Throw Your Own Fellini. Or Coppola, Or Lynch

by Lissa Townsend Rodgers, Posted Oct 6th 2008 @ 12:55PM

Getting together for dinner and a movie can be one of the most prosaic (Domino's and Blockbuster) of gatherings. But it can become something significantly more special if the food and the visuals connect.

When I was a broke, just-outta-high school teen, my roommates and I would host Godfather parties, for which we'd make a lot of pasta, get some jugs of cheap wine and follow the rule of shouting "Godfather!" then clinking and drinking every time someone got whacked.

There was a "cases of champagne and little black dresses" Breakfast at Tiffany's birthday party, but the master of the art was my great friend Mr. Diva, who threw annual, movie-themed award show parties, paying homage to Picnic (fried chicken) or Blue Velvet (cherry pie and PBR).

In recognition of such festivities, Turner Classic Movies, Bon Appétit magazine and, uh, Triscuit have created their Cinema Soireés contest. Entrants need to write a brief description of their ideal cinema soiree, explaining what film they would celebrate and how, as well as elaborate on exactly how Triscuits would play into it. Yup, you gotta use Triscuits, just like Rachael Ray. Consider it the sort of earthly requirement that enables the creation of elevated art.

You could honor that 70's British horror classic The Wicker Man with a Triscuit statuette stuffed with tiny sausage animals, ready for the grill. Or build a tiny, wheat-treat-thatched Vietnamese village for an Apocalypse Now evening. Go obvious and just place a nice plate of Easy Cheese-topped, pimento-adorned Triscuits next to the key-swap bowl for your The Ice Storm getdown. Four winners will have their party created and catered for themselves and eight guests--not enough budget to recreate the La Dolce Vita beachside nightclub, but surely enough for a small Sirk shindig or Coen Brothers celebration. You have until November 30.

Filed Under: Television/Film, Ingredients
Tags: appetizers, bon appetit, bon appetit magazine, BonAppetit, BonAppetitMagazine, contest, dinner, entertaining, grains, hors doeuvres, movies, parties, party, tcm, triscuit, triscuits, turner classic movies, TurnerClassicMovies