Chef

Chef (Jon Favreau, 2014)

A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.

After a series of big budget blockbusters (Elf, Zathura, Iron Man, Cowboys Vs. Aliens) actor/director Jon Favreau did an attempt at the road movie/independent feature film all done with extensive budget and cast with Chef.

The story line is pretty obvious and there the old saying of nothing new under the sun could easily be used. It is more in the execution and cinematography that it makes a movie that gets you hungry with superb shots of food making. As a foodie myself I was salivating for the food and I must admit having an ever lasting crush on Scarlett Johansson who’s now a regular Favreau player. Along with John Leguizamo, Sofia Vergara, Robert Downey Jr., Oliver Platt, Dustin Hoffman, and Emjay Anthony Favreau makes an honest film about passion, family, redemption, and staying true to yourself as a person.

Just as Favreau said in interviews, he was very proud of his casting and it is one of the reasons that there are no real low points in Chef. Every scene as a more than capable actor in it. The young Emjay Anthony sure steals the show if you ask me, well if you are reading this you are in a way asking me my opinion, he is genuine, in control, and fits well with the rest of the veteran cast. Almost as a parallel to his father, portrayed by Favreau, he is the reason why his father won’t be a failure and as soon as they embark on their journey we know that something is going on. Again, nothing new under the sun but it is an honest attempt at a modest goal that he achieves with great means. Is it gonna be on my year end list? Probably not in the top ten but it was not a bad time to be with these characters and visit those places; Miami, Louisiana, California, etc.

Sure it is filmed with good sentiment and without a doubt it is a feel good movie. But it is a nicely executed feel good movie just like his grilled cheese. It is a high end grilled cheese, looking good and I would eat it but at the end it is still a grilled cheese but never pretends to be anything else either.

Thelma & Louise

Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991)

An Arkansas waitress and a housewife shoot a rapist and take off in a '66 Thunderbird.

J'ai mon voyage!

J’ai mon voyage! (Denis Héroux, 1973)

Jean-Louis Cartier (Jean Lefebvre) from France decides to quit Quebec City to go live in Vancouver with a fifth wheel. The Cartier family of Danielle (Dominique Michel), François (René Simard) , and Luc (Régis Simard) embark on a road trip that will take them into the wilderness of the West Canada that Jean-Louis romances in his letters to his parents in France.

A Classic Comedy Happened One Night

TSPDT Greatest Films #194 It Happened One Night (Frank Capra, 1934)


As far as I am concerned, the best comedies ever written are the ones the 1930's offered to us. An excellent example of this is the Academy Award winner of 1934's for Best Director, Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay; It Happened One Night.

For those who often read this Blog you should have note that his author is a big fan of the films of the 1930's mostly dominated by Ernst Lubitsch's masterpieces. A Frank Capra film has some of the best qualities a Lubitsch film has. For some cinephiles, Capra's crowd success are overrated (It's A Wonderful Life for example). But, your host here thinks it's an excellent filmmaker who mastered many comedic elements and who knew how to please his crowd and in the same time make a film that stands as good as it was back in the days.

The story is quite typical, a young woman wants to marry a man her rich father doesn't like. She escapes her golden cage to catch up her fiancée in New York. While travelling by bus to be incognito, she fells onto a unemployed journalist who recognize her and help her to escape in exchange of her story. Well, the rest has been done a hundred times after and is yours to discover.

A good slapstick comedy that meets the road movie genre and gets better and funnier. It's not all the films who won the Oscar for Best Film that are still watchable and entertaining. This one sticks to its statuette: it's entertaining and very efficient! A true classic!



A Film reviewed by Michaël Parent

The Straight Story

The Straight Story (David Lynch, 1999)


David Lynch is in my opinion one of the greatest filmmakers right now if not one of the bests of all time. He has his own vision and his films are unique and personnal. Lynch is more a visual artist in is approach to film than a simple director. David Lynch's films are one of a kind and unique experiences. Each one feels special and distinct from the others.

With The Straight Story he surprised everyone. A simple story without any eerie elements and or strange characters. Based on the true story of Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth), a 73 years old Second World War veteran that lives with his daughter Rose (Sissy Spacek). His brother who lives 600 miles from him suffers of a heartattack. It's been ten years since the two brothers talked to each other. Alvin decides to drive his lawnmower (he doesn't has a driver's licence) to his see his brother and to make peace with him. On his way he will encounter many characters whom will learn and grow from Alvin's experience in life.

Two-Lane Blacktop

L'un des plus grands films cultes du genre "Road movie" et de tout l'histoire du Cinéma; Two-Lane Blacktop de Monte Hellman tourné en 1971. Un bon film qui rappelle le bon bruit des voitures de l'époque et qui avec peu de dialogues nous présente les changements de l'Amérique par le voyage en voiture de trois adolescents (James Taylor, Laurie Bird et le Beach Boy Dennis Wilson) dans une Chevy 1955 et un homme dans la quarantaine (Warren Oates) dans son Pontiac GTO 1971. Un film culte et méditatif.

One of the greatest cult films of the Road Moive genre and maybe of the whole history of Cinema; Monte Hellman's 1971 Two-Lane Blacktop. A good film that reminds the good sounds of the engines of that time and without a lot of dialogues offers a vision of the changing America of the 1970's. Three kids (James Taylor, Laurie Bird and The Beach Boy Dennis Wilson) in a Chevy 1955 and a man in his forty's (Warren Oates) with his Pontiac GTO 1971. A meditative cult film.