Dramas

Reds

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: Reds, 1981

While working my way through Warren Beatty’s directorial filmography over the past year, one final film remained my personal Everest. Blame it on the absurdly long run time, blame it on a bad trip with Doctor Zhivago several years ago, but whatever the reason, Reds (Disc/Download) always seemed like a steep hill to climb. However, current events have finally inspired me to strap on my boots and hit play. Verdict: now is the perfect time to dive into a movie about political activism, revolutions, and why men can’t be trusted to run anything.

Starring Beatty as journalist John Reed, and Diane Keaton as his love interest and fellow writer/activist Louise Bryant, Reds is a sweeping epic about the rise and fall of the Communist movement on both the American and international stages. I won’t get into the nitty gritty of the Socialist Party, the I.W.W, or the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 because there’s just too much to wade through. What I do want to concentrate on are the relationships between the main characters and the fantastic performance by Keaton. She gives many of the film’s best speeches, particularly one in which she decries the toxic, doomed relationship between religion and politics. Her romance with Reed seems heavily founded on shared ideals rather than shared emotions, which explains why she’s able to have an affair with Eugene O’Neill (played wonderfully by Jack Nicholson). We may be expected to root for Beatty and Keaton, but in my opinion, it’s Nicholson and Keaton who have the real chemistry. Leave it to Nancy Meyers to recreate their white linen beach stroll in Something’s Gotta Give twenty years later; after all, she knows what women want.

When John Reed travels to Russia, he’s advised to try an appetizer of salted lemon. It sounds gross (particularly when paired with a raw onion!), but if he’d listened, we might have been spared the scene of Beatty’s scurvy-ridden gums. I’m not taking any chances this winter. While watching Reds, I recommend drinking a Dirty Lemon Martini.

Dirty Lemon Martini

2 oz Vodka

1 oz Dry Vermouth

1/4 oz Preserved Lemon Brine

Preserved Lemon slice (garnish)

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Stir to chill, then strain into a glass. Garnish with a small sliver of preserved lemon.

Reds would have made a great limited series, and in fact I ended up splitting the movie into two nights of viewing. I complain frequently about bloated run times, but the truth is, you can’t tell the story of the Russian Revolution in two hours. I don’t even think you can tell it in three, though Warren certainly tries. Even though the events depicted here took place a century ago, that’s really not so long when you stop to think about it. Looking around at the anger, anxiety, and pessimism that I and so many others are feeling, it seems like no time has passed at all.

Uncategorized

To Have and Have Not

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: To Have and Have Not, 1944

If you’ve already seen Casablanca and find yourself longing for more Bogey, more romance, more resistance fighters, and more cocktails in a foreign piano bar, then you’ll definitely want to check out this week’s pick To Have and Have Not (Disc/Download). With a main character named Captain Morgan, this movie practically begs you to watch it with a drink!

In her star-making turn, Lauren Bacall explodes onto the silver screen as the smart, sultry “Slim”, a jet-setting American pickpocket who’s landed on the French colony of Martinique. Bogart’s Steve Morgan is a salty fisherman who can’t take his eyes off the beautiful dame in the hotel bar, a task that proves even more difficult after she starts flirting with him. Their romance becomes dangerous once Steve gets embroiled in a scheme to transport resistance fighters in his boat, landing him in hot water with the Vichy authorities. Political intrigue aside, this movie is worth watching for the electric chemistry between Bogey and Bacall, as well as Bacall and a movie camera. With one little shake of her hips in the film’s final moments, a star is born.

Because this movie is loosely based on an Ernest Hemingway novel (very loosely), it seems like a great time to revive the Hemingway Daiquiri. This on-the-rocks iteration is lighter than the traditional version that’s served up, but it still has the same wonderful flavors. While watching To Have and Have Not, I recommend drinking a Hemingway Highball.

Hemingway Highball

1 ½ oz White Rum

1 Barspoon Maraschino Liqueur

1 Barspoon Lime Juice

3 oz Fever Tree Grapefruit Soda

Cherry and Lime Wheel (garnish)

Combine rum, maraschino liqueur, and lime juice in a glass with ice. Top with grapefruit soda, and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a cherry and lime wheel.

