Category: Children’s

Action/Adventure/Heist · Children's

Hook

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: Hook, 1991

Because Tiki bars seem to be shifting more and more toward the pirate end of the spectrum, it seems like a great opportunity to revisit one of my favorite fictional pirates, Captain Hook. If you were born between the years 1980-1984, you might love Steven Spielberg’s Hook (Disc/Download) as much as I do. And if you missed the boat (or pirate ship in this case), worry not. This movie suggests you’re never too old to fly to Neverland.

In the grand tradition of 1990s high concept films, Hook approaches the Peter Pan story in a very clever way. Peter Banning (Robin Williams) is now a grown adult, living a horrible existence as a stressed-out attorney. He misses his kids’ events, neglects his wife, and never has any fun. Ever. He doesn’t remember that he decided to abandon Neverland when he was twelve years old, having fallen for Wendy Darling’s granddaughter. He doesn’t even remember that his name used to be Peter Pan! When Peter returns to Wendy’s house at Christmas, his old nemesis Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps his kids, forcing Peter to confront the truth about his origin story. In journeying to Neverland to rescue his children, Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys remind Peter that happy thoughts have the power to make him fly, and that joy and love are the most important things in life, not money.

Hook is a great movie to watch with a Tiki beverage because it really leans into the island escape fantasy. There are mermaids, beaches, jungles, and pirate ships galore, along with a truly epic coconut food fight. While watching Hook, I recommend drinking a Bangarang!

Bangarang!

1 oz Silver Rum (I used Planteray 3 Stars)

1 oz Dark Rum (I used Myers Dark Rum)

¼ oz Pot-Stilled Jamaican Rum (I used Smith & Cross)

½ oz Falernum

1 ½ oz Pineapple Juice

¾ oz Lime Juice

¾ oz Coconut Cream

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

2 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

Suggested Garnish: orchid + dried lime wheel + edible glitter

Combine all ingredients except garnishes in a blender or drink mixer with 1 cup crushed ice. Flash blend for about 5-10 seconds, then pour entire contents into barrel mug. Garnish with an orchid and dried lime wheel, then sprinkle a little edible glitter (hello, Pixie Dust!).

Nelson’s Demise Barrel Mug by Dave “Squid” Cohen

I won’t go into too much detail about the cast because it’s epic and must be seen to be believed. But I will say that Bob Hoskins as Smee has me wishing I were a pirate wench, and Dante Basco as Lost Boy leader Rufio is still the stuff of geriatric millennials’ dreams. Revisiting a favorite childhood movie is always special because it’s a reminder that parts of you never grow up. Inside every adult, there’s still a kid who dreams of flying off to the second star to the right, straight on ‘til morning. Cheers!

Children's · Comedies

The Ugly Dachshund

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: The Ugly Dachshund, 1966

Childless Cat Ladies, meet Childless Dog Lady. Defying cinematic norms of the 1960s, as well as conservative politicians of today, the Disney live-action classic The Ugly Dachshund (Disc/Download) bravely exposes the reality that not all families look alike, and motherhood comes in a lot of different forms. It’s a story that was just as contemporary then as it is now, and I’m thrilled to be watching it again with a cocktail!

Starring Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette as the happily married, child-free owners of purebred show dogs, The Ugly Dachshund has essentially become my blueprint for adulthood. Sure, the movie is a fun romp about an adopted Great Dane who grows up with a litter of tiny dachshunds, but from my viewpoint, it’s also about female agency. Pleshette’s Fran doesn’t need to have kids in order to create a home. She’s allowed to marry a handsome artist and spend her days pursuing her passions, taking photos of her dogs, and setting out drinks and snacks on handmade pottery. As someone who spends most of her days doing exactly this, I can confirm—it’s a wonderful life. I’ve never for one second felt that I’m missing out on something. Also, as a firm “adopt don’t shop” girl, I appreciate that while the movie talks about champion dogs and purebred lines, it also makes space for a pup in desperate need of a family. I think Brutus the Great Dane lucked out when he landed a spot with two loving parents and a bunch of mischievous dachshund sisters, and they lucked out when they got the sweetest, most protective big brother.

