We’re halfway through June, and the east coast of the United States is experiencing its 10 millionth weekend of rain. Devastating, no doubt, but I happen to know a good percentage of Film Flavor readers will have — at the very least — are in need of some indoor entertainment.

Gather ‘round, grab a beverage, and spend a few moments of your day exploring a selection of delectable short films, all under five minutes in length.

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Strawberry!! (2013)

Directed by Siqi Song | Runtime: 24 seconds

I went strawberry-picking in New England last weekend and — for the first time in what felt like years — I tasted a strawberry with actual flavor. (I have exactly zero evidence to back up these claims, but I believe in my heart the XXXL strawberries at the grocery store just don’t slap as hard as the local, pick-your-own farmed berries do.) At any rate, craving an ode to these red fruits, I stumbled upon Siqi Song’s ambrosial work.

One of the most impressive and clever 24-second films in existence. Bon appétit!

Near Death Experience (2016) | The Creatures of Yes

Directed by Jacob Graham and Caleb Graham | Runtime: 4 minutes, 50 seconds

Growing up, I listened to the self-titled debut album by the band The Drums on repeat. A few years ago, I decided to check in and see what they were up to. Imagine my surprise and delight as I read the band’s Wikipedia article, discovering a member left in part to “focus” on his “puppetry.” (Full disclosure, I currently work for a puppet theater!)

Fast-forward to today, and it appears musician and puppeteer Jacob Graham has used his versatile talents to found The Creatures of Yes, a series of puppetry-based programming that marries nostalgic warmth, slow-burn comedy, and amusing social commentary — with a dash of unnerving vibes.

Nothing short of a treat to watch, if Near Death Experience delights you in the least, I highly recommend taking a dive through their body of work available on Youtube.

Honorable Mention: Are You A Chocoholic? by The Creatures of Yes

Wishing Apple (2018)

Directed by Jack Stauber | Runtime: 1 minute, 58 seconds

Why wait for a birthday candle or stray eyelash when you can wish on any apple you dare to bite into?

Perhaps most recognized for his music, musician and animator Jack Stauber presents a perfect blend of his varied talents in Wishing Apple. Presented by Adult Swim Smalls short film program, the short confidently and aptly explores childlike wish-logic, with a slapping song to boot.

99¢ Pizza (2022)

Directed by Lucas Ansel | Runtime: 2 minutes, 24 seconds

Created by RISD graduate and TikTok extraordinaire Lucas Ansel, 99¢ Pizza collected film festival laurels with its delightfully unsettling stop-motion ode to New York’s late-night pizza establishments and the cursed vibes of 14th Street’s slice price hikes. (Say “slice price hikes” five times fast…)

Strawberry Short-Cut (1989)

Directed by Tom Rubnitz | Runtime: 1 minute, 20 seconds

If you’ve never engaged with 1980’s video art, particularly works created by artists hanging around lower Manhattan at the time, I believe Strawberry Short-Cut serves as an accessible and curious introduction.

In this delectable cooking spoof, painter and video artist Tom Rubnitz joins forces with fellow queer artists, employing both drag performances and vibrant late-night television aesthetics to share a dessert “hack” that would have been stitched into oblivion on TikTok (had it been available in 1989.) Feast your eyes on the short, below:

Honorable Mention: Pickle Surprise (1989) (featuring a young RuPaul and Lady Bunny)

@britishfilminstituteWe’re excited to share the winner of our BFI Future Film Festival 60 Second Short Film Competition! 🎥 Congratulations to our 2025 winner Angel van Cuijlenborg, with their short film, Milk. Thank you to everyone who participated in the competition, make sure to check out the rest of the submissions in our Future Film Festival Collection on our profile @avcfilms🎬 #FutureFilm60Secs #Filmmakers #ShortFilms #FilmStudent #FilmIndustry

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Milk (2024)

Directed by Angel van Cuijlenborg | Runtime: 59 seconds

Loyal Film Flavor readers will be all too familiar with milk’s sinister evocations in cinema, and vertical shorts are no different: Milk is the zoomer take on every boomer’s top concern when a storm hits: getting a glass of milk.

After winning British Film Institute’s Future Film Festival 60 Second Short Film Competition (and being reposted to their TikTok feed), this vertical short exposes how the newest generation of filmmakers is thinking about toying with today’s most ubiquitous aspect ratio.

Every time you hit a button below, a popcorn kernel somewhere pops to perfection.

⬇️ Drop your thoughts on any one of these short & sweet treats, below!

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With gratitude,

In Case You Missed It…

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

p.s. Did you remember to get the bread and milk?

Much like the Jeff Goldblums and Pedro Pascals that came before him, Mr. Peanut is being ladled over my cinematic life. 

News outlets that clearly have writers on deadlines and quotas less stringent than that of this newsletter writer have reported Netflix’s The Electric State (2025) as Mr. Peanut’s silver screen debut. Starring in one of the most expensive films ever made, the Planter’s mascot Mr. Peanut leads a robot uprising, taking on a role akin to a civil rights leader.

As asine as that may sound, when it comes to Mr. Peanut’s appearance in dumn movies, the lore goes further.

Dedicated cinephiles will note that Mr. Peanut had a non-speaking role in another comic book-turned-audiovisual-entertainment: Josie and the Pussycats (2001).

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For the uninitiated, Josie and the Pussycats parodies the dystopian levels of advertising we as a society subject ourselves to, employing American Pie levels of humor. In a world filled with corporate sponsorship, Josie and the Pussycats is a ridiculous romp through the world of the money-hungry music business folks and the teenagers they profit off of.

We see Revlon-branded hotel rooms, McDonalds soap, and — that’s right — Mr. Peanut on the set of a faux-TRL television set, pictured below.

Admittedly, I watched Josie and the Pussycats because The White Lotus has given my Parker Posey obsession a second wind. I had avoided the film before because it looked extremely interesting and extremely bad, and I was correct (Iconic production design and stellar acting, though.)

Other intrigues Josie presents: Alan Cumming is in not one but two camp-colorful 2001 films in which subliminal messages play a large role in the plot. (A Spy Kids Film Flavor is most certainly in the works.) The allure of the rare McDonald’s product placement. Parker Posey being as memeable as ever. 

All in all, still worth a watch for me, especially because Charli XCX gave the film a heart on Letterboxd. 

But, I digress. Back to peanut man.

In a world where peanuts are contraband in schools and public enclosed spaces (as almost 2.5 percent of U.S. children may have a peanut allergy), and in a world where the character of Mr. Peanut started out as a plantation owner, Mr. Peanut’s recent appearance in one of the most expensive films ever made feels like an assault — and perhaps some cunning subliminal trickery itself. 

After all, Planter’s Peanuts seems all too excited about the deal in their recent press release, sharing the following video:

The film itself is just as bad: “Forget the past, forget the troubles, forget your peanut allergies, buy some Planter’s, he’s a good guy!” the film shrieks.

Even though the film’s script follows Mr. Peanut’s character leading an uprising against evil corporations working robots to the bone (or, ahem, circuts?), Netflix and Planter’s seem to have taken The Electric State as an opportunity to sing corporate America’s praises.

As our reality becomes more and more like the advertising-filled hellscapes dystopian IPs like Josie and the Pussycats and The Electric State illustrated novels supposedly warned against, Netflix seems all too keen to co-opt these stories into something more palatable to their bottom line.

Okay, I’ll admit: Is there a story here? Hardly? But I had ~500 words of these bratty thoughts about Mr. Peanut, and how was I supposed to keep them to myself? 

Lucky for you, this newsletter post is, in fact, a teaser for the REAL hard-hitting stories I’m going to bring you this summer: Explorations in Product Placement in Movies. From Coke to Reese’s, the history is rich, if controversial, and might just help us make sense of the advertising nightmare we find ourselves in today.

Plus — Astute readers will recall our discussion about Bugles in our coverage of A Complete Unknown’s Oscars campaign. But the Bugle train doesn’t stop there. (You better believe bugles are featured in Josie and the Pussycats, for one.) Needless to say, we’ll have a post dedicated to select processed salty snacks.

Don’t worry, I’m not insane. Personally, I don’t drink soda, I low-key hate most candy. I’m a vegan, and I can hardly look at a Cheeto, let alone eat one.

That’s why, in the months to come, we’re going to be covering plenty of other cusines beyond the corporate-snack variety: I’m talking French-gone-Californian pastries, fine dining waiters, long-standing New York restaurants featured on screen — all headed down the pike!

Whether you’re a processed-food queen or a French cuisine fiend, Film Flavor is entering an era made for you. Forget your troubles and peanut allergies, and join me:

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Every time you hit a button below, a popcorn kernel somewhere pops to perfection.

⬇️ Drop your favorite Mr. Peanut cinematic moment in the comments:

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With gratitude,

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

If your social media consumption is anything like mine, you’ve been bombarded with theories about Lumon, the Eagans, Kier, and Cold Harbor for weeks — all in the lead up to last Thursday night, when Apple TV’s hit series Severance aired its Season 2 finale.

Not that I’m complaining, keep ‘em coming! But, the fan theory crazy has held up a mirror to my own gullibility: Upon first glance, I have a tendency to believe every single Severance speculation on the internet.

But, by the time I put my phone down and look at something other than a screen, I realize most of the fan hypotheses out there just don’t add up. Which is why I thought it was high time I throw my own thoughts into the mix, however bite-sized they may be. 

Let’s get the obligatory establishments out of the way:

One part science fiction, one part mystery/thriller, and one part scathing critique of modern working life, Severance took the world by storm upon its Apple TV premiere in 2022. Dubbed after Lumon Industries “severance program,” the show follows the lives and times Mark (Adam Scott) and his colleagues (all of whom have elected to have brain surgery that separates their “innie” workplace memories from their “outie” rest-of-life minds) as they attempt to uncover what their employer is up to. 

If this is new information to you, you’d do well to stop reading and get caught up, because this is going to be a spoiler ridden affair. 

In the past few weeks, The New York Times, Eater, and Polygon featured series prop master Catherine Miller in food-forward pieces about the show. (Thank you, wise journalists, for following Film Flavor’s trailblazing food-in-film efforts.) To me, this media coverage suggests Apple TV’s team wants us to pay very close attention to the food, as it will likely play a pivotal role in Severance’s just-announced Season 3. 

Unlike the aforementioned publications, here at Film Flavor, we are lucky enough to have the luxury of time. Free from deadlines and quotas, we’ll be spending the break between seasons publishing a multi-part breakdown of every single food and drink item in Severance: Today’s post is Part One.

(The entire series is already 5,000+ words, so we’re breaking it in to parts. If you’re curious — and you’re new — hit the subscribe button below ensure you never miss a mysterious and important post.)

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Now, without further ado, let’s kick things off with today’s main dish: Lumon’s Vending Machine.

Spoilers Ahead for Apple TV’s Severance, Seasons 1 and 2

A First Look at Lumon’s Vending Machine

Throughout Season 1 — starting with the beginning in Episode 2 — we see the vending machine in shots of the MacroData Refinement kitchenette. In the clearest angle I found, we can see Lumon’s vending machine offers the following snacks:

• 🫛 Edamame: Dry Roasted

• 🍇 Raisins: Shriveled

• 🥜 Peanuts: Roasted and Salted

• 🔪 Beets: Dried and Sliced

• 🫐 Blueberries: Dried

• 🫚 Ginseng: Cubed

• 🌻 Sunflower Seeds

• 🥩 Meat: Smoked and Salted 

  • (The word “meat” is obscurbed, but I deduced)

In some shots, especially ones like in this behind-the-scenes video posted to the Lumon Industries LinkedIn page, we can see containers of other sizes and shapes on the machine’s top and bottom rows. While we can’t read the containers, here are my guesses:

• Bottom Row:

  • 🍕 Pizza (in the left, red, triangular container)

  • 🍟 French Fries (in the middle, pink container)

  • 🫛 Peas (in the right, green container, see blow)

• Top Row:

  • Your guess is as good as mine. (At first I thought it could be “fruit leather,” but as we’ll cover below, that tasty treat isn’t added until Season 2.) Any takers? Let me know in the comments:

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Note: My “Peas” guess is attributed to the above shot of Petey’s desk in Season 1, Episode 3, where this green snack container appears, originally pointed out by these redditors.

Now, I’m not Jewish, but I did find redditors discussing how many, if not all, of foods found in the vending machine may be pareve and kosher. However, given the pizza slice-shaped box in the bottom row, this idea might not have as much merit as the internet theorizers hope… unless the triangle box is a candied nut? This could go on!

Apple TV’s Severance Vending Machine Promotional Stunts:  

It’s worth noting that Apple TV has used the vending machine motif in its real-life marketing efforts since the show’s premiere.

In 2022, there were reports of a Severance vending machine at San Diego Comic Con, from which attendees could use tokens to purchase Lumon butter pretzels and shriveled raisins

Fast-forward to 2025, in promotion of Season 2, Apple sent influencers miniature vending machine PR packages, including perks like AirPods, mugs, and marshmellows as well as typical Lumon vending machine snacks like cut beans and fruit leather:

@motelsirenthe biggest thank you to @Apple TV + and the #Severance PR team for sending this my way. praise kier! 📎

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Wait, cut beans and fruit leather? That’s right, Season 2 brought some new snacks to the machine…

Season 2: Snacks Become Some of Lumon’s Most Nefarious Office Perks

In Season 2’s opening episode, the innie team watches the claymation orientation video in which a narrator says “The Macrodat uprising yielded bounteous reforms” including “tasty new snacks, like fruit leather, cut beans, Christmas mints, and salsa.”

We also see, for the first time, imagery of Lumon water drop-shaped containers in a vending machine. The innies watch as a claymation Dylan vibrates with joy after downing a drop-full of Christmas mint candy. 

In Episode 3, Irving visits Optics and Design. He sits with Felicia as they dine on what appears to be sandwiches from wavy, Lumon containers. Irving also sips what I assume is Lumon boxed water, using a teal blue straw. (This color’s significance will become apparent in the upcoming Part Two of this Film Flavor Severance series.)

While we’ll be covering the Macrodata Refiner’s lunches in Part Two, to me, this scene suggests the Optics and Design team might have access to different foods than Macrodata Refinement. Could this mean the vending machine contents are unique to each department? (After all, those wavy edges would catch any designers eye.)

By Season 2 Episode 9, we watch as Dylan and Helly have an emotional conversation in the Macrodata Refinement kitchenette. The camera angles bounce all over the place in this scene, blessing us food-in-film lovers with money shots of the vending machine in the background.

Crucially, we see that the team’s vending machine has been updated to include those Lumon water drop-shaped containers in the top row of the machine, just as the claymation orientation video had promised.

Upon further inspection, it is clear that Season 2’s finale vending machine has been updated to add many new snacks, without taking away the old choices. New rows have been added, bringing each row closer together (just as this season has brought the refining team closer to one another... okay I’ll stop with the sap.)

While we know one of the four water drop containers is filled with Christmas Candies, the snacks remain out of focus, rendering the text illegible. 

Which brings us to Cold Harbor, the Season 2 Finale…

While the rest of you had your jaws on the floor, shooketh watching Dylan push that vending machine in front of the restroom door, trapping Mr. Milchik in surprising and triumphant plot twist, you better believe my eyes went straight to the vending machine contents.

As Dylan shoves the heavy machine across the room, just to the right of his ever-agape mouth, we can see 🥭 Mango is a new addition to the snack repository. Closer inspection reveals there are other, tinfoil-topped circular containers. (Is that yogurt in the fourth row? hummus, perhaps?)

Using Lumon’s own creations to fight back is the innie’s only possible course of action, as their existence takes place almost entirely inside the company building. But Mr. Milchik himself appears to have given the innies these new snack collections.

Just as Dylan weilded a defiant jazz dance session against Mr. Milchik in season one, the vending machine obstacle is just one more example of Dylan using Mr. Milchik’s own carefully crafted perks against him.

Why are the Lumon Vending Machine Snacks so Aesthetically Pleasing?

There’s not a doubt in my mind that Lumon’s well-packaged snacks, if brought to our reality’s market, would be top sellers at Whole Foods, Erewhon and the like. They look as hip as a New York-based pistachio milk brand, but with the variety of 365.

Sure, Lumon fills the severed floor with exclusively Lumon-brand foods to keep their test variables to a minimum. Even so, the pleasing aesthetic of the vending machine snacks serves Lumon’s interests.

Lumon aims to pacify its innies with perks — be they finger traps, video media, or choreographed merriment marching band performances. Sharp design is integral to Lumon and the facade of perfection the company upkeeps.

The show’s production design team likely created Lumon’s particular design aesthetics to elicit an uncanny, unsettling reaction from the audience, but this choice is made all the more useful by aligning with Lumon’s motives.

What’s more, the snacks don’t even seem like they’d be particularly tasty. (I personally, am not going feral for a few raisins.) As we’ll see in the upcoming Part Two, Lumon has a tendency to frame the most mundane foods and perks as a prize all should be markedly grateful for.

After all, this is the company that had Mr. Milchik tell the Macrodata Refinement team a ~twenty-foot waterfall was the largest in the world. Lumon probably has Milkshake telling the innies that Lumon’s fruit leather is one of the finest delicacies in all the land.

Coming Up in Severance Snacks Part Two: Candy, Chips and Control

Next up, we’ll be talking about the food’s you likely expect — eggs, pineapples, melons, of course — but also potato chips (My goodness, this show has so. many. potatoes.) And — next week — I’ll share my unhinged nut-forward rabbit hole I went down after watching an episode of The White Lotus.

Don’t worry, we also have more sane posts in the queue: On-screen Waiters, Pizza Hut, and the brilliance of Nancy Meyers are just a few of the topics we’ll be covering in the weeks to come. Stay subscribed to stay tuned!

Every time you hit a button below, a popcorn kernel somewhere pops to perfection.

Disagree with me? Did I miss a vending machine snack? Let me know! ⬇️

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With Gratitude,

In Case You Missed It…

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

I like paintings by Claude Monet and Cy Twombly.

I like PC music. I like San Francisco’s Pier 39 and Rome’s Aventine Keyhole. I like reading plaques in museums, especially the charmingly poorly written ones. I like thrift store art and collecting matchbooks from places I’ve never been. I like Apple TV’s Silo.

I like the 2017 Safdie brothers thriller Good Time, the 2018 Julian Schnabel film At Eternity's Gate, the 2004 fantasy satire Ella Enchanted, and even the poorly-received 2012 Wachowskis’ science fiction flick Cloud Atlas.

All of the items above are emphatically, in technical terms, good-ish. They’ve got some problems. Some pros, some cons. It’s truly a matter of subjective preference whether you will look past their flaws to behold their beauty. Some paintings can be pretentious, some music can be abrasive, some tourist attractions can be gaudy and overcrowded. Some narratives can be meandering or boring or straight foolish at times. Some movies are polarizing — considered both juvenile and profound, grating and impactful. I like them despite their flaws. 

