{"id":954,"date":"2015-08-27T21:53:40","date_gmt":"2015-08-27T21:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/?p=954"},"modified":"2015-08-27T21:53:40","modified_gmt":"2015-08-27T21:53:40","slug":"popcorn-and-a-movie-living-in-a-big-heart-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/?p=954","title":{"rendered":"Popcorn and a Movie: Living in a big heart story"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image1lede.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image1lede.jpg\" alt=\"image1lede\" width=\"500\" height=\"571\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-955\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image1lede.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image1lede-263x300.jpg 263w, https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image1lede-131x150.jpg 131w, https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image1lede-400x457.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a>[I]\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been asked what my favorite movie is. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t answer right away. When your favorite movie (or, at least one of the top three) is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sling Blade,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d you hold off telling because people will react in a couple of ways. They will either stare at you as if you are deeply disturbed and\/or they will begin to mimic the voice of Karl, the main character in the film, himself long ago locked away and deemed deeply disturbed for committing a horrific crime. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll drop their voices down and go, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mmmm hmmm, like them french fried per-tators&#8230;mmmm hmmm.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_2x.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_2x-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"image_2x\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-956\" \/><\/a>Either reaction makes me leery of sharing my love of the film (so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m admitting my admiration in this quiet space of no visual or audible reaction) because, to me, the film is worthy of far more than such simplistic responses. Far more.<\/p>\n<p>I know not everyone can love \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sling Blade\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as much as I do, and I understand why. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dark and disturbing and darkly funny and hillbilly and back-woodsy and violent. It is a small film, somewhat simply shot, full of characters from small town rurality  that are sure real enough that they would, in real life, be disregarded and so they are also in the medium of film. <\/p>\n<p>My measure of a great movie &#8212; or great story of any kind &#8212; is one that shakes me in my shoes. I long to be moved on many levels. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sling Blade\u00e2\u20ac\u009d did that for me. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what to expect the first time I saw it in 1997. What I ended up seeing was something I had not seen before. Two movies have left me sitting in the theater, stunned and weeping well past the credits. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sling Blade\u00e2\u20ac\u009d was one of them. It left me sobbing, yet hopeful, as it was storytelling at its finest <iframe width=\"500\" height=\"325\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4sQuu36ZKQg\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how many times I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen the film since then &#8212; dozens, probably. I usually watch it at least once a year and, even though I own a copy of it, if I see it on some channel, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll land there (a marker for movies that have made it to my favorites list). <\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sling Blade,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d has all the elements of what makes a movie great &#8212;  rich characters, compelling story, dark humor and moving drama. Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed and starred in the film, and ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (he expanded the story from an earlier short film he had done). Thornton said it took nine actual days of writing to complete the script. He created the main character, Karl Childers, from folks he had known growing up in Arkansas. <\/p>\n<p>Thornton is nearly unrecognizable as the froggy voiced Karl, who, as a child growing up at the mercy of abusive parents, murders his mother and her lover. The movie opens with Karl &#8212; about to be released the mental hospital where he has been incarcerated for 25 years &#8212; telling his story to a young reporter, <iframe width=\"500\" height=\"325\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qsypBOwbDuU\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>On his own for the first time as an adult and having nowhere else to go, Karl returns to the hometown that once shunned him and begins to carve out a life for himself as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153whiz on small engines and things, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153 in a fix-it shop. He befriends a young boy and his mother and lives in their garage, serving as the boy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ally and protector against Doyle Hargraves, the boy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s abusive boyfriend, perfectly portrayed by Dwight Yoakum.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_5xx.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_5xx.jpg\" alt=\"image_5xx\" width=\"250\" height=\"333\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-957\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_5xx.