TWIN CITIES LIVE- August 8, 2014

TWIN CITIES LIVE
August 8, 2014

1. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner
2. THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY, starring: Helen Mirren, Om Puri
3. DIVERGENT, starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd

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Video courtesy of Twin Cities Live/KSTP

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As always, thank you so much for watching and your continual support. I truly appreciate it!

Movie Review: THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY

THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY
Director: Lasse Hallström
Starring: Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, Charlotte Le Bon

Maybe it’s my love of cooking, eating, and anything related to food, but I am a sucker for a good foodie movie. We’ve got our second one this summer after Jon Favreau’s Chef which focused on the food truck movement. The Hundred-Foot Journey takes us to the French countryside. The Kadam family lost their family restaurant and everything else back in India due to a fire. After spending some unsuccessful time in England, they decide to take another journey and move to France. Papa (Puri) is bound and determined to get the restaurant business up and running again with his son Hassan (Dayal) as the head chef. He has his eyes set on a rundown building that just happens to be across the street from a sophisticated French restaurant that caters to classical cuisine. It is run by Madame Mallory (Mirren) who is stubborn like an ox.

She is ready to start an all-out war with her latest competitor. This only infuriates Papa even more, but Hassan continues to create wonderful dishes for their restaurant until tragedy strikes as an attempt to stop this lovely Indian family from creating their masterpieces. Madame Mallory feels a responsibility for the actions, but Papa continues to keep his guard up. Meanwhile, Hassan just wants to make good food whether it’s his traditional Indian favorites or the new French recipes he is learning from the books he receives by Mallory’s sous chef Marguerite (Le Bon).

In case you haven’t noticed any of the marketing efforts for this movie, it boasts Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey as producers. With Lasse Hallström directing the feisty Helen Mirren, you have the ingredients for a delightful and hearty movie. This also happens to be his second foodie movie including 2000's Chocolat. Screenwriter Steven Knight has previously tackled heavier and more suspenseful films (Locke, Eastern Promises), so this is a sharp turn from that. I haven’t read the book by Richard C. Morais yet, but the story has more dimensions than I think the trailer is leading on. Each of the four main characters gets their due moments and arcs. Mirren’s Madame Mallory is not just the snobbish battle ax you expect her to be. I did start to wonder if she was going to be a one noted character, but I knew Mirren would find the layers in her. She pairs well with Om Puri who has to stand his ground against her ways. He is more than capable of that challenge. This battle between the two stubborn personalities adds some delightful humor to the story. Manish Dayal and Charlotte Le Bon are relative newcomers. Dayal is a good-looking charmer and has some sizzling chemistry with Le Bon. I suppose it’s hard to write a story centered on the love of food and not have sparks between two of the characters.

This is not just another boy meets girl from a different culture love story. There is more to it than that. It’s merely one side dish to a bigger meal. The culture and attitudes toward both cuisines plays a factor not only in the style of food, but comes into play between the characters of Papa and Madame Mallory. They are the personal embodiments to the way they describe what is so special about their cuisine. The French cooking is very subtle, sophisticated, and classy with a pinch of spice here or there. Papa’s Indian recipes are loud and powerful with a spoonful of this spice or that spice. These spices are naturally handed down to the next generation and considered an honor. It is a joy watching the fusion of these two very different temperaments and palettes spar with each other.

The Hundred-Foot Journey suffers a bit in its approach to the ending of the story. I should say multiple endings. I thought the movie was going to end once the feel-good climax happens, but the story continues with what feels like an epilogue. I’m assuming this happens in the book as well and maybe it works better there. In the movie, it almost feels too rushed and short to feel like it’s the third act. I’m slightly conflicted over it as I understand the point of it due to its commentary on the state of cooking these days and these characters, but part of me doesn’t feel like it’s actually necessary. Don’t get me wrong; it doesn't hinder the rest of this delightful movie. How do you not drool whenever the photography of the food is handled with such care? I think some of the camera work is slowed down just to make us relish in it a bit longer. Maybe it is their way of getting us to slow down and enjoy the process of cooking in the same way we enjoy eating it. I think too often we scramble together a meal without fully appreciating the art and science behind it. I know I wanted to go home after seeing this and perfect my omelet recipe and look up those four standard French sauces.

Is it Worth Your Trip to the Movies? Foodies will no doubt devour every bite of this journey.

