The Menu
00:38:40
About
Take your place at table, as we partake of Mark Mylod’s “The Menu”. A fine film dining experience in which it’s impossible to fill up on bread; a nasty word in the right ear ensures the meat is correctly hung to mature naturally; and the finger buffet is literally that. As a dark satire, “The Menu” has multiple targets to chew over; the arts and the intentions of those who produce, patronise, parasite off them; the pretensions of Nouvelle cuisine (aka “Poncey Cooking”); the near cult-like status and power that chefs enjoy and abuse; the exploitation and mistreatment those in the service industry can expect (particularly when the customer is rich); the dangers of hero worship and celebration of excess to prove your status and wealth; the list goes on. This means you have the extraordinary scenario where you will feel empathy towards almost every character at various points as the film plays out (with the exception of the 3 business bros, who, like all their sickening kind, can go fuck themselves, and get everything they deserve). Watch (or re-watch) to avoid spoilers and join us.
Adam's research
Verbatim lifts from Adam's own words in the episode. Click a timestamp to hear him say it.
- Supporting cast filmographies and related projects
But it's, um, yeah, and and, um, I love, uh, John uh Lezamo is always. Fucking great in stuff. And I hadn't seen him in anything for a very long time when this came out. … And he played the fiery warlike Tybalt. … Oh, fuck, yes, I love that. … Yes. Yeah. But he was, he's in, um, oh, he's in Land of the Dead, the fourth Romero zombie film. Which maybe we should, I mean, I'd like to get round to doing day at some point and then land. Mostly because it's, oh, look, there's Dennis Hopper providing the blueprint for Donald Trump. You know, it's just as this absolutely appalling human being. But yeah, and and but weirdly enough, I found out that just after this finished, um, just after this came out. Um, he actually did a he did a TV series called, like, I think it was what was it? Uh, I did write it down. Uh, yeah, Lezamu Does America, which is a travel and food show. So even that saying, you know, it's like, I'll just do, I'll do a travel and food show, that's what all the actors are doing. … But yeah, I mean and, um, also, um. Uh Lillian the critic, that's uh Janet Mcteer from. Uh, the Hammer Woman in Black, so she goes all the way back to episode one of the podcast. And, um, yeah, and I think they, they're perfect.
- Director Mark Mylod's extensive filmography
And I didn't really know. I didn't really or I I thought I didn't know much about that Mark Mylod the director has done. Um, and he's done a lot of uh he's British, but he's done a lot of American tele, so he did like Succession. I think he was one of the executive producers on that as well. Uh, he did a few episodes of Game of Thrones, Last of Us, Minority Report, the US version of Shameless. I think he was an executive producer on that Once Upon a Time. Um, film-wise he's done Ali G in the House and a dark comedy called The Big White that's got Robin Williams in it. But and here's the bit that got me, cuz suddenly I was like, I'm really fucking unbold here. Over in the UK, he did episodes of The Fast Show, Shooting Stars, The Royal Family, uh, The Vican Bob Randall and Hotchcock, um, the Dave Saint Show. All rise for Julian Cleary, but Deal Syndrome. Uh, the all six episodes of Bang Bang it's Reeves and Mortimer. And he did, um, there was a thing in '96, they did a thing called Doctor Who Knight and they had some sketches with David Williams and Mark Gatis and he directed two of those sketches. And it's like, oh my god, I've been watching this guy's stuff for fucking years and I didn't even I didn't even realize, you know.
- Nicholas Hoult's early career appearances
On on a side note as well, with Nicholas Holt, when I was again going evoking, uh. Because I mean, he is a fine comic actor as it is. But he's in Bras Eye as a kid, he's one of the school kids in Bras Eye in the drugs episode, obviously. And um and even. And here's another blast from the past from for you, Lee, he's also in World of Pub when he was a kid.
- Casting and character inspiration trivia
And actually, I mean, when I was looking, when I was looking up about this, apparently at one point they were going to um they wanted the movie star. They originally wrote that role for Daniel Radcliff. And for him to be Daniel Radcliff, actually, you know, because I think at that point, people realized that he was out for a laugh. So he'd actually appear as himself and be like, I don't know. I don't know what the shit film would have been. But they were planning about. But he, um, but apparently John Lezamu said that he, um, he pasted it on, um, Steven Seagal. He did a film with Steven Seagal called Executive Decision and yeah, basically Steven obviously left something of an impression there cuz he just, you know, it's like, I've got to play this vain, Odious, good for nothing, toser. Okay, yeah. I I know what I'm going to use.
