Comedies

Swingers

September 23, 2019September 21, 2019 LizLockeLeave a comment

As a teenager, I must have watched Swingers (Disc/Download) at least a hundred times. The poster graced the walls of dorm rooms and crappy apartments, and I even made my dad take swing dance lessons with me. Ordering my first drink in a bar went something like this, “One of the Glen’s, please. Any Glen.” I’ll admit, the phrase ‘beautiful babies’ makes me cringe in a way it didn’t used to, but dang if the rest of this movie doesn’t still hold up.

Written by and starring Jon Favreau, this was the indie film darling of the 1990s. Made on a shoestring budget, Swingers launched the careers of Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, and director Doug Liman, and made big-band music and speakeasy bars cool again. As an adolescent girl, I viewed the film as valuable insight into the male psyche. But how to meet a Michael in a world full of Trents? How to make sure the guy who just asked for your number doesn’t tear it up on the way out the door? These are still questions I’m not sure I have the answer to, other than to say relationships are a crap shoot, and sometimes, even when it might feel like you’re just the guy behind the guy behind the guy, you can get lucky and the right person will come along and see you.

There is so much alcohol in this film, from martini’s to Budweiser and back again, but the best way to celebrate a “money” guy like Michael is by drinking my preferred Glen, Glenlivet. Simple, on the rocks, with a pancake chaser after midnight.

Scotch

A quote I always come back to when I’m feeling blue about not being where I thought I’d be by now in my career is Ron Livingston’s classic line, “You don’t look at the things you have, you only look at the stuff that you don’t have.” I may not have that lucrative book deal or the master bathroom of my dreams, but I’ve got a guy who’ll always call me back, and a blog that brings me joy. And that’s pretty money if you ask me. Cheers!

Comedies

500 Days of Summer

September 16, 2019September 10, 2019 LizLockeLeave a comment

I write to you today from the 136^thday of summer. The calendar may say September, the flannel pumpkins may have hit Target shelves, but here in good ole’ Austin we’re still baking in the heat. You see, summer and I have a bad relationship. Kind of like the bad relationship in this week’s film, 500 Days of Summer (Disc/Download). Eventually, you just hope someone will put us all out of our misery.

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom, and Zooey Deschanel as Summer, the movie relies heavily on colorful visuals, choreographed dance numbers, and omniscient narration to tell the story of a couple’s failed relationship. She says she’s not looking for anything serious, he doesn’t believe her, they date anyway, and he’s shocked when she dumps him. Then they kinda-sorta flirt again, before she’s suddenly married to another guy. Truthfully, Summer is…. awful. The woman likes Ringo Starr, for god’s sake. And with her high-waisted trousers, a-line dresses, and cute hair bows, her style is annoyingly perfect. So why do I watch this movie? A) because it’s an Anthropologie catalog come to life, and B) Tom. The man wears sweater vests without irony, he can turn an IKEA trip into the cutest date ever, and don’t even get me started on his drunken karaoke skills. He can do so much better than Summer.

You must understand– this is a very basic girl masquerading as someone unique. I imagine Summer would take a summer cocktail like the Aperol Spritz and make it in a new way, just because she could. Is it better? No. But using Campari instead of Aperol would make her seem cool and different. While watching this bitter take on modern love, I recommend drinking a Campari Spritz.

Campari Spritz

2 oz Campari

3 oz Champagne

Club Soda

Orange Wedge

Fill a glass with ice. Top with Campari and champagne, then fill glass the rest of the way with club soda. Stir gently to combine, and garnish with an orange wedge.

campari spritz

I come down hard on Summer (and summer), but it’s only because I don’t like being told how to feel about a character, or a season. I don’t want to be forced to like a girl just because she’s a snappy dresser, and I don’t want to be forced to like summer just because the rest of the country has a pleasant climate for 4-5 months. Let me have grey, rainy days, and strong, authentic female characters; summer is meant for someone else. Cheers!

Comedies

Slums of Beverly Hills

August 19, 2019August 17, 2019 LizLockeLeave a comment

There’s so much for me to relate to Slums of Beverly Hills (Disc/Download), including (but not limited to): the awkwardness of bra shopping, a childhood of dingbat apartments,; and most of all, a freakish obsession with the book Helter Skelter. That’s right, I was obsessed with true crime before it was cool.