To like What Dreams May Come —  the 1998 film directed by Vincent Ward, starring Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Annabella Sciorra — you must be someone who is sentimental enough to see past the film’s imperfections enough to appreciate its texture, its imagination, its painterly eye. 

If you enjoy some of the items I listed above, I am inclined to think you will find value in this moving picture.

I also know many of you haven’t seen this film: On Letterboxd, over 90% of the people I follow have not logged What Dreams May Come as “watched,” let alone reviewed the picture, despite its Academy Award win for visual effects. And so, I thought this week, before the interest is filled with a wave of think pieces analyzing the season ends of trendy cultural touchstones like Severance and White Lotus, we might take a few minutes to appreciate a sandwich-centric film that is as stunning as it is sentimental. (Say that five times fast.) 

Setting the Scene

In the What Dreams May Come’s opening scene, Robin Williams lies, relaxed, in a sailboat on what is ostensibly Lake Como. A woman (Annabella Sciorra) in a similar vessel has difficulty steering, and they collide. She asks which side of the lake is Swiss. Later, she finds him sitting on the hillside and offers him a sandwich. (Alas, we don’t get a good look at the ingredients, but there's strong potential for these unidentified lunches to be gruyere croque messieurs.) 

Williams’ voiceover narrates, “When I was young, I met this beautiful girl by a lake.” In an instant, most viewers are quick to point out the characters are on a lake, not by a lake. The audience is led to believe, at first, this choice of wording is a mistake. As the picture goes on, we see this is done purposefully, as if to whisper, “If you think you caught a mistake, it’s purposeful.” 

This is the beginning of their relationship — in one lifetime, anyway. They get married, have children. Years later, unspeakable tragedies strike the family, one after another, all within the first few minutes of the movie. The plot then unfolds, cutting between an earthly reality and an impressionist afterlife. 

Williams’ character Chris is a pediatrician and an aesthete, often advising his anxious wife Annie, an art museum curator by day and painter by night, on her work. After Chris dies (a plot point that is revealed in the trailer, logline, and marketing, so I’m not considering it a spoiler), we follow him and his guilt-ridden, grieving wife Annie on a journey to reconnect. 

Click Individual Images in the Galleries Below to Enlarge

PB&J Spoilers 

(Or, more to the point, If you want to avoid spoilers, scroll to the next heading.) 

At the films end, Chris and Annie reincarnate as children in New Jersey. They are playing with toy boats by a lake, and the boats crash into each other. This new, little-girl version of “Annie” offers young “Chris” a sandwich. Of course, this time the sandwich looks to be peanut butter and jelly — the croque monsieurs not fitting the palette of a kindergartener. 

At first, the PB&J shown on screen has a bite taken out of it. But in the following close-up shot, little Annie holds an unbitten sandwich. Whether you think this is a mistake or has purpose depends on how much you like the film, and how much your sense of reality has been suspended. 

Sentimentality Can Be Fresh

Sentimentally, the film not only suggests we may have soulmates, but that we may have lived multiple lives with these soulmates, finding them again and again in each lifetime. (Another tongue-twister for the folks who actually read this piece and don’t just skim!)

Other aspects of the film fit a more Christian version of the afterlife — with heaven and hell being prominent settings. Art is the predominant motif, giving way to gorgeous depictions of characters' personal heavens made of gooey oil paints and storybook cutouts. 

There are problematic aspects, too. In heaven, it is revealed that anyone can take on different physical appearances and forms, which gives way to people who were once white taking on the appearance of a different race. As usual, the movie does not pass the Bechdel test. Some people may find the messages espoused in the film to be nothing more than tacky, empty platitudes. 

More importantly to the cynic in me, the film has an alternate ending, the one thing film school taught me is the tell-tale sign of a horrible film. “Making a film without an ending in mind, I was taught, is reckless at best, and asinine at worst!” my brain cries. Personally, if I were at the helm, I would change the film's ending entirely. 

And yet. 

In spite of its many flaws, I found the film to be so plainly beautiful — both visually and creatively — that I’d recommended it to anyone. 

When Chris first arrives to his own personal heaven, the world is so new, the paint is literally still wet. We hear his footsteps squishing through rolling fields, and see his hands stain blue when he pushes delphiniums out of his path. Throughout the film, there are dozens of shots I would need multi-hour behind-the-scenes seminars to completely wrap my brain around how the production pulled them off. Below, I’ve copied a few screen captures the internet has trodden well in the hopes you, too, may find them impressive enough to spend $3.99 to rent the film.

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And indeed, that’s what you’ll have to spend at time of publication — I’ve noticed the subscription options are playing hot potato with this flick for now, but a few weeks ago I believe it was streaming on MGM+ (a streaming service I’m happy to see is still in existence) so keep your eyes open. 

I’ll leave you with a tidbit of movie trivia: The lauded composer Ennio Morricone originally wrote and recorded the score to What Dreams May Come, only to have his work replaced by Michael Kamen. (You can find both versions unofficially floating around the internet.) By consequence, Kamen said he only had “a little over three weeks” to complete the score, noting the time crunch “guarantee[d] a direct approach!”

If I had to guess, I would assume the takeaways from What Dreams May Come are so personal and sensitive that either of these scores, though different and evidently polarizing, are equally valid and correct.

Next week, we’ll be covering some of the aforementioned trendy television series nearing their season finales. Stay subscibed, and follow @FilmFlavor on Instagram, to stay in the loop.

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In Case You Missed It…

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With Gratitude,

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

Today, I won’t waste your time:

We’ll briefly cover some highlights from last night’s 97th Academy Awards, before jumping into Film Flavor’s second-annual Food-in-Film awards — the only source aggregating food-in-film related data on the past year’s most delectable films.

First off: Highlights from the Oscars:

Former host Jimmy Kimmel may have been missing from the 2025 Oscars, but his favorite tequila was not. Lucky attendees of the 97th Academy Awards shared clips of best actor nominee Coleman Domingo taking the stage, asking the audience to dance and drink their Don Julio 1942 magaraitas, served in the traditional Oscars 50-milliliter Chaparritos bottles. (Your local liquor store likely sells this liquid gold in a larger vessel.)

Tequilla bottles weren’t the only things broken on the stage: Sean Baker set the record for most Oscars won in one night for one film (Anora), while Paul Tazewell became the first black man to win an Oscar in Costume Design for his work on Wicked. Flow became the first independent film to win Best Animated Feature, and the first Latvian film to win an Academy Award. I’m Still Here became the first Brazilian win… the list goes on!

Conan O’Brien took on the job of hosting the 97th Academy Awards this year, opening with a disenchantingly unfunny musical number promising not to “waste time” during the show. Despite the jubilence of last year’s show, the concieted and self-important nature of the Oscars and its Hollywood stars was on full display last night — in direct contrast with the ethos behind the evening’s Best Picture winner.

As author described in his reflections on the ceremony, monologues perspicuously explaining a characters thoughts or a movie’s themes are easy writing. Anora, by contrast, takes on the challenging task of writing charactes who do not always come up with the correct words to express what they are thinking and feeling. (This kind of writing is, of course, harder, but also uniquely suited to the medium of the moving picture.)

This is why self-important speeches, like Adrian Brody’s acceptance of his Lead Actor award — which broke the record for the longest acceptance speech in Oscar history — and drawn-out tributes to lackluster franchises of yore (why do we care so much about James Bond right now?) felt especially and offensively out of touch. When monologues and performances are too long, the impact gets lost in the (deeply boring) sauce. 🥫

Luckily, Film Flavor readers sprinkled a little spice on this award season. Without further ado, let’s dig into the 2025 Film Flavor Oscars Poll results!

The Best Cinematic Food + Drink in 2024’s Oscar-Nominated Films 🍿

Drumroll please… 🥁…

Over the past week, Film Flavorians cast their votes, and there was resounding concesus:

💉 A whopping 64% majority declared The Substance as the #1 Oscar-nominated film with the best food and drink in 2024!

🎾 The non-Oscar-nominated film with the best food and drink? Unsurprisingly, 56% said Challengers, with All We Imagine as Light being the runner-up.

🍽️ When asked what lead character you’d most like to have dinner with, over 50% of you said Best Lead Actress winner Mikey Madison as Ani of Anora.

🍾 Most surprisingly, the vote was split on themed dinner party preferences: When given the choice to attend a soirée inspired by one of this year’s best picture nominees, Wicked and Anora tied for first place, while Dune: Part Two of all films was a close second. (Maybe my piece on sandworm salad had more impact than I could have ever dreamed!)

🍸 Finally, when presented with a choice of themed cocktails based on Oscar-nominated films, the vast majority of Film Flavor readers would order a Nosferatu-inspired German 75 with a black cherry twist.

(In other words, I learned you all love gin, bubbles, gothic themes, New-Hampshirites, and storied remakes-based-on-unauthorized-remakes as much as I do.)

The Most-Craved Snacks + Sips for 2025 Oscar-Nominated Films

🍬 Both Anora and Wicked has you all hankering for Candy and Chocolate, with a few votes for a mango-flavored vape hit mixed in.

🌽 A Complete Unknown had you all craving the crunch of a Bugle corn chip.

🍷 Conclave made the majority of cinephilic epicures pining for a plate of pasta and a conservitavely-portioned glass of Italian red wine. 🍝

🍾 Emilia Pérez, by contrast, made a 60% majority of respondents thirsty for a bottle of white.

🍽️ Both The Brutalist and I’m Still Here left 64% and 67% respectively wanting a full meal.

🍿 Dune: Part Two left the overwhelming majority pining for popcorn, straight from the bucket… (perhaps my Sandworm Salad thoughts had less great an impact than I thought.)

🍗🧴💉 The Substance, of course, had most folks tied between indulging in a rotisserie chicken and overpriced skincare in lieu of a meal.

🚬 And Nickel Boys? This stand-out film had a solid 50% of folks jonsing for a post-cinema smoke.

A Palate Cleanser

I posted my raw, unfiltered, knee-jerk thoughts to Substack Notes over the course of the awards show last night, culminating in a few of these bangers:

And this post from that made me chuckle…

Plus, one extra bit of trivia for you…

filmflavor

A post shared by @filmflavor

How Accurate Were The Film-Loving-Foodies’s Oscars Predictions?

✅ Oscar Wins Film Flavor Readers Accurately Predicted

• Best Picture: Anora

• Best Directing: Sean Baker, Anora

• Lead Actor: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

• Supporting Actor: Kiernan Culkin, A Real Pain

• Orginal Screenplay: Anora

• Adapted Screenplay: Conclave

• International Feature Film: I’m Still Here

• Original Score: The Brutalist

• Original Song: El Mal

• Sound: Dune: Part Two

• Cinematography: Lol Crawley, The Brutalist

• Makeup & Hairstyling: The Substance

• Costume Design: Paul Tazewell, Wicked

• Film Editing: Sean Baker, Anora

• Visual Effects: Dune: Part Two

❌ Oscars Wins Film Flavor Readers Didn’t Foresee

• Lead Actress:

• Supporting Actress:

• Productin Design: Wicked

Considering last year’s results, a few takeaways:

1. Film Flavor readers were much better at predicting Oscar wins in 2025. This could be due to the fact that readship has more than doubled since the 2024 Oscars, or it could be that this years Oscar winners were generally more predictable. Still, I’ll give credit where credit is due: Film Flavor readers area savvy about popcorn and pop culture.

2. In both years of this poll, Film Flavor readers have failed to predict the actress awards, despite accurately prediciting most other categories. (You may find some interesting musings on this from in this Substack Notes thread.)

3. I omitted the shorts and best documentaries from this years poll. This is in part because Film Flavor as a publication does not cover documentaries at this time, and in part because many of your dopamine-laden brains found last year’s poll too long. Now I’m having weird feelings about it and we’ll probably list the full categories next year. Sometimes, lessons must be learned through mistakes, and on this one, we’re taking the L!

Overall, one truth is abundantly clear: Film Flavor readers are extremely self-aware of their dietary preferences, and their hankerings’ correlations to the movies they watch. And that, my friends, makes me proud to serve you.

I thank you for taking this Film Flavor with Via Marsh journey with me. Let’s get dinner, same time next week?

In Case You Missed It…

Want more movie snacks? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

Until next week, and with gratitude,

—

Via Marsh

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

The 97th Academy Awards are set to air March 2nd, 2025 — this Sunday! — beaming in from Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.

What are some stand-out food moments from this year’s best picture nominees, the Film Flavorians ask?

• Well, we’ve got Johnny Cash offering Bob Dylan some bugles in A Complete Unknown1:

• We’ve got Coney Island’s famed Willaims Candy shop featured in Anora

• And — even admist all the drama, gossip, and politics — you best believe I was eyeing those wine glasses and buffets in Conclave…

Still, I think we can all admit, the 2025 Oscars Best Picture nominees have less food and drink than we’d all prefer. Articles and forum threads suggesting watch party menus have resorted almost exclusively to menu item puns such as “Pope-corn” and “A Complete Calzone”. In comparison to the 2024 nominees, this year’s picks all lean abit more serious. And what is more playful that food in film?

That’s why it’s important to peruse through the other award categories: Dune: Part Two’s water of life, Nosferatu’s supernatural dinner scenes, the Alien: Romulus-inspired popcorn buckets that are now listed on eBay for $99.99. Lest we forget Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, which features multiple scenes with Polish fare.

And what of the nomination-less?

Dìdi features a plated talking fish, Heretic includes a blueberry pie ruse, and the smash-hit Challengers included a whole host of suggestive food items. You might think it’s a stretch to say I Saw the TV Glow, Megalopolis, and Kneecap were all snubbed until you consider even Gladiator II is nominated. Then, of course, there are countless films with smaller budgets or foreign origins that are so rarely included, such as Cannes Grand Prix winner All We Imagine as Light.

It can be depressing to see your favorite films of the year excluded from Hollywood’s biggest award shows.

Luckily, so long as your favorite features food or drink (as most do) you can cast your vote in Film Flavor’s 2025 Oscars Poll.

The Film Flavor 2025 Oscars Poll

This year, our poll allows you to share which Oscar-nominated films you think will win, as most Oscars poll do. What sets the Film Flavor poll apart? As far as we know, we are the only folks collecting data about the food and drink in this past year’s cinema.

That’s right, the Film Flavor 2025 Oscars Poll allows you to share which films you thought had the best food and drink, what snacks did the Best Picture nominees make you crave, and other food-in-film data points the world needs!

If you’re interested, take the poll here. Just as we did in last year’s Oscars recap, All (anonymized) results and findings will be tallied up shared in next week’s edition of Film Flavor, the day after the Oscars.

Click Here to Take the Poll

If you’re curious to hear about what your friends are watching and snacking on, feel free to share this poll with whomever you’d like.

Will those with the biggest food-in-film appetites (Film Flavor subscribers + friends?) have the most accurate Oscar predictions? We’re about to find out! (Let’s give it an ol’ college try, shall we?)

In the meantime, as the creator and founder of Film Flavor, I’ll be, erm… live-noting (live posting on Substack Notes!) Sunday evening during the Academy Awards over on my Substack Notes profile. If you, too, will be sat at home and eager to discuss what’s happening at the awards, give me a follow there!

In Case You Missed It…

Want more movie snacks? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

Don't Forget - Take the Poll Here!

Until next week, and with gratitude,

—

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

Do you or a loved one have memories of smoking inside a movie theater? 

Smoking at the cinema is often misremembered as a free-for-all, unregulated experience. A quick Google Search yields Quora and Reddit users crying such lamentations as, “you could smoke in theaters until the 90's!” or “people smoked in theaters regularly. Live free or die!”

Recently, I stumbled across a journal article that paints a different picture. As film professor and author Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece shares in her piece “Smoke and Mirrors: Cigarettes, Cinephilia, and Reverie in the American Movie Theater,” while smoking inside a theater’s walls may have been accepted, there have always been regulations surrounding when and where one can smoke at the movies.

In 2025, as our collective memories of smoking in public are getting hazy, it might be worth examining why many believe smoking to be such an integral part to the moviegoing experience — the cinephile’s in particular. 

Today, I’ve rounded up some fresh trivia on all things smoking at the cinema: We’ll be chatting about how the so-called intelligentsia (read: last century’s version of Letterboxd users) were arguably duped by profit-hungry theaters handing out free cigarettes. We’ll also take a look at the history of smoking at the cinema, Szczepaniak-Gillece’s singular research, and where our culture’s complex relationship with smoking substances at film screenings is headed next. Shall we?

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

Puffing at the Pictures: The Haze of Early Cinema Construction

In the early days of cinema, as moviegoing and exhibition became a flourishing enterprise, American exhibitors struggled to identify their target audience — in part because their audience was, well, everyone.

In some ways, film was associated with circus and vaudeville audiences —anecdotally, leaning more working class — with moving images first appearing in the form of mutoscopes and kinetoscopes at penny arcades, parlors, stores, traveling shows and fairs of the early 20th century. 

Yet the 1910s and 1920s brought stylish nickelodeons, then grandiose movie palaces into metropolitan areas the United States, with architectural constructions mimicking those of opera houses, live theaters, and royal palaces, utilizing what author Maggie Valentine categorizes as “iconography of wealth,” including chandeliers, lounges, ornate fountains, and — you guessed it — smoking lounges.

At the center of this marketing quandary was the cigarette. Cinema’s infancy coincided almost directly with the rise of cigarettes’ popularity, with smoking amongst women becoming more culturally acceptable, and cigarettes becoming far more accessible for all walks of (American) life. As the years went on, smoking became less and less associated with any particular class or gender. Just like cinema, cigarettes were meant for a broad audience, anyone and everyone of age.

The cinephile portion of this broad audience believed — in this author’s view — that a film is meant to be relished, ravished, reverized, just as the bohemian believed a cigarette is meant to be indulged. Conversely, the uncurious consumer believes both a film and a cigarette are simple vehicles for a quick act of escapism, release and relief, nothing more. Amidst this tension and the rise of moving pictures, the question arose: Should smoking be permitted inside the cinema?

Accounts of Smoking at Early 20th Century Movie Theaters

According to Dr. Alan Blum in an interview with Marquee, “the early photoplay houses permitted smoking in some sections. Larger theaters permitted smoking in the balcony only.”

More strikingly, Blum notes the most impressive early cinemas offered opulent smoking lounges with upholstered furniture and fireplaces. “Lobby concession stands sold cigarettes,” Blum continues, “as did tobacco shops built into the arcades leading into some movie palaces such as the Strand in New York.”

In Portland Oregon’s Bob White Theatre, accounts in Exhibitor’s Trade Review circa 1924 describe an innovative “plate glass men’s smoking room to the left of the projecting room,” allowing the main theater to stay smoke-free whilst smokers could still view the action on screen.

Dr. Blum and the University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society even uncovered a page from the United States Tobacco Journal circa 1915, summarizing the relationship between tobacco and cinema in this era, noting the then-popular theater chain Loew permitted smoking inside the theater, while other chains provided smoking rooms in the lobby.

