On Movies - foodie films

This week we're considering the role of food in film. Molly directs us to share "movies that are about growing, cooking, serving, eating or any other function of food." Sounds good to me as for the last few days I've been restricted to yogurt and protein smoothies due to oral surgery. I can enjoy food via my film memories! Here goes:


Aaah, there he is, the delicious Stanley Tucci. [Big Night]

1. Big Night [1996] A failing Italian restaurant run by two brothers gambles on one special night to try to save the business. One of my favorite films! 

Nice looking bakery, eh?

2. It's Complicated [2009] Many of scenes in this film were set in the kitchen, around the dinner table or in the main character's bakery/cafe.

3. Botany of Desire [2009] From IMDb: "Michael Pollan, a professor of journalism and a student of food, presents the history of four plants, each of which found a way to make itself essential to humans, thus ensuring widespread propagation." Enjoyed the lush photography as much as learning about Pollan's theory.

Seduced by shrimp.

4. I Am Love [2009] It's set in Italy and the main character falls for a chef. 'Nuf said.

Do you recognize Helen Mirren?

5. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover [1989] Shocking shenanigans at Le Hollandais Restaurant.

Be sure to check out Molly and the gang's picks at The Bumbles.

Monday Movie -- we are family

Oh boy! We have a fantastic theme this week at the Bumbles blog -- favorite films featuring fascinating families. I have six this week. All but one share a common aspect, the families are dealing with loss in the past or an impending loss of one of its members. The exception is the most recent film, The Kids Are All Right, which looks at the impact the addition of a person can have on family stability.

Join me in a toast to all the great films about families?

• Rachel Getting Married (2008)
• Ordinary People (1980)
• The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
• The Accidental Tourist (1988) - loved this eccentric family's "vaccination" card game
• The Kids Are All Right (2010)
• Pieces of April (2003)

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.
Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. ~Jane Howard

Monday Movie -- peevish

This week's theme over at the Bumbles blog are those things that make going out to the movie theater a less than magical experience. I used to count going to the movies as one of my favorite things to do. Sadly, this  is no longer the case. Here are some of the reasons why:

• Dolts and their cell phones.
• People hacking up a lung (or two) -- stay home if you're sick. Please.
• Hard of hearing person in the seat directly behind or in front who has his/her friend repeat every line of dialogue.
• Seat kickers (there's a special place in hell)
• Loud talkers who think they are sharing great insights with the world. Eediots!
• Commercials before the show.
• It's usually cold. That makes for an uncomfortable 2 hrs if I forget to dress in layers.

Since I'm a bit concerned that the list above makes me seem like a grinch, here are two things I really like about movie theaters:

• The shared experience. Hearing a bunch of strangers finding the same thing funny or sad.
• The amazing sound and visual quality in new theaters.

So there you have it...why my movie going has dwindled down to a few times a year.

Monday Movie - unforgettable

Julie Christie in Away From Her

This week's Monday Movie theme at the Bumbles Blog are those films in which memory plays a center role. These are three films I find unforgettable:

Away From Her

Fiona: I think I may be beginning to disappear.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Joel: Is there any risk of brain damage?
Howard: Well, technically speaking, the operation is brain damage, but it's on a par with a night of heavy drinking. Nothing you'll miss.

Memento

Natalie: What's the last thing that you do remember?
Leonard Shelby: My wife...
Natalie: That's sweet.
Leonard Shelby: ...dying.

Monday Movie - the sweet hereafter

This week at the Bumbles blog films that address what happens after death get the nod. I give this theme a hearty two thumbs up!

Here are my top five:

• The Sweet Hereafter - Love the film and loved the book by Russell Banks even more. A look at the lives of people in a small rural community after a devasting school bus crash.
• Beetlejuice - One of the few films I've enjoyed watching several times. It inspired the song This House is Not For Sale by Ryan Adams. Gawd, I like this song.
• Ghost Town - Ricky Gervais is so dang funny. The scenes with his character interacting with ghosts are hilarious.
• The Lovely Bones - Although the subject matter is extremely sad, the vision it provides of the afterlife is comforting. Incredible special effects.
• What Dreams May Come - OK, I dumped on Robin Williams last week but here he is in the lead role. It seems I have a complicated love - hate relationship with Williams. At the time I saw this, I didn't like the romantic, lost love aspect of the film. But since then, I've often thought about some of the scenes of how afterlife is depicted. The sea of faces...the Matterhorn. Visually amazing.

Monday Movie -- Hated it!

This week, the Bumbles blog asks us to share the movie that did not please us -- not one bit. Truth is, some films not only do not please but go the extra distance of actually actively displeasing.


This was an easy one for me. I avoid seeing bad films because I'm picky. Because I'm particular, I take precautions like asking my daughter who sees everything and who is also picky (as you would expect of someone with a degree in film studies). So, it makes sense that when I watched the following stinker it was as a captive on a plane.



My most hated film is Bicentennial Man starring Robin Williams. To this day, I'm skeptical of watching a film if Mr. Williams is in the lead role.

fall for these movies

Via the Bumbles Blog...

This week's theme is: fall. Here are my top five movies that depict the fall season in a memorable way:

Hannah and Her Sisters directed by Woody Allen

1. Hannah and Her Sisters
2. Pieces of April
3. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
4. Home For the Holidays
5. The Cider House Rules

supernatural

Brought to you by the Bumbles blog

This week's Monday Movie Meme topic is supernatural.


Here are my top five:

• The Blair Witch Project (1999)
• What Dreams May Come (1998)
• The X-Files (1998)
• The Village (2004)
• The Lovely Bones (2009)