Tag: movie cocktails

Classic Films · Uncategorized

Dance, Girl, Dance

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Image: Dance, Girl, Dance, 1940

In an effort to watch more of trailblazing female director Dorothy Arzner’s work, I decided to check out the Lucille Ball-Maureen O’Hara showbiz farce Dance, Girl, Dance (Disc/Download). In this movie, there really is no star or stooge; only women trying to use whatever gifts they possess to get ahead in the cutthroat business of entertainment.

Even before the world fell in love with Lucy, Lucille Ball was already well on her way toward being the queen of physical comedy. As burlesque dancer Bubbles (later, Tiger Lily White), she uses her body to simultaneously turn men on and make them laugh. She has something special the other girls in her troupe don’t have, and whether you think her “oomph” should be overly valued or not is irrelevant. Society (read: men) have decided to place a high price on what Bubbles has. Even though Maureen O’Hara’s character Judy is technically more skilled, her skills don’t matter in this world where sex appeal is the currency. The same analogy could be made for all sorts of art forms (literary vs. commercial fiction, prestige drama vs. lowbrow comedy), and that’s how the movie stays relevant today. Creators either have “oomph” or they don’t, and if they don’t, they must carve out a niche where success comes from within, instead of from external validation. As someone who lacks “oomph”, I’ve learned this lesson the hard way.

A prime example of the difference between Ball and O’Hara’s characters occurs during the infamous hula scene. Their dance troupe is auditioning a for a New Jersey nightclub, and let’s just say the two women have very different interpretations of “hula”. The scene makes me want a Tiki beverage, but I can’t ignore the champagne cocktails imbibed throughout the rest of the movie. Let’s combine the two with this Tiny Bubbles cocktail!

Tiny Bubbles

1 sugar cube

6-7 drops Tiki bitters

5-6 oz champagne

Place a sugar cube in a coupe glass and soak with Tiki bitters. Top with Champagne.

Tiny Bubbles champagne cocktail

Maureen O’Hara has a great scene at the end where she finally gets fed up with a dance gig that isn’t bringing her an ounce of joy, and she tells off the leering men shouting during her performance. It’s a rare thing for a film of this time to call out misogyny and sexism, and I have to think this was Arzner’s influence. Surely this was the speech she wished she could give in person to studio heads and general audiences. Lucky for us, she put it on film so generations of women could sit back and applaud. Cheers!

Comedies · Sci Fi · Uncategorized

Men in Black

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Image: Men in Black, 1997, Columbia Pictures

The nice thing about the lack of good movies being released in our current cinema death spiral is that I have time to go back and revisit the ones I missed when I was either too young or too cool in the 1990s. One of these is Men in Black (Disc/Download), which basically had its own wall at the local Blockbuster. Now that we have a newly iconic extraterrestrial in Project Hail Mary‘s “Rocky”, it seems like a great time to check out a flick about aliens and humans coexisting under the watchful eye of the MIB.

I’ll admit, I had zero interest in this movie as a teen. But as an adult, I can appreciate the stellar chemistry between alien-enforcers Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Buddy cops (or buddy alien police) need to hone their banter and timing just like all the best rom-com couples, and these two are basically another classic New York love story. Additionally, Men in Black, with its thirty-year-old tech, looks better than most of today’s AI slop , making me wonder why we’re depleting natural resources to make stuff that 1990s audiences would have scoffed at. The premise that aliens are hiding within plain sight under the skin of human hosts allows for some fantastic transformation sequences, as well as some gnarly deaths. Shooting those aliens was akin to being slimed on Double Dare; I feel bad for the production assistants tasked with clean-up.

Image: Men in Black, 1997, Columbia Pictures

My favorite Men in Black scene is the emergency squid birth along the side of the New Jersey Turnpike. The parents look normal, but then when the baby pops out, you realize they’re… a little different. While watching Men in Black, I recommend drinking this classic Octopus Tiki cocktail.

Octopus

1 ½ oz orange juice

¾ oz passion fruit syrup

¾ lime juice

1 ½ oz overproof rum

1 ½ chilled club soda

1 dash Angostura bitters

Mix all ingredients except club soda in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a Tiki mug or hurricane glass filled with fresh crushed ice. Top with club soda and stir gently. Garnish with an orange slice and orchid.

I was surprised to see Steven Spielberg’s name in the credits of Men in Black as a producer, though I guess I shouldn’t have been. Are there any major alien encounter movies from the last fifty years this man hasn’t been involved in? In checking my list of possibly-decent 2026 releases, I see I’ve got the next Spielberg flick Disclosure Day highlighted. The premise? Alien encounters. Of course. Cheers!

