This week on Alcohollywood, Mark (from the classy science-y comedy podcast Blastropodcast) joins us with our look at Disney’s attempt to cash-in on the Star Wars craze, The Black Hole! A group of hapless scientists and astronauts exploring a black hole find a haunted house-ship occupied by Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximillian Schell, channeling Captain Nemo) and a bunch of robots. Once there, they find betrayal, mystery, laser gun fights and surprisingly un-Disney disembowelings – elements that make for a rather atonal, if refreshingly earnest, science fiction picture.
Shockingly dark for a Disney movie, the film shows everything from horrifying murders to zombification to a literal descent through hell! The production design is stellar, and John Barry’s score is romantically macabre, but the monotonous, flat acting (even from acting legends like Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster and Ernest Borgnine) and the languorous pace stop the movie dead in its tracks. Still, there’s fun to be had, so take a listen and check out our drinking game and custom cocktail!
LISTEN HERE OR DOWNLOAD:
THIS EPISODE’S DRINK: Down with the Cygnus
In a mixing glass or shaker, combine:
3 parts Johnny Walker Black
1 part blackcurrant liqueur
splash, Sambuca Romana Black
splash, Noval Black tawny port
Add ice and stir. Pour straight up and top with blackberry-mint foam.
To make blackberry-mint foam, combine:
1 part blackberry brandy
1 part lemon juice
fresh mint leaves
1 part orange juice
1 part simple syrup
chopped fresh blackberries
1 part egg whites
Finish with a dash of blackstrap bitters and garnish with a black cherry.
DRINKING RULES FOR THE BLACK HOLE:
- Whenever V.I.N.CENT (Roddy McDowall) offers a florid quote
- Anytime you see a shot of the black hole
- Every time V.I.N.CENT or B.O.B. ‘prairie-dogs’ its head up and down
FINISH YOUR DRINK WHEN:
Mr. Pizer (Joseph Bottoms) says, “You mean we’re going into the black hole?!”
Join us next week as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Celtic-themed animated film The Secret of Kells!
