The Lunchbox Review

The Lunchbox is a wonderfully simple tale of two people who connect through a lunchbox exchange. I really enjoyed this film because it felt very fresh and original. Usually with stories like this, two people meet in an unexpected way and get to know each other through various coincidental circumstances and “fall in love” by the end of the movie, but not this film. I enjoyed that this film was purely about the friendship of these two people learning about each other’s lives through short notes exchanged through a lunchbox that wasn't even brought to the right location. The visuals were very simple, but were completely focused around the lunchbox that served as an emotional element to the film. Every time you see the lunchbox on screen you observe how each character is reacting to it and their emotional state. For example, at the beginning when the main character receives the lunchbox, he is confused but as the film continues on, you see the excitement in his face when he receives the lunchbox because he knows it means that he gets to communicate to his new friend. I enjoyed the relationship conflict the characters had in their own lives of feeling lonely in some way. The man was living alone and was depressed while the woman felt neglected and unappreciated by her husband, thus they immediately bonded and helped each other through difficult times without ever really seeing each other. I felt the film ended on a very satisfying note, where both characters were confidently independent with their choices as the women decided to leave her husband and live a new life and the man comes out of his depression states and enjoys life more. What a beautiful film! 

The Trip Took a Chance

    The Trip starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon is a road trip film that doesn't really have a strong food element, but that's irrelevant because it's a film that takes a chance.
    Coogan and Brydon, coworkers rather than friends, take a trip in attempt to taste some wonderful food. A trip originally intended for Coogan and his girlfriend becomes one funny ride. Now, it's true that the film can be quite funny, but no matter how funny it is there is always an underlying theme of darkness prevalent throughout the film. Coogan, the one the darkness belongs to, seems to always have a grouchy attitude due to his struggle as an actor and an undetermined relationship with his girlfriend. Long story short, the film ends on a dark note of Coogan going back to his empty apartment still grouchy despite the great fun the trip provided, while Brydon returns to his happy family. This film, being a comedy, ends on a not so happy ending as I just said. Sure, other comedies have ended on sadness, but the film's ending makes the point of the film completely useless. A trip meant for fun, which includes fun, ends on sadness and that's why it takes a chance. I remember after the film ended everyone seemed to be puzzled by the darkness, as I was, but if one thing is for sure it's that I really want to see the sequel. The film took a chance with the audience, which typically isn't too rewarding, but this film came out on top.
    The Trip is an interesting film that I wouldn't necessarily say I loved, but I enjoy discussing it. It'll be even more interesting to see where the sequel, The Trip to Italy takes viewers.

Chef and Sloth

    I have already written a blogpost on the vice of sloth, but following my viewing of the 2014 film Chef directed by Jon Favreau, it is impossible not to write one more on sloth. The film follows the life of an extremely prestigious chef who goes by the name El Jefe. He truly is a fantastic chef, but he really hits an obstacle pertaining to creative differences and an overall emotion of happiness. On behalf, and/or because of these two bland feelings sloth is represented in a traditional sense as well as Rebecca DeYoung’s sense in Glittering Vices.

    El Jefe has been working at the same popular restaurant in Los Angeles for the last few years because he was scouted in Miami, but he begins to have the need and want to branch out of the restaurant’s menu’s comfort zone. In order to be happy and impress the biggest critic in town, as he did in Miami, he has to cook some new and delicious dishes. However, the owner of the restaurant is a stubborn man and refuses to allow his restaurant to be changed for fear of losing business. El Jefe, as hard as he works, is forced to quit and wallow in despair. Now, this is where sloth comes in. While El Jefe was working as hard as he could to get new results out of the same dishes he was finding that he never had time to do anything but attempt to impress the critic in a nearly impossible fashion. By being consistently busy with work El Jefe neglected his son Percy’s happiness by always failing to perform on promises, otherwise known by DeYoung as being slothful. Once El Jefe quits his job one would anticipate his slothful attitude to be taken care of, but that’s most certainly not the case. After he quits, as I said, he wallows in despair not knowing what to do with his life at this point and falls into the act of being slothful in a traditional sense. He’s a forty-something year old divorced man and he feels his life has ended, so he decides to smoke weed and cook for either himself or his ex fellow employee, aka the traditional definition of being slothful. 

