Mannequin

April 13, 2015July 28, 2022 LizLockeLeave a comment

How I’ve gone over a year on Cinema Sips without discussing one of the best things to come out of the 1980’s, I have NO IDEA. Sure, Roger Ebert declared this week’s film Mannequin (DVD) “dead” and full of clichés, but clearly he didn’t understand the brilliance that is Hollywood (the window dresser, not the place). I was so excited to see the title song from this movie, ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’ referenced in the surprisingly good film The Skeleton Twins recently, and it just reinforced my opinion that this gem deserves a comeback.

Mannequin stars Andrew McCarthy as starving artist Jonathan Switcher, who creates a mannequin at one of his short-lived jobs, only to see it come to life later on in the form of Emmy, played by a young Kim Cattrall. However, he’s the only one who can see her in human form, and there are some unintentionally funny scenes of Andrew McCarthy riding a motorcycle around Philadelphia with a mannequin draped around him. The supporting cast makes this even better, with Golden Girl Estelle Getty as the owner of Prince & Company department store (where the mannequin resides), and a nearly unrecognizable James Spader as the creepy manager. It’s been years since I’ve set foot in a department store, but as a child I totally wanted to spend the night in one- raiding the make-up counter, trying on whatever I wanted, and falling asleep in the bedding department. As an adult, this dream has been amended to include relaxing in a fur-lined hammock with Andrew McCarthy and discussing cellulite with Hollywood.

Throughout the film, Jonathan and Emmy enjoy role-playing in the store’s various vignettes. Ooh they’re punk rockers! Now a mob boss and his wife! Now tennis fans! Now just naked under their fur coats! My favorite look is the cruise-wear. To that end, I’ll be making a tropical rum drink that’s totally appropriate for sipping on a fake cruise ship, with a fake sky, while Andrew McCarthy rubs Coppertone on your back, even though there is no sunshine. While watching Mannequin, I recommend drinking a Man Overboard.

Man Overboard

6 Mint leaves

2 oz Malibu Rum

1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

Crushed ice

Club Soda

Mint Sprigs and sliced lime for garnish

Muddle mint leaves and lime juice in the bottom of a glass. Add rum and crushed ice. Top with club soda. Stir gently to mix. Add a sprig of mint and lime slice to garnish.

It’s refreshing to see Kim Cattrell before Sex and the City turned her into an oversexed caricature, and she does the best she can in a pretty ridiculous role. I love the flashy 80’s sets, the shoulder pads, and Hollywood’s amazing sunglasses (which Kanye totally stole). Come prepared with a sense of humor and a strong cocktail when you watch this, and you can’t go wrong. Cheers!

The Sound of Music

April 6, 2015April 6, 2015 LizLockeLeave a comment

There has been a lot of media attention lately over the 50^th anniversary of The Sound of Music (DVD/Download). That’s all the excuse I need to watch Julie Andrews frolic through the Austrian alps with a ragtag group of drapery-wearing children. The Sound of Music is a great film for springtime, and as I drive past fields of Texas bluebonnets, I can’t help wanting to pull over and burst into “The Hills are Alive.” Thankfully, I don’t (you’re welcome, Texas). Only Julie Andrews and apparently Lady Gaga can pull this off.

The Sound of Music is about a nun-in-training who becomes the governess for a wealthy Austrian family just before WWII. The Von Trapp children lost their mother years ago, and their widowed father is a harsh disciplinarian. Since Julie Andrews is so good at handling precocious wealthy children, she plays the governess Maria. She teaches the kids to have fun, sing, dance, and melt their father’s heart. Captain Von Trapp is played by Christopher Plummer, and his secret attraction to Maria makes him pretty dreamy. Catchy songs by Rogers and Hammerstein make this a fun movie to watch, despite the creepy puppet show about 90 minutes in, and Maria’s heinous outfits. Thank heavens Captain Von Trapp briefly dates someone with style, the Baroness Schraeder. She gets a bad rap, wanting to send the kids to boarding school, but I actually really love this character. She wears gorgeous clothes, hosts fabulous parties, gets to date Captain Von Trapp, and is terrible at sports. A lady after my own heart.

