At HOME PROJECTIONIST, we’re always on the lookout for recommendations for movie/food/drink themed events.
WineClubGuide’s list of “The Top 6 Appearances by Wine in a Movie” offers programming ideas for your next home viewing party where WINE is the main attraction. (But wait, isn’t wine the main attraction at all home viewing parties????)
6.French Kiss (1995) – Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline star in a sweet romantic comedy.
5. Silence of the Lambs (1991) – OK, so it’s not about wine, but it does boast a brilliant mention of wine.
4. Sideways (2004) – Rocking the wine world and flatlining Merlot.
3.Bottle Shock(2008)– Wine history docu-drama…complete with gorgeous light and scenery.
2. Mondovino (2004) – “Struggle and survival” in the wine business documentary.
I am wondering about all of the families and friends who settled in Christmas Eve to sit back, relax, and share a holiday movie but nothing was available for streaming. I hope they at least had cable.
In case you haven’t heard, a big chunk of providers, including Netflix, relies on the servers of Amazon’s Web Service, better known as AWS, and that service happened to have a meltdown on Christmas Eve.
According to the Wall Street Journal article, Amazon’s Snafu Rattles Customers, “Millions of Netflix customers from Canada to Brazil were unable to stream video on Christmas Eve after technical issues in Amazon’s servers in Northern Virginia felled service from Dec. 24 through the following morning.” No explanation has yet been provided.
The plot thickens too. During the meltdown, the social networks were “abuzz with speculation about why Amazon’s competing Prime streaming movie service was still functioning.”
So, Amazon has some ‘splainin’ to do and some technology to tend to. In the meantime, I am using this opportunity create a kind of cautionary tale. Hence, the photo of the ring.
I have had this little piece of costume jewelry since high school, when I worked at an appliance store. One of my jobs there was to take service calls. One night, a woman called in an absolute panic. “Help me,” she said, “please help me.”
“Yes, ma’am, what can we do for you?” I asked.
“I just realized my television is out, and my husband will be home soon, and I’m just terrified.”
“Terrified?” I asked her. I had heard of husbands going ballistic over things but of a television not working? Being “terrified” seemed a bit of an overstatement.
“Not terrified of him,” she said. “I’m terrified that we’ll discover we don’t have anything to talk about. We always have the tv on. Is there someone who can come over now? Right now? Please?”
Coming from a family of non-stop talkers, I didn’t appreciate that urgent gravity of her situation, but I could sense in her voice that she was indeed terrified.
“Here’s the thing,” I told her. “We do have a technician available for a house call tonight.”
“I’ll pay anything…anything!” she promised.
“Well, before I set something up, I have to ask you to do something for me,” I told her, feeling as if I needed to use a quiet and calm therapist voice. “You have to check the plug.”
“The plug?” she asked, sounding annoyed.
“Yes. The plug.” I hadn’t worked at the appliance store for long, but we did have a protocol. “Before we can arrange any service call, I have to ask customers to check the plug. Ninety percent of the time, it turns out that the only problem is that the plug is pulled out.” There was silence on the other end of the line. “Really. It’s true,” I said. “Do me a favor and go see. I’ll hold.”
After just a few moments, the woman came back ont the line. “God bless you,” she said. “That’s all it was. The plug was pulled out, just a little. It must have happened today when I was cleaning. God bless you. God bless you.”
I was glad to have helped. I shared the story with my co-workers. They all laughed. “Dummy,” said the television repairman working in the backroom.
That next morning, which was a Saturday, a woman came into the store. She was young, blonde, and perky. She came right up to the service counter where I sat. “Are you the girl who helped me last night? Who told me to plug in my tv set?”
I nodded. Yes, I was that girl, one and the same.
“Well, God bless you. Thank you for saving my marriage.” She held out her hand and showed me a ring with a shining purple stone. “I make jewelry,” she said, “and I want to give you this as a token of my undying appreciation. You really saved my marriage.” She pressed the ring in my palm, gave my hand a hard squeeze, and walked out the door.
I don’t know why I’ve kept that ring all these years, but when I come across it in a drawer full of old costume jewelry, I always remember that bride and her sheer panic. I hope that she and her husband learned how to have a conversation.
When I read of the streaming outage on Christmas Eve, I wondered if there were any families or friends or couples out there who were thrown into a sudden panic that they didn’t have the streaming service they were expecting.
The cautionary tale here is that it’s important to have a backup plan…like an emergency stash of DVDs to help you ride out future glitches with streaming technology. And just in case, remember to check the plug.