In today’s world, teenage girls feel free to talk about sex and masturbation and vibrators like it’s nothing. They don’t wear underwires, and their shorts barely cover their butt cheeks. Watching Slums of Beverly Hills, it’s very clear that Vivian Abramowitz was born too early. The stuff that was scandalous in 1976 is tame by today’s standards, making this film an interesting time capsule. Even I had to Google a few things, such as—what the heck is a menstrual belt?? But while our societal norms have changed, a few things remain the same. Teenage girls will always feel awkward and out-of-place, they will always be embarrassed by their family, and there will always be people preoccupied with the crimes of the Manson Family (ahem, Quentin Tarantino. And me).

Viv’s cousin Rita (Marissa Tomei) is the quintessential California chick in the ’70s—beautiful, scattered, and fueled mostly by diuretics and vodka. This girl needs to get her vitamins where she can. Let’s celebrate Rita, and the superior fruit crops of California with this Avocado ‘Rita.

Avocado ‘Rita

1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

1 cup ice

2 oz Reposado tequila

1 oz Cointreau

1 oz Lime Juice

Pinch of salt, plus more for glass.

Rim a glass with salt, and set aside. Add remaining ingredients to a blender. Pulse until smooth. Pour into prepared glass.

Writer/Director Tamara Jenkins has made several films that’ve strongly resonated with me, but none more than this one. Because to be a teenage girl is to deal with a constant string of dingbats—things that promise the good life but never deliver. For anyone who’s ever had to accept life and all its disappointments, flaws, etc., this drink’s for you. Cheers!

Comedies

Breaking Away

August 5, 2019August 4, 2019 LizLockeLeave a comment

For anybody who thinks Breaking Away (Disc/Download) is only about cycling, let me enlighten you to the real reason we watch this movie— Dennis. Quaid’s. Abs. All kidding aside, this is a great flick for when you find yourself in the summer doldrums, waiting for something to change, even when it seems like nothing ever will. It’s a movie about feeling like you’re on the precipice of… something. You just don’t know what yet.

Starring Beck doppelgänger Dennis Christopher as a teen obsessed with Italian cyclists, Breaking Away follows Dave and his three buddies as they figure out how to go from high school to adulthood. As “townies” in Bloomington, IN, they’re ridiculed by the university jocks and frat boys, their ambitions reduced to pipe dreams that’ll never come true. But Dave doesn’t care—he goes after the pretty sorority girl, pretends he’s Italian, and trains obsessively to compete in the local bike race. His friends think he’s a little nuts, his parents think he’s really nuts, but none of that matters. He’s got a goal, and nothing’s gonna stop him.

When the Italian racers come to Indiana, they’re sponsored by the Cinzano alcohol brand. How fortuitous for Cinema Sips! But the thing is, these Cinzano racers are evil. Threatened by Dave’s natural talent, they sabotage his bike, leaving him broken and bloody on the side of the road. So I’m boycotting Cinzano, in favor of my other favorite summertime Italian aperitif Aperol. While watching Breaking Away, I recommend drinking this Cutter Collins.

Cutter Collins

1 ½ oz Gin

1 ½ oz Aperol

¾ oz Lemon Juice

¼ oz Simple Syrup

4 basil leaves, roughly torn

½ oz Prosecco

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, and shake until well chilled and combined. Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice, and top with prosecco. Garnish with a sprig of basil.

Cutter

For anyone who’s ever felt like their dreams are unattainable, this is a good reminder that hard work and dedication can go a long way. Also, it’s okay to ask for a little help from your friends. Especially if that friend is a glistening, shirtless Dennis Quaid. Cheers!

Comedies

Shag

July 29, 2019July 31, 2019 LizLockeLeave a comment

If you’re a fan of Dirty Dancing and Where the Boys Are, let me introduce you to their love child- Shag (Disc). This 80s-made/60s-set gem is the kind of movie I would have watched in my VCR until the tape finally wore out. It’s the summer fling flick I’ve been waiting my whole life for, and luckily, it found me after I was of legal drinking age.

Set in 1963, Shag follows four female friends who take a road trip to Myrtle Beach. One is escaping a fiancé she’s just not that into, one is escaping her reputation as the “fat girl”, one is trying to be a Hollywood starlet, and then there’s Luanne- the buzzkill with the rad car. Think Sex and the City, but at the beach in retro dresses. Of course they meet boys, of course they drink, and of course they find themselves during this wild weekend. But what I love even more than the production design, costumes, and cheesy script is witnessing the bonds of female friendship. These girls are there for each other, through sexist beauty pageants, TP’d houses, and beyond.

Because Luanne lays down the law early that her daddy’s bourbon is strictly off-limits, we’ve gotta make do with tequila. For a fun, summertime movie like this, you need something sweet, sparkling, and deceptively boozy. I recommend drinking this Strawberry Shag.

