Title: Good Morning

Director: Yasujirô Ozu

Released: May 12, 1959 (Japan)

Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes

Available to stream on: Tubi, Max, and The Criterion Channel

Isamu (Masahiko Shimazu) and Minoru (Kôji Shitara) Hayashi love their sumo wrestling. Unfortunately for them, their parents refuse to buy a television set for their home. So, Isamu and Minoru frequently visit their neighbor’s home in order to watch tv. There’s only one problem, their mother, Tamiko (Kuniko Miyake), forbids them from going over there again because she believes the mother is a cabaret dancer.

Meanwhile, all of the mothers in the neighborhood are a bit on edge. The money collected for their women’s club monthly dues is missing. Fingers are pointed as to who the culprit could be and relationships amongst the club members become strained.

While all of this is happening, Mr. Hayashi (Chishû Ryû) and Minoru have a quarrel that sees Mr. Hayashi tell Minoru that he talks too much. While in their room together, Minoru and Isamu agree that they will go on a silent strike and refuse to speak until their home has a television set. The first to feel the impact of the silent strike is Mrs. Haraguchi (Haruko Sugimura). She believes that Mrs. Hayashi is having her boys disrespect her as a result of a misunderstanding regarding the monthly dues.

How far will Minoru and Isamu take their silent strike?

Will it end the way they’re hoping?

Well, this was an interesting watch.

We are given a very simple plot that gives a glimpse into life in suburbia in this Japanese neighborhood. It’s also very easy to draw comparisons to life in suburbia just about anywhere else in the world. This allows the viewer to relate to and/or see themselves in at least one of the characters that we encounter.

The acting was good overall; however, Masahiko Shimazu as Isamu stole the show for me. His comedic timing was on-point in every scene that called for it.

Speaking of comedic timing, can we talk about the flatulence? The whole town needs to address whatever in their diet is causing them to be so gassy. Now I know, it’s easy to point to fart jokes and say that they’re used to capture a sense childhood innocence. But there was also a lesson learned: Never trust a fart.

Good Morning (1959) is cute, funny, and a brisk ninety-four minutes. This was the first movie of Yasujirô Ozu’s that I’ve seen but probably won’t be the last. If you’ve yet to see it, it gets a recommend from me.

Well, now it’s your turn. If you’ve seen Good Morning (1959), tell me what you thought of it in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

Keep track of what else I’m watching on Letterboxd.

Wednesday on Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram I’ll be posting who the crew member will be for the letter “U” and which movie they worked on that we’ll be reviewing next week.

The post Good Morning (1959) appeared first on I've Scene That!.

Title: Polite Society

Director: Nida Manzoor

Released: April 28, 2023

Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes

Available to stream on: Peacock

Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) wants to be just like her idol, movie stuntwoman, Eunice Huthart. Ria has even gone so far as to email Eunice, on many occasions, about a possible mentorship. She practices martial arts and even creates short films showcasing her martial arts training under her alter-ego “The Fury” with help from her sister, Lena (Ritu Arya). Lena has recently dropped out of art school, feeling she isn’t good enough, and moved back in with her parents.

At school, Ria’s teacher pushes for her to pursue a more practical career. Making matters worse, Ria’s parents, being very traditional, also believe that she needs to stop with the stuntwoman dream and focus on a serious career, accusing Ria of having an overactive imagination. And all of her emails to Eunice, they’ve gone unanswered.

Ria, Lena, and their mother, Fatima (Shobu Kapoor), are invited to a gathering at the home of Raheela (Nimra Bucha), the leader of Fatima’s social circle. Well, Ria is no fool and it doesn’t take long for her to realize that this whole thing was set up to find a match for Raheela’s son, Salim (Akshay Khanna).

Unfortunately for Ria, her suspicion was spot-on. After just a few weeks of seeing each other, Salim and Lena not only agree to marry each other, but to move to Singapore afterwards as well. Ria is furious at Lena’s decision to abandon her art career to go play housewife for Salim. This disagreement causes a divide in their relationship.

