There is a sense of some sort of structure through the chapter breaks and the progression of day into darkness that some key scenes touch on.
Sean and Cortez’s interactions are funny and entertaining, though they mess with the tension. There are great moments throughout, though. The entire picture seems like a tedious exercise in improv where nothing really bubbles to the surface in the end. Lots of scenes give us the sense of what this world feels like and Sean’s mannerisms, but never a good sense of motivation. I never needed anything explicit, but some reasons could have been hinted at as to why he was driven to the wilderness and devoted himself to this pursuit of gold. And with an hour and a half, I ended the film feeling like I still didn’t know much about him. There is only one real presence on screen, Sean. The biggest problem I had with Cookbook was the lack of character development. Or worse yet, the tone goes with a distant documenting of a man pouring substances into various vials without informing the audience of what is going on. However, that feels undercut as the tone shifts from chapter to chapter. There is a sense of danger and tension from the first moments of the film. I definitely have an affinity for stories about the demonic and humans who are a little too arrogant in their abilities to deal with a summoned entity. The rural setting, deep in the woods, always an excellent location for horror. There is so much here in the ingredients list that should have guaranteed I’d love it. I can’t see any reason I’ll remember this film.
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I personally don’t connect with much from the punk genre, and that would likely explain why this movie left me frustrated. Director Potrykus has a track record of making films in this off-kilter, low-fi style. It never settles on one thing, and some reviewers have taken to calling it a “punk” film more than anything else. There are touches of drama and of horror and a little comedy. It’s hard to classify this film as any one thing. Cortez is unaware of just what his Sean is up to and that his cousin is close to making contact with demon Belial, whom Sean believes will provide him with incalculable wealth. His only constant companion is Kaspar, his cat, but he does receive erratic visits from Cortez, a cousin, who brings supplies. At first glance, it would be easy to mistake his set up as a meth lab, but after further observation, it is revealed he is an amateur alchemist. Joel Potrykus)Ī man named Sean lives in a trailer home deep in the woods outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan.