Cinemavino

Hey, y’all!  This week on Cinemavino, we take another long look at an epic spy sequel:  Mission Impossible III.  MI3 came at an odd juncture in Tom Cruise’s career.  He was at the peak of his box office power, and yet his reputation had taken an enormous hit from his recent outspokenness about Scientology, and his whirlwind romance of Katie Holmes.  Cruise had long been a private superstar, but 2005-06 saw him jumping on Oprah’s couch, falling out with Steven Spielberg, squabbling with the creators of South Park, losing his production deal with Paramount, and trading barbs with Matt Lauer on The Today Show.

All that adds up to a publicity disaster, one from which Cruise may never fully recover.  Thankfully, none of that seeps into the finished product of MI3.  Director J.J. Abrams sidesteps the controversy by simply delivering a good movie–the best in the series up to then, in fact.  It was lasting proof that, whatever flaws and eccentricities he may have, Cruise was still a movie star, and Ethan Hunt still had lots of movie life left in him.

On a side note, we recorded this episode on a Sunday, which–in an incredible twist of fate–rhymes with Funday.  And a staple of any respectable Sunday Funday is bubbly, where it’s in a mimosa or all by its lonesome.  We recorded multiple episodes this night (as we often do), and we kicked things off with a solid bottle of sparkling wine:  The Brut from Roederer Estate, an offshoot winery from the fine folks who gave us Cristal Champagne.  This particular bubbly is loaded with notes of anise, pear, and dry minerality. Think of this to pair with dessert, or an affordable ($25-30ish) sparkling to raise in a toast.  Or, you can knock a little back with a pretty good spy flick!

As always, we may have a few mild spoilers here and there, so be advised.  Enjoy!

Hey, y’all!  This week on Cinemavino, we take another long look at an epic spy sequel:  Mission Impossible III.  MI3 came at an odd juncture in Tom Cruise’s career.  He was at the peak of his box office power, and yet his reputation had taken an enormous hit from his recent outspokenness about Scientology, and his whirlwind romance of Katie Holmes.  Cruise had long been a private superstar, but 2005-06 saw him jumping on Oprah’s couch, falling out with Steven Spielberg, squabbling with the creators of South Park, losing his production deal with Paramount, and trading barbs with Matt Lauer on The Today Show.

All that adds up to a publicity disaster, one from which Cruise may never fully recover.  Thankfully, none of that seeps into the finished product of MI3.  Director J.J. Abrams sidesteps the controversy by simply delivering a good movie–the best in the series up to then, in fact.  It was lasting proof that, whatever flaws and eccentricities he may have, Cruise was still a movie star, and Ethan Hunt still had lots of movie life left in him.

On a side note, we recorded this episode on a Sunday, which–in an incredible twist of fate–rhymes with Funday.  And a staple of any respectable Sunday Funday is bubbly, where it’s in a mimosa or all by its lonesome.  We recorded multiple episodes this night (as we often do), and we kicked things off with a solid bottle of sparkling wine:  The Brut from Roederer Estate, an offshoot winery from the fine folks who gave us Cristal Champagne.  This particular bubbly is loaded with notes of anise, pear, and dry minerality. Think of this to pair with dessert, or an affordable ($25-30ish) sparkling to raise in a toast.  Or, you can knock a little back with a pretty good spy flick!

As always, we may have a few mild spoilers here and there, so be advised.  Enjoy!

For this week’s Cinemavino, we have another mini-episode, this time focusing on the critically-acclaimed The Green Knight.  A sharp, cerebral look at the medieval poem, Knight shows the emotional struggle of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), as he marches to a showdown the mythical Green Knight.

An impressive cinematic work, The Green Knight features the intimate, meticulous drama of a indie movie, while also showcasing the eye-popping cinematography and costume design of a truly epic piece of cinema. Patel is absolutely phenomenal in the lead.

To read my review The Green Knight, click here.

For our wine, we decided to look at bubblies.  As we recorded on a Sunday, and sparkling vino is a staple of both brunch and day-drinking, it just seemed appropriate.

De Faveri is a Prosecco, or an Italian style of bubbly.  It’s a Brut, which means it will be on the dryer end of the scale.  That said, you’ll also get grassy, floral notes and hints of green apple, as well.  Conventional wisdom says to never make a mimosa with something you wouldn’t drink on its own, and this affordable little Prosecco definitely fits that bill.  A special shout-out to my wife, Joanna:  Her company, LDF, distributes this sparkling in Oklahoma and Kansas!

To learn a little more about this wine, click here.  Now, kick back and enjoy another fine episode of Cinemavino!