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
From the Witch’s Brew to the Devil’s Skin, check out Huffington Post’s compelling directory of Halloween cocktails for this weekend’s spooky movie watching parties. See them all at 21 Creepy Holiday Drinks.
The THRILLER television series (1960 – 1962) is an under-appreciated treasure trove for your Halloween watch list. The expertly crafted episodes feature compelling tales with twists and turns and startling, dark images that can be much more disturbing than big blobs of blood, guts, and over-the-top gore.
Boris Karloff hosted this 67-episode tv series, featuring stories by some of the best writers of the thriller genre, including Robert Bloch of PSYCHO fame. Production quality is top notch from the spot-on, spine-tingling music to the lineup of directors, including Ida Lupino, actress and one of the first female film directors.
These stories scared me when I was young, and they still have staying power. A few of my favorite episodes are “The Grim Reaper,” starring William Shatner, who shows off his best Shanter-esque acting chops in the closing sequence. Invite your friends and ghouls over to hunker down for the “The Grim Reaper” episode, along with “A Wig for Miss Devore, “The Hungry Glass,” and “La Strega.”
They may want to leave the lights on when it’s time for bed.
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
We’re not only celebrating 50 years of bad boy James Bond this year, but it’s also the 50th year of rock ‘n roll bad boys, the Rolling Stones. These may be old guys, but they’re still fascinating to watch.
To recognize the Stones’ impressive milestone, on November 15, HBO is showing its new documentary, CROSSFIRE HURRICANE.
About the film, director Brett Morgan says, “This is not an academic history lesson,” but an opportunity to “experience firsthand the Stones’ nearly mythical journey from outsiders to rock & roll royalty.”
The band also debuted a tour documentary THE ROLLING STONES: CHARLIE IS MY DARLING — IRELAND 1965 as part of the New York Film Festival on September 29.
With these kinds of films available, along with all the archival clips being rolled out on the official Rolling Stones YouTube channel, it’s time to plan your own at-home Stones party. After watching old friends Mick, Keith, and the gang go from fresh faced to craggy, still legends, still appealing, everyone will want to get up and dance when you start playing “Satisfaction.”
You may love your big screen television, but it can end up being a looming, intrusive, and not-so-attractive presence in your living room, den, bedroom, or even your garage. You may prefer to leave it front and center as a room-ruling monolith, but it doesn’t necessarily have to get all of the attention.
Houzz’s recent article, “Decorate With Intention: Helping Your TV Blend In,” provides some camouflage tips, from thoughtful placement options to how to balance the big black screen with other objects.
One of the best things about my trip to Italy this summer was being introduced to the Aperol spritz. Three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol (an orange-hued bittersweet aperitif), and a splash of club soda. It’s a perfect libation for that golden time of day when life slows down and people start to fill the piazzas.
With the long days of summer fading fast, it seemed like a good idea to enjoy a double feature of Italian romances, reflect a bit on my travels, and serve up the last of my Aperol stash. (I had discovered that I could buy it stateside at my local Binny’s.)
Our night was off to a great start with ROMAN HOLIDAY, the 1953 William Wyler classic starring Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert, and “introducing” Audrey Hepburn. (Her first film role for which she also won an Academy Award.)
This stunning black-and-white film, shot entirely on location, gives Rome itself a grayscale, velvety role. In a nutshell, this film is perfection — and Hepburn brings absolute magic to the screen. From the moment she appears, you cannot keep your eyes off of her. You witness a star being born.
The pseudo fairy tale tells the story of Hepburn’s bored but dutiful Princess Ann, who escapes her daily grind and hits the streets of Rome with reporter Gregory Peck and his sidekick photographer, played by Eddie Albert, who, by the way, steals the scenes playing this renegade character. Trouble ensues because Princess Ann doesn’t know that her newfound “friends” are just trying to get a big story about the missing princess and give their careers — and their wallets — a big boost.
But, of course, how could Mr. Peck not fall for Hepburn’s sheer loveliness, openness, vulnerability, and strength?
There’s a bit of an “ewwww” factor in the fact that Gregory Peck is too old for our sunny and beaming princess, but we can overlook that little matter. The two are delightful together, and there is impeccable honesty in their performances.
Unfortunately, this charming romantic comedy ends badly, and the princess chooses to head back to the castle. Love with a commoner is not to be. In the heart-breaking closing scene, Hepburn is all ceremony and steel as she says good bye, and she and Peck share looks that speak volumes of I-will-treasure-the memory-of-you-always sentiments. You keep thinking there will be a happy, fairy tale ending. You will be thinking wrong.
