Movie And A Beer

On this travel driven episode of Movie And A Beer, we watched and laughed at Planes, Trains and Automobiles, a John Hughes film from 1987. If you've had the opportunity to travel during the holidays, this film is for you. It follows Neal played by Steve Martin as he tries to make it from NYC to Chicago the day before Thanksgiving and is inexplicitly thrown together with Del Griffith played by John Candy as they make their way across the US in Planes, Trains, Automobiles, the back of food transportation trucks, and a few other random taxi's along the way. 

As you can imagine, the comedy is quick and witty. We decided to go with a couple of locally produced beers that would go along for the ride. The first was a wonderful wheat beer from Pelican Brewing (OR) and the second was a pilsner from Von Ebert Brewing (OR). Both provided us with some much needed thirst quenching, but one stood out more than the other. Give the episode a listen to hear why. 

Regardless if you're a student, musician, fan of music, or just a casual listener, Whiplash provides a unique insight into the world of elite musicians and what they do to achieve greatness. Miles Teller plays Andrew, an ambitious young jazz drummer who's teacher Terence Fletcher, played by academy award winner J.K. Simmons give you an ear full on it comes to keeping on tempo. 

We decided to have just one beer with this film, well there was a second that Blake had, but most of us just stuck to the simple lager from 10 Barrel (OR) so not to distract from the action on the screen and in our ears. 

The shag-a-delic 60's are afoot on this flashback episode of Movie And A Beer with Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Mike Myers brings us center stage with both lead acting roles, first as Austin Powers *(secret agent), and Dr. Evil, who's tries and fails at taking over the Earth. This great spooftastic film provides a laugh and cringe with over-the-top potty humor and some much needed insights into the misogynistic attitudes of men in the 60's.  

We were lucky enough to enjoy a couple of British beers while watching the film. First was an ale from Boddingtons and the second was Brown from Samuel Smith Old Brewery. Both were really excellent Baby! Listen in to hear why and a whole bit on giving your beer (a) proper head. 

This time around on Movie And A Beer we watch and discuss the Christopher Nolan's second of his trilogy about the DC superhero Batman titled The Dark Knight. This film is chalked full of action, suspense, drama, and the occasional bit of dialogue that makes sense. We gave homage to the film by consuming 3 different styled beers based on name and can labels while traversing the complexities that is Batman (Christian Bale) vs. the Joker (Heath Ledger). 

Give this great (and longest to date) episode a listen to hear about the beers from Paperback (CA), Alesmith (CA), Pelican (OR) Brewing. Each had a distinct approach as does this film in telling the story of how the Joker creates Two-Face and reeks chaos on Gotham and those closest to Batman.   

On this special Halloween edition of Movie And A Beer, we watched the classic 1990's horror/suspense movie The Silence of the Lambs. There's a LOT to unpack in this murder mystery which stars Sr. Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector and Jodie Foster as an FBI agent in training Clarice Starling. The dynamic between them lights up the screen and we take a deep dive into that.

We enjoyed a couple of really heavy dark beers for this episode from Bombastic Brewing (ID) and Silver City Brewing (WA). Both went incredibly well with the movie and we discuss a bit about why and how you might want to pour your dark beer if you have one to sip with this amazing movie experience. 

On this episode of Movie And A Beer we explore "Dude-ism" and the art of kidnapping through the comic sensibilities of the Cohen brothers in The Big Lebowski. Based on real people and real events, an unbelievable turn of events leads Jeff Bridge's character down a path of violence with his bowling buddies Donny and Walter, played by John Goodman and Steve Buscemi. 

The beers we had with this cult classic were reminiscent of the film's title and vibes, a hazy IPA from Baerlic Brewing and a stout from Block 15. Both were good in their own ways, but one stood out way more than the other. Give the episode a listen to hear why.  

On this episode of Movie And A Beer, we discuss how your memories are a fickle thing, they make up who and what you are, so don't be like Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and go erasing them. Regret is all that follows. This now cult-favorite film from 2004 was directed by Michel Gondry with a screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, it was coined as an "indy film with a big budget".
We had a couple of sour beers in the fridge and both went really well with the film. A kettle sour from Little Beast Brewing (OR), and a fruited sour from Ecliptic Brewing (OR). Give the episode a listen to hear which was the better of the two.  

There are few films that impact trucker culture like this one did back in the 70's. Smokey and the Bandit helped solidify the film careers of Sally Fields and Bert Reynolds as the lead actors. We were lucky enough to have a CB-dictionary while watching and looked up some of the great lingo used in the movie. Who would have thought that a truck-load of Coors would cause such a commotion. 

We sampled a couple of beers that had 'travel' related names and can art from Via Brewing (OR) and Matchless Brewing (WA). Both went pretty well, one better than the other. 

It's time for us to sit back and enjoy the crazy antics of time traveling back to the 1950's while getting hit on by your mom when she was a teenager. Not fun for some, more crazy to others. That's the premise on this episode of Movie And A Beer with the classic 1985 film,  Back To The Future. Listen in as we discuss the finer points of skateboarding and alternate realities with our youth correspondent Otto.  

The adults in the room did have the chance to enjoy a couple of lighter beers with this most classic of movies from Leinenkugel's (WI) and Ferment Brewing (OR). Give the episode a listen to hear which went better, and what snacks might be best to enjoy with it. 

On this really SPICY episode of Movie And A Beer we watched Spice World, the late 1990's extended music video/film that features the Spice Girls music group. Based in London England, Spice World follows the girls as they prepare for their debut music performance at the Royal Albert Hall. While it's shallow and dumb, it's also funny and sincere and holds up over the years. Girl Power! 

The beers we had during the film were both a success like the Spice Girls, as well as a failure, like the movie. One was really good, the other really heat struck and horrible. They were from Old Town Brewing (OR), and Woodland Empire Ale Craft (ID). Give the episode a listen and learn why you shouldn't buy cheap beer off the shelf. 

On this challenging episode of Movie And A Beer, we watched, and experienced Taxidermia, the 2006 Hungarian surrealist comedy-drama horror film directed and co-written by György Pálfi. This will challenge you, you have been warned. It follows three generations of men from the same family and how they fit into and deal with life in Hungary from WW2 to current day. We didn't know what to expect, and boy, this was one hell of a trip. 

The beers we got were purchased at Johns Marketplace in SE Portland and they included a Radler and a Vienna Lager. One was pretty decent and matched the vibe, while the other was a little thin. Listen in to learn which is which. 

We're all fans of the classic animated cartoons and characters of our youth and Who Framed Roger Rabbit brings them all together in a fun who-done-it murder mystery. This movie brings live action and animation together in a near-seamless visual story. Staring Bob Hoskins as private eye Eddie Valiant who gets tangled up in a cartoon on human instance of murder. 

The beers we enjoyed with this wonderous animated-cum-live-action drama were based off of the can designs. The first was a pale ale from HenHouse Brewing (CA) and the second was an IPA from Ruse Brewing. Both were old beers to match this old movie, but one really stood out. Give the episode a listen to hear why. 

If you're a fan of animated films, you must go see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and be ready to have your multi-verse socks blown off. Following the previous Spider-Man animated film, this time around Miles and Gwen both face their choices head on and realize that they don't have to follow everyone else. There are consequences to this choice, but they both are willing to take that chance. 

We were able to watch this at Cinema 21 here in Portland OR, and this is one of the local theaters that provides draft beer as a concession. We had their house Cinema 21 Lager and Kolsh from Zoiglhaus (OR). Both went well, both managed to stand up to the chaos on the screen. Give this episode a listen to hear about some great products that we would like to pursue in alternative time-lines. 

Sisu is one of the best films we've watched so far this year, Finnish or otherwise. We at Movie And A Beer believe that one can only understand what Sisu is if you experience it for yourself. So, be prepared for a WWII crazy slow story about a man, his dog, and some gold. 

While the film is broken down into chapters that help guide you through the story, the beers we tried were both classic and to the point, just as this film is. The first was a Pale Ale from Stoup Brewing (WA), and the second was an IPA from Living Haus Brewing (OR). Listen to the episode to hear why one stood out more than the other. 

