Chef/Begin Again: Two Reviews In One

This summer’s feel-good film, (Chef/Begin Again) from indie film favorite director John (Favreau/ Carney) is hardly an indie; the cast includes Hollywood A-listers (John Leguizamo, Sofia Vergara/Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley), and the storyline is implausibly perfect.

I enjoyed this film but couldn’t help escape the feeling that the team was trying to recapture the spirit of their great (1990s/2000s) low budget gem (Swingers/Once). The tone just feels odd for 2014. And it doesn’t help that they chose the tired (food/music) genre.

Although the movie seems to be about (food/music), it’s really a casual film about estranged relationships and nothing deeper than that. Casting probably kept this film from going there. While I enjoyed every scene with (Vergara, Knightley), she was just too Hollywood-famous and gorgeous for the grit we needed. For a story that preached about authenticity, this film is ironically too slick to go there.

(Chef’s/Begin Again’s) soundtrack is the redeeming grace. You’ll smile a lot in the theater as the story plays out and the music plays on. It’s a fun (1 hour 40 minutes/1 hour 55 minutes). I just don’t think they’ll make this one again in (ten/twenty) years. 

Simply put: (Movie comfort food/A pop hit) that the whole family will enjoy. 

Award potential: It’s a stellar cast with everyone performing just right for a light film, but nothing more. 

The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks (between the two).

Tammy

A road trip comedy that doesn’t go anywhere

Melissa McCarthy sure knows how to surround herself with talent. But she still hasn’t figured out how to surround herself with good scripts.

She is effortlessly appealing and her physical comedy is superbly funny, but it’s obviously tough to build a satisfying two-hour movie around that — even when you add a stellar cast.

Tammy starts out as a wildly funny rebellion movie as McCarthy’s wheels-off character takes on her world. That tone might have been a better movie than what follows.

As the story proceeds, Melissa McCarthy (Tammy) and Susan Sarandon (Grandma) pair up and pack their bags for a road-trip comedy that really doesn’t go anywhere.

The comedy also features Kathy Bates, Sandra Oh, Dan Aykroyd, Mark Duplass, Toni Collette, Allison Janney and Nat Faxon.

By the time those last three co-stars appear onscreen, I wished that I was watching them in last summer’s charming The Way, Way Back instead of this unsatisfying summer film.

Simply put: McCarthy is always the best thing about her movies. That’s not a compliment.

Award potential: None, of course.

The ten buck review: Not worth ten bucks.

Chef

I guess the title My Big Fat Chef Movie was taken

Indie film favorite Jon Favreau, who wrote, directed and acted in Swingers (1996), has spent the past decade directing movies like Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Cowboys and Aliens. So it’s a treat to see him write and direct and star in a small palate cleansing film again, even if it is the tired “food movie” genre where the cooking scenes help tell stories and showcase a character’s passion.

Ultimately, this is the story of a 40something chef dealing with complicated work and family relationships. When those relationships unfold realistically, this film sails.

But many of the plot turns are too manipulative and unbelievable for what I thought this film could be. This finding-your-passion food film starts out as an indie film (i.e. last summer’s Way Way Back), but ends like a contrived rom com (i.e. My Big Fat Greek Wedding). That’s a confusing shift, but it definitely works as a crowd pleaser.

Simply put: Movie comfort food that the whole family will enjoy.

Award potential: It’s a stellar cast with everyone performing just right for a light film, but nothing more.

The ten buck review: Not a stellar film, but it’s a fun time at the movies. Worth ten bucks.

The Fault In Our Stars

 

This sweet adaption is more than OK. OK?

Anyone who didn’t think that The Fault in Our Stars would be a big hit is simply not keeping up. The book, which has sold 10.7 million copies was already a phenomenon long before the movie. And the Stars author is as famous (or more) than the stars in the film.

Hazel Grace (Shailene Woodley) has cancer. But, that’s her cancer story and this story is definitely more than that. It’s a film that manages to be funny, poignant and heartbreaking. For those who read the book, there was no other choice.