Bacall’s wardrobe is absolutely stunning in this film, her menswear-inspired suits both powerful and feminine at the same time (a trademark of many of Howard Hawks’ leading ladies). One look at her singing next to Hogey Carmichael on the piano, and I get the immediate urge to whistle. Cheers!

Dramas

City of Angels

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: City of Angels, 1998

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: an angel in a trench coat falls for a human, then gives up eternity to be with her. This week, we’re talking remakes, Goo Goo Dolls, and pears with the Nicolas Cage/Meg Ryan romance flick, City of Angels (Disc/Download).

If you like your movies more dialogue and plot-heavy, less philosophical, then you may prefer City of Angels to its German ancestor Wings of Desire. Instead of flashback scenes of the Holocaust, we get panoramic views of the Hollywood sign and Malibu. Humans are still a mess, but they’re a mess in a “first world problem” kind of way. I’m happy to report that angels still hang out in libraries, and Dennis Franz does a great job picking up where fellow TV-cop Peter Falk left off as the wisecracking former angel Mr. Messinger (THAT NAME, lol). When Cage’s Seth meets Ryan’s Maggie, it’s in a Meet Joe Black-capacity, as he escorts the newest member of the afterlife to his next stop. As Seth and Dr. Maggie lock eyes over the heart attack patient she’s trying to revive, something shifts, and for the first time, this angel starts to want something. There are many cringe-inducing moments along the way (Seth hovering in a corner looking like he’s being stabbed in the gut while Maggie “relaxes” in her bathtub, being one), but for me, the romance still works. I want him to throw himself off a building to be with her, and I want her to be the one to bandage him up.

Pears play a pivotal role in this film, which is surprising for such an under-hyped fruit. Not nearly as sexy as the peach (what is it with Nicolas Cage movies and fruit??), it’s still kind of a turn on when Meg Ryan describes it as “sugary sand that dissolves in your mouth.” While watching City of Angels, I recommend drinking a Divine Pear Martini.

Divine Pear Martini

2 oz Grey Goose La Poire Vodka

¾ oz St. Germain

¾ oz Lemon Juice

2 oz Champagne

Fresh pear slices (garnish)

Combine vodka, St. Germain, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a coupe glass. Top with champagne, and garnish with pear slices.

I may not have held onto my VHS copy of this film, but I definitely still have the soundtrack. It’s endured multiple media purges thanks to “Iris” by The Goo-Goo Dolls, “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette’s “Uninvited”. This late-’90s mix is the perfect way to unwind after a tough day spent wondering if anything is within our control; if free will still exists, or if we’re all just puppets on a string. I’m more pessimistic than ever about these existential uncertainties, but I do feel pretty positive about my answer to Seth’s other question. When the guy in the trench coat asks what my favorite thing about being human is, the response will be automatic: movies. Cheers!

Foreign

Wings of Desire

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Image credit: Wings of Desire, 1987

As I’ve mentioned on here a few times already, romance that straddles the line between heaven and earth is one of my favorite film genres. From Heaven Can Wait, to A Matter of Life and Death, to Chances Are, I simply cannot get enough of these fantasy flicks. As reality becomes increasingly less appealing, it seems like the perfect time to watch the Wim Wenders 1987 German classic Wings of Desire (Disc/Download).

Sharing A Matter of Life and Death‘s visual construct of black & white for the heavenly creatures and vivid color for the human world, Wings of Desire takes us from the rooftops to the back alleys of West Berlin, a few years before reunification. In many ways, the romance between an angel and a lonely trapeze artist gets lost among the powerful commentary of a fractured society. At this point in history, Germans have seen their cities and communities crumble to ruins, and people on the whole are pretty depressed. We get a birds eye view (or, an angel’s eye view) of their psyche as the heavenly beings in trench coats listen to their thoughts, and let me tell you, those thoughts are pretty dark. Only love can make the human world bearable, which is a lesson I’m carrying with me on a daily basis.

