Food-Related Films

[Meaghan]

Silence of the Hams

The Frying Game

Gulp Fiction

Clockwork Lime

American Foodie

The Critics Must Be Crazy (part 2)

The Naked Ton

Comp Me If You Can

[yeuxblu]

Chocolat with Juliette Binoche. I'm going to have to find a copy of Tortilla Soup. I've never seen that one.

Is there already a thread for a favorite beverage movie (or shall I offer up the 1983 classic Strange Brew)?

[monavano]

Chocolat with Juliette Binoche. I'm going to have to find a copy of Tortilla Soup. I've never seen that one.

Is there already a thread for a favorite beverage movie (or shall I offer up the 1983 classic Strange Brew)?

If not, we could start with "I'm not drinking any FUCKING Merlot!" from Sideways.

[Waitman]

Chocolat with Juliette Binoche. I'm going to have to find a copy of Tortilla Soup. I've never seen that one.

Is there already a thread for a favorite beverage movie (or shall I offer up the 1983 classic Strange Brew)?

Barfly.

"Drinks....for all my friends."

[demandalicious]

Is there already a thread for a favorite beverage movie (or shall I offer up the 1983 classic Strange Brew)?

Take off, you hoser. My favorite alcohol-themed movie is a documentary called The Alcohol Years.

[Poivrot Farci]

stars

[Al Dente]

I saw 300 last night. What a great food movie! At one point the King is eating an apple on the battlefield after an attack by thousands of "Persians". While he enjoys his fruit, his men occupy themselves by skewering hundreds of wounded enemies with spears. I'm still trying to figure out what the apple could have represented in this deeply moving and highly artistic film.

Then I had a suckass dinner at Lavandou.

[Meaghan]

If you're like everyone else and enjoyed Big Night, you should catch it this weekend at AFI SIlver in Silver Spring. Then you can get all hungry and go to someone's house and eat a bunch of pasta and shit.

[demandalicious]

I saw 300 last night. What a great food movie!

I was under the impression that the only food featured in 300 was beefcake.

[Al Dente]

I was under the impression that the only food featured in 300 was beefcake.

Steak Tartar made several appearances too.

[DinerGirl]

If you're like everyone else and enjoyed Big Night, you should catch it this weekend at AFI SIlver in Silver Spring. Then you can get all hungry and go to someone's house and eat a bunch of pasta and shit.

Do I have to shit there, or can I want 'til I get home?

[legant]

Just watched -- and enjoyed -- Mostly Martha. I was fascinated by the music as well as the story. Does anyone know if the soundtrack is available? A quick search of the Internet only offered the suggestion to compile your own.

[gourmetgrazer]

seconds to Eat Drink Man Woman, Tampopo(a ramen western), Mostly Martha (awesome for its food scenes but a bit sacchrine), Big Night is a killer(best soundtrack for food movie), Like water fo Chocolate(I mean naked on horseback how cool is that)

New entries: Scent of Green Papaya, good story, meditative pace, kick ass vietnamese food

Dinner Rush(if only for the "what is this shit, these are chives not fucking snowflakes, gimme your knife...this knife is a dull piece of shit, your fired.")or giving the world the term "food nymph(o)"

Spanglish(I know, not the best film, but "I'll have a side of Paz Vega"and Keller was the "technical advisor" for the restaurant scenes, and how could you not love Sandler "eating to cope" by sitting in the cheese cooler with a mountain of Epoisses)

Delicatessan

Soylent Green

And the two Coreys/Kiefer Sutherland/Dianne Wiest/Edward Herrman/Jason Patric/Jamie Gertz vehicle, The Lost Boys

[Eric Reid]

cet regarde bon

ps: my french is no bueno

[zoramargolis]

Ratatouille looks very cute.

I also am fond of "Tortilla Soup"-- Hector Elizondo plays the owner of a Mexican restaurant with several daughters. Lots of sequences of food prep and scenes around the dinner table. IIRC, the food consultants were Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger.

[Banco]

La Grande Bouffe is canonical. It shows the bright and the dark side of the pleasures of the table. Nothing comes close in exploring the psychology of gourmandisme, except perhaps TCTTHWAHL.

I loved Babette's Feast, though, because it shows a clash between an ascetic, puritanical culture and the world of pleasure--something with which any American gastronome can identify.

[shogun]

If you're like everyone else and enjoyed Big Night, you should catch it this weekend at AFI SIlver in Silver Spring. Then you can get all hungry and go to someone's house and eat a bunch of pasta and shit.

