Sgt. Angle reporting for duty!

Take leave of your worries and the troublesome month of movies ahead. Sit back and crack a bottle or spritz a can, and join me in the Second Annual version of the tradition I’ve started:

Beer and a Movie Month, 2011!!

I’ll admit I’m a little late to be hashing this out for you, but there are still a few weeks left in January for you to take the time to bring out your chosen brews for these movie experiences. I’m recommending a good brew for each picture this time around, but feel free to mix and match, and let us know how you done did it in the comments below.

MOVIE: The Green Hornet

BEER: West Coast IPA

This West Coast-Style India Pale Ale is extravagantly hopped, full flavored, medium bodied and copper colored. A menagerie of hops is combined throughout the brewing process to impart specific characteristics. Hops used include Simcoe for a unique fruitiness and grapefruit zest, Columbus for strong hop pungency, Centennial for pine and citrus notes, and Cascade for floral aroma.

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RELAXATION FACTOR: Moderate. Word has it the film has some great explosions but leaves something to be desired by the end. The combination of non-risk action film and medium bodied IPA should have you swimming with just enough brain cells for the two hour flick not to bother you, but also for you not to be bothered by the lack of coherent storytelling.

MOVIE: The Dilemma

BEER: FRAMBOISE LAMBIC

Long before hops were common in most beers, various fruits and vegetables were used to season beers. The acidity of Lambic beers blends perfectly with raspberries.

Taste: Magnificent aroma, delicate palate of raspberries with undertones of fruity acidity; elegant, sparkling clean natural taste.

Style: Raspberry Lambic.

Color: Rose.

Serve in flute-shaped Lambic glasses at 45 degrees.

RELAXATION FACTOR: Serve cold at 2–3 degrees Celsius. Ease your way through this dreadful “guy rom-com” but also into your lady’s heart. Combine subtle fruity aftertaste with the alcohol content of a fine brew, and you’re cruising for a make-out session despite Ron Howard’s downfall film.

Movie: The Mechanic

Beer: Arrogant Bastard Ale

This is an aggressive ale. You probably won’t like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory–maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it’s made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beverage will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make things taste better. Perhaps you’re mouthing your words as you read this.

Relaxation Factor: Nothing says “Jason Statham kicks ass” like an Arrogant Bastard Ale. To top that off, this is a remake of a Charles Bronson revenge film. Arrogance is not a great feature to have for oneself, but on the other hand, neither is being a fizzy yellow wimp. If your going to root for the badass, be an arrogant fan.

MOVIE: The Rite

BEER: DUVEL

To commemorate the end of the First World War, Albert Moortgat baptised his beer originally as “Victory Ale”.

Later on, the blond nectar received its final name Duvel after a local shoemaker and friend of Albert Moortgat described the beer as “nen echten Duvel” or “a true Devil” during a tasting.

And Duvel was born.

RELAXATION FACTOR: Who can relax with the Devil running through their veins? Or, for that matter, with Anthony Hopkins gazing straight through your soul? Regardless of the cliched attempts of  The Rite to scare you out of your bones, a few glasses of this fine brew might help drive you up the wall and into your nightmares with a late-night viewing of the exorcist flick.

VAULT PICK:

Bullitt

Beer: We forego the usual brew for something more refined this time around: Macallan 12 year old Single Malt Whisky

Described by Paul Pacult as: ‘simply the best 12 Year Old single malt around’, The secret of The Macallan lies in defiant adherence to traditional methods and ingredients.

The continued use of finest Golden Promise barley and the insistence on sherry oak casks from Jerez, Spain are just two of the pre-requisites for perfection.

RELAXATION FACTOR: Doesn’t matter how old you are or where you’re from, nothing beats a Steve McQueen movie while you’re buzzed on classy flavors and Whisky. Rich in aroma and a fast-paced path to a haze of goodness, much like the high-speed, unprecedented car chase within the film. Your weekend won’t be complete until this combination is met.

Drink responsibly, view openly.

You Are Dismissed!!

Sgt. Angle

Sgt. Angle reporting for duty!

In color salute to St. Patrick’s day, this week’s Cinegasm Experience is in Green Theme. I present four ‘Movies Green’ to stir your stew. Ingest without caution or hesitation.

At ease.

1. GREEN ZONE — The latest political film by director Paul Greengrass (green!!), starring Matt Damon as a US soldier who questions his orders as the WMD tolls remains at zero despite a so-called reliable source code-named ‘Magellan’.

The Stew: Inspired by the book “Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone” by Rajiv Chandrasekaren, Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential) keenly adapts the analytical observations and facts of the U.S. involvement and transition of power in Iraq into a gripping thriller. Paul Greengrass is a director known for revising the Hollywood thriller with sequels The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, as well as pointing a shaking camera at controversial stories in order to present an objective, factual case and allow the watcher to come away with his/her own conclusions (United 93, Bloody Sunday).

Greengrass entered my sights as a director a few years ago. I want to watch everything he makes, but I also find fault in his overuse of hand-held cameras. I don’t like his extreme closeup style of shooting fight scenes, and think the shaky cam he’s become known for only adds to confusion while detracting from visual storytelling. It certainly didn’t help, however, that his two Bourne movies were as intricate and complex as The Theory of Relativity our federal banking laws, but there really is no excuse for vomit-inducing camera run-around techniques.

I went into a screening of Green Zone expecting much of the same, but instead was surprised and pleased, thrilled and satisfied. The plot is of the complex variety, but thanks to a limited number of characters and a very linear unfolding of events, it’s relatively easy to follow. The camera (in the hands of Barry Ackroyd, who lensed United 93 and was recently nominated for The Hurt Locker) swings in all directions, but focus always returns to Matt Damon or Greg Kinnear, depending on whose POV we’re currently focused on.

The Rifle Salute: Four out of four rifles. There are moments where the film feels like one extended sequence after another rather than chopped up scenes, a great feeling where you can look at your watch and think a scene is over, and then you’re immediately carried into the next sequence, or the next problem for Miller. Also, there is temptation to highly criticize America’s harsh decisions and forced hand (embodied by an especially good Greg Kinnear), but don’t let the film fool you: You’re meant to walk out of the theater understanding all sides, though not necessarily agreeing, and hopefully open the door to further research, discussion, and conclusions, which will all lead to better understanding in the future.

*Declassified Fact: Paul Greengrass was once circling an adaptation of WATCHMEN.

2. THE GREEN HORNET — An adaptation of the classic 60s TV series that featured Bruce Lee. This time around, Seth Rogan dons the mask while Jay Chou (Curse of the Golden Flower) picks up Lee’s Kato character.

The Stew: Cast includes: Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, who will play Chudnofsky, an LA crime boss and rival/villain to the Green Hornet, as well as Cameron Diaz, Edward Furlong, Tom Wilkinson, and Edward James *freakin’* Olmos. Script is by Superbad co-writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and after Stephen Chow dropped the chance to direct and co-star, great imaginitarian Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) took up the reins. Will this be all-out comedy? light action comedy? or just plain fun in the lightest piece of the prism? Find out in December.

*Declassified fact: Movie will also feature an appearance by the band ANVIL!

3. GREEN LANTERN — Director Martin Campbell (The Mask of Zorro, Casino Royale) takes a stab at the comic book world, expanding the on-screen DC Universe with Ryan Reynolds starring as Hal Jordan a dude who falls in love with jewelry a dude who becomes the bearer of a powerful green ring that allows him access to an intergalactic peacekeeping organization, among other fun powers. Mark Strong and Peter Sarsgard take up the villain roles as Sinestro and Hector Hammond, respectively. Tim Robbins rounds out the powerhouse casting, and somehow Blake Lively was not kicked off when she wandered on set.

The Stew: Your Sgt. is unhappily not familiarized with the Green Lantern’s history, suffice it to say that Ryan Reynolds is a dude that is easy to watch and support, while Mark Strong’s recent villainous workshop in Sherlock Holmes means he’s an actor you must keep a watch for in the coming months. Martin Campbell can direct action and fight scenes fairly well, so here’s hoping his first comic-book venture ends up smart and on the level. Will the Green Lantern’s universe feature a reference to Metropolis and the infamous Dark Knight? If DC Entertainment can orchestrate a multi-movie universe a la Marvel, full enjoyment will truly spill out from the page to the screen. At least Warner Bros. can handle big-budget action. Be thankful FOX does not have its’ hands on this one.

*Declassified fact: This movie will play in 3D theaters, though it’s not likely to actually be filmed seteroscopically.

4. GREENBERG — Another quirky character piece from writer-director Noah Baumbach, which he cooked up with Jennifer Jason Leigh after they worked together on Margot at the Wedding. Though the script captures that same neurotic and prickly, direct dialogue as Baumbach’s previous films, there is little delightful-ness to look forward to when the film debuts in April (yes, your Sgt. has read the script).

The Stew: Film stars Ben Stiller as a miserable New Yorker who comes to Los Angeles to housesit for his brother, and ends up sparking a fling with his brother’s oddball assistant (Greta Gerwig). Greenberg complains about nearly everything, feels aimless at 40, and doesn’t even try to find a successful path for himself. The story reads like a twenty-something hipster tale, but for a 40-year-old group of characters — as if Baumbach wants us to believe that uncertainty and unwillingness to face disaster are traits that haunt all generations, young and old. Connect this film, then, with his wonderful 90s era Kicking and Screaming, his adolescent daze The Squid and the Whale, and Alexander Payne’s About Schmidt, and you can thus relate to all American age groups.

What’s likable about Baumbach’s work is his focus on character interactions. People are a bit oddball and say what’s on their mind, letting their mouths run-off without thinking of consequences. People act and do out of the moment, rather than pre-meditated consideration. But at times, that’s frustrating (notably in Margot at the Wedding, which contained numerous scenes where characters avoided confrontation or sparked a chance for confrontation and conflict, chances which were inexplicably ignored by other characters…).

Baumbach is a constant collaborator with Wes Anderson, and the difference in their directing is that Anderson is able to give a serious conflict an admirably comedic twist, while Baumbach relishes in showing us the nitty gritty of it all.

*Declassified fact: Greenberg almost starred Amy Adams and Mark Ruffalo.

You are dismissed!

Sgt. Angle