Favorite Episode Titles A-Z

Similar to my old post (and later blogathon) about Favorite Movie Titles. These are my favorite titles for various TV shows. I don't necessarily love all the episodes, but I love their titles.

A Scandal in Belgravia (Sherlock)

Bear and the Maiden Fair (Game of Thrones)

Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things (Game of Thrones)

Days Gone Bye (The Walking Dead)

Erlenmeyer Flask (The X Files)

Face Off (Breaking Bad)

Gliding All Over (Breaking Bad)

Hold Me In Paradise (Boardwalk Empire)

I Will Rise Up (True Blood)

Judge, Jury, Executioner (The Walking Dead)

Kissed By Fire (Game of Thrones)

Lizard-Spock Expansion (The Big Bang Theory)

Mystery of the Urinal Deuce (South Park)

Night on the Sun (True Blood)

Ozymandias (Breaking Bad)

Pretty Much Dead Already (The Walking Dead)

Quintuplets 2000 (South Park)

Rains of Castamere (Game of Thrones)

Secret Fate of All Life (True Detective)

To The Lost (Boardwalk Empire)

Under God's Power She Flourishes (Boardwalk Empire)

Valor Morghulis (Game of Thrones)

We Just Decided To (The Newsroom)

X-Cops (The X Files)

You Also Have a Pizza (Orange is the New Black)

Zombies (Rescue Me)

A Fisti Recast-athon

Drew over at A Fistful of Films poses a great idea. He wants us to pick an Oscar nominated performance by a white actress, and replace them with an actress with color. Here are the rules:

1)  Pick an OSCAR NOMINATED performance given by a white actress that didn't require a white actress (no biopics here, even though Todd Haynes taught us that you don't need to be the same race or gender to play a real life person).  This performance can come from ANY film year.

2)  Pick an actress of color who could have been a great fit for the role instead of the one cast.  Keep in mind the time of release and chose actresses who were working at that time.  So, in other words, don't select the role of Calla Mackie in 1968's Rachel, Rachel (played by Estelle Parsons) and suggest it be a great fit for Naomie Harris, because, well, she wasn't born for another eight years.

3)  Explain WHY that actress would have made a great fit.  Plead her case.  Let's tell those Hollywood casting directors what they're missing.

4)  Have your post up by Friday, September 26th.  I've giving you a little bit of time on this one, and by all means, do a BUNCH OF THEM!  Spread the word.  Invite any and all to the recast-athon and let's give these actresses a voice!  

5)  You can post a link to your post here in the comment section, PM me on Twitter (@fististhoughts) or email me (andrew.ellington@hotmail.com).  You can use the banner I created above, or by all means use your own!

This was HARD to narrow down. There's so many talented women out there, but this is what I came up with: 

Adeparo Oduye for Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine

I adore Williams in that role, but Oduye could've easily played it as well. Oduye has had a few bit parts over the years and has mostly focused on theater, but there's two very important parts she's had that make me think she'd be awesome in Blue Valentine: Alike in Pariah and Eliza in 12 Years A Slave.

Cindy was depressed in Blue Valentine. She was trying to hold on to her marriage, be a good mother and live a stable life she was deprived from as a child. Williams gave a very emotional performance and I think Oduye could easily match that. I think of the final scene where Cindy yells "I want a fucking divorce" at Dean. She would've nailed that. Or that scene where Cindy tap dances for Dean, she would've been great there too. I wish I could tell every casting director in Hollywood to watch Pariah and see just how good Oduye is. She's a wonderful dramatic actress. An Oscar of her own is surely in her future. 

Thanks for hosting, Drew!

Indie Gems: Night Moves

You said no one would get hurt.

Josh (Jesse Eisenberg) and Dena (Dakota Fanning) are two environmentalists who team up with Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard) to blow up a dam in Oregon. The consequences that follow their quest turn out to be more than they imagined.

I don't want to give a lot of the plot away, because that would ruin the experience. When I first heard about this film at Sundance, a lot of people were comparing it to The East, another film about eco-terrorists. But really, that's all they have in common. Night Moves has a completely different structure and story and stands well on it's own two fee.

Fanning and Eisenberg both play sullen, paranoid people and of course they're both great at it. They had very interesting chemistry together. Sarsgaard isn't in it as much as I though, but he makes his little screen time memorable. The film did leave me wanting more. I wish a book would be written with the events that follow, but the film is very enjoyable and I love the leads.

