Food in Film: Apples

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

A food addict and connoisseur of tasteful films reviews Food in Film, starring...

… Apples

In Pocketful of Miracles (1961), an apple a day seems to keep the bullets away from gangster Dave the Dude (Glenn Ford), but only if they are from Apple Annie (Bette Davis)... he believes hers bring good luck. When unexpected news triggers Annie into a drunken stupor and unable to peddle her apples, he helps her with a miracle.

Trailer: Pocketful of Miracles 

While growing up, it seemed the only apples we ate were Red Delicious and Yellow Delicious. Their names don't fit their flavor, so I was never keen on the "apple a day" theory. 

Years into my adulthood I finally discovered truly delicious apples... Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp (my favorite). They might not bring me luck, but considering the bland variety I was raised on, flavorful apples seem miraculous! 

Note: Catch this gem on Turner Classic Movies May 14 at 10:30 PM (ET).

Theme Reveal: Food in Film

I am a sugarholic in recovery (16 years), but still a food addict. I eat healthy foods, but too much and too often. Several months ago, I came across this statement in a blogger's profile: "I love food…a little too much, and it led to obesity."

At first I thought I love food, too. But then I took pause.  Do I really? Do I really love food?

I pondered on the word love. If I love something, I take care of it, cherish it, notice it, feel gratitude for it...

In the animated film Ratatouille (2007) when chef Linguini (voice of Lou Romano) meets food critic Anton Ego (voice of Peter O'Toole), they exchange the following:

Linguini

(awed)

You're... Anton Ego.

Anton Ego

(sarcastic)

You're slow for someone in the fast lane.

Linguini

And you're... thin, for someone who likes food.

Anton Ego

I don't like food; I LOVE it.  

If I don't love it, I don't swallow.

Let's see... I stuff my face, hardly taste the food, and rarely feel satisfied with what I eat... so I keep eating. I use and abuse food, and that does not equate to love.

In reality, I need to learn to love food.

So, with that in mind, and since this is a movie blog, I'll consider my relationship with food--from Apples to Zagnut--referencing specific movies and scenes.

Join me... let's savor Food in Film!

Movie trailers.

Friday: Comic Relief

My husband and I saw a trailer for a movie we'd never heard of and it looked hilarious, so we rented it from Redbox. Then... we watched it. And discovered the only funny parts in the movie were ones we'd already seen in the trailer.

Yep, sometimes the trailer is better than the movie.

Sometimes the trailer misleads the film's theme (fyi... My Girl 1991, is not a fun kid's movie!).

And sometimes the trailer reveals too much. Which leads me to this humorous Studio C video: Movie Trailer That Spoils Everything. Enjoy!

Friendly Movie Characters

Writing Prompt: Write a blog post inspired by the word: friendly.

Friendly encounters with strangers lift my spirits. Such as when a woman in Italy showed me how to work the laundromat washer, and a gentleman who observed me gazing at a scenic landscape, stood beside me and expressed, "Bellissimo. Bellissimo."

I am grateful for friendly tall grocery shoppers who hand me items from the top shelf. And for the woman on the hospital elevator who held the door for me, suspecting, in my distraught state, I had gotten off on the wrong floor. She was right. And kind.

So, I feel a tender spot for friendly movie characters who reach out to strangers in their time of need. Often, their kindness has far reaching effects like when little Jenny offers Forrest a seat next to her on the school bus (Forrest Gump, 1994), or when Sister Husband (Stockard Channing) invites Novalee (Natalie Portman), a teenager with a newborn, to stay with her (Where the Heart Is, 2000).

But not all friendliness or kindness are the grand acts. Sometimes there's a friendly character in a minor role, like Marshall (Ossie Davis), a chauffeur who helps Joe (Tom Hanks) select clothes (Joe Versus the Volcano, 1990), or Sara's (Eva Mendes) nice boss, Max (Adam Arkin) in Hitch (2005).

Let's not forget the background extras, either... the waitress, cab driver, doorman, passenger on the train, pedestrian. Since the camera's focus is on the main action, it's easy to overlook what's going on around the main characters.

And therein lies the challenge. As I tried to think of specific examples to include in this post, I came up blank. So I've challenged myself to look for friendly acts in the background of the movies I watch in the next few weeks, and report back to this blog post.

Can you recall friendly background character action? Please share!

Writing prompt from: