Dinner and a Movie

Scott Hardie | June 12, 2002
Ever since freshman year of college, I've wanted to have a "movie night" once a week, in which I'd sit down with friends to watch and discuss a movie. My freshman-year attempt fizzled out after one showing, and I've tried again over the years, both by myself and with partners, but it has never quite worked. This was often due to lack of enthusiasm on my part, or my fear that nobody likes to watch movies with me because I get into them too much. But, I think I have an idea that will finally work. And to my surprise, Kelly liked it too.

This idea came about because of recent conversations we've had about combining food with a movie. Like, we were going to get Chinese food, and we were discussing whether we should watch "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or "The Joy Luck Club." A number of these conversations unfolded, and I began to think about matching other food with other movies, like pizza with "Do the Right Thing" or hamburgers and milkshakes with "Pleasantville." Then it hit me - Why not invite friends over a couple of times a month to have a meal and watch a movie and make an evening of it?

We could meet every two weeks or so. Kelly and I could cook some basic food, but we suck at it so we'd turn to takeout for the majority of the meals. Everybody would chip in a few bucks and I'd pay the difference. We'd eat a meal, then I'd introduce the movie (some, like "Memento," almost require it), we'd watch the movie, and I could share a little trivia afterwards. Then, if we felt like it, we could play a game, like Movie Mania. I thought I was overplanning this, but I took it to Kelly (who is my usual bellweather on matters like this), and she thought it was a great idea. Do you think I'm on to something?

For fun, and because I was bored last night, I came up with a list of possible meals to accompany films from my DVD collection. Here are some of the better ideas:

A River Runs Through It - freshwater fish: salmon, perch, etc.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - pizza, Fritos, and a GIANT bowl of ice cream shared by all

Casablanca - Moroccan food, possibly with French wine

Chinatown - albacore

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Chinese food

Do the Right Thing - pizza

Drunken Master - Chinese food, and a hell of a lot of booze

Excalibur - wild turkey, bread, ale

Falling Down - McDonald's

Fight Club - for the brave, New England clam chowder with a little vinegar in it... for the cowards, single-serving chicken cordon bleu, single-serving roll with butter packet, single-serving mint, etc.

Heat - diner food, there are a half-dozen different diners in that movie

High Noon - Western barbecue, mesquite style

Little Shop of Horrors - vegetarian dish, lots of green beans and green onion and celery

Memento - a regular meal served backwards: dessert, main course, salad, bread & butter

Midnight Run - that big breakfast burrito that Charles Grodin wants to order in the diner (they state the recipe in the movie)

Moulin Rouge! - French food

Natural Born Killers - if we can get it, snake... with key lime pie for dessert

Platoon - Vietnamese food

Pleasantville - cheeseburgers and milkshakes

Primal Fear - Chicago-style hot dogs, deep dish pizza, beer

Princess Mononoke - sushi

Rosemary's Baby - steak with a chalky chocolate mousse for dessert

Run Lola Run - German food

Se7en - spaghetti with tomato sauce, and a lot of it

Sirens - Australian food

The Matrix - first course, a big juicy steak with red wine, then second course, soggy oatmeal

The Ninth Gate - deviled ham, deviled eggs, devil's food cake, etc.

The Sixth Sense - Philly cheesesteaks, and a cheesecake made with Philadelphia cream cheese

X-Men - various mutant foods, like blue macaroni & cheese, green mashed potatoes, etc

If I wanted to go ALL out, I could make a small web site for this, with recipes to accompany each movie, and some trivia or something. But that seems like overdoing it, even for me. :-)

Anna Gregoline | June 12, 2002
Your Fight Club and The Matrix ideas cracked me up. Wish I lived closer so I could join in the fun. I'll make it down to Florida eventually, since a lot of friends are settling there - perhaps we can do a night of this when I get there.

Jackie Mason | June 12, 2002
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Jackie Mason | June 12, 2002
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Anna Gregoline | June 12, 2002
Liver, fava beans and a nice Chianti, I'd imagine.

Scott Hardie | June 13, 2002
Probably what Anna said. :-) The same thought crossed my mind for Little Shop of Horrors.

I'm glad you both like the idea. You're welcome to join us any time.

Jackie: I thought you had plans with Lenore to visit here at a specific time? If not, whenever you want is fine. The only thing we've got on the calendar (so far) is a trip to Illinois for Christmas.

Scott Hardie | June 13, 2002
PS. If you like the beach, we're about 10-12 blocks from a big one.

Jackie Mason | June 16, 2002
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Scott Hardie | June 17, 2002
Oh, cool. :-) Any time is good, Jackie. We'll keep in touch about it.

Jackie Mason | June 18, 2002
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