Tag: Susan Sarandon

Dramas

Thelma & Louise

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Image credit: Thelma & Louise, 1991

Put two women in a Thunderbird convertible, add a gun, a bottle of Wild Turkey, plus a young Brad Pitt, and you’ve officially got one hell of a road trip. Thelma & Louise (Disc/Download) is a flick that only gets better with age (and by that, I mean my age), and better still with a cocktail!

Starring Susan Sarandon as uptight waitress Louise, and Geena Davis as beaten-down housewife Thelma, Ridley Scott’s road trip classic begins by showing us two women in desperate need of a vacation. It’s kind of sad that their lifeline is a fishing trip in Arkansas, but the joy on their faces as Louise peels away in that vintage convertible shows that sometimes it doesn’t matter what the destination is; all that matters is the going. Unfortunately, things take a dangerous turn in a roadhouse parking lot, and suddenly Thelma and Louise are on the lam. Their list of felonies grows, as does the frizz on their windblown hair, and by the end, you don’t see how they’re going to get out of this. But somehow, they manage to keep going, and their joy and love for one another remains frozen in time. One perfect moment in a soaring Thunderbird convertible.

Speaking of Thunderbird, my cocktail is inspired both by Louise’s penchant for margaritas, as well as that extremely sexy car she drives. By swapping out the rum for tequila in a Jungle Bird, you can make a tasty, on-theme beverage. While watching Thelma & Louise, I recommend drinking a Thunderbird Margarita.

Thunderbird Margarita

1 ½ oz Reposado Tequila

1 oz Campari

1 ½ oz Pineapple Juice

½ oz Lime Juice

½ oz Simple Syrup

Lime wheel (garnish)

Combine tequila, Campari, pineapple juice, lime juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Thelma & Louise was Brad Pitt’s big break, and lordy what a Hollywood entrance he made. He is 100% movie star from the first moment he struts onscreen in a cowboy hat and tight jeans. By the end of the movie, I’m really glad Thelma has one night of bliss with this handsome grifter, if only so her awful husband could find out about it.  Revenge is the real happiness at the end of this long road. Cheers!

Musicals

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

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Rocky Horror
Image credit: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975.

You know what time it is….. Time to do the Time Warp again!!! Truly, that’s what The Rocky Horror Picture Show (DVD/Download) has come to feel like. It takes me right back to being a weird teenager, the kind who hung out in the art room and read Nabokov, dreaming of a place to belong. But then this film came along and changed everything. Suddenly, it was cool to be a freak. It was cool to get excited about watching a movie with a theater full of other freaks, who threw rice and yelled “Say it!” It was cool to be different.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show isn’t just a musical, or a horror film, or even a spoof of a sci-fi/horror film. It’s all those things, and more. It’s a communal film experience that brings people together. It’s an excuse to be silly, to laugh and sing and ogle Dr. Frank N. Furter’s “monster” Rocky in his gold lamé hotpants. It’s a movie that makes you feel free to talk about sexuality, because seriously, everybody’s touching everybody. And even though it’s set in a spooky mansion on a rainy night, and even though Meat Loaf is eaten (the singer, not the beefy entree), there’s nothing scary about Rocky Horror. It’s campy, it’s funny, and it’s the perfect movie to celebrate Halloween.

Since this is such a party movie, I’m making a really fun punch perfect for all your Halloween shindigs. It takes its color from Dr. Frank N. Furter’s eye makeup, and the flavor is sweet, boozy, and effervescent. While watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I recommend making Transylvanian Punch.

Transylvanian Punch

3 cups Blueberry Juice

2 cups Dark Rum

1/3 cup lime juice

2 cups Topo Chico

Gummi Eye Ball Ice Cubes

1 Tbsp Activated Charcoal Powder

Combine all ingredients in a punch bowl, stirring gently until well mixed.

Transylvanian punch

I love the dress-up component of Halloween, and what’s great about this film is that it celebrates the art of costuming, and the idea that if you can dream it, you can be it. Rocky Horror meant a lot to this weird teenager, and it still means a lot to this weird adult. Nothing… will ever be the same. Cheers!

Dramas

The Witches of Eastwick

LizLockeLeave a comment

witches of eastwick
Image credit: Witches of Eastwick, 1987

You know that feeling you get when the end credits are rolling on a particularly bizarre film, and you just sit, unblinking, trying to make sense of the last two hours? Such was my experience with The Witches of Eastwick (DVD/Download). Not having read any Updike before, including the novel this film was based on, I was wholly unprepared. What started out as a promising rom-com slowly morphed into a special-effects laden horror-fest, with a dash of surrealism. This one definitely needs some unpacking.

For the first twenty minutes, my take on The Witches of Eastwick was, “where has this movie been all my life???” Cher, Michelle Pheiffer, and Susan Sarandon sitting around, drinking martini’s, complaining about how there are no good men anymore- let’s just call this my ideal Saturday night.   They wish hard for the man of their dreams, not knowing that they’re actually a coven of witches.  Soon after, this mysterious stranger actually appears in the form of Jack Nicholson. And he’s a creep. And he has a teeny-tiny ponytail that’s distracting as hell. And he may or may not be the devil. But he has a mansion with an indoor pool, a healthy sexual appetite, and bowls of fresh cherries (we’ll get to that in a minute). So the three women do what dozens of Playboy Bunnies have done before and move in with the morally bankrupt old charmer. Despite a meandering plot and lack of character development, the performances of these three powerhouse actresses and the great Jack Nicholson basically playing Jack Nicholson, keep me watching long after the movie has gone down the proverbial drain.

One of the spells cast by the witches is a strange revenge on the local town prude. Instead of just poisoning her outright, Jack Nicholson urges his three girlfriends to eat pounds of cherries. Somehow this sanctimonious woman ends up with the cherry guts in HER stomach and well- things get messy. You’d think this would turn me off cherries for good, but I can’t resist that tart, sweet taste. Even better with some activated charcoal to make this the perfect Halloween cocktail. While watching The Witches of Eastwick, I recommend drinking a Black Cherry Martini.

Black Cherry Martini

1 ½ oz Vodka

½ oz Maraschino Liqueur

1 1/2 oz POM Cherry Juice

1/4 oz Lime Juice

1/4 tsp Activated Charcoal Powder

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a chilled martini glass.

There’s definitely a lot to like about The Witches of Eastwick, and if you’re looking for a fun adult Halloween movie this year, this one is close to the top of my list. Despite the truly weird final act, it’s still fun to watch three women take a dance with the devil in the pale moonlight*. Cheers!

*wrong movie, still applies!