Classic Films

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, 1957

The latest issue of MovieJawn has just hit my mailbox, and praise the lord, it’s all about nuns! Inside, you’ll find my cocktail pairing for The Trouble with Angels, but here on Cinema Sips, I wanted to celebrate one of my other favorite nun pictures: Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (Disc/Download).

Thanks to its WWII South Pacific setting, this movie lends itself perfectly to a Tiki cocktail. Robert Mitchum plays Marine Corporal Allison, who washes up on a deserted island after being separated from his unit. Turns out, the island isn’t completely deserted because Sister Angela (Deborah Kerr) got there days before on a failed rescue mission. Her accompanying priest died, and now the marine and the nun are all alone. Just like Adam and Eve, as Mr. Allison drunkenly points out. There’s something about Deborah Kerr in a nun’s habit that tends to drive men wild (see also: Black Narcissus), and it doesn’t take long for Mr. Allison to fall hard. He professes his love for her, while she professes her love for Jesus. The kicker: she hasn’t even taken her final vows! She could chuck that purity ring off and get busy in the cave with Mitchum whenever she wants. I’m not religious (which perhaps makes me a biased heathen), but to me, there is no contest: I’d choose Mitchum, every time.

Watching Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison means getting swept up in all the “will they/won’t they” tension. Will Mr. Allison be this missionary’s downfall? Or will she resist? If you think it’s getting hot in that cave, better cool off with this Don the Beachcomber original, the Missionary’s Downfall.

Missionary’s Downfall

1 oz light rum

½ oz peach schnapps

½ oz fresh lime juice

1 oz honey syrup

¼ cup diced pineapple (I used frozen)

¼ cup fresh mint leaves, packed

¾ cup crushed ice

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth, then pour into a coupe. Top with more fresh mint.

MovieJawn Spring 2026 issue w/ Missionary’s Downfall

Shot in Technicolor with a jaunty soundtrack, this John Huston picture would make a great double feature with Father Goose. It takes a heavy topic like war and shows us it’s possible to find love, friendship, and connection amid untold atrocities. I laugh when Mitchum keeps calling Sister Angela “ma’am”, but I also clutch my heart when he risks death to steal a few cans of food from the Japanese. Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is exactly the kind of movie I want for a Tiki pairing because there’s nothing better than a frosty cocktail and a hot man on this mid-century version of Temptation Island. Cheers!

*To find out more about MovieJawn, including subscription and Patreon options, visit: MovieJawn.com

Dramas

One Battle After Another

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: One Battle After Another, 2025

Another Oscar season in the books means another Best Picture winner crowned, and this year, the honor went to One Battle After Another (Disc/Download). It’s been a long time since I felt like the recipient of this award actually was the best picture of a given year, but leave it to Paul Thomas Anderson to deliver a movie critics, voters, and this jaded moviegoer can all agree on. This calls for a celebratory cocktail.

I’ve been a superfan of PT Anderson since Boogie Nights, and while Magnolia remains my favorite of his films, One Battle After Another is a worthy addition to the California canon. In this tense thriller/drama, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a stoned revolutionary who must balance fighting the forces of evil with raising his teenage daughter. He sacrifices the excitement of the cause, along with his libido, to be the stay-at-home dad she needs, until the day his peace is threatened by the vengeful Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn, quite obviously playing Greg Bovino). This sets off a chain reaction of good guys on the run, bad guys in Patagonia vests calmly plotting the next Holocaust, and great teachers like Sensei Sergio just trying to help the people of his community.

As soon as I heard the phrase “The French 75”, I knew I loved this movie. A bunch of badass female fighters named after my favorite cocktail? Heck yes! I’ve already done the gin version of this drink on the blog, but a recent trip to New Orleans proved to me that the classic cognac version is where it’s at. While watching One Battle After Another, I recommend drinking this Classic French ’75.

Classic French ‘75

1 ½ oz cognac

½ oz simple syrup

½ oz lemon juice

2-3 oz champagne

Lemon twist

Combine cognac, simple syrup, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a cocktail glass. Top with champagne, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Screenshot

It’s pretty amazing when script development, shooting schedules, and studio timelines all align to give us the movie we need at the exact moment we need it. Who could have predicted that all the chaos and horror of the last fifteen months would be happening right when One Battle After Another releases and sweeps award shows? I guess many people knew; perhaps people smarter or more cynical than me. Hollywood tends to reward movies that project a certain image of what the film community wants to believe of itself, and by awarding the Best Picture Oscar to One Battle After Another, Hollywood has sent a clear message that they do not stand with ICE. They’re telling us to have faith that this regime will be defeated, by The French 75s, or The Whiskey Sours, or whatever mocktail name sober Gen Z wants to give their coming revolution. I’ll be ready with the shaker. Cheers!

