Toronto Review: Mark Mylod’s Psychological Thriller ‘The Menu’

It’s been more than a year-and-a-half since the news that Keanu Reeves was developing a film based on his own comic book, “BRZRKR.” Since then, we found out that “The Batman” co-writer, Mattson Tomlin, was involved in crafting the script. However, no announcement has been made about who might direct.

When you’re someone like Elizabeth Olsen, a respected actress who has not shied away from being in franchise projects, you’re likely going to be the subject of all sorts of cast rumors for big projects.

Have you ever watched Christmas movies and thought, “Damn, there isn’t enough violence and death in this?” Well, if so, you’re going to be delighted by “Violent Night.”  As seen in the trailer for “Violent Night,” the film tells the story of a young girl who is excited about Christmas. But things get thrown for a loop when a group of bad guys break into her home and take her family hostage because they’re apparently sitting on a vault worth $300 million.

EXCLUSIVE: Music Box Films has acquired North American rights to SXSW road-trip drama The Unknown Country starring Certain Women and Killers of the Flower Moon actress Lily Gladstone and Raymond Lee (Top Gun: Maverick).

Posty is paying tribute!

New reports of Los Angeles Police Department officer Houston Tipping‘s tragic and “accidental” death make it seem like he may have actually been targeted for reporting the sexual misconduct of one of his fellow officers.

Tameside will become the first borough outside London to work with a charity to help vulnerable youngsters who ‘keep professionals awake at night’ out of a life of crime.

American western movie Rust, starring Alec Baldwin, will continue filming in January 2023 it has been confirmed. It comes as a deal was agreed with Halyna Hutchins' husband who will sit as an executive producer on the film.

Variety will salute its 10 Animators to Watch at a cocktail reception on Thursday.

Stacey Solomon has shared a video of the sweet moment her daughter took in the magic of a Disney parade as she whisked the youngster off for her first birthday. The Loose Women star celebrated her 33rd birthday on Tuesday (October 4) while little Rose turned one on the same day.

Eamonn Holmes has given he first update since undergoing 'risky' surgery last week and couldn't help but mock 'rumours'. The GB News star revealed last week that he was undergoing surgery in the hopes of it relieving his chronic pain.

Katie Reul editor David Harbour is boosting his resume as a badass in the first trailer for “Violent Night,” a holiday thriller featuring the “Stranger Things” star as Santa Claus. Under the direction of Norwegian filmmaker Tommy Wirkola, Harbour plays a grizzlier, more rueful version of Kris Kringle, who is anything but jolly in the trailer. On Christmas Eve, (Not-So) Saint Nick encounters a family being held hostage by a team of mercenaries and is forced to take matters into his own hands. Harbour is joined by an ensemble that includes Cam Gigandet, Beverly D’Angelo and John Leguizamo. The script was penned by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who previously wrote the first and second live-action “Sonic the Hedgehog” movies.

Manori Ravindran International Editor In Hollywood, beauty isn’t just skin deep — it’s a currency. So it’s striking that Harris Dickinson makes fun of his own bountiful good looks in Ruben Östlund’s satirical comedy “Triangle of Sadness,” in which he plays a spoiled male model who goes on a humbling journey. In person, Dickinson cuts a striking figure at 6’2”, with sculpted features and full, cherry lips. But ask this 26-year-old from a working-class, South London family about his own physicality, and he instantly recoils. It’s easy to understand why: to objectify him for his beauty alone is to miss him entirely. Dickinson is increasingly everywhere — not only in British cinema but also in an impressive number of Hollywood features. His may not be an overnight success, but his popularity has been simmering, andwill soon boil over into stardom. In four years, he’s had leading roles in indie hits like Joanna Hogg’s meta romance “The Souvenir II” and studio fare like Sony’s psychological murder mystery “Where the Crawdads Sing.”

Boro Kuzmanovic, the coach who gave Manuel Kanji his professional debut, has spoke of his pride in seeing his former player perform to peak levels on the biggest stage for Manchester City.

