Pocky Plus: A Look at Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Pocky Kitty has been practicing his writing. He recently watched the 2012 documentary, "Jiro Dreams of Sushi." Here are his thoughts:

If you decide to watch “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” do one of two things. Eat first or get some Japanese food to go and eat it while you are watching the movie. “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” is a 2012 documentary about Jiro Ono, an 85 year old Japanese gentleman who owns a small sushi restaurant in Tokyo. Jiro has been a sushi chef for 70 years and has perfected the fine art of preparing sushi. We learn that, at his restaurant, only sushi is served. As the film progresses, the audience learns why this is so. Jiro employs only seven people and his restaurant only seats ten. Jiro is a perfectionist who has trained his two sons to prepare sushi perfectly as well. His older son, Yoshikazu, now prepares a lot of the sushi himself and could be considered a co-owner of the restaurant. Takashi, Jiro’s younger son, has his own restaurant, one which is quite similar to Jiro’s except it is said in the film to be less intimidating.

“Jiro Dreams of Sushi” is a wonderful documentary. It follows the primary rule of documentary filmmaking: Tell the audience about a subject they did not know about before. “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” is not political, it does not have an agenda, it contains no fake drama such as one would see on a reality tv show, and the film is entirely in Japanese. The film is directed by David Gelb, an American filmmaker. There is no English or Japanese narration in the film. The information imparted in the film is from interviews with and observations of the main subjects of the film. This was a very effective way of documenting Gelb’s subject. I loved the fact that the subjects of the film were telling their own story and that they were allowed to do so in Japanese. Of course, they may speak only Japanese, however, the fact that we got to hear the language and the film did not use English voiceover narration for translation was very much appreciated. I learned a lot about the subject of the film in the brief 81 minute running time. Not only did I learn a lot about Jiro and his sons, but I also learned quite a bit about the preparation and proper way to serve sushi. I recommend this film highly, especially to documentary film fans. It was available to rent from Netflix, but I eated it. They have more, though. You can still see it there. Bye!

I Recommend Klowning Around

“Klown” is like an extended episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” “Klown” is less bitter than “Curb,” however “Klown” is structured in the familiar template that involves two or three set-up scenes setting up a payoff scene near the end. I believe this sort of structure in comedy may have begun on “Seinfeld.” Jerry or George would do or say something which would set up disastrous repercussions at the end of an episode. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” uses the same structure. This is not to say that I am tired of this structure. It usually works very well. It is just a familiar structure on some sitcoms and it is used in “Klown.” Two or three events occur, some of them just hinted at with a single camera shot, but mostly they occur as brief scenes during the course of the film.

It seems as though this kind of structure would be difficult to write, as it is evident that careful planning must occur for events to progress in such a fashion so as to result in a comedic end. The basic story in the film,“Klown,” which is based on a six-season, 60 episode Danish television series, is that a man named Frank Hvam (the actor’s real name and character name are the same) is assigned the duty of babysitting his nephew, Bo (Marcuz Jess Petersen). Frank has promised and wants to go on a canoe trip with his friend, Casper (Casper Christensen). Casper does not just want to go canoeing, however. The purpose of this trip for Casper is to row to a remote brothel and spend a night with the world’s best prostitutes. Casper calls this trip the “Tour de Pussy.” It is evident what Casper is looking for. Frank wants to go on this trip, but does not, obviously, want to haul a 12 year-old boy along. Well…stuff happens and more stuff happens. I am not going to go into how it all plays out since I am encouraging you to see the film. I do not like to divulge spoilers. The film works very well, as do most episodes of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” I get the impression, even though I don’t do impressions, that the tv show, “Klovn,” (with a “v”), is a lot like Larry David’s HBO series. The guys do harmless, sometimes foolish, things which lead to bigger, worse things happening as a result. Their wives are nonplussed by their actions, as are those who are victims of their foolishness. Having seen the movie, I am very interested in watching the television series.

I do not think comedy like this is easy to write and it takes skill to organize events and plot points carefully so as to lead the audience to those funny things that result. This is why I champion “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” It may seem like a show about a grumpy, unpleasant guy who hates everybody. The character of Larry has evolved throughout the course of the series and about 75% of the time, he is right about what he is ranting about. The way he goes about things is usually wrong. So, “Klown” appears to the a film-length version of a tv show which is similar to and probably influenced by Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The script is well-planned and well-organized, leading the viewer through Hvam and Casper’s journey of uncomfortableness which is very amusing. If you enjoy uncomfortable humor such as what one would find on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” or Lisa Kudrow’s shamefully underrated, short-lived HBO series, “The Comeback,” you will likely enjoy “Klown.” So, no more clowning around. Find “Klown” and enjoy it

How Can You Love "Argo" Not?

