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 cast our memories back to our teenage years, or at least to what some adults thought of our teenage years.
Election gives us a peek behind the scenes of a high school race for class president. If you thought elections weren’t popularity contests, this will set you straight. The 1999 film was directed by Alexander Payne, whom I remember better for 2004’s Sideways, since that concerned great wine. Back in high school with Election, I suppose we’ll have to settle for Annie Green Springs, or Spanada, or whatever comes in a $1.99 jug. At least that’s how I remember high school.
Payne’s look at the school election and different characters’ reaction to it is half satire, half black comedy. The script is witty and sharp enough to lift it from the level of a “high school movie” to an examination of how the world is run, even by adults. That award-winning screenplay was nominated for, but did not win, an Oscar. Popularity contest, indeed.
My pairing for this movie comes from Hardy Wallace’s Napa Valley outfit with the somewhat awkward name of Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! I don’t know if that sentence requires a period at the end or not, but I’m sure my editor will let me know. I don’t even know if they still make Local Election, but I’ve seen the 2022 vintage online for $42.
https://www.winecoyeah.com/
1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High was Amy Heckerling’s debut as a director. Cameron Crowe’s screenplay was based on his book which chronicled his undercover stint as a high school student. Why someone who had already lived through high school would want to go back and do it again is a reasonable question. The opportunity to write a book and a hit movie about the experience is a reasonable response.
Fast Times is seen as the coming-of-age movie for the generation after American Graffiti. Sex is foremost on most of the kids’ minds, but having a car is still important enough to make one get a job that requires a dopey uniform.
Sean Penn splashes onto the big screen with an iconic performance as stoned surfer Spicoli, the thorn in the side of Ray Walston’s Mr. Hand. Early film appearances by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, and Phoebe Cates are real treats.
Ridge Vineyards has a Santa Cruz Mountains Bordeaux blend grown in their Monte Bello Vineyard. Ridge Monte, get it? The 2023 vintage comes in a half-bottle for $165 or a 1.5 liter bottle for $653. I guess some entitled high school students bought up all the 750 ml bottles for senior day.
From 1979 we have Rock N Roll High School, a musical comedy directed by TFH Guru Allan Arkush. He and TFH Chief Guru Joe Dante are credited with the story and script, and Dante directed some scenes. The film prominently features The Ramones, probably the only rock band at the time that could have served as well.
The plot revolves around Number One Ramones Fan Riff Randell and the knee-jerk hatred of rock and roll by anyone in an authority position. I saw RRHS at a Texas drive-in movie with a friend of mine who could have stepped right off the screen as a Ramones fan. His Prince Valiant hair cut was in constant motion as he bobbed his head to the soundtrack and laughed at the gags. As they say in the memes, “good times.”
He didn’t have a huge role, but the performance of rock deejay Screamin’ Steve Stevens by The Real Don Steele is legendary. You can look him up in the book, “under Scareeemin’!”
Pepe and Rafa de Ramón started Bodegas Ramones in Valencia, Spain. They put a lot of emphasis on the Ramones music, which no doubt helps them make rockin’ good wines. Their FUM sounds interesting. Made from the Bobal grape, the wines are smoked (!) and aged in clay amphora. $25 will let you find out what that’s like.
https://bodegaramones.com/
Randy Fuller
NowAnd Zin Wine – www.nowandzin.com
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