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!