The Menu

 Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult,
Hong Chau, John Leguizamo, Janet McTeer,
Judith Knight, Paul Adelstein

"Wonderful surprises await you all"

A group are invited to feast on the gastronomic delights of renowned Chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) in his restaurant called Hawthorne on a secluded, private island. An elderly couple who are regulars, a food critic and her editor, three guys in the tech industry, a foodie fanatic and his girlfriend and a has been actor with his female assistant. All of them are affluent as the exclusive full course dining experience is not cheap, at all.

As the evening progresses from the first course to the next, the diners brutally realize they were personally chosen by Chef Slowik. Each course is specifically designed to make his guests very uncomfortable. It is like a can of worms is unleashed upon the exquisitely, well conceived dishes. It turns out Chef Julian has a lot of ax to grind not only against his moneyed guests but against the whole fine dining industry, itself.

Both Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy’s portrayal of multi-faceted, layered characters was brilliant. The ensemble cast was effectively good, as well. Do pay special attention to Anya Taylor-Joy as Margot, she is the main ingredient in this dark comedy that simmers to expose what ails the restaurant industry. The movie is a social commentary on the food industry. From sexual harassment, inequality in the service industry, the cancel culture of the food media, the canonization of popular Michelin star chefs and elitism in the fine dining world.

Make sure, you have a firm stomach as some of the scenes can be quite explicitly shocking. Much like the guests who are trapped with no chance of escaping the evil designs of Chef Julian, you will be engrossed and riveted until the fiery end. 

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill,

Margot Robbie, Jean Dujardin,

Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner

Leonardo DiCaprio in no way resembles the real Jordan Belfort. He is way too 'pretty' compared to the craggy faced Belfort. So to see him jump into Belfort's persona might need a little adjustment given that the role does demand a lot from DiCaprio. But surprisingly he does a wonderful job as the crass, smooth talking, in.your.face stockbroker who made millions by conning the rich to invest in stocks of dubious companies.

The real Belfort in his interview with Piers Morgan remain steadfast in his belief that he only 'robbed' from the very rich and no one really lost all their life savings. After his incarceration he has somehow 'reformed' and now 'robs' common people by giving motivational talks about the art of selling.   Although he admits that most of his current earnings go towards paying the huge amount he still owes the investors of his now defunct company, the Stratton Oakmont.

But I'm getting way ahead, the film explores the rise of Belfort from a young idealistic stockbroker to a greedy, conniving, immoral, drugs and sex addicted capitalist.  The dialogue is sharp, witty and mostly peppered with the *F* word which I doubt was even used as rampantly as it is depicted in the early 1990s.  Raunchy scenes of the debauchery that went on in and out of their office are thrown at the audience in every other frame.

The film is also quite funny with Jonah Hill, the comedian bringing in most of the laughs. I like the repartee between him and DiCaprio, their scenes together were always spot on.  The sequence showing the 'cerebral palsy' stage of the drugs kicking in, had me laughing out so much I almost peed in my pants.

Running at almost 3 hours long, there were a few scenes which could have been edited out. But the pacing was quite fast with so much going on at the same time, it felt like you were as high as most of the characters on screen.
 

Labeled as a "satire", it was aimed to expose the over the top, excesses of the capitalist world in the early 1990s.  Yet as the film progressed, it seemed to me it glamorized this sort of behavior.  That it was alright to manipulate and con people, because after all, who doesn't want to be filthy rich, right? When you're laughing at the destruction Belfort causes to not only himself, but also those around him, you realize the movie has failed to set a justifiable tone.

Having said that, I believe "The Wolf of Wolf Street" is a well crafted movie. Martin Scorsese never disappoints and by delivering such an outlandish over the top film, he proves he is one of the best directors in the industry who dares to take risks and is fearless in his approach.

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN

Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt
Kristin Scott Thomas, Amr Waked

"Make the Impossible Possible"

Cinema 5, Trinoma Mall

For some reason, this charming little film was only shown at the Ayala malls cinemas. So I ventured out of my comfort zone and found myself sitting in an almost empty theater. It felt like I was seated in my own living room  - the only thing missing was my pillow.

The movie is based on Paul Torday’s novel with the very strange title.  It stems from a project of a wealthy sheik who wants to bring salmon fishing to his native land, Yemen.  Of course, it is an impossible task yet when the sheik is willing to invest 50 million dollars into the project, you simply cannot refuse the lucrative offer.   Not to mention the fact that the British government needs a moral booster after some of its troops were injured in a grenade attack in Afghanistan. Billed under the "good news from the Middle East" category, the gargantuan operation would certainly boost Anglo Arabic relations.

The persons directly involved in the enormous logistics for this major project include a skeptical fisheries expert named Dr Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor), the investment consultant of the sheik Ms Harriet Chetwold-Talbot (Emily Blunt),  Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas), the press officer of the British Prime Minister's office and Sheik Muhammed (Amr Waked).

Aside from the political connotations and questions like "Can money really buy everything?", the film strives pretty much on the solid acting of the cast.  I liked the chemistry between Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt.  Both equally talented, they essayed their roles with subtle nuances giving their characters so much depth.

Buoyed by a beautiful cinematography with interesting angles of long, wide shots of picturesque terrain as well as creative underwater segments, this movie was visually appealing.

The sheikh who is considered somehow of a visionary with progressive ideas for his country is very enigmatic. He strongly believes in the immeasurable power of faith and making the impossible, possible.  It is the same faith that guides the viewers as you watch and silently yet firmly wish that the project will be a success. 

"Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" is a delightful little movie that shows that it isn't always a bad thing to have dreams which no one believes in. As long as you have conviction, coupled with a positive attitude, you can accomplish and achieve anything with great success.  

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS

George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey

"No goats. No glory."

The weird title of this film should give you enough insight to expect a really absurd and bizarre plot line. And true enough it won't disappoint you one single bit.

Based on Jon Ronson's book of the same name, The Men Who Stare At Goats is about a top secret US government program which explored the possibility of using paranormal powers against military enemies. These so called "psychic spies" of The New Earth Army tried, for example, to make goats drop dead by staring at them. They also experimented with "attack bees", trying to walk through walls, making subliminal sounds and invisibility.

The film takes off as insecure reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) follows a lead into a story told by a supposedly psychic American spy named Lyn Cassady (George Clooney). This takes him right smack in Baghdad during the Iraq War.

McGregor narrates every minute of this film by often helpfully over-explaining information that is already visible onscreen. It reminded me so much of Matt Damon’s character and his annoying voice over in the "The Informant".

George Clooney, however, is sublime. Isn't he always? He plays the possibly psychic—or maybe just psychotic— "jedi warrior" with the nuanced stillness of a Zen master. It's a sly, comic version of his character in the much misunderstood "Syriana".

This satire had some funny dialogue along with effervescent bits of weirdness mostly courtesy of Clooney who desperately tries to convince the naive reporter of his psychic powers. This is probably his least important film yet certainly not the oddest movie (remember "Burn after Reading"?) in his illustrious career.

Sadly the movie doesn't truly explore nor reveal anything concrete. The ending offers some closure by letting the reporter find his true worth. A really bizarre movie that falls in between the cracks of dramedy and military satire. While it has a fine cast and some wry humor, this story of an experimental U.S. military unit with allegedly psychic powers never really gets off the ground. Like most psychic research, this film is inconclusive and unsatisfying to all but the truest of true believers.