Double Feature Friday- Fruit!

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Okay, so I did a little experiment with today's Double Feature. I asked my friend to pick a random word, any word, and she picked....


Mangoes. 


My first reaction was, where the fuck am I going to find a movie about fucking mangoes? So I took some liberties (it is my blog, after all), and expanded it to movies centered around fruit or that have fruit in the title. There are quite a few, surprisingly- Bananas, The Grapes of Wrath, Watermelon Man (I've never seen this one but it looks intriguiging)- but to highlight my favorites: 

Fresa y Chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate) (1994)


Beautiful film about a friendship between a homosexual older man and a super-conservative college student (really, if Cuba had a Young Republicans Club, this guy would be president) in 1990s Havana. It's one of the most realistic dramas I've ever seen- every single issue could be happening right now and yet it still has this heartwarming quality that could only happen in a movie. It's as if you're watching a wonderful blend of reality and fiction (which is what all movies should inspire to). If you haven't seen this movie, I don't want to give anything away, but the end scene is so well done, tackling a realistic situation with heart and feeling to the point that if you don't cry, then there's something wrong with you. 

James and the Giant Peach (1996)


I feel like this movie always gets overlooked when thinking back to Tim Burton's finest films. There is no better pairing than offbeat, twisted Roald Dahl and creepy-as-fuck Burton, and this movie is the spawn of that wonderful pairing. I am always a fan of Burton/Selick collaborations as well (and a fan of Selick himself- I'm telling you right now if Coraline is not nominated for Best Animated I am going to flip a shit. Chairs will fly). Anyway, not only does this kids movie revolve around a wonderfully animated peach, but the voice acting is stellar. I have no idea what Richard Dreyfuss is doing now, but he was AWESOME as the centipede. And of course, there's the ever-so-versatile Susan Sarandon as Miss Spider. I know a lot of people think she's overrated, but honestly, I think she's a badass. Anyway, when I was younger I remember liking the book so much better, but now, watching it again, I can finally see the awesomeness and beauty of this movie that I didn't appreciate because I was too gung-ho for Disney (I know, I know, it's sad). The image of the peach rolling into the ocean is so incredibly rich and colorful that it makes you want to, well, eat a peach. 


Peace!


The Movie Mistress