Ria is convinced that there has to be something more at play here. Why would Lena agree to uproot her entire life and move to Singapore with someone she barely knows? If she’s going to get to the bottom of things, she’s going to need some help. Her friends, Alba (Ella Bruccoleri) and Clara (Seraphina Beh) are down for the adventure and agree to help Ria.

Will Ria be able to stop the marriage?

Is Lena in danger with Salim?

Or is it all just Ria’s overactive imagination getting the best of her?

Well, that was all kinds of fun!

Nida Manzoor, who both wrote and directed, came out swinging in her feature debut. She gives us a smartly written script that has heart, comedy, and action all blended together perfectly.

We are shown early on just how close of a relationship that Ria and Lena have with each other. You feel invested in their relationship, watching Lena push Ria to continue pursuing her stuntwoman career and Ria pushing Lena to not give up her dream of being an artist. Meanwhile, Clara and Alba are both great as sidekicks who are quick to provide some comedic relief with their banter.

With the relationship battles, the fight to stop the wedding, and everything else going on, I found myself invested in Ria and her pursuit of becoming a stuntwoman more than anything. Her determination to not give up on her dream, to push on in the face of adversity, and to do it all in the name of saving her sister from Salim and his mother Raheela.

But we were told early on that Ria has an overactive imagination. So, was everything that we saw real? Was it all a result of her imagination? Or did reality and imagination blend together? That’s part of what makes Polite Society (2023) so much fun.

One thing is for sure, imagination or not, Ria is a warrior…and she is “The Fury”.

Well, those are my thoughts, but what are yours?

If you’ve seen Polite Society (2023), tell me what you thought of it in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

To keep tabs on what else I’ve been watching or to follow my 2023 “100 Days Of Horror” journey, follow me on Letterboxd.

Want to get a sneak peek at what we’ll be reviewing next Sunday? This Wednesday, keep an eye out on Threads and Instagram for the reveal of who the crew member for the letter “L” will be and which movie they worked on that we’ll be looking at.

The post Polite Society (2023) appeared first on I've Scene That!.

Title: The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

Director: Billy Wilder

Released: October 29, 1970

Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes

Available to stream on: Pluto, Prime Video, and Tubi

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) finds himself in a bit of a rut. No case that comes his way manages to excite him anymore. Little does he know; excitement is just around the corner.

Sherlock and Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely) attend a performance of Swan Lake and afterwards Sherlock has the pleasure of meeting the star of the show, Madame Petrova (Tamara Toumanova). After some small talk between the two, well three if you count who was interpreting, Sherlock realizes that this isn’t about to be just another case. Madame Petrova is retiring and wants to become a mother. Well, Sherlock is able to connect the dots and sees that he’s there for the sole purpose of becoming her baby daddy. He manages to weasel out of the situation by proclaiming that he and Dr. Watson are in a committed relationship together.

Meanwhile, Watson is living it up and dancing all around with the other ballerinas. Word spreads amongst the ballerinas that Watson and Sherlock are a thing, and they slowly distance themselves from him. Watson eventually has it explained to him why the female ballerinas have all drifted away and he is furious. He storms home and he and Sherlock have a spat.

But it seemed like Madame Petrova was persistent. I bet you’re wondering how long until she resurfaces.

Well, too bad. That’s the last we see or hear from Madame Petrova or that storyline.

Okay, now that we’re half an hour into the movie, time to get to the actual story.

Late one evening there’s a knock at the door and a cabbie is there dropping off a woman. When asked why he brought her here, the cabbie explains that he found her in the Thames River with Sherlock’s address in her hand. The woman can’t seem to speak other than the phrases, “I don’t know” and “I can’t remember”.

Sherlock, being the great detective that he is, is able to determine that she is from Belgium. Her name is Gabrielle and her husband’s name is Emile. However, despite this breakthrough, Gabrielle (Geneviève Page) still can’t recall how or when she arrived in London. She mistakes Holmes for her husband Emile, and he plays along with it in order to further his investigation.