We first meet The Baroness when she arrives in Salzburg with “Uncle Max”. He is the original cool uncle, and certainly no stranger to a cocktail. Unfortunately his good times are shattered when The Baroness serves him pink lemonade on the veranda. Just… lemonade. Max deserves better, so in his honor, while watching The Sound of Music, I recommend drinking a Pink Parasol.

Pink Parasol

2 oz Pink Lemonade

2 oz Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka

Club Soda

Build drink over ice, stirring gently before topping with club soda. Garnish with a pink parasol. I wonder if Marta ever got hers??

It’s hard to pick a favorite song in this stellar musical. “My Favorite Things”? “Edelweiss”?? “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”??? GAH- there are so many!! This movie makes me want to go to Salzburg and celebrate them all. Except the creepy puppet song- I can skip the yodeling. Cheers!

Classic Films

The Goodbye Girl

March 30, 2015September 21, 2023 LizLocke2 Comments

My Arthur post a few weeks ago got me thinking about another New York movie with a fantastic theme song. Alas it was David Gates, and not Christopher Cross who sang the Goodbye Girl theme, but it’s definitely in the Yacht Rock vein. The Goodbye Girl (DVD/Download) is one of my favorite films, and I’ve seen it so many times I could probably recite it line for line. In fact, it was the first movie I turned to while recovering from eye surgery a few years ago- the snappy dialogue is so brilliant that I didn’t even need to see the screen to enjoy it.

In The Goodbye Girl, Richard Dreyfus plays struggling actor Elliott Garfield, who sublets a New York City apartment from another actor acquaintance. Marsha Mason plays that actor’s recently-dumped girlfriend Paula McFadden, who is shocked to find a soaking wet Elliott at her doorstep with a signed lease. Broke and desperate, she agrees to let him move in even though he’s, as she puts it: “another goddamn actor”. Luckily, Richard Dreyfus is incredibly charming, and his performance as Richard III off-off-off Broadway is side-splittingly funny (keep an eye out for Waiting for Guffman’s Paul Benedict as the director!). Paula and Elliott butt heads at first but then of course he wears her down. Paula’s daughter Lucy is played by Quinn Cummings, who was one of the youngest Oscar nominees in history for her performance. My mother always laughs when Paula says of her daughter, “you were never four-and-a-half, you were born twenty-six.” Apparently, so was I.

My drink references one of my favorite scenes (there are so many!) when Elliott and Paula decide to make amends and go dutch on a home-cooked spaghetti dinner. He stops to buy Chianti, she gets mugged, and in the ensuing chaos spills all of her groceries in the middle of the street. Of course she blames Elliott, and the Chianti. While watching The Goodbye Girl, I recommend drinking a New York Sour.

New York Sour

2 oz Bourbon

1 oz simple syrup

1 oz lemon juice

1 oz Chianti red wine

Mix together bourbon, simple syrup, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, then pour into a rocks-filled tumbler. Slowly pour chianti over the back of a spoon so it floats on top.

It’s hard to imagine exactly what Elliott sees in Paula. She’s needy, she’s whiny, she’s “animal crackers”, and wants nothing more than to spend his money decorating their apartment (notice I said his money, not hers- Paula seems content to let a man take care of her, as soon as she can hook one). As a feminist narrative it’s a bit lacking, but I can overlook it all for ’70s-era Richard Dreyfus. Mr. Garfield, you definitely “charis” me. Cheers!

Comedies · Uncategorized

Cry-Baby

March 23, 2015March 21, 2015 LizLockeLeave a comment

I recently finished reading John Waters’ latest book Carsick, detailing his experiences hitchhiking across the US. It was difficult to finish even one page of the book without laughing, and it reminded me of what a brilliant comic mind this man has. To that end, I’m featuring one of my favorite John Waters films this week, Cry-Baby (DVD/Download).

