RIP 16/2/2011

One of the best chefs in the world, Santi Santamaria died last Wednesday. Of course, it is tragic everytime someone dies. However, given that I adore gastronomy, and Santamaria was a celebrity of the culinary world, you can imagine the loss.

He was a self-taught chef, and he opened his first restaurant in the 200-year-old house he was born in. Nevertheless, what started as a humble bistrot developed into a restaurant awarded with three Michelin stars. A fierce critic of molecular gastronomy, Santamaria had quite a few rivals. But as Dale Fuchs wonders, 'Were they too harsh on the man who longed for the days when a potato omelette looked like a potato omelette?'

RIP

Black Swan (2010)

 Given the very impressive reviews the Black Swan got (in IMDb it scored a rare 8.5/10), I was very excited at the prospect of watching it. Indeed, I was not let down. Natalie Portman was perfect as the quiet, shy and very focused Nina Sayers, while she was complemented by Mila Kunis who played Nina's alter ego, Lily. The plot did not have any particularly unexpected twists (especially if you 've already watched films like Vanilla Sky), but it was certainly very well made.

Nina, towards the second half of the film decides to rebel against her almost-bullying mother (which I wanted to slap in the face throughout the film) and her protected life. She has sexual fantasies which involve Lily, starts screaming at her mother, and is (almost) capable of murder. However, the true tragedy of the film is revealed in the end, when the audience realizes that all the previous events, her fantasies and the murder of Lily among others, were in fact in her head. By that time, nevertheless, it is too late for Nina, and all that hard work and internal struggle with herself go down the drain. A definite must-see. 8/10