Before tobacco's health detriments were known, cigarette smoking in the cinema was limited chiefly as a safety precaution: Buildings catch on fire, especially buildings with rooms full of flammable 35mm nitrate film.

To combat fire risks, the smoking lounges of early movie theaters featured metal materials used in tables, ashtrays, and even chairs.

Szczepaniak-Gillece notes in the article “Smoke and Mirrors: Cigarettes, Cinephilia, and Reverie in the American Movie Theater,” “theater smoking lounges were often outfitted with asbestos cement mixtures” or fire-resistant paneling. The metal tables? They were often made with chromium tops treated to “resist burns.”

The chrome look may have fit the art deco and later mid-century modern styles of the day, adding the glamour of the cinema going experience, but it also served to ensure that 35mm film stock didn’t catch any stray cigarette embers. 

Tobacco & “The Talkies”: A Recipe for Coughing

At the cinema, the silent film era was far from silent. In addition to live pianos, the occasional narration and the sporadic sound effects accompanying pre-talkie screenings, the audience was what Jared Gardner calls “boisterous.” Spectators would vocally react to the on-screen action and even chat with one another — perhaps passing a cigarette to their friends.

When it comes to live theater, as Alva Noë writes in NPR, “the audience too is performing, and that the audience too is on display,” noting the audience is uncomfortable and under pressure not to cough, making coughing all the more likely. 

This feeling of being “on display” may well have translated to the talkies. After all, early cinema audiences were said to have run from on screen trains or waves. It would stand to reason that audiences’ instinctual reactions to moving pictures with sound and dialogue would be, at least subconsciously, to act as if the on-screen performers were truly in the room, subsequently triggering a scratchy throat. 

While there isn’t much hard evidence to support this hypothesis, we do have one 1928 column, albeit one with a comedic slant, which notes:

“[T]he spoken words [of the talkies] start a sympathetic tingle in the throats of all those in the audience with a yen for the footlights.

As the pill-purveyor has it, they like to think of themselves as being in the place of the stars, and they cough to relieve the itch on the epiglottis…

If the coughers increase, the smart houses will have a keg of cough-drops at the door instead of coffee and cigarettes.” 

That’s right — coffee and cigarettes were offered, often gratis, in cinema lobbies across the US. Well, at least, a certain kind of cinema…

The Smoky Scene of the “Little Theatre” Movement

As moviegoing became a popular pastime permeating every subculture, the cultural pendulum began to swing, and the late 1920s saw the rise of what was dubbed “little theatres” — a group of early cinemas that would be classified as “arthouse” today. 

These little theatres, I’ve learned through the examples herein, were independent cinemas exhibiting mostly foreign films, or “revivals” of older films, often targeting intellectual and bohemian subcultures in their marketing efforts.

In the late 1920s, one of these said theaters was the Little Carnegie Playhouse (later dubbed the Little Carnegie Theatre), located in midtown, New York City. Paper programs accompanying the theatre’s American premiere of the 1928 film The Constant Nymph advertise “Yuban Coffee and Marlboro Cigarettes served gratis in the lounge,” along with credits to artworks exhibited in the lobby. 

Another advertisement for the theater in The New Yorker poses an attractive offer: “Ping-pong tables, a bridge room, a dance floor and free coffee and cigarettes without having to see or hear a movie.”

In 1930, Douglas Fox and George Schutz explored the Cinema Art Guild theatre in Chicago, noting at an interlude, an on-screen trailer invites those present to “a stroll through the lounges, to read a bit or have a cigarette and a cup of coffee,” perhaps stopping to enjoy the lobby art exhibitions over a tobacco-filled inhale before the second half of the film begins.

Avant-Garde & Ashtrays: Early Criticism of Arthouse Cinema

Those who keep up with modern-day industry trades may be interested to learn Variety pegged these “little theatres” as nothing more than cheap imitators looking for an easy buck.

“Making a direct play for intellectual patronage,” Variety writes in October of 1927, “the theatres play foreign pictures and outstanding revivals, in other words, cheap rentals.” 

The Exhibitors Herald-World, too, noted, these foreign pictures could be “bought cheaply” in order to “cater to the so-called intelligentsia who will see anything if you tell them it’s highbrow.” (When I tell you my jaw hit the floor…)

Little theatre exhibitor Michael Mindlin appears to have fired back at these critics in a July, 1928 issue of Theatre Magazine, arguing European films were more artistic, intellectual, and exciting, pointing to little theatres’ role in bringing exports like Germany’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) — as well as its championing of boundary-pushing American works like Erich von Stroheim’s Greed (1924.) 

In the end, while some exhibitors may have pulled in profits, even the manager of the Little Picture House, a small New York theater that was supposedly America’s first “cooperative cinema” admitted to Exhibitors Herald-World in 1930, “There’s no money in It, People are getting too wise to fall for the stuff we give them.” (LOL)

Whether the arthouse “little theatres” of the late 1920s were pulling the wool over the eyes of hipsters, bohemians, and intelligentsia at large, or whether their intentions were pure of heart, we may never deduce with finality.

Something we can say with relative confidence: After the country muddled through the Great Depression then World War II, the art of cinematic exhibition hit a midlife, mid-century crisis.

A commercial for Lucky Strike cigarettes, allegedly circa 1955, shows a couple coming out of a movie theater and promptly lighting up a cigarette — indicating that, as of 1955, smoking was becoming a post-cinema, after-you-step-outside activity . “Man that’s smoking enjoyment,” the man in the commercial says, “to come out of a good movie and light up a Lucky.”

No Smoking, Please: The Slow Death of Cigarettes in Cinemas

Of course, we all know the story of tobacco’s downfall: From the 1960s to through the 2000s, more states, cities, municipalities, and workplaces implemented strict non-smoking sections, then smoking bans in public and commercial spaces — including cinemas. Today, the practice of smoking (vaping included) at the movies is largely banned.

In 1957, after one theater in the UK banned smoking just two days a week, the BBC captured some street interviews (below) with potential patrons. Some enjoyed the ban, saying they’d like to enjoy a picture without the coughing cigarettes bring into the theater, while self-proclaimed “heavy smokers” objected to attending the nights when smoking was banned altogether.

The movie theater featured in this BBC clip aptly exemplifies how cinemas were navigating the inevitable tension involved in catering to an entire population — filled with smokers and non-smokers, alike. (At least by this point in history, society appears to have rejected the idea of corralling all of the smokers to hotbox in a glass room.)

In the following Big lighter advertisement, allegedly circa 1980, movie theater patrons are asked to refrain from “flicking their Bic” in the auditorium, and to take their smoking to the “outer lobby.”

Those of us who attend modern independent cinemas (such as Brooklyn’s Nitehawk) are likely to have seen this pre-show no-smoking public service announcement from director John Waters, originally made for the Landmark premiere of his film Pink Flamingos. Though Waters’s duty is to inform audiences smoking is not permitted inside the theater, his actions suggest otherwise. 

“How can anyone sit through the length of a film, especially a European film, and not have a cigarette?,” Waters’s asks, smiling, while indulging in a cigarette himself.

Between the twinkle in his eye and the smirk on his face, one wonders if John Waters was familiar with the history of cigarettes and European film exhibition at the “little theatres” of yesteryear.

Smoke-Friendly Theaters: Do They Still Exist?

Those jonesing to inhale some form of smoke may be interested to learn there have been reports of occasional, alleged 420-friendly screenings in states like California and Massachusetts, although many of these screenings appear to happen in outdoor or otherwise limited-scope, well-ventilated settings. (Additionally, with marijuana remaining illegal in the United States federally, one can imagine each of these screenings are a lawyer’s nightmare.)

Comedic actor Danny McBride, a staunch in-cinema dining hater, argues “Weed and movies… go together f***ing perfectly.” McBride, along with his friend and business partner, told GQ they’ve “kicked around” the idea of opening a theater with a dispensary (dubbed “Green Screen,” naturally.) 

In a piece credited to an anonymous writer for Harvard Independent, one young, THC-toking movie theater patron writes, “Weed won’t fundamentally change anything about a film or show, it will just allow you to enter its world more thoroughly,” noting weed “is not well-suited for movies that require work on the audience’s part to piece things together.” By this measure, one could foresee a world in which self-proclaimed cinephiles and independent cinema lovers rebel against any 420-friendly screenings, arguing instead for the benefits of a focused, studious audience. 

Even so, these rumblings raise questions: The late 1920s brought arthouse theaters playing allegedly cheaply-licensed foreign films with free cigarettes and coffee. Could the late 2020’s bring us 420-friendly theaters on-par with the Alamo Drathouses and Nitehawks of today? 

Film Flavor’s Suggestion? If you have even a passing interest in living long enough to see an inevitable film made by the grandchild of Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, leave the smoking to history’s footnotes. 

Do you have any recollection of smoking in a movie theater — or its lobby? Let Film Flavor readers know, below!

Leave a comment

A note: Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece research in her article “Smoke and Mirrors: Cigarettes, Cinephilia, and Reverie in the American Movie Theater” contains the best academic research could find on the subject of cigarettes and smoking inside movie theaters, and consequently served as a guidepost for much of today’s newsletter. Our goal is to introduce interesting trivia to Film Flavor readers and provide accompanying commentary, and we are not at all experts in the history of cigarettes at the cinema. If you are at all interested in this subject, please immediately leave this page and go give Szczepaniak- Gillece’s expert piece a read! (A word to the wise, check your local libraries, you may just have access to JSTOR, free of charge.)

Further Reading Recs + Reference Material:

• “Smoke and Mirrors: Cigarettes, Cinephilia, and Reverie in the American Movie Theater” by Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece, Film History, Vol. 28, No. 3

• “Smoking in the Balcony Only: When Movie Stars Sold Cigarettes: A pictorial by Alan Blum, MD” by Holly Berecz, Marquee Magazine, First Quarter 2018, Vol. 50, No. 1

• Movies Under the Influence by Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece

• How 1920s Movies Were Advertised by The1920sChannel on Youtube

• “Coughing in the Silent Cinema” by Jay Weissberg

• “Is Your Favorite Movie Theater Contaminated With Thirdhand Smoke?”, Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center

• Media History Digital Library: A free online resource

• Film Flavor’s Deep Dish Series, feature our explorations into the history of consumption at the movies

Film Flavor has previously covered the history of movie theater concessions, candy, pizza, drive-in movie theater snacks, cinema pickles, and even answered the question: Why do we eat popcorn at movie theaters? Today, we shared a little bit about the history of smoking at the movies. Next up in this series, you can expect:

• Alcohol, Beer, Booze, and Soda at the Movies

• Cinema Cafes

• Dine-In Movie Theaters

• + More

Until then, stay in your seats! (and stay subscribed!)

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

In Case You Missed It…

Want more movie snacks? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

With Gratitude,

—

Incense burning, snow falling, cookies in the oven. These final days of December are ripe with decidedly cozy, brain-off activities. In my mind, nothing decompresses the mind like a silly little list. Following up on last year’s predictions, I’ve conjured up a cheeky forecast of food + film trends we’ll see in 2025.

A Quick Look Back At 2024…

First, I’d like to begin by looking at what was In vs. Out in 2024.

Of course, I was correct in thinking poisoned food and unsightly regurgitations would continue to grace our screens, but even the most casual of pop culture consumers saw those trends coming. I did accurately predict that food-inspired costumes would fall out of favor, instead giving way to more timeless, Fran Lebowitz sensibilities. But I’m the first to admit I had my fair share of miscalculations — or at least, overzealous calculations.

I said big dinner table scenes were out, and while there was some truth to that, we were promptly hit with a wave of iconic smaller dinner table scenes, from Heretic to Speak No Evil. Most disappointingly, I don’t think I saw a single citrus fruit in a 2024 film. Mind you, I still believe all of these predictions were well-informed — but filmmaking is a slow machine. It often takes years for films and television shows to be made, from greenlight to premiere. Though I knew this, having worked in the industry for over a decade, my 2024 trend forecasting was still a little too hasty.

Needless to say, this year’s roundup centers around the press tours and marketing leading up to films we know will be released in 2025, with a few other food-film motifs sprinkled throughout.

2025 Food In Film: What’s “In”:

Actors eating foods on press tours

Between the success of shows like Hot Ones and Chicken Shop Date and the heavy investment public relations teams are putting towards video podcasts (and their respective TikTok clips), I’m willing to bet a comedian personality will host a new food-forward show in 2025.

Will Dutch de Carvalho eat New York-style bagels in a bathtub with Rachel Zegler? Will Esther Povitsky go feral in an IT’SUGAR with Daniel Craig? Or, god-forbid, will Cat Cohen pepper Glenn Powell with too-personal questions over a milkshake in Manhattan? (Two straws, one cup-style.)

Look, it might not be pretty, but mark my words, the food-forward video podcast interviews are just getting started.

Actors wriggling around on the floor (which will make all the food-forward press tours quite tricky)

In the past week alone, Kim Kardashian and Kardashian-adjacent Timothée Chalamet have each released lengthy videos of themselves writhing around on the floor. For Kim Kardashian, it was to celebrate Christmas? For little Timmy, it was… to celebrate the release of A Complete Unknown and the brilliance of the Black Eyed Peas?

We may not understand it, but these attention-grabbing antics will only grow in popularity. We can only hope this trend doesn’t result in someone doing the worm on the Hot Ones floor. (Think of the, ahem, aftermath.)

Actors promoting digestive health supplements and adjacent products on their social media.

Let’s face it: Our collective digestive systems have seen better days.

Colon cancer is on the rise, IBS is this holiday season’s juiciest conversation topic, and the bodies of most of today’s young professionals were formed off of a diet of Gushers, SpongeBob krabby patty gummies, and recession-era free lunches.

You just KNOW we’re about two months away from seeing Sydney Sweeney holding up a bottle of aesthetically repackaged prune juice called something like “Regular Ritual.”

Fast Food Drive-Throughs

Between the slate of superhero movies and highly anticipated sequels like Freakier Friday and M3GAN 2.0, we’re all but guaranteed to get a fast food drive-through scene.

Will we see Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan freaking out about french fries (again), or a cursed robot toy chase down Allison Williams as she’s stuck in a slow-moving Starbucks pay-it-forward chain?

My crystal ball doesn’t dole out specifics, only hazy visions of drive-through futures.

2025 Food In Film: What’s “Out”:

Eggs

While 2024 may have been the year of the ovo, eggs will fall — steeply — from grace in 2025. Between the insane egg carton prices and the people’s increasing desire for escapist cinema, even the faintest of egg motifs will send audiences’s suspension of belief to a screeching halt.

Clean Eating

Unfortunately, popular culture is revolting against sane dietary habits. Whether you’re labeled an Almond Mom for daring to limit your carbohydrate intake or a heathen for opting out of the raw milk craze, healthy eating is a big no-no in the eyes of far too many. Healthy food — and what is considered “healthy” — may be too political of a topic for the transportive, recession pop cinema audiences demand.

The good news is we can all get behind indulgence — fast food, desserts, pommes frites — when it’s clear the character is having themselves a little treat. If box office success is the goal, 2025 films would do well to keep any green leafy salads out of frame.

(Independent filmmakers, knock yourselves out. Push the envelope, shoot in a Sweetgreen!)

Survive ‘til ‘25

For my fellow filmmakers out there, we all know the lengths crews have had to go to make a living in the U.S. film industry these past few years. The saying “Survive ‘til ‘25” rolled off the tongue of producers and managers, but it ultimately fell flat against the cold, hard facts about the state of entertainment.

Personally? I think we should resort to the healthy dose of delusion that Hollywood success stories like Jim Carrey are known for. Here’s to thriving thru’ ‘25, baby!

Audience Participation Upcoming: 2025 Oscar Predictions Poll

Following up on last year’s festivities, Film Flavor will be hosting a quick and easy Oscar prediction poll.

Like last year, Film Flavor’s poll will offer something that most prediction polls cannot: An option to vote for your favorite food moments that graced our screens this past year.

Winners will get a shout-out (if wanted) and the data will be reported for all Film Flavorians to see. The poll will be open to all come the end of January 2025, after the nominees are announced, so stay subscribed to get the details.

Further Reading…

• Kim Kardashian is on her knees for Santa... + Hollywood 2025 on Feed Me by +

• The movies that defined 2024 on Moviepudding by

In Case You Missed It…

Want more movie snacks? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

What are your predictions for 2025 food + film trends?

Leave a comment

With Gratitude,

—

p.s. How do you feel about the amount of ellipses in this post? 🤪

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

‘Tis the season! I write to you as I stare at my small but mighty Christmas tree we chopped down and brought home last weekend, with a trunk so tiny it refuses to stay put in the stand. It now only stays upright through a delicate balance of cardboard scraps and hope (and maybe some slight support from the adjacent wall… needless to say, a new and improved tree stand is on its way.)

I’ve also been busying myself with other December holiday affairs, such as reviewing my Yuletide Spotify playlists (am I the only one who has an unreasonable affection for Christmas songs about love lost?) and stalking r/whatismycookiecutter.

Of course, I, like many of you, am currently in the trenches of holiday shopping, popping into Christmas market after market, schlepping to multiple Target stores with differing inventories, and scoffing at the price of Christmas tree ornaments (and buying them anyway).

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While I’ve been researching a special Film Flavor Deep Dive (as you all fervently requested last week, thank you!), I thought it best to be practical and publish this gift guide first. After all, if you haven’t purchased gifts for your loved ones by the end of this week, shipping times get dicey. While some of the gifts I’ve listed below can be found at your local shops, the earlier you can get your gift shopping done, the better.

And so, today I wanted to share whatever tidbits of gift-giving wisdom I had, and the knowledge I possess is that of a food and film lover. All gifts below are things I — and many people I know — would genuinely be happy to receive. All but one are under $100, too, and many under $50 — yet they come off as thoughtful and expensive.

Full Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, from which I may earn a small percentage of any purchases generated. Honestly, I have yet to ever make a dime off of affiliate links, but I had the ability to create them, so I figured, why not throw them in? I don’t expect them to make a regular occurrence. Please don’t be mad! Okay, let’s dig in!

For your favorite zillennial 

Thanks to the official Film Flavor reader survey, we confirmed the majority of our readers are in the 25-34 age range. Those lucky enough to count themselves a part of this nonpareil demographic have a near-one-hundred-percent chance of being acquainted with the 1994 smash hit The Santa Clause, starring Tim Allen.

There’s also a near-one-hundred-percent chance you were captivated by the hot chocolate elf Judy serves Scott in the film's first half, which took her “twelve hundred years” to get right.

Now, if you’ve been reading the mainstream gift guides this year, you’ll notice many outlets are peddling expensive (ahem, overpriced) so-called “hot chocolate makers” to cozy drink lovers big and small. If you would allow me to peel back the curtain — all you need to make great hot chocolate is a milk heater and frother. This one from Bodum is a powerhouse and looks great on a countertop. (There are other versions made by Bodum sold by the usual purveyors, but they don’t have this sleek silver-and-blue look going on, so best to buy it straight from the manufacturer.) 

To pair with the Bodum, my local hot chocolate house sells this great Thomas Jefferson-inspired hot chocolate mix, and Dandelion Chocolate’s gingerbread and classic blends both look divine.

For Anglophiles + British movie buffs

Astute readers will note I am an unabashed Jaffa cake adorer. The orange-chocolate British cake (or is it a biscuit?) found in corner shops across the UK, was heavily featured in the recent Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield film We Live In Time, and has been a favorite of mine ever since I took a trip to England as a teenager.

This turned out to be both a blessing and a curse, as I am now forever obliged to stop in every British-themed gift shop I see on the hunt for these elusive treats. Regrettably, by the time Jaffa cakes make their way across the Atlantic and into my kitchen, they are often on their last leg. To spare the disappointment of biting into a stale cake (or, ahem, cookie), I’d love to start baking more orange-chocolate goods myself, and this orange-chocolate cookie mix may be just the fix!

Finally, if the anglophile in your life doesn’t already have a subscription to BritBox, you’ve got a homerun gift ahead of you! While any streaming service is a great gift for a food-and-film lover, there’s a high chance the cinephile in your life subscribes to the bigger streamers already. Britbox gives folks access to hundreds of their favorite British movies and shows, and the service allows you to easily gift subscriptions. Done and done!

For modern horror movie lovers

Ever since A24 began selling gilded miniature Furbies and aspect ratio beach towels, other distribution companies have scrambled to level up their movie merchandise shops. After half a decade or so, they might finally be catching up.

While Searchlight Pictures has some great movie merch for Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness, and Sideways, Mubi may officially be giving A24 a run for its money with its merchandise for The Substance, including this bright lime “activator” Nalgene bottle — BPA-free, of course. 

And — while most of their products are sold out, A24 still has its fair share of great products up for grabs, including this Hereditary Gingerbread Treehouse Kit. 
Remarkably, this set includes a mold for freshly baked gingerbread, as opposed to stale pre-baked goods. As we’ll learn in the next section, this literally fresh take on a gingerbread gift set is far too uncommon in today’s day and age.

For those who have fallen asleep during every movie they’ve sat down to watch in the past decade

These people need 1) comfortable yet chic pajamas and 2) an introverted activity that sparks childlike wonder, and in turn generates enough mental energy to finish a movie. 

On the first point: I know, sleepwear might seem like a boring gift at first glance. This is likely because you simply have gifted, or have been gifted, the wrong kind of pajamas. When it comes to straight men, flannel is a cozy option. For the girls, gays, and theys, crisp 100% cotton poplin pajamas are what you need.

Moving on to childlike wonder-generators, gingerbread kits are the way to go. So long as they’re of the bake-it-yourself variety, these kits are the perfect gift for downtrodden adults. The recipient will get all the pleasure of figuring out a difficult toy or game, an injection of holiday spirit, a great little snack, and something cute to take a picture of and post on social media. The holy quaternity. 

• For Beginner Bakers: Sur La Table Winter Village Cookie Cutters (3D satisfaction without the structural complications of a full gingerbread house)

• For Intermediates: Nordic Ware Gingerbread House Bundt Pan (A full gingerbread house in bundt cake form!)

• For Advanced Pastry Chefs: 1988 Williams Sonoma John Wright Cast Iron Traditional Gingerbread House Plaque (via Ebay, because finding a non-horror-movie-themed new cast iron mold for gingerbread house walls is apparently impossible!)

For those who pay for the top Letterboxd membership

Millennials, especially, will appreciate the limited-edition, 20th anniversary 4k blu-ray set for Shaun of the Dead. Selling out quickly, the discs come with Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and a handful of commentary featurettes and other exclusive media. 

Additionally, if your Letterboxd-lover wears makeup, I can all but guarantee you they want a Pat McGrath eyeshadow set. The one I’ve linked here has some of this year’s trendier colors. 

Whether they wear makeup or not, trust me when I say Letterboxd users strongly desire holiday treats that come in nice tin containers. Not only do they like sweets to eat with tea and coffee, but they also want a tin to reuse, since a huge portion of their discretionary income is going toward their Letterboxd fees, streaming service subscriptions, and movie tickets. This tin o’ biscotti from the Boston General Store looks divine, and you’ll probably be able to knock out the rest of your last-minute gift shopping at the Boston General Store, because they have some of the most giftable items around! 

For the student who prefers to handwrite their notes… 

Did you know Moleskin makes film & tv watching log journals? Pre-formatted with spaces to write initial reactions and movie ratings, this journal may be a little too formulaic and overt for some. But for the straight-A high schooler or college freshman in the throws of a bullet journal obsession? It could be the cutest present!

To top the gift off: Just this week, I was introduced to the world of erasable pens. A divisive subject among stationary aficionados, no doubt, but I think everyone should give them a shot at one point or another. They may come especially in handy when filling out calendars and agendas — because no one’s schedule is ultimately set in stone. 

I also found these intriguing erasable highlighters, which could be a really fun addition to any note-taker’s arsenal. 

For the person who has a cold from December through March and spends every winter weekend watching old movies in bed with a bottle of Dayquil 

If they aren’t already, they should begin adding lemon and honey into their hot beverages, stat! Give them a mug-sized strainer to ward off the dreaded lemon seed swallow horrors.

On the honey front, I recently discovered these stunning honey dippers, created by the brother of beloved interior design Youtuber Caroline Winkler, of whom I am a disciple. At long last, you can store your honey without having to look at random packaging and lackluster logos.

Finally, there’s no better gift for the chronically stuffy — or just people who like chowder — than this gourmet soup and chowder gift basket. It comes in a reusable, handwoven lobster rope basket from the one and only New England Trading Co. (which, full disclosure, is owned and operated by this author’s parents! ‘Tis the season to shop small businesses!)

For people who rarely get sick in the winter despite going to crowded movie theaters at least once a week:

Every adult, at some point, must learn this one universal truth: Brothy-and-chunky soups are for the sick; creamy, blended soups are for the healthy. 

If your loved one possesses the immune system of a Greek god, purchase them an immersion blender immediately — so they may indulge in the decadence of a thick, smooth soup with abandon.

To warm them up after hours in a cold cinema, buy them some nice spices, too. This spice 3-pack from Curio includes comes in extremely giftable packaging.

For the person who watches any version of Little Women multiple times a year 

This garland from Cambridge Imprints features star-spangled folk art in a classical color palette befitting any mid-19th-century decor fan. I’m also partial to gifting a craft: Instead of gifting pre-made ornaments, Little Women lovers may appreciate some gorgeous ribbon scraps from Etsy, like these, or your local craft store to tie onto their Christmas tree’s branches. Finally, I found this Little Women cookbook, filled to the brim with gingerbread recipes. (You can get a preview of what’s inside on the authors’ blog, here.)

For people whose eardrums nearly bleed during action movies at the cinema 

Somewhere in the past decade or so (an exact period has yet to be pinpointed), movie theater projectionists seem to have adopted a wildly-under-calibrated, turn-it-up-to-eleven mentality, resulting in deafening decibels piercing through movie theater speakers during each and every trailer. This is especially the case at major chains, but even the most charming of independent cinemas may fall victim to this ghastly, blaring tragedy. 

Personally, I caved and purchased some Loops earplugs from their “Experience” line, which brings down the volume of cinemas and concerts to a listenable level, providing ear protection without sacrificing the sound. They’ve been a godsend to me in 2024, and now I can’t leave the house without them. 

I’ve found those with auditory and sensory overload issues are likely to be avid tea drinkers. If it were up to me, I’d throw in a Harney & Sons tea gift set and a personalized travel mug to seal the deal. If it’s within your budget, a Fellow Stagg electric kettle is famous for a reason, chiefly its gooseneck design and advanced temperature controls.

For the food and film lover who is flat-broke

Give them your streaming service logins. ‘Tis the season, people! I, for one, believe that if Jesus was alive in 2024, and had an HBO Max subscription, he’d give the password to his cousin in an instant. In a world filled with uncertainty, sometimes offering someone the option to watch their favorite Criterion Collection film means more than any kitchen gadget ever could.

Want more movie snacks? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

Leave a comment below and let me know: What do YOU (as a film and food lover) want to be gifted this holiday season?

With gratitude,

—

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here.

As mentioned in the piece above, some links in this post may be affiliate links, from which I (theoretically, though it has yet, as of July 2025, to happen) may earn a small percentage of any purchases generated.

Thank you!

Hello fellow cinephiles and epicures!

One year ago this month, I began writing Film Flavor. The premise was simple: Film Flavor was to be a newsletter surveying food in films, the history of food and films, and all things I find culturally flavorful.

Thanks to Film Flavor, I’ve spent the past year connecting with other culture readers, writers, and people who spend their time browsing food-themed Letterboxd lists.

On our six-month anniversary, I was ecstatic to report Film Flavor had over 100 audience members. Half a year, dozens of posts, and one micro-viral Substack Note later, and today, that number is pushing 500, which is nearly 1000, which essentially means red carpets + Olipop sponsorships, here we come!

While I’d love to light a few taper candles and reach out my hand to yours across a white tablecloth in a show of thanks, the costs of taking each and every one of Film Flavor’s subscribers out for a nice dinner in a dimly lit restaurant are alas prohibitively expensive for a food-film writer’s budget.

In lieu of wining and dining with you all, I thought I’d mark our one-year anniversary with a thank-you, a look back at our best posts to date, and an earnest opening of the Film Flavor Suggestion Box!

The Film Flavor Suggestion Box is Open!

I’m working on making Film Flavor even tastier, and I need your feedback to do it!

This quick two-minute survey — it’s five tiny questions! — is your chance to share what you love, what you’d like to see more of, and how I can make your experience with Film Flavor even better! 

PLUS If you submit your response by December 1st, 2024, I will send you one of my top-secret at-home spiced popcorn recipes.

Don’t dilly-dally, fill out the Film Flavor Suggestion Box here:

Click Here to Submit Your Suggestions!

If you'd like to receive instructions on how to make my favorite winter-movie-watching popcorn in the comfort of your own home, please fill out the form above before December 1st, 2024.

Film Flavor’s Most Popular Posts To Date

After taking a look at the (albeit minimal) data Substack provides, Film Flavor’s most popular posts fall under a few different categories…

Film-Specific Food Breakdowns

• Some Like It Hot + Train Charcuterie

• The Princess Diaries is the Ultimate Girl Dinner Film

• Triangle of Sadness + Pretzel Sticks

• The Only Peter Pan Movie Worth Watching

• Poor Things + A Secret Portuguese Custard Tart Recipe

Okay, in the interest of keeping it real: I am way too proud of our Some Like It Hot Piece. In said article, I uncovered a blasphemous swap of Skippy’s Peanut Butter for Kraft’s Cheez Wiz, and other period-inaccurate food products. Billy Wilder may have had the public fooled for years, but — oh ho! — I, Via Marsh of Film Flavor, knew better.

Breakdown pieces — those that identify each and every food (and, ahem, “food product”) that appears in a film — certainly require the eye of a sleuth.

Luckily for me, my sometimes-day job as an archival researcher (and often-night job as a consumer of unhealthy amounts of media) has trained me for this very task. I am unafraid to take screenshots, zoom in, and dare I say, “enhance.” In short, I am a far better Googler than most. As society falls into idiocracy all around me, I stand firm, cracking my knuckles with focus as I search for the exact brand of potato chips Marilyn Monroe ate in 1955.

Indeed, identifying foods in films makes me throw my head back and laugh in unabashed glee.

Food, Film, + Movie Theater Controversies

• Cinema's Silly Little Archetypes

• Have You Ever Smuggled Snacks into a Movie Theater? (Concession Confessions)

• Fine, I’ll Talk About The Souvenir Popcorn Buckets

• Blimey, Sweet Popcorn! Hidden Secrets Behind Britain’s Cinema Concessions

• How To Revive Classic Films: Fun Snacks For Old Movie Nights

It should come as no surprise that, in our Lord’s year of 2024, the people love a hot take. Just like some of our favorite movies, some of our favorite Film Flavor pieces are polarizing as all heck. From smuggling snacks into movie theaters to sprinkling sugar on popcorn, cinephiles get up to some divisive activities, and we’re here to report it!

Food-in-Film Roundups

• The Year of the Egg (in Movies): We Live In Time & The Substance Cracked Open

• The Golden Age of Pizza Cinema: Italian-American Summer Slices

• What Your Favorite Halloween Movie Food Says About You

• Movie Pastries: The Best Sweet, Flakey Treats On Screen

• Summer + PB&J: The Best Sandwiches in Movies & TV

• Candy + Teen Girl Murder Films

• Pickles At The Movies: Massive Dills And Media Thrills

• From Innocence To Evil: Decoding Cinema's Milk Motif

This category is a newer addition, having become a part of the Film Flavor repertoire in the last six months. To my surprise, Film Flavor readers have read and shared our food-in-film roundups more than I could have ever imagined. Pastries, pizza, pickles — there is a near-endless amount of food that has graced the silver screen, and I will continue to dutifully report it!

Food-Film History + Behind-The-Scenes Deep Dishes

• How Movie Menus Are Made: An Interview With Alamo Drafthouse Chef Brad Sorenson

• Why Do We Eat Popcorn at Movie Theaters?

• A Nostalgic Look Back At Movie Theater Candy + Concession Stands

• The Pizza-Filled History of Drive-in Movie Theaters

Though they may be a bit more research-intensive, these deep dishes have been a real treat to write. We’d love to continue sharing these historical food-film deep dives and behind-the-scenes looks. They will, of course, be a bit more spread out, given the time investment involved. Still, let’s be honest, deep dishes are Film Flavor’s bread and butter!

Film Flavor’s Collaborations

Remember when I said I was lucky enough to collaborate with a few fellow culture newsletter writers? Meet the crew:

• Ezgi Eren runs the effervescent movie theater newsletter 11am Saturday. By some miracle, 11am decided to ask me — of all people — 15 questions! Please read it quickly before they realize I’m unworthy of such an honor:

  • 15 Questions With Via Marsh

• Adam Cecil writes one of my all-time favorite newsletters, Night Water. (If you want some late-night cultural comedy to quench your thirst, it’s the newsletter for you.) In addition to sharing his British movie theater popcorn criticisms with Film Flavor readers, he featured some of my late-night vibes in one of his nightcap segments earlier this year:

  • 13 pickleballers standing guard ‘round your basketball court

• I wrote a few pieces for earlier this year! More than a substack newsletter, FPV produces daily columns, multiple podcasts, and a slew of other media about media. Below are some pieces I had a blast working on with their talented Editor-in-Chief :

  • The 10 Best Disney Channel Original Movies

  • Kino Stitches: Celebrating Other-Worldly Film Costume Designs

  • Stanley Tucci’s Big Night (1996) - "The Best Restaurant Movie Ever"

The Film Flavor Instagram

Did you know initially started as a humble Instagram page?

Once we graduated to newsletter status, our Instagram has remained active, and you can check it out over at @FilmFlavor!

We recently had to block/remove some of our Instagram followers due to some young souls creating a less-than-idyllic environment in our comments section. All that is to say, any support you could throw Film Flavor’s way on Instagram at this time would be all the more appreciated!

What’s Next on Film Flavor?

While I have my hunches, you, dear reader, are going to ultimately determine what Film Flavor features in 2025. That is, if you remember to fill out the Film Flavor Suggestion Box Survey, below!

Film Flavor Suggestion Box Survey!

Cover Notes: Images taken from The Seven Year Itch, Titanic, and Barbie, depicting Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, and Marilyn Monroe evidently celebrating the one-year anniversary of Film Flavor.

Want more movie food? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

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Finally, a HUGE THANK YOU to all of Film Flavor’s subscribers, new and old. It’s been a profound privilege to have you read my food and film thoughts multiple times a month. Your support means the world to me, and I’m honored to serve up food & film in your inbox!

With gratitude,

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

Welcome, Film Flavor family. I am muddling through a rough week in the only way I know how: escapism through moving pictures.

I’ll be holding space for panic and hope in the comment section of today’s post, but for a brief moment, I’d like to whisk you away.

The air is crisp and cool. The sun has set. You’re a little kid, and you’ve been waiting for this night all year. You could barely finish your dinner, you were too excited. After strapping on a large and rather scary rubber nose, you explore your neighborhood. Everything that was once so familiar looks so different tonight. Children run around in frightening costumes. Houses you pass by every day seem to have gotten bigger, more mysterious. You feel as though anything could happen.

For a brief sequence, Director Vincente Minnelli transports us here, through the character of Tootie in Meet Me in St. Louis.

The 1944 film follows a year in the life of the Smith family living in St. Louis, Missouri leading up to the 1904 World’s Fair. The film leans toward romanticizing turn-of-the-century life: Dance cards at balls, rides on trolleys and horse-drawn carriages, ornate tennis outfits, and one man’s salary supporting an upper-middle-class lifestyle for a family of seven. (Or is it eight… nine if we count the maid? Ten with the cat?)

From the cinematography to the set design, to the ketchup (the technicolor reds!) — Meet Me in St. Louis is a feast for the eyes.

The Perfect Film For Every Holiday (or Lack Thereof)

As we say goodbye to Halloween and make way for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the winter holidays, the 1944 classic film Meet Me in St. Louis serves as an emotional and joyous motion picture that is a perfect reminder of what the holidays are all about.

In fact, today, I’d like to make the argument that Meet Me in St. Louis is not just a Christmas movie, but a Halloween movie, too. Factor in most November holidays are country-specific, and there’s an argument to be made: Meet Me In St. Louis is probably the best movie to watch in November.

Though every scene in the film is a delight, my favorite is one that I don’t often see mentioned in discourse surrounding the picture: On Halloween night, the youngest sister, Tootie, runs down a St. Louis street in her costume, moments after she “killed” the neighborhood boogeyman (or so she thinks) with a handful of flour.

After leaving the man’s steps, Tootie runs towards the camera. The camera then pulls back and up, on a crane, as the wind picks up, allowing autumn leaves to swirl around her. A gaggle of neighborhood children, all dressed in their spookiest outfits, surround her and cheer her on.

“I’m the most horrible!” Tootie chants.

The sequence captures exactly how children feel feelings — that is to say, with their entire mind, body and soul.

Not unlike the flour-based “bullet pudding” game in Jane Austen’s Emma, the flour thrown in Meet Me in St. Louis is a relic of bygone times. Anyone who has ever baked before knows getting flour off of your clothing can be a time-consuming task, and young people of the late 19th century took advantage of this fact. There are documented cases of large groups of young boys throwing flour at “well-dressed folks on streetcars in 1894,” says Smithsonian Magazine.

While the pranks of All Hallow’s Eve may be but a faded memory, one Meet Me in St. Louis viewing will have you pining for the treats and tricks of yesteryear.

Tootie, played brilliantly by a young Margaret O’Brien, is a relatively unsupervised child. Not old enough for school, she seems to spend most of her days running around St. Louis, chatting up the locals and engaging in some light mischief. Too often misunderstood, the Halloween scene shows Tootie finally reaching her pranking limits.