Classic Films

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, 1957

The latest issue of MovieJawn has just hit my mailbox, and praise the lord, it’s all about nuns! Inside, you’ll find my cocktail pairing for The Trouble with Angels, but here on Cinema Sips, I wanted to celebrate one of my other favorite nun pictures: Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (Disc/Download).

Thanks to its WWII South Pacific setting, this movie lends itself perfectly to a Tiki cocktail. Robert Mitchum plays Marine Corporal Allison, who washes up on a deserted island after being separated from his unit. Turns out, the island isn’t completely deserted because Sister Angela (Deborah Kerr) got there days before on a failed rescue mission. Her accompanying priest died, and now the marine and the nun are all alone. Just like Adam and Eve, as Mr. Allison drunkenly points out. There’s something about Deborah Kerr in a nun’s habit that tends to drive men wild (see also: Black Narcissus), and it doesn’t take long for Mr. Allison to fall hard. He professes his love for her, while she professes her love for Jesus. The kicker: she hasn’t even taken her final vows! She could chuck that purity ring off and get busy in the cave with Mitchum whenever she wants. I’m not religious (which perhaps makes me a biased heathen), but to me, there is no contest: I’d choose Mitchum, every time.

Watching Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison means getting swept up in all the “will they/won’t they” tension. Will Mr. Allison be this missionary’s downfall? Or will she resist? If you think it’s getting hot in that cave, better cool off with this Don the Beachcomber original, the Missionary’s Downfall.

Missionary’s Downfall

1 oz light rum

½ oz peach schnapps

½ oz fresh lime juice

1 oz honey syrup

¼ cup diced pineapple (I used frozen)

¼ cup fresh mint leaves, packed

¾ cup crushed ice

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth, then pour into a coupe. Top with more fresh mint.

MovieJawn Spring 2026 issue w/ Missionary’s Downfall

Shot in Technicolor with a jaunty soundtrack, this John Huston picture would make a great double feature with Father Goose. It takes a heavy topic like war and shows us it’s possible to find love, friendship, and connection amid untold atrocities. I laugh when Mitchum keeps calling Sister Angela “ma’am”, but I also clutch my heart when he risks death to steal a few cans of food from the Japanese. Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is exactly the kind of movie I want for a Tiki pairing because there’s nothing better than a frosty cocktail and a hot man on this mid-century version of Temptation Island. Cheers!

*To find out more about MovieJawn, including subscription and Patreon options, visit: MovieJawn.com

Dramas

One Battle After Another

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: One Battle After Another, 2025

Another Oscar season in the books means another Best Picture winner crowned, and this year, the honor went to One Battle After Another (Disc/Download). It’s been a long time since I felt like the recipient of this award actually was the best picture of a given year, but leave it to Paul Thomas Anderson to deliver a movie critics, voters, and this jaded moviegoer can all agree on. This calls for a celebratory cocktail.

I’ve been a superfan of PT Anderson since Boogie Nights, and while Magnolia remains my favorite of his films, One Battle After Another is a worthy addition to the California canon. In this tense thriller/drama, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a stoned revolutionary who must balance fighting the forces of evil with raising his teenage daughter. He sacrifices the excitement of the cause, along with his libido, to be the stay-at-home dad she needs, until the day his peace is threatened by the vengeful Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn, quite obviously playing Greg Bovino). This sets off a chain reaction of good guys on the run, bad guys in Patagonia vests calmly plotting the next Holocaust, and great teachers like Sensei Sergio just trying to help the people of his community.

As soon as I heard the phrase “The French 75”, I knew I loved this movie. A bunch of badass female fighters named after my favorite cocktail? Heck yes! I’ve already done the gin version of this drink on the blog, but a recent trip to New Orleans proved to me that the classic cognac version is where it’s at. While watching One Battle After Another, I recommend drinking this Classic French ’75.

Classic French ‘75

1 ½ oz cognac

½ oz simple syrup

½ oz lemon juice

2-3 oz champagne

Lemon twist

Combine cognac, simple syrup, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a cocktail glass. Top with champagne, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Screenshot

It’s pretty amazing when script development, shooting schedules, and studio timelines all align to give us the movie we need at the exact moment we need it. Who could have predicted that all the chaos and horror of the last fifteen months would be happening right when One Battle After Another releases and sweeps award shows? I guess many people knew; perhaps people smarter or more cynical than me. Hollywood tends to reward movies that project a certain image of what the film community wants to believe of itself, and by awarding the Best Picture Oscar to One Battle After Another, Hollywood has sent a clear message that they do not stand with ICE. They’re telling us to have faith that this regime will be defeated, by The French 75s, or The Whiskey Sours, or whatever mocktail name sober Gen Z wants to give their coming revolution. I’ll be ready with the shaker. Cheers!

