Comedies

Election

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Image Credit Paramount Pictures, 1999, Election
Image Credit Paramount Pictures, 1999, Election

Because Election Day is happening tomorrow, I thought it would be a great time to revisit my favorite political movie. No, not Primary Colors or Wag the Dog, or even The American President (which I do love). This week I’m watching Election (DVD/Download), and wishing Tracy Flick was actually on the ballot. Anywhere. With her type-A personality, adorable Midwestern accent, and barrel full of chewing gum, she definitely gets my vote. Who cares that she’s got skeletons in her closet- don’t all politicians?

Election is a delicious dark comedy adapted from the novel by Tom Perrotta and directed by Alexander Payne. It tells the story of Jim McAllister (played by Matthew Broderick), a high school civics teacher who oversees the school elections. Reese Witherspoon plays Tracy Flick (the overachieving student gunning for the class president vote) with a slightly manic, conniving edge. All of the actors are brilliant, and I have to say this movie does a pretty realistic job of depicting the life of a teacher. Double dates with other teachers, having to give the same lesson over and over again (Executive, Legislative, Judicial), driving a crappy car- the details are spot on. They left out the part where teachers never go to the bathroom- EVER (unless you’re Matthew Broderick and decide to pee on a tree), but overall it’s pretty accurate. Payne does such a great job of skewering Midwestern suburban life, and the politics of high school in general. It’s not surprising that Entertainment Weekly listed this as one of the top 50 high school movies ever made, and I totally agree with them. We all had a Tracy Flick in our school, and a jock like Paul Metzler, and a burnout like Tammy Metzler, and teachers like Dave Novotny (they may not have seduced their students, but there must be plenty of “cool teachers” who got into teaching because they just never really wanted to leave high school).

Speaking of Mr. Novotny, his seduction tactics have inspired my cocktail pairing this week. I mean, who wouldn’t swoon over a middle-aged loser who listens to “Three Times a Lady” and plies his young dates with root beer? (Because, you know, alcohol would be inappropriate in this totally moral- or is it ethical???- situation….) While watching Election, I recommend drinking an Adult Root Beer Float.

Adult Root Beer Float

8 oz Root Beer

1 oz vanilla vodka

Vanilla ice cream

Pour rootbeer into a chilled glass, and add in the vodka. Top with Vanilla ice cream.

root-beer-float

It’s no surprise to me that Tammi Metzler gets the most applause when she lets loose a tirade against the school political system during a debate, and I cheer right along with her classmates. It’s easy to wonder amidst all the campaign ads we’re seeing now and false promises- does it actually matter who gets elected? Will it really change anything? Make one single person smarter or happier or nicer? Only time will tell. In the meantime, I’ll watch this movie and wish that on tomorrow’s ballot I could just “Pick Flick”. Cheers!

Comedies

Shaun of the Dead

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Image Credit Universal Pictures, 2004, Shaun of the Dead
Image Credit Universal Pictures, 2004, Shaun of the Dead

This Friday is Halloween- that great American holiday where I get to eat candy, drink, and watch scary movies with the lights off in an attempt to fool the trick-or-treaters outside into thinking I’m not home. Since I’m not really one for scary movies, I’m opting for a funny-scary movie this year. Shaun of the Dead (DVD/Download) is one of my favorite movies to watch on Halloween, mainly because it celebrates drinking in a big way and doesn’t go too gross-out with the zombie makeup (I’m looking at you, Walking Dead). I get nervous when I hear hordes of teenage children running up and down the street, plastic pumpkin buckets in hand, so I can think of no better place than my living room to sit and have a nice cold drink and wait for the whole thing to blow over.

