# Movie - Julie & Julia out on Aug 7th



## SnickersMom (Jul 22, 2009)

I couldn't find where to post this, so I choose this one.  Has anyone seen the trailer for the movie.  It looks really good!  With Meryl Streep, it probably won't.

Have my calendar marked for this movie.

Anyone else excited about the movie too?


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## babetoo (Jul 22, 2009)

i look forward to seeing it


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## jade (Jul 24, 2009)

I think this movie looks really good. I grew up watching Julia Child with my Nana and am happy that a movie has been made about her. I hope that it ends up being a tribute and doesn't try to go too much into the side story but maybe it will end up positively surprising me.


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## Wyogal (Jul 24, 2009)

"With Meryl Streep, it probably won't." ?????????????????
I've seen the trailers, and I think she does a great job! I have her book, plan to read it this week, then on to the other book, Julie/Julia one, then the movie. I loved watching Julia Child when young, and savor the reruns on PBS. I checked out a few of her videos at the library years ago, how to cook different cuts and types of meat and poultry.


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## LadyCook61 (Jul 25, 2009)

I will have to wait til it is on dvd , because I am deaf and need to read closed captioning.


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## Wyogal (Jul 25, 2009)

I just re-read my post, misuse of pronouns....
I have "Julia's" book...


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## Mark Webster (Jul 25, 2009)

I can't wait for the movie to come out. She is really a part of todays culinary revival, but she started it decades ago. I actually wrote a letter or two to her and she responded with an awesome letter.


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## SnickersMom (Jul 28, 2009)

Wyogal said:


> "With Meryl Streep, it probably won't." ?????????????????
> I've seen the trailers, and I think she does a great job! I have her book, plan to read it this week, then on to the other book, Julie/Julia one, then the movie. I loved watching Julia Child when young, and savor the reruns on PBS. I checked out a few of her videos at the library years ago, how to cook different cuts and types of meat and poultry.


 
Sorry, had computer issues that day and it went down while I was typing.  Got super busy and forgot ot go back and add what I originally was going to type which was "with Meryl Streep, it probably won't fail because of her amazing acting skills."

Saw her on the tv show "The View" on a day while she was filming Julie & Julia and she said she had gained weight while filming with all of the good rich food she was eating for the movie.

Counting the days til I get to see it.


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## Wyogal (Jul 28, 2009)

BIG difference!  : )


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## luvs (Jul 28, 2009)

i can't WAIT to see this movie. she was the dearest woman, rest her soul.


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## SnickersMom (Jul 29, 2009)

Has anyone cooked any Julia recipes?  I would be interested to hear what you think.  Trying to decide if I should buy her book.


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## Nicholas Mosher (Aug 8, 2009)

Went to see it yesterday first showing, but the film burned up half-way through... 

We got refunds and rain checks, so we're giving it another go in a couple hours.

From what we saw yesterday it was great fun.


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## Robo410 (Aug 8, 2009)

loved the film, excellent!

Snickersmom, yes I have cooked lots of her recipes. She walks you through step by step. Excellent.  Mastering the Art of French Cooking is tops as is The Way to Cook.


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## chiffonade (Aug 9, 2009)

*Julie & Julia Review...*

I posted this on my Facebook page. I thought you might enjoy it.

As a dedicated, proud foodie who watched _The Fench Chef, Julia and Company, Julia and MORE Company, Julia Child's Kitchen, Baking with Julia_ and just about every other media vehicle she's ever created - I am for this movie, what I'd like to call "an educated audience." 

J/J is the very intricate combining of two true stories. The stories of the culinary legend as played by Meryl Streep and the young blogger (Amy Adams) "tag team" throughout the movie to demonstrate how cooking and food changed both of their lives. I had heard rumors of the Julie Powell portion of the story "bogging down" or "cluttering" the Julia Child portion - but this only happens if the viewer is seeking "The Life Story of Julia Child" which this movie is *not*; so don't go expecting that.

