by Philip Price “Burnt” will certainly make you hungry. Whether it is for food or the better movie this had the potential to be will have to be decided by you when you come around to the "too neatly wrapped" ending it doesn't really deserve. For my money, “Burnt” is a movie that is fine enough because it features another committed performance from Bradley Cooper doing what he does best and that is him digging into the psyche of his character. What makes “Burnt” a not so stellar vehicle for the guy’s talent is the fact it is a story we've seen numerous times before. As soon as the set-up is delivered and we're keen to the conditions of all the major players it is clear where this thing is heading. Still, the credentials the movie sports are more than solid: Steven Knight (“Locke”) penned the screenplay (he also wrote last year’s under-appreciated “The Hundred-Foot Journey” to which “Burnt” feels like a lesser version), John Wells is at the helm (though it was once supposed to be directed by David Fincher-which really makes me want to see a Fincher/Cooper collaboration) and besides Cooper we have a pedigreed cast that includes Sienna Miller, Daniel Brühl, Alicia Vikander, Omar Sy and Emma Thompson not to mention a quick cameo from Uma Thurman. So, with so much going for it why does “Burnt” feel so stale? It's actually somewhat difficult to pinpoint as it's not as simple as blaming it on any one aspect. The film, as shot by Adriano Goldman (Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre), is gorgeous to look at-numerous shiny surfaces contradicted by dark shades of facial hair and the bags under Cooper's eyes with the lovely London setting all adding something of a spice to the proceedings. The dialogue is direct, the intensity of Cooper's Jones when he gets worked up in the kitchen, while Gordon Ramsey-esque, is believable and yet it is the obligations the film feels it needs to make these characters hit that pull it into mediocrity. It's not the single downfall, but it becomes the most glaring the closer we get to the conclusion. Chef Adam Jones (Cooper) seemingly had it all a few years ago and by abusing drugs, the drink, women and any number of other addictions combined with his penchant for diva-like behavior he lost it. Jones is a two-star Michelin rock star chef who, when we meet him, is shucking oysters in Louisiana. Having left the Paris food scene for what many of his peers apparently thought was an untimely death in the vein of a young star who shined so bright he burnt out just as quickly Jones has actually been serving under his own penance in order to make himself go straight. After three years of solitude and a million oysters shucked Jones returns to the restaurant scene, this time in London, with the goal of achieving his third Michelin star. To do this, he has to find the right backer and the right team for his kitchen. By corralling famous food critic Simone Forth (Thurman) into writing about a wealthy hotel heir's restaurant that has fallen from its once unreachable heights Jones convinces Tony (Brühl), with whom he clearly has a past relationship with, to let him back into the kitchen. Tony is hesitant given Jones' past, but in order to guarantee a good review Tony allows Jones to cook for Simone. After proving that he is in fact cleaning up his act, Tony promises to retrofit his restaurant and kitchen to Jones' liking with the power to hire his own team as long as he goes to mandatory counseling sessions once a week with therapist Dr. Rosshilde (Thomspon) who will also administer drug tests to the chef. If Jones stays clean, he stays in charge. Simple as that. With his goal now in reach Jones recruits old pals Michel (Sy) and Max (Riccardo Scamarcio) while bringing in fresh blood with the young, but hungry David (Sam Keeley) and the best of the best that London has to offer in the beautiful Helene (Sienna Miller). In the beginning of the film there is an energy set in motion, with an almost rejuvenating quality to the music and the pacing. Wells brings us into the character of Adam Jones by having Cooper react to people reacting to the fact he's still alive. And so, we're intrigued by his backstory-what was he once like? What actually happened in Paris? Why wasn't he aware his mentor has passed away? And why does he no longer have dealings with his mentor's beautiful daughter (Vikander)? What is the dispute between him and fellow chef Reece (Matthew Rhys)? Does he have the right to be as arrogant as he is? Is there something more that makes Helene not want to work for him? The questions pile up before we can breathe and yet, for the most part, it works to create an image of who this guy was, what he came from, and who he is now trying to be. That Jones was once a doomed youth gave him something of an intrigue, a mysterious quality that led spectators to wonder where he would end up, but that he ended up as little more than a doomed middle-aged man is nowhere near as romantic. In fact, it's slightly off-putting and thus Jones has to work that much harder to retain his status as the best cook in the world. Early on, the film genuinely feels like it's on to something as the