Tag: restaurant

LOREN & ROSE – Review

Jacqueline Bisset in LOREN & ROSE. Courtesy of Amazon Prime

The elegant, fascinating Jacqueline Bisset stars in LOREN & ROSE, as an aging star interviewing with a young filmmaker named Loren (Kelly Blatz) for a role in the filmmaker’s first feature film, after his first film, a short, became a hit on the film festival circuit. Loren is a fan of Rose (Bisset) but is unsure if he should cast her as the lead in his new film. Over appetizers at her favorite restaurant, and waited on by her favorite waiter, Rose charms young director Loren, and starts them on the path to friendship.

Jacqueline Bisset was a superstar in the early ’70s, appearing in a string of high-profile hits, including the Steve McQueen hit BULLIT and Francois Truffaut’s DAY FOR NIGHT, and worked with directors including John Huston, Roman Polanski and George Cukor and starred with Paul Newman, Nick Nolte, Kenneth Branagh and Jean-Paul Belmondo. She seemed to be everywhere for a while. But it has been awhile since we have seen her on the big screen.

LOREN & ROSE takes place in little sequences, over three courses at different times at the same beloved restaurant. There is a touch of MY DINNER WITH ANDRE in their wide-ranging conversations over a meal but the three courses at three different visits also follow the evolution of the relationship between this still vibrate star and the somewhat timid young gay director. There is a framing devise, about an estranged daughter organizing an auction of the star’s possession in the future, after her mysterious disappearance.

There have been a spate of these films featuring beautiful and talented stars of the past. Bisset certainly fits that description but her on-screen presence is more powerful than others. Charming, warm. and bold, Bisset casts her spell over the audience as surely as she does over the young director, with her soft, faint British accent and sharp wit. Bisset has lost none of her charm and even retains much of her good looks along with a feline grace when she moves.

The sequences in the restaurant let her showcase her talent as an actor, often underused in her youth when audiences were dazzled by her beauty.

Like those other films, LOREN & ROSE is clearly intended as a showcase for Bisset’s still-considerable talents. There are some parallels in the story to Bisset’s own life and career but its not a biopic. The parallels allow Bisset to speak to some of that past but mostly it allows her to play a magical, irresistible character, going through a number of life changes.

LOREN & ROSE is a simple, low-budget production that exists largely as a showcase for Bisset but it certainly does deliver on that goal. Bisset is very much a winning acting force here, going through a range of emotions as the story about a friendship between star and director shifts in each single-course meal – appetizer, main course and dessert – vignettes to the next.

The plot is thin but it is a joy to watch Bisset work, and hopefully this film will lead to more chances to see her work. If there is one of these great stars of the past featured in recent film who deserves a second chance and a new chapter to their career, it is Jacqueline Bisset. Fingers crossed that we’ll see her again before long.

LOREN & ROSE is available streaming starting Tuesday, Jan. 28, on Amazon Prime.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

DELI MAN – The Review

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DELI MAN is not a movie about food. On the surface, it appears to be a documentary about deli food and it’s history, but in truth is much more focused on a passion. This film chronicles the passion of a handful of men passionate about a rapidly dying breed of cultural establishments and their determination to stick it out. This is great because, honestly, we really don’t need more food documentaries. We have plenty.

Much of this lively, often humorous documentary focuses on one man, David “Ziggy” Gruber, a curious kid with an old spirit turned classically trained chef turned deli owner and operator. Directed Erik Greenberg Anjou rightfully spends a lot of time with Ziggy, as he wears his passion on his sleeve and truly knows what he’s doing. Anjou chronicles Ziggy’s formative childhood years, his inspiration and journey to becoming the heart of one of the last great delicatessens to survive through personal interviews with the man himself as well as with friends and family.

DELI MAN maintains a light-hearted tone, incorporating formally staged segments with more candid moments in the deli and in Ziggy’s personal life, which helps tell the big picture of what it takes and what’s at stake, clinging onto a dream that few still share. Ziggy doesn’t just promote himself and his deli, but takes the audience on a tour of the past present and future of the deli life and his neighborhood, on which is what a deli ultimately dives. With neighborhoods changing or even dying, how does a deli survive, or does it adapt? This is a problem with not just one answer, as we see through various deli owner’s experiences.

Anjou adds an element of celebrity credibility, of sorts, sprinkling several interviews with well-known deli patrons throughout the film. Interviews from the likes of Jerry Stiller, Larry King, Fyvush Finkel, and more add levity, humor and an air of notoriety to the film, but when its all said and done, its Ziggy who is the star and who carries the emotional and memorable punch that gives the film its charm.

DELI MAN fully immerses the audience in the deli culture, both in a booth as a customer preparing to savor a juicy pastrami sandwich and behind the counter in the kitchen, lovingly and masterfully preparing the food so crucial to so many patrons daily life. With a history as rich as this, and one which many will find is not exactly what they presumed — courtesy of Anjou’s research and casual approach to covering — its difficult not wanting to run out to the nearest deli and grab a bite after seeing the film. Unfortunately, seeing the film awakens a harsh reality that these true delicatessens are harder to find than ever.

