Movie Tagline: In the cutthroat world of Donkey Kong, only one can rule.
Who knew watching grown men play Donkey Kong could be so entertaining? It helps that the two combatants in this quest for supremacy are made to look like archetypes of good and evil. Steve Wiebe is an earnest teacher who got into the game while unemployed. He is a family man who is down on his luck that somehow turns playing Donkey Kong into a way of getting back on track, both professionally and spiritually. Being successful at Donkey Kong gives him the confidence to achieve his goals in other aspects of his life. He is easy to root for. Not like Billy Mitchell, the former record-holder from the 80s with a comical amount of swagger. Billy is so easy to dislike, he somehow comes back around to being weirdly likeable again. Not very much, but likeable in the way unrepentant bad guys are in movies. Their commitment to being as bad as they can be is admirable. Also admirable is the way The King of Kong is edited. It takes this silly competition between two middle-aged dudes and turns it into an epic tale. It also, like documentaries tend to do, plays fast and loose with actual events and timelines. Wiebe and Mitchell claim to be on much friendlier terms than depicted in the movie. Seth Gordon, the director, concedes to this, but also states that his version of things is much more entertaining. And it's hard to argue with him, as his movie is way more fun and complex than one might think possible from a documentary about playing arcade games from the 80s. Speaking of something more complex than its package would indicate, 8-Bit Pale Ale from Tallgrass Brewing Company is a delightful little beer that packs a Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!-sized wallop. Using a "Hop Rocket" to infuse this APA with a blast of Australian Galaxy hops makes 8-Bit taste truly unique, with a tropical, almost melon-like aroma with hints of stone fruit and apricot. It's hoppy, but not over the top. It's a Pale Ale, after all, not an IPA. The hops hit you right up front, but then they mellow out to reveal some sweetness. There is so much flavor in this 5.2% ABV American Pale Ale, you have to try it to believe it. Outside of the beer, the can is the real reason to pair 8-Bit with The King of Kong. This thing lives up to its name, with a version of a classic arcade icon on the label and everything done in 8-Bit style. It is a masterwork of pixelated art. It even shows off the Galaxy Hop Rocket. It is the best, if not the only, beer to drink while watching a Donkey Kong competition.
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Movie Tagline: An all-new adventure down the yellow brick road
Return to Oz was not well received upon release, most likely because people thought it was going to be more like the MGM musical from 1939. You know the one. People wanted more singing and less Fairuza Balk. But this story is much more akin to the source material than its predecessor. The Oz of 1985 is a dark and twisted place. Walter Murch, the sequel's director, was supposedly forced to tone down the creep-factor, but what does remain is still bleak and sporadically terrifying. Unfortunately, it is also a film that cannot escape the shadow of what came before it. The same could be said for the Golden Pale Ale from the Wychwood Brewing Company known as Scarecrow. While it is a solid offering in its own right, this beer will always draw comparisons to Wychwood's Hobgoblin, a Dark English Ale that is the company's flagship beer and biggest commercial success. And, yes, when pitted against the Hobgoblin in a taste test, it will probably lose nine times out of ten. But judged on its own merits, Scarecrow is a velvety, dry English Ale that is just the right amount of malty and bitter to make it a refreshing and flavorful beer. When judging Return to Oz on its own merits, you can see that there is a lot to like in this movie. Yes, it is bleak (a doctor tries to give Dorothy Gale electroshock therapy!). And, between the Wheelers, and all of Dorothy's old friends being turned to stone, and evil Princess Mombi with her interchangeable stolen heads, it can be seen as a bit traumatizing for young kids. But for consenting adults who like to drink beer and watch twisted 80s kids movies, this one is really something special. So follow the yellow brick road down a winding trail of terror and sadness. Just don't forget to bring the beer.
Movie Tagline: The one... The only... The FABULOUS
I don't think I need to explain what Dumbo is about. Everyone has seen Dumbo, right? Goofy-looking elephant with giant ears. Uses giant ears to fly and shut down all the haters out there. Super racist depiction of crows. We're all on the same page here. Alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs to withdraw from. Delirium tremens is a hallucinogenic state caused by intense alcohol withdrawal. It is sometimes referred to as seeing pink elephants, which is so much more whimsical sounding than it actually is. Delirium Tremens, the beer, has numerous pink elephants on its label. If you want to scar your kids for life, have them watch the "Pink Elephants on Parade" bit from Dumbo. Nightmare fuel, that's what you call that. But that's what's great about those old Disney cartoons from the 40s: they don't shy away from showing kids how dark the world can be. It's not to scare them. Not really. It's just being honest and saying that sometimes things are hard, but you shouldn't let that get you down. There's a dark sense of humor in those movies that you don't get nowadays. If you think Disney was dark, you should check out some of the Bimbo the Dog cartoons from the 30s. Bimbo was a Fleischer Studios creation, the same studio that gave us Betty Boop. In fact, Betty was once Bimbo's girlfriend (she was a dog back then, too). Fleischer Studios rivaled anything Disney put out in terms of being weird and dark. That same dark humor is present in the Delirium series of beers from Brouwerij Huyghe. Sure, alcohol can be dangerous and addictive, but that doesn't mean we can't use it for entertainment purposes, too. Life is too short to be taken seriously all the time. So calm your own crippling DTs with some Delirium Tremens and join us in watching a goofy cartoon elephant have his spirit crushed for 60 minutes or so before rising above it all to achieve his full potential. Around here, we call that a normal Thursday night.
Movie Tagline: The man with the hat is back. And this time, he's bringing his Dad.
Ha! Tricked you there, didn't I? You thought I was going to go with the Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but I switched it up on you. Really I just didn't want to be that on-the-nose with the Monty Python flick. It seemed too easy. So I went with my second-favorite movie about questing for the Holy Grail: The Last Crusade, which is also, I would say, my second-favorite Indiana Jones movie. That tagline, however, is atrocious. The Last Crusade met with some skepticism upon its release, which is perfectly understandable after the whole Temple of Doom fiasco (although, full disclosure here: my inner eight year old still freaking loves Temple of Doom and he always will). Just so, many approach the super-gimmicky Holy Grail Ale from the Black Sheep Brewery with similar skepticism. The great part about both of them is they are both really good. Better than they have any right to be, honestly. There is a comedic sensibility that runs through both the movie and the beer. Indiana Jones has always been very tongue-in-cheek; it wouldn't work without that humor. If your movie is about a college professor battling Nazis with his elderly father and you play it straight, that's never going to fly. Just like if the Holy Grail Ale had only been a solid English Pale Ale left to survive solely on its own merits (without a single reference to burning witches), it would never have taken off like it did. It's that gimmick that has kept people buying this beer, and the fact that it is a good beer is really just an added bonus. Kind of like River Phoenix as Young Indy. Bonus Indy! |
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