Halle Berry kinda-sorta saves the film from bottom-of-the-barrel swill, and "Kirk Castle" leaves us kinda speechless.
Dave: Despite some great acting (and admirable lip-syncing) from Halle Berry, this still felt like a TV movie. I’m not sure if it was something about the sets, the wooden acting of all of the bit players, or the trite, sentimental touches sprinkled throughout. Despite the flaws, though, Halle Berry clawed her way to the front of every scene and the film was better for it. Even while she was lip-syncing, she was always on and putting in an amazing performance. Brent Spiner, who played her manager and on-again-off-again boyfriend (who also, oddly, played Data in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series) also put in an understated, matter-of-fact, and heartfelt performance. It’s sad the script pulled heartstrings and overdramatized Dandridge’s story, which was already dramatic, tragic, and triumphant enough without any embellishment. I think it’s high time for a remake that delves a bit further into the racial and gendered nuances of Dandridge’s story, even if Berry made her intensely human and fascinating. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
This was just called parmesan popcorn, but I’m sure there was other stuff in it. I can’t readily identify any of it at the moment, but when I caught a glimpse of Joe making it, I thought he was doing a science experiment. A delicious science experiment. This popcorn makes me wonder why we’ve had this popcorn cookbook from Kirk Castle for over a year and only used it a handful of times. Were we too quick to judge because it looks like it was prepared on WordPad and printed at Kinkos? Perhaps. I’d say ol’ Kirk has a gift, but really - who wouldn’t eat popcorn covered in butter and parmesan cheese? Animals and heathens, that’s who. And we, dear readers, are neither. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
Joe: Biopics are always so tricky. A scant few reach the stratosphere, but most fall in the MOR range or worse. Introducing Dorothy Dandrige is elevated by Halle Berry (who, in my opinion, has always been massively underrated, despite winning an Oscar). Berry pours herself into the role, chewing up the scenery and tapping into the pathos of being a Black woman in 1940s and 50s Hollywood, navigating the Jim Crow laws and the virulent racism. She's particularly moving when engaged in power struggles with the white men who attempt to control her. Unfortunately, she can't save the film from dipping into mawkishness, especially in its final acts. Lord, the scene where Data comes to her rescue is one massive eye roll. Alas, this scene alone proves that too often, the script requires Berry to veer wildly from a deeply-felt character study to a pill-popping caricature. Thus, this leaves the film being merely good, but not great. (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
I'm not sure what's going on with this self-published popcorn book, and soon one of you might be called upon to save us by finding us more popcorn (especially savory!) recipes. This recipe, curiously named "Parmesan", initially lacked its titular ingredient. I nearly tripled it, and still the popcorn needed salt. The buttery mixture, though, is something that I would drink. Who knew that butter, parsley, Hungarian sweet paprika, and garlic powder would prove to be such a delicious combination? Certainly not I. But "Kirk" did. Oh, "Kirk". Anyway, this is a recipe that I might tweak and revisit... but I certainly wouldn't dub it "Parmesan" by any long stretch of the imagination. (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
Popcorn recipe from: 100 Popcorn Recipes by "Kirk Castle"
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge on IMDB.
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