Top Chef – Finale, Part One

TELEVISION After a one month break, the four remaining chef-testants travel to Aspen for the final leg of their trek to be named Top Chef. Approaching the helium balloon that they’ll be boarding, Brian lets out a perfect gay gasp and grabs hold of bi-Hung’s arm. It’s nice to see the excitement and camaraderie. Taking in the fresh mountain air while heading to their final destination, they had to breathe deeply to take command of cooking fresh trout in the Frying Pan River Challenge. Guest judge Eric Ripert speaks with authority when telling them “good luck, you’re going to need it.”
While rushing around, seafood expert Brian drops his fish on the ground and loses time starting over. He also makes a comment that trout is not considered seafood. I’ve not heard that before. As he’s floundering, Hung finishes seven minutes before everyone else. I first wondered if it would be too long for the dish to just sit there but as time ran out it became moot point when he realizes that he forgot to add lemon juice. He should have been a little more focused, especially during the judging when he mentions his error. He still came in second place above Brian, who served an accompanying salad unsalted and Dale, who added a dash too much cayenne pepper to the apple and fennel. Casey reeled in a winner as her trout was served with crisped skin, grapes and corn, and was told it had soul.
The Elimination Challenge takes place at a rodeo where they’ll have to prepare free-range elk for 45 cowboys and cowgirls. Brian dons his cowboy hat and tells Chef Tom that he’s adding everything but the kitchen sink to his dish. As we’ve seen before, Tom humorously just tilts his head questioningly. Padma too is wearing a cowboy hat and rings the triangle for all to come and get it. Though the judges all found Brian’s explanation of his dish to take longer to say than eat, the editors had fun putting it together and dissolving from one portion of his “Whiskey Braised Elk Shank with Horseradish Sour Cream Potato Puree with Pancetta Corn, Asparagus relish and Blackberry, Balsamic and Sage Brown Butter” to the other. It also hurt when he gave the judges a choice of Roquefort or gorgonzola cheese instead of presenting what he felt would be the better choice.
Casey served a mushroom-crusted loin of elk that she said was rare but Ripert thought it was under-cooked as to call it black and blue. But he went all out to say her accompanying smoky tomato butter was amazing. Gail agreed saying that this “one component” was good. Casey also served a puree of cauliflower that Tom didn’t like because of the bits of caramelized cauliflower she added to it.
Hung got caught in a lie. When told they would be serving elk, he said in his interview that elk is boring and he didn’t enjoy cooking it. (He also asked “what do cowboys eat besides baked beans, baked beans and baked beans?”) In front of the judges, he sang a different song saying he loved elk and had fun cooking it. I agree when they say he is technically (techniquely) good but it’s this kind of regular back pedaling and bullshitting the judges that keeps me from rooting for him.
Dale was right up front about having a backup plan when his goat cheese tart didn’t turn out because there was no cream cheese available to add to it. Anticipating disaster, he had prepared cauliflower and fingerling potatoes adding dried cherries and toasted pecans to them which completed his spiked elk loin with huckleberry-blueberry sauce plate. His honesty didn’t hurt as he told the judges that when the restaurant where he worked closed, he didn’t work for 1 ½ years before the competition but has found himself again since. Dale has the good karma thing going on too and it was in the air as he won the evening’s competition. Proving that bigger, or more, isn’t always better, Brian was sent packing for having too much happening. Part two of the finale airs next week and it looks to be anyone’s game.

HEROES – Four Months Later

TELEVISION The sun rises on a new dawn… and it was worth the wait. I liked this episode because we were caught up with most of the main characters, it set up some new stories, and left me with lots of questions and still wanting more. There were a lot of little details presented and not everything needed to be explained all at once, but I do want to know everything!

