‘Jobs’, ‘Burnt’ among new movies

Steve Jobs ****1/2

It’s not just hyperbole to say Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and co-creator of the Macintosh computing brand, changed the world with his vision, singular focus, and legendary drive. The iMac, iPhone, iPod, and iPad have changed the world, just as Jobs predicted they would. “Steve Jobs” the movie is branded by the unmistakable touch of screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Social Network), who asks Michael Fassbender, playing Jobs, to deliver more dialog than any one actor should ever have to in a two-hour film. While Fassbender’s masterful portrayal of the complicated and flawed visionary was mesmerizing, Kate Blanchet as Jobs’ longsuffering assistant and Apple marketing director Joanna Hoffman, may win her an Oscar nod. “Steve Jobs” is an engrossing, supposedly accurate retelling of not only Jobs’ backstory but of many of the men and women in the early days of personal computing, and who, like their sometimes finicky products, occasionally crash and need to re-boot.

Burnt ***

Anyone who’s ever worked in a restaurant knows that the kitchen can get nuts. Reality TV helped to further shed light on the personality types that sometimes make up the staff of these kitchens, especially in ultra-competitive fine-dining establishments. The bullying Gordon Ramsey, and the Kitchen Confidential expose from the occasionally eccentric chef Anthony Bourdain are just two examples. ”Burnt” dramatizes the interplay between chef, staff and patron in a fine-dining London start-up. Recovering alcoholic Chef Adam Jones, played by Bradley Cooper, must make amends for youthful indiscretions in a bid to become a Michelin 3-Star chef; the Holy Grail of cooking. Foodies will find this occasionally disjointed film gratifying as knives and dishes fly along with real kitchen banter. Watching the pit-crew-like staff under pressure and the precision and presentation required of them will resonate with many in the service industry. “Burnt” also sheds light on the process of the secretive Michelin restaurant guides and just how an establishment can earn the coveted awards. Daniel Bruhl (Inglourious Basterds) plays restaurant owner Tony who must rein in the often unlikable chef.

This story was originally published November 2, 2015 at 2:04 PM with the headline "‘Jobs’, ‘Burnt’ among new movies."