We agree that Carey Mulligan is extraordinary, and we agree that this popcorn is pretty delicious.
Dave: It’s hard to separate the emotional effect of this searing story from the odd directorial choices. This is definitely a story that needed to be told, but the plot that bumps along as the backstory slowly unfolds is at once horrifying, disjointed, and oddly predictable. Carey Mulligan as Cassie, the protagonist, was great to watch - she carried a sense of detachment and deadpan humor no matter what she was doing, and made us root for a character who was, in many ways, pretty unlikeable. But the plot zips around zanily throughout the film. From chronicling Cassie’s punishment of “nice” men who take advantage of women, to seeing her boring yet stable job as a barista, to enduring dinners with her parents in their 1970s time capsule of a home (her parents Clancy Brown and Jennifer Coolidge might as well have been playing Muggles in a particularly gritty Harry Potter film). And then there’s a pretty quick, unsatisfying love story followed by resurfaced trauma that horribly metastasizes and brings the film to a screeching halt. It was gripping to watch, but it also felt like there were ideas for about 4 films all about gender-based violence all crammed into this one. Still, it’s definitely a movie worth seeing, though more for the message than the art. (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
We’ve been lucky enough to be part of a pandemic pod with folks who have a fire pit in their backyard. So even when the weather was a bit cool, Joe and I could still have human contact aside from each other, robocalls, and the nice employees at Kroger who load groceries into the back of your car. Of course, s’mores have been a part of several evenings around the firepit and I thought it was high time we had a s’mores popcorn.* This misses the lovely char of a good toasted marshmallow, since it was basically a Rice Krispie Treat with the Rice Krispies replaced by popcorn, then covered with milk chocolate chips, salt (it wasn’t in the recipe, but seemed necessary), and Teddy Grahams. The chocolate got a bit gloopy and the end result looked like an army of Teddy Grahams got caught in that swamp from the Never Ending Story movie. It tasted good, though, even if it wasn’t terribly s’more-like. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
*It is entirely possible we’ve already had a different s’mores popcorn recipe - maybe even twice! - it’s hard to keep up after 100-some of these things.
Joe: Holy shit. I went into this film having read an article in the New York Times about Carey Mulligan a couple months ago (it's extraordinary - read it), but didn't go into it knowing much more outside the basic plot. The film certainly didn't go in the direction I thought it would, and the twists are consistently shocking - especially at the film's climax (this is a veiled content warning: prepare yourself). There are some darkly comedic moments, but mostly it's an airtight and unsettling thriller, with Mulligan's performance anchoring every scene. Her acting is so focused, so nuanced, that it's impossible to separate her from Cassie. She breathes the character. If awards even mean anything anymore, I've never seen a performance more deserving of an Oscar. Anyway. This is not an easy film to watch, but it's timely. And fucking brilliant. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐1/2)
Gimme dat chocolate. Gimme doze marsh-a-mallows. Gimme doze graham crackers. Toss dem tasty treats with popcorn and do whatever other magic you did to it and then let me shovel fistfuls into my mouth until I feel like a goddamned piñata. Then bust me open so I can make room for more. Kirk Castle, I want to kiss you, you self-published sonuvabitch. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
Popcorn recipe from: 100 Popcorn Recipes by "Kirk Castle"
Promising Young Woman on IMDB.
Another great review!