The Bennets are now on the west coast. Claire is in a new school where she is in the closet about her powers. But her new buddy, who may have sensed she was different, confirmed it after hovering outside her bedroom window. Looking like a younger Peter Petrelli, he flies off into the night. Since her real dad, Nathan, and Uncle Peter can fly, will this be a real turn-on for her? Can we assume he’s a good guy and not a bad guy?
Suresh is lecturing about a killer virus and meets Steven Tobolowsky (Memento), who can turn stainless steel into gold. There is a power I hadn’t considered wanting until I saw it. Suresh is working with HRG on a plan against his old company. Matt Parkman and Suresh have joint-custody of Molly. Since Parkman and Molly are my least favorites, I’m hoping that she will have a great storyline to draw me into them. Or I’ll continue to be disappointed that Matt didn’t die when he fell out the window last season. (Maybe she’s having too many nightmares from eating too much pizza!)
New heroes Maya and Alejandro are hoping to get across the border. Can’t wait to see how she moves when aggravated. I can understand why she would lash out at the drivers, but why the others in the back of the truck?
Over in 1671 Japan, Hiro will probably step up to the plate to become the hero he’s looking for since Kensei isn’t all he’s cracked up to be. Nice casting when David Anders, who played Sark in Alias, took off his mask and appears as Kensei.
Who is killing off the first generation and why? And who was that masked man, uh, hoodied person who went overboard with Mr. Nakamura (George Takei)? He recognized and never expected who was going to kill him. I have no clue who it would be, but the least likely person would be his son, Hiro. Perhaps he learned something in the 325 years he traveled. There are a thousand possibilities, but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.
Nathan is drinking too much, but not too far gone to throw his mother out. It’s too bad he couldn’t continue with his political career, but he had to save his brother and world, let alone the cheerleader.
Peter’s locks are cut. (I'll miss them but he’s still cute as hell with his hair slightly buzzed.) Questions: how, when and why did he get to be where he is, and where did he pick up his lightning flash power?

Tell Me You Love Me

TELEVISION If you like mature dramas that focus on the nitty gritty in the lives of the characters, try checking out the new HBO drama Tell Me You Love Me. The show centers on three couples with relationship troubles plus their therapist, played by Jane Alexander.

Though less intense, I’m tempted to say that it reminds me of Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage. But the focus is on a larger group of characters, so in this case, bigger is better. The show presents many contemporary issues, from obsessive love to infertility to a sexless marriage. Oh, and did I mention there is nudity and sex? Not to be confused with Skin-e-max, TMYLM focuses on the why and when the couples are having sex instead of placing them on exhibit for a voyeur’s delight.

Episode three premiered last night. If you’re looking to catch up, check out my blog at TV Guide.

Across the Universe

FLICK With a reputation for creating spectacular eye candy, director Julie Taymor continues to deliver the sweet stuff with Across the Universe, a psychedelic love story during the changing 1960’s propelled by the music of The Beatles. Though also song-driven but nothing like the 1978 film Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band featuring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees, Taymor’s version shows how dancing at proms gives way to radical protesting. And as the story tackles more serious times, our sentiments grow stronger for the central characters.

Familiarity with The Beatles and their music will add to the fun of recognizing name references. Jim Sturgess is Jude, a dockworker from Liverpool who travels to Princeton in search of his father. While there he meets Max and Lucy, played by Joe Anderson and Evan Rachel Wood. Not only is the talented cast adept with interpreting the music, it is diverse.
Prudence (T.V. Carpio) is an Asian-American lesbian cheerleader who makes an entrance into the house through the bathroom window. People and events of the era are referenced too. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Jo-Jo (Martin Luther McCoy) is a guitarist, and aspiring sexy rock singer Sadie (Dana Fuchs) echoes Janis Joplin. And there is a moment that recreates when the Fab Four jammed at lunchtime atop their Apple Studios. (The studio here is called Strawberry Jams.)
In the midst of the Vietnam War, Lucy is protesting while Jude, an artist, sketches what the Beatles used for a logo, a green apple. Taymor is inspired by the song "Strawberry Fields Forever" as Jude sticks strawberries on a white canvas. The fruit look like small hearts that bleed down the white background emphasizing the killing abroad and the bashing during rioting at home.
The film takes several detours to give us the mind-altering splendor we expect. Eddie Izzard is the circus MC Mr. Kite accompanied by what resembles paper mache Blue Meanies, and Bono portrays an author whose book is titled “I Am the Walrus”.
The actors creatively interpret the songs with slight shifts in perspective from their original versions. When the army drafts Max, a poster of Uncle Sam comes to life, pointing his finger and singing “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” while video game-looking recruitment officers step in time, gather inductees’ physical statistics and eventually carry off the Statue of Liberty.
Offering more than just whirling dervishes of color and love, love, love, Across the Universe is a total entertainment package that is out of this world. My Score: 8.5 out of 10.
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite












Across the Universe Trailer 2 (I've Just Seen A Face)

Assassins

THEATER Kicking off its 20th season with a bang, Philadelphia’s Arden Theater Company presents Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical Assassins. With movies like Shoot ‘Em Up and The Brave One recently opening, the show, with a book by John Weidman, is a perfect fit in a fall season where murder is in the air. Though the body count is much less the victims, and their killers, have a much higher profile.

The show maintains a carnival atmosphere profiling men and women who have attempted to assassinate US Presidents. Director Terrence Nolan makes good use of the entire theater space to expand the area where these living ghosts can suddenly appear. As with history, they’ve made their mark and will never go away. Nolan has perfectly put together a solid cast that really knocks ‘em dead.

The opening song lures us in with a jolt as the character of the Proprietor (Jay Pierce) says if you’re feeling blue to "c'mon and shoot a president" to cheer yourself up. And as the song goes on, everyone is eventually, lovingly singing, “Everybody’s Got the Right” to their dreams, as if they were in A Little Night Music.

We initially meet “the father of presidential assassins” John Wilkes Booth (Jeffrey Coon) who is serenaded by the Balladeer, musically asking, “Why did you do it, Johnny?” The Balladeer is also the character of Lee Harvey Oswald (Ben Dibble) who is pushed by Booth to avoid suicide and make a name for himself. Strong portrayals of these two pistol-packing powerhouses bookend the show filled with profiles by performers that all also hit a bulls-eye.

The conversation between Lynette `Squeaky’ Fromme (Erin Brueggemann) and Sara Jane Moore (Mary Martello) who both made attempts on the life of Gerald Ford displays a lot of humor while contrasting the imbalance of one woman who was obsessively devoted to her man, Charlie Manson, and another who had paranoid tendencies and married five times. Unrequited love is the reason John Hinckley (Timothy Hill) attempted to kill Ronald Reagan, looking to gain the attention of actress Jodie Foster.

Scott Greer has a few intensely manic moments as the Santa suit-wearing Samuel Byck who attempted to off Richard Nixon, but a real scene-stealer is James Sugg as the man who killed President Garfield, Charles Guiteau. He is incredibly delighted at his success, climbing the stairs to be hanged and gleefully singing “I am going to the Lordy.”

We live in a time when the themes of this show can be disturbing. Suicide bombers regularly pick their mark, reasoning that they are making the world better. The selected assassins may have been delusional but had similarly varied reasons – love, anger, or egotism – for what they did. But it’s the outstanding performers who recite the cleverly constructed words and make us look beyond the famous events presented here that make this a killer show.

