The French Dispatch and a takeout Thai feast
Two great tastes I had this week.
Welcome to the Double Feature! Each week I write one thing about entertainment and one thing about food. They’re not related, unless for some reason you think they are, in which case it was definitely on purpose.
I watched: The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
Disclaimer: this is a pro-Wes Anderson newsletter. Locked-off shots, centered framing, bright colors, dollhouse sets, the music of the 1960s, dialogue that’s too clever by half: all of that stuff is Good, Actually. He has his missteps, but all of his movies drip with style and most of them have the substance to match.
Anderson’s latest, The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (or just The French Dispatch, if you’re in too much of a hurry to be so twee), absolutely rips. The movie tells the story of the titular fictional magazine, which is not-so-loosely inspired by The New Yorker. The French Dispatch (movie) takes its structure from an issue of The French Dispatch (magazine) — a series of vignettes serve as the articles in the magazine. Owen Wilson opens the proceedings as a “Goings On About Town”-style writer, giving the viewer a short tour of the movie’s heightened fake French town, delightfully named “Ennui-sur-Blasé.” The movie’s three main stories follow, narrated by their in-fiction writers, played by Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and Jeffrey Wright.
This structure serves as a playground for Wes Anderson to do his most Wes Anderson shit, and it’s splendid. Because of the vignette structure, none of his off-kilter premises have to sustain a whole movie, freeing the movie to be a lot sillier than his usual work. There’s no time to get bogged down in the logic of why the police in Ennui-sur-Blasé have a Michelin-caliber chef preparing their meals, because you’ve been whisked along the breathless chase that both the chef and the writer profiling him have been caught up in.
The filmmaking techniques change just as fast as the subject matter. Anderson flicks through aspect ratios at the drop of a hat, and quickly alternates between black-and-white and full color when the story calls for it. He keeps everything visually exciting beyond his signature framing and panning tricks. Longtime Anderson collaborator Robert Yeoman’s cinematography sings, backed by a lovely Alexandre Desplat score.
All of this is to say that it’s been a while since a Wes Anderson movie has hit as hard as this one. Grand Budapest Hotel had the same kinetic energy, but that was almost 8 years ago now. It’s good to have him back.
I ate: takeout from Sticky Rice
Sticky Rice has been a buzzy Thai food staple in Los Angeles since owner David Tewasart and chef Johnny Lee opened it in Grand Central Market in 2013. The stall was a turning point in shaping the current landscape of Grand Central Market, taking it from semi-indoor farmers market to the Instagrammable food court it is now. Since 2013, Sticky Rice has grown, first to a second stall also in Grand Central Market, then to two locations with kitchens led by chef Bryan Sharafkhah-Sharp in the rapidly gentrifying Echo Park and Highland Park neighborhoods.
The ethos behind Sticky Rice, as explained in Tewasart’s 2015 interview with Bon Appetit, was to sideline pad thai and bring the food that Thai chefs eat to the front of house.
I ordered takeout from Sticky Rice recently, but I wasn’t specifically seeking it out. Beth got an unbeatable 60% off Postmates coupon. Faced with such a deal, we set out to get the most luxurious option that we were both in the mood for: a Thai food feast. Sticky Rice just happened to be the best option within our delivery range.
I’d had it a couple times before, once at Grand Central Market and another time as takeout from the Echo Park location. I found both of them kind of underwhelming, but the coupon was calling, and underwhelming food for 60% off can be the best food you’ve ever had.
I don’t know if it was the 60% off or the actual food itself, but I was very impressed. We placed an order that David Tewasart probably wouldn’t have been proud of: satay chicken, fried egg rolls, pad see ew, and pineapple fried rice. A real who’s who of Americanized Thai food, but each dish was the best version of itself. The fried rice stood out in particular, it tasted like it was seasoned with curry powder, and I really enjoyed it.
Good food! I’d definitely order it even without a coupon, but that’s how they get you, I guess. I’m glad I gave Sticky Rice a third try.
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