After a month of interruptions (thanks, conferences), we're back! And I hate to say it, but we'll be out the next two weeks. I promise we'll return in mid-December. Also, spoiler alert: we both gave the exact same scores. Still not sure how this consistently happens.
Dave: Let’s get one thing straight: Mahershala Ali is pretty great at pretending to play the piano. I had to Google to be sure he wasn’t actually playing. Fake piano playing aside, this was still a pretty great movie. The two leads were amazing and I got choked up watching Ali jam in a juke joint. Even if it felt sanitized, it was a powerful film, despite having a pronounced white hero narrative. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
We finished this entire bowl by roughly 20 minutes in. I was hoping the cheese cubes would solve some of the previous problems we had with cheesy popcorns: the gumminess, the sogginess. It wasn’t gummy or soggy, but all the cheese fell to the bottom. Still, it was delicious. 9/10 would make again. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Joe: I vaguely recall the woke Twitterati deeming this film "problematic", but I definitely enjoyed it. Mahershala Ali delivers a nuanced performance that plumbs the depths of the real-life Dr. Shirley, bringing both resolute defiance and humanity to his character. He embodies the character and more than deserves the Academy Award for his performance. Mortensen is also on his A-game, imbuing Vallelonga with fully-realized imperfections. Combined, the two of them carry the film and any "problem" that accompanies it. Having not seen many of the Best Picture nominees, I can't say for sure if this deserved the crowning achievement, but I unapologetically liked it. Take that, Twitter. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
Look, let's get this right: occasionally the Popcorn Board leads us astray. But let's be honest: more often than not, their recipes have been consistently phenomenal, and "Tex-Mex Mix" (whatever the hell that's supposed to mean) is no exception. The recipe omits salt, which is always a pretty terrible idea, but once I added a sprinkle or two, this went from "meh" to "yeah". The cubes of Monterey Jack cheese are a decidedly ingenious touch, and both Dave & I were duking it out for the final dregs. This is definitely one that I'll happily make again (and again and again). (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐)
Popcorn recipe from: Popcorn.org. (The Popcorn Board, 2019).
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