Shaun of the Dead is about man-child Shaun (Simon Pegg), who still lives with his roommate Ed (Nick Frost) in London, plays video games, gets wasted on the weekends, and forgets to call his girlfriend. Suddenly a zombie epidemic hits London, and Shaun has to get his friends and family to safety. What is the safest place he can think of? Well the local pub of course! An endless supply of beer, pub snacks, a jukebox, and plenty of seating- sounds pretty good to me. As they hole up at the Winchester, Shaun and his crew have to fend off zombie attacks, set to the tune of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now, and armed only with a cricket bat and an old rifle. I love this film because it doesn’t take itself or the horror genre too seriously. When faced with a zombie in the backyard, Shaun and Ed don’t cower in terror, but instead debate over which record they will fling to kill it (sorry, Dire Straits). Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s script is so brilliant, and I find myself laughing time and time again at the pop culture references and send-ups of typical male behavior. Shaun cares about his mates, his beer, his mum, and his girlfriend, in that order. Based on single guys I know, that sounds about right.

My drink this week is inspired by the zombies populating this film. No, it’s not a Zombie, that delicious fruity tiki drink that knocked me down and out one night on a trip to Pittsburgh. Instead, I’m going back a bit further to the Savoy Cocktail Handbook to find something more appropriate for the autumn season. When watching Shaun of the Dead, I recommend drinking a Corpse Reviver #1.

Corpse Reviver #1

2 parts Cognac

1 part apple brandy or Calvados

1 part sweet vermouth

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake vigorously, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  How’s that for a slice of fried gold?

corpse-reviver-1

This drink got its name from being touted as a “hair of the dog” hangover cure. I’m not sure how much I believe in that concept, as having too much of this drink seems more likely to give me a hangover than to take one away. I think I’ll still stick with my 8am Diet Coke, just like Shaun. Many a morning has been spent stumbling to the mini-mart in search of chemical caffeinated goodness, though honestly, the only zombie on-site at the time was probably me. This time, I’m stocking my fridge with Diet Coke in advance of Saturday morning, because you never know what you’ll run into out there. You might just see a guy with red on him, or even a dog looking up. Cheers!

Top 5 Lists

Top Five Movie Bars (Private)

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When I started the Top Five Lists last month, I promised that I would feature some private home bars that are pretty amazing. Today, dear readers, is that day. These are the bars that I wish I had in my own house- the ones I want to come home to after a long day at the office. Sadly, the generic freestanding bar in the corner of my living room is going to have to do for now. Without further ado, the Top 5 Movie Bars (Private):

1)  The Clutterbuck Home, The Party

party bar

This is pretty much the ultimate in home bars. Mid-century modern styling, a fire pit, a bar that disappears with the flip of a switch to make room for a dance floor, enough vodka to make a beautiful starlet fall for a homely waiter, and a parrot in the corner. Howdy Par-ten-er.

 

2)  Jackie Treehorn’s house- The Big Lebowski

lebowski_white_russian

 

Porn stars, White Russians, an Epcot Spaceship Earth ceiling, and furniture made out of concrete. All the ingredients for a good time.

 

3)  Jorgenson Residence- A Summer Place

Summer Place

A Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house, on the beach, with a fully loaded cocktail bar. I’ve just described my personal version of heaven.

 

4)  Mrs. Robinson’s house- The Graduate

mrs robinson house

Classy and seductive, just like Mrs. Robinson herself.

 

5)  Greenville club, Django Unchained

Django

 

This skirts the line at private because it appears to be some sort of 1800’s speakeasy in a Victorian house, but certainly the guest list is limited.  I’m not a fan of the, ahem, “entertainment”, but the bartender looks mighty competent.  Is that a coconut tiki drink I spy in Leonardo DiCaprio’s hand??

Comedies

Mystic Pizza

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Image Credit Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1988, Mystic Pizza
Image Credit Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1988, Mystic Pizza

 

Recently I was so excited to see that actress Annabeth Gish had joined the cast of TV’s Sons of Anarchy. Where has she been all these years? Aside from a small part in Beautiful Girls, I really hadn’t seen much of her since her star-making role in this week’s film Mystic Pizza (DVD/Download). That appearance got me excited to re-watch one of my favorite movies, which is an absolutely perfect pick for autumn. It makes me long for fall in New England, filled with crisp leaves, cold nights, and chunky sweaters.

