Happy Thanksgiving! I choose to celebrate with some of my favorite food on film moments. Bon Appetit! 

Sugar High: "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971)
Though the much loved and romantic "Chocolat" will pop into many a sweet tooth's head, I find that film much too corny and not really all that scrumptious when it comes to whetting my appetite for candy. And yes, yes, I know the chocolate in said film is of a finer quality and, I presume, magically enhanced by the charm of Juliette Binoche, but please. When it comes to wishing Halloween came twice a week (or twice a day), it's all about "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." The story of five lucky kids winning a visit to the famous and magical candy factory run by the wild and weird Willy Wonka (a tremendous Gene Wilder) is a confectionary dream that turns nightmarish once the kids (sans Charlie) reveal their varied and insufferable personalities. But no matter how many of the children endure dire consequences for their gluttonous temptations, we still want, as the song goes, candy. And come on -- cut these kids a break. One of Wonka's rooms is entirely edible. Would you be acting normal after shoving your face in a river of chocolate?

Best Restaurant Order: "Five Easy Pieces" (1970)
Nope. Sorry. I'm not going with the obvious -- "When Harry Met Sally." First off, contrary to popular opinion, Meg Ryan's fake orgasm, "I'll have what she's having" -- diner display is the least funny moment in the otherwise charming romantic comedy. And secondly, no one beats Jack Nicholson in the inappropriate, though completely understandable restaurant behavior department. The masterful film (directed by Bob Rafelson) really has little to do with food, but it tops our list simply for Jack's iconic way of ordering a side of toast. Nicholson plays a slumming oil rigger/talented pianist who embarks on a trek to visit his dying father with a saucy girlfriend (Karen Black) and, at one point, two surly female hitchhikers in tow. The four make quite a tall order when a seen-it-all waitress won't bend the rules ("no substitutions") on a breakfast order of a "plain omelette, no potatoes, tomatoes instead, a cup of coffee, and wheat toast." When the waitress insists she can only bring Nicholson a roll or an English muffin, he asks the perfectly reasonable question, "You make sandwiches don't you?" and proceeds to order a chicken salad sandwich, hold the butter, mayonnaise and lettuce. But where to hold the chicken? "Between your knees," Jack famously and disdainfully coos. I never tire of this moment. And right now I'd really enjoy some wheat toast.

Prison Food: "Goodfellas" (1990)
From stirring the Sunday sauce just right (no matter if helicopters and cops are on your tail), to dinner with Joe Pesci's ma (actually Scorsese's), to shoving the mailman's head in a pizza oven, there's no shortage of delicious and murderous food sequences in Martin Scorsese's stylized "Goodfellas." But the primo moment has to be when the bosses go to a prison so cushy, not even Martha Stewart could have conceived it. As Ray Liotta genially narrates, we watch the delivery of a ridiculously plentiful assortment of food -- delicious, hearty Italian food -- to the delight of the drooling but discerning jailbirds. The topper is when Paul Sorvino slices strips of garlic with a razor blade to such thin, such translucent perfection that when you see it gently combine with the olive oil and sizzle in the pan, you can practically smell the delectability. Makes you want to go to jail...only as a mobster of course.

Another Reason You Shouldn't Eat at the Olive Garden: "Big Night" (1996)
"Big Night" is a filling, high calorie, good for you movie in more ways than one. The story of two Italian brothers, Primo (Stanley Tucci -- who directed the film alongside Campbell Scott) and Secondo (the poignant Tony Shalhoub), attempting to save their wonderful New Jersey restaurant is funny, touching, musical, heartbreaking, sexy and yes, absolutely, almost painfully mouthwatering. The brothers argue over just how to save their establishment in a greedy world that doesn't care for quality and artistry. But, after learning jazz great Louis Prima will be stopping by, they set out to create the ultimate multiple-course Italian meal. The centerpiece dish is Timpano, a layering of meat, pasta and pastry that requires two days of preparation, but all of the picture's food is staggeringly delicious. Though our favorite scene is the film's finale, a quiet moment where the fighting brothers wordlessly forgive one another over the simple act of making eggs and eating bread. If you think having an emotional response to food is a bad thing, then Big Night will remind you that it's exactly what makes us human. And happy to be alive.