- Food design and production details
Um, the food was designed by uh four Michelin starred chef Dominic Kren. Um. And all the people all the guys playing the kitchen staff were trained. To actually prepare the dishes properly so that when stuff's going on in the background, whatever the way the camera's pointing, they are doing exactly what they should be doing. And apparently and apparently, um, uh, Ho Chau who played Elsa, who is also fucking fantastic. One of the most intimidating like henchman in anything, she's fucking terrifying, apparently she impressed Dominic Kren so much that she offered her a job at her restaurant. And it's like, oh, it's like, yeah, but that's that that is that doesn't say a lot about your restaurant. That you want someone that intimidating to you know. No. You're not fucking with us. Um, but she was also she did the Netflix series Chef's Table. And they the second unit director on this was the director of Chef's Table because they wanted to get someone who was could to do that sort of food pony. Sort of look, so all the dishes would be sort of presented in that way that they are on those sort of shows. And um which really comes across, I think.
- Prop food vs. actual food on set
apparently I think because obviously the majority of the food was prop food and it had to be there for multiple takes and stuff like that. So obviously. But that that actually the burger is eaten and apparently the cast were fucking salivating because like the first bit of practical food they'd been sat there in front of plates they couldn't eat. For all this time and then suddenly someone comes in with that fucking delicious looking burger.
Highlights
Transcript
Show full transcript
Lee Good evening and welcome to Horror. I'm Lee.
Chris I'm Chris.
Adam I'm Adam.
Lee And we're here this evening with spoilers and swearing to discuss to discuss 2022's The Menu.
Lee a film which if nothing else is a perfect reminder that no matter what you enjoy or you find enjoyable in life, somewhere there's a group of people taking it so seriously that they just try and to fuck it up for everybody else in the world.
Adam Also just as shocker is that I suddenly realized the film's four years old because I've been thinking about it as two years old for some reason.
Chris Yeah, even less than that.
Chris Because I was like, it's been in my mind since you talked about it on what we've been watching, and I was like, oh that's definitely, I've got to watch that at some point, and then just never did.
Chris I was like, what?
Lee Welcome to old man podcast where everybody spends a whole time game, where did that time go?
Chris Every time, you're like, what, this was brand new.
Adam It was so long ago. Yeah, but this is worse, this is me reading the words 2022 regularly for the past two weeks and still thinking for some reason that it's 2024.
Adam That's not just old man podcast, that's Alzheimer's podcast.
Lee I've got to admit so, yes, so I saying it, as you say, it is 2022.
Lee But yeah, I came to this film slightly later because I think it was one of those it came out and people were talking about it as a horror film, but it didn't look like it was going to be a horror film, so it was on the back burner for me for quite some time before I finally got round to it.
Lee but, yeah, it was, so Adam and I obviously saw it, you know, previously.
Lee Chris, would you like to kick us off with your thoughts having seen it for the first time?
Chris Yeah, so I was so put off food for the first, like maybe half an hour.
Chris It was the like, so you're just saying it's not it didn't look horror, but the whole thing just feels so horror uncomfortable from early on.
Chris Yeah, like you just like this is going wrong, but really don't know how, where, and then, yeah, as they're serving that like something so horrible about these dishes, yet they're so amazing.
Chris Just yeah, just the way it's all presented.
Chris It's fascinating. I did not realize who who the actors were in this at all.
Lee Oh, really?
Chris I didn't think I'd asked.
Chris Yeah, like I did not remember you mentioning any of these and they are fantastic together.
Lee Oh, yeah.
Chris All of them.
Chris So good.
Lee Perfect cast.
Adam It feels.
Adam It feels utterly redundant because it's almost like brilliant cast, they're brilliant.
Chris Yeah, yeah.
Adam You know, everyone's so good in this, but it's, yeah.
Adam And obviously, I mean it's, I think this is what the third, no, this is the fourth Anna Taylor Joy film we've covered.
Chris Yeah, yeah.
Adam And once again, doing that.
Adam I don't know what it is, she just managed to do this excellent job of strong people who, I mean, clearly physically she is not Arnold Schwarznegger.
Chris No.
Adam You know what I mean, she's not an imposing person, but just she manages to always do this thing of people who are strong in the smart way that you're like, oh, you're going to survive.
Adam You know, whether it's the witch, all the films that we Northman.
Chris She does give that impression.
Adam All the films that we've covered with her in before.
Chris Yeah, it's like she doesn't seem to get phased by things, even though she is clearly concerned at points, it's not like she's just finding it all easy, but it's she's dealing with the problems as they come along.
Adam And and everyone, everyone gets, everyone gets where they, where they're pitched, because that's the thing is that yes, it's, it doesn't look like a horror, but it is, it's distinctly a horror comedy.
Chris Yes.
Adam It's or more precisely probably a satire because it is just sort of because it, it pokes at everything.
Lee Yeah.
Adam The thing I got watching it again this time around was just the fact that.
Adam With, with the exception of the three business bros who, you know.
Chris I actually.
Adam From start to finish can go fuck themselves.
Chris I actually completely missed why they were in it.
Chris I was like.
Chris I still don't know why, why they've been brought along.
Chris So I must have.