In the scenes that follow, Tootie ends up with a split lip after a prank gone bad. To avoid punishment, Tootie wrongly accuses an innocent neighbor, who just so happens to be Esther’s (Judy Garland) love interest. Later that evening, the stakes get even higher. Indeed, Tootie’s arch in the film centers around learning from your mistakes before its too late.

Ketchup in Meet Me In St. Louis

In the film’s opening scene, the family’s matriarch hovers over a stove. Soon, the maid enters, occasionally stirring. Everyone passing through the kitchen picks up a ladle, takes a taste, and has an opinion. Too sour, too sweet, too flat. They sip it by the spoonful. Is it a soup?1 A stew? Nay, it’s ketchup.

While the history of ketchup is storied, diverse, and by no means strictly tomato-based, homemade varieties are mostly a relic of our culinary past. In the film, the family’s maid and cook — Katie, played by Marjorie Main — uses a ladle to spoon their homemade ketchup into bottles. The consistency of the homemade ketchup more closely resembles soup, hot sauce, or salsa than our modern Heinz. I’m willing to wager it had a bit more flavor, too.

While tomato season has passed, I’m considering doing what these Redditors have done and whip up my own batch of old-fashioned ketchup. During the lockdown years, many of my friends proved themselves to be talented hot sauce crafters, and I’ve always been a little intimidated. Ketchup might be the starter condiment I’ve been looking for!

Some Meet Me In St. Louis Trivia

2 In today’s parlance, Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) is filled to the brim with “Easter eggs”.

There should really be a trivia board game dedicated solely to the making of the film, but for now, here are a few delightful factoids:

• “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is an original song written for this very film. The original lyrics were much darker, but the film’s star, Judy Garland, as well as actor Tom Drake, requested the lyrics be changed to something a little more upbeat — so as not to ruin Christmas!

• Judy Garland originally didn’t want to star in St. Louis as she was seeking more “adult” roles. What’s more, she found Director Vincente Minnelli’s production schedule grueling. Luckily for us, she took on the role, making the film widely popular and topping the charts with her solos. She also ended up marrying Mr. Minnelli after the film premiered. And thus, Liza Minnelli was gifted to us.

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• Finally, take a look at the last two slides of this post I made on the Film Flavor Instagram back in 2021, from which today’s newsletter was born. Notice where the phone is in each shot? Spatially, it’s a continuity “error” — the phone appears on one wall, then another — but the placement of the phone remains purposeful. This phone call is an inciting incident, and we need to see how the entire family is reacting to every word!

While those of us in America sit and wait for our lawful rights to be rolled back to that of 1903, there’s something oddly comforting about watching a 1940’s romanticization (and critique) of the period. In total, Meet Me in St. Louis is gorgeous, almost twinkling off the screen, and filled with the most uplifting songs in the face of despair.

Personally, I long for an existence in which my only troubles consist of a potential cross-country move from one fantastic city to another. I understand the despair calling our names. And yet: this classic film is so heartwarming that even the most pessimistic of souls may gain some pleasure from a viewing.

Meet Me In St. Louis is currently available to stream for free on Tubi, so there’s no excuse not to give it a watch this week!

Further Reading…

• “The New Pictures, Nov. 27, 1944” in Time Magazine

• “What Ever Happened to Homemade Ketchup?” in Smithsonian Magazine

• “TBT: Meet Me in St. Louis” in Frocks & Flicks

In Case You Missed It…

Want more movie snacks? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

Leave a comment below and let me know: What is YOUR favorite scene in Meet Me In St. Louis?

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Finally, THANK YOU to all of our subscribers. I’m always honored to be in your inbox. In a few days, we’ll be celebrating Film Flavor’s 1-Year Anniversary — please stay tuned for the festivities!

With gratitude,

—

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

What is your favorite food in a Halloween movie? Before you answer, know that you will be unreasonably judged.

Although that may sound harsh, who doesn’t love to be categorized? From horoscopes to Buzzfeed quizzes to personality types, the urge to know thyself via other’s inaccurate assumptions is stronger than ever, and I’m simply here to deliver.

This list is, obviously, unhinged and wildly truncated. While I would love to be comprehensive, if I opened this up to every spooky movie ever made, the list would never end. More to the point, judging hypothetical people based on their hypothetical favorite food in a Halloween movie isn’t exactly a scientific enterprise. 

To narrow it down, this post covers movies that lean more towards camp, irony, lightheartedness, and/or gently poke fun at horror and Halloween. Or, perhaps they feature scenes with trick-or-treating.

Either way, this vibes-based list is strictly funny business, and simply meant to put a little pep in your step this All Hallow’s Week! 

(And — if you are here because of my recent interview with Ezgi Eren at 11am Saturday, welcome! We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled food-in-film commentary next week!)

Burnt Popcorn and Beer in Scream (1996)

When it comes to food, you care more about aesthetics than taste, but you also hate that observation, because your aesthetic leans more towards retro candy bars than trendy cronuts. You like going to screenings of The Exorcist and forcing a romantic interest you’ve recently met to come. You are terrific at exactly one niche video game. You think flying to Alaska to visit the last remaining Blockbuster sounds like a fun long weekend. 

Handsy Shrimp Cocktails in Beetlejuice (1988)

You actually don’t mind when someone you know sneaks up behind you and covers your eyes to surprise you. You love haunted houses / corn mazes, theme parks, and attractions like Top Golf. You like beer but don’t really drink too much. You love eating fancy hamburgers with lots of toppings at restaurants. You’ve been a little scared to watch Beetlejuice Beetlejuice but you’re going to cave and watch it soon.

Apple Cider and Full-Size Candy Bars at Alison’s House in Hocus Pocus (1993)

If you’re of age, you drink so much alcohol that you fib a bit when your primary care doctor asks you how many drinks you have a week. You know how to stop home pipes from freezing in the winter and how to change a tire. You like percale sheets, wear real pajamas to bed, and own at least two robes.

Cat Hamburgers and Watermelon in House (1977)

You shop on Depop, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace often. You have a pretty practical job that you’re always considering quitting. You have WhatsApp downloaded on your phone to talk to friends in lots of different countries. You’re really excited about yuzu hot sauce and the tinned fish renaissance. In early 2020, you had reservations to go to one of those restaurants where they pour hot chocolate syrup on a melting chocolate ball, and were a little too disappointed you couldn’t go when the pandemic hit. 

Midnight Margaritas in Practical Magic (1998)

You tend to move around a lot, and dream of having a house like the one in Practical Magic in your old age. If someone asks, “How are you,” you usually answer with brutal honesty, regardless of setting. You had some strange, potentially paranormal experiences growing up. You have a chronically cracked phone screen and, off the top of your head, know how to spell “pharaoh”. 

Morning Breakfast in Casper (1995)

You always pick “dare” games of in truth or dare. You think low brow humor is objectively good and equalizing. All of your small talk is peppered with jokes, and you occasionally use finger guns to underscore your point. You own multiple coffee-making appliances but almost always buy your morning coffee. 

Witch’s Brew from the “Bubble, Toil, Trouble” Microwave in Halloweentown (1998)

You were really obsessed with the pop culture drama surrounding the release of the film Don’t Worry Darling and are low key upset how quickly culture has just moved on from that, but at this point it’s weird to talk about so you keep it to yourself. You’ve drunk Redbull multiple times in your life, and keep 1-3 fun-sized candies in your bag, car, or pantry at all times, just in case. You probably work in STEM, teaching, medicine, finance, or operations and logistics. If you use anything other than he/him pronouns (or are secure in your masculinity), you like novelty coffee drinks (think lavender mocha lattes).

Twinkies in Ghostbusters (1984)

You don’t care to learn how to cook well and spend a lot of money on takeout. You have been known to make fun of gluten-intolerant people, but secretly your digestive system can barely handle a burrito. Your favorite foods and drinks change quarterly. Despite your questionable diet, you’re otherwise quite the catch, and have never been single for more than a month. 

Schwartzwälder KirschTorte Cake in Young Frankenstein (1974)

When presented with a cocktail menu, you will always choose the drink with the best name. You like biopics and dark chocolate and being out in the rain without an umbrella. You’ve watched SNL since you were a little too young. You are a paying subscriber of three or more newspapers.

Wine and Roasted Chicken in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

You enjoy vintage and mid-century furniture and card games. You have a problematic dependency on a specific brand of lip balm, and hate it when people recommend something else (even though they’re probably right.) Your favorite dishes have strong umami flavors. If you drink, you only drink spirits straight, but you very well might be sober.

Meatloaf and Toast Props at The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Screenings

At weddings, you clap and cheer when the bridesmaids and groomsmen do coordinated dances. You love to dress up for Halloween, especially when you get to use cheap colorful makeup. Remarkably, you have a pretty sophisticated palette but are always down for a roast beef sandwich or s’mores. You like both cats and dogs equally, and you like tequila. You’ve either been involved or will be involved in an elaborate, surprise marriage proposal. 

Candy Corn Cereal with Strawberry Yogurt in Twitches (2005)

You go all out for birthdays, baby showers, and other personal celebratory events requiring little planning. You wish you were invited to more dinner parties. You wear jewelry every day and like colored velvet. You say you don’t like “drama.” Your parents threw away a beloved childhood toy of yours and you still hold a little resentment about it. If you brought the same energy to work as you do the group text message threads coordinating this year’s elaborate group Halloween costumes and plans, you’d be promoted quickly. 

Green Food and Popcorn in Troll 2 (1990)

You were really into Vine in its heyday. You read a lot and use glasses with an outdated prescription. You enjoy Nilla wafers, Jaffa cakes, and off-putting food combinations like pickles and peanut butter. You’re fantastic at most parlor games (cards, charades, board games, mafia, etc.) and possess a lot of soft skills. You’re a very busy person and have a hard time making time to watch movies, but try to watch Troll 2 or the documentary Best Worst Movie at least once every few years.

Did I Miss Something?

Drop your favorite Halloween movie food in the comments below!

Leave a comment

To Listen While You Snack

• My personal Samhain playlist on Spotify

• POV: You’re a Witch in 90s New England playlist on Spotify

• Vintage Halloween 50s 60s playlist on Spotify

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

In Case You Missed It

Want more movie snacks? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

With gratitude,

—

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

In November of 2023, we wrote about Director Emerald Fennell’s film Saltburn and Barry Keoghan’s affinity for well-cooked over-easy eggs.

While Fennell’s decisions have been perplexing as of late — Fennel recently cast Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, white actors with “Instagram faces”, as leads in her upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights, traditionally reserved for “historical faces” and people of color — I must admit, she is, in ways, ahead of her time.

Indeed, there is no bigger food motif in films targeted at young adults in 2024 than that of the humble egg.

While the price of a carton of eggs has yoyoed dramatically across the U.S. in the past few years, causing dozens of headlines and consistent uproar amongst small-town Facebook posters across the land, consumers’ love for the dramaturgical ingredient persists.

Today, let’s dive into my thoughts on two new films — We Live in Time and The Substance — and dissect the symbolism behind eggs.

We Live In Time + A Slice of Humble Pie

Irish Director John Crowley has been armed with A24’s aggressive marketing machine for his recently-released film We Live In Time, starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh.

In addition to being the second film in the past two years to cast Pugh as a horrendous driver (Zach Braff’s A Good Person, of course, being the other), We Live In Time communicates the promise of life through eggs.

Like Crowley’s Brooklyn (2015), Allen Coulter’s Remember Me (2010), and Joe Wright’s Atonement (2007) before, We Live In Time is a romantic drama-comedy that sets a couple’s courtship against the backdrop of hardship. While other films in this category choose World War II, 9/11, or even the trials of immigration, We Live In Time is a modern tale disrupted by a cancer diagnosis.

I do not want to argue, by any means, that cancer feels small when compared to historical tragedy. However, because the film barely concerns itself with any characters beyond its leading lady, We Live In Time can feel a little suffocated at times. Between the score, the color palettes, and the events playing out on screen, there is truly very little wiggle room in the interpretation of this film. Short of placing neon signs reading “Cry Now!” around the theater, the film tells viewers in no uncertain terms exactly how to feel.

This was, perhaps, underlined when I attended an early screening last week and event organizers handed every audience member a pack of We Live In Time branded tissues at the door.

While you’d have to be a rock not to shed the occasional tear during this watch, when the house lights came up, I was shocked to see many members of the audience had snottily sobbed their way through their entire tissue pack.

Near the beginning of the film, we see Florence Pugh’s chef character, Almut, teach Andrew Garfield’s Tobias the best method for cracking eggs. Armed with one bowl to crack the eggs in, one to transfer the eggs to, and another for discarded shells, Almut’s three-bowl egg-cracking technique entrances Tobias “Always on a flat surface,” Pugh says, cracking an egg bluntly on a cutting board.

After Almut is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she must choose between removing both her ovaries, or just one — the latter option riskier, but giving her the option to have children with Tobias.

Spoiler Alert: In order to talk about the egg symbolism, spoilers are ahead. If you don’t want to be spoiled, skip ahead to the next bolded text.

Try as they might, the couple can’t seem to conceive naturally, and ends up relying on the power of IVF treatments to allow Almut to produce healthy eggs and, eventually, a pregnancy.

As the film moves forward and the couple deals with the twists and turns cancer brings to their lives, we see Tobias alone with their young daughter. With Almut evidently no longer present, Tobias passes along Almut’s prized egg-cracking knowledge to their child.

Okay, you are free and clear! Spoiler-free from here on out!

In We Live In Time, eggs communicate the promise of life, the desire to pass down one’s legacy, and hope.

Enter, The Substance…

The Substance + Yolk Gaze

The first shot of The Substance shows an egg cracked over a plain background. As the shot continues, we see the egg yolk tremble, eventually splitting in two.

So goes the plot of The Substance, which follows Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle. After turning fifty and promptly being let go from her job as an aerobic television star, Sparkle is offered the opportunity to take “the substance,” a drug of questionable origins.

The drug gives birth to a “new and improved’ version of Sparkle — a yassified Margaret Qualley. Just as the egg yolk split in two, so does our hero, and Sparkle’s soul transfers between the two bodies. Sparkle dubs this spring chicken alter-ego “Sue,” and Sue promptly gets Sparkle’s old job starring in a workout television show.

Of course, there’s always a catch. Just as Ozempic has side effects in the real world, “the substance” is a one-week-on, one-week-off drug: Every other week, Sparkle must switch back to her old body through a graphic maze of injections and tubes. Failure to make the switch before the clock strikes midnight makes her original, 50-year-old body, more and more deformed with each late minute.

While the script isn’t without it’s problems — I’m not sure anyone would know how to end such a film — I can generally only applaud director Coralie Fargeat for getting an original and creative film made.

Even those who don’t find films catagorized as “body horror” attractive will find value in the film, even if they have to cover their eyes for a few scenes. (I certainly did.)

Honestly, the most horrific shot in the film comes when Dennis Quaid, a television executive, fires Sparkle for being too old and unsexy while slurping up approximately thirty-seven saucy shrimp in the most disgusting way imaginable.

The all-consuming male gaze and its unattainable beauty standards hurt that much more when coming from an aging troll-man stuffing his face like he’s plumping foie gras.

The scene reminds me of a TikTok creator I follow, the brilliant , who often makes videos revealing the unflattering profile pictures of the rude men who leave her nasty comments about her looks.

The pot, ladies and gentlemen, can’t resist calling the kettle black.

Having recently moved to Salem, Massachusetts, I also can’t help but think of the 1993 cult classic Hocus Pocus, which follows a Puritan-era witch who has come back from the dead. Her only goal? To suck the life and youth out of children, of course.

In reality, we all know men are the ones sucking the life out of young women, but that knowledge rarely stops the witch hunt until its too late.

Eggs, Food-in-Film, and Signs of Life

Both We Live In Time and The Substance use food as a symbol of life.

Whether we are watching Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield eat Jaffa Cakes (a classic British convenience store cookie) in the bath, slurp shakes in a diner, or go to town on street food at the fairgrounds, the best moments of their lives are around quite humble food.

At the same time, Pugh’s Almut works as a chef of gourmet cuisine. This contrast comes to a head when Almut competes in an international cooking competition, and looks up at her family, far away in the audience. The illusion is shattered.

As corny as it may sound, a Jaffa Cake with loved ones tastes a million times better than an internationally-acclaimed seven-course prix fixe.

On the opposite end of the feel-good scale, The Substance examines food as a weapon of self destruction.

Demi Moore’s beaten-down Elisabeth Sparkle binges on carcass after carcass of roasted chicken, all to punish her second body, Sue. But as the substance manufacturers warned her, Sparkle and Sue are one in the same, and she is only punishing herself.

The 1993 Egg Hatched in 2023-2024

As a 1993 baby, I am all too familiar with the cinematic gold that came from the time period. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Schindler's List, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Much Ado About Nothing.

To me, the aforementioned Hocus Pocus and Jurassic Park are standouts from the year, especially when it comes to matters of life, death, and camp. It was in these pivotal films that the seeds were sown.

Emerald Fennell, Coralie Fargeat, and John Crowley were all alive in 1993 and likely viewing at least one of these hit films. As Jeff Goldblum’s character famously suggests in Jurassic Park, life will not stay contained in its shell. Indeed, this motto screams through this past year’s most egg-centric films.

In a world of unprecedented times and uncertain futures, the notion that life, uh, finds a way, is what gets us through the day.

That, and the promise of dinner and a movie.

Speaking of 1990s children’s pop culture and its preoccupation with birth + eggs, please enjoy this video I edited for you. Those who were gifted the furby-adjacent “WuvLuv” may recall the furry toy gives birth to an egg containing a new and improved WuvLuv offspring.

@viacurious💞 #thesubstance #a24 #wuvluvs #90skids #demimoore #margaretqualley

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Further Reading from Writers I Love

• The Substance and hate-eating chicken by of MOVIEPUDDING

• Anything MJ, aka cooks up on her TikTok or her Substack.

In Case You Missed It…

Want more movie food? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

🥚 Leave a comment below and let us know: What is YOUR favorite on-screen egg moment? 🥚

Leave a comment

Finally, THANK YOU to all of our subscribers. I’m always honored to be in your inbox. Can’t wait to chat with you next week!

With gratitude,

—

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

From the full bars in its lobbies, strict talking and texting bans, and elevated in-theater dining experiences, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has become a cinephile favorite since its inception nearly thirty years ago. This week, Film Flavor was lucky enough to interview Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s Executive Chef Brad Sorenson about his remarkable career, and the process behind creating Alamo’s best dishes. Let’s dig in! 

Some quotes in this interview have been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Chef Sorenson’s Journey to In-Theater Dining

When Chef Brad Sorenson was first approached by a friend he met in a rec league softball team about working at Alamo Drafthouse, he was already a huge fan of the theater chain. Still, after a career of working at independent restaurants across the U.S., Sorenson says he never considered corporate work until Alamo came knocking.

