Author Archive | Alex Kamody

Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what’s next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen — and zest for life and love.

“Buoyed by a Latin-flavored score and Favreau’s knack for improv inspiration, Chef is the perfect antidote to Hollywood junk food. Like the best meals and movies, this irresistible concoction feels good for the soul.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“Favreau is flat-out terrific. Warm, dimensional and intuitive, his Carl proves an ideal combo of top dog and underdog – as well as a thoroughly credible kitchen master.” – Gary Goldstein, LA Times

“Jon Favreau’s bouncy paean to the culinary arts wins you over in a stridently upbeat, crowd-pleasing way.” – Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

*The Athena is running a special promotion for CHEF. If you work in the service industry, you qualify for a special $4 rate per ticket on SUNDAY and MONDAY! So if you are a cook or a bartender, waiter or waitress, just ask us about the discount!

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115 MIN

Shy, sensitive April (Emma Roberts) is the class virgin -a popular soccer player and frequent babysitter for her single-dad coach, Mr. B. (James Franco). Teddy (Jack Kilmer) is an introspective artist whose best friend and sidekick Fred (Nat Wolff) is an unpredictable live wire with few filters or boundaries. While April negotiates a dangerous affair with Mr. B., and Teddy performs community service for a DUI – secretly carrying a torch for April, who may or may not share his affection – Fred seduces Emily (Zoe Levin), a promiscuous loner who seeks validation through sexual encounters. One high school party bleeds into another as April and Teddy finally acknowledge their mutual affection, and Fred’s escalating recklessness spirals into chaos.

“Palo Alto doesn’t hit you over the head with hipness. It sidles up to you, gets whispery close, then sidles away again, leaving behind an enveloping vapor that lingers for a sweet long time.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“Palo Alto” is a delicate tapestry of suburban gothic, romance and realism, with a surprising sweetness at its core and a wonderful star performance from Emma Roberts.” – Andrew O’Hehir, Salon.com

“Gia Coppola proves to have quite the eye, if not quite the natural storytelling instinct of her cinematic kin, serving up a remarkably assured feature debut with ‘Palo Alto.'” – Peter Debruge, Variety

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100 MIN

Eric Lomax, a World War II British Army officer who was captured and forced to work on the notorious Death Railway, sets out to find those responsible for his torture.

“An impressively crafted, skillfully acted, highly absorbing journey into a dark corner of world history.” – Gary Goldstein, LA Times

“It’s an inspiring and unforgettable story about cruelty, endurance, courage and making peace with the past.” – Rex Reed, New York Observer

“The cast is excellent and the screenplay, by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson, is delicately attuned to the emotional cost of war and the terrible struggle to be healed.” – J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader

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116 MIN

Fioravante decides to become a professional Don Juan as a way of making money to help his cash-strapped friend, Murray. With Murray acting as his “manager”, the duo quickly finds themselves caught up in the crosscurrents of love and money.

“Artful, insightful and at times very, very funny, much of its wry humor is due to Allen, who co-stars opposite Turturro.”-Betsy Sharkey, LA Times

“What puts Fading Gigolo over the top is the presence of Allen, who’s just the sort of earthy, fast-talking foil the moony Turturro needs.”-David Edelstein, Vulture

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90 MIN

Morris’ film THE UNKNOWN KNOWN is a gripping exploration of the career and philosophy of former U.S Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Using declassified memos, Morris guides Rumsfeld through a discussion of his controversial career as a high-level executive under four different Republican presidents. Such absorbing topics as Vietnam, the Cold War, Desert Storm and the War on Terror are all examined through the words of one of America’s most divisive and complex public figures.

“Yes, it is a probing and unsettling inquiry into the recent political and military history of the United States, but it is also a bracing and invigorating philosophical skirmish.”-A.O. Scott, New York Times

“Morris proceeds with bonhomie and patience in this documentary interrogation of Donald Rumsfeld; the result is a masterwork of political epistemology and dialectical jujitsu.”-Richard Brody, New Yorker

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103 MIN

A beach bum finds his quiet life upended by dreadful news and sets off for his childhood home to carry out an act of revenge. Proving an inept assassin, he winds up in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family.

“It’s a brilliant, slow-burning American revenge thriller that hardly puts a foot wrong, a work of startling violence and profound conscience that announces the arrival of an exciting young director.” – Andrew O’Hehir, Salon.com

“A feral and staggeringly well-conceived revenge saga.” – David Ehrlich, Film.com

“terrifically ominous and full of low-key, high-quality performances” – Sara Stewart, New York Post

Coming May 2nd

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90 MIN

Middle class housewife Ila is trying once again to add some spice to her marriage, this time through her cooking. She desperately hopes that this new recipe will finally arouse some kind of reaction from her neglectful husband. She prepares a special lunchbox to be delivered to him at work, but, unbeknownst to her, it is mistakenly delivered to another office worker, Saajan, a lonely man on the verge of retirement. Curious about the lack of reaction from her husband, Ila puts a little note in the following day’s lunchbox, in the hopes of getting to the bottom of the mystery. This begins a series of lunchbox notes between Saajan and Ila, and the mere comfort of communicating with a stranger anonymously soon evolves into an unexpected friendship. Gradually, their notes become little confessions about their loneliness, memories, regrets, fears, and even small joys. They each discover a new sense of self and find an anchor to hold on to in the big city of Mumbai that so often crushes hopes and dreams. Still strangers physically, Ila and Saajan become lost in a virtual relationship that could jeopardize both their realities.

“a feast of delights” – Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“a sumptuous treat” – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

“A touching and credible story that easily draws the viewer into the lives of its characters.” – Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times

Coming May 2

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104 MIN

Nick (Jim Broadbent) and Meg (Lindsay Duncan), a long-married British couple, revisit Paris for the first time since their honeymoon in an attempt to rekindle their relationship. During a two-day escapade, diffident, wistful Nick and demanding, take-charge Meg careen from harmony to disharmony to resignation and back again as they take stock of half a lifetime of deep tenderness—and even deeper regret. A surprise invitation from Nick’s old friend Morgan (Jeff Goldblum), an amusingly boorish American academic with a fancy Parisian address, soon leads them to an unexpectedly hopeful vision of what their love and marriage might still become.

“Captures Paris in all its sensuous delight…a truly romantic film.” – Harper’s Bazaar

“Smart, substantial and enchanting.” – Rex Reed, New York Observer

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93 MIN