Classic Films · horror

The Birds

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: The Birds, 1963

I used to think my biggest fear in life was birds. The claws, the beaks, the unpredictability: all of it nightmare fodder.

Then came Birdfy.

Thanks to this incredible technological advancement, I now have a tiny camera in our backyard owl house which produces content more interesting and engaging than most of the Best Picture nominees. Have I officially entered my birding era?? One final test remains: watching Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (Disc/Download) without covering my eyes or hiding under a blanket.

Without Tippi Hedren’s iconic green suit, I might not have given The Birds a fair shot. But the Edith Head design is pure 1960s perfection, so I guess I can suffer through avian attacks in the name of fashion. Thankfully, Hedren doesn’t change her wardrobe for basically the entire movie. Don’t get me started on what kind of wacko buys a pair of lovebirds for a man she just met in a pet store, drives them sixty miles to his house on the coast, BREAKS INTO THE HOUSE to leave the birds, then decides to stay in his ex-girlfriend’s guest room without so much as a change of underwear. Like, what was the plan here??? This woman is wild. I’m not sure if her mere presence sends the local birds into a tizzy, or if it was the adorable green lovebirds (were they jealous of the flamboyance? mad about the gilded cage?), but something makes them want to commit murder. Hitchcock does a great job of building tension before each attack, starting with one bird, then two, then ten, then suddenly fifty or a hundred. They arrive faster than anyone expects, leaving the humans utterly defenseless. Tippi and her doomed green suit never stood a chance.

Brandy seems to be the liquor of choice for the shell-shocked residents of Bodega Bay, and there’s something lovely about the idea of snuggling up next to a fireplace in Northern California with a warming glass of spirits… as long as that fireplace doesn’t become an entry point for hundreds of murderous sparrows. While watching The Birds, I recommend drinking this riff on the Jungle Bird, the Bodega Bay Bird.

Bodega Bay Bird

2 oz brandy

¾ oz Campari

¾ oz simple syrup

1 oz lime juice

1 oz pineapple juice

Pineapple leaves (garnish)

Combine all ingredients except leaves in a shaker with ice. Shake well to chill, then strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with more crushed ice on top, and pineapple leaves.

Bodega Bay Bird

I’m happy to report that my eyes remained open throughout this entire movie, even during the horrific scene where Tippi is pecked and scratched by live crows. Maybe it’s the fact that my nervous system has already been completely destroyed and desensitized after fifteen months (and counting) of American fascism, but somehow, a bunch of birds doesn’t seem that scary anymore. The owls picked a perfect time to move in. Cheers!

NOTE: If you’re a fan of physical media, I highly recommend this Alfred Hitchcock box set. It’s a great collection at a very reasonable price, and you’ll never again have to rely on the whims of tech oligarchs to watch your favorite Hitch flicks!

Classic Films · Musicals

Carmen Jones

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: Carmen Jones, 1954

Sometimes, a movie couple is so electric, you don’t even need to hear what they’re saying in order to feel the chemistry. It happened for me this week with Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte in the Otto Preminger film Carmen Jones (Disc/Download), and although I admit to being left cold by the music and thin plot, these two actors started a five-alarm fire on that CinemaScope screen.

I’ve long been a fan of Harry Belafonte’s “Calypso” album, so don’t get me started about what a disappointment it was that his Carmen Jones singing voice was dubbed. In an alternate universe, he and Dorothy Dandridge put out a normal, non-operatic soundtrack album that matched the tone and setting of the film, and that soundtrack would have been a hit. Perhaps I need to put this movie on, turn the sound off, and crank up “Calypso” on the Hi-Fi? It certainly wouldn’t interfere with my love of the DeLuxe color costumes, or the sexy way Dandridge “untwists” Belafonte’s belt, or the way these two make even the worst flophouses look like romantic love shacks. She may not want to see this ex-fly boy cooped up, but I don’t mind it if he’s cooped up with her.

The thing I enjoy most about this movie is that it takes the French opera Carmen and plops it into the American South circa WWII. Not only is it great to see so much Black representation onscreen, but it also highlights women’s contributions to the war effort. Carmen works at a North Carolina parachute factory, so let’s toast her and Joe with this Caribbean Parachute cocktail.

Caribbean Parachute

1 1/2 oz light rum

1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro

3/4 oz lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

1 egg white

4 oz chilled tonic water

Add all ingredients except tonic water to a shaker. Shake vigorously until combined and frothy, then add ice. Shake again until chilled. Pour three ounces of tonic water into a Collins glass, then strain the contents of the shaker into the glass. Top with the rest of the tonic water, until the mixture foams up just past the rim of the glass. Garnish with a pineapple leaf (optional).

