Chef

Chef is  Jon Favreau's baby. He wrote, produced, directed, and acted in his own movie. He basically had full creative control over this film and it is very impressive for anyone to accomplish such a task. Not only are you making creative decisions like where to put that light, but you are also making financial ones like how are we going to finance this project? what is our budget like? and on top of all that, he has to act, direct himself, his crew, and his cast. 

Mind is blow. Like, what? I don't think I could ever do something like that. So I applaud him for doing such a crazy thing. 

The movie shows the guy's passion for food. And that's inspiring. The film has a lot of heart and that's really good. 

For what it is, Chef is a good movie. Just something you put on and watch on a night where you don't want to think about anything and have an enjoyable experience. It is also a well done film and I would recommend it to anyone to watch. 

Waitress

Waitress has some story elements in common with Like Water for Chocolate, however I think the set up was better in the former. The idea that whatever this lady cooks makes people feel things is something they both share. 

The way they differ is the set up in act 1. Waitress did a better job at establishing the character, her role, her setting and her circumstance.  The film wasn't just about making pies, it was about life. It had a bigger picture than just 'a slice of life.'

I researched the film a little bit more after watching it, and learned that the writer/director, who also played Dawn in the film, died just a few months before the film was accepted into Sundance. That was really interesting to learn, and changed my perspective on the movie. 

To think that this was the last thing someone did before they died, was incredible. She defiantly went out with a piece that was very heartwarming and had a positive outlook on the future, something I think she could be very proud of. 

Julie and Julia

What makes this movie so good is Meryl Streep's performance. It is seriously so good. She embodies Julia Child so well. It was the saving grace that made all the other parts worth watching, just so you could get another scene with Meryl in it. 

I wish that it was a story just strictly on Julia, her relationship with her husband, and how she becomes 'The Julia Child.' That would have been so much more compelling to me than Julie and Julia. 

Julia's struggle from the beginning is fascinating. She is in a new city, and doesn't have anything to do. She finds she loves to cook and goes to school where she is brought down by her peers who doesn't think she's capable. Then the whole journey she takes to finally publishing her book -- this could have been a biopic and I would have loved it so much more. 

Meryl is a show stealer, and she defiantly lives up to her name as being one of the best actresses of this generation. 

Willy Wonka

When I was growing up, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was one of my favorite films. I don't really quite understand why, but it was. I watched it over and over and over again. Seeing it this semester brought back many nostalgic feelings for me. 

One of my favorite scenes in the film is the first time you see Willy Wonka. He comes out of the factory, limping. He then falls but tumbles out of it, smiling. What a great magic trick. He fooled everyone! The first thing he does sets up how he acts for the remainder of the film. As we soon find out, the whole golden ticket thing is a ploy to find someone to take over his factory. His greatest magic trick. 

I connected with the innocence of Charlie and I loved the relationship he had with his grandpa. It felt honest and loving. 

There were some differences from the book and the film, but I think the movie does a good job at capturing the spirit of the book. Most people think that just because a movie isn't exactly the same as a book that it's bad. Most of the time, a director is just trying to capture the spirit of what makes the book good and doesn't get caught up in the actual story because you could never tell a 500 paged story well in two hours. 

Sushi

Jiro Dreams of Sushi was one of the hidden gems of the year when it came out. More people needed to see it. The story is about a renowned sushi artist in Japan, his life and his process of doing things. It was fascinating to see a master at his work. It was about food, but so much more than that. He took pride in what he did, and made it his life. Just to think that people make reservations to his restaurant months in advance is mind-boggling. 

I really appreciated the inside look into something that most people wouldn't think of. The story is well crafted and doesn't feel like a drab documentary. The visuals are appealing and make you want to eat some sushi!

It's interesting to think that it takes someone three years to learn how to properly make rice before they even touch the actual fish. That is so crazy. You need to be so dedicated to do that job, and that's awesome. It makes me feel really, really good inside to see how passionate people are about what they do. Every time I think about it, it makes me think that everything's going to be ok. 

Like Water for Chocolate

'Like Water for Chocolate' was eh. I didn't really like it to be honest. It had a lot to do with the story. Within the first fifteen minutes of the film, I was already checked out. It didn't grab my interest and I didn't fall for the story. There's a lot of 'suspended disbelief' in the film. That's ok - it's perfectly fine to have that.
The film is semi-fantasy like. They didn't do a good job at setting up the story.  I understand what they were going for, but they did a poor job on execution. I did not relate the the main character at all. I didn't understand her motives or her actions. I don't think I have anything more to say about this. So I'll end it here.

Departures

I enjoyed this movie much more than I thought I would. The story is very odd. There isn't much selection when it comes to embalmers. I loved how the film took place in Japan - that really added to the story because of their culture and the way they treat people who handle the dead.

I loved how the story was more about Diago finding himself, and in doing so, saw the beauty in preparing the dead. The last scene where he prepares his father's body was very emotional and a very satisfying ending. The build up to that scene was all well done. The quick flashbacks of him playing cello for his father, and the motif of the stone was perfect. Not too on-the-nose, but just enough that the audience had to work for it.

I would like to revisit the film, perhaps when I'm a bit older to see how my perspectives change.

The Trip

'The Trip' follows the regular buddy road trip formula that we've seen many times before. Usually though, those two people enjoy each other's company to go on this adventure together. In this film however, that is not what we get.

I was unsure if this was some sort of mockumentary or if it was supposed to be a fictional narration piece. The fact that they used their actual names and their backstories seemed to match their 'real life,' seemed to me that it was indeed a mock. It really makes me wonder though... is Steve Coogan really that much of an ass?

The impressions got old really fast by Rob. They were indeed good, but it was pretty much the same joke repeated a thousand times. The food aspect of it was there, but it really wasn't about the food. And at the end, it seemed like they just went about their usual lives.

Lunch Box

I had very high expectations of this film going into it. Lunch Box had rave reviews, and I was excited to watch a modern Indian film. The story was very simple, and one that has been done a million different ways: two strangers become friends, or lovers through a communication vehicle that is centered around the mystery of never meeting. It's great. It creates tension.

Lunch Box uses this concept and chooses the vehicle of a lunch box for communication. In theory, it's a new twist on an old idea. The execution was great. It was never the same thing twice. I thought the story dragged on after a while though because they spent so much time in the 'back and forth' part. I love that the two main characters didn't end up together in the end, but I was underwhelmed and a little disappointed at just how abrupt it was. 

Spirited Away

The first time I watched Spirited Away, I didn't understand what was going on at all. All of my friends have praised this film as one of their favorites, so I was willing to give it another go. The second time around, I still didn't know what was going on and I felt frustrated. Why was it that I couldn't wrap my head around this story? I was not in suspended disbelief. I couldn't relate to any of the characters and I didn't understand why I should even care in the first place.

After the second time I watched the movie, I looked up a plot summary and character analysis online, and that seemed to help clear the confusion. The story had many sub-layers and social context that I missed. It made me appreciate it more to know that so much thought went into it. I still did not enjoy my experience, but I think I can at least appreciate the movie for what it is.