5. Sex and the City: The Movie and the Cosmopolitan

And so it begins. The one I've been dreading for weeks now. So I'm not even going to talk about it until I get something else out of the way first.

Drink!

The cosmopolitan is probably one of the most well-known cocktails in popular culture in recent times. Mostly due to a certain series that has a definite appeal to a specific demographic... IMDb female to male rating difference comes out to a whopping 2 points! (So what I'm saying is, if you're at your favorite sports bar with your boys and craving a cosmo, you might want to hold off until you get home)

There are many different ways to make a cosmo, but I'll start off with the IBA specified recipe:














4.0 cl. Vodka Citron
1.5 cl. Cointreau (or generic Triple-sec to save that cash)
1.5 cl. Lime juice
3.0 cl. Cranberry juice


...and multiply quantities by 4 to fill out my mug.
















Or keep the quantities the same and be classy and all:














(Yes, I know that's a margarita glass. You can use a cocktail glass if you have one, you pretentious jerk.)

I decided to get my first taste of the series from what I hoped would be the shortest, most easy to digest form: a feature film made for a grand theatrical release. (rather than a full season) Sex and the City: The Movie (2008) (Netflix) turned out to be the condensed form...

To be honest, the movie was not completely unbearable. As far as romantic-drama-comedies go, this film had the full required range. There was a lot of love. And a lot of sex talk from 40-50 year old women. (that got slightly awkward at times, for me and anyone who walked in on me watching...) And there was definitely some serious conflict and drama. No, I didn't cry... However, I was very surprised with how much comedy was in this rom/dram/com. Much of the humor may work better for the intended demographic of the film, though.

Overall, Sex and the City was not as bad as I had originally thought it would be. With the help of alcohol, it can be just as good for you too. Usually, for a film with this much sexual material, I would tell you something about watching it with your mom, but odds are your mom probably likes Sex and the City. So make her a cosmo and have fun... I guess.

4. Trailer Park Boys: The Movie and Rum & Coke

The planned movie and drink pairing for this week was going to be the first non-comedy film that I was going to review. However, with midterms coming up and all sorts of homework to do, I decided to watch something a bit more fun.

Trailer Park Boys: The Movie! (2006) (Netflix) If you have never heard of the Trailer Park Boys series, don't feel too bad. (It's Canadian...) The series has a documentary feel to it, and follows a pair of Canadian small-time criminals. The series follows the pair as they live their lives looking for cons in their trailer park with a variety of comical trailer park friends and enemies. One of the running jokes is that you never see Julian (one of the main characters) without a mixed drink in his hand, regardless of the situation. (see pic below, left)



























In honor of Julian and the 7 season and 2 feature film run of the Trailer Park Boys, any viewing of any installment from the Trailer Park Boys universe should be seen with a rum & coke (aka the Cuba Libre) in hand.















The rum and coke is commonly made with 1 part rum (usually a light rum) and 2 parts coke mixed over ice. Many people enjoy the addition of lime (lime wedges or lime juice)





















Now that the drink is out of the way, let's get to the movie.

Although the movie comes late in the Trailer Park Boys anthology, it was made for theaters and has a separate storyline. The movie jumps right into the action, and if you don't know all the characters' back-stories, it may take awhile for everything to come together. This movie covers a huge range of life; from the lows like prison life, crime, and alcoholism, to the highs like love, friendship, and alcoholism. However, because of the characters' background; a Canadian trailer park; the scenes and situations may not be that relate-able, but still very laughable. Just like the last film, I wouldn't recommend watching this movie with your mother. There is language, sexual content and drugs. But really, what did you expect from a movie whose main characters are felons?

I hope you made your drink, because you're going to want to watch the rest of the series after watching this movie, and you need sustenance. Here's a taste of the series without giving away any serious spoilers:

[Warning: Language!]

3. Black Dynamite and Malt Liquor (Colt 45)

Black Dynamite (2009) (Netflix) is a soon to be cult classic. (by many predictions)
The movie starts out with a commercial for an Anaconda malt liquor. Since it doesn't exist, I thought it would be appropriate to choose the most popular malt liquor out there: Colt 45















Why so many cans, you ask?

Because I'm following the rules laid down by Billy Dee Williams:



And I'm really thirsty. And it's really cheap; less than $2 for 24 oz. of 6.1% ABV drink. It ranks pretty high on the college student's money-saving alcohol playbook. For this movie/drink combo, I would suggest a 1 oz to 5 lb ratio. (every 5 pounds you weigh, have at least 1 oz. of colt 45 on hand; weigh 200 pounds? Get a 40)

This movie may not be for everyone: there is bad language and nudity and drug/alcohol use throughout. Some may be offended by the humor, but it shouldn't be taken seriously at all. A lot of the humor pokes fun at the old genre of 70's blaxploitation films. The self-parodying style reminds me of Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, with less slapstick and more genuine, thought-out comedy. Don't worry though, it's not exactly high-brow, but at the same time, it's not just sight gags and absurdities. The film really parodies its low-budget ancestors really well, and is hilarious as a film in itself, even if you haven't seen any films from that genre/era.

