BURNT
Directed by John Wells
Screenplay/Story by Steven Knight and Michael Kalesniko
Starring: Sienna Miller; Bradley Cooper; and Daniel Bruhl
Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) is a Chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior. He cleans up and returns to London, determined to redeem himself by spearheading a top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars.
It is almost a sports film in the kitchen.
It has some nice performances. Bradley Cooper playing against type is really good. Sienna Miller as Helene, a single mother who is also an up and coming chef, is fantastic. I wished she was on the screen more. Daniel Bruhl as Tony the owner of the, I guess, Restaurant/ Hotel that Adam is making his comeback at is also very good and plays off the wired Bradley Cooper's character very well.
So you have a very strong cast. Now for the plot/script.
It is hard to like Bradley Cooper here. He is nasty and wired all the time. Plus annoyingly cocky. I am no expert here but I am sure there are great chefs out there who do not constantly break plates and belittle the employees around him. There was really one nice scene with Bradley Cooper's Adam and Sienna Miller's daughter, I wish there was a lot more of that in this comeback/redemption story. The angry chef act is getting cliché in the cinema and on TV these days.
A couple last notes:
-Nice small performances in this film by Omar Sy (who shocks us in this film); Emma Thompson (her part could have been edited out but you do not edit out Emma); and Uma Thurman (With some real bad makeup).
- Alicia Vikander is in this film!! Lets see the films in 2015:
Burnt
Ex Machina
Testament Of Youth
The Man From U.N.C.L.E
The Danish Girl
Well 3 stars out of 5 for Burnt. It is not as bad as what critics are saying. It will for sure make you hungry!!
GOOSEBUMPS
Directed by Rob Letterman
Screenplay by Darren Lemke; Scott Alexander; and Larry Karaszweski
Based on the books of R.L. Stine
Starring Jack Black; Amy Ryan; Dylan Minnette; Odeya Rush; Ryan Lee; and Jillian Bell
A teenager, Zach (Dylan Minnette), teams up with the daughter ( Odeya Rush) of adult horror author R.L. Stine (Jack Black) after the writer's imaginary demons are set free on the town Zach just moved into.
I understand this film was not made for me. Was it enjoyable enough for an adult to sit through? Sure was. It was fun and exciting, and the perfect film for kids 9 and up to watch (Anyone younger it may be nightmare city).
I thought the script started strong and got a bit sloppy at the end. So it was not the script that made it work. Some of the special effects were sub par. So it was not the special effects that made the film work. It was the casting/acting that made this work:
Jack Black as R.L. Stine and as the voice of the creepy Slappy is pitch perfect.
Dylan Minnette as the new neighbor Jack is good but gets swallowed up by the actors around him.
Odeya Rush as Hannah, who went in and stole the film The Odd Life Of Timothy Green, is really good here also, even though her role is underwritten and a bit creepy.
Amy Ryan as Jack's mom is really good in a small part. I wish she was on screen more often.
Jillian Bell as Jack's aunt and Ryan Lee as Jack's best friend are hilarious and had me laughing out loud often . In fact they both kind of stole the film.
The film will not change the world, and yes it was a little long, but it is just a fun watch which I think for kids may end up being a yearly October watch. Plus, a film that suggests children reading books can open up their imagination works for me.
3 1/2 stars out of 5 for Goosebumps. For adults it may be 3 out of 5.
A BRILLIANT YOUNG MIND
Directed by Morgan Matthews
Screenplay by James Graham
Starrimg Asa Butterfield; Sally Hawkins; Rafe Spall and Jo Yang
A socially awkward teenage math prodigy (Butterfield) finds new confidence and new friendships (Yang) when he lands a spot on the British squad at the International Mathematics Olympiad.
A fantastic film!! One of the best of the year!! It is A Beautiful Mind if he was a Middle School/High School Student.
Nathan clearly is autistic and with that comes obsessive compulsive behaviors. He has to have food in a prime number. He loves patterns which draws him to math. With these issues he has many social problems like speaking in public, holding hands and even showing feelings toward his mother. Also, throw in a tragedy that happens early in the film that resonates with him through his life.
No spoilers here. However directing and casting makes it all work.
Butterfield has to do most of his acting with looks/stares and body language. A very difficult part and he scored.
Hawkins who never gives a bad performance is Nathan's confused and calming mom.
Spall as Nathans tutor and mentor with MS brings a much needed levity to the film.
Yang who comes in to Nathans life and is unfazed by his behavior and just rolls with it and will not take no for an answer which is good for Nathan,
The direction by Matthews is very much spot on. He does not rush the film and he knows that sometimes the camera will tell the story and words are not always necessary.
Faults? The ending seemed a bit rushed, I wish it was a bit cleaner. Spall's character was just getting fleshed out but the film seemed to not follow through with it.
This is a fantastic film based on the real life of Daniel Lightwing a mathematician. 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. This film is really good and totally took me by surprise. A wonderful happy tearjerker. You may also find it as another title X +Y.
From the shadows as always thanks for your time
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