Top Chef – Manhattan Project

It was no circus when the five remaining contestants showed up at the renowned Le Cirque restaurant in New York City to dine with owner Sirio Maccioni and Padma. As they were served a Paupiette of Sea Bass wrapped in a sheet of potatoes over braised leeks, it was mentioned that this was an entrée served only to VIPs. Close attention had to be paid as this became the dish to recreate for the Quickfire Challenge. With only 25 minutes for preparation, it this difficult and quick-thinking challenge that elevates Top Chef above other competition shows.
Hung was first in the kitchen. When he finished and joined the others, Dale asked him whether he used the oven or the stove top. Hung chose not to say, which prompted Dale to comment that though Hung has technical skills, he has no heart. On one side of the ladle, the chef-testants have been unusually close for the most part this season, and much more so than on any other competition program I’ve seen. So, helping one another do his or her best adds to honest gamesmanship and in effect raising the bar for themselves. On the other hand, it is a competition and if you want to leave the others on the chopping block, it should be expected. But as I mentioned last week, karma has reared its head here and there and may do so again when it comes to the finale.
It helps to have knowledge of the tools and techniques required to be successful. Dale not only under-seasoned his dish but got hung up using the mandoline, which is commonly used in most upscale restaurants, not to mention many homes as it’s readily available in many cooking supply stores. But it’s necessary to get the desired effect for these particular potatoes. They have to be thin and pliable to completely wrap around the fish while allowing it to cook. Sara did not allow herself enough time and therefore served her sea bass undercooked. Brian was told his dish tasted well, Casey’s was better than most, but Hung won this round.
Moving to the French Culinary Institute, the Elimination Challenge was to produce greatness by simply using a chicken, russet potatoes and an onion. The taste testers this time included not only the regular judges but dean Andre Soltner and a half dozen other distinguished members of the institute.
Hung did one better than the rest again, winning by preparing his chicken sous-vide, which is throwing all of the ingredients in a plastic bag and slowly cook by submerging it in hot water.
Casey keeps her good karma going by recreating the Coq au Vin her grandmother used to make. The problem she ran into was its name. The panel of classically-trained French chefs demands that the dish should be slow-cooked and made with a rooster and not a chicken. But in the end it was full of flavor and won her second place.
Brian’s Peasant Pie was a little green from using the leafy onion-like ramps but it too was flavorful and kept him in the running.
Dale was sited for having a flawed concept, preparing two petit dishes using a truffle sauce and a rosemary-honey sauce. Clearly feeling the stress, he forgot to plate the second sauce. For the second time in a row, Sara served food that was pink and undercooked. Questioning whether failing with concept or execution was worse, the judges decided that Sara should pack her knives and go, leaving us with four who will be featured in the two-part finale in Aspen.

TOP CHEF – Snacks on a Plane

TELEVISION As dawn breaks in Miami, the usually reserved Padma Lakshmi becomes extremely cheerful and blurts out the words “rise and shine” directing the command not to baked muffins but to the six remaining sleeping chefs for a Quickfire Challenge. Using Breville blenders (my recent blender of choice) and selected ingredients before them, breakfast was to be prepared within 20 minutes. Besides limited time and space, the chef-testants zip around the room with a few other obstacles in their way. Known for going right into hyper-speed, Hung doesn’t disappoint as he immediately knocks a bottle of truffle oil off the table, creating a slippery mess with oil and broken glass all over the floor. Not only does he deny doing this but, repeating what he did in a QFC from early on, drops food from the refrigerator and leaves it on the floor. This speediness doesn’t contribute to efficiency or having focus but rather shows a narrow vision and being unaware of your surroundings, not to mention causing a hazard and earning the right to be called a spazz.
As the only judge, Padma tastes all six offerings and seems to dislike only Brian’s berry shake for not having the seeds strained. Her two favorites were Sara’s French toast with an egg in a hole and Hung’s steak and eggs served with a papaya and banana smoothie spiked with Grand Marnier, which ultimately won the challenge. His prize was a copy of Padma’s new book “Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet” plus picking out the protein used in his next challenge. Padma asks the group if they had fun and CJ responds with “except when Hung broke the oil.” While watching Hung swirl around faster than his breakfast shake and listening to CJ point out another’s mistakes (which he seems to do in every episode – remember pointing out Brian sweating?) it becomes apparent that karma is what will make or topple a chef.
For the Elimination Challenge, everyone packed their bags and got ready to go to New York. What they didn’t plan for was the layover at the Newark International Airport where they would have to prepare restaurant quality airline food to be served to a dozen or so flight attendants. Not only were the chefs working in an unfamiliar kitchen, but the challenge also required them to prepare meals in individual containers that were approximately two inches high and could be heated within 10-15 minutes.
One thing I notice week after week is the camaraderie and respect some chefs have for others. Even though this is a win-or-lose competition, some like Dale are ready to help, but Casey is always shown pitching in to assist with serving or plating a dish for someone else when she can. When Dale says that Hung is not a team player, we see Hung cleaning up his station but not offering a hand to anyone. (And who cleaned the oil off the floor?) Think karma, Chameleon.
I get a little excited when Chef Anthony Bourdain shows up to assist in the judging. His comments are biting, spot-on and not to mention humorous. He even caused Chef Tom Colicchio to burst into laughter, particularly when calling CJ’s seared halibut with overcooked broccolini something they found cleaning the closet at Bob Marley’s house. Broccolini was not the only item bashed. Brian got called out for serving rubbery lobster and poorly executed purple Peruvian potato hash (say that phrase 10 times real fast.)
Dale’s steak au poivre was a crowd-pleaser but having forgotten one serving only 17 of the 18 diners had their palettes tickled. Hung’s sea bass held its moistness but that karma thing bit him and kept him from winning. That honor went to the creative and daring Casey, who generated not only good will among everyone, but successful veal medallions with crimini and apple brandy. Having won two weeks in a row, she is a definite contender for the title of Top Chef.
And CJ was asked to pack his knives and go for putting out that filthy broccolini that was too limp and overcooked. But I think pointing out other’s flubs was the karma breaker.

