Tag: Old Fashioned cocktail

Dramas

All the Real Girls

LizLocke2 Comments
Image: All the Real Girls, 2003

If you thought Nora Ephron had the monopoly on romance and cozy fall vibes, think again. As David Gordon Green proves with All the Real Girls (Disc/Download), you don’t need to be a wealthy Manhattanite to fall in love under the changing leaves—it can happen even in rural America.

In addition to being a great example of the stellar indie film scene of the late-90s/early-2000s, All the Real Girls marks the debut of Danny McBride, an actor I find myself inexplicably drawn to. Even though his role here is small (in typical McBride fashion, he plays a character named “Bust Ass”), it’s obvious this man was meant to be a star. Or even better: a Gemstone. This is also an early film in Zooey Deschanel’s career, defining her as a sensitive soul with big eyes, delicate mannerisms, and a pretty good North Carolina accent. Her character Noel falls for her brother’s best friend, Paul (Paul Schneider). They get together against the brother’s wishes, and although everyone assumes womanizer Paul will break her heart, it’s Noel who shatters his. The story feels real and lived in, as though it could have happened to someone you know. Or maybe it happened to you.

The characters in this movie seem to enjoy their tall boys, but watching that beautiful autumn scenery makes me want to curl up with a cozy cocktail. While watching All the Real Girls, I recommend drinking this Cinnamon Rum Old-Fashioned.

Cinnamon Rum Old-Fashioned

2 oz Aged Rum (I used Appleton 12-yr)

½ oz Cinnamon Syrup

2-3 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Orange Peel

Cinnamon Stick (garnish)

Place a large ice cube in a glass and add the rum, cinnamon syrup, and bitters. Stir gently for about twenty seconds to combine, chill, and dilute. Twist the orange peel over the glass to express the oils, then drop in. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

I’m not sure why David Gordon Green pivoted to lowbrow comedy and horror after this movie, but I keep hoping he’ll return to the foothills of Appalachia for another romantic drama. Maybe this is as foolish as wishing fall would come to my street in Central Texas sometime before December, but a girl can dream. And in the meantime, I’ll just enjoy the changing seasons on my movie screen. Cheers!

Dramas

Atonement

LizLocke1 Comment
Image credit: Atonement, 2007

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the lovers (of cocktails and movies!) out there. This week, I’m honoring one of the great love affairs in cinema history: the one that exists between the infamous Jacqueline Durran-designed Green Dress, and my eyeballs. Grab the tissues and the chocolate bars for this week’s film Atonement (Disc/Download).

Based on the novel by Ian McEwan, Joe Wright’s adaptation is every bit as gorgeous as the source material. This story of young lovers separated by class difference and a fatal lie is gripping, haunting, and always leaves me feeling like I got hit by a truck. But the clothes- THE CLOTHES. I keep coming back to see Keira Knightley swan around like she’s on the cover of a 1930s issue of Vogue, in everything from evening gowns to slips to swimwear. Honestly, the saddest part of this movie isn’t the ending; it’s watching Cecilia trade her couture for a WWII British nurse’s uniform (although, I do enjoy a good wool cape). The cast of this film is a who’s who of British talent, such as James McAvoy, Juno Temple, Brenda Blethyn, Vanessa Redgrave, and Benedict Cumberbatch, but it’s a young Saoirse Ronan who really steals the show as imaginative, manipulative Briony. Such a devious villain in such innocent packaging! In the end, this entire story is Briony’s attempt at atonement, and the audience is left to decide whether she’s finally paid for the sin of being a fanciful, jealous girl. Perhaps, having the same boring haircut for sixty years is the real punishment.

As I mentioned earlier, chocolate plays a hefty supporting roll in this film. Benedict Cumberbatch’s character owns a chocolate factory, and he is more than happy to make everyone his signature sipper, the “Choc-tail”, which is described as rum and dark chocolate syrup over crushed ice.

However, his character is the creep to end all creeps, and I don’t feel like celebrating this perverted Willy Wonka. So let’s do our own “Choc-tail”, in the form of a Chocolate Rum Old Fashioned.

Chocolate Rum Old Fashioned

1 1/2 oz Dark Rum

1/4 oz Simple Syrup

1 dash of Angostura Bitters

1 dash of Chocolate Bitters

Grapefruit Peel

Grated dark chocolate

Combine rum, simple syrup, and bitters in a mixing tin with ice. Stir well, and strain into a glass filled with a large ice cube. Express the grapefruit peel over the drink, then drop in. Grate a dusting of dark chocolate over the top.

If you enjoy Downton Abbey, World War II epics like The English Patient and Dunkirk, and dinner parties where people get very dressed up, then Atonement is the movie for you. Passion, glamour, chocolate, and rum- sounds like a perfect Valentine’s Day to me. Cheers!

Dramas

Nocturnal Animals

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Nocturnal Animals
Image credit: Nocturnal Animals, 2015

“Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

I can think of no better phrase to sum up the stunning Tom Ford film Nocturnal Animals (DVD/Download). From the shocking opening credits to the final drink in a hip Los Angeles restaurant, I found myself mesmerized by the visual storytelling. Sometimes hard to watch, but nevertheless hypnotic, this is a film that stays with the viewer long after it’s over.

My confusion and revulsion over the opening sequence (to quote my husband, “What the f*ck are you watching??”) made me wonder what I’d gotten myself into. But then, all became clear as the beautiful people wearing beautiful Tom Ford clothes came on the screen. Amy Adams is cold and distant as the wealthy art gallery owner, startled by a ghost from her past in the form of a manuscript written by her ex-husband Edward. The film simultaneously tells the story of their doomed young marriage, and Edward’s reactionary revenge manuscript.  Jake Gyllenhaal is quickly becoming an actor I will watch in just about anything, and he’s perfect as both the fragile writer, and tortured subject of his own story. Aaron Taylor Johnson and cinema MVP Michael Shannon round out the cast in Nocturnal Animals’ movie-within-a-movie, in which every scene of West Texas hell looks like a painting.

Texas is such a strong presence in this film, simultaneously the dangerous setting of Edward’s story and also the real-life setting of his failed marriage. Watching Michael Shannon’s character step over dusty scrub brush is like watching the sheriff in an old John Wayne film. While viewing Nocturnal Animals, I recommend drinking an Old Fashioned Texan.

Old Fashioned Texan

2 oz Red Handed Bourbon (from Treaty Oak distillery in Dripping Springs, TX)

½ oz simple syrup

2-3 dashes angostura bitters

Orange peel

Pour bourbon over large ice cubes in a rocks glass, and add the simple syrup and bitters. Stir gently to combine. Run the orange peel over the rim of the glass, and drop in the drink.

Old Fashioned Texan

This film spoke to me not only as a lover of cinema, but as a writer. As Edward says, “If I write it down, it will last forever.” With his manuscript, he’s expelled all of his love and pain and anger onto his alter ego in the story. It’s a very personal tale and also…. not.  I can’t wait to see what Tom Ford has up his perfectly tailored sleeve next because whatever it is, I’ll be there.  Cheers!