The Nerdery Movie Night #223: The Nest & Colonial Williamsburg Signature Spice Blend™️ Popcorn

Dave thought I would like the movie. I thought he would like the popcorn. Unlike the couple in this film, we promise our marriage isn't on the rocks.

CW Signature Spice Blend Popcorn

Dave: When I was narrowing down my choices for tonight’s movie, I read a review that said that The Nest was inadvertently our first COVID-19 isolation movie since it was released in September of 2020. The isolation of the remote manor house in Surrey and the creeping dissolution of the family at the center definitely presaged the COVID pandemic (it started filming in 2018). Jude Law and Carrie Coons as the main characters are pretty flawless in their portrayals. Both are brutally spare in their choices, but he salvages a bit of humanity in his character while she makes hers flawed enough to be a believable and relatable point around which the rest of the plot pivots. The film is ultimately deeply sad, with capitalism as the secret villain, and the abrupt ending allows us to see both hope and utter despair at the entirely unraveled lives of the protagonists and their kids. (️️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)

Well, this didn’t taste anywhere near as musty as Colonial Williamsburg probably does, but I’d still have it again. Granted, the spice blend tasted salty, a bit spicy, and a bit herb-y, much like many, many of the popcorns we’ve already tried. But this one came ready-made, without the fuss of putting together our own spice blend. Maybe I’m just getting pickier as we climb upwards of 200 popcorn recipes, but this one only felt a bit better than average. (️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Joe: On its surface, The Nest has several things working in its favor: Jude Law, who's still smokin' hot after all these years. Carrie Coon, who I've never even heard of before but who commands every scene she's in. A British manor that is majestic and moody. A script that offers an intriguing premise. It begins and ends with those things, though, because this film is desperately searching for a unifying tone, a cohesive story (yeah, that script is intriguing, but the whole does not equal the sum of its parts), and narrative tension. At one point, it seemed like it would take a sharp left turn into a Haunted House Story. Then it seemed that maybe it would become a covert serial killer movie (the horse sequence is more than a little disturbing). Then it seemed that maybe there's a less interesting Talented Mr. Ripley going on. Or a moralizing Teen Drama. Nope nopity nope nope to all those things. Idk what all this was about. (⭐️⭐️1/2)

When I was a kid, we went to CW* all the time. It was a cheap activity: take a walk (I loved the way the cream-colored pebbles felt under my feet), get in the pillory for fun, enjoy the "living history", and tromp through the palace gardens. I was delighted when my friend Amy (hi, Amelia Bedelia!!) gave us several spice blends from her recent trip to CW. "You should try them on your popcorn!" she suggested. Reader, we did. And the blend I chose was lovely: the black pepper was pungent, the bell peppers mild and flavorful, the garlic punchy. Alas, most of the spices drifted to the bottom of the bowl. Almost eight years of doing this blog, and we still haven't figured out how to stop that from happening. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)

Popcorn recipe from: Joe Prince 💅🏻

The Nest on IMDB.

* Dave recently informed me that only people who live/lived/have lived in Williamsburg knows that this means Colonial Williamsburg. You're welcome.