When the angel Damiel takes the ultimate plunge and becomes human to be with the woman he loves, he’s shocked to discover the flavors he’s been missing all these years. A simple cup of coffee nearly brings tears to his eyes. I know the feeling because this espresso martini is so good, I nearly wept at first sip. While watching Wings of Desire, I recommend drinking a Salted Amaro Espresso Martini.

Salted Amaro Espresso Martini

1 1/2 oz Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur

1 oz Vodka

1/2 oz Amaro Nonino

1/4 oz Cointreau

1 oz Espresso

1 pinch kosher salt

Dried orange slice or orange twist

In a shaker with ice, combine Kahlúa, vodka, Amaro, Cointreau, freshly brewed espresso, and a pinch of salt. Shake until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a dried orange slice or orange twist.

If you like espresso martinis, this is a fantastic variation on the classic with a bit more depth of flavor. Next week, I’ll be back to discuss the American remake City of Angels, but in the meantime, enjoy this meditation on the things that make life worth living. If Nick Cave, libraries, and coffee beverages do it for you, then Wings of Desire might just be one of those things. Cheers!

Action/Adventure/Heist · Classic Films

High Sierra

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Image credit: High Sierra, 1941

Ida Lupino is having a moment. An actress I’ve always enjoyed, as well as a director I’ve idolized since the first time I saw The Trouble With Angels, this trailblazing icon is finally getting her due thanks to a new biography by Alexandra Seros and a highlighted collection on the Criterion Channel. Before most of the Ida films leave the Channel at the end of this month, I’m making it my beeswax to watch as many as possible, including one of her best: High Sierra (Disc/Download).

Although this film is more often remembered as a star-making vehicle for Humphrey Bogart, Ida’s performance is equally memorable. Her character Marie starts out as the unsatisfied plaything of two inept criminals, but when Bogey enters the scene as infamous bank robber Roy Earle, she knows immediately which guy deserves her attention: the one with the brains. Pining for Earle, while he pines for a young, innocent girl with a club foot (just go with me here), Marie is the steady, loyal presence he needed all along. Although any romance with a thief on the run seems doomed, at least for a short time, this desperado forms a little family with a good woman and an even better dog.

Speaking of dogs, it’s the adorable terrier Pard who helps us realize Earle (and Bogey) are complex characters. They’re not strictly “the heavy”, but they’re not fully innocent either. A complex man deserves a complex blend of liquors, so that’s just what I’m serving up this week. While watching High Sierra, I recommend drinking a Desperado cocktail.

Desperado

1/2 oz Blanco Tequila

1/2 oz Bourbon

3/4 oz Cointreau

1/2 oz Lemon Juice

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

2 oz Sparkling Wine

2 oz Sparkling Water

Orange Slice and Cherry (garnish)

Combine tequila, bourbon, Cointreau, lemon juice, and bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with sparkling wine and sparkling water, and stir gently. Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

Part noir, part melodrama, part heist movie, High Sierra checks a lot of my favorite boxes. It’s definitely one I’ll be watching again and again, specifically any time I need to travel vicariously to a 1940s Sierra Nevada mountain resort. Meanwhile, I have more Ida Lupino movies to get through, classic film books to read, and a clever dog to spoil. Cheers!

Dramas

Memento

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Image credit: Memento, 2000

I don’t often think about how memory impacts my movie consumption, but this week’s pick Memento (Disc/Download) has brought it to the forefront of my mind. A film I saw twice in the theater during its initial release, but never again in all the years after, I thought I remembered its twists and turns. I thought I remembered the ending. I thought I knew who the good and bad guys were, but I was totally wrong. Turns out, when it comes to this movie, I have amnesia.