Mystic Pizza follows three female friends on the cusp of adulthood as they navigate tricky romances and their future dreams while living in the small town of Mystic, Connecticut. Kat (played by Annabeth Gish) enters into a torrid affair with the married father of the little girl she babysits, Daisy (played by a very young, big-haired Julia Roberts) gets involved with a wealthy playboy, and Jo Jo (played by Lili Taylor) is debating whether or not to marry her long-time boyfriend. They work at a pizza parlor together, and I swear the pizza in this movie looks so good that I always crave it mid-way through. Just do yourself a favor and order one about half an hour before the movie starts. You’ll thank me later. What I love about this film is that these women manage to find themselves and figure out what they want out of love and life, without sacrificing their friendship. That’s the central key to why this movie works so well. Men may come and go, but the friendship among these women is forever.

As for my beverage choice this week, nothing says fall to me like apple cider. I do a little happy dance every time I see it appear in grocery stores next to the bushels of fresh apples. Over the years I’ve paired it with everything under the sun- spiced rum, whiskey, brandy, even an ill-fated night with Bailey’s Irish Cream (I do NOT recommend this if you value your stomach lining), but this week I’ve decided to go girly and make an apple cider sangria. While watching Mystic Pizza, I recommend drinking a Mystic Sparkler.

Mystic Sparkler

2 cups apple cider

½ cup cognac

750ml bottle of cava (or other dry sparkling wine), chilled

2 apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Add the apples to a large pitcher 1/4 filled with ice, reserving ½ cup of the apples for garnishing. Add the cognac, apple cider, and chilled cava.   Stir. Add more ice if necessary. Serve in wine glasses and top with more apple slices.

apple-cider-sangria

I like to think these ladies would have mixed up a big pitcher of this and sat around dishing about their trysts in abandoned houses. Seriously, haven’t any of their boyfriends heard of electricity? The characters say at the end of the film that they wonder where they’ll all be in ten years, and frankly I wonder that too. Who’s divorced, who has kids, and who still lives in Mystic, CT? I’m just putting it out there to the cinema gods that there NEEDS to be a sequel to this movie. This can’t be the end of it for these ladies. How will we ever know what Leona puts in that pizza??  Cheers!

Comedies

Edward Scissorhands

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Image Credit: 20th Century Fox, 1990, Edward Scissorhands
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox, 1990, Edward Scissorhands

This week, my film selection was inspired by some drinkware accessories my husband crafted. His company Heartless Machine was contracted to make some amazing scissor sculptures for a failed NBC pilot, and part of the collection included scissors that hook onto cocktail glasses. I liked them so much that I convinced him to make a few extras, so I am now the proud owner of some very dangerous barware! What better movie to go along with these sharp scissors than Edward Scissorhands (DVD/Download)?

Released in 1990, Edward Scissorhands was the first collaboration between filmmaker Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp. The story is about a boy who was invented by an eccentric, loving man, but before he could get his real hands and become a full human, the inventor died. Years later, the boy (by now a young man) is found living alone in the inventor’s castle by a kind Avon lady. She brings him home to her suburban house, where he falls in love with the family’s daughter (played by Winona Ryder). In the suburbs, Edward is at first a beloved novelty, sculpting hedges and creating wacky asymmetrical hairdos for all the ladies, but eventually the neighbors turn on him and he is forced to return to isolation. There are definite influences from old monster movies, as well as a great commentary on suburban life. I love Tim Burton movies for their wild production and costume design, and this movie was no exception. The neighborhood houses, though simple and plain in design, are painted in bright pastel colors to make them look even more fake than the people inside them. Johnny Depp is nearly unrecognizable in this, playing his role a bit like Charlie Chaplin with a learning disorder. I’m willing to overlook the filmmakers’ poor choice of hair color for Winona Ryder because the movie is so good, but seriously, strawberry blonde is definitely not her color.

One of my favorite scenes is when Alan Arkin takes Edward down to the basement for a drink. I can practically smell the mustiness as they descend the rickety wooden staircase, but the dad of this eccentric family has fashioned a pretty great lounge area in the corner. Sure, it’s a little sad that he has to hide it in the basement, but I love the padded freestanding bar with its vintage lights and plentiful liquor bottles. He serves Edward “lemonade”- the brown variety, which knocks him out cold. My cocktail this week is definitely not for the faint of heart, and it’s definitely not actual lemonade, though it does contain lemon juice. When watching Edward Scissorhands, I recommend drinking a chilled glass of “Lemonade”.

