The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)

'Technically, the outside of your wall is public property.  I know this because I had a plan to raise it and obscure your establishment." - Madam Mallory

"Three Stars is only for the Gods." -Margueritte

It is semi-unfortunate that I watched both Chef and The Hundred-Foot Journey in such short succession.  They are so different and deserve to be reviewed separately and without interference.  Unfortunately for Hundred-Foot Journey, it is the lesser of the two films.

Let's start with the positives. I immediately compared Hundred Foot Journey to Chef, but by all rights its two best comparison films are Ratatouille and Grumpy Old Men. A man/rat who thinks he is a cook without training is thrust into the world of high class french food. His world is pulled in two directions by his family and the female love interest with classical chef training. As to Grumpy Old Men, two obnoxious neighbors tussle over everything until they are the best of friends. Generally, I think that film should work hard to prioritize its conflicts and characters into main, secondary, tertiary etc. and dole out screen and plot time accordingly. This is and was the wrong approach for Hundred-Foot Journey. Each and every relationship was critical to the construction of the greater plot.

I will also point out that while I appreciated the strategy of Chef in the use of foley and music to achieve hunger within the audience.  It is not the only way.  Hundred-Foot Journey made me nearly as hungry through an emphasis on the teamwork, spices, and love behind each and every dish. What could a restaurant ever offer to compete with your family's secret recipe?

The only true negative that I felt was the lack of true conflict beyond the introspective. Our main hero leaves the nest for bigger and better things in Paris only to gain new skills and find himself adrift without the family and memory true soul food requires. This is an emotionally uplifting story but not a truly satisfying conflict resolution.

From opening bid to final price take it or leave it, I give The Hundred-Foot Journey 3.68 out of 5 stars.   

Chef (2014)

"Dad, Martin just but corn start down his pants and on his junk!" -Percy
"He did?"  Looks around puzzled. "Give me some." -Carl Casper

Always make room in your heart for the little movie that could, less your heart harden and the snively critic inside you will take control.

Here are the reasons I liked Chef: the wierd semi-autobiographical nature of it, its authenticity, and that it made me smell.

I say that Chef is semi-autobiographical in that Jon Favreau prior to acting and directing chef was the director of both Iron Man 1 and Iron Man 2.  The first one heralded, the second widely panned. It is exhausting work and you have to love it. Apparently Jon, no longer loved it. He didn't want to "play his hits", and couldn't make one more chocolate lava cake. So what did he do?  He bought a food tuck..I mean he made a movie about a guy who followed his heart and bought a food truck that allowed him to make the movie...I mean food that he wanted. Oh and I think that Jon cast Sofia Vegara because he probably has the hots for her in real life. (They look so strange together as a couple. hahaha amazing.)

The second reason I liked Chef is that it was clearly made out of a sincere passion for good story telling, No corporate shills had their hands or proxy writers involved in the production or writing, and it shows. The focus on the food and the bond between father and son is allowed to grow and endure through silliness and unexpected heart. (if there were cliches, and I assume there were.  I didn't notice them. And that is hard to do.)

Finally, I have got to hand it Jon Favreau for working so hard to get the right senses working throughout the movie. It is not enough to just to show the food all pretty and expect people to ogle it like a self indulgent tweet of one's dinner.  You have to got the extra mile and chop the veggies, smoke the brisket, and most importantly eat it all with gusto. Then comes the hard part, the visuals are not enough. The sound of the knives, the sizzle of garlic in the pan, the crackle of rock candy under a hammer, the banter (in Spanish) of the cooks, and the music played at the event must be perfect. That is how you get an audience's mouth to water and fake smell cinnamon and sugar cover beignets fresh from the fryer.

Oh and the sound track is just perfect. www.youtube.com/watch?v=s75WIkQBYzk

John Leiguizamo and Oliver Platt are just great.

On a scale of andouille sausage with fried onions, yuca fries, and chili cilantro sauce to a hotdog, I give Chef 3.7 out of 5 stars. 

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

"Whoa!" -Bill and Ted, all the time
"If we were Napoleon in modern day San Demas, where would we go?   WATERLOO!" -Ted Logan
"69 dudes!" -Bill and Ted

So much style.  So much stupidity.  Thus is the brilliance of Bill and Ted's Excellent adventure. Bill and Ted's is a self enlightened film that realizes that there are no bounds to what can be done and that true stupidity does not disqualify one from greatness.

That said, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is not a masterpiece or something that can mimicked for future use.  No one will ever call it truly great cinema.

What I thought was great about Bill and Ted's was the writers decision to just throw the book out when it comes to time travel.  As soon as Ted says "Wait, we have access to time machine. Can't I just come back in time to now from tomorrow?", and then they do. Anything and everything can happen  It's writing brilliance.

I also think that Keanu Reeves is terrible and yet completely compelling in his role as Ted Logan.

Pros: Wild Stallion!!!!, Teenage Stupidity, George Carlin, Clarence Clemmons of the E Street Band, SOcrAtes, Beethoven and Genghis Khan in a 1980s California mall.

Cons: So dumb.  So So So dumb. and with  a script to make itself cliche instantaneously.   

On a scale of Excellent to Righteous I give Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure 3.6 out of 5 stars. 

