Synopsis: A small group of people take a boat ride to a small island in the middle of nowhere, unaware that a madman stalks that island.
Good: The movie works to generate a mood. The creep factor builds slowly. The really gross moments are still really gross. Shock value remains high. Makeup is good. The characters are drawn well enough, even the villain.
Bad: The building of mood is almost too slow. The 'bad things' don't really kick in until about an hour into the film. For something that was banned as a 'video nasty', I expected it to be more consistently nasty as opposed to a couple moments. I've seen the lead actress, Tisa Farrow, in 'Zombi' as well and here she looked a little unwell around the eyes.
Bad? No. Nasty? Not as much as I expected. Recommended? No, not really.
24 October 2009
22 October 2009
Must Be Practicing for the End of this Month
I went to the Milwaukee Public Museum today (I know, big shock). I went by myself. Amongst other things, one of the long broken exhibits was up and running again and I wanted to see it mobile once again.
At one point later in the day, I was in the Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit, leaning up against a lamppost, scrawling thoughts on my pad before they could escape me. A family walked past, but not at the same time. I heard a mom and kid go by, then a dad encouraging his son to catch up and then a kid shuffling past. I heard a soft voice say something to the effect of 'Do you talk too?' I turned and saw a young boy that was probably not even five staring at me wide-eyed. I smiled and grunted at him. He hurried to catch up with his dad, who was chuckling. 'Did you think he was a dummy?' asked the dad. I smiled. I'm pretty sure the answer was yes.
Even later in the day I was in the nearby European Village. The museum was starting to clear out and I was alone in the exhibit. Completely alone. I took the opportunity to take some pictures, using a wall to balance my camera on. Kneeling behind the wall, I lined up the shots on the viewscreen and snapped away. As I went to take the last shot, I heard approaching footsteps and rushed to finish. I took the picture without flash and waited to see if the young couple walking at a brisk pace had walked through my shot or not. They hadn't. I stood up. The young lady jumped and squealed. I'd been so still lining up the shot that, in the dark, she hadn't seen I was real. I apologized for scaring her and we all laughed a bit.
Too much fun.
At one point later in the day, I was in the Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit, leaning up against a lamppost, scrawling thoughts on my pad before they could escape me. A family walked past, but not at the same time. I heard a mom and kid go by, then a dad encouraging his son to catch up and then a kid shuffling past. I heard a soft voice say something to the effect of 'Do you talk too?' I turned and saw a young boy that was probably not even five staring at me wide-eyed. I smiled and grunted at him. He hurried to catch up with his dad, who was chuckling. 'Did you think he was a dummy?' asked the dad. I smiled. I'm pretty sure the answer was yes.
Even later in the day I was in the nearby European Village. The museum was starting to clear out and I was alone in the exhibit. Completely alone. I took the opportunity to take some pictures, using a wall to balance my camera on. Kneeling behind the wall, I lined up the shots on the viewscreen and snapped away. As I went to take the last shot, I heard approaching footsteps and rushed to finish. I took the picture without flash and waited to see if the young couple walking at a brisk pace had walked through my shot or not. They hadn't. I stood up. The young lady jumped and squealed. I'd been so still lining up the shot that, in the dark, she hadn't seen I was real. I apologized for scaring her and we all laughed a bit.
Too much fun.
21 October 2009
Hell's Kitchen Episode 15
Hell's Kitchen Episode 15 aka 2 Chefs Compete
As I noted in Episode 14, there's a season long recap at the beginning of this episode. This is normal for the finale and I'm not going to write it all out. It would take too long in my style. The important note is that Dave and Kevin were both injured early in the competition on the same day. Kevin's ankles healed up a bit as things went on and weren't mentioned often, so they must not have been as much of a factor. Dave's wrist was reinjured a couple of times and has almost sent him home a couple of times. That they are the final two is impressive.
Before I start with the actual programme, a few thoughts on the finalists. One, I've no problem with these two being the finalists. Some seasons you'll see someone get hosed near the end or someone's in the final because they were the best of the bunch but they don't seem very good in general but these two guys come across as good chefs. Neither is perfect, nor would I expect them to be. Ariel had a shot at this but her performance in the last three or four episodes dropped off, not horribly, but noticeably. Tennille made a good comeback to reach the final four but her skill level didn't seem high enough for the final two. Kevin is unusual to see in the final two only because generally guys that come in to Hell's Kitchen saying that they are the best and will win everything and very full of themselves and quickly find out that they aren't that good. Kevin is good. He has largely been able to back up his statements which brings to mind the question 'Is it still bragging if its true?' He doesn't seem like a complete creep and knew that there was a game to play here. Dave is no different but is manner is more relaxed so he doesn't come across as braggadocios as Kevin does. I'd like to see Dave win if nothing else because he played through so much pain and I respect that. That said, if Kevin wins, I believe he earned it as well. There is no clear-cut winner here from my perspective.
