The French Chef: Volume One

Title: The French Chef: Volume One
Year: 1963-1973
Network: PBS
Starring: Julia Child
Episodes: 18 (selected from throughout the show’s run), at 28 minutes
Synopsis: Child teaches us how to cook for 1960’s/70’s dinner parties
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), over the past few weeks
Subjective Rating: 6/10
Objective Rating: 6/10 (points off for story (n/a), cinematography, special effects/design and acting (n/a))

My wife got a kick out of these, but I don’t really see the fun in cooking shows. And apparently traditional French cooking makes me nauseous (“If you don’t leave the [fish] heads on, you won’t be able to tell what it is!”). Child is charismatic, though (much to my surprise). And the show’s never boring.

Harold and Maude

Title: Harold and Maude
Year: 1971
Director: Hal Ashby
Writer: Colin Higgins
Starring: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles
Music: Cat Stevens
Distinctions: currently #248 on IMDb’s Top 250
Synopsis: whimsically morbid boy falls in love with a batty, hippie old lady
How I saw it: on video, twice (rented), most recently March 2008
Subjective Rating: 7/10 8/10
Objective Rating: 9/10 (1 point off for cinematography)

Cute movie. Pleasant and funny. We originally saw it about five years ago, and it’s good for watching every five years or so. Dramatically, the acting is notably lacking in places, but as far as the comedy goes, the performances are good. And of course it has one of the best soundtracks ever.