Movie Tagline: Man has made his match... Now it's his problem
Last time we promised to start pairing better movies. Whether you think we have succeeded or not largely depends on how you feel about grim, ambiguous, future-noir stories. While anyone who thinks Blade Runner is a worse movie than Double Team is clearly insane, there are a lot of people who seem to have an intense distaste for Ridley Scott's groundbreaking science fiction tale. It is probably a case of a movie getting so much positive attention that some kind of backlash is inevitable. Blade Runner was once voted the best science fiction film ever by a group of eminent scientists, after all. And when scientists like your science fiction movie, you know you're doing something right. They really are a fastidious group. What makes Blade Runner such a good movie is a combination of weighty philosophical questions coupled with its stunning visuals. The world that Deckard (Harrison Ford) leads us through is lived in. It is not slick or shiny, like so many other futuristic movies. Things here have a purpose. They have been used. You don't feel like you are peeking in on a different society; you feel like this is our world, in the future. And, in the future, things are just as screwed up as they are now. Replicants are self-aware android slaves with genetically shortened lifespans. "Blade Runners" are essentially bounty hunters tasked with killing, or "retiring", these replicants. It is always dark and rainy, even in Los Angeles. This darkness lends the story a noirish vibe, complete with a cynical protagonist, a femme fatale, and an overwhelming sense of fatalism. It's a lot of fun. When watching such a heavy movie, you might feel compelled to go with a heavy beer. Something dark and complex to match the mood of the movie. Like a Parabola, or a Narwhal. But that would be overkill. Blade Runner is not a fast-paced thrill ride; it is brooding and methodical. If you drink a 12% beer while watching it you are liable to either fall asleep or get distracted and not pay attention to what is happening onscreen. No, you need something to combat the dark nature of this one. Something light and crisp, but with enough complexity to match the movie. That's why we are recommending the flagship beer from Crane Brewing out of Raytown, Missouri. A crisp, dry saison with a lot of flavor and a refreshing finish, this beer is the perfect companion to such a pessimistic movie. Really, any Crane beer would suffice, as they only make lighter styles of beer, focusing on wild yeast and tart flavors. A big part of what they do revolves around taking classic European styles and experimenting with a variety of hops, wild yeast, souring bacteria, wood-aging, spices, fruit, and specialty malt. As we've already noted, a big part of Blade Runner's legacy lies in its visual style. This is also true of Crane's labels. Deceptively simple, their labels manage to stand out in a sea of other beer labels. With big, bold shapes and crisp lines, they are the very definition of less-is-more. They have a thing for origami, too, just like Gaff (Edward James Olmos) in Blade Runner. And that's just their labels. Inside the bottle is a beauty of an entirely different kind. From the bright straw-colored Saison, to the cloudy gold Apricot Weiss, to the red-hued Beet Weiss, Crane's beers are a delight to behold. Like Ridley Scott did with film noir and science fiction in Blade Runner, Crane Brewing is taking the best parts of traditional rustic European ale styles and making them feel new again by infusing them with new ingredients and fresh ideas. They may not seem like the most logical things to pair, Blade Runner and Crane Saison, but unless you're some kind of sociopathic replicant android, we think you will be pleasantly surprised. And, hey, if you are a sociopathic replicant android, do you want to hang out sometime?
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Band of Outsiders, or Bande à part, is a French New Wave film starring iconic actress and Godard muse Anna Karina as Odile, a language student who gets pulled into a robbery plot by two men, Franz and Arthur. It doesn't have much as far as plot goes, but what makes this and most other New Wave films stand out is not plot but style. Godard's characters are just so cool. It doesn't matter what they are doing, they make it look good. That's one of the reasons why Band of Outsiders is one of Jean-Luc Godard's most accessible films, and why many have even called it his best. This claim of being the best Godard film is what makes it such a good movie to pair with Apotheosis, a French Saison from the Urban Chestnut Brewing Company. The word "apotheosis" is defined as the highest point in the development of something. It is a culmination, and as such it perfectly describes how many feel about Band of Outsiders. It is the perfect example of French New Wave Cinema. From the race through the Louvre, to the "Madison dance" scene, to a minute of silence where even the soundtrack drops out, the movie exhibits such an effortless style that it is absolutely irresistible. Apotheosis is a somewhat atypical beer coming from Urban Chestnut. They split their beers into two main categories: Reverence Series and Revolution Series. Reverence for Old World styles and Revolution for modern craft styles. Apotheosis is a Reverence beer, naturally, but whereas most Reverence beers are German-style beers (Zwickel, Schnickelfritz, Schlossturm, Oachkatzlschwoaf), this one is a French-style beer. Highly carbonated, with a pleasantly fruity, spicy aroma and taste, this saison boasts a nice dry finish to tempt you into another drink. Apotheosis, I think it is safe to say, is not the best example of a saison out there. It is very tasty, but there are other, better ones to try. The same could very easily be said about Band of Outsiders. It may be the favorite of many people, but there are other Godard movies to check out as well. Don't limit yourself to just one. The fun lies in trying lots of different saisons, in watching a handful of French New Wave films, and seeing which ones speak to you personally. |
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