Dramas

The Cutting Edge

LizLocke2 Comments
Image: The Cutting Edge, 1992

The Winter Olympics may have snuck up on me this year, but that doesn’t mean I’m not fully prepared with the perfect watch. The Cutting Edge (Disc/Download) has everything I want from a figure skating competition, without the constant commentary and commercial breaks. These non-negotiables include: sequined costumes, sexual tension, and laughably terrible music. Who needs NBC?

Starring Moira Kelly as a bratty figure skater and D.B. Sweeney as her cocky partner, The Cutting Edge has all the hallmarks of a great enemies-to-lovers romance novel: snarky banter, characters who are somehow both the best in their respective fields, drunken confessions, and an impossible goal. Kate has clashed with every partner she’s ever had, so now she needs an arrogant hockey player to come in and upset her perfect world. He teaches her to relax a little, she makes him rediscover his competitive spirit, and together, they manage to pull off a flawless Pamchenko Twist. Do they win the gold? Who knows? Who cares! The kiss is the payoff, not the medal (although, I actually would like to know if they won the gold medal).

During Kate’s first Olympics attempt, her partner drops her flat on the ice. Moira Kelly’s butt must have been so sore making this movie! Let’s sooth those aches and pains with a drink best served ice cold, the Tequila Lemon Drop.

Tequila Lemon Drop

2 oz blanco tequila

¾ oz lemon juice

½ oz simple syrup

Sugar (rim)

Lemon Twist

Run a lemon wedge around the rim of a coupe glass, and dip in sugar. Set aside. Combine blanco tequila, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into prepared glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

I don’t typically watch the Olympics, but I always enjoy movies set in this world. The drama, the rivalries, the grudges, the hook-ups—all the stuff you don’t get on TV. Plus, thanks to The Cutting Edge, I’m now familiar with what a toe pick is. Perhaps, a little too familiar… Cheers!

Action/Adventure/Heist · Comedies

The Princess Bride

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: The Princess Bride, 1987

One movie has been requested more than any other in the decade-plus that I’ve been writing Cinema Sips, and with Valentine’s Day approaching, it seems like a great time to watch what is apparently everybody’s favorite storybook romance: The Princess Bride (Disc/Download).

Directed by the late, great Rob Reiner, this is a movie with a little bit of everything: swashbuckling action, comedy, kissing (gross), and even a tender friendship between a Spanish swordsman and his Giant friend. Told as a story from a grandfather to his grandson, this construct helps the viewer understand that the medieval tale we’re about to see is actually coming from the imagination of a child. The production design alternates between cheesy backdrops and actual locations, and the plot seems to have a million different things going on because this is what it is to be a child—everything seems big and scary and important and exciting, all at once! Romance viewers will connect with Buttercup, the farm girl-turned-fiancé of the villainous Prince Humperdinck, and her true love Westley, who has become the Dread Pirate Roberts in the years since they parted. Westley must now rescue Buttercup from Humperdinck, but first he has to rescue her from a ragtag group of kidnappers, each with their own motivations and grievances.

In terms of alcohol, there’s a great scene involving poisoned wine, and while you’re welcome to open a bottle of your favorite red, I’m incorporating it into this frothy sour. While you’re watching The Princess Bride, I recommend drinking an “As You Wish”-key Sour!

“As You Wish”-key Sour

2 oz rye whiskey

1 oz lemon juice

¾ oz simple syrup

1 egg white

½ oz red wine

Pour the rye, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white into a shaker. Shake for thirty seconds, then add ice. Shake for another thirty seconds until chilled and frothy. Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Slowly pour the red wine over the back of the bar spoon, to float on top of the drink.

Although this is admittedly not my all-time favorite movie, I can appreciate how much other people love it. I think it’s fantastic when any story connects with fans on such a deep level that they’re tattooing “Have fun storming the castle!” on themselves, or standing at the altar as a clergyman or friend proclaims, “Mawwwage is what brings us together.” Ultimately, it’s movies that bring us together, no matter what kind of fan you are. Cheers!

*NOTE: I highly recommend the Criterion edition of The Princess Bride, which contains special features I enjoyed even more than the film itself!