Dans Paris (Inside Paris)

FLICK As Jonathan jumps out of bed leaving a man and a woman behind in one of the first shots of Dans Paris, he walks to the balcony, looks directly into the camera and explains to us exactly how he ended up there. Like the circular structure of the film, director Christophe Honoré has swung back 40 years to use a variety of film styles that identified the French New Wave and brings it back into vogue. Honoré skillfully uses those techniques to accent his characters and balances lightness when telling the story of a man with mood swings living with his brother and father.
Jonathan (Louis Garrel) describes in flashback the failed relationship his brother Paul (Romain Duris) had with girlfriend Anna and how it stirred up Paul’s depression. Clearly establishing a connection with us, but like the detachment that runs in the family, the irresponsible Jonathan introduces us to Paul then leaves us with him for the next 20 minutes. Later, he tells Paul he will phone him in 30 minutes after reaching Le Bon Marché, but calls seven hours later having taken a detour to bed three women. All in all, Jonathan loves his brother and sleeps in the living room so Paul can isolate himself in the bedroom. Garrel is incredibly charming when portraying Jonathan as a joker – wearing his boxers on his head attempting to make his brother laugh and, with sped-up film, appearing like Charlie Chaplin as “The Tramp.”
While Duris commands the screen with emotional extremes, Honoré’s use of nonlinear structure coupled with the use of simple costumes accent the changing state of mind and disjointed thoughts in Paul’s head. Having moved to the countryside because life would be easier, or smoother like his clean-shaven face, Paul’s beard mirrors change, as it grows longer, or rougher, each day he lives in his father’s apartment. After washing himself off in the bathroom, Paul dons a crisp white “don’t touch me” shirt while Anna, wearing nothing, lists reasons why he doesn’t want her. Dropping Anna off at the train station, he wears drab browns and earth tones that match the background he’s blending into. But for most of the movie, while lying on a bed covered with sheets that have faded flowers, like the faded love in his life, he wraps himself in a brown multi-patterned sweater echoing the jumbled, confused feelings he can’t sort out.
Though their father (Guy Marchand) attempts to nourish his sons by doing the cooking and attempting to bring life – a Christmas tree – into the apartment, something as simple as singing a duet about a breakup over the phone is what most comforts Paul.

Honoré’s attentive flair combined with adept acting presents the effects of depression without ever making you suffer. My Score: 9 out of 10.