Adam They work for, well, that's a lovely because there's so many great little nippy lines in this and sort of like snide sort of like remarks and things like that.
Adam And they work for because they say, hey, we're we work with Doug Verick, who's the guy who.
Chris So he was the angel investor.
Adam Yeah, the.
Chris Yeah, right.
Adam So they're like, oh, we work because that's the thing is they go, we work with Doug Verick and he goes, no, you work for Doug Verick.
Chris Yeah, right.
Adam You know, and it's yeah, so I mean, but they're sort of with the exception of them, I think it's weird because it's one of those films where you, you find a sympathy for everyone.
Adam Or you you you follow, you know, I mean Chef, you know, obviously Chef Slowik's doing a monstrous thing.
Chris Yeah, yeah.
Adam But you empathize utterly with his motivation for it where because it's, and you know, I mean, let's let's let's be clear here.
Adam Much in the same way that Lee talks about interpretive dance is very much how I am with Nouvelle Cuisine or as we just to put it another way, Ponzi cooking.
Adam And you know, I mean, I one of Claire's requests regularly is for us to watch MasterChef because we can just slag it off.
Chris Yeah.
Adam continuously from start to finish and these, especially when it's just people saying things like, you know, amazing insights like, the thing is with fish is it's got to be cooked really well.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Oh, thanks for that, son, you know, what an insight, you know what I mean?
Adam This is I can tell that was worth your years at fucking, you know.
Adam Cordon Bleu school or whatever it is.
Adam But.
Lee Absolutely.
Adam You know, so but it is still an art and I get that, I love that idea of someone who's just had their art diminished for them to the point that and and that's, you know, I mean, that's the point at the end that really she points out to him that it's like, you're not doing any of this with love.
Chris Yeah, yeah.
Chris That was such a good.
Lee Yeah.
Chris Way to to sort of bring in something that finished it.
Chris Yeah, like that works so well.
Lee It is, it's, it's like I said at the beginning, it is, it's that thing of liking something, but then taking it to such a ridiculous extreme that you don't realize that you've stopped loving it and it's, it's you've taken all the joy out of it and you're like, well, if you're not enjoying it, what is the point of any of it, you know?
Chris And and it's all the other humans that added to that.
Lee Yeah.
Chris Enjoyment.
Chris and then I think that's what really set me up.
Chris Nicholas Holt.
Chris what was his.
Lee Character?
Chris
Chris The way he's talking about all all of the everything.
Chris Just from the start, you're like, you're putting me off all of this.
Chris Which is, of course, the point.
Chris And then when he cooks his dish, that is that is so good.
Adam Oh, yeah.
Chris Because it's just awful.
Adam Again, it's that thing that you can you can, I mean he is very much, you know, I mean, he is an awful person, an awful human being.
Chris But in such a mundane way.
Adam But also that sort of you do understand you do understand fangirling over something, you know, in his case, it's it's it's food and Chef Slowik particularly and everything else.
Adam It's like.
Adam So you kind of understand the fangirling of it, but again, he's bled all of his joy out of it by obsessing over it.
Adam And also just at the end of the day where it's like that just the the demeaning him by like, all right, prick, step up.
Chris Yeah.
Adam And then just saying to and utterly destroying his sort of dreams and everything else like that.
Adam Because it's because it is that thing that you got sort of like it's like if you meet someone that you're like a hero or whatever like that, and it's not just the sort of thing of I got to meet this person, but there's also that element of, oh, I hope they like me.
Adam I hope they don't like.
Lee Yeah.
Adam I hope I'm not an annoying prick or I'm not like, you know.
Adam I'm I don't want to be the guy that ruined their day or, you know, whatever like that, and it's sort of.
Chris And he definitely is.
Adam Yeah, you but you find even in that you find a sympathy.
Adam You know, you do feel sorry for him, even though.
Adam I don't one question, this was something someone it was like on a on a.
Adam Online something online where someone had said about this.
Adam The one thing, and it did make me wonder.
Adam Obviously they say, right, no photographs of the food.
Chris He's photographing the food.
Adam But he also knows from day one, from like the first minute, they're all going to die.
Lee Yes.
Adam He knows what they're planning, so he goes there willingly, I mean, that's the ultimate assholeness of it is that he's willing to take someone along.
Lee Yeah, that's the he say, that's the point at which you stop feeling sorry for him very, very quickly.
Adam Absolutely.
Adam I mean, he's an annoying bell from start to finish, but you can't help but feel a slight twinge of pity for him at least, you know, but Yeah, when that comes in.
Adam And when when Erin or Margot, depending on, when she just belts him one.
Chris Yeah.
Adam And you're like.
Adam And you're like, yeah, fuck right because I mean, it's literally, oh, thanks, you know, hiring me for a fucking death sentence.
Adam But anyway, yeah, so who's he taking the pictures for, why is he risking?
Chris That's that's a obsessive.
