Varsity Blues

Drink: American Lager
Entree: Stadium Dogs
Dessert: Bavarian Nuts
Timing:  Football season starts next weekend.

Movie:
MTV tends to be way ahead of trends.  One good example is they were the first in reality TV with The Real World.  Here they do the same by addressing the all encompassing pressures of high school athletes & corrupted medical care administered within athletic departments before anyone else in mainstream media.  All of this is paired with music that represented what "kids" were listening to at the time is a combination that makes them very in tuned with what's going on.  One downside of the film is that the casting can cause the Dawson's Creek theme song to get stuck in your head which is very unfortunate.  Also some situations such as all night bingers in a club, stealing a squad car & a team coaching themselves are just unrealistic.  However Jon Voight casted as the head coach is genius & eerily mirrors the coach on MTV reality series "Two-A-Days" which did not air until seven
years later.  Another one of my favorite parts is seeing the MTV astronaut at the beginning of the movie IE - MTV needs to do more movies if anything to let the rest of us know what's really going on these days.

Mel's Rating: 79%
On a scale of 100.

Brett's Rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
On a scale of 10.

Psycho

Drink: Black Widow Martini
Entrée: Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
Timing: Any Friday the 13th of the year.

Movie:
Anthony Perkins puts on a chilling performance while Janet Leigh well...see that picture above?  She
has the same expression throughout the entire film unless she is screaming.  Regardless this a classic thriller with a story that builds until the very last minute of the movie.  I would say this led the way for the genre of horror films to be taken more seriously & it is especially progressive considered it was released in 1960.

Mel's Rating: 90%
On a scale of 100.

Brett's Rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️???
On a scale of 10.
Brett passed out before the ending.

James Bond: Goldfinger

Drinks: Martini

Dinner: Oregeno, Garlic, Lemon Chicken, Yukon Gold Potoes & Ceasar Salad

Dessert: Mini Magnum Gold Ice Cream Bars

Movie:

My favorite James Bond movie packed with inspiration for Austin Powers & it all begins with one of the best intros in the series.  Other highlights include the golden lady & the introduction of Odd Job.  The budget for this film is twice as much as the first two & it shows.

Mel's Rating: 90%
On a scale of 100.

Brett's Rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
On a scale of ten.

North by Northwest

 

Drink: Gibson

Entree: Salmon, Yukon gold potatoes & Asparagus 

Dessert: Marion Berry Cobbler

Movie:

The intro credits looked good but that was the highlight for me.  It felt like Carey Grant was being forced to play a knock off James Bond.  Plus I was not impressed by Eva Marie Saint acting capabilities either.  The famous dust cropper scene does live up to the hype however the scene at Mount Rushmore is forgettable.

Mel's Rating: 55%

On a scale of 100

Brett' Rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

On a scale of ten.

Rear Window

 

Appetizer: Caviar
Entrée: Lobster Thermidor
Side: Parmasean Arugula Salad & Dinner Rolls
Drink: Wine

Movie:
Edith Head steals the show with her designs donned by Grace Kelly.  The actual soundstage is almost as impressive as the fashion.  Since CGI did not exist a New York City block had to actually be recreated.  All in all it's an intelligent high budget Hitchcock flick with a couple of twists that keep your attention until the end.

Mel's Rating: 95%
On a scale of 100.

Brett's Rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
On a scale of ten.

American Graffiti

 

Entrée: Patty Melts
Dessert: Banana Split
Timing: Summer

Movie:
Surprisingly this is George Lucas' debut movie in the director's seat & it has nothing to do with sci-fi.*  Released in 1973 it actually has a documentary feel as it recounts the last night of a young man in his pre-Vietnam American home town prior to flying "back East" for college the next morning.  The first interesting time stamp you'll notice is that there is only one radio station the entire town tunes into so you can seamlessly listen to the same DJ in your car, the car next to you, the diner & the liquor store.  The second comes at the end in the airport scene when their version of kiss & ride is revealed to be people driving their cars onto the tarmac right next to the plane to drop off passengers...which kind of makes it a documentary within a documentary.

*The link to Star Wars is a very young hot to trot Harrison Ford. 

Mel's Rating: 75%
On a scale of 100.

Brett's Rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
On a scale of 10.

The English Patient

 

 

Entrée: English Beef Stew
Dessert: Union Jack Trifle
Timing: Our English roses were in bloom for the first time this spring.

