Not gonna lie: once again, I am thrilled to put the current wretched year in the rearview mirror and hope for bigger, better, and brighter things for us all in the new one.
To close out 2025, a quick summary of the last third of the year at Cocktails and Crime.
I take in an old favorite, Terry Gilliam’s Brazil (1985), on the big screen for its fortieth anniversary, plus a pair of music documentaries
The scoop on A Hell of a Drink, my upcoming book with Chris Elford, plus one of the best movie thrillers of 2025
What I learned from Elmore Leonard, and I drink my way around Chicago
The vintage mysteries I’ve read aloud this year, and seeing Quiz Show (1994) on the big screen with Ken Jennings
Cocktail history in comic book form, along with some interlocked recommendations in film, TV, and crime fiction
The old guy films The Shrouds and The Alto Knights, tenuously linked to a new book by jazz legend Billy Hart with my friend Ethan Iverson
And that’s a wrap on 2025. May 2026 treat us more kindly.
