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Viewing 1 - 3 out of 3 Columns.
“Redbelt” is a martial arts movie for people who don’t like martial arts movies. This David Mamet film pays homage to the discipline of jiu jjitsu, but story is a complicated story of honor and betrayal that grips you like a choke hold and doesn’t let you go until the final scene. Mike (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a jiu jitsu instructor. His school upholds the highest standards of the martial art but makes little money. This leads to conflict with his wife (Alice Braga), whose brother is a world-class competitor in the sport of mixed martial arts that has eclipsed boxing in public attention. Mike eschews competition--to him jiu jitsu is too pure to be used as a mere entertainment. To Mike all competitions, by virtue of having rules, are inherently corrupt. The corruption, of course, is just beginning. Mike faces the prospect of compromising with his principles when a major Hollywood actor (well played by Tim Allen) offers to make him a co-producer of his war flick, Mike’s reward for saving the actor in a bar fight. Counterweights to selling out are an emotionally fragile lawyer (Emily Mortimer) and Mike’s policeman buddy (Max Martini). Mamet being Mamet, “Redbelt” builds suspense with double-crosses and with things and people who may not be what they seem. The dialogue crackles, not with the staccato punches and counterpunches of “Glen Garry Glen Ross,” for example, but with a cooler and more ominous tone. The supreme violence that the fighters are capable of is palpable just beneath the surface of the most civilized conversations. “Redbelt” has its flaws, most notably some huge plot holes. In a film that honors discipline--both in the sense of a systematized body of knowledge and the dedication of an individual--it is unfortunate that the writing was not comparably disciplined. Still, the masterful acting, the timeless theme of idealism in a corrupt society, and the con game that Mamet runs so well make “Redbelt” a satisfying film. It is unfortunate that the movie does not seem to be doing well locally. I saw it at the Varsity with only five other people, which I understand has been an average sized audience during the local run. Pity. More people should see this.
“The Savages” is a quietly funny and poignant film about family and the centrifugal and centripetal forces that act on each of us. Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Wendy (Laura Linney) are a brother and sister forced to deal with their elderly father (Philip Bosco). Dear old dad lives with his girlfriend Doris in Arizona. Jon and Wendy, out of a sense of duty rather than affection, offer to move Dad to upstate New York, a maneuver that is facilitated by Doris’s unexpected death. Dad is a true curmudgeon--not a sell-out heart-of-gold curmudgeon, but the real deal. He is frequently profane and constantly irritated by Jon, Wendy, and life. We develop the sense that this is not merely a deterioration in what was once a sunny disposition. Dad must have been unpleasant when Jon and Wendy were kids. This in turn helps us to appreciate Jon’s and Wendy’s own emotional maldevelopment. Wendy is having an affair with a married man. Jon is involved with a Polish woman who is at risk for deportation if he refuses to marry her. So far, he refuses. Jon's and Wendy's honest affection for each other arises from their father's emotional distance, if not abuse.
When the search for a nursing home is accomplished, it is heartening to see that the patients and the caregivers escape the stereotypical wise cracking old man and the bossy nurse. Instead, each minor character appears as genuine, nuanced, and three-dimensional as the main players. Hoffman’s performance burnishes his stature as once of this generation’s greatest actors. In “The Savages” he shows yet another distinctly different persona, complimenting his previous diverse roles in “Capote,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” and so many other films. Laura Linney also gives a bravura performance that definitely earned her the Oscar nomination she received. “The Savages” is a story driven by character rather than plot, a loving yet critical look at people who are flawed but redeemable, and it makes us feel redeemable as well.
We went to Thai Bistro on a Friday evening. The restaurant is on the north west corner of Biddle and Stevens in a strip mall with plenty of parking. The interior is unspectacular American mall décor--hardly evocative of Asia--but clean and well-lit. The food, on the other hand, is as good as any I have had this side of the Pacific. The menu promises that all dishes are cooked to order. Our experience suggests that promise was kept. Chicken satay is an often disappointing appetizer consisting of dried out chicken fragments served with an overly sweet peanut sauce. At Thai Bistro this dish features large pieces of thick chicken breast, juicy on the inside, and nicely seared on the outside. The peanut sauce was refreshingly not too sweet, although the gelatinous consistency was less thanoptimal. The complimentary salad of cucumber, red pepper, onion, and pineapple was a pleasant palate cleanser before our main courses. We asked for the panang curry with beef to be served “Thai hot.” It was spicy enough to satisfy our fire-eater, but the heat didn’t overwhelm the subtle flavors of the cilantro and the cocoanut milk. The beef slices were tender and were nicely complemented by the crispred pepper slices.The eggplant and basil had a remarkably nice texture, farfrom the mush that sometimes results from this delicate vegetable sitting insauce for too long. We ordered it with tofu, served in large chunks. The bean sauce was flavorful and light. All portions were quite large, and we had enough to take home for later in the weekend. We stopped by briefly on Saturday to sample the soups. The Tom Kha Gai (chicken cocoanut soup) was rich and creamy. The Tom Yum(Thai spiced soup) with shrimp had a flavorful clear broth with lemon grass andgreen and white onions. Onceagain, the portions were so large we needed to take some home. Most of the dinners are under $14, under $9 at lunch, exceptfor the chef specials which range up to $26 for the barbecued lamb. There are numerous brands of beer and shortbut inexpensive wine list. Thai Bistro is to be praised for including several local wines. In short, Thai Bistro serves outstanding, authentic Thai food at reasonable prices. Thai Bistro, 535 Stevens Street, Medford, 772-6200. Hours 11 am-9 pm Monday through Thursday and Saturday; 11am-10 pm on Friday. ClosedSunday.
Tags: Thai Food
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