This is a gorgeous, fun cocktail, and perfect for those times when you’re running low on ice! I can absolutely picture Carmen drinking a few of these in that ramshackle nightclub with Husky Miller, dancing the night away in a pink dress and big gold hoops… while a Harry Belafonte album plays in the jukebox (just let me have my fantasy). Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies

My Man Godfrey

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: My Man Godfrey, 1936

I don’t know about you, but I could really use a Godfrey: a charming, steadying presence who brings me breakfast in the morning, makes me cocktails at night, does the dishes, and generally takes care of all life’s pesky details so I can focus on being fabulous. Because I’m not wealthy enough to afford a real-life Godfrey, I must make do with the fictional one in My Man Godfrey (Disc/Download).

As one of the most iconic screwball comedies of the 1930s, My Man Godfrey plays the grumpy/sunshine romance trope to perfection. William Powell stars as Godfrey, a “forgotten man” (read: homeless) who is plucked off an East River garbage dump as part of a gross high-society scavenger hunt. At first he resists the idea of going to a fancy soiree at the Ritz as someone’s “prize”, but then, when he realizes he could ensure the ditsy, pretty Irene Bullock (Carole Lombard) triumphs over her awful sister Cornelia, he relents. It’s an opportunity to tell off the 1%, but it’s also a chance to help a stranger. And Godfrey, it turns out, thrives on being helpful. After winning the trophy, Irene hires him to be the new Bullock family butler, a task not for the sensitive or soft. Godfrey runs the gauntlet of spoiled, hysterical women, and manages to come out the other side with his dignity intact. What the women who order him around don’t realize, however, is that Godfrey is one of them! He’s secretly a wealthy trust-fund baby who’s already rejected the life of the rich and idle. And this is how Godfrey stays one step ahead of everyone throughout the whole movie—he knows their game, and he’s already won it.

A great butler is one who anticipates your every need before it even enters your head. Morning coffee? Check. Stock tips? Check. Scathing comeback for your bitchy sister? Check. Let’s toast Godfrey with this Prohibition-era cocktail that’s perfect for a man born to serve, the Leave It to Me.

Leave It to Me

1 ½ oz gin

1 tsp raspberry syrup

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp maraschino liqueur

Fresh raspberry (garnish)

Combine gin, raspberry syrup, lemon juice, and maraschino liqueur in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh raspberry.

After Godfrey leaves the Bullock family, he opens a swinging nightclub called The Dump. Not only does it give jobs to other “forgotten men”, but it also provides housing for them! Now that’s what I call true service (and possibly, the greatest name for a bar, ever). Cheers!

Dramas

The Cutting Edge

LizLocke2 Comments
Image: The Cutting Edge, 1992

The Winter Olympics may have snuck up on me this year, but that doesn’t mean I’m not fully prepared with the perfect watch. The Cutting Edge (Disc/Download) has everything I want from a figure skating competition, without the constant commentary and commercial breaks. These non-negotiables include: sequined costumes, sexual tension, and laughably terrible music. Who needs NBC?

Starring Moira Kelly as a bratty figure skater and D.B. Sweeney as her cocky partner, The Cutting Edge has all the hallmarks of a great enemies-to-lovers romance novel: snarky banter, characters who are somehow both the best in their respective fields, drunken confessions, and an impossible goal. Kate has clashed with every partner she’s ever had, so now she needs an arrogant hockey player to come in and upset her perfect world. He teaches her to relax a little, she makes him rediscover his competitive spirit, and together, they manage to pull off a flawless Pamchenko Twist. Do they win the gold? Who knows? Who cares! The kiss is the payoff, not the medal (although, I actually would like to know if they won the gold medal).

During Kate’s first Olympics attempt, her partner drops her flat on the ice. Moira Kelly’s butt must have been so sore making this movie! Let’s sooth those aches and pains with a drink best served ice cold, the Tequila Lemon Drop.

Tequila Lemon Drop

2 oz blanco tequila

¾ oz lemon juice

½ oz simple syrup

Sugar (rim)

Lemon Twist

Run a lemon wedge around the rim of a coupe glass, and dip in sugar. Set aside. Combine blanco tequila, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into prepared glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

I don’t typically watch the Olympics, but I always enjoy movies set in this world. The drama, the rivalries, the grudges, the hook-ups—all the stuff you don’t get on TV. Plus, thanks to The Cutting Edge, I’m now familiar with what a toe pick is. Perhaps, a little too familiar… Cheers!

