1971's Harold and Maude stars Cort and Ruth Gordon in a May/December relationship. He's a young man fascinated by death, and she's old enough to kick the bucket at any time. A match made in heaven.
Bob Evans at Paramount must have heard "told ya so" a time or two, because the movie attracted neither critics nor paying customers. Both groups eventually came around when the film became a cult classic. H&M reportedly didn't turn a profit until about 12 years after its release, which is probably not something a studio would want to crow about. Gordon passed away just two years after that break-even moment.
There were no awards for Harold and Maude, but Cort and Gordon did grab a couple of Golden Globe nominations. The film's ending gets my vote if there is ever a category for Best Use of a Banjo Aside from Deliverance.
We may want to pair wines both young and old, to honor the stars. Perhaps a Beaujolais Nouveau and a Champagne pulled from a turn-of-the-century shipwreck. However, I would like to reference Cat Stevens from the movie's soundtrack. "Bring tea for the tillerman, steak for the sun, wine for the woman who made the rain come." Well, Pinot Noir has tea notes, it goes great with steak, and what better way to spend a rainy day? Maude Pinot Noir comes from the Mt. Maude Vineyard in Central Otago, New Zealand for around $25.
In 1970's Brewster McCloud, Cort played the title role, a guy who lives in the Houston Astrodome. As living spaces go, the 'Dome offers plenty of room and great light, but it can get a bit chilly when the air conditioning is on. Which, in Houston, is most of the time.
Director Robert Altman gave us McCloud as a modern day Icarus, who was building a pair of wings somewhere in the bowels of the world's Eighth Wonder. Like Icarus, Brewster wanted to fly, but failed in a spectacular fashion.
When I lived in southeast Texas, I witnessed a number of baseball and football games in the Astrodome, but never did I encounter anyone working on a pair of wings. Even if I had, it would have been a bummer. A bird trying to fly its way out of an enclosed space is one of the sadder sights known to man.
Afianes Wines has a Greek red named Icarus, made from Fokiano grapes. It comes with a picture of the birdman on the label and costs close to $70.
Brain Dead is a psychological horror movie from 1989. Psychological horror is what you have when the lab in the film is full of brains in jars. Any movie with brains in jars gets at least one good mark, more if one of the brains is from Abbie Normal.
Cort joins a couple of Bills in the cast, Pullman and Paxton. He plays a former genius at math who is now a resident at a funny farm. The brilliant doctor convinces him to undergo surgery that will either fix his addled brain or release all the secrets contained in it. Somehow, the lunatic gets to make the decision.
There are plenty of lab coats in this picture. And plenty of cerebellums to play with. Everybody is a neuroscientist, it seems. Hey, it's not brain surgery. But wait… it is. Or is it? They keep you guessing until the credits roll. Just remember, it's not paranoia if they really are out to get your brain.
Sine Qua Non chief wine surgeon Manfred Krankl figured out a way to turn wine into money better than most others who have learned the trick. His 17th Nail In My Cranium is listed online at well over $1,000. Now, that's crazy. Anyone paying that much for a bottle of wine should have their head examined.
No comments:
Post a Comment