For this week's Cinemavino, we have another mini-episode, this time focusing on the critically-acclaimed The Green Knight.  A sharp, cerebral look at the medieval poem, Knight shows the emotional struggle of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), as he marches to a showdown the mythical Green Knight.

An impressive cinematic work, The Green Knight features the intimate, meticulous drama of a indie movie, while also showcasing the eye-popping cinematography and costume design of a truly epic piece of cinema. Patel is absolutely phenomenal in the lead.

To read my review The Green Knight, click here.

For our wine, we decided to look at bubblies.  As we recorded on a Sunday, and sparkling vino is a staple of both brunch and day-drinking, it just seemed appropriate.

De Faveri is a Prosecco, or an Italian style of bubbly.  It's a Brut, which means it will be on the dryer end of the scale.  That said, you'll also get grassy, floral notes and hints of green apple, as well.  Conventional wisdom says to never make a mimosa with something you wouldn't drink on its own, and this affordable little Prosecco definitely fits that bill.  A special shout-out to my wife, Joanna:  Her company, LDF, distributes this sparkling in Oklahoma and Kansas!

To learn a little more about this wine, click here.  Now, kick back and enjoy another fine episode of Cinemavino!

For this week’s Cinemavino, we have another mini-episode, this time focusing on the critically-acclaimed The Green Knight.  A sharp, cerebral look at the medieval poem, Knight shows the emotional struggle of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), as he marches to a showdown the mythical Green Knight.

An impressive cinematic work, The Green Knight features the intimate, meticulous drama of a indie movie, while also showcasing the eye-popping cinematography and costume design of a truly epic piece of cinema. Patel is absolutely phenomenal in the lead.

To read my review The Green Knight, click here.

For our wine, we decided to look at bubblies.  As we recorded on a Sunday, and sparkling vino is a staple of both brunch and day-drinking, it just seemed appropriate.

De Faveri is a Prosecco, or an Italian style of bubbly.  It’s a Brut, which means it will be on the dryer end of the scale.  That said, you’ll also get grassy, floral notes and hints of green apple, as well.  Conventional wisdom says to never make a mimosa with something you wouldn’t drink on its own, and this affordable little Prosecco definitely fits that bill.  A special shout-out to my wife, Joanna:  Her company, LDF, distributes this sparkling in Oklahoma and Kansas!

To learn a little more about this wine, click here.  Now, kick back and enjoy another fine episode of Cinemavino!

As part of our continuing look back at the best and blurst of movie sequels, this week takes us to Escape from L.A. Legendary horror maestro John Carpenter and all-around badass Kurt Russell re-team for this follow up to the 80s cult chestnut Escape from New York. That first film had action, imagination, and all-around weirdness going for it. Frankly, so does this one, and that’s both a compliment and an insult. Basically, L.A. feels a lot like a West Coast take on the earlier flick. Brace yourselves for a lotta jokes about plastic surgery, surfing, and general Hollywood phoniness.

If you want to get drunk on some more of my beautiful words, check out my written review right here. Alternatively, if you want get drunk on something tangible, but no less wonderful, check out our wine of the week:

First off, I didn’t just choose this wine because it has a snake on the label and main character in Escape from L.A. is named Snake. Put that thought right outta your pretty little heads. (Although…that is a pretty cool label.)

This Merlot from the Fableist is a big, full-bodied bomb of deep earthy notes and rich, dry fruit. If you’re looking for something to pair with a fat steak, give this one a go. (It generally retails for less than $20, so that’s also a big plus.) Fun fact, each wine from the Fableist winery draws inspiration from one of Aesop’s Fables. That number at the top right signifies which specific one. In this case, number 395 is titled “The Serpent and the Eagle.”

On a related note, it’s a snake–just like Snake Plissken! Yay! Anyway, if you want to learn more, just put your mouse right here.

A few spoilers may be found within our pod-pod, as always. Also, enjoy!

As part of our continuing look back at the best and blurst of movie sequels, this week takes us to Escape from L.A. Legendary horror maestro John Carpenter and all-around badass Kurt Russell re-team for this follow up to the 80s cult chestnut Escape from New York. That first film had action, imagination, and all-around weirdness going for it. Frankly, so does this one, and that’s both a compliment and an insult. Basically, L.A. feels a lot like a West Coast take on the earlier flick. Brace yourselves for a lotta jokes about plastic surgery, surfing, and general Hollywood phoniness.