Have Big Night waiting in my mailbox. Maybe watch this weekend.

I nominate Tampopo, [edit for: nevermind, I misspelled it in my search of the thread Cook&Bottle Washer beat me to the punch months ago]

It's the comedic tale of two Japanese truck drivers trying to turn a roadside ramen shop into the best in Japan. There are little side stories, too: A Yakuza and his mistress and what they do with various foodstuffs, a hobo feast, and some executives and office workers dining at an upscale French restaurant, maybe a love story thrown in there somewhere. Fun movie!

[Anna Blume]

stars

Don't remember much in the way of food....

* * *
Affirming the superiority of French cuisine: entrez ici.

[pizza man]

I'm sure somebody already said this; "The cook, the thief, his wife and her lover" I think that's the name.

Or,

Day of the Dead.

perhaps Soilent Green..

[giant shrimp]

I'm sure somebody already said this; "The cook, the thief, his wife and her lover" I think that's the name.

i lifted this from "fun stuff" trivia about the notoriously dyspeptic peter greenaway film: "The dog excrement was actually chocolate mousse."
which is reassuring, but if that's the kind of favorite food movie you are looking for, "pink flamingos" has to get the nod.

[Banco]

i lifted this from "fun stuff" trivia about the notoriously dyspeptic peter greenaway film: "The dog excrement was actually chocolate mousse."
which is reassuring, but if that's the kind of favorite food movie you are looking for, "pink flamingos" has to get the nod.

Well, if you want to go down that road, as it were, this film has a somewhat more human touch.

[legant]

Just saw the trailer for No Reservations. Out this weekend. Somehow, I don't have much faith in this American remake.

I read recently that Catherine Zeta-Jones is going to be making an English-speaking version of Mostly Martha due out sometime in 2007.

[Waitman]

Just saw the trailer for No Reservations. Out this weekend. Somehow, I don't have much faith in this American remake.

Heck, I found the original kind of tedious, but it was at least intelligent and well-done. Given the general state of American cinema I cringe at the thought of a remake.

One movie I really liked is a relatively obscure French comedy called Apres Vous, about a maitre d' and the man whom he talks out of suicide and for whose life he becomes responsible. The scene where maitre d' Daniel Auteil tries to coach his foundling through an interview as sommelier is astoundingly funny, and the rest of the movie is a delight. I wonder what the wine snobs on the board would think about a '95 Tattinger with Thai food, though. Rent it and watch it with baguettes, cheese and wine.

[Banco]

Heck, I found the original kind of tedious, but it was at least intelligent and well-done. Given the general state of American cinema I cringe at the thought of a remake.

Agreed. Although if it weren't for remakes of vapid Euro-fluff such as Mostly Martha, American cinema would be even worse than it already is. (I can't imagine why Catherine Zeta-Jones, an habituée of my most fevered fantasies, would stoop to such a project. Oh wait, I can.)

One movie I really liked is a relatively obscure French comedy called Apres Vous, about a maitre d' and the man whom he talks out of suicide and for whose life he becomes responsible. The scene where maitre d' Daniel Auteil tries to coach his foundling through an interview as sommelier is astoundingly funny...

Thanks for this tip. I've added it to my Netflix. Auteuil was mesmerizing in Caché.

[pidgey]

I just saw a bilingual documentary from the 70s about Tex Mex music called Chulas Fronteras. There are lots of scenes of people cooking and eating traditional Tex Mex foods, like barbecue and tamales. It made me hungry (and homesick). In one scene, a musician talks about the German immigrants influence on Tex Mex music, and in many ways, the same can be said about its food.

[monavano]

I was surprised to see a food/cooking movie trailer in the theater this afternoon. From....Pixar! It looked so cute that I might see it in the theater.

Ratatouille trailer

For the record, I can say that Pirates of the Caribbean At World's End contains about 3 peanuts, rum and tea.

[cjsadler]

Check out the wild documentary "I Like Killing Flies" about the restaurant Shopsin's in NYC (written about by Calvin Trillin). Shopsin's is no longer where or what it was (it now operates as a stall in a market), but the old menu, featuring like 700 dishes is here. If you have Netflix, you can do the new "Watch it Now" thing with this movie.

[DonRocks]

I'm sure somebody already said this; "The cook, the thief, his wife and her lover" I think that's the name.

i lifted this from "fun stuff" trivia about the notoriously dyspeptic peter greenaway film

Okay. Calling this movie "dyspeptic" is like calling Olympus Mons a hill. I remember going to the Carlyle Grand Cafe after watching this and I just sat there and stared, unable to eat a thing.

My vote would go to "Babette's Fast," the story of a French refugee in Denmark who grew thin because she refused to eat her codfish gruel, or "A Night In P(a)rison," which documents the pathos underlying Paris Hilton's first confrontation with a frozen salmon patty.

Cheers,
Rocks.

[crackers]

Check out the wild documentary "I Like Killing Flies" about the restaurant Shopsin's in NYC (written about by Calvin Trillin). Shopsin's is no longer where or what it was (it now operates as a stall in a market), but the old menu, featuring like 700 dishes is here.

I'll have to get this. When I lived in Manhattan I went to Shopsins for breakfast a lot. The first one on the corner of Bedford. Not enough to be a regular, but enough to learn some of the rules. Put Colorado Kitchen's rules to shame. For instance, you could not order the same thing as anybody else at the table! Not that it was a problem with that menu God knows. Supposedly Woody Allen was a regular but I never saw him there. It was amazing how Kenny, the owner, (and his daughter, the waitress) could remember all the different things on the menu and reach up and pull just the right ingredient containers off the shelves.

[1000yregg]

I was kind of an out of town regular at Shopsin's thanks to a friend who was a regular.

I loved going there for brunch on weekends I was up in NYC, and the family is really nice, but you had to follow the rules or else. I will sure miss the old restaurant. It got mentioned on Heroes in the last couple episodes of the season. I was told that their stand at Essex Market is now open as of last month. I hear they're next to a really good cheesemonger.

They trimmed down the menu but they still have some 20 kinds of pancakes and 30 some different soups. (menu) I hope to check the place out next time I'm in NYC. I would hope they bring back their poutine menu, which had several variants to the classic canadian dish.

[zoramargolis]

I was told that their stand at Essex Market is now open as of last month. I hear they're next to a really good cheesemonger.

The Essex Market is around the corner from my sister-in-law's apartment. The last time I was there, Shopsin's wasn't open yet--something to look forward to the next time I'm there. But the cheesemonger is a terrific young woman, who sells only American artisanal and farmstead cheeses. She also sells local milk, cream, yogurt and eggs. She used to work for Murray's before setting up her own place.

[zoramargolis]

"Babette's Feast" was on one of the cable movie channels today. We were flipping around and got caught up once again. What a wonderful film about the the transformative, spiritual power of a meal created by a passionate culinary artist.

[cjsadler]

Slate slideshow about food movies: "A Chef's So-Called Life: What movies get right - and wrong - about life in the kitchen"

[DanCole42]

Not technically a movie, but the September 29th episode of "How I Met Your Mother" was all about an hilarious search for the best burger in New York.

Featuring such gems as:

Lily: Oh my god, this burger is so good! It's like Christmas in my mouth! Meat Christmas!

Ted: It's like an angel from heaven landed in the kitchen at MacLaren's, where the chef killed it and ran it through a meat grinder.

Barney: I love this burger so much I want to sow my ass shut.

Guy At Bar: I think I know the place you're talking about. It's called The Corner Bistro. Great burger!

Marshall: Oh, oh! The Corner Bistro! It's amazing, I spend a quarter of my life searching for the best burger in New York City, but silly me! It never occurred to me to check the highest rated burger in the zagat guide! Wow, thanks a lot, Guy! Let me return the favor. (whispering) Great cup of coffee? Starbucks! Shhh!

[ol_ironstomach]

Not technically a movie, but the September 29th episode of "How I Met Your Mother" was all about an hilarious search for the best burger in New York.

Featuring such gems as:

Lily: Oh my god, this burger is so good! It's like Christmas in my mouth! Meat Christmas!
Ted: It's like an angel from heaven landed in the kitchen at MacLaren's, where the chef killed it and ran it through a meat grinder.
Barney: I love this burger so much I want to sow my ass shut.

Heck, that's just a Beerfest rip-off. (Caution: NSFW)

[goodeats]

Reading this thread led me down memory lane on an old Hong Kong movie about a chef competition to cook the Manchu Imperial Feast. Called The Chinese Feast, it featured some deft knife skills from recollection, but I would have to rewatch it again to really confirm. I can just remember being really in awe of the cooking skills, but still, probably lacks in comparison to Eat, Drink, Man, Woman only due its cheesy plotline.

Another movie I want to watch, but haven't seen yet is Rice Rhapsody or Hainan Chicken Rice. Although it's based in Singapore and apparently does not have a lot of cooking scenes, it does have Sylvia Chang and Martin Yan in it.

One that isn't quite a movie, but rather a Japanese soap drama, is my favorite regarding sushi apprenticeship: Shota no Sushi. It was based on a popular manga series by the same name. Click for some sample frames...

Edited May 6, 2009 by goodeats

[goodeats]

Not quite a food movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary, Beer Wars, this past weekend. It was written, produced, and directed by Anat Baron, once GM of mike's hard lemonade and gives a really good viewpoint of how the heck we got to one-note beers in the U.S.

[Sthitch]

Not quite a food movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary, Beer Wars, this past weekend.

When I think of great beer documentaries, this is what immediately comes to mind.

[kirite]

When I think of great beer documentaries, this is what immediately comes to mind.

 
I'm not sure if it has been mentioned in this thread, but "Mostly Martha," a German film is wonderful, by turns heartbreaking and hilarious.

[leleboo]

I'm not sure if it has been mentioned in this thread, but "Mostly Martha," a German film is wonderful, by turns heartbreaking and hilarious.

 
If you're curious, a few people have mentioned it ... with varying opinions. (Which sorta makes me want to check it out.)

[SeanMike]

Not quite a food movie, but I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary, Beer Wars, this past weekend. It was written, produced, and directed by Anat Baron, once GM of mike's hard lemonade and gives a really good viewpoint of how the heck we got to one-note beers in the U.S.

 
I watched it last week had immediate cravings for Dogfish Head.

Zombie movies make me hungry...

[kirite]

If you're curious, a few people have mentioned it ... with varying opinions. (Which sorta makes me want to check it out.)

It is definitely worth a look.

[grover]

Now I can add 'Ratatouille' and 'Julie and Julia' to my list.

[lion]

Reading this thread led me down memory lane on an old Hong Kong movie about a chef competition to cook the Manchu Imperial Feast. Called The Chinese Feast, it featured some deft knife skills from recollection, but I would have to rewatch it again to really confirm. I can just remember being really in awe of the cooking skills, but still, probably lacks in comparison to Eat, Drink, Man, Woman only due its cheesy plotline.

Another movie I want to watch, but haven't seen yet is Rice Rhapsody or Hainan Chicken Rice. Although it's based in Singapore and apparently does not have a lot of cooking scenes, it does have Sylvia Chang and Martin Yan in it.

One that isn't quite a movie, but rather a Japanese soap drama, is my favorite regarding sushi apprenticeship: Shota no Sushi. It was based on a popular manga series by the same name. Click for some sample frames...

 
Shota no Sushi was an excellent drama! Thankfully it was online with English translations. I would like to seen Oishinbo, either the manga or live series, with translations as well. Unfortunately, haven't found it.

Last year, I enjoyed the Korean series Shikgaek or Gourmet. I learned a lot about Korean food and the story was interesting. The production values were quite high for a food based show and it was enjoyable to see.

[jayandstacey]

Mystic Pizza

Breakfast Club - nothin beats a bologna and pixie stick sandwich!

Moonstruck

War of the Roses - dog pate (woof)

Lady and the Tramp

[monavano]

Mystic Pizza

Breakfast Club - nothin beats a bologna and pixie stick sandwich!

Moonstruck

War of the Roses - dog pate (woof)

Lady and the Tramp

 
Moonstruck:
Rose: "Old man, you give those dogs another piece of my food and I'm gonna kick you 'til you're dead!", and of course, "don't shit where you eat".

[JPW]

Next Floor

[1000yregg]

At the Slackhaus- we watched Stephen Chow's God of Cookery a few months back. It's a kung fu cooking movie that incorporates elements of Iron Chef and the Bocuse D'or. Very funny.

[sunshine]

Pedro Almodovar movies make me hungry. There's one, I forget the name, where Carmen Maura makes gazpacho and you wish you could be tasting some of it through the screen.

[ol_ironstomach]

At the Slackhaus- we watched Stephen Chow's God of Cookery a few months back. It's a kung fu cooking movie that incorporates elements of Iron Chef and the Bocuse D'or. Very funny.

Best part: the "Eighteen Brass Men of Shaolin" scenes, mainly because three of them seem to be assigned to vogue in front of the others at all times.

Pedro Almodovar movies make me hungry. There's one, I forget the name, where Carmen Maura makes gazpacho and you wish you could be tasting some of it through the screen.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown? But...it's loaded with sleeping pills!