Christopher Nolan’s breakthrough film about a vengeful man who has lost his short-term memory asks a lot of its audience. It assumes we’re able to follow as the story is told out of sequence: backward in the color scenes, forward in the black & white scenes, with tattoos and injuries appearing in reverse, their causes unknown. If you make it through with even a vague understanding of the plot, then you might feel pretty smart. Maybe that’s why I liked it so much as a teen and still do now: Memento issues a challenge, and I enjoy being challenged. Technically a neo-noir, the film follows Guy Pearce’s Leonard as he searches for the man he thinks raped and murdered his wife. Characters come into his life (Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano), and you’re never sure if they’re heroes or villains. Ultimately, the whole world seems to be taking advantage of Leonard’s condition, even Leonard himself. There are things he doesn’t want to remember, and it’s easier to move forward if everything beyond the previous five minutes is a black hole.

The story takes place where most of the great noirs have thrived, in the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles. Lenny’s world is one of cheap motels, dive bars, and abandoned buildings, with keys to rooms and cars he doesn’t remember. Maybe you’ve had a night of heavy drinking where things got fuzzy after a certain point, or maybe you’re looking for one today. While watching Memento, I recommend drinking this Memory Loss cocktail.

Memory Loss

2 oz Rye

½ oz Fernet Branca

½ oz Bénédictine

1 barspoon Maraschino Liqueur

Orange Bitters

Dried Orange Slice

Combine rye, Fernet Branca, Bénédictine, Maraschino Liqueur, and bitters in a shaker with ice. Stir to chill, then strain into a glass filled with one large ice cube. Garnish with a dried orange slice.

Nolan would go on to have the kind of career most filmmakers dream of, delivering hit after hit both critically and commercially. He’s often played with our perception of reality and time, in films like The Prestige, Interstellar, Inception, etc., and in some ways, Memento seems like the forgotten film of his oeuvre . It’s gotten overshadowed, fading from our memories like one of Leonard’s Polaroids shot in reverse. Personally, I may have forgotten the plot, but I’ve never forgotten the unsettled way it makes me feel. Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies

A New Leaf

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: A New Leaf, 1971

After a recent read of Carrie Courogen’s Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius, I’ve been working my way through all the creative breadcrumbs Miss May left throughout her time in Hollywood. Some, we’ll probably never know about until after her death. But others, like this week’s film A New Leaf (Disc/Download) are a smorgasbord of dark humor and wit, meant to be watched again and again.   

Written and directed by Elaine (her first time in the director’s chair), she also stars as botanist Henrietta Lowell, the target of broke playboy Henry (Walter Matthau) who is in search of a wealthy wife—a wife he also plans to kill, once her money becomes his. May’s Henrietta is sweet, trusting, and most importantly to Henry, the sole heiress to an immense fortune. If you like the movie Arthur, you’ll probably enjoy Matthau’s performance as a shameless snob who can’t imagine a world in which he can no longer afford lunch at Lutèce or custom-tailored suits. Yet there’s a heart under that elitist nonsense, one he doesn’t discover until he finds someone who’s even less capable of navigating the real world than he is. Henrietta has more money than she’ll ever need, but no desire or knowledge of how to manage it. And in that respect, they’re a perfect match. What one lacks, the other provides. All Henrietta needs to do is stay alive long enough for Henry to realize she’s the heart and purpose he’s been missing all these years.

Henrietta’s lack of life skills extends to the cocktail arena as well. When her suitor offers her a drink, she requests something called a Malaga Cooler, which is Mogen David kosher wine, lime juice, and soda. If you forget the recipe, it’s right there on the bottle! I’ve never had kosher wine before (it’s extra-sweet reputation precedes it), but I’m willing to give this a go. While watching A New Leaf, I recommend drinking a Malaga Cooler.

Malaga Cooler

2 oz Morgen David Wine

1 oz Lime Juice

1 oz Topo Chico sparkling water

Blackberry + Mint (garnish)

Combine wine and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake, and strain into a coupe glass. Top with sparkling water. Garnish with a blackberry and sprig of fresh mint.

I’m serving this up, the way they do in the movie, however if I were to make this again, I’d probably serve it over ice with a higher ratio of sparkling water. If Elaine has taught me anything, it’s that films and cocktails are never really finished. There’s always more tweaking to be done, at least until the studio sues for control, forcing you to go on the lam with the film canisters… but that’s a story for another time.  Cheers!