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "I think we should've known about this first..." - Dena (Dakota Fanning)

2014 Blind Spot Series: North by Northwest

What I knew going in: Pretty much the entire movie, I just never sat down to watch it.

Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is an advertising executive that ends up being mistaken for a possible spy named George Chaplin. Suddenly, people are trying to kill him, he gets accused of murder himself and has to go on the run to escape police and figure this all out.

I like Cary Grant, and I hope I get to check out more of his movies. He had a lot of charisma. The film created an interesting story that continued to escalate, but at the same time felt kind of predictable. The film is also distractingly dated. Any scene involving a crowd of people (or just more people than the main characters) didn't feel organic and looked way too staged. Then there's those car scenes, but that's really nitpicking. I had a similar reaction to Citizen Kane. I felt like I was watching an important movie, but it really just wasn't my cup of tea. I'll stick with Hitch's horror movies.

Grade: C+

Memorable Quote: "Roger..pay the two dollars." - Clara (Jessie Royce Landis)

Rambling TV: Thoughts on Boardwalk Empire and more.

If this week's episode of Boardwalk Empire moved any slower, it would've been going backwards. Episodes like this drive me nuts, because in a show's final season, you don't really have time to waste. (Hello, True Blood) The end of this episode was great though, because of what it set up. Click those gifs to be redirected to their makers.

What happened in this long hour? Chalky played Home Invasion with two women who refused to open up a safe at their house. He eventually killed his henchmen and left. Thanks for that. We know Chalky is a good guy deep down, did we need to fuck around for an hour to know that?

Mickey's back!

Margaret's boss says someone has been taking money from Rothstein's account after the man died, and her signature is on all the forms. Someone has to pay. She pays his wife a visit who sees right through her bullshit and tells her she knows she's Nucky's wife, and plans to smear her in the papers.

Luciano and Seigal try to cut a deal with Narcisse, but he refuses to work with them. Later, they shoot up a bunch of his girls at a brothel. Oh boy.

Nucky has a falling out with that senator from Boston he was trying to woo into business. After he leaves, he has a stiff drink only to wake up to see Margaret in his room. 

This week's flashback had Nucky seeing the Commodore covering up a death at the hotel, and meeting his first wife, Mabel. 

here's a gif of Carol from The Walking Dead, dressed as a walker to infiltrate Terminus to help save her family. Carol is Queen. 

Gotham

I caught the pilot episode. I think I'll continue watching it for now, but it didn't blow me away. There was a few things that were really awkward. Selina Kyle witnessing the Wayne family murders, and continuing to watch Bruce. (Though I never really cared for Catwoman, so that's why) The show used some awkward camera angles during a chase seen, and we get it. Little Ivy is going to grow up to be Poison Ivy. She doesn't always need to be standing by a large plant.

There were some promising things, particularly the men that play The Riddler and The Penguin. They are intriguing.

The Big Bang Theory

Boy, I really missed a lot last season. Raj has a girlfriend, Howard's mom is dating Stuart. Penny and Leonard are engaged, and she has an awful hair cut. They also had Bernadette help Penny get a job, because Penny must always be the dumbest person in the room and isn't allowed to succeed on her own. She always needs help. Ugh. Am I the only one that get pissed about that?


Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

It started off with an Agent Carter cameo, so that was a plus!

Fitz and Simmon are still the most interesting. 

Skye is still annoying.

Review: This is Where I Leave You

Dysfunctional family meets again at funeral.

This has been done time and time again. The only thing that makes films like this worth it is their casts, and luckily this particular film succeeds on that front.

After their father passes away, a mother (Jane Fonda) tells her four adult children that his dying wish was for them to remain under the same roof together for seven days. They've been slightly preoccupied with their own lives, and this is the first time they've been together in awhile. They consist of Judd (Jason Bateman) whose just walked in on his wife having sex with his boss. Wendy (Tina Fey) in an unhappy marriage who becomes full of regrets when she's faced with an old flame. Paul, (Corey Toll) whose struggling to conceive with his wife, Annie. (Kathryn Hahn) And Phillip (Adam Driver) the much younger family fuck up.

The film is incredibly predictable. There are very few things that happen that you couldn't guess within the first 10 minutes. The difference here is that the cast has so much chemistry, it can kind of be forgiven. There are some very heavy moments, but also some light hearted and down right funny ones. The R rating definitely helps this film.

