31 Days of Draughts and Darkness: Volume III
The Book of Life (2014)
Rich in Mexican folklore and legend, tonight's feature is a
rare celebration of the oft-overlooked Day of the Dead. "The Book of
Life" is a CGI fairy-tale that thankfully isn't obsessed with pop-culture
parody and/or sly toilet humor. Yes, there's a bit of each sprinkled
throughout, but the film's backbone is really about telling your own story.
Writing the book of your own adventures. Both in life and death.
I've long dreamed of an on-screen adaptation of "Grim
Fandango", one of my all-time favorite video games, also fashioned
after the Day of the Dead.
If "The Book of Life" is as close as we ever get
to that adaptation, I'll be more than happy. Both are epic adventures with
volumes of creativity and enough stunning visuals to fill a gallery.
The Plot:
We join a rowdy group of teenagers on a school field trip.
Their excitement at visiting the local museum is comparable to that of going to
the dentist. But once they arrive, their tour guide enthralls
them with her mysterious passion for the past. Most especially surrounding the
museum's "Book of Life" exhibit, kept secretly away from the rest of
the building. As the children gather around the old tome, their guide begins to
tell a story. One that connects the living with the memory and spirit of
their loved ones.
In the tiny Mexican village of San Angel, residents are
paying homage to their deceased loved ones on the annual Day of the Dead. It is
said that so long as a family remembers its loved ones, their spirits will
never fade. The tributes are what grant spirits entrance into the Land
of the Remembered, where one is free to spend eternity with their ancestors.
Unbeknownst to the living, two spectral attendants are overseeing the event.
La Muerte, elegant and stately (but with a hot temper),
rules the Land of the Remembered. Opposite her is the twisted Xibalba, dark
keeper of shadows and ruler of the Land of the Forgotten. Those spirits shunned
by their families are forced to reside in his dusty, desolate realm.
As you can imagine, Xibalba is quite tired of his dreary
kingdom, so he makes La Muerte a bet.
Best of friends Manolo and Joaquin are both in love with
Maria, daughter of the town General. Manolo comes from a long line of
bullfighters, but abhors killing the animals and is really a musician at heart,
much to his family's chagrin. Joaquin is a boisterous and headstrong figure
obsessed with heroics, his father having died while heroically defending the
town from bandits.
Xibalba bets La Muerte that bold Joaquin, not Manolo, will
win the heart of Maria. La Muerte believes the soulful Manolo has the upper
hand, and takes this bet. If Xibalba wins, La Muerte must switch kingdoms with
him, relinquishing her beautiful Land of the Remembered to his control.
As the years go by and the children grow into adults, the
gods watch eagerly for the moment Maria makes her choice. Maria is fiercely
independent, not buying into the affections of either suitor. But that doesn't stop
Xibalba by cheating a bit with some otherworldly powers that...well, sort of kill
Manolo.
And so an adventure spanning life and death begins.
The Flavor:
There's far more to the story than
I mentioned above, believe it or not. While everything revolves around the
godly bet, the message is really about defining who you are, regardless of your
fate. Manolo and Joaquin are different, each valuing polar opposite extremes in
life, but neither is necessarily 'wrong' about the paths they choose. Both
simply have lots to learn along the way. Like we all do.
Initially, the two boys see their
conquest for the heart of Maria as the end-all-be-all defining moment of their
lives. All their success and talent hinges on this romance, so each is fiercely
competitive for her hand. Once things get hectic on an otherworldly level,
Manolo and Joaquin are forced to confront their immature worldviews and grow.
A trip to the world of the undead,
both Remembered and Forgotten, helps.
The world of the living is lovely,
with character models fashioned to look like wooden dolls brought to life.
Though the film is CGI, each human character is textured to appear carved and
painted. This aesthetic really sells the storybook nature of the film.
But it's not until Manolo gets to
the underworld that "The Book of Life" pulls out the visual big-guns. The Land of the
Remembered is like a Las Vegas superhotel crossed with Mardi Gras. The colors
pop and spin, and though each character in the underworld is a skeleton,
they're more brimming with joy and life than their living counterparts. The
Land of the Remembered is a visual buffet table, it's skeletal residents a
motley crew that help the adventure pick up speed.
