Comedies

In Her Shoes

October 17, 2016September 21, 2023 LizLockeLeave a comment

I’ve featured director Curtis Hanson’s films LA Confidential and Wonder Boys on Cinema Sips in the past, but this week I’m excited to write about one of his less-frequently lauded movies In Her Shoes (DVD/Download). An unconventional choice for Hanson, this quasi-rom com could have veered off into Hallmark Channel territory, but with his skilled hand it became a beautiful film about the relationship between sisters, the joy and pathos of aging, and the quest we’re all on to find professional fulfillment. The fact that it features sugary pink drinks and designer shoes, well, that’s just icing on the cupcake.

Adapted from the wonderfully fun novel by Jennifer Weiner (one of my personal favorite writers), In Her Shoes is about two sisters (Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz) who have a falling out, and struggle to find their way back to each other. Along the way they reunite with a long-lost grandmother (played by Shirley MacLaine), and discover the love and self-confidence both had always lacked. Sure there’s some romance, a lot of cute shoes, and bikini shots of Cameron Diaz after she moves into her grandma’s retirement community. But there are also some great scenes about the struggles many of us face in life, and that really triumphant moment when finally, at last, you figure out what you’re meant to do. Watching this movie just makes me hopeful.

In an effort to bond with her too-cool-for-school adult granddaughter, Shirley MacLaine spends an evening watching Sex and the City and drinking cosmos. It’s a cliche, but I’m sorry, cosmos are delicious! And for this movie, the drink fits. While watching In Her Shoes, I recommend drinking a Cosmopolitan.

Cosmopolitan

1 ½ oz Vodka

1 oz Cranberry juice

½ oz Cointreau

½ oz fresh lime juice

Lime wedge

Combine all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lime.

cosmopolitan

What always delighted me about this film was the spot-on depiction of Florida retirement communities. As a child of Florida snow-birds, I’ve always daydreamed about just running away to the land of early bird specials, white pants, water aerobics, and cocktail hour. It’s only the lack of decent Tex-Mex there that stops me. Fortunately, I’ve got In Her Shoes to remind me of what I’m missing. Cheers!

Comedies

Waiting for Guffman

October 10, 2016October 9, 2016 LizLockeLeave a comment

I seriously cannot contain my excitement for the new Christopher Guest film Mascots (releasing this week on Netflix). What has me even more excited is that fact that Guest is reviving his greatest character, Corky St. Clair from this week’s film Waiting for Guffman (DVD/Download). I thought I knew funny when I saw Best in Show….. but then I saw Guffman. To this day, no other movie has made me laugh as hard. I think it’s high time for a repeat viewing. Everybody Dance!

Being someone who personally cringes at the idea of musical theater, it’s always a joy for me to see a movie that mocks those who take it so seriously. No theater troupe is quite as pathetic as the local group seen in this movie. Uncoordinated, cross-eyed, delusional, they still believe that a hot shot producer will see their play Red, White, and Blaine and bring them to Broadway. Because that’s what every New Yorker wants to see- a musical about a crappy town in Missouri (literally- their claim to fame is a stool boom).The casting session is not to be missed, nor the choreography work in Corky’s apartment. And as the cherry on this absurd crown, Red, White, and Blaine toes that perfect line between absolutely ridiculous and surprisingly kind of…. good (even if there is no swimming in the show).

Legend has it that town founder Blaine Fabin was looking for California, but after detecting the scent of salt water he mistakenly settled in Missouri. Obviously, there was a lot of hubbub over this salt water. Salt has become a trendy ingredient in cocktails, balancing out the bitter flavors of some drinks in a really interesting way. While watching Waiting for Guffman, I recommend drinking a Salt Water cocktail.

Salt Water

1 oz Gin

¼ oz Amaretto

½ oz lemon juice

1 tbsp apples, diced into small pieces (+ 1 slice for garnish)

Pinch of Fleur de Sal seasalt

Prosecco, chilled

Muddle apples and salt together in the bottom of a champagne flute. Then add lemon juice and muddle further. Add the gin and amaretto. Top with prosecco, and garnish with an apple slice.

saltwater

Guffman was the start of Guest’s collaboration with many of his now-regulars (such as Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Catherine O’Hara, Bob Balaban, Eugene Levy, etc.) and I’m so happy to see most of them returning for Mascots. If Corky hasn’t found Broadway success yet, well I’m just goin’ home and I’m gonna bite my pillow. Cheers!

