I'm beginning this post before I watch the movie or taste the beer. Here's the logic.
I've decided to rewatch the 1978 movie classic Magic, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, before he was knighted or told Clarise he enjoyed someone's liver with fava beans and a fine Chianti.
I can't remember when I saw Magic but am fairly certain that it was in the mid 80s. While I don't recall the details, I definitely remember the melancholic and spooky mood and being completely blown away by Hopkins' performance and the overall look of the movie. For whatever reason, I've never gotten around to viewing this movie again, but not by design, just by the flow of life.
Fittingly, I've decided to pair watching Magic with a beer that has also taken residence in my memory as being amazing: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout. This was one of the first quality beers I ever tasted, back in the days when I drank Little Kings, Goebel's, GENERIC (which actually came in white cans with black letters that read BEER) or whatever else was cheap. Money was super tight, even tighter than now, and that was before the prevalence of micro brews.
Around 1984 or so I had somehow found myself as a line cook in Portland, Maine (a story for another time), and someone introduced me to San Francisco's Anchor Steam beer, probably the first non-cheapo beer I ever tasted. Anchor Steam was the beer that started my fascination with beer as art, and while I couldn't afford better beers often back then, I would occasionally splurge. After Maine, I moved to Kent, Ohio, and it was at a bar called Ray's Place that I first tried Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout. From the first sip it was like the angels of brewing began singing.
Like Magic, Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout is from another lifetime ago, and both movie and beer hold elevated chairs at my memory's table. I'm curious how they will hold up.
Mangus is now out: I'll return after the movie.
Return to Magic
Oftentimes, I can access way more details about my youth in relationship to horror movies and television shows than in regards to other areas, even those of school or special events. Because of my horror Movie memory, I was surprised when the opening of the movie didn't seem at all familiar. While geeky, I know, I tend to recall opening title sequences, so my guess is that I missed the beginning of the movie so many years ago. I'm certain I saw it on television and not on tape (pre-DVDs and streaming) because I DEFINITELY would have remembered Ann-Margret's nude scenes.
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What I DO distinctly remember was the 30 second trailer featuring Fats the ventriloquist dummy, which I re-watched on the DVD extras. Fats recites a creepy little poem (Abracadabra, I sit on his knee, Presto, Change-o, and now he is me...) and rolls his wooden eyes up in his head. I probably saw that ad only once or twice before, but it scared the crud out of me as a kid. The ad had a short run -- according to the extras the studio pulled it off of television because of complaints from parents that the ad was terrifying their children, but I remember it well. You don't forget those dummy eyes.
Watching Magic, the emotional ride I retook was so vivid even while the details on the screen were so sketchy. Because a large part of the movie takes place in a lakeside cabin and because that L.L. Bean-esque style of clothing hasn't changed all that much over the years, the movie didn't feel that dated.
If you know the movie, I don't need to give the story, and if you don't, I won't give spoilers. I'll just say this is the best creepy ventriloquist dummy movie ever made. Magic is a must see film.
Return to Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
So the beer ... I didn't cheat: I waited for the movie to begin before taking my first sip.
I practically worshiped Chef Boy-ar-Dee Spaghetti O's as a kid, and I'll tell you, the memory of those soft little rings doesn't hold up even a little bit to how I react to them now. How did I possibly like those?
This Oatmeal Stout, however, was different.My memory was not let down. While the brewing angels didn't still sing, the taste was not even close to being disappointing. No, this beer was still good. Not only did it taste almost as good as I remember it, but it brought back the good times of that era, unencumbered by painful or crappy memories of things that went wrong. Cheers to not be disappointed!
This Oatmeal Stout, however, was different.My memory was not let down. While the brewing angels didn't still sing, the taste was not even close to being disappointing. No, this beer was still good. Not only did it taste almost as good as I remember it, but it brought back the good times of that era, unencumbered by painful or crappy memories of things that went wrong. Cheers to not be disappointed!
Holding Up The Years
Magic, according to the movie trailers and posters, is "A Terrifying Love Story", a pretty good description in four words. The tale is moody, disturbed and heartbreaking. While released 38 years ago, I didn't watch this movie again with a wistful nostalgia. Instead, I was fully engaged -- this is one of those movies out of time. Hopkins delivers a believable, gut-wrenching performance as the tragic and unbalanced Corky, and Fats the dummy -- yeah, he's memorable.
Great beer. Great movie. Great memories. I'll take them when I get them, and you should, too.
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I, or other writers for Fear with Beer, will occasionally look backward on fond memories of horror movies, books, games, or TV shows and share our re-experience. This is the first of those. If you enjoy these, check back to Fear with Beer and click on the tag "Nostalgia" to read more.