Adam Yeah, exactly.
Chris It's.
Adam Or is he even that delusional thing where he thinks, oh, well, I'm on side here.
Chris Maybe.
Adam Yeah.
Adam Once Chef sees me and I prepare my lamb and leek.
Chris Tyler's bullshit, inedible shallot, leek, butter, sauce, utter lack of cohesion.
Adam Yes.
Adam But it's, yeah, and and, I love, John Lezamo is always.
Chris Yes, yeah.
Adam Fucking great in stuff.
Adam And I hadn't seen him in anything for a very long time when this came out.
Lee No.
Chris So I was trying to think what else, the only two other films I can actually think of was Romeo and Juliet, which I saw when I was, I don't know, like 16.
Adam And he played the fiery warlike Tybalt.
Chris Yeah.
Chris Yeah.
Chris He's great, isn't he?
Chris Yeah.
Chris But and and Spun, which was another film I loved.
Adam Oh, fuck, yes, I love that.
Lee I've not seen that.
Chris Spider-Man.
Chris He's so funny in that.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yeah.
Adam But he was, he's in, oh, he's in Land of the Dead, the fourth Romero zombie film.
Adam Which maybe we should, I mean, I'd like to get round to doing day at some point and then land.
Adam Mostly because it's, oh, look, there's Dennis Hopper providing the blueprint for Donald Trump.
Adam You know, it's just as this absolutely appalling human being.
Adam But yeah, and and but weirdly enough, I found out that just after this finished, just after this came out.
Adam he actually did a he did a TV series called, like, I think it was what was it?
Adam I did write it down. yeah, Lezamu Does America, which is a travel and food show.
Adam So even that saying, you know, it's like, I'll just do, I'll do a travel and food show, that's what all the actors are doing.
Adam But yeah, I mean and, also,
Adam Lillian the critic, that's Janet Mcteer from.
Adam the Hammer Woman in Black, so she goes all the way back to episode one of the podcast.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And, yeah, and I think they, they're perfect.
Adam Of that sort of, oh, and again, it's that thing like we were saying about where people become.
Adam Because essentially criticism and I include us in this statement because obviously we're you know, I don't know, are we film review or we just talk about films we like.
Adam I think.
Adam That's it, you know, we're a positive force I would hope in certain ways, you know.
Adam We don't like to slag people off unless they unless it's fucking necessary.
Adam But but yeah, critics where it's this sort of thing of, how have you ended up with so much power as a parasite you know, to the to the art.
Lee Yeah.
Adam But you are the ones that make and break.
Lee Yeah.
Adam You know, and they they've sort of turned up with all these pretensions and sort of, you know, it's but again, so spot on.
Chris Yes.
Adam Yeah.
Adam That you know, it's very much all the world and and obviously Ray Fines just.
Chris He's fantastic.
Lee Yeah.
Adam funnily enough, it's been a bit of a, it's been a bit of a weekend because I I saw the new Mario Galaxy movie with Ted, and obviously Anna Taylor Joy's in that as she's voice Princess Peach.
Adam And then I finally got around to watching 28 years later.
Lee Oh.
Lee What did you think?
Adam And with Ray Fines is fat, I mean, fantastic in that.
Adam And I'm looking forward to now watching the Bone Temple.
Lee Bone Temple.
Adam Cuz that's going to be even more.
Adam but also I have been watching Peter Sarafinowicz's impression of Ray Fines because he reckons that Ray Fines looks like Leonard Roseter.
Adam So he just does it.
Adam And yeah.
Lee Actually, I hadn't realized it.
Lee He does, he looks exactly like that.
Chris He has.
Adam Yeah.
Adam Seriously, I'll send I'll send you the clip.
Adam There's this lovely.
Adam thing of it's meant to be a clip from Schindler's List, but he's doing it as Rigsby, and it's just him on the.
Lee No.
Adam No, Hitler.
Adam But it's, but no, he is just fantastic in it.
Adam It's that.
Adam And but again, you you see where he's gone, I mean, clearly he's gone off the rails.
Lee Yeah.
Adam But there's weird sort of elements.
Chris You're still so drawn along though.
Chris Like you are so sucked into his world and his narrative through it all.
Adam But he's sort of like he's come to recognize that he is as much a problem in this, but in in the spirit of a chef's ego, obviously he's got to take everyone with him and just do himself in, he's got to take the entire kitchen staff and some guests with him.
Lee Yeah.
Adam But yeah, I mean, and when this goes horror, as you say, like you kind of you do enjoy the satire of it to such a degree.
Adam It is very easy to forget, oh, I know, this is going to turn into horror at some point.
Adam but yeah, when it does, it's so unrelentingly just brutal, it's fantastic.
Adam It's those sudden sort of bursts again.
Adam Because it's not a.
Adam It's all the violence in it is really fucking shocking.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And really realistic in that sort of thing that it comes from nowhere.