Action/Adventure/Heist · Comedies

The Princess Bride

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: The Princess Bride, 1987

One movie has been requested more than any other in the decade-plus that I’ve been writing Cinema Sips, and with Valentine’s Day approaching, it seems like a great time to watch what is apparently everybody’s favorite storybook romance: The Princess Bride (Disc/Download).

Directed by the late, great Rob Reiner, this is a movie with a little bit of everything: swashbuckling action, comedy, kissing (gross), and even a tender friendship between a Spanish swordsman and his Giant friend. Told as a story from a grandfather to his grandson, this construct helps the viewer understand that the medieval tale we’re about to see is actually coming from the imagination of a child. The production design alternates between cheesy backdrops and actual locations, and the plot seems to have a million different things going on because this is what it is to be a child—everything seems big and scary and important and exciting, all at once! Romance viewers will connect with Buttercup, the farm girl-turned-fiancé of the villainous Prince Humperdinck, and her true love Westley, who has become the Dread Pirate Roberts in the years since they parted. Westley must now rescue Buttercup from Humperdinck, but first he has to rescue her from a ragtag group of kidnappers, each with their own motivations and grievances.

In terms of alcohol, there’s a great scene involving poisoned wine, and while you’re welcome to open a bottle of your favorite red, I’m incorporating it into this frothy sour. While you’re watching The Princess Bride, I recommend drinking an “As You Wish”-key Sour!

“As You Wish”-key Sour

2 oz rye whiskey

1 oz lemon juice

¾ oz simple syrup

1 egg white

½ oz red wine

Pour the rye, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white into a shaker. Shake for thirty seconds, then add ice. Shake for another thirty seconds until chilled and frothy. Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Slowly pour the red wine over the back of the bar spoon, to float on top of the drink.

Although this is admittedly not my all-time favorite movie, I can appreciate how much other people love it. I think it’s fantastic when any story connects with fans on such a deep level that they’re tattooing “Have fun storming the castle!” on themselves, or standing at the altar as a clergyman or friend proclaims, “Mawwwage is what brings us together.” Ultimately, it’s movies that bring us together, no matter what kind of fan you are. Cheers!

*NOTE: I highly recommend the Criterion edition of The Princess Bride, which contains special features I enjoyed even more than the film itself!

Comedies

The Weather Man

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: The Weather Man, 2005

While Phil Connors might be THE prognosticator of prognosticators (or maybe it’s the groundhog…), there’s another cinema weather guy who happens to be just as skilled with the green screen: Dave Spritz in this week’s film The Weather Man (Disc/Download). If you watched Groundhog Day and thought, let’s do this again but make it darker, funnier, and more relatable, then you’re in luck: Gore Verbinski has given us a winter weather movie for everyone who feels stuck, though not necessarily in a time loop.

Starring Nicolas Cage as Chicago weatherman Dave Spritz, this film is less about meteorology and more about the small tragedies and triumphs of everyday life. As Dave tries (and fails) to predict the “Spritz Nipper” of the week, his family is falling apart. His son is being groomed by a pedophile, his daughter is walking around oblivious to her camel toe, his ex-wife has moved on with Joe Jr. from While You Were Sleeping, and his famous writer dad (played by Michael Caine) was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. Did I mention this is a comedy? In one of Nic Cage’s best performances, Spritz has to navigate his shortcomings as a husband/father/son along with his relative success as a weatherman. Every public interaction is potential for disaster—either he’ll disappoint someone asking for an autograph, or they’ll be mad about the forecast and throw fast food at him from a moving car. The guy can’t win, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.

One of my favorite food assaults comes when our beleaguered weatherman gets a McDonald’s apple pie thrown at him. If you’ve ever had one of these pies, you know the middle is incredibly sticky and tenacious. Dave is now forced to attend his dad’s living funeral with apple pie smeared all over his winter coat. Oddly, the pie smear follows him through multiple scenes, an indicator that he’s pretty much given up on life. While watching The Weather Man, conjure the flavors of McDonald’s apple pie with this Spritz Nipper.

Spritz Nipper

2 oz apple brandy

1 oz cinnamon syrup

1 oz lemon juice

3 oz hard cider

1 oz sparkling water

Cinnamon stick garnish

Build drink over ice, stirring gently to combine. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

The Weather Man is a movie I always think about when our local guy is lamenting the nasty comments people leave on his social media channels after a big storm shifts track, or we don’t get the rain we so desperately needed. As Spritz learns, it’s all just wind. You can’t predict it with a hundred percent accuracy, and you certainly can’t control it. All you can do is live your life like a Bob Seger song—like a rock. Cheers!