Classic Films

A Matter of Life and Death

LizLocke2 Comments
Image credit: A Matter of Life and Death, 1946

Following a brief hiatus over the holidays, Cinema Sips is back today with the question: what even is time? After a lackluster couple of weeks (honestly, more like fifty-two weeks) spent spinning my wheels, I’m starting to wonder if, like the main character in this week’s pick A Matter of Life and Death (Disc), I too have been visited by Conductor 71. Did the rest of the world stop in time, or did I?

If you’re shaking your head in confusion, then pause what you’re doing right now and go watch this Powell and Pressburger classic. The film features David Niven as a doomed British WWII bomber pilot who escapes a trip to the afterlife thanks to an accounting error from the great beyond and a thick English fog, plus Kim Hunter as the American radio operator who falls for him right before he bails from a burning plane without a parachute. Unfortunately, the higher ups realize their mistake and send an eighteenth century Frenchman to collect him from Earth, but Niv argues that it’s too late: he and the American girl are in love, and it’s not fair to punish her for their mistake. A trial is arranged in which he must argue the case that it’s possible for an American and an Englishman to fall in love at first sight, and while he takes a trip up the heavenly escalator to choose his defense attorney (options: Lincoln, Plato, and presumably Jesus), his mortal body is fighting a mysterious brain disorder. The film tackles a lot of big ideas, such as belief in the afterlife, immigration, xenophobia, and justice, but the biggest idea of all is that love conquers all; even death.

What makes this movie such a fantasy, even beyond its plot and themes, is the amazing Technicolor cinematography by Jack Cardiff. Switching between color for the Earthly scenes and black & white for the Other World, the result is a stunning display of visual achievement (in large thanks to the fantastic restoration efforts this film has benefited from over the years). Naturally, I took my cocktail cues from the vivid colors of Earth, as well as the frequent motif of a rose, which captures the tear of a woman terrified to lose the man she loves. While watching A Matter of Life and Death, I recommend drinking this Conductor 71 cocktail.

Conductor 71

1 1/2 oz Empress 1908 Gin

3/4 oz Cardamom Simple Syrup

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

7-8 drops Rosewater

3 oz Club Soda

Dried rose petals (garnish)

Combine gin, cardamom syrup, lemon juice, and rosewater in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Top with club soda, and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle dried rose petals on the top.

This film may have started as a simple request from the British government to smooth over post-war relations between America and the UK, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted how profound and enduring it would turn out to be. It leaves me feeling as though I just spent a couple glorious hours in suspended animation, and now it’s time to wake up and move forward. I can’t think of a better film to watch at the start of a new year. Cheers!

Comedies

About a Boy

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: About a Boy, 2002

Look who’s comin’ round the bend… it’s Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult in this week’s pick About a Boy (Disc/Download)! I’m shocked I haven’t covered this on Cinema Sips yet because A) it’s a Christmas movie (kind of) and B) it’s one of my all-time favorites. College-aged Liz saw this multiple times in the theater, watched the DVD on repeat, and fantasized about someday possessing enough time and disposable income that I could spend all day watching game shows, eating in nice restaurants, and having my hair carefully disheveled. Two out of three ain’t bad, I suppose. Who needs game shows anyway?

Based on the Nick Hornby novel, About a Boy pairs Grant as the single, unapologetically selfish Will, with young Hoult in the role of Marcus: a sensitive boy with a depressed hippie for a mother. The two meet through a mutual acquaintance, and soon Marcus is coming over to Will’s house after school to watch television. TV eventually turns into life advice, then friendship, and before you know it, Will’s snagged an invite to what is one of the most realistic and hilarious blended family Christmas gatherings I’ve ever seen. Marcus’s mom (a brilliant Toni Collette) gives her son a crappy tambourine for their Roberta Flack sing-a-longs, while Will gets him a Mystikal CD and portable player. As it turns out, Will is the only one who pays attention to Marcus’s needs and desires because all the other adults are too busy dealing with their own dysfunction. Interesting that it took the person who’d been stranded on his own lonely island to show up with a life raft.

