The Golden Globes are trash, but Rosamund Pike deserved hers. Also, between this popcorn and Dave's habitual consumption of peanut butter, I'm beginning to think we should invest in Jif™ or Skippy™ stock.
Dave: Rosamund Pike walks a fine line with her character, Marla, in this film. Marla, who cares for elders that she tricks into becoming wards of the state, is a slimy, unlikeable character, just like most of the other folks we meet: her greedy girlfriend, the hapless judge, the duplicitous doctor, and the members of the mafia. Yet even after she’s ruthlessly hurt people, drained innocent old folks of their life savings then stuck them away in ill-equipped elder care homes, and has revealed herself to be a sociopath, you still root for her. Maybe not too loudly, but somehow you still want to see her come out more or less on top. That’s no small feat - this could easily be a movie where you detest the entire cast and are fine turning it off partway through because, really, they could all die in a fiery crash and you’d be thrilled because the movie would be over. But Marla is just intriguing enough (and Pike is so much fun to watch) that we weren’t even remotely tempted to turn it off until the final - kind of shocking - twist! (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Dear readers, I broke the (unwritten, unspoken) rules. Since we started making popcorn recipes back in 2016 - yes, our popcorn blog outlasted the Trump presidency! - we’ve stuck to just making popcorn. Popped. In a bowl. With stuff on and/or in it. This week, I snuck in what I thought would be a treat: popcorn balls! They always seemed so quaint and old-times and fun! Now I see why people hang these on their trees at Christmas rather than actually - you know - eating them. Despite having peanut butter, my very favorite thing in the world, in them with the added bonus of a WHOLE CUP of Reese’s Pieces, I could only eat a few of these. I mean, they were tasty - how could a cup of sugar, some butter, and peanut butter be bad!? But the popcorn ended up being a rather disquieting consistency, oddly reminiscent of styrofoam, and the popcorn balls went a bit beyond crunchy to, well, hard. Still, slather anything in peanut butter and regular butter, and I’ll probably come back for seconds. Also, I may have one with coffee tomorrow morning for breakfast. (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Joe: I love Dianne Wiest. I think she's pure fabulosity, and she was one reason I really wanted to watch this film. The other reason is that I love a good grifter/con artist film. I enjoy watching the machinations, even if they're rooted in pure sociopathy. To that end, Rosamund Pike nails the character of Marla, who seems to have absolutely zero scruples. Sure, the film is a bit ham-handed in its rebuking of capitalism (though I absolutely agree with said observations), and sure some of the action sequences require an enormous suspension of disbelief, but all parties involved seem to be having a grand time. Wiest's tête-à-têtes with Pike are delicious, all arched eyebrows and cat/mouse power plays. Peter Dinklage continues his streak of pure bad-assery and that woman who was the lead in Urban Legend makes an appearance as the doctor! Quelle surprise! All in all, a twisty, turn-y delight. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Usually when we have sweet popcorn on Friday nights, we precede the treat with an actual dinner - after all, one needn't go into a full-on sugar crash before one's bedtime. As I watched Dave glop another tablespoon of peanut butter into this concoction, however, I mused aloud if we needed dinner. Friends, Dave heeded my call. We went without dinner-dinner and instead just ate these popcorn balls. It was more than sufficient. Sure, it was a sweet dinner, but by the time I was munching on my fifth popcorn ball, I was glad I hadn't spoiled my appetite. These were delicious, and though I feel myself crashing as I write this review, let my final words be "I have no regrets." (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Popcorn recipe from: Popcorn Board
I Care A Lot on IMDB.
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