Comedies

The Weather Man

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: The Weather Man, 2005

While Phil Connors might be THE prognosticator of prognosticators (or maybe it’s the groundhog…), there’s another cinema weather guy who happens to be just as skilled with the green screen: Dave Spritz in this week’s film The Weather Man (Disc/Download). If you watched Groundhog Day and thought, let’s do this again but make it darker, funnier, and more relatable, then you’re in luck: Gore Verbinski has given us a winter weather movie for everyone who feels stuck, though not necessarily in a time loop.

Starring Nicolas Cage as Chicago weatherman Dave Spritz, this film is less about meteorology and more about the small tragedies and triumphs of everyday life. As Dave tries (and fails) to predict the “Spritz Nipper” of the week, his family is falling apart. His son is being groomed by a pedophile, his daughter is walking around oblivious to her camel toe, his ex-wife has moved on with Joe Jr. from While You Were Sleeping, and his famous writer dad (played by Michael Caine) was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. Did I mention this is a comedy? In one of Nic Cage’s best performances, Spritz has to navigate his shortcomings as a husband/father/son along with his relative success as a weatherman. Every public interaction is potential for disaster—either he’ll disappoint someone asking for an autograph, or they’ll be mad about the forecast and throw fast food at him from a moving car. The guy can’t win, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.

One of my favorite food assaults comes when our beleaguered weatherman gets a McDonald’s apple pie thrown at him. If you’ve ever had one of these pies, you know the middle is incredibly sticky and tenacious. Dave is now forced to attend his dad’s living funeral with apple pie smeared all over his winter coat. Oddly, the pie smear follows him through multiple scenes, an indicator that he’s pretty much given up on life. While watching The Weather Man, conjure the flavors of McDonald’s apple pie with this Spritz Nipper.

Spritz Nipper

2 oz apple brandy

1 oz cinnamon syrup

1 oz lemon juice

3 oz hard cider

1 oz sparkling water

Cinnamon stick garnish

Build drink over ice, stirring gently to combine. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

The Weather Man is a movie I always think about when our local guy is lamenting the nasty comments people leave on his social media channels after a big storm shifts track, or we don’t get the rain we so desperately needed. As Spritz learns, it’s all just wind. You can’t predict it with a hundred percent accuracy, and you certainly can’t control it. All you can do is live your life like a Bob Seger song—like a rock. Cheers!

Classic Films · Musicals

A Star is Born

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Image: A Star is Born, 1954

Because I’m in the middle of an editing project right now (fiction, not film), I thought it might be fun to look at a movie that’s had its share of editing drama. George Cukor’s 1954 version of A Star is Born (Disc/Download) was famously trimmed down by Warner Bros. to accommodate additional screenings, then later restored with some of the missing footage, plus audio and film stills. The resulting three-hour epic is certainly iconic, but it makes me wonder: was it worth it?

This cautionary Hollywood tale has been produced four times so far (the most recent being the Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga version), and by now, we’re all familiar with the general plot of A Star is Born. In this version, a talented but undiscovered singer/actress named Esther Blodgett (Judy Garland) gets plucked out of obscurity by movie star Norman Maine (James Mason), resulting in a doomed love affair as her career takes off and his gradually recedes due to uncontrolled alcoholism. Cukor takes his time telling this story, adding musical numbers that don’t do much to advance the plot, though they definitely showcase the star power of Garland. Her best moments are when she’s stripped down, not in costume, singing in a tiny jazz club, or in her own Malibu living room, with no orchestra or soundstage in sight. It makes me wonder if Warner’s wasn’t onto something when they cut a couple of those splashy numbers. Just because you can add more razzle-dazzle doesn’t mean you should. The quiet scenes between Garland and Mason are what make me fall in love with this movie—everything else feels like a distraction.

Sadly, alcohol is the main villain of this story, no matter the era or version. Norman is so charming and wonderful when he’s sober, but when he’s drinking… look out. However, if you’re inclined to moderation, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy a tipple with this. While watching A Star is Born (1954), I recommend drinking this Maine Squeeze cocktail.

Maine Squeeze

2 oz gin

1 oz Cointreau

1 oz fresh orange juice

½ oz lemon juice

Orange twist or dried orange slice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, and shake to chill. Strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a twist of orange or dried orange slice.

Although I love the music and pacing of the 2018 A Star is Born the most, this 1954 version is miles ahead when it comes to style. The gowns are incredible, the CinemaScope colors burst off the screen, and it’s fun to watch my favorite era of the Hollywood studio system come alive, with all its glamour and backstage machinations. Maybe, if you’re a supreme Judy Garland fan, you’ll love the restored musical numbers. As for me, however, I think a little editing can make even the biggest stars shine brighter. Cheers!

Comedies

Slap Shot

LizLocke1 Comment
Image: Slap Shot, 1977

You may have seen Paul Newman flex his shirtless physique in movies like The Long, Hot Summer and Cat On a Hot Tin Roof. You may have also seen him wear a bowler hat in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and look incredibly sexy doing it. But until you’ve seen him in hockey padding and 1970s leisurewear in Slap Shot (Disc/Download), you haven’t seen the best of Newman.

Filmed in the Rust Belt town of Johnstown, PA (about thirty miles from where I grew up), director George Roy Hill and screenwriter Nancy Dowd perfectly capture the scrappy defiance of the area and its people. Coarse language; opinions as outdated as the clothing; a general cold, grey filter over the entire landscape—watching Slap Shot is like coming home. Newman stars as a minor league hockey player on a losing team, who discovers the fans only want to see a brawl, not a game. He convinces his fellow players to lean into the violence, hoping the increased publicity will lead to the Charlestown Chiefs being sold, instead of outright dissolved. This leads to a lot of bruised knuckles, bloody noses, and in the case of the Hanson brothers, broken eyeglasses. At night, Newman can be found parked on a barstool, juggling the ex-wife he still has feelings for, along with a couple of other dissatisfied, horny WAGs. He’s one big flirt, making Reggie Dunlop my favorite Newman character. The man looks like he’s having the time of his life, and his cheeky charisma is infectious.

Although a case of Rolling Rock beer would go really well with a screening of Slap Shot, I prefer to make a variation on the whiskey sour. Think of the pomegranate liqueur as the bloody lip at the end of the game, and imagine you’re drinking it in the local dive bar wearing polyester and a perm. While watching Slap Shot, I recommend drinking this Sucker Punch Sour.

Sucker Punch Sour

1.5 oz bourbon

1 oz PAMA pomegranate liqueur

½ oz lemon juice

½ oz simple syrup

½ oz egg white

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine bourbon, pomegranate liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white in a shaker. Shake well for about thirty seconds, then add ice. Shake for another thirty seconds, and strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Top with a few dashes of Angostura bitters.

Hockey is back in the zeitgeist thanks to Heated Rivalry (a show I loved!), but as sexy as these young players + lovers are, they can’t hold a candle to Paul Newman in Slap Shot. Plus, with a soundtrack that includes hits by Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, and Maxine Nightingale, I think I’d rather hang out at the dive bar than the cabin. Cheers!

Classic Films · Dramas

Love Affair

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image: Love Affair, 1939

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. Now that the holiday hosting is nearly finished, all I want to do is lay on the sofa with a cocktail and a comfort watch. Even though Love Affair (Disc/Download) was a new-to-me pick in 2025, it’s a film that’s been retold so often, it feels like an old friend at this point. Or perhaps, an old lover.

Starring Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne as a pair of star-crossed paramours who meet aboard a cruise ship, Leo McCarey’s original film sparkles in a different way than his remake An Affair to Remember. The dialogue seems looser, more natural, with Dunne and Boyer sharing flirtatious banter as they enter a romance that seems impossible from the start. She’s a nightclub singer, he’s a playboy who dreams of painting, and as is the case for so many young creatives, two struggling artists put together do not equal one lavish champagne budget. But nevertheless, they decide to try. They shrug off the relationships of convenience like a mink stole on a warm summer day and agree to meet six months later at the top of the Empire State Building. I think you know where this goes, so I won’t rehash the ensuing melodrama, but boy, does it make my heart clench. I don’t know if men “get” this movie, but I definitely do.

While on the cruise, the lovers try in vain to stay away from serious topics, trying to keep everything “beautiful and bubbling like pink champagne”. Life, as they find out, doesn’t work that way. But in movies, we can wish for it anyway. While watching Love Affair, I recommend drinking this Pink French ’75.

Pink French ’75

1 oz pink gin

1 oz simple syrup

3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

Pink Champagne

Lemon twist (garnish)

Pour gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice into a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a champagne flute. Top with pink Champagne, and garnish with a lemon twist.

If wishes are the dreams we make when we’re awake, then my wish for 2026 is that we all carve out time for more pink champagne moments. Life can be heavy, hard, and full of disappointment, but that just makes it even more essential to celebrate the tiny wins and joys where we can. Reality may not be beautiful and bubbly all the time, but for the length of a classic comfort watch, it can be. Cheers!