CALVARY - THE TRIP TO ITALY- THE HUNDRED FOOT JOURNEY

The official opening of the movie The Hundred-Foot Journey this week in New York.

The thing these 3 great movies share are astonishing natural sceneries of mountains, oceans and winding roads; two of them include Haute Cuisine at its finest!

THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY

Based on the international best seller by RICHARD C. MORAIS, this co-production by STEVEN SPIELBERG, OPRAH WINFREY and JULIET BLAKE takes us to a France I never knew existed. The cast is headed by one of my favorite actresses, HELEN MIRREN as Madame Mallory, a widow who has devoted her life to the upkeep of her late husband's high class restaurant when a family of Indian immigrants with hot spices and loud music moves across the road to disrupt her well-established routines. Directed by LASSE HALLSTRÖM, the cast: OM PURI as Papa, MANISH DAYAL as Hassan the gifted young chef, CHARLOTTE LE BON as Marguerite another aspiring young chef, and the rest of the excellent cast, deliver an uplifting cinematographic experience of luscious beauty.

THE TRIP TO ITALY

Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan

This film follows the first one entitled The Trip. Steve (STEVE COOGAN) and Rob (ROB BRYDON) are once again asked by The Observer to do a series of restaurant reviews. I wanted to see this film because it brings together everything I love most about life on Earth: succulent food, luxurious restaurants in Italy, the company of intelligent, funny and talented men. Plus we visit some famous hotels and sites that are so beautiful it makes me want to cry. The scenery is so gorgeous I can't promise you you wont want to instantly book a trip to Italy. We also see the chefs at work in their own kitchens preparing the exquisite recipes that are then brought out. The conversation is funny witty very perceptive of the human condition. We are taken along for this elegant interlude before ordinary life resumes once again.

CALVARY

Brendan Gleeson

I really enjoyed this movie that allows us to reflect on the positive intentions of the catholic church versus its abysmal failings. BRENDAN GLEESON plays a good priest, the kind that would convert every person on earth to catholicism, not because he is perfect but because he is warm and honest in his intention to be of service. He navigates the village of misfits, carrying the weight of the previous priest's misconduct and the traumatic wounds left behind, equipped with the words of the gospel and his common sense. The cinematography is superb and the rocky edges of the coast underline the tensions building up in the story as one of the characters is plotting murder. I was moved by the main character's journey and his ultimate heartbreak at the end.

-LENA GHIO