Chef

Have you seen Chef? Have you even heard of it? If not, I suggest taking 114 minutes out of your day to watch it.

I was surprised just how good this movie was. In short, Chef follows Carl Casper (played by Jon Favreau) as he tries balancing his professional and personal life. I knew nothing about this movie going in, so I will keep the plot and celebrity cameos a secret.

Written, directed and starring Jon Favreau, this movie showcases his best performance to date. I was surprised just how good he can be in a starring role. His character had a lot of depth which made it a joy to watch him on screen.

The most impressive aspect of this film is the script. The screenplay is so good, that it doesn't feel like it was written. Everything these characters said came across very naturally. You forget that you are watching fictional characters and instead, feel like you're watching real people in a documentary. The script is so well realized and is a testament to Favreau's writing abilities.

Working in restaurants for many years, I have a good understanding of the industry. I love the culinary world and I enjoy cooking myself. Having that background, I really could appreciate the level of accuracy that the film took in representing the industry and those who work in restaurants. There was clearly a lot of research prior to making Chef, and it comes across on screen beautifully.

You don't have to be a lover of food to appreciate this movie. With a great father-son relationship, great characters, and a very impressive script, Chef is a movie that I would recommend to all.

Favourite Indy film

An impossible questions for me to answer is; “what’s your favourite Indiana Jones movie?”

I can’t do it! It’s too difficult for me to narrow down a single reason as to why one of the films is my favourite.

Obviously The Crystal Alien Skull thing is the weakest. Temple of Doom is my least favourite of the originals, as I can’t stand listening to Willie Scott scream. Although the most iconic image of Indy is found in Temple of Doom on the rope bridge, the story doesn't intrigue me. Randomly falling out of a plane on a native village, in order to rescue their religious rocks is not overly interesting to me. I do commend the filmmakers for making something vastly different than Raiders, however it falls a bit short for me. Still a good movie, just not my favourite. 

So awesome

Raiders and The Last Crusade however, are two of the most re-watchable and fun movies ever made. The idea for this blog came last week after I watched The Last Crusade on blu ray. For the first time in my life, I think I have found the answer.

The Last Crusade is my favourite. There. I finally made a choice that I will stick with...until I watch Raiders again.

So why the preference for The Last Crusade? Let's start with the obvious. Sean Connery adds a dimension to the series that was lacking in Raiders. Instantly, the character of Indiana Jones is fresh again as his father is introduced. Their chemistry is fantastic and it's one of the most entertaining relationships I've seen on film. 

James Bond is Indy's dad

I love the locations. Ahhh Venice. Great new location for the film to start in, and they only get better from there.

Some of the best scenes of The Last Crusade include Sallah and Marcus Brody. They were such great characters in Raiders that having them play larger roles in The Last Crusade is fantastic. Seeing Marcus act like a fish out of water when Indy tells the Nazis "he has a two day head start," is one of my favourite scenes. 

The holy grail is literally the holy grail of MacGuffins. Such an interesting artifact that instantly grabs my attention; even more that the Ark of the Covenant. 

The three trials that conclude the film are to me; the most riveting aspect of the saga. Seeing Indiana push his faith by taking that leap, is a level of emotion that Raiders never had. 

When it's all said and done, riding off into the sunset is a finale that you smile at. The ending of Raiders is fantastic; but you don't have that sense of excitement watching a room full of crates. Seeing our four heroes ride off into a beautiful sunset is one of the best endings a film series can have.

Don't get me wrong. Raiders of the Lost Ark is AMAZING! I want to watch it at least twice a year. The Last Crusade however, hits me emotionally where Raiders never did. 

Batman v Superman Review

Boy, did I want to like this movie. When they announced it at Comic-Con International, I was on board. I had a good time watching Man of Steel, so I was ready for what the DCU had to offer. I bought into the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman and Jeremy Irons as Alfred.

When Jesse Eisenberg and Gal Gadot were cast, I wasn't sure what to think. There were rumours of Flash and Aquaman showing up too, which made me feel like the movie was less and less focused.

Then I saw the movie-I mean trailer, and was surprised that they showed the entire film before it hit theatres. What a HORRIBLE trailer that unfortunately, spoiled the entire movie.

Nevertheless I stayed optimistic and saw the movie last night at a screening.

Alright, so the good. Ben Affleck did a heck of a job playing Bruce Wayne/Batman. He was convincing as Bruce Wayne and his scenes with the incredible Jeremy Irons were the highlights of the film. Batman looked fantastic and the scenes of him being Batman were a lot of fun. This Batman is the most brutal we've ever seen (I'll come back to that later) and the scenes he's in come across as a suspenseful horror film. Henry Cavill is as good as Superman needs to be. There's not much to the character and he does a great job looking the part.

Let's face it, Zack Snyder can make a cool looking movie. There were some great shots, especially early on, which made the movie interesting to look at.

The first 20 minutes I really enjoyed. The set up between the two lead characters was interesting. It came across as a mature, political movie that had a lot of depth to it.

Sadly, that's about it- the movie is a mess. Unfortunately, if you've seen that trailer, you know the whole plot. The Rotten Tomatoes score is warranted. 

I'm sure there will be many who enjoyed Jesse Eisenberg's portrayal as Lex Luthor; I am not one of them. He was so over-the-top and reminded me of Jim Carrey's riddler. At times, he comes across as menacing, but that is few and far between.

It's so obvious that the writers had no idea what to do with Lois Lane. Why does she need to be in this movie so much? Does she need to be on the battlefield with the titans of the DC universe? There was obvious confusion from the writers as to what her role in this story would be. It is clear after seeing the movie, that there was none.

