Alcohollywood

This week on Alcohollywood, guest Theo helps us get in touch with our feminine, middle-aged side with Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer! When little Scarlett Johansson gets injured riding her horse, which itself becomes traumatized and aggressive, career-woman working mom Annie (Kristen Scott Thomas) takes both of them to 'horse whisperer' Tom Booker (Redford), who offers his homespun wisdom and chaste masculinity to this erstwhile city family. The movie's gorgeous, but it's also three hours long, and the romance-novel cliches abound; still, we actually had some surprising reactions to a movie we went into with some pretty low expectations. Take a listen, and enjoy our custom cocktail and drinking rules!

This week on Alcohollywood, David Rheinstrom of Our Fair City joins us as we get out our magnifying glasses and take a closer look at the 1972 dramedy-thriller Sleuth! Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine both got Oscar nods for their performances in this adaptation of the titular Anthony Schaffer play, in which an eccentric old crime novel writer (Olivier) invites his wife’s working-class new lover (Caine) for a Machiavellian game of wits they won’t soon forget. Both actors are in fine form, the twists are fun and inventive, and there’s a good deal of spark that helps make up for the film’s bloated runtime and overuse of certain gags. Still, give us a listen to discuss this fun old film, and how its 2007 Ken Branagh remake (also starring Caine) holds up – and don’t forget to check out our drinking rules and custom cocktail below! Also, if you haven’t heard us on the CinemaJaw podcast, we visited our other Chicago film podcast buds just this last week to talk performances by actors playing themselves – check it

This week, we see into the future with Ryan Bond of Our Fair City and Geek Bar Chicago as we dive into the convoluted world of David Lynch’s 1984 flick Dune! Because our listeners demanded, Jared and I watched the three-hour-long Alan Smithee cut of this adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert – somehow, this complex tale of political intrigue and religious prophecy 10,000 years in the future was both too complex and too over-explained. Still, we get into some great discussion of the ins and outs of this fairly divisive and ambitious cult film, so check out the episode, drinking game and custom cocktail below! *Episode rule: Drink every time Clint says the word 'skinny.' (Forgive the coughing; Clint was a little under the weather during this recording.)

Happy Shark Week, listeners! This time, Craig and Julia joins us to wear their shark-fin hats with the Renny Harlin shark shocker Deep Blue Sea! A sea of 90s faces (Samuel L. Jackson, Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, LL Cool J) find themselves on the run from genetically-engineered sharks, whose brains have been artificially enhanced to find the cure for Alzheimer's. (Don't ask.) What results is an incredibly fun, but oddly goofy and fun flick complete with shitty character names (Carter Blake?), dubious science, and end-credits rap songs. Check out our custom cocktail and drinking rules - like, subscribe and share!

It’s our 150th episode, and Alcohollywood is bringing back Chicago-geek power couple Clayton Faits (of Our Fair City) and Lauren Faits (aka Geek Girl Chicago) to talk about Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade! In honor of our very first episode, where we covered Crystal Skull, we decided to look back on the third Indy film! Here, the titular adventurer (Harrison Ford) must beat the Nazis to an historical religious artifact with great power – sound familiar? Along the way, though, he learns a few lessons about family from his bookish, stern dad (a wonderful Sean Connery) and gives a lesson in arithmetic to his friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies). Crusade leans a bit much on the stuff people liked about Raiders of the Lost Ark, but its greater comedic edge, and the impeccable comic chemistry between Ford and Connery, help to make this one a classic. TO OUR FANS: Thanks so much to everyone who listens to Alcohollywood, whether it’s in your car, at the gym, or just sitting on your ass reading the Internet (as we are

This week on Alcohollywood, guest Nick of Three Brothers Theatre joins us to talk about yet another cinematic disaster – the 1994 film Clifford! Released unceremoniously in 1994 after being filmed in 1990, this abortive problem-child film sees Martin Short playing a precociously violent and demonic 10-year-old whose parents dump him on the unsuspecting Uncle Martin (Charles Grodin), whose life is completely destroyed over the next 90 minutes. Short’s creepy mugging and overblown schtick meshes poorly with the oddly nihilistic and dark tone of the film, resulting in a movie that’s as creepy as it is unpleasant. Luckily, we’ve got some booze and rules to help you get through it!

This week on Alcohollywood, Nathan Roebbel of the Right Brain Project joins us as we dig into the Disney archives to take a look at the long-forgotten animated flick The Black Cauldron! The movie is an adaptation of an obscure Welsh-inspired fantasy book series following the adventures of a meek pig-keeper named Taran, who must fight off the Horned King (John Hurt) and destroy a magical cauldron that can create an army of the undead.  Released in 1985 after a contentious production process, the film isn’t done any favors by its half-hearted attempts at darker material and flat, samey characters – one must lament the film that could have been. Still, we’ve got all the tools to help you lament right here, with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (We've also got our audio review of Klingon Warnog from the Federation of Beers, for all your geeky drink needs.) Listen below!

This week on Alcohollywood, we’re staging an intervention by making a drinking game for a film about alcoholism! Returning guests Andrew and Julia join us to take on Billy Wilder’s 1945 classic The Lost Weekend, about an alcoholic writer (Ray Milland) who endures a rock bottom bender over the course of three days. The film takes an unflinching look at the morality and psychology of alcoholism, a first for a movie of this type. The film is helped along with some creative imagery and Miklos Rozsa’s unsettling theremin score. (It's also a fantastic double feature with Double Indemnity, another Wilder film we've covered on the show before as well.) Take a listen as we share in Don’s dilemmas with our custom cocktail and drinking game!

This week on Alcohollywood, returning guests and Kat and James (from fellow podcast Geekspotting) join us to help us unpack the 1979 masterpiece The Visitor! A strange Italian mix of Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, and Star Wars, this crazy film follows the interstellar battle between good and evil, as represented by Old Space God (John Huston) and a petulant little hell child named Katy (Paige Conner). Featuring Lance Henriksen as a sadistic basketball team owner and Franco Nero as Space Jesus, this crazy Drafthouse Films discovery is full of surprises. Check it out with us, along with our custom cocktail and drinking game! CORRECTION: During the mailbag segment, we credit listener Jens Dietrich for being one of our pals at French Toast Sunday - that was a massive brain fart, and not only is Jens not affiliated with French Toast Sunday, he is, in fact, a dude. Many apologies!

Happy birthday, America! We’re celebrating the Fourth of July in style here on Alcohollywood, as we take on Roland Emmerich’s American Braveheart, aka The Patriot! Returning guest Dusty Wilson comes back to indulge in this three hour long exercise in melodrama,  Mel Gibson crying faces, and slow motion flag waving (and flag stabbing). With a giant ensemble cast, and a suitably bombastic John Williams score, The Patriot cements itself as one of the most American movies a German has ever made starring two Australians. Luckily, we’ve also got a custom cocktail and drinking rules to help wash down this steaming pile of America, so take a look and listen below!

Everything is awesome this week, as we go down familiar territory with a FULL EPISODE treatment of Fresh Pour favorite The LEGO Movie! Geek Girl Chicago herself joins us to talk about this past spring’s surprisingly-great kid’s flick/Danish brick product placement, in which dopey Emmet (Chris Pratt) is dragged into an improbable and genre-savvy adventure to save the many realms of LEGO from the nefarious schemes of Lord Business (Will Ferrell). Along the way, we discuss our personal LEGO experiences, the fast and frenetic style of filmmakers Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, and whether or not the message of the movie even works. Drink along with our amazing custom cocktail and drinking rules!

This week on Alcohollywood, we get in touch with our primitive side with returning guest Theo as we check out the stark prehistoric film Quest for Fire! A strange blend of speculative historical documentary and hero’s journey, the film follows a small group of Neanderthals (including Silver Bullet’s Everett McGill and Bunraku’s Ron Perlman) who must travel to find a new source for fire after it is lost. Along the way, they encounter apelike homo erectus, advanced homo sapiens (including a mesmerizing Rae Dawn Chong) and prehistoric animals of varying levels of terror. The film itself is a fascinating watch that’s difficult to quantify, but we certainly give it our shot. Also be sure to check out our drinking rules and custom cocktail below!

This week on Alcohollywood, we’ve got a very special guest: Nathan Rabin, former head writer for The Onion AV Club and current contributor to The Dissolve! He joins us to talk about the the samurai western gangster musical film mash-up Bunraku! In a post-apocalyptic world without guns, a drifter (Josh Hartnett) and samurai (Gackt) must team up with a saloon owner (Woody Harrelson) to defeat a mob boss (Ron Perlman) for unknown reasons. What follows is a stylish, but ultimately schizophrenic exercise in style and theatricality for its own sake. Take a listen below, and check out our custom cocktail and drinking rules! SUPPLEMENTAL READING: Nathan Rabin has written on Bunraku previously for The Dissolve. Plus, he's currently celebrating the one-year anniversary of the release of his latest book, You Don’t Know Me But You Don’t Like Me. Pick it up now!

This week on Alcohollywood, we take a break from video games, space cats and gangster lizards to take on something a little more sensitive – the 1979 Peter Sellers film Being There. One of his last roles, Sellers plays an unassuming, exceedingly ‘simple’ gardener named Chance, whose sheltered lifestyle is changed forever when his benefactor dies. Entering the harsh outside world, his tenuous grasp on reality and the nature of things manages to exert incredible influence on the people around him, including the President of the United States (Jack Warden). It’s a difficult (and utterly fascinating) film to describe, but we give it our best shot, along with writers/best buddies David and Clayton of Our Fair City! Also, check out our drinking game and custom cocktail below!

