Review Roundup: Week of 11.18.22 (Part 2)
We catch up with several of the other new titles. Check out our reviews of "The Menu," "Spirited," "The Inspection," and "Bardo."
New Releases
The Menu - In Theaters - 9/10
The restaurant world has changed immensely in the past decade. While there have always been celebrity chefs, social media has boosted seemingly unknown talents to superstardom. Creating foods that go viral on TikTok became as important as a good meal. The experiential platform of restaurants has become a sought-after commodity. What was once a mystery is now fully exposed to the “foodie” enthusiast in us all. In Mark Mylod‘s The Menu, the restaurant world comes to blows with those who have made the consumption of food their hobby. However, wrapped into the screenplay (from Seth Reiss & Will Tracy) are class dynamics, the role of the service industry, and questions about high art. The delectable storytelling helps The Menu become one of the most entertaining films of 2022, one that is sure to only grow with repeat viewings.
New couple Margo (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) get ready for an exclusive dining experience. However, when they arrive at the island to enjoy their meal, it appears there is more at play. Their fellow diners include a famed food critic (Janet McTeer), a movie star (John Leguizamo), finance bros (Arturo Castro, Rob Yang, & Mark St. Cyr), and a wealthy couple (Reed Birney & Judith Light). Yet each has ties to Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) and his staff (Hong Chau, Christina Brucato, and more). As the night unfolds, Margo finds herself in a tête-à-tête with Slowik over her arrival.
Mylod does not waste time in his tight film, which clocks in under two hours. Instead, he begins threading concepts into the audience’s mind from the word go. The ways characters react to one another, their styles, and their general contempt for human interaction tell us more about them in ten minutes than many films ever reveal. While there are movie and television stars throughout the ensemble, Mylod ensures that we learn as much about each guest as quickly as possible, allowing the true ensemble to shine.
Read the full review of The Menu here!
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths - In Theaters, Streaming on Netflix 12/16 - 9/10
s hard to feel bad for successful people. Even when life becomes difficult for them, they can rest easy knowing that professional validation and financial wealth keep them afloat. Few would feel sympathy for Alejandro González Iñárritu, the winner of back-to-back Directing Oscars in 2015 and 2016. The very legitimate question, "what do I do next?" clearly weighted on Iñárritu for years. So he decided to embrace every whimsy, fantasy, and self-doubt he's ever had, packaged in a single film. His first film since 2016, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, is every bit a maximalist feature full of seemingly pretentious ideas. Yet, pulling back the layers, it's a film that meets the director on his wavelength instead of attempting to impersonate a normal person. Iñárritu not only flays himself and his mind for two and a half hours. The resulting film enters the canon for directors letting their surrealist flag fly. This is the maximalist filmmaking you love to see.
Journalist and documentarian Silverio (Daniel Giménez Cacho) return to Mexico before receiving a unique award. While the country and his friends celebrate Silverio, he finds life a struggle. His wife (Griselda Siciliani) continues to struggle with her miscarriage. Silverio's son Lorenzo (Íker Sánchez Solano) mocks him for considering himself a "true Mexican," while his daughter Camila (Ximena Lamadrid) cannot find her place in American schools. Silverio cannot face his former partner Luis (Francisco Rubio), and the weight of Mexico's history continues to weigh on his shoulders. As he dives deeper into the culture he left behind, the documentarian's visions become increasingly unmoored from reality.
Iñárritu has long been pegged as a dark and nihilistic filmmaker, often skewering obvious ideas. This began with the backlash against Birdman and only intensified after The Revenant. Opinions certainly vary on each, but there's a cynicism facing both that feels increasingly results-oriented. At the heart of Bardo, Iñárritu appears to agree with the consensus. He believes himself something of a fraud, overrewarded for the work that made him the scourge of cinephiles around the globe. Yet, at the same time, Iñárritu knows what he is as an artist and filmmaker. He goes as big as he can, as often as he can, and Bardo is no different.
Read the full review of Bardo here!
The Inspection - In Theaters - 8/10
The last few years have seen a rise in auto-biographical storytelling. With directors having the opportunity to make their passion projects, we’re seeing an uptick in nostalgic filmmaking. However, The Inspection from newcomer Elegance Bratton does not look back on his youth with fondness. Instead, his debut film as a director focuses on the toughest time of his life: becoming a Marine at 25. Thanks to a star-making performance from Jeremy Pope, The Inspection allows Bratton to show a stunning command of the camera. His film does not just contain an incredible emotional core but displays promise for his future as a director.
