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! 

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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!

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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

The Top 5 Food Moments in Film 2014

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The Top 5 Food Moments in Film 2014

For food lover cinephiles, 2014 was an undeniably good year. We got our hands floury with Agatha in The Grand Budapest Hotel and watched the activists in Selma find nourishment with an old-fashioned, stick-to-your-ribs Southern meal. We also saw mealtime interrupted by an avalanche (literally and figuratively) and become a catalyst for a marital reckoning in Force Majeure.

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CineDrunk: Favorite Actress Showdown - Part Three

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The finale has arrived! Who will emerge victorious as CineDrunk's favorite actress?

If you missed our previous podcasts in this series, check out Part 1 and Part 2. You can find the all-important Gin Gin Mule recipe in Part 1, which is sure to enhance the listening experience.

In this episode, we pit the actresses we like to call Blockbuster Beauties (i.e., those who can or could open a movie/command a good paycheck, and/or have been part of a franchise at some point) against the Indie Queens (reliable actresses known for choosing interesting work).

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To recap our criteria: each actress must be alive, still (more-or-less) working in cinema, and have at least one Oscar nomination to her credit. Keep in mind this showdown was recorded in one sitting, so we're super tipsy by this point. Cheers, and thanks for listening!

BLOCKBUSTER BEAUTIES

Sandra Bullock
Angelina Jolie
Michelle Pfeiffer
Natalie Portman
Julia Roberts
Sigourney Weaver
Reese Witherspoon
Renee Zellweger

INDIE QUEENS

Juliette Binoche
Patricia Clarkson
Toni Collette
Viola Davis
Laura Dern
Laura Linney
Frances McDormand
Marisa Tomei

CineDrunk: Favorite Actress Showdown - Part Two

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In the second part of our showdown to determine CineMunch's favorite actress, we dig into the best the UK has to offer (lovingly called our Ol' Brits bracket) and the cinematic treasures of Hollywood (the American Classics). If you missed part one, take a listen and find out who emerged victorious in our Oscar Faves and New Wave rounds and will continue to the finals. And check out the recipe for our corresponding drink: the Gin Gin Mule.

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To recap our criteria: each actress must be alive, still (more-or-less) working in cinema, and have at least one Oscar nomination to her credit.

THE OL' BRITS

Judi Dench
Sally Hawkins
Helen Mirren
Maggie Smith
Imelda Staunton
Tilda Swinton
Emma Thompson
Naomi Watts

AMERICAN CLASSICS

Annette Bening
Sally Field
Jane Fonda
Jodie Foster
Whoopi Goldberg
Holly Hunter
Susan Sarandon
Lily Tomlin

CineDrunk: Favorite Actress Showdown - Part One

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CineDrunk: Favorite Actress Showdown - Part One

We here at CineMunch love actresses. Probably more than we love movies themselves. Possibly more than we love the Oscars, cheese, or our cats, Tilda & Scout, but let's not get too carried away here. In CineDrunk's latest podcast, we come out as proud actressexuals (a term popularized by the incredible Nathaniel R. from The Film Experience). 

We could've spent an eternity rhapsodizing on and obsessing over our favorite cinematic ladies, so we needed to set some boundaries and narrow the field. The criteria for our epic (three-part!) showdown was as follows: 
     1. The actress must still be alive (sorry, Bette Davis - we love you!).
     2. They must still be working in cinema (apologies to you, Angela Lansbury!).
     3. They must be Oscar nominated (one day soon, Scarlett Johansson!).

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CineDrunk: Guilty Pleasures Showdown - Our One-Year Anniversary Podcast

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What?! It's CineDrunk's first birthday? Oh my god--lights, camera, and us without a stitch of makeup on!

But the rumors are true: it's been (more than!) a year since our show first landed on an MP3 player near you. Thank you for all your support! We couldn't crawl out of bed, pour ourselves a drink, and talk endlessly about movies without you.

If you haven't listened to CineDrunk before, there's never been a better time to start. We're celebrating our one-year with a showdown of our favorite guilty pleasures. No recipes this time; we went the guilty route on those, too. So pour yourself a vodka Red Bull and give us a chance. We really do mean no harm.

And now, in random order, our 32 guilty pleasures (with apologies to the many titles we overlooked):

Showgirls, Deep Impact, Spice World, Con Air, Sister Act 2, Powder, Sphere, Outrageous Fortune, Mallrats, Never Been Kissed, Snake Eyes, Heart & Souls, Volcano, Practical Magic, The Three Musketeers, Selena, The Net, Face/Off, The Cutting Edge, Clue, Waterworld, Dante's Peak, The Craft, Troop Beverly Hills, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Air Force One, Straight Talk, Cruel Intentions, Grease 2, Romy & Michele's High School Reunion, Heartbreakers, Six Days Seven Nights

Let us know what movies you hate to love in the comments below! And subscribe to CineDrunk on iTunes so you never miss an episode.