Booze Movies: The 100 Proof Film Guide

garv · Post by **garv** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:49 pm

"Booze Movies: The 100 Proof Film Guide" is open for business:

http://boozemovies.blogspot.com/

You may have seen my article on “Soused Cinema,” featured in the January 2006 issue of Modern Drunkard Magazine. Unfortunately, I was only able to skim the surface of the ocean of firewater-fueled films for that piece. I started a blog to allow me to dive deeper into the rich cocktail of film history and shine a light on the role alcohol has played in motion pictures from the silent era to the present day.

Predominately, the blog will consist of reviews of films in which liquor has played a major part. Each review will include a scorecard of drinks consumed, the resulting intoxicating effects, a booze-related quote, and other tipsy trivia. From time to time I’ll also provide news from the world of soused cinema, profiles of actors known for drunkenness onscreen or off, cocktail recipes transcribed from booze movies, and other related features.

I just set up the site last week, so currently I only have only five reviews online, four of which are revised and expanded reviews from the original article. However, I posted a new review of Withnail and I (1987), and I hope to add new reviews approximately once a week.

Eventually, I'd like to produce a Booze Movies guide in book form, so let me know what you think of the site and feel free to suggest other booze movies you'd like me to review (the more obscure the better).

Cheers,
garv

gthevinoslinger · Post by **gthevinoslinger** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 2:27 pm

i rather enjoyed that article. it made my netflix queue decidedly more flammable. hope all goes well with the site

TheBigCasino · Post by **TheBigCasino** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 4:07 pm

great review of "Withnail and I", that quote you posted immediately sticks out whenever I think about that film.

Goose-Wingman · Post by **Goose-Wingman** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 4:40 pm

That was a good article. I'll go to the page now. Withnail and I is possibly the most boozocentric film ever, even if they do drink a lot of wine.

garv · Post by **garv** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 4:46 pm

Goose-Wingman wrote:That was a good article. I'll go to the page now. Withnail and I is possibly the most boozocentric film ever, even if they do drink a lot of wine.

If I was to rewrite the "Soused Cinema" article today, I would likely include Withnail. However, as I said in the review, I wasn't as enthusiastic about the film upon first viewing as I am now. I'll probably discover a number of other films that could have easily qualified for the list as I continue to rent and review.

Again, any firewater-fueled film suggestions would be most appreciated. I've wasted a lot of hours in darkened theaters and burning my eyes out in front of the tube, but I'm sure there are a lot of booze movies that I've yet to run across.

Post by **Oggar** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 5:07 pm

Baseketball
Fandango
North Dallas Forty

WastelessPointOfTime · Thu Jan 04, 2007 2:57 am

garv wrote:
Goose-Wingman wrote:That was a good article. I'll go to the page now. Withnail and I is possibly the most boozocentric film ever, even if they do drink a lot of wine.
If I was to rewrite the "Soused Cinema" article today, I would likely include Withnail. However, as I said in the review, I wasn't as enthusiastic about the film upon first viewing as I am now. I'll probably discover a number of other films that could have easily qualified for the list as I continue to rent and review.

Again, any firewater-fueled film suggestions would be most appreciated. I've wasted a lot of hours in darkened theaters and burning my eyes out in front of the tube, but I'm sure there are a lot of booze movies that I've yet to run across.

It took me a couple of viewings to really get Withnail and I. Might have just been because I was drunk, but still.

Barfly
Leaving Las Vegas
Last Call
The Lost Weekend
Bad Santa

Not all happily drunkified films (Last Call kinda bums me out, but if you look at it right, it's like a candle trying to burn without its oxygen; and we all know Leaving Las Vegas is what it is), but all Boozy.

TheBigCasino · Post by **TheBigCasino** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 5:19 am

I'd nominate "Apocalypse Now", even though there is very little drinking in it - the atmosphere it sets is conduscive to drinking.

waahoohah · Post by **waahoohah** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 5:25 am

As an open question to the board, Who should I e-mail to get Barfly re-released on DVD?

gthevinoslinger · Post by **gthevinoslinger** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 8:05 am

TheBigCasino wrote:I'd nominate "Apocalypse Now", even though there is very little drinking in it - the atmosphere it sets is conduscive to drinking.

there's also the fact that martin sheen was so tanked for the whole of the filming that (for example) the mirror punching was real.

Frankennietzsche · Post by **Frankennietzsche** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 9:05 am

gthedada wrote:
TheBigCasino wrote:I'd nominate "Apocalypse Now", even though there is very little drinking in it - the atmosphere it sets is conduscive to drinking.
there's also the fact that martin sheen was so tanked for the whole of the filming that (for example) the mirror punching was real.

Then there is the scene in which he dumps out his canteen and fills it with booze.

garv · Post by **garv** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 5:43 pm

waahoohah wrote:As an open question to the board, Who should I e-mail to get Barfly re-released on DVD?

Damn good question. The original release was from Warner Bros, so that would be a good place to start. The studios actually do read email requests, so it's worth the effort. I think one of the main reasons Universal is releasing the W.C. Fields Comedy Collection Vol. 2 was due to the write-in campaigns.

I can't understand why the studio hasn't slated Barfly for re-release. The original DVD and even the VHS are in high demand on ebay. It would only make good business sense to re-release it.

The only possible reason I can see to delay a re-release is because they want to give the film a digital upgrade and add supplements to make the package attractive to even those that purchased the original.

garv · Post by **garv** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 10:28 pm

Thanks to everyone that submitted suggestions! Please, keep 'em coming.

I just posted a review of the 1939 comedy, The Great Man Votes, starring real-life boozehound John Barrymore over at the Booze Movies site.

I also have American Beer (2004) and Factotum (2005) in route from Netflix, so those review should follow shortly.

Cheers,
garv

WastelessPointOfTime · Fri Jan 05, 2007 12:43 am

garv wrote:Thanks to everyone that submitted suggestions! Please, keep 'em coming.

I just posted a review of the 1939 comedy, The Great Man Votes, starring real-life boozehound John Barrymore over at the Booze Movies site.

I also have American Beer (2004) and Factotum (2005) in route from Netflix, so those review should follow shortly.

Cheers,
garv

Just put Factotum in my queue today thanks to a tip from Blackneto. Looking forward to that one, but perhaps I'll have a chance to read your take on it first.

Post by **Oggar** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 10:11 am

Shit I was still waiting for Factotum to come out in theaters...