Depardieu on trial, and so is France. A cultural reckoning in the #MeToo era
But this week, the actor who starred in more than 230 films — and who inspired writer John Updike to lament, 'I think that I shall never view a French film without Depardieu' — sat slumped on a special orthopedic stool in a Paris courtroom.
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San Francisco Chronicle
28 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Movie Review: Margaret Qualley shines in 'Honey Don't!' as Philip Marlowe in red lipstick
The skies are blue, the sun unrelenting and the body count escalating in the Bakersfield, California, of 'Honey Don't!,' where Margaret Qualley's private investigator tries to get a handle on the nefarious goings-on in her city with a small-town feel. It's the second film in Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke's so-called 'lesbian B-movie trilogy,' and while this shaggy caper might not add up to anything significant — perhaps part of the 'B-movie' point — it is fun and immensely watchable. That's thanks in large part to Qualley's turn as the smoothly confident Honey O'Donahue, kind of a Philip Marlowe, or maybe Veronica Mars, in cherry-red lipstick, high heels and silks (inspired choices for the sweltering setting by costume designer Peggy Schnitzer). Honey is meant to be strikingly 'other' in this very downtrodden Bakersfield of eccentrics, dropouts and lost souls, where missing teeth seem to be more prevalent than pedicures. It's a carnival of very memorable, very Coen-esque misfits, like a grumpy bartender played by Don Swayze and Charlie Day's clueless police officer Marty Metakawitch. Marty is not the only man in town who has trouble accepting that Honey will never be interested in him. You could play a drinking game with how many times she has to tell hapless men, 'I like girls.' Not only is queer literacy low in this Bakersfield, but many in town seem to have come under the influence of a church leader played by Chris Evans, the Rev. Drew Devlin, whose high-wattage smile and proclivity for flirting have made him a local celebrity. Evans, who seems to be having fun in a weirder role, plays the Rev. Drew as a charismatic creep, an ego-driven and possibly sex-addicted influencer who is also peddling drugs and arranging hits around town. He too has a boss, or bosses, known only as 'the French,' which is amusingly underexplained. And he's often completely, or nearly, naked and involved in some cringey, experimental acts with his naive followers. Not unlike the new 'The Naked Gun,' this saga begins with a suspicious vehicular death. The deceased was an almost-client of Honey's, which sets her off poking around and looking for answers. Most of her cases are of the cheating spouse type, and this is just more interesting. Meanwhile, others start dropping dead too. Some of these deaths feel spiritually, comedically similar to the Mark Pellegrino sequence in 'Mullholland Drive' (not the only Lynchian nod). And all signs are pointing back to the church, though Honey gets a bit distracted with a new fling in Aubrey Plaza's lustful cop MG Falcone and some family drama with her wayward niece Corinne (Talia Ryder). 'Honey Don't' might play more like a pilot episode of a television series than a contained film, but it is a step up from Coen and Cooke's previous effort, 'Drive Away Dolls,' which felt constructed of comedic parts whose shelf life expired 20 years ago. This script, written by Coen and Cooke, is probably just as vintage, technically speaking, but it feels more timeless. With a stable of memorable side characters, including Josh Pafchek as the reverend's assistant and Jacnier as a skittish new drug dealer named Hector, 'Honey Don't' is gory, unapologetically sexual, quippy and dark. It also clocks in at under 90 minutes — they knew just when to get out. As Ethan Coen finds his groove as a solo director, 'Honey Don't' might not be 'The Big Lebowski' or 'Raising Arizona,' but it is a swing in the right direction. At this rate, if we get the pleasure of seeing a third film, it might just be a classic.
Eater
an hour ago
- Eater
Los Angeles's Best Cheesesteak Heads to Calabasas and Pasadena in 2025
The year 2025 is turning out to be a busy one for the Matu crew. The team opened Matu Kai on April 6 in Brentwood, and recently announced that a forthcoming casual Cheesesteaks by Matu will debut in Pasadena and Calabasas later this year. The new cheesesteak destination comes from restaurateur Jerry Greenberg, co-founder of the Sushi Nozawa Group, which owns Sugarfish, Nozawa Bar, and KazuNori, and the Original Hand Roll Bar. Sushi Nozawa's sister restaurants are HiHo Cheeseburger and UOVO. Matu (stylized as matū) first opened in Beverly Hills in 2021 with a tasting menu that centered on 100 percent grass-fed Wagyu beef. Staff started serving wagyu cheesesteak at the Beverly Hills location, which became a popular dish at both restaurants. At Cheesesteaks by Matu, the tema will serve two items: cheesesteaks and homemade potato chips. The Pasadena location on East Colorado Boulevard will debut in late fall, while the second will launch operations out of the Commons at Calabasas in the winter months. In a statement, the founders shared that the group was looking for a space to house HiHo Cheeseburger in Pasadena when it decided to place both restaurants on the same site. Once open, both Pasadena and Calabasas HiHo and Cheesesteaks by Matu will operate separately. BLVD Steak is open in Calabasas Commons In more Calabasas news, Sherman Oaks' popular BLVD Steak took over the shuttered Crossroads Kitchen space and opened in late June. Everything is the same, except the restaurant is open all day with a lunch menu that includes a burger, French dip sandwich, rack of ribs, salads, and sushi more suitable to daytime hours in Kardashian country. A peek inside Downtown's Uncle Ollie's Penthouse You'll want to read the Los Angeles Times' profile of Uncle Ollie's Penthouse, the new Downtown bar that might be the antidote to the region's fading nightlife, with an arcade, dance room, burlesque performances, and Gong Show karaoke. It's nestled on the border of Little Tokyo and Skid Row, which one outlet describes as SkidRokyo. A thorough guide to dining in the SFV The Los Angeles Times food section put some serious effort into this San Fernando Valley dining guide. It lists 65 restaurants that comprise the vast region, including Les Sisters in Chatsworth, Vinh Loi Tofu, and Shin Sushi. For an even tighter curation, visit the Eater San Fernando Valley list. L.A. Taco keeps up with ICE raids in Los Angeles Since the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiated raids in early June, Los Angeles news outlet L.A. Taco has dedicated daily coverage on Instagram and its main website. The raids have left Los Angeles residents and restaurants reeling. Below is their most recent report.
Buzz Feed
2 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
President Zelensky Finally Clapped Back At That Rude Reporter Who Asked Him About His Suit
Remember this? More specifically, remember when a reporter asked Volodymyr Zelensky why he didn't wear a suit, and it turned into a whole thing? Zelensky replied, "I will wear a costume after this war will finish. Maybe something like yours, maybe something better, I don't know. We will see. Maybe something cheaper." People thought the whole thing was "deranged." Marco Rubio couldn't believe it either. And now, Zelensky is back at the White House along with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. People were wondering if Zelensky would wear a suit after that whole thing in February, and today we found out. He showed up wearing this: "First of all, President Zelesnky, you look fabulous in that suit. You look good," the reporter said. "I said the same thing," Trump said back. "I said the same thing. Isn't that nice? That's the same one that attacked you last time," Trump continued. That's when the reporter says, "I apologize to you. You look wonderful." Zelensky had the last word on this one when he told the guy: "You're in the same suit. You see, I have changed. You have not." Then the whole room erupted in laughter. As this person said, "Even Trump had to admit this was a great comeback."