expected "problems of Jones' path coming back to haunt him" storyline doesn't immediately rear its ugly head. Instead, we are more interested in how Jones can reclaim his title. In the first run through with his new restaurant the plates are not up to par and the energy is lackluster. Jones bleeds into an anger and rage that is inexcusable. It's an interesting case of watching a former addict rehabilitate himself through what he loves. As if the lack of a substance to remedy his feelings of need make him all the more volatile, especially in the wake of failure. If this is where the film was heading, I was in. Even through the exploration of collaboration, the seeming remedy to his explosions of anger, I was interested in where the film might take us, but then Knight brings back what we expect a redemption tale to entail and from there the film goes into a tailspin of its own. Early on, I genuinely wanted to believe that Jones was more seeking solace and tranquility in his cooking rather than simply another Michelin star. While this may even be true to some extent and to Cooper himself, the film isn't strong enough to go out with this being the case and letting us draw our own conclusions about whether or not Jones achieved everything he desired. Maybe he achieved such solace in other ways, but we'll never know as another of the movie’s major downfalls is feeling as if it has to spell everything out for its audience. This is especially true when, halfway through the film, Thompson's character vocalizes everything we've already put together about Jones. As for the answers to the many questions the film poses, it more or less gets around to filling in the gaps on most of them, but much of it simply has to deal with Jones experiencing a rough childhood with his tough father that he was never able to get over. That's not to say daddy issues aren't legitimate, but the film doesn't commit to any such treatment in a way that it makes us feel anything close to empathy for the guy. And because the film really builds up Jones' past to be this huge amalgamation of bad decisions there is expected to be some kind of grand payoff or reveal that never comes. Instead, we are witness to the obligatory love story between Jones and Helene taking place when there is nothing from either individual's past that suggests this is a good idea. The film also tends to give us random details of Jones' past so as to bring them in at convenient times in order to make the present situation more dramatic. The twist with the Michelin men at the end also feels forced and something of a cop out so as to simply find a quick resolution and wrap things up under two hours. It's not that “Burnt” is actively bad, but it just seems that like it's protagonist it tends to make a lot of wrong decisions. In the end, Jones learns the lesson that creating an atmosphere of harmony also creates a feeling of motivation and companionship among his chefs. There is nothing too revelatory to be found here, but returning to the smaller scale story that initially was more interesting this was the type of resolution I was looking for. The film does paint a full picture of the day to day of a tortured soul whose only outlet are his talents in the kitchen. And in this regard, it paints a full picture of the energy that a high-end kitchen can encompasses and those scenes where Cooper is able to be in full command of his life and his kitchen are truly thrilling. There is even a scene in which Sy's character, who up to this point felt underdeveloped and unappreciated, delivers a large dose of justification to his rather subdued performance. These moments are too few and far between though to really grant “Burnt” a recommendation. Instead, this is a film best enjoyed over the consistency of fast food. Maybe then, one might find something to truly appreciate in it. Grade: 3/5
0 Comments
by Philip Price How do you make another zombie movie in a market saturated by the like truly stand out? Contemporary audiences are so accustomed to seeing people get their throats ripped out by the undead that they settle in for it every Sunday night. So, the question remains: if you're set on making a movie featuring zombies, how do you make it feel fresh? Or necessary? Director Christopher Landon answers that question by combining the zombie genre with that of a raunchy teen sex comedy and allowing this interesting hybrid of styles to both acknowledge their debt to where they came from while at the same time pushing the boundaries as far as they can go so as to appease that "contemporary" part of the audience. The result of such experimenting? A really fun time. Moreover, a better time than you'd likely expect after just hearing that pitch. That “Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse” goes in such the opposite direction of what expectations were, it immediately becomes something of a treasure trove of a movie-making audience members wonder with anticipation about what we might come across next. There is something to be said about the type of film that initially seems to be nothing more than a rejected, cheap satirical comedy that stars David Koechner, but is slowly