Strawberry Shag

4 strawberries + 1 for garnish

½ oz agave nectar or simple syrup

1 oz lime juice

2 oz tequila

2 basil leaves

6 oz club soda

Blend strawberries, agave nectar, lime juice, tequila, and basil in a blender, without ice. Strain, and set aside. Then, add crushed ice to a glass, and pour in the blended mixture. Top with club soda, and garnish with a strawberry.

Strawberry Shag

I didn’t know until this movie that “shag” was a kind of dance, and not a particularly sexual one. Plus, Bubble Flip is a hairstyle, not a drink. JFK is a sweet potato, which means he’s dreamy; but also, I never realized how much he actually looks like a sweet potato. Thank you Shag, for expanding my sixties slang horizons. Cheers!

Comedies · Dramas · Musicals

Little Voice

July 22, 2019July 21, 2019 LizLockeLeave a comment

For something called Little Voice (Disc/Download), this might be one of the loudest movies I’ve ever experienced. From the shrill nagging of Brenda Blethyn, to Michael Caine’s tour-de-force meltdown, to the amazing musical mimicry by Jane Horrocks, my ears are still ringing. Let’s take a quiet breath before we discuss a magical movie that fostered my love of the classic chanteuse.

Set in a crappy seaport town, Little Voice is part of the late ‘90s heyday of quirky British cinema. Films like Brassed Off, Billy Elliott, and The Full Monty give the impression that England is a cold, grey place where everyone’s broke, the food is terrible, but somehow people can sing and dance really well. As Little Voice, Jane Horrocks plays a young woman clearly on the autism spectrum, who has the ability to mimic the famous female singers in her father’s record collection. She belts out all the standards, sounding EXACTLY like Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe, and others. Her promiscuous, neglectful mother dismisses her talent, until third-rate manager Ray Say (played by Michael Caine in one of his most impressive roles) decides LV could be his new cash cow. They’re cruel enough to be Disney villains, if we’re viewing Little Voice as the endangered princess and Ewan McGregor her pigeon-raising prince. This movie isn’t for everyone, but if you love old records and the cockney accent of Michael Caine, you won’t be disappointed.

Reuniting Moulin Rouge actors Ewan McGregor and Jim Broadbent, Little Voice places Broadbent in the role of Master of Ceremonies once again- this time at Mr. Boo’s nightclub. He’s got greasy, stringy hair and a sequined jacket, yet he’s the only one who seems to have even half a heart in this abusive situation. While watching Little Voice, I recommend drinking this Boo’s Muse.

Boo’s Muse

1 ½ oz Gin

½ oz Campari

½ oz Simple Syrup

¾ oz Lemon Juice

½ oz Orange Juice

Sparkling Rosé

Combine gin, Campari, simple syrup, lemon and orange juices in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Top with sparkling rosé. Garnish with an orange twist.

Boos Muse

In the end, I still love that this film celebrates the female voice. Whether it’s Judy, or Marilyn, or Brenda Blethyn screeching at the top of her lungs, they all have the power to stop men in their tracks. Little Voice’s songs may not be original, but this character is one of a kind. Cheers!

Comedies

Notting Hill

July 1, 2019June 30, 2019 LizLocke1 Comment

It’s been twenty years since Julia Roberts walked into Hugh Grant’s travel bookshop in Notting Hill (Disc/Download), but to me it feels like yesterday. Everything seems to be right where I left it—the house with the blue door, the inedible guinea fowl, the “fruitarian”— and it’s all still as endearing as it once was. Hugh may have lost the stutter and floppy hair IRL, but thankfully, William Thacker is immortal.

In this script written by the master of rom-coms Richard Curtis, average guy Will meets-cute with movie star Anna on the colorful streets of London’s Notting Hill. He plays it cool while selling books, then gets adorably flummoxed after spilling orange juice on her. Hugh Grant is the perfect blend of respectful and starstruck, with a dash of charm he just can’t turn off, and Julia Roberts is at her best, making us believe she really is just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her. She makes us understand that to her, fame doesn’t matter, and if she had it her way, she’d get to hang out at quirky dinner parties with normal folks and act, without having to choose between the two. Given her gradual real-life retreat from the big screen, I have to think maybe Julia took some lessons from Anna Scott.

