CineDrunk: Favorite 90s Kids' Movies Showdown

/

We're baaaaaaack! And we're joined by some special guests for this special edition of CineDrunk! Welcome, Nora and Cameron--fellow '90s kids who experienced no small part of their childhoods at the multiplex.

When nostalgia hangs in the balance, a vote against your favorite film can feel like a shot to the heart, so our showdown of '90s kids movies got extra heated. We chose our 32 contenders by popular vote, excluding films already allocated to other brackets. (Home Alone, you went too far in our Holiday Film Showdown. Sorry, Space Jam - hope to see you in our Sports Movies Showdown this summer!) And somehow a 1989 release slipped into the mix, but we'll skip over that in the hopes you won't notice or mind...

Our drink, of course, was an adult Shirley Temple. Lemon/Lime soda, grenadine, and a generous shot (or three) of gin. Like adults do, we got a little rowdy, so apologies for the audio quality near the end (blame a bag of candy someone thought was best to place right next to the microphone). Mix yourself a drink and listen in!

The 32 finalists were: Angels in the Outfield, Beethoven, Blank Check, Casper, Cool Runnings, Dennis the Menace, Dunston Checks In, First Kid, Fly Away Home, Free Willy, Harriet the Spy, Heavyweights, Hocus Pocus, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Hook, The Indian in the Cupboard, It Takes Two, Jumanji, A Kid in King Arthur's Court, The Little Rascals, Matilda, The Mighty Ducks, MouseHunt, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Parent Trap, Richie Rich, Rookie of the Year, The Sandlot, 3 Ninjas, Tom & Huck, and The Witches.

Also listen and subscribe via iTunes.

CineDrunk: Best & Worst of Summer 2015

/

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 Episode 8: Horror Movie Showdown

/

Not-So-Bloody Orange Cocktail

It may not be March but we're entrenched in our own brand of madness here at CineMunch. That's right, it's time for another movie bracket blowout. This time we sent to battle the greatest horror movies of all time (as judged by three 20-somethings and two 4-month-old felines).

Of course a battle of the spooks requires spooky drinks:

Bloody Orange Cocktail
(Adapted from Sam Henderson of Today's Nest, as posted on HGTV.com)
Yield: 4 servings

4 oz vodka
2 oz orange bitters
8 oz Orange Crush
2 cups fresh raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
Orange wedges for garnish

1. Puree 2 cups of fresh raspberries in a food processor. Press the puree through a fine mesh strainer. Discard seeds and any remaining pulp.

2. Place the puree in a small saucepan with sugar. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until thick and dark (about 10 minutes) and let cool.

3. Add vodka and bitters to a shaker with ice, and shake until very cold (about 20 seconds). Add Orange Crush and stir. Pour into iced glasses.

4. Artfully drizzle the raspberry syrup atop each drink and garnish with an orange wedge.


Liquefied Ghost (aka Hellacious Ghost)
(Adapted from Janelle Maiocco of TalkOfTomatoes.com, as posted at the Cooking Channel)
Yield: 4 servings

8 oz vodka
4 oz vanilla simple syrup
4 oz half and half
8 oz cream soda

1. Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, then serve in chilled martini glasses.


After you mix your drinks, check out the Round One match-ups below, and listen to the full podcast to find out which was crowned greatest horror movie of all time!

ROUND ONE (Winners in bold)

#1: Psycho (1960) vs. #32: The Conjuring (2013)

#16: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) vs. #17: April Fool's Day (1986)

#9: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) vs. #24: The Others (2001)

#8: Halloween (1978) vs. #25: The Ring (2002)

#4: The Exorcist (1973) vs. #29: Drag Me to Hell (2009)

#13: Poltergeist (1982) vs. #20: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

#12: The Shining (1980) vs. #21: Urban Legend (1998)

#5: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) vs. #28: Saw (2004)

#2: The Birds (1963) vs. #31: Insidious (2011)

#15: Children of the Corn (1984) vs. #18: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

#10: Alien (1979) vs. #23: The Sixth Sense (1999)

#7: Carrie (1976) vs. #26: 28 Days Later... (2003)

#3: Rosemary's Baby (1968) vs. #30: Paranormal Activity (2009)

#14: Sleepaway Camp (1983) vs. #19: Scream (1996)

#11: Friday the 13th (1980) vs. #22: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

#6: The Omen (1976) vs. #27: Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Also listen and subscribe via iTunes.

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.