“Argo” begins with the 1970’s era Warner Brothers logo, the one in which the white “W” comes towards you then another one comes towards you over a red background. Even though, in the 70's, Warner Brothers was a Warner Communications Company and not a Time Warner Company as it is today, I still loved seeing the old logo. Yep, I am a big dork. Let’s go!

“Argo” is the best film I have seen so far this year. Ben Affleck’s film is a tense thriller based on true events that occurred in January, 1980. In 1979, Iranian militants had taken over the American Embassy in Tehran and had taken 50 Americans hostage. The film does a great job of outlining the history of what had happened up to the point of the action in the film. Six of the people who worked at the office were able to get to the home of the Canadian ambassador for temporary safety. The story of “Argo” surrounds American efforts to sneak these six people out of Iran and back to the United States. Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) is given the task of coming up with a plan that will bring home these six. As the trailer for the film suggests, so it is no secret, Mendez devises a plan of setting up production of a fake movie that will necessitate desert-like locations. Mendez is given permission to go to Hollywood where the U.S. government has a contact in make-up artist, John Chambers (John Goodman). Chambers and Mendez convince Hollywood producer, Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) to go along with the idea, giving Mendez everything he needs to set up a hopefully perfect ruse. Ads are printed in Variety for the upcoming film, actors are hired for a table read, papers are produced to present to the Iranian government stating that said film will be filmed in Iran. “Argo” is the name of the fake movie. It is to be a science fiction film. At the time, in the late 70’s, there were many low budget sci-fi films being made to cash in on the popularity of “Star Wars.” Remember “Battle Beyond the Stars” and the greatness of “Star Crash” starring Marjoe Gortner? So everything is in order for Mendez to go to Iran and meet the six Americans who are living at the Canadian ambassador’s home. The plan developed by Mendez, Chambers, and Siegel is a very risky one. As noted by Jack O’Donnell (Bryan Cranston), Mendez’s boss, when presenting the idea to the Secretary of State, “This is the best bad idea we have, sir.” This is one of many great lines in the film. I am glad I did not know anything about this particular story. It is based on true events, however, my knowledge of the “Argo” story was non-existent. This made the film even more tense, a tenseness of the good variety.

“Argo” works perfectly as a thriller. It is also a very funny film, as witty and sometimes, smartass lines of dialogue are spread throughout the film and these lines and the film's sense of humor work perfectly to compliment the drama and tenseness of the film. All of the performances are brilliant, most of note being Ben Affleck. I have never seen a better performance by Affleck. I hope he gets an Oscar nomination for his acting and his direction of the film. Goodman and Arkin are fantastic as the gentlemen from Hollywood. Bryan Cranston, who is beyond brilliant as Walter White on the television drama, “Breaking Bad,” is solid as Tony Mendez’s boss at the CIA. The actors and actresses as the six Americans are wonderful as well. I love this movie!! The final 45 minutes is some of the best, tensest filmmaking I have seen. The story unfolds in a spellbinding fashion. The film is 120 minutes, not overlong, and it speeds by. I cannot recommend this film any more highly! Every section of the film works very well—the set-up of what is to come in the film, the set-up of the plan, the events that follow, and the end of the film is very well done. As well, the look of the film is flawless. The hairstyles, costume design, and set pieces perfectly represent 1979 and 1980. I appreciated the film’s nod to science-fiction film action figures which dorks like me will definitely notice and appreciate. I appreciated the fact that the film is not overrun with music from the era. It is common for films set in a particular era to overuse songs of the day. "Argo" does incorporate a few songs during the Hollywood segment of the film, however, they were songs of which I had a cursory knowledge, songs not heard often in movies. We didn't hear "Car Wash" or "I Will Survive" at any point during the film. I only have one problem with anything in the set design category. At one point, Mendez is eating a McDonald’s hamburger. The burger was wrapped in paper, as it is today. I remember when I was a kid, which would have been in 1979-80, McDonald’s burgers being served in Styrofoam containers. That is my biggest problem with “Argo.” See how perfect it is? Go see it as soon as you can. There will surely be more excellent films released between now and the end of the year, however, I do not anticipate being as highly entertained and emotionally involved in any film this year more than I was with “Argo.”