It wouldn’t be a classic Disney movie without scene-stealer Charles Ruggles, who you might also remember from The Parent Trap. This wonderful character actor had a huge career spanning from the silent era all the way up to the 1960s. The Ugly Dachshund was one of his last films, and I love that he goes out on a high note as kindhearted veterinarian Doc Pruitt. If you want to drink like Ruggles, then I suggest following his own recipe for an Old-Time Martini, which has just been reprinted in Jenny Hammerton’s 1933 Celebrity Cocktail Book, featuring a collection of recipes from a cocktail contest at the Del Mar Hotel. The book is available for purchase on Etsy, but as a special treat to Cinema Sips readers, I’m sharing the Charles Ruggles Old-Time Martini recipe here.

Old-Time Martini

1 dash Angostura Bitters

2 dashes Maraschino Liqueur

1 pony (1 oz) Old Tom Gin

1 wine glass (2 oz) Dry Vermouth

Two small lumps of ice

¼ lemon (wedge)

Shake and strain into a large cocktail glass into which has been placed one-fourth slice of lemon, and serve.

This book would be a great addition to any home bar, and I know I’ll be using it to mix up some drinks for my favorite classic films. In the case of The Ugly Dachshund, it’s pretty fabulous to sit down after a long day, make myself a strong cocktail, cuddle up with my dog, and watch a fun, lighthearted movie where females make the difference.  Cheers!

Children's · Classic Films

Pollyanna

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: Pollyanna, 1960

Sometimes, it can be challenging to play the “glad game”. I’ve been thinking about this recently as I approach the one-year anniversary of my novel Follow the Sun being published. I look back on those photos of my launch party and my smiling face as I finally saw my book on a shelf, and I want to go back in time and tell this person: enjoy it because this might be the only day you’ll feel like you’re “enough”. As I wrestle with my thoughts about a book that never really found its audience, and contemplate getting back on the roller coaster again, I think about what Richard Egan says in this week’s pick Pollyanna (Disc/Download): “What this girl really needs is a good shot in the arm of hope.”

In Disney’s first venture into live-action cinema, Hayley Mills plays the perpetually sunny orphan Pollyanna, who is sent to live with her rich spinster aunt Polly. In a town full of jaded, disgruntled people, this little girl is a bright light of positivity. She convinces Agnes Moorehead that it’s far too early to be picking out a coffin, she shows Adolphe Menjou that his knowledge of refracted light is actually really cool, and she helps Jane Wyman find a second chance at love with Richard Egan. With a cast like this, and a heavy dose of melodramatic music, I’m a little shocked this film was not directed by Douglas Sirk. It feels very Sirk, with a dash of Frank Capra. Just like George Bailey, Pollyanna will realize that when the chips are down, and her little white-stocking’d legs are paralyzed after a bad fall off the roof, it’s her community who’s really there for her. They are what she can be glad about, just like I’m glad for mine.

One thing I can say about Harrington (sorry, “Gladtown”) is that the residents really like their ice cream. I didn’t even know ice cream was such a thing at the turn of the century, let alone variations like Sorbet and Frappes! This week, let’s enjoy this sweet pink riff on the Strawberry Frappe, a Ladies Aid.

Ladies Aid

2 oz Beefeater Pink Gin

1 scoop Vanilla Ice Cream

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

1/4 cup Milk

3-4 Strawberries, sliced

3/4 cup crushed ice

Strawberry (garnish)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass with one large ice cube, and garnish with fresh strawberry.

I am all too aware of how many wonderful manuscripts never make it out of an agent’s slush pile, and therefore I’ll always be glad mine miraculously made it through the gauntlet of luck, timing, and craft to land with a major publisher who put so much care into the editorial and design process (not to mention the stellar audiobook version, which totally made me cry happy tears!!!). I am also glad that the wonderful people who did read Follow the Sun have reached out with their positive reactions and let me know my work meant something to them. I’m glad I still have this blog, which brings me so much joy and stress-relief week after week. I’m glad that by publishing this book, I saw my Cinema Sips community grow even more, because as it turns out, people who like to read also like movies and cocktails. I’m glad I have people in my life encouraging me to try, try again. Maybe, just maybe, I’m playing the game after all. Cheers!

