CineMorsel: 'Titanic'
/"Just start from the outside and work your way in."
CineDrunk Episode 2: 'Noah'
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Are swamps the new snowflakes? You'll have to listen to the most recent edition of our new podcast, CineDrunk, to find out! Plus, there's plenty more (relevant) discussion of this episode's feature film: Darren Aronofsky's Noah.
To honor the epic scope of this biblical tale, we crafted three drinks (recipes below!). From sweet/nutty to sly/punchy to destructive/messy, we tried to cover all the bases.
Have a listen below, and, as always, don't forget to drink semi-responsibly.
Nuts & Berries Cocktail
1/2 oz Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
1/2 oz berry flavored liqueur
2 oz cream
Mix ingredients in cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake, and strain into cocktail glasses with ice. We used blackberry brandy for the berry liqueur.
Dark 'n' Stormy
2 oz dark rum (recommended Gosling's Black Seal Bermuda Black Rum)
4 oz ginger beer
Pour rum over ice, top with ginger beer, and enjoy the storm.
Swamp Water
All non-poisonous liquids handy
Mix liquids in pitcher and hope for the best.
CineDrunk Podcast: Episode 1 - The Grand Budapest Hotel
/We here at CineMunch like to eat, drink, and discuss movies, and now you can join in the fun! Our new podcast, CineDrunk, is just what it sounds like:
CineDrunk (noun): A podcast in which CineMunch and guests craft a signature cocktail or four to go with a particular film or theme for that week's episode. Said drinks are ingested before and during our discussions, which are now available for your listening pleasure!
As always, we encourage you to play along and will provide our drink recipes here on the blog.
This week we focused on director Wes Anderson and his newest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, now in its fifth week of release. We named our accompanying concoction the "Eau de Pálinka".
The "Eau de Pálinka" Martini
1 oz dry gin
1 oz dry vermouth
1 oz blue plum brandy (or other flavored brandy)
4-5 dashes lemon juice
Mix in cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake, and strain into martini glasses. For our second round of martinis we added 1/2 oz St.-Germain elderflower liqueur (and lessened the vermouth by 1/2 oz).
Listen to the full podcast below. And please drink semi-responsibly.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot: 'L.A. Confidential'
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This is our second entry in The Film Experience's long-running series Hit Me With Your Best Shot, in which the film blog masses choose their favorite shot from selected movies.
First, a confession. One of us had not seen this film prior to watching it for this series. You can safely bet his name starts with "N" and ends with "athan." So maybe it's no surprise the images that remain burned in our retinas after one viewing are the images designed by the filmmakers to do just that. The lingering shots. The shots that challenge the viewer to look away while also inviting her to look closer.
Second, a note of caution. If you, like one of us a few days ago, have yet to see this film, you should probably stop reading here. Seventeen-year-old spoilers ahead!
Read MoreMeet Me in Montauk...
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We hope you had a memorable and festive Eternal Sunshine week! In case you missed it, we celebrated with:
The Defining Films of the 2000s
CineMeal: Our first movie and meal pairing
Hit Me With Your Best Shot: We joined Nathaniel at TheFilmExperience for his series highlighting favorite images from a given film
"Row": our favorite piece of film music
Are We the Dining Dead? A Lovers' Guide to Reanimating Your Dinner Conversations
Jim Carrey's 10 Greatest Performances
Jim Carrey's 10 Greatest Performances
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As we near the end of Eternal Sunshine Week here at CineMunch, I thought I'd take a moment to highlight who I think gives the best performance in the film (and this is a film featuring several 'best' performances): Jim Carrey as Joel Barish. Kate Winslet may get all the praise (and Oscar nominations), and, indeed, she turns in a stellar, uninhibited gem of a performance that even she agrees was a turning point in her career, but it's Carrey who grounds the film with his expressive face and beating heart. I fall for him every time.
Though I've always loved Jim Carrey. His ascendance in 1994 with Dumb & Dumber, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and The Mask was catnip to my 10-year-old self. I watched The Mask on repeat, and I even dressed as Ace Ventura for Halloween that year (though at the last minute I decided I didn't like the mask that came with the costume and instead opted to be a butterfly -- the gay in me won out on that one, I guess). His exaggerated comedic style really clicked with me (as I'm sure it did with many young men), but as I aged, so did Carrey as an actor.
His days as a titan of the box office are likely behind him, but over the years he's proved his worth as more than just a celebrity. He continues to pick interesting projects (though more I Love You Phillip Morrises than Yes Mans, please), and I have hope that one day he'll get the respect as an accomplished actor that I think he deserves (or at least an overdue tip of the hat from Oscar).
Not to bury the lede, but we all know what #1 is. Join me anyway as we count backwards through Jim's ten best screen performances.
Read MoreAre We the Dining Dead? The Lovers' Guide to Reanimating Your Dinner Conversations
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During its 108 minute runtime, Eternal Sunshine asks no small number of existential questions, but the most relatable of them all may be one Joel asks after finding himself and Clementine, yet again, at a restaurant called Kang's: "Are we like those bored couples you feel sorry for in restaurants? Are we the dining dead?"
Unless you're a gifted conversationalist and/or freakishly extroverted, chances are you've experienced the death knell that is silence during a romantic meal. And the knell only intensifies with time. When your relationship reaches ripe old age, you start finding it difficult to even look your significant other in the eye while you eat.
But I'm here to say there's a better way to live, to raise your conversational corpses from the dead and never be that bored couple again. Normally I charge for information like this--just three payments of $89.99--but today my five easy steps are available for the low, low price of free.
Happy 10-Year Anniversary, Eternal Sunshine!
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Very probably our single favorite piece of film music.
"Row" by Jon Brion
Hit Me With Your Best Shot: 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'
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We've been superfans of The Film Experience for years (thank you, Nathaniel, for introducing us to the term "actressexual"). So now that our own blog is up and running, we're thrilled to finally participate in the TFE series Hit Me With Your Best Shot, in which the film blog masses share their favorite shots from selected movies.
Conveniently for us, the first movie this time 'round is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (our defining film of the 2000s). So here and now, in the middle of our week-long celebration of its 10-year anniversary, let's give thanks for the visual richness that helps make Eternal Sunshine the surrealist/realist work of art that it is.
Read MoreCineMeal: 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'
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At CineMunch we're all about exploring the similarities between film and food, and what better way than by creating the ultimate dinner-and-a-movie experience? The best CineMeals (you knew that was coming) tap into the essence of a film, sating your immediate hunger while whetting your appetite for the screen magic to come. Puns are encouraged (a la ParmaSean Penn Roasted Broccoli), and a certain amount of bending the rules is expected (cheese before and after the main course? Done and done.)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which we're celebrating all week, requires special attention, and we've curated a meal below that complements and elevates the viewing experience. Here's hoping this gets your culinary juices flowing. Let us know in the comments what would be on your Eternal Sunshine menu!
