Tom Jones divides us; the popcorn does not.
Dave: I feel like I just watched a feature film strung together out of SNL sketches that didn’t land mixed with Monty Python sketches. While the camera work was lovely, and the British sex romp spirit was strong, I’m not entirely sure how this mess of a film won an Academy Award. Was it a fun watch? Sure. Was the acting sublimely over-the-top and entertaining? Yeah. Did many of the jokes and plot lines age really poorly? Definitely. In retrospect, though, it probably didn’t deserve to beat out Cleopatra, How the West Was Won, and Lillies of the Field for Best Picture. Even so, the frenetic energy was entertaining, and the screwball comedy that occasionally broke the 4th wall was probably striking in its day. (️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
I don’t usually do this, but I have to pat myself on the back for this one. I was perusing our spice drawers, looking for spices that we could spare for the next popcorn when I saw fennel. I’ve mostly just used fennel in tea and in lasagna (it really makes Italian food sing!), but I was intrigued by the idea of using it in a popcorn. After a bit of googling, I found a recipe that wasn’t too annoyingly complicated and wouldn’t require us to go out to the store. Ladies and gentlemen, a new Nerdery Movie Night classic was born. The flavors were well-balanced and not too overpowering and the bit of olive oil that we coated the finished popcorn with gave it a bit of richness that it needed to cut all the salty, herby deliciousness of the concoction that we sprinkled on. If you make this, don’t skip the - admittedly odd - bit of sugar in the mix. It evens out what could otherwise be a pungent, bitter popcorn into something I’d make for company. (️️️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Joe: What in god's name did I just watch? Chaotic from the jump, with an extended sequence of a deer hunt that added nothing but great cinematography to the film, Tom Jones is happy to trundle along, stretching two hours into what felt like two centuries. Plenty of madcap shenanigans, some of which are really quite funny, don't make up for a plot that features plenty of scenes that feel like non sequiturs only to be later revealed as vaguely integral. Sure, this is based on an 18th century picaresque, but it feels incredibly dated by today's standards. I've no idea how this won Best Picture in 1963. Must've been a hell of a year. (⭐️1/2)
I love lemon. I love fennel. I love black pepper. I love salt. I love popcorn. This should have been a home run. And it was except there might have been a skosh too much salt. Still, did this stop us from eating the entire bowl before it's revealed that Tom didn't actually knock up Molly? It did not. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
Popcorn recipe from: SBS Food (?!?!?)
Tom Jones on IMDB.
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