Children's

The Little Mermaid

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: The Little Mermaid, 2023

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Strong enough to reduce a middle-aged woman to tears, as an animated crab sings “Kiss the Girl” to two beautiful people in a rowboat. Tears were also shed during Halle Bailey’s rendition of “Part of Your World”, even though I personally want to be where the people aren’t. The 2023 version of The Little Mermaid (Download) may be billed as an updated “live-action” spin on the 1989 cartoon that captured my 6-year-old heart, but the elements that made the original great are still there: a room full of gadgets and gizmos, a cute dog, and a Rubenesque sea witch.

Let’s get my two critiques out of the way before we get to cocktails:

  1. This movie is far too long. Are children able to sit through two-and-a-half-hour runtimes? I have trouble, and I’m forty.
  2. I don’t consider this to be live-action, but rather, “more realistically animated”. Actual, live humans account for about 20% of what’s happening onscreen. Splash was live-action, and The Little Mermaid is not Splash. Unfortunately.

As for what the film is, I would say it’s still a fun, romantic fantasy about following one’s heart. This new iteration gives us a better sense of the time period and geography than the original cartoon did, and it allows for a bit more character development. Turns out Ursula is Ariel’s evil aunt, and Prince Eric is an adopted wannabe Magellan. I like that he has more of a goal than “Prince”, and I also like the snarling sibling relationship between Ursula and King Triton. Turns out, families are complicated messes, even in a Disney movie.

With the film’s Caribbean setting, it seems appropriate to make a Rum-based cocktail. While watching The Little Mermaid, I recommend drinking this classic Fish House Punch.

Fish House Punch

¾ oz Dark Rum

¾ oz Cognac

¾ oz Peach Brandy

½ oz Simple Syrup

¼ oz Lime Juice

½ oz Lemon Juice

Lime Slice

Maraschino Cherry

Fill a shaker with ice. Add all the liquid ingredients and shake until chilled. Strain into a glass filled with fresh ice and garnish with a lime slice and cherry.

You might be tempted to make something colorful and sugary for this movie, but I prefer to stay true to the time period in which it’s set. This seems like the kind of drink that would be passed around by sailors as they’re telling tall tales of sirens and shipwrecks, while ladies struggle with their corsets. As for me, I’m content to drink it in my living room with my very cute dog, surrounded by my thingamabobs. Cheers!

Children's · Comedies

Beetlejuice

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: Beetlejuice, 1988

This week, I’m proud to say I conquered a major fear. In re-watching Beetlejuice (Disc/Download), I confronted one of my life’s main recurring nightmares, in which I’m walking through a Caligari-esque hallway of doors, not sure what’s on the other side. Is it a sandworm? Is it a room full of ugly post-modern Michael Graves furniture? Is it Michael Keaton in racoon clown makeup? I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve woken up screaming in the last thirty years.

Speaking of Michael Keaton, I don’t even want to admit how old I was before I realized that the same actor played Mr. Mom, Batman, AND aggressive bio-exorcist Beetlejuice. The man is a chameleon. Revisiting this movie as an adult, it’s amazing to see the high-caliber cast director Tim Burton pulled together. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis play ghosts trying to force a brash New York family (Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O’Hara giving MAJOR Moira Rose vibes) out of their charming Connecticut home. Winona Ryder plays the goth daughter of the interlopers, with stellar lines such as “My whole life is a dark room.” Same, girl. Eventually getting more and more desperate, the ghosts call on Beetlejuice to help them drive the city slickers away for good, which causes more problems than they’d bargained on. The special effects and makeup are pretty impressive, and a big part of what makes this movie so fun for kids (unless you were a scaredy-cat like me). But as an adult, I’m still terrified of the afterlife’s waiting room. It’s more of an existential fear than a jump scare, but still just as effective.

