CineDrunk: Favorite Films of 2000

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y2k

Remember the New Year that fueled our fears of end-of-the-world-caused-by-computer-glitch destruction? The New Year that outsmarted all the math machines on Earth because... math?

Those were innocent times.

Sixteen years later, we're taking a look back at Y2K. We're not quite ready to unveil our list of the best films and performances for the current year (though we're well on our way, with 80 films under our belt).

(Our first thought was to continue with our 2005 retrospective, until we decided we weren't the biggest fans of the films of 2005.)

So instead, we're rolling out our 15th-anniversary celebration of the films of 2000! The first year of this century brought us some great cinema, both popular and indie alike, and we had drunken fun trying to recall our memories from that crop of films.

Y2K Cocktail

  • 2 oz cold espresso (we used super-concentrated Vietnamese coffee)
  • 1/2 oz Cognac
  • 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup

Stir, strain, and garnish with a twist of orange peel.

CineDrunk: Top 10 Favorite Oscar Nominations of the Last Decade

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Our favorite Thanksgiving related film moment - Addams Family Values

Our favorite Thanksgiving related film moment - Addams Family Values

Before the current Oscar season discards or ignores our favorite films and performances, we thought we'd take a moment this holiday weekend to focus on the positive. We love the Oscars, drinks, and lists in almost equal measure, so what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving then by counting down our ten favorite Oscar nominations from the last decade in our latest inebriated podcast! 

We considered every nominee from 2005-2014 in all categories, even films or performances that won. While our tastes aligned much of the time, we were surprised at the diversity in our selections. A few choices seem like no-brainers, but each of our top ten lists provides a personal snapshot of what we're thankful the Academy got right.

You can find the recipe for the mulled wine we were drinking here -- we added 1/2 cup applejack brandy and replaced the star anise with an anise flavored liqueur because of course we did. Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend or at least the start of the true holidays (Oscar season!), and let us know which nominations from the last ten years you're most grateful for!

CineDrunk: 2015 Fall Movies Thus Far

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With November half gone, we've been busy at the cineplex as we work our way through the list of our most anticipated films of the season. This week we're discussing a handful of fall movies that may or may not factor into the fast approaching Oscar race. In honor of the season, our inspired cocktail was either titled the "Flouncy Flirty Fall Philanderer" or the "Clea DuFall."

Gin and Poached Pear Tonic
1 part gin
1 part tonic
1 part poached pear juice (find your own recipe b/c we're not helping)
1 sprinkle-dinkle cayenne pepper
1 small squeeze fresh lime juice

Pour gin, tonic, and pear juice over ice and stir. Add cayenne and lime juice. Garnish with lime, poached pear, or 1st Place Sash from the World Bartender Championships. Enjoy!

gintonic

Films Discussed in This Episode:
00:00   Intro & Drink Recipe
03:21   The Martian
13:17   Goodnight Mommy
18:21   Room
29:06   Black Mass
33:54   Everest
37:51   Crimson Peak
45:39   Sicario
49:05   Bridge of Spies
1:02:50   Steve Jobs

CineDrunk: 2005 Oscars Retrospective

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witherspoonoscarwin

Before we dive head first into this year's Oscar season, we took a quick trip in our DeLorean to a decade ago and the Academy Awards race of 2005. In case you need reminding (or inspiration to drink), this was the infamous year when Crash took down Brokeback Mountain for Best Picture in the final lap. We let the expletives fly as we discussed the top races, who or what we would've voted for, and what we think of the nominated films and performances ten years later.

In honor of the Best Picture winner, we couldn't be bothered to create an actual drink recipe, but threw a large amount of liquids (mostly of the alcoholic variety) in a bowl and called it the "Crash and Burn." You can do the same at home with any non-poisonous liquid! Though you might want the poison handy if you're thinking of re-watching Crash. Hiyo! No, we have some nice(ish) things to say about that divisive Paul Haggis film, so not to worry if you're a fan. 

Listen in, and let us know how you might've voted, or if you agree with Nathan that Felicity Huffman in Transamerica is "the most garbage piece of human acting in the past thirty years." 

Editor's note: Matt's fuzzy memory mentions that Chris Cooper was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at that year's SAG Awards for Capote. His memory is as hazy as his recollection of Capote, and he is mistaken. He was thinking of the much-less-prestigious Golden Satellite Awards, where Cooper was indeed nominated for his work in that film. He did receive a random SAG Supporting Actor nomination for Seabiscuit two years prior, so that's probably what he was thinking of.