Comedies

Ghost World

October 3, 2016October 2, 2016 LizLockeLeave a comment

My apologies in advance for the shameless promotion this week, but I just can’t help it. I am SO excited for the publication of my husband’s newest book Draw Like This!, a fun and instructional guide for budding artists. Seriously, I wish I’d had this book when I was in art class. It would have saved me so much stress and eraser smudging. I’ve had my share of art teachers over the years, and many of them could have inspired Illeana Douglas’ character in this week’s film Ghost World (DVD/Download). Chunky jewelry, a checkered past, and a heavy appreciation of symbolism are apparently all you need to cut it as an art instructor. And if all else fails, set up a student critique and call it a day.

Based on the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes, Ghost World is probably in my top ten all-time favorite films. Perhaps it’s because I was Enid in high school- jaded against my hometown, indifferent about the future, and worshipful of anything weird or different. And yes, that includes Steve Buscemi (still a movie-star crush of mine). I had the colored hair, the sketchbook, the vinyl records, and the scowl. The story of Enid and her best friend Rebecca (played by a very young Scarlett Johansson) growing apart is so honest, and very true of the journey most of us take in young adulthood. We have to figure out ourselves first before we can figure out how to relate to other people.

Let’s face it, late adolescence is all about making bad choices. Not that I would call drinking too much champagne and sleeping with nice-guy Steve Buscemi a bad choice per-se, but for Enid it isn’t the smartest move. While watching Ghost World, I recommend drinking a One Night Stand.

One Night Stand

Champagne

1 Tsp brown sugar

3/4 oz Brandy

3 dashes angostura bitters

Orange peel

Place brown sugar in the bottom of a coupe glass, and top with bitters. Add brandy, then top with champagne until full. Garnish with an orange twist.

draw-like-this

As I think about what it means to be an artist, I realize that making great art is not about shocking viewers or arbitrarily assigning deep meaning to something ordinary. To me, it’s about finding what you enjoy, sticking with it, and finding your own voice. Whether it’s writing or drawing, any good teacher would tell you that practice is what makes the difference between success and failure. Of course, it helps to have some really great technical advice along the way (like the lessons in Draw Like This!). And, maybe some chunky jewelry. Cheers!

Comedies

Old School

August 29, 2016August 28, 2016 LizLocke1 Comment

I really shouldn’t like this week’s film as much as I do. Old School (DVD/Download) is, on the surface, a raucous comedy that should probably appeal to the lowest common denominator of frat-bros. But somehow, it still has me in stitches. Chalk it up to the surprisingly nuanced comedy of Will Ferrell, or perhaps just that one Graduate-throwback scene in the swimming pool. Whatever it is, it was enough to make me want to see this movie twice in the theater when it was released, and laugh my (earmuffs) ass off each time.

Although much of the action centers around three adult friends who decide to start a fraternity open to all ages, what always gets me are the simple jokes about real 30-something life. I mean, haven’t we all had a nice little Saturday involving Home Depot and Bed Bath ‘n Beyond? Or had to censor ourselves around small children? Or suffered through drunken wedding toasts? The more broadly comedic scenes involving old man Blue and KY wrestling matches may get more laughs, but for me, it’s the believable situations of couples counseling and children’s birthday parties that elevate the film to a higher standard.

Although this is certainly a beer-centric movie (and by all means, if you have a favorite brew from your college days, drink up), I’d like to make a drink for the ladies. For people who’ve seen the movie, you’ll know why I’m using vegetables in my cocktail. For people who haven’t, well, get ready for ladies night. While watching Old School, I recommend drinking a Cucumber Gimlet. (Once it hits your lips, it’s so good!!)

Cucumber Gimlet

3 thin slices cucumber (plus 1 more for garnish)

1 sprig rosemary leaves (removed from stem)

4 oz Plymouth gin

1.5 oz fresh lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Muddle cumber and rosemary together with simple syrup at the bottom of a shaker. Add gin and lime juice, and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with a cucumber slice.

Cucumber Gimlet

I don’t know that I have a strong desire to relive my college days like the guys in this film (sadly, it would probably involve Easy Mac and an empty studio apartment), but the very act of watching Old School does it for me. As I’ve mentioned, I saw it twice in the theater, both times with good friends and lots of laughs. Isn’t that was college was really about anyway? Cheers!