May or may not be from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Then of course, there's the fight. During the 5-10 minute fight, I couldn't help but feel the kid in me smile. It was awesome to see the two go at it; although incredibly frustrating that their fight was less than the runtime of Stairway to Heaven. As serious and brutal as the fight was, the resolution was almost laughable and so unbelievable, that it negated all the buildup prior to the fight. For a movie titled Batman V Superman, there was very little "V" in the two and half hour movie.

Gal Gadot as I predicted, was a little wooden. She has maybe 10 lines, and her role is very minimal (albeit more than the movie needed). You can't keep throwing new characters at the audience and expect them to follow what's going on. 

I understand this is a set up to the the Justice League movie. Unfortunately, that's all it feels like; a setup to something rather than a movie on its own. There is a scene where Gal Gadot is reading an email, and it is the laziest, most shoehorned Justice League scene I've ever seen. There might as well have been subtitles on the screen that read; 

"We shot footage of this, do you like it? These are superheroes. People like superheroes right?"

What is this?

This is not a spoiler because it was in the trailer; when Doomsday came into the film, I checked out. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman team up to fight some CGI cartoon causing EVEN MORE destruction than Man of Steel's final showdown. Why? Why am I watching Doomsday shoot laser beams out of his face into more face-shooting lasers beams? This is "Batman VERSUS Superman." It was so shoehorned in, that it reminded me of Venom in Spiderman 3. 

Also, Batman kills? What happened to the morale dilemma that made the character so interesting? 

I understand the movie's tone was dark, but the movie itself was dark. With the 3D glasses already making the picture darker, it was even more difficult to see what was going on. The screen was almost black sometimes during the action.

What will hurt this movie is Captain America: Civil War. Soon there will be a comparison as how to do this type of movie right. Marvel did the leg work so that when The Avengers hit the screen, it was something special (and fun-yes these movies can be fun). 

Batman v Superman tried to do their Justice League, without the setup. This movie is an absolute mess and incredibly disappointing. It feels more like a setup to something rather than a film on its own. Batman was really cool, and the couple minute fight scene was great; however that's not enough to justify the 2 and half hour run-time.

-"Do you bleed?"

-"My brain does watching your movie"

Spectre

I should preface this blog by saying I am not a James Bond aficionado. I appreciate them for what they are, I just have a hard time getting over the campiness. For goodness sake there's a movie called Octopussy.

That being said, I am a massive fan of Casino Royale and Skyfall. Casino Royale blew me away as an origin story that explored the character of Bond like never before. Skyfall did more of the same, with a stand out performance by Javier Bardem.

...Quantum of Solace we won't speak about.

When Spectre started off, I was convinced it was going to be the best Bond movie ever. That opening shot is a technical marvel and something worth seeing. If anything else, this movie is technically flawless. Sure it's not a Roger Deakins movie, but it's pretty close.

My issues with Spectre all come down to the script.

Two time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz is severely underused as the villain, Oberhauser. The casting of such a fantastic actor was waisted, as he was little more than an evil guy monologuing about his past evil deeds. Sure he was good in the role and had a few good scenes, but Waltz is more than just a standard actor playing a standard villain.

Casino Royale set up such an amazing relationship with Bond and Vespa that when the Spectre girl played by Lea Seydoux eventually said "I love you" to Bond, it is hard to believe; especially because they didn't have the time to develop that chemistry.

Craig sure does look cool as James Bond

Overall, Spectre is a good time. Sure, it is disappointing after the masterwork that was Skyfall. With undeveloped villains and some odd story choices, Spectre doesn't hold to the same standard as some of Craig's past work. That being said, I would recommend it as it is a fun action movie with incredible set pieces, a compelling enough story and Dave Bautista (who is always cool).

For a great blog about the quiz game Sporcle, check out Patrick's Sporcle Badge Quest featuring a post about James Bond. Also, who doesn't love those amazing Bond cars? My friend Nate has a fantastic blog to check out for all your car needs.

...Boyhood

Do you remember when Boyhood came out? It was said to be an experience that would never be forgotten. A movie that transcends generations and to quote some critics;

"It's like a time-lapse photo of an expanding consciousness"
- Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail 

"This is not only a great film, but an important landmark in how great films can be made"
-David Keyes
Cinemaphile

"The year's most captivating narrative experiment, and possibly the most engrossing coming-of-age movie in the history of the genre"
-John Hartl
Seatle Times

If you enjoyed the film, then I am happy for you. All movies are subjective and if it did something for you, then that's great.

However for me, it's my least favourite movie of all time.

What is the first thing people say when talking about Boyhood? "12 years! It took 12 years to make. Did you know...that Boyhood took 12 years to make? That's over a decade!? 12 years!!!!!!?"

Just to clarify something, it did not take 12 years to make. It was made over 12 years, but it only was shot for only 39 days. Believe it or not, but the idea of shooting the same actors over many years is NOT something that is brand new. Does anyone watch Modern Family...or any long running sitcom? Married with Children ran for 11 years using the same actors who "grew up in front of your eyes."

Watch as he gets more and more unlikeable

So I will not call Richard Linklater (writer/director) a visionary genius for making Boyhood. With cringe worthy dialogue, boring cinematography and the most unlikeable central performance in recent memory, Boyhood is not only a bad film, but a painful film to watch. It feels like a movie written by an old man, who is so disconnected with how kids talk to each other.

Had Boyhood not used the same actors over the 12 years, no one would be talking about it. If it was the exact same story and writing, but different actors played the different ages, it would be known as a joke.

Luckily, I am not alone in thinking this, so I don't feel like a mad man. If you enjoy this movie, then I hope I didn't offend you. Maybe I am wrong in my opinion, but I can't find myself to enjoy Boyhood at all.