If you want to get drunk on some more of my beautiful words, check out my written review right here. Alternatively, if you want get drunk on something tangible, but no less wonderful, check out our wine of the week:

First off, I didn’t just choose this wine because it has a snake on the label and main character in Escape from L.A. is named Snake. Put that thought right outta your pretty little heads. (Although…that is a pretty cool label.)

This Merlot from the Fableist is a big, full-bodied bomb of deep earthy notes and rich, dry fruit. If you’re looking for something to pair with a fat steak, give this one a go. (It generally retails for less than $20, so that’s also a big plus.) Fun fact, each wine from the Fableist winery draws inspiration from one of Aesop’s Fables. That number at the top right signifies which specific one. In this case, number 395 is titled “The Serpent and the Eagle.”

On a related note, it’s a snake–just like Snake Plissken! Yay! Anyway, if you want to learn more, just put your mouse right here.

A few spoilers may be found within our pod-pod, as always. Also, enjoy!

For your listening pleasure, we present a short podcast on The Suicide Squad! This movie turned out to be a lot of fun, and we had a great time discussing it. DC's resume is a messy affair, so it's great to see them get something right.

You might find a few mild *spoilers*, so get to a theater--if you're comfortable with that--or stream it on HBOMax. Then, give us your full attention.

For vino, we opted for the Grounded Sauvignon Blanc from Joseph Phelps winery. We do a ton of reds for our podcast, so I thought we could mix it up with a nice little white.

As part of of our Escape from L.A. theme this week, we're doing nothing but California wines. The Grounded is an easy-drinking, everyday white. It has the citrusy-grapefruit taste common to Sauvignon Blancs, but the flavor is never overwhelming, nor is the acidity. The finish has pronounced notes of hay and floral textures. And it retails for < $15, so it won't hit your wallet too hard. To learn a little more, click here.

Next up, keep your ears open for our Snake Plissken pod. For that one, we drink a burly red, and the conversation gets lively.

If you'd like to read my written review, click here. Now, kick back, drink up, and enjoy another fine mini-episode of Cinemavino!

For your listening pleasure, we present a short podcast on The Suicide Squad! This movie turned out to be a lot of fun, and we had a great time discussing it. DC’s resume is a messy affair, so it’s great to see them get something right.

You might find a few mild *spoilers*, so get to a theater–if you’re comfortable with that–or stream it on HBOMax. Then, give us your full attention.

For vino, we opted for the Grounded Sauvignon Blanc from Joseph Phelps winery. We do a ton of reds for our podcast, so I thought we could mix it up with a nice little white.

As part of of our Escape from L.A. theme this week, we’re doing nothing but California wines. The Grounded is an easy-drinking, everyday white. It has the citrusy-grapefruit taste common to Sauvignon Blancs, but the flavor is never overwhelming, nor is the acidity. The finish has pronounced notes of hay and floral textures. And it retails for < $15, so it won’t hit your wallet too hard. To learn a little more, click here.

Next up, keep your ears open for our Snake Plissken pod. For that one, we drink a burly red, and the conversation gets lively.

If you’d like to read my written review, click here. Now, kick back, drink up, and enjoy another fine mini-episode of Cinemavino!

Blade II represents a rare club: Movie sequels that don’t completely suck. Part of that success lies in the hiring of a visionary director, Guillermo del Toro, to supply fresh air to the franchise. Indeed, del Toro imparts his now-trademark energy and visual innovation, and thus elevates the film to even rarer territory: Blade II might be better than the first film.

As with its predecessor, this second Blade is blessed with the sense to never take itself too seriously. Del Toro and writer David S. Goyer work to keep the dark humor going and the pace lively. It’s actually a great blueprint for the Marvel movies to come: When in doubt, just make sure everyone’s having fun.

For this week’s Cinemavino, we take a long look back at 2002’s Blade II, an early entry in the modern superhero renaissance. Believe or not, this episode grows more timely by the minute: Marvel is currently working on a reboot of the character, starring two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. This new film will be part of the MCU’s Phase Five, and is scheduled for release in two years. (Take that with a grain of salt. COVID has made release schedules a little wonky.)

To the right of the wine bottle, you can see a pic of Eddie, our border collie!

To pair with this film, we drink a great red blend called Horseshoes and Handgrenades. Sourced from Oregon and Washington, this wine features Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah. It’s bold, earthy, with just a hint of peppery notes on the finish. Put this wine with a Filet Mignon, or with your favorite Wesley Snipes movie! To learn more, click here.

As always, our podcast might contain a few spoilers, so proceed with caution. The Blade films can be found on HBOMax for streaming. Kick back, drink up, and enjoy another fine installment of Cinemavino!

To read my review of the film, click here.