This is Where I Leave You won't win any awards, or show up on any best lists, but it's still a decent watch, if only for a rental. Plus, Jason Bateman is really becoming a hell of an actor, and he gives the stand out performance here. Driver and Fey also had a really tender moment that was probably my favorite in the film. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: C+

Memorable Quote: "No, but I'm an expert on you." - Phillip (Adam Driver)

Indie Gems: Breathe In

Growing up and having responsibilities isn't for everyone.

This is especially the case for Keith (Guy Pearce) a musician who dreams of living in New York City again, playing the cello for the NYC Orchestra. Instead he's out living in the suburbs, with his wife, Megan (Amy Ryan) and his 18 year old daughter, Lauren. (Mackenzie Davis) He teaches piano at his daughter's high school, and occasionally subs for the Orchestra. His wife is more realistic about his dream of moving back to the city: They can't afford it. The decide to house a foreign exchange student from the UK, 18 year old Sophie. (Felicity Jones) She's a piano progeny who's unsure of what she wants to do with her life. She and Keith share several sexually frustrated glances, and soon her presence turns into a big problem.

Aside from the fact that Lauren and Sophie apparently attend the Academy of Students That Look Like They're Old Enough To Be Teachers Here, I actually really liked Breathe In. I wasn't expecting too, as the reviews I've mostly read had been mediocre to bad. I can't blame Sophie for having the hots for Keith, I mean look at Guy Pearce, nor can I blame him for not thinking straight when both his wife and daughter don't take his music passion seriously. The whole thing is highly inappropriate, but I really felt bad for all involved. They were all going through different things that escalated fairly quickly.

The music was beautiful, I love all the pieces they chose. This film is very melancholy and might not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I'd even watch it again. The performances are wonderful.

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "I feel like I'm causing so many problems here." - Sophie (Felicity Jones)

Back to School Blogathon

Wendell over at Dell on Movies has another great idea for a blogathon. He asks us to create a class based on characters from different movies. Here are the rules.

1. Choose at least 1 character to fit into each of the following roles:

Administrator (either a dean, principal, head master, or some other equivalent)
Teacher
Star Student/Nerd
Jock/Class Bully
Popular Girl/Diva
Invisible Girl (aka not popular girl)
Class Clown
Troubled Youth

Of course, include a few words on why each character was chosen.

Some of the categories have slashes because there is a lot of overlap within. However, feel free to break those up to make your class even larger. For instance if you use a jock who is a nice guy, you can also include a bully. As long as you have the minimum number of students and others, your class can be as large as you like.

2. There are NO RESTRICTIONS on age. Theoretically, you can have Zach from Kindegarten Cop in the same class as Rodney Dangerfield's character from...um...Back to School

3. You can use multiple characters from a single movie, but a class must be made up of characters from at least three separate movies.

4. Use movies in which school is an important part of the plot or are largely set in a school.


5. Finally, use my banner somewhere in your entry and link back to this post


Admittedly, not all of the people I chose are from films that were mostly centered in school, but how these people behaved in school largely played a part in each film.

Head Master - Albus Dumbledore from The Harry Potter films - Because who wouldn't want Dumbledore to run your school?

Teacher - Ms. Rain from Precious - Because she had a big heart and a big love for her students, no matter how troubled they were.

Star Student/Nerd - Audrey from Dreamland - Audrey had so much potential judging from all the university acceptance letters she got. But she was too afraid of leaving her family behind to pursue it.

Jock/Class Bully - Stifler from American Pie - He was a bit much in the later films, but he was an amusing stereotype in the first two films.

Popular Girl/Diva - Regina George from Mean Girls - How can I not pick the Queen Bee?

Invisible Girl (aka not popular girl) Jane Burnham from American Beauty - Jane spent most of the movie trying to be invisible until she met Ricky.

Class Clown - Patrick - Perks of Being A Wall Flower - I loved him making all the freshman laugh in shop class, and he became a good friend to Charlie.

Troubled Youth - Dean from The Chumscrubber - He is going through a lot, and to say he's having a fucked up week is a gigantic understatement.

Thanks for hosting, Wendell!

Rambling TV: Thoughts on Boardwalk Empire

"Sometimes I find it easier to despise someone than to love them."

That brilliant line was uttered by Van Alden in this week's episode of Boardwalk Empire. I think it sums up his character pretty well. Don't forget to click those gifs to be redirected to their makers.

Van Alden and Eli Thompson were missing from last week's premiere, but they make the most of it in this episode. Eli has turned into a depressed drunk who watches a warehouse get raided. Capone's warehouse, and he loses 20k. He's pissed, and they have to get it back.

Capone is sporting a large scare, and it dawns on me that skipping ahead to 1931 completely misses the St. Valentine's Day massacre, which I thought would actually be a part of the show. 

Gillian is in some kind of mental hospital and bribes a warden into giving her a pen and paper - something she can't have. She's going to write a letter, but we don't know who to.

Willie Thompson, Eli's son is trying to get a job as a lawyer, but whenever he mentions he's from Atlantic City, and that's he's related to Nucky, he gets nowhere.

Nucky goes back to NYC to find out who's trying to assassinate him. He talks to Torrio and tells him he thinks it's Lansky.

Lansky, Lucky Luciano, and Benny Siegal  meet with Tonino (remember, he had a part in blowing up Babette's last season and killing Nucky's girlfriend, Billie Kent) and discussion their issues with Nucky.

Later, Tonino goes to Nucky and tells him Lansky and Luciano were responsible for the hit, then he offers to work for him, because he thinks they're going to kill him soon anyways. Nucky tells him to tell his bodyguard where to find Lanskey, and the episode ends with Tonino dead on Luciano's doorstep with his ear missing, and a knife in his back with a postcard from Havana. 

This week's flashback to Nucky's childhood included his sister's death, the commodore coming to pay his respects, and Nucky's dad being a general asshole and drinking their money away so they don't have the funds to bury her properly.

I really liked this episode. It had a lot of build up, and seems like it will set the stage for many things. Plus it posed many questions. No Chalky this week, but he's in next week's preview. Willie is kind of a wild card, I wonder if he's going to rat Nucky out at some point? His family did get torn apart.

Review: The Double

It takes two.

Simon James (Jesse Eisenberg) might as well be a living, breathing door mat. He lets everyone walk all over him. He's been at his job for seven years, yet everyone thinks he just started. He has a crush on his neighbor/colleague Hannah (Mia Wasikowska) but won't do anything about it. Then one day his exact double shows up in the form of James Simon. He's calm, collected and wins over everyone around him. Simon knows he's got to go.

I never read Fydor Dostoevsky's novel, on which this is based on. Something tells me this would be better as a book than a film. I liked the tone, it was very dark and eerie but the pacing was terrible. It's almost painful to watch Simon try to make it throughout the day, I just wanted to tell him to "hurry up" half the time. It makes the film feel much longer than the hour and a half it really is.

I see online this draws a lot of comparisons to Enemy, another film in which the lead character finds his exact double. That's about all they have in common. Enemy was fantastic, and this shouldn't be in the same sentence. It's a shame too, because I love Eisenberg and Wasikowska, and they were good here, the film itself just didn't back them up.

Recommended: No

Grade: C

Memorable Quote: "Defense wins championships." - James Simon (Jesse Eisenberg)

Indie Gems: Dom Hemingway

"Jude Law is Dom Hemingway and you're not."

That's the tag line for this movie and it's awesome.

Dom (and his unfortunate hairline) is a thief who just got out of prison after 12 years. The first thing he does when he's free is promptly beat the shit out of the man that his wife married while he was locked up. He then meets up with his former partner, Dickie (Richard E. Grant) who goes with him to collect money he's owed from Mr. Fountaine.(Demian Bichir) But Dom's attitude is never good and things are not as easy as he'd like them to be. He's also estranged from his adult daughter Evelyn (Emilia Clarke)

I honestly think this is the best performance Jude Law has ever given. Dom is kind of larger than life in a way. His temper is short, he frequently loses his shit and his ego is massive. Law is so charismatic that I actually felt myself rooting for Dom towards the end, even though his character is awful. The film itself loses steam as it goes on, but it's never unwatchable. This film demands to be seen for Law's performance. Plus, who knew Emilia Clarke could sing?

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "They should study my cock in art classes, spend whole courses studying the splendid contours of its exquisiteness, don't you think?" - Dom Hemingway (Jude Law)

DVD Review: Only Lovers Left Alive

Expectations vs Reality 

all vampires have dry, teased hair. meanwhile Yelchin does his best Rory Culkin impression

I had really high expectations for this film the minute I saw it was in production. Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin? Sold. I expected it to be fascinating and sexy but by the time I actually got my hands on it, I found nothing really happens in this film at all.

Adam (Hiddleston) is an old vampire living in Detroit. He's a text book emo who makes music, but doesn't want it to get "too mainstream." He hates his life, refers to humans as "Zombies" and contemplates suicide. His wife, Eve (Swinton) who has been living in Tangiers pays him a visit to liven up his mood. According to most summaries of this film I've read, all is going well until Eve's little sister Ava (Wasikowska) shows up and disrupts everything.

