Ratatouille (2007).
The Scoop:
Food lovers will find a lot to like in “Ratatouille,” Brad Bird’s second feature for Pixar.
The film takes us inside the gourmet kitchens of Paris as Remy (Patton Oswalt), a culinarily gifted rat, helps nervous apprentice chef Linguini (Lou Romano) move up in the world of high cuisine, woo fellow chef Colette (Janeane Garofalo), please the notorious food critic Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole) and stay one step ahead of his conniving boss Skinner (Ian Holm).
The world of the busy kitchen is lovingly recreated, with plenty of attention paid to the preparation of the ingredients, culinary aesthetics and the simple joys of cooking. This is a top-notch Pixar production in other ways too, particularly in the character design, the excellent voice performances and a couple of bravura chase sequences.
Where “Ratatouille” stumbles, however, is in its predictable, cliched story. The plot doesn’t offer any surprises. This may not be entirely the fault of Bird, who took over the project from original writer/director Jan Pinkava midway through. But it still amounts to possibly the weakest story in the Pixar repertoire.
That’s not a reason to avoid “Ratatouille” but unless you’re enamored with the world of gourmet cuisine, you might not be revisiting it very often.
Best Line:
“I defrauded a major corporation. I robbed the second largest bank in France using only a ballpoint pen. I created a hole in the ozone layer over Avignon. I killed a man — with this thumb.”
Side Note:
The shop with the dead rats in the window is an actual exterminator’s shop in Paris called Destruction des Animaux Nuisibles, which has been in business since 1872.
Companion Viewing:
“The Tale of Despereaux” (2008).
Links:
IMDb.
Official site.
Fan site.
A recipe for ratatouille from Cooking for Engineers.
Take a Look:
The trailer:
Anton Ego will eat you alive. But he won’t swallow.
The Concorde: Airport ’79 (1979).
The Scoop:
This (mercifully) final installment in the “Airport” series reaches a zenith of silliness — surpassing even the jumbo-jet-on-the-ocean-floor of “Airport ’77” — and provides most of the fodder for the hilarious “Airplane!”
A goodwill flight from Washington to Moscow is interrupted by missles, fighter planes, Charo’s chihuahua and other intrigue. Along the way, the French pilot (Alain Delon) has lots of sex, Jimmie Walker gets high and plays the saxophone, Martha Raye gets tossed around the bathroom, Avery Schreiber makes funny faces and, best of all, George Kennedy dogfights with a pair of F-15s armed only with a flare gun. But wait, there’s more! The seemingly endless cast list also includes Robert Wagner, Sylvia Kristel, Susan Blakely, David Warner, John Davidson, Eddie Albert, Cicely Tyson and a host of others.
It’s all total trash. But it’s highly entertaining trash. There’s not a whole lot more to say about it except, damn, what a turkey. (But I mean that in the nicest possible way.)
Best Line:
“Well, it’s called the ‘cockpit’ for a reason…”
Side Note:
The concorde used in the film was sold to Air France after the production, and it is the same plane that crashed on takeoff from Paris in July 2000, becoming France’s worst air disaster.
Companion Viewing:
“Airplane!” (1980) and the other films in the “Airport” series.
Links:
IMDb.
Cool Cinema Trash.
The Agony Booth.
Take a Look:
The trailer:
Charo!
Bluetopia: The L.A. Dodgers Movie (2009).
The Scoop:
Fandom for a sports team is a hard thing to explain to the uninitiated. There certainly isn’t anything logical or rational about it, but it’s something that becomes ingrained at an early age and is a passion that runs deeper than anything. It isn’t about going to games for a fun getaway or to be “seen.” It’s about being there, win or lose (especially when they’re losing), through sun or rain. It’s an unbridled love for anyone wearing your uniform.
“Bluetopia” is the story of the 2008 Los Angeles Dodgers season, but this isn’t your typical documentary. It’s an all-access look, not only with the players in the clubhouse and their off-field lives, but also with the stadium operations and what happens behind the scenes. But even better than that are the interviews with the lifelong fans, talking about their love for the team. This is, at heart, as story about fandom, and offers a snapshot of the state of Dodgers Nation.
Besides the usual suspects like the players, general manager Ned Colletti and owners Frank and Jamie McCourt, there are also interviews with the likes of clubhouse manager Mitch Poole, Roger “The Peanut Man” Owens, Joe Beimel’s parents and, of course, Vin Scully. But there are also visits with the owner of a Dodger-themed tattoo shop, former gang members working with Homeboy Industries, three little old ladies who love Russell Martin, and doctors and cancer patients at the City of Hope.
But the pivotal moment, of course, is the arrival of Manny Ramirez, and we get to see his first entrance in the clubhouse, the media crush and the reaction of his new teammates (including Andruw Jones sulking in the background).
What’s most memorable about the film, though, are the small moments. The guy who wants to get all of Dodger Stadium and the L.A. skyline tattooed on his back. The joy on the face of Clayton Kershaw’s mother while watching his Major League debut. The rookie hazing costumes. The teenager who catches a batting practice home run and manages to parlay it into an autograph from Chan Ho Park.