My favorite way to spend an afternoon is watching Hugh Grant stutter his way through a love scene. Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Sense and Sensibility are the trifecta of Grant awkwardness, and in Notting Hill, this results in the famous Apricot & Honey scene. Personally, I don’t need apricots soaked in honey, but I wouldn’t say no to some apricots soaked in brandy! While watching Notting Hill, I recommend drinking this Low Point cocktail.

Low Point

1 1/2 oz Apricot Brandy

3/4 oz Orange Juice

4 dashes Orange Bitters

Apricot Sparkling Water

Champagne

Dried apricot for garnish

Combine Apricot brandy, orange juice, and bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then top with sparkling water. Stir gently to combine, then strain into a coupe glass. Top with champagne, and garnish with a dried apricot.

Low Point

You certainly don’t need a fizzy cocktail to enjoy this film, but it doesn’t hurt. And if you spill some orange juice on your t-shirt, take a cue from Anna and put your couture on instead. Notting Hill—I’ve missed you. I promise I won’t stay away so long next time. Cheers!

Comedies

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

June 3, 2019August 12, 2022 LizLockeLeave a comment

Yes, yes, I know, Woody Allen is #cancelled. And rightly so. But you know what isn’t cancelled? My trip to Barcelona! That’s right, Cinema Sips is headed to España this week, where I intend to drink all the cava in the city before flying off to a Menorcan cheese farm (because wine + cheese is YES). To give all you readers a taste of my getaway, I’m featuring a movie steeped in Gaudí, glasses of Rioja, and strong female performances—Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Disc/Download).

Starring Scarlett Johanssen and Rebecca Hall, this film about two American students and their romantic entanglements with a Spanish artist (Javier Bardem) feels like a step back in time. It’s the sort of dialogue-heavy, sexually freewheeling, location-specific movie that would have gotten made in the early 1970s, before focus groups and big budgets sucked the life out of everything. Shot in Barcelona and the small city of Oviedo, the country of Spain is its own character within the story—costumed in sun-drenched days, mosaic-covered buildings, and red wine-stained tablecloths. I love films where the setting is key, and truly I don’t think this story could happen anywhere else. You need the passion and fiery history of this place to make sense of Penélope Cruz’s crazy ex-wife character Maria-Elena, who goes toe-to-toe with her real life husband Bardem in an Oscar-winning performance. It just wouldn’t have the same impact if the film was shot in, say, London. The viewer needs Spain to understand that sometimes, women go a little crazy. I blame the absurdly low price-point of wine.

Speaking of booze, I may have gone over my weekly quota at this point. But when it’s cheaper than Diet Coke, AND I’m on vacation, what’s a girl to do? While watching Vicky Cristina Barcelona, I recommend drinking a glass (or three) of Red Wine Sangria.

Red Wine Sangria

2 bottles Rioja wine

1 cup brandy

1 cup orange juice

¼ cup sugar

2 oranges, sliced thin

2 lemons, sliced thin

2 limes, sliced thin

2 apples, cut into small chunks

2 cups club soda

Combine wine, brandy, orange juice, and sugar in a pot over heat until sugar dissolves. Add the fruit, and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Once chilled, add the club soda. Serve in glasses over ice.

Sangria

The thing about Vicky Cristina Barcelona is that none of the characters are likeable. They’re all incredibly self-indulgent, make terrible choices, and betray one another left and right. And yet, I really enjoy it. Maybe I want to live vicariously, to imagine what it would be like to run off for the weekend with a sexy Spanish artist. But when it comes down to it, I think I prefer running off for a whole lifetime with a sexy American artist. Cheers!

Comedies

Dazed and Confused

May 27, 2019May 26, 2019 LizLockeLeave a comment

It’s time to talk about a movie I’ve snoozed on for too long with this blog. As any Austinite can attest, you really can’t go two feet without bumping into Dazed and Confused (Disc/Download) at the end of May. Maybe part of my reluctance is that it’s more of a beer movie than a cocktail movie, but nevertheless, nothing says IT’S FINALLY SUMMER!!! like this wild ride through the last day of school, circa 1976.

Something director Richard Linklater excels at is showing us how one single, ordinary day can be life changing. He did it with the Before movies, he did it in Slacker, and he does it so well with Dazed and Confused. Following a group of students on the cusp of summer vacation, the movie feels intimate and big at the same time. There are important philosophies up for debate (Ginger or Mary Ann), words like “Neo-McCarthyism” batted around, and deep discussions about George and Martha Washington’s colonial weed business. We’re observers to this moment in time when everything seems possible for these kids; to a night when social cliques and freshmen hazing are temporarily cast aside under the light of a moontower. This is American Graffiti for the 1970s, and like that masterpiece, made twenty years after the time period it depicts. I guess we’re overdue for a version taking place in the ’90s.