Best Paired With:
Inventive and charming, "The Book of Life" didn't
receive nearly as much praise as it should've. The visuals are gorgeous, the
characters charming, and the overall adventure makes for a satisfying ride. The
whole family can enjoy this one, folks.
The themes of growing up and never forgetting your loved ones
give "The Book of Life" its heart.
Brew:
I knew the brew to pair with this one the moment I laid eyes on it...
Name: Oculto
Brewery: Broken Barrel Brewing Co.
Where Brewed: Houston TX and Williamsburg, VA
ABV: 6.0%
Style: Cerveza
This is exciting! Not only is Oculto the first Cerveza-style
brew "31 Days" has tackled, it's also been aged in a spirit not yet
seen on our list. I've tried plenty of whiskey, bourbon, and rum-aged beers,
but this is the first one that involved tequila. It seems the brew
is blended with lager aged on tequila barrel staves.
Random nerdy digression: Even before the first taste,
'Oculto' earns points just for reminding me of
'Grim Fandango'. Google it.
Then play it. You're welcome.
Color: The appearance
is very light, a pale straw yellow. The level of clarity is also quite high. No
haziness at all.
Aroma: Your initial impression is similar to that of
something like Corona or other Cerveza beers. The hop presence is mild and dry,
giving the beer a crisp scent along with the mellow grain profile. But unlike
other beers of this style, a few more scents complicate the bouquet. A
distinct tangy sweetness lingers in the background, perhaps from the blue
agave. I can't tell if this sweet scent is independent or a product of the
tequila barrels the brew was aged on. Included with the sweetness is an almost
mellow lime-like odor, a reminder that yes, there is tequila in here. How much
though?
Let's find out.
Taste: One taste is enough to convince you that a whole lot
more is going on in Oculto that a standard golden ale. For one, the clean and
mild tastes of this beer style are joined by a sweeter sidekick right off the
bat. The sweet flavor has a bit of zing to it, but in the sharp, alcohol-like
way you'd get from a higher ABV brew. Here, it's almost as if someone stirred a bit
of agave nectar directly into the beer, much as if they were making tea. While
different, the effect is really pleasant, as the sweetness is very mellow.
Rather than cover up the grain and mild hops, the nectar blends its flavors
along with them, resulting in a bitter-sweet first impression that's still
crisp and refreshing.
As for the tequila? Oh, it's certainly there. In fact, I was
surprised by how noticeable it was when I first tasted Oculto. I expected the
beer to have maybe only a slight bite from the tequila barrel staves, but nope,
the latter half of each sip gives you a hearty dose flavor. The tequila comes
off very clean, even enough to wipe away the hop and malt flavors from the
first half of the taste, though the agave sweetness remains.
To beer purists, that might sound like a bad thing. "I
won't taste the hops in the aftertaste? Witchcraft!"
Honestly though, this really allows the tequila flavor to
shine, especially as we move on to...
Aftertaste: Here is where you'll find yourself wondering if
you just took a sip of beer or a shot. Granted, none of tequila's burn is
present. The lingering flavors do, however, capture the more nuanced flavors
found in higher-quality tequila's. Without the burn-factor of hard liquor,
you're able to appreciate the clean, dry, and slightly-citrus quality of the
tequila, itself. It's surprising that such flavors, almost delicate, manage to
conquer the hop profile from earlier in the sip. As mentioned, the only remnant
of your initial flavor that'll follow into the aftertaste is that of agave. This goes quite well with the tequila flavors, creating the
impression that you just sipped a cocktail rather than beer.
It's a different approach, but it works.
Body: While still crisp, Oculto has far more of a mouth-coating
quality than I expected. The sweeter character of each sip really sticks to the
palate throughout. Still completely appropriate for a hot
summer day, Oculto's got a bit more body than you might expect from
your standard Cerveza. Expect a thin
layer of sugar to linger on the tongue and roof of your mouth after each sip.
I can see this brew
making one hell of an ingredient in a margarita.
Pair: While '31 Days' is a Halloween list, and as such leans
towards Fall fare, this is a warm-weather beer to its core. Despite a
supernatural moniker, Oculto wants to be enjoyed alongside BBQ and a pool. Fans
of chilled drinks are sure to enjoy this unique take. If you're hanging onto
the one last little piece of summer as Fall creeps in, pick up some Oculto and
enjoy.
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