I know the question you have and the answer for me is, "no." I did not tear up because this is a story about youth, love and life. But I forgive anyone who does because the sad parts unfolded without being movie - manipulative. It’s one of the best films of 2014 so far.

Simply put: Good news for those who read the book, it’s a faithful, sweet adaptation. Good news for those who haven’t: it’s pretty awesome.

Award potential: Ansel Elgort’s character is a little too perfect, the film’s only fault, but Shailene Woodley has a shot at a Golden Glove nod. As does Laura Dern, in a supporting role as her mom. It’s a long shot for any Oscar nominations.

The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

 

“Please, we need you to hope again.”-Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart)

After the dreadful X-Men: Last Stand, X-Men fans have been hoping for a movie of matching caliber to the comics. Director Bryan Singer's new film hopes to make up for that.

Days of Future Past was originally a two-issue story arc in the Uncanny X-Men comics #141-142. The story involves time travel; a formula that always intrigues in movies but never has a satisfying ending. Like Terminator 2, the best of the time travel movies, someone has to be sent from the future (2023) to the past (1973) to save the world from a robot apocalypse.

Lucky for the franchise, the only character whose body can survive the transit is Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine (future). Also, lucky for the franchise, the key to changing the future is to find Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique (past), a minor character whose role has been heightened to maximize on her star power and talent.

If casual moviegoers can just accept the time-bending, mind-bending plot, they’ll be able to enjoy a fun collection of characters going full superhero in amazingly creative heists and fight sequences. An appearance by a young Quicksilver sets the standard. James McAvoy’s Professor X (past) and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto (past) are excellent as battling bros. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen have a blast (from the future) re-playing those same characters. And Hugh Jackman, as Wolverine, is always movie screen magic.

Simply put: The X-Men movies are never as good as they should be, but you can consistently expect an x-cellent time at the movies.

Award potential: The cast has 10 Oscar nominations. But not for movies like this.

The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.

Neighbors

Seth Rogen, and a bunch of boobs like Zac Efron and James Franco’s little brother, try to pull off a funny frat comedy.

I don’t think any moviegoer will expect more than a few laughs from a Seth Rogen frat house comedy. I didn’t. The plot doesn’t really matter with a movie like this since it’s just a loose structure to fill up with jokes; and one out of every ten gags actually works. One gimmick surprised me so much that I think I laughed in a way that might only be described as a “guffaw.”

The script put some token effort into creating real characters and this makes them just a little more interesting than the college stereotypes we all know. Neighbors is directed by Nick Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), who probably owes us something more substantial than this, but I recommend this film with a good beer.

Simply put: Don’t expect a classic, but chuckles and guffaws await.

Award potential: This gross-out film’s only award will be a large box office gross.

The ten buck review: I had at least ten laughs, so that’s a fair exchange. It’s worth ten bucks.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-man returns for a big number 2

Just ten (10) years after director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, comes The Amazing Spider-Man 2, a second sequel to the redundantly redundant 2012 reboot film. That film’s greatest great flaw was its need to retell (tell again) the super-familiar superhero origin story. I wish that all future superheroes would just simply pass the torch like the James Bond franchise does when an actor or director changes.

Even worse for the audience, this film begins by retelling the original origin story that they retold us in 2012. And, as a bonus, they give us not one accidental accident that turns someone into a super bad baddie story, but we get a double dose of those, too.

What did I like? The techno score was a great choice for the fight scenes with Electro, the actors are lovingly lovable and director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) knows how to pull emotional emotion from teen angst. The warm and just-right comic comedy scenes in this film with Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Sally Field and newcomer Dane DeHaan all worked somewhat amazingly. That is, until everyone decided to overreact for the seriously overblown and overblown serious ending.

Yeh, I did find an amazingly amazing moment during this film — this movie marks the first time I ever laughed out loud (LOL) during a funeral scene.

Simply put: Somewhere in this film is an emotional Spider-Man story, but mostly I wanted to cry about paying for my ticket.

Award potential: Hans Zimmer’s score is noteworthy, but not Oscar-worthy.

The ten buck review: Not worth ten bucks.