"1226"

 Tonight, make it real; watch a doc.  Here’s a bugaboo of mine: while the documentary form offers viewers incredible rewards, it rarely gets the attention it deserves. Theories abound as to why, the most prominent being that people tend to watch movies to be transported, to actually get away from life as it is. Perhaps there’s some truth to that, but to avoid the best of these films is to miss out on something truly special. In examining real life, its myriad characters and society as a whole, docs can be wildly entertaining, yet still deliver a form of insight and impact quite distinct from narrative films.

Grand performances from Helen Mirren and Om Puri notwithstanding, the recent trifle that is “The Hundred-Foot Journey” – a warmed-over feel-good flick about culinary wars and culture clashes — had us longing for more complex, satisfying foodie favorites.  In the spirit of Meg Ryan’s (faked) orgasm in Katz’s diner from “When Harry Met Sally,” which gave rise to one of the most iconic quips in film history (“I’ll have what she’s having”), we present a feast of flicks worthy of second helpings. Let the mouth-watering begin!