LaToya Ferguson In January 2021, the Jared Padalecki-starring and executive-produced “Walker, Texas Ranger” reboot (simply titled “Walker”) premiered as a new hit for The CW. Perhaps not quite infiltrating pop culture the same way as “Riverdale” had, still, it found success as a family and crime drama. The show was soon renewed for a second season, and is about to start its third. In the process of that success, naturally, the series was able to go the spinoff route — making this CW fall season two-for-two for spinoffs on Padalecki-associated vehicles, as the “Supernatural” prequel “The Winchesters” is also premiering soon, and he’s an executive producer on “Walker: Independence.” But the most interesting aspect of both of these spinoffs is that they specifically see value not in telling concurrent or future stories of the characters, but instead going back to the past, in prequel form.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Jodie Whittaker has signed with Verve for representation, Variety has learned exclusively. The English actress will continue to be managed by Brian DePersia at Cognition and represented in the UK by Will Hollinshead at Independent Talent Group. Whittaker is best known for taking over the iconic role of Doctor Who in the long-running sci-fi series of the same name. She was announced as the thirteenth incarnation of The Doctor in 2017, making her the first woman to hold the role in the show’s six decade history. She made her first appearance on “Doctor Who” in 2017 in the Christmas special episode “Twice Upon a Time” before taking over the role full-time in 2018. She announced she would be stepping down as The Doctor in July 2021, with her final appearances set to be a series of three special episodes, the last of which is due to air later in October.

DANCING On Ice will reveal a pop legend as its latest signing. Liberty X singer Michelle Heaton has signed up to take part in the upcoming series of the hit ITV show. Pals said Michelle, 43, cannot wait to start training for Dancing On Ice.

FURIOUS Strictly Come Dancing fans all have the same complaint about the judges just weeks into the competition. The BBC One show returned last month with a panel made up of Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke.

RYLAN Clark has lifted the lid on a number of juicy Big Brother secrets in his tell-all new memoir. The TV star, who won Celebrity Big Brother before hosting the show's sister programme Bit On The Side, told how some housemates' behaviour was more shocking outside of the CCTV than house than in it.

KATIE Price has revealed her children Bunny, eight and Jett, seven, sleep between her and fiancé Carl Woods in bed. The 44-year-old risked the wrath of their father – Kieran Hayler – as she shared the controversial information while defending Kerry Katona who does the same. In her latest column, Kerry revealed that her daughter DJ often shares the bed with her - and admitted she even sleeps between her and fiance Ryan.

LOOSE Women's Gloria Hunniford broke down in tears as she marked her late daughter's heartbreaking milestone. The 82-year-old paid tribute to Blue Peter presenter Caron Keating who would have turned 60 today.

A GOGGLEBOX star was left horrified after a racist threatened to throw acid in his girlfriend’s face. Tom Malone Jr, 26, first appeared on Gogglebox in 2014 alongside his parents Tom Sr and Julie and sibling Shaun, but no longer appears on the hit show.

COLEEN Nolan took a cheeky swipe at Loose Women while live on today's show. The presenter, 57, made a dig about the ITV programme's viewing figures - despite being one of its main presenters. But it appeared to all be in good jest, as Coleen laughed off the comment during a conversation about flirting.

MARRIED At First Sight UK is rocked by a fierce clash between Thomas Hartley and Whitney Hughes tonight. The brides and grooms are split up for a boozy night out, but the party atmosphere soon takes a turn for the worse.

STRICTLY'S Stacey Dooley showed off her baby bump in a vibrant pink outfit as she supported boyfriend Kevin Clifton's new stage show last night. The journalist and presenter's bump peaked out from underneath her plunging pink top which she paired with loose-fitting bottoms.

LOVE Island star Davide Sanclimenti has opened up on his and Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu’s relationship outside the villa. The glamorous pair rose to fame after winning hit ITV2 show Love Island this summer, and it seems their romance has gone from strength to strength.

THIS Morning viewers were left open mouthed today as Georgina Burnett presented a segment dressed as a sexy kitten. The TV star, 43, appeared on the show to discuss Halloween decorations and decided to really get into the spirit of it by dressing up.