    The film does indeed turn things around in a complete and satisfying manner, even though I haven't in this blogpost, but there is absolutely no doubting that El Jefe was the poster child for sloth during the majority of the film. It sure does sound depressing, but after one sees this film I guarantee he/she will love it as I did.

Big Night and Avarice

    Big Night is a drama, comedy, and romance all at once that stars and is directed by Stanley Tucci. The film came out in 1996 and has stayed relatively silent ever since, which is a shame because it’s brilliant on all technical scales and would be a prime sister piece to Rebecca DeYoung’s Glittering Vices, more specifically her chapter on avarice.

    The film revolves around the life of two brothers, Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub, as they try to make it in America via the Italian restaurant business. Trouble emerges as the other Italian restaurant less than a mile away from the brothers’ continually brings in far more business. Not too long after the brothers realize there’s no hope left, the owner, played by Ian Holm, of the more popular restaurant comes over to try and “help” the others. This is where the avarice comes in. Holm begins by genuinely telling one of the brothers, Tucci, that there is always room over at his restaurant for the two of them. Tucci says very little when asked and states that he has to speak with his brother, who tends to be a hothead a lot of the time. Holm already knows that his brother will say no so he commits the act of true avarice not too long after that meeting. Holm takes advantage of Tucci as well as Shalhoub by claiming he knows every star there is, especially Louis Prima. Holm goes on to say that Mr. Prima was going to come to his restaurant later in the week, but he wouldn’t mind allowing the brothers to have him instead in order to gain popularity. Obviously, Louis Prima was never scheduled to go anywhere, but the brothers believe him and throw an extravagant party that just ends in despair. By committing such an act Holm displays that he not only has the most successful restaurant and desires the brothers, but if he can’t have them than no one can. That fits Rebecca deYoung’s definition of avarice perfectly. Ian Holm just takes every ounce of what he’s got and puts it all towards greediness against some misfortunate competition.

    My post may not seem like much since it’s nearly a summary, but Holm’s act takes a lot of malicious buildup and an immense amount of coldheartedness that it truly is something to be discussed, and without a retelling it wouldn't seem complete. On one last note, I adored this film and wish more than just four or five people had showed up to it.

Chef

Jon Favreau’s Chef is a fun, character driven movie that has a couple interesting aspects that I’d like to mention. The first is the film’s integration of social media. This film couldn’t have been made in this form even just several years ago, as Twitter and other social media sites are used as not just character aspects but also to further the plot. Some examples of this are when Casper and Percy bond over Percy teaching Casper how to use Twitter, and how the film’s inciting incident is actually spurred by Casper’s tweet to the critic. Percy also aids to the food truck’s success by promoting the trip through social media.

The second aspect is the film’s plot/story arc. In the second half of the film, the main characters don’t face any real setbacks, let alone a major setback in the third act, which is very odd from the standpoint of a traditional screenplay structure. While watching the film, I was expecting something bad to happen to the characters, but it never happened. In my opinion the film still works, but I did find this to be rather unique.

Julie & Julia

If this movie doesn't make you want to cook your way through a cookbook, I don't know what will.

I saw this movie a while ago and decided to refresh my memory on it last night, and it's absolutely inspiring, just that level of dedication. Makes me want to sit down and do something for a whole year.

I really sympathized with Julie, and I liked how the movie handled her flaws realistically. I do not think she should have held Julia in such high regard because she ended up disappointed toward the end of the movie, but she was able to pick herself up and finish what she started.

Maybe I'll start a year-long project now... that is not food-related because I cannot cook at all. Bye.