Cry-Baby is a spoof of 1950’s greaser movies, wherein the “Drapes” face off against the “Squares”. Johnny Depp plays Cry-Baby Walker, the hot young leader of the Drapes, who falls for Allison Vernon-Williams, a good girl yearning to be bad. In a great meet-cute scene, they lock eyes over polio vaccinations in the school gym. Imagine! People got immunized and it was no big deal! (I digress). Cry-Baby is populated by B-and C-list stars galore- Traci Lords! Patty Hearst! Troy Donahue! Iggy Pop! Ricki Lake!

Johnny Depp reportedly took the role of Cry-Baby (one of his first film roles following 21 Jump Street) in order to poke fun at his teen-idol image. Well, mission accomplished. As Cry-Baby he’s sexy and funny and just the right amount of campy. It’s so refreshing to see him without weird facial hair or feathers or a Colleen Atwood costume. Watching Cry-Baby has reminded me that not only do I want John Waters to make another film, but I want Johnny Depp to be in it playing an actual human being. A stretch at this point, I know.

My drink this week has to be equal parts hillbilly and 50’s fabulous in order to truly do the film justice. I’m sure Uncle Belvedere makes his own moonshine, but I have to get by with the store-bought stuff. Of course this has to be served in a mason jar (which I assume was the stemware-of-choice at Turkey Point). While watching Cry-Baby, I recommend drinking a Lonely Teardrop.

Lonely Teardrop

½ oz Vodka

½ oz Dutch’s Spirits Sugar Wash Moonshine

¾ oz fresh lemon juice

½ oz Limoncello

2 oz Sprite

3 oz club soda

Fresh rosemary sprigs

Lemon slice

Mix together the spirits and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a mason jar filled with ice. Top with Sprite and club soda. Garnish with rosemary and lemon.

Not only does Cry-Baby have a fantastic cast and script, but the costumes are stellar as well. I admit to having quite a few “square” dresses currently hanging in my closet (thanks Mod Cloth!). But when Allison Vernon-Williams puts on those tight “hysterectomy pants” and makes out with Cry-Baby, I find myself wanting my own bad-girl beauty makeover. Just please don’t let Hatchet Face do my make-up. There are…. no words to describe that face. Cheers!

Classic Films

Roman Holiday

March 16, 2015March 16, 2015 LizLocke2 Comments

For those lucky enough to be on spring break this week, I have one thing to say- I’m jealous! Although I do not have the week off, I am choosing to live vicariously through Audrey Hepburn by watching the movie Roman Holiday (DVD/Download). For anybody that wishes they had just one day off to do whatever they want, this is your movie.

Roman Holiday stars Gregory Peck as reporter Joe Bradley, who stumbles upon Princess Ann (played by Audrey Hepburn) after her escape from a rigid palace life. Upon meeting her, he thinks she’s just a drunk on the streets of Rome, but chivalrous, upstanding man that he is (this is Gregory Peck after all), he takes her back to his apartment and lets her sleep on his couch. The next day, he discovers her true identity, but in order to get a juicy newspaper scoop, he pretends he doesn’t know the truth. He and his photographer friend (played wonderfully by Eddie Albert) spend the day taking the Princess around Rome. They ride a Vespa, drink champagne and espresso, eat gelato on the Spanish Steps, and stick their hands in the Mouth of Truth. Watching the princess and Joe fall in love with each other and with Rome is pure fun, and Audrey Hepburn is absolutely radiant in her Oscar-winning role.

After Princess Ann is given some sleeping medication, she sneaks out of the palace by hopping in a Cinzano truck. Of course I have to use this brand of vermouth in my drink, along with Princess Ann’s favorite beverage- champagne (or Prosecco in this case). I plan to sip this drink and pretend I’m sitting at a sidewalk café in Rome, smoking a cigarette and genuinely enjoying life (I don’t really smoke, but she makes even this look adorable). While watching Roman Holiday, I recommend drinking a Sant’Angelo Sunset.