If you want to witness the affect Julia Child had on one particular young woman who felt she was floundering and seeking her own personal power - You will be absolutely delighted. If you seek a full-on Julia Child biography, you will experience _Julia Interruptus._ 

The movie ends as _Mastering The Art of French Cooking_ is first published by Knopf and Julia is absolutely ecstatic. The Julie Powell story line ends as Powell completes her final dish from _Mastering_, the media discovers her blog and the book offers begin, via more than 60 messages left on her answering machine.

I went into the theatre armed with the knowledge that this was NOT a "Julia Child" movie - and I'm glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed Julie & Julia _at face value_. I would, however, love to see a spinoff/sequel of the continuation of the Julia Child portion of the movie. We never got to appreciate how Paul supported Julia's career once his OSS/CIA position ended. He made her rolling pins, he designed her kitchen with high countertops to accommodate her towering height. He worked tirelessly on several of her PBS series and he was always her biggest cheerleader. 

J/J demonstrated how Julia Child became the icon whose memory we love and treasure. The Powell portion of the movie was uplifting because as she became more accomplished in the kitchen, you can't help but be proud of her. Frankly, I could kick myself for not coming up with the idea of blogging my way through a difficult cookbook but I applaud her for having the imagination to give birth to the idea. Aside from a few extra inches around the waistline, it looked like a fun project.

If you're a foodie, go see the movie. As long as you approach it with the understanding that it's not a Julia Child biography, you should leave the theatre with a sense of satisfaction that a person like Julia lived, proud of your own accomplishments at cutting board and stove - and a distinct craving for French food. <3


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## luvs (Aug 11, 2009)

it was an adorable movie. i went saturday, & my, was the theatre crowded!


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## SnickersMom (Aug 11, 2009)

Went to see Julie & Julia on Friday night with two kids I work with (18 and 19 of years).  Loved the movie.  Went out Saturday morning and bought "The Cookbook" and love what I've read - through the table of contents.  Put it aside and am going to finish her memoir first.

Needless to say became a Julia fan overnight.


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## yogiwan (Aug 11, 2009)

SnickersMom said:


> I couldn't find where to post this, so I choose this one.  Has anyone seen the trailer for the movie.  It looks really good!  With Meryl Streep, it probably won't.
> 
> Have my calendar marked for this movie.
> 
> Anyone else excited about the movie too?



By now you should have seen J&J   Really enjoyed it.  Besides cooking it has encouraged me to get on with my blogging and to stick to it.  

Question for those:  How many cooking mistakes did you observe? Not sure the continuity editors were chefs.


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## breabella (Aug 11, 2009)

Hubby took me to see it Sunday afternoon.  Cute movie.  I'd like to have her cookbook, but I have about a million others to finish first...


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## SnickersMom (Aug 12, 2009)

Question for those: How many cooking mistakes did you observe? Not sure the continuity editors were chefs.[/quote]

How intriguing....what mistakes?  I'll have to watch it again.  I was so into the story line that I missed it all.


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## yogiwan (Aug 12, 2009)

SnickersMom said:


> Question for those: How many cooking mistakes did you observe? Not sure the continuity editors were chefs.


 
How intriguing....what mistakes?  I'll have to watch it again.  I was so into the story line that I missed it all.[/quote]

Have to admit I missed them as well.  A chef friend pointed out to me there were a few gaffs -- some that were quite obvious.  That's why I asked to see if there are more observant people than me.

The other question would be "what products were displayed" which is the new  mode for advertising.  Le Cresuet was the most obvious (wonder what they paid for this) but who were the others?


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## BreezyCooking (Aug 12, 2009)

SnickersMom said:


> Has anyone cooked any Julia recipes? I would be interested to hear what you think. Trying to decide if I should buy her book.


 
I have both Volumes 1 & 2 of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".  But the cookbook I use the very most (to the point where it's literally falling apart) is Julia Child's "The Way To Cook".  I'd definitely recommend anyone interested in Julia's take on food with a newer & fresher approach run out & add this book to their cookbook library.  It easily becomes a "go to" bible for good everyday food with Julia flair, unlike "Mastering".  Don't get me wrong, I love reading & rereading "Mastering" & have made a number of the recipes.  It's just not something I utilize very often.  