He manages to recover her luggage and from there her memory slowly starts to come back to her. Emile worked in a copper mine and was hired by Jonah Limited. They would write each other letters constantly, until one day the letters from Emile just stopped. Gabrielle had taken it upon herself to go to the address listed on the letters from him, 32 Ashdown Street. As it turns out, 32 Ashdown Street is an empty building. Better yet, Jonah Limited doesn’t even exist. When Gabrielle reported her story to the Belgian Embassy, they suggested she contact Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock suggests she write one more letter to Emile at the Ashdown address. Gabrielle does, leaving it as a blank letter. Why blank? Well, Sherlock believes that 32 Ashdown is a letter drop and if they sit on this blank letter, they’ll see who retrieves it.

The plan sounds great in theory, except when the mail is delivered to 32 Ashdown Street, the letter that is delivered isn’t the blank one that they wrote. No, it’s addressed to Sherlock from his brother, Mycroft (Christopher Lee). Mycroft has demanded a meeting with Sherlock and Watson at the Diogenes Club.

Mycroft demands that Sherlock and Watson immediately cease all efforts into locating Emile. But why? The reasoning given is that it’s a matter of national security. Sherlock tries pushing Mycroft, particularly on Jonah Limited. But Mycroft holds firm, reiterates that they drop it immediately, and wishes them well.

If you know anything about Sherlock Holmes, it’s that he is not about to just walk away from an intriguing case. Especially after he’s been bored by everything that’s come his way recently.

But why would Mycroft be so adamant in having Sherlock drop a case?

Does he know anything about “Jonah Limited”?

Will locating Emile help explain just how Gabrielle wound up in the Thames and who put her there?

Truth be told, prior to this week, I had zero knowledge of this movie even existing. I hadn’t heard of it, seen it mentioned anywhere online, or had it recommended by anyone. But as a child of the ’80s who loved (and still loves) The Great Mouse Detective, how could I pass up a Sherlock Holmes movie I hadn’t ever heard of?

I was a little hesitant at first as it took a bit for me to buy-in and be down for the ride. For whatever reason, I wasn’t feeling Robert Stephens as Sherlock from the start. It wasn’t until he got out of becoming the baby daddy to Madame Petrova that things changed for me, and he wound up being incredibly enjoyable as Sherlock. Colin Blakely’s Watson was just fun all throughout, super animated whether the feeling was cheer, anger, or pain.

What was really enjoyable for me is the way that everything is told. Yes, the story is from Watson’s perspective but it’s all very fresh and new. It’s not the retelling of a previous story, it’s not even a copy/paste of a previous story but with a different title. We get a more complex creature in this version of Sherlock Holmes, well at least to an extent. I wouldn’t expect a Sherlock Holmes film in 1970 to hint at Sherlock’s sexuality or that Watson would be so taken aback by the thought of it given that he spends almost every waking moment with him.

Yes, I know why the Madame Petrova scenes were there. But we could have found a different way to get there without spending the first quarter of the movie on it. The writing at times I feel could have made the twists and turns a little more complex as well. There were times where you almost feel bad for Watson. We, the viewer, has already long since figured out what Sherlock is just now realizing. Meanwhile, Watson is as clueless as he is cheerful.

That being said, once Gabrielle is brought to Baker Street, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) becomes a fun mystery with some clever humor sprinkled in and plenty of turns along the way.

Well, those are my thoughts, but what are yours? Tell me what you thought of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

Next week we’ll have the letter “J”. Keep an eye on Threads and Instagram on Wednesday for the reveal of who it’ll be and what movie of theirs we’ll be reviewing.

The post The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) appeared first on I've Scene That!.

Title: The Editor

Director: Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy

Released: September 11, 2014, at the Toronto International Film Festival

Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes

Available to stream on: Tubi

Rey Ciso (Adam Brooks) had an unfortunate accident that resulted in the loss of his fingers on his right hand. The accident derailed Rey’s promising career as a film editor, despite the use of prosthetics on his right hand. He hasn’t given up though, he still works as an editor and is in the middle of editing the latest giallo film, Tarantola.

Things aren’t much better for Rey at home. His wife, Josephine Jardin (Paz de la Huerta), was once a prominent actress but now spends her days belittling Rey while fantasizing about the lead actor from Tarantola, Claudio.

If Rey had any hopes of things turning around, he’s in for a world of disappointment. While screening Tarantola, Claudio is murdered. One by one the bodies of the lead actors in Tarantola begin piling up. Each victim with their fingers severed, just like Rey Ciso’s right hand.