(It’s interesting to note that when ROMAN HOLIDAYwas released, Britain’s Princess Margaret was facing the same royal dilemma of having to end her love affair with a member of the common class. What a brilliant bit of serendipity to tie a movie promotion on!)
After we dried our eyes and refilled the spritz glasses, we looked forward to the second film in our lineup, ROME ADVENTURE(1962), starring Suzanne Pleshette (in her first film role too), Troy Donahue, Angie Dickinson, and Rossano Brassi. I remembered seeing this film as a young girl and I thought it was the most romantic movie ever. Sometimes memories don’t hold up.
Pleshette’s Prudence, a librarian at a girls’ school, starts out strong and compelling. After being reprimanded for lending a student a book that the administration considers obscene, Prudence resigns in that singular husky voice of hers and says, “I’m going to Italy where they know what love is about.”
So off she goes across the sea seeking an understanding of what it means to surrender to love and passion. Before she even gets to Rome, Prudence attracts two suitors, a young American and a middle-aged Italian, who present extreme options — one is too immature and inexperienced and the other is too old and uninspiring. She’s looking for someone who is “just right.” Enter the brooding Troy Donahue who looks cute in his red sweater and matching red Vespa (just like a Ken doll), but he certainly is dull and clueless. And as we say now, he is strikingly “emotionally unavailable.” Poor Prudence.
In spite of an intriguing setup — and a heavy dose of Technicolor glamor that especially suits a slutty and manipulative Angie Dickinson — writer and director Delmer Davis (of SUMMER PLACE fame) somehow loses focus. Prudence devolves from being a confident and curious young woman to being an unsure and silly girl. Her quest to understand lust and love goes flat.
It soon became apparent to us that this was going to be one of those film-watching experiences where there would be some wisecracking and collective groaning going on. About the same time we realized that the film was leaning more toward campy than classic, we also starting noticing interesting touches of the color orange appearing on the sets. An orange pillow here, an orange scarf there, an orange plate, an orange vase — the same striking color of our Aperol spritzes.
How could we not have a movie drinking game? So it was agreed: Every time there was a splash of the color orange on the screen, it was time to savor your spritz.
It was a great way to pass the time as Prudence and Don (the Donahue character) go off on a journey to tour the stunning Italian countryside. As Prudence wrestles with her carnal desires and her need to protect her virtue, the film becomes more of a travelogue. And what great fun for me to see so many of the places I had just visited — Orvieto, Lake Maggiore, the Dolomite Mountains. There is even big drama at the Piazza Erbe in Verona, which was the exact place I encountered my first Aperol spritz. What a coincidence!
One of the oddest scenes is a creepy cameo by trumpet player Al Hirt who has his date parade her stuff in a tight dress for the benefit(?) of Prudence and Don. An ensuing bar fight is priceless in its inanity.
But there is a lovely score by Max Steiner, and one of the most romantic songs in the world, Al Di La.
In both films, the young women learn about the trials and tribulations of love, and serious mistakes area made. In ROMAN HOLIDAY, Hepburn probably shouldn’t have forsaken Gregory Peck for her royal duties. Ditto in ROME ADVENTURE. By the time Pleshette’s Prudence gets the guy she thinks she wants, you know she’ll eventually realize that she’s making one of the worst choices of her life. (In a case of life imitating art, Pleshette and Donahue married after making this film, and the marriage lasted about a month.)
What we learned during this double feature is that romantic miscalculations can be made a little easier to bear with a few Aperol spritzes.
Salute!
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
A story about nuns setting up a school and hospital in the Himalayas? Yes, it sounds dreadful.
But when the nuns meet up with the tanned, hunky government official, who happens to be wearing a chest-baring shirt and short shorts, you know something’s going to go down.
BLACK NARCISSUS (1947), from awarding-winning director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, is absolutely delicious to watch (with gorgeous cinematography by Jack Cardiff). What makes this film so much fun to show for an at-home movie night is that it’s serious, melodramatic, nonsensical, and thrilling all at the same time.
The drama ensues on the grounds of an improbable and imposing monastery perched on the edge of a 9,000-foot cliff. To add to the intrigue, we find out that the monastery previously housed the king’s concubines in secret, sensually painted rooms, which are now guarded by a mad woman.
It turns out that the monastery itself becomes one of the most formidable characters driving the story forward. In addition to the monastery, the stellar cast also includes Deborah Kerr as the conflicted sister, David Farrar as the hot guy in town, Kathleen Byron as the mad-as-a-hatter nun, and Jean Simmons and Sabu as the weirdly matched young local couple.
