3 things about Tim Burton’s BEETLEJUICE

Posted on August 24, 2012 by robchristopher

Beetlejuice [1988]

1. A black and white checkered flannel shirt for all eternity.
2. “I can’t believe we’re eating Cantonese–is there no Schezwan?”
3. “Hide the deadly black tarantula” & Jeffrey Jones lurch.

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A review.

Posted on August 22, 2012 by robchristopher

First: everything you’ve heard about The Master is true; and, in best Paul Thomas Anderson fashion, not true. Some thoughts. And, 3 things.

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3 things about Jacques Rivette’s CELINE AND JULIE GO BOATING

Posted on August 21, 2012 by robchristopher

Celine and Julie Go Boating [1974]

1. Clogs. Lots of clogs.
2. From her mouth she removes two pieces of candy stuck together, each a different color.
3. First red blood, then blue blood.

Everyone raves about this movie, but I confess that it’s just not my thing. Although it’s really interesting to see how David Lynch has taken up these exact themes but used to them to different ends.

It’s one of those movies where everyone onscreen seems to be having a lot of fun.

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3 things about Paul Humfress and Derek Jarman’s SEBASTIANE

Posted on August 20, 2012 by robchristopher

Sebastiane [1976]

1. Milky fluid, red lips, white teeth.
2. He eats a raw onion, the green stalk still attached.
3. A game of Frisbee.

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3 things about Terrence Malick’s THE THIN RED LINE

Posted on August 18, 2012 by robchristopher

The Thin Red Line [1998]

1. An old man walks past without ackowledging them.
2. In the midst of the bombardment, a blue butterfly.
3. “Sounds like bliss.”

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3 things about Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER

Posted on August 17, 2012 by robchristopher

The Master [2012]

1. “Excuse me.”
2. Freddie, handcuffed, is put into the cell next to Dodd’s. He goes wild with rage, kicking the toilet to pieces with his feet. Dodd turns to him and says calmly, “Your fear of confinement and imprisonment was implanted in you millions of years ago.”
3. The fork lands on the sidewalk next to his head, but Freddie doesn’t use it.

Look for a proper review next week.

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3 things about Blake Edwards’ THE PARTY

Posted on August 14, 2012 by robchristopher

The Party [1968]

1. “Num num. Num num. Birdie num num. Howdy Par-tin-er. Howdy Par-tin-er.”
2. Crossed legs, tippy toes.
3. Pot smoking in the pantry.

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3 things about Joe Dante and Jon Davison’s THE MOVIE ORGY

Posted on August 12, 2012 by robchristopher

The Movie Orgy [1968]

1. Andy Devine sings “Yes, Jesus Loves Me” accompanied by a mouse named Squeaky, playing a drum, and a cat named Midnight, playing an organ. The original keyboard cat.
2. Abbreviated Teenagers From Outer Space–they land, release a lobster-like creature which is killed by our poisonous atmosphere, then their leader declares, “We will continue our search.”
3. A commercial for “sugar-sparkled” Alpha-Bits cereal.

To be fair, I only watched about 2 hours of this 4+ hour movie–but it’s brilliant. Clearly a precursor to Everything Is Terrible! and every bit as mesmerizing.

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3 things about David Miller’s EXECUTIVE ACTION

Posted on August 10, 2012 by robchristopher

Executive Action [1973]

1. This movie’s believability begins and ends with the casting of Dick Miller as a sharpshooter assassin.
2. “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” refashioned as a dirge.
3. Stacks of book boxes all helpfully stenciled “BOOKS.”

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Cocktail: Astrud’s Mood

Posted on August 10, 2012 by robchristopher

I haven’t posted any of my cocktail recipes in awhile, so what the heck–here’s one I’ve been working on. It’s inspired by a drink I had earlier this week at Wood called the Rough Rider. I’m in the midst of a love affair with Amrut Old Port rum, a delicious spirit from India (!) that smells exactly like Werther’s Originals but tastes dark, creamy and a little funky on the palate.  I wanted to use it as the base for a cocktail, and also play around with the grapefruit/spice flavor note that I find so bewitching. Plus, it’s high time I named a cocktail in honor of Astrud Gilberto.

ASTRUD’S MOOD

2 oz. Amrut Old Port rum
.5 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
.5 oz. white grapefruit juice
.5 oz. demerara simple syrup
.25 oz. Batavia Arrack
.25 oz. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Combine ingredients with ice, shake, and strain into a small ice-filled tumbler. Float two dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters and sip it slowly while listening to “Gentle Rain.”

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