We have said this before about certain movies opening in theaters (hello, Chef), but do NOT go to Lasse Hallstrom’s The Hundred-Foot Journey hungry. The title refers to the distance separating rival restaurants on the outskirts of Paris – and the personal and professional journey taken by a young chef (Manish Dayal) as he starts in his father’s Indian restaurant but eventually aspires to cook in a venue blessed with Michelin stars.

Lasse Hallstrom jumped on the phone recently to talk about his film. But to talk about his film means talking about food, and the act (and art) of eating delicious food in exquisite restaurants. The joy of The Hundred-Foot Journey lies in experiencing food, in creating (and eventually eating) delicious dishes. Make reservations at your favorite eatery for right after your screening. Trust me. Here’s what Lasse Hallstrom had to tell us about The Hundred-Foot Journey… and about eating!

A lot of food was wasted filming Journey, and Hallstrom feels horrible about it.

Food-prep scenes require a lot of food items. And they require food in various stages of preparation – from sliced to diced, sautéed to served. Lasse Hallstrom knows he went through a LOT of food… and he doesn’t know where it went. "I was horrified. One day, it was on the schedule that we were going to shoot a scene in a two-star restaurant with the French food. And they had spent all day making beautiful plates. Like 50 of them. And then we never had time to get to them! I don’t know what happened to those plates of food. That kept happening. You never know how far you really are going to get into a scene. So a lot of food was probably wasted. It’s terrible."

Lasse Hallstrom is a vegan. Except when he cheats.

"Because sometimes I need to have Japanese food," he said with a laugh. But most of the times he tries to stay to a strict vegan diet, and he loves to eat at Nobu. "Any Nobu," he says. "Like the one in downtown New York, or out in Los Angeles. That is my favorite kind of food."

A CNN documentary about Bill Clinton’s diet prompted Hallstrom to go vegan. "I clicked through to a few articles to find the source material for the doc," he said. "I also found the book about veganism. I read it right away, and I have been a vegan ever since. I got much more energy (after switching). My heart palpitations went away after 2 weeks. So I can’t go back to normal eating anymore."

He goes to vegan restaurants for the food, not the atmosphere. "I can appreciate good atmosphere, but that’s not the reason why I go to a restaurant," Hallstrom admits. He name-drops a few vegan restaurants – Pure Food & Wine, Candle 79 on the Upper East Side – that he likes to frequent when in Manhattan. But each time, he says that it rarely has anything to do with the room in which the food is being served. (Sorry, restaurant managers.) It has everything to do with the food on the plate.

Michelin meals mean something special.

Lasse Hallstrom has eaten in Michelin-rated restaurants before, and he thinks we should believe the hype. If you haven’t been lucky enough to eat in a restaurant that has received at least one Michelin star, Hallstrom says you need to rectify that as soon as humanly possible. He says that the industry really doesn’t hold it in as high of a standard as they once did – and as high as is portrayed in The Hundred-Foot Journey, where earning a star means everything – but the quality in the 3-star Michelin restaurants, particularly the ones in Paris, means the experience can be life altering.

Hallstrom, for example, proposed to his wife in a 3-star Michelin restaurant.

"I even remember what we had there that night," he reminisces. "I had a cabbage dish, with supplements. It was a long time ago."

We have a big week of flicks coming. And by "big" I mean there are a lot of crappy-looking films hitting the big screen. Hollywood is taking a quantity over quality approach this Friday as we zero in on the end of the summer season. This time we’ve got ninja turtles, French cuisine, tornadoes and dancing.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but instead predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at what This Rotten Week has to offer.

Rotten Watch Prediction

28%

Having spent a childhood absorbing "the arts" and exploring "high culture," I think it safe to say I’ve become somewhat of an expert on the artists of the Renaissance period. This came rather easily through an exploration of media and text that helped formulate an over-arching "understanding" of how these artists operated and tackled their craft. For instance, Leonardo was a leader. Donatello worked on machinery. Rafael was cool and yet often crude. And finally, Michelangelo was of course a partying dude (so to speak). I’d be happy to tackle on questions you have on this period in the comments section and always enjoy a lively conversation about one of the great periods in the history of art.

