Gift

"I'm sorry."

"You can't be."

What an ending. It's so devastating that it left me a bit speechless. No matter the good deeds you do for others, it will be ignored because your race and religion is a problem for some people.

And that brings the end to the daily Wes Anderson's Netflix-Journey. I'm sad that it's over but I'm happy it exists.

Dev Patel, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Ayoade, and Rupert Friend were all terrific.

AI and dumb TikTok users could never do this. All these short films are the finest work from Mr. Anderson. I hope he makes more movies like this in the future.

Who really has the poison in them, when you think about it ::sits back and quietly Puffs on a pipe in a scholarly robe::

And so with this, the fourth and final short (for now) adaptation of Roald Dahl by the superlative current distinctive filmmaker of his works, Wes Anderson, we get the kind of white-knuckle pot boiler-pressure cooker scenario that we usually would associate with Quentin Tarantino, including the razor-sharp editing and sickening sense of humor. This is editing that directs you into Benedict Cumberbatch's "Oh bloody hell get this snake off" face for several minutes and the on-camera narration and involved reactions by Dev Patel keeps one equally locked in.

By the time Kingsley comes on the scene, you're in for something that you know is going to kick your brain into the other side of the room, but it's all benefitting from it being so absolutely funny (take off your shoes!) And as mhch as someone watching can understand how pleasurable it is when that pressure valve gets kicked off, it is equally disturbing (but not unsurprising) how quickly, when things suddenly appear to be not in danger anymore, a human being can revert to the absolute worst (or, deep down, truest) version of himself. And that final moment in the car with Kingsley's doctor is rather heartbreaking - mostly for the character's understanding that the status quo has returned, and it sucks.

This may not reach quite the highs of Henry Sugar, but for what Anderson and his cast, particularly Cumberbatch who has not been this intense since the best of Sherlock, accomplish here Poison is a high point in the director's body of work and it is enough to say it's worth it to find on Netflix even if you don't have a subscription (get the free trial if you have to). 9.5/10.

My last viewing and an excellent conclusion. At this point I am again aware of my high regard for Anderson's work and the resulting standing. What director can celebrate such artistic freedom, dancing on the threshold between mainstream and arthouse. Back to the film. A suspenseful beginning, immediately awakens my empathy, compassion. Tension, not a typical Anderson stylistic device, in fact none at all. But it works, it is maintained, also by not playing too many games. Plus an ending with reverberation, finally. At least for me, I had missed that in the other episodes. My favourite of the series.

Poison is a short film filled with tension pretty much instantaneously, initially feeling like a fun piece of style over substance until its final moments in which it suddenly gets a lot darker with an ending designed to leave a lasting impression.

Fulfilling the promise of Henry Sugar, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley all get a much welcome second go at playing in the world of Wes. With Cumberbatch mostly restricted to a bed Dev Patel becomes the standout, still perfect with his delivery and mannerisms.

Wes Anderson's direction is always flawless in its visual construction, the sets here remain gorgeous to look at but a lot smaller in scale and the best surprise here is Wes showing that his usual, heightened style actually works really well for crafting tension.

Poison.

When a poisonous snake slithers onto an Englishman's stomach in India, his associate and a doctor race to save him.

Poison is the last short movie that watched from the collection and I can say that it was a beautiful experience to watch the 4 episodes in the same day, I'd love to get more of these Wes style shorts that takes you right into a story with an interesting narration style and more interestingly the beautiful sets and directing.

I can't stop talking about Wes Anderson, so let's talk about Poison, it was unexpectedly thrilling and fun but I don't think it's his best story wise .