Tag: comedy

Comedies

Uncle Buck

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Image: Uncle Buck, 1989

If you’re planning a family visit this holiday season, then you might be in the mood to watch everybody’s favorite movie relative: John Candy. In Uncle Buck (Disc/Download), the actor makes a killer breakfast, looks great in a bowling shirt, and knows how to talk dirty to a washing machine. He also puts the “fun” in funcle.

Written and directed by John Hughes, this film features many Hughes hallmarks such as the mid-western suburban setting, a great soundtrack, and precocious children. Gabby Hoffmann and Macauley Culkin steal every scene they’re in, always game to participate in whatever crazy scheme their uncle has cooked up. It could be pancakes the size of a kiddie pool, or microwaved socks, or a trip to the horse track; every day is a new adventure. Where the film’s conflict emerges is in his relationship with surly teen niece Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly). They butt heads because she wants to grow up too fast, while he doesn’t want to grow up at all. Honestly, this guy is a saint for putting up with her scowl for as long as he does. I’d have left her to Bug.

The cozy scenes of colder climates have me longing for a bourbon cocktail, and what better than a “buck”? This style of drink traditionally has a spirit + citrus + ginger beer, and it’s a fantastic base for experimentation. The possibilities are limitless, but in honor of Uncle Buck’s most hilarious scene, I recommend trying this Buck Melanoma cocktail.

Buck Melanoma

2 oz bourbon

¾ oz lemon juice

3-4 fresh blackberries

½ oz maple syrup

4 oz ginger beer

In the bottom of a shaker, muddle the lemon juice, blackberries, and maple syrup together. Add bourbon and ice and shake to chill. Double strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice and top with ginger beer. Stir gently to combine.

John Candy’s improv skills save Uncle Buck from being too formulaic, and they also distract from some of the broader physical comedy moments. My ego took a bit of a bruising when I realized I’m now older than Buck, but that’s okay. You can be a dreamer and a sillyheart at any age. Cheers!

Comedies

This is Spinal Tap

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Image: This is Spinal Tap, 1984

While I’m typically anti-sequel/franchise in my movie tastes, I couldn’t help but be excited about the recent return of one of my favorite fictional bands. This is Spinal Tap (Disc/Download) essentially created the mockumentary genre, and though I haven’t been lucky enough to see Spinal Tap II yet (distribution is sadly lacking in my area), I’m glad Guest & Co. are still out there, rocking hard and giving the world a much-needed laugh.

Starring Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer as a fictional British heavy metal band, This is Spinal Tap mimics the look and tone of rock documentaries like The Last Waltz, so much so that you might be fooled into thinking this is an actual non-fiction project about a trio of narcissistic, dim-witted musicians. The laughs come from the film’s absurd scenarios, improvised dialogue, and song lyrics, but never from stereotypical “jokes”. We laugh at Guest and McKean sporting matching herpes sores, not because anyone ever points them out, but because they don’t. Tap never underestimates the intelligence of its audience, yet it challenges us in new ways. Because the film’s actual director Rob Reiner plays fictional on-screen director Marty Di Bergi, the lines of real and fake are continuously blurred. By the time the song “Big Bottom” is played, you’ve already forgotten these aren’t “real” rock songs because the fact is, they are real, and they are rock n’ roll. They also happen to be incredibly funny.

Now that Spinal Tap has come back around, it got me thinking about “Auld Lang Syne”, Robert Burns’ ode to the remembrance of old friends. The movies of Christopher Guest defined my young adulthood, and they’ll always be synonymous with the nights I spent with my college crew laughing at Waiting for Guffman in someone’s dorm room, or screaming like a groupie during the Mighty Wind tour. Whether you’re watching the original or the sequel, let’s toast the movie friends (and rock stars!) that should never be forgot with a classic Bobby Burns cocktail.

Bobby Burns

2 oz Scotch

1 oz Sweet Vermouth

¼ oz Bénédictine

Garnish: Lemon Twist

Stir the ingredients over ice, then strain into a Nick & Nora glass. Twist the lemon peel over the drink to express the oils, then rest it on the rim.

I always assumed A Mighty Wind’s reunion of Guest, McKean, and Shearer as The Folksmen would be the closest we’d get to an on-screen Tap reunion, but happily, these guys keep coming back for more. From miniature Stonehenge sets, to amps that go to eleven, This is Spinal Tap is the enduring comedy masterpiece that will never seem old-fashioned, even if the players are now…well… old. Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies

Ishtar

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image Credit: Ishtar, 1987

One of the great mysteries of our world is how some films get universally maligned (or even worse, ignored), while others are lauded to the ends of the earth. I’ll never understand how most of the “Best Picture” winners of the past twenty years made it to the Dolby stage, just as I’ll never understand how Ishtar (Download) is often regarded as one of the biggest movie disasters of all time. If my post has a rallying cry, it is this: JUSTICE FOR ISHTAR!!!!