Want some of that source material I’m talking about? Check out the trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Well, I never thought we’d head back to the sewers for any hot turtle action, and yet here we are back in New York fighting Shredder and the Foot Clan. Oh boy. You excited? Me neither. Along the lines of The Smurfs, there are some bits of the Eighties (or earlier) cartoon canon we need not resurrect. This is one of them. The first TMNT all the way back in the 1990s was a stretch even to my ten-year-old brain., and though I can distinctly remember seeing TMNT 2 (Vanilla Ice and all) in the theaters, I don’t remember walking out of there thinking, "You know what we need? More of that!" And remember - I was only around ten. Though this film is definitely not intended for my demographic, and it isn’t made for critics (unless they are preteen), it just seems to me that some concepts should remain in the past. Radioactive, martial artist turtles and all. But again, the cartoon is back on the air, so what do I know?

Director Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles-35%) is helping bring TMNT back into the collective consciousness beyond the Nickelodeon-revived cartoon. Putting the quartet (with a little Splinter add-on) back up there on the big screen only serves to accentuate what a crazy idea the basic thought behind the franchise (chelonian black belts living below New York fight a dude covered in metal spikes) really is. This is me being a party-pooper. I just find the whole thing silly, in an innocent kind of way.

There is almost no possible way this scores well with critics - but again, I doubt that’s the goal. Instead it’s an educational piece, reintroducing a new generation to the arts. Enjoy kids. I learned a lot, and hopefully you will too.

Rotten Watch Prediction

22%

Man, tornadoes are just so hot right now. They are like the new vampires. Or dragons. Whether they’re bringing a deadly wave of sharks to a city near you, or just simply leveling your entire town, never have tornadoes been a bigger draw in media. Don’t worry hurricanes, you’ll have your time too. It might just take a little while. Tornadoes are where it’s at.

Take a look at another sexy tornado in Into the Storm,

Steven Quale (Final Destination 5-65%) directs a found footage take on the destruction of these dangerous storms. In many ways this doesn’t look too different from his other film - just replacing the unseen force of "death" with tornadoes as the primary antagonist. The Final Destination movies made their bones on ever-escalating forces conspiring to put the protagonists in stickier and more deadly situations. This film looks about the same, with storms growing stronger across a small town and threatening the lives of everyone within the vicinity. Having strong winds operate as the primary bad guy seems like it would make for a better short film than a full-length feature (Twister folks shrug their shoulders and grin), and yet here we are gearing up for ninety minutes of "Phew, that tornado passed. But uh-oh, here comes an even bigger tornado!"

Offering the allure of found footage to detail the devastation of the storms seems a little too device-y; like it’s a way to add a new twist (like that?) on a storm chaser film. Part horror film, part thriller, I would suspect Into the Storm runs a bit too long. If not, then this is probably some expert filmmaking because watching bigger and bigger tornados sucking bigger and bigger things into the sky just seems like it’d grow old after a while. But man it’s a good time to be a tornado in media.

Rotten Watch Prediction

50%

There’s nothing better than watching two rivals getting up into each other’s faces, acting hard, and then deciding to let their feet and pop-locking settle the score instead of good, old fashioned fisticuffs. We can, as a society, probably learn a thing or two from this kind of peacekeeping. If we could only resolve our differences and end our conflicts by taking it to the stage we’d reach a higher plain of existence, operating in a quasi-utopia of gyrations and acrobatics. Thank you Step Up series, you’re an inspiration.

See what I’m talking about in the trailer for Step Up: All In,

To be honest, I’m a fan of movies just sticking in their lanes, not worrying about muddying up the waters with silly things like "plots" or "acting". The Step Up series understands what people came to see: dancing. By offering only the faintest sliver of dramatic structure, the filmmakers can spend the rest of the time focusing on the important things - stuff like guys and gals contorting and throwing their bodies in ways that appear to defy gravity (and basic muscle movement), while making sure the proper amount of pyrotechnics are applied to the stage. These are the elements that matter. I’m sure there’s a conflict (rag-tag bunch of dancers want to defeat the champs) and a love story (two dance leaders fall for each other), but that’s thrown into the margins where they should be.

Choreographer Trish Sie directs her first feature film after making name for herself developing the awesome OK Go videos for "Here it Goes Again" and ""White Knuckles." Now she’s *ahem* stepping up to the big time with a story that brings together the "stories" from the rest of this dance hit series. Early reviews are generally positive, which is what happens when critics understand the basic concept of a niche film when they walk through the door. And honestly, these critics also understand that dancing can save the world, bringing about lasting peace and tranquility. That’s the big takeaway.

Rotten Watch Prediction

45%

I’ve watched multiple seasons of Top Chef, so I like to think I’m pretty well versed in the world of the kitchen. I understand words like "pallet" and "reduction" when it comes to cooking. Or I at least understand that people use those terms when talking about cooking. So if someone is going to be a solid judge on movies involving the culinary arts, you’ve come to the right place. I think I know what I’m talking about.