Because Will’s life is basically a vacation from real adulthood, he commits to living like he’s on a sun-drenched tropical isle. He separates his daily activities into small units of time, seeks out simple indulgences, and carefully curates who is allowed to fly in for a visit. I too adopted the Island Living ethos during the pandemic, so I know for a fact that movies and tiki cocktails are a perfect match for this lifestyle.  While watching About a Boy, I recommend drinking an Island Living Swizzle.

Island Living Swizzle

1 oz Light Rum

1 oz Overproof Rum

½ oz Amaretto

1 oz Pomegranate Juice

¾ oz Lime Juice

¼ oz Cinnamon Syrup

Splash of soda water

Dried Citrus Wheel

Dusting of nutmeg

Combine rums, Amaretto, cinnamon syrup, pomegranate and lime juices in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill and combine, then strain into a glass filled with fresh crushed iced. Top with soda water and stir gently. Garnish with dried citrus and dusting of nutmeg.

Not only does About a Boy contain my favorite Hugh Grant performance, but it’s also wild to see current heartthrob Nicholas Hoult as a small pre-teen with crooked bangs and an ugly rainbow jumper. If you need a holiday movie and cocktail that are the perfect blend of acid and sweet, join me on this island and give About a Boy a watch. Cheers, and warmest wishes for a jolly holiday from Cinema Sips!

Holiday Films

The Holdovers

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: The Holdovers, 2023

It’s rare for me to consider a twenty-first century holiday flick an instant classic, but the second I saw the vintage title cards of The Holdovers (Disc/Download), I knew I would be watching this film every December, without fail, for the rest of my life. Move over Carol, The Holiday, and Love Actually; there’s a new tradition in my house.

Set during Christmas 1970, The Holdovers reunites director Alexander Payne with his Sideways muse Paul Giamatti. The comparisons to that movie are inevitable because once again, Giamatti plays a teacher who has failed to live up to his full potential. He spews intelligent insults, drinks a lot, and is extremely awkward with women. However, pairing him with a teenage boy (Dominic Sessa) instead of a fully grown man who acts like a teenage boy brings a new layer to the his performance. He’s a protector instead of a sidekick. And to the cook who’s forced to stay over with him and the boy at an abandoned New England boarding school over Christmas: friend and ally. Da’Vine Joy Randolph rightly won the Best Supporting Actress for her role as the grieving mother who just lost her only child to the Vietnam War, and seeing her bring so much nuance to this performance is watching a master at work. She makes it look easy, when it was probably anything but. Really, the whole movie could be described this way. If you told me this film was actually made in 1970, I would believe you because the cinematography, the production design, the soundtrack, and the costumes are all seamless. There is nothing that hints at the year 2023, and nothing to indicate the level of work it must have taken to achieve this kind of authenticity. Because of that, we can just sit back and enjoy a movie that already feels like it’s been part of our lives for the last fifty years.

My favorite scene in The Holdovers involves our three principal characters in the parking lot of a Boston restaurant, enjoying Cherries Jubilee “to go”. If you’re familiar with the dessert, then you know it’s prepared tableside, with cherries and brandy lit on fire, then spooned over ice cream. This cocktail uses that cherry flavor while also referencing the giant bottle of Cognac stolen from the headmaster’s office. If you’ve gotta go, go big. While watching The Holdovers, I recommend drinking a Vanderbilt cocktail.

Vanderbilt

1 1/2 oz Cognac

1/2 oz Cherry Heering Liqueur

1/8 oz Simple Syrup

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Brandied cherry, lemon twist (garnish)

Stir ingredients together in a mixing tin with ice, then strain into a Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry and lemon twist.

Of course, you could always opt for a bottle of Miller Highlife (it is the champagne of beers), however I prefer to bring a little class to this party. After all, it’s a very fancy boarding school full of very fancy people who may or may not have learned some valuable knowledge in exchange for their pricey tuition. Entre nous, I’m pretty sure the biggest lessons happened outside the classroom. Cheers!