The November Man (2014)

Peter Devereaux: "He's probably the best friend I've ever had."
Alice Fournier: "Al your friends try to kill you?"
Peter Devereaux: "Eventuallly."

I saw Goldeneye.  I loved Goldeneye. The November Man is like they wanted to make Goldeneye but then half way through said...meh I guess we kinda got a spy thriller.  

How I know this is that Pierce Brosnan aka James Bond from Goldeneye takes on Luke Bracey who stands in for Sean Bean. I honestly thought he was Sean Bean for about half the film. Sean Bean and Pierce Brosnan faced off in Goldeneye.  Additionally, the "babe",Olga Kurylenko, was the Bond girl from Quantum of Solace.

Honestly, November Man was a film that is completely forgettable.  If you have seen one spy thriller there is no need to see this one.

General Pros: Pierce Brosnan, Goldeneye, and that a spy thriller actually wants to talk about Chechnya.
Specific Pro: The foley artist were epic. Combine them with good editing and gooey perfect squish.  

General Cons: The writing, the chase sequences, and serious mood music
Specific Con: Apparently you can email editor@newyorktime.com with classified documents and just poof...information is accepted and distributed to the world. 

On a scale of blackmail to extortion, I give The November Man 2.3 out of 5 stars.     

   

風の谷のナウシカ Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

"Princess!!!" -basically everyone but especially Mito (Edward James Olmos)

I am huge believer in taking bold risks. Don't go back and rehash an old idea. New, bold, exciting, possibly crazy ideas make me want to watch movies, not remakes.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is prime example of a mind-numbingly out there concept that deserves respect and admiration despite existing flaws. Without Nausicaa there would be no Studio Ghibli, a diminished pantheon of Japanese animation, and no Cat Bus.

I am not joking when I say that the total plot of the Nausicaa movie and its expanded universe from the graphic novel set approaches the complexity of Urza's time travel saga. Bizarre doesn't even come close. Big giant ohms are actually defending the planet's miasma creating forests as they cleanse the world of human made toxins.

As for the movie, I usually take the position that the introduction of a new world should be handled in a tactful, subtle, and inviting way. That way the audience's belief remains suspended. Nausicaa just goes the opposite direction. Jumps right into the madness. Explains little. Shows less. But it works, so enjoy.

Pros:  It is pure story genius.  It is also beautiful. Bonus: Patrick Stewart voices Lord Yupa
Cons: If you can't handle a bizzaro story. This one aint for you.

On a scale of one armed princess who lead armies to valiant princess who glides while skirtted, I give Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 3.78 out of 5 stars.

    

     

The Great Train Robbery (1978)

"Why did you conceive, plan, and execute this dastardly and scandalous crime?" (Judge)
"I wanted the money." (Edward Pierce)

The Great Train Robbery definitely lives up to its name. Spoiler* They rob a train. But there is so much more TGTR than just robbery, its a highly cultured, tawdry,expose on Victorian class structures, wealth and sensibilities. All aboard.

The first thing to understand about the The Great Train Robbery from the perspective of a Millennial is that despite their age and era appropriate-ness, Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland were always old. It's like they had no youth even in their youth.

Second, it is bizarre to look back at a movie that was deliberately mocking the morals of the day, but seem so smutty in comparison to modern releases. I understand that TGTR was released before movie standards like pg-13, R, PG, and the like, but I have no idea what its rating should be now or how Michael Crichton (Yes, Michael Crichton of ER and Jurassic Park) would have changed about his directing or writing.

Third, I have no real data on this, but I wonder if many of our modern directors and writers look back to TGTR as a version 1.3 caper movie.  It has all the hallmarks: the mastermind, the lift, the costumes, the need to assemble a team, the dame for distraction, and more.

The only real flaw I saw in TGTR was the ending.  They escape justice and.....

On a scale of Buster Keaton jumping on a moving train to Sean Connery on the roof of a moving train, I give The Great Train Robbery 3.6 out of 5 stars.    

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

M. Gustave: [Regarding "Boy with Apple"] I'll never part with it. It reminded her of me; it will remind me of her, always. I'll die with this picture above my bed. See the resemblance?
Zero: Oh... oh, yes.
M. Gustave: [Just minutes later] Actually, we should sell it.

Once again Wes Anderson has created an insulated gem. He continues to love the same actors. His cuts are sublime, and his story telling is well-honed like a campfire master. That The Grand Budapest Hotel is not his finest work is of little consequence. We as the audience should just be happy in that his creations get made at all.  They make the world and the art of cinema better. Most films on this blog don't even come close to that.

As to the particulars of The Grand Budapest Hotel, I would say that my favorite scenes were in the dilapidated hotel with F. Murray Abraham: an old man dreaming of yesteryear in the hollow shell of former opulence.  Other high points include the Order of the Crossed Keys, Edward Norton, and any time they have to ride a gondola. As per usual, I love Wes Anderson scripts and those of you who already are fans will get more of what you like.

Sadly, in my opinion, The Grand Budapest Hotel is not quite the masterpieces that were The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Acquatic, or even Moonrise Kingdom.  But, it is totally worth one's time.

On a scale of David Bowie to David Bowie in Portuguese, I give The Grand Budapest Hotel 3.67 out of 5 stars.