Sant’Angelo Sunset

½ cup blackberries

3 oz Cinzano sweet red vermouth

1 tablespoons sugar

6 oz Prosecco

Stir together blackberries, vermouth, and sugar. Let stand 1 hour until juices are released and sugar dissolves.

Spoon 2 tbsp. blackberry juice and 2-3 blackberries into a champagne flute or coupe. Top with Prosecco.

This drink gets its name from the wonderful scene in the film where Audrey Hepburn visits a barge party along the banks of the Castel Sant’Angelo. I was lucky enough to walk these same banks on my honeymoon to Rome, and stumbled on an old film poster for Roman Holiday from a street vendor. Of course I had to buy it. This movie brings back memories of sweet gelato, soaking in the sun on the Spanish Steps, quietly traversing the Colesseum, and listening to the lovely sounds of the Italian language. Like Princess Ann, I will cherish my visit in memory as long as I live. Cheers!

Sci Fi

Serenity

March 9, 2015July 28, 2022 LizLocke2 Comments

In an effort to prove that I actually do pay attention to reader requests, I am going out of my comfort zone this week by featuring a sci-fi movie. I’ve actually had several people ask me what they should drink while watching this week’s film Serenity (DVD/Download), and rather than roll my eyes yet again, I decided to accept the challenge. I figured, I love lead actor Nathan Fillion (Mr. Fillion- you will always be the very best Joey Buchanan on One Life to Live in my book!) so how terrible could this be?

Well, I’m sad to say that I just didn’t get this movie. I gave it a chance- honest, I did. But between the explosions, spaceship chases, campy acting, and bouncing back and forth among various conflicts, I struggled to keep focus on the plot. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if I’d seen the TV show that pre-dated the film, Firefly. As it was, I felt like I was thrust into the middle of a story, and it was just assumed that I would like and root for all of these characters. If you’re into sci-fi, and/or you like westerns, you’ll probably love this movie. So please don’t let my romantic comedy-entrenched brain stop you from checking it out.

Speaking of Firefly, how fortuitous that this cult-favorite TV show happens to share a name with a vodka brand! In homage to Capt. Malcolm’s southern/western/cowboy/bizarre accent, I’m using their sweet-tea flavored vodka in this drink. And as a side note, I am pretty excited to FINALLY have a use for my cactus drink stirrers, which can really only be used with a western (or sci-fi/western in this case). While watching Serenity, I recommend drinking a Seren-e-Tea-Ni.

Seren-e-Tea-Ni

2 oz Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka

½ oz lemon juice

½ oz simple syrup

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Was watching Serenity a waste of two hours for me? No, of course not. First of all, nothing Nathan Fillion-related is a waste of time for me. Second, watching River Tam’s martial arts moves was actually pretty enjoyable, like a deadly ballet. Third, I can now listen to my friends talk about this movie and actually follow what they’re saying. There are a lot of Firefly fans out there, and for them I’m so glad there’s a movie that inspires such loyal devotion. I’m not one of them, but that’s okay. I don’t have to be. All I have to do is come up with a drink that makes the viewing experience even better for us all. Challenge accepted, and mission accomplished. Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies

Arthur

March 2, 2015February 28, 2015 LizLocke1 Comment

I recently discovered a great web series on YouTube called Yacht Rock, a fictional account of 70’s and 80’s-era easy listening titans (yes it came out 10 years ago, and yes I am severely behind the times). If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out- I died laughing. One of the soft-rockers featured is Christopher Cross, who had a major hit singing “Arthur’s Theme” from the Dudley Moore classic film Arthur (DVD/Download). I’ve featured this movie once before on my Top 5 Drunken Movie Performances list, but I think it deserves a mention again, along with a cocktail pairing.

Arthur is the story of millionaire playboy Arthur Bach, who spends most of his days and nights intoxicated, verbally sparring with his deliciously sarcastic butler Hobson. He is pressured by his family to propose to the beautiful but boring Susan, however just before he does, he meets a firecracker from the wrong side of the tracks, played by a very young Liza Minnelli. Even setting aside my excitement at seeing “Lucille 2”, this movie delights me to no end with its witty script, and superb drunk acting by Dudley Moore. He’s just the right amounts of happy and pathetic, and I find myself rooting for him to continue living his carefree, liquor-tinged life, only with the right girl by his side. And by “right girl”, I do not mean the hooker with the Olivia Newton John spandex pants.