“Lemonade”

3 oz Amaretto

1.5 oz Bourbon

1 oz fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon simple syrup

Lemon Peel for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with cracked ice and add the liquid ingredients. Shake vigorously to blend and chill. Add fresh ice cubes to a glass, and strain the mixture into the glass. Rub a lemon peel around the rim of the glass to release the oils, then drop it into the drink to serve.

lemonade

I know I’m lucky to be married to a metalworker who can turn my barware from ho-hum to seriously cool, and I’m lobbying for him to put some of these scissor accessories up for sale on his website, http://heartlessmachine.com . But until that happens, enjoy your “lemonade” with or without sharp edges and revel in this beautiful story of a misunderstood man. After seeing what Edward can do with hair styling and ice sculpture, I can’t help but think of all the other uses for those scissor hands. Cutting up limes and lemons for cocktail hour perhaps? A girl can dream. Cheers!

Dramas

The Bridges of Madison County

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Image Credit Warner Bros Pictures, 1995, Bridges of Madison County
Image Credit Warner Bros Pictures, 1995, Bridges of Madison County

Sorry to do this again to my readers, but I’ve got another tearjerker for you this week (okay maybe not a tearjerker for everyone, but for me, watching this means I’m sitting there, a blubbering mess on the sofa, while my husband rolls his eyes.) The Bridges of Madison County (DVD/Download) is a film that I consider to be one of the most romantic ever made. I’m definitely a sucker for love stories with unhappy endings, and maybe it’s because I like knowing that I’ve already seen the best of what this couple has to offer. I’m not missing out on anything after the movie ends. The romance in The Bridges of Madison County only exists for the two hours I’m watching this film, and that’s okay. The fact that it’s a slow burn of a romance makes it even better.

The Bridges of Madison County is based on the bestselling novel by Robert James Waller. Adapted by screenwriter Richard LaGravanese and directed by Clint Eastwood, the film also stars Eastwood as wandering National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid, who meets Meryl Streep’s character Francesca Johnson while on assignment photographing covered bridges in Iowa. Francesca is an Italian war bride who came to America in hopes of grand adventures with her husband, but now finds herself shuffling around a country kitchen in middle-of-nowhere Iowa. Her husband and two children leave town for the weekend to attend a farm show, leaving Francesca alone. Alone, that is, until a rusty pick-up driven by Clint Eastwood pulls into her driveway and her life changes forever. Eastwood is absolutely magnetic in his role, and even though he was in his mid-60’s when he made this film, I dare you to find a sexier romantic lead in recent history (I’m certainly stumped). Something about his lithe frame and piercing blue eyes just gets me every time.

My drink this week pays homage to Francesca’s Italian roots. I was lucky enough to be gifted a bottle of Cocchi Americano by some very lovely and generous friends (one of whom is from Iowa!), along with a recipe for a White Negroni. I’d made the mistake of ordering a classic Negroni while on honeymoon in Italy, and I was definitely not a fan (I still wonder if I was served cough syrup). However, I’m a big fan of this version. Boozy and bright with a twist of lemon, this is a great drink to sip while you’re watching Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood flirt with the idea of running off into the sunset together.  When viewing The Bridges of Madison County, I recommend drinking a White Negroni.

White Negroni

2 parts gin

1 part Cocchi Americano

1 part White Vermouth

Lemon twist

Mix liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass, and garnish with a generous twist of lemon.

white-negroni

Of course Meryl Streep does a phenomenal job with the Italian accent in this, and while stocky and average in appearance at the beginning, she seems to transform under the gaze of Clint Eastwood into a beautiful, vibrant woman. As she reminisces later on, “I was acting like another woman, yet I was more myself than ever before.” I love this idea, that finding one’s true soulmate can change you into the person you were meant to be.  Toward the end of this movie, I’m definitely shouting at the TV when Meryl has her hand on that car door handle, and weeping like a baby at that final scene on the bridge.  I would say they don’t make romantic tearjerkers like they used to, but then came The Notebook.  That’ll have to wait though, I’m all cried out. Cheers!

