Galaxy Quests
Pairing wine with movies! See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell. This week, we take a look at three films in the science fiction realm. We also have three earth-bound wines to pair with them.
Explorers, from 1985, was the film breakthrough for Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix. Kids build a spaceship and, surprise, it works! They go to outer space in it and, well, explore. The film was directed by TFH Chief Guru Joe Dante. Don’t ask him about the third act unless you have some time on your hands.
During editing, the studio made him stop, wrap it up, and send it off to be shown. Dante feels it was not the movie he wanted to make, it was the movie he was left holding when the music stopped.
This film has a strong following today, but it was a BO Bust in the mid-1980s. Not only did Live Aid happen the day after its release, but Back to the Future had just come out. (Yes, kids, there was a time when BTTF wasn’t on television every damn day.) Summing it up, there was some stiff competition for the audience’s attention at that time.
Like many of Dante’s films, time has been good to Explorers and his legion of fans still appreciate it. Dante appreciates the appreciation, but still finds it hard to watch the film.
The Explorer Pinot Noir, from New Zealand, was made from grapes grown in the top terrace Moon Block at Surveyor Thomson vineyard, Clarks Road, Lowburn in Central Otago. Put that in your GPS and hope for the best. It sells for about $30.
https://domainethomsonwines.com/store/explorer-2024-pinot-noir
You may not have seen this little slice of 1961 sci-fi. You probably didn’t miss it. Trailers From Hell guru Mick Garris says The Phantom Planet opened, and possibly closed, in a theater in La Mesa, California. At least it was Academy-eligible, even though it was understandably left out of the Oscar nominations.
If you can’t find it, the trailer may be just as entertaining as the feature. In fact, the “Let’s all go to the snack bar” commercial may provide more bang for your viewing buck.
The Phantom Planet rocks along in Saturday-matinee fashion with fakey effects, ridiculously staged “man-in-space” scenes and comedic monster suits which, in another setting, may have actually been scary. In other words, it’s a near-perfect example of the kind of movies we so looked forward to on Fear Theater, or whatever they called the Friday night late show on the television station where you grew up.
The alien monster from The Phantom Planet has a face which looks like a cross between Droopy and Donald Duck by way of The Outer Limits. Maybe the fact that he comes from a planet that’s really just a big rock has a lot to do with his ill temper. A warning for the socially-impaired among us, there is some kissing. It doesn’t last long, however. Sadly, it doesn’t involve the alien.
The wine for The Phantom Planet is a no-brainer. Bogle Vineyards makes some of the most enjoyable and affordable wines around. Bogle’s The Phantom red blend is mainly Zinfandel and Petite Sirah with a splash of Mourvèdre. The $15 price tag means you have better than a ghost of a chance of enjoying some with your movie night.
1981’s Galaxy of Terror uses humans as the aliens. A group of astronauts gallivant across the universe on a sort of sadomasochistic scavenger hunt. Their own fears kill them off one by one as Roger Corman’s production brings out the sort of stuff that puts butts in the seats: crushed skulls, a murderous severed arm and a rapist worm. What, no murder hornets? Ew, the glamour of Hollywood.
There is enough blood in Galaxy of Terror to justify a red wine, and one with a severed arm, to boot. Australia’s Allegiance Wines has it, although the name of the Cabernet Sauvignon apparently refers to a Severed Arms Hotel. Enjoy your stay! At only $20, it may be, as Monty Python fans may recall, a wine not for drinking but for lying down and avoiding.
https://iwsawards.com/results/results-2019/product-sheet.html?product=146
Randy Fuller
NowAnd Zin Wine – www.nowandzin.com
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