For the month of May, we’re kicking off Video Game Movie Month, where every week we take on a new film adaptation of a video game! This week, we (along with guest Ryan Bond) wrap up Video Game Movie Month with the infamous film Super Mario Bros. The Movie! A completely wackadoo adaptation of the Nintendo game series featuring everyone's favorite plumbers, this film sees Mario (Bob Hoskins) and Luigi (John Leguizamo) becoming lost in a Blade Runner-esque dystopian dimension full of weird fungus, goth-club fashion and trolley/snowplow cars. Lost in a strange middle ground between campy fun and dark/gritty treatment of the material, the film simply doesn't know what to do with itself, and its behind-the-scenes drama is a good enough story on its own. Listen to us dive into this pile of crap with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (EDITING NOTE: The drink name accidentally got dropped in the 'cast itself, but we have it for you in the recipe below. Sorry about that!)

For the month of May, we’re kicking off Video Game Movie Month, where every week we take on a new film adaptation of a video game! This week, Matt K from CinemaJaw joins us to talk about 1984’s video game-related film Cloak and Dagger! This one’s a bit different, as it’s not so much a video game adaptation as it is a tie-in for a failed Atari video game from the’80s, but we still think it counts. Young Davey (ET’s Henry Thomas) immerses himself in the imaginary world of Cloak and Dagger, only to find himself dealing with a real superspy threat with the help of imaginary hero/dad-figure Jack Flack (Dabney Coleman). Despite – or perhaps because of – its 80s charm, we found a lot to talk about, so check out our episode along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules!

For the month of May, we’re kicking off Video Game Movie Month, where every week we take on a new film adaptation of a video game! This week, we've got a rogue's gallery of guests (from recurring guest Julia to playwright Dusty Wilson, to Grant of Chip and Ironicus) to talk about the 2006 horror game adaptation Silent Hill! When Rose (Radha Mitchell) steals her adopted daughter Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) away to the abandoned town of Silent Hill to try to solve the mystery of her nightmares, they both end up in a hellish Lovecraftian hellscape full of psychological rape monsters, crazy cultists, and more peeling paint than a small-town playground. Does this horror flick live up to the atmosphere of the games, or is it a case study in how poorly video game mechanics and structure translate to the screen? Find out, along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules!

For the month of May, we’re kicking off Video Game Movie Month, where every week we take on a new film adaptation of a video game! This week, we head into space with House-guest Nick Ostrem to talk about the 1999 space-sim adaptation Wing Commander! Based on the 90s space dogfight games of the same name, the film follows the fight to win a deadly future space war between the humans and the Kilrathi, a race of space cats so deadly they live in dense green fog to hide the shoddiness of their rubber suits. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Matthew Lillard play newbie space fighter jocks who must get the job done amongst an international cast who is really too good for the cliched material they are given. Still, there's a strange earnest charm to the film that helps you through it, along with its slightly creative production design and incredibly standout score. This film is infamous for people buying tickets to it just to see the Episode I trailer and walk right back out of the theater – does the film deserve it? Find out

For the month of May, we’re kicking off Video Game Movie Month, where every week we take on a new film adaptation of a video game! To get us started, Chris from the Nerd Outcast Podcast joins us for Paul WS Anderson’s debut feature, Mortal Kombat, based on the bloody fighting game of the same name! Telling the tale of three warriors forced to enter a martial arts tournament that will decide the fate of the world, this film is cheesy as hell. However, it goes about its business in a recklessly charming way that allows it to overcome its many faults. Throw in some wonderfully campy performances and some competent fight choreography, and you have a surprisingly solid video game movie. Test your liver’s might with our custom cocktail and drinking rules!

This week on Alcohollywood, recurring guest Derek joins us as we check out one of the more unconventional listener requests we’ve been given – 2009’s Japanese dramedy Fish Story! The tale of an obscure punk song that ends up saving the world from a deadly comet, Fish Story is an anthology film featuring vignettes from 1975 all the way to the apocalyptic world of 2012, showing the different ways in which the song (and the story that inspired it) dramatically affects people’s lives. It’s quirky and offbeat, to be sure, but the film is earnest and unpredictable enough to be surprisingly charming. If you can find it, you really should check it out – along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! ANNOUNCEMENTS: Jared and Clint recently recorded a guest spot on Geekspotting (our guests from the Time Bandits episode), which you can find here! Also, Clint will be at C2E2 moderating the Let’s Play Panel Sunday, April 27th at 10:45am at McCormick Place, featuring frequent guest Grant of Chip and Ironicus, so be sur