Dramas

Rudy

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Image credit: Tri-star Pictures, 1993, Rudy
Image credit: Tri-star Pictures, 1993, Rudy

Since it’s been one whole year of Cinema Sips fabulousness, I’m harkening back to my very first post on A League of Their Own, where I discussed my general disdain for sporting events, and my inexplicable love for sports movies. This year, I’m switching games so I can talk about one of the all-time best football movies, Rudy (DVD/Download). Now that we’re heavy into college football season, it’s definitely appropriate viewing. While I roll my eyes at a Facebook newsfeed littered with tailgate photos and score updates, I plan on watching Rudy with a tasty autumnal cocktail in my hand to usher in fall. Some autumn spice candles may be lit- we’ll have to see.

Rudy is the wonderful inspirational movie about young Rudy Ruettiger, whose main dream in life is to play football for Notre Dame. He’s not the best student, so he can’t get into Notre Dame on academic merit, and he’s pretty small for a football player, so he’d never be recruited. But, he doesn’t give up. Even after being rejected time and time again, he continues to work on his studies at nearby Holy Cross, improving his grades, until eventually he’s accepted. Then he goes to work on becoming a football player. Everybody tells him he’ll never make the team, but he persists day in and day out, until eventually he makes the practice team. From there, he never misses a practice, and always gives a 110% during training, until finally, they let him dress for a game and run out onto the field with all the other top players. Honestly, during the final moments of the film, with Rudy’s family and friends cheering him on in the stands, I’m a weeping mess. This is the Marley & Me of sports movies- you just can’t watch it without tearing up. The game is utterly uninteresting to me. What makes this such a great film is the courageous, tenacious, and unbreakable spirit of Rudy.

My drink this week is inspired by the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  It features that great Irish export Bailey’s, along with apple and caramel.  Perfect for fall, and for when you just can’t drink another pumpkin spice latte.  This week, while watching Rudy, I’ll be drinking a Fightin’ Irish Appletini.

Fightin’ Irish Appletini

3 oz Baileys Caramel Irish Cream

1 1/2 oz Smirnoff Green Apple Flavored Vodka

1 teaspoon caramel

1 apple slice

Add Baileys and Vodka into a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake until chilled.  Prepare glass by swirling caramel on the bottom and sides.  Strain liquids into glass, then garnish with an apple slice.

fighting-irish-appletini

After thinking about this movie, I got to wondering what Rudy Ruettiger did after the big game at the end. If that was his life’s goal, to play in a Notre Dame football game, wouldn’t it all be downhill from there? A little internet research has informed me that he’s now a motivational speaker, which made me remember that the real Rudy actually did come speak at my elementary school 20 years ago, and I’m sure at the time my only thought was, “Well he looks nothing like Sean Astin.” I’m happy that his life took this particular career path though, if only because I’m seeing now how important it is that kids understand that their dreams are attainable. It’s not going to be easy, and nothing will be handed out on a silver platter, but if you work hard enough, and don’t give up, anything is possible. So hats off to Rudy and this movie for inspiring generations of people, and for goodness sake don’t forget to watch it with a box of Kleenex. Cheers!

Top 5 Lists

Top 5 Movie Bars (public)

LizLocke4 Comments

In honor of Cinema Sips’ one year anniversary, I’m launching a new feature- Top 5 Lists! Inspired by John Cusack’s “Top 5” picks in High Fidelity, these lists are by no means scientific and totally based on personal opinion.

To kick things off, this week I’m highlighting my Top 5 Movie Bars that are open to the public (we’ll get to private home bars in movies another week).

To all my readers who have found me over the last 12 months, thank you so much for following this blog.  I’ll keep drinking, watching, and writing if you keep reading!

1) Hollywood Star Lanes bar, The Big Lebowski

big lebowski alley bar

White Russians, Sam Elliott, and the Dude. Bar wisdom: “Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear, well, he eats you.” Wait, what??

