The central subject is such a volatile, complex eccentric and his establishment is such a uniquely New York institution that the charming character study should land quality cable slots.
I Like Killing Flies (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:21
Fresh:20
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.6/10
Theatrical Release:Jul 28, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: In his feature debut, noted artist illustrator and video-director Mahurin celebrates one of his favorite restaurants -- and ours -- Shopins, a Greenwich Village institution, much beloved by its... In his feature debut, noted artist illustrator and video-director Mahurin celebrates one of his favorite restaurants -- and ours -- Shopins, a Greenwich Village institution, much beloved by its loyal clientele for decades. With over 900 items on his menu, all conjured up in his Rube Goldberg-style kitchen the size of a walk-in closet, Kenny Shopsin is chef de cuisine and proprietor. When there is a lull in the cooking, he steps out from behind his Frankenstein stove and holds court, serving up morsels of wisdom and wit on life, death, sex, politics and even food. But, after 32 years in the same sheltered workshop, Kenny loses his lease and the family must now find a new location – a move vigorously supported both financially and logistically by customers who can’t bear the thought of life without Shopsins. Mahurin, himself one of the faithful, was asked to record the move for posterity, and what emerges is a hilarious and heartfelt hymn to individuality, independence, and idiosyncrasy – not just in the kitchen, but in life. -- © ThinkFilm [More]
Starring: Kenny Shopsin, Eve Shopsin
Starring: Kenny Shopsin, Eve Shopsin
Director: Matt Mahurin
Director: Matt Mahurin
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Reviews for I Like Killing Flies
The food looks scrumptious and the video is carried along through the strength of the idiosyncratic and blustery chef.
Anyone who laments the loss of an older, grittier New York ought to adore this affectionate portrait of Greenwich Village restaurant owner Kenny Shopsin.
Shopsin is a character. He's loud, lewd and fat, speaks his mind on just about every subject known to man, and is beloved by his regular customers, who follow him to his new digs.
A colorful and offbeat documentary about Kenny Shopsin, a cook, entrepreneur, and raconteur in a popular Greenwich Village restaurant.
It's a rough-hewn film, more interesting, probably, to those who've actually made it through a meal there, but fun and maybe even inspiring.
The security-camera visuals and intrusive button microphone jutting into the frame give the movie an appealing fly-on-the-wall quality, successfully capturing the old Shopsin's experience for posterity.
[Shopsin is] a small piece of New York history, and Mahurin's film is the portrait he deserves: small, noisy and oddly engaging beneath the bluster.
A quick-sketch portrait of Kenny Shopsin, of the legendary or notorious, depending on your experience, Greenwich Village eatery that bears his name.
The central figure in this exuberant documentary, a committed Freudian who probably would've tossed Freud himself out had he looked at him sideways, spouts one gem after another.
Matt Mahurin's I Like Killing Flies utilizes extreme close-ups (sometimes with microphones in clear view) to create an appealingly informal aesthetic of proximity.
It is a joy of a movie. But watching it hungry -- at least for those of us outside New York, or those New Yorkers who Kenny refuses to serve -- only creates an appetite that cannot possibly be satisfied.
As directed in aptly unfussy fashion by music- video vet Matt Mahurin, the movie itself is a curiously tasty dish, one that could leave even a vegan with a burning desire to sample Shopsin's lamb chops.
You can't go home again, the film reminds us, and you can never eat the same meal twice. At least not at Shopsin's.
Viewers will either like it, as I did, or hate it, based on Kenny Shopsin's abrasive, but fascinating personality.
As oddly direct and quirky as its title. Its audio track would play great on "This American Life."
It celebrates individuality, hidden artistry, uncelebrated brilliance and the essence of the American spirit and is a general gas to watch.
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September 25, 2007:
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September 25, 2007:
I like Kenny Shopsin! ![]()
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