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10 Ways to Make It Rain Meatballs

YumSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:50:19 -0700

The trailer for the new animated comedy Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs makes me hungry for a plate of spaghetti with meatballs. The giant pancake laden with butter and maple syrup looks pretty good, and the gelatin, well . . . interesting, but the marinara spheres falling from the sky look too juicy and savory to resist. Whether or not you plan to catch the movie, here are a handful of different ways you can satisfy your inevitable craving for meatballs.

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Get a Taste of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

YumSugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:30:24 -0700

This Friday, I'm pretty sure I know what I'll be having for dinner: spaghetti with meatballs. That's because I plan on catching a new movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, on its opening night, which I can already tell will make my mouth water.

Loosely based on the classic children's book by Judi and Ron Barrett, Cloudy is an animated film produced by Sony Pictures Animation. The premise: A scientist hopes to solve world hunger when he discovers a way to convert water into food, but when he unleashes his invention on the world, it turns into an epic (albeit delicious) disaster.

I can't wait to get a helping of the computer animated adventure, which features the voices of comedians Andy Samberg and Anna Faris. I suspect the movie will only be more hunger-inducing in its 3-D, IMAX version. Will you be watching? Check out the preview trailer after the jump.

Bitter Feast Teaser Leaves Something to Be Desired

YumSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:00:10 -0700

The trailer's out for Bitter Feast, the upcoming comedic thriller featuring Italian food icon Mario Batali. The movie, produced by Joe Maggio, follows a New York chef and culinary authority who avenges a food critic that shot down his restaurant in a review; molto Mario is set to play the role of the owner of the restaurant. To see the short teaser, which begins innocently enough with fiddlehead ferns and cippolini onions but soon turns, well, bitter, keep reading

Are You Excited to Watch Julie and Julia?

YumSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:00:50 -0700

Julie and Julia hits theaters this Friday, chronicling the lives of Julia Child and blogger Julie Powell, who cooked her way through Child's cookbook. (Check out my interview with the author.) We already got to screen the film, and I highly recommend making it a must see for August. Are you planning to head to the theater?

Julie & Julia's Julie Powell Sets the Record Straight

YumSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:20:00 -0700

The highly-anticipated film Julie & Julia, set for release Aug. 7, has sparked a renewed curiosity about both protagonists portrayed in the film: The late Julia Child, as well as writer Julie Powell, author of the memoir Julie & Julia. Over drinks, the self-effacing Powell, who was in town promoting the film, discussed the movie, the extramarital affair that is the subject of her next book, and her response to less-than-kind feedback from both Julia's editor, Judith Jones - and Julia herself. Get the scoop when you keep reading

Mario Batali Set to Light Up the Silver Screen

YumSugar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:30:53 -0700

Looks like Padma Lakshmi's not the only food figure to catch the acting bug. Hot off the news that the Top Chef hostess is starring in a sitcom, we've learned that another celebrity chef, Mario Batali, has joined the cast of the upcoming film Bitter Feast.

Bitter Feast, which is being described as a dark comedic thriller, is currently filming in Manhattan and Woodstock, NY. Written and directed by Joe Maggio, the movie stars James LeGros as a New York chef and cooking personality who takes revenge on a food critic who recently crushed his restaurant in a review. Batali will play the owner of the restaurant. The movie is slated for a release this Fall from Magnolia Pictures.

Do you think Molto Mario has the chops to star in a major theatrical production? Would you rather watch Padma in a sitcom - or Mario in a movie?

Chipotle Promotes Food, Inc. Documentary

YumSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:37:35 -0700

Chipotle doesn't just want to feed its customers - it wants to educate them, too. The fast-casual food chain has teamed up with Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media, and River Road Entertainment to promote Food, Inc., a documentary that exposes issues with the food industry in America. Beginning today, Chipotle Mexican Grill will host free screenings of the film. In addition, the eatery will advertise Food, Inc. with printed material in its 800-plus stores and prepare a bonus feature about sustainable agriculture to be included in the DVD when it is released later this year.
"Chipotle is a great example of a company that's on the right track to improving our food system," director Robert Kenner said. "Chipotle's philosophy shares many of the same values expressed in Food, Inc., and we are very pleased with their support of our film." The Mexican food chain claims to use more naturally raised poultry and pork than any other restaurant worldwide. It also sources ingredients locally whenever possible and buys 35 percent of its beans from organic producers. This promotion is a smart strategy: if Chipotle's devotees weren't aware of the company's sustainable practices yet, they will be now.

Did you know Chipotle was so dedicated to sustainability? Will you attend a free Food, Inc. screening?

Photo by flickr user Photo2217

Food, Inc. Film Exposes Problems With US Food Consumption

YumSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:00:20 -0700

In addition to being captured in photos by National Geographic, the sustainable food crisis is also the focus of a new documentary. Magnolia Pictures' Food, Inc. is a call to action to change the way America eats. It discusses food consumption today, its heavy dependence on corn, its ties to national policy, and its inevitable impact on our nation's health.

Based on the book Food, Inc. (and similar to The Omnivore's Dilemma), the premise of this film appears to be similar: the country's food system, with its focus on making food bigger, cheaper, and faster, is making America sick. The movie also addresses the contamination issues plaguing the nation and the enormous power wielded by US food corporations, with sustainable food poster boys Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser making appearances in the documentary.

If you haven't seen it yet, below is the trailer for the film, which debuts in select cities June 12. Do you think this documentary will prove to be as influential as proponents are hoping it to be? Will you go see it?

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Sideways Is Back, in Japanese Form

YumSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:00:18 -0700

If you were stoked to hear about the release of The Ramen Girl, wait until you hear about the next big foodie flick. Oh, wait - you may have already seen it. Twentieth Century Fox is creating a Japanese version of Sideways, the Oscar-nominated comedy about four friends road-tripping through California wine country that became a runaway hit in 2005.

Given wine's increasing popularity in Japan, Fuji TV, one of Japan's biggest film producers, thought the movie would be an ideal candidate for a remake. But for its new film, tentatively also called Sideways, the company made changes to the storyline.Rather than drinking their way through Santa Barbara wine country, the group meanders through Napa Valley, a wine region that is better-known among the Japanese. The movie's two main male characters - named Michio and Daisuke, not Miles and Jack - drive up to Napa Valley from Los Angeles. “You can’t do a road trip in California without going over the Golden Gate Bridge,” said the director of the remake, Cellin Gluck.

At first, Napa Valley vintners were not too enthusiastic about the film, given that the original's Merlot-bashing lines led to a plummet in sales of the varietal. However, the new feature doesn't knock varietals of any kind and successfully managed to shoot at local restaurants, as well as winemakers such as Frog's Leap, Beringer, and Chandon.

I'd never have guessed that the Japanese would remake a movie like Sideways, with its focus on a specialized West Coast winemaking region, but I can see how the comedy has universal appeal. Do you like the concept, or should Fox have simply dubbed the original?

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Brittany Murphy Starring in Ramen Film

YumSugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:00:59 -0800

One week from this Saturday, I'm going to cancel any plans and clear my schedule. Why, you might ask? Because that's the release date of The Ramen Girl, a new movie starring Brittany Murphy.

The independent movie, produced by media8, follows a young American woman (Murphy) who moves to Tokyo for her boyfriend. Upon getting dumped, she decides her life's calling is to make noodles, and seeks the guidance of a stern but wise master ramen chef. To see the trailer, read more.

I thought this was a joke - some sort of spoof - before coming to the realization that it's simply the most random movie ever to be made. Brittany Murphy? In a movie about ramen? Her lines couldn't be more cliché: "I want to cook ramen. I want to make people happy the way you do . . . There's something about the Japanese and making the perfect bowl of soup. It's kind of beautiful." It also looks to be the campiest, least convincing movie of all time. Yet somehow, if only for the food porn aspect, I'm unabashedly excited to see this movie.

One thing's for sure: I'm not going to watch this movie without having a bowl of ramen afterward. Check out the trailer below. Will you be watching The Ramen Girl?

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