Regardless if you believe in vampires or not, you have to believe in Nick Cage as Count Dracula and Nicholas Hoult his familiar, R. M. Renfield, in this wonderful horror-comedy titled Renfield. It's got plenty of site gags and excessive gore, it also provides an interesting introspective on taking responsibility for your actions and taking control of your life in trying to get out of a toxic relationship with one's boss. 

The beers were selected based on can art, and we enjoyed an Extra Hoppy Belgian Style Pale Ale from Jester King (TX) and a Sour Ale Fruited Gose from Nightmare Brewing (NY). Both were decent, one provided a familiar complexity that the acting provided. Listen in to hear which and why.  

There is Honor Among Thieves in some D&D games, where as others, not so much. We were lucky enough to have most of our group that we play with together to watch this movie at the LivingRoom Theater here in Portland and we all enjoyed it as much as anticipated. While the characters often bent the rules of the game in some instances, it did stay pretty close to the 'core feel' of the game.

The theater had a number of different beers available on draft and while none of them were 'new' to us, we certainly enjoyed them before and during the film. They included local beers from Occidental Brewing (OR), Laurelwood Brewing (OR), Ft. George Brewing (OR), and Pfriem Brewing (OR). Give this episode a listen to hear about how much rule bending went on and what beers you might find and enjoy during it as well. 

On this most challenging pseudo documentary cum master class on filmmaking episode of Movie And A Beer, we delve into The Five Obstructions, a Lars von Trier vehicle where he challenges his mentor Jorgen Leth to remake his classic black and white experimental film, The Perfect Human five times with different rules or obstructions. 

We decided to go with a similar approach to the beer we tried while watching this strange film, using IPA as the primary style, and exploring four differing sub-classifications of it. The IPAs were from Lagunitas Brewing (CA), Bells Brewing (MI), Sweetwater Brewing (GA), Gigantic Brewing (OR), and Ninkasi Brewing (OR). Each provided a different perspective on the overall style, but we enjoyed one of them way more than the others. Give the episode a listen to hear why. 

We've traveled back to the era of King Author and his knights of the round table to partake in the quest for the Holy Grail. Monty Python does one hell of a funny sketch, and in 1975 they outdid themselves with this wonderfully funny sketch based full length movie, The Holy Grail. There's many things that one could choose to drink while watching this wonderous masterpiece, and we believe we answered wisely. 

We partook in a cider from Ten Towers Cider Co. (OR), a triple dry hopped hazy Imperial IPA from Androit Theory (VA), a vière from Gallia Sauvages (FR), and a red ale from Block 15 (OR). All went exceptionally well, but one stood out amongst the insults and laughter more than the others did. Listen in to hear which one and why. 

When you think of Nick Cage and John Travolta acting like each other, it wouldn't be much of a stretch as they demonstrate in Face/Off, the 1997 John Woo production that has more sparks, explosions, and references to faces than humanly possible in one film. Although we tried to suspend all belief in reality while watching this one, it's a testament to the courage to tell a crazy story with even crazier actors.

We were able to sip on a couple of IPA's during this film, participating in a little East vs. West coast approach. The East was represented by Commonwealth Brewing (VA) and the West was from Upright Brewing (OR). There is a surprise on which beer was better, along with some surprise analysis of the film, so give the episode a listen to learn more.  

We traveled to the far East for this episode of Movie And A Beer to explore one of the greatest animated films of all time, one that abruptly changed what we think cartoons could be. Akira is by far one of the most influential animated films from the late 1980's to come out of Japan. It tells a simple story of greed, choice, friendship, and power through a visually stunning futuristic landscape of "Neo-Tokyo".  We shared a couple of imported beers that were also fun and different than what we usually consume while watching films. 

The Asian inspired (imported) beers were a red ale and a citrus infused pale ale, both with tea like qualities and a new(er) approach to the standard flavors we are used too. Give the episode a listen to hear about this amazing film and what beers might go best with it.