Stormcloud Brewing Company and Garden Theater announce beer & film series
From staff reports
Stormcloud Brewing Company and The Garden Theater, neighboring businesses in downtown Frankfort, are pleased to announce the inaugural Dark & Stormcloudy Film Series celebrating the best of dark comedies paired with a hand crafted dark beer brewed specially for the movie selection. The series commences on Thursday, Feb. 20 and runs for five weeks ending on March 20 with a weekly tapping of the new beer at 4 p.m. the day of the program.
“In the dark days of winter, we have crafted five small batches that puts a special unique touch tied to the film, this will be fun,” says Brian Confer, head brewer at Stormcloud.
Stormcloud opens at 4 p.m. on Thursdays during the winter months and will tap the small batch beer each week prior to the film. The movie starts at 7:30 p.m. each Thursday of the series with a ticket cost of $5. Stormcloud is offering beer and a movie packages available each week for those interested sampling both the film and craft beer.
Film titles and descriptions of the beer are outlined below. Please note, beer will not be served inside The Garden Theater.
Thursday, February 20
Movie: Heathers Rated R
A deliciously nasty black comedy, Heathers is set at a cliquish high school in Ohio. The most exclusive of those cliques is the Heathers, comprised of the prettiest and most popular girls in town. The group’s leader is the manipulative Kim Walker, who orchestrates the humiliation of anyone who fails to meet her standards. Eventually, Heathers member Winona Ryder begins to exhibit a conscience; together with her hardcase boyfriend Christian Slater, Ryder plots to avenge all the unfortunate victims of the group. Before long, Heather (Kim Walker) ends up dead along with Kurt and Ram, with poignant suicide notes posted near their bodies.
Beer: “Heathers” – a black ale brewed with honey & fragrant heather tips
Thursday, February 27
Movie: Thank You for Smoking Rated R
The directorial debut from Jason Reitman, the media satire Thank You for Smoking stars Aaron Eckhart as Nick, a man who has turned spinning news and information into a successful career for the tobacco lobby. He plots strategies with his colleagues (Maria Bello and David Koechner) on how to make other dangerous products more appealing to the American public. Nick ends up going to Hollywood with his young son (Cameron Bright) in order to get a movie producer to include characters smoking in his newest film. Nick is kidnapped by a vigilante group concerned about the harmful nature of his product. The cast includes William H. Macy as a Senator who runs on a strong anti-tobacco position, Rob Lowe as the Hollywood bigwig, and Robert Duvall as the king of the tobacco industry. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Christopher Buckley.
Beer: “Thank You for Smoking” – an Imperial Smoked Porter
Thursday March 6
Movie: Fargo Rated R
Filmmaking siblings Joel Coen and Ethan Coen both embraced and poked satirical fun at their Minnesotan roots with this comedy-drama-thriller that earned seven Oscar nominations, winning for Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay. Frances McDormand stars as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant police chief whose affable, folksy demeanor masks a whip-smart mind. When a pair of motorists are found slain not far from the corpse of a state trooper, Marge begins piecing together a case involving a pair of dopey would-be kidnappers, Carl (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear (Bergman stock player Peter Stormare). They’ve been hired by Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), a car salesman under the thumb of his wealthy, overbearing boss and father-in-law, Wade (Harve Presnell). Jerry’s raised some money illegally through a petty scam he’s run on General Motors and he’s about to get caught. When Wade sours a business deal that could save his son-in-law’s hide, the desperate Jerry hires Carl and Gaear to kidnap his wife and hold her for ransom.
Beer: “Fargo”- a Schwarzbier aged on oak chips
Thursday March 13
Movie: Hot Fuzz Rated R
A top London cop who is so good at his job that he makes his fellow officers look like slackers by comparison is “promoted” to serve in the sleepy village of Sandford in this contemporary action comedy from the creators of Shaun of the Dead. Police constable Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) always gets his man, but these days his impeccable record seems to be more indicative of his fellow officers’ shortcomings than his own formidable skills as a keeper of the peace. Loathe to stand idly by as their once respectable track record is steadily soiled by the hyper-competent actions of one lone overachiever, Sergeant Angel’s superiors at the Met soon determine to remedy their problem by relocating the decorated constable to the West Country village of Sanford — where tranquil garden parties and neighborhood watch meetings stand in stark contrast to the violent crime and heated gunplay of the city. Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Steve Coogan, and Martin Freeman co-star in the Edgar Wright film.
Beer: “Hot Fuzz” – a Sweet Stout fermented with Red Hot Candies
Thursday March 20
Movie: John Dies at the End Rated R
It’s a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. On the street they call it Soy Sauce, and users drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Suddenly a silent otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John and David, a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs. Can these two stop the oncoming horror in time to save humanity? No. No, they can’t.
Beer: “Dark & Stormcloudy Ale” – the inaugural release of this annual big, bold Imperial Stout to coincide with the last over-the-top film in the series.
