Profiting off religion is why the polarizing subject gets so much hate. People taking gospel or a bible and bringing people together under the false pretenses that they are being … Continue reading The Film Buffa reviews ‘Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.’
No thanks, Mr. Peele. For well over two hours, I sat in my theater seat and wondered what was happening and why in “Nope,” Jordan Peele’s latest film. After a … Continue reading The Film Buffa: Unnerving and detached, Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope’ is a jumbled mess of a movie
Shia LaBeouf’s are wasted in his latest film, and I let you know about it
Towards the end of Good Kill, Ethan Hawke’s post traumatic stress riddled morally corrupt drone pilot tells a clerk that just sold him enough booze to numb his pain for one night, “We got no skin in the game. I feel like a coward. Worst thing I can get is carpal tonal or spill coffee on my lap. Have a rough drive home on the free way.”
Hawke’s Thomas Egan used to be a real pilot, flying jets into enemy territory and fighting the war face to face. These days, he sits in a closed off trailer with a few other officers, works a stick, aims, and shoots drone missiles at the bad guys and goes home to barbecue after his shift. For some cold to the bone or wanting the quick thrill of doing the right thing, the job would be a breeze. For the few who can’t shake old memories and like to crash hard internally after pushing a button and ending lives, the gig eats away at the soul.
Good Kill is the third film that Hawke and director Andrew Niccol have worked on together, after the impressive Gattaca and the vastly underrated Lord of War. One can tell the two work seamlessly in any cinematic adventure because Hawks fits this character to a tee, refusing to overplay scenes that are sitting on a tee and letting the pot boil slowly over the 100 minutes running time. He is the reason to watch this film, because there isn’t much going on that we haven’t seen before and the pacing is erratic. Burnt out soldier can’t shed the old skin of being a cold blooded killer and it eats away at everything around him. (more…)
Going into Guardians of The Galaxy this week on DVD at home, I felt like the last soul on the planet to watch this flick. I sat in my living room on my couch like a lonely soul in a movie theater. It felt weird and that is something a film-addict should never feel. Imagine getting to a Christmas party and seeing the cake all picked at and eaten and somewhat missing. Sometimes, films come and go without me seeing them in theaters. It happens when you digest so many cinematic treats. Occasionally the cookie jar gets crowded with forgotten fare and I don’t make it a point to see the big blockbusters in theaters.
What did I think of Guardians? Is it the greatest thing since toasted garlic bread or just another fun film to get lost in for two hours? This film wasn’t exactly polarizing but it had its lovers, admirers, and haters.
A few things about the film I liked-
*The soundtrack is kickass. Take some 70’s and 80’s rock and pop classics, blend them in with some forgotten bluesy gems and the movie never feels boring. The tunes selected makes for one great mix and doesn’t feature one original soul. Thankfully, there is no Fall Out Boy or other weak boy band lead song stuck in the end credits. Instead, we get Marvin Gaye singing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. On the DVD menu, we get Blue Swede’s unforgettable classic, “Hooked On A Feeling”. At the beginning of the film, Chris Pratt dances around a lost planet in space to Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love”. If there is a sequel, the soundtrack has big shoes to fill. Nicely picked, James Gunn(the writer and director from St. Louis, MO).
*Chris Pratt is very good here. The guy has serious comedic chops and keeps the action light and moving. He has spent his career hanging around the movie stars and taking the supporting helpings. Here, he is the main guy and his “Starlord” routine is hilarious. He anchors the action. (more…)
Ladies and gentlemen, I watch a lot of movies and I try to be blunt and brutal in my critique. Jon Favreau’s latest, CHEF, was a masterpiece and the finest slice of cinema I have digested in 2014. The movie season is starting to find its legs so there will be more and the last month has produced some fine films, but CHEF was something else. A special blend of comedy, food lovers delight, old school storytelling, great acting and crackling sharp dialogue. Here is my review.
Movie-Chef
Rating-R
Running Time-115 minutes
Written and Directed by Jon Favreau
Cast-Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Sofia Vergara, Bobby Cannavale, Scarlett Johnansson, Dustin Hoffman, Emjay Anthony, Oliver Platt and Robert Downey Jr.
Plot-When Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what’s next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen — and zest for life and love.
Buffa’s Take-Great food can make a fine palate for heartfelt filmmaking, and Jon Favreau has created a masterpiece here with his latest, Chef. The title of the film is as simple as it gets and when cooking is done right, master chef’s stick to the basics and go where their heart takes them. Favreau sticks to genuine funny character interaction, a juicy script, great ensemble acting and a sure handed direction. Chef is easily the best film I have seen in 2014 and one of those films you simply want to root for and push into the street and urge people to be a part of.
