Movies

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is the story of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world's greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant inauspiciously located in a Tokyo subway station. Despite its humble appearances, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a prestigious three-star Michelin Guide rating, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimage, calling months in advance and shelling out top dollar for a coveted seat at Jiro's sushi bar.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a thoughtful and elegant meditation on work, family, and the art of perfection, chronicling Jiro's life as both an unparalleled success in the culinary world and as a loving yet complicated father.

This is a documentary about Jiro Ono, the world-renowned, master sushi chef. It should also be noted that this is a humanistic delight that touches on family, sacrifice, hard work, dedication, artistry, inspiration and leadership. Jiro has been making sushi for over 75 years. Sushi is his life's work, his passion. By all accounts he has perfected his craft and that earned him a 3-star Michelin rating. Jiro Dreams of Sushi tells the story of Jiro Ono, his sons, his apprentices, his accolades, his labor of love, his approach to life, his philosophies on success and his 10-seat sushi restaurant located in a subway station.

Watching this movie I learned that the world's best sushi chef is (seems to be?) the most humble man I have ever seen. I realized that I can do better. My inner fire was reignited; I was inspired to do better. This was not what I expected from this movie and I have never been more pleased by being wrong.

I work with small businesses and people looking to take control of their own professional destiny. While I don't think that this was the intended result of the movie, I think it just became a core tool I recommend to help people reach their goals.

Amazon

Mark Mitchell: This is a unique and dramatic situation.

1. American Psycho

2. 3:10 to Yuma

3. Batman Begins

4. The Fighter

5. Equilibrium

(Honorable Mention: Empire of the Sun)

Kevin McCallister: I took a shower washing every body part with actual soap; including all my major crevices; including in between my toes and in my belly button, which I never did before but sort of enjoyed. I washed my hair with adult formula shampoo and used cream rinse for that just-washed shine. I can't seem to find my toothbrush, so I'll pick one up when I go out today. Other than that, I'm in good shape.

Sylvester Stallone stars as Barney Ross, leader of The Expendables, a tight-knit team of skilled combat vets turned mercenaries. Hired by a powerful covert operator, the team jets off to a small South American country to overthrow a ruthless dictator. Once there, they find themselves caught in a deadly web of deceit and betrayal. Using every weapon at their disposal, they set out to save the innocent and punish the guilty in this blistering action-packed thriller.

Sylvester Stallone is Barney Ross, who leads a group of (aging) mercenaries and accepts a contract that leads the team to some remote island nation to kill its military head. While on location, Stallone's character falls for some unlikely lady in an attempt to sneak some plot into this movie that is really just an all-star cast for fighting sequences and big explosions. I love fighting sequences. I love big explosions. I love movies with Jason Statham and movies with Jet Li and movies with...each of the guys in this movie (Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews and Mickey Rourke). So one movie with all of them together is intriguing, right? There is one AMAZING action sequence that is worth seeing, but the rest of the movie fails to entertain. Consider The Expendables to be the action-equivalent to what Wild Hogs was for comedy; a last hurrah of sorts for a cast that has been around the block a few too many times.

Somehow The Expendables earned itself a sequel and hopefully they'll get this one right and stick to fighting and explosions.

Amazon

Agent Sands: El, you really must try this because it's puerco pibil. It's a slow-roasted pork, nothing fancy. It just happens to be my favorite, and I order it with a tequila and lime in every dive I go to in this country. And honestly, that is the best it's ever been anywhere. In fact, it's too good. It's so good that when I'm finished, I'll pay my check, walk straight into the kitchen and shoot the cook. Because that's what I do. I restore the balance to this country. And that is what I would like from you right now. Help keep the balance by pulling the trigger.

Apple Trailers

Raoul Duke: Let's get down to brass tacks. How much for the ape?

A lonely teenager, curious and sharp, growing in the shattered city of Liverpool. Two incredible women clash for his love. Mimi, the formidable aunt who raised him and Julia, the spirited mother who gave him up. Yearning for a normal family, John escapes into music. His fledgling genius finds a kindred spirit in the young Paul McCartney. But just as John's new life begins the truth about his past leads to a tragedy he would never escape. Poignant and powerful, the untold story of the boy who created The Beatles. Nowhere Boy is the highly anticipated debut feature from British artist Sam Taylor-Wood, written by Matt Greenhalgh (Control) and stars newcomer Aaron Johnson as John Lennon, Kristen Scott Thomas as Lennon's Aunt Mimi, and Anne-Marie Duff as his mother Julia.

This is the origin story of John Lennon's genius. As a teenager he was constantly in trouble; he had no interest in fitting in and playing by the rules. He wasn't like most other children anyway, growing up raised by his aunt and uncle as non-traditional parents. He lacked direction (despite the rigid upbringing from Aunt Mimi) and had no passion until he met his muse, his mother Julia. She was the non-conformist who teaches John that life isn't only about fitting in and doing what you're supposed to do. And she teaches him music; to play, appreciate and live music. I believe you know the rest.

I would never have thought of John Lennon as a renegade teen who cut his classes and idolized Elvis Presley. I had pictured him as the quiet, artsy poet. As it turns out, he was both. And that mix proved John to be revolutionary.

Aaron Johnson, most known to me as the titular character in the recent cult phenomenon Kick-Ass, was fantastic as John Lennon. I thought he did a great job singing and playing guitar on film. I am surprised that he went after such a cheesy role as a graphic-novel, kid super hero after taking on a challenging role as one of the most iconic musicians the world has seen. Let's put Kick-Ass behind you, Aaron. You are made for bigger and better movies. Nowhere Boy proved that.

It is always hard to watch a movie that is a true story, or even based on a true story, when you want the situations you witness on screen to be amazingly true and not just amazingly scripted for the movie. To think of how certain chance meetings and passing conversations shaped a person is crazy. I am not normally a fan of "biopics" and I think that is because I do not get very star struck. But I think even I have a hard time down playing the influence of John Lennon and this one was very well done. That, and I think of this less as a "biopic" since this was not about John Lennon The Beatle, it was about an awkward teenager named John who learns to love music. I enjoyed this movie immensely and am already telling everyone I know that they have to see it.

Amazon

Johnny Hooker: Hey, where's June? Loretta: She quit. I'm filling in for a couple of days, till I can get a train outta here. Johnny Hooker: Yeah? Where ya going? Loretta: I don't know. Depends on which train I get on.