Knife Skills

Poignant doc that shows what love and second changes can reshape life / community Read more

Fantastic film about a fantastic guy on a fantastic mission. Read more

A wonderful uplifting movie. Highly recommended. Read more

This is amazing Read more

An interesting look at creating a restaurant/school to train ex-prisoners in a trade: becoming French chefs. They learned a skill, became part of a team, earned a living and gained confidence. Very few of 180 program grads over the 3 year period of the video went back to prison after graduating. This documentary traces the growth of several of these students. I found this quite interesting and it struck a hopeful note. Read more

This was one of the documentaries I learnt about when I was lucky enough to be an audience member at a pre-Oscar discussion panel in LA (bucket list - check!). I'm not in the movie industry, very far from, just a lucky guest, but let me tell you, if you need inspiration, a smile, a cry, watch it now. It's incredible. I mean really, within minutes you are totally invested in the staff, the chefs and the complex, driven, WONDERFUL owner of this restaurant. The director told us that the restaurant is now packed solid every night. He made friends with the people featured, and he struggled when many of them faltered, but learnt that the most common path to a life free of crime is undulating. Beautifully shot, absolutely fantastic and eye-opening. Read more

Unbelievably moving and inspiring. I especially valued hearing the many poignant thoughts from the students of this master culinary institute as they remembered where they had been before receiving this second chance toward a better life. Like dross that comes through the fire, the new hope given to these men and women is allowing them to shine like the silver they truly are. No one is trash to be thrown away. These are sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers, every one. Well done all of you;, and well done, Brandon Chrostowski. The fire through which you've come has yielded a silver whose brilliant sheen is lighting many paths. Read more

A dull film about sharp knives. The film's worthy message, that it is important to give released convicts an opportunity to work, to become valued members of law-abiding teams, is wasted on a film that is tedious to a fault and that does nothing to portray its fascinating subjects as the intelligent, talented and resourceful people many surely are. Read more