Thursday, March 24, 2005
This is making me hungry
One of the good things about Netflix is that I can actually find and then finally watch all those movies I passingly thought looked interesting when I saw a preview for them somewhere, somewhen. Tonight's movie was a prime example, with the added bonus that with Netflix I don't have to go to Blockbuster and have people look at me weird because of the title of the movie. I present to you Woman on Top.
It's not what it sounds like! I swear! It's about cooking! And motion sickness, and Brazil, and a transvestite. Really, it was entertaining. It's not every day you get to have Penelope Cruz tell you to pick only plump, firm tomatoes. (Obviously, she's not the transvestite.)
Lately, though, I've been in a mood to watch thematic movies and read thematic books. I think it comes from all the thinking I've been doing about pulling together diverse class materials. Anyway, last weekend I watched the extremely original (and weird) Japanese food movie, Tampopo, and I have an ongoing, continuously thwarted attempt to watch the Taiwanese Eat, Drink, Man, Woman again. The first one is all about food in general, and making the perfect ramen in particular. The second is all about the power of food within a family, where the dad is a professional chef who has lost his sense of taste. (And he works in the Grand Hotel, where I actually stayed! Finally, I got to see a foreign movie and say, "Hey, I've been there!")
At one point, I made a list of all the food-related movies and books I could think of. I dug it up again, just for you. Feel free to add to the list. I rather doubt it's complete.
Like Water for Chocolate - Mexico (book & movie)
Woman on Top - Brazil-themed (movie)
Chocolat - France-themed (movie)
Eat, Drink, Man, Woman - Taiwan (movie)
Tampopo - Japan (movie)
Kitchen - Japan (book)
Babette's Feast - Denmark? (movie)
Fried Green Tomatoes USA (book & movie)
One of the good things about Netflix is that I can actually find and then finally watch all those movies I passingly thought looked interesting when I saw a preview for them somewhere, somewhen. Tonight's movie was a prime example, with the added bonus that with Netflix I don't have to go to Blockbuster and have people look at me weird because of the title of the movie. I present to you Woman on Top.
It's not what it sounds like! I swear! It's about cooking! And motion sickness, and Brazil, and a transvestite. Really, it was entertaining. It's not every day you get to have Penelope Cruz tell you to pick only plump, firm tomatoes. (Obviously, she's not the transvestite.)
Lately, though, I've been in a mood to watch thematic movies and read thematic books. I think it comes from all the thinking I've been doing about pulling together diverse class materials. Anyway, last weekend I watched the extremely original (and weird) Japanese food movie, Tampopo, and I have an ongoing, continuously thwarted attempt to watch the Taiwanese Eat, Drink, Man, Woman again. The first one is all about food in general, and making the perfect ramen in particular. The second is all about the power of food within a family, where the dad is a professional chef who has lost his sense of taste. (And he works in the Grand Hotel, where I actually stayed! Finally, I got to see a foreign movie and say, "Hey, I've been there!")
At one point, I made a list of all the food-related movies and books I could think of. I dug it up again, just for you. Feel free to add to the list. I rather doubt it's complete.
Like Water for Chocolate - Mexico (book & movie)
Woman on Top - Brazil-themed (movie)
Chocolat - France-themed (movie)
Eat, Drink, Man, Woman - Taiwan (movie)
Tampopo - Japan (movie)
Kitchen - Japan (book)
Babette's Feast - Denmark? (movie)
Fried Green Tomatoes USA (book & movie)
