A Tale of Two Js

In a summer of loud and obnoxious sequel blockbusters (not that they’re all forgettable and unnecessary – I’m really looking forward to the new Harry Potter), the movies that stand out are the quieter, unpressured ones, like The Hangover, or The Proposal, or Away We Go.

Then we have the triumphs that combine the best of commercial appeal and storytelling, like Up.

And then August comes around, and people get antsy. The weather gets agrroyingly unbearable. And it seems Hollywood releases nothing but dog for those, well…dog days.

One of the movies that I’ve been looking forward to the most this season, though, opens on Aug. 7: Julie & Julia, starring Doubt’s Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.

Adams plays Julie, a frustrated temp secretary who embarks on an ambitious year-long culinary quest to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Her story, which takes place in 2002 Queens, is complemented by a narrative set in 1950s Paris, in which we see Child’s (Streep) rise to gastronomic greatness.

Sounds – and looks – delightful!

Photo: Columbia Pictures.