From mouth-watering flavors to fascinating stories, DELI MAN satisfies many cravings for good cultural documentaries. This is a friendly, fun and freely flowing film, not tied down to a traditional sluggish structure like so many documentaries. As Ziggy says in the film, “if only they could smell with their eyes,” referring to the audience of the film, you’ll definitely agree after seeing DELI MAN and catching the deli bug from the film’s central subject.

DELI MAN opens at Landmark Theatres – Plaza Frontenac today, Friday, March 27th, 2015.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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CHEF (2014) – The Blu Review

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The Movie on its own merit…

There are some experiences that, while not life changing, are life reaffirming and leave an impression not easily forgotten. Arguably, the best kinds of these experiences are the ones that are fully unexpected. Being caught off guard, leaving the unmistakable mark of joy stretched across one’s face. Moments that make us smile, spontaneously. I am reminded of the very first time I had an authentic Cuban sandwich, which happened to be off a food truck in Austin, Texas. Watching Jon Favreau’s newest film, CHEF, is the cinematic equivalent.

From the filmmaker who MADE (2001) an independent first impression, immortalized Will Ferrell as a holiday staple in ELF (2003) and realized the IRON MAN trilogy on the big screen, its refreshing to see writer and director Jon Favreau returning to his smaller, indie roots with CHEF. Favreau also stars as the film’s central character, Carl Casper, a Los Angeles based chef of notoriety struggling with finding his culinary identity under the oppressive control of restauranteur Riva, playfully illustrated by Dustin Hoffman. Affectionately referred to by those dear to him as “El Jefe,” Carl has a falling out with Riva after a devastating review by acclaimed food blogger Ramsey Michel, played with restrained confidence by Oliver Platt. Carl now reflects on his life and career, while stumbling through attempts to reconnect with his son Percy, played by Emjay Anthony.

At a loss for direction or opportunity after his very public celebrity outburst, captured and made viral by social media, Carl takes the advice of his ex-wife Inez (played by Sofia Vergara) and builds a business from the ground up. Carl reluctantly accepts the help of Inez’s other ex-husband Marvin (played by Robert Downey, Jr.) who sets him up with a fixer-upper food truck, which he quickly converts into an authentic taste of Little Havana on wheels. With the help of his former protege Martin (played by John Leguizamo), and his son Percy, Carl dubs the food truck El Jefe and the three out on a cross country road trip from Miami to Los Angeles, stopping in city after city making simple, quality Cuban food as Percy secretly used the very social media outlets that burned his father to raise him up from the ashes and become the underdog phoenix of the food world once again.

Favreau allows himself to break out of his mold a bit in this role, clearly showing a touch of personal sentimentality. Between his performance and his uncharacteristically full quaff, viewers may not recognize him at first, but will be pleasantly surprised. Favreau evokes a level and range of emotion that is believable and down to earth. His chemistry with his supporting cast is equally compelling as the cast lineup itself. From the scenes in the kitchen of Riva’s restaurant along side sous-chef Tony (played by Bobby Cannavale) to his casual friend with benefits relationship with hostess Molly (played by Scarlett Johansson) the interaction of characters is witty and fresh. The cameo roles in the film, which also includes Amy Sedaris and Russell Peters, are all played with a bit more of their tongues in cheek, adding a welcome and easily palatable flavor of fun to the film.

CHEF presents a topic of growing interest with food trucks, through the perspective of a culture often absent or misrepresented in film, adding humor and tastefully developed family drama without getting cheesy or overwrought. Favreau has made a film that honors the working class, promotes a realistic interpretation of modern family dynamics with a strong moral underpinning without getting preachy, while also commenting quite cleverly on the state of interpersonal communication through social media. Its as if Favreau himself decided to take a step back from all the big budget, high technology stress of Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking to decompress and reconnect with life by way of making a small, independent film with a solid story of human connection absent of gadgets and the Internet.

In addition to the well-written script and the array of familiar faces, CHEF also showcases some pretty spectacular snippets of music that add even more to that cultural flair that lives within the underlying theme of reconnecting to one’s family and roots. From the expected ode to Cuban music, both overlaid and on screen, to familiar favorites and live indie performances including Gary Clark, Jr. in Austin, CHEF is as much a music lover’s film as it is a film for foodies.

Technicalities & Extra Stuff

With all good things comes a catch, or so they say, and the one singular complaint about this home media release of CHEF is that the audio appeared to be poorly mastered. I found myself repeatedly adjusting the volume between dialogue scenes and the louder, more vibrant musically endowed scenes. This is rare, for someone like myself who watches as many films as I do and puts my surround sound through such rigorous routines, I ruled out the issue being my home theater technology. With that said, getting past this technological fault is easy to do given the pleasure of watching the film.

CHEF is presented in a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD with Ultraviolet combo on a single disc with a slip cover. Bonus features are limited, including the always candid feature commentary of writer/director Jon Favreau along side chef/co-producer Roy Choi, and the ever present and simply stated “deleted scenes” that serves a mostly questionable purpose and interest — most of the time — in my personal opinion.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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