And now, the conclusion of Hell's Kitchen.
Chef Ramsey lays out the final. As normal, the restaurant will be split in two, each chef designing the style of the look and menu themselves. The best performance will win. They also need to go change and be ready to leave in the limo waiting for them.
They are taken to the roof of a hotel in downtown LA. It's about midnight. Chef Ramsey meets them there. In the courtyard below is a group of screaming fans. Their final challenge begins now! They have 45 minutes to create a dish for the judges that are waiting below in the crowd. And go!
As normal, they cook right up to the time limit. Five highly regarded judges come out to test their dishes. Three votes will carry the day. Dave's venison dish is relatively simple compared to Kevin's lobster with corn pudding and potato. While both dishes are complimented, Dave gets a quick 2-0 lead. We go to commercial before the 3rd vote can be cast.
Kevin gets the third vote. I'm not that surprised. I'm guessing all five votes will get cast. It's like wrestling, a 3 fall match always goes to 3 falls, rarely does anyone win 2 straight falls. As I type that, Kevin gets vote 4 to tie it up. The five judge is someone from Gourmet magazine. Ha! Your magazine is gone now!
The winner is... Dave! Hmm, he was the first named finalist as well. Momentum from Dave or is this a dodge to make us think he's winning so that Kevin will have to worked harder in service and win?
Yes I'm approaching this like it was scripted. The competition may well be real but that doesn't mean the presentation isn't scripted to build drama.
It looks like they aren't remodeling the restaurant like previous years. The economy is getting to everyone, huh. The guys get a few hours of sleep while the restaurant is reconfigured, develop their menus (Dave notes his will be unpretentious and simple good food, we get no hints toward Kevin's plan), and head downstairs. Kevin's in the Red Kitchen with Sous Chef Heather (who, again, has lived through a final in Hell's Kitchen) and Dave's on the Blue side with Sous Chef Scott. Chef Ramsey asks the chefs for some help unloading the 'special delivery' out front and it's a truck with a number of eliminated contestants in it for the teams. No surprise to me there. I always wonder about the chefs when they go 'I never expected that' as often the 'twists' are similar from season to season. Sometimes I think the chefs just haven't watched the show before. It occurred to me here that the guys are running on about five hours of sleep, perhaps have been for a couple days, if not the past month or so, and are distracted by the million things they need to get ready. That would explain a lot.
Suzanne, Ariel, Amanda, Sabrina, Robert, and Van have returned for the final. As Dave won the challenge, he gets to pick first. Am surprised that Tennille didn't return and that Robert and Amanda did as they seem to have been eliminated ages ago and Tennille only left a day or two ago. Am guessing Suzanne will be the last picked. She does as well. Dave picks Ariel, Robert, and Suzanne. Kevin picks Van, Amanda, and gets Sabrina as who's left. Wow, slight surprise there. Dave points to the challenge they won as a team as part of his motivation there. They take their teams off to educate them on their menus. Kevin's team is struggling to pick up his complicated menu. Dave's team picks up his simpler menu quickly.
Chef Ramsey notes that Kevin's menu is beautiful and artistic but may be too complicated. Dave's is more rustic and simple (also referred to as 'classic') but can't be sloppy. Execution will be the key. I'm inclined to think that Kevin's menu will be too tricky for a team to pick up at the last minute. I think Dave has an advantage in that regard.
Just before service, Chef Ramsey calls Kevin and Dave over and notes that there's something that's been bothering him that he needs to take care of before they start. Commercial.
Chef Ramsey has Executive Chef jackets for them both. They change and Hell's Kitchen is open!
Among the guests in the restaurant are head chefs from Canada, including the chef that will be the winner's employer. First order comes in to Kevin. He has to push his team to respond. Dave's team immediately responds.
Despite getting orders first, food is slow to emerge from Kevin's kitchen. Dave does not have this problem. Amanda is working fish and meat stations. She has issues with scallops and slows Kevin's kitchen to a crawl. Chef Ramsey encourages him to move her about if need be. As Kevin cries out for someone to get him some scallops, a plume of fire erupts from one of Amanda's pans. Commercial.
Kevin swaps Van and Amanda. She's clearly crushed but this works and food comes from the kitchen.
On Dave's side, appetizers are almost complete when they run low on mushrooms for the risotto. Dave tells Robert to dial down on the mushrooms in order to get through the last few tickets. Robert dials down too far so that there aren't enough mushrooms in it. Chef Ramsey catches this and gives Dave a hard time. Dave responds that he hadn't gotten a chance to see this and wouldn't have sent them out. He restates his directive to Robert, who sees this as being thrown under the bus and gets annoyed. He immediately starts messing with Dave in little ways to get some revenge. Petty certainly but somewhat entertaining.