Can the severed fingers be a coincidence?

Is someone trying to frame Rey?

Will there be enough evidence for Rey to plead his innocence?

Or will Rey join the others on the cutting room floor?

So, I feel like The Editor (2014) is definitely a movie that won’t have a lot of middle ground. You’ll either dig it or you’ll wonder what you did with the last ninety-five minutes of your life.

Luckily for me, I happened to dig what Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, and fellow writer Conor Sweeney gave us. Somehow, they managed to pull off a love letter to giallo that effectively mixed in comedy and mystery as well.

The choice of colors, costumes (hey, thanks, Heather Neale!), and the synth/jazz soundtrack make this feel like a modern day giallo film. Not even five minutes in and you’re ready for bright vibrant colors caked in cheesy fun. However, we also were treated to humor that reminded me of Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace.

While the humor can go unnoticed if you aren’t paying attention, what can’t go unnoticed is how well the mystery aspect of the story blends in. It feels like its own distinct subplot while still very much a central part of all the surrounding events and storylines.

As I said, the odds are this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But that’s up to you to decide.

Just be sure to give The Editor (2014) at least one viewing before you decide if it belongs on the cutting room floor.

So, those are my thoughts. But what are yours?

Tell me what you thought of The Editor (2014) in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

You know what’s next. Keep an eye on Threads and Instagram this Wednesday for the reveal of the crew member’s name that begins with letter “I” and the movie they worked on that we’ll review next week!

The post The Editor (2014) appeared first on I've Scene That!.

Title: Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Director: Rob Minkoff

Released: February 7, 2014 (UK)/March 7, 2014 (US)

Available to stream on: Netflix

IMDb synopsis: The time-travelling adventures of an advanced canine and his adopted son, as they endeavor to fix a time rift they created.

Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell) is not your average pup. He lives in New York City with his adopted son Sherman (Max Charles). Yep, you read that right. Mr. Peabody is a super intelligent canine who is the “father” to Sherman.

Sherman learns history from Mr. Peabody through the magic of the WABAC machine. Yes, the WABAC machine is exactly what you think it is, a time machine. They use it to visit specific significant times/points in history, giving Sherman a front-row seat to history as it plays out.

Because of his unique way of learning history, Sherman is first to raise his hand and answer questions in class. However, his academic rival, Penny (Ariel Winter), is constantly irritated by Sherman’s ability to one-up her. One day, Penny has had enough and calls him a dog and puts him in a chokehold. In self-defense, Sherman bites her…like a dog.

As his “father”, Mr. Peabody is called down to the school to speak with the principal. However, it’s not just the Principal Purdy (Stephen Tobolowsky) waiting for him, Ms. Grunion (Allison Janney), an agent from Child Protective Services, is there as well. Ms. Grunion is worried that Peabody is not a fit parent and plans to come to the house for an investigation.

So, to try and smooth things over before Ms. Grunion’s visit, Peabody invites Penny’s parents, Paul (Stephen Colbert) and Patty (Leslie Mann) over for dinner. Peabody has one rule for Sherman for the evening, don’t bring out the WABAC machine.

Of course, seems like a simple rule to follow, right? Well, not if you’re Sherman.

It gets worse. Not only did Sherman show Penny the WABAC machine, but he also uses it to take her back in time. They find themselves in ancient Egypt and Penny decides she’s staying and is going to marry King Tut. Sherman, terrified and desperate for help, goes back to the present to get Mr. Peabody and bring him back to Ancient Egypt.

Now that they’re all three together, you’d think things would turn around and they’d be back in the present time in no time at all. Well, if that’s what you thought, you’d be dead wrong. On their way back to the present, the WABAC runs out of fuel. From here, the journey through time back to the present begins.

Will they find a way to make it back? Can they make it back without altering history along the way?

Going into this, I knew of Mr. Peabody & Sherman from the old The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show segments. Even if you had no prior knowledge of the characters, Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) does a decent job of giving you a very brief backstory without it seeming like overkill.