See how the French and Indians do their cooking in the trailer for The Hundred-Foot Journey,

Based on the novel by Richard C. Morais, The Hundred-Foot Journey tells the story of a Indian family who open a restaurant across the street from a famous French establishment run by Helen Mirren. It also offers critics a chance to use endless food puns in their reviews. I’m not immune to this kind of writing (see: basically everything I ever put in print), but I would suspect the percentage of critics who use some kind of food reference in either praising or panning (see what I mean) the film to be around 100%.

The movie looks fine enough, tugging at some heart strings in how these two dissimilar restaurants and their proprietors coexist in close proximity, and eventually influence each other across cuisines. Director Lasse Hallstrom has experience adapting best-sellers into movies. He’s helmed a few Nicholas Sparks’ adaptations in Safe Haven (12%) and Dear John (28%) to less-than-stellar receptions. But it’s not all bad for the dude. He’s put together some quality flicks in the past as well, including Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (67%) and Chocolat (63%). Judging from a few early looks at the movie, The Hundred-Foot Journey will fall somewhere in between all of those titles. Opinions range from "good not great" to "overly sentimental". It won’t blow it out of the water, though the safety of the story and quality acting probably save it from the bottom. And of course, if you need a food opinion, just ask. I’m happy to help.

This poll is no longer available.

Guardians of the Galaxy (Predicted: 96% Actual: 92%) was a win, though to be fair, I had a head start on that one. A bunch of reviews were already in at the time of my write-up, and they were blowing up expectations. I’d still count this film as one of the surprises of the summer. A huge hit with critics and at the box office, Guardians of the Galaxy continues a run of comic book films that continue to push the envelope in the genre. Taking even B-level heroes and storylines can prove a winner when tackled the right way. James Gunn proves as much. Having sci-fi, comic book-sourced flicks with cross-generational appeal crush in this kind of way should be the goal of everyone venturing into the arena. When I first heard about Guardians of the Galaxy hitting the screens I was dubious. What an error. Thankfully early reviews helped me nail the prediction.

Meanwhile, Get on Up (Predicted: 50% Actual: 77%) was a miss. What I thought would be a safe, by-the-books biopic does appear to venture into some grittier turf, playing both sides of the James Brown coin (both his rise and eventual fall). Gabe Toro’s excellent review details a flick unapologetic in the way it represents the later version of Brown, on the down side of his career. This was a big miss by me.

Next time around we get expendable, meet the giver and become cops It’s going to be a Rotten Week!

Helen Mirren teams up with Oprah Winfrey for the winsome drama The Hundred-Foot Journey. Mirren stars as a snooty chef who runs an accomplished French restaurant, and is perturbed when an immigrant Indian family opens their own eatery just across the street. Winfrey produces, alongside Steven Spielberg, and the trailer above should give you a sense of what attracted both to the project.

Based on the best-selling novel by Richard C. Morais, The Hundred-Foot Journey begins with the culture clash of this uptight French chef and her raucous new neighbors. She favors traditional French cuisine, and boasts a Michelin star. They prefer the bold spices of their homeland, and are bringing tastes this small French village has never before tasted. Their differences spark a culinary war, battling for diners and the love of the locals. But they begin to become friends when Madame Mallory (Mirren) sees the potential of Hassan Haji (Manish Dayal), the star chef of his family's restaurant. Soon, he begins to learn to cook new dishes from Madame Mallory, but his tastes aren't the only ones that are changing.

Yahoo has shared the film's first trailer, which makes The Hundred-Foot Journey look positively delectable. They also spoke with Oprah Winfrey, who said of her passion to make this movie:

Below is an image of Winfrey in producer mode with Mirren on the set of The Hundred-Foot Journey:

The novel ranked as one of O Magazine's Favorite Summer Reads back in 2010. By the summer of 2013, Winfrey had reconnected with her The Color Purple director Steven Spielberg to get the ball rolling on an adaptation of The Hundred-Foot Journey. With Mirren being eyed for the female lead, Spielberg pursued a director he thought would be perfect for the project. He ultimately snared Swedish helmer Lasse Hallström, who earned an Academy Award nomination for directing the adaptation of John Irving's novel The Cider House Rules. The Hundred-Foot Journey will mark Hallström's follow-up to his last hit adaptation, Safe Haven, based on the Nicholas Sparks romance novel.

The Hundred-Foot Journey will open August 8th.

On Tuesday we delivered news that there were some big shake-ups in the release schedule for 20th Century Fox, but today it's Walt Disney Studios and their many subsidiaries that is making some big changes to their upcoming slate of movies.

