It’s Monday again, and by now I hope that you all know that it’s MOVIE NIGHT here at the Foothills Performing Arts Center! Tonight’s film is Bella Martha, a movie to tingle the tastebuds and make you wish that today was Thanksgiving. This is a wonderful and heartfelt film that follows a passionate chef’s journey to discover what life is really about, after her sister’s fatal accident leaves her to care for her niece. This is a truly beautiful film and one that is worth seeing. There is an American verison of this movie called, No Reservations, but I feel that Bella Martha has more of an authentic and genuine feel to it. It’s just $5, the movie starts at 8pm and there are snacks and beverages available at the bar!

Next Monday 11/30: Food Inc. – This is a documentary about America’s food industry, that gives us a peek at how our food is created, how it is controlled, and how we have reached this point in time. I believe that this is an incredible film that does not just show the terrible things that happen during the production of our food, especially meat, but also exposes the problems that farmers face in dealing with the major companies that control almost everything, including the rights of certain seeds and their respective patents. And it doesn’t stop there. This movie is an eye-opening experience that should be viewed by all. It might make you wonder where your Thanksgiving turkey came from though!

Upcoming movie theme for December and January:
ICE, SNOW, AND COLD: BECAUSE THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH

Make sure to keep checking the website for updates and some special treats coming up!

Jessica Mackey

I first watched the French film “Delicatessen” on a shag rug in my family’s living room in 1992. I was 16 years old and virtually in my cultural infancy. While many peers were bored with subtitles and abstract plots, I had a hunger to understand what it was about these films that tickled the fancies of artsy-fartsy set.

Watching this film as a 16 year old confirmed to me that, indeed, foreign films were worth my time. And I’d be safe to say; this was one movie that impacted my future appreciation for unique film making.

“Delicatessen’s” Plot: Post-apocalyptic conditions are hard, meat is scarce, and people are desperate. A retired clown rents an apartment above the Butcher’s shop and meets a mélange of characters who are, to say the least, eccentric. This includes the Butcher who brutally tends to his flock of tenants by feeding them what livestock is available: HUMAN!

When the whimsical protagonist falls in love with the Butcher’s daughter (and visa versa), the plan to make a meal of new guy goes awry. She attempts to protect him through pleas to her brutish father, but to no avail. Finally she hires an underground vegetarian faction to fix things and then things REALLY get wild.

“Delicatessen” is visually engaging with striking contrasts, smoky cityscapes, and just an overall eeriness. The sets are reminiscent of Braque’s cubist paintings – monochromatic, confusing, and deliberate.

What’s most impressive to me is the multi-sensory experience that the film magically conveys with its cleverly composed percussion numbers and dust and smoke that can almost make you choke.

For those of you hungry for a little French culture post-apocalypse-style…or for those with, simply stated, an appreciation of dark humor, please join us at Foothills Performing Center on Monday November 17, 8 pm for this delicious and playful masterpiece.

Christina H.

As I’m usually reminded whenever I watch foregin films, our sensitivities and expectations as Americans are not universal. We were all taught that any good story has a conflict, a climax, a resolution… and so on. Based on this, most Hollywood films are packed heavy with tensions and “situations”. Tampopo (Japanese) was a pleasant departure from that formula.

The film is simply a romp. This is not to say that it is without some plot lines, but it is a comedy after all, and a Japanese one at that. The main character Tampopo, is a widow who owns a noodle shop. It’s not such a good noodle shop, and the film follows her education and efforts to make her place the best it can be. To paraphrase Tampopo: Everybody has got a ladder to climb. Some climb every rung to the top and some don’t even know they have one.

And perhaps that’s the biggest “message” in the movie. To strive for personal improvement! I can say that after the movie I had a serious hankering for noodles and a new appreciation of the complexities of what appears to be a simple dish.

Absolutely well worth the time, this move has many heart warming moments and is an overall joy! Ten toes up!

At Foothills Monday, November 2 at 8pm.

John Costa

The November movies are great for date night.  Food is a sensuous and seductive subject.  The Foothills setting is intimate and fun.  And the movies we’re showing will make you feel like a genius.  They are staples of any study of cinema theory and practice.  These movies will feed your brain!  (Even the disgusting ones.)

See you at the theater.

Jennifer

This Monday, October 26, Foothills will be playing “Martyrs,” the last movie in our Horror Film series. After viewing this film, I can tell you that it has a little bit of something for every fan of horror films. Whether you enjoy the truly gruesome and gory, the action-packed suspense, or the psychological thriller, this movie has it all.

“Martyrs” is, as many have said, an utterly disturbing film. It left me thinking about it for the rest of the day. It is a movie that contains so many variables that your mind runs in circles trying to just digest all of the horror.

So come down, Monday at 8pm, and join us in this truly horrific showing. Don’t forget to bring a friend! You won’t want to watch this film alone!

-Jessica Mackey