reviewsOur film editors will guide you through the current offerings. What must you see and why? In addition to the previously published review of She Said about the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the costume drama will also appear in the cinema tomorrow Emily or Wuthering Heightswriter Emily Brontë, a gritty version of the classic fairy tale Pinocchio and the culinary thriller The Menu.
Biographical film about Wuthering Heights author Emily Brontë paints too well within the lines
About writer Emily Brontë, famous for her only novel Wuthering Heights, is little known. So the makers of a film about her (only 30 years short) life were free to go about their business. There are plenty of hints in Brontë’s masterpiece from 1847, which knocks down faith and unconditional love, among other things. She must have been a rebel, a free spirit ahead of her time. An angry, perhaps depressed woman. Debut screenwriter director Frances O’Connor (who we mainly know as an actress in films like AI and Mansfield Park) diligently tries to get into her troubled head. Yet it never becomes much more than an exemplary costume drama. Emily certainly captivates, but the writer actually deserves a film that dares to color outside the lines more. Gudo Tienhooven
Directed by: Frances O’Connor. Starring: Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Fionn Whitehead and Gemma Jones
Gothic version of Italian fairytale classic
Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) was already making stop motion films at the age of eight using his toys and his father’s Super 8 camera. Also the idea for its own film version of Pinocchio originated in his childhood years. But it was decades before the Mexican was allowed to work with Carlo Collodi’s nineteenth-century fairytale classic, expertly assisted by animation specialist Mark Gustafson (Fantastic Mr. Fox).
Naturally, Del Toro, lover of dark Frankensteinstories, they have a quirky mourning edge, combined with pleasantly witty humour. His little boy, carved from wood, magically brought to life, also lives in Italy in the 1930s, when Mussolini and fascism were on the rise. All characteristic figures and sets are clearly made with care and love. The ‘normal’ characters also look ‘woody’, villains are certainly not cuddly and details such as a worn jacket or ‘moving’ hair have also been thought of. We gladly forgive him that Del Toro clogs his certainly not childish story with too many plot lines. -Maricke Nieuwdorp
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson. Voices: Ewan McGregor, Gregory Mann, Ron Perlman and Cate Blanchett
Culinary fine film with a twist
This exclusive, culinary trip to the island of the renowned chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) and his excellent brigade is not for Jan Modaal. Only a few wealthy dinner guests, including spoiled investors, a famous actor and a culinary critic, can afford such an expensive dinner. Connoisseur Tyler (Nicolas Hoult) has also saved up to join Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy). But Margot is hardly impressed by the exquisite dishes and Slowik’s theatrical interludes, which do turn out to be more and more curious.
This comic thriller serves all taste buds of the viewer. There is suspense, bone-dry, absurdist humor and a pinch of social criticism. The plot twists are original and the recordings of the dinner can compete with Netflix’s culinary fine films. Chef’s Table. This delightfully taut film from Mark Mylod (succession) is not a second too long. The impossible to place, mysterious Fiennes is a successful creep and Taylor-Joy effortlessly plays the casual, cool chick. -Maricke Nieuwdorp
Directed by: Mark Mylod. Actors: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult and Hong Chau
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