Chris Absolutely.
Adam And weirdly goes from goes to nowhere.
Chris Goes.
Adam Because you're in this hostage situation where, you know, I mean, it's such a perfect setup that you, you know, you're stuck on this island.
Adam What, I mean, there is the bit where he says, I mean, realistically, some of you could have put up a bigger fight.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Or or something like that, but you know, in the end, yeah, but you have got, you know.
Adam A team of 40 odd people who are very skilled with knives.
Lee Yeah.
Adam So, you know, how much of a fight back, you know, is, is going to happen.
Adam But,
Chris I think like for for being all in essentially on one island in in one restaurant, like they did break it up enough, like even the bit where they give the men a chance to run.
Lee Yes.
Chris And then that's that's funny, you know, because again.
Chris Gives you a sense it's realistic, they're not doing a great job.
Adam Well, it's when the editor just apologizes.
Chris Yeah.
Adam To Lillian and he's just like, look, sorry, and then just runs.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And also that, that feels really again, it is like that sort of thing where all the women are then resignedly go and have dinner.
Adam It's like, well, what the fuck are we going to do?
Adam And and in a way, they're sort of like sitting there and it's like we are stuck with this, aren't we?
Adam I mean, this is, you know, strangely enough, I don't feel that I'm in the place to speak for women, but,
Chris No.
Chris But they made an attempt to to convince the sous chef and then, of course, they find out that she's definitely not going to be helping them.
Adam Oh, she's still.
Adam She's still in the call, even down to that that he has obviously realized that he has been, you know, abusive of her and his power over her and made her life a fucking hell.
Adam But she is still all in like any cult, she is still also and again, it is they do run.
Adam You know, these kitchens and things like that, they are run in an almost cult-like status, so you can imagine if you sort of isolated them, you essentially end up with Waco with better dinners.
Adam Yeah.
Lee Well, arguably.
Adam Yeah, that's true.
Lee But yeah.
Lee That is the other thing, the food did all look again, it looked good, but it's it's it is, it's that thing of I like nice food and I'd like to go somewhere and eat like that, you know, and you know, it's a big cost or whatever, but it's something you do as a special treat.
Lee But it's the uncomfortableness.
Lee It is, it's that the fact that the waiting staff will make you feel like.
Chris It's almost like you got to play the role.
Chris Yeah.
Lee You just feel uncomfortable and like you're in the wrong place and that's like she says you're you're here, you're paying them to cook you food, you are the boss in this situation, why do you feel oh, is it I'm so sorry, is it possible to just we do, we all do it when you're in like a food situation like, especially when it's somewhere like that where it's.
Lee It is, it is very posh and very high end.
Lee You do feel somehow that the people who are just cooking food and are just waiters are somehow, it's that joke from Mitchell and Webb about the incredibly posh people who are somehow inexplicably still waiters.
Lee It is, it's that thing where they manage to make you feel small, despite the fact they're there working and you are the paying customer.
Adam You are the paying customer.
Adam And it's because that that's what I mean, I love the fact that it has, it has every angle of that.
Adam You know, where it is, it is the thing of, yeah, essentially the service industry is a fucking awful thing to work in and you will be abused, belittled, you know, by both sides of the counter, whether it's the people at the top, or it's the, people that are, you know, the the clientele or whatever like that.
Adam But equally, there has become this weird thing whereby it's like, why am I paying to feel uncomfortable and be told no, you know, when it's like, right, no substitutions and things like that.
Adam And it's he has developed into you know, it's developed beyond essentially, you know, it has developed beyond the I agree that cooking is an art.
Adam But I don't think that it should be art in that sense.
Adam Because that's the thing you always get again running back to bloody, I know it sounds terrible, but running back to bloody MasterChef.
Adam It's always like, oh, well, what's your story behind this, what's your journey and it's like, is he going to fucking fill me up?
Lee Yeah.
Adam You know, and and to to a later, to a further extent, someone should point out to him.
Adam Well, it doesn't matter because it's all going to come out the same color.
Adam And at the end of the day, you know, this is a this is more of a want process.
Lee Yeah.
Adam You know, and actually food is in is in that sort of weird area because it's always like, like the Chuck D quote where it's like people don't need, people don't eat, need art, they need food, shelter and clothing.
Adam After that comes art.
Adam But food has been sort of.
Lee Turned into this.
Adam all of those have their, you know.
Adam I mean, it's like high fashion or whatever like that.
Adam But again, it's these sort of weird things where you're like, you know, go go to any, I mean like I have, but go to any sort of high fashion shop and everything to be told that no, you're you're too fat and poor to wear these clothes, you know.
Adam It's a similar sort of situation.
Adam I love the fact that it's got all of that in here.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And it sort of is the that it's the horrors of both sides of the table.
Adam And yeah.
