I don't mind its abstract nature and the parabolic script BUT the 3/4 of the movie is actively trying to NOT make any sense. I'm all for mysteries and decoding but that was just self-indulgent mental masturbation. So 6.5/10 cuz the writer tried to make himself seem smarter than he is.
Wow, so much going on in this movie that many people will find much of it confusing and boring. I think this movie portrays the idea of anxiety very well while some parts of this movie make absolutely no sense, but I did find it entertaining.
"I'm not asking you to leave, I'm asking you to fucking drink this fucking paint with me."
There was some stuff in here that I really liked, but considering it was a 3-hour movie, there simply wasn't enough stuff that I liked for me to rate this highly. I spent most of the runtime uninterested and bored with what was going on.
The odyssey of a spineless middle-aged loser who must traverse oceans and mountains to visit his overbearing mother. The journey is embellished with reimagined childhood traumas and moments of surreal comedy that could only be described as grotesque. Initially, it feels like plunging into a world seen through the eyes of someone plagued by pathological anxiety. However, as the narrative unfolds, there’s a progressive shift towards pure psychoanalytic delirium rich in symbolic elements.
While the formula succeeds in entertaining and captivating for the majority of its duration, the overall result leaves an impression of having been assembled in a somewhat disorderly and redundant manner. This approach seems to prioritize the director's self-indulgence and pretentiousness over the coherence of the storytelling.
In brief, it's an incredibly amusing and thought-provoking auteur spectacle, displaying remarkable audacity within contemporary cinema. Yet, its potential could have been elevated further with a better sense of restraint and cohesiveness.
a movie so soaked in metaphors that it loses its main idea
Narratively, this is a bit of a slog and overindulgent. Good acting and a few deliriously weird moments elevate this to something that can still be considered worthwhile.
I'll echo another reviewer here - we need proper grown up films and I don't want to criticise one that is just that.
But for me, as a whole entity. Meh.
Murphy's acting was fine, not outstanding. Emily Blunt didn't hit the mark. RDJ was solid. The rest did well with what they had I suppose.
I didn't like the pacing and I wasn't a fan of how it sought to tell us it knew more than the viewer does.
Let me paraphrase that... Nolan works best when he nods at perhaps knowing more about characters than we do (does Bruce Wayne survive? Does the spinning top keep spinning?) and fails when he underestimates the viewer and preaches that he is superior (tenet, oppenheimer).
3 hours for all this. Not worth it.
The scene where he had to give the speech after the Hiroshima bombings was a masterpiece. The whole movie ngl
Perhaps my fault was my expectations. I was interested in this movie due to it being A24 and the cast. The reviews were decent but the plot seemed to be something I would love. I was hoping for something like the gift, or the invitation were a simple plot builds suspense and keeps you waiting for something big to happen. Although this isn’t labeled as a horror movie or suspense I don’t feel it’s my fault for thinking they were trying that due to plenty of shots, dialogue and music. So does it ever build to anything? Kinda would be the answer stuff happens at the end that is kinda of entertaining but also dull at the same time knowing this is what u we’re waiting for. So is it worth the wait? Absolutely not this movie should be 40 minutes shorter and more concise if you are expecting what I was just go watch the gift or the invitation instead.
I was so excited to this movie. After all, it stars one of my favorite actors (Richard Jenkins) and it was a play turned into a movie. As the movie started I was all set to dive into a talkie drama. As it started it seemed promising enough. And then... there was nothing to dive into. The allusions to some kind of sinister goings-on were extremely odd and - even after you see that they are metaphorical - didn't work at all. The last scene summed up the movie. It.... just..... kept.... going.... until.... it..... feels.... like.... the.... movie..... just..... (snore).
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Two of my favourite actors and an intelligent script make this a 6.5 for me. Emma Thompson does complex emotions and witty dialogue as brilliantly always. Daryl Mccormack does depth, vulnerability masked by charm, and emotional connection very well.
The script allows for some exploration of themes like the weight of social expectations, holding yourself back, and accepting the uniqueness of individuals and what they desire.
The type of relationship the main characters they have and the boundaries within that mean the themes dont go deep and that means things can feel rushed on occasion.
Lots of things get explored and some even bigger almost socially taboo themes get fully opened up like the desirability of older women, the ability of younger men to have preferences beyond what's socially accepted, and living in the world being open about who you are.
Some brilliant things in this film and very watchable because of our two charming leads and the interesting script make the time pass quickly.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande was a really pleasant surprise. The way film dealt with insecurities was captivating and really believable. Both Thompson and McCormack were thriving throughout the movie and their chemistry was awesome. Although the setting did not allow the characters go too deep in their self-realizations, facial expressions and body work did fill the gaps perfectly for me, and revealed so much that words may have not captured. I really do recommend this to anyone who finds it interesting to see the dynamics of two persons of totally different generations and backgrounds trying to work out their communicative trappings and overcome their personal baggage to make the best out of their time.