If you are looking for a good laugh, this is definitely a great choice. Just make sure to be ready for some racial humor (not racist humor, though) and some dirty jokes (language and sexuality). If you're a little uptight, I would suggest opening up a can of Colt 45 before you start the film, and get a few friends. (But I wouldn't suggest watching with your mom...)
When I watched it with her she said she hated it.

Trailer:




I'm dreading the next movie. But for now I'll leave it as a surprise. I'm taking any suggestions for movie/drink combos in the comments.

2. The Big Lebowski and the White Russian

The Big Lebowski (1998) is one of those cult classics that has polarized its audiences. Almost everyone that has seen it either loves it or hates it. Similarly, I have a love-hate relationship with the iconic White Russian from the film. It is one of those strangely sweet, yet extremely strong drinks that you end up guzzling before realizing that you're way past your limit. Don't say that I didn't warn you:



If that doesn't do it for you, you could always try a blind russian (so named because it is everything in a white russian, while swapping out the non-alcoholic cream for bailey's irish cream)

Ingredients:
















I decided to go with the big beer mug because thats how I do mixed drinks. (To be honest, I own no other glassware, but my ego told me to say that)

Mix in the ingredients as shown in the video and you should come up with something like this:





















(Looks almost like chocolate milk. Warning: it isn't...)

The movie follows a practically apathetic and indifferent protagonist as he deals with an identity misunderstanding. That is the main plot of the film. Although the plot may seem contrived, the film itself is still very compelling and the characters and dialogue are the true draw. Some of the characters may be unrelateable to some college students; however, there are probably many more of us who can truly empathize with the Dude (the protagonist) with his carefree attitude. Clearly, this film still has major appeal to the masses, and it has quite a following, as it is still quoted non-stop in popular culture. The Big Lebowski definitely deserves its cult following, if not for its comical characters than at least for its comical dialogue. The characters are strangely original and in my opinion the film's main draw.

If you end up watching the film and don't fully enjoy it, at least know that now you will understand those constant references and quotes throughout pop-culture land and maybe give it another try some other time. (Maybe try the second time on Blind Russians!)

1. J.D. and Animal House

My inaugural blog posting goes to the movie Animal House: a perfectly fitting movie for a college-oriented blog and for studious students everywhere. The drink pairing for this movie is inspired by the following scene:



Good ole' Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey. However, it is recommended to enjoy it slowly rather than John Belushi's 10 second chug. That is, only if you are trying to make it to the end of the movie...

Okay, load up the DVD and lets begin









It has been said that this is one of the quintessential films for all college students to have seen before or at some point during their college careers. Although the film is relatively dated(1978), and the main characters represent a small part of the overall college population(fraternity members), it is still a relevantly humorous film. Maybe most college students won't be able to relate to every outrageous situation, but most can at least relate to someone they know in similar situations. Who doesn't have the failing friend, barely pulling a 0.02 gpa, or the starving (or just gross) friend who eats anything that comes his way, or the slightly worrying alcoholic friend who constantly drinks and finds any excuse to celebrate with a beer or a shot. Besides some of the more low-brow gross-out humor, there are a few scenes of almost troubling perversion and voyeurism.

Overall, the J.D. is a great complement to this film. Just as the whiskey drowns out all of this world's sorrows, so does this movie. Seeing this fraternity filled with college failures helps the average college semi-failure feel pretty good about his/her life. Also, the humor helps...

There are valuable lessons one can learn from this experience:
1. Some fraternities are crazy. (There are two subclasses here: the freaky paddle using ones and the failing, non-stop drinking ones)
2. John Belushi is crazy.
3. Beer is much cheaper and easier to drink than a bottle of whiskey:









Next movie is: _____________ (TBD)

The plan for next time is to concurrently blog while watching/drinking. I'm excited.

Introduction to the blog

Have you ever been to a fancy restaurant, complete with a full wine list, and ended up getting a drink that completely clashed with your fancy veal scallopini? Me neither (seriously, veal?). If it ever happens though, you can always consult Wine and Food Pairing Basics or a very intuitive guide like this.

However, if you're not super fancy and just looking for a good movie to accompany your cheap drink, then this is the right place for you. Every week I will be reviewing either a cult classic or a lesser known movie on the IMDB top 250, all the while showing you what you should be drinking to best enjoy the film.

The first movie on the list is the college cult classic Animal House.