Lucky for us food-loving moviegoers, Sorenson took the plunge, and has spent nearly a decade developing menu items for the beloved cinema chain. 

“It is an extremely unique chef job.” Sorenson says. "There can’t be more than a handful of folks that have a job similar to mine.”

How Alamo’s Movie-Themed Menus Are Made

Anyone who has ever dined at an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is familiar with the chain’s movie-themed specials and limited-time menus. When it comes to the process of creating these offerings, Chef Sorenson says, “There’s no real exact science to it. It all kind of depends on the inspiration and the style of movie.”

On-Screen Foods

“Sometimes, things are kind of put on a platter for us,” Sorenson tells us. “A movie like The Menu will come out and we’ve got a really good relationship with the studio. I’ll get to recreate the food from the film and do a special where you’ll see [a dish] on the screen and be able to have it in front of you.”

Research

Other films require a little digging. “Some of the inspiration will come from kind of nerdy research,” Sorenson explains. He says he started writing specials for Alamo around the time superhero movies were “going through the roof.”

“I’ll pull things from old comic books. The chimichanga for Deadpool was on the nose. For the last Avengers movie, we wanted to wrap things up and give people the shawarma from the end credits scene in the first one.”

Regionality 

Alamo Drafthouse has also presented menus that align with the filmmaker’s local community and upbringing. Chef Sorenson tells us that, when working on a menu for a screening of Kumail Ali Nanjiani’s The Big Sick, they conjured up some of Nanjiani’s favorite foods from his Pakistani childhood. “We had a potato biryani, because [Najiani] described it as his favorite food growing up. And so while his film was showing, our guests could order the regional dish that you might not expect in a movie theater.”

Humor

Finally, humor is always a potential element in any of Alamo’s special menu items. “One of my favorite ones was the ‘I Am Froot’ shake that we did for the Guardians (of the Galaxy) movies,” Sorenson shares, a play on the franchise’s “Groot” character and his tendency to announce his name. “No real connection there other than it made me laugh.”

This punny sensibility was also showcased in Alamo’s recent Beetlejuice Beetlejuice menu offerings, including a “Tally-Me-Banana Pudding” dessert option, paying homage to the famous musical dinner scene in the original film. “With our service style not having that traditional ‘And May I bring you a dessert menu?’ [moment], we have to try and integrate desserts in a way that folks are thinking about it the whole time.”

Color

From green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed drinks to Deadpool-red cocktails, color is another thing Chef Sorenson keeps in mind when creating Alamo’s specials. 

With the highly-anticipated Wicked film adaptation being released next month, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Alamo Drafthouse gave us a sneak peek at it’s Wicked Holiday Wonder Menu, premiering in Alamo locations nationwide beginning November 19th.

One dish, the “Shiz University Chicken Wrap,” starts as a grilled-chicken and arugula wrap with fresh sliced tomato and goat cheese. When guests place their orders, they may opt for a “Make It Wicked” option, which adds bacon, double cheese, and a tortilla wrap as green as Elphaba’s skin. 

In that same vein, another Wicked menu item starts off as a double cheeseburger dubbed the “Yellow Brick Burger” with the option to “Make It Emerald” by adding sliced avocado and alfalfa sprouts. “It adds some vegetables for you to feel good about it,” Sorenson says.

Aesthetics 

When crafting Alamo’s menu, Sorenson also keeps noise, smell, and dim theater lighting top of mind.

“We do try to take all the aesthetics into consideration, because, after all, you’re in a dark movie theater with others,” says Sorenson. “One of my earlier specials was pork and pineapple ‘ke-bubs’ for an X-Men movie,” Sorenson recalls, “but I was still breaking out of my old chef mentality.” The dish, served on a twelve-inch round plate, proved to be a little cumbersome. “We kept getting comments from guests that it was impossible to eat it in the theater, because you had to take a knife, a fork, and you’re hitting a ceramic plate in the dark, and that was the last time I plated anything like that for these specials.”

In the end, Sorenson says both fish and knife and fork work are avoided “unless it is too good to pass up.” 

Production

At the end of the day, Sorenson says Alamo Drafthouse menu specials and limited-time offers are also a great way to test out new menu ideas, noting “a lot of this stuff will end up on menus down the road.” 

In addition to gauging guests' interest in the dish, Chef Sorenson and his team must take into consideration the unique challenges that come with serving full meals to a packed movie theater. 

“We seat 150 people at a time every fifteen, twenty minutes, which no sane chef would ever do,” says Sorenson. “We have to be able to make sure we’re able to perform it really well.” 

Pickles and Popcorn: Elevating Concessions

Recently, Film Flavor shared a little bit about the history of pickles at movie theater concessions in the Southern U.S.. Given Alamo Drafthouse is a Texas-based company, and fried pickle spears are a staple on the chain’s menu, we couldn’t resist asking Chef Sorenson about the popularity of the peculiar snack. 

“The pickle in the south really kind of stems from c-stores and convenience stores and traditional concessions,” Sorenson shares, “Our fried pickles are definitely in tribute to that in some ways.”

In fact, Chef Sorenson tells us, any attempt to remove these pickles from Alamo’s menu has resulted in protest. About three years ago, Sorenson says he tried switching the pickle spears out for pickle fries. “The revolt from our regulars was almost immediate!”

In Sorenson’s view, not only are pickles at the concession stand a “Southern movie tradition, but the fried pickle spears at Alamo Drafthouse are a firm Alamo tradition as well.”

A Popcorn Exclusive

Alamo also offers elevated versions of other classic movie theater concessions, like popcorn, with added flavors like truffle herb or churro bites. 

“I’m currently working on developing a dill pickle popcorn!” Sorenson shares. “I think that was the official spoiler for that dish. That will come out sometime in 2025… I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes our most popular popcorn, as far as the seasoned kinds go. And it’s really fun to be able to work in angles like that.”

“Coming to an Alamo is ‘Eatertainment.’ It’s supposed to be a little over the top. So we should always strive to have these options that are different while maintaining our standards. You know, if you just want a bowl of popcorn, it’s the best theater popcorn that’s out there.”

Alamo’s Influence in the “Eatertainment” World

The first time Chef Sorenson ate a meal at a movie theater was on a date at an Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. “I don’t remember the movie,” Sorenson admits. “I just remember the pizza and the wings... I just remember it blowing my mind and almost instantly becoming a fan.”

It’s not just guests that find Alamo’s in-theater dining novel. The company’s influence on other theater chains is evident. “I mean, you see the trend in the industry,” Sorenson explains. “More and more places have food offerings, whether they’re trying to do it like us, or whether there’s extended concessions. AMC’s have cute little bars in them now. You know, we strive to be the best damn cinema and I know that other places strive to be like us.”

Chef Sorenson’s Favorite Food To Eat At The Movies

What is Chef Sorenson’s favorite food to order when watching a movie? 

“Oh, that’s a pretty easy answer for me nowadays,” the Chef says with a smile. “I am a sucker for a soft pretzel, dipping into our queso. I grew up in Michigan where… there was ‘queso’ but we called it ‘chips and cheese' and there was no flavor, it was just melted cheese and tortilla chips. And I’m a really, really big fan of our fried chicken.” After revamping their chicken program in 2018, Sorenson says Alamo’s fried chicken is now hand-breaded to-order. 

Favorite Food-Film Moments

Out of all the food-film moments we’ve written about on Film Flavor, Chef Sorenson managed to mention an unexpected moment in 2022’s Everything Everywhere All At Once. The film, Sorenson says, is one of his favorite movies he’s seen in years. 

“There’s a scene in the film where… the character ends up biting into their chapstick.” While the chef admits chapstick isn’t exactly food, it led him to create a chapstick dessert for a special screening of the film. “I went on the internet and bought empty chapstick tubes and then we filled them with strawberry semifreddo. And [at] the moment in the movie when he bit into the chapstick, we served everybody a strawberry semifreddo dessert served in a chapstick tube… And it actually would come out when you twisted it, it was the coolest thing.”

Another one of his recent foodie-film favorites is The Menu. “I really like the scene in The Menu where the snobby culinary-phile gets sent into the kitchen,” Sorenson says, referring to the moment where Nicholas Holt’s epicurious snob of a character is forced by a rogue chef (Ralph Fiennes) to whip up a dish in the kitchen. The scene underscores the tendency of foodies to exaggerate their cooking skills. “There’s a lot of folks who, you know, talk a good game and can go to all the good restaurants but ‘I need you to make me lamb and leeks under pressure, right now.’ You know?”

“It gave me a little PTSD,” Sorenson admits. “I come from a very ‘Yes Chef,’ white coat… they would never let me have facial hair. That’s the background I come from… But what a great twist! As a chef, I thought that was an excellent film.” 

What’s Next at Alamo Drafthouse? 

Next month, Alamo will begin screening Wicked, with its limited-time Wicked-inspired menu available at Alamo locations nationwide beginning November 19th.

When the holiday season arrives, Chef Sorenson says Alamo will continue its tradition of screening Christmas and holiday movie classics alongside candy-cane shakes, homemade sugar cookies, and hot cocoa. 

While Chef Sorenson couldn’t share much about what’s on the books for 2025, we here at Film Flavor are eagerly awaiting the pickle-flavored popcorn he’s got in the works. 

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With gratitude,

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Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I (the author of Film Flavor, Olivia “Via” Marsh) do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

Dear reader, before we begin, I must let you know I am currently suffering from a popcorn hangover. Last night, I was sat in the cinema for a particularly lengthy film. By the time all was said and done, I had been in my theater seat for 4.5 hours. Needless to say, I absolutely binged on popcorn.

My kernel-filled stomach and I are still recovering, and so the popcorn hangover rears its ugly head once again. To those unfamiliar with this sensation, what’s it like to have will power? 

Astute Film Flavor readers will note I wrote about the Dune: Part Two sandworm popcorn bucket that took the world by storm back in March.

Before 2024, my only knowledge of souvenir popcorn buckets and other concession stand movie merchandise was limited to meager cardboard popcorn buckets and drink cups with movie names printed on the outer wrapper in lieu of the theatre’s branding.

Oh, how small my worldview was! 

As it turns out, branded popcorn buckets have a jumbo-sized, depraved history befitting of the plastic monstrosities. 

A Brief History of Popcorn Buckets + Freshly Popped Packaging

Now, as of September 2024, if you were to ask Google about the history of popcorn buckets, the first thing you’d see is Google AI spreading misinformation…

Stunning. How did we ever live without the concise wisdom of artificial intelligence and its mastery of reading comprehension? 

Lucky for you, I’ve scrolled a few pages deeper into the history of popcorn than Google’s failed pet project. 

Those who have read my piece, Why Do We Eat Popcorn at Movie Theaters? (and its sequels, regarding candy, concession stands, snacks,pizza and drive-ins) will know the basics. Once banned from cinema, Great Depression-era theater owners finally “conceded” and begrudgingly allowed popcorn into their ornate movie palaces, before taking over the sales themselves. 

Now, the true owner of the esteemed “First Popcorn Bucket” title remains a bit of a mystery. 

Per Andrew F. Smith’s book, Popped Culture (a seminal work for all food-and-film lovers): In the 1890s, the first popcorn with branded packaging in boxes, unpopped, was sold by the Albert Dickinson Company to grocers. It was around this time when popcorn vendors — typically positioned at fairs, circuses, and crowded streets — gained the ability to pop popcorn fresh on-site, thanks to the advent steam-driven popcorn wagons. However, at this time, freshly-popped popcorn seemed to be only sold in bags made of paper, wax paper, and the like. 

In fact, popcorn appears to have been served in “bags” up until serving sizes increased in America, in the post-World War II boom. With wartime rations a thing of the past, why not splurge on a large popcorn box?

Yes, boxes. By the late 1940s, Cardboard boxes were a serving vessel for freshly popped popcorn, too. Somewhere in between the 1950s and the 1990s, these boxes morphed into the circular popcorn buckets we know and love today. 

To this author’s mind, these cardboard cylindrical popcorn tubs were the near peak of popcorn packaging potential. Sure, I’d like my large popcorn to be served in a slightly more hygienic and healthy way, but who wouldn’t?

Well, as it turns out, a large portion of modern moviegoers, that’s who. 

The Dawn of the Plastic Movie Souvenir Popcorn Buckets

While the occasional movie-merchandise product has made its way to major movie theater chain concession stands since the 1980s, they didn’t enter the cultural zeitgeist until recently. 

In the 1990s, Disney theme parks began selling novelty popcorn buckets, and the movie theater industry took note. 

If you’re an avid sci-fi fan, the souvenir popcorn bucket likely came to your attention back in 2019, with the R2-D2 popcorn vessel, made available by AMC to promote Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker. The R2-D2 buckets sold out opening night, and it was clear the demand was high. 

If you’re a swiftie, the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour plastic popcorn buckets of 2023 may have been the object of your affection. 

If you’re a regular ol’ movie goer, these buckets likely came to your attention with the viral, much-memed Dune: Part Two Sandworm popcorn vehicle that was released earlier in 2024, and is currently listed by some Ebay sellers for $800+ U.S. dollars. Customers reached inside the fictional sandworm’s orifice (which function the orifice serves is up for debate), grab a handful of popped kernels, and lose about half of them on the way up as the sandworm’s rubbery teeth flick them out of the customer’s fingers. Ozempic wishes it could cut down your calories like this bad boy!

Before this madness goes any further, let’s pause and take a moment to review the design choices of novelty popcorn vehicle creators thus far. 

Film Flavor’s Popcorn Vehicle 2024 WTF Compendium: In Review

A short review of this year’s wildest collectible popcorn vessels to date…

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Popcorn Buckets

If you ever met a superhero in real life, would your first instinct be to reach inside their mouth and eat a handful of whatever you find inside?

Well, you’re not alone. Apparently, this has been the dream of many a Marvel-phile. AMC has fulfilled the dreams of many by creating this monstrosity. 

Cinemark is also offering a Deadpool & Wolverine popcorn bucket. It’s design utilizes horizontal breadth as oppose to AMC’s affinity for orifice-lids, which Film Flavor appreciates. Both buckets are available on pre-order.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) Sandworm Popcorn Buckets

Ophidiophobics, steer clear of Regal Cinemas this fall. The movie theater chain has been slinging plastic sandworms wrapped around your favorite concessions snack. They’re currently sold out of these evil creatures, though I’m sure they’ve still got a few on display. We here at Film Flavor actually appreciate this design quite a bit. Simple, unobstructing to the eating of popcorn, novel. We don’t hate it!

Cinemark is again, offering their version, still up for sale: A “jack-in-the-box” style bucket, that lights up BRAT green and features drawbridge-esque door to reveal your kernels. Again, we don’t mind this design!

Overall, the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice popcorn bucket designers get a “B” grade here. 

Alien: Romulus (2024) Alien Head Popcorn Container

Regal Cinemas also made headlines for its Alien: Romulus popcorn bucket shaped like a xenomorph extraterrestrial’s head. Instead of eating out of its mouth, patrons are asked to open its head and chow down. Those who wish to stay away from popcorn-brains also had the option of purchasing the chain’s light up “Specimen” container. 

Of the two — while we’re normally opposed to eating out of heads — the alien head is such a big swing, we dig it. It does beg the question, though: Do people actually eat out of these things in the theater? 

Despicable Me 4 (2024) Mega Mel Popcorn Container

AMC is currently selling a popcorn container shaped like a minion. Patrons simply unlatch its back and eat popcorn out of its rear end. And they say chivalry is dead! 

More famously, Universal created a minion baby-carrier-style popcorn vessel that has taken the internet by storm and is, as far as I know, only available to lucky contest and sweepstakes winners. The popcorn bucket/baby appears to be non-monogamous when it comes to theater chains, being offered by multiple of the largest theater chains in promotion of the film.

For Film Flavor, there’s no doubt about it: The baby carrier takes the cake on this one. Sorry, butt-popcorn lovers! 

Other Honorable Mentions…

Some additional popcorn vessels of note from the past few years include…

• The Inside Out 2 Memory Orb Popcorn / Drink vessel with collectable figurines

• The Barbie Movie Corvette Popcorn Vehicle

• The Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Ghost Trap Popcorn Container

• The Wonka Movie Popcorn Tub shaped like a (chocolate?) top hat

These ones are some of the cutest I’ve seen. If was going to dress up as a Ghost Buster for Halloween, I would actually purchase the Ghost Trap one.

But where on earth are people keeping these collectable novelty snack tubs? Last I checked, the economy wasn’t doing so hot. How are you all paying for the square footage to keep these space-suckers? I don’t even know if my kitchen cabinets have enough room to store one of these, let alone display it gloriously. I hear people don’t even reuse them, or use them for popcorn at all. And then there’s the matter of how to wash them…

Before my brain melts any further, lets continue…

What Popcorn Buckets will 2024 Q4 Bring? 

Due to the nature of marketing budgets — and, what I imagine is a credit-card-swipe-happy audience — big-budget blockbuster films are the main perpetrators of movie tie-in popcorn buckets, cups, and other concession merch. 

Film Flavor predicts films based on comic book IP, like the anticipated Joker: Folie à Deux and Venom sequels -- will surely have some sort of concessions merch. Probably Wicked as well. 

The rest is murky at best. Will cinemas go beyond typical blockbusters and start slinging novel Oscar-contender buckets? 

• Will we cinema-goers be obliged to pry open the curls of Bob Dylan / Timothee Chalamet’s plastic head to reveal our favorite salty treat, in promotion of the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown?

• Will patrons need to scratch their fingernails on a twelve-foot coffin (Designed in California, Made in Vietnam, of course) to reveal their concessions as a tie-in with Robert Egger’s anticipated Nosferatu, out Christmas Day?

• Will this author be forced to explain to their older family members why their fellow cinephiles are reaching into the mouth of acclaimed opera singer Maria Callas, who looks just like Angelina Jolie, while waiting to watch Pablo Larraín’s latest film Maria?

Look, I don’t have the answers, I’m just asking the questions here.

Please Leave a Comment and Let Us Know:

Have you ever purchased a Souvenir Popcorn Bucket? Which ones have piqued your interest? 👇

Leave a comment

In Case You Missed It…

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

Want more movie food? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

And, if I haven’t told you lately, THANK YOU to all of our latest subscribers. Your support means the world to me, and I am honored to be in your inbox!

With gratitude,

—

Via Marsh

With September comes a sense of duty. Whether you’re off to school, sending your children to school, hunkering down at work, or hunkering down to write your newsletter (pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain), September is a month that forces us to refocus on our obligations and our routines.

At some point in your life, you may have been obliged to sit at a dinner table with your immediate family on a regular basis. Perhaps you were a child, forced to stay at the table until the broccoli on your plate disappeared. Perhaps you were an adult, connecting with your elders or enforcing mandatory dining rules yourself.

In any case, you’ve likely experienced family using food and family dinners as a vehicle for talking about something else entirely. Just as food can be a metaphor for something great in film and media, it is often an intermediary in our real-life conversations.

