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.

A lot of people probably don't realize there are three movies in Disney's Shrunk franchise.  In a related story, a lot of people would like to forget there are movies in Disney's Shrunk franchise.  The first was a solid dose of fun, bedecked in innovative special effects and an endearingly geeky performance from Rick Moranis.  Things got a little dicier with Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, which cost more and made less.  By the arrival of Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, Disney had such little faith that they sent this sucker straight to video.

Turns out, they were absolutely right.  This third Shrunk is hokey, undercooked, and a chore to experience, even at a paltry 75 minutes.  Moranis is game, as always, but even his talent can do so much.  Trust me, you can skip this one.

If you want to read my written review, head this way!

With that said, this terrible movie results in one of the best episodes of Cinemavino.  To provide a little backstory,  I forgot to hit record for our first take, and didn't realize my mistake until about six minutes in.  So, we tried again, and hilariously tried to hit the same jokes.  This results in a genuine case of the giggles, and a legit silly atmosphere throughout the episode.  In spite of, or probably because of, the awfulness of the movie, we deliver a pretty damn funny podcast.

We also get to enjoy some delicious wine.  For Shrunk 3, a Petite Sirah seemed appropriate.  Of course, the irony is that, despite its name, a Petite Sirah can be bold, full-bodied, earthy, and fruity.  Or, big in the best way.  To learn a little more on Gehricke's Petite Sirah, click here.  (We struggle mightily with the name of this wine, but you have a few glasses and try to say it!)

Anyway, enjoy the latest from Cinemavino!

A lot of people probably don’t realize there are three […]

For this week's Cinemavino, we're turning back to a classic 80s sequel:  Ghostbusters II.  I remember loving this movie as a nerdy kid.  It had dudes with nuclear ray guns fighting goblins and controlling the Statue of Liberty with a Nintendo controller--I mean, how could you not?

Unfortunately, like so many things for that era--I'm looking right at Coke II, Clear Pepsi, and several Aerosmith albums--this doesn't age so well.  I guess it's the curse of being an adult that we have to look beyond the cool mood slime and dancing toasters, and see things in a more critical light.  The truth is, this is just another mediocre sequel that pales next it its predecessor.  To be fair, Ghostbusters was the highest grossing comedy at the time of its release, and it remains an iconic pop culture artifact of its time.  That's a tough act for any movie to follow.

But I'll get into that more in my actual review.  In the meantime, kick back and enjoy our lively discussion.  To fuel said convo, we enjoy a delicious, velvety red blend from California:  Scylla, which brings together Carignane, Grenache, and Mourvedre grapes to form an American wine with an old-school French feel to it.  It's very food-friendly (think hearty holiday-style meals), but it also drinks just fine on its own.  Just like the great wines from the Bandol region of France, the Scylla has bright fruit flavors, but with some Earthy notes to give it a fuller body.

If you want learn a little more about this tasty wine, click here.  As always, we use a few bad words in our pod-broadcasts.  Should you have delicate ears, just bear that in mind.

To read my review of Ghostbusters II, just head in this direction.  Otherwise, pour yourself a glass of Clear Pepsi (actually don't, it's pretty gross), and enjoy as Todd, Taylor, Travis, and Sean head back to the 80s.  (And also discuss which Golden Girls we are, so there's that.)

 

For this week’s Cinemavino, we’re turning back to a classic 80s […]

Welcome to another fine episode of Cinemavino!  This week continues our […]

For tonight’s episode, we take a look at the final two episodes of Marvel’s Loki, and the larger implications it has for Marvel’s Phase Four.  Needless to say, *spoilers are everywhere*, so proceed with caution.

For tonight’s episode, we take a look at the final […]

That’s right–it’s a Cinemavino double-header!  For this episode, we go live-to-tape again, […]

This will be our first attempt at live-to-tape.  We kick […]