TV DINNER REDUX
There’s no reason a night spent watching DVDs at home with friends has to be a cop-out. Leave the rubbery turkey and powdery mashed potatoes to Swanson and the hungry men and embrace the classier side of TV dining.

First step: the menu. Remember, guests will be eating in the dark, so best to choose a selection of dishes that won’t require much cutting or coordination. Other than that, this is your chance to express some culinary creativity. Why not match your bill of fare to the evening’s playbill and serve up some Moroccan delicacies alongside Casablanca. Or pair a Bruce Lee kung fu classic with a menu inspired by the Orient, including delights like these flavourful Asian pork skewers (below). Visit besaucy.ca for the recipe.

Second step: presentation. Eating off your lap doesn’t have to be a treacherous balancing act. Sturdy, hard placemats make great, inexpensive TV trays and allow your guests to enjoy their meal and the movie unencumbered (below with Grosgrain dinner plate, covered rice bowl and flatware by Vera Wang for Wedgwood; Facet crystal stemware by Barbara Barry for Wedgwood; and John Rocha Signature napkin ring by Waterford Crystal).

INSTANT CLASSIC
Who wants to be fetching guests drinks while the movie is rolling? Let them serve themselves. Nesting tables effortlessly transform into an instant wine bar: Just set out your fave vintages, such as Dog House Checkers’ 2003 Cab and Maxie’s 2004 Merlot or Fat Bastard Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot, and sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

ED'S PARTY TIPS

• Turning your living space into a sophisticated theatre is easier than you think. Red velvet curtain panels draped from floor to ceiling not only capture that rich, luxurious feel of a grand, old theatre, but also add an amazing acoustic to any room.
• Everyone loves the classic simplicity of a vase of calla lilies, but those top-heavy stems just never seem to stay put! Here’s a helpful trick: Fill the bottom of your vase with newspaper to anchor the flowers in place (above with John Rocha Black Cut vase, votive and candlestick by Waterford Crystal).
  
• Keep pesky popcorn kernels off the couch by thinking outside the bowl. A teacup can serve double duty as both popcorn scoop and bowl (above with Jasper Conran Platinum teacup and serving bowl by Wedgwood).

• It’s tough on top: Citizen Kane (1941) and The Godfather (1972).
• Love hurts: West Side Story (1961) and Romeo + Juliet (1996).
• I love New York: Annie Hall (1977) and When Harry Met Sally... (1989).
• Remember when: Singles (1992) and Reality Bites (1994).
• Country-fried crime: Fargo (1996) and Hot Fuzz (2007).
• Gotta dig Scorsese: Taxi Driver (1976) and GoodFellas (1990).
• European fantasy: Life Is Beautiful (1997) and Amélie (2001).
• Prison break: The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and Out of Sight (1998).
• Trouble in Tinseltown: Chinatown (1974) and L.A. Confidential (1997).
• Don’t do drugs: Midnight Express (1978) and Trainspotting (1996).

HOT TIP!
Add some sparkle to your coffee table and let guests know what’s in store by showcasing your evening’s bill in an elegant marquee centrepiece. It’s easy: Track down vintage movie posters online, print them to size and display them in a double frame like the one above by Vera Wang for Wedgwood.

MOVIE MUNCHIES
This in-house concession stand (above) will satisfy both your candy-crazed inner child as well as your refined adult palate. Strawberry- and black-licorice Twizzlers are an age-old favourite and add height and graphic drama to the sugary spread. Hershey’s Special Dark bars not only taste delicious—rich and velvety, with a hint of sweetness—but are also a natural source of antioxidants. Cashews have their health benefits as well: The tasty little nuts contain oleic acid, which is good for your heart. Your friends won’t be able to resist Ed’s gorp for grown-ups either, made of equal parts yogurt-covered raisins, orange-flavoured dried cranberries and Hershey’s semi-sweet chocolate chips (above with Classic crystal footed bowls and vase and Challis ice bucket, all by Vera Wang for Wedgwood).

CLASSY COCKTAILS
What’s a swanky movie night without a touch of old Hollywood? Channel your inner Bogie or Bacall with some classy cocktails served in timeless crystal barware by Waterford Crystal. For a modern twist, add exotic liqueurs, such as Pama pomegranate liqueur and Hpnotiq, to traditional recipes for a drink menu worthy of Sunset Boulevard. Don’t stop there. Name your concoctions in keeping with the cinematic theme: Stock your bar with all the fixings for a There’s Something About Bloody Mary, or offer a Tequila Mockingbird instead of a plain old margarita. Also, as with the wine, keep all
necessary ingredients close at hand in your “theatre” so that guests can get refills without missing a moment of the main attraction.

Chinatown-tini
2 ounces Pama pomegranate liqueur
1 ounce Iceberg vodka
Splash of cranberry juice
Splash of fresh-squeezed lime juice
3-4 frozen blueberries

Pour Pama pomegranate liqueur into shaker over ice. Add Iceberg vodka and cranberry and lime juices. Shake mixture. Serve in a Waterford Crystal Lismore martini glass. Garnish with frozen blueberries.

L.A. Confidential
2 ounces Iceberg gin
Juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon sugar
3 ounces club soda
1 maraschino cherry
1 orange slice

In a shaker half-filled with ice, combine Iceberg gin, lemon juice and sugar. Shake well. Strain into a Waterford Crystal Lismore double old-fashioned glass, partially filled with ice. Add club soda. Stir and garnish with cherry and orange slice.

Hpnotiq & 7
2 ounces Hpnotiq
Splash of lemon-lime soda
1 lemon

Fill a large glass, such as a Waterford Crystal Lismore Essence water glass, halfway with ice. Add Hpnotiq, soda and a splash of fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Stir and garnish with a curled piece of lemon peel. To create, cut a four-inch sliver of peel from the lemon. Remove pith. Wind peel around a skewer to curl.