 

2) The Overlook Hotel Bar, The Shining

shining-bar

OK maybe this one skirts the line at being “public” since it’s pretty much just Jack Nicholson and a creepy bartender, but hey- sometimes a man needs solitude. I’m in love with the weird lighting, tin ceilings, and ghosts of guests past.

 

3) The Park Hyatt Tokyo Bar, Lost in Translation

lost in translation bar

It looks like they make a mean vodka tonic. And they have a delightful house band called Sausalito. And Bill Murray hangs out there. Does it get any better?

 

4) The Double Deuce, Roadhouse

double deuce

Two words:  Patrick.  Swayze.

 

5)  The Winchester, Shaun of the Dead

the winchester

While I’m sure a cocktail would be hard to come by in this beer-centric pub, I give major props for pub snacks and Queen on the jukebox. If a zombie apocalypse were to descend on my city, you’d better believe I’d be headed to a bar. Snacks, alcohol, and Freddie Mercury- what more do you need?

 

*Honorable mention: Rick’s Café Americain in Casablanca. My personal distaste for African desert climates and Nazis kept it out of the top 5, but those cocktails and piano music are swoon-worthy.

Dramas

Her

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Image Credit Annapurna Pictures, 2013, Her
Image Credit Annapurna Pictures, 2013, Her

Although I had already seen this week’s film Her (DVD/Download) while it was in movie theaters last year, I decided it was time to check it out again, this time with my significant other and a lovely, bright cocktail. This was by far my favorite film of 2013, calling to mind other personal favorites like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Lost in Translation. It’s an unconventional love story, set against the backdrop of futuristic urban beauty, and  moody instrumental music. I was thrilled when this film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay because the script by Spike Jonze is truly beautiful. It makes me want to give up writing altogether because I fear that I’ll never be able to string words together as perfectly as he does in this film. Nevertheless, I was thrilled to sit back and let this lovely film wash over me once again.

Her is set in the future, however it feels like a just-out-of-reach future. People basically wear what we wear now (though men’s trousers are a bit more high-waisted), and spend their days glued to their smart phones. The architecture is a little more interesting, and most people don’t read books on paper anymore. Additionally, writing has become such a lost art that the main character Theodore (played superbly by Joaquin Phoenix) has a job crafting personal letters on behalf of others. It’s interesting to watch him writing these romantic love letters while his own love life is crumbling, as he’s still reeling from the dissolution of his marriage. Early on in the film, he gets a new computer operating system, but this OS named Samantha can actually talk to him. They begin a relationship, eventually falling in love. It sounds crazy to think that a man could fall in love with his computer, but oddly enough this is one of the most romantic stories I’ve seen on film in recent years. He’s happy with Samantha (voiced perfectly by Scarlett Johansson) and watching their romance progress is just riveting. I’ve often found that most literary love stories are totally ruined in their translation to film, simply because what I see on the screen never really matches up to the picture I’ve created in my mind. By taking away a physical half in this relationship, Spike Jonze has made a romantic film for the dreamers out there. Samantha the OS is anything I want her to be.

When I started raving about this film many months ago, I had another friend dismiss it by saying “ugh, too much orange.” Well, that’s true, there are a lot of warm colors used in the production design. I actually love all the orange though. Perhaps the reason is because I will always associate the color orange with my time spent studying in Valencia, Spain during college. The city was vibrant and alive, with futuristic architecture by Santiago Calatrava, and I found myself gravitating to bold oranges and reds both in my clothing and design choices. Thus my drink this week is inspired by that time in my life, and really does pair nicely with Her. This week, I’m enjoying Agua de Valencia.

Agua de Valencia

1 cup orange juice

2 oz gin

2 oz vodka

½ bottle cava (sparkling wine)

Sugar to taste

In a large pitcher or bottle, combine all ingredients, adding sugar a little at a time until you get it to your desired sweetness. Chill for an hour, then serve in ice-filled glasses.

