Every Friday on Moncrieff, the planets align, the bottle opener is located, and wordplay on Twitter hits fever pitch, as the show reviews everything you need to know about heading to the cinema this weekend, or drowning your sorrows in style. Here's what made the cut on Movies & Booze today...
Movies
Regular contributor Esther McCarthy was away this week, so Sarina Bellissimo ably stepped in to talk through what will be making a splash at the box office this weekend. First up was the Oscar-nominated Irish film Song of the Sea, which tells the story of a 'selkie', in this case a little girl named Saoirse who can turn into a seal.
"Visually this film is spectacular," Sarina said. "The Cartoon Saloon team never disappoints with their beautiful animation. They create a magical, exquisite world that brings you to a happy place."
But there were some storm clouds on the horizon.
"It’s great to see an Irish film making its mark worldwide, and this should be celebrated. However, this film wasn’t for me. While it is beautiful, magical and sweet – I was bored. At a running time of 93 minutes – for me this was 45 minutes too long. My problem with this film is that I think it would have been best served as a short film."
Of the return of the thunder buddies in Ted 2, Sarina wasn't particularly impressed, nor did she feel the need for a sequel at all.
"The original Ted was that, original! It was laugh out loud funny and fresh," she said. "All the loose ends were tied up at the end of the film, the jokes were made and the song was sung – there really was no reason to come back. The problem is that it made lots of money at the box office – so obviously it needed to come back for more, right? Wrong!"
"The only saving grace of this film is the last third. If only the whole film was as funny and pacy as this – it would have made for a worthwhile trip to the cinema," Sarina added.
Booze
On #MoviesandBooze with @SeanMoncrieff & @SBelissimo today - New World Canadian craft beers - Hopbot IPA and Mr Huff pic.twitter.com/xsSmrnej4K
— Dean McGuinness (@BeerMessiah) July 10, 2015
Dean 'Beer Messiah' McGuinness was also in studio with Sean and Sarina, offering his pick of two craft beers from Canada, Hopbot IPA and Mr Huff, both of which are well worth seeking out.
Of the Brampton-brewed Hopbot, Dean said it sweeps you away with the first aroma.
"As the aroma of the beer opens up, this is joined by tropical fruit hop aromas – mango, cantaloupe melon and citrus. Presenting with a rich burnished amber colour, this reflects the depth of malt character in this beer," he said.
But it isn't all sweetness, with a considerable burst of bitterness playing its part too.
"The roast bitterness and hop bitterness interplay together in a deliciously pleasing way on top of this fruit character. The mouthfeel of the beer provides enough body to ensure that this interplay is given a rounded and full medium bodied liquid to interact in."
Mr Huff, also, has the right stuff when it comes to packing a flavoursome punch into a drinkable beer.
"Brewing a beer that is refreshing without compromising on flavour is a challenge," Dean said. "The key comes from using a diversity of ingredients, gently balanced, and ensuring that a variety of contributions come through without any one flavour overpowering another. This all has to be achieved in delivering complexity, while ensuring that the sum total of flavours is not excessive. Mr. Huff does this to excel."
Both beers are widely available in off licences around the country.
Hashtag
As with every week, Moncrieff invited listeners to combine their encyclopaedic knowledge of movie titles with some groan-worthy punning, this time under the hastag #LiarMovies. Here are the 10 best from this week's Movies & Booze...
#liarmovies @ivancorless @SeanMoncrieff The Fabulist Baker Bothers
— Le Marquis de Salade (@JacquesSalade) July 10, 2015
Indeception #LiarMovies
— Ed O'Meara (@edfomeara) July 10, 2015
Pretend it like Beckham #liarmovies @ivancorless @SeanMoncrieff
— finnk (@meadowgroove) July 10, 2015
The Lying Game #LiarMovies
— Frank Paladino (@FrankJPaladino) July 10, 2015
#LiarMovies They Call Me Mr Fibs
— Irene Fraser (@boozybluesy) July 10, 2015
#LiarMovies The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants on Fire
— Reso Lotions (@TrivagoD) July 10, 2015
Along Came Polygraph #LiarMovies
— Scuba Steve (@stevEfroMtpa) July 10, 2015
Swindlers List #LiarMovies
— Suzanne (@anonnunemus) July 10, 2015
The Silence of the Shams #liarmovies
— Phil Waddicor (@PWCFreelance) July 10, 2015
Conniving Miss Daisy #liarmovies @ivancorless @SeanMoncrieff
— Fiona Kenny (@fionakenny1) July 10, 2015
You can listen back to the full segment from Friday's Moncrieff below:
