An animated modern classic paired with a strangely named popcorn.
BEFORE WE BEGIN - a reminder that Dave and I do not discuss what we think of the movie and popcorn before writing our reviews. I literally do not see what he’s written until he texts it to me (well after I’ve written my own reviews). Yet often we reach conclusions like those that follow.
Dave: I picked this movie on a lark - I thought: we’ve just been to Disney, so we should watch a Disney movie neither of us has seen. I’m sure some people saw it as appropriation (and really, hasn’t Disney been appropriating and retelling fairy tales for 50 years?), but, at its heart, Coco is a supremely sweet movie about the importance of family and, to a lesser extent, music. Both Joe and I sobbed through the last 15 minutes, and neither of us particularly expected to. I wish there’d been a bit more Spanish language throughout, though a kids movie can’t really have subtitles, so there was a practical limit there. Otherwise, though, this was a delightful and poignant movie. Plus it co-starred a cute dog and had a surprise kitty cat appearance! If you haven’t seen it, log into Netflix right now and watch. I’m serious. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
I’m not entirely sure what was “Ooh La La” about this popcorn. It wasn’t bad (though the fact that Joe added butter to the recipe helped a lot, I’m sure), but it was relatively unremarkable. It was a little spicy, a bit savory, but had just a bit too much sugar to be truly good. Even if we did finish the bowl, it felt like someone accidentally dumped some sugar into otherwise perfectly inoffensive popcorn. Sadly, it seems most popcorn recipes are written with the palates of 6-year-olds in mind, not middle-aged men. Still, we will soldier on, dear readers. (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Joe: What started as a sweet but blandly predictable family story turned into something truly and deeply affecting. Coco rises above familiar tropes to strike a universal chord of forgiveness and remembrance. It’s gently humorous without being corny, and feels culturally attuned. As an added bonus, the animation was jaw-dropping and the songs were lovely. I didn’t think I’d love it, but goddamn it, I did. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
For whatever reason, Dave put this popcorn book on his Amazon wishlist. My sister got it for him from Christmas. That is, perhaps, when Dave realized it was a self-published cook book. Who is Kirk Castle? What are his credentials? Hell if I know. Flipping through the recipes is a bit like looking into the journals of someone singularly obsessed with something - in this case, popcorn. The recipes are all over the map, and many concoctions are given inscrutable names with zero context. Why is this called “Ooo La La” popcorn? To paraphrase what I wrote to my colleague Michelle via email this afternoon: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Whilst making this, I thought the spice blend was kinda wacky. So I added melted butter. And you know what? The final product was actually kinda tasty. Not particularly “ooh la la” in the French sense but more “ooh la la” in the what-the-fuck-am-I-putting-in-my-mouth-sense. I can’t wait to see what other recipes in this book are like. (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
Popcorn recipe from: 100 Popcorn Recipes by Kirk Castle. (Kirk Castle, 2012).
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