Lee And I think that's why it's such an original concept and that's what always strikes me with this, you know, it it is horror, but it's, you know, setting it in a restaurant just is weird from the offset unless there's something weird about the restaurant.
Lee But it isn't, it's just a restaurant, but it's but it's ultimately, as you say, really, it's a cult.
Lee It's a cult.
Adam Yeah.
Lee It's a cooking cult and it just, yeah.
Lee I I mean, I just, it's so different to anything I've seen and I'll, I really did appreciate that.
Lee And I was a bit pissed off that I didn't watch it sooner because it is such a great concept, but because I knew so little about it.
Lee I yeah, I was like, oh, this probably isn't going to be for me, but I yeah, I was really wrong.
Lee It's.
Adam It was, it was weird as well because again, I I I knew basically, I'd heard it's really good.
Adam And I looked at the cast list and I was like, well, you know.
Adam It's going to they're going to be good.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Whatever, you know, this I trust these people to have to appear in a good film.
Adam You know.
Adam Or sort of like to have been that that's a cast you put together to make something great.
Lee Yeah.
Adam So I watched it and I think the weird thing is is that you sort of especially because it's like, right, it's a horror film, you expect at some point that it's going to go cannibalism.
Lee Yeah.
Adam or poisoning.
Chris Yeah.
Adam And it never does.
Chris No.
Chris That's it, I was I was absolutely, yeah.
Chris Thinking.
Adam Because there's the bit where when he's saying to when Slowik is talking to Erin and keeps keeps saying you're not eating.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And he keeps saying, no, it's part of the and he is genuinely talking about the the experience of, no, I've brought everyone here for an experience, this is going to be my ultimate masterwork and you're all going to fucking die as my final statement on food and that's going to be you know what I mean.
Adam That's going to be it's my grand finale.
Adam and so you assume it's like, oh, so is it like a a cumulative effect of poisoning or something like that because he's like, no, you've got to eat the courses.
Adam It's not.
Adam You can't skip and things like that and like no substitutions.
Adam And so.
Adam And obviously, at some point, you do expect that someone's going to get eaten, especially especially because this is weirdly one of the most eat the rich films that you'll see.
Adam That doesn't involve actual cannibalism.
Lee When that guy got his finger cut off, the first time I watched it, I was immediately like.
Lee That wife's going to be eating that at some point.
Lee I was convinced that was what was going to have.
Lee They're going to feed it to him or feed it to her.
Lee I was convinced it was going to come back, I didn't think it was just going to be he's just going to bleed out over the next 90 minutes.
Chris That was such a good choice though to not do any of those tropes.
Lee Not take the obvious route.
Lee And again, that's another thing that speaks to its brilliance.
Lee There are so many easy cliches to fall into.
Adam I mean, it's a cult film, it also oddly feels a bit like say Dr. Fives or seven or something like that.
Adam Because I mean, it's not bumping people off one by one.
Adam But it is the concept.
Chris Yeah.
Chris The orchestrator.
Adam Yeah, you you've you've created a work of murder.
Chris Yeah.
Adam As it were.
Adam You know, but through through the medium of just like here's a and it's a an exceedingly terrifying meal.
Adam So.
Adam And and I love the sort of like, and again, it's these lovely little sort of bits of pretension where it's like, I'll, serving the lamb the the thigh in is it pork thigh in in a in a phone call.
Lee Yes.
Adam Because it's inspired by the time his father tried to strangle his mother with a phone called and then stabbed him in the thigh with kitchen shears and stuff like that.
Adam And again, it's sort of it's all these sort of like little touches and things like that, but I think yeah, I I would say probably could be considered.
Adam Again, it's all stuff you don't want to say to people before they watch it, but it's like, cult film because that gives too much away.
Chris Yeah.
Adam You know, and and yeah, it's.
Chris It's it's a little bit of all of it, just the right amount, like a perfect recipe.
Adam And.
Adam And I didn't really know.
Adam I didn't really or I I thought I didn't know much about that Mark Mylod the director has done.
Lee Yeah.
Adam and he's done a lot of he's British, but he's done a lot of American tele, so he did like Succession.
Adam I think he was one of the executive producers on that as well.
Adam he did a few episodes of Game of Thrones, Last of Us, Minority Report, the US version of Shameless.
Adam I think he was an executive producer on that Once Upon a Time.
Lee Okay.
Adam film-wise he's done Ali G in the House and a dark comedy called The Big White that's got Robin Williams in it.
Adam But and here's the bit that got me, cuz suddenly I was like, I'm really fucking unbold here.
Adam Over in the UK, he did episodes of The Fast Show, Shooting Stars, The Royal Family, The Vican Bob Randall and Hotchcock, the Dave Saint Show.
Adam All rise for Julian Cleary, but Deal Syndrome.
Adam the all six episodes of Bang Bang it's Reeves and Mortimer.
Lee Oh, wow, brilliant.