Chef

Directed by and starring John Favearu, Chef tells the story of a prestigious cook who gets fed up with his job and decides to quit. The owner pushes him too far and Favreau ends up quitting his position at the highly rated Los Angeles restaurant. He soon finds himself in Miami where he gets together with his ex-wife, best friend, and son to start a food truck. It is a very captivating story and there are a lot of plot elements that many could relate too. We all have our problems and this movie definitely shows that we can overcome them with a little hard work and effort. The tale follows themes of life goals and even love of family and friends. Chef is a very funny and somewhat of a heart warming tale with great performances by Favreau, Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansen, and Robert Downey Jr. With an A-list cast like that you almost can't possibly go wrong, right? Well maybe not always, but Chef definitely pleases.

Catching up with Willy Wonka

It has been awhile since I have posted so let's start off by discussing Willy Wonka. Compared to its newer counter part, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka is not as true to the actual Roald Dahl book. Now as some may complain and whine about how it is not like the book and how it is "very different" let us look at the film as a whole. Now the job of the many filmmakers on set and in post is to interpret the story as they please as filmmakers and that is just what they did. They created their own story with it's own significant meaning that took place in this great little world Dahl was able to create and at the same time pull instances out of the book to contribute to the overall narrative. That is where we the scenes like the big candy room and the glass elevator come into play. However, to push the narrative there are story elements that were included to further the story such as the scene where Charlie and his Grandpa are almost severely injured by the large ceiling fan. The shocking ending is another factor, where Wonka kicks Charlie out only to see Charlie prove himself by being honest and exactly what Wonka was looking for.

The film has great direction, pace, and solid acting. It may not be the best film out there, but it is a classic that defined what Willy Wonka was for many years to come.

Chef

One of the things I liked most about Chef was that it was a simple yet entertaining film. It didn't have any over the top theatrics that have come out of Favreau's more recent "blockbuster" type films, but rather tells an entrancing story about a man rediscovering his passion and reconnect with his family. Carl Casper and Jon Favreau shared a lot of similar qualities like stepping back from large productions (for Jon, directing films and Carl working at high quality restaurants) that I believe he wrote in there on purpose, making the role almost autobiographical. Jon excelled at making a movie about getting back to basics and remembering where you started, and finding joy in those things again. Carl's relationship with his son Percy was also interesting to watch grow and shift as the movie went on, like with how Carl expected his son to be less knowledgeable and nonchalant and was constantly gruff, but Percy pushed back and had probably most of my favorite dialogue in the film. The story reminded me a lot of the recent film Birdman because it's a simple trip to be had, but the journey was the most entertaining to see as the characters grew and adapted, and because it almost seems autobiographical for the actors who appeared in both films.

 

Waitress

Waitress, written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, is a refreshing film. I originally saw this a couple years ago, and it has stuck with me enough that I was looking forward to seeing it again. What’s so refreshing about this film is that it is a non-traditional romantic comedy.

Most films like these have similar elements such as snappy dialogue and charming characters. Waitress has both of these. The traditional elements about this film work very well (Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion both give notable performances), but the film decides to go in a different direction. Instead of following the expected plotline, the film isn’t about Jenna “finding a man”, if you will, but in a way is rather about Jenna taking control of her life. By the end of the film, Jenna has her baby, leaves her abusive husband, ends her affair, and finally starts making pies for herself. This leaves the viewer with a completely different message than most films of its type, and it deserves recognition for that.

Waitress

This movie had nothing to do with foo but I am so happy you showed it.

Immediately after I watched this I called my mother to tell her to go watch it. She has the same story of a baby saving her from the hell she was living in. So, I i related to the little baby in the movie. My favorite part of the movie was that the affair didn't work out because i would have felt guilty as a viewer if it had ended that way. Even If his wife was a bad lady I would have felt gross. But, thankfully his wife was a really nice lady so Keri's character didn't go for it. i think that the scene where she is smiling is awesome because it shows something that couldn't be captured in words.