I chose Christi Soper because casting for an animated movie has always interested me. It doesn’t matter how much the person looks like the character they’re portraying. It’s all about how well their voice fits the look of the animated character, down to the facial expressions and mannerisms. While there are no voice performances that are particularly memorable or “great”, the casting is incredibly solid overall.

I don’t really have any issues with this movie. The animation is fun, the humor is super hit or miss, it doesn’t drag on longer than it should. But at the same time, in a year that also gave us The Lego Movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2, and Big Hero 6, unfortunately Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) is easily forgettable and lost in the shuffle.

Well, there you have it. Those are my thoughts, but what about yours? Tell me all of your thoughts on Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

Up next, the letter “D”. Have a crew member who’s name starts with “D” that you’d like to see covered? Get your suggestions in by Wednesday morning. Wednesday evening I’ll announce the individual and their movie that we’ll look at on Instagram, Twitter, and Threads!

The post Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) appeared first on I've Scene That!.

Title: Little Shop of Horrors

Director: Frank Oz

Released: December 19, 1986

Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes

Available to stream on: MAX

IMDb synopsis: A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.

Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) is a florist at Mushnik’s Flower Shop located in the Skid Row district of New York. Due to poor sales, Mr. Mushnik (Vincent Gardenia) decides to close up shop. As a last-ditch effort to try and save their jobs, Seymour’s co-worker Audrey (Ellen Greene) suggests displaying Seymour’s new plant in the window.

This might seem like a bizarre way to try and save the shop, but Seymour’s plant isn’t just another average plant. He bought the plant, which he named Audrey II (voiced by Levi Stubbs), during a solar eclipse from a Chinese flower shop. Audrey II is a hit and Mushnik’s Flower Shop is once again filled with customers.

After a period of time, Audrey II begins to wilt. Seymour tries everything from fertilizers, water, minerals, to sunlight, but nothing seems to bring nourishment to Audrey II. That is until one day Seymour inadvertently pricks his finger and draws blood. Seeing Audrey II come to life, Seymour begins to wonder if blood is what Audrey II needs. Against his better judgment he gives the plant a few drops, Audrey II’s health improves almost instantly.

Audrey II’s remarkable recovery and subsequent massive growth spurt gives Seymour his time in the spotlight. However, Seymour can’t reveal the true secret to Audrey II’s success. But he also can’t keep feeding the plant blood forever. Someone is bound to catch on to what is happening, and the growth of Audrey II is already out of control. This doesn’t stop Audrey II though; having formed the ability to speak, the plant demands more blood from Seymour.

How does Seymour deal with a sentient plant’s demands for human blood? Will he give into Audrey II’s demands and murder someone? Can Audrey II even be stopped at this point?

Going into Little Shop of Horrors (1986), all that I knew was that it was an adaptation of a Broadway play (which itself was an adaptation of a 1960 film), that it was a cult classic, and that Rick Moranis was in it. Honestly, I was a little worried that it would be one of those instances where you try to watch something heralded as a “cult classic” and you just don’t see what the hype is about.

Luckily that is not the case here as I had an absolute blast watching this. The musical numbers are campy yet catchy. The use of horror without the use of blood and gore is effectively done. And with Frank Oz at the helm, you knew you were in for a treat with the visual effects, specifically with Audrey II. That’s not to mention that the production design and the way Little Shop of Horrors (1986) is shot makes it feel like you’re watching a Broadway play, but I mean that in the best possible way.

But you can’t praise a movie like this without also heaping praise onto the cast. Yes, Moranis and Greene are great together. However, the cameos that we get arguably steal the show. We’re treated to John Candy, Jim Belushi, Bill Murray, and Steve Martin in a role I don’t hear discussed enough. No, I didn’t get into these at all earlier. But that’s because if you’re like me and haven’t seen the movie before, you’re in for a treat and I don’t want to spoil anything for you.

While I don’t have the nostalgic ties to it that some may have, I still found Little Shop of Horrors (1986) to be a fun and enjoyable watch.

If you’ve already seen it, give it a rewatch. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and seek it out.

Just be careful. Don’t feed the plants.

Well, those are my thoughts on Little Shop of Horrors (1986), but what are yours?

Give me your thoughts in the comments below or by reaching out on social media including my account on Threads! While I will still post updates on Twitter, Threads is where I will be the most active moving forward.

