Bands44

The Menu overall is a good movie. It reminds me of a balanced mix of Knives out and The most Dangerous Game. Having elements of mystery, satire and healthy amount of horror. You can see why people say it's great and I would say it's also great however it really does not have rewatch value.

The basic plot is a pretty much a look at a chef whose industry has been destroyed by the ultra-wealthy clientele he has to serve every day, him losing his passion for cooking and him seeking revenge on all of them however facing a problem with a client who was there by a mistake.

The plot was quite original, the pacing of the story from a seemingly normal though weird restaurant on an island with a famous chef to a gradual realisation of the man's horrific true intention is what made it enjoyable. My favourite part was the tortilla scene and Jeremy. I did feel that at times it was all too easy. Yes, they are on island with security and thus can't do anything but the idea that the staff had no second thoughts was a bit annoying and the customers all pretty much just accepted the fate from the get-go.

The characters were good. Chef Slowik, felt bad for the guy, but would it have been better for him and his crew to just commit revenge on customers and bring in the next lot next week. Yes, suspicion would be raised but it seems a bit anti-climactic for him to go down with the ship the first time. The patrons were really what you imagine a bunch of rich people who can afford that kind of restaurant to be like but at the same time I did not feel any angst towards them at all. There was nothing at all classically evil about them (which could have been at a dig at chef for his pretentious nature but nonetheless it is why I felt a sort of "ehh good movie, can't complain" about The Menu, I felt devoid of the whole plot. Yes, enjoyable and exciting at times but it also felt like I was watching perfectly executed plan happen in front of me.

And sadly, the addition of Margot did not illicit much in me. She was a bit bland, you could tell me she was hired to be there, and you could tell she is just like the other patrons - I would not care - just seemed like a character who was there to thicken a plot that would have been good without her. But at the same time, she was not a necessarily bad addition to the movie. Just plain average.

Would recommend.

Set in New Zealand 1954, girls who are unruly are sent off to a strict Christian reform school. Being 1950s New Zealand, the school aims to teach the girls to become good wives, reject modernity like American culture (Rock n Roll). Another one is the assimilation into European culture and the rejection Maori identity and traditions. Our three main characters Neiley, Daisy and Lou have a hard time coming into these term with these rules and thus rebelled until their friendship is tested.

We Were Dangerous reminds of something like Derry Girls. You are following young girls in the 1950s being affected by the events around them. The movie does a good job in taken us back to 1950s New Zealand we see how some girls in the reform school are there for being promiscuous, being gay and being thieves (one child is in foster care and the other was sent to the city by themselves - I hardly fault them). The girls are taught to be proper Christian women so they are ready for marriage without being taught basics such as reading and writing. And of course the forced assimilation and cultural annihilation of the Maori by the sister (principal) completely rejecting her culture, the school not allowing Maori to be spoken, written and really any semblance of it to be shown.

Overall, it quite nice to watch. Can be a bit comedic at times and serious at others.

Needed something short to watch and I ended up binging this show. It quite amazing it has a good balance of drama and comedy. The acting is wonderful; the storyline is intriguing and not a carbon copy of some other show you have watched and even better is it not a sequel.

Just Act Normal follows three black siblings whose mother died and them trying to act normal to other family, friends and adults so they are not sent to foster care. Of course, someone notices something off and starts trying to figure out what is going on.

Something I heavily liked about the show was the fact every single character had their own plot which did not always lead back to the shows main plot - but does help us understand their thinking. The characters just seemed like full pledged individual people

I'm not from the UK; however, I am still surprised I have not seen any advertisement or coverage of this show. I really cannot wait for season 2 :)