accepted over time for being judged not purely on its credentials or the circumstances of the time in which it was made, but rather for the singular type of experience it's viewing brings. I'm not saying the same with will happen with this film as say “Hocus Pocus,” but the film in and of itself is way too enjoyable and way too appealing (especially to teen audiences) to fall by the wayside forever. At an hour and a half the film breezes by with an effortless ease that sets up it's (mostly) likable characters, presents us with its conflict and then utilizes it's quirky premise to round things out in a satisfying and largely hilarious manner. Opening with “Workaholics” star Blake Anderson as a janitor dancing to Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora's "Black Widow" at a scientific facility we are privy to the birth of a zombie outbreak. Anderson, perfectly encapsulating what it feels like to be a janitor who really gets into their job by getting into a song, helps to immediately set the film's tone by alerting us it won't be taking anything seriously. The fact it chooses such a current song also signals a sense of hipness paired with mockery depending on how you choose to interpret the film's position on youth culture. I prefer to think Landon and his team want to embrace youthful exuberance while highlighting the trends of our current time so as to firmly root this film in this decade. Again, it will only stand to seemingly make the film even more endearing later. Once the set-up is spun we are introduced to three High School sophomores including Ben (Tye Sheridan), Carter (Logan Miller), and Augie (Joey Morgan). The three friends are still practicing Scouts and are currently trying to recruit new members for their group, led by Scout Leader Rogers (David Koechner). Given their age and the cultural perception of the Boy Scouts when equated with high school aged kids, things aren't going well. While Augie is the stilted youth who's afraid to move on, Ben and Carter have been having second thoughts about continuing to participate in the Scouts. On the night we meet the three friends, Augie is set to get his Condor Patch, but when Ben and Carter come across Carter's sister, Kendal (Halston Sage), and her friends they're invited to a "Secret Seniors Party". In order to go, Ben and Carter will have to ditch Augie, but Ben is hesitant. Ben's also had a crush on Kendal since the sixth grade, though, so he's torn. With a plan of going to the campsite and going through the motions until Augie falls asleep then sneaking out Ben and Carter make a failed attempt to buy alcohol for the party until they cross paths with Denise (Sarah Dumont), a cocktail waitress at a strip club, who agrees to buy the alcohol for them. Before the night is out, Carter and Ben sneak away to attend the party and drive into town to find that it's been invaded by the likes of the walking dead. What makes any comedy work first is the chemistry and charm of its cast and those qualities are evident in “Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse” almost immediately. Between Sheridan, Miller and Morgan there is a clear camaraderie from the get-go as, despite the way they talk about him behind his back, it's clear Carter and especially Ben care about Augie. Augie is dealing with either the loss of his father or his father's choice to walk away from him (it never clarifies and the absence of any parental figure is key to the films tone) by attempting to never change the state in which he was in when he lost his father. Ben and Carter are ready to move on though, ready to mature in ways that no longer include accomplishing tasks for badges. Through the three leads we genuinely buy into the friendships they share and thus give real credence to their characters arcs. Ben and Carter have a different relationship than Ben and Augie while Augie and Carter have their own relationship independent of their similar interests. That is all to say that there are actual connections between these characters and while the premise is more than outlandish with the tone only making it all the more ridiculous, we buy into the peril and the sense of danger and come to care about these situations because we come to sincerely care about the characters in them. Even more refreshing is the film's choice to introduce Dumont's Denise and place her as something of the alpha male among the team who is forced to always save the guys butts. Even the more extraneous characters, including Koechner's Scout Leader and Sage's Kendal, work to develop our main characters further. The interaction our trio of lead protagonists have with these other people in their lives give a clear idea of where each of them are at in their awkward adolescence. The overriding idea that zombies have always been a larger metaphor for our societies consistently hypnotized/automaton-like state by applying it to the smart phone generation is expertly done by again giving the original genre it's due while enlisting the sarcastic, carefree tone that is largely attributed to our current narcissistic generation. How does it convey such a tone beyond the attitudes of its characters