Classic Films · Musicals

A Star is Born

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: A Star is Born, 1954

Because I’m in the middle of an editing project right now (fiction, not film), I thought it might be fun to look at a movie that’s had its share of editing drama. George Cukor’s 1954 version of A Star is Born (Disc/Download) was famously trimmed down by Warner Bros. to accommodate additional screenings, then later restored with some of the missing footage, plus audio and film stills. The resulting three-hour epic is certainly iconic, but it makes me wonder: was it worth it?

This cautionary Hollywood tale has been produced four times so far (the most recent being the Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga version), and by now, we’re all familiar with the general plot of A Star is Born. In this version, a talented but undiscovered singer/actress named Esther Blodgett (Judy Garland) gets plucked out of obscurity by movie star Norman Maine (James Mason), resulting in a doomed love affair as her career takes off and his gradually recedes due to uncontrolled alcoholism. Cukor takes his time telling this story, adding musical numbers that don’t do much to advance the plot, though they definitely showcase the star power of Garland. Her best moments are when she’s stripped down, not in costume, singing in a tiny jazz club, or in her own Malibu living room, with no orchestra or soundstage in sight. It makes me wonder if Warner’s wasn’t onto something when they cut a couple of those splashy numbers. Just because you can add more razzle-dazzle doesn’t mean you should. The quiet scenes between Garland and Mason are what make me fall in love with this movie—everything else feels like a distraction.

Sadly, alcohol is the main villain of this story, no matter the era or version. Norman is so charming and wonderful when he’s sober, but when he’s drinking… look out. However, if you’re inclined to moderation, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy a tipple with this. While watching A Star is Born (1954), I recommend drinking this Maine Squeeze cocktail.

Maine Squeeze

2 oz gin

1 oz Cointreau

1 oz fresh orange juice

½ oz lemon juice

Orange twist or dried orange slice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, and shake to chill. Strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a twist of orange or dried orange slice.

Although I love the music and pacing of the 2018 A Star is Born the most, this 1954 version is miles ahead when it comes to style. The gowns are incredible, the CinemaScope colors burst off the screen, and it’s fun to watch my favorite era of the Hollywood studio system come alive, with all its glamour and backstage machinations. Maybe, if you’re a supreme Judy Garland fan, you’ll love the restored musical numbers. As for me, however, I think a little editing can make even the biggest stars shine brighter. Cheers!

Classic Films · Sci Fi

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: Beneath the Planet of the Apes, 1970

It’s that time of year again: my annual Planet of the Apes marathon! I’ll be consuming all ten movies in three days, plus countless banana cocktails. I’ve covered a couple of them on Cinema Sips before, but now seems like a particularly good time to travel deep down into the weird apocalyptic world of Beneath the Planet of the Apes (Disc/Download).

Taking place immediately after Charlton Heston slams his fist onto a beach and screams, “DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!!!”, this movie feels like an answer to his call. Humans are indeed, damned to hell. Actually, they’re down in a former New York City subway station, communicating through mental telepathy, wearing skin masks to hide their radiation burns, and worshiping at the altar of a nuclear bomb. But before the movie moves underground, another astronaut touches down on Future Earth to look for the missing Colonel Taylor. Newcomer Brent (James Franciscus) makes his way to Ape City, clashes with the gorillas, and befriends the always-delightful Dr. Zira and Cornelius. Once he manages to find the fallen city of New York, he finds Taylor, and together, they must stop the mutant humans from launching their nuke and destroying the world. It’s dark, it’s strange, and it’s absolutely a movie for these times.

Even though Dr. Zira makes her hatred of bananas known in Escape From the Planet of the Apes, I’m compelled to use it in this week’s cocktail because Beneath the Planet of the Apes is probably the most bananas movie in the franchise. While watching this film, I recommend drinking a Brûléed Banana Daiquiri.

Brûléed Banana Daiquiri

2 oz aged rum

½ oz banana liqueur

1 oz lime juice

¼ oz simple syrup

Banana slice

Pinch of brown sugar

Pineapple leaf

Combine rum, banana liqueur, lime juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a coupe glass. For the garnish, take a slice of banana and sprinkle a pinch of brown sugar on top. Heat sugar with a torch or flame until bubbly and caramelized. Spear it onto a cocktail pick and rest it on the pineapple leaf.

You’ll notice the bubbling brown sugar on this banana looks very similar to the skin of the mutant humans after centuries of radiation poisoning. After every Ape movie, I always ask myself: is this really our future? Sadly, with the recent reemergence of nuclear energy and threats of war, Beneath the Planet of the Apes is starting to look less and less like science fiction.