"The Way To Cook" by Julia Child - buy it.  You'll not only love it, but better still you'll use it regularly.  (The "Steam-Roasted Goose with Port Wine Gravy" has been our Xmas dinner since the book was originally published!)


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## yogiwan (Aug 12, 2009)

My wife used this for years but finally gave it away (something to do with limited shelf space) and used Pepin's book for awhile and this has given way to others (most of which get ripped apart and stored in her recipe file).

But Julia's book(s) got us started on the path toward creative and good cooking.  Otherwise it might be Hamburger Helper.  What a thought!


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## ChefJune (Aug 12, 2009)

yogiwan said:


> Question for those: How many cooking mistakes did you observe? Not sure the continuity editors were chefs.


 
??  The chef for the movie was Susan Spungen, who used to run Martha Stewart's operation. She's top notch.

I thought the food looked delicious, but I was following the two stories. The food was a prop for me.


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## ChefJune (Aug 12, 2009)

yes.... I cooked from Mastering in the 60's and early 70's, but the Julia book of mine that's the most worn is "From Julia Child's Kitchen."  It was her first solo book, and came after the two Masterings. I also "overuse" "The Way to Cook."

Breezy, do you also do her Buche de Noel for Christmas?


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## yogiwan (Aug 12, 2009)

The food was a prop for me as well and I am not the technical cook in this family

I still need to figure out how to de-bone a duck and I want to know how to keep my knives as sharp as Julie's in the duck scene all the time.  My wife can go through an edge in a day it seems.


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## BreezyCooking (Aug 12, 2009)

ChefJune said:


> Breezy, do you also do her Buche de Noel for Christmas?


 
No - haven't done that one yet.  To tell you the truth, normally Xmas is just hubby & I, & we're so stuffed from snacking & the big goose dinner that dessert rarely rears its ugly head.

My biggest claim to fame re: fabulous Xmas desserts for a large group was doing Martha Stewart's "Crocembouche" - 75 little cream puffs stuffed with chocolate rum creme & stuck together via caramel in a pyramid/Xmas tree shape.  Then the whole shebang wreathed in layers of finely spun caramelized sugar.  

If we'd had a gas oven, I seriously would have considered sticking my head in it by the end of the ordeal.


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## ChefJune (Aug 12, 2009)

The Buche is actually not difficult!  Time consuming, but not hard to do.  For many years I taught a "HOliday Treasures" dessert class in Boston, and Julia's Buche was part of it, including the meringue mushrooms dusted with cocoa.  Always a huge hit.


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## yogiwan (Aug 12, 2009)

Was this the one where Martha threw the sugar into the air and it expanded into fine threads of sugar shape in a cone?

It seems to me she threw everything up in the air and had it spin around a tree shaped cone.  Then when it cooled and solidified she could carefully lift it into place around the cream puffs.  I only saw this once so memory may not be any good.  But I remembered thinking at the time that any home cook that would try that was "nuts"  Only Martha could get away with throwing sugar around the house  expecting it to come down where she planned instead of all over the kitchen, dining room and any where else you could imagine.


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## BreezyCooking (Aug 13, 2009)

yogiwan said:


> Was this the one where Martha threw the sugar into the air and it expanded into fine threads of sugar shape in a cone?
> 
> It seems to me she threw everything up in the air and had it spin around a tree shaped cone. Then when it cooled and solidified she could carefully lift it into place around the cream puffs. I only saw this once so memory may not be any good. But I remembered thinking at the time that any home cook that would try that was "nuts" Only Martha could get away with throwing sugar around the house expecting it to come down where she planned instead of all over the kitchen, dining room and any where else you could imagine.


 
Not exactly.

What you do is assemble your little filled cream puffs in the shape of a pyramid, sticking them together with your caramelized sugar.
You then melt/caramelize additional sugar, & when it's at the correct temp, you use a fork or a snipped whisk (which is what I used) to lift the sugar out in long golden strands & cover/swirl the cream puff pyramid with them. There's absolutely no throwing or tossing involved. One doesn't toss mad-hot sugar around unless one wants to visit the ER - lol. Apart from hot oil, very few things are hotter than melted sugar.  It is true, however, that you can spin sugar over oiled "molds" & then place them over desserts.  Luckily this one doesn't require that extra step.