Don’t expect any objectivity with this documentary. It’s a celebration of the Dodger experience, and the portions with the team personnel definitely have the feel of PR spin. But what makes “Bluetopia” are the moments with the fans. They come from all walks of life and don’t have much in common but their love for the Blue. But that’s all it takes. That’s what true fandom is all about.
Best Bit:
The excitement of Mateo, the little boy who was attending his first game.
Side Note:
Want your own True Blue tattoo? The shop is on Hollywood Boulevard, not far from the stadium. While you’re there, be sure to pick up your Pavilion Pimp gear.
Companion Viewing:
A game at Dodger Stadium, of course, from the field or loge level with a little radio to hear Vin Scully’s call.
Links:
IMDb.
The Trolley Dodger.
Take a Look:
The trailer:
The Scoop:
If you haven’t become acquainted with Larry “Wild Man” Fischer, this is an excellent opportunity to do so.
Fischer was born with the double whammy of manic depression and paranoid schizophrenia, but buried inside that troubled mind is a strongly melodic musical sensibility. After an adolescence filled with family troubles and a stay in a mental institution, Larry found himself on the streets of Hollywood in the mid-1960s, where he survived by offering his songs – frenzied, a cappella outbursts of childlike enthusiasm mixed with the pathos of his life story – to passersby for a dime. He was found and befriended by Frank Zappa, who helped corral Fischer’s chaotic musical (and personal) energy for his memorable, if not always listenable, 1968 debut album, “An Evening With Larry ‘Wild Man’ Fischer.” After falling out with Zappa, the Wild Man continued his music career through partnerships with Rhino Records and Barnes & Barnes, punctuated by troubled interpersonal relationships and a growing cult of fans.
This documentary, by Josh Rubin and Jeremy Lubin, covers all this rich history, following the 60-year-old Fischer through his transient daily life as he tells stories, makes up songs, spins his paranoid theories and occasionally acts out. There are also revealing interviews with Wild Man acquaintances and fans, such as Mark Mothersbaugh, Billy Mumy and Robert Haimer of Barnes & Barnes, Dr. Demento, Weird Al Yankovic, Irwin Chusid and Gail Zappa.
Listening to Fischer’s music can be a difficult experience. Even those songs with professional backing sound raw, primal and disturbing. But they can also be fun and catchy; once you get one in your head, you’ll be humming it for days.
And therein lies the trouble, not just in considering Fischer, but also other mentally ill songwriters like Daniel Johnston, Roky Erickson or Wesley Willis. How much are fans and collaborators supporting the efforts of talented (although troubled) musicians, or how much are they simply exploiting the talents of people who can’t otherwise look out for themselves? And how much of their musical talent is merely a manifestation of untreated mental illness?
These are questions with no easy answers, and ones which Rubin and Lubin mostly choose to ignore. “Derailroaded” is a fascinating look at the inner workings of a talented, but very difficult man. But any insights into the larger questions will have to wait for another time.
Best Bit:
Wild Man’s two performances of the title song. When he sings it on the beach at the beginning of the film, it comes off as just a fun, catchy little earworm. But when we see him do it again in concert near the end, it becomes something more, a desperate cry of pain from someone who has no tools to articulate it properly.
Side Note:
Because of his split with Zappa (allegedly prompted by Fischer throwing a glass bottle at then-infant Moon Unit), his debut album has not been re-released on any format since 1968. If you want to hear it, you have to either spend big bucks on eBay, or hunt it down on a torrent site.
Companion Viewing:
“The Devil and Daniel Johnston” (2005) and “You’re Gonna Miss Me” (2005).
Links:
IMDb.
Official site.
eFilmCritic interview.
The Wild Man discography.
Take a Look:
The strange four-way conspiracy between Wild Man, Weird Al, Dr. Demento and Barnes & Barnes, that exists only in Larry’s mind:
“Merry Go Round,” Fischer’s biggest hit:
Jawbreaker (1999).
The Scoop:
Rose McGowan seems born to play the queen princess ice bitch sex goddess, and this role just cements that reputation.
A catty ’90s update of “Heathers,” “Jawbreaker” finds McGowan as Courtney, the leader of a vengeful high school clique who accidentally kills one of her friends then enlists others to help her cover it up. She hits all the right notes in her performance, creating a character that is both fuckable and detestable at the same time. The supporting cast, which includes veterans like Pam Grier, P.J. Soles and Carol Kane, is solid as well. And, as a bonus, we even get a cameo by the Donnas as the prom band.
Director Darren Stein’s script may be filled with a few too many clichés, and may be a little too derivative of other teen revenge comedies, but it works well as light, sugary entertainment. And it is all carried by McGowan’s terrific performance.
Best Line:
“I mean, food’s cool and all. It tastes good and you need it to live, but the mere act of eating involves thoughts of digestion, flatulation, defecation — even, shall we say, complexion defection.”
Side Note:
William Katt and P.J. Soles, who play Mr. and Mrs. Purr, costarred together in “Carrie” (1976) while Charlotte Ayanna, who plays their daughter Liz, costarred in “The Rage: Carrie 2” (1999).
Companion Viewing:
“The Doom Generation” (1995) and, of course, the much better “Heathers” (1989).
Links:
IMDb.
The drinking game.
Take a Look:
A Marilyn Manson cameo (big surprise!):
The opening sequence:
Desuko Movie Spot. 