LIGHTS, CAMERA, SNACK-TION!

Make your next movie night an interactive experience by pairing a cinematic classic with a complementary side dish. HANNAH-ROSE YEE shares a few of her favourites.

Hannah-Rose Yee pairs cinematic classics with a fun and complementary side dish.

MARY POPPINS

There are two types of people in this world: those who are lifelong fans of the Julie Andrews’ singing nanny Mary Poppins, and my sworn enemies. There’s something magical about this musical with its technicolour costumes, zany songs and its comic book vision of London, complete with tap dancing chimney sweeps. Technically, yes, this is a movie for kids. But the tone is just right, a canny blend of melancholy and whimsy, courtesy of that spoonful of sugar. Watch it tonight: you’ll be surprised by how many of the lyrics to B-side songs you can remember. Pair your viewing with jugs of lime cordial (for the Janes and Michaels of your family), rum punch (for all the Mary Poppinses) and a bag of salt and vinegar chips. Why? Do I really have to say? Because salt and vinegar chips are practically perfect in every way. Available to stream on Disney Plus

TITANIC

With its glacial yet luxurious running time of three hours and 15 minutes, this Oscar-guzzling drama starring a young Kate and Leo is one of the best films for an at-home movie night. Titanic has everything: Dastardly fiancés! Scheming mothers! Poor little rich girls in very big hats! Steamy hand prints! A door that could definitely fit more than one person on it... You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll be singing along to Celine Dion before the night is over. Especially if you pair your viewing with an Old Fashioned or two – sugar, bitters and water muddled together, topped with whiskey, a slice of orange and an enormous chunk of ice. Rattle your glass in the movie’s pivotal scene as you bellow: “Iceberg! Right ahead!” Available to stream on iTunes

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON

If it’s been a while since you watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and all you can remember are those dance-like fight sequences in which stars Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat skim the treetops, it might be time to reacquaint yourself. This 2001 film from director Ang Lee is not only a high-octane action classic but a sweeping, epic romance, too. What can you eat to go with a movie that straddles genres so effortlessly, like a martial arts maestro’s split kick? Take your favourite nuts – cashews, pecans, sesame seeds, pepitas, whatever you fancy – and toast them in the oven with a bit of olive oil, sambal chilli, maple syrup and salt. The result will be a little sweet and a lot spicy - just like spending an evening sparring with your good friends Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien. Available to stream on iTunes

THE SHINING

This pairing may be a little on the nose, but hey, that’s horror movies for you – especially ones based on a Stephen King book. This 1980 classic, starring Jack Nicholson and directed by Stanley Kubrick, is the pinnacle of the genre, a film in which the scares are so creeping and the mood is so razor-sharp that it gets under your skin almost immediately. Of course, what you’re going to want to snack on while you’re watching this is something red. A Bloody Mary, maybe, heavy on the tomato juice and vodka. Or, you could just eat a jam donut. Crisp and chewy, but also kind of sticky when you bite into it, with a thick strawberry jam that oozes all over your fingers. Fun fact: Did you know that movie fake blood is made from corn syrup and red food dye, with a squirt of seedless strawberry jam squeezed to add texture? Available to stream on iTunes

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY

Nora Ephron, the beloved writer and director who penned the screenplay for this iconic 1989 romantic comedy, was a woman who knew that the ultimate love language is getting someone’s preferred menu order correct. Sally (Meg Ryan) is exacting about food – “I like it how I like it,” she tells Harry (Billy Crystal), without a skerrick of self doubt – and that’s why he falls for her. He loves that it takes her an hour-and-a-half to order a sandwich, especially an orgasmic turkey one from Katz’s Delicatessen in New York, and he loves that everything she eats has to come with sauce, cream or dressing on the side. Watch this movie with a big bowl of popcorn and a smoked paprika spice mix - on the side. It’s biting, zingy and moreish, just like When Harry Met Sally. All together now: “I’ll have what she’s having.” Available to stream on Stan

LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI

This perfect teen film turned 20 this year, which means it’s officially still not as old as star Pia Miranda was when she made the movie. The Australian actress was 26 when she played Josie Alibrandi, a 17-year-old whose final year of high school is derailed by the sudden reappearance of her dad (Anthony LaPaglia, in a passata red Alfa Romeo) and a gaggle of boys vying for her attention. Miranda might have been older than her character, but her performance was a note-perfect festival of adolescent hormones, right down to the aggravated hair flips and Josie’s desperate desire to be liked. In Looking For Alibrandi, Josie works part-time at Oporto, slinging Bondi burgers and bags of chicken chips every week to a crowd of hungry customers. Which is exactly what you should order to accompany this film: Oporto chips. Available to stream on iTunes