Anyway - it turned out absolutely gorgeous, but serving was another matter altogether. All that crispy sugar does make elegant service a bit difficult. I felt I should have offered my guests complementary dental appointments for the following day.

And another caveat? Keep the weather in mind if thinking of making this dessert. I was asked to repeat this extravaganza for a New Year's Eve party, & it was humid & rainy that night, thus making the spun sugar difficult to deal with & much less lovely.


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## Scotch (Aug 16, 2009)

Saw the movie this afternoon and thought it was great. It's not just about the cooking or the cookbook but about two parallel lives lived 40 years apart. Consequently, I think non-foodies and other adults who don't know a spatula from a spoon would enjoy it. I guess you could classify it as a "chick flick," but I think it's more intellectual than that. The acting is superb -- Meryl Strep truly channels Julia Child in yet another amazing performance. The rest of the cast is also great, and the scenes of Paris are magnificent. 

As for the books, I've had both Volumes 1 & 2 for many years and have made a number of dishes from them. They're not the easiest recipes in the world, but they are all very good to superb. I also have her more recent tome, _The Way to Cook,_ which I would recommend over the _Mastering_ volumes -- it's more practical, easier to follow, and more modern in its approach to food and in the recipes presented. Still, IMHO any good collection should include both volumes of _Mastering the Art of French Cooking_ if for no other reason than historical perspective.


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## yogiwan (Aug 17, 2009)

It  may be considered a chick flick but at the session I went to the audience was at least 50% men and most every guy I have talked to that has seen it has had favorable comments.  

So guys, take your lady to this movie and win more than just one favor.


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## yogiwan (Aug 17, 2009)

I checked with my wife about Martha "throwing" sugar to make the fine wrapping for the cream puffs and she confirmed it.  I remember we both had to pick our jaws off the floor at what she did and could not imagine anyone but here doing this.

Your method sounds much much safer and more sane.  But Martha is a show person and was not confined to safe or sane at the time.  I would love to find that show again as it was  unbelievable (but the result was incredible).


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## BreezyCooking (Aug 17, 2009)

yogiwan said:


> I checked with my wife about Martha "throwing" sugar to make the fine wrapping for the cream puffs and she confirmed it. I remember we both had to pick our jaws off the floor at what she did and could not imagine anyone but here doing this.
> 
> Your method sounds much much safer and more sane. But Martha is a show person and was not confined to safe or sane at the time. I would love to find that show again as it was unbelievable (but the result was incredible).


 
She may very well have "thrown" the spun sugar on the show (although that definitely IS highly unsafe & definitely NOT a recommended procedure).  I never saw her make a Crocembouche on tv - just followed the recipe in one of her early cookbooks - published long before she became a real diva.


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## Dixie_Amazon (Sep 4, 2009)

Julia Child was a guest once when Martha was doing something like that. She looked rather bemused and said, "I would have never thought to do that.".


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## pennsy (Sep 4, 2009)

*More...*

Chiffonade & Co. 

I think I mentioned before that Julia Child's biography "Appetite For Life," by Noel Riley Fitch is superb.  Some time ago a friend of mine saw me reading it during a trip to the gym.  She thought the book would be boring, WRONG; on the contrary, I found it utterly fascinating.  Begins with what she was like as a kid, upbringing, her education, what she did during the war (fascinating too) which lead up to her meeting Paul Child.  Nice pics of their wedding, reflections on how she cared for Paul as he went downhill then died, but bravely carried on with her life.  The book should be available in your local library, but I've got my own personal copy which I'd be loath to part with.  Hope someone might be inspired to read it.

Best,
Pennsy

P.S.  Wonder if this movie was reproduced on "faulty" DVD's? Just a day or so ago, another friend of mine remarked that they too lost the movie, then the theatre issued refunds or renewals depending on what people wanted.  Hope that doesn't happen when I go to see it.


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