I’m a member of Northampton Filmhouse, therefore I get three free tickets to the movies every year. It costs £40 and you get some other discounts and priority booking etc. It’s a great little two screen independent cinema attached to the Royal and Derngate Theatres in the heart of Northampton. The seats are recline-able and you get tonnes of leg room which is awesome for me as my knees are shit. Anyway, check it out, give it a go, screens are small but generally it’s a pleasant way to enjoy a film.
Because I get these free tickets, I like to have a little look at what’s coming up and use my free tickets on films that I might not usually see or are indie or just something unusual. O the Filmhouse also puts on classic films and seems to always show The Muppets Christmas Carol at Christmas. So you can sometimes get a chance to see a film on the big screen that was out when you weren’t even born.
The Menu is one of those films that I wouldn’t normally go and see. It’s described as a black comedy horror film or a thriller / horror and anything really with horror in it is a no from me. I don’t normally get scared by horror films, I just can’t be bothered with them. Watching people get tortured for two hours never really piques my interest. Here is where I give an honourable mention to the film Ready or Not (2019) starring Samara Weaving with a hearty mention to Nicky Guadagni. It’s a thriller, black comedy horror film that is well worth the watch. Bit gory in parts. To be fair it’s a bit pants, but you can’t help getting involved and hoping the underdog will survive the night.
Anyway, back to the delicious offerings of The Menu. An excited young couple travel to a mysterious island to dine at a unique restaurant where the chef has rustled up a sumptuous meal. Prepare to be shocked by the choicest morsels that play out. Ralph Fiennes is immense. He starts off as a pretentious inedible chef with a cultish following and gets worse, descending into nihilism. Nicholas Hoult is the overly eager fanboy of said chef, where nothing but the meal matters. He wants to experience everything that this chef has to offer and I mean everything.
Anya Taylor-Joy deserves her own paragraph. So, full disclosure, I think she’s gorgeous, which means I’m already predisposed to believe that she’s good at what she does. But she is bloody good at what she does. As the meal is served, her character’s secrets seep out like grease from a delicious cheese burger. From moment to moment, her characterisation is on point. The audience is frightened with her, for her and nervous that our unlikely heroine may well not pull through. Her coup de grâce is delectable and has you wiping your plate with the last few fries because the burger was just that good.
I definitely recommend this film.
To finish, just a small warning. One of the themes of the film is suicide. This is a tricky subject and can be triggering so please be careful if this is something that worries you.
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