Willy Wonka

This is the first movie in this class that i have seen already. Not only have I seen it but I own it and watch it on a regular basis. This movie has many aspects that make it a great movie. The character development is great for instance charlies background and the build up to Wonka and his reveal. The acting is great. Willy Wonka was casted perfectly to fulfill all the complexities of his character. There are great songs too, I very often catch my self singing "Charlie" and the song "Pure Imagination" is one of my favorite songs from movies.The costumes also were great for there time. You can see them demonstrated in the picture above. The sets inside the factory are top notch and could of been made much cheaper but weren't.

The best open credit sequence at making your mouth water.
 

Ballinger music Vids Food

The scarecrow was my favorite music video that he showed. The sound track was a little creepy but set the tone of exploited animals perfectly. The animation in this was beautiful. I understood why when I saw that it was the promotional for a video game.
Mr. wobbles nightmare was really creepy too. The animation was not as good but it still was pretty entertaining.
The two music videos by wierd al were great. I had seen them before. I still don't understand why he has cat eyes at the end. The fat music video is one of my favorite covers of all time. Even though  don't like Micheal Jackson I do thiink the cover is funny so i have listen to Bad a lot too.

The oreo comertial had the best music to me. I love Owl City so of course I found the entertaining. This is the video that made me the hungriest for food.

Tampopo

This scene was kind of gross in mind yet still felt sexy somehow.

The movie Tampopo was a surprisingly entertaining film. There were a couple of confusing cut away scenes but it still had a sense of story. I imagined it as the real story, which was the woman coking the noodles, and the scenes of the man in the suit which was a way of making you feel the theme of appetite. The noodles were enough for me to be hungry afterwards. But, the other scenes gave the different type appetite, romantic appetite. I am not the target audience for feeling sexual appetite so those scenes seemed unneeded and confusing. Now that I look back I can understand where it comes from.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

While a large portion of Jiro Dreams of Sushi details the preparation of the sushi, if you dig deeper, you’ll find the story of two sons who are still living in their father’s shadow. This documentary tells us that Jiro has two sons. The younger son left to create a mirror image of his father’s restaurant, while the older son is still working under his father, with the hope of one day taking over. Both sons seem doomed to fail because of their father’s fame. The food critic interviewed in the film mentions how the sushi that the sons make will never be seen as good as Jiro’s, even if it is actually superior in quality.

Another theme that is explored is the pursuit of perfection. His apprentices train for years before they’re allowed to make sushi, and spend weeks just squeezing out a towel. If his restaurant already has the highest rating possible, why does Jiro insist on lengthening his food preparation process? Does he have to change his method so he doesn’t become bored with the process? Jiro’s interest in making and selling sushi seems less like a livelihood or passion, and more like an obsession. Jiro pays strict attention to detail about everything in his restaurant, including the ten-person seating chart at his bar. One can’t help but wonder if Jiro is not only searching for perfection, but happiness as well.

I Want Candy!

You're not Willy Wonka!

Well, this blog is ridiculously late.

Anyway, Willy Wonka is a really quirky little film. I'm personally a bigger fan of the newer one since I watched the newer one first (blasphemy, I know), but I appreciate the older one all the same. Gotta love Gene Wilder's performance in that.

My favorite scene is probably the boat with the dark tunnel since it was partially improv. None of the actors except Gene knew they were going on such a wild ride, and then Gene started singing, so the fear on everyone's face was completely genuine.

Brilliant.

And of course, a movie about candy is bound to be enjoyable.

Also, both this blog and my last one for this class contain references to songs, and if you get them, I love you forever.