As I’ve said, this is really a beer movie. If you want to be authentic, head to your local convenience store and grab a sixer. Bonus points if it’s a Texas beer. While I watch Dazed and Confused, I’ll be working my way through a favorite local brew, Zilker Brewing Parks & Rec. It really brings back memories of the Zilker Park moontower, grackles in the trees, and that distinctly Austin eau de Dillo Dirt.

Sixer

Although this is the movie that enabled drunk frat guys to quote Matthew “Alright alright alright” McConnahey until the end of time, it’s also a movie full of sweet, subtle moments like the exhilaration of a girl’s first kiss, or the excitement/terror of sitting in the backseat of a popular kid’s car, wondering how the hell you got there. It’s a film that encourages us to look around and give a hand to the people who might need a little help socially. And (most importantly) it encourages us to just keep L-I-V-I-N. Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies

That Touch of Mink

May 20, 2019May 20, 2019 LizLockeLeave a comment

The world lost a shining light of female grace and gumption last week with the passing of Doris Day. Beloved by so many, it’s difficult to pinpoint what captivated us. Was it her cheerful onscreen persona that could make even the worst day just a little bit better? Or the way she portrayed working women as real people- driven to succeed but vulnerable enough to desire love? Or perhaps it was her style- that perfect, not-a-hair-out-of-place style which made us understand how a woman could find pleasure and power in the art of beauty, just for herself. For me, it was all of these things and more. I’ve already covered one of my favorite movie characters Jan Morrow in Pillow Talk, but as we celebrate the life of Doris Day, I think it’s important to discuss another important role, Cathy Timberlake in That Touch of Mink (Disc/Download).

When I first saw this film twenty years ago, the only memory I took away was the Automat. Such a quaint but brilliant concept- a vending machine for hot food! Genius! But watching it now, as an adult, and as a fan of the romance genre, I can say That Touch of Mink was ahead of its time. Within the gorgeous Mad Men-esque world of the 1960s, we see Doris as an unemployed career-gal, meeting cute with Cary Grant over a Manhattan mud puddle. You expect this film to progress a certain way (secretary falls for her charming, grumpy, billionaire boss, etc. etc.), but instead it ends up in a totally different place. The rich tycoon doesn’t give her a job (at least not right away). Rather, he offers her a trip around the world, a new wardrobe, and a lavish penthouse, all in exchange for… being with him. Because it’s 1962, the sex is only implied, but we know what this arrangement entails. We assume Doris will slap him in the face, but surprising everyone, she agrees! She jets off to Bermuda, wears his mink coat (in the tropics no less), and lets him parade her around in front of the other tycoons and party girls. But this being Doris, she comes down with a rash and can’t actually go through with the act. Cary, in his dopey Mr. Rogers cardigans, is pissed but gentlemanly about it. She manages to snag him in the end by hatching a jealousy plot with John Astin, but already the damage is done. The audience sees Doris as a Bad Girl. A girl who essentially agrees to prostitute herself, who drinks a bottle of scotch, and invites the creepy guy at the Unemployment Office to join her in a weekend motel romp. And the thing is, I’m still pretty smitten with this version of Doris.

One of my bucket-list items is to stay at Doris Day’s hotel in Carmel, CA, the Cypress Inn. I’ve already perused their bar menu and picked out the drink I will have in Terry’s Bar (yeah, I’m that much of a planner). It’s a champagne cocktail which pairs beautifully with this sophisticated, unusual film. While watching That Touch of Mink, I recommend having a Day Drink.

Day Drink

Sparkling Rosé

Sugar Cube

Angostura Bitters

1/4 oz Peach Schnapps

1/2 oz Bourbon

Place sugar cube in the bottom of a champagne flute, and soak with a few dashes of bitters. Top with Peach Schnapps and Bourbon, then Sparkling Rosé.

Day Drink.jpg

It’s incredibly striking to see the threads this movie shares with our modern counterpart, Fifty Shades of Grey. Handsome, commitment-phobic billionaire seeks smart, pretty, innocent gal for exotic getaways, dress-up sessions, and sex? Check, check, and check. We’re missing the BDSM, but I don’t think I can picture Doris with a riding crop. Unless we’re talking Calamity Jane, in which case she’s a natural. So this week, let’s raise our glasses to Doris Day, patron saint of love, career, and family. Through her films, through her EPIC eye-rolls, I understand what it is to be a woman. Cheers!

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