Tag: Richard Attenborough

Dramas

Chaplin

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: Chaplin, 1992

When times are tough, something that keeps me going is my connection to fellow cinephiles. One way I’ve made these connections is through the terrific film zine Moviejawn, where I’ve been a contributor for the past eight years. The latest issue is all about silent cinema, and in it, I confess my secret shame: until recently, I’d never watched a Chaplin film all the way through. How is this possible, you ask? Well, turns out you can fake it pretty well if you’ve watched this week’s Cinema Sips pick, Richard Attenborough’s Chaplin (Disc/Download).

Biopics are one of my favorite film genres, and having recently eschewed political podcasts in favor of dishy celebrity memoirs, I find myself craving more insight about how great films were made, and in particular, what was happening in a star’s personal life during the process. Chaplin ticks all the boxes: talented actor who sort of looks like the celebrity he’s playing (Robert Downey Jr.), recreation of classic film sets (The Gold Rush, The Great Dictator, etc.), outside forces trying to squash the star’s light (ugh, HUAC), terrific supporting cast playing real icons (Kevin Kline as Douglas Fairbanks!!!), and laughably bad old-age makeup and hair. The best biopics understand they’re not going to squeeze everything in, so instead they attempt to paint the broad strokes of a person’s life, getting to the essence of what made them so successful. Attenborough does this incredibly well, taking us from Chaplin’s Dickensian roots in a British work house, to the vaudeville stage, to America, to California, to his exile in Switzerland, and finally, to his triumphant return at the 1972 Academy Awards ceremony. Some scenes are sped up to mimic the frame rate of the silent films they pay homage to, and this helps the movie move at a satisfying clip. We don’t need to see everything; just the highlights and a few Keystone Cops bits.

The film I discuss in the most recent issue of Moviejawn is City Lights, and given it’s my first foray into the world of Charlie Chaplin, it feels appropriate to celebrate him with the classic cocktail that bears his name. I’ll share it here for my Cinema Sips readers, because it’s also a great one to try while you’re watching Attenborough’s Chaplin.

Chaplin

1 oz Sloe Gin

1 oz Apricot Liqueur

1 oz Lime Juice

Dried lime wheel (garnish)

Combine first three ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with dried lime wheel.

I was surprised by how relevant Charlie Chaplin’s story continues to be today, along with his films. The silent comedian tackled themes of income inequality, authoritarianism, automation, immigration, xenophobia, etc., so it’s no wonder he was a target for a government hell bent on squashing anybody who dared speak out against America’s rotten core. Even more than a story of a flawed man, Chaplin is the story of a flawed country. But the one thing he knew, and the thing that Moviejawn continues to prove again and again, is how wonderfully films can unite us. Even in silence, we can hear each other calling out. Cheers!

*If you’re interested in subscribing to Moviejawn, details can be found here. I also highly recommend the spring issue’s accompanying Silence Please! vinyl record, perfect for immersing yourself in the silent cinema experience!

Action/Adventure/Heist · Classic Films

The Flight of the Phoenix

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: The Flight of the Phoenix 1965

Completing my month of “Desert Movies” (a theme I never imagined I’d tackle, but stumbled into and embraced): a Jimmy Stewart classic that was new to me, The Flight of the Phoenix (Disc/Download). Featuring a terrific opening credits sequence that’s equal parts cheesy and thrilling, this movie’s tone is all over the place. But like that busted old plane, it comes together in the end.

Serving as a bridge between ensemble war dramas of the 1950s and the disaster flicks of the 1970s, The Flight of the Phoenix features a seemingly incongruous cast but takes itself seriously enough that you wouldn’t put it in the same category as say, The Towering Inferno. It’s Classic Hollywood (Jimmy Stewart, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Attenborough)-meets-New Hollywood (Peter Finch, Ian Bannen, etc.). It’s a pilot from an analog era crash-landing with an engineer from the emerging digital age. Through these contradictions, the film stays interesting and engaging, even when the scenery doesn’t change a whole lot. We’re there for the acting and the script, not the desert vistas and sunburns. Admittedly, things drag a bit in the middle as the crash survivors attempt to turn the scraps of their old plane into something flyable (before dying of dehydration or getting killed by Libyans), but the exciting climax makes the wait worthwhile. That, and the terrific Connie Francis song “Senza Fine” that’s so out of place, yet incredibly welcome.

