Category: Musicals

Musicals

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit New World Pictures, Rock 'n' Roll High School, 1979
Image credit New World Pictures, Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, 1979

It’s that time of year again- the kids are going back to school, teachers are saying goodbye to their summer freedom, and the countdown to Thanksgiving break has officially started. What a perfect time to watch a great high school movie. I was reminded of this week’s film Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (DVD) by a Cinema Sips fan, and the only thing I remembered about it from a viewing years earlier was that it had some REALLY bad acting, and some REALLY great music. After watching it again this week, I still stand by that opinion. Truly, it feels like one absurd concert film for The Ramones, much in the same way as Help! was for The Beatles. The plot is ridiculous (though thankfully, we’re spared the terror of seeing Ringo Starr try to remove a gaudy ring), but the music will leave you humming I Wanna Be Sedated long into the night.

The story of Rock ‘n’ Roll High School is relatively simple. Administrators at Vince Lombardi High School are cracking down on students listening to rock ‘n roll music. PJ Soles plays #1 Ramones fan Riff Randall, who enjoys rocking out to punk music in the parking lot of her high school, and looks like she’s pushing 30. She’s on a quest to give The Ramones a song that she’s written for them, and of course in the end, the ugliest rockers in history fight for the musical freedom of the students. There are some forgettable subplots involving Clint Howard as a high school Yenta, but really I want to just fast-forward to any scenes with The Ramones. They’re not actors, they’re barely humans, but I can’t take my eyes off of them. Crazy-talented Joey Ramone lopes across the screen while singing songs like Sheena is a Punk Rocker and Teenage Lobotomy, and I kinda swoon. Is this fine cinema? Please- it’s a Roger Corman production. Is this tons of fun? Absolutely!

When I put this movie on, I tried to think of a drink I might have ordered in the old CBGB, waiting for The Ramones to take the stage. To me, nothing says punk rock like Jack Daniels. I picture Sid Vicious swinging a half-empty bottle around on stage as he screams incomprehensible lyrics into a microphone and sweats more than a jogger in Death Valley. My drink this week may be a little low-brow, but so is this film. When watching Rock ‘n Roll High School, I recommend mixing up a Jack ‘n’ Coke.

Jack ‘n’ Coke

1 oz Jack Daniels whiskey

3 oz Coca-Cola (the more sugar, the better)

Mix the whiskey and Coka-Cola in a glass over ice. That’s it.

jack-and-coke

This is a pretty simple drink, which will leave you with more time for dancing around the living room (which you WILL want to do when the Ramones start playing). It’s bittersweet to watch this now, knowing that all of the founding members have died- most recently drummer Tommy Ramone (though he had already been replaced by Marky Ramone by the time this film was made in 1979). However, I still enjoy watching them in their heyday, sporting skin-tight jeans, thick bangs, and bored expressions. Because I rarely consume Jack Daniels, I opted to buy a tiny airplane bottle for this drink, which incidentally is the perfect size for one’s backpack, if you are headed back to school and can’t face another pep rally sober. Not that I know from experience…..   Cheers!

Musicals

Newsies

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image Credit Walt Diwney Pictures, 1992
Image Credit Walt Disney Pictures, 1992

Page-boy caps. Attractive and well-choreographed boys singing and dancing on the streets of New York. Crutchy. That’s right, this week’s Cinema Sips headliner is…… Newsies (!!!!!!). I’ve been obsessed with this movie ever since it premiered on The Disney Channel in the early-90’s. I had no idea what a labor union was, but if it involved singing catchy tunes and Christian Bale as a hot teenager in a kicky scarf, by all means sign me up. This week, while coming down from my Valentine’s sugar buzz, I decided I needed a boost in the form of this totally entertaining movie musical.

Newsies (DVD/Download) was a pretty big flop when it premiered in theaters, but since then, it has gained the cult status it so richly deserves. Newsies tells the story of the newsboy’s strike of 1899, wherein the lowly newsboys battled the mighty Pulitzer and Hearst by organizing a union and striking for increased pay and better working conditions. Of course, this being Disney, there are some wonderful songs and brilliantly choreographed dance scenes interspersed among the drama, along with some truly terrible New York accents. Heavyweight actors Robert Duvall and Bill Pullman round out the cast, but it’s Christian Bale who really shines here. This film may be an embarrassing “what was I thinking?!” moment for him now that he’s SERIOUS ACTOR Christian Bale, but I don’t care. I’ll always love him most as Jack Kelly, the cowboy of Manhattan, sellin’ papes and breakin’ hearts.

I found inspiration for my drink this week in a wonderful book I was given, Tipsy Texan by David Alan. I wanted to do something inspired by my favorite song from the movie, Santa Fe. Unsure of how green chilies might translate into the beverage arena, I opted instead to try something using the Mexican liquor Mezcal . This is similar to tequila (in fact tequila is a type of mezcal) but it has a smokier flavor. I like to imagine that Jack Kelly would have eventually turned 18 and taken his dumpy girlfriend Sarah out west, picking up a bottle of this in a border town along the way. In a nod to the age group of most of the protagonists, I’m mixing the Mezcal with good old fashioned Coca-Cola, something I’m sure the Newsies drank their share of back then. When watching Newsies, I recommend drinking a Barro Negro.

Barro Negro (From Tipsy Texan: Spirits and Cocktails from the Lone Star State)

1 ½ oz Mezcal

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

2 orange wedges

3 oz Coca-Cola (Mexican Coke if you can find it).

Pour Mezcal and bitters over ice in a glass. Squeeze the juice from the orange wedges into the glass, then drop them in. Top with Coca-Cola.

Barro-Negro

As you watch Newsies and sip your drink, feel free to laugh at all the digs at Brooklyn, which wasn’t always the hipster-mecca it is now. Back in 1899, Brooklyn was apparently a scary place full of teenagers with sling shots. Also, I can’t stop laughing when Christian Bale does his interpretive dance midway through singing Santa Fe. I say interpretive because I think he’s interpreting riding a horse with jazz hands, but it’s difficult to tell. This movie is just a classic. A classic what, I’m not sure, but definitely a classic. So drink up, dream of Santa Fe, and remember- “Headlines don’t sell papes- Newsies sell papes.” Cheers!