Can you recall a time when a family member was late to dinner, and everyone ragged on them? Your family may have felt this tardy person was generally disrespectful, too focused on work, or any myriad of issues. Yet, instead of voicing their true concerns, your family simply focuses on the matter at hand: The family dinner is getting cold.

Above, food gets cold in an episode of Gilmore Girls (discussed later in this post.)

Obligatory time with family around the dinner table can turn out to be “quality time,” no doubt. But it also can be a time of conflict. In the latter instances, family dinners still serve a purpose: a time for communication, even if it’s not all positive.

It is unsurprising, then, that so many films and television shows — art that entertains with conflict — feature scenes around standing family dinners. Today, I’d like to discuss a prime example of this phenomenon in Director Ang Lee’s Eat Drink Man Woman.

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) + Sunday Night Feasts

The film centers around the best chef in Taipei, Zhu, and his three daughters, all in their 20s yet still living in the family home. Often, they gather as a family for elaborate Sunday feasts.

While most of us would be salivating at the thought of a well-cooked traditional Chinese meal, the family often uses these dinners as occasions for important life announcements. Consequently, the daughters often expend more energy being fearful of their family’s judgment than enjoying the delicious food. Their master chef of a father is also losing his sense of taste, exasperating the patriarch just as his family life begins to take on new flavors.

Eat Drink Man Woman opens with Zhu preparing the Sunday dinner. Between chasing after live chickens in the yard and carefully hand-shaping dumplings, Zhu stops to pick up the phone and walk someone else through how to cook a fish. It is only at the end of the film that we understand who was likely on the other end of the line.

Above, the opening cooking scene of Eat Drink Man Woman.

The film’s title couldn’t be more straightforward: This is a movie about relationships between men and women, and eating and drinking are the language the characters speak.

More to the point, each of the four biggest plot points in the film come in the form of family members making dramatic announcements at their family Sunday dinners. I won’t give them away, but each declaration consists of big life updates. Dinner, it seems, is the only time and place the family feels comfortable speaking to one another. “We communicate by eating,” one daughter notes.

Logistically, Ang Lee admitted the behind-the-scenes ordeal of keeping the food steaming and fresh for the camera was “killer.” A food consultant (what a gig!) and three master chefs were hired to “plan and prepare more than 100 recipes used in the film,” the NY Times reported upon the film’s release. The level of care given to the opening scene alone went down in the food-in-film history (Eat Drink’s influence is abundantly clear in this year’s recent epicure film by Tran Anh Hung, The Taste of Things.)

I recently watched Eat Drink Man Woman film for the first time and, admittedly, I found the climactic plot twist to be quite jarring. Then again, I find other films by Ang Lee — e.g. Life of Pi — to share a distinct, unceremonious tonal whiplash in their final acts. Just when I think I’m watching one film, the rug is quietly pulled out from underneath me, revealing what the story was all along. It’s rare to encounter this flavor of “gotcha-cinema” outside of your typical genre film. While I don’t always love the aftertaste, I do revere it.

Beyond mysteries, thrillers, and horror films, I do appreciate a good old rug-pulling — training of the audience to expect the unexpected — in comedy. After watching Eat Drink Man Woman, I could think of no better comedy to refresh my palette than the television show Gilmore Girls and its weekly Friday Night Dinners.

Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) + Friday Night Dinner

For the uninitiated, this series centers around the relationship between three generations of the Gilmore family. The grandparents, Emily and Richard, are proud members of upper-class society in Connecticut, often placing outsized value on money and appearances. Their daughter — Lorelai, the show’s hero — became a teen mom at age 16, and has had a strained relationship with her parents ever since. And finally, Lorelai’s daughter Rory, a bright young student with big ambitions.

The show begins when Lorelai needs help paying for Rory’s private school tuition. She reluctantly borrows the money from her parents, but one condition is set: All three generations must meet for dinner every Friday night.

The architect behind the family dinner obligation is Emily, a grandmother who desperately wants to have closer relationships with her daughter and granddaughter. The entire seven-season series (and its 2016 Netflix “check in” mini-series) explores their relationships via these weekly dinners.

The forced nature of Gilmore Girls’ Friday night dinners is reflected in the art direction: No need to make the food appear piping hot. Instead, the food always appears just as buttoned up as the grandparents: Well plated, traditional, and conservatively warm. Never anything too decadent. Lots of oven roasted potatoes.

Still, the conversation somehow ends up focusing on the food. (Think: “How is the soup?,” or “What do you think of this new wine we picked up France?”) For a show known for its quick wit and fast conversational pace, even the most mundane of food conversation starters are attacked with fervor. Despite any reluctant feelings you may have based on the title, this show is one any food-on-film lover can satisfyingly sink their teeth into.

Above, the Gilmore family tries marzipan.

An Autumn Dinner Pairing

When jumping into your fall routines, you may be tempted to meal prep a menu of limp salad lunches and chicken a la steamed broccoli every night for dinner

If you, too, have a newfound desire to create healthy habits, more power to you. Personally, while I do eat quite healthy, if I eat a zero-carb salad every day for a week, I’m two seconds away from being institutionalized… or at least dropping too much money on unhealthy takeout.

I’m certainly no doctor, but might I suggest planning at least one night a week during which everyone in your household eats an indulgent home-cooked meal together?

If you insist upon going through the sad salad trenches — who am I to stop you? — I find having at least one truly toothsome meal once a week will keep you satiated.

My tried and true autumn recipes include this Carrot Apple Fennel soup or this Tuscan White Beans and Kale. Add your protein of choice and — if understanding what Heaven may be like interests you — a slice of some NY Times No-Knead Bread with butter. Somewhere in there, you might even find a conversation starter or two.

In Case You Missed It…

Want more movie food? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

Leave a Comment and let me know: What’s your favorite obligatory family dinner moment on film?

With gratitude,

—

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

As we march steadily past 90-degree days and closer to the season of allspice, I’ve taken to clinging to quintessential summer pastimes. Packing sandwiches and heading to the beach, walking to get ice cream cones after dinner, and cooking with the seasonal blueberries and tomatoes from local farms. 

For as long as I can remember, making and eating pizza, too, has been a summertime act. In childhood, my siblings, friends, and I would all take turns getting our questionably-washed hands into a bag of mozzarella shreds and sprinkling handfuls atop a round of dough. As a young, broke hooligan living in New York City, I’d often order a large pizza and eat a slice for each meal in those last few summer days before a paycheck arrived. (If I ran out, $1 pizza slices were one of the only viable fallbacks.) And now, in a post-COVID world, I have two pizza dough recipes down to a science: One, my attempt at a Neapolitan style slice (in a style similar to how Keste teaches its cooks). The other, a much more nostalgic, American take on the pizza pie. 

In the colder months, I’ll still experiment with other recipes too, to varying degrees of success. But in the summer, having a quality slice of pizza is too important. Too key to the experience of a nice summer day. Indeed, in the summer, I must rely on my trusty techniques that consistently bring a solid pizza into my life. 

There is certainly no shortage of pizza in film history. Particularly, there was a period stretching from the late 1970s through the 1990s in which pizza was running amuck. The interest in the dish amongst filmmakers of this era was palpable. 

But did the great filmmakers of the 70s, 80s, and 90s actually like pizza? That’s an entirely different question. To answer it, let’s look at a few examples of this cinematic pizza phenomenon 

Pizza in American Cinema of the 70s, 80s, and 90s

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

In this Sidney Lumet classic, Al Pacino and John Cazale play two amateur bank robbers who accidentally end up taking a group of bank employees hostage during the dog days of summer in Brooklyn. The film is ahead of its time in many ways: both a great character study, a analysis of misinformation and lack of mass critical thinking during public events (imagine Twitter/X being around for this robbery), but what I want to focus on is the pizza.

During hostage negotiations with the police, the bank robbers ask for pizzas. When the pizzas arrive, the delivery guy garners the attention of onlookers, and the fame instantly goes to his head. 

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

This film opens with John Travolta walking the streets of Bensonhurst,Brooklyn, picking up two slices of pizza, stacking them on top of one another, and eating a double-decker slice on the streets. Legendary. (Until last year, hungry patrons could walk into Lenny’s Pizza and grab a slice just as Travolta did. Alas, the restaurant closed its doors in 2023.)

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Oh, to be a teenager in the 1980s working a minimum wage job. At this point, I’m convinced minimum wage in 1982 supported these kids through college, but I digress. Justified or not, the high schoolers in this film have a love/hate relationship with their summer jobs slinging pizza and fast food. And when they’re not serving up slices to paying customers, they’re ordering pizza delivery straight to the classroom. Directed by Amy Heckerling, the film’s pacing screams 80s, but was the perfect tool to sharpen her teenage sensibilities in anticipation of Clueless.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

In this same year, Steven Spielberg released his hit classic E.T. Telling the story of a little boy named Elliot befriending an extra-terrestrial, the film has… an odd take on pizza. In one scene, Elliot is enlisted by his older brother and friends to collect pizza from the delivery man. On his way back up the driveway, pizza box in tow, Elliot hears a strange noise coming from his shed, and ends up stepping on the pizza box. 

If you can spare a few minutes for a good laugh, I highly recommend watching this clip and then reading this Reddit post from a few years back, outlining the laughable absurdity of the way the characters treat pizza in the film. (We still love you, Spielberg!) 

Mystic Pizza (1988)

Set in Mystic, Connecticut at a pizzeria you can still visit today, Mystic Pizza has less to do with pizza than the friendship of three young waitresses working their summer jobs. Even so, one high-stakes scene shows a critic trying their Mystic special pizza, and it’s a nail-biter. 

Do the Right Thing (1989)

The weight of putting this film on this list isn’t lost on me. The best film involving pizza to date, Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing follows the tensions between Italian pizzeria owners and the predominantly black community they serve in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. When one character, Buggin’ Out, complains that there are no photos black people on the pizzeria’s “Wall of Fame”, the pizzeria owner Sal declares the wall is only for pictures of Italian-Americans. Tensions rise, ultimately culminating in a tragedy. Underscored by some of the most saturated, stunning shots captured on film, Do the Right Thing starts with seemingly minute disagreements over the price of a humble pizza slice. 

Home Alone (1990) + Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Obviously there’s famous pizza scenes in both of these films, but I believe the pizza in Home Alone 2 is one of the most glorious, visceral food shots ever to be captured on film. Unlike Spielberg, director Chris Columbus seems to have intimate knowledge with a child’s adoration for pizza. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)

By the 90s, pizza in movies is camp. Films like 1988’s Killer Klowns from Outer Space and other campy horror flicks were featuring pizza deliveries across suburbia. In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, in order to set the scene — 1990s New York City — the film opens with over-the-top shots of nearly every adult on the streets of Manhattan eating a classic cheese slice. 

Wayne’s World (1992)

Before kale became a popular superfood, Pizza Hut was one of the biggest purchasers of kale in the U.S.A., garnishing their famous buffets with the leafy green. In my mind, I like to believe Pizza Hut was also one of the biggest proponents of product placement and movie-food partnerships. From plastic toys promoting the latest Disney film to product placements in films, no pizzeria does public relations and marketing like Pizza Hut did in the 90s.

The Net (1995) 

By 1995, the golden age of pizza was tapering off. Here, we see “hacker” Sandra Bullock ordering a pizza via a website on the internet. Across internet forums, you can find anecdotal accounts of folks in 1995 cinemas chuckling at the idea of ordering a pizza online. Beyond the signs of the times, this film bridged the gap between 80s-pizza-cinema and the new millennium. (p.s. More M&M and pizza moments can be explored via The Princess Diaries, here.)

Evidently, this newsletter is not meant to be an exhaustive list of every pizza moment in cinematic history. Rather, it’s a look into pizza’s popularity, and whether the movies just may have helped the dish become the staple it is today. 

Naples, Italy? Fuhgeddaboudit

What about pizza in Italian cinema? Surely pizzas were appearing on Italian silver screens much sooner than in America, correct? Here’s what I know: 

Many pizza-lovers may know there is evidence to suggest the dish was a popular food amongst lower-class individuals in the Naples area for thousands of years, long before the unification of Italy. In the 1880s, it seems pizza was still a local Neopolitian dish. Though this story is in question, popular belief says Queen Margherita of Savoy helped popularize the dish in the late 1880s, and pizza became trendy in Italy. Whether true or false, this rumor took hold in the 30s and 40s, and contributed to pizza’s widespread popularity across Italy and, as southern Italians began immigrating, across the globe.

For more trivia regarding pizza’s journey to the U.S., and its contribution to drive-in movie theater culture specifically, check out Film Flavor’s deep dish, here…

So, why the history lesson? Truth to be told, while I sadly haven’t had a period of months to research this, I had a hard time finding examples of pizza in earlier Italian cinema. Here are a few: 

The Gold of Naples (L'oro di Napoli) (1954)

One of the first and most notable examples is Vittorio De Sica’s The Gold of Naples, in which Sophia Loren plays a pizza slice slinger who attracts customers by offering the option to purchase on credit. Antics ensue after she loses a ring (potentially in pizza dough), and someone dies after eating said pizza. Considered to be Sophia Loren’s “breakthrough” role, the film, the film depicts pizza as a street food, not dissimilar to the hot dogs and pretzel stands of today’s New York. 

A Drama of Jealousy (and Other Things) (1970)

(also known as Dramma della gelosia (tutti i particolari in cronaca, A Pizza Triangle, or Jealousy, Italian Style — I wish they could pick a title!) 

Directed by Ettore Scola, A Drama of Jealousy (and Other Things) is unhinged in every way. Every shot of this film could be a painting. Plotting a love triangle between a florist, a married construction worker, and a pizza cook, the film is just delightful. The inciting incident involves the cook sending the florist a heart-shaped pizza. Talk about whimsy! 

Starring three Italian greats, Monica Vitti, Giancarlo Giannini, and my personal favorite, Marcello Mastroianni, this film is a must see for a late-summer pizza-eating evening. 

(Note to Self: I need to write an entire piece about food and jealousy, because boy oh boy, do they go hand in hand, particularly in European cinema.) 

Honorable Mention: The Bicycle Thief (Ladri di Biciclette or The Bicycle Thieves) (1948)

To state the obvious: Anyone interested in Italian cinema has seen 1948’s The Bicycle Thief. Another Vittorio De Sica classic, the film portrays a father and son asking for pizza at a restaurant, only to be told the establishment does not serve pizza. In both The Bicycle Thief and The Gold of Naples, pizza is portrayed as the food of the lower class. Ironically, by including pizza in these films, it likely helped the dish skyrocket into the cultural zeitgeist. 

In Case You Missed It…

p.s. I’m gathering a list of Italian-American films over on the Film Flavor letterboxd. Check it out here.

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Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl

In man’s feeble attempt to understand women they like, they created the Manic Pixie Dream Girl Archetype.

In 2007, film critic Nathan Rabin published his fateful pan of Cameron Crowe’s Elizabethtown, in which he coined the phrase “Manic Pixie Dream Girl,” describing Kirsten Dunst’s quirky, unbelievable character.

In the years to come, Rabin would publicly regret coining the term: While the “MPDG” was meant to criticize male filmmakers for writing one-dimensional female characters that only exist to make men’s lives better, the label was soon overused and misapplied to describe any unique, otherwordly, “pixie”-like female character.

So, why is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl still a thing?

If men, on average, are objectively worse than women at matters of the heart, doesn’t it stand to reason that they would have a hard time understanding the women they love? Can we really expect men — of all people — to create art that accurately and beautifully illustrates women?

(Of course, I’m making sweeping generalizations about men, but that’s what a sweeping generalization of women calls for.)

Evidently, some men believe the Manic Pixie Dream Girl is flattering. A fantasy, single-faceted dream girl falls from the sky in a man’s moment of need. The only problems she possesses come in the form of adorable quirks, and she’s independent enough to only need from a man whatever he can give (read: needless). Doesn’t that make women seem great?

In my humble opinion, this is how young men often see their love interests, not because women fit this stereotype, but because men have not taken the time and effort to fully get to know their love interest as a human.

In real life, in time, men either eventually come to understand women as full persons, or they do not and the relationship suffers. If the Manic Pixie Dream Girl movies were to carry on past their epilogues, I suspect we’d see this play out. But these types of films are escapist in nature, and who wants to ruin the fantasy?

It’s worth noting that the label of “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” is too often applied to any unique and quirky female character. Kate Winslet’s Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a great example of this: Internet listicles label her as a MPDG even though she is revealed to be quite the multifaceted character with her own will, wants, and needs. Confused? This is where the Stale White Wonderbread Boy comes in…

The Stale White Wonderbread Boy

Nearly twenty years after the phrase “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” was first coined, coined the term “Stale White Wonderbread Boy” to describe the male characters that play opposite cinema’s fantasy ladies.

Stale White Wonderbread Boys are the observers of the Manic Pixie Dream Girls. One cannot exist without the other. By their very nature, these men cast a male gaze characterized by its ineptitude.

As writes, Stale White Wonderbread Boys are “often boring, unimpressive, average boys played by white male actors, who are typically normal looking enough so as to retain a level of non-threatening relatability to the men watching… Their purpose is to gaze, not to be perceived.”

I particularly enjoyed that makes the distinction between Manic Pixie Dream Girls and Femme Fatales in their piece, noting:

“[The] Femme Fatale archetype is not reliant on a specific male stock character to be perceiving her. Though there are common male stock characters that will likely appear, such as the detective, these male stock characters are not reliant to make the Femme Fatale a Femme Fatale, nor do these detectives need to be the center of the story in order to perceive her through their very specific gaze.”

Femme Fatales (such as Jennifer’s Body, Gone Girl, Jackie Brown, and Double Indemnity) are just as fascinating and appealing to men, but they appear in movies with all sorts of men, not just Stale White Wonderbread Boys.

No, these unimpressive male leads are destined for their shallow perceptions of Manic Pixie Dream Girls, and nothing more.

Some directors have attempted to turn these tropes on their head. I would argue Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Tom in 500 Days of Summer becomes a reformed Stale White Wonderbread Boy — a “Multigrain Loaf Young Man”, if you will — by the end of the film.

Interestingly, I found some vintage Wonder Bread print advertisements (pictured above) circa the 1960s advertising their product as a proverbial milkshake to bring all the boys to the yard, so to speak. It’s almost as if Wonder Bread themselves invented the Manic Pixie Dream Girl back in 1968.

Despite Nathan Rabin’s regretful warnings, the discovery of the Stale White Wonderbread Boy archetype has inspired me to come up with a few terms for other archetypes I’ve noticed in modern cinema…

The Murderous Licorice Teenage Girl

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how candy and teenage girl violence go hand-in-hand in Hollywood. The archetype has its roots in Michael Lehmann’s Heathers (1988), often considered a reaction to the feel-good young adult films of John Hughes’s 80s.

Over the years, candy-colored teenage girl murder arguably became a black comedy subgenre. Even when candy is not on screen, bright and pastel candy-like colors are almost always used.

