by Liz Locke, Staff Writer
In the summer of 2023, the dream came true: I found myself surrounded by Criterion titles, and I could take home whatever I wanted. Against all odds, I became like one of those wide-eyed celebrities, making tough choices through competing waves of giddiness and grief.
by Liz Locke, Cinemasips.com
If you enjoy exotic locales, beautiful costumes, strong female characters, and even stronger drinks, then pre-code films are sure to be right up your alley.
by Liz Locke, Staff Writer
With the publication date of my debut novel Follow the Sun quickly approaching, I can’t help but reflect on the movies that have shaped my writing.
by Liz Locke, CinemaSips.com
Eddie Muller’s Noir Bar is an absolute must-have for any cocktail and movie fan.
Read Moreby Liz Locke, Staff Writer
The winter of 1999, with a high school civics class, and a polite phone call to the museum director, I got a crash course in Classic Hollywood.
by Liz Locke, Staff Writer
1984 gem Falling in Love was a recent discovery for me, and it’s officially upended any ideas I once had about the actor.
by Liz Locke, Staff Writer, and cocktail purveyor at cinemasips.com
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, television Christmas movies are here to stay. So pour a festive cocktail (I’ve got a great suggestion!), and settle in with these picks for 2021…
Read Moreby Liz Locke, Cinemasips.com
You see, bad movies are actually good movies, with the right attitude and enough alcohol.
By Liz Locke, Staff Writer and owner cinemasips.com
I think I’ve finally hit on an idea that makes this bizarre period a little more comprehensible: We’ve all been living in a Neil Simon rom-com. We just didn’t know it at the time.
by Benjamin Leonard, Best Boy
A couple weeks before the end of the year (and what a year it’s been), I asked everybody to list their top five movies that they’d seen so far. This is always a tough chore because people are trying to cram in the films they’d heard about but missed throughout the year and then there’s the Christmas Day releases that only a few people have seen by that point. This means that people will always look back at their list in a year or two and find things that they wish they would've included, but just hadn’t seen yet. I feel like this year has exacerbated that situation because everyone has had to settle into finding films through different avenues.
Here, I’ve compiled everyone’s rankings and responses to give the MovieJawn Top Ten for 2020.
Read MoreWritten by Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg
Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe, Magnus Millang and Maria Bonnevie
Running time: 1 hour and 57 minutes
by Liz Locke of cinemasips.com
When I heard about the film Another Round, the Danish film about a group of teachers who decide to take up steady drinking, it sounded specifically made for me. After all, I’m married to a teacher, and I run a cocktail blog. I know steady drinking, as well as the struggle of getting kids to put their phones away. So it’s with a lot of regret that I say Thomas Vinterberg’s flick really missed the mark, appealing to neither cocktail aficionados, nor educators.
Read MoreWritten by Kathleen Rowell (screenplay) and S.E. Hinton (novel)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze and appearance by Tommy C.
Running Time: 1 hour and 31 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
by Hunter Bush, Nikk Nelson, Ryan Smillie and Liz Locke
The Tommy C. Appreciation Club, or TCAC, solemnly swears to watch and appreciate all theatrical performances by Tom Cruise then recap them, round-table style. In this edition, the Moviejawn crew chats about the minor role Tommy C. plays in Coppola’s 1983 flick, The Outsiders.
Read Moreby Benjamin Leonard, Best Boy
Greetings movie friends! As I’m sure most of you know, in addition to our website which mostly covers new movie reviews, we also make a quarterly print zine. I thought it’d be fun to give everyone a quick glance at all the films that are covered in our most recent issue (which focuses on circuses, carnivals and fairs) and where you can find them. Step right up! to follow the links for the titles and it’ll take you to a listing of where it can be found (mostly powered by JustWatch.com).
Read MoreWritten and directed by Kris Rey
Starring Gillian Jacobs, Jemaine Clement and Kate Micucci
Running time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
by Liz Locke of CinemaSips.com
Writing is a tough business, especially for women. That’s the message I take away from I Used to Go Here, Kris Rey’s fantastic new film featuring Gillian Jacobs as a debut novelist trying to reconcile grandiose dreams with a lackluster middle-aged reality. This one-time star of her college English department thought the future would be filled with glamorous parties and well-reviewed personal essay collections, only to discover that life doesn’t always work out the way you plan. Blink, and you’re suddenly thirty-five, childless, single, holding an ugly pink novel with your name on the cover (a cover you had zero input on), wondering what the hell happened. Oh, and also people will buy your book, then never read your book. Adulthood—what fun!
Read Moreby Liz Locke, Cocktail Slinger at CinemaSips
These are strange, uncertain times. As movie theaters across the world shutter their doors to protect us from the deadly coronavirus (doesn’t this sound like something from a bad Gerard Butler movie??), it’s hard to know where to turn. Sure, streaming is an option, but after a week of social distancing at home, I am officially bored with my television. I want to put on a dress, go out with my husband, hold hands, and have a real, honest-to-God, DATE. The kind of date that makes you glad you left the house with this person, or at the very least, grateful you had a reason to change out of sweatpants. But how to have this experience while still protecting ourselves from a pandemic? The answer, my friends, is the Drive-In.
Read Moreby Ashley Jane Carruthers, Rosalie Kicks, Liz Locke and Jaime Davis
Blondes, bombs, nostalgic trips and fast cars are this year’s Oscar nominations in a nutshell. With such a bland vanilla list, it raises the question: Is the Academy truly just a bunch of dads?
Read MoreNotes on A Summer Place
by Liz Locke, CinemaSips.com
When I think about bad moms, my mind immediately goes to A Summer Place, one of the most melodramatic soap operas ever to grace the silver screen. This film has it all—teen lust, alcoholics, saucy old ladies, infidelity, and (be-still my heart) a Frank Lloyd Wright house. But what makes it stand out from all the other Douglas Sirk-wannabes of the 1950s is Constance Ford as the villainous Helen Jorgenson.
Read Moreby Liz Locke
cinemasips.com
Marriage is a well-travelled thoroughfare in cinema, and thus it takes a special talent to capture all the bumps and twists in a fresh, unique way. Stanley Donen, director of the 1967 film Two for the Road, expertly guides us on the marriage journey through flashbacks, time jumps, and creative editing, boldly juxtaposing the bloom of new love with the rotten stench lingering after infidelity, kids, and careers. By the end of this movie, you’ll be begging for a drink.
Read Moreby Liz Locke, cinemasips.com
Hey guys! (That’s YA-speak for “pay attention to this thing I did online”)
If you’re like me, you probably skipped your high school prom in favor of sitting at home with a stack of VHS tapes and a pint of Cherry Garcia. Back then, I believed a real-life prom could never measure up to a movie prom. Without Blane waiting to kiss me in the parking lot, or George McFly looking at me like I was his Earth Angel, I’d be destined for failure, right? Better to live in a fantasy world than one full of disappointment. But in a strange twist of fate, I got a second chance at this teen milestone when my husband (aka. “the sexy art teacher”) got assigned to chaperone his high school’s prom. With one apathetic promposal text, this thirty-five-year-old was finally getting a do-over à la Drew Barrymore in Never Been Kissed. The following list reflects what I learned on this bizarre journey.
Read Moreby Liz Locke
For those lucky enough to be on spring break this week, I have one thing to say - I’m jealous!! The rest of us have to live vicariously through the movies. If I could pick any cinematic destination to jet off to, I’d definitely choose Rome. More specifically, the Rome of Roman Holiday.
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