Sudden cravings for ramen and a visit to Mitsuwa has brought back memories of Tampopo (1985). Juzo Itami's "Noodle Western" is a hilarious and entirely competent take on a plethora of familiar sounding narratives: the quest for the perfect recipie, the unfulfilled patriarchal needs of a woman and her son, reference to the japanese revival of western themes in film, sex and food (quite literally), and the shining fulfillment of monetary, capitalist, needs. Itami infuses his film with irony and wit, and Yamazaki Tsutomu is excellently cast with Nobuko Miyamoto.

Sadly, Tampopo is out of print, but I'm loving these DVD covers and posters I'm finding online. 5/5.

0 Comments Friday, June 09, 2006, 6/09/2006 02:18:00 PM