Dish of the Day

Jon Favreau's film Chef is a simple joy - confirming that less is usually more effective and that it is okay to make a film that leaves the audience smiling, laughing and tapping its feet. However, arguably, Chef is deeper than first glance suggests. It touches on very modern themes of the power of social media (constructive and destructive) and the impact that glib online criticism (positive and negative) can have on real lives, and it's to Favreau's great credit that he does not gloss over these things. The film's use of Tw***er is ingenious and effective, if somewhat similar to at least one previous treatment of texting (the BBC's extraordinary Sherlock), but it is not a throw-away gimmick, rather an important part of the story, showing that - like a loaded gun - social media's power derives from the will of the user.

Chef has a highly likeable cast in great form. Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson and Fav's Iron Man mucker Robert Downey Jr. provide very effective cameos. RDJ is his quirky self, and Johansson is at her most charming, while Hoffman's superbly forceful turn ensures that it's not all sweetness and light, as do chef's scenes with Oliver Platt's restaurant critic. Sofia Vergara, Bobby Cannavale and the excellent John Leguizamo provide enthusiastic and likeable support, but it is Favreau and Emjay Anthony's delightful central relationship that is the beating heart of the film, their scenes are so wonderfully natural that you can only root for them both.

The film features something of a flying foodie travelogue through the southern states, but it is much more than that. Favreau's direction feels light and empathetic, a man confident in knowing exactly what he wanted, and Chef is clearly a film made with great care and affection. The soundtrack is superb, infusing the film with a rhythm that makes it difficult not to be swept along, but why would anyone not want to be carried away by Favreau's wonderful film, which tells us it is okay to take pleasure in what we do, feel the rhythm and love life.

Captain America: World Police

As the Marvel superhero with the richest history, and linch-pin of The Avengers, Captain America was perhaps the most eagerly-awaited of the comic book behemoth's properties to come to the big screen. The First Avenger resoundingly delivered on Cap's pathos, even pulling off the re-branding Chris Evans from hothead Johnny Storm to the steel-nerved Steve Rogers, chief among an across-the-board casting masterclass, from the spunky Hayley Atwell, thru square-jawed Sebastian Stan; gravel-toned Tommy Lee Jones; specky Toby Jones; via fatherly Stanley Tucci; and dashing Dominic Cooper to Hugo Weaving's devilishly evil Red Skull. Joe Johnston's film nicely evoked a never-say-die attitude and drab wartime aesthetic to the benefit of it's jarring final scenes. So how to follow TFA's success? The challenge

Flawed Perfection

Film critics should no longer be talking about unfilmable books, but if any still are, they will consign that tired old epithet to the dustbin after seeing Jonathan Glazer's film Under the Skin. His visualisation of Michel Faber's book of the same name is startlingly bold, both visually and in its vision, it is dazzlingly inventive, challenging and visceral, in other words, everything you would want from a good book. Scarlett Johansson's performance is extraordinary, accomplished and brave, and must have increased her stock no end as an actor capable of so much more than she has been given credit for, certainly by cinemagoers. It is a tribute to Glazer that the BBFC passed Under the Skin as a '15' uncut. There are numerous difficult scenes, several involving nudity, sex and sexual assault - not to mention even more harrowing moments - but never is there even a hint of sensationalism, everything serves the context and the central narrative. Under the Skin is an enthralling piece of cinema, surely the best yet of Glazer's short feature filmography. Not an easy watch, but rewarding and inspirational (if not uplifting) for those willing to push the envelope of their cinema experience. Outstanding.