something about a cult, but I honestly stopped caring pretty early on.
The acting is bad, and somehow the writing is worse. Scenes that exist outside of the ghost stories fair a little better, but barely. The biggest issue I have with this series is with the ghost stories. The stories are generic, and often parodies of better horror stories or movies. This would be fine if the intention was to parody, but it isn’t. This is a serious attempt at horror with very little value. Each story comes with an overbearing and poorly read narration that kills any tension the story could have. Some of the stories recap events that have occurred in the series, making this a redundant and uninteresting mess.
I wouldn’t mind if this show was a horror anthology if there wasn’t so much narration. I wouldn’t mind the stories if they didn’t take away from the overarching mystery. This series feels like several different shows, and none of it is cohesive. I often forgot there was a mystery tying the series together. I can’t tell you how many times I almost gave up on this series because nothing of note ever happens. This series has ghosts, tragic backstories, cults, death, and none of it matters.
The pacing is terrible. There is a lot of filler in this series. Most of it comes from the ghost stories, but there is a fair amount of self-service. The ghost stories are often interrupted by snide remarks or criticism from the other characters, and it kills any suspense the stories have. There are minutes dedicated after the stories to remark on how great the story and storyteller are. The main character won’t go an episode without talking about how smart and talented she is. It is infuriating how pretentious these characters can be.
The series does have a few interesting moments. I liked how the kids dealt with their mortality and talked about their illnesses. There are some interesting conversations about the social struggles they face due to their illness, but there isn’t enough to make it worth your time. Other than their illnesses, the characters have no depth to them.
Don’t watch this show because it is bad. The characters are flat, the plot doesn’t matter, and the acting isn’t even good. But if you don’t believe me, check it out on Netflix.
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Movie Review: Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
Don’t Worry Darling is a huge waste of time, don’t watch it in theaters. This film’s abysmal failure was rightfully predicted when the only news coming out nearing its release was about the drama that surrounded the filming. If this amateur attempt at horror doesn’t ruin Olivia Wild’s directing career, nothing will.
Don’t Worry Darling is about a dystopian desert community that is themed after the 1950’s American nuclear family fantasy. The men all work at a factory where what they do is a secret. The women are homemakers who look after the house and their husband’s every need. Everything seems perfect at the Valor project. Food is plentiful, there is a lot to do, and everything is perfect. But there is something sinister happening in the desert, and Alice is the only one who suspects such. Alice seeks answers, but the answers she seeks begin to unravel her world. It seems like her life at the Valor project isn’t as perfect as it seems.
Don’t Worry Darling is two hours where nothing happens. The first half hour is dedicated to Harry Styles making out with Alice, while the rest of the run time is padded with more fan service and fake deep sequences. If this movie dedicated as much time to developing its plot as it did with Mr. Styles, this could have been an actual movie. Instead, Don’t Worry Darling is a superficial attempt at replicating a better horror film.
The biggest problem with this movie is that there isn’t enough tension. The editing, the bizarre directing choices, and the acting
aren’t able to make this work. The acting is very inconsistent. In some scenes, the writing and the acting come together nicely and give the audience the false hope that the movie might get better. Most scenes, however, feel as if the actors are struggling to remember the lines they were given minutes before filming. It doesn’t help that most characters are poorly written cardboard cutouts of people. The cast does its best, but nothing can save this atrocity to film.
This is the part of the review where I will spoil the movie. If you are planning to watch it, don’t, but this is a good place to stop. You’ve been warned.
The movie is all set up, full of scenes that take way too long and symbols that overstay their welcome. With all this setup, the big defining twist still manages to come as a surprise. This whole movie exists as a simulation, and only the men know the truth. The women on the other hand have been reprogrammed to believe in the simulation and be perfect housewives. The idea is cool. In the hands of a competent director, this could have been a good movie, but it’s not.
Don’t Worry Darling’s follies make this movie anti-climactic. The villain is poorly written and without any presence. I forgot Chris Pine was even in this movie until he would show up for some poorly written moments. The only reason I knew he was the villain was that he was nearly always accompanied by ominous music. Alice on the other hand suffers from magical competence. She knows something is wrong and knows what to do because the script and director say so. Most events in this movie happen for the same reason. You can argue that it was all programmed to happen, but this movie isn’t good enough for that explanation. As a result, I never cared when Alice was in danger because I knew ex-Machina would save the day.
Instead of wasting so much time on symbolism and fan service, it should have spent time developing its mystery and gas-lighting Alice. There should have been more clues to suggest that this was a simulation. There should have been more meaningful interactions between Alice in the world; maybe it wouldn’t feel so frustratingly magical. There should have been a better director. Olivia Wild tried and failed, and this was the result. Don’t watch this movie.
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