CHEF  3.8***

 

 

           Jon Favreau wrote, directed, co-produced and stars in this excellent drama/comedy movie. It  costars Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, EmJay Anthony, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey Jr. To be noted is that Favreau learned to cook for the film by training with Roy Choi; who, I’ve read, is one of most famous food truck chefs there is. The food looks so delicious (in the movie) that  I was starving by the time it was over.

 

Favreau plays Carl Casper; a successful but unhappy chef who feels like he's lost some of his creative freedom working for Riva (Hoffman), at his popular Los Angeles restaurant. When an arrogant critic (Platt) writes a horrible review of Carl's food, Carl attacks him on Twitter (thinking he's sending him a private message) and later he's caught (on video) chewing the critic out in Riva's restaurant (which goes viral). After quitting the restaurant Carl can't find work anywhere else, due to his notorious internet reputation. He then finally gives into his ex-wife's (Vergara) idea of running a food truck. This gives him the chance to spend more time with his estranged son, Percy (Anthony), as they refurbish an old filthy truck they find in Miami. They then drive the truck from Miami  back to LA and sell cubanos  (Cuban sandwiches) along the way.. Carl's old line cook, Martin (Leguizamo) joins them on the adventure.

At an early point in the movie,  Carl prepares a grilled cheese sandwich for his  son. It's a familiar recipe —bread, butter, and cheese — but the way that the camera lingers on the melting cheese, and the care taken in how the food is prepared and served, made me want to reach into the screen and take a bite. If Chef were a meal, it would be delicious comfort food, and when comfort food is done right, boy oh boy does it hit the spot. So too is this movie.

 

The pairing of sumptuous shots of food preparation with Latin beats is hard to resist , and the food shots in Chef are so luscious and evocative that you can almost smell what's cooking. The music, sensual and spicy, is perfectly matched to the food. There's a beauty and a rhythm in the food preparation scenes and the just the right amount of them are included  in the film, so as not to be over indulgent.

The audience is  drawn into the movie by it's beautiful look at cooking (and the passion that goes into it) as well as by a touching father/son story.  All of the performances are top notch and fun to watch. There is timely commentary on social media (most noticeably Twitter) and a revealing look at how a harsh critic can devastate someone's life. It's not a perfect movie  but it's close enough to make it a very enjoyable viewing experience, even a “must see:”..…. an excellent “feel good” movie.

Rated “R” for some occasional bad language that adds to the realism of the story.

 

Clark

 

 

FIELD OF DREAMS .. 4.0****

 

        This past Sunday, being Father’s Day, Sara and I decided to watch one of our favorite “feel good” movies, “Field of Dreams”, which also happens to be one of my top 5 “sports movies”.  It was a fine movie for Father’s Day because at the core of the story is a father/son relationship and the redemption  the son seeks.

 

I truly believe that every once in a blue moon, a movie comes along that uniquely  projects a sense of wonder  and the power of dreams. The title says it all.  "Field of Dreams” and since its release in 1989 it has become an American classic.  This film  reaffirms  what we learned from Hollywood in the forties, that dreams can come true and people can be inspired and changed  by what they choose to believe in , no matter how improbable that may be.

 

Kevin Costner plays Ray Kinsella, an Iowa corn farmer. One day, while roaming aimlessly through his cornfield, he hears a  voice saying the words that have become synonymous with the film itself: "If you build it, he will come." He is compelled by the strange message  and comes to believe that those simple words means he is to build a baseball diamond in part of his corn field. After encouragement from his wife (Amy Madigan)  and to the sheer amazement of his gawking neighbors, he does just that and after a while a troupe of ghostly players, led by the legendary Shoeless Joe Jackson, show up and start playing.  The film then takes a turn with a fascinating road trip that curves eventually back into the storyline quite brilliantly. Ray receives a second message which he believes means he should go to Chicago and get a famous writer from the 1960s,Terence Mann (played wonderfully by James Earl Jones), to come visit his new ball field. At first Mann resists Ray’s invitation, but after going to a Red Sox game in Fenway Park with Ray and experiencing a true moment of wonderment, he too is overcome  by the power of the field's magic. So he goes with Ray  on  a mission to track down an obscure major league player  who got in  one game in the big leagues and then left to pursue medicine. Burt Lancaster wonderfully plays  Archie 'Moonlight' Graham.  This was Lancaster's farewell performance on the big screen, being that of  a simple country doctor, the kind that has regrettably vanished from our society, and what a great performance it is.