My favorite scenes include some delightful Harry Belafonte calypso tracks, so we may as well “Jump in the Line” with this Caribbean-inspired cocktail. With a green tint that matches Beetlejuice’s hair, this will definitely put you in the mood for Halloween hijinks. While watching Beetlejuice, I recommend drinking this Day-O the Dead cocktail.

Day-O the Dead

1 ½ oz Rhum Agricole (or silver rum)

1 oz Midori

1 oz Lime Juice

1 ½ oz Pineapple Juice

¼ oz Coconut Cream

Gummi worms for garnish

Combine Rhum, Midori, lime and pineapple juices, and coconut cream in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a gummi worm.

Although the live action Beetlejuice scared the bejeezus out of me as a small child, I had a standing date with the animated series for many years. I guess cartoon poltergeists are just less threatening. And Lydia, oh Lydia—you have my dark heart forever. Cheers!

Action/Adventure/Heist · Children's

The Goonies

LizLocke1 Comment

Image credit: The Goonies, 1985

As a child of the 1980s, I feel a certain responsibility to honor the inexplicable love my generation has for The Goonies (Disc/Download). I may have come along too late to really understand why this movie was and is such a big deal (I was only two when it premiered), but nevertheless, people still go nuts for this group of extremely loud kids and their Pacific Northwest pirate adventure. Let’s pour one out and deconstruct.

Conceived by Steven Spielberg, directed by Richard Donner, and written by Chris Columbus, this movie was practically guaranteed to be a blockbuster. These guys know storytelling. The fact that the plot is 100% ludicrous doesn’t really matter—we must keep watching to see if these kids can find the pirate treasure hidden under an Italian restaurant, escape the criminals trying to murder them, and save their family homes from foreclosure. Where things unfortunately fall apart for me is with the character of Sloth, which seems like a lame excuse for special effects and makeup in a movie that doesn’t really need them. I would even argue that we don’t need the Fratelli family at all—there’s enough action surrounding the booby-trapped treasure hunt to keep things exciting. The whole movie is one giant Rube Goldberg machine full of adventurous production design that makes you feel like you just played a game of chutes and ladders, under a steady PNW drizzle.

Having never seen this before in its entirety (I know, I KNOW!!), I was delighted to find so many tiki influences. The pirate ship, Chunk’s Hawaiian shirt, all the skulls and buried treasure—it’s like Don the Beachcomber died and went to Oregon. On that note, let’s try a cocktail that’s perfect while counting your doubloons, the Pearl Diver.

Pearl Diver

1 ½ oz Gold Puerto Rican Rum

¾ oz Demerara Rum

½ oz Gold Jamaican Rum

1 tsp Falernum

¾ oz Lime Juice

1 oz Orange Juice

¾ oz Gardenia Mix (people with more time on their hands might want to make their own. I am not that person)

1 cup ice

Fresh orchid (for garnish)

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend for about 15 seconds, then strain through a wire mesh into a Pearl Diver glass filled with fresh crushed ice. Garnish with orchid.

Even though I don’t hold an abiding love for The Goonies like a lot of people my age, I recognize its impact. It was a movie that appealed to the youth market, but adults could feel comfortable enjoying it too. Perhaps that’s what’s given it so much staying power— ‘80s kids may have grown up, but we’re still looking for an adventure. Cheers!

Children's · Classic Films

The Jungle Book

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: The Jungle Book, 1967

As I conclude my brief journey through 1967, I want to feature a movie from the 2022 Turner Classic Movies Festival (which I was very pleased to attend for the first time this year!!!), Walt Disney’s animated The Jungle Book (Disc/Download). As often happens in the world of film criticism, we tend to forget about children’s fare, but artistically, this movie takes animation in an exciting new direction. Revolution by dancing animals (and not the live ones that peed all over the Doctor Dolittle sets).