Adam And he did, there was a thing in '96, they did a thing called Doctor Who Knight and they had some sketches with David Williams and Mark Gatis and he directed two of those sketches.
Adam And it's like, oh my god, I've been watching this guy's stuff for fucking years and I didn't even I didn't even realize, you know.
Adam On on a side note as well, with Nicholas Holt, when I was again going evoking,
Adam Because I mean, he is a fine comic actor as it is.
Adam But he's in Bras Eye as a kid, he's one of the school kids in Bras Eye in the drugs episode, obviously.
Lee Oh God.
Adam And and even.
Adam And here's another blast from the past from for you, Lee, he's also in World of Pub when he was a kid.
Lee Oh, God.
Adam So.
Lee He feels like he sprung out of nowhere, but actually he's just always been there in the background.
Adam He's, yeah, he's been doing loads and loads of stuff.
Adam Oh, another one.
Adam Another one for, yeah, he's just so I mean, I I love, I've loved him in everything I've seen him in.
Adam I think he's just so.
Adam And there's a variety of roles because I think the first thing I really noticed him in was Mad Max, like when he was in Fury Road.
Lee Yes.
Adam And and that is not that is not his usual sort of role whatsoever.
Lee No.
Lee And if you take that and then compare it to, you know, he then suddenly turned up in Renfield opposite Nicholas Cage, like that's such a again, that's that's why I think him and Anna Taylor Joy are brilliant opposite each other.
Lee Because both of them.
Lee Can can play so many characters so pitch perfectly.
Chris Yeah.
Chris And wasn't she in the new Mad Max?
Lee She was, yeah.
Lee Fury Road.
Adam Yes, she was in the prequel because she was Furiosa.
Adam The prequel to Fury Road, yes, she was.
Adam That's good point.
Adam And actually, I mean, when I was looking, when I was looking up about this, apparently at one point they were going to they wanted the movie star.
Adam They originally wrote that role for Daniel Radcliff.
Lee Oh, really?
Adam And for him to be Daniel Radcliff, actually, you know, because I think at that point, people realized that he was out for a laugh.
Adam So he'd actually appear as himself and be like, I don't know.
Adam I don't know what the shit film would have been.
Adam But they were planning about.
Adam But he, but apparently John Lezamu said that he, he pasted it on, Steven Seagal.
Lee Oh.
Adam He did a film with Steven Seagal called Executive Decision and yeah, basically Steven obviously left something of an impression there cuz he just, you know, it's like, I've got to play this vain, Odious, good for nothing, toser.
Adam Okay, yeah.
Adam I I know what I'm going to use.
Adam the food was designed by four Michelin starred chef Dominic Kren.
Adam
Adam And all the people all the guys playing the kitchen staff were trained.
Lee Oh, right.
Adam To actually prepare the dishes properly so that when stuff's going on in the background, whatever the way the camera's pointing, they are doing exactly what they should be doing.
Lee Nice.
Adam And apparently and apparently, Ho Chau who played Elsa, who is also fucking fantastic.
Adam One of the most intimidating like henchman in anything, she's fucking terrifying, apparently she impressed Dominic Kren so much that she offered her a job at her restaurant.
Lee Wow.
Adam And it's like, oh, it's like, yeah, but that's that that is that doesn't say a lot about your restaurant.
Adam That you want someone that intimidating to you know.
Adam No.
Adam You're not fucking with us.
Adam but she was also she did the Netflix series Chef's Table.
Adam And they the second unit director on this was the director of Chef's Table because they wanted to get someone who was could to do that sort of food pony.
Adam Sort of look, so all the dishes would be sort of presented in that way that they are on those sort of shows.
Adam And which really comes across, I think.
Lee Yeah, I did love those little cutaways as you say, because it's and that's the thing, the food does look amazing.
Lee But it's it's that thing of I I don't know if I appreciate food enough for the amount of effort that's gone into it for like for those types of things, I think my palette's a bit dull down.
Adam I don't know if it's that, I think, but all I.
Adam All I ever think is, fuck me, where's the rest of it?
Lee Yeah.
Adam If if I'm honest.
Chris There's no no bread, that was funny.
Adam Oh, that's the breadless breakfast.
Adam That was it also reminds me there was a thing, there was a line on in old Harry's game, there's just a bit where it goes, yeah, I'm working on a new cookery show, he's called it, it's food, eat it and be grateful.
Adam Which I think work that way.
Adam So, I think, gentlemen, we should, pop, ponder the question.
Adam So, first off, what dish are you having off the menu?
Chris You want to go firstly?
Lee I mean, it's easy for me, that cheeseburger looked absolutely perfect for me, it's exactly how I would want it for.
Lee I could have had it rare, but it looked so good, it was just dripping and just amazing.
Lee It really made me hungry watching it.
Chris Cook with love.
Lee Yeah.
Adam I think that's the thing, is it's that lovely moment of just like the realization for him.
