Movie Review-Burnt

In "Burnt" Bradley Cooper plays a burnt out chef, who hit it big in Paris with his culinary skills back in the 90's, but when the film opens he's on self imposed exile in New Orleans shucking oysters as a part of his self assigned penance; after throwing his career away with excessive partying, drinking and women! With a new awareness, after shucking a million oysters, he sets off for Europe to revive his career as one of the tops chefs in the world. Once in London it seems he has a many people who want to kill him as he does that want to help him. His sobriety is the key if he wants to resurrect his once famous name as a top chef.

"Burnt" is a feast for the eyes (it'll definitely make you want to go home and cook) but, to continue with the cooking analogy, it needs a little more seasoning. Perhaps it's because of the choppy style of a director who is mainly known for his quality TV directing, John Wells. (He directed episodes of the award winning TV shows E.R. and Southland.) It seemed to me like he took the cake out of the oven a little bit to early and never allowed things to develop to their fullest in the movie. For example, Uma Thurman is in just two scenes in the movie as an influential food critic. I suspect part of her performance was left on the kitchen floor during the editing process.

Bradley Cooper gives a fine performance as Adam Jones, the chef who seems hell bent on self destruction. The supporting cast, including Sienna Miller as his protégée in the kitchen and Emma Thompson as a therapist who helps him find the error of his ways, are also stellar.

The movie has a good moral (which I won't ruin for you by disclosing) and overall it was an enjoyable film. It's rated R for strong language and has a run time of 101 minutes. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate "Burnt" a MEDIUM.

Hollywood Hernandez



Movie Review-The Last Witch Hunter

Just in time for Halloween, Vin Diesel hits theaters this weekend in The Last Witch Hunter.
In the movie Diesel plays Kaulder, a witch hunter who has been cursed with immortality by the queen witch. For over 800 years he has seen everyone he's ever loved die, while battling witches from the middle ages to the ones who now live in the modern world. Kaulder's long time assistant, who works through a secret organization in the Catholic church, is about to step down from his position when he meets his untimely death. Dolan (Michael Caine), who Kaulder calls "Kid", is the 36th priest in his position as the witch hunter's assistant. Elijah Wood is Dolan the 37th and he is more than anxious to take his position as the witch hunter's contact and assistant. The two investigate the murder of Dolan the 36th and soon discover that "Black Death", the type of magic used by the Queen Witch, was used on him. Now, The Witch Hunter is in a race against time to prevent all of the witches in captivity from resurrecting the queen and reeking terror on the modern world.  




The Last Witch Hunter is an action packed thriller. Diesel provides plenty of action in his fight scenes and the movie has plenty of chills to make it a fun Halloween date movie. Although Diesel plays only "one note" through out this "Dungeons and Dragons" type of screen play it's enough to keep you entertained for the entire movie, which lasts 106 minutes. The movie is rated PG-13 for violence and some scary images. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale", The Last Witch Hunter is a nice snack. I rate it a MEDIUM.