cult film freak: food

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Written by James M. Tate / 11/05/2015 / No comments / 2015 , bradley cooper , drama , food

BRADLEY COOPER IN STARRING IN BURNT

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-TBsD0SgMaqy7F07FAW4sPDdWUqMVHl7fm3muV-zQGUDn7_HeXBILj1l7gb71OutqgkkGbYwu7lqOKn2U7uQd3mpK48RUCqPecax7gNGdZMnGU3gtos0UZGOND4PrQdosnMSh7TAlcs/s1600/JONES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-TBsD0SgMaqy7F07FAW4sPDdWUqMVHl7fm3muV-zQGUDn7_HeXBILj1l7gb71OutqgkkGbYwu7lqOKn2U7uQd3mpK48RUCqPecax7gNGdZMnGU3gtos0UZGOND4PrQdosnMSh7TAlcs/s400/JONES.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2015</td></tr>
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Originally titled CHEF, there was an indie film with the <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/05/chef.html">same title</a> that refused to be changed, so a promo poster with Bradley Cooper adorning the entire frame was simply called ADAM JONES. Doesn't say much about the story; just a first and last name. Easy as pie, and the A-list star could sell just about anything...<br />
<br />
Well it turns out, what became BURNT centers on a complicated guy who happens to be not only a chef/cook, but he's secretly, for those in the know, the best in the world. He has his share of quirks and neurosis, and can't get along with anyone, despite winding up way-too-easily owning an English restaurant to gain a Three Star rating... slightly less than this vehicle deserves... which could be retitled SILVER LININGS COOKBOOK for Cooper's usual spontaneous aura, at times guided by a documentary-style camera: But without a real plot, an engaging ingenue/romance, and a reason for the talented star to be involved in the first place, Cooper's built-in, natural intensity is all but wasted as he deals with fellow chefs, mafia goons, and worst yet, himself, messing things up as they start getting <i>just right,</i> and things never really do... both in his life and the movie itself: simmering without ever sizzling.<br />
<br />
RATING: **1/2

2015, bradley cooper, drama, food

BRADLEY COOPER IN STARRING IN BURNT

year: 2015 Originally titled CHEF, there was an indie film with the same title that refused to be changed, so a promo poster with Bradl...

Written by James M. Tate / 8/24/2014 / No comments / 2014 , food , helen mirren , india , om puri

REVIEW OF THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIPUPghfeCgxIIOISzAaApGPUPew_DAhECTINIor3xWZAIthgdzToo6QYnDtE9a0rOEcV5JR7812co7b83evCr2ER-8OhD_DQtft3zIjwmsUvM1cNL-7mcrH0-CY4jY1X9R6R9ER30w8/s1600/om-puri-in-the-hundred-foot-journey-movie-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIPUPghfeCgxIIOISzAaApGPUPew_DAhECTINIor3xWZAIthgdzToo6QYnDtE9a0rOEcV5JR7812co7b83evCr2ER-8OhD_DQtft3zIjwmsUvM1cNL-7mcrH0-CY4jY1X9R6R9ER30w8/s1600/om-puri-in-the-hundred-foot-journey-movie-4.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: ***</td></tr>
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Food porn version of THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, only here a family from India moves to Europe and finds their own little paradise… and not without a few roadblocks…<br />
<br />
Enter our leading lady who is really the main antagonist... Although Helen Mirren plays French restaurant owner Madame Mallory with such hateful precision you know she’s bound to melt. Thankfully it’s not a contrived transition as the Indian family, headlined by an optimistic yet stubbornly grouchy patriarch, Papa, played by scene-stealer Om Puri, and his talented son Hassan, the head cook for the makeshift restaurant opened right across the street from the Madam's elegant small town mainstay, become her new competition... <br />
<br />
So the most fun is had during scenes where Mallory and Papa wage war, playing dirty tricks to mess up each other’s business: his from growing and hers’ from remaining the most popular. This story, highlighted by Puri’s subtle yet hilarious performance trumping Mirren's limited stonewall, narrows down into young Hassan’s venture from smalltime cook to a hopeful master chef.  <br />
<br />
While American-born Manish Dayal is likeable enough as the buried lead, you might cringe as he annoyingly sideswipes Papa’s humor with constant whining, and the budding romance with Mallory’s head chef is unrealistic – French actress Charlotte Le Bon is much too pretty for the role, and the chemistry is just not there. But the main problem with Hassan’s story is it just doesn’t know when to end, making this HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY about twenty minutes too long.<br />
  <br />
The humorous dialogue and picturesque locations aside, what really works is what's left out: that being political or religious banter, excessive swearing or anything polarizing. It’s a universally appealing family film, for the most part, although mostly recommended for parents and grandparents who enjoy an old fashion cinematic meal with style and class... and plenty of lightweight sarcasm.