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_5xx-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_5xx-113x150.jpg 113w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>For all the movies about the South and small-town America, I find \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sling Blade\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to feel the most authentic (next to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153To Kill a Mockingbird,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which Thornton has mentioned as an inspiration). As seemingly  \u00e2\u20ac\u0153out there\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as Karl, with his voice,  appears to be and seemingly demanding to be mocked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sling Blade,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in no way mocks its characters and setting as many Southern films often do. To me, they look, act and sound like any number of people I have known in my life, in their speech and in their ways of both being as accepting, trusting and open to all types of folks as to their narrowness and rejection of them. <\/p>\n<p>Karl is the ultimate anti-hero. On the surface, it would seem you would only laugh at him, but you root for someone who commits murder, and you root for him to commit murder, He is pure and his aims are, too. He has his own commitment to justice and redemption. Above all else, he sees himself in the boy he befriends and he must save them both. <\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sling Blade,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is one of those stories that I feel, as a storyteller, gives me permission to tell stories. As a storyteller who has not yet made good on her aims, I return to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sling Blade,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as a testimony from a writer who inspires me because he followed his heart, which, as Karl says, is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153an awful big place to live in.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d But is always the right place to be.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_4xx.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_4xx.jpg\" alt=\"image_4xx\" width=\"250\" height=\"333\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_4xx.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_4xx-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_4xx-113x150.jpg 113w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nFor a popcorn for this movie, I picked something with mustard, because that is what Karl liked to eat on his biscuits. An enticing recipe stood out in the recent cookbook, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0544222237\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0544222237&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;tag=womansconed-20&#038;linkId=JAHS5XK2X6SHWU42\">Party Popcorn<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=womansconed-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0544222237\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" style=\"border:none !important; margin:0px !important;\" \/>,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by Ashton Epps Swank (2014). The recipe employs both dry and wet mustard, honey and brown sugar, and instead of biscuits (which would be a little strange with popcorn, now wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it?), sourdough pretzel bites. The snack is made in somewhat carmel-popcorn style &#8212; after all the ingredients are cooked, baking soda is added to create a foamy coating for the corn, which is baked in the oven for 15 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a tasty accompaniment for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sling Blade,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d where crunch is good for those tense and dramatic moments, a little sweet counters the more emotional moments and the tang from the mustard lingers, like a good story should.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_1last.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_1last.jpg\" alt=\"image_1last\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_1last.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_1last-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_1last-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/image_1last-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Honey-Mustard Pretzel Popcorn<br \/>\nFrom \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Party Popcorn\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by Ashton Epps Swank (2014)<\/p>\n<p>8 cups popped popcorn<br \/>\n1 cup sourdough pretzel bites<br \/>\n3\/4 cup packed light brown sugar<br \/>\n6 tablespoons yellow mustard<br \/>\n3 tablespoons honey<br \/>\n1 teaspoon dry mustard<br \/>\n1\/4 teaspoon baking soda<\/p>\n<p>Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. <\/p>\n<p>Pour the popcorn into a large bowl and remove any unpopped kernels. Add the pretzels to the bowl. <\/p>\n<p>In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the brown sugar, yellow mustard, honey and dry mustard until the mixture reaches a slow bubble. Stop stirring and allow the mixture to boil for 4 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Remove from the heat immediately and mix in the baking soda (it will bubble up a bit).<\/p>\n<p>Pour the honey-mustard mixture over the popcorn and pretzel bites. Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir to coat.<\/p>\n<p>Spread the popcorn evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.<\/p>\n<p>Bake the popcorn for 15 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before packaging or transferring to a bowl to serve immediately. The popcorn may be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[I]\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been asked what my favorite movie is. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t answer right away. When your favorite movie (or, at least one of the top three) is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sling Blade,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d you hold off telling because people will react in a couple of ways. They will either stare at you as if you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":955,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,12,1],"tags":[217,255,235,256,200],"class_list":["post-954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oantry","category-recipe-box","category-uncategorized","tag-honey","tag-mustard","tag-popcorn","tag-pretzels","tag-snacks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.womansconed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}