Emotional performances + an inspired popcorn creation = a terrific Friday night!
Dave: I initially thought a movie called Horse Girl starring Alison Brie and Molly Shannon was going to make some campy nods to horse girls à la Tina from Bob’s Burgers. Instead, the movie was a meditation on public discussions and lack of treatment for mental illness. The ending…well…feels a bit over-the-top and is edging toward weird for weird’s sake, though I think the filmmakers were trying to get at how real anxiety and paranoia feel for folks going through them. The hard cuts between scenes and worlds in the movie viscerally portrayed shifting realities, and as the main character, Brie never wavered. Her acting was tender, sweet, and fully committed to her reality. The script could likely have used a few more edits - it felt gummy and unfocused - but the film was definitely worth a watch. (️️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
When Joe told me about this popcorn, he said something like “well, this could be a disaster.” Then I saw him taking a lot of wet ingredients out of the fridge and thought we’d be eating cold popcorn soup for dinner. Luckily, the ingredients came together well, even if we did have to keep scraping the roasted red peppers, olives, and feta off the bottom of the bowl. The marjoram and fennel really stood up well to the heavy flavors of the other ingredients. All in all this was a delightful bowl of popcorn. (️️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
Joe: Full disclosure: I constantly confuse Alison Brie with Brie Larson. In fact, the last film we saw with Alison Brie (see Nerdery Movie Night #205), I legit thought I was watching Brie Larson. Essentially, my brain only thinks Alison Brie exists. And the world is better for it, because I don't think I've ever seen anything with Brie Larson. ANYWAY. This is a really tough movie. It tackles a lot of issues - mental health, human connection, loneliness - and stitches it all together in a trippy and unnerving but deeply moving portrait of grief and loss. The film is largely carried by Brie's compelling performance, imbued with pathos; Molly Shannon also turns in an empathic performance. For once, the Duplass Brothers deliver. (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
I vowed that the next time I was tasked with making a popcorn of my own invention, I wouldn't just shake Penzey's spice blends over the popcorn and call it a day. I put on my Big Boy pants and, inspired by a chickpea salad we made last night, cobbled together this idea. I was skeptical - there were a few wet ingredients (garlic-stuffed olives, feta cheese in brine, canned roasted red peppers), which could have yielded a mushy popcorn. But somehow I pulled it off, and added copious herbs and seasoning. I was particularly delighted by my inspired addition of fennel. Anyway, I'm going to pat myself on the back. This was fucking delicious (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Popcorn recipe from: Joe Prince 💅🏻
Horse Girl on IMDB.
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