24 January 2022

Drama

Stephen Graham as Andy Jones

"Boiling Point"  is a drama and not a documentary. Released just before Christmas, this British film is set in a busy upmarket London restaurant with the central focus being Andy Jones, the head chef and part-owner of the establishment played by the brilliant Stephen Graham.

Written and directed by Philip Barantini who just happens to have much personal experience of working in restaurants, the film is very special in the sense that it consists of one continuous ninety minute take. There's no splicing or cutting to other cameras. It's just one camera roving around the restaurant, sometimes following Andy Jones or taking us to tables where demanding diners are seated.

In this sense it does have some of  the characteristics of documentary film making. However, as I said at the beginning "Boiling Point" is a drama. It was carefully scripted and carefully rehearsed  to give the impression of reality unfolding before our eyes. Stuff happens including angry tensions between the kitchen staff and front of house and the unwelcome visits of a top food critic and laddish social influencers who demand steaks even though steak is not on the menu.

It would be interesting to tune into what really happens behind the scenes in upmarket restaurants. I would like to think that most eateries are far more harmonious, orderly and much less dramatic than in the story that unfolded at "Jones & Sons" on that particular Mad Friday before Christmas.

On this grey day, I caught a bus into the city centre to watch the film on a big screen. Seeing good films on a television set in one's own home is just not the same. It is more enthralling to sit in a comfortable cinema seat in darkness with surround sound and full concentration. "Boiling Point" was well worth the effort.

19 comments:

  1. I miss going to the movie theater and the experience of the big screen, plus a Happy Hour afterward. John and I always went to matinees (early afternoon) so that we could get a cheap price and dinner afterward.

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    1. Nothing better than a matinee performance on a grey winter's day.

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  2. On my list to see this one.

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    1. It is on Amazon Prime if you have that but currently you pay an extra fee.

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  3. I keep saying I'm going to go to a movie and then don't. I'm not really worried about covid- the theaters are fairly empty during the days. I just do not make the time. Thanks for reminding me that it can be worth it for sure.

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    1. I hope this post spurs you on to do it Mary.

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  4. Anonymous9:39 pm

    Always better to see a good film in a cinema, with 100 per cent concentration...until one dozes off.

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  5. I hope this comes to America because it sounds very interesting. I like the single shot idea.

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    1. The single shot idea it was drew me to this film. In England with a small extra payment you can watch it via Amazon Prime.

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  6. I shall have to see this.

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    1. In Britain it is available on Amazon Prime but extra payment is currently required. I don't know if it is available via Amazon Prime in America.

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  7. I am in two minds about cinema vs. home; it is nice to loll about on my settee, snuggled under my favourite blanket, chocolate ready; being able to stop the film whenever I need a toilet break or want to replenish my glass of water and with no chatty or otherwise noisy folks nearby. But it can also be a really good experience to watch a film on a big screen, as you say, with surround sound and full concentration. Haven't done that in years.

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    1. I like it best in the late morning or early afternoon when the audience is very small.

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  8. It does sound like a big screen movie. But TV is better for me as I can zip to the loo in the ad breaks.
    What idiot demands steak when there are clearly none available? Troublemakers who then go on to leave bad reviews I guess.

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    1. Yes - that was the impression given. As for toilet breaks, you could consider incontinence pants when visiting the cinema.

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  9. Sounds interesting but I gave up movie theaters probably a decade or more ago. I much prefer the comfort of my own home.

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  10. I just got back from adding this movie to my Netflix Queue and saw there is another Boiling Point from the early 1990's. It is a Japanese crime drama though.

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  11. I watched the trailer and it looks like a stressful movie to watch.

    My hubby hates going to the theatre. No smoke breaks and he's too tall for the seats. But I miss going to the theatre. At home I don't usually sit still and at a theatre I will.

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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