Adam Because then I think it does become his masterwork because it's like.
Adam Oh, and it's actually the only fucking dish he makes.
Lee Yeah.
Adam The rest of it is he never touches any of the other ingredients.
Adam He's never.
Adam Physically responsible for any of the rest of the food.
Lee No.
Adam And it's just, I mean, there's a part of me that I.
Adam Man's folly stood out to me because it's like the Dungeon S crab.
Chris So that's that's what I was going to go for.
Adam But.
Adam But I've got to say, I I'm with you, Lee.
Adam I think it's the fucking cheeseburger, it just looked so fucking good.
Chris But that but that I figured they'd sort done that, like they they must have really thought about it, how do we make it so that that just seems like just fantastic at this point?
Chris Because you'd think after watching everything else, you'd be like at no point is food really going to look good in this.
Chris And then they managed to do it.
Lee Yeah.
Chris And it's not like I don't even eat meat barely, you know, and it still looked pretty amazing.
Adam apparently I think because obviously the majority of the food was prop food and it had to be there for multiple takes and stuff like that.
Adam So obviously.
Adam But that that actually the burger is eaten and apparently the cast were fucking salivating because like the first bit of practical food they'd been sat there in front of plates they couldn't eat.
Lee Yeah.
Adam For all this time and then suddenly someone comes in with that fucking delicious looking burger.
Lee And that's the thing, like with food, what gets me going is food that looks like it's going to be delicious.
Lee I don't want it to look like a piece of art, I want it to look like a perfectly cooked burger or a perfectly cooked steak or tartare or whatever.
Lee I want to look at it, as you say, and start salivating, I don't want to look at it and go, oh, that's very clever or that's very pretty.
Lee I want it to make me think I I need to eat that, I can't not eat this.
Lee None of the other food does that.
Adam You want to stick your fork through it when it's presented.
Chris Yeah.
Chris I was I was thinking all this and then when when it was a smore.
Chris I was like, actually, a massive smore right about now.
Adam Claire said that the she just thought that the marshmallow ponchos looked really comfy.
Lee Yes, yeah, I thought that as well.
Adam And.
Lee And again, I know he talks rubbish about smores, but I love him.
Chris Yeah, no.
Adam And I second question has to be, which actor are you inviting to your massacre?
Chris Well, mine's easy.
Chris Mr. Cruz would be there.
Adam Fair enough.
Lee What about you, Lee?
Lee I think mine, as much as I love him, if I had to do it, I think it'd be Anthony Hopkins from Dracula.
Lee
Lee Yeah, just cuz.
Lee I just feel like he missed the memo.
Adam Yeah, he really, he really doesn't.
Adam I for me, I don't know, it's it's quite an obscure one, but there's a guy called Lee Poulter.
Adam He's in a film called Video Shop Tales of Terror 2.
Adam Last Revenge and he, he just keeps drawing attention from this really sexy guy with a kettle and I don't know what's going on.
Adam All right.
Adam No, for me.
Adam For me, it's got to be, I can't think of his name.
Adam Fat prick, James Cordon.
Adam For being in not one, but two fucking episodes of Doctor Who, it's like, I thought I'd avoid you, man.
Adam Yes.
Adam He's.
Adam He's in two.
Adam Two fucking episode.
Adam They invited the prick back.
Adam It's like, so yeah.
Adam No, it's it's him.
Adam That's who I'm cooking.
Lee That's fair.
Lee Right.
Lee Good call.
Lee yes, right, so go and watch the menu.
Lee But more importantly, don't go to wanky restaurants, just go and get a really good burger cooked, you know.
Lee Good dirty burger place.
Lee There's nothing like it.
Chris With American cheese.
Lee With American cheese.
Chris Yeah.
Chris Because it don't break.
Lee and we will be back in a fortnight's time.
Lee Adam has come up with a great idea, we're going to be covering Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde as we've mentioned it several times and neither myself nor Chris has seen it.
Lee So, my copy is winding its way through the post to me at the moment, so hopefully I'll have it in plenty of time.
Lee yeah.
Lee Yeah, I'm quite looking forward to it.
Lee It's.
Adam I haven't seen it for a while, I've been waiting for us to cover it so I can give it a watch and yeah.
Lee He's in that pantheon of films, film, you know, that's sort of very Hammer era and that look I love and that feel.
Lee I don't know why, I think it's just because possibly because it's it's one of the lesser known ones.
Lee I've just never had a copy of it fall in my lap.
Lee Or.
Adam Yeah.
Lee You know, seen it anywhere to stream, so that's why I've just never.
Lee But yeah, I'll, so I'm very much looking forward to it.
Adam Could be part of the the lesser Hammer.
Lee Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Lee It's good to fill in those gaps.
Lee Right, so go and check out Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde.
Lee And we'll see you in a fortnite's time, thanks very much.
Lee Good night.
Chris Good night.
Adam Good night.