RATING: 4 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

Movie Review: MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
Director: Dan Scanlon
Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Helen Mirren, Steve Buscemi, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, John Krasinski, Aubrey Plaza, John Ratzenberger

Pixar seems to be cranking out the sequels to their hits these days. I am relieved to say that Monsters University is no Cars 2. Truth be told, I have never seen Cars 2, but I heard disappointing things. Monsters University is their venture into prequel territory. A young Mike Wazowski is touring Monsters Inc. on a school trip and is beyond excited to one day become a scarer. One of the workers (Krasinski) leaves a lasting impression on him and tosses him his Monsters University baseball hat. Years pass and the book smart Mike (Crystal) has never lost sight of attending Monsters University. His first day arrives and he is ready to go. He meets his new roommate Randall (Buscemi) and he thinks they will be best friends.

Mike comes to his first class, gets a spot in the front row, and has all of his books in hand. Showing up late is Jimmy Sullivan (Goodman), the big blue fuzzy monster. He is a legacy to this school as his family all went to Monsters University and they have a reputation of being some of the best scarers to have come out of the school. The class also provides their first encounter with Dean Hardscrabble (Mirren) who is the head of the Scare program. She is not a force to be reckoned with and she warns them all that whoever does not pass the final exam will be kicked out of the program. She puts up with no funny business and eventually kicks Mike and Sully out of the program for their behavior. Mike is crushed as this was his dream in life, and Sully gets kicked out of his fraternity. Bound and determined to get back into the program, they form a fraternity of other scrappy scarers and compete in The Scare Games. Hardscrabble has no faith in them winning and places bets on their placement in the games. If their frat wins, they will be re-entered into the program. If they lose, Mike is forced to leave Monsters University for good.

One of the many reasons why Pixar films are so appealing is that they cater to audiences of various ages. There is something that adults and children can get out of them. Upon initial thought the idea of college classes and fraternities seems like quite a mature topic for a movie catered towards a younger audience. I suppose that is their approach to appealing to the older audience base. Pixar succeeded with this moviegoer as I know exactly how Mike feels. He thinks that he can become a good scarer by reading all the books and studying all of the various kinds of fears and phobias children have. Unfortunately, Mike is never taken seriously as a scarer due to his small stature and likable presence. Sully, on the other hand, relies on his God-given abilities and talents to get him by in the program. Why should he bother to study? He would rather party it up with his frat brothers. I was Mike in college. I was bound and determined to keep my head in the books and study like crazy. I would get so mad when I saw friends breeze right through their coursework or seem at the top of their game when they were always drinking the night away or skipping class. Don’t worry, I grew out of that phase as the years passed.

There have been Pixar movies in the past (Up and Toy Story 3) that have just connected with my inner soul and touched an emotional side of me that most movies cannot do. I was sobbing like crazy with those films. Unfortunately, I feel like Pixar has set the bar so high for themselves that it can be hard for them to continually reach that level. While Monsters University is a great movie, the story and themes are pretty safe territory. There are no human characters in the movie either which could cause a bit of a disconnect for some audience members. I admit I am holding Pixar at a pretty high standard that may seem unrealistic.

It has been twelve years since Monsters Inc., and it is delightful to have Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi back as Mike, Sully, and Randall. They each have such distinct voices, but they all use them so well as these three roles. Helen Mirren is new to the cast, and she is quite perfect in her delivery as the slithery, sharp-as-nails Dean Hardscrabble. John Ratzenberger is a staple to any Pixar film as he has provided a voice in every one of their films. If you are a “Cheers” fan, you will get a kick out of him this time around as his character, the Yeti, works in the mailroom at Monsters Inc. and is a nod to his “Cheers” character Cliff Clavin. The film is cute, funny, and charming and like any Pixar film teaches some good moral lessons along the way. It will appeal to any kid that goes and sees it. They will undoubtedly think about what monsters may be lurking in their bedroom and imagine the cute life they lead. I just wish the creative team would not have played it so safe with the idea and concept behind this prequel.

RATING: **** (4 out of 5 stars)

Movie Review: HITCHCOCK

HITCHCOCK
Director: Sacha Gervasi
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Michael Stuhlbarg, Danny Huston, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, James D'Arcy

We take Hitchcock's masterpiece Psycho as an important part of film history. Many regard it as his best movie. Many people probably do not know the trouble that the master of suspense had while making the movie, let alone even getting Paramount interested in distributing it. After the release of North By Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock (Hopkins) was looking for his next big movie. Numerous industry insiders questioned if he could deliver another successful movie. Was he getting too old to keep making hit movies? Hitchcock started to feel some inspiration after reading a book called "Psycho" by Robert Bloch. The book was loosely based on the real life killings in Wisconsin by Ed Gein. Hitchcock wanted to bring back a good old fashioned horror picture. He was under contract with Paramount at the time, but they were less than impressed with the thought of Psycho being his next picture. Hitchcock was bound and determined to make the movie no matter what the costs were.

