Mouth-Watering Movies
By Leo D. Rommel
"Ratatouille," the Pixar summer hit that is now available on DVD, is the youngest member of the Tribeca Film Festival 's recently released list of "Films to 'Feast' On," movies in which filmmakers excelled in fulfilling their viewer's expanded culinary cravings.
The 12 movies on the list include multiple scenes in which characters either cook up mouth-watering dishes, work to make sinfully delicious chocolate, or gather at a table to feast on a various culinary delicacies.
The list also includes recipes for some of the foods featured in the film.
With Thanksgiving knocking on the door and more holiday feasts just a month away, the list comes at a perfect time for Americans and their always expanding palates.
The critically-acclaimed "Ratatouille," with the easily lovable, go-getting rat simply cannot help but make viewers' mouths water.
The film centers around Remy, the young star with a wonderful sense of smell, a remarkable love of food and an unstoppable desire to do whatever it takes to become a great chef.
Thing is, Remy is a rat, an obvious disadvantage in an insanely rodent-phobic profession. As a result, the animal undertakes extreme measures to prove himself to his human counterparts throughout the film - though he seemingly does not have to do the same with his audience.
The ambitious rat joins forces with a struggling Paris chef to perfect a popular French dish made up of tomatoes, garlic, onions, eggplant and bell peppers. Together, the duo become rising stars, turning the culinary world of Paris upside-down.
Other recent movies on the list include 2001's "Chocolat," starring Juliette Binoche as a mother who opens a chocolate shop across the street from a local church just before Lent. Johnny Depp also stars.
Germany's "Mostly Martha" tells the story of an accomplished chef who suddenly finds herself the guardian of her dead sister's young daughter.
That film was remade and renamed for U.S. release in 2007 under the title "No Reservations," starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart.
The oldest movie on the list, "Tampopo," was released in 1985.
Three of the films on the list revolve around Asian cuisine and three focus on French cooking.
For those with a sweet tooth, two movies have storylines that concentrate on the creation of chocolate.
The Tribeca Film Festival Web site also provides a list of 12 films from the "dark side," movies that revolve around disastrously unhealthy food experiences, including "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle," "Super Size Me" and "Fast Food Nation."
By Leo D. Rommel