Next week brings us the letter “C”. You know the drill. Get suggestions for crew members whose name starts with “C” in by Wednesday morning. Wednesday evening I’ll announce on Instagram, Twitter, and Threads who the person is and what film of theirs we’ll be looking at next Sunday.

The post Little Shop of Horrors (1986) appeared first on I've Scene That!.

Title: Valley Girl

Director: Martha Coolidge

Released: April 29, 1983

Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes

Available to stream on: Kanopy and Paramount+

IMDb synopsis: Julie, a girl from the valley, meets Randy, a punk from the city. They are from different worlds and find love. Somehow, they need to stay together in spite of her trendy, shallow friends.

Julie (Deborah Foreman) is your typical Valley girl. She’s got the looks, the popularity, and the totally bitchin’ boyfriend in Tommy (Michael Bowen). Everything is perfect for Julie, right? As if.

After a montage that reminds us there was a point in time where malls were busy and were the cool place to be and be seen, Julie decides she’s had enough. She breaks things off with Tommy then heads to the beach with her friends. While at the beach, Julie makes eyes with Randy (Nicolas Cage) but Randy isn’t exactly what she’s used to.

Randy is a punk from Hollywood who runs in different circles than Julie. Julie’s friends, Loryn (Elizabeth Daily), Stacey (Heidi Holicker), and Suzi (Michelle Meyrink) do not approve of Julie’s new infatuation with Randy. They feel she should get back with Tommy. After considering her options, Julie decides to break up with Randy and go back to Tommy.

For as much as he tries to act too cool for school, Randy is devastated. But if ’80s movies have taught us anything, never underestimate the power of teenage love.

So, the question then becomes, how over-the-top cheese fest do we get as Randy and Julie fight to be together? Well, if you haven’t seen Valley Girl (1983) before, now’s where you totally go fix that so you can see how it ends.

All that I knew about Valley Girl (1983) going into it is that it had Nic Cage. It was very apparent right away that what I was going to get was going to ooze ’80s high school rom-com. It’s not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, however here it felt very paint-by-numbers.

Yes, you have all the staples, your beach hangs, your high school parties, and your raging teenage hormones. But the script itself feels like it was written by a Script-Bot 9000. Just imagine the most stereotypical ’80s dialogue you can think of, that’s what we get.

Luckily, the performances from the entire cast and the soundtrack are solid enough to overcome the script. It’s also nice to be able to cross another Nicolas Cage blind spot off of my list. This movie doesn’t do anything to make it stand out from the rest, but it doesn’t do anything to make you despise it either.

It’s okay to just be pretty good and that’s where I land with Valley Girl (1983).

So, what about you? What are your thoughts on Valley Girl (1983)?

Tell me all about it in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

By now, you know what’s next. Next Sunday will be the letter “W”. If you have a suggestion for the movie, get it in by Wednesday morning. As always, Wednesday evening the movie for the week will be revealed on my Twitter and Instagram.

The post Valley Girl (1983) appeared first on I've Scene That!.

Title: Today’s Special

Director: David Kaplan

Released: October 16, 2009

Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes

Available to stream on: Tubi

IMDb synopsis: In this super-feel-good foodie comedy, young Manhattan chef Samir rediscovers his heritage and his passion for life through the enchanting art of cooking Indian food.

Samir (Aasif Mandvi) is a top-notch sous chef in Manhattan and figures to be a lock for a promotion. However, when his boss (Dean Winters) passes him over and tells him the reason he didn’t get the promotion was because Samir’s food lacks magic and is too paint-by-numbers. Samir decides, on the spot, that he is quitting and going to Paris where he’ll stauge (apprentice) with French chef Jacques Renaud.

However, Samir’s plan gets turned on its head when his father (Harish Patel) suffers a heart attack. In order to help the family, Samir agrees to take over his father’s restaurant, Tandoori Palace. There’s one big flaw with this plan though, Samir doesn’t know how to cook Indian food. As an interim work-around, Samir orders meals from another local Indian restaurant. His luck would change though when he happens to meet Akbar (Naseeruddin Shah).