In his early 20s, Ellis French (Pope) finds himself homeless and isolated from his family. A gay, black man, he receives little help from his mother (Gabrielle Union), who believes he will always be trouble. When French joins the Marine Corps, he finds himself serving under tough drill sergeant Laws (Bokeem Woodbine). However, as he progresses through training, he finds allies and rivals that will push him to the brink.
Bratton relies on Pope to shine throughout his performance, and it’s clear he’s trusted the right actor. Not only does Pope provide the emotional journey to bring Ellis to life, but he transforms physically. A quick side-by-side of the actor from the beginning of the film to the end shows his physical transformation is not just muscle and strength. By the film’s end, he carries himself as a man of confidence haunted by self-doubt. He shows sly arrogance and the self-awareness to know it can go away in a minute. All this can be seen in every mannerism and movement. Pope and Ellis are one-and-the-same in this film. The actor simply disappears into the role.
Read the full review for The Inspection here.
Spirited - Streaming on AppleTV+ - 7/10
The rise of Ryan Reynolds over the past decade had been long overdue. The star of films like Van Wilder and Buried had more than proven his value as a fringe star. However, few would have guessed that the actor would often shy away from his foul-mouthed persona in non-superhero projects. Still, he’s maintained a slightly subversive edge in big-budget comedies, making him an ideal partner for someone like Will Ferrell to push him along. Besides some voice work in animated features, Ferrell has been pursuing TV and cameo roles for the past five years. Yet the combination of Reynolds and Ferrell makes for a surprisingly joyous ride in Spirited, the latest film from Apple TV+.
After more than forty consecutive years of helping heal misanthropes around the holidays, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell) has grown bored. He wants to ensure the changes he makes affect more than just a single person but instead spread larger ripples of hope and positivity. While Jacob Marley (Patrick Page) finds easy targets, Ferrell becomes fascinated with an “unredeemable” named Clint (Reynolds). To change Clint, the Ghost of Christmas Present must connect with those in his life (Octavia Spencer) and keep his own team (Sunita Mani & Tracy Morgan) on track.
Directed by Sean Anders, Spirited features surprisingly saccharine and sincere views of creating good in the world. It’s this ethos and choice that keeps the excitement up in Spirited, even as the film falters from being slightly overstuffed. Despite its runtime, Reynolds and Ferrell do a lot of good moving us along and keeping us within the story. For the first time since The Producers, someone uses Ferrell’s singing talents for good. He’s long joked about his abilities, but his performance is the Mel Brooks adaptation was special (even if the movie struggles). Anders deserves some credit there, as does Ferrell for being game to go big.
Read the full review of Spirited here.
Soft & Quiet - In Theaters - 9/10
The last few weeks have seen a shocking rise in racist and hate speech in America. For decades, these phenomena have been hidden in the shadows, but the world’s access to new methods of communication and infinite information has increased the exposure of these ideas. Sadly, increased exposure has also opened the door to radicalization and disinformation. The brazen hate speech remains scary because it still only represents a small portion of the discourse behind closed doors. Director Beth de Araújo takes this issue head-on with her stunning debut thriller, Soft & Quiet, following a group of women who have started a new hate group. Produced by Blumhouse and distributed by Momentum Pictures, Soft & Quiet tells an upsetting but all-too-common tale of white supremacy.
Emily (Stefanie Estes) seems like a compassionate and caring teacher at the local school. However, after leaving work, she leads a meeting of white supremacists at her local church. Most of those in attendance are women she’s known for years, including her friend Kim (Dana Millican). The other members have recruited two younger women who have begun to embrace the philosophies of the movement. Marjorie (Eleanore Pienta) seems more unsure of her attendance until receiving positive feedback for her anger after she’s passed over for a promotion. Meanwhile, newcomer Leslie (Olivia Luccardi) represents a wildcard to the group, seemingly coming unhinged and overreacting. When the four women run into Anne (Melissa Paulo) and Lily (Cissy Ly), the women march toward a far more upsetting and dangerous clash.
Araújo’s arrival on the scene heralds an important conversation for Americans. In a world where white supremacist ideology and rhetoric have become far more commonplace, we must acknowledge our proximity to it. The jokes and humor associated with these acts are not funny. There is no wiggle room. Instead, diseases like hate and anger only push people and society towards extremist ideas. What’s often under-discussed is that the people actively perpetuating these ideas know what they are doing. Yet, they feign ignorance to continue to act in the way they feel.