Also listen and subscribe via iTunes.

CineDrunk: Emmys Predictions 2015

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sarahsilvermanemmy

This special television themed episode of the podcast ("TeleDrunk," if you will - and you will) sees us delving into the major categories for the 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards. We've got some drinks, our predictions, who might spoil, and who we're rooting for to take home a trophy this weekend. 

The Emmys will air this Sunday, September 20th on FOX. Be sure to follow along with us during the ceremony on Twitter @CineMunch!

 

Editor's note: Matt was correct in his guess of Mary Tyler Moore when one of this week's trivia questions asked which actress held the record for most nominations in the Lead Actress in a Comedy category. MTM has ten nominations (followed by Bea Arthur and Julia Louis-Dreyfus with nine, and Lucille Ball and Jean Stapleton with eight).

Also listen and subscribe via iTunes.

CineDrunk: Best & Worst of Summer 2015

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Labor Day has come and gone, so it's time to cleanse your wardrobe of white and say goodbye to the summer movie season. Before we part, though, let's take one last look at the past four months, CineDrunk Podcast-style.

Last winter we introduced the CineMunchies--our awards for cinematic excellence (just one step down from the Oscars). Now we present the CineMunchies' stunted stepchild: the CineSnacks. Join us for an approximation of coherence as we award our favorites of the summer in categories such as Best Actress, Best Food or Drink Moment, and Favorite Scene.

On the Drunk side of things, we continue to lower our standards. This time: rum punch and Jell-O shots. Hello, Jell-O; goodbye, dignity.

Jell-O Shots
Turns out there are as many Jell-O shot recipes as there are food blogs. Our go-to (read: the first one we found that sounded marginally well-informed) is Method 1 of 7 from wikiHow. You will need:

  • 1 6oz package Jell-O
  • Approximately 3 cups water
  • Approximately 1 cup chilled alcohol of your choice (we used rum with mango Jell-O)

Visit wikiHow for the full recipe. Create gelatin magic. Slurp, swallow, repeat.

By some twist of fate/rum-filled bite of gelatin, we each had the same favorite, runner-up, AND worst film of the summer. Listen in to find out which!

Missed our first summer 2015 movie recaps? Have a listen to part one and part two. Or travel back in time to listen to what we thought of the summer of 2014.

Also listen and subscribe to CineDrunk on iTunes.

CineDrunk: Summer Movies 2015 Part 2

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As summer screeches by with no sign of slowing down, we're left grasping for one last cool drink, and a chance to reflect once more on the movies that were.

Like in Part 1 of our CineDrunk podcast on summer 2015 movies, we're focusing on the big horses: your Mission: Impossibles, your Pixars, your assorted superhero films. (Stay tuned to future episodes featuring some of the smaller movies we saw--shout-out to Amy for being a particularly worth-your-time documentary.)

Where were we? Ah, yes. Cool drinks.

Mint Margarita
(adapted from The Culinary Chronicles)

Ingredients:
2 oz tequila
1 oz Grand Marnier
1½ oz fresh lime juice
1 – 1½ oz mint simple syrup*
Kosher salt

Rim the edge of your desired glass with a lime wedge and dip in salt. Fill the glass with ice.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and the first four ingredients. Shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds. Strain the contents into the salted glass and garnish with fresh mint springs.

*To make mint simple syrup, add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a slow boil, stirring until sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and add 1 heaping cup roughly chopped fresh mint. Allow to steep for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the leaves. Refrigerate leftover syrup in an airtight container and use within 5 days. 

Are you like us and see more than two movies in theaters per month? MoviePass might be a great option for you! For only $35/month (only $30 in some areas) you can see a movie in almost any theater nationwide every 24 hours! It's saving us a ton of money and stress, and we recommend it  (especially when ticket prices here in NYC are as astronomically high as they are).

Also listen and subscribe to CineDrunk on iTunes.

CineDrunk: Favorite Animated Film Showdown Part 2

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Here at CineMunch we love alcohol, nostalgia, and competition - so we combined all three to pit our favorite animated films against each other and determine our collective all-time favorite! 

yzmapotion

With so many great films to select from, we split the competition into four categories. In Part One, we debated the merits of our top eight films in the Pixar and Classic Disney groupings to select a winner for each. Now, for the second and final installment, we're diving into the Disney Renaissance* and the Non-Disney Animated Films** categories. Once we had a victor from every branch, we ranked our final four to crown the one true champion.

