Emma Stone brings her (Easy) A game.
Dave: I really wanted to like Poor Things just a teeny bit more than I did. The story was a wild take on the coming-of-age story with a cheeky, literate Frankenstein twist. Emma Stone’s physical acting as a learning-to-walk adult was amazing, her evolving vocal embodiment of the character was exquisite, and she made an otherwise completely bonkers plot something I could buy into. The score was mesmerizing - so much so that I made Joe rewatch the credits so I could listen all the way through. The underlying (also vague and conflicting) ideas about the delicate interplay of innocence, experience, and knowledge were deftly woven in. But the weird steampunk meets Dungeons and Dragons world of the film was a little off-putting. All of the outdoor scenes looked like the characters were wandering around in a Thomas Kinkade painting, and the rest of the film was marred by a dizzying pastiche of styles and accents. That all felt a little too cute by half and worse, obliterated some of the performances by the non-Emma-Stone actors. (️️️⭐️⭐⭐1/2)
While a few of these pre-made popcorn mixes didn’t impress when we’ve used them previously, this one really hit the spot (maybe because I coated the popcorn in roughly a quarter cup of the stuff). It had the dusty tang of all of the cheese-flavored snacks that we all love despite knowing they’re horrible for us (think Cheetos or Cheez-Its). But because we popped this ourselves, we could feel at least a little better about housing an entire bowl of it for dinner. So I give this a self-righteous, Ina Garten-style three-star rating, with the caveat that if you can’t get freshly-popped popcorn, store bought white cheddar popcorn would do okay in a pinch. (️️️⭐️⭐⭐)
Joe: This is the first Yorgos Lanthimos film I've seen, and good lord, have I been missing out on something glorious this whole time? I was captivated from the beginning, and it held my intention for the full 140 minutes. Poor Things is proudly weird, but not in a cloying or pretentious way. The set pieces are exuberantly steampunk, the costumes exquisite, the cinematography dizzying. And then there's Emma Stone. When she won the Oscar for this film, I was kind of baffled. Now I get it. She throws herself into this role, one that requires an insane amount of physicality, and a divorcing of mind from body. Stone not only manages both, but also steeps Bella in the kind of pathos rarely seen in acting. It's hard to not be repulsed, intrigued, beguiled, and outraged by just about everything her character goes through. It's hard to tear your eyes away from her. Truly the crowning moment of her career. Also, the film is very, very funny. (⭐️⭐⭐⭐⭐️)
I was a little bit dismayed when Dave plopped the bowl of popcorn in front of us. No butter? No salt? Just the sprinkle of cheddar cheese coating (courtesy of our friend Chris)? What gives, man? Turns out, it didn't need anything more than the sprinkle. Sure, it tasted a bit like a generic grocery store knock-off cheese cracker, but who among us doesn't love to indulge in that level of slumming on occasion? We had finished the bowl by the time Emma Stone peed on the floor. (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
Popcorn recipe from: Dave Lewis 💅🏻
Poor Things on IMDB.
I know that popcorn guy!