First let's start over at Marvel Studios, which is just coming off the ridiculous success of Shane Black's Iron Man 3 last month. The company has actually made a habit of owning the first week in May, releasing Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers and Iron Man 3 on that weekend, and it appears that they will continue that habit for years to come. Not only is The Avengers 2 slated for release on May 1, 2015, the studio has announced that two untitled Marvel films have been dated for May 6, 2016 and May 5, 2017.

From the world of comic book superheroes we now slide over to the next Muppet movie! While the film is still set to come out on March 21, 2014, the project has updated its title. While it was originally going to be titled The Muppets...Again!. the studio has decided to rename the movie Muppets Most Wanted. It's a cool and fitting title given that the movie finds the fuzzy stars on the run around Europe when Kermit is mistaken for the world's most wanted criminal. Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey play the main human roles and James Bobin is back as director.

There is also some good news about Brad Bird's next effort, the mysterious sci-fi film Tomorrowland. Initially the movie was set to be released on December 19, 2014, but it has now been moved up a week to December 12, 2014. Based on as script written by Bird and Damon Lindelof, the film is confirmed to star George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy and Thomas Robinson.

Next we have Saving Mr. Banks, the new movie from The Blind Side director John Lee Hancock about Walt Disney's (Tom Hanks) efforts to get author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) to make a movie based on her book Marry Poppins. The film is still currently set to be released in theaters across the country on December 20th, but now Disney has announced that the film will be coming out early in some markets (presumably Los Angeles and New York) on December 13th. Perhaps it's a way to try and build up some award buzz.

Brand new to Disney's upcoming slate is Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which we've been reporting about for the last few months, and is now set to come out on October 10, 2014. Based on the children's book by Judith Viorst, the movie is being directed by Miguel Arteta and puts a fantasy spin on the story by having Alexander wish that his family would experience as bad a day as he is having.Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner will play Alexander's parents in the movie, though it has not been announced which child actor will be playing the titular character.

Into The Woods, an adaptation of the James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical, has been picking up a great deal of steam recently and has now officially been dated for Christmas Day 2014. Rob Marshall, who recently worked with Disney on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, is helming the film with an amazing cast that includes Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine, Jake Gyllenhaal and Tracey Ullman...so far.

We first reported last week that an adaptation of Richard C. Morais' The Hundred-Foot Journey was in the works, and it seems as though the studio is already getting very serious about it. With Safe Haven director Lasse Hallstrom in the director's chair and Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey and Juliet Blake producing, it's been announced that the movie will go into production preparing for an August 8, 2014 release. The story follows an Indian boy living in France who becomes the culinary apprentice to his father's rival.Finally, we have what appears to be a sequel to Disney's Planes, which is surprising when you consider that the movie won't be coming out until August 9th. Apparently Disney has a lot of confidence in the property, though - likely encouraged by the toy sales of the Cars franchise - and have already announced a follow-up titled Planes: Fire & Rescue. There is no official information about the director or cast at this point, but it will be in 3D and will be in theaters on July 18, 2014.

As always, for all the latest updates about upcoming films be sure to check out our Blend Film Database.

Outside of summer tentpole movies, it isn't always easy to predict which films will have a broad international appeal. Will it be the zany road trip comedy? The ensemble family drama? The foreign vampire flick? What about an adaptation of a well-received multi-cultural novel that centers on the culinary world?

Director Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules) has stepped into the kitchen to adapt Richard C. Morais’ 2010 novel The Hundred Foot Journey for DreamWorks and its India-based financing partner Reliance, according to Deadline. The film has a few big names behind it, with Steven Spielberg, Juliet Blake and Oprah Winfrey on board as producers. The screenplay was written by Steven Knight, who was nominated for an Oscar for his Dirty Pretty Things script. Deadline’s sources say Helen Mirren may be offered the lead female role, but DreamWorks isn’t making anything official just yet.

Should she join the film, Mirren would play Madame Mallory, the owner of a three-Michelin-star restaurant in France. The Mumbai-born Hassan Haji and his family movie from India to France and open up a town-awakening Indian restaurant just 100 feet from Mallory’s restaurant. A culinary war rages on, but Mallory relents and mentors Haji on his culinary trek, taking him to Paris.

The Swedish-born Hallstrom last directed Safe Haven, his second Nicholas Sparks adaptation, and his broad international appeal is an excellent fit. He also directed Chocolat and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

Shooting on The Hundred-Foot Journey is set to begin this fall.