Now, when you get caught between the moon and New York City, the best that you can do (in my opinion) is pour a drink! This week I’m adding a new bottle to my liquor cabinet in the form of moonshine. Specifically Texas Moonshine, as a nod to the cowboy hat that Liza Minnelli inexplicably sports on the streets of Manhattan. While watching Arthur, I recommend drinking a White Manhattan.

White Manhattan

2 ½ oz Moonshine

½ oz Dry Vermouth

½ oz Cointreau

Orange twist

Add liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker over ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with an orange twist.

If I met Arthur in real life, I’d probably be annoyed-slash-jealous at his life situation. But as a movie character, he’s my hero. Someone who can drink that much and still come up with hilarious, brilliant one-liners deserves to be applauded. And as for the Christopher Cross song- well, good luck getting that out of your head for the next week. Cheers!

Comedies

Secretary

February 23, 2015February 22, 2015 LizLockeLeave a comment

While the nation enters its second week of 50 Shades of Grey fever, I’m revisiting a movie similar in theme, though far better in execution. Secretary (DVD/Download) has been mentioned in a lot of articles recently, and while I can’t exactly call 50 Shades great cinema, I’m glad that this sub-par movie has brought a really great one back into the spotlight.

After seeing both films, the similarities are striking. Both feature male lead characters with the last name of Grey, and both are essentially about a shy, average girl discovering her true self after meeting a man who introduces her to some pretty kinky sex. The difference between the two films is that while 50 Shades of Grey takes itself SO SERIOUSLY, Secretary is more of a dark comedy. Yes, the sex scenes can be graphic and serious in tone, but the supporting elements are quite funny (Maggie Gyllenhaal on all fours with a saddle and a carrot in her mouth spring to mind). James Spader plays lawyer E. Edward Grey, an oddball employer who has a penchant for S&M in the office, and Maggie Gyllenhaal plays his new secretary Lee Holloway. What I love (and found so romantic that I actually saw this film twice in the theater when it was released) is the way these two damaged people formed an unusual but powerful bond. Mr. Grey understands Lee in a way that nobody else does, and vice versa. He saves her from a life of boredom and mediocrity, and she in return gives him the love he never knew he needed.

My drink this week is an homage to Lee Holloway, who is maybe the hardest working secretary on the planet. Who else would dive into a dumpster in search of a lost file, coming out covered in dirt and old coffee grounds? Ms. Holloway, that’s who. While watching Secretary, I recommend drinking a Dirty Martini.

Dirty Martini

2.5 oz vodka

1/8 oz dry vermouth

½ oz olive brine (from the jar of olives)

1 olive for garnish

Shake liquid ingredients together in a cocktail shaker filled with ice until chilled. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with an olive.

I love that Secretary started a career renaissance for James Spader, and just plain started a career in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s case. It’s such a quirky, odd movie, and I can’t explain why I love it so much, but I do. Sometimes movies are like that. Maybe I just like the idea of someone telling me that I can eat 4 peas and then as much ice cream as I want. Or perhaps I like a man with a keen eye for grammar and spelling mistakes. That must be it. Cheers!

