CineDrunk 20 Years Later: Practical Magic

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We’re back with another entry in our new podcast series 20 Years Later, in which we gab and gulp about our favorite films of two decades ago. For this round, each of our podcast hosts chose a movie from 1998—not necessarily their favorite movie or the best movie of that year, but one that spoke to them at the time and has lingered in their memory, for better or worse.

Next up is Elizabeth’s choice for 1998: the positively bewitching actress-showcase-of-a-romance-movie Practical Magic, starring Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, and Stockard Channing. Under-appreciated by critics in its time, Practical Magic has loads to say about love, loss, and sisterhood—with iconic food moments to boot.

Naturally, we made a family-sized pitcher of Midnight Margaritas to stir up the conversation. (Recipe below.) Cheers, and happy listening!

Midnight Margaritas
adapted from Serious Eats

2 cups blanco tequila
1 cup triple sec
¾ cup fresh lime juice
1 lime wedge, for glass rims
1 small handful Kosher or other coarse salt, for glass rims

Prepare glass(es) of your choice by running the lime wedge along each rim and dipping in Kosher salt.

Add tequila, triple sec, and lime juice to a pitcher with ice and stir. Remove ice and chill. Pour over ice in salt-rimmed glasses.


Also listen and subscribe to CineDrunk on Apple Podcasts.

CineDrunk 20 Years Later: Deep Impact

Here at CineDrunk we spend a lot of time looking to the past. We find answers in the movies that shaped our youth and comfort in their familiarity. Sometimes when we look back we don’t see what we saw before, and sometimes we do, but most times we do want to record a podcast about it.

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Here then, is the inaugural entry in a new podcast series called 20 Years Later, in which we gab and gulp about our favorite films of two decades ago. For this round, each of our podcast hosts chose a movie from 1998—not necessarily their favorite movie or the best movie of that year, but one that spoke to them at the time and has lingered in their memory, for better or worse.

First up is Nathan’s choice from 1998: the Mimi Leder-directed disaster movie Deep Impact, starring the dreamy Elijah Wood and the serious career woman with family issues Téa Leoni. Overshadowed at the time by the flashier and far inferior Armageddon, which was released just a month later in June 1998, Deep Impact serves up destruction with a side of Ensure (by the pallet-ful, to feed the country after the comet hits), and with an attention to character uncommon to the genre.

Enough gabbing though, let’s get to the gulping. We chose a tea-infused tequila cocktail in honor of Téa and her stiff drink-guzzling mother, played by Vanessa Redgrave.

Cheers and happy listening!

Téa’s Sweet Revenge
adapted from
Serious Eats

Photo by Autumn Giles

Photo by Autumn Giles

For the chamomile honey syrup:
4 Tablespoons loose chamomile tea
1 cup raw honey
1 cup water

For each cocktail:
Kosher salt
1 oz lime juice
1¾ oz tequila (silver is best here)
1½ oz chamomile honey syrup

For the chamomile honey syrup: Add water and honey in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add chamomile tea. Steep for 30 minutes, then strain the liquid to remove the tea and refrigerate to cool.

For each cocktail: Place the salt on a small, shallow plate. Moisten the rim of your glass of choice with lime juice, then dip the rim into the salt and set aside.

Combine lime juice, tequila, and chamomile honey syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into the salt-rimmed glass and serve.

Also listen and subscribe to CineDrunk on Apple Podcasts.

2018 Fall Movie Preview: Our Most Anticipated Films

2018 Fall Movie Preview: Our Most Anticipated Films

What are we excited about this fall movie season? A whole lot. We’ve got a pair of classic horror reboots, Barry Jenkins’s follow-up to Best Picture Winner Moonlight, a Bradley Cooper Oscar vessel (heyyy Lady Gaga), and so much more.

Read on to see why this is one of the most exciting fall movie seasons in years. Happy watching!

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2018 Emmy Awards Predictions

2018 Emmy Awards Predictions

The 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are this evening, honoring the best in television from the 2017-2018 season.

Though there are a few sure bets (this is the Emmys, after all), many of the top categories offer some suspense as to what names the final envelope contains. Drama Series looks to be a race between “Game of Thrones” and “The Handmaid’s Tale”; while on the Comedy side it’s “Atlanta” versus “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” The only thing I’m rooting for is a win in any category for “The Americans”. “SNL”’s Michael Che and Colin Jost host tonight’s shenanigans, which will air live on NBC beginning at 8pm ET. My full predictions are below…

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CineMeal: 'Rope'

CineMeal: 'Rope'

There are movies with food moments and then there are movies where the moments revolve around food. Let’s give thanks Rope is in the latter category.

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1948, Rope's action centers on a dinner party thrown by two men who have just committed a murder. The guests include the murdered man's father(!), and the dinner table is a chest containing his corpse(!!).

Killer party, man.

Here now, in the spirit of our annual Oscar Menus, is everything you need to plan your own Rope dinner and a movie party. Sip on the blood of the innocent, strangle a bird, and enjoy a sweet dessert while you still can.

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2018 Emmy Nominations Predictions

2018 Emmy Nominations Predictions

Nominations for the 70th Annual Emmy Awards, honoring the best of the best in television from the past year, are set to be unveiled the morning of July 12. HBO's juggernaut Game of Thrones took a year off from last year's awards (after not airing its seventh season in time for consideration), so it's hoping to roar back into contention this time, while reigning Best Comedy champ Veep will be the one to step aside as we wait for its final season. 2018 will be voters' last chance to award some unrewarded shows and performers like FX's The Americans (my fave) and The Crown's Claire Foy, but it will also be their first chance to award potential new favorites like BBC America's Killing Eve or Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. One never really knows which direction Emmy voters will swerve in - hell, this year they even have the option to dip back into old favorites thought once finished (hey, Will & Grace!) or long dormant (Curb Your Enthusiasm) - but read on for my last-minute, foolhardy predictions of which way they’ll go in 16 of the top categories.

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CineDrunk: Best of 2018's First Half

We pressed pause on 2018 to take stock, praise the praiseworthy, and relegate the rest to the dustbin of history. Pour yourself the Drink of the Summer (an Aperol Spritz) and press play to listen in. Also find out if tired movie formulas can find success simply by casting (gasp) humans other than straight white men! (Spoiler: they can. OH THEY CAN.)

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Aperol Spritz

3 parts sparkling wine
2 parts Aperol
1 part club soda

Pour over ice and serve. Stirring optional because it's summer.

Also listen and subscribe to CineDrunk on Apple Podcasts.