Everything is awesome this week, as we go down familiar territory with a FULL EPISODE treatment of Fresh Pour favorite The LEGO Movie! Geek Girl Chicago herself joins us to talk about this past spring’s surprisingly-great kid’s flick/Danish brick product placement, in which dopey Emmet (Chris Pratt) is dragged into an improbable and genre-savvy adventure to save the many realms of LEGO from the nefarious schemes of Lord Business (Will Ferrell).
Along the way, we discuss our personal LEGO experiences, the fast and frenetic style of filmmakers Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, and whether or not the message of the movie even works. Drink along with our amazing custom cocktail and drinking rules!
LISTEN HERE OR DOWNLOAD:
THIS EPISODE’S DRINK: Tonight’s “Special”
We wanted to pick something suitably fruity, bubbly and all over the place, as befits this movie, so we decided to make a clear sangria with fruit juice cubes that add flavor as they melt. Also, we’ve had a LEGO brick ice mold for years, so we thought this the perfect time to use it! As the ice melts, the drink gets increasingly awesome until it becomes truly Special.
(WARNING: Don’t use alcoholic drinks to repair strained relationships with your children – just play with Legos instead.)
COCKTAIL:
1 part of Pisco grape brandy
1 part of Grand Marnier
9 parts sparkling white wine
LEGO ICE*: (Freeze these into a LEGO brick ice mold of your choice to make these colors; make about 8 ounces apiece to fill a whole silicon mold with one color)
*Red – Combine cherry and cranberry juice, splash of water
Orange – Orange juice
Yellow – Blended banana, freshly squeezed lemon juice, ½ lemons’ worth of zest
Purple – Combine blueberry and pomegranate juices, splash of water
Green – Freshly juiced cucumber (peel and all), finely diced fresh mint
1) Purchase an off-brand LEGO brick silicon ice mold; fill with desired liquids/colors and let freeze for several hours.
2) Fill a wide glass to the top with desired LEGO ice flavors.
3) Pour in Grand Marnier and Pisco, then fill to the brim with sparkling wine.
DRINKING RULES FOR THE LEGO MOVIE:
- Whenever you hear the word ‘special’
- Any time you see English words on the screen (signs, locations, time passing)
- Every time you see Lego food or drink on screen
FINISH YOUR DRINK WHEN:
Emmet says, “You don’t have to be the bad guy.”
Join us next week as we celebrate our Independence Day by watching Mel Gibson chuck tomahawks at the British – we’re watching The Patriot!
I’m so glad you brought up the Trinity Syndrome. This movie had the opportunity to do something wonderful in that regard, and it just dropped the ball, in my opinion. I know I should judge a film by its own merits and shortcomings, and not for what I want it to be, but in this case, I simply can’t help it. It would have been amazing if it turned out that Wyldstyle WAS the Special the whole time, and the normal guy had to save her. Amongst all the commenting, paying homage to, and turning tropes on their heads, this seemed like the obvious thing to do. And I truly believe the film would have been celebrated even more for it, and we might start to see the Trinity Syndrome start to go away a little bit, now that the mirror has been held up to it. But alas… At the very least, it would have been neat if the kid was girl and not a boy. I mean, I still loved the movie, but it missed a HUGE opportunity to teach the geek community and pop-culture savvy storytellers a very positive lesson, in my opinion. It built itself up to be the perfect vehicle for it in every single way. Just my two cents…