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Food ‘n Flix August Announcement

By Eliot, on July 31st, 2015

Food ‘n Flix is comprised of some eclectic film and food aficionados.   One month we may watch an animated classic like Lady and the Tramp, after coming off a month where we watched a film with enough “F” words to make any singleton blush (Bridget Jones, anyone?).   There are documentaries and foreign films thrown in for good measure.

We are an unbiased and adventurous lot.

Food‘nFlix

I briefly sought council from Heather of girlichef, the brains and founder behind Food ‘n Flix,  before I made the suggestion for August.  You see, I have weird tastes, love quirky characters and plots, and I loved this film (and the play before it).   Heather must have a weird sense of humor as well, because she basically told me to go for it.

august poster

August:  Osage County is set on the Oklahoma prairie and features a family in crisis.

(See, there is even a T.S. Eliot quote early on in the film!)

I like to describe the Weston clan as a dysfunctional family squared on crack.   If you thought Joan Crawford was a monster mother in Mommy Dearest, be prepared to meet Violet Weston, the mother of all monster mothers. (Be forewarned, there is some foul language in this film as well…very, very, very foul language.)

The film was shot in and around Oklahoma, not very far from our home. In fact, part of the funeral scene was shot in one of the small communities that make up my school district. (That day wreaked havoc on a few of our bus routes, let me tell you.)  The film opens with the death of the patriarch so a lot of the food references in the film come from the whacked-out family meal after the funeral.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

Other foods are mentioned throughout, though,  and the Native American care giver, Johnna,  is a great cook.  (I believe this scene shows her cornbread and fried catfish in another dysfunctional family meal.)

cornbread

Although not your typical Food ‘n Flix feature this month, I know that if you liked Deb’s suggestion of Pieces of April, you will enjoy August:  Osage County.   We all may have to dig a little deeper into the inspiration bucket and I’m intrigued to see what creativity everyone brings.

porch

 

If you ever have the opportunity to see the stage play, I would highly recommend it.   Tracy Letts (a native Oklahoman) is a gifted writer.  We saw a traveling Broadway production staring Estelle Parsons in Tulsa.  It was one of the best staged productions I have ever seen.   Don’t judge from the movie.   As usual when one finds that the book is better than the film adaptation, so is the case with the original stage play.   The play is better than the film.

Warning:   Although there are some points of snickering in the film, this is not a comedy as the media/production companies portrayed it upon it’s release.  It is dark and twisted.

august fight

I hope you are not offended and plan to play along this month.   I was amazed as to how many Oklahoma legislators were offended.  (Really?  I should have known better.)  They were appalled and thought the film portrayed Oklahomans in a bad light:

“Filth!  We don’t need that kind of thing around here!”

I personally am offended that they were offended.  Dysfunctionality is not state or region specific, is it?

Geesh!  (For the complete article on the brilliance of our politicians, you can click here.)

By now, I hope you are intrigued enough to give it a go.   Remember, Food ‘n Flix is open to anyone.

How to participate in Food ‘n Flix:
  1. Watch the chosen film:   August: Osage County.  Taking inspiration from the film, head into the kitchen and cook or bake or make something.
  2. Post about it on your blog with a link back to THIS post and a link to Food ‘n Flix.  Use of the logo is optional.
  3. Your post must be current (during month of film).  And, we don’t mind if your post is linked to other events…the more the merrier.
  4. Have fun with it!
  5. Email your entries to me (Debra) at eliotseats@gmail.com and include:

~Your name
~Your blog’s name and URL
~The name of your dish and the permalink to the specific post you’re submitting
~Attach a photo of any size (or just give me permission to “pull” one from your post)
~Indicate “Food ‘n Flix Submission” in the subject line

Deadline for submissions is August 27, 2015 (by the end of the day, wherever you are).    I will try to have the round-up posted before the end of the month.

I hope you participate this month.   For some more tips before you post, click here.

For all my Food ‘n Flix posts, click here.

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21 comments to Food ‘n Flix August Announcement

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