Movie/Dinner Party Theme: help!

I am thinking of hosting a tiny dinner party. (Tiny because my apartment is tiny. lol!) I want to show a movie, and then theme the food and drinks to go with. And of course, I want to make sure it's all tiki in nature.

What movie would you suggest? And what food and drinks should I serve, that go well with it? (Maybe there is a scene in the movie in which they eat something in particular... and I could serve that. A few years back, I served cherry jello gelatin shaped like brains from a mold I used, and served that while hosting a showing of a zombie flick. I am looking for this similar sort of gag effect. But tiki.) :wink:

Any suggestions? Movie. Drinks. Food. Go. :D

Mahalo!
~L

Oh I'd have to sa "The party" and serve up some birdy-numnum!

Fun idea!

The TV station TBS has been doing something called "Dinner and a Movie" where they show a movie and during the breaks prepare a dish that's themed to the movie.

Here's a link to the Movies and Recipes they've done in the past, this might give you a couple of ideas!

Does the food have to taste good and fit into a tiki theme?
Ideas... maybe show South Pacific, serve...Bloody Mary's to drink, with Bali Hai's Chicken of the Gods, http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=9060&forum=10&vpost=91640 (thanks freddiefreelance) and some Honey Bun's for desert.
OR maybe show episodes of Gilligan's Island with Banana Soup, a Mango Shrimp Salad, and of course Coconut Cream Pie for dessert. Not great ideas but just throwing some stuff out there.
Gigantalope started a thread about food and movies, but nothing Tiki came out of it. http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=13885&forum=13&6

[ Edited by: DawnTiki on 2005-04-14 17:08 ]

I think you need to pick the movie first then build the menu around it... Tikiwahine mentioned "Dinner and a Movie" which should give you some good ideas. I also want to recommend a show on the Food Network called "Party Starters" - I watch it on a regular basis and I've seen them plan 2 tropical themed parties; one was Hawaiian and was almost verging on tiki the other had a Caribbean/Latin feel.

Here's the link to the episode the Hawaiian episode...

http://www.foodtv.com/food/show_pt/episode/0,1976,FOOD_17977_34954,00.html

Only problem was the menu was a variation of a traditional Christmas dinner... might not work for summertime entertaining... or if you wanted to watch "A Christmas Story" in July it might very well be perfect.

This is the tropical/Latin themed episode...

http://www.foodtv.com/food/show_pt/episode/0,1976,FOOD_17977_33536,00.html

I totally dug the menu - the grilled shrimp on taro chips would be tiki-friendly.

Browsing the Food Network's website reminded me of the other tiki themed party I had seen on the network...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_fo/episode/0,,FOOD_9964_32551,00.html

...the guy throwing the party had a gigantic rum collection and was big into rum mixology. He didn't have a tiki bar but the 100 bottle plus collection of exotic rums made up for any lack of Polynesian pop. I remember the part of the show where the guy mixed up the Mai Tais had me salivating.

Hope these ideas help...

JohnTiki

Aloha from the enchanted Pi Yi Grotto in exotic Bel Air Maryland!

[ Edited by: johntiki on 2005-04-14 16:48 ]

It's too obvious but good: "Blue Hawaii" and Blue Hawaiis. (Hawaiians? Do you pluralize a drink name?)

Elvis flicks are really good looking and fun to watch with a group. "Blue Hawaii" is crammed full of scenery, sets, and Aloha wear that'll make you drool all over the screen. And the music's great!

The Blue Hawaii is easy to make (ingredients from bottles and cans) and one of the more approachable Tiki drinks for the Ordinary as it's sweet, coconutty, and blue. People love blue drinks and rarely get them. They go "Wow!" when they see a blue drink, then they say "It's blue!" Then they tell the cow orkers at the offfice on Monday who all get jealous and want to be your friend.

"Blue Hawaii" is right smack dab from the era of inauthentic representation of other cultures so when it comes to food anything Asian would go. Or you could do a mock/light luau...Easy Kalua pork recipes here:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=894&forum=1

Here's what our experts at Woofmutt Livin' suggest for an easy shindig: Blue Hawaiis, an "Island Punch" (anything fruity and full of fruit pieces, have a bottle of rum for those who wanna spike it), and quality Chinese take out arranged/dumped nicely onto your own dishes. Make up an invite on the compumachiner and write it like it's 1961 (Along the lines of "An exotic Polynesian evening of tropical cocktails and Oriental delicacies..."). Talk up the Technicolor feature you will be presenting...("The musical lu-WOW of the year!" says the trailer.

If yah don't like Elvis yer beyond help. It's that simple.

Here's the text and voiceover from the trailer, it's swell:

Text: The gateway to the South Pacific opens wide for Elvis Presley and you in the biggest, brightest, most beautiful musical production of the year...Hal Wallis' Blue Hawaii.

VO: Blue Hawaii! With Elvis as your personal guide to America's exotic Eden, our Polynesian paradise...Elvis brings you the vacation of your life as he hits the beach with the most luscious armful of delight on the island. Yes, the most gorgeous wahines on Waikiki are taking lessons from Elvis when he gets a job guiding gals with more than scenery on their minds!

A few years back I threw a party using really cheap maniquins as the center pieces. I cut holes in them and put cheap plastic bowls in them and smeared silicon around the bowls to seal them and painted it red like blood. The bowls were just used to hold spaghetti, sauce, and so on.

It was sort of cannibal themed at a Tiki Party campout.

I would imagine you want to do something classier than that, but that worked for me.

Lettuce know how it goes.

[ Edited by: Gigantalope on 2005-04-15 21:57 ]

On 2005-04-15 21:55, Gigantalope wrote:
It was sort of cannibal themed at a Tiki Party campout.

Sounds great!

Sorry to temporarily interrupt this thread but when the iron is hot...

I love those outdoor all night far away from civilization campout gatherings.
I too threw a Tiki Party campout in the late 90's. It was in the Mojave Desert at Jawbone Canyon and was called "Tiki Town". We of course had a Tiki Bar, a large talking Tiki (for offerings...), big sound system, big bonfire, more Tikis, etc. Even some people showed up!

We've also thrown overnight camping parties at El Mirage Dry Lakebed and Anza Borrego...

Gigantalope, where was your soiree? (if you don't want to broadcast it, please just send me a PM)

I am thinking it might soon be time for "Tiki Town Two" and Jawbone Canyon is no longer an option due to a recently added ranger station.

Oh and to keep up with the thread I offer the following suggestion:

Movie: Pearl of the South Pacific (lots of Tikis)
Food: Oysters

OH MY TIKI! I LOVE these suggestions! I want to do several parties now! I LOVE that cannibal theme idea... I wish you had pictures to post! Incredible!

You all have fantastic ideas!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO impressed!!!!!!!!

I am still reading replies so I hope there are more! Either way, the replies already posted are so fantastic. I will let you all know what I decide to do, and credit anyone who gives me an idea for sure! Pictures of my tiny soiree will be posted too!

Thanks for the input :D

smooch!