His wife, Alma (Mirren), was a vital part of his productions. She would often write revisions to the script and knew how to edit a movie to keep up the suspense. She was often Alfred's closest collaborator and voice of opinion for any movie he was making. Alma tried getting him to read a screenplay by her friend Whitfield Cook (Huston), but he was set in stone about the adaptation of "Psycho". Alma conceded and got on board with the production. They decided to fund the movie themselves putting much of their life in jeopardy just to get the movie made. It was Alma's idea to have the character of Marion Crane killed off within the first thirty minutes.

Hitchcock casts Janet Leigh (Johansson), Anthony Perkins (D'Arcy), and Vera Miles (Biel) as the stars of Psycho. Leigh is the latest addition to the line-up of women known as the "Hitchcock Blonde". Despite her constant professionalism on set, there is an underlining feeling that exists between her and Hitchcock. Alma cannot seem to shake her inner struggle with this and spends her time writing on the beach with Whitfield Cook. Her absence around their house and set does not go unnoticed by Hitch who begins to think she is having an affair.

There are two different stories being told in this behind-the-scenes look at the life of one of the greatest screen directors. The primary story centers around the marriage of Alfred Hitchcock and his devoted wife Alma Reville. The other focus of the movie is on the constant challenges he faced while making Psycho. The movie is based on the book "Alfred Hitchcock and The Making of Psycho" by Stephen Rebello. The movie history nut in me wanted more of the story to center around the making of the classic movie. I think it could have gone into far more detail. Instead, Hitchcock is more about his relationship with Alma. Both stories are fascinating and could easily have been made into their own movies. Here they are blended together and not given a very specific look into either one of them. Another jarring part of the movie deals with Ed Gein. The movie suggests that Hitchcock was haunted by the images of Gein and was seeing visions of the serial killer. I do not know if this was true in real life or just a cinematic concept that fell flat. Every scene with Hitchcock talking to Gein seems so out of place with the tone of the rest of the movie.

The strong performances save the movie and give it the depth that is missing from the screenplay. Scarlett Johansson and James D'Arcy bring some nice subtle choices to their real life counterparts that play well for the limited screen time they have been given. For the most part, Anthony Hopkins successfully hides behind the make-up and fat suit to bring out numerous sides of Hitchcock while still showcasing his obvious vocal qualities and posture. In what easily could have been a movie to show off the work of Anthony Hopkins, the best performance belongs to fellow Oscar winner Helen Mirren. I really began to wonder if the movie was about her character instead of Hopkins' character. There is humor, strength, and heart to her that showcases why she was a perfect match for Alfred but also makes you feel sorry for her. This is the second of two movies based on Alfred Hitchcock that were released this year. Toby Jones played Hitch in HBO's "The Girl" which followed his relationship with Tippi Hedren while filming The Birds. Which version has the more accurate portrayal of the master of suspense? I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Hitchcock is the better of the two movies by far. I just wish the movie would have decided to pick which story it wanted to tell and given more specificity to that story.

RATING: *** 1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)

Movie Trailer: HITCHCOCK

HITCHCOCK

Director: Sacha Gervasi
Starring:
Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock
Helen Mirren as Alma Reville
Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh
Jessica Biel as Vera Miles
James D’Arcy as Anthony Perks

I am always intrigued to hear and read about the making of Hollywood classics. I am one of those cinephiles that watches the bonus features on the blu-ray and reads books about the movies. What were the stars and directors at the time like? What did it take to get a picture made in those days? Earlier this year I read an intriguing book called “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho” by Stephen Rebello. I knew of some of the mysteries behind the movie, but this book delved deep into the Hitchcock classic. The book has now been adapted for the big screen, simply titled Hitchcock. Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins plays the titular character with fellow Academy Award winner Helen Mirren as his wife, Alma. He definitely seems to have the physicality of Hitchcock down.

I think if you are a fan of Hitchcock and his work, you will want to check this one out. From what I can tell, the studio seems to be rushing the release of this in order to be in consideration for this Oscar season. HBO is airing another Hitchcock based movie called “The Girl” starring Toby Jones as Hitchcock and Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren. “The Girl” premieres October 20th.

What are your first impressions of the look of the movie and Hopkins portrayal of the legendary director?

Hitchcock opens in limited released on November 23, 2012