3:10 to Yuma

FLICK Whether you’re a fan of westerns or not, you should giddy up and go see 3:10 to Yuma, director James Mangold’s remake of the 1957 classic based on a short story by Elmore Leonard. Mangold has reinvented the Van Heflin and Glenn Ford oater, replacing those stars with today’s finest, Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, focusing more on character than the state of the Union and giving us one of the best shoot-‘em-up action flicks of the year.
Bale is Dan Evans, a down-on-his-luck rancher who has hopes to earn a large reward by escorting captured outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) on a two-day journey and putting him on the train to Yuma, where he will be hanged. But as they cross the beautiful and vivid landscape, the challenge is to avoid the rescue attempts of Wade’s gang, led by his second in command, Charlie Prince, played with psychopathic gusto by Ben Foster.
The filmmaking is as strong as a sarsaparilla spiked with whiskey, and the actors never waver, excelling shot for shot. Bale gives another outstanding performance this year (see also Rescue Dawn) and emotes the right amount of intensity and determination to balance the perceived shortcoming of a man with a missing leg. He will do anything to support his wife and sons but without over sentimentalizing the fact.
Ben Wade is regarded as the meanest man around, and though Crowe exudes confidence his image is softened when we see his sketches of birds. His complexity is exposed when he draws a picture of Dan sitting in a chair on the inside cover of the Bible, showing a reverence to the man turning him in to the law. Perhaps he’s contemplating what life would be like if the shoe was on the other foot. When Dan confides to Ben about his leg and the perception of heroism, their bond is complete and Ben is committed to helping a greater good.
Foster makes the biggest bang as Prince who is intensely devoted to saving Ben. With little background to their friendship, Foster gives us the impression that they are more than just chums – at least in his mind. Whether it’s the sensitive sketch artist or the rough and ready gunslinger he’s attracted to, Foster lets us presume there is a personal history regarding his feelings for his pardner with just a few glances. After all he’s literally saving Ben’s ass from getting shot.
Round up Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Dallas Roberts, and Alan Tudyk and this corral of strong supporting performances is way more than OK. Smart direction, stunning cinematography and character connections that never miss their mark elevate an otherwise standard cowboy movie and squarely hit a bull’s-eye. My Score: 9 out of 10.

TOP CHEF – Chef Overboard

TELEVISION The battlefield is changing as we go from seven to six chef-testants in this episode of Top Chef. Starting with Quickfire Challenge, called the Aisle Trial, everyone was given a budget of $10 to shop in just one aisle of a grocery store. The thing about the QFC is that you do have to think quickly and use your wits, especially when you are limited to ingredients.

If you have the cereal aisle, breakfast would be the first thing to come to mind, which is exactly what Hung did, creating what Dale called a Smurf village. His eggs with leeks and potatoes garnished with cereal was certainly the most colorful and creative. What else could you do but have fun with it? Guest judge Michael Schwartz, who had lots to say about presentation, had it coming when Hung called him closed-minded. Granted, Hung has called out the chefs in almost every episode but this time he was justified.

Casey’s pudding with mango preserves and ginger snaps looked yummy. But having taken the biggest chance, Brian won with his Spam corned beef hash and fried egg. Having substituted salt for sugar, CJ’s curried potato risotto was voted one of the two least favorites. The other belonged to Howie who offered nothing since his canned mandarin oranges didn’t pan out. Some felt it was a cop out as he could have done something given the silly nature of the challenge, but Howie got caught up with what the judges have previously said about presenting something un-servable. He takes a lot of pride in his food, but this time he should have lightened up and went with it.
The Elimination Challenge was to cater an ultra exclusive party on a yacht thrown by 23-year-old fashion designer Esteban Cortazar. With a modest budget of $350 for 60 guests, which comes to less than $6 a person, the chefs really had to produce. In fact, it didn’t help Dale, who had to put back goat cheese and substitute yogurt for his gougere, which he ultimately, to its detriment, had to alter and turn into a stuffed puffed pastry. Speaking of puff pastry, Howie was criticized for his greasy asparagus wrapped “Cigars”. But it was his duxelles in puff pastry that caused a stir. Not only were they the reason Dale had to put back the goat cheese, the mushrooms turned an ugly brown color. That was to be expected but had they been tasty, their appearance might have been overlooked. On the other hand, these two dishes were not that imaginative. And since we’re half way through the competition, he should have pulled out the stops and thought outside the box.
Since Brian was in charge, he blew it by not taking more control. He wanted everyone to have a voice in choosing the hors d’oeuvres and instead of doing a few really well, he chose quantity over quality. It didn’t help that he served yet another tartare.
Though they lost the text message poll (Which group of chefs is more talented – the men or the women) Sara and Casey had the best showing. I wanted to reach through the TV screen and grab one of Sara’s tomato bread puddings. Casey won the evening with a carpaccio and watercress in a shiitake broth.