From there, the trope snowballed through the 1990s, experiencing resurgences in the late 2000s and mid-2010s, recently culminating again in works like Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens. You can read more about the Murderous Licorice Teenage Girls by clicking the link below:

I thought about dubbing this character with “Bubblegum,” but given Heathers features a licorice-loving Winona Ryder, the title of Murderous Licorice Teenage Girl feels the most appropriate here.

The Reformed Little Fantasy Freak

We watched as Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe took on projects like Guns Akimbo, Swiss Army Man, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

We looked the other way when Orlando Bloom starred in films like Tour De Pharmacy and the aforementioned Elizabethtown.

And let’s not forget Elijah Wood’s appearances in Spy Kids 3-D, Grand Piano, and I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore.

If you were a strapping young gentleman who starred in Lord of the Rings or other blockbuster franchise fantasy films, you will meet a fork in the road: Turn left, and you will continue to star in fantasy / sci-fi flicks well into old age.

But turn right? Oh boy, you are in for a treat. Your career path will go the way of the many Radcliffes and Woods before you. Indeed, the Reformed Little Fantasy Freak offers roles ready to welcome you with open arms. We all know you were attracted to fantasy roles for their freaky-ness. Now, it’s time to embrace your inner freak even more, bringing him into more daring, modern settings and independent cinema.

For those of us at home, there are few things that can jolt you out of a rut more than viewing a Reformed Little Fantasy Freak film. Your brain won’t know quite what to make of seeing your favorite hobbit or wizard using a cell phone and firing guns. And isn’t it best to keep your noggin on its toes?

While most Reformed Little Fantasy Freaks are men, I am pleased to report I believe the one and only Emily Browning fits into this category. From Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events, Sleeping Beauty, and Sucker Punch to American Gods, it’s safe to say she’s embraced the little freak within, beyond conventional “fantasy” confines.

The Flavored Lip Gloss Besties

For many women, their idea of success might include a man or material items, but always involves healing and honoring their inner child. Films that portray this journey are often lumped into the “romcom” genre, but their stories reach beyond the bounds of traditional romantic comedy.

Flavored lip glosses — whether they be cherry, raspberry, or Skittles™️ flavored — are often thought of products only young girls should engage with. I believe Uptown Girls’s Molly Gunn or 13 Going On 30’s Jenna Rink would use these products any day they felt like it, well into their 90s.

If a film features a coming-of-age story with a girl becoming a woman, perhaps healing her inner child, and you can picture her putting on some lipsmackers well into old age, it’s safe to say she’s Flavored Lip Gloss Bestie.

The Comes-Out-Of-Hiatus Guy

The lights dim. Action movie trailer after action movie trailer plays. Finally, after twenty animated production company logo cards, a Hollywood movie star appears on screen. They’re playing a family man, or a secluded lone wolf — a regular guy just looking to be normal. Until one day, five minutes into the movie, he gets a knock at the door, a text, perhaps a message slipped under the door. His old bosses, they need him. One last job. Can he do it?

Whether he’s a good guy or a bad guy, the action movie you’re watching follows a Comes Out of Hiatus Guy. Arguably the perfect action movie trope, Comes Out of Hiatus Guys — think Liam Neeson in Taken — can take a regular-schmegular plot and turn it into a cultural touchstone beloved by the whole family. Everyone loves a comeback fantasy.

Speaking of, if you haven’t checked out by , it’s a must-subscribe.

The Ratatouille Grump

Again, I’ve written about the “Ratatouille Moment” already on Film Flavor: Coined by Kimberly Woo, the term refers to that moment when something warms the heart of a cold critic, causing them to see the world in a new light.

Paul Giamatti in The Holdovers, Anton Ego in Ratatouille, and every iteration of A Christmas Carol’s Ebenezer Scrooge all fall under the Ratatouille Moment Grump archetype.

It’s worth noting that I believe famed film directors Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky were Ratatouille Grumps in real life, experienced the foretold transformations, and made Wild Strawberries and The Mirror respectively in their attempt to process their feelings.

Your Cinematic Archetypes + Tropes

Have you noticed a pattern of underestimated grandmas?

Town drunks with a change of heart?

You’re in the right place! Share the character tropes you’ve spotted in the comments below, and help educated the Film Flavor audience.

Leave a comment

Our Collective Desire to Label Trends and Archetypes

See — Isn’t coming up with labels and archetypes fun?

In the social media fashion space, many of us have watched as seashells and leopard prints have experienced quite minor boosts in popularity, only to be packaged into a label — “Coastal Grandmother” or “Mob Wife Aesthetic” — and skyrocket into mainstream fashion. Once a name for a loosely defined cultural phenomenon is defined, it becomes easier to Google, easier to discover, and easier to consume.

Nathan Rabin gave birth to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl label, and now he pleads with us to heed his warning: “By giving an idea a name and a fuzzy definition,” Rabin writes in Salon, “you apparently also give it power. And in my case, that power spun out of control.”

Nathan’s sheepish apology reminded me of the recent Hulu1 documentary Brats chronicling the 1980s movie star “Brat Pack” and their eventual confrontation with the journalist who coined the term.

Do we think Kirsten Dunst would ask Nathan Rabin to apologize to her for the Manic Pixie Dream Girl label, if they ever met? Or would she simply thank him, for all press is good press?

A Quick Note of Trivia on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Kate Winslet’s Clementine, an oft-accused Manic Pixie Dream Girl (though as we discussed above, not so.) Still, there are some fun archetypal connections: Kirsten Dunst, once a Murderous Licorice Teenage Girl and the original Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and Elijah Wood, a certified Reformed Little Fantasy Freak, take on the B plot. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has much ado regarding silly little cinematic archetypes.

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

In Case You Missed It…

Further Reading…

• Final Girl Diary

• Boy Movies

• One of Everything

• I'm sorry for coining the phrase "Manic Pixie Dream Girl"

Want more movie snacks? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

Leave a Comment and let me know: Do you have any film character archetypes of your own?

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With gratitude,

—

For some, sneaking snacks into the cinema is a time-honored tradition.

Before every trip to the movies, some families dutifully make a stop at their nearest convenience store and purchase their preferred brands and flavors of sodas, candies, and other portable snacks.

Outside of the store, the family stuffs M&Ms into denim pockets, soft drink bottles into handbags, and even chips into coat linings, if the weather is cool enough for a jacket.

At least, so I’m told.

If it hasn’t already been made abundantly clear, I have always leaned on the side of rule-following.

Some may call me conscientious, others neurotic, but I don’t recall ever smuggling snacks into a movie theater on my own accord. Of course, in my youth, when taken to the multiplex by friend’s families, I would occasionally take part in their traditions out of light peer pressure and strong respect for their culture.

But as an adult, my cinema-snack-sneaking days have long since passed. Still, every now and again, I do wonder: What ARE the snack-smugglers up to these days?

Have their methods become more advanced?

Has rule enforcement become more lackadaisical?

Has snack sneaking gone downhill thanks to at-home streaming? (Are the smugglers staying home?)

Have the smuggled snacks of choice changed?

Are full meals smuggled into theaters now?

Curious, that I am.

The Moral and Ethical Debate of Sneaking Outside Snacks Into Movies

The morality of sneaking snacks into theaters is certainly up for debate.

On the one hand, some might consider snack smuggling an act of stealing, given snacks purchased outside the theater are technically banned from most cinemas. More to the point, the theater is depending on concessions sales. (The majority of theater ticket prices go straight to the film distributor and makers, whereas theaters keep all concession margins.) Now more than ever, movie theaters must be supported.

On the other hand, with garish income inequality plaguing the U.S.A. and many a nation, and concession prices steadily on the rise, it seems naïve to expect lower-income individuals to forgo movie-going or cinema snacking when shopping beforehand is a viable alternative. Until a more perfect economy arises, lower-income children, especially, should surely be afforded the dignity of a classic trip to the cinema, no?

Finally, we must consider that the only reason we enjoy popcorn, candy, and other food and drink at cinemas today is because of our ancestors’s equally sneaky tactics. Our forefathers dutifully smuggled popcorn and snacks into films, despite theaters banning food and drink, until theaters were forced to concede.

One might go as far as to say smuggling candy, soda, and snacks into the cinema is the closest a modern filmgoer can get to experiencing the magic and the excitement of going to the talkies for the first time.

Concession Confessions: Tell Us Your Story (Anonymously or Not)

The aim of the Film Flavor newsletter has always been that of a two-way conversation.

As I have very little experience with sneaking snacks into movies — and you, dear reader, might have quite a lot — it is now time for a voice on the other end of the line.

Have you ever smuggled food or drink into a cinema before? A few Reese’s here, a pretzel or two there? A soda can or bottle or five? You are, evidently, not alone.

Today, I humbly ask you: Please share your snack-smuggling stories below and contribute to Film Flavor's mission of documenting food-and-film history.

Responses will be rounded up and shared in a future installment of Film Flavor. Those who contribute will be contributing to food and film history as well as satisfying the perverse curiosity of myself and other obedient souls.

For the rule-followers, be sure to subscribe and stay tuned for stories from cinema-goers living on the high wire.

Ways to Share Your Snack-Smuggling Story:

• Option 1: Anonymously share your story by hitting this button, below:

  Share Your Concession Confessions Here

• Option 2: Email Film Flavor by clicking here. I will keep your identity / email address anonymous unless you request otherwise (and if you want to be extra safe, you can always create a burner email just to write to me from.)

  Email Your Confessions Here

• Option 3: Comment Below to share your snack-smuggling story. This option is, of course, not anonymous, and will be visible to Film Flavor subscribers, Substackers, and the general public. Proceed at your own risk.

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Submit Your Movie Theater Snack Smuggling Stories

Responses and answers will be aggregated and shared in an upcoming installment of Film Flavor. (Again, form and email responses will be shared anonymously unless you’ve otherwise requested.)

Submit Your Story (Anonymously) Here

What’s Next?

August is shaping up to be a big month for Film Flavor: From food product placements in movies to summer vacation flicks, from gourmet imported caviar to stale white Wonderbread, a lot is on the horizon. I’m in those glorious days of feverishly researching pieces to serve up for you all. Take care, and I’ll see you soon!

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With gratitude,

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Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!

A Returning Pâtisserie Customer…

Last week, while I was on vacation, I shared with you the childlike wonder that comes with PB&Js on screen. I’m pleased to report that, in between jumping in lakes and huffing up mountains, I found multiple opportunities to consume peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and posted about such. 

Now that I’ve returned from my vocational slumber, it’s only right to come back swinging and bookend my trip away with another round-up: This time, we’re talking pastries.

Pastries, as a category of food, has loosely defined margins, feathering out into debatable concoctions such as cakes or shortbread. At their core, pastries are defined by the fat content of their dough, which is relatively high compared to other forms of dough (such as those for baking bread.) Everything from éclairs to empanadas fall under the pastry umbrella. 

Croissants, tarts, danishes, and strudels. Baklavas, pastéis de nata, macarons, and choux. Pastizzi, cannoli, rugelachs, and mille-feuilles. Sfoliatelle, bear claws, pains au chocolat and pop tarts. Doughnuts, cronuts, hot cross buns, and British pasties. Pies, pazcki, samosas, and turnovers. Pastries sure do cast a wide net. While our ultimate goal here at Film Flavor is to eat our way through each one of these pastries and find a film to match, that pursuit may take a lifetime. Until such light leaves my eyes, I’ve rounded up my favorite on-screen pastries of all-time, to date!

Pastries at the Movies: A Best-Of Roundup

Now, without further ado, let’s explore some of my favorite pastries that have graced the silver screen…

Marie Antoinette (2006, Dir. Sofia Coppola)

Starting off strong with the pastry film to end all pastry films, Sofia Coppola’s 2006 masterstroke Marie Antoinette featured a cornucopia of pastries provided by the now-famed pâtisserie Ladurée. The high-end delectable manufacturer worked with the film’s production design team to supply on-screen desserts, mixing authentic 18th-century French recipes with macarons fit for modern sensibilities.

In the scene below, Kristen Dunst’s queen tries on outfits and eats confections with her ladies-in-waiting, subverting Hollywood’s Y2K penchant for dress-up montages, all with bon bons galore.

Inglourious Basterds (2009, Dir. Quentin Tarantino)

Inglourious Basterds contains what is very likely my all-time favorite pastry scene in a movie. Set in an alternate universe’s World War II, Christoph Waltz plays an SS officer, Hans Landa, who ordered the death of Shosanna’s entire family. Now, Shosanna’s lives as an undercover goy, working as a film projectionist at a theater the Nazi’s are considering using for a propaganda film premiere. In the scene below, we watch as Landa and Shosanna eat strudel, all the while unsure if Landa knows the truth about who Shosanna really is.

After seeing the whole film in context, there is hardly a soul on earth whose blood does not turn cold when Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa cautions “Attendez de la creme!” with a wagging finger.

The attention to detail in the scene is what truly sears this movie into my brain: When Landa puts out his cigarette on the strudel, the dessert takes the form of a house with a chimney… a house that looks remarkably like the one Shosanna’s family died in.

To me, the similarities between Sofia Coppola and Quentin Tarantino are on full display in these scenes: On of the most impactful shots of each auteur’s career involves a pastry.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961, Dir. Blake Edwards)

Littering sorority girls’ dorm room walls and the prize section of local fairground games across America is an image known to us all: Audrey Hepburn, draped in pearls and black, going to town on a croissant and take-out coffee as she stares into the robin-egg-blue windows of a luxury jeweler on the streets of New York City.

Indeed, the opening scene of Breakfast at Tiffany’s skyrocketed so far into the zeitgeist, it’s use has unfortunately become a cliche. Despite the films shortcomings, the film has so much to offer modern audiences, and I’d argue to put it up for a rebrand. I urge all those reading this to give the film a watch tonight and reconsider Holly Golightly beyond the manic pixie dream girl facade.

Whenever I grab a cortado and vegan chocolate tahini cookie from my favorite bakery (gatekept close to my heart), stroll the streets of Williamsburg and stare longingly into the windows of Catbird as I contemplate going into credit card debt to get another permanent bracelet, I tap into this Big Capote Energy.

Poor Things (2023, Yorgos Lanthimos)

After I wrote about the pasties de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) featured in Poor Things last year, Film Flavor received a small but noticeable influx of social media reposts. At the time, Poor Things was the talk of the town: Will it win Best Picture at the Oscars? Was the film misogynistic? Even though I believe I am a secure person, would I be willing to shove 12 pastries into my mouth in an unsightly fashion while on camera like Emma Stone did?

Fast-forward seven months, and director Yorgos Lanthimos has already put out another film, and the pop culture foodies have moved on to talk of Kamala Harris’s coconuts and BRAT summer bratwurst. And while I am the biggest indulger of those delights, I do strongly believe we need to keep the pastel de nata hype going. After all, my voice alone will not help bully my local bakers into selling the addictive custard tart.

It’s Complicated (2009, Dir. Nancy Meyers)

Another under-appreciated auteur known for decisive production design, Nancy Meyers has brought us some of the best food-in-film scenes in recent memory. One such scene, below, features Meryl Streep, a wildly successful pastry chef and baker, as she and a hungry Steve Martin get a hankering for chocolate croissants. Other scenes in the film feature equally mouth-watering dishes: from breakfast pancakes to trays full of tarts and scones.

Over a decade later, and now Meryl is starring as Martin Short’s love interest on the Steve Martin show Only Murders in the Building. Meanwhile, fellow OMITB star Da’Vine Joy Randolph made waves starring in 2023’s Christmas foodie film of the year, The Holdovers. Needless to say, the food-in-film cinematic universe always finds a way to loop back around to Nancy Meyers.

Pretty Woman (1990, Dir. Garry Marshall)

Regrettably, Pretty Woman has not aged nearly as well as Garry Marshall’s crown jewel, The Princess Diaries. In fact, I was planning to write an entire Film Flavor piece about this movie until I sat down, watched the film in full, and realized how WILDLY misogynistic and, well, bad it was. Despite literally everything else about the movie being horrible, Julia Roberts and the food-filled scenes provide respite in the rough.

Below, we watch Julia dine on croissants, its important to remember only the asinine laugh at people chewing with their mouth open. But dang, those croissants look good!

Groundhog Day (1993, Dir. Harold Ramis)

While writing this piece, it occured to me that, linguistically, the word “donut” is now becoming a widespread replacement for its predecessor, “doughnut.” Popularized by brands such as Dunkin’ Donuts (ironically, now just “Dunkin’ ”), the word “donut” used to irk me. But, as Merriam-Webster points out, donut-lovers are simply following the time-honored tradition of phonetic-based spelling reform. And, if Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell in Groundhog Day have taught me anything, its the importance of the passage of time. And doughnuts.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014, Wes Anderson)

Like Tarantino, Meyers, and each and every Coppola, Wes Anderson’s production design sets his work a cut above. In The Grand Budapest Hotel, audiences are not only treated with a variety of well-plated confections, but the aesthetically-pleasing making-of such pastries. To some, his frames may come off over-engineered and trite, but in the hearts of the majority, Wes Anderson is at his best when satisfying his every visual craving.

The Godfather (1972, Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)

Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

The greatest film of all time shoves cannolis to center stage in one of its most pivotal sequences. A true masterpiece, through and through. (Excuse me while I head over to Mike’s…)

Once Upon a Time in America (1984, Dir. Sergio Leone)

As much as I love British television, this pastry-centric sequence from Once Upon a Time in America sums up the hedonism of youth far better than any Skins UK episode.

The dessert featured in this scene is a charlotte russe cake. Though its pastry status is debatable, this charlotte russe puts Mr. Leone up there with all of the other pastry-auteur greats listed in this post.

Further Pastry-Adjacent Reading:

• Fellow Substack-er and Film Critic + her MoviePudding Newsletter

• “French New Wave confuses, as do complicated pastries” by a Vassar Film Major (aka me in another life)

• How Breakfast at Tiffany's Turned into a Totally Different Movie Video Essay by Be Kind Rewind

In Case You Missed It…

Want more movie snacks? The #1 way you can support Film Flavor is by subscribing and sharing this post with friends via the buttons below!

Leave a Comment and let me know: What are your favorite movie pastries?

Leave a comment

With gratitude,

—

Disclaimer: Film Flavor is a newsletter written for entertainment purposes only. While I do my best to write meaningful posts with good intentions and cite sources when I have the bandwidth, I do not have the capacity nor the expertise to fact-check research as a trained professional journalist would. Despite my best efforts, the Film Flavor newsletter may contain omissions, errors, or mistakes and cannot be relied upon for accuracy or correctness. Additionally, I am not a chef, doctor, nutritionist, or food professional, and it is the responsibility of the reader to consult qualified professionals and use good judgement to decide whether the ingredients, foods, drinks, recipes, and cooking instructions mentioned within Film Flavor are safe to use, follow, or consume. The Film Flavor newsletter does not contain any professional advice or guidance and its contents should not be considered as such. Read the full Film Flavor disclaimer on the Film Flavor About Page, here. Thank you!