Gremlin$ 2 / The New Ca$h (Guest: Jessica Erin Martin)

Our pals the Gremlins have returned in a cash grab the likes of which you have never seen before in “Gremlins 2: The new Batch” (1990 Dir. Dante) TOYS! VIDEO GAMES! Mercccchhhhhhhandi$$$$$ing! We bring in returning guest Jessica Erin Martin to discuss sequelitis, pastiche, franchises, coincidence, cohesion, and plot holes galore amongst a cavalcade of puppet stars! It’s a lively discussion, that doesn’t end until Paul says so, or dies, whichever comes first. 2/3!

****A member of the “Review Review,” family is in the fight of her life, you can help! - TAP/CLICK 

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:00

Is that from K-pop Demon Hunters? Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 0:03

Gosh, it's a cinema classic. Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_05 0:07

On that note, hello, you're listening to the Review Review movie podcast, season four. What? I'm your host, Paul. I didn't know we had crossed seasons. Was there a finale? This is the new batch of episodes. Oh, I get you. We had a Retrospectacus. That's also what looking back.

SPEAKER_06 0:25

I don't care. The movie we're we're talking about has that same little title in it.

SPEAKER_05 0:30

We're all about the dollar signs this time.

Guest Intro

SPEAKER_06 0:32

That's true. We're only doing sequels. My name is Ben. I am one of your co-hosts of this program. And we have a guest, a return guest.

SPEAKER_03 0:42

I'm Jess. She's Jess!

SPEAKER_06 0:46

It's Jessica Aaron Martin.

SPEAKER_07 0:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 0:48

Hi, Jess. How are you?

SPEAKER_07 0:50

Hi.

SPEAKER_05 0:50

We're so happy to have you back on this podcast that's breaking all the rules. Whoa. I mean, it is it is on my rule breaker list. Ben, was this on yours? I can't imagine it was.

SPEAKER_03 1:04

Oh, that the fact that it's a sequel?

SPEAKER_06 1:05

Well, yeah, because normally that's just not a no-no.

SPEAKER_03 1:08

I know. I remember when this first started, and it was there's very strict, and I picked something that that fit. The fall. Revisit that episode.

SPEAKER_06 1:16

Good movie, good episode. It was, yeah. But we are into 2026. We are season four. We're pulling out all the stops. We're jumping the sharks. We're going to the burrows on this thing.

SPEAKER_05 1:29

There are no more rules. The rules do not apply. I'll eat anytime I want, whatever's stuck in my teeth, however it digests, whatever. Nobody cares. We're not worried about these things anymore.

SPEAKER_06 1:39

The rules are made up and the points don't matter.

SPEAKER_05 1:41

Exactly.

SPEAKER_06 1:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:42

This breaks the rule because it's a sequel, but it was on my rule breaker list on my letterbox. That's at Paul ActsBadly.

SPEAKER_06 1:50

I follow you on Letterboxd. I'm at Run BMC.

SPEAKER_03 1:53

Jessica? I don't have that.

SPEAKER_05 1:55

We're trying. It took a while to get to Gremlins 2. We're at the year mark. We're gonna have to go a little longer to get you on letterboxed.

SPEAKER_03 2:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 2:04

We'll see. You know the old song.

SPEAKER_06 2:06

Let all socials be forgotten except for boxed. Except for Letterboxd.

SPEAKER_05 2:12

We're all working on this apparently. But this movie is under two hours and 22 minutes. And it's not really part of a major franchise, I guess, but there is a new one in the works. And an animated series? Which I think already exists.

SPEAKER_03 2:27

I think so, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 2:28

Oh. On Warner Brothers, Disney, Netflix, Netflix, Exlon, Chipotle, something or other. Right. Jessica. Yeah. You were on the fall episode. You popped in on the mummy episode, the twisters episode. I think so. And our gremlins episode.

SPEAKER_03 2:47

Gremlins episode. I had some big feelings about Gremlins.

SPEAKER_06 2:50

Our last holiday, our last holiday helping of Christmas 2024.

SPEAKER_05 2:55

And I have a question. I forgot it. I'm gonna get it back. Great.