Dave's still in the lead for delivering food that's appreciated by the customers. A risotto returns to Kevin's kitchen for being crunchy. Who made that? Amanda. He asks Van to help her out. Van becomes Kevin's go-to guy to crank stuff out. It works and they start making progress.
Ariel overcooks a venison for Dave. He catches it and has her try again. Take two is successful.
Food is now streaming from both kitchens. Kevin gets the ticket from the hotel head chef. He gets more tense. He calls out a temperature for this ticket. Amanda double-checks the temperature 'medium-rare or medium-well?' Kevin says 'well', then 'rare'. Amanda gets confused and gives him the wrong one. Everything crashes to a halt. More fire in a pan. Commercial.
Before he explodes, Kevin takes a deep breath and rallies the troops calmly. He explains himself and what he needs to Amanda. He makes sure that the team is working to support on another. Excellent move! The entree gets to the chef from the Araxi restaurant and he likes it.
Dave has four tables left and Kevin has six. Kevin tries to do two tables at once to catch up. Dave's kitchen sputters with Ariel suddenly unable to kick out fish or meat properly. Robert is assigned to assist and he tries to rally the troops as well. This allows Kevin's team to catch up. Both are at four tables remaining.
Both sides push. One table apiece. They finish at about the same time. Dave and Kevin thank their teams for their hard work. Nerves kick in. They've done what they can and now they have to wait to see who won.
The winner will be determined by customer comment cards and Chef Ramsey's observations. We see him thinking. Then the phone rings for Dave and Kevin to hear the result.
In Chef Ramsey's office, he congratulates them both. He states this has been the closest race ever in Hell's Kitchen. They approach the doors. One will open and that person will be the winner. They congratulate each other. They place their hands on the door handles. At the count of three, they will turn their door handle. Commercial.
The winner is... Dave!
As normal, Dave freaks a bit. Kevin sits there in shock for a moment. Chef Ramsey gives him a hug and Kevin decides he needs to show his son that its okay and he can lose like a gentleman. Chef Ramsey points to Dave's skill, palate, and his gutting through the injury as reasons why he won.
During the credits we get bloopers. Hilarious moments cut from the season. Van beating Chef Ramsey in arm wrestling. Dave dancing to amuse customers in the restaurant. JP getting sprayed by children. Robert breaking something in the dorm. Chef Ramsey repeating Joseph's 'ain't nobody's [female dog]' line.
- Good season. No problem with the winner. They had ads for the last couple weeks for 'casting' the next season so I guess there'll be another. I may do this again. If so, I hope I get better at it.
As I noted in Episode 14, there's a season long recap at the beginning of this episode. This is normal for the finale and I'm not going to write it all out. It would take too long in my style. The important note is that Dave and Kevin were both injured early in the competition on the same day. Kevin's ankles healed up a bit as things went on and weren't mentioned often, so they must not have been as much of a factor. Dave's wrist was reinjured a couple of times and has almost sent him home a couple of times. That they are the final two is impressive.
Before I start with the actual programme, a few thoughts on the finalists. One, I've no problem with these two being the finalists. Some seasons you'll see someone get hosed near the end or someone's in the final because they were the best of the bunch but they don't seem very good in general but these two guys come across as good chefs. Neither is perfect, nor would I expect them to be. Ariel had a shot at this but her performance in the last three or four episodes dropped off, not horribly, but noticeably. Tennille made a good comeback to reach the final four but her skill level didn't seem high enough for the final two. Kevin is unusual to see in the final two only because generally guys that come in to Hell's Kitchen saying that they are the best and will win everything and very full of themselves and quickly find out that they aren't that good. Kevin is good. He has largely been able to back up his statements which brings to mind the question 'Is it still bragging if its true?' He doesn't seem like a complete creep and knew that there was a game to play here. Dave is no different but is manner is more relaxed so he doesn't come across as braggadocios as Kevin does. I'd like to see Dave win if nothing else because he played through so much pain and I respect that. That said, if Kevin wins, I believe he earned it as well. There is no clear-cut winner here from my perspective.
And now, the conclusion of Hell's Kitchen.
Chef Ramsey lays out the final. As normal, the restaurant will be split in two, each chef designing the style of the look and menu themselves. The best performance will win. They also need to go change and be ready to leave in the limo waiting for them.
They are taken to the roof of a hotel in downtown LA. It's about midnight. Chef Ramsey meets them there. In the courtyard below is a group of screaming fans. Their final challenge begins now! They have 45 minutes to create a dish for the judges that are waiting below in the crowd. And go!
As normal, they cook right up to the time limit. Five highly regarded judges come out to test their dishes. Three votes will carry the day. Dave's venison dish is relatively simple compared to Kevin's lobster with corn pudding and potato. While both dishes are complimented, Dave gets a quick 2-0 lead. We go to commercial before the 3rd vote can be cast.
