I must say when I first noticed The Queen of Hearts Pinot Noir at the wine shop, I found it a bit cheesy sounding. However with Tuesday being Valentine’s Day, I gave in to Hallmark and took it home. We were pleasantly surprised! It was actually very good.
The next day it came to me, that this Pinot would pair well with a card movie. So I chose Maverick.
I know he may have turned some people off in recent years, but there’s no denying that Mel Gibson made some great, 90’s-style movies, and this is one.
Mel plays Brett Maverick, a card-playing, gun slinging, bar-brawling…well … maverick, trying to raise money for a poker tournament on a river boat. The character is based on an old television series starring James Garner. I’ll watch anything that Mr. Garner appears in, so thank goodness he took the role of Marshall Zane Cooper in this picture.
The Queen of Maverick’s Heart is a thief, Annabelle Bransford, played by Jodi Foster. Brett believes he is so in tune with the card gods that he can will particular cards to appear. In one scene he picks the Queen of Hearts, which foreshadows he and Bransford’s affair.
So, in the name of love, buy a possibly Hallmark – inspired Pinot Noir. And rent a goofy Western with plenty of plot twists and 90s humor. It’s fun!!
In the spirit of riverboats and western style, listen to “The Mighty Rio Grand” by This Will Destroy You. This band means a lot to me, as they were the first band I ever saw live with my fiancé in Chicago. They were incredible…. Listen to the entire thing if you can.. It tells a story. Just sounds like you are in a movie!