When I first heard the name of the film, I didn’t get it, given that my knowledge of horticulture is sorely lacking. I came to learn that Black Narcissus is a flower, known for its intoxicating scent and also its potential toxicity. I don’t think the name of this film would ever get through a marketing department these days because of its abstractness, but now I can’t imagine the film with any other title.
Promotions for BLACK NARCISSUSproclaimed: “Drama at the top of the world … where winds of the exotic past sweep men and women to strange and fascinating adventure…” The language is as over the top as the film, which is available on Criterion Blu-ray (with engaging extra features).
I always love themed Home Projectionist events, and the setting of this film gives a big range opportunities for Himalayan hosting.
Foodwise, I would just order carry out from a local Himalayan restaurant (because I probably wouldn’t find yak or goat at my local grocery and I really do love goat.) But nonetheless, there are less exotic options available if you’re inclined to follow recipes. For starters, check out authentic and easy recipes at Nepali Food.
Secondly, add some mysterious lighting with Himalayan salt lights. (You can get them at Target!) And you can even use frozen Himalayan salt cups to serve cocktails.
If you’re still not sure you can convince your company that a movie about nuns is a must-see, you can send ’round the YouTube clip below with your invitations.
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
Most of the 2011 Oscar nominees are now available for home theater viewing in some form or another. Are you a self-respecting home projectionist? Do you plan on screening one or more of the nominated films for your friends or family in the near future? As a would-be theater owner, you won’t want to just roll the movie all by itself, naked, alone and afraid. You definitely will want to value-add the experience for your guests. That means giving them the right “appetizer” with their movie meal.
No visit to an actual theater is complete without an opening salvo of policy trailers, a plug for the concession stands, or pleas to pitch your trash. These are aimed at general audiences. But you can tailor yours to be compatible with your audience and the Academy Award nominee:
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Vanessa Michelle Williams was nominated as Best Actress for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe during the filming of THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL. Your audience for this picture might tend to skew a little older. In that case, they’ll probably remember being musically thanked for coming to the theater, and also for sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying the show (and being shushed):
HUGOIt’s possible you’ll have an excited child or two for this really terrific Martin Scorsese Best Picture nominee. “We must insist on absolute quiet!” sounds a little harsh. So why not let this gentleman do it for you:
THE HELP It’s a movie about domestic service–cleaning and (especially) cooking. So, let’s all go to the lobby to have ourselves some treats. Chocolate pie, anyone?
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE If your noisy guests are taking the “extremely loud” part of the title too literally, this short trailer may be just the thing:
MIDNIGHT IN PARISDo you have punctual friends? Friends who expect the movie to end exactly at midnight? Then you need a countdown clock:
WAR HORSEDoes your audience have an appetite like–as well as for–a horse? This elf-like creature consumes mass quantities of refreshments as he counts down the time:
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON This nominee’s extravagant array of visual effects calls for “the most extravagant array of refreshment goodies ever assembled under one roof!”
THE DESCENDANTS Is your audience all approximately the same age (if not as good looking) as George Clooney, the star of this excellent Best Picture nominee? Then they’ll most likely remember this catchy jingle very clearly:
All of these short, short trailers are available on YouTube. Thank you, and please deposit your trash on the way out.
He’s still keeps ’em coming: Woody Allen’s new film To Rome With Love kicked off the Los Angeles Film Festival (www.lafilmfest.com) on June 14. Last year, Midnight in Paris (2011) was absolutely delightful (and who knew that I could ever fall madly for Owen Wilson?).
But for me, MANHATTAN(1979)still shines. It’s beautiful look at, has a smart script and memorable performances, and it’s a classic that deserves a revisit. I am always surprised how much I love it every time I see it, and it’s a stellar film for a Home Projectionist event.
Shot in black and white to stunningly show off the grit of the city (and the shades of gray of the dilemmas that characters face), the film is rich with Allen Angst and hapless hilarity (although you may laugh out loud only a few times). Allen — along with Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, and Meryl Streep — ruminate, wallow, digress, change partners, fall in love, and fret, fret, fret, good lord how they fret about their daily little lives. And for all their self-absorption, you love them nonetheless.
The film’s locale provides a long list of options for themed entertaining. Manhattans for cocktails and an array of potential menu items from deli trays to Waldorf salad, bagels to dirty water hot dogs, and hot pretzels to New York cheesecake. (The downside is that there are so many options and it’s hard to choose.)