French Kiss: "Babette's Feast" (1987)
Babette (Stéphane Audran) is some family cook. The French woman, who originally fled Paris after her son and husband were killed, has worked for a family in Denmark for 14 years, preparing food with little zest. But when she wins a lottery, she decides to use her winnings on crafting an elaborate "real French dinner" for her employers in honor of their deceased father's 100th birthday. What transpires is an overwhelmingly tasty, exotic and even, at one point, scary French meal (the sisters suspect Babette might be a witch in one scene). As a result of her luscious meal, filled with French delicacies that'll make even food philistines wish to sample the country's cuisine, all kinds of emotions are revealed, prejudices are broken and the family is bonded.

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Chicken but Were Afraid to Ask: "To Catch A Thief "(1955)
For most people who enjoy a good meal (and a good roll in the hay) food and sex are so inexorably linked, we're frequently uncertain what's more tempting. In simple terms -- which would you rather gorge on? The greatest sushi you'll ever eat in your life or the greatest sexual gymnastics you'll ever perform with ... let's just say a young Brigitte Bardot? I'd probably pick the sushi, but what if Bardot was the chef? That's where movies happily come into play. Though there are many classic food and sex films and moments, including the egg incident from "In the Realm of the Senses," the fridge raiding sequence from "9 ½ Weeks" and the "I can't believe it is butter!" milestone of "Last Tango in Paris," our favorite has to be Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief." Eating their chicken lunch picnic, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly are at their most sensual and human when the question of which piece of chicken arises. When he asks, "You want leg or breast?" and she answers "You make the choice," it's a true double entendre. She's flat out just telling him he can have both of...all of it.

Just As Good:

"Cool Hand Luke’s" Paul Newman eating fifty eggs in one hour.

Catherine Deneuve's rabbit insanity in "Repulsion."

The maple syrup moment in "To Kill A Mockingbird."

Charlie Chaplin eating his shoe in "The Gold Rush."

Mickey Rourke’s popcorn surprise in "Diner."

The great rare steak stand-off in "Mommie Dearest."

James Cagney shoving a grapefuit in Mae Clark's face in "Public Enemy."

Woody Allen and Diane Keaton attempting to cook lobster in "Annie Hall."

Chianti, Fava Beans and liver from "The Silence of the Lambs."

The drugged, demonic chocolate "mouse" served to Mia Farrow in "Rosemary’s Baby."

Read more from my Greatest Food Moments piece at MSN.

--posted by Kim

This may be one of the greatest pieces Roger Ebert has ever written.

Why this man has not penned an autobiography is beyond me, but his writing seems to get better the older and more wonderfully bemused he gets:

"What does it feel like to resemble the Phantom of the Opera? You learn to live with it. I've never concerned myself overmuch about how I looked. I got a lot of practice at indifference during my years as the Michelin Man.

"Yes, years before I acquired my present problems, I was not merely fat, but was universally known as 'the fat one,' to distinguish me from 'the thin one,' who was Gene Siskel, who was not all that thin, but try telling that to Gene:

"'Spoken like the gifted Haystacks Calhoun tribute artist that you are.'

"'He was loved by his fans as a charming country boy,' I observed."

Read his entire essay which also (bonus!) includes a hilarious outtake from the old show during which Roger and Gene riff off each other Don Rickles style. What pros. And what good, cynical sports.

--posted by Kim

I love the drama of teenagers. Even the over the top, bad apple, Ritalin popping insanity of them  -- sometimes especially for this (I can relate, I wasn’t exactly an angel). And lately it’s been hard to not think about teenagers with all of these hysterical girls lining up for the newest teen sensation, "Twilight." I haven’t seen the movie yet but so far I’m staunchly defending the hype simply for the fact that teenage girls are wandering the streets, not paunchy fan boys. As I've said before, teen girls were the original fans after all (Frank Sinatra bobby-sockers, Elvis, The Beatles) and I am both in awe of and a bit terrified by their primal screams of ear-splitting rapture (but at least they let it go). And though it's safe and nice that girls are reading novels and nutting out over a vampire movie, I do hope they get their noses out of the books and bodies out of the theater to at least experience a little bit of trouble (only a little). With that, here’s a brief history of some of my favorite troubled teens on screen -- a genre that as every teen wishes, never gets old.