Macabre to the core, what starts as a jovial evening with past friends quickly becomes a bleak yet almost too relevant look at the world in catastrophe. Not what I expected, and really enjoyed the slow reveal of what was truly happening. Some of the messages here will probably be interpreted differently now after everything that has happened in the real world, but as a dark drama comedy, this is a hit.
It has an engaging approach that turns an environmental drama into a Christmas dark comedy. The mixture of genres does not fully achieve balance, but when the script focuses on the third act, it builds a final part that is very emotional, and that makes us reflect on the importance that only five minutes can have. Lorne Balfe does an outstanding job, composing a Christmas soundtrack that hides large doses of irony.
Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode star in the subversive dark comedy Silent Night. On the eve of an impending ecological disaster a family gathers for one last Christmas. The film is surprisingly political, dealing with themes of environmentalism, medical ethics, and euthanasia. But the filmmakers do a good job at keeping the focus on the characters and never let the political issues overshadow them. Still, the plot is underdeveloped and leaves a lot intentionally vague or unaddressed. Also, the humor is rather morbid and crass; what little there is. A provocative and controversial film, Silent Night explores some interesting issues, but can be kind of trite and overly dramatic at times.
Thought it was great, but the ending is a let-down considering present circumstances..
Although the film starts off a bit corny and starts to drag with the laughs mainly served up by the kids, it takes a sinister twist and by the end it has you asking yourself, what would you do?
Often I watch movies on the basis of comments - the synposis is really only a theme, and people perceptions is more important.
For this one, that was a mistake. For me, the first 45 minutes was chatty dialogue , before the vague underlying story started to unfold, and then the implausible plot played out with very absolutely no surprises.
In my mind this was the drama / "horror" version of where a movie is based on a single joke, which them gets pushed well past the value it could have offered. This could have been a 22 minute story - but isn't
Imagine dying and not having anything better to drink than Coca-Cola.
A doomsday Christmas. I like a lot of the actors here. Some drab bits and some emotional and funny bits as well. Good stuff. Better than I expected to be sure. 6.5
If you go blind watching this movie you will be so wonderful surprised! A brilliant dark comedy, it had me laughing with their gags, really good dialogues. I cannot recommend it to someone who do not appreciate some surreal dark humor, and on this movie you have it in a great amount. Even on the final dramatic moments, it has great laugh scenes.
Delightfully surprised - this was actually very very good. Some really funny lines from Russell Brand. Personally I'm sick of the hollywood remake obsession at the moment - but this one has turned out better than the original!
That was a mad film and lots of fun, plenty of comedy if you have my dark sense of humour.. all cast were good.. hide n seek with a deadly twist.. love it!
Fun easy short watch. The story is pretty thin and probably makes no sense the more you think about it, but the characters and dark comedy tone are great.
7/10
[Göteborg FF] Konchalovsky builds a look at communism from the silent accomplices, those who know nothing or want to know nothing. This social brainwashing causes the protagonist to long for Stalin, even though she faces the horrors of the KGB. The film has a frenetic pace, of constant dynamism, although in this case the 4: 3 screen, and its unbalanced frames, does not seem the best format for the story. There is a casual look that however does not hide the drama of the story.
An "alright" movie with incredible performances.
If this movie was to be rated on Ralph Fiennes performance, it would be an easy 10/10, but i'm not going to do that. I'm going to rate it as a movie, and as a movie the start was overly abrupt, very little is given enough attention, there are very little twists and turns once the main twist that everyone, including the staff, are going to die by the end of the night has been revealed, and there are no emotional beats I can think of at all.
It was an okay movie. But the story was pretty simple, the characters not all that memorable, and if they hadn't managed to get someone as great as Ralph Fiennes as the Chef I dread to think how much lower the score would be.
We join The Menu on a private pier, alongside a dozen snooty, well-dressed guests awaiting transport to an exclusive island retreat. There resides a world-renowned chef, plus an eerily devoted kitchen staff, who have prepared a culinary experience like no other. As we’re led through a tour of the grounds, curtly seated and served our first expensive wine pairing, a sense of unease settles over the room. There’s tension in the air, a mutual holding of the breath that disturbs the once-cordial atmosphere between dining partners and envelopes the celebrity chef like a cloak as he stands before the room to introduce the first course.
The film’s basic premise is that everyone has something to hide, no matter how they choose to disguise it, but it’s crafty about illustrating that point. Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) has a personal bone to pick with all in attendance, save for one last-minute substitution (Anya Taylor-Joy), and uses the contents of the meal to voice those complaints. Dished in gratuitous detail and served with an itemized list of ingredients, it’s half high-end food porn and half salacious tell-off, with a spicy side tray of dark humor. Like its thematic contemporary, Glass Onion, The Menu works a fine balance between witty laughs and creepy suspense. Helplessly, we guess (often wrong but sometimes right) about the next surprise. We laugh at the absurdity of the menu, the vapidity of the social elite and the icy boldness of the staff. And, in the end, we’re left a little unnerved. Well done, all around.
If not taken seriously, this is a great and funny movie :wink:
