Seven Food Films That Aren't Good Enough for MoMA
Next month the Museum of Modern Art will host "Carte Blanche: Dieter Kosslick, the Culinary Cineaste" to honor Dieter Kosslick, director of the Berlin International Film Festival and food activist.
The program will have screenings of lots of classic food films, including Big Night, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Food, Inc., Mostly Martha, Sideways, Harvest, Babette's Feast, Ratatouille, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Le Quattro Volte and Kings of Pastry. On August 23, MoMA will host a dinner of dishes inspired by the films, created by The Modern's Gabriel Kreuther, who will join Kosslick, Ruth Reichl and Michael Romano for a discussion on "Food, Culture and Ecology."
Although that's a fine list of food movies, and there are plenty other good films featuring food (Eat Drink Man Woman and Chocolat come to mind), what about the food films that most certainly won't be shown at MoMA?
Sweeney Todd
Mrs. Lovett makes the worst pies in London. And that's before she starts using body parts culled from the murderous barber.
No Reservations
It hardly seems fair that this American remake of Germany's Mostly Martha isn't being shown at MoMA. But the German version didn't feature Aaron Eckhart's creepy smirk.
Mystic Pizza
Long before portraying Charlie Sheen's vomit-mopper on Two and a Half Men, Conchata Ferrell made pizza with magical sauce, slung by the biggest-haired, most melodramatic young ladies of the late '80s.
Simply Irresistible
Sarah Michelle Gellar should stick with magical vampire-slaying powers instead of magical cooking powers.
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