Married since 1982, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne have entered a new phase of their relationship now that the former Black Sabbath star has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. In a vulnerable interview on the ITV show "Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson's" Sharon shared, "When I look at my husband, my heart breaks for him." She admitted, "Suddenly, your life just stops - life as you knew it." In a 2020 interview with Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America," the rocker opened up about his diagnosis, saying "It's been terribly challenging for us all." His wife echoed that statement in her new interview, revealing, "I'm sad for myself to see him in that way, but what he goes through is worse.

Haute cuisine — the worst, right? Minuscule portions, inscrutable foams, and spheres scattered across gigantic plates festooned with equally baffling smears and powders, prices not to be looked upon by those with documented cardiac conditions. Worst of all is the pomposity, the highfalutin puffing-up of dinner from a source of sustenance and joy into a dense text meant to be pondered, analyzed, and described more than savored.

“The Menu,” a dark, bloody satire of the one percent and the restaurants that cater to them. The film stars Ralph Fiennes as the pretentious, craft-obsessed head chef at an exclusive restaurant on a remote island.

Ralph Fiennes and Judith Light are stepping out for the premiere of their new movie.

really glad we came to Toronto!” said Spielberg, who’s been making movies for more than 50 years but said he’d never before brought a film to the festival.The lack of social distancing and the paucity of masks may have repercussions down the road, but it gave the festival’s first few days an exuberance that was sorely missed in 2021, when a scaled-down TIFF was a little depressing except when you were able to lose yourself in the films. (The previous year, the festival had been all-virtual, apart from some special screenings for locals only.)People came to this year’s festival badly wanting to celebrate, and so far the fest seems programmed to let them do just that, with an unexpectedly large number of mainstream crowd-pleasers screening in prime slots over the first four days.

A group of wealthy people arrive on a mysterious island and receive the meal of a lifetime in Mark Maylod’s psychological thriller The Menu. Written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, the film stars Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor Joy. 

William Earl One of the biggest crowdpleasers of the Toronto International Film Festival has arrived. “The Menu,” a high-class horror comedy written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy and directed by Mark Mylod, held its rollicking world premiere at the Royal Alexandra Theatre on Saturday. Mylod, the in-demand TV director who has helmed key episodes of “Game of Thrones,” “Shameless” and “Succession,” leaned on the satirical world of the latter series in this black comedy lampooning fine dining, foodie culture and the ultra-rich. Anya Taylor-Joy continues her scene-stealing career as Margot, a cuisine novice who agrees to join obnoxious Tyler (Nicholas Hoult, as infuriating and pathetic as he is on “The Great”) at a hyper-expensive, once-in-a-lifetime meal prepared by the intimidating and legendary Chef Slowik (a devilish Ralph Fiennes) at his private island restaurant. Although the menu is rumored to be legendary, there is, of course, more in store for the diners than meets the eye.

Wilson Chapman editor In his Toronto International Film Festival premiere “The Menu,” Ralph Fiennes plays Slowik, a celebrity chef who runs an exclusive restaurant that caters to the ultra-rich. And while the darkly comic horror film eventually reveals some macabre twists regarding what’s on Slowik’s menu, Fiennes says he got into the character via more mundane inspirations. “One of the great pleasures was watching ‘Chef’s Table’ on Netflix” Fiennes said at the Variety Studio presented by King’s Hawaiian at TIFF, referring to the documentary series about international chefs. “I love that series, every single character, every single chef is so brilliantly portrayed. They’re all so different. So that was very rewarding.”

Benedict Cumberbatch has been cast opposite Jodie Comer in upcoming survival thriller film The End We Start From.Directed by Mahalia Belo (Requiem, The Long Song) and based on the novel by Megan Hunter, The End We Start From follows a young family who are torn apart by devastating floods in the city of London.A synopsis reads: “When an environmental crisis sees London submerged by flood waters, a young family is torn apart in the chaos. As a woman and her newborn try to find their way home, the profound novelty of motherhood is brought into sharp focus in this dystopian portrayal of family survival and hope.”Alongside Cumberbatch and Comer, the film stars Mark Strong, Katherine Waterston, Joel Fry, Gina McKee and Nina Sosanya.The Killing Eve actor also shared a first look at the project on Instagram.