SPEAKER_06 3:02

This happens to Paul when he doesn't have his brain injection. Uh he forgets how to speak.

SPEAKER_03 3:10

Do the like the brain juice like that gremlin.

SPEAKER_06 3:13

I just turn into vegetables.

SPEAKER_03 3:15

Vegetable gremlin, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 3:18

Perfect. It's in the movie.

SPEAKER_03 3:20

We're gonna reference a key and peel sketch a lot, guys.

SPEAKER_05 3:24

You just pulled it out of my brain. Did you happen to watch this at this point? Yes. Okay. Do you have thoughts about it?

SPEAKER_03 3:30

I think it's exactly how they wrote this movie. I think it's exactly how it happened.

SPEAKER_05 3:36

I think that Chris Columbus coming back. I have a little bit of hope for this third one. Legacy sequel. He's been doing very big movies. Yeah, he did.

SPEAKER_03 3:48

He did the uh Thursday Murder Club.

SPEAKER_06 3:50

Yeah. Which was okay.

SPEAKER_03 3:52

I enjoyed it. Hold on, we're getting ahead of ourselves.

What You Been Doin?

SPEAKER_06 3:55

We're doing Gremlins 2 with the new batch. It's it's New Year's. Happy New Year's, everybody. Uh, but also Jess Aaron Martin. It was a dramatic pause. What have you been up to?

SPEAKER_07 4:07

What have you been doing? What have you been doing?

SPEAKER_03 4:27

I don't I don't know. Why do you why do you guys gotta ask me that? Like, I don't even know how to do it.

SPEAKER_06 4:32

You know, there's something though that I wanted to bring up because I think you've been on the show so many times now. Yeah. And I don't think a lot of people here know what that you were the voice of Samus in a very popular Metroid game.

SPEAKER_03 4:45

I was the voice of Samus in Metroid Other M.

SPEAKER_06 4:49

I think that's a pretty cool big deal. I think that's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 4:52

You just hit like a really big milestone. Was it last year? I don't even remember.

SPEAKER_06 4:58

It was how many years ago was it now?

SPEAKER_03 5:00

I don't.

SPEAKER_06 5:01

15?

SPEAKER_03 5:01

I think maybe that's right. Maybe that's right. Yeah. It's been that long. That's why I can't remember.

SPEAKER_06 5:06

She used to get uh like fan mail that were like to like give her autographs.

SPEAKER_03 5:11

I I some people like sent me nice drawings that they made and they're on our fridge.

SPEAKER_05 5:16

That's so cool.

SPEAKER_03 5:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 5:18

I played that game. Oh yeah. It was it was on we.

SPEAKER_03 5:22

It was on the Wii.

SPEAKER_05 5:23

I absolutely played that game. It's a good game.

SPEAKER_03 5:25

Thank you. Uh Samus is a cool character.

SPEAKER_05 5:27

Absolutely one of the greatest.

SPEAKER_03 5:29

She's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_05 5:30

I cut something into a little something on iMovie for our Instagram Review X2 podcast that took voice from Super Smash Bros.

SPEAKER_03 5:44

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_05 5:44

And what was it, Captain Falcon or whatever? And I always had to play as Samus. Oh, yeah. I always play as Samus, too. I had to play as Samus.

SPEAKER_06 5:52

Infamously terrible at that game. I am.

SPEAKER_05 5:54

I was never that great, but I was able to sometimes be able to deploy a bomb or a bullet or some sort of some such. She had all the best moves.

SPEAKER_03 6:01

I always play as Samus. Whenever I have the option, I will play as Samus. It's very meta. And when I like my uh my Switch avatar is Samus.

SPEAKER_06 6:12

I always get destroyed by Kirby though. Fucking Kirby.

SPEAKER_03 6:15

Yeah, it's always like the little ones that just like little Mac and one in the newer ones.

SPEAKER_05 6:20

I was gonna ask if anybody, by the way, feels like because they get into a musical number for New York, New York. Is this kind of a New Year's movie-ish? Is we're coming into the new year, the new season, the new batch.