2014, food, helen mirren, india, om puri

REVIEW OF THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY

year: 2014 rating: *** Food porn version of THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, only here a family from India moves to Europe and finds thei...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/18/2014 / No comments / 2014 , comedy , dustin hoffman , food , jon favreau , road movie , robert downey jr.

JON FAVREAU WRITES & DIRECTS & STARS IN CHEF

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76nNdCYg-5VUyLvU1tIyw9xdmPY3un4Qhb2ycET2pDFxa_UaaVsz3ePf8uCeKwdjezFIcjXcfDx1PS7iu7Q8NQRnkOvfwfjJAvs9lN6b2K7G6lw7U08BqAm1YIA1R7LB70HGoQIlaDRE/s1600/Picture+1.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76nNdCYg-5VUyLvU1tIyw9xdmPY3un4Qhb2ycET2pDFxa_UaaVsz3ePf8uCeKwdjezFIcjXcfDx1PS7iu7Q8NQRnkOvfwfjJAvs9lN6b2K7G6lw7U08BqAm1YIA1R7LB70HGoQIlaDRE/s320/Picture+1.png" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: **1/2</td></tr>
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Fans of SWINGERS, good news… That film’s writer and star is back in indie form after directing and igniting the IRON MAN franchise, and then crash landing with the big budget misfire, COWBOYS AND ALIENS… <br />
<br />
In
 CHEF, Jon Favreau plays Carl Casper, a name that sounds like a superhero but his powers are in the kitchen… of someone else’s 
restaurant. That’s the first of three dilemmas...<br />
<br />
His boss doesn’t want any original menu items, making Carl’s work a dull
 template, eventually beleaguered by a top food critic who, 
going viral on Twitter, shares an awful review that
 turns into an online feud, eventually making our put-upon hero look ridiculous. 
And on top of quitting his job, Carl’s a weekend dad for a moody son 
who wants more and more time: The funniest scenes occur as Favreau 
displays his usual neurotic charm, trying desperately to climb out of a 
seemingly endless hole. But halfway through, as the main plot ushers in…
 of a once great restaurant chef running his own food truck… it’s all 
sunshine viewed through rose-colored glasses, deleting the edgy banter 
that made MADE and SWINGERS so engaging.<br />
<br />
One
 problem is how easily Carl comes to own the truck in the first place, conceived and handed down by his ex-wife and backed by her 
rich ex-husband, played by IRON MAN himself, Robert Downey Jr., in a 
caustic cameo surprisingly awkward and unfunny (Jon’s ex partner Vince 
Vaughn would have worked better). But this scene’s 
purpose is how Carl floats into what should be a risky venture, which,
through his son’s twitter account, becomes such an instant smash there’s little left for the characters, or the audience, to worry about.<br />
<br />
If the intention was to make a feel-good road movie 
about a father and son bonding, Favreau's hit a home run. Or if 
exploiting delicious looking food is a factor – this could very well be 
the CITIZEN KANE of taste buds. But for anyone who prefers a dash of 
perpetual stress as an essential comedy ingredient, CHEF, while somewhat 
satisfying, is a meal that leaves much to be desired.

2014, comedy, dustin hoffman, food, jon favreau, road movie, robert downey jr.

JON FAVREAU WRITES & DIRECTS & STARS IN CHEF

year: 2014 rating: **1/2 Fans of SWINGERS, good news… That film’s writer and star is back in indie form after directing and igniting the...

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