"The Bitter Truth We Must Face"

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.

But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends...In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for ...Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. - Anton Ego.

What this really means is that those who observe, sample, watch, judge, evaluate, edit and fail to participate in, play with, engage, collaborate, be involved and actually having an understanding of something - anything - (through doing and action, through living ands expereinece) are actually - let's face it - irrelevant to the world.

Critics on Criticism

Anton Ego: In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.

The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends.

Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant.

Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.

It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more.

NVDL: For this gem and many others, Ratatouille is a brilliantly crafted, scripted and executed animation motion picture. Go see it today.

Ratatouille: A Delight (8.5/10)

[Skinner has gotten Linguini drunk in the hopes of getting him to admit that he has a rat under his hat]
Linguini: Hey... Why do they call it that?
Skinner: What?
Linguini: Ratatouille. It's like a stew, right? Why do they call it that? If you're gonna name a food, you should give it a name that sounds delicious. Ratatouille doesn't sound delicious. It sounds like "rat" and "patootie." Rat-patootie, which does not sound delicious.

Remy: [observing what Emile is eating] What is that?
Emile: [pause] I don't really know.
Remy: You dunno... and you're eating it?
Emile: You know, once you muscle your way past the gag reflex, all kinds of possibilities open up.
Remy: This is what I'm talking about.

Mustafa: Someone is asking what is new!
Horst: New?
Mustafa: Yes! What do I tell them?
Horst: What did you tell them?
Mustafa: I told them I would ask!
Skinner: What are you blathering about?
Horst: Customers are asking for what is new!
Mustafa: What should I tell them?
Skinner: What did you tell them?
Mustafa: I TOLD THEM I WOULD ASK!

Gusteau: How can I describe it? Good food is like music you can taste, color you can smell. There is excellence all around you. You need only to be aware to stop and savor it.

This is a superbly crafted flick; a great story too - in short, a delight.