Kevin gets the third vote. I'm not that surprised. I'm guessing all five votes will get cast. It's like wrestling, a 3 fall match always goes to 3 falls, rarely does anyone win 2 straight falls. As I type that, Kevin gets vote 4 to tie it up. The five judge is someone from Gourmet magazine. Ha! Your magazine is gone now!
The winner is... Dave! Hmm, he was the first named finalist as well. Momentum from Dave or is this a dodge to make us think he's winning so that Kevin will have to worked harder in service and win?
Yes I'm approaching this like it was scripted. The competition may well be real but that doesn't mean the presentation isn't scripted to build drama.
It looks like they aren't remodeling the restaurant like previous years. The economy is getting to everyone, huh. The guys get a few hours of sleep while the restaurant is reconfigured, develop their menus (Dave notes his will be unpretentious and simple good food, we get no hints toward Kevin's plan), and head downstairs. Kevin's in the Red Kitchen with Sous Chef Heather (who, again, has lived through a final in Hell's Kitchen) and Dave's on the Blue side with Sous Chef Scott. Chef Ramsey asks the chefs for some help unloading the 'special delivery' out front and it's a truck with a number of eliminated contestants in it for the teams. No surprise to me there. I always wonder about the chefs when they go 'I never expected that' as often the 'twists' are similar from season to season. Sometimes I think the chefs just haven't watched the show before. It occurred to me here that the guys are running on about five hours of sleep, perhaps have been for a couple days, if not the past month or so, and are distracted by the million things they need to get ready. That would explain a lot.
Suzanne, Ariel, Amanda, Sabrina, Robert, and Van have returned for the final. As Dave won the challenge, he gets to pick first. Am surprised that Tennille didn't return and that Robert and Amanda did as they seem to have been eliminated ages ago and Tennille only left a day or two ago. Am guessing Suzanne will be the last picked. She does as well. Dave picks Ariel, Robert, and Suzanne. Kevin picks Van, Amanda, and gets Sabrina as who's left. Wow, slight surprise there. Dave points to the challenge they won as a team as part of his motivation there. They take their teams off to educate them on their menus. Kevin's team is struggling to pick up his complicated menu. Dave's team picks up his simpler menu quickly.
Chef Ramsey notes that Kevin's menu is beautiful and artistic but may be too complicated. Dave's is more rustic and simple (also referred to as 'classic') but can't be sloppy. Execution will be the key. I'm inclined to think that Kevin's menu will be too tricky for a team to pick up at the last minute. I think Dave has an advantage in that regard.
Just before service, Chef Ramsey calls Kevin and Dave over and notes that there's something that's been bothering him that he needs to take care of before they start. Commercial.
Chef Ramsey has Executive Chef jackets for them both. They change and Hell's Kitchen is open!
Among the guests in the restaurant are head chefs from Canada, including the chef that will be the winner's employer. First order comes in to Kevin. He has to push his team to respond. Dave's team immediately responds.
Despite getting orders first, food is slow to emerge from Kevin's kitchen. Dave does not have this problem. Amanda is working fish and meat stations. She has issues with scallops and slows Kevin's kitchen to a crawl. Chef Ramsey encourages him to move her about if need be. As Kevin cries out for someone to get him some scallops, a plume of fire erupts from one of Amanda's pans. Commercial.
Kevin swaps Van and Amanda. She's clearly crushed but this works and food comes from the kitchen.
On Dave's side, appetizers are almost complete when they run low on mushrooms for the risotto. Dave tells Robert to dial down on the mushrooms in order to get through the last few tickets. Robert dials down too far so that there aren't enough mushrooms in it. Chef Ramsey catches this and gives Dave a hard time. Dave responds that he hadn't gotten a chance to see this and wouldn't have sent them out. He restates his directive to Robert, who sees this as being thrown under the bus and gets annoyed. He immediately starts messing with Dave in little ways to get some revenge. Petty certainly but somewhat entertaining.
Dave's still in the lead for delivering food that's appreciated by the customers. A risotto returns to Kevin's kitchen for being crunchy. Who made that? Amanda. He asks Van to help her out. Van becomes Kevin's go-to guy to crank stuff out. It works and they start making progress.
Ariel overcooks a venison for Dave. He catches it and has her try again. Take two is successful.
Food is now streaming from both kitchens. Kevin gets the ticket from the hotel head chef. He gets more tense. He calls out a temperature for this ticket. Amanda double-checks the temperature 'medium-rare or medium-well?' Kevin says 'well', then 'rare'. Amanda gets confused and gives him the wrong one. Everything crashes to a halt. More fire in a pan. Commercial.
Before he explodes, Kevin takes a deep breath and rallies the troops calmly. He explains himself and what he needs to Amanda. He makes sure that the team is working to support on another. Excellent move! The entree gets to the chef from the Araxi restaurant and he likes it.