Chef

I was very surprised that I liked this movie. I thought it was going to be a cheesy, run-of-the-mill feel-good movie. Actually, I think it may have been the only food movie this semester that actually got me interested in the food.
        What should I say? I didn't think it was the greatest movie ever. I thought the chef's rise to stardom and getting a great, lovable job was way too easy and thus unrealistic; but, you know, some people get lucky, so I guess it could happen.
        The kid was not as "cool" and annoying as I thought he would be. He was almost a realistic ten-year-old; especially the scene where he was hurt by his father's strict command to do a lot of nasty work he'd never done before. Only a kid would take that as "You're just being mean to me!" It was fun to see him learn to do hard work, and learn to persevere in it and do it like it was his job, and being a kid was no excuse for cutting out. I loved the way he was always hopeful that his parents would get back together.
       It was also nice to see another story about an artist who does what he loves because of pure love. He wasn't making billions of dollars with his food truck, and he wasn't running after fame; he just wanted to make good art and have people enjoy it.

Bros Before Fake Italianos

This movie had a lot of great moments. I laughed so hard at the language misunderstanding over 'raining outside', and the acting of Tucci and Shalhoub was spot on. I really liked how the guests who came to the restaurant for Louis Prima did not end up getting upset when the musician did not show. I sort of expected that to happen, but instead the food was so good and they had such a great time that they loved it anyway. And the food looked so good~! I think my favorite part was that last shot though - that single shot of Secondo making breakfast for Christiano and Primo, just showing him make the eggs and Primo walking in. They had fought the night before and it would be expected for them to have hard feelings. But in the end they were still brothers, and Secondo was still going to look out for him, regardless of his decision.

Babette's Feast Review

Babette’s Feast is a very simple, yet beautiful film. I was very worried that I was going to be very bored with this film when it started with two sisters in a small village taking part in their daily routines of going to Church, cooking, and spending time with their father. I was pleasantly surprised when the film jumped forward in time and introduced Babette’s character into the setting. The majority of the film is Babette preparing a French feast for her sisters of the church and the rest of the small village because Babette won the lottery and wanted to do something good with the money. That might sound incredibly boring, but it was actually very fascinating and beautiful. Prior to the feast, all the villagers would do is complain and argue about very insignificant problems and the sisters were beginning to be very frustrated. But as Babette cooked and served each dish to the villagers, their complaints turned into compliments, laughter, and pure joy. That just comes to show that one person can be a positive influence to those around him/her if that individual has good intentions of doing the right thing. The dishes that Babette cooked looked absolutely incredible in terms of presentation and taste! My mouth was watering numerous times through out the film because I really wanted to eat what they were eating. I enjoyed how the French General is the only character to really comment on how well-made and tasty the food is as all the other villagers were afraid the food would taste terribly. I loved the scene at the end of the film when Babette reveals to the sisters that she spent ALL of the money she won in the lottery on that feast just because she wanted to do something nice for the people she cared about. That scene was a beautiful and humbling moment of humanity, which made me really really enjoy this film.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Review

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has to be one of the most interesting movies ever made. Every time I watch this film, I am thoroughly intrigued by the humor, the atmosphere, and the characters. Honestly, if anyone else besides Gene Wilder played Willy Wonka then I really don’t think the film would be near as successful or entertaining as it is. Wilder’s condescending humor is absolutely fantastic and perfectly timed through out the movie. Wonka’s unenthusiastic line after Augustus falls into the chocolate river “Help, police. Murder” makes me laugh every single time. It had been awhile since I saw the film so I honestly forgot how hilarious the movie was until we watched it. I really enjoy watching all of the sets come to life in this film as well. The best scene in the film is when they explore and taste all of the candy by the chocolate river because you really feel like you can taste everything the characters taste. The film has a genius way to provide a message to children about parental respect, humbleness, and bad habits. Each character is easily defined with a great visual representation of their bad habits from Augustus Gloops obesity, to Veruca’s fancy fur coat attire, to Charlie’s simple sweater/jeans combo. Both Charlie and Grandpa Joe have great on-screen chemistry that helps give the perfect amount of heart to the film perfectly portrayed in the “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket” dance number. Like I said, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a very intriguing film from it’s unique humor, wonderful atmosphere, and entertaining characters.