Comedies

Tootsie

August 22, 2016August 5, 2022 LizLockeLeave a comment

Anybody who knows me is aware that I am slightly obsessed with soap operas. Unfortunately my long-time daytime favorites were cancelled a couple years ago, and grief prevented me from latching on to a different show. But, the memories remain. Evil twins, medical emergencies, drug additions, torrid affairs- how could anyone not get hooked? Any time I want a taste of the ridiculousness, I head for my closet and pull out this week’s film, Tootsie. Dustin Hoffman as a man playing a woman to land a part on a TV soap opera is pure genius, and a fabulous love letter to the genre it skewers.

What shocks me about Tootsie is its expert handling of the still-contentious notions of feminism, sexual harassment in the workplace, and gender roles. As we are ensconced in a 24-hour news cycle about the first major US female presidential candidate, and the implications it has for women the world over, I can’t help but think- didn’t Dorothy Michaels already say everything that needed to be said on this subject in 1982? Did we just stop listening? As Dorothy, Dustin Hoffman becomes a better man as a woman than he ever was as Michael Dorsey. Dorothy tells off condescending directors, fights against chauvinism and harassment, increases the ratings for her show, and does it all while battling a five o’clock shadow. As our politicians fight about transgender bathrooms and reproductive rights, I can’t help but wish that everyone would stop and ask themselves the simple question- What Would Dorothy Do? Hand out electric cattle prods, that’s what!

The supporting cast of Tootsie is also stellar, with top notch performances by director Sydney Pollack, Bill Murray, Terry Garr, Charles Durning, and Jessica Lange. Oddly, the only Oscar awarded for this film went to Jessica Lange, for her performance as boozy soap actress Julie. In honor of Julie, who is never without a glass of white wine, while watching Tootsie I recommend drinking a White Wine Sangria.

White Wine Sangria

1/8 cup sugar

2/3 cup water

¼ cup mint leaves

1 bottle dry white wine

½ cup Cointreau

2 cups lemon-lime soda

1 sliced Orange, Lemon, and Lime

Boil sugar and water together until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, let stand 10 minutes. Combine sugar mixture, wine, mint, and Cointreau in a pitcher. Cover and chill 4 hours. Stir in soda and fruit just before serving in ice-filled wine glasses.

Sangria

Part of what I loved most about soap operas was the frequent incorporation of current events into the plotlines. From the AIDS crisis, to campus sexual assault, to mental health issues, daytime TV has always been at the forefront of social consciousness. The characters may make their point in designer clothing and perfectly coiffed hair, but like a cocktail, you need a little sugar to make the hard stuff go down easier. Dorothy Michaels may give a man a scathing lecture, but she’ll do it with a smile and a touch of charm. Cheers!

Comedies

The Money Pit

August 15, 2016August 30, 2016 LizLockeLeave a comment

As I embark on my first major home renovation, one image keeps streaming through my head- Tom Hanks, clinging desperately to a staircase, as his house collapses around him. Granted, my project is just a simple kitchen, but it’s still shocking how quickly even the smallest project can become like The Money Pit (DVD/Download). Budget? Double it. Time? Double it. Sanity? Kiss it goodbye.

I was lucky to find a house that didn’t need a lot of initial work when I moved in eight years ago, unlike Tom Hanks and Shelley Long in The Money Pit. They land a bargain on an enormous mansion, only to find that it needs a staggering amount of renovation. Costs spiral as their relationship implodes, and this funny 80’s slapstick comedy becomes a cautionary tale of home ownership. It’s no wonder Shelley Long is basically drunk throughout this process -my own bar is also heavily stocked! Maybe then I won’t care when workers show up late (if at all), or when my house is enveloped in a cloud of dust, or when my savings account dwindles before my eyes. Enough martinis and you can survive anything.

As anyone who’s ever done a home renovation can tell you, the contractor is king. Actually, he’s like a mythical creature who you pay enormous sums of money to, before waiting around hopelessly for an encore appearance. The Shirk Bros. embody this archetype perfectly, and that name- spot on. In ode to their musical tastes, while watching The Money Pit I recommend drinking an I Gotta Bee Me Martini.