Before the plane crashes, the passengers and crew are both getting a little wild with the booze. Ouzo is the drink of choice in the main cabin, while Dickie Attenborough is imbibing something else on the flight deck. I found a great recipe for a classic cocktail that uses Old Tom gin, which very well could have been in his bottle, and my garnish is a Medjool date because that’s all the food these poor men had. Just… dates. While watching The Flight of the Phoenix, I recommend drinking a Phoenix cocktail.

Phoenix

1 1/2 oz Old Tom Gin

1/8 oz Bénédictine

2-3 dashes Orange Bitters

Orange Twist

Medjool Date

Combine gin, Bénédictine, and bitters in a shaker filled with ice. Stir to combine and chill, then strain into a Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with a twist of orange, and a skewered date.

It’s thrilling to watch Jimmy Stewart in the cockpit, given his decorated career as a military pilot during WWII. You get the sense that he truly loved filming these scenes, and he looks totally at home even when flying a scabbed together piece of fuselage. Yes, Jimmy’s a great actor, but he’s even better when the real hero inside of him shines through. Cheers!

Action/Adventure/Heist

Jurassic Park

LizLocke1 Comment

Jurassic Park
Image Credit: Jurassic Park, 1993

Admit it- the second you hear the sweeping Jurassic Park (Disc/Download) score by John Williams, you cheer a little bit inside. I’m typically not one for big blockbusters, but I’ll always have a special place in my heart for that old T-Rex with the tiny hands. I remember seeing this in the theater when it came out in 1993, and during the parts where my eyes were actually open, I knew I was witnessing something incredible. Twenty-seven years later, it still gives me chills.

There have been a lot of sequels, but in my opinion, Steven Spielberg’s original is the undisputed best. Special effects have come a long way since this was made, becoming slicker and smoother as the years passed, but damn if these dinos don’t look insanely real, even by today’s high standards. Watching this as an adult, I can appreciate the true awe these characters must have felt, in a way I couldn’t before. Imagine, you’re an archeologist who’s spent your whole life trying to piece together dinosaur bones, then some crazy nut in a Panama hat tells you he’s extracted dino DNA from fossilized mosquitoes, hatched some new creatures in the lab, and you can actually go see them in a Central American amusement park. This would be like someone telling me there’s a classic Hollywood theme park and for the price of admission I get to ride around in a vintage Corvair and shake hands with the cloned, VERY REAL versions of Doris Day and Cary Grant. What wouldn’t I give for a chance like that?

With any jungle-set film, I enjoy a good tiki beverage. Of course I had to incorporate those dino eggs somehow, plus the whole gory death motif. While you take a trip to Isla Nublar, I recommend drinking this Isla de Sangre cocktail!

Isla de Sangre

1 1/2 oz Black Rum

1/2 oz Beet Juice

1/4 oz Angostura Bitters

1/2 oz Lime Juice

1/2 oz Orgeat Syrup

1 Egg White

Dried Blood Orange garnish

Combine rum, beet juice, bitters, lime juice, orgeat syrup, and egg white in a shaker. Shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds, then add ice. Shake again for another 15 seconds, and strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a dried blood orange slice.

Isla Sangre

I want to give a special shout-out to sexy mathematician Jeff Goldblum, in his finest performance to date. It takes a special kind of person to show up to the jungle in a black leather jacket, but he’s got the confidence to pull it off. Me? I like the looks of that Panama hat. Cheers!

Jeeps
Movie jeeps, spotted in the Bastrop, TX Dinosaur Park

TRex
Lucky to be alive.