You won’t see a better documentary that proves the idea that it’s about the story and characters, not about what camera you use or where you hold the microphone. That said, you also won’t see a more poorly filmed documentary in your life. It’s bad, very bad. You can see the filmmaker holding the mic in the subjects face, horrible jump cuts, framing, sequencing, the list goes on. But you should take the time to see this film for the incredible characters and story arch. I get the feeling that the director, Matt Mahurin, needed to tell this story. It’s got heart. The gritty filmmaking just might compliment the jarring characters and environment.
[ratings]
A flavorful snack of a documentary (Entertainment Weekly), I LIKE KILLING FLIES is a hearty tribute to the quick-witted, cantankerous chef whose Greenwich Village restaurant, Shopsin s, has become a New York legend.With more than 900 items on its menu, all made from scratch in a tiny kitchen humming with improvised Rube Goldberg-like contraptions, Shopsin s has long been a quirky gem of New York food culture. But the fame belongs to the chef of Kenny Shopsin himself–a raffish cook enforcing his own rules, presiding over patrons, and famously claiming that customers have to first prove that they re OK to feed. Now, after occupying the same city corner for over three decades, the eatery loses its lease–and Kenny, his wife, and their children must find a new place to set up shop.
Directed by Matt Mahurin, this bitingly funny comedy follows a prickly, profanity-prone man seeking to preserve his dream; it dishes up bites of wisdom along the way, ultimately serving both a hilarious trip and a charming slice of New York history.
-Amazon
EVERYONE should see this incredible film. Yeah, the language is a little rough
and maybe too crude for your parents to sit through, but, hey, it’s New Yawk! I
was mesmerized in the first ten minutes of this. I could not turn away or change
the channel or proceed with pending chores that beckoned. You feel like you are, at once, a startled visitor and prying intruder into the daily routine of Kenny Shopsin. Peering over his shoulder and standing next to him as he cooks
an incredible array of his own culinary creations. And then there’s the nonstop barrage of philosphy and ideas and ruminations from Kenny himself. His views on Life, his past, his memories, his thoughts on his family and customers. . You can “smell” the aroma, the vibe, the history of this greasy spoon in Greenwich Village with each passing frame. The thing I took away from this film is the incredible stamina and enduring work ethic of Kenny Shopsin, the loyalty of his wife and his long-suffering children. It’s all done in the name of love, respect and perserverance for this landmark eatery. I just wish I was a New Yorker and could have been there in the early days of the original location. Or maybe I would’ve gotten banned, or at least, thrown out by Kenny. An honor on so many levels.