Akbar says that he used to be a top chef in India. He agrees to mentor Samir and show him how to get back to his roots. His big lesson is that food must be cooked with your mind, your heart, and your stomach. When you cook using all three, it shows in your food and your customers can taste it.

But will Samir be able to abandon his technical cooking ways and embrace cooking with his heart and stomach as well? Will his mother (Madhur Jaffrey) stop trying to play matchmaker for him? And what happens to Tandoori Palace?

I am a sucker for any movie involving food and/or cooking. So, it was not going to take much for me to enjoy Today’s Special. Yes, the story is one that has been told numerous times before and will be told numerous times to come. But just because you’ve seen the story before doesn’t mean another variation of it can’t be enjoyable.

Aasif Mandvi, who also co-wrote the film, is thoroughly enjoyable in the lead as Samir. While mainly known for his humor, Mandvi gets a chance here to showcase his dramatic chops. His parents, Carrie, Akbar, everyone in the supporting cast, they all contribute and connect in ways that make the story feel genuine.

The family drama, the romance angle with Carrie, whether or not the Tandoori Palace will survive, and the journey into Indian cuisine taken by Samir all intertwine into an enjoyable ninety-nine minutes.

Not every movie you see has to change your world or be destined for awards success.

Sometimes a feel-good story that happens to revolve around food is all you need.

Well, those are my thoughts on Today’s Special (2009) but what are yours? Tell me all about it in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

Next week we’ll tackle the letter “U”. If you’ve got a suggestion for what the movie should be, you’ve got until Wednesday morning to get them in!

The post Today’s Special (2009) appeared first on I've Scene That!.

Title: Postal

Director: Tyler Falbo

Released: April 13, 2019, at the Florida Film Festival

Runtime: 1 hour 17 minutes

Available to stream on: Tubi

IMDb synopsis: A young man’s life unravels over the course of a customer service phone call.

Nothing is worse than a package not arriving when you expect it to. Sometimes it’s just a minor inconvenience, but if you happen to be Phil Tress (Michael Shenefelt), a missing package is about to become the worst day of your life. Phil’s bad day is based on a true story and of course takes place in Florida.

Phil is waiting for an engagement ring to be delivered before he heads to the airport. His plan is to surprise his childhood sweetheart by proposing to her…at her wedding. As the morning passes by and still no delivery, Phil decides to call the shipping company to get an update. When the customer service representative, Kevin, isn’t able to give Phil the answer he’s looking for, Phil begins to spiral.

What follows is a front-row seat as we experience Phil’s emotional breakdown along with him. He will stop at nothing to get his package and is not afraid to take anyone down with him.

I went into this knowing nothing about the true story it was based on, and I’d highly recommend you do the same. Seeing that it took place in Florida had me hooked instantly. Right away I know that the story is going to be wild and probably accurate to how it actually went down because…Florida.

What I didn’t expect was to find myself laughing as much as I did. It’s not “ha-ha” funny, it’s dark humor and it’s used wonderfully. We’ve all been furious over a package arriving late at some point, so you can relate to Phil’s irrational anger. If you’ve ever worked in a call center, you’ve absolutely had the “pleasure” of dealing with customers like Phil.

My biggest issue was despite only being an hour and seventeen minutes long, I found myself checking to see how much longer was left, more than once. This would be better suited as a thirty-to-forty-five-minute short film. But that doesn’t mean that I still didn’t have a good time.

The reasoning behind why Phil got the ring and the insanity that he and Kevin go through made-up for the times I was checking how much longer was left. While I don’t know if it would hold-up well on a rewatch, it’s definitely worth checking out once.

The next time you decide to fall down a Tubi rabbit hole, Postal (2019) is a wild place to start.

So, what about you? If you’ve seen Postal (2019), what are your thoughts on it? Let me hear it in the comments below or by engaging with me on social media!

Next up we’ll have the letter “Q”. Do you have a suggestion for what the watch should be? You’ve got until Wednesday morning to get the suggestions in!

The post Postal (2019) appeared first on I've Scene That!.