Dave has four tables left and Kevin has six. Kevin tries to do two tables at once to catch up. Dave's kitchen sputters with Ariel suddenly unable to kick out fish or meat properly. Robert is assigned to assist and he tries to rally the troops as well. This allows Kevin's team to catch up. Both are at four tables remaining.
Both sides push. One table apiece. They finish at about the same time. Dave and Kevin thank their teams for their hard work. Nerves kick in. They've done what they can and now they have to wait to see who won.
The winner will be determined by customer comment cards and Chef Ramsey's observations. We see him thinking. Then the phone rings for Dave and Kevin to hear the result.
In Chef Ramsey's office, he congratulates them both. He states this has been the closest race ever in Hell's Kitchen. They approach the doors. One will open and that person will be the winner. They congratulate each other. They place their hands on the door handles. At the count of three, they will turn their door handle. Commercial.
The winner is... Dave!
As normal, Dave freaks a bit. Kevin sits there in shock for a moment. Chef Ramsey gives him a hug and Kevin decides he needs to show his son that its okay and he can lose like a gentleman. Chef Ramsey points to Dave's skill, palate, and his gutting through the injury as reasons why he won.
During the credits we get bloopers. Hilarious moments cut from the season. Van beating Chef Ramsey in arm wrestling. Dave dancing to amuse customers in the restaurant. JP getting sprayed by children. Robert breaking something in the dorm. Chef Ramsey repeating Joseph's 'ain't nobody's [female dog]' line.
- Good season. No problem with the winner. They had ads for the last couple weeks for 'casting' the next season so I guess there'll be another. I may do this again. If so, I hope I get better at it.
20 October 2009
Hell's Kitchen Episode 14
Hell's Kitchen Episode 14 aka 3 Chefs Compete
- Recap: Vegetarian challenge with the kids is won by Tennille but has a horrible night on fish, Dave's wrist causes more pain for him, Dave begs to stay, Tennille goes home, family and friends visit the remaining three.
The chefs return to the dorm all recharged from seeing their family and friends.
The next morning, Dave is up early from nerves. It's one of the very few times we see him without a hat on. He's got a full head of hair so it just must be his style.
Challenge: each chef is randomly given the cuisine of a specific country to emulate. They each have 45 minutes to create an entree in the style they receive, using the special ingredients in the storeroom, which are clearly labeled as belonging to each country.
Ariel gets China. She's happy as she expresses a love for Chinese food. Dave gets India. He's nervous as he's unfamiliar with Indian food. Kevin gets Mexico. He notes that everyone's cooked Mexican food so this should be a snap.
As normal, it's a race to complete with contestants bringing their dishes to the front as time elapses. Dave has admitted he's no idea what he was doing with Indian food so his declared plan is to prepare something he knows how to do and give it an Indian flair. Kevin and Ariel do not have this issue and plow through the process, able to work within familiar structures in their head.
After the cooking is done, Chef Ramsey informs them that he has three chefs to help grade the dishes, each an expert in a specific cuisine. The Indian expert, Vikas, was on one of the American episodes of Kitchen Nightmares. Neat! No one sweats more at this information than Dave, who also reverses his dirty apron to make it look clean again. First impressions are important, so probably a good move.
The Chinese dish goes first. Ariel is incredibly nervous, stammering and stumbling as she tries to explain her dish. Thomas, the Mexican expert, feels her plum duck and noodles isn't balanced. Vikas liked the sweetness of it. Eddie, the Chinese expert, felt it was a good try but that the sauce was too watery. As a result of this lukewarm feedback, Ariel feels she could have done better.
Kevin is next. This doesn't surprise me. Having seen Dave's reaction through the challenge, his is the story, either to succeed or fail entertainingly. I'm guessing we'll get a commercial break before seeing the expert reaction to his dish. Kevin is confident in explaining his dish but, when questioned by Chef Ramsey, he realizes he forgot to add the mole chocolate sauce he made to go with it. Commercial. Sooner than I expected.
Thomas agrees that a nice Mexican style sauce would have done it and that the dish lacks without it. Eddie and Vikas both enjoy the dish.
Dave is still rightfully nervous. Upon presenting it, he admits this is his first attempt at Indian food. He selected pork as he seemed to remember that the cow is revered in India. Vikas informs him that there are also a lot of Muslims in India so pork wasn't the greatest choice either; chicken or seafood would have been better. Apart from that, Vikas seems to have enjoyed it, 'for first try: amazing'. Thomas is impressed, especially since Dave was unfamiliar with the spices going it. Eddie also enjoyed it.
Chef Ramsey calls for the experts opinions: all three vote for Dave. Wow! He's shocked but thrilled.
Reward: each of the experts will make their signature dish for Dave. And a set of cookware as used in Hell's Kitchen. Punishment: prepping for tonight's service and getting the restaurant ready.
