Are you feeling like it can’t be the end of summer already, because you haven’t been able to do all the travel and vacation you had hoped for? I’m definitely feeling that way. How can I have still not gone to the Coast yet all year? It just keeps getting put off for other things going on.
On my bucket list has always been to visit Italy. I hear that it’s hot and tourist season, but they also have a lot of festivals and outdoor events. I guess it is going to continue forward on my list of to dos for sometime in the future. In the meantime, might I recommend to you a mini mental and culinary escape to Italy without having to pack any bags or sit on any planes?
The movie The Trip to Italy is opening to pretty strong reviews already, with its official open on August 29 at select theaters, find your nearby theater using this link here: http://thetriptoitalymovie.tumblr.com/find-a-theater.
I am giving away FREE tickets to attend an Advance Screening of the movie The Trip to Italy at Cinema 21 in the trendy Nob Hill neighborhood in Portland at 616 NW 21st Ave. This free screening will be held on Monday August 25, 7 PM
I haven’t seen this movie yet, but given it’s current 88% critic / 71% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I think this is still an enjoyable movie to cool off from the summer heat. A positive review from NPR here and Sundance review from Variety here seems to back up that gut feeling I have, as do snippets such as snippets like “Brilliantly funny, hilarious, and touching” – Entertainment Weekly and “A hilarious tasty treat” – USA Weekly.
Also, I find bromance/watching guys hang out extra amusing, maybe because I’m not a guy so the things they talk about are fascinating and boy, these two just go off on tangents and keep going and going and going. They really embody that what makes the experience of a trip and memories is not only about where you go, but who you are going with. Particularly, this pair is witty and smart but also dorky. Adorkable.
With the money you are not spending on the movie, can I recommend getting a nice Italian dinner afterwards at nearby restaurant… for instance, Cafe Mingo or Serrato only a block or so away. Other favorite Italian places I like in Portland include on the east side of the river Ava Gene’s, Accanto, These other restaurants close earlier so maybe you do date night part 2 the next night at options like Grassa, Nostrana (which also has a convenient parking lot), Tabla or a Cena.
Synopsis
Michael Winterbottom’s largely improvised 2010 film, The Trip, took comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon—or semifictionalized versions thereof—on a restaurant tour around northern England. In this witty and incisive follow-up, Winterbottom reunites the pair for a new culinary road trip, retracing the steps of the Romantic poets’ grand tour of Italy and indulging in some sparkling banter and impersonation-offs. Rewhetting our palates from the earlier film, the characters enjoy mouthwatering meals in gorgeous settings from Liguria to Capri while riffing on subjects as varied as Batman’s vocal register, the artistic merits of “Jagged Little Pill,” and, of course, the virtue of sequels.
Winterbottom trains his camera to capture the idyllic Italian landscape and the gastronomic treasures being prepared and consumed while keeping the film centered on the crackling chemistry between the two leads. The Trip toItaly effortlessly melds the brilliant comic interplay between Coogan and Brydon into quieter moments of self-reflection, letting audiences into their insightful ruminations on the nuances of friendship and the juggling of family and career. The result is a biting portrait of modern-day masculinity.
Enter to Win!
I will be traveling out of town for work so won’t be attending the free screening, but don’t let that hold you up and I still wanted to present this opportunity to you!
There are 28 tickets I can give away, so in your only mandatory task (commenting on the blog) to enter, list how many tickets you would like – if I have more than 14 or more entrants I will give them away as pairs only, but since this is last minute maybe you’ll get lucky and do a double date?!
Seating is first come first serve, but if you get a ticket you should arrive at 6:30 as you will be let in before the general line!
Are you going to see the movie?
Did I miss naming your favorite Italian restaurant- tell me about it! Are there other movies that combine food and travel that you love and want to recommend to me?
Disclosure: I am not being compensated for this post – I just thought this was a wonderful opportunity to give something away to you readers out there! I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.
this movie looks awesome! as do the surrounding eats!
I can’t go to the movie either, but I have a wonderful memory of eating pizza in a little restaurant in Italy, where we poured local balsamic vinegar on our slices. It was insanely good!
I can’t wait to see this movie! 🙂
Hahaha… I’ve wanted to go to Italy for ever now. About 5 years ago the hubs and I started saving and it was for a 5th anniversary trip to Italy OR a baby… whichever happened first. After a year of trying for baby I pretty much KNEW I was finally going to Italy. About 6 months before our 5 year anniversary, and just a couple months before pulling the trigger and buying tickets… we found out we were pregnant! So, baby got the funds and now we are back to saving. I’ll get to go *someday* but, this will be a fun date night! I’d like to win 2 tickets so we can have a fun evening alone!
Two tickets to this screening would be a fun substitute for the traveling my wife and I don’t have time or money to do! The remodeled Cinema 21 is really nice too.
For some reason, most of my Italian restaurant preferences are sentimental. One of our favorite Italian places is just a memory now – Sylvia’s – but most longtime Portlanders will remember it. The food was autentic, and to get a job there, you had to audition for Sylvia herself. THey had a strolling accordian player, and everyone sang. Another Portland favorite is Amalfi’s, also in NE. The pizza is still amazing after all these years, and every bite brings back a memory.
I hope to soon have sentimental memories of restaurants… I wish that kind of bringing together of music and food to be an experience would happen more often than just bars that have bands!