The opening of the film hooks you instantly, with Favreau’s long time “El Jefe” Carl Casper slicing through veggies, fish and assorted fruits as he preps his kitchen for a day of service. Favreau must have gone to culinary school because the man’s love for food here is no act and is invested with something personal and romantic. The best cooks love their food as much as they appreciate the next gasp of oxygen and we get that right away with this guy. Casper is a lion in a growing world, and wants to open his creative recipes up on the high end Los Angeles customers at his restaurant, but the owner (a signature stern and blunt Hoffman) wants him to stick to his old boring menu of classical dishes. Casper wants to spice it up, and when his restrictions lead to a legendary food blogger trashing his food, the chef’s life crumbles. He finds his mojo again in a food truck and that’s when the film takes off.
The food indeed plays a supporting role, but Favreau wisely integrates the rapid growth of social networking into the film’s story. Twitter plays a huge role in Casper’s collapse and his ability to rise up. As a writer who hinges his work and interaction on the social media site, it’s great to see a filmmaker putting it front and center and taking his moviegoers to school on how powerful the underground media and social party hound site has become. Tweets are shown above the characters like Archie comics as they type away and it’s not a gimmick. Favreau is telling you how it is but doing it with classy appeal and wise comedy so the story of redemption never seems too far away.
The film never gets too heavy and keeps the engine moving but the scenes between Casper and his son, Percy(a sharp newcomer in Anthony) bring an equal dose of emotion and suave confidence. A father teaching his son not only the ropes of cooking but the high appointed tasks of making a living and doing something you love. The two actors are better than two performers showing chemistry. They convince us that in some far off land they could be embody these two desperate souls.
Dom Hemingway is an exercise in extremes. Taking dark comedy as far as it will go until it becomes raw energy naked on screen and straight up to the edge of being hard to handle. Taken as a whole, the movie is uneven, slow in areas where it has to be quick and can make you shake your head a few times.
The story is simple enough that a five year old could understand, not that you would want them to watch this insane cinematic slice of crazy talk. Dom is a safe cracker who took the fall for a rich gangster and we pick up his story right as he is being released from jail and well….being relieved of some stress via the below the waist variety. From there, Law wants his money owed to him, and wants to sleep with as many women as possible and drink enough beer to fail three livers before tracking down his long lost daughter. How about that opening scene though…..
Richard Shephard’s tale begins with Jude Law ranting about his penis and you should thank the director for this. If a person is going to walk out of the theater, that time will come at this very early moment. If seeing an overweight belligerent filthy Law spitting fire about how great his mighty member is, then it is best you buy a ticket to Amazing Spider Man 2 so you can be dulled out of your mind for a 2 ½ hours. Dom Hemingway is fierce, blunt and works on a certain brand of motor oil. Fast and furious profanity mixed with contempt and guilt.
The film is 90 minutes and it crams in as many f-bombs it would make Quentin Tarantino take out a calculator to see how it stood up against his joints. The supporting cast is good enough, with Richard Grant stealing a few scenes as Hemingway’s handler and Demian Bichir producing a hilarious performance as an odd gangster who likes to fire his guns in the woods and makes the most quiet threats. Let me remind you. This film belongs and is OWNED by Jude Law. He’s a live grenade in this film, a wrecking ball equal parts rugged wit and endless contempt.
I love when actors challenge themselves and step outside their comfort zone. Here, Law takes seven steps outside his usual area. He is an accomplished actor and has the respect and command of his fellow actors, directors, studios and his fans. Here, he is a wrecking ball on screen with nothing held back or saved for later. It would be hard for the film’s stiffest critics to point out his performance as a source of concern. Law goes all the way to the brink and back. If I had to recommend the film on one thing alone(a rarity), it’s the performance of Jude Law as the title character. He isn’t the greatest human being and doesn’t come off as appealing yet we would follow this guy through a battlefield because he is so wild and unpredictable. Law did this redemptive walk quite well in a remake of Alfie, but here he takes up about 20 notches as the embodiment of naughty. This is a performance to remember inside an okay movie.
Everything else about the film is just okay. Emilia Clarke(the Queen of Dragons from Game of Thrones) doesn’t get much to do here except look sad and lost. For a 90 minute film, the second half moves as slow as a snail and some scenes just don’t work. Shephard felt like inserting this screen shots with plot points announced as some kind of comedic gimmick, but it still doesn’t work.
Dom Hemingway doesn’t amount to much but the comedy is sharp more times than not and Law’s performance is fantastic. If you want something original and blunt, check this film out.
Dose of Buffa 