I point that out because I thought it was going to be a big part of the movie, when in reality, Ava is part of the story for roughly 10 minutes. She shows up, is a pain in the ass and leaves. Then Adam carries on being emo and Eve carries on trying to put up with it. The film just wasn't that interesting. It didn't even have the decency to give us a Adam and Eve sex scene. Instead, we just have these characters drifting by. The film shows hints of promise, but never actually follows through with any of them.

Recommended: No

Grade: C

Memorable Quote: "What do you expect, he's a musician?" - Eve (Tilda Swinton) 

Rambling TV: Thoughts on Boardwalk Empire, 19 Kids, and why Lifetime is awful.

Now that True Blood is done, I won't be giving full recaps until The Walking Dead comes back, so here's some quick thoughts on what I watched on TV this week. Click those gifs to be redirected to their makers, as always.

Boardwalk Empire

The final seasons jumps ahead seven years to 1931. Much has changed.

Nucky is in Cuba with Sally trying to finalize a deal with the man who owns Barcardi rum. He wants to sell it in the U.S when it becomes legal again. (Or still while it's illegal. Whatever) He runs into Meyer Lanksy, who says he's on vacation with his wife. They haven't seen each other since "A.R's funeral" (In real life, Arnold Rothstein died in 1928) Later, a machete wielding assassin tries to kill Nucky, when his body guard disposes of him (after cutting off his eye and keeping it) Nucky approaches Lanksy's wife and finds out she's just a prostitute. Did he order the hit? 

Chalky is in jail, but we don't know what for. Later, some other prisoners attack the guards, and he's able to escape. Another prisoner chases him down and asks him questions about telephones, then they escape together. 

Margaret is still working at the stockbroker's office in New York, and during a pep talk to her and all of her colleagues, he blows his brains out in front of anyone. Soon Margaret is being bombarded with questions about her boss, and a key to a file cabinet that she claims to not know where he kept it. Later we see her pulling out Arnold Rothstein's folder before someone interrupts her.

Also in New York, Luciano (Who Meyer said earlier that he didn't really speak to anymore) is talking with Joe Masseria. He leaves to use the restroom, and shots ring through the restaurant where they were sitting. When he comes out, we learn he's ordered a hit on Masseria who's lying dead on the floor. He's then made head of this area by his boss in a very formal Mafia ceremony. 

Throughout this episode, we were treated to flashbacks of Nucky's childhood and when he first met the Commodore. It reminded me a lot of the flashbacks True Blood did with Bill Compton this year, the only difference was that these were actually interesting. I'm actually looking forward to more of them, I wonder if they'll ever include Jimmy?

No Van Alden, Eli, Mickey, or Capone this week. But it looks like we'll see them next week.

19 Kids and Counting

This season opened up with Jill planning her wedding. She still acts like a 16 year old girl. (Not her fault, her parents shelter her)

Jessa's teenage boyfriend is going to move into a "guest house" on Duggar's property so that they can be closer. By "guest house" I mean a windowless room in a shed on their property. He's also going to work for Jim Bob. For those of you keeping track, this kid is leaving his home and his college life to be Jim Bob's bitch boy before he marries his daughter.He also gets a curfew. Are they both going to live in the guest house after the wedding? This job can't pay well enough for a house.

Jill and Derick get to "house sit" a mansion after they're married. Josh and Anna looked so jealous at this news. They only got a 960 sq ft house. Poor Anna probably wishes she could've given birth on the master toilet instead of the one she actually did give birth on. On live TV. I find this amusing because it seems less about Jim Bob being helpful to the couple and more about him continuing to control them. 

None of the girls are wearing shoes in a warehouse they're cleaning. Even though they mention finding a dead rat. Wtf.

Poor Josiah is still at the Christian Militia boot camp, and only got a face time appearance here. Sad. 

The Brittany Murphy Story

 I only saw the first 10 minutes or so, but just seeing the title of this film on my TV Guide made me have a huge problem with Lifetime. What's with all these unauthorized biopics? Looking into this a little more, the entire movie was shot in 16 days and the lead actress (who looks absolutely NOTHING like Brittany Murphy) was given 2 days to prepare. What's the point? You want to tell her story, get permission, take the time to prepare, find someone that at least resembles her. Or you know, just don't do it at all. 