Movie:
WWII plays itself out in the background as we watch a tragedy unfold between two star crossed lovers.  What makes this different from others is that the secondary plot line involving a nurse named Hana is pretty well developed.  Between the two you are left with people whose fates are ultimately decided by the war & a little dated CGI but a good story comes out of it all.
SPOILER ALERT: Voldemort plays the lead role of Charles.  Sayid plays the supporting role of Kip.  Don't let it mess with your mind & view this independent of those two facts.

Mel's Rating: 88%
On a scale of 100.

Brett's Rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
On a scale of 10.

Apollo 13

 

Drink: The Buzz Aldrin
Entrée: Bang Bang Shrimp
Dessert: Moon Pie
Timing: Week of man landing on the moon anniversary July 20, 1969.

Movie:
It was the 13th mission, blasting off at 13:13 military time & those with superstitious hearts were better off staying at home.  Apollo 13 is a classic true story loaded with actors that easily headline their own projects such as Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise & Ed Harris.  This is a step by step view from not only the astronaut's Houston based families but mission control engineers who saved the program from another fatality.  You also get a little background of the concerns circulating the mission via the recap of the Apollo 1 pre-launch test that took lives of three astronauts just three years prior in 1967.

Mel's Rating: 92%
On a scale of 100.

Brett's Rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
On a scale of ten.

Far & Away

 

Drink: Guiness

Entree: Guiness Irish Stew

Dessert: Grasshopper Pie
Timing: St. Patrick's Day

Movie:

The story takes us from a rebellious feudalist Ireland to Boston pubs & finally the land races in Oklahoma.  While it is distinctly Hollywood with obvious moments of jealously, first love, Tom Cruise running scene & victory, Ron Howard sneaks in some great panning shots of coastal Ireland as well as the Midwest prairies.  Nicole Kidman is stunning & proves why she is a good fit for period piece roles (IE - Cold Mountain).  Overall the film sparks interest in the deep divisions of late 19th century class systems, the definition of the frontier & the alluring opportunities America provided at the time for those willing to risk everything.

Mel's Rating: 85%
On a scale of 100.

Brett's Rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
On a scale of ten.

Urban Cowboy

 

Drink: Texas Tea
Entree: BBQ Pork Sliders
Dessert: Texas Sheet Cake
Attire: Plaid shirt.
Timing: It's hot & it's Houston which makes it a good summertime movie.

Movie:
Supposedly this Houston love triangle flick started a the cowboy rennasiance of the early 80's.  The biggest revelation is Danny Zuko turning in his motorcycle for a mechanical bull.  Debra Winger brings natural beauty & vulnerability to her role which is a sign of what is to come in Terms of Endearment (a film on my "cry everytime you see it" list).  Scott Glenn is perfect in his role as the villain.  However the remaining characters just don't click & are a side show to the three leads.

Mel's Rating: 82%
On a scale of 100.

Brett's Rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
On a scale of ten.

Seabiscuit

 

Drink: Mint Julep
Entree: Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders
Atmosphere: Roses for a Derby feel.
Timing: Kentucky Derby Weekend

Movie:
SPOILER ALERT: The horse does not die at the end of the movie so animal lovers are good to go.
Interesting true story of down & out strangers brought together during The Depression by a horse that was assumed to be equally broken due to life's extenuating circumstances.  The pre-Spiderman Tobey McGuire does a thorough job playing the jockey.  Jeff Bridges also registers a solid performance pre-Crazy Heart to match the overall light tone of the flick.  Elizabeth Banks makes appearance but her character as the owner's supporting wife does not make a big impression.

Mel's Rating: 87%
On a scale of 100.

Brett's Rating: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
On a scale of ten.

James Bond: On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Drink: Martini of course.
Entree: Swiss Steak
Dessert: Little Debbie Swiss Rolls
Timing: Our goal is to see this entire series in order of chronological release so we tend to randomly pop in/out periodically.

Movie:
Following Sean Connery is a task that most of us would not be able to live up to which is the case with one & done 007 George Lazenby.  The pirate shirt does not help the situation but this is still a classic James Bond flick complete with a skiing chase scene.  Appreciate it for its attempt to stay relevant during a very transitional time in culture (1969) with the use of the phrase "far out" on the promo poster.  As well as its attempt to stay true to the brand that is James Bond the womanizing, eternally tanned world traveler that stumbles upon a chalet in the Swiss Alps full of models.  All in all take it for what it is & watch it for what it for what's it's worth.

Mel's Rating: 64%
On a scale of 100.

Brett's Rating: ⚡️
On a scale of ten.