Tag: Anya Taylor-Joy

REVIEW: The Menu (2022)

Ralph Fiennes’ Julian Slowik sizes up Anya Taylor-Joy’s Margot, who wasn’t supposed to be there, in THE MENU — PHOTO: Eric Zachanowich / Searchlight Pictures.

Directed by Mark Mylod — Screenplay by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy.

Mark Mylod’s The Menu follows Margot (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) and her food-obsessed boyfriend, Tyler (played by Nicholas Hoult). Tyler has paid for them to go to this highly exclusive restaurant called ‘Hawthorne,’ which resides on this little remote island. Hawthorne is home to the world-renowned chef Julian Slowik (played by Ralph Fiennes) and his highly devoted kitchen staff. Tyler has paid an obscene amount of money to get there because he worships Slowik, and, in actuality, the trip wasn’t originally meant for Margot but rather for his ex-girlfriend. In fact, Margot seems wholly disinterested in the pretentious dishes and overall culture around high-end cooking. She stands out immediately among the guests who also include a food critic that can make or break careers (played by Janet McTeer), tech investors, a past-it actor (played by John Leguizamo), and others. For this evening, Slowik has prepared a detailed but theatrical menu that toys with expectations and that takes aim at his guests. But, eventually, Margot and others start to question whether what is happening is showy high-end cooking or something much more malicious.

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REVIEW: The Northman (2022)

Alexander Skarsgård has transformed himself to play the role that I think he was born to play in THE NORTHMAN – Photo: Universal Pictures.

Directed by Robert Eggers (The Witch) – Screenplay by Robert Eggers & Sjón.

Inspired by Icelandic sagas and Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesta Danorum legend of Prince Amleth of Jutland (the latter of which was supposedly the inspiration for William Shakespeare’s Hamlet), The Northman is a $90 million budgeted epic viking revenge film from Robert Eggers, the director of the relatively low-budgeted indie ‘art house-esque’ horror films The Witch and The Lighthouse. It is a dirty, violent, blood-soaked, and brilliantly-made film, and it is easily Robert Eggers’ most accessible film, even though it definitely isn’t your average big-budgeted action film.

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REVIEW: Emma. (2020)

Mia Goth as Harriet Smith (left) and Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma Woodhouse (right) in Autumn de Wilde’s ‘Emma.’ — Photo: Focus Features.

Directed by Autumn de Wilde — Screenplay by Eleanor Catton.

Autumn de Wilde’s feature film directorial debut, Emma., is a romantic-dramedy period piece based on the 1815 Jane Austin novel of the same name, which has been adapted numerous times. Autumn de Wilde’s film takes place in the early 19th Century and it follows its privileged titular character, Emma Woodhouse (played by Anya Taylor-Joy), as she interferes with her friend’s love life. Her friend, the sweet but impressionable Harriet Smith (played by Mia Goth), is attracted to a Mr. Robert Martin (played by Connor Swindells). But, instead, Emma thinks that Harriet should pursue a romantic relationship with the local vicar, Mr. Elton (played by Josh O’Connor), even though it’s clear to everyone except for Emma and Harriet that he is actually attracted to the title character. Continue reading “REVIEW: Emma. (2020)” →

REVIEW: The New Mutants (2020)

New Mutants Still Image
‘The New Mutants,’ Still Image — Photo: Claire Folger / 20th Century Studios.

Directed by Josh Boone — Screenplay by Josh Boone & Knate Lee.

For a while there, it seemed like Josh Boone’s The New Mutants would never see the light of day. They wrapped principal photography in September 2017 and originally planned for an April 2018 theatrical release, but, right when Disney executives were working overtime to acquire Fox, the film was delayed over and over again. The film which had been developed by 20th Century Fox was ultimately released by Disney’s 20th Century Studios in the middle of a global pandemic. It felt like the film was quietly being swept under the rug, which may not be far from the truth as the film was the final film from the Fox-era of X-Men. Originally, I was very interested in the film after having seen the early marketing material, which made The New Mutants seem like a true horror film. Now that I have finally seen the film, I can say that the early trailers were more memorable than the film, which is messy and poorly paced. But I will say that it definitely isn’t the complete and utter trainwreck that the constant release delays may have led you to believe. It’s not good, but it certainly isn’t the worst Fox-developed X-Men film. Continue reading “REVIEW: The New Mutants (2020)” →

REVIEW: Glass (2019)

US Theatrical Release Poster – Universal Pictures

The following is a review of Glass — Directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

Unbreakable is my favorite film from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, whose career has been one of the bumpiest rides for any filmmaking talent in recent memory, and Split, Shyamalan’s 2017 secret continuation of the Unbreakable-universe, gave me one of my favorite experiences in a movie theater at the very end of the film, when Bruce Willis appeared out of nowhere to reveal that Mr. Glass, David Dunn, and The Beast exist in the same world. Continue reading “REVIEW: Glass (2019)” →

REVIEW: Thoroughbreds (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster — Focus Features / Universal Pictures

The following is a review of Thoroughbreds — Directed by Cory Finley.

Remember My Chemical Romance? It was a rock band that my sister loved back in the day. I really liked their album The Black Parade, and every now and then some of the band’s songs come to mind. When I was watching writer-director Cory Finley’s directorial debut Thoroughbreds, I started to think about their song “Teenagers” — more specifically about the line “All teenagers scare the living shit out of me. They could care less as long as someone will bleed.” The late-great acting talent Anton Yelchin, in what seems to be his final role on film, has a similar line in the film, but he manages to express himself in much fewer words: “fucking evil children.” Continue reading “REVIEW: Thoroughbreds (2018)” →

REVIEW: Split (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster - Split
Release Poster – Split

The following is a review of Split – Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

M. Night Shyamalan has had an interesting career so far. He was once called the next Steven Spielberg and the ‘hottest’ name in storytelling, but when he released The Village, which got mixed reviews, his career fell off a cliff. Suddenly, the guy who was known for his fun story twists, became known for films like The Last Airbender and The Happening. M. Night Shyamalan became known as the guy that made perhaps the most unintentionally funny natural disaster film of the 21st Century (I am again, of course, referring to The Happening). Continue reading “REVIEW: Split (2017)” →

REVIEW: Barry (2016)

Release Poster - Netflix
Release Poster – Netflix

The following is a quick review of Barry – Directed by Vikram Gandhi.

Some part of me thinks that it is too early for us to see a Barack Obama biopic – seeing as he is still the sitting President for another month – but, at the time of writing, we already have two films. Thankfully, I’m happy to report that this film – Vikram Gandhi’s Barry – definitely isn’t a waste of time. In fact, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed watching it. Continue reading “REVIEW: Barry (2016)” →