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Movies Houstonians Love (Meals on Reels): Super Size Me

Presented by Museum of Fine Arts, Houston at Museum of Fine Arts Houston - Brown Auditorium

March 29, 2010

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The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Movies Houstonians Love.

Now in its fifth consecutive year, the Movies Houstonians Love series was designed to bring the public together with notable Houstonians through a shared passion for movies. The experience encourages audiences to see memorable classics in a new light as each presenter introduces a personal favorite. In a new twist, this year’s Movies Houstonians Love: Meals on Reels series focuses on the favorite foodie films of prominent, local chefs and restaurateurs.

Presenters will include Marcus Davis (The Breakfast Klub), Irma Galvan (Irma’s), Michael Kramer (Voice), Anita Jaisinghani (Indika), Scott Tycer (Textile), Robert del Grande (RDG, The Grove), Armando Palacios (Armando’s), Charles Clark (Ibiza), and Monica Pope (t’afia).

All films screen at 7 p.m on Mondays, and the season extends from September 21, 2009 through May 10, 2010. Special door prizes will be given out at each screening. A discount season pass is available for purchase at museum ticket desks. The pass sells for $60 (general public) and $55 (MFAH members, senior adults, and students) and provides admission to all nine films.

“This year is the first time that Movies Houstonians Love has been themed, and the film committee couldn’t have picked a timelier subject,” said MFAH film curator Marian Luntz. “As films like Julie & Julia and Food, Inc., reality television series like Top Chef, and bestselling books such as Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore’s Dilemma are met with increasing interest and popularity, it would seem that the food industry has captured the collective American imagination. It’s a pleasure that we’ve been able to confirm so many of Houston’s own celebrity chefs as presenters, and it will be a real joy for audiences to hear personal anecdotes about the chefs’ chosen films.”

Monday, March 29, 2010:  Armando Palacios´ Favorite Film: Super Size Me 

Directed by Morgan Spurlock
USA, 2004
Color
100 Minutes

Introduced by Armandos´ Armando Palacios.

Documentarian Morgan Spurlock examines obesity in America by eating fast food for every meal during thirty days. Why are Americans so fat? Find out in Super Size Me, a tongue in-cheek - and burger in hand -- look at the legal, financial and physical costs of America's hunger for fast food. Ominously, 37% of American children and adolescents are carrying too much fat and 2 out of every three adults are overweight or obese. Is it our fault for lacking self-control, or are the fast-food corporations to blame?

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock hit the road and interviewed experts in 20 U.S. cities, including Houston, the "Fattest City" in America. From Surgeon Generals to gym teachers, cooks to kids, lawmakers to legislators, these authorities shared their research, opinions and "gut feelings" on our ever-expanding girth.

During the journey, Spurlock also put his own body on the line, living on nothing but McDonald's for an entire month with three simple rules: 1) No options: he could only eat what was available over the counter (water included!) 2) No supersizing unless offered 3) No excuses: he had to eat every item on the menu at least once It all adds up to a fat food bill, harrowing visits to the doctor, and compelling viewing for anyone who's ever wondered if man could live on fast food alone.

The film explores the horror of school lunch programs, declining health and physical education classes, food addictions and the extreme measures people take to lose weight and regain their health. Super Size Me is a satirical jab in the stomach, overstuffed with fat and facts about the billion-dollar industry besieged by doctors, lawyers and nutritionists alike. "Would you like fries with that?" will never sound the same

Harlingen native Armando Palacios opened the original Armandos in 1977 with only $100 in his wallet. It became a huge success, yet he closed it in 2000 to concentrate on a new project, The New World Museum in Houston´s West End. The exhibition schedule focuses on modern and contemporary Latin American Art. Fortunately for the local food lovers, Armandos reopened in a new location in 2007 and is as popular as ever. He currently serves on Recipe for Success´s Chefs Advisory Board.

This film is part of the Movies Houstonians Love: Meals on Reels film series.

Screening Schedule
7 p.m. Mon., Sept. 21: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (Marcus Davis)
7 p.m. Mon., Oct. 26: Tortilla Soup (Irma Galvan)
7 p.m. Mon., Nov.30: Big Night (Michael Kramer)
7 p.m. Mon., Jan. 5: Mostly Martha (Anita Jaisinghani)
7 p.m. Mon., Jan. 25: La Grande Bouffe (Scott Tycer)
7 p.m. Mon., Feb. 22: Who’s Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (Robert del Grande)
7 p.m. Mon., March 29: Super Size Me (Armando Palacios)
7 p.m. Mon., April 26: Babette’s Feast (Charles Clark)
7 p.m. Mon., May 10: Food Inc. (Monica Pope)