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Food Movies We Love: The God of Cookery

COMMENTS 4

by Anne Metz, Posted May 31st 2006 @ 6:06PM

After hearing from all our readers who love Big Night, Mystic Pizza, and Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, it's time a little flavor from Hong Kong.

Equal parts Iron Chef and Enter the Dragon, The God of Cookery (the movie's real -- i.e. Cantonese -- title is Sik San) is about a top-dog chef who is revealed as nothing more than a sham by one of his rivals.

Taking a page right out of Rocky III, the God of Cookery -- played by famous Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow -- trains harder than ever and tries to make his comeback in a culinary battle royale.

Comedy, cooking, and kung fu -- what more do you need?

Filed under: Food Oddities

Food Movies We Love: Big Night

COMMENTS 6

by Anne Metz, Posted May 24th 2006 @ 10:02AM

While I've been fascinated by barbecue documentaries of late (like Barbecue is a Noun and Barbecue: A Texas Love Story), I feel like I've been neglecting some other great non-documentary food movies.

In particular, I need to give a shout-out to Big Night, the brilliant 1996 indy film about two Italian immigrants -- named, somewhat ominously, Primo and Secondo --who run a failing Italian restaurant in northern New Jersey.

The film was written by and stars Stanley Tucci, along with Minnie Driver, Allison Janney, Liev Schrieber, and Isabella Rosellini. And in addition to the amazing cast, it's got even more amazing food shots.

And, finally, it dramatizes the question everybody who has ever worked in the food industry (me, for instance) asks: do you give the people the terrible food they want, or do you give the people the amazing food they should want?

What can I say? In the age of cheesy-chicken-mashed-potato bowls, this film becomes ever more prescient.

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