As a special bonus, a recent viewing of the film spawned a spur-of-the-moment, made-up game called “What You Saw In the Movie That You Don’t You See So Much Anymore.” The list included a typewriter, smoking in restaurants, luggage without rollers, a dictaphone machine, big telephones, racket ball, women with really bad perms and tiny boobs and no bras. Oh yes, and when was the last time you heard someone talking about Kierkegaard?
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
If I set my Way Way Back Machine to 1976, I can recall being addicted to the Masterpiece Theatre I, CLAUDIUSmini series the same way I am addicted today to Downton Abbey, Mad Men, and the Housewives of New Jersey.
Earlier this year, the 35th anniversary edition of the BBC I, CLAUDIUSseries was released. What memories that announcement brought back.
Although I clearly remember being enthralled with every episode of I, CLAUDIUSthat I watched on television in the ‘70s, I don’t clearly remember the home projection screening of the series we did sometime in the ‘90s.
Blame the summer heat and copious amounts of red wine for the fuzzy recollections, but our screening of I, CLAUDIUS was memorable nonetheless. (It still comes up once in awhile when friends reminisce – a true sign of a Home Projectionist success.)
A small group of us who are old enough to have seen the original airing of I, CLAUDIUSwere raving about it to our friends who hadn’t seen it. We wanted to show off our new big screen and agreed to make a true marathon event out of it — hunkering down for a screening of 13 episodes on two consecutive Sundays during one of the hottest spells of summer.
Everyone came in on the first Sunday at noon looking limp from the 90-degree heat and 100 percent humidity. They immediately perked up when the blast of over-conditioned air hit them at the door.
The food theme was “Bring Something Mediterrean,” and the kitchen was overflowing with olives, grapes, dried meats, roasted peppers, bruschetta, fabulous cheeses, and an obscene number of bottles of Italian wines. After eating a drinking a bit, people moved into the living room and scrunched up on the couch, grabbed dibs on chairs. We didn’t have enough seating, so in true Roman style, there was also a lot of lying around on the floor.
The opening credits were riveting, the theme, and that snake sliding over the tile floor. So far, so good. But I remember feeling a bit panicked when the first scene appeared with its playhouse production style. I could sense a collective groan.
But within only minutes, really, everyone was drawn in and my worries were over. How could they not be mesmerized?
The cast and performances are over-the-top stellar. Derek Jacobi stammers his way through the leading role as hapless Claudius. Sian Phillips brilliantly plays the evil matriarch Livia while Brian Blessed blusters around as Emperor Augustus. Star Trek fans will be excited to see a young Patrick Stewart in a leather skirt playing the handsome and crafty military officer Sejanus. And John Hurt absolutely kills it as Caligula. Absolutely kills it.
The whole series is a kind of Survivor game show with insider politics and power plays, murder and mayhem, insanity and sexual intrigue…and more sexual intrigue, a few battles, and more sexual intrigue.
During the first day of our mini series marathon, we took long breaks between episodes, and even though we started watching at noon, we didn’t stop until the late, late evening. And copious bottles of wine were empty. Everyone had a bleary-eyed Monday morning.
The next Sunday, the same group of friends reappeared for Round Two, bringing along a repeat of the last Sunday’s Mediterranean spread, as well as a few new participants. We held a plot recap to catch up everyone on the story so far and settled in for the last six episodes.
As the day went on, the breaks between episodes got longer and longer. Sam, who knew the in’s and out’s of Roman history, helped clarify some of the genealogy and missing links. (Note that the 35th anniversary edition has featured extras that will help in that arena.)
I had anticipated that the group would go home early on the second Sunday and that there was no way that we would have a late-night repeat of the week before. But when the last episode was done and I, CLAUDIUSreached its wonderful conclusion, no one went home.
Everyone migrated back to the kitchen to refill glasses and happily pick at leftover dried up cheese and other unappetizing bits and pieces. There was a weird kind of spirit in the air and a sense of ensuing late-night drama. I knew that our own little reenactment of a Roman soiree was going to continue when I walked in on an improbable make-out scene (that still makes me shake my head), and then later when, courtesy of Miss P. Caster, some rock band’s tour bus and entourage pulled up in front of the house.
Sometimes, life can imitate art.
I woke up in the morning to find one friend asleep on the bathroom floor, and he was holding a bowl of grapes.
If you’ve never seen I, CLAUDIUS put it on your Home Projectionist must-see list. And let the intrigue begin.
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
"The hero of my tale, whom I love with all the power of my soul, whom I have tried to portray in all his beauty, who has been, is, and will be beautiful, is Truth." Leo Tolstoy
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