*The "Disney Renaissance" began with The Little Mermaid in 1989 and technically ended in 1999, but for our purposes we'll include all subsequent Walt Disney Animation Studios films
**This broad category encompasses all forms of animated feature films (other than Pixar or the 54 movies canonized under Walt Disney Animation Studios), including Disney produced films (like The Nightmare Before Christmas) and films theatrically released by Disney (like Spirited Away)

Working from a lengthy list of eligible films, we each ranked our personal top eight in each category and then blindly compiled the results to determine the final contenders you see below. There were some heartbreaking cuts (The Iron Giant and Peter Pan, we hardly knew ye!) and surprise omissions (no Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Frozen?!) before we even began, but no competition is legit without a little drama! So pour yourself an Owl's Brew Classic with Gin (recipe found in Part One) and listen in!

DISNEY RENAISSANCE

Aladdin
Beauty & the Beast
The Emperor's New Groove
Hercules
The Lion King
The Little Mermaid
Mulan
Tangled

NON-DISNEY ANIMATED FILMS

An American Tail
Chicken Run
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Land Before Time
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Shrek
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Spirited Away

CineDrunk: Favorite Animated Film Showdown Part 1

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Disney/Pixar's latest, Inside Out, got us thinking about our favorite animated films, and what better way to proclaim our love than with another movie showdown! And alcoholic drinks and animated features go together like broken glass in potato soup, so cheers to our 21st episode of CineDrunk!

With so many films to choose from, we split the competition into four groupings: Pixar, Classic Disney (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 through Oliver & Company in 1988), the Disney Renaissance (The Little Mermaid in 1989 to present), and the broad and expansive Non-Disney Animated Films category.

Part One of our podcast showdown features the Pixar and Classic Disney match-ups. Over drinks, naturally.

The Owl's Brew Classic with Gin

2 oz Owls Brew: The Classic
1 oz gin
1 spritzy squeeze of lime

Combine ingredients over ice. Stir and serve.

Credit: Owl's Brew

Working from a master list of all Pixar feature films and all Disney Animated Classics from 1937-1988, we each ranked our personal top eight and then blindly compiled the results to determine a collective top eight in each category. Follow along with an Owl's Brew Classic with Gin, and stay tuned for Part Two to see which film emerged victorious as our Favorite Animated Film EVER!

disneylogo

PIXAR

Finding Nemo
The Incredibles
Monsters, Inc.
Ratatouille
Toy Story
Toy Story 3
Up
WALL-E

CLASSIC DISNEY

The Aristocats
Bambi
Fantasia
The Great Mouse Detective
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
Pinocchio
Sleeping Beauty
The Sword in the Stone

CineDrunk: Summer Movies 2015 So Far

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Now that we're heading into peak summer season it's time to evaluate which movies have hit that sweet-spot of nostalgia and originality. So in our latest podcast we consider the movies that have topped the box office so far this summer movie season (except you, Tomorrowland). (Also, Mad Max didn't get to #1, but it's still a success...so, whatever.)

Easy summer livin' calls for an easy drink. Behold:

Photo bomb. #cinedrunk #gin #rosemary #catsofinstagram

"Photo bomb. #cinedrunk #gin #rosemary #catsofinstagram"

Rosemary Gin Fizz

1/2 oz. rosemary-infused simple syrup
1.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
1.5 oz gin
club soda

Add 4 sprigs rosemary to a small pot. Add 1 cup each water and sugar and heat until sugar is dissolved. For each cocktail, muddle rosemary in the bottom of a glass with simple syrup and lemon juice. Add gin and top with club soda.

Scout was a fan (as seen to the right)!

This episode sees the debut of our new rating system: How many of what type of alcoholic drink do you need to consume before viewing this film? Before listening, see if you can match up how we rated each of the six films we discussed:

  • Avengers: Age of Ultron
  • Pitch Perfect 2
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • San Andreas
  • Spy
  • Jurassic World
  • 1 martini (shaken, not stirred), sipped slowly
  • 1 well drink
  • 1.5 strong Long Island Iced Teas
  • a pitcher of margaritas shared with friends
  • several whiskey shots
  • a sleeping pill or a fishbowl full of alcohol