Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (4734)

Content

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Planet 51 (2009) in Movies

Aug 8, 2019

Planet 51 (2009)

2009 | Action, Animation, Comedy

6.8

(11 Ratings)

Movie Rating

On a planet far from our own, green creatures are experiencing their own version of the 1950â€™s. Among them is Lem (Justin Long) who has just gotten his first job as an assistant at the local planetarium. When a space ship appears harboring an alien, human astronaut Captain Charles T. Baker (Dwayne Johnson), the fearful locals are not so friendly. It is up to Lem to save the astronaut and help his people learn not to fear the world beyond what they know.

The film is written for both children and adults, like a toned down version of â€œShrekâ€ with a more relevant moral feel. Putting the characters in the 1950s adds to the filmâ€™s charm, allowing kids access to the blatant characterizations of the time period, such as the bumbling science professor and the hippy protestor who maintains from the start that the alien is friendly.

Other characters of note are Lemâ€™s comic book and movie fanatic best friend, Skiff (Seann William Scott) and the military commander General Grawl (Gary Oldman) who is hell-bent on capturing the alien. Children will also enjoy the two pet creatures from a local alien dog that excretes acid to a rock-obsessed robot sent to pick up local specimens for Baker.

â€œPlanet 51â€ is wholly entertaining. It provides some mature insight by displaying how we would appear to another culture if we ever did encounter aliens. This switch of perspective is sure to make children think and laugh over the simple cross-cultural mishaps that occur while Lem and Baker are attempting to find common ground.

A delightful, animated romp, â€œPlanet 51â€ will make you hope for a groovy 1960â€™s sequel.

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019

When it comes to food, opinions on colors, flavors, and textures are dynamic. No two foodies are the same. Throughout the world culinary differences abound; even ideas of what constitutes a food can be disparate. Blurring the line between history and the future, favorite dishes get modern twists and contemporary chefs discover innovation by studying the foods of yesteryear.

Films always have a location, but while “The 100 Foot Journey” is set in small town France, the story really exists at the crossroads of two fiercely independent culinary traditions. Throughout the film, Indian and French cuisines feed the visual storytelling and nourish the scenes.

As the leading man, Hassan, actor Manish Dayal plays a convincing chef struggling between two cultural and culinary worlds. But it is the support of Papa, Hassan’s can-do attitude driven father, played by actor Om Puri, and Michelin star obsessed know-it-all neighbor Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) that invigorate the screen.

Simple yet engaging, plot is not where “The 100 Foot Journey” excels. Opting to focus on subtle interpersonal scenes, the film lacks twists, suspense, and grand surprises. Instead “The 100 Foot Journey” explores the joys, sorrows, and revelations that happen when two culinary histories and lifestyles meet. The journey highlights the challenges faced with preserving tradition while also carving a new path.

Consumables garnish almost every moment of character interaction; food plays a role in careers, conflicts, and mutual understanding. It could be easy, and not entirely wrong, to write-off this picture as a feel good foodie flick. However, just like a good croissant, “The 100 Foot Journey” is worth more than a deceptively uncomplicated a first glance; it contains flavorful and complex layers upon further examination. Be it a story of coincidence, lucky, or fate, “The 100 Foot Journey” is worth a taste if not a feast.