Kevin is confident that he would have won had he remembered his sauce. To 'rub in' the reward, the experts are cooking in Hell's Kitchen while the punished clean. Dave's sister and fiancee get to join him for lunch, making the price that much greater. Each chef brings Dave over to see what they are cooking and giving him pointers on each dish. The punished are fuming, not so much at Dave, but just out of jealousy. After lunch, Dave returns to the dorm to amp himself up for dinner service. Commercial.
Just before the pre-service meeting, we get a brief video package of the eliminated chefs removing their jackets to leave Hell's Kitchen. I liked that. During the meeting, Chef Ramsey explains that each chef will get a turn leading the kitchen at the pass. Playfully, he explains how it's done by all the things he wouldn't do, an explanation that's intercut with video of him doing those very things during the course of this season. Ha!
Sous Chefs Scott and Heather will be helping out as there are only three chefs working tonight and, at times, one will be on the pass. It also lets Chef Ramsey test the chefs while at the pass. The Sous Chefs have a habit of 'messing up' while in this situation to see if the contestants will catch it. The service starts well and Kevin is soon called up to work the pass. In Interview he notes that this is no different from any other night as he always leads the kitchen. He starts well, spots the halibut that Sous Chef Scott 'accidentally' brings to the window instead of sea bass, and decides Ariel's order of lamb isn't good enough. She gets annoyed with him after the second attempt is also rejected. The commercial break comes with them giving each other the stink eye.
Third time is the charm but Ariel is now flustered and annoyed. Kevin is released back to cooking and Dave is brought up to the pass. He yells, swats his towel, kicks things, and gives suggestions where he shouldn't, such as to Sous Chef Scott. It's really weird to see him like this but he does keep the kitchen going. Sous Chef Scott 'accidentally' makes a risotto with the wrong puree (same color but different flavor) and Dave doesn't catch it, even after tasting it. He also misses that a tuna order that's not prepared with the correct seasonings. Both failures get him politely chastised by Chef Ramsey. He then catches a poorly cooked tuna and some poorly seasoned vegetables thereby 'bouncing back' from his earlier failure. Food continued to flow from the kitchen. Dave is returned to cooking and Ariel is brought up.
This time it's Sous Chef Heather's turn to have an 'accident', substituting parsnip puree for mashed potatoes. Ariel doesn't catch it even after tasting it. Sous Chef Scott brings up a salmon order instead of sea bass and Ariel catches this 'mistake'. She calls out three orders at a time, confusing the kitchen. Kevin gets totally thrown off. Ariel looses control of the kitchen. Chef Ramsey ends up yelling out priorities as we go to commercial.
Ariel tries to take control back and blames Kevin for dragging her down now. She then questions the quality of an order of scallops he prepared and he fixes it. The rest of the service completes without incident.
In the post service meeting, Chef Ramsey says things went well. They all had their ups and downs on the pass. This will be a difficult decision. He asks them to go away and for each of them to pick out one person that they feel should be the one to go home tonight.
As they return to the dorms, Dave doesn't know who he should vote for tonight. Ariel asks if Kevin intentionally dragged down the scallops order while she was on the pass but we don't see him directly answer her question. The answer we get is: 'This is a competition of skill, not cheating.' Difficult decisions but, since Ariel and Kevin seem to be feuding at the moment, I wonder if Dave will slip through? If I had to pick, I'd vote for Ariel tonight. She had issues with lamb, not completely her fault but still, and she lost it the worst of the three when at the pass.
As they stand before Chef Ramsey, he notes that he could see them all winning. He begins collecting their votes. Kevin's vote: Ariel, doesn't feel she's quite ready. Ariel: Kevin, as he didn't have her back while at the pass. Dave's vote...commercial.
Dave's vote: Ariel due to her performance at the pass.
Chef Ramsey notes that their votes haven't helped him and that this is a tough call. He has another question for each chef: why do you belong in the final?
Kevin states that he's a strong person and that there's nothing he can't do when he sets his mind to it. He is certain he can succeed at the head chef position. Ariel points to how she's grown over the competition, believes she has the correct skills, and notes her youth and creativity. Dave says he's run himself, he's grown tenfold over the competition, and that he'll run the kitchen rather than letting it run him.
Two video screens suddenly drop from the ceiling of Hell's Kitchen. The first to advance is Dave. The second finalist is Kevin. Ariel is eliminated. Dave and Kevin shake her hand and hug her goodbye. Chef Ramsey calls her over to compliment her and tells her to keep her jacket. Nice!
Ariel is disappointed that she didn't win but says she learned a lot while in Hell's Kitchen. She's pretty calm and collected so I'm wondering if she may have expected this as well.
Dave and Kevin have 30 minutes to get ready for their limo ride!
