Alcohollywood

It's Oscar season once again, and like we do every year, we do a deep dive into one of the Best Picture nominees! This time around, Michael Snydel of The Film Stage joins Clint (who's a little stuffy this episode, apologies in advance!) and Jared to talk about Guillermo del Toro's nomination-sweeping fantasy love story The Shape of Water! Set in a Cold War-era America filtered through del Toro's intricate dark-fantasy lens, The Shape of Water follows Eliza, a lovesick mute girl (Sally Hawkins) who falls for an  man-like fish creature (Doug Jones) imprisoned in an American military research facility by the evil Strickland (Michael Shannon). Along with her band of outsiders and misfits, Eliza schemes to break the fishman out of the facility and get him home.  Opinions vary on whether this is one of del Toro's mythic masterpieces or a flawed blend of mish-mashed tones and influences, but it makes for an intriguing discussion all the same. Check out our episode, as well as our custom cocktail and drinking game! (Thanks to our sponsor Simplecast as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

Happy Valentine's Day, sweethearts! Tighten your straps and practice your safe words, because we're getting kinky with 2015's Fifty Shades of Grey! The lovely Katie Rife (The AV Club) joins us to discuss Sam Taylor-Johnson's joyless adaptation of EL James' dangerously unsexy Twilight fanfiction novels detailing the dom/sub love affair between clumsy ingenue Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and brooding baby-billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). In between, we discuss issues of kink, consent, the dark underbelly of Christian and Ana's relationship, and the film's troubling absence of dong. Also, some fun Mad Libs of one of the book's steamier segments! Enjoy our episode, along with our custom cocktail and drinking game below! (Thanks to our sponsor Overcast as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) Related links:  This Week in Academia: Meg Barker's "Consent is a grey area? A comparison of understandings of consent in Fifty Shades of Grey and on the BDSM blogosphere."

The Alcohollywood podcast is back after a month hiatus! We're moving to new episodes every two weeks, but we'll still bring you all the goodies you've come to expect. For this episode, we usher in 2018 with the found-footage horror flick Apollo 18, about a group of NASA astronauts at the height of the Cold War launching a clandestine moon mission to spy on the Russkies. What they find, however, is more than they expected... and, given the film's found-footage conceit, kinda hard to see. Join us (along with returning guest Nick Freed) as we plant our flag in this forgotten relic of the post-Paranormal Activity era, and see if it's got the right stuff. Check out our custom cocktail and drinking game below! (Thanks to our sponsor Overcast as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) Related links:  The brilliant space-race documentary For All Mankind, in HD on Youtube in full! The full speech Nixon would have given if the Apollo 11 mission failed, featured in the film

Now that the holidays are over, it’s time for the real reason for the season – Connickuh! Every year, we celebrate the life and works of Sir Harry Connick, Jr., he of the golden voice and chiseled jaw. This year, our old friend Derek Jarvis comes on the show to harken… Continue reading The post CONNICKUH SPECIAL: My Dog Skip (2000) appeared first on Alcohollywood.

Now that the holidays are over, it's time for the real reason for the season - Connickuh! Every year, we celebrate the life and works of Sir Harry Connick, Jr., he of the golden voice and chiseled jaw. This year, our old friend Derek Jarvis comes on the show to harken back to the 1940s with the Frankie Muniz boy-and-his-dog movie My Dog Skip! Based on the memoir by William Morris, My Dog Skip follows young Willie (Frankie Muniz, voiced by Connick as an adult) growing up in the 40s with his adorable Jack Russell Terrier Skip. Along the way, he finds love, becomes a man, and defeats some moonshiners! (?) It's basically Tree of Life with a cute pupper instead of dinosaurs - what's not to love? Check out our podcast, drinking game and custom cocktail below! (Thanks to our sponsor Simplecast as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone! For this unconventional Yuletide, we bring in our dear friend, actress Alexia Jasmene, to discuss one of Clint’s favorite Christmas films – 2015’s trans-centric dramedy Tangerine! Directed by Sean Baker (The Florida Project), Tangerine follows trans sex workers Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor) on… Continue reading The post CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Tangerine (2015) appeared first on Alcohollywood.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone! For this unconventional Yuletide, we bring in our dear friend, actress Alexia Jasmene, to discuss one of Clint's favorite Christmas films - 2015's trans-centric dramedy Tangerine! Directed by Sean Baker (The Florida Project), Tangerine follows trans sex workers Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor) on one unseasonably hot Christmas Eve in West Hollywood. Sin-Dee wants revenge on her cheating boyfriend/pimp Chester (James Ransone), while Alexandra just wants the chance to perform at her favorite bar. Meanwhile, an Armenian cab driver (Karren Karagulian) intersects with their wild, crazy day in unexpected ways. It's a bold, refreshing and wholly original film, both in subject matter and presentation (the whole thing was filmed on an iPhone!), and we think it's well worth some Christmas attention. Take a listen to our episode, and check out our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Thanks to our sponsor Backblaze as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) Related links:  Watch Tangerine on Netflix This Week in Academia: Amélie Ollivier's article in Feminist Spaces, "From Brokeback Mountain to Tangerine, LGBTQ Representations in Mainstream U.S. Cinema: Inclusive, Exclusive, or Counter Narratives?"