 

One of the many things I appreciated about this film was the ending. Everything builds up to it, and then it ends on a perfect, serene note. It would have been so easy to tack on an extra scene or two or try to tie everything up with a nice bow  but that one single final  scene brilliantly sums up everything .

           

 "Field of Dreams" is one of the most unique movies I've ever seen, and  one of the best. My favorite movies, especially “feel good” movies, produce an amazing feeling of warmth and grace  that leaves me in awe of the film. "Field of Dreams" is exactly like that, a masterful piece of moviemaking that overwhelms you with its wonder and positive qualities . This is the kind of movie Hollywood should be reeling out more often…..and proof that “if you make a fine family film, people will come” !!

 

Trust me when I say that you should see this movie. It doesn't matter if you have seen it before (that may make it even better as it did for me) . Rent it or buy it, just don’t miss out on a “MUST” see movie.

 

Clark

 

 

EDGE OF TOMORROW .. LIVE, DIE, REPEAT.. 3.2***

 

When an alien race ( big & bigger spidery things with a bunch of tentacles that move super-fast) attacks Earth, a cowardly military officer, Major Cage, (Tom Cruise) is put on the front line in order to participate in a futuristic end-of-days, Normandy-like battle. And to top it off, after he dies on the battlefield he awakens to discover that he is  being allowed to live that same day over and over again.  An interesting, science-fiction, explanation is given for the reason for the daily recycling. It has something to do with his blood--that's all I can say. With each restart of the day, his character becomes stronger and more equipped to vanquish the aliens. He teams up with Rita ( Emily Blunt), the poster soldier (literally) who is a heroine for killing aliens, and who had once shared the same capability as Cage.  Basically, "Edge of Tomorrow" is an action genre version of "Groundhog Day", set in a catastrophic future.

 The most surprisingly pleasant aspect about "Edge of Tomorrow" is the dark humor throughout. In fact, with all the humor this film has to offer and a plot which loosely mimics one of Bill Murray's most beloved comedies (Groundhog Day), some may question  casting Cruise as the lead. Yet, those who saw him in “Tropic of Thunder" know that he has a sense of humor. And the fact that he displays a more than competent level of comedic timing, without coming off as annoying, desperate or forced, does deserve kudos .But Cruise's performance isn't the only reason  why the movie works as well as it does. Some stand-out supporting work from Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton  and the smartly constructed script  help as well. But above all, it's the fantastic direction from Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr.& Mrs. Smith) which allows this movie to be far better than it had any right to be. In fact, he single-handedly transforms the repetitive nature of the story structure, which (in lesser hands) could have come off as excruciatingly boring, into something that is edge-of-your-seat entertainment..

 

 "Edge of Tomorrow" is quite entertaining on most every level with an originality which should play well with today's audiences much the same way "Groundhog Day" played to audiences in 1993.

 

RATED PG13 it has plenty of action without the heavy violence and gore.

Clark

STILL MINE   3.3***

       A movie that unfolds in a slow, steady, mostly uneventful way is risky in the age of big blockbuster action films.  But like an octogenarian approaching a crisis with the calm that life experience affords, “Still Mine” doesn’t feel the need to employ whistles and  bells or bombs, superheroes or zombies to make its quietly effective mark.

 

"Still Mine" is a thoughtful and sensitive Canadian-made movie, based on the true story of Craig Morrison and his wife Irene, played in the movie by James Cromwell and Genevieve Bujold. It's in many ways a gentle and slow-paced movie that combines two generally unrelated subject matters: growing old, and fighting the bureaucracy. Irene has dementia, and is gradually losing her memory. She is still sharp at cards but falls down stairs and can’t find her way to the bathroom To keep her safe, Craig decides to build a new smaller 1 story house, but gets into trouble with local building inspectors in a small town in New Brunswick, who issue a stop work order until Craig agrees to do things their way. Craig knows what he's doing, and the house he's building is perfectly safe, but the bureaucracy only sees that he hasn't followed all the rules. Meanwhile, as Craig battles the bureaucracy, he also deals with Irene's decline - most often sensitively and lovingly, but sometimes - and understandably - being overwhelmed and lashing out at her.

