Movie Review

The French Dispatch honors journalism as only Wes Anderson can

There are many filmmakers who have their own distinct styles, but over the past 20 years, no director has been more inimitable than Wes Anderson. His use of very particular cinematography, staging, and color make each of his films instantly recognizable, and that’s before you get to his dialogue, which has a precise rhythm that makes each character seem related no matter how different they are.

That sameness from film to film could be boring, but he has a way of refreshing the style with his stories that keeps his fans returning again and again. That ability is on display once more in The French Dispatch, an anthology-style film that works as a kind of visual version of the titular magazine, which itself is an international outpost of the fictional Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper.

Anderson uses the film as a love letter to journalists and journalism, but viewed through his unique lens. Editor-in-chief Arthur Howitzer, Jr. (Bill Murray) shepherds an eclectic staff through assembling an issue, including art writer J.K.L. Berensen (Tilda Swinton), man-about-town Herbsaint Sazerac (Owen Wilson), crime reporter Roebuck Wright (Geoffrey Wright), and more.

None of the the three main stories they tell are straightforward, which is mostly beneficial for the film. They involve an imprisoned artist (Benicio Del Toro) whose guard (Léa Seydoux) serves as his muse, and the art enthusiasts who go crazy for his work; a political agitator (Timothée Chalamet) covered perhaps a bit too closely by a Dispatch reporter (Frances McDormand); and Roebuck Wright recounting his time infiltrating a crime gang to a talk show host (Liev Schreiber).

As is the custom with Anderson films, the stories are populated with all manner of big-name actors in small roles, including Adrien Brody, Saoirse Ronan, Bob Balaban, Henry Winkler, Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, Elisabeth Moss, and Jason Schwartzmann, among others. Everyone involved appears more than happy to play in Anderson’s sandbox, no matter how short or long their stay.

Anderson’s trademark whimsy carries the film throughout, even when a couple of the segments drag. You may think you know where a story is heading, but then he throws in a few off-the-wall details that no other filmmaker would even think to include. Those kinds of things almost always work in his favor because he long ago established his quirky bona fides. That said, this is not an entry-level Anderson film; anyone coming to him for the first time may find themselves scratching their head why other moviegoers are enjoying it so much.

More so than most of his films, there is no star on whose performance the story relies. Murray plays the head of the paper, but like every other actor, he only pops up at certain times. The ones who make the most of their brief appearances are Swinton, Del Toro, Seydoux, and McDormand, although each member of the ensemble elevates the film in one way or another.

The French Dispatch may not go down as a classic in Anderson’s filmography, but it’s a welcome return to live-action filmmaking for the director (his last non-animated film was 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel). No one tells a story exactly like he does, and his presence among all the blockbusters is always welcome.

---

The French Dispatch opens in theaters on October 29.

Bill Murray in The French Dispatch.

Bill Murray in The French Dispatch

Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Bill Murray in The French Dispatch.

Pizza News

South Polk Pizzeria in Dallas' Oak Cliff slings perfect pies in pizza desert

south polk pizzeria

Donnie Dickerson

Pizza from South Polk Pizzeria.

Dallas has plenty of pretty pizza these days — but nearly all of it is found north of I-30.

So let's hear it for South Polk Pizzeria, a new shop that opened in late December in Oak Cliff, at 3939 S. Polk St #527, just off US-67 and north of Loop 12, slinging the same kind of artisanal pies that are being slung across Deep Ellum, Oak Lawn, and North Dallas.

South Polk is doing serious pizza with stellar toppings — the foodie-famous Jimmy's Italian sausage, for example — as well as the telltale sign of great-quality pizza: a crust made from dough that's been fermented — left to age — for many hours to give it a light, crisp texture and toasty flavor.

South Polk is from Terrill Burnett, a chef and Detroit native who moved to Dallas in 2015 and has worked at fine-dining restaurants such as Knife, Nobu, and Saltgrass Steakhouse. For this first solo venture, he's partnered with famed developer Monte Anderson.

Pizza is an exciting new avenue for him.

"When I partnered with Monte, I initially pitched barbecue," he says. "But Monte encouraged me to think about pizza. I started doing my research on the concept of fermentation and got an understanding of how to do it."

That included studying books like The Joy of Pizza: Everything You Need to Know, plus classes such as the Pizza Master Class with Vito Jacopelli.

He uses some of the techniques and ingredients of a classic Neapolitan-style pizza, with his own tweaks. He experimented with different flours until he found one with the right blend of seminola and a high percentage of gluten, and he's fermenting his dough for 72 hours.

"I worked on my dough for a year and a half, baking pizzas every day, and learned how to handle it," he says.

If he has a signature pizza, it's his BBQ chicken.

"The chicken gets pan-seared, and we use a BBQ sauce base with Sweet Baby Ray's, plus Colby-Jack cheese and red onion," he says.

He's also doing a chicken bacon ranch, plus Meat Lovers, Sweet Heat, Supreme, and one with cheese and chunks of pineapple.

"I'm still seeing what customers in the neighborhood want," he says. "Everybody likes pepperoni pizza, cheese pizza, so you start there, then slowly add new varieties and toppings."

Two pizzas to go from South Polk Pizzeria.South Polk Pizzeria

There's no dining room inside, so it's been to-go only, but the response has been so brisk that they're adding a canopy for outside dining, and Burnett has just applied for a license to serve beer and wine.

The pizzeria is drawing comments social media such as "After speaking with the owner and head chef at South Polk Pizzeria, I think it's safe to say that we no longer live is a pizza desert" — or "This is the best pizza I've had in a long time. Bonus: It's a Black owned business. I ate the whole thing."

"I've always had a passion for cooking and good food," Burnett says. "I love the opportunity to do something that involves skill and technique - I got the passion."

Loading...