Hung was criticized for his "outdated" salmon mousse on cucumber, but this finger food seemed very appropriate for the setting and for the weight conscious fashionistas. But seeing the writing on the wall, Howie did what Mia did last year before the judges and asked to remove himself from the competition. When requesting to bow out, Padma said that the judges would make that decision. And after deliberating, that’s exactly what they decided.

Shoot 'Em Up

FLICK Having just written about queasy-cam and ASL (average shot length) in my most recent posting it was difficult to avoid noticing them in Shoot 'Em Up, starring Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti. This fast-paced, non-stop action flick has got to have an ASL clocking in around one second. If anyone can count the number of shots fired during its 85 minute runtime, I’d like to know if was at least 1,000 because the average had to be more than 12 shots/minute.
Owen plays Smith, a carrot-chomping innocent bystander who gets involved delivering a newborn baby boy and then, after his mother dies, is on the run keeping him from being harmed by an endless number of hit men led by Hertz (Giamatti). Smith enlists a lactating prostitute (Monica Bellucci) to help him with the motherless child because he has to keep his pistol popping while momentarily stopping for a nourishing bite of a carrot. Why carrots? They’re good for any rascally rabbit’s eyesight. And that’s pretty much all we get to know about who Smith is. Character development is blasted to hell, as there is no time to stop and let us know who this guy is. Though any movie that uses a carrot as a deadly weapon and wraps a baby in a bulletproof vest instead of a blanket is going more for the playful and mischievous side of presenting violence, if there really is one. The whole reason for the baby chase involves a political plot point that’s a bit absurd. But the real problem in most movies like this one is finding humor in shooting off people’s body parts and blood spurting all over the screen.
Though the action scenes are like a ballistic ballet, director Michael Davis’ best move was in casting his two leads. Giamatti seems to be having fun as he snarls his lines, but Clive Owen keeps us involved with his quick-thinking tough guy by managing to project a thoughtfulness onto someone we really don’t get to know. With the national crime rate increasing perhaps you should hope that the next carrot-wielding baby-carrying bystander you see is really an anonymous hero. My Score: 6.5 out of 10.

The Bourne Ultimatum & Queasy-cam

FLICK The exciting three-part action series featuring amnesiac spy Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) concludes on a high note with the tension ever mounting and Bourne learning who he is and how he got there. What makes this series kick butt is that it works on every level. It starts with a good story and characters. We’re sympathetic to Bourne not only because he is a man searching for his identity, but also because we’ve seen the human and sensitive side of the assassin – a man who has loved and lost that love. It’s not often we get to see a smart action hero with feelings.
Damon plays Bourne with a certain amount of brooding to balance his intensity during fight scenes. We also get to see him smile briefly during his short periods with his girlfriend Maria, played by Franka Potente. The supporting cast has always been a powerhouse. Joan Allen meets her match in this installment with David Strathairn clashing on the best way to reign in Bourne. Other notables have been Brian Cox, Chris Cooper and Julia Stiles who gets in hot water but is never played as the damsel in distress.
The suspense in the action scenes is what carries the series. It’s not only the car chases and hand-to-hand battles, but it’s the walking and being followed around the narrow streets and rooftops of cities around the world that make you want to find out what or who is lurking around the corner. (Though time is stretched a bit thin when the globetrotters are in Paris one moment and then Moscow the next, the intrigue picks right back up and it becomes a minor detail.)
While doing some movie reading at flickgrrl, the blog written by Philadelphia Inquirer’s film critic Carrie Rickey, the discussion of form following content took me to several other spots that expanded my thoughts on the film. It’s true that the rapid camera movement mirrors Bourne’s situation and agitated state, but Roger Ebert states on his website that hand-held cameras (AKA shaky-cam, queasy-cam, or whatever you call it) interacting with fast-cutting is a popular phenomenon that is not going away anytime soon. He brings up and comments on how some in the audience were getting sick from the rapid motion discussed at film theorist and author David Bordwell’s website. If you’re interested in film analysis, check out Bordwell’s article as he goes on at length about the varying styles and shot dissection within the three Bourne films.
Ebert then takes things a step further by mentioning Borwell’s experiment of sending students into a movie theater to track a film’s average shot length (ASL). (The "'vomiting point'… is apparently when a film doesn’t vary its pace, but is largely made of short hand-held shots, edited together by quick cuts that ignore spatial continuity.") He refers to cinemetrics.tv to find “the theory, measuring methods, and software” in determining ASL at home. If you really want to have a thrilling experience, extend your film fun by reading up on what makes some queasy in the theater while it’s a cinematic explosion for others. Believe me. You won't forget it. My Score (of the movie series): 9 out of 10.