I Gotta Bee Me Martini

4 oz vodka

1 oz lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon warm water

Combine honey and warm water in a cocktail shaker and stir it until the honey is dissolved. Add vodka, lemon juice, and ice and shake vigorously until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Bee Martini

This cocktail seems easy enough for me to make while I’m held hostage in another part of the house for a week (or two, or three- we’ll see). Luckily I have a partner who’s in this all the way with me; someone who won’t accuse me of seducing an ex to pay for a new oven. After all, he knows I hate to cook. Cheers!

Comedies

Welcome to the Dollhouse

August 8, 2016August 6, 2025 LizLockeLeave a comment

Middle school is rough. Nobody looks good, kids are cruel, and college seems hopelessly far away. As the current wife of a middle school teacher, I have observed that not much has changed in the last 20 years, including my perspective. I always say, if you liked middle school, you were doing it wrong. What got me through? The brilliantly dark and hilarious film Welcome to the Dollhouse (DVD/Download). Just knowing that somebody out there created a character like Dawn Weiner made me feel a little less alone, and to be honest, a little better about myself. No matter how bad you had it in middle school, nobody had it as bad as Weiner Dog.

Persecuted by her peers and her parents, Dawn is just trying to get through the day without being ridiculed, tormented, or embarrassed. It doesn’t help that she wears her elastic waist shorts practically up to her chest, and has some unfortunate Coke-bottle glasses. (Hey, I wore turtlenecks and sweatshirts. Together. No judgement here). What truly sets Dawn up for failure is her inability to realize the hopelessness of her crush on suburban New Jersey heartthrob Steve Rogers. He’s older, he’s in a band, and he’s cute. This will never end well.

As part of her seduction plan, Dawn offers Steve fish sticks and Hawaiian Punch after school in her parent’s kitchen. Nothing says ‘I love you’ like processed frozen foods and sugary drinks. While watching Welcome to the Dollhouse, I recommend drinking an After School Special.

After School Special

4 oz Hawaiian Punch

2 oz Cranberry Vodka

2 oz Lemon-lime soda

Jell-O Jiggler (optional garnish)

Build drink over ice, stirring gently. Garnish with a Jell-O Jiggler.

I know that writer/director Todd Solondz just released Weiner Dog, a sequel-of-sorts to Welcome to the Dollhouse. However, I made the difficult decision not to see it during its theatrical release due to its rumored graphic violence against dogs (I learned my lesson after watching The Lobster!). I know, a true Solondz fan would have just sucked it up. But I’ve come a long way since middle school. The world doesn’t seem quite so bleak and heartless anymore. Maybe Dawn feels the same way. Then again, probably not. Cheers!

Children's · Comedies

The Sandlot

July 18, 2016July 13, 2016 LizLockeLeave a comment

The Sultan of Swat! The Titan of Terror! The King of Crash! The Colossus of Clout! THE GREAT BAMBINO! Like Smalls in this week’s film The Sandlot (DVD/Download), I grew up clueless about all Babe Ruth euphemisms. You mean he’s not just a candy bar?? , said my ten-year-old self. I credit The Sandlot and A League of Their Own with teaching me everything a gal needs to know about faking her way through an interest in summertime baseball. This was of course a helpful skill if I was ever going to become the future Mrs. Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez.

With Stand By Me-esque narration and a realistic depiction of awkward blended families, The Sandlot is a great coming-of-age story set in an era when kids could just play ball for hours without worrying about being kidnapped or strangled on the way home. Their greatest danger was a drooling English Mastiff behind a rusted fence, and the wrath of an oddly quiet Denis Leary once he learned his Babe Ruth-autographed baseball had been lost. And everyone knows Leary’s a Red Sox fan. So… yeah. No real danger there.

After gaining valuable life lessons on teamwork, the dangers of chewing tobacco, and kissing a hot lifeguard, the kids manage to get into “the biggest pickle” and have to resort to creative problem-solving. So while watching The Sandlot, I recommend drinking a Dirty Pickle.

Dirty Pickle

4 oz vodka

1/2 tsp dry vermouth

2 tsp dill pickle juice

Small dill pickles for garnish

In a shaker filled with ice, combine vodka, vermouth, and pickle juice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a pickle spear.

Who would have thought that 23 years later, I’d still be watching The Sandlot on a hot July day, hoping that nobody would make me go outside and play. Gotta say though, I’m glad to have graduated from a Fruitopia to a chilled cocktail. Cheers!