Indie Gems: Filth

Nothing but filth.

To call Bruce (James McAvoy) a corrupt cop would be an understatement. This guy is pretty much an awful human being. He's determined to solve a murder case to secure a promotion at his job. He bullies his co-workers, played by Jamie Bell, Imogen Poots, and Emun Elliott. He's cruel to his "best friend" Bladesey (Eddie Marsan) and prank calls his wife. (Shirley Henderson) He harasses witnesses (Iain DeCaestecker) envisions his estranged wife (Shauna MacDonald) pining for him after he gets this promotion and also hallucinates dramatic meetings with his psychiatrist. (Jim Broadbent)

This movie is a perfect example of how having an unlikable character can still work. Not everyone has to be a hero or an anti hero, they just need to be interesting or entertaining, and Bruce was both of those. He's despicable, but he does need help. McAvoy was brilliant in this role, which is probably the most extreme that I've seen him in. The supporting cast was wonderful in their roles as well. There were so many good Scottish/English actors in this. (and so many from Harry Potter) it was a joy to watch them.

The film is very fast paced and pretty vulgar, but it's a fascinating story with great performances. For a comparison, I recently watched McAvoy in Welcome to the Punch and this film is far better.

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "Same rules apply." - Bruce (James McAvoy)

Animated Sequels That Ruined Your Childhood With Singing (among other things)

Tim over at The Film Experience was talking about All Dogs go to Heaven recently, which I've always loved. It also reminded me of the awful sequel. My dad was always quick to watch animated sequels with me, especially if they were following films we enjoyed watching together. Of course animated musicals have always been a big thing. There's a few films we loved that were not musicals to begin with, but their sequels ended up that way. And they were fucking awful. 


All Dogs go to Heaven 2 (Because fuck your childhood memories)

Apparently we didn't see any trailers for this movie, because we were shocked that it was a musical (and a really cheesy one at that) My dad kept leaving me in the theater for smoke breaks to suffer by myself. And they don't even mention Anne Marie in it. She was Itchy's owner, FFS!

The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue (Also a lesson in re-writing NIMH's history)

I actually got this as a Christmas present, and my whole family sat down to watch it together on Christmas Eve because the original was a favorite in our house. It was so laughably bad. It also threw out pretty much any continuity from the original film. (Remember that scary Rat Brudus? The one that chases Mrs. Brisby around the rose bush? Yeah he's a goofy dumbass in this one.)

Land Before Time 2-20 (There has to be at least 20 of these now. They're like the film version of the Duggars)

Admittedly, I probably made it through 5 of these Land Before Time sequels before I realized I was just kidding myself and that they were horrible. My husband and I recently bought the original film on DVD for our son, and they had had some of the sequel songs as a sing-a-long for a special feature. We tried watching one and had to turn it off immediately because the opening lyrics were: "As an egg you were a beauty, but now you're a real cutie." I'm embarrassed just telling you about this.

Honorable Mention: Fern Gully 2: The Magical Rescue (I'm assuming this will also be the plot of Avatar 2)

The first Fern Gully already had singing, but there is one detail in this film that drove me nuts despite being all of eleven when this film came out. Batty. Remember Batty? At the end of the first film, he's small enough that Zak can hold him in his hand. Well, in this movie, he's big enough to fly away holding a kid. A human child, not a fairy one. Did he take some bat steroids in between movies?

Review: Chef

Food Porn: The Movie

Chef Carl Casper (John Favreau, and a body double for the cutting food scenes that is obviously heavier than him) is unhappy with his position as head chef in a restaurant run by an asshole named Riva. (Dustin Hoffman) Riva doesn't encourage his creativity in the kitchen, even though his staff like Martin (John Leguizamo) and Tony (Bobby Canavale) do. One day, a prestigious food critic (Oliver Platt) rips Casper for conforming and not cooking the way he used to. What begins as Casper calling him out on Twitter escalates to something more, and soon Casper is without a job, but turns that around by starting a food truck to cook the food he really wants to serve.

This movie is ideal for "dinner and a movie" only you should see this first THEN go eat somewhere because you will be starving afterwards. This movie is food porn central. The cast is great, even though I was yearning for a bit more Canavale and Robert Downey Jr. Favreau did a wonderful job in the lead role. 

The soundtrack is awesome and even if the movie got a little repetitive towards the end, it was always a good time. Now I just need to try one of these Cuban sandwiches they were making...

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "He got a fucking taco truck?!" - Tony (Bobby Canavale)