We urge you to see Anatomy of a Fall. Buckly up.
Dave: All through this movie, I kept anticipating how it would end, and all the endings I imagined were more definitive than this one. The lore around the film is that the directors wouldn’t tell the lead actor, Sandra Hüller whether or not her character committed the crime at the center of the plot. The uncertainty and edginess around all the interactions permeates the film and shifts scenes, plot points, and entire characters. It makes for a riveting (if long) film, but one that I’d watch again. (️️️️⭐️⭐⭐⭐1/2)
I realized on the way home that it was my day to make popcorn. I briefly thought of picking up some Kool-Aid at CVS when I stopped to get a prescription and making sickly-sweet popcorn with that. But then I realized that would mean I’d have to make dinner. So instead, I found a spice blend that I could (mostly) make with what we had at home* and simply sprinkled that over some oil-popped popcorn. The end product could’ve used a bit more salt and maybe some butter. I also realized mid-recipe that the Ninja Express chopper I was trying to use to grind up the cloves and star anise had broken during the move and was spraying bits of spices all over the damn kitchen. Still, the final result was pretty good, all things considered, and I’m looking forward to trying the rest of the spice blend on some pork, fish or chicken next week! (️️️⭐️⭐⭐1/2)
*We didn’t have cardamom, so I did have to omit that.
Joe: I'm going to be vague with this review, because I think the best way to go into the film is knowing absolutely nothing. That said: holy shit, was this movie riveting. Even at 2.5 hours, it never dragged, never lost my attention, and this is largely thanks to two luminous performances. The first is Milo Machado-Graner, who, as Daniel, acts as one of the anchoring characters in the film. His performance is unadulterated, and his character's perspective is both unique and pivotal. He is eclipsed only by Sophie Hüller, whose masterful control of her facial expressions and whose clipped tone gives absolutely nothing away. In her moments of vulnerability, she demands the audience to analyze her every move. Is she being manipulative or is she being authentic? Emma Stone deserved the Oscar for Poor Things, but Hüller was surely a runner-up. Of course, her and Machado-Graner's performances wouldn't be worth their salt if not for the tight, smartly written script that refuses to land on any concept of guilt or innocence. Instead, it keeps the viewer off-kilter, piecing together the puzzle with all the evidence - complete or not - presented. Truly one of the best films of the 2020s, and definitely among my favorite films, period. (⭐️⭐⭐⭐⭐️)
Dave told me he found the spice blend for this popcorn on All Recipes, and I was a bit suspicious of that... what made him think it would be good on popcorn? Reader, I should have known better. When has Dave ever been wrong in the kitchen? Rarely, friends. Rarely. Although I'm not a fan of licorice, I do love star anise, and it shines through in this blend but is balanced out by all the other spices, creating a flavor that, like this film, kept me a bit off-balance. It did need a bit of salt, but over all, I was delighted by it. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
Popcorn recipe from: Dave Lewis 💅🏻
Anatomy of a Fall on IMDB.
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