We discover that we're Lively/Kendricks fanboys and omg snickerdoodles.
Dave: A Simple Favor couldn’t quite decide whether to be a comedy or a thriller. Despite the weird ambivalence that ran through the film, Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick were marvelous and the plot, despite relying on quite a few cliches ([Joe removed the spoiler here - without Dave's permission] I thought we were watching a rerun of All My Children) was fast-paced and engaging. Being the campy gay I am, Jean Smart’s part as the alcoholic maybe-faking-Alzheimer’s mom of Blake Lively was brilliant (for the uninitiated, you may know Jean Smart from her role as Charlene on Designing Women or a million other TV bit parts). It’s a fun movie, but it should have gone for more laughs. And given more screen time to Jean Smart. (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
Maybe we’ve found a sweet popcorn recipe that Joe likes? Even if it was pretty sweet (and I didn’t dust the finished popcorn with straight sugar like the recipe said), it did taste like a snickerdoodle! I do wish the candy coating had hardened a bit more - cooling anything off properly in an un-air conditioned house is tough - the popcorn was still tasty and not sweet enough to give you instant blood sugar problems. I’d definitely make it again. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Joe: Admittedly, this is my kind of story - just when I think I've caught onto the plot, there's a twist. And once I've grappled with that twist, there's another. And in the case of A Simple Favor, there's another. And then another. Twist after twist after twist after twist. Every fiber of my being was begging for more, no matter how ludicrous. And there's a lot of ludicrous shit in this film. Throw in Blake Lively and Anna Kendricks, the former who chews up every scene she's in and the latter's convincing do-good-mommy-vlogger act, and a script that's as unpredictable as it is funny and suspenseful. I've developed a soft spot for Feig's filmmaking, ripe with unapologetic female leads, and A Simple Favor plays to all my pleasure centers, even when it stretches credulity. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
Long term Nerdery fans will note that, historically, I have not responded well to sweet popcorns. Even though I enjoy sweet things, sugary popcorn leaves me jittery and a little bit barf-y. There have been a few exceptions, and I'm pleased to announce that this is one of those exceptions Some might think it's because snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie (spoiler alert: snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie), but honestly, this popcorn didn't taste like snickerdoodles. It tasted like buttery sugary goodness. I want more just thinking about it. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Popcorn recipe from: Party Popcorn by Ashton Epps Swank. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014).
Comments