Based on the stories by Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book is one of the more visually exciting classic Disney films, similar to The Sword and the Stone with its sketchy style. Although not one of my favorite movies plot-wise, this is still a joy to watch at any age because it’s akin to seeing a painting come to life. And while we now recognize some of the harmful racial coding in several scenes, it still feels like an important transitional film for Disney in many ways. In reality, it would be the final animated film of Walt Disney’s life, the great innovator having died during production. With The Jungle Book, the Disney studio would leave tales of western royals and little-girl fantasies behind, in favor of stories that depicted a wide world of adventure. The romantic in me is glad they returned to their happily-ever-after’s with the movies of the early-1990s, but the curious animal lover in me is pretty excited to see a bear scratch his back with a palm tree. And boy, that Louis Prima track on the soundtrack still slaps.

Although tempted to defer to one of my top-five favorite cocktails (the Jungle Bird) for this movie, I decided to switch it up the flavor with Pimm’s No. 1. Plus, the addition of Ginger Beer gives it a fiery kick, perfect for swingin’ jungle VIPs. While watching The Jungle Book, I recommend drinking this Feathered Friend.

Feathered Friend

1 oz Pimm’s No. 1

1 oz Campari

½ oz Dark Rum

½ oz Lime Juice

½ oz Simple Syrup

1 oz Pineapple Juice

1 fresh strawberry

2 oz Ginger Beer

Muddle strawberry at the bottom of a shaker with lime juice and simple syrup. Add ice, Pimm’s, Campari, Rum, and Pineapple juice, and shake until chilled. Double strain into a glass with fresh ice, and top with Ginger Beer.

Thinking about the year 1967, the main word that comes to mind is change. Yes, the films were all over the place that year, and the studio system was disappearing before our eyes. But in looking at what came after, part of me thinks that this needed to happen, like a slash-and-burn of crops. The stuff that grew before was undeniably beautiful and impressive; however, we didn’t experience the truly wild, interesting flavors until new things emerged from the ashes. Cheers!

Children's · Classic Films

Doctor Dolittle

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: Doctor Doolittle, 1967

Having previously imbibed through the other four Academy Award-nominated films of 1967 (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night, and Bonnie and Clyde, respectively), I decided I may as well complete the ballot with one of the most maligned movies of all time, Doctor Dolittle (Disc/Download). I know what you’re thinking: one of these is not like the others. And gosh, isn’t that the understatement of the year!

 For all the criticism it receives, let me come right out and say that I don’t think Doctor Dolittle is nearly as bad as people say. Yes, it’s long. Yes, the songs are weird (and not even in a good way). Yes, the special effects are a little cheesy. But for all those faults, there’s nevertheless a fun, deadpan humor to the whole thing, particularly in the way Dolittle banters with his animal friends. Just the idea that a duck would have a “missus” he has to get home to, or that a Great Pink Sea Snail has a cousin in Scotland he’s been meaning to visit (Nessy, in case you were wondering), genuinely makes me chuckle. I can probably go the rest of my life without hearing the vegetarian song, or see Rex Harrison sing-speak an uncomfortable love ballad to a seal dressed in Victorian garb, but I am here for the quaint English homes, the beautiful beaches of Sea Star Island, and the teased crown of Samantha Eggar’s hair. You can take the girl out of the sixties, but you can’t take the hairspray out of Hollywood.

At 2 ½ hrs, you’ll probably need several cocktails to get through this movie. Let’s take inspiration from the living quarters of a snail shell with this perfectly pink drink- the Snail Mail.

Snail Mail

2 oz Malfy Rosa grapefruit gin

¼ oz Aperol

¼ oz Grenadine

½ oz Lime Juice

½ oz Simple Syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass.

When you compare Doctor Dolittle to live-action Disney films of the era, it comes up short. Without the catchy songs of the Sherman Brothers and the uncannily great casting Walt’s team seemed to deliver, we’re missing a lot of the magic that made films like Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks so good. But I’ll tell you what—I’ll still take Dolittle and his two-headed llama over films like Camelot or The Music Man any day of the week. If this was the end of the big-budget studio musical, at least we went out on the strangest note possible. Cheers!

