Chef

Chef - 114min – R

There is something wonderful about watching a true master of a craft doing what they love. It doesn’t matter what that skill is, watching someone put so much passion into their work is a wonder to see. The same can be said about this movie. It was kind of mind bending to see a movie about a person who is doing what he loves being played by the person who is also doing what he loves and doing it well. I am completely satisfied at the tasty meal that is this movie. I give it a green light and want it to add it to my menu of great movies.

The Chef is Carl (Jon Favreau) and he works for Riva (DustinHoffman). Riva owns the restaurant and has absolutely no imagination or ambition. He has a menu that has worked for the past 10 years and he has no desire to change. The largest critic (Oliver Platt) in the city is going to be reviewing their restaurant. Carl wants to wow the critic but Riva orders him to stick to the tired menu. The critic pans the meal and Carl has words with the Critic. Well in this age of modern technology and instant access to the world, his rant goes viral and Carl loses his job.

Carl and his son, Percy (Emjay Anthony), and his Ex-wife, Inez (Sofia Vergara), plan a trip to go back to Miami to get in touch with Carl’s roots, the birth of his career. Cal decides to get a Food Truck and reinvent himself and start simple. He wants to just get back to cooking. With the help of his son and his line cook, Martin (John Leguizamo) they get the truck ready and drive it back to LA.

This film is marinated in talent. The characters’ honesty and genuine love of the story come through in every scene. The dash of personality that is added to small but important roles of Scarlett Johansson as the wise hostess who pushes Carl in the right direction and the completely loony performance by Robert Downey Jr. as Inez’s ex-husband are spectacular.

The blend of comedy and drama complement each other.  The story of a father and son reestablishing their relationship adds to this balance as well as the relationship between Carl and Martin.  There is not one overpowering flavor that drowns out the rest of the story elements.

Reality show chefs always say good ingredients presented cleanly will win over flashy overly complicated dishes. This movie takes that same direction with good story elements to let the viewer savor the truth about life we can relate to.  The story of a person who’s lost in the rut of life and finding their way to a new life is a great story that I think I needed. I have seen a few bad movies recently I needed some cinematic comfort food.

Carl talks to Percy at one point in the film and says that the work he does touches people. I can see the duality of what he was saying: he not only touches them as the character in the movie, but also as a filmmaker who will touch the lives of anyone who sees this film.

The interaction between Carl and Ramsey, the food critic, did bring out something that I struggle with. My natural tendency to be diplomatic comes from knowing how hard people work on the movies I see.  I have helped out on a feature film. I’ve had a glimpse at the difficult nature of how a movie is made.

When a movie is bad I don’t want to hurt people’s feelings. I can still be respectful of the person but still be accurate about the view I have. If something that a director I have loved in the past does not live up to the quality that they are capable of I am going to say it. I am going keep it entertaining but also pointed, but with the absolute understanding of how hard it is to make a movie and what a labor of love it is.

I am encouraged by a film that has next to no budget but gives everything it can, and I am disappointed in a movie that has millions of money but no soul. The film medium is way too important to treat it like a fast food chain that just bangs out movies. Movies are best when in the hands of a person who is passionate about their craft.

Go and see this movie. If you go in hungry it will satisfy your need for an enriching story. 

Trailer from JoBlo Movie Trailers via YouTube

The Avengers

The Avengers – 142min – PG13

I am glad I was alive when they final got an epic superhero movie franchise right. I am not a fan boy of the comics. I was aware of them but I never followed them. I can say that these movies have made me a fan. We have spent a long time waiting for this film and I was nervous that they would follow the path of previous hero series. I saw this movie twice on Saturday. I like to see movies twice so once I can get lost in the story and the second time I can really examine the film. Honestly I would like to see it again because the second time I was just as involved with the story as the first viewing. Needles to say I am giving this marvelous movie a green light.

I usually talk about the plot in high level but I am going to forgo that and say this movie is about 130 min of high action. I can’t really talk about the plot without giving anything away so I will save most of the conversation for my spoiler section. I will say that the Avengers are composed of Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). They are under the guidance of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). All of them did an outstanding job, I have absolutely no negative comments about the cast in any way, and they personified the characters in every aspect.
Hero films in the past have been victims of the studio machine. Once they have a story idea they mold and stretch it into something to fit everyone’s palate and thereby ensuring that no one likes it. Perhaps they try and write the story to get as much as they can get out of the toys and games that go along with a big budget picture. These theories have failed in the past and I am glad to see that this is an example of a movie franchise that can keep focus on the source material.

I am also pleased with the fact they balanced its humor and action well. They had a great feel for smart and witty without going to low brow levels. In the past I think that people who make comic book films feel that it’s going to pander to kids so they write for what they feel the 12 to 14 year old demographic will like. The writing in this film brings the humor level higher and is still understandable to that age range without talking down to them.

The second time around I did see some specific camera shots that seemed out of place for the pace of the surrounding scenes and there was a use of reflections in this film that was prevalent throughout the movie. I am really going to have to go again to catch more and to focus in on more of the setting than the action.

The big question is where do they go from here? How do they top this film? Joss Whedon is an exceptional storyteller and filmmaker. I know that he can do a long story arc well but even I don’t see how they can continue at this level. I will enjoy watching him try.

Spoiler Warning!!! Only Members of S.H.I.E.L.D are authorized to Click her to see spoilers!!!

Ok first off The Hulk smack down is Hi-larious. I laughed so hard at that scene that I missed Hulk's line: “Puny God”. A second viewing was needed and I almost did not hear it because of the roars of laughter. I think that having the Hulk retain some of the facial structure of Mark Ruffalo was excellently done to bring a sense of connection in the conversion.

Agent Coulson dies and it was for a very good reason. There needed to be the one event that brings everyone together, they needed that catalyst moment and Phil’s death was what was needed.
I know that Joss gets hell from fans because he seems to kill of the people we come to know and love, but as a writer you have to be able to raise the stakes and the best way to do that is to kill off the ones we have made a connection to. We can’t kill off the heroes because that ends the story (unless you are a DC character) but we have to know that the dangerous battle is dangerous and the only way to do that is to have a death of one of the supporting cast. Besides this one was Kevin Feige’s Idea. (See the I09 article for more details.)

The movie starts off with high action and does not stop until they are eating Shawarma. If you left before the very end of the movie shame on you, they always seem to have a tidbit at the end. They also introduced a glimpse of the next bad guy, Thanos. Good bad guy .I see epic battles coming.
What do you think DC needs to do to compete with the new standard Marvel has set?