A WORD FROM OUR PROGRAMMER - 7/14/21

Cinema friends, foodies, and moderately-melancholy-media-enthusiasts,

Friday sees our twin openings of unlikely spiritual siblings in cinema: Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain and Pig. Both films are raw portraits of the private lives of those who found something in kitchens and around shared tables, and ultimately retreated into themselves. One is a celebration of the singular influence of Mr. Bourdain, and the other features Nic Cage as a reclusive former chef seeking revenge for the theft of his beloved truffle pig.

Pig is best experienced cold — and while it may look like a gonzo riff on John Wick or Taken — it bears little similarity to those or even prior Cage-rage-engagements like Mandy. If the cited examples show the violent spectacle of narratively-justified action, Michael Sarnoski’s Pig is an honest interrogation of that “justification,” tearing deep into loss, alienation, and revenge. It's a beautiful film with a seemingly absurd premise, but it’s also a testament to Nicolas Cage’s abilities, and perhaps one of his very best performances. Lastly, one would be remiss to ignore the cosmic alignment of Pig’s place in a Ragtag trilogy alongside Truffle Hunters and Gunda. What exactly is the universe trying to tell us about food and philosophy?

Pig plays alongside Zola, following the final shows of Summer of Soul.

Stay hungry,

Ted