Category Archives: Film

08.06.25
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Buffet Infinity and Shrimp Fried Rice–Two Foodie Themed Films at Fantasia Film Festival 2025

buffet infinity 01In Montreal, Quebec, a first-time visitor may well feel overwhelmed with what can be found here! Fortunately, my mission was to enjoy the Fantasia Film Festival, and to be transparent, I was doing remote coverage of this event. Had I truly been in this city, I’d be hitting up as many restaurants as possible! Instead, in what I feasted on were two films that played together to sate my appetite in other strange ways.

Buffet Infinity


Spoiler Alert

This movie played at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 28, 2025.

Buffet Infinity is a film that may feel overwhelming at first. That’s partly because it’s built almost entirely from the kind of late-night local commercials that once dominated community television. Watching it in a theatre replicates the hazy experience of channel surfing after midnight—when you can’t sleep and wind up watching whatever strange programming is still on. If I had to compare it to a favourite broadcast from the late 80s to 90s, it’s as zany and unpredictable as Friday Night Videos.

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02.05.25
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Free to View! God of Ramen, A Documentary on YFF Theatre

God of Ramen Movie PosterStreaming period [JST] 2025/02/01 11:00:00 – 2025/05/01 11:00:00

You can now stream the beautiful documentary about The God of Ramen online at YFF Theatre. This free streaming service has been available for nearly a decade now, and it helps popularize Japanese films and videos around the world. The Japan Foundation is funding this service, and it’s a great place to check out fond favourites, like this foodie staple.

After Come Back Anytime, I had to wonder what other documentaries exist about renowned ramen chefs. When the craving hits, and I need something more to warm my soul. I’m not out to look for how to recreate recipes at home. Instead, I was hoping for insight about why Taishoken ramen is better than others. When this dish is comfort food for the masses, and only a handful of people know how to elevate it to ambrosia like levels. 

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04.08.24
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Food, Inc. 2, The Sequel Everybody Must See. A Documentary Review

Food, Inc. 2 Movie PosterComing soon to select theatres and on VOD beginning April 12, 2024

According to US Senate Corey Booker of New Jersey, America’s food system is savagely broken. In the well-meaning documentary, FOOD, INC. 2, viewers are looking at how the industry has changed when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, what’s still wrong with it and how it’s affected the global distribution chain. It’s a loose sequel to the original, simply titled FOOD, INC. made 15 years ago.

While the last film by Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo was about the industrialised nature of America’s food supply by saying monopoly is bad, there’s more being explored in this latest release. What’s examined shows Booker and Jon Tester as the most vocal U.S. Senators who want to save more than just the American heartland. And at the same time, we see problems. At some farms, migrant workers are mistreated, and some are even underpaid! Another concern asks whether shipping food from one corner of the world to another is really needed. There are a lot of issues being explored, and this work could be made better by having intertitle cards to separate each issue out. Not everything is related.

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11.08.23
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The Lebanese Burger Mafia, A Movie Review

The Lebanese Burger Mafia PosterTheatrical Release Date:
November 10, 2023

Who doesn’t love a good burger? When there are tons of franchise chains operating out of North America, much less the world, there are tons to choose from. As for locally owned and operated, there’s only a handful. Some made the transition to being a recognised brand worldwide and others forgotten. For one filmmaker who says he’s the heir to the Burger Baron franchise, the big question is will he have full rights to this name? And that’s led Omar Mouallem to explore this operation’s history in his excellent documentary, The Lebanese Burger Mafia.

Here, he not only looks at the chain’s early days from being a one off fast food operation that has grown beyond its britches. It was born under the entrepreneurship of Jack McDonnell coming to Canada in the hopes of building a new enterprise to rival that of McDonald’s. To expand the operation, he hired relatives to run the many diners across the country, but when he didn’t have any more to depend on, it became a franchise. But pretty soon, that operation collapsed under the weight of growing too fast, and some years later, Rudy Kemaldean “saved it.”

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02.15.23
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Going Vegetarian at Rebar Modern Food

20230204_16432750 Bastion Square
Victoria, BC 

Hours: Weds to Sun 11:30 AM to 8:00 PM
Menu: rebarmodernfood.com
Phone: (250) 361-9223

I can easily do the jailhouse rock at Rebar Modern Food. Or rather, I might get jailed for going vegetarian since I’m better known for going primal, enjoying steaks at home than dining out for them. It saves me money since prices jump when getting somebody else to prepare them. But for fish, I get it; you have to slice those fillets and crisp it just right to bring out the flavour and texture of the meat. 

This cozy restaurant is tucked to one corner in the famously haunted Bastion Square. As we chatted about the paranormal, on her way here, I wondered if this place had any stories. I know the pubs that’ are up a few doors from this place are, but I don’t recall if there are any stories here. Not like it’d deter us from sitting down for a bite. We were greeted by a friendly server, and opted for a seat with a view of the area.

I’m very pleased to say their greens are tops. Unlike other places where I sometimes get something less than crispy, the flavours and tastes for even a salad had me smacking my lips. I loved the cucumber dill dressing that went with my Blackened Rockfish Burger. I wasn’t sure if that’d fill me, as I had a small snack before coming into town to meet my friend from the National Film Board of Canada after a Victoria Film Festival screening. I was more interested in the Q&A since I got to see the documentary, The Colour of Ink, prior. This work is simply beautiful in teaching viewers about what this medium can do. My review can be read on the sister site, Otakunoculture.com.

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10.28.22
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There’s More Than Mushrooms “Up on the Mountain,” A Documentary Review

mountaiunPlaying at Devour! Food Film Festival on Oct 29, 11:00am

Al Whittle Theatre
450 Main St, Wolfville, NS

Olivier Matthon‘s fly on the wall approach to looking at the problems “commercial” mushroom pickers have in Up on the Mountain is very eye-opening. While we as consumers love chanterelles, morels and lion’s mane, we don’t know the story behind how it got to the dinner table, be it in a restaurant or home-made. 

In British Columbia, those mycelium grown in farms most likely follow strict guidelines in terms of when they’re food ready. But to get them from the lands, the Crown posted guidelines for those wanting to pick and sell. But to be a watchdog is impossible; I suspect the issues are the same as it is Stateside. That is, there’s not enough staff in the Forestry department to go around. With this documentary, we follow in the footsteps of three groups who travel on the “mushroom circuit,” and have to fend for themselves against other poachers and local enforcement.

In the official synopsis, “[They travel embark on] a year-round migration that can take them anywhere from Alaska to California, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming—to harvest wild mushrooms from public forests.

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