you ask? Well, the answer is by being really juvenile in its comedy and yet somehow still being able to remain really funny to audiences that would typically age out of such antics by the their mid-twenties. It doesn't hurt that given the investment we make in these appealing characters that we tend to cut them a little slack based on their age and ignorance. They're appropriate for their stage in life and yet they're never repulsive to the point of complete idiocy. Sure, Carter can be a little much to take sometimes in that the movie maybe allows him to do too much, but he has some of the best one liners and where he ends up from where he began feels like a real payoff. Speaking of payoffs, the script that was written by a team of four writers including director Landon is big on setting things up and paying them off later. It's a solid way to structure a comedy script and the screenwriters have come up with several good ones that brought a big smile to my face if not a few laugh out loud moments. Whether it be the opening sequence where a scientist is having issues with a vending machine, Cloris Leachman as Carter's old cat lady neighbor or Scout Leader Rogers' Dolly Parton obsession that leads to a chase sequence set to "9 to 5," there are a consistent enough amount of them that the film feels coherent not only in its comedy, but in how it plays strongly to that target generation's corrupted sensibilities. It's not just in the set-ups and pay offs that the film succeeds comically, either. Small details like a fat zombie wearing a YOLO shirt, a zombie jumping on a trampoline outside a window that upends a typical horror movie trope or even the most outrageous scene that has Ben hanging on for dear life by a zombie penis all hit their mark. Sure, the action scenes can get a little messy where it's hard to see exactly what's happening, but this is a minor problem among a film I imagined might have a lot more. Maybe the most winning quality of the movie though is that it feels akin to something of a different era. It's like a raunchy comedy of the late seventies or early ‘80s which inherently gives the audience a sense of nostalgia. I, for one, am thankful it was made at this point in time though, as otherwise we wouldn't have the gem of a scene where Augie and Carter serenade a zombie with a Britney Spears classic. by Philip Price “Bone Tomahawk,” the film, is everything its gloriously ’70s-inspired poster would have you believe it is. From the opening frame we are privy to just how violent this ordeal is prone to get. The slitting of a throat is an excruciating act that is made even more so when the person holding the knife is unsure of what they're doing. In the opening moments of “Bone Tomahawk,” though, it is clear that there are only assured hands present. Buddy (Sid Haig) and Purvis (David Arquette) slice the throats of unsuspecting travelers for no other reason than to rob them blind and move on to the next town. The violence is swift and the visuals are exceedingly bloody which seems to be just the way first time feature director S. Craig Zahler likes it. That this is actually Zahler's directorial debut is somewhat extraordinary as this largely feels like a movie made by an old pro or someone who knows the ropes of pacing and organic character development like the back of their hand. Even more impressive, Zahler single-handedly wrote the screenplay that more or less takes every trope from any Western you've ever seen and somehow incorporates them into an always tense, never yielding story that mirrors “The Searchers” meets any number of those Italian cannibal exploitation films. The inspirations are clear, the characters more or less archetypes, and the story is not particularly revelatory but somehow - more by craft that innovation - Zahler is able to bring his elements together and form a sum that is greater than it's well-worn parts. Zahler is somehow able to make cinema's oldest genre feel fresh again and that is the film's biggest accomplishment. To this effect, the film is more self-referential than it would be had it been made at another time, but this endearing, self-deprecating quality paired with excellent dialogue throughout and Kurt Russell playing a sheriff is ironically what lends the film it's stylish facade. “Bone Tomahawk” is as much a film to be admired as it is to be devoured, but that the promise behind these ideas and this style actually deliver is strangely rewarding in a way I didn't see coming. After Buddy and Purvis come across what are assumed to be cannibalistic cave dwellers and (kind of) accidentally mess up what looks to be some kind of sacred burial ground Buddy is shot in the throat with an arrow and Purvis narrowly escapes. Cut to eleven days later and we're introduced to the small town of Bright Hope where Russell's Franklin Hunt is Sheriff and Purvis has made his way to the town's local bar. After being spotted by the elderly back-up Deputy, Chicory (Richard Jenkins), Purvis is detained and questioned by Sheriff Hunt and Chicory at the same bar where the town's morally vague sharp-shooter, John Brooder (Matthew Fox), also happens to be hanging his hat for