The Nerdery Movie Night #258: Black Bag and Jalapeño Popcorn

We are a bit at odds about the movie, but we agree on the delicious popcorn!

Jalapeño Popcorn

Dave: This film felt like the showy stiff-upper-lippedness of British period piece mixed with the most boring parts of a thriller. It had all the gadgets, all the plot, all the droll dialogue, but, despite the amazing cast, some of the tension got lost. I did enjoy the muted tones of the cinematography - the beiges, golds, soft greens, and browns made sure that the scenery didn’t upstage what little happened during the actual movie. Even with a few crazily tense and surprising scenes, the film mostly felt like witty, inane repartee among a bunch of incompetent spies (️️⭐️⭐️1/2)

Like a lot of our recipes lately, this was driven by convenience: I’d made pickled jalapeños earlier in the week and we had an extra packet of ranch dressing mix. Frying the jalapeños in oil before we cooked the popcorn was almost revelatory. Even without including many of the fried peppers in the final popcorn, the spiciness came through. Even though the amount of ranch mix felt excessive, unless you got really unlucky with the popcorn/ranch mix ratio, it worked nicely. I’m excited to try other flavored oil popcorn recipes now! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(️️️️1/2)

Joe: I was quasi-obsessed with Steven Soderbergh in the early to mid aughts, but, frankly, I haven't really followed him since then. Black Bag is a strong reminder of why I loved his early films: a tight script, savvy direction, and superior acting. At a taut 93 minutes, Black Bag threatens to collapse under the intricacies of its plot. Leave it to Soderbergh, though, to squeeze every suspense out of every second that ticks by. Blanchett (#tárbabies4lyfe) is, per usual, magnetic, and her is-she-isn't-she performance helps accelerate the plot. The final moments are packed with delicious twists, with the chemistry between the two leads leaving a lingering doubt as to whether everything was the truth or a ruse. A very, very fun film. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

I was delighted when Dave announced he was making a savory popcorn, and my mouth was watering (and so were my eyes) as he deep fried (??) jalapeños for this dish. Sure, the ranch dressing mix was a little overwhelming in the flavor department, but that did not prevent me from nearly licking the bowl clean. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)

Popcorn: All Recipes

Black Bag on IMDb.