2 Best Movies to Watch by Emmanuel Salinger

If it’s true that to cook is to love, then Dodin and Eugenie must be enraptured by one another. They use the exquisite language of food to express their feelings for one another, and watching their exchange, you can’t help but feel honored, if not embarrassed, to witness such an intimate and love-filled act. Food is everywhere here, delicately prepared and sumptuously consumed, but the film is more than just a glorified Food Network program. It’s a painting come to life, a love letter to craft, and a beautiful example of a life fully lived.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Actor: Benoit Magimel, Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire, Emmanuel Salinger, Frédéric Fisbach, Galatéa Bellugi, Jan Hammenecker, Jean-Marc Roulot, Juliette Binoche, Mhamed Arezki, Patrick d'Assumçao, Sarah Adler, Yannik Landrein

Director: Tran Anh Hung

Rating: PG-13

Before Games of Thrones delivered court intrigues, shocking murders, and adulterous affairs, Queen Margot delivered all these nearly two decades earlier, depicting the dramatized, real life events of the French Wars of Religion. While it doesn’t have dragons, it has style, with some of the most stunning scenes intercut with some of the most gruesome, pushing the envelope with a freedom only possible due to none of their descendants still holding the French throne. It’s also one of the most expensive French films ever made, but every franc was put to good use, with luxurious sound, sets, costumes, and camerawork excellently supporting the cast’s performances. Initially released to mixed reception in America with 20 minutes cut from the runtime, La Reine Margot has thankfully been restored and re-released in full for its 20th anniversary in 2014.

Genre: Drama, History, Romance

Actor: Asia Argento, Barbet Schroeder, Bernard Nissile, Bernard Verley, Bruno Todeschini, Charlie Nelson, Claudio Amendola, Daniel Auteuil, Daniel Breton, Dominique Blanc, Dörte Lyssewski, Emmanuel Salinger, Grégoire Colin, Isabelle Adjani, Jean Douchet, Jean-Claude Brialy, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Jean-Marc Stehlé, Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Johan Leysen, Julie-Anne Roth, Julien Rassam, Laure Marsac, Luís Gaspar, Marc Citti, Marina Golovine, Miguel Bosé, Nicolas Vaude, Orazio Massaro, Otto Tausig, Pascal Greggory, Philippe Duclos, Thomas Kretschmann, Tolsty, Ulrich Wildgruber, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Vincent Perez, Virna Lisi

Director: Patrice Chéreau