Reel Food Liam Breslins Blogs

Liam Breslin  Dr. Esa 3/30/20 Reel Food Blog 7 Chocolate! A food beloved by millions (except me I have a dairy allergy)! An often dark brown, soft, sweet, and delicious treat eaten on holidays, for desert, or even just as a snack. In the film, Chocolat , a mysterious arrival of a woman and her daughter bring various forms of traditional and sweet chocolate to a french town. Although deeply rooted in tradition, Lenten seasonal (christian) tradition to be exact, the french community that Vianne has moved into is ultimately impacted by her delicious treats. Chocolate is still loved by people, but often people are unsure of its origin.  Thousands of years ago, chocolate originated from what is known as the Cacao plant, or more specifically the beans of the plant. In ancient Mayan civilization, it was said that the beans of the cacao plant were given to the people by a feathered, winged deity named Kukulkan. The beans had many various uses in ancient Mayan c...

Liam Breslin Dr. Esa Reel Food 3/1/20 Blog 5 Foods are often cohesive to one another, ever binding. Foods go well with other foods and are often blended, mixed, and or kept together. What's more? Food can bind more than just itself and other foods, but it also has a binding and sometimes building affect on people. Like Water for Chocolate clearly establishes its narrative emphasis on food within traditional, personal, and national boundaries.  This film takes place in early 20th Century Mexico. As the name of the film implies, the traditional recipe for hot chocolate in Mexico includes water when mixing rather than milk, which is used in countries where milk is plentiful. By boiling back and forth the water and chocolate (cocoa) together, the two mix and form a more so overstimulated bond/mix. Linking both personal and national ideas, this can be personified through how Tita feels personally around and in relation to her love interest, Pedro. We can see this ...

Liam Breslin Dr. Esa Reel Food 2/23/20 Blog 4 Have you ever eaten a steak that was so good, it brought you back to a very happy time in your life? The first time you had eaten a steak. Your favorite moments with your Mom, eating with your family. Soylent Green is a sci-fi film that focuses heavily on its futuristic setting influencing its characters desperation for food. Within the film, I personally feel as though the food within the film (the real food not the decomposed people) represents nostalgia and reminiscence.  In the first couple minutes of the film, Thorn is tasked with investigating the murder of the one of the Soylent companies rich executives. Upon his return home to his dillipated apartment which he shares with his older companion, Sol, Thorn brings back different things including real beef. Before this point we here Sol reminiscing about the old days when he was younger, in which you could get real food so freely and easily, and how now in 20...

Liam Breslin Dr. Esa Reel Food: Blog 2 2/16/20 Blog 3 Mostly Martha explores multiple themes within its foreign (to an American audience) setting. Food is intertwined with the ideas of love, romance, circumstance, borders, etc. We see the various key characters enthrall themselves more within these themes as the movie progresses.  Food is the focal point in this film, at least for the main character, Martha. We see her cooking and working long hours within the kitchen at the start of the film. Soon, Martha’s sister passes away shattering and disrupting Martha's normally non-stop lifestyle for more than one reason. A: She has lost her dear sister whom she was close with, and B: Martha now needs to take care of her young niece, Lina, until Lina’s father can take her to Italy to live with him. As well as Lina's unexpected arrival, Martha also is accompanied at work by a new cook Mario. At this point in the film, love/romance is depicted as more of ...

Liam Breslin Dr. Esa Reel Food: Blog 2 2/9/20 Blog 2 Within the film, Babettes Feast, several instances and conflations of both food and faith are explored. The people of the island have been faithful people for as long as the movie exposes, in this case from when Martine and Fillipa were younger, as in the present time within the film they are elderly.  However, we see this concept of faith and religion more subtly implemented in accordance with the themes and uses of food in the film. When Babette shows up in Denmark from France, we know little about her aside from the fact she is a French Chef and what her family story is, but not about her ability to cook or what she cooks. In fact, before the feast itself, the citizens of the small Danish island are appalled even by the thought of Babette's cooking and vow not to say a word since they anticipate how poor the food will be. This is simply because through their protestant isolation, the people of the islan...

Liam Breslin Dr. Esa 2/2/2020 Reel Food Blog 1 I chose this class because as long as I can remember I have had a passion for film and all its aspects. From directing, writing, scoring, cinematography, and even film themes and focuses. I love how well films can be created and come together in terms of craftsmanship. I had also never heard of a class quite like Reel Food and was very interested after learning more about it. ' I am hoping to accomplish more of a familiarity with food films and honestly food in general as I have had a decent exposure to food already. I am familiar with many great food films such as Chef, Burnt, The 100 Foot Journey, Ratatouille, Julie and Julia, etc. I am excited and eager to get a bit more exposure to the role food plays in many films, even films that aren't particularly about food.  When it comes to film, picking a favorite is incredibly difficult as I have seen so many time and time again. However, when I think...