Comedies

Wonder Boys

June 27, 2016June 27, 2016 LizLocke9 Comments

As I prepare for a trip to Pittsburgh later this week, I find myself in the midst of an existential crisis. While it’s always fun to visit distant family, I still find myself sighing at the prospect of I.C. Light and “yinz” instead of “y’all”. Plus, there’s the inevitable feeling of inadequacy returning to the city of my youth, not having quite reached that writing career pinnacle yet. Wonder Boys (DVD/Download), that fantastic adaptation of a Michael Chabon novel, is exactly what I need in my life right now.

There are many things that draw me toward Wonder Boys- the story of a washed up literary giant who’s struggling to find his footing again. As Professor Grady Tripp, Michael Douglas becomes the teacher every writer wishes they had. Funny, encouraging, eccentric, he treats his students like the contemporaries they are. Tobey Maguire gives a quirky performance as his depressed, brilliant protégé James Leer, and Robert Downey Jr. turns on the manic charm as book editor Terry Crabtree. For cinephiles like me, the movie is a dream, filled with Marilyn Monroe references, and classic film trivia galore. I also love that it satirizes the pretentiousness of the literary and academic worlds, with Michael Douglas as a messy antidote- prowling his car through slushy grey streets, dead dog in his trunk, weed in the glove box. It’s just…. so Pittsburgh.

To me, one of the great things about this city is the constant dichotomy between old and new. Sure there are trendy lounges and hip hotels now, but there are still dive bars in the hills where James Brown impersonators like Vernon Hardapple hang out. As an ode to his pregnant baby mama/cocktail waitress Oola (who never forgets a drink), while watching Wonder Boys I recommend drinking a Double Dickel on the Rocks.

Double Dickel on the Rocks

2 oz George Dickel No. 12® Tennessee Whiskey

Lemon twist

Pour whiskey in a glass filled with cracked ice. Top with lemon twist.

Double Dickel

While I struggle to find a place for my latest manuscript (even if that place is buried inside my desk drawer), and I begin working on the next one, I have to remind myself that it’s not about recognition or seeing your book in an airport bookstore, or that coveted interview on NPR. It’s about the act of writing. As Professor Tripp says, “Nobody teaches a writer anything. You tell ’em what you know. You tell ’em to find their voice and stay with it. You tell the ones that have it to keep at it, you tell the ones that don’t have it to keep at it too… because that’s the only way they’re gonna get to where they’re going.” As I return to Pittsburgh, I feel comforted and encouraged by that advice. I haven’t arrived yet, but at least I know where I want to go. Cheers!

Comedies

Austenland

May 30, 2016May 28, 2016 LizLocke2 Comments

Due to the publication of Curtis Sittenfeld’s fabulous new novel Eligible (an adaptation of Pride & Prejudice), there has been a lot of recent publicity about the works of Jane Austen. How fortuitous that I’m closing out Cocktails & Corsets month on Cinema Sips, since there happens to be a fantastic movie that celebrates all things Austen, and features Keri Russell in corset-attire. This week’s film Austenland (DVD/Download) is an absolute must for any Austen aficionado.

Based on the novel by Shannon Hale, Austenland is about a Jane Austen superfan who travels to a fantasy resort in England in order to live the Regency-period lifestyle. This means empire waist gowns, croquet, reading in a grassy meadow, and the promise of a romance-filled ball. There are Darcy references galore, a rescue in the rain (on horseback), and catty remarks over high tea. Plus, everybody’s favorite scene stealer, actress Jennifer Coolidge. What time is check-in again?

Although my first instinct for a Jane Austen-inspired cocktail was the Pimm’s Cup, research tells me that this liqueur was not available until decades after the author’s tragically short lifespan. Therefore I’ll be serving a beverage that any Austen fan worth her salt would be drinking during her 5^th reading of Sense & Sensibility– tea. While watching Austenland, I recommend drinking an Erstwhile Evening Tea.

Erstwhile Evening Tea

1.5 oz Gin

1.5 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

1.5 oz English Breakfast Tea, chilled

.75 oz Lemon Juice

3 dashes orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled teacup, and garnish with a lemon twist.

erstwhile tea

As Jane, Keri Russell makes an interesting statement about the Regency period. She says it’s a lot like a corset- she likes the way it looks, but it makes it hard to relax. In a world where emotions are kept in check, and image and social standing matter far too much, I could see her point. Austenland might not be the best place to establish a permanent residence, but it sure looks like fun to visit. Cheers!

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