The episode feeds directly into the next so it doesn't really stop or have a trailer for the next episode. Instead there's a recap of the entire season, focusing on the different conflicts that occurred. We'll stop here and review the final later.
- Recap: Vegetarian challenge with the kids is won by Tennille but has a horrible night on fish, Dave's wrist causes more pain for him, Dave begs to stay, Tennille goes home, family and friends visit the remaining three.
The chefs return to the dorm all recharged from seeing their family and friends.
The next morning, Dave is up early from nerves. It's one of the very few times we see him without a hat on. He's got a full head of hair so it just must be his style.
Challenge: each chef is randomly given the cuisine of a specific country to emulate. They each have 45 minutes to create an entree in the style they receive, using the special ingredients in the storeroom, which are clearly labeled as belonging to each country.
Ariel gets China. She's happy as she expresses a love for Chinese food. Dave gets India. He's nervous as he's unfamiliar with Indian food. Kevin gets Mexico. He notes that everyone's cooked Mexican food so this should be a snap.
As normal, it's a race to complete with contestants bringing their dishes to the front as time elapses. Dave has admitted he's no idea what he was doing with Indian food so his declared plan is to prepare something he knows how to do and give it an Indian flair. Kevin and Ariel do not have this issue and plow through the process, able to work within familiar structures in their head.
After the cooking is done, Chef Ramsey informs them that he has three chefs to help grade the dishes, each an expert in a specific cuisine. The Indian expert, Vikas, was on one of the American episodes of Kitchen Nightmares. Neat! No one sweats more at this information than Dave, who also reverses his dirty apron to make it look clean again. First impressions are important, so probably a good move.
The Chinese dish goes first. Ariel is incredibly nervous, stammering and stumbling as she tries to explain her dish. Thomas, the Mexican expert, feels her plum duck and noodles isn't balanced. Vikas liked the sweetness of it. Eddie, the Chinese expert, felt it was a good try but that the sauce was too watery. As a result of this lukewarm feedback, Ariel feels she could have done better.
Kevin is next. This doesn't surprise me. Having seen Dave's reaction through the challenge, his is the story, either to succeed or fail entertainingly. I'm guessing we'll get a commercial break before seeing the expert reaction to his dish. Kevin is confident in explaining his dish but, when questioned by Chef Ramsey, he realizes he forgot to add the mole chocolate sauce he made to go with it. Commercial. Sooner than I expected.
Thomas agrees that a nice Mexican style sauce would have done it and that the dish lacks without it. Eddie and Vikas both enjoy the dish.
Dave is still rightfully nervous. Upon presenting it, he admits this is his first attempt at Indian food. He selected pork as he seemed to remember that the cow is revered in India. Vikas informs him that there are also a lot of Muslims in India so pork wasn't the greatest choice either; chicken or seafood would have been better. Apart from that, Vikas seems to have enjoyed it, 'for first try: amazing'. Thomas is impressed, especially since Dave was unfamiliar with the spices going it. Eddie also enjoyed it.
Chef Ramsey calls for the experts opinions: all three vote for Dave. Wow! He's shocked but thrilled.
Reward: each of the experts will make their signature dish for Dave. And a set of cookware as used in Hell's Kitchen. Punishment: prepping for tonight's service and getting the restaurant ready.
Kevin is confident that he would have won had he remembered his sauce. To 'rub in' the reward, the experts are cooking in Hell's Kitchen while the punished clean. Dave's sister and fiancee get to join him for lunch, making the price that much greater. Each chef brings Dave over to see what they are cooking and giving him pointers on each dish. The punished are fuming, not so much at Dave, but just out of jealousy. After lunch, Dave returns to the dorm to amp himself up for dinner service. Commercial.
Just before the pre-service meeting, we get a brief video package of the eliminated chefs removing their jackets to leave Hell's Kitchen. I liked that. During the meeting, Chef Ramsey explains that each chef will get a turn leading the kitchen at the pass. Playfully, he explains how it's done by all the things he wouldn't do, an explanation that's intercut with video of him doing those very things during the course of this season. Ha!
Sous Chefs Scott and Heather will be helping out as there are only three chefs working tonight and, at times, one will be on the pass. It also lets Chef Ramsey test the chefs while at the pass. The Sous Chefs have a habit of 'messing up' while in this situation to see if the contestants will catch it. The service starts well and Kevin is soon called up to work the pass. In Interview he notes that this is no different from any other night as he always leads the kitchen. He starts well, spots the halibut that Sous Chef Scott 'accidentally' brings to the window instead of sea bass, and decides Ariel's order of lamb isn't good enough. She gets annoyed with him after the second attempt is also rejected. The commercial break comes with them giving each other the stink eye.
