I always say there’s “good weird” and “bad weird.” Good weird means, at least for me, that while I’m watching an unconventional story, a bit outside the bounds of mainstream, at least I’m watching a comprehensible narrative that’s told in an artful way.
Here are a few films that you can watch right now, and should, if you like what I’ve just described:
It joins the movie just below as a tweak of the pretentions of the upper crust. I guess the Zeitgeist is just currently set to target snooty know-it-alls who think they’re better than us. Choosing an exclusive, secluded restaurant that is the envy of hedonist foodies as the setting is brilliant.
Ralph Fiennes is the Chef who, as we will see, is ready to take the concept of exclusive dining to a crazy, craaazeee level. I had avoided all spoilers and so the “reveal” was a cool jaw-dropping surprise for me.
But in case you already know the “big” reveal, don’t worry – there are plenty of other unforeseen disclosures that keep things exciting. Things that are mostly bad deeds that the diners have done in their pasts, and which the Chef has uncovered and will use against them.
Fiennes , brilliant as always, hasn’t been this menacing since Schindler’s List, and the cast are like a Poseidon Adventure of types. Anya Taylor-Joy, the only “innocent” among the group, who was bought here on a last minute date, gives us someone to root fo and a promise of redemption. But it’s just as fun watching the bad foodies getting their just desserts
In Theaters and on HBO Max
Like The Menu, this one is just a leeeetle bit heavy-handed on the satirical messaging. But also like The Menu, it makes its points with humor (in a slightly lighter shade of black.)
Yes, it’s a batshit crazy romp with a thought-provoking ending. I never thought I could feel this way about a film that features a veritable flood of sewage on board a luxury yacht, but the director has a way of daring you to look away.
And what a cast!
All of the films in this post have one major thing in common: on paper, you’d never guess that they could work – not only work – but be sublimely entertaining. read the review here of Bones and All: