By Steve Herte
Kung
Fu Panda 3 (20th Century
Fox, 2016) – Directors: Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh.
Writers: Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. Voices: Jack Black, Bryan
Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, J.K. Simmons, Jackie Chan,
Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Kate Hudson, James Hong, Randall,
Duk Kim, Steele Gagnon, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Willie Geist, Al
Roker, Liam Knight, & Wayne Knight. Animated, Color, Rated PG, 95
minutes.
“Chi”
is defined in Chinese philosophy as the circulating energy inherent
in all things. We achieve good chi by a balance of negative and
positive forms in the body. This latest sequel to Kung Fu
Panda is deeply involved with mastering chi.
The
movie starts in the “spirit world,” where Grand Master Oogway
(Kim), a great tortoise, makes his abode. Kai (Simmons), a bulky
bull, who was Oogway’s brother in arms long ago but who turned
against him in his lust for power, appears before Oogway. Kai has
been stealing the chi of all the past kung-fu masters, wearing them
as jade ornaments on his belt. Though Oogway puts up a good fight,
Kai steals his chi as well and makes the transition into the mortal
world.
Po
(Black), now known as the Dragon Warrior, believes that kicking butt
and protecting the village is the sum total of kung-fu (that and
eating tons of dumplings and noodles). His fellow warriors: Tigress
(Jolie), Monkey (Chan), Mantis (Rogen), Viper (Liu), and Crane
(Cross), referred to as “The Five,” are known and celebrated for
past victories. Master Shifu (Hoffman), however, wants Po to progress
to the next level and he uses chi to make a flower bloom, which gets
Po’s attention. But Po is aghast when Shifu turns over the training
reins to him for The Five.
Po’s
first training session is a disaster and the only thing learned is
that Tigress is flammable. Mr. Ping (Hong), a duck who makes a living
cooking dumplings and noodles, notices something wrong when Po
sprinkles hot peppercorns into his bubble bath instead of bath salts.
While Po explains, a villager pig bursts in to announce that Po’s
record for eating dumplings is being broken. We see a large character
from behind. He turns around and introduces himself as Li Shan
(Cranston), a panda who has been looking for his son. Po tells him
he’s been looking for his dad. They both wish each other the best
of luck and turn away from each other while the villagers look back
and forth between the two of them in shock. Suddenly, they both
realize that they’re both pandas and their searches are over as
they hug.
Mr.
Ping is outraged and asks for proof. While Po shows Li Shan the
temple where he trained, the Valley of Peace is attacked by “Jade
Warriors” sent by Kai, who Po recognizes as Masters Porcupine,
Bear, and Croc (Van Damme). After he and his friends defeat the
attackers, Shifu runs to his library for an ancient scroll that tells
the story of the pandas in the secret valley who can master and
control chi. Li Shan tells Po that he’s been sent a message from
“the universe.” He is to find his son and bring him back to the
secret valley.
Li
Shan and Po make the incredibly long journey unaware that Mr. Ping
has stowed away in Po’s backpack until they rest for lunch. The
last part of their trek is an impossibly high, ice-covered cliff.
Knowing that pandas have trouble with stairs (defined as
“panda-asthma”) Po wonders how they will climb it, when Li Shan
pulls on a rope and they ascend the cliff in an elevator basket.
At
the top is a beautiful, peaceful scene where pandas fly kites, eat
and play. Among others, Po meets the twins Dim (Geist) and Sum
(Roker), and the ribbon-dancing Mei Mei (Hudson). Yes, he learns how
to be a panda, including discarding his chopsticks when eating
dumplings, but he wonders when his dad will teach him to master chi.
Time runs short when Kai attacks the Valley of Peace and absorbs the
chi of Monkey, Mantis, Viper, Crane and Shifu and is now on his way
to the secret valley. An exhausted Tigress brings this news to Po.
What
to do? There is no time to teach kung fu to all these pandas.
Instead, Po teaches them to use their natural abilities with kung fu
weapons and his “army” meets Kai’s jade warriors to hopefully
distract Kai long enough for Po to use his “finger pinch” and
best move. He learns to his dismay that this move will only work on
mortals, not Kai. Thinking quickly, Po gets Kai in a headlock and
performs the move, taking them both to the spirit world and saving
the mortal world.
The
battle continues in the fantastic, golden realm until it looks as if
Po will lose. Li Shan rallies Mr. Ping and Tigress into channeling
chi to infuse Po with power and the tide is turned. Po literally
becomes the Dragon Warrior.
Kung
Fu Panda 3 is easily the best of the trilogy, combining fast
action, detailed computer generated animation, excellent script
writing and talented actors cast perfectly. Po even looks a bit like
Jack Black, and mimicking his mannerisms. I could see Angelina Jolie
in Tigress and Dustin Hoffman in Shifu. The superb directing team of
Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh makes the story and characters
believable. I think it was Daffy Duck who said, “Anything can
happen in a cartoon.” It was difficult to remember this while Po is
getting a severe trouncing by Kai. That’s how real it felt.
Sadly,
I think this is the last in the series. There were two words at the
finish of this movie that I don’t remember seeing after the first
two: The End.
Rating:
4 out of 5 Martini glasses.
Tutto
Il Giorno
114
Franklin St., New York
This
is another restaurant tucked away in an unlikely location. Franklin
Street can be very dark and brooding, but on its north side there are
white twinkle lights decorating the shrubs outside Tutto Il Giorno. A
single large-pane window engraved with the name and a warm glow looks
out on the street. Three steps up to a black door and you’re
inside.
You
expect a small place but stop in awe of the world that has just
opened to you. Twenty-foot ceilings support four-foot diameter
chandeliers designed in medieval candle rings, but with soft
fluorescents. The bar is bathed in the glow of glass-beaded swags
glittering above it. The room forms a “T” and continues to the
back, where there is a “window” on a leafy garden. The leather
banquettes are a subtle shade of camel, sporting matching pillows for
the diners.
I
announced my reservation at the Captain’s Station, checked my coat,
and a young lady led me to a comfy banquette one table from the back
window. My server brought me the wine and drink book and took my
water preference as I considered my choices.
When
my server returned he asked if I wanted a cocktail. As neither
Beefeaters gin nor Stolichnaya vodka were available, I settled for a
Tanqueray gin martini. The wine was obvious – a 2013 Tutto Il
Giorno Montepulciano D’Abruzzi. It was very reasonably priced and
also the right red for my dinner, with an aromatic nose and lightly
tannic aftertaste.
My
first course was a Chef Agostino Petrosino signature dish, called
simply parmigiana. It was the best eggplant parmigiana I’ve ever
had. The sauce was thick and rich with San Marzano plum tomatoes and
smoked provola (provolone cheese), topped with fresh basil garnish.
The smoky flavor was in every bite. Another server brought a dish
with one slice of crusty Italian bread. I would need a lot more
bread.
The
excellent primi piatti was a half order of tortelli stuffed with
squash and in a lamb ragu with almonds and toasted pumpkin seeds.
Tutto
Il Giorno is one of those restaurants where the servers know
protocol; two courses are never served at the same time. My server
timed the meal perfectly.
A little later, the main course arrived:
venison topped with shredded zucchini and onions in an au jus sauce,
garnished with rosemary. The meat was almost tender enough to cut
with a fork and juicy enough to forgo the sauce. The side dish was
preserved organic peppers, festive in red, green and yellow and with
a slightly pickled taste.
They
didn’t have my favorite Italian dessert. However, the baba au rhum,
with vanilla ice cream sitting on an orange slice and tumbled with
cherries, more than made up for that. It paired nicely with the ice
cream and a double espresso to finish my meal.
Asked
if I would like an after-dinner drink, I chose Strega. Rarely do I
ever see that liqueur on any menu and it was a pleasant surprise.
Tutto
Il Giorno is a little over a year old, having been open since 2014
but I think it will hold its own against the major competition of
Italian restaurants downtown, most notably, Accapella, Giardino
D’Oro, Da Claudio, Gran Morsi and of course, Scalini Fedeli. Will I
return to Tutto Il Giorno? Yes. Tutto is not only a part of the
restaurant’s name, but also the surname of the family who owns it.
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