Flight of the Conchords – The Third Conchord

TELEVISION I've realized, and I'm not sure why, I don't watch a lot of sitcoms. Those I will check out are The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, plus repeats of Coupling, Arrested Development and Sex and the City. What's the connection with them and newest fave Flight of the Conchords?

Besides the quirky and humorous songs, Bret and Jemaine who make up the duo have subtly nuanced responses that can be absurd and somewhat dimwitted but are always sincere. Band manager Murray is always trying to keep things together, even when he inadvertently creates tension by introducing Todd as a third bongo-playing member to the group, as he does in this first-season finale. But it’s Mel, the one and only obsessed fan who adds a loopiness that makes everyone else seem quite normal (whatever normal is.) Check out my TV Guide recap then watch the video below to see Mel’s reaction when she meets Todd, the third Conchord, for the first time.

Also, I thought that Bret's solo dance in the second video below had flashes of Jennifer Beals in Flashdance, but it was pointed out to me that it's more like Footloose. Compare.

Inland Empire

FLICK When a movie combines film noir with scenes that play with time and space plus bunny people on a theater stage you can only be in David Lynch-land. Taking us down the rabbit hole to an awesome wonderland of stylish visions with plenty of mood and mystery, Lynch, who previously gave us Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet and the cult favorite “Twin Peaks”, sets up Inland Empire with the making of a Hollywood movie that has a screenplay cursed by a Polish Gypsy folk tale. But Lynch’s film is anything but a Hollywood movie and may not appeal to those who are impatient and expect rapid storytelling or demand traditional structure and story arcs.
Lynch is a modern artist who creates film images like a surreal painter uses his canvas. Using a variety of techniques and with the occasional look of a Japanese horror movie but with less gruesome violence, Lynch adds some humor and pop references with songs by Beck, Etta James, and a group of young women dancing to “The Loco-Motion,” though refrains from the obvious choice of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”.
Laura Dern gives a mesmerizing performance as Nikki, the actress who falls for her leading man, played by the handsome and immensely talented Justin Theroux. Nikki plays Susan in the film-within-the-film whose life begins to blur with her character. With fine showings by Jeremy Irons as the director making “On High in Blue Tomorrows”, and particularly, in a brief role as Nikki’s neighbor who foretells of danger, Grace Zabriskie, it’s Dern who becomes the chameleon ”when logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead.”

But back to the eye-catching humanoid bunnies on stage who behave like very normal boring people, either sitting on a sofa or ironing. When one bunny man makes his entrance, there is a huge applause from the audience, in recognition of his fame and star power. They appear to comment on rather than parallel the plot and eventually interact with Nikki/Susan via telephone, allowing for connections of what is real and what is a made up story to intersect. But if all the world’s a stage, I think I want to stop and get off. Running time: 179 minutes. My Score: 8.5 out of 10.