In anticipation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Jodie Whittaker’s imminent ownership of the TARDIS on Doctor Who, we brought on Allison Shoemaker (Debating Doctor Who, Podlander Drunkcast) to talk about the interstellar action-comedy Attack the Block! When a council estate comes under siege from pitch-black beasties from outer space, it’s up to… Continue reading The post Attack the Block (2011) appeared first on Alcohollywood.

In anticipation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Jodie Whittaker's imminent ownership of the TARDIS on Doctor Who, we brought on Allison Shoemaker (Debating Doctor Who, Podlander Drunkcast) to talk about the interstellar action-comedy Attack the Block! When a council estate comes under siege from pitch-black beasties from outer space, it's up to gang leader Moses (John Boyega), his group of streetwise toughs, and an innocent nurse (Jodie Whittaker) caught in the crossfire to stave off an alien invasion. Joe Cornish's only directorial effort to date is brisk, breezy, and effortlessly fun, with a light sprinkling of social commentary thrown in the mix. Check out our episode on the film, along with our custom cocktail and drinking game! (Thanks to our sponsor Cards Against Humanity as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

We step into the ring this week with Emmanuel Noisette of E-Man’s Movie Reviews to talk about Ryan Coogler’s hit 2015 boxing drama Creed! Creed, starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone (in a role that almost won him an acting Oscar – curse you, Mark Rylance!), is one of the… Continue reading The post Creed (2015) appeared first on Alcohollywood.

We step into the ring this week with Emmanuel Noisette of E-Man's Movie Reviews to talk about Ryan Coogler's hit 2015 boxing drama Creed! Creed, starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone (in a role that almost won him an acting Oscar - curse you, Mark Rylance!), is one of the most acclaimed and heartfelt sequels of all time. Charting the trajectory of Adonis "Donnie" Creed (Jordan) and his quest to fill his father Apollo's footsteps, Coogler and crew craft an incredibly heartfelt drama that also pairs as one of the best sports movies of the 21st century. Check out our thoughts on Rocky's relationship to Creed, one-take boxing matches, and the long memories of turtles on the podcast below, along with our custom cocktail and drinking game! (Thanks to our sponsor Overcast as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) Related links:  CineFix's Top 5 Sequels of All Time (including Creed!)

This week, we strap on our guitars and talk about the forgotten 1980s musical drama Eddie and the Cruisers! Telling the fictional story of a one-hit wonder band in 1960s New Jersey, Eddie and the Cruisers follows the remaining members of the band (including Tom Berenger) trying to piece together their lives after… Continue reading The post Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) appeared first on Alcohollywood.

This week, we strap on our guitars and talk about the forgotten 1980s musical drama Eddie and the Cruisers! Telling the fictional story of a one-hit wonder band in 1960s New Jersey, Eddie and the Cruisers follows the remaining members of the band (including Tom Berenger) trying to piece together their lives after the untimely death of frontman/visionary Eddie Wilson (Michael Pare). Equal parts The Day the Music Died, Bruce Springsteen and Jim Morrison, Eddie and the Cruisers is a bafflingly dull music biopic with a few glimmers of inspiration (and an ambitiously soundalike soundtrack courtesy of Springsteen knockoff John Cafferty). Listen to us break down this cult favorite, along with our custom cocktail and drinking game! (Thanks to our sponsor Overcast as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

This week, playwright Dusty Wilson joins us for one of the most poorly-timed movies of all time, 1986’s Space Camp! A Spielberg pastiche that’s equal parts E.T., Apollo 13 and Porky’s, Space Camp follows a group of teen misfits (including Tate Donovan, Kelly Preston, Lea Thompson and a young Joaquin Phoenix) and their teacher (Kate Capshaw) as… Continue reading The post Space Camp (1986) appeared first on Alcohollywood.

This week, playwright Dusty Wilson joins us for one of the most poorly-timed movies of all time, 1986's Space Camp! A Spielberg pastiche that's equal parts E.T., Apollo 13 and Porky's, Space Camp follows a group of teen misfits (including Tate Donovan, Kelly Preston, Lea Thompson and a young Joaquin Phoenix) and their teacher (Kate Capshaw) as they learn the ins and outs of Space Camp. Thanks to some well-intentioned sabotage from a literal-minded robot (JINX, voiced by Frank Welker), the cadets find themselves flung into space, with only their wits - and some helpful Star Wars references - to aid them. Released six months after the Challenger exploded, Space Camp suffers from some poor timing and even poorer scripting. But are there enough charms to make it watchable? Check out our podcast, along with our custom cocktail and drinking game to find out! (Thanks to our sponsor Cards Against Humanity as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)