MOVIE REVIEW

CHEF (2014)

Director: Jon Favreau
Writers:  Jon Favreau
Stars:  Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara
Runtime: 114 minutes
Strength: Fantastic story, great food, all-star cast
Weakness: A very predictable ending
Plot: A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.
Review: Jon Favreau is currently one of the most accomplished directors out of Hollywood with releases like Iron Man and such. This movie, however, is Jon retracing his steps back to his roots. Working with his own script, he plays frustrated chef Carl Casper, forced by his restaurateur boss, played by Dustin Hoffman, to repeat the same old dishes until a snippy review provokes a meltdown that goes viral. Unemployed and continuously disappointing his son, Carl decides to reinvent himself with the aid of a Twitter account and a taco food truck. John Leguizamo's sous-chef sauciness lends spice to Favreau's honest Joe schtick, while Robert Downey Jr makes a meal of an amuse-bouche cameo as Carl's ex-wife's ex-husband. Meanwhile, Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Vergara are on hand to prove that, in Hollywood, sexy heft remains an essentially male prerogative. After all that is said and done, this movie is all about family, friends, and of course great food. In short, Chef is a movie for everyone. It has a great storyline, good acting, and nice scenery. This is the must watch feel-good movie of the year. Every minute of the film was enjoyable. Just a word of warning: make sure you are well stocked with food before watching because I guarantee you will be drooling before the first 30 minutes!

Reviewed by S.M. Intisab Shahriyar

***

HIGHWAY

Director: Imtiaz Ali
Writer: Imtiaz Ali
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Randeep Hooda
Music: A. R. Rahman
Strength: Superb acting by Alia and Randeep Hooda
Runtime:  115 minutes
Rating: 4/5
Plot: The story begins on the eve of the wedding of Veera Tripathi (Alia Bhatt), the daughter of a rich business tycoon. She is on the highway at night with her fiancé when she gets abducted. The gang who kidnaps her panics when they find out that her father has links in the government. However, Mahabir Bhati (Randeep Hooda), her abductor, is willing to do whatever it takes to see this through. They continuously move into different cities, to avoid being tracked by the police. As the days go by, Veera finds peace in her bondage to the point that she confides in him of her troubled childhood. Her fear of abduction is taken over by a sense of freedom.
Review: Highway is a typical improvised Bollywood road movie, but with an atypical conclusion. Imtiaz gives us a portrait of two damaged souls who, through a journey across north India, help to heal each other. So Veera Tripathi, an affluent Delhi princess who lives in a mansion with a Rolls-Royce, ultimately finds peace in the arms of Mahabir Bhatti, a rough Gujjar criminal, played by Randeep Hooda. The idea of a victim falling in love with her kidnapper isn't new. There is AR Rahman's soulful music — especially Patakha Guddi — and above all, Alia Bhatt's performance. There are two scenes — one a long monologue — in which she lays bare her soul and becomes utterly broken. It's deeply moving. Her honesty and courage, both as actor and character, is exhilarating. Imtiaz skillfully creates moments that are at once, tender, funny and fragile.  Highway should score high with audiences globally, with art house crossover a distant possibility.

Reviewed by Broti Rahman

***

CLASSIC REVIEW

ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953)

Director: William Wyler
Writers: Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dyton
Stars: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert
Runtime: 118 minutes
Strength: Acting, screenplay
Weakness: None
PLOT: A princess during a goodwill tour of Europe escapes the confines of her royal duties to enjoy 24 hours around Rome with a reporter.
REVIEW: This romantic comedy served as the platform for launching Audrey Hepburn's fame. The film delivers perfectly timed humour without disrupting its pace, while covering its necessary bits of business and tender moments of romance. Although the movie employs a contrived plot, the stars' acting in it appear very natural. Peck's and Hepburn's apparent charm and innocence radiating throughout the movie are sure to keep the audience captivated. The sights and sounds of the Eternal City (Rome) have been sensibly used to bind with the facts in the story. The princess's (Ann's) tour of Rome with Bradley (the reporter) does not appear out of line, because she needs a guide and confidant, and Bradley needs to know her better for the sake of his exclusive interview. The script is peppered with moments of hearty laughs, most of which may unfortunately appear not as amusing to the current generation. Princess Ann's obvious discomfort during initial scenes, the small “accidents” happening to Bradley's photographer friend, the scuffle with the royal guard and the princess naively throwing lifebuoys into the water after them – are all scenes that had people roaring with laughter back in the days. Eddie Albert's comical role as the photographer friend has been greatly appreciated by critics. These moments cannot be categorized as mere physical comedy, but are blended with verbal humour as well. Princess Ann's naïve comical dialogues and Bradley's witty remarks in his chief editor's presence provide bright moments of laughter. Roman Holiday is a classic drama-comedy with its poignant moments and hearty laughs that remind comedy fans how gentle comedy can still be appreciated.

Reviewed by Ahmed Adib