"Dead End" (1937)

The first in the series of pictures that depicted that rough and tumble group of depression-era youths, The Dead End Kids (later known as The Bowery Boys) is also one of their best. Though "Angels With Dirty Faces" is their finest film appearance ("They Made Me A Criminal" with John Garfield is a strong contender as well), "Dead End" was our first glimpse of the wise-acre bunch that included Billy Halop, Huntz Hall and Leo Gorcey (you really should read his autobiography--a total gas). Beautifully directed by William Wyler, the picture stars Humphrey Bogart as a gangster returning to his old neighborhood, a slum where the boys fight, steal and generally run amuck to the concern of the nice young woman Sylvia Sidney (gorgeous) who’d like better for them. Though the boys are snarly little jerks at times, they're often very funny and touching. The film offers a sensitive look at what its title states—a dead end—and how the poor are fighting for survival. As the nice architect Dave (Joel McCrea) states about the boys: “What chance have they got against all this? They gotta fight for a place to play, fight for the likes of something to eat, fight for everything. They got used to fighting. ‘Enemies of Society,” it says in the papers. Why not? What have they got to be so friendly about?” Indeed.

"Rebel Without A Cause" (1955)

“You’re tearing me apart!” As the misunderstood, sensitive, red-jacket wearing, bad boy teen practically forced to contend with violence, James Dean became the ultimate symbol of teen rebellion in Nicholas Ray’s stunningly beautiful "Rebel Without a Cause." Boys wanted to be like him, women wanted to date him (or save him) and parents understood some of what their kids were going through -- perhaps. We know how the story goes -- Dean, new to his California school, tries to fit in but ends up facing off with the bad kids via that famous deadly chicken run. Showing his bond with a confused Natalie Wood and a deeply troubled, puppy killing Sal Mineo (who is clearly in love with Jim), the film remains a touching portrait of alienated kids acting out mostly because they’d like just a little more love, attention and understanding from their (gulp) parents -- especially if one of your parents is Jim Backus wearing an apron.

Read my entire list here.

--posted by Kim

Is the newest Bond a bore?

"Quantum of Solace," director Marc Forster's follow-up to the terrific "Casino Royale" (helmed by Martin Campbell) has opened to mixed reviews. Could someone else have "done it better?" Perhaps.

From Variety:

"The shortest and certainly the most action-dense Bond ever, 'Quantum of Solace' plays like an extended footnote to 'Casino Royale' rather than a fully realized, stand-alone movie. Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, possibly knowing they couldn't immediately top the previous pic's sheer stylishness, have radically reshuffled the series' traditional elements, but also allowed incoming director Marc Forster to almost throw the baby out with the bathwater. Played with a cold, mechanical efficiency that recalls the 'Bourne' movies, with almost no downtime or emotional hooks, 'Quantum' will find some solace in beefy initial returns but looks unlikely to find a royale spot in Bond history or fans' hearts.

"Though the pic is the first in the series in which the action follows directly from the previous film, the differences in tone, look and tempo are instantly apparent. As the camera zooms across northern Italy's Lake Garda to pick out Bond (Daniel Craig) being chased in his Aston Martin by armed villains, it's clear that the elegance of the franchise that 'Royale' director Martin Campbell resuscitated is already a thing of the past. Even David Arnold's music seems to punch the clock rather than elevate the visuals."

Not so good. But -- don't take Variety's word for it. Plenty of critics loved the movie. Check out more positive (and negative) reviews here. And...you know you're at the theater tonight regardless.

--posted by Kim

A sad day:

"Mitch Mitchell, drummer for the legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience of the 1960s and the group's last surviving member, was found dead in his hotel room early Wednesday. He was 61.

"Mitchell was a powerful force on the Hendrix band's 1967 debut album 'Are You Experienced?' as well as the trio's albums 'Electric Ladyland' and 'Axis: Bold As Love.' He had an explosive drumming style that can be heard in hard-charging songs such as 'Fire' and 'Manic Depression.'

"Erin Patrick, a deputy medical examiner, said Mitchell apparently died of natural causes. An autopsy was planned.

"'He was a wonderful man, a brilliant musician and a true friend,' said Janie Hendrix, chief executive of the Experience Hendrix Tour and Jimi Hendrix' stepsister. 'His role in shaping the sound of the Jimi Hendrix Experience cannot be underestimated.'

"Blues-rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who is 31 and was part of the tour, said Mitchell was to the drums what Hendrix was to the guitar.

"'Today many of us have lost a dear friend, and the world has lost a rock n' roll hero,' he said.

"Mitchell was a one-of-a-kind drummer whose 'jazz-tinged' style was influenced by Max Roach and Elvin Jones, Merlis said. The work was a vital part of both the Jimi Hendrix Experience in the 1960s and the Experience Hendrix Tour that ended last week, he said.

"'If Jimi Hendrix were still alive,' Merlis said, 'he would have acknowledged that.'"

Read more here.

--posted by Kim

On the kiddie front, look for a blizzard of zoo critters, mousies and rats, with some alternate-world mutants thrown in for good measure. The "Madagascar" sequel flies its animal tribe off to African adventures while "The Tale of Despereaux" stars a Dumbo-eared mouse in love with a human princess. This Romeo-and-Juliet romance features creatures so adorably drawn, it's hard not to make cooing sounds at the screen.

And for pooch-lovers -- and who isn't? -- there's a pack of holiday flicks: "Bolt" plays a superdog on TV, and ha-has abound, because no one's ever told the alpha pup he really isn't. In "Hotel for Dogs," a combo of orphans and canines should melt every heart -- and if it doesn't, rest assured "Marley & Me" will. The story of a naughty yet adorable yellow Lab, and the family he utterly seduces, will surely do the same for us.

Another breed of canine prowls Danny Boyle's big-buzz movie, "Slumdog Millionaire." A trio of abandoned kids adrift in Mumbai, India, are our ticket to ride through urban streets teeming with exotic sights, sounds and smells.

It takes a moviemaker to bring the world of "Slumdog Millionaire" to life, but the winter months promise to warm us up with two provocative films about the power of storytelling to let loose alien realities and strange creatures into our everyday environs. (Thank "Night at the Museum" for spawning this narrative trend!)

When Adam Sandler tells "Bedtime Stories" to his niece and nephew, he conjures up everywhere from ancient Greece to outer space. And, leaving murderous mummies and clay soldiers behind, "Inkheart" stars Brendan Fraser as a silver-tongued raconteur, who regales his daughter with tales that come to life -- and then leaves her to clean up a world-ending mess!

Comedy champ Jim Carrey's back from dark-world stuff such as "The Number 23" to play "Yes Man" to every suggestion, no matter how silly or insane. Better that than saying "I do" in yet another spate of wedding movies, the fad Hollywood refuses to give up, along with its addiction to inspirational sports movies.

"Bride Wars" co-stars Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway, but will this winsome duo play cute enough to rescue a so-lame comedy premise? Betcha "I Love You, Man" has a better chance of generating yuks, what with funnyman Paul Rudd man-dating to find a simpatico guy he can recruit as best man at his wedding. Rudd also stars in "Role Models," along with "American Pie" stalwart Seann William Scott for more superbad hijinks.

The holiday season would surely be Grinched and Scrooged big-time without the obligatory yuletide flicks spotlighting dysfunctional families for good or ill. This year, "Nothing Like the Holidays" gifts us with a Puerto Rican clan, no doubt loving and fighting their way through the festivities. And as a bonus present, there's "Four Christmases," in which the fall-down funny Vince Vaughn and Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon suffer through a quartet of family get-togethers -- all on one horrific Christmas day.

Might want to cleanse the comic palate with "Soul Men," your last chance to enjoy the late Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes on-screen, in the always welcome company of Samuel L. Jackson.

If comedy leaves you cold, heat things up with winter's trio of action-franchise movies. There's class-act "Quantum of Solace," the second 007 outing with fabulous Daniel Craig, the best Bond since Sean Connery. Much lower in the ranking, but still good for some thrills, is "Transporter 3," with bald, buff Jason Statham doing his grabby brand of Fed Ex work. Next rung down: "Punisher: War Zone" with Ray Stevenson, the much-loved Titus Pullo from TV series "Rome," taking over for Thomas Jane -- who's out and about with Mickey Rourke in "Killshot," a promising Elmore Leonard mystery helmed by (hmmm ...) John Madden ("Shakespeare in Love").

This winter offers plenty of chances to get fired up with fantasy or all-too-real violence: There's "Ninja Assassin" for martial-arts aficionados, and for those with a historical bent, "Defiance" is a hair-raising yarn about Polish Jews who fought the Nazis guerrilla-style. And the long-delayed "Valkyrie" will be unveiled, with Tom Cruise a chiseled dead-ringer for the German World War II officer who tried to assassinate Hitler. Whatever its production problems, the core story of "Valkyrie" is to die for, suspense-wise.

Read the rest of her introduction here. And check out all the upcoming Winter movies (including genres, clips, trailers, photos and more) here.

--posted by Kim

(Special thanks to my friend Sean Howe for the tip. He rules too.)

--posted by Kim

It's no longer only seen on television and in the movies. The milestone has really happened.

Congratulations Obama.

Congratulations America.

--posted by Kim