Martini Movies is a series of films that remind us that the true joy of watching DVDs at home is not relying on the offerings of the concession stand. You can crack open a beer or mix up a liquor drink before dimming the lights and pressing play. These films dont have too much to do with drinking like the cinema of Dean Martin. The five films in this latest wave arent all swanky party pictures. A few of them will require a stiff drink or five to enhance your enjoyment.
5ive (1951 – 91 minutes) plops us down in the midst of cold war fears. The nuclear holocaust has struck with all the major cities of the world devastated. Only five people are left. What happens when humanity is reduced to a handful of supporting actors and one pregnant actress? The big star of 5ive (also called Five) is Frank Lloyd Wrights Cliff House that was owned by the director. Remember that in case of an atomic attack, your best protection is a residence designed by a legend. The film is extremely melodramatic as the guys jostle for position with the last woman alive. Theres a visit to a devastated Los Angeles complete with skeletons in cars. Nowadays we just consider it Lindsay Lohan and other starlets on the road. The big lesson from 5ive is to never take a baby into ground zero.
Our Man in Havana (1959 – 111 minutes) dazzles as an obscure gem from director Carol Reed and writer Graham Greene. The duo had previously teamed up for The Third Man. Instead of war torn Vienna, the new adventure in espionage takes place in a pre-Castro Cuba. Alec Guinness is a vacuum cleaner salesman recruited by Noel Coward to spy on the locals. The trouble is that Alec is not ready to be the new 007. He needs the money of this part-time gig, but cant make contacts to save his life. He does what any smart agent does in such a pressure situation: he lies. He creates a vast spy network that needs lots of money sent directly to him. His racket works well until hes uncovered by a local military leader (Ernie Kovacs). Our Man in Havana brings the Ealing comedy to the spy game. Theres plenty of drinking on the screen to match any home libations. See if you can keep up with Alec and Ernies strategic drinking game.
Getting Straight (1970 – 124 minutes) is a slice of pop culture courtesy of the elusive Richard Rush (The Stunt Man). Elliot Gould is an ex-Vietnam Vet finishing up his Masters degree so he can teach. With only two weeks to go in his college career, he finds the world falling down on him. Hes broke. The school wants to kick him out for being a few hundred bucks short. Hes locked out of his rented room. His girlfriend (Candice Bergen) wants to get married. His radical buddy (Max Julien of The Mack) needs him to lead the revolution. The college president wants him to be the face of the straight students who have served in Vietnam. It all gets to be too much for a man who thought returning from Vietnam would calm down his life. The student demonstration that devolves into a riot with the police is intense and chaotic. Lazlo Kovacs weaves his camera through the smoke and batons. You might want to wear a helmet to keep your noggin from getting cracked. Harrison Ford pops up as an art teacher. He looks like a kid. Getting Straight captures the chaos of its times without getting hippie dippy.
Gumshoe (1971 – 85 minutes) gives us a peek at Liverpool in the days following the Beatles break up. This is no longer a swinging and youthful city. Its returned to a bleak and somber port city. Albert Finney (Annie) is a frustrated nightclub MC. He places a classified ad offering his services as Sam Spade detective. His first gig involves cash, a photo of a lady and a revolver. This is a serious business for a man one the brink of insanity. His investigation leads him close to home. Finney pulls off the trenchcoat as he gets the facts. This is one of Stephen Frears early directorial efforts. Hes still going strong with his recent Oscar nomination for The Queen.
Vibes (1988 – 99 minutes) requires a martini mixed with Paula Abduls medication. Ron Howard thought Cyndi Lauper was ready to go from MTV to the big screen in a romantic comedy with Jeff Goldblum. He also thought it would be a smarter movie to just be executive producer and let Ken Kwapis direct. Two psychics (Goldblum & Lauper) are hired to track down lost explorers in the mountains of Ecuador. When this film came out two decades ago, it was savaged for putting Lauper in the lead. Time has been kind to her performance. She comes off better than Peter Falks impersonation of Danny DeVito from Romancing the Stone. Youll still need an extra large martini to warm up to this lightweight comedy.
The five films chosen in this latest batch vary from lost gems to bedazzled rhinestones. They give plenty of reasons to imbibe. Our Man in Havana is must viewing for anyone who appreciates The Third Man and The Ladykillers. This film has the sleek and sophisticated air that cries out for a well mixed martini. Vibes cries for any alcohol that goes down well with plenty of cheese. Each DVD has a drink recipe on the disc so you dont even have to think too hard about what to pour into your martini glass.
The video on 5ive is 1.33:1 full frame. Getting Straight and Vibes are 1.85:1 anamorphic. Gumshoe is 1.66:1 anamorphic. Our Man In Havana is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The transfers on most are high quality. 5ive is a little rough in parts, but nothing too painful to the eyes. The audio of Vibes is Dolby Digital Surround. The other four films are Dolby Digital Mono. The levels are good and the sound is crisp. You might have to crank up the volume if your drinking guests get too loud. You might consider turning on the English subtitles to follow the lip action.
Martini Minutes are under two minute pieces that use clips from the 10 films already in this series. Theres two on each disc with titles such as “How to Be a Villain” and “Secrets of Seduction.” They kind of remind me of what youd see on a pop culture movie channel as time killers. Each ends with an interesting martini recipe.
Original Trailers are included for all the movies except Getting Straight. Perhaps it was ruined in the campus riot.
The five movies in the Martini Movies collection wave 2 are a reason to break out the cocktail shaker. Our Man In Havana has been on my most wanted list for several years. The film explains why we shouldnt completely trust intelligence agencies. Gumshoe and Getting Straight are revelations of nearly ignored cinema. 5ive takes us back to that sweet innocent time when we only had to worry about the Soviet Union blowing us up. While at first Vibes was off putting, it comes off well when you have the companionship of vodka.
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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents Vibes. Directed by: Ken Kwapis. Starring Cyndi Lauper, Jeff Goldblum, Julian Sands and Peter Falk. Running Time: 91 minutes. Released on DVD: February 3, 2009. Available at Amazon.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents Gumshoe. Directed by: Stephen Frears. Starring Albert Finney, Janice Rule & Carolyn Seymour. Running Time: 85 minutes. Released on DVD: February 3, 2009. Available at Amazon.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents 5ive. Directed by: Arch Oboler. Starring William Phipps, Susan Douglas, James Anderson, Charles Lampkin & Earl Lee. Running Time: 91 minutes. Released on DVD: February 3, 2009. Available at Amazon.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents Getting Straight. Directed by: Richard Rush. Starring Elliott Gould, Candice Bergen, Jeff Corey & Max Julien. Running Time: 124 minutes. Released on DVD: February 3, 2009. Available at Amazon.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents Our Man In Havana. Directed by: Carol Reed. Starring Alec Guinness, Burl Ives, Maureen OHara, Ernie Kovacs & Noel Coward. Running Time: 111 minutes. Released on DVD: February 3, 2009. All of the films are Available at Amazon.