Children's · Musicals · Uncategorized

Beauty and the Beast

LizLocke3 Comments
Image credit: Beauty and the Beast, 2017

Ask any female bookworm who grew up in the ’90s what her favorite Disney movie was, and you’d probably get the same answer- Beauty and the Beast (Disc/Download). Smart, shy girl doesn’t fit in with the people in her small town, longs for the type of adventure she’s only read about in stories, but feels resigned to a quiet future with her dad and his gadgets. Then, a gruff hero comes into her life and woos her with a library and fancy soup. To say that I idolized this character in 1991 would be an understatement. I had Belle dolls, Belle posters, Belle Halloween costumes, and even a prized Belle Trapper Keeper gracing my desk. I also had a Beast doll you could pull the head off of to make him magically transform into a human (which, looking back on it, was a little creepy). In short, I was A FAN. I was skeptical that a live action version of this tale could ever work, but I should have known Disney would make all my adult Belle dreams come true too.

I remember the first time I saw this adaptation in the theater a few years ago. Emma Watson opened her mouth to sing “Little town, it’s a quiet village….” and reader, I got goosebumps. These songs were so ingrained in my memory that I could recall every word and note with perfect precision. It was like a trip back to childhood, where movies seemed completely wondrous, and characters lived in your head in a way they simply don’t when you’re an adult. I loved A Star Is Born, but let’s just say I don’t have Jackson or Ally dolls in my bedroom.

Taking place in a small French village, and featuring a magic rose that slowly drops its petals, this movie deserves the kind of cocktail you could enjoy sipping for hours in a gigantic library by the light of a talking candelabra. While watching Beauty and the Beast, I recommend drinking a Rosewater Gimlet.

Rosewater Gimlet

2 oz Gin

1 oz Lime Juice

¾ oz Simple Syrup

½ oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

3 drops Rosewater

Rose Petal garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass containing an ice ball. Garnish with a rose petal.

Although there are some new tunes added to this version, the standout song is still “Tale as Old as Time”, sung here by Emma Thompson instead of Angela Lansbury. Really, this is the perfect anthem, for what’s more classic than an enemies-to-lovers story featuring a plucky girl and a gruff hero with a heart of gold? Thirty years later and it’s still bringing me as much joy as it did when I was eight. Cheers!

Children's · Comedies

The Addams Family

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: The Addams Family, 1991

They’re creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky. No, not the First Family; I’m talking about… The Addams Family! (Disc/Download) Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, this 1991 adaptation of the comic strip and hit 1960s television show is exactly the level of scary I want in my Halloween movies. That is to say—none at all.

While this film lacks a delightful jingle, it hits a lot of high notes with clever one-liners and stellar acting. Angelica Huston is radiant as Morticia Addams, the glamorous goth mom who always finds her light, and Raul Julia, who brings such joy to the role of Gomez that I want him to be my permanent drinking buddy. These two characters are supposed to be obsessed with death and the occult, but their chemistry makes this one of the happiest, healthiest marriages in the history of popular culture. And then there’s precocious little Christina Ricci as their daughter Wednesday, who enjoys electrocuting her brother and poisoning the neighborhood Girl Scouts. I feel absolutely no shame in admitting that I wanted to be Wednesday as a little girl. Hell, I still want to be her. There’s a ludicrous plot involving amnesia and stolen treasure, but obviously we’re all just here for the deliciously macabre set, black roses, and a disembodied hand named Thing.

Rounding out the Addams Family is Uncle Fester, played by an almost unrecognizable Christopher Lloyd. We’re supposed to believe he’s been lost in the Bermuda Triangle for decades despite the fact that he’s practically transparent from lack of a tan. Let’s give a toast to Fester’s #islandlyfe with this Black Sand tiki cocktail!

Black Sand

¾ oz Lime Juice

¾ oz Coconut Cream

Pinch of activated charcoal powder

1 ½ oz Pineapple Juice

2 oz Dark Rum

In the bottom of a shaker, dissolve charcoal powder in the lime juice and coconut cream. After well combined, add ice, pineapple juice, and rum. Shake until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass.

“Fleshlette” hand sculpture by http://paynescultpures.com

I can’t end this post without mentioning Cousin It, who like many of us in quarantine, is in desperate need of a haircut. If you need a break from reality right now, treat yourself to a little absurdity. The Addams Family is ready to welcome you with a lethal drink and an antique torture device. Cheers!