The performances from Cromwell and Bujold are excellent.  Craig is masterfully played by less-is-more James Cromwell who won a Canadian Screen Award (sort of the Canadian version of an Oscar) as Best Actor for his performance. Bujold plays Irene with dignified realism and humor, never a pitiable figure, just a familiar one. They brought their characters to life, and as a viewer you cared about Craig and Irene.

 

The decision to shoot in New Brunswick, Canada gives the film authenticity and beauty. In many ways the picture is conventionally shot, no stylistic flourishes, no fanfare, but it suits the tone of the piece. Michael  McGowan, the writer and Director of the movie, understands the power of words and character. In his actors he has two giants who bring this wonderful story to life.

 

Movies like this hold a special place in my heart. It tells a story with morals and emphasizes the goodness of humanity. No explosions, no sex, no over the top special effects. Just a good story with great acting.

 

Clark

 

NOTE: This movie came out in 2013 and somehow slipped by me. It’s an  independent film and was not advertised very well if at all. You should be able find it on Netflix or TV…make the effort to find and watch it… it’s worth it !!!

 

 

MALEFICENT…3.2***

 

                        Maleficent" is about a good fairy turning into an evil vindictive villain who  condemns Princess Aurora at her christening  to a grim irrevocable curse to occur on her 16th birthday in the Disney classic animated film "Sleeping Beauty." The curse: that she go to sleep never to awake again except by a kiss of true love. This re-imagined fairy tale goes beyond the beloved story we know. In this case, it tells us the reason behind Maleficent's revengeful hate that causes her to issue such a miserable curse.

 

There is still so much to see and be enthralled about as the story unfolds from Maleficent's wonderful and fun childhood until the horrible thing that happens to her that explains that fateful day of her curse at Aurora's Christening. You will  understand what made Maleficent deliver such a horrible curse. But for me there was more  magic in what unfolds after that day when baby Aurora was taken to live in the woods near the Moors (Maleficent’s fairyland kingdom) with the three small fairies. The film manages to convey a sense of wonder and even awe and the  scenes of Aurora growing up from a baby to a young teen are a pure delight under Maleficent’s watchful eye.

 

Angelina  was born for this role. Those exaggerated cheekbones actually suit her quite well and the horns are in keeping with her image in “Sleeping Beauty”. She captures the many layers of Maleficent's emotion and character in big theatrical gestures, but even more so in those small subtle facial and vocal inflections. I cannot imagine another actress other than Jolie in this role. And be sure to focus on the beautiful scene between  Jolie and her real daughter Vivienne (as toddler Aurora) which is divine beyond description. Elle Fanning is pitch perfect as Aurora, with her disarming smile radiating her character's good nature and blithe spirit. Sam Riley also stood out as the human form of Maleficent's trusted crow, Diaval.  Sharlto Copley looked woefully miscast as King Stefan since he did not particularly look or act kingly. Brenton Thwaites, the awkward young actor who plays Prince Philip, did not particularly look or act princely either. Nor for me did the three small fairies work .. their bodies looked mis-shapened.

 

The land of enchantment in the mysterious Moors, with its fairies and other fanciful creatures is  as a delightful and happy dream world  thanks to the magic of  computer animation artists. The special visual effects were also topnotch especially those  which transformed Diaval into his various animal forms (including fire- breathing dragon)

 

Maleficent is about what happens when your Prince turns into a Frog. It's a personal, inner journey to recover from a physical trauma and emotional betrayal by those who are closest to you and whom you trust the most. It's about how to survive that type of horrific evil without becoming evil yourself. It also refocuses on what “true love” is which is not always the fairy tale version.

 

Rated “G”, it is a movie for kids and adults.. even better for families !!

Clark