| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010 2:18 am |
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Entertainment 
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'Pressure Cooker' is an inspirational story of hard work The way reality shows about top chefs (and wannabe top chefs) have become entertainment, the path has been cleared for "Pressure Cooker," a documentary on the subject of food preparation.But the specifics of "Pressure Cooker" are considerably different from the trumped-up drama of reality television. Welcome to the Culinary Arts program at Philadelphia's Frankford High School, where the majority of students are black and the teacher is a legend. She is Wilma Stephenson, the kind of drill sergeant (complete with heart of gold) you wish every teenager would be lucky enough to be around. As sensitive to a slammed door or rumpled shirt as she is to bad food preparation, Stephenson pushes her students to achieve. There's a specific goal: year-end scholarships from a nonprofit organization, sometimes for full tuition at culinary schools. That gives the movie a structure, and of course a "Spellbound"-style suspense at the end. ("Spellbound" as in the crossword puzzle documentary, not the Hitchcock picture.) By focusing on three students, filmmakers Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker provide a very human focus for the competition. Tyree Dudley is an all-state football player who fits the classic "gentle giant" stereotype and is amazingly free of attitude. It's hard to pick which of the two girls profiled has the more heartbreaking story. Erica Gaither's disrupted home life means that she provides the primary care for her younger sister, who is almost completely blind. Fatoumata Dembele is an immigrant from Mali, who cooks African meals every day and whose father disapproves of her being too independent. Frankford High is neither a tough inner-city free-for-all nor a place of privilege, just somewhere in between. Stephenson's cooking class must have its washouts and trouble cases, but we don't see much of that here, as the film focuses on the more inspirational aspects of her program. No doubt about it: "Pressure Cooker" is inspirational. Not because at the end it depicts something magical, but because it acknowledges that hard work and discipline can have their rewards. A nice break from the usual multiplex fare. |
- FDIC gives Everett's Frontier Bank, Lynnwood's City Bank ultimatum
- Monroe girl guilty of murder in Sultan gang slaying
- Snohomish man in critical condition after gunshot to groin
- Man is sentenced to 8 years in crash that killed 4
- For once, Huskies are the bigger team
- 3 classic potato recipes for St. Patrick's Day
- Video captures trio who stole beer, knocked over elderly woman
- Hear musical firefighters on bagpipes and drums for St. Patrick’s Day
- Suspect in Everett nightclub shooting arrested in Arizona
- Frontier Financial appealing FDIC order
- Monroe girl guilty of murder in Sultan gang slaying
(23) - 16-year-old girl convicted in Sultan gang murder (13)
- Snohomish man who killed four sentenced to eight years (11)
- Oops: Somali pirates attempt attack on Dutch warship (4)
- Former county planning director pleads not guilty to assault charge (4)
- Hawaii considering law to ignore Obama ‘birthers’ (3)
- Alternative is unacceptable (3)
- Man is sentenced to 8 years in crash that killed 4 (3)
- Snohomish man in critical condition after gunshot to groin (3)
- Murder suspect held on $2 million bail (3)
- Troupe improv-ment
- Best finish ever for Mavs
- Local businesses clean for a reason
- Edmonds Art Walk opens 9th year March 18
- Lynnwood girls wrap up at state
- Lynnwood wants outsider to review budget
- SKCC presents premiere of Jenkins’ composition
- AMHS takes fifth
- Boeing to Offer NewGen Tanker to US Air Force
- New CEO at Valley General Hospital
- Dan Koffman's ‘TopSpin' marketing astounds, inspires, motivates, produces — just for starters
- Economic forecasts for Snohomish County, Everett, Marysville offer some bright moments
- Government officials influencing home prices
- Massive EPA energy regulations meet challenge
- Washington state healthcare reforms also needed
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