Baron Manfred von Richthofen (Schweighöfer) is the most feared and celebrated pilot of the German air force in World War I. To him and his companions, air combats are events of sporty nature, technical challenge and honorable acting, ignoring the terrible extent of war. But after falling in love with the nurse Käte (Headey), Manfred realizes he is only used for propaganda means. Caught between his disgust for the war, and the responsibility for his fighter wing, von Richthofen sets out to fly again.

In German with English subtitles.

Starring: Matthias Schweighöfer, Til Schweiger, Lena Headey, and Joseph Fiennes
Directed by Nikolai Müllerschön, 2009
RT: 106 min.
Official Site

Chef’s Choice:
Local Chefs Share Favorite Food Movies
What’s the recipe for enjoying wintery Sundays in Maine? A subtle blend of food and film! Join us for this series, “guest-curated” by three of Portland’s best-known chefs. Each was asked to choose a favorite movie featuring food, introduce the film, and take questions from the audience after the screening.

2/7: Toni Fiore from Delicious TV: Big Night
2/21: Casey Turner from El Rayo Taqueria: Dinner Rush
2/28: Sam Hayward from Fore Street: Mostly Martha

Dinner Rush is about one lively night at a trendy restaurant in the TriBeCa area of New York City. Louis (Danny Aiello) is an aging bookie and restauranteur who’s bemoaning the transformation of Gigino’s from a down-to-earth, mom-and-pop Italian eatery to a pretentious, see-and-be-seen establishment. Louis’s talented son, Udo (Edoardo Ballerini), is an ambitious star chef who wants to take over the restaurant because he claims his food and his style are responsible for the success of the business. To make matters worse, Louis is confronted by a pair of thugs known as Black and Blue who murdered his partner and now want to take over his place. Mark Margolis is hilarious as the droll art critic and nightmare customer, Fitzgerald; Summer Phoenix plays a smart-talking waitress; and topping off the colorful cast is Sandra Bernhard who plays a snotty food critic.

“The first food movie to capture the joyful civilized mania of people who live not just to eat, but to talk about eating.” Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Starring Danny Aiello, Edoardo Ballerini, Vivian Wu, Sandra Bernhard, Mike McGlone, and Summer Phoenix
Directed by Bob Giraldi, 2000
RT: 99 min.

Strongman is a cinema verité documentary about Stanless Steel, “The Strongest Man in the World at Bending Steel and Metal.” A man strong enough to bend a penny with just his fingers, Stanless Steel reaches middle age, career disappointments, and difficult personal relationships that begin to test his strengths and force him to struggle with the weaknesses around him-including his own. Strongman is a film about faith, about believing in yourself, and a film about never giving up.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance.

“A stark and arresting study of a simple man trying to do good with what he’s got.” Mike Miliard, Boston Phoenix

“A strange and strangely beautiful movie.” John Anderson, Variety

Directed by Zachary Levy, 2009
RT: 113 min.
Official Site

Chef’s Choice:
Local Chefs Share Favorite Food Movies
What’s the recipe for enjoying wintery Sundays in Maine? A subtle blend of food and film! Join us for this series, “guest-curated” by three of Portland’s best-known chefs. Each was asked to choose a favorite movie featuring food, introduce the film, and take questions from the audience after the screening.

2/7: Toni Fiore from Delicious TV: Big Night
2/21: Casey Turner from El Rayo Taqueria: Dinner Rush
2/28: Sam Hayward from Fore Street: Mostly Martha

Martha is the chef at a small gourmet restaurant in Hamburg who creates mini-masterpieces in every dish. She devotes every waking hour to her work and her shyness keeps her from breaking out of her monotonous routine or meeting new people. When her sister dies in an accident, however, she is compelled to adopt Lina, her 8-year-old niece. Martha’s life changes in an instant: not only is she faced with adjusting to her new parental role, but she must also find inspired ways to deal with Lina’s grief over the loss of her mother. Surprisingly, help comes from Mario, Martha’s new Italian sous-chef, who begins to visit Martha and Lina, doing all that he can to cheer them up with jokes and elaborate meals. Just as the trio returns to a stage of normalcy in their lives, Lina’s long missing father arrives, announcing that he wants to take Lina back to Italy with him. Having grown to love Lina and her own role as the girl’s protector, Martha is faced with a difficult dilemma.

In German and Italian with English subtitles.

“Nettelbeck has a particularly lovely sense of behind-the-scenes restaurant choreography.” Lisa Schwartzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

New York Times critic’s pick (2001)

Starring Martina Gedeck, Sergio Castellitto, Maxime Foerste, Sibylle Canonica, Katja Studt, Ulrich Thomsen, and August Zirner
Directed by Sandra Nettelbeck, 2002
RT: 105 min