Agua-de-Valencia

This is a great drink for a crowd because it can (and should) be made in advance of your party, and it’s refreshing on those hot days where should be autumn, but unfortunately still feels like summer (hello September in Texas). The drink is a beautiful yellow-orange color, and feels right at home with the visual styling of this film. The characters in Her might be a little lost, and a little sad at times, but they still seem hopeful to me. After watching this, I find myself feeling hopeful too, for even if we’re all eventually tethered to our technology, we’ll still find ways to make personal connections. That’s a world that I’ll still want to live in. Only, don’t expect me to wear unflattering trousers. Cheers!

Dramas

Mermaids

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Image Credit Orion Pictures, 1990, Mermaids
Image Credit Orion Pictures, 1990, Mermaids

Over the summer, I received a request from one ardent Cinema Sips reader for more movies starring Cher. This is somewhat of a tall order, considering that the queen diva rarely does film work. I was actually a bit shocked about how few films were on her resume, the count being only 13. That’s impossible, I thought. She’s Cher!!! I suppose it is a testament to her larger-than-life persona that she’s left such an indelible mark as an actress given the limited film work she’s done. Perhaps no movie epitomizes that persona better than this week’s Cinema Sips selection, Mermaids (DVD). This was always a favorite of mine growing up, for many reasons. A mother who serves only appetizers! Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles! Polka dot dresses! I could go on and on. Plus, Cher plays a woman who definitely likes a cocktail, so what better movie to watch with a drink?

Mermaids is about a single mother named Mrs. Flax (played by Cher) who moves her two daughters to a small town in Massachusetts (played by Winona Ryder and a very young Christina Ricci) in 1963. Mrs. Flax is hip, scandalous, and fun- basically a lady who’s been around the block a few times. Of course her elder daughter Charlotte is a conservative prude who dreams of being a nun, while simultaneously harboring a fierce crush on the town handyman (played by Michael Schoeffling, aka Jake Ryan of Sixteen Candles fame). Charlotte is constantly embarrassed by her mother, as all teenage girls are, before realizing that maybe her mother is pretty great after all. Rounding out the cast is Bob Hoskins as shoe salesman Lou, who is so charming and kind that Cher can’t help but fall for the loveable galoot. Heck, I kind of fall for him, bald head and love handles be-damned. This is definitely a coming-of-age story, but I love that it’s told from a girl’s perspective, a rarity in Hollywood.

My cocktail this week was inspired by Mrs. Flax’s culinary skills. As her daughter puts it, “Fun Finger Foods is her main source book and it’s all the woman cooks…. Entrees are too much of a commitment.” I couldn’t agree more, and frankly I wish I could get away with pizza bagels and soft pretzel bites every night. But, you know, health. However, that doesn’t mean that I can’t turn a drink into a fun finger food. I’m loving the recent Bloody Mary craze going on right now, wherein the more food you can stuff on the top of the glass, the better. Did y’all see the one with the whole roast chicken on it?? Mine isn’t that elaborate, but it does involve small foods on a toothpick. I’m pretty sure Mrs. Flax would approve. When watching Mermaids, I recommend drinking Mother’s Bloody Mary.

Mother’s Bloody Mary

2 oz vodka

4 oz tomato juice

3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

3 dashes Tabasco

Salt and pepper to taste

Random small foods- eg. Celery Stalk, andouille sausage, olives, peppers, lemon wedges, etc.

In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine the vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Shake vigorously and then strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with your small foods on toothpicks- get creative!

bloody-mary

The beauty of this drink is that it’s all in the garnish. Whatever you have laying around in your kitchen, if it fits on a toothpick, throw it in! The more the merrier! This is for ladies on the go who don’t have time to prepare a full meal and would rather drink it than eat it, kinda like Mrs. Flax. Was she a bad mother who neglected to serve her children nutritious meals? Perhaps. But did she truly love her daughters and try to do the best she could? Absolutely. I think the same can be said about many mothers out there. I was raised by a single mother who maybe took culinary shortcuts now and again (hello Steak-umm’s!) but she did the best she could and that counts for a lot. This movie makes me appreciate all the mothers out there, who maybe want to fly free and wear sexy clothes and be outrageous, but instead stay home and make peanut butter sandwiches in the shape of a star, and show their kids that they are loved more than anything. Cheers!