Third time is the charm but Ariel is now flustered and annoyed. Kevin is released back to cooking and Dave is brought up to the pass. He yells, swats his towel, kicks things, and gives suggestions where he shouldn't, such as to Sous Chef Scott. It's really weird to see him like this but he does keep the kitchen going. Sous Chef Scott 'accidentally' makes a risotto with the wrong puree (same color but different flavor) and Dave doesn't catch it, even after tasting it. He also misses that a tuna order that's not prepared with the correct seasonings. Both failures get him politely chastised by Chef Ramsey. He then catches a poorly cooked tuna and some poorly seasoned vegetables thereby 'bouncing back' from his earlier failure. Food continued to flow from the kitchen. Dave is returned to cooking and Ariel is brought up.
This time it's Sous Chef Heather's turn to have an 'accident', substituting parsnip puree for mashed potatoes. Ariel doesn't catch it even after tasting it. Sous Chef Scott brings up a salmon order instead of sea bass and Ariel catches this 'mistake'. She calls out three orders at a time, confusing the kitchen. Kevin gets totally thrown off. Ariel looses control of the kitchen. Chef Ramsey ends up yelling out priorities as we go to commercial.
Ariel tries to take control back and blames Kevin for dragging her down now. She then questions the quality of an order of scallops he prepared and he fixes it. The rest of the service completes without incident.
In the post service meeting, Chef Ramsey says things went well. They all had their ups and downs on the pass. This will be a difficult decision. He asks them to go away and for each of them to pick out one person that they feel should be the one to go home tonight.
As they return to the dorms, Dave doesn't know who he should vote for tonight. Ariel asks if Kevin intentionally dragged down the scallops order while she was on the pass but we don't see him directly answer her question. The answer we get is: 'This is a competition of skill, not cheating.' Difficult decisions but, since Ariel and Kevin seem to be feuding at the moment, I wonder if Dave will slip through? If I had to pick, I'd vote for Ariel tonight. She had issues with lamb, not completely her fault but still, and she lost it the worst of the three when at the pass.
As they stand before Chef Ramsey, he notes that he could see them all winning. He begins collecting their votes. Kevin's vote: Ariel, doesn't feel she's quite ready. Ariel: Kevin, as he didn't have her back while at the pass. Dave's vote...commercial.
Dave's vote: Ariel due to her performance at the pass.
Chef Ramsey notes that their votes haven't helped him and that this is a tough call. He has another question for each chef: why do you belong in the final?
Kevin states that he's a strong person and that there's nothing he can't do when he sets his mind to it. He is certain he can succeed at the head chef position. Ariel points to how she's grown over the competition, believes she has the correct skills, and notes her youth and creativity. Dave says he's run himself, he's grown tenfold over the competition, and that he'll run the kitchen rather than letting it run him.
Two video screens suddenly drop from the ceiling of Hell's Kitchen. The first to advance is Dave. The second finalist is Kevin. Ariel is eliminated. Dave and Kevin shake her hand and hug her goodbye. Chef Ramsey calls her over to compliment her and tells her to keep her jacket. Nice!
Ariel is disappointed that she didn't win but says she learned a lot while in Hell's Kitchen. She's pretty calm and collected so I'm wondering if she may have expected this as well.
Dave and Kevin have 30 minutes to get ready for their limo ride!
The episode feeds directly into the next so it doesn't really stop or have a trailer for the next episode. Instead there's a recap of the entire season, focusing on the different conflicts that occurred. We'll stop here and review the final later.
19 October 2009
The moment when things get creepy
I went to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago last Friday. As the trip home didn't involve seeing bloody Indiana, I thought for a moment that there was no story to tell from the trip but pondering on it has reminded me differently.
We took in an IMAX film near the end of the day, entitled 'Mysteries of the Great Lakes'. Now, as we'd got an IMAX in Milwaukee, I might have been inclined to argue against seeing a film. Why 'waste the time' doing something we could normally do when we're out on a special trip? The movie had played in Milwaukee and it had been missed. If we could catch it here, we should.
The movie wasn't without interest but using the word 'mystery' in the title had made me think that the movie would be about weird events that had gone unexplained for ages and we now being cleared up. Not so much. Most of the film was about the 'rebirth' of the sturgeon fish. Briefly the film brought up bald eagles and the Edmond Fitzgerald but it was mostly about the fish and this scientist fella that had figured out a way to restore them to rivers they had traditionally lived in.
The climax of the film (and I use that word under protest) involves the scientists catching fish as they come to spawn and capturing some of their, well, necessarily reproductive fluids and juices. Part of the problem is that our scientist fella has been talking about this 'special' fish on and off through the movie, gets a bit too excited when he finds her, and then proceeds to ... well, massage her belly until she releases her eggs. In the next scene we see him mixing the eggs with some sperm that hopefully came from a fish. Thankfully they didn't show them harvesting that.
I'd no idea the movie would be fish porn. It was ridiculous.
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