the night. Seeing that he is up to no good, Purvis attempts to make a run for it before the Sheriff shoots him in the foot. Taking him back to the jail, but recognizing his need for medical care the Sheriff sends Brooder to fetch Mrs. Samantha O'Dwyer (Lili Simmons) who is the town doctor. O'Dwyer's husband, Arthur (Patrick Wilson), is a cowboy in the most traditional sense, but is currently laid up and giving his leg time to heal after an accident on the job. While Mrs. O'Dwyer is away and tending to Purvis the rest of the town falls asleep only to wake up to find the jail emptied and a local stable boy killed via an arrow to the head. No doubt the result of Purvis' dealings with the cave dwellers he, Mrs. O'Dwyer and Hunt's actual Deputy, Nick (Evan Jonigkeit), have disappeared with the general assumption being they were kidnapped. As a result, our four protagonists (Russell, Wilson, Fox, Jenkins) then set out to save Arthur's wife and the Deputy unaware of the many horrors that await them. With its strong sense of what it is, to the point it can comfortably throw in light comedic moments in an otherwise horrific scenario, “Bone Tomahawk” thrives on being comfortable in its own skin. There is nothing about the film that makes it feel as if it's trying to fit into a pre-defined genre or that it's even concerned with hitting the necessary beats of a Western and yet it does, but without making it seem forced. Zahler does a fine job of streamlining his story into a simple task (save the girl) while highlighting it with multiple personalities. While the film has plenty of strengths it would be a lie to say that the cast was not one of them. Each actor, working with vastly different characters, succeeds in their own right. As the larger hero of the piece, Russell was born to play this type of role. One can almost feel Zahler grinning with glee behind the camera as he no doubt grew up loving Russell in his onslaught of eighties action films. To have Russell in the role here is both a bit of stunt casting in that the actor has played this kind of role before, but to such an extent that it's been a long time since he last inhabited such a character and thus the opportunity is ripe to prove why he's so good with such characters. Russell is immediately recognized as this kind of "stand-up guy" and that is exactly what Zahler needed Sheriff Hunt to exude giving the casting of Russell even more justification. Both Fox and Wilson are more than capable in their roles of two middle-aged men looking at the world from two very different perspectives and yet both make their case for why such life choices are respectable for each. Fox especially seems to be having a good time playing up the gray area of Brooder's moral code while Zahler's no frills dialogue only stands to enhance each performance. The MVP of the film though, is Richard Jenkins. As Deputy Chicory, Jenkins delivers a truly affecting performance in what is essentially the stereotypical salty old eccentric man who doesn't know when to shut his mouth. Jenkins gives Chicory an enormous amount of layers as each of his scenes reveal something new about the character making us all the more invested in his outcome. Zahler could have easily delivered something much more rote for a first effort or even a safer homage to this genre he clearly cares for, but instead the writer/director combines two complimentary genres allowing us to feast on an idea so off the wall that it just so happens to make perfect sense. While “Bone Tomahawk” is likely not the first Western to so actively use cannibals as part of its narrative it is undoubtedly the goriest Western about cannibals you've ever seen; if not the goriest film you've seen in some time. For the first hour and15 minutes or so we're subject to what we may have expected from such a film with such a glorious poster, if only highlighted by the skill at which it's been put together. As the film reaches its third act though, things begin to take a turn for the insane. Leading to what is one of the most gruesome acts I've ever seen put on screen, the encounter with the labeled antagonists of this world is worth the price of admission alone. I wanted so badly to look away, but couldn't out of pure curiosity for just how much Zahler was willing to show and just how far these cannibal cave dwellers, referred to as Troglodytes, were willing to go. Part of me wishes I hadn't allowed my eyes to find out the answer to that question and yet it is the brutality of the climax that will forever ingrain this film in my memory. That's not to say the film is only memorable for these few scenes at the end that are meant to simply deliver a payoff to everything Zahler has been meticulously pacing himself towards the entire film, but they certainly take the film to the next level. Beyond this, cinematographer Benji Bakshi captures the gorgeous open landscapes to great effect, the character designs for the cannibals are genuinely terrifying, and the ensemble cast work well together to deliver what is largely a character-driven piece only accentuated with deftly written dialogue and imagery that, again, will haunt you. |
Archives
April 2024
|