Comedies · Uncategorized

The Grand Budapest Hotel

February 16, 2015February 16, 2015 LizLocke2 Comments

Oscar season is upon us once again, so this week I’m featuring the most cocktail-friendly of the Best Picture Nominees- The Grand Budapest Hotel (DVD/Download)*. Wes Anderson’s charming adventure/caper features all the classic Anderson tropes- fabulous sets, fabulous costumes, refined characters, and beautiful storytelling. It’s a world that I want to step into, martini glass in hand, wry smile on my face. Whatever happens on Sunday night, I’m just glad that more people are talking about this delightful film.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is about a resort hotel in the fictional European republic of Zubrowka (which incidentally is a Polish vodka brand) in the years between “The Great Wars”. M. Gustave is the concierge at this beautiful hotel, where he meets and –ahem- services Madame D. After her sudden death, he is bequeathed a valuable painting, but her family objects and charges M. Gustave with murder. The silky-tongued concierge must now escape from prison and make his way back to the Grand Budapest where the painting has been hidden. Helping him along is his trusted Lobby Boy, and the secret society of the Crossed Keys, a venerable who’s who of Anderson regulars. Ralph Fiennes is absolutely perfect as M. Gustave, playing the character as funny, charming, and desperate all at the same time. Of course I’m madly in love with the sets for the Grand Budapest Hotel, and wish I could check in for a two week break from reality.

My cocktail this week references the famous painting in the film, the fictional “Boy With Apple”. I’m excited to use Calvados this week, which is a French apple brandy. Surely, M. Gustav would have sipped this on many occasions. While watching The Grand Budapest Hotel, I recommend drinking a Grand Apple.

Grand Apple

1.25 oz Calvados

2/3 oz simple syrup

¾ oz fresh grapefruit juice

2/3 oz lemon juice

Pink Champagne

Apple spear (for garnish)

Mix all ingredients except champagne in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with pink champagne and apple.

The hue of this drink is not quite as pink as the Mendel’s boxes of confections in the film, but you get the idea. Because of the addition of pink champagne, this cocktail makes a great addition to your Oscar party this year. I know I’ll be sipping it during the telecast, and wishing I had a Lobby Boy to attend to my every need. Oh wait, isn’t that what they call a husband? 😉 Cheers!

*note: While I love The Grand Budapest Hotel and think it’s a great movie to watch with a cocktail, I will actually be rooting for Boyhood this Sunday. I cannot say enough good things about this film, nor even put into words the impact it’s had on me. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. Then buy the book.

Dramas

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

February 9, 2015February 8, 2015 LizLockeLeave a comment

“Valentine’s Day is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to sell more cards.” And so begins my absolute favorite movie about February 14^th, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (DVD/Download). The opening line says it all. This is not a ‘sunshine and roses’ romantic comedy. However, it is funny, it is romantic, and it is truly daring and original filmmaking by director Michel Gondry.

Eternal Sunshine asks the question- what if a bad break-up could be erased from our minds? What are the consequences? If you erase the memory, do the same patterns just repeat themselves? The two lead characters are Joel (played by Jim Carrey), and Clementine (played by Kate Winslet). Unusual casting for sure, but these two actors are surprisingly perfect together. The film’s story, written by Charlie Kaufman, is told in non-linear sequence. We think we’re seeing two people meeting on a train for the first time, until gradually it becomes clear that they’ve already dated, fell in love, broken up, then paid a doctor to erase their memories of one another. With no memory of the bad relationship, they are just two people finding each other by chance, and falling in love the same way they did before. Because this is a Michel Gondry film, there are analog special effects during the scenes where memories are being erased, and the results are visually spectacular. A terrific supporting cast includes Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, David Cross, and Tom Wilkinson as the helpful memory-erasing doctor with secrets of his own.

My cocktail this week is an easy one to make, giving you more time to spend paying close attention to the plot of the film (trust me, you need to pay attention). I love the name Clementine, and it’s such a refreshing flavor in the middle of winter, so this week I’m making a Darlin’ Clementine.

Darlin’ Clementine

2 oz vodka

2 oz fresh clementine juice

1 oz simple syrup

Mix all ingredients in a shaker over ice, then strain into a chilled glass. Rub clementine peel around the rim of the glass, then discard.

This movie will always be special to me because I bought it right before my husband and I started dating. I was obsessed with everything Kate Winslet (and still am) so upon saying goodbye on February 13^th, 2005, I told him to call me the next day to wish me a happy Valentine’s Day (just as Clementine says to Joel). He still chides me about it, claiming that was his plan all along. He did call, and that memory is one I don’t ever want to be erased. Cheers!

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