Inspired by the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby road movies of the 1940s, Elaine May’s update on the classic concept features Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as a pair of Simon & Garfunkel wannabes who agree to perform at a Marrakesh hotel. The two stars have amazing chemistry together, and when I tell you there were tears of laughter streaming down my face as they performed their terrible lounge act, complete with bongo drums and electric keyboard, it is not an exaggeration. These actors are hilarious, but it’s May’s direction and keen eye in the editing room that makes them hilarious. As evidenced in her debut film A New Leaf (another favorite of mine), she knows the exact moment to cut for perfect comedic effect. I’m ready to follow these guys wherever their musical journey leads, even into a confusing Middle Eastern conflict I still don’t fully understand. The thing is, you don’t need to. All you need to do is give in to the experience of watching Warren Beatty wrestle a blind camel through the desert as Dustin Hoffman is circled by buzzards. The fact that he’s wearing Ralph Macchio’s wardrobe castoffs from The Karate Kid truly completes the picture. Like Ishtar itself, this movie is a state of mind.

For some reason, I spent most of my life thinking this film was three hours long and exclusively shot in the Sahara desert. Maybe I thought it was a Lawrence of Arabia spoof? At any rate, I’m happy to report the desert scenes only comprise a fraction of this under-two-hours gem, though they still make me a little hot and uncomfortable. Lyle Rogers may not be able to handle his bourbon, but I sure can. This week, cool off with a Moroccan Mint Julep.

Moroccan Mint Julep

2 oz Bourbon

½ oz Cardamom Clove Syrup

Fresh Mint

Crushed Ice

Muddle 8-9 leaves of mint in the bottom of a shaker with the cardamom syrup. Add bourbon and crushed ice. Stir to combine. Top with more crushed ice and a sprig of fresh mint.

There are probably a lot of reasons this film got panned on its initial release, most of them leading back to misogyny. When a woman has the audacity to demand time and money to make her vision a reality, it often doesn’t go over well in Hollywood. There are many other things that happened during this film’s production, however before you go down that particular rabbit hole of Wikipedia, watch Ishtar. Form your own opinion. But remember: honest and popular don’t go hand-in-hand. Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies · Uncategorized

The Palm Beach Story

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: The Palm Beach Story, 1942

What’s smitten, kittens? This week I’m writing to you from the Treasure Coast of Florida, where the Lilly Pulitzer is abundant and the cocktails are strong. Of course I had to revisit the Preston Sturges classic The Palm Beach Story (Disc/Download) prior to my trip down here, though thankfully, my transportation did not include a Pullman train car with the Ale & Quail club. I also did not step on any millionaires, alas.

Starring Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert as Tom and Gerry Jeffers, the unhappily married couple at the center of this screwball comedy, The Palm Beach Story is the type of zany movie that makes you wonder if Sturges was just making it up as he went along. There are characters that, while memorable, seem to go nowhere, as well as a crazy intro involving twins, a kidnapping, and a wedding. Keep in mind, this is all in the first 60 seconds! My suggestion- make your cocktail before the opening credits and settle in, knowing not everything will make sense, but everything will be funny. This is the kind of film that gets better and better with each viewing, and one I appreciate for its plethora of scene stealers. From the deaf “Wienie King” to the sarcastic and horny Princess Centimillia, to the unfortunate bartender forced to dodge bullets and saltines, there is literally nobody on this screen who isn’t interesting to watch.

In terms of cocktails, I will spare you the “Prairie Oyster” Colbert drinks on the train because I’m not not exactly one for raw egg yolks and Worcestershire. Instead, join me in imbibing a classic Palm Beach cocktail, which will definitely appeal to the Negroni lovers out there.

Palm Beach

2 1/2 oz Gin

1/2 oz Sweet Red Vermouth

1 oz Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit Juice

Maraschino cherry and dried citrus wedge (for garnish)

Combine gin, vermouth, and grapefruit juice in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a cherry and dried citrus wedge.

If 2020-2022 was my Billy Wilder period, then 2023-2024 is fast becoming my Preston Sturges era. I can’t get enough of his imaginative plots, the social commentary, and all that brilliant dialogue. This isn’t the first Sturges film on Cinema Sips, and it won’t be the last. But Snoodles, it might just be the craziest. Cheers!