Title: The Out of Towners

Director: Arthur Hiller

Released: May 28, 1970

Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes

Available to stream on: Paramount+

IMDb synopsis: An Ohio sales executive accepts a higher position within the company and travels to New York City with his wife for his job interview but things go wrong from the start.

George Kellerman (Jack Lemmon) and his wife Gwen (Sandy Dennis) live in small town Twin Oaks, Ohio. They are set to embark on an all-expenses paid trip to New York City so that George can have an interview with the top brass at his company. If all goes well, George will get a substantial raise and his family will relocate to the Big Apple with his new title of Vice-President of Sales.

George has gone to extreme lengths to carefully plan this trip and has a tight itinerary all laid out. The flight is set to land at 8pm which gives them plenty of time to get to their dinner reservation at The Four Seasons. From there they will enjoy a night of luxury at the Waldorf-Astoria before his big interview. They board their flight to New York City, the flight is running on schedule, everything seems to be going as planned.

However, as they approach JFK airport they’re informed that due to dense fog and heavy air traffic they will need to circle for a little bit. Well, the little bit turns into hours and hours turn into being eventually rerouted to Boston. No big deal, right? Maybe for some people, but not the Kellermans. A young Billy Dee Williams, working lost and found at Logan airport, informs the George and Gwen that their luggage was left behind. What’s worse is that George’s ulcer medication is in the lost luggage.

After catching a train and waiting for two hours in the dining car for a meal, they are told there’s no more chicken. The only options are peanut butter on white bread, both of which George can’t have, or crackers and olives. And the options for drinks are tonic water or clam juice, both of which “ain’t cold”.

Finally, arriving in New York City and finding their way to the hotel, in the pouring rain, they’re greeted and told they don’t have a room. Their room was only held until 10pm and then given away since there wasn’t a request made to extend the hold. Better yet, thanks to a transit strike, there are no rooms available here or anywhere else in the city for that matter. At this point, it’s 3am and George’s big interview is a mere six hours away.

From this point on, the comedy of errors continues to snowball no matter what George tries to do. He and Gwen are robbed, mugged, kidnapped, and even find themselves involved with a Cuban diplomat. George makes a list of everyone involved with each misstep and threatens to sue them all. But first, he needs to find a way to get some sleep, shower, and change all in the next six hours. If he doesn’t, the promotion may fall through and with it the possibility of relocating from Ohio to New York.

I am usually a big fan of anything Jack Lemmon is in, so I was excited to watch The Out of Towners (1970). Well, as the saying goes, they can’t all be winners. And unfortunately, it starts with Jack Lemmon as George Kellerman. He plays a great neurotic character and that fits the character of George perfectly. The problem is that it grows to be exhausting. The breakneck pacing isn’t something I’d usually have issue with, but when it’s paired with the anxiety and anger of George, it wears thin really quick. By the end of the movie, I found myself almost rooting against him.

The first half hour, or so, is what I found to be the most enjoyable. Every single one of us can relate to travel chaos. Whether it’s delayed flights, lost luggage, hotel reservation issues, we’ve all been there. Yes, it helps that we can relate with those issues. But they are also all scenarios that, on a bad day, you could experience all three. I’d even say the robbery and/or mugging could be a fourth you could experience on a truly awful day. It’s when the scenarios go off the deep end that the comedy starts to wear on you. The scenarios begin to feel like they were written in an improv class, everyone trying to get more over the top with each “yes and”.

Now that’s not to say that there wasn’t anything to enjoy here. Sandy Dennis is great, it was fun to see a young Billy Dee Williams, and before the story becomes more and more unbelievable the comedy really works. I’m not sure if I went into this with higher expectations because it starred Jack Lemmon. But I do know that I walked away from it a bit disappointed. After seeing this, there is no burning desire to seek out the 1999 remake anytime soon.

If you can catch it for free, you could do worse. If you have to pay for it, save the money.

Well, what say you? Have you seen The Out of Towners (1970)? Let me hear your thoughts on it in the comments below or by interacting with me on social media!

If you enjoy following me on this challenge and reading my thoughts, show your support!

So, next week will bring us the letter “P”. Do you have any suggestions for what it should be? You have until Wednesday morning to get those suggestions in!

The post The Out of Towners (1970) appeared first on I've Scene That!.