Archives for : food
This week I have a fun interview for the new crime comedy, “Mafia Mamma”. Toni Collette stars as a suburban mom who becomes head of the family business left to her by her recently deceased grandfather. The good news? The business is in the beautiful city of Rome, Italy. The bad news? It’s the Mafia. I sat down with the stars, Toni Collette, Sophia Nomvete, Monica Bellucci, and director Catherine Hardwicke.
“Mafia Mamma” is currently playing in theaters.
STUDIO MOVIE GRILL CHISHOLM TRAIL RELEASES NEWLY ADDED SHOWTIMES FOR GROUNDBREAKING BOX OFFICE WEEKEND
SEE SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME IN BRAND NEW, LUXURY DINE-IN THEATER
WHAT: Dallas-based Studio Movie Grill (SMG) is reopening its newest flagship theater and first in Fort Worth, TX, to welcome movie-goers for what is expected to be a groundbreaking weekend at the box office. Spider-Man: No Way Home, only in theaters, will find a home at SMG with 7 newly added showtimes to be featured at SMG Chisholm Trail for opening weekend.
WHEN: Beginning December 17, 2021, be one of the first to visit the tenth location in Texas, SMG Chisholm Trail, and see the film everyone is talking about in a brand-new house that everyone will be talking about!
• Find tickets here:
https://www.studiomoviegrill.com/locations/texas/fort-worth-chisholm-trail/2021/12/17
• Level up your experience with SMG’s new non-alcoholic fun featured drink for December, “Spider Bite”, inspired by Spider-Man: No Way Home. Only $1 extra with a kids meal and $5 if purchased individually
WHERE: The Shops at Chisholm Trail Ranch | 5413 Sierra Springs Lane, Fort Worth, TX 76123 Located in The Shops at Chisholm Trail Ranch, a major retail development housing more than 200,000 square feet of stores in a rapidly growing area southeast of the Chisholm Trail Parkway and McPherson Boulevard intersection in southwest Fort Worth.
About Studio Movie Grill: Conceived in 1993, Studio Movie Grill (“SMG”) modernized the traditional movie-going experience by combining first run movies with full-service, in-theater dining and now has 226 screens in 7 states. SMG was named to Inc. Magazine’s List of “Fastest Growing Private Companies” three years in a row, placed 13th in Box Office Magazine’s Giants of the Industry in 2020, and, in prior years, 50 films put SMG in the top 10 at the Box Office with key titles grossing as high as #5 in box office receipts. Honoring its commitment to Opening Hearts and Minds, One Story at a Time™, SMG’s legacy programs include its longtime Special Needs Screenings, which strive to help families. In June 2018, SMG created a unique loyalty program, SMG Access which, as loyal guests earn rewards, has allowed them to join SMG in offering movies and meals to underserved community members. To date, this program has earned over 44,000 movies and meals. For additional information, visit studiomoviegrill.com.
PIG is the sleeper hit that has stayed with me since viewing earlier this year. The film follows a truffle hunter (Nicolas Cage) who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness, but must return to Portland in search of his beloved, stolen, truffle pig.
The film also stars Alex Wolff, who plays opposite Cage as rich kid Amir. It’s a role Wolff values for many reasons, including his admiration for Cage. “Nick is on a very small list of what I believe is the greatest artist. Nic is a like a magician in making you feel like you’re an equal. Making you feel like you’re in this together. So I think initially it was like wow like this the Nicolas Cage. The person I modeled my career after. But it’s just Nic now, we developed a deep, profound, long lasting, friendship that has been one of the most rewarding of my life,” Wolff explains. He proceed to say that Cage is a person he really clicked with and they filmed this project during a time when they both needed each other.
In the film, Nicolas Cage’s character, Rob, is a former, world-renowned chef who remembers every meal he ever cooked. And when I asked Alex, what’s the most memorable meal he’s ever had, he responded, “Wow do you know I actually haven’t been asked that question, but I feel like if I were a reporter that would be a question I’d ask. A meal that I remember, there’s a few thanksgivings ago my mom made a meal that was really good and I’ll never forget it. That, and then, Thanksgiving about seven years ago in the south with my dad’s family. They made some sweet potatoes with a little bit of marshmallows on top and I’ll never forget it. Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the year.”
PIG has been raved among critics and audiences, currently rated 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film features powerful performances and an unforgettable screenplay. “Every step of the way this movie has shocked me. I just feel like I’m trying to take it in and I never expect this to happen again because it’s just one in a million,” Wolff added.
If you have yet to see PIG, it’s truly a must see. Nicolas Cage is at his best, and the film will leave craving more.
Rating: 4.75/5
PIG is now available On Demand.
Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Besides watching football and spending time with family, we will also be stuffing our faces. If you’re looking to get that hunger started and ready for a turkey day feast, then be sure to watch my top 5 most appetizing scenes from films!
5. Honey I Shrunk the Kids– Cookie Scene
After Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) accidentally shrinks his son, daughter and two other neighborhood teens, the children end up taking a long sweaty, dirty, journey in the backyard trying to get home. It’s a rough voyage without food or water. So when the four kids stumble upon a giant oatmeal cream pie, we’re not only relieved for them; we’re wishing we too could be scooping gallops of cream on our cookies.
4. Harold& Kumar Go to White Castle– Eating White Castle Burgers Scene
Nothing makes the hunger grow fonder than being under a certain influence. Once Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) make it their mission to have some White Castle burgers, the audience must endure an endless amount of ridiculous obstacles which creates anxiety and angers our stomachs. Spoiler Alert: When the two finally make it to White Castle, the concluding gorge is deliciously satisfying.
3. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory– “Pure Imagination” Scene
Let’s face it, as a kid (hell, even as an adult) we wished we could have tasted the scenery of this factory. Chocolate waterfalls, giant gummy bears, and even an editable tea cup flower! “If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it”—Valid lyrics toward an epic scene, because we can only hope that Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory is a replica of heaven. Until then, visits to underwhelming candy stores will have to do.
2. Hook– The Imaginary Dinner Scene
As we ache for Peter (Robbin Williams) and these children, our stomachs begin to growl watching a character that is starving get taunted by children mock eating invisible food. Thankfully, we receive a massive payoff when Spielberg pulls the camera back to reveal a real-life spread of piping hot meats, fruits, cheeses and colorful pudding-type desserts.
This scene is quickly followed by an unforgettable food fight.
1. Chef– Grilled Cheese Sandwich Scene
Most of you haven’t heard of this movie and might be wondering why a film released just this year has landed in the top spot. Chef is the definition of food porn! I challenge anyone to see this movie and not feel tormented by the close up shots of Chef Carl Casper’s (Jon Favreau) delectable dishes. This entire film features continuous scenes of enticing meals, but the masterful preparation of a simple grilled cheese will make you long for that very sandwich. Watching the Chef and his son take a crunchy, cheese-oozing bite, gets your mouth watering and leaves your taste buds in envy.
Honorable Mentions: Pulp Fiction: Five-dollar Milkshake Scene, A Little Princess: Waking Up to Breakfast Scene, Julie and Julia: I Love Butter Scene
They were known simply as “The Lost Boys.” Orphaned by the brutal Civil war in Sudan that began in 1983, these young victims traveled as many as a thousand miles on foot in search of safety. Fifteen years later, a humanitarian effort would bring 3600 lost boys and girls to America. In “The Good Lie,” director Philippe Falardeau, (“Monsieur Lazhar”) brings the story of their survival and triumph to life. Sudanese actors Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, and newcomer Kuoth Weil, many of whom were also children of war, star alongside Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon and Corey Stoll.
I sat down with The Good Lie writer Margaret Nagle (Red Band Society, Boardwalk Empire) and stars Arnold Oceng and Kuoth Wiel to discuss life changing choices, how we can help the South Sudanese children, and much more.
I really did love this film, I wasn’t prepared for how emotionally affected I would be. I do wish I had had some tissue. But I have to say it was so well written, and you two were fantastic in it.
Kuoth, Arnold, Margaret: “Awe, Thank you!”
So a lot of the characters are faced with some tough choices in this movie. What’s the biggest decision you guys have had to make so far in your life; either career wise or just a life changing decision in general?
Margaret: “Ask them because my life is just…”
Kuoth: “Um, I think that this film itself for me was a decision that I had to make. Because at the time I auditioned for it, I was in college. And it was my last semester. So the casting director had told me that if you’re going to do the film you’re going to have to give up school because we’re going to be filming for about two months and there’s a lot of travel in between. And so I gave up my school taking the opportunity of doing the film because of the script itself. Because I felt that I needed to be a part of it because this was the history of my country. And so, knowing that I took the opportunity, obviously, hoping for the best (laughs).”
Arnold: “Same, same, exact same to me. It was a big decision to be part of this film, a decision that I had to make. And it has changed my life being part of this film. It’s changed my life immensely. I’ve learned about my people, I’ve learned about my culture. Things I didn’t know. Coming from my father, my father is from South Sudan and I came to the UK. So being a refugee myself, and not growing up to know my father. I had to be part of this film to grow and to mature into a man. You know there’s a great saying, ‘you don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.’ And I didn’t know where my father was from or what he’s been through, or where he’s been. So this was an emotional journey for me and a big decision, and I’m happy I was part of it.”
The whole time while I was watching this movie I kept thinking, I have to do something. I just wanted to help out in some way, because the film makes you feel that way when you’re watching. And I was so happy that you (Arnold) mentioned thegoodliefund.org because once I got home I donated…
Margaret, Arnold, Kuoth: “Oh, yay! Thank you!”
It’s really rare that a movie can have that effect on the audience. Is there another movie for you guys that after watching it you got inspired to help out for a good cause?
Kuoth: “I always feel like you have that effect with documentaries. And that’s why this film was also special too. Because Philippe has that special thing where he makes you feel like this is something that’s in a way very authentic, but it feels real to people.”
Margaret: “But I also think film is this emotional language. It’s a language that the whole world can speak. We can all watch a movie and get a certain value from it. That someone in China or someone in, you know, Argentina; we can watch the same film and we get it. We all get it. And so I always believe that unlike a documentary, and this is what always kept me going, is I know this film can break down barriers for all of us. It’s funny, it’s entertaining, and it’s an intimate epic. But also that you can understand and so could someone a world away could understand it too and want to give that 5 dollars to the Good Lie Fund. We’re asking people to think about South Sudan. We’re going to try and make a difference.”
There’s also a lot of humor in here, too. One of the funniest parts was when the guys were thanking God for the miracle food that is pizza. I think pizza is amazing as well, but do you guys have a favorite food that you would also say is worthy of that title?
Arnold: “Ha-ha, yeah, I’m telling you for this film I had to loose so much weight. So now that I’m allowed to eat the food I want, I’d say steak! (Laughs)…”
Margaret: “Steak, the ‘Lost Boys and Girls’ love steak and orange juice. And then the Cheerios, that’s my favorite. I’m an obsessive Cheerios eater. And I also love; I personally feel pizza is a miracle food. I feel like that’s sort of a universal, like everybody feels like pizza is you know? That’s why you laugh at that. Because you know in any language airplane food is bad, pizza is good.”
The Good Lie opens in theaters October 3.
*If you would like to help South Sudanese children in crisis and “Lost Boys and Girls” communities by please donate at thegoodliefund.org
Jon Favreau’s recent passion project takes the audience on a charming and delectable ride of self-discovery.
Carl Casper (Favreau) is a high strung chef who has spent years building up his name within the food industry. But when one bad online review by the top food critic in LA gets blasted all over twitter Carl seems to take it personally and can’t shake the negative remarks. This leads him to get on twitter himself, and start a fight with the well-known critic who has quite the following. Eventually, the two are face to face in the restaurant and Carl has a major breakdown. He completely goes off on a screaming rampage.
Unfortunately for Carl, the general public was there to witness and film the entire thing. After the video of his explosion goes viral, Carl is unable to find work in any LA restaurant. But this downfall goes uphill quick, once Carl recognizes that this is really a blessing in disguise. The truth is he’s dreadfully unhappy with his life. Besides the fact that he has been unable to truly share his unique culinary skills, he is also divorced from his wife (Sofia Vergara) and barely knows his son (Emjay Anthony).
During a last minute trip to Miami, he is inspired by the cooking that started it all and decides to start up a food truck. Thus, beginning the predictable yet heartwarming road trip of father/son bonding and realizing what really makes you happy in life. Chef also showed how a “hater’s” words can also be the fuel that pushes you to succeed at your dreams.
The magnificent ensemble cast is rounded out by Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, and many more. You can’t help but fall for the charisma of this film. It is easily relatable to anyone who feels passionate about doing anything they love. And as a film critic myself, I felt motivated by the fact that Carl was making his love for cooking a career no matter what the stipulations were. I also felt a little bit of guilt for any bad review I have given in the past. Obviously I can’t stop, but know that all reviews from an objective standpoint.
The film also greatly exemplifies the use of social media. It is amazing how fast one tweet or Facebook post can become an internet sensation. And if used correctly, it can be the best marketing tool.
Be sure to either eat before or dine during, because the mouth-watering dishes prepared throughout the film will have your stomachs growling. And honestly, there is nothing you can eat after this movie that will be as satisfying as the dishes you have just seen. (Speaking of, can I get the recipe to EVERYTHING that was cooked in this film?)
Chef is a simple story that isn’t looking to compete with box office blockbusters (However, I did enjoy it more than Godzilla). It’s a fun family film with a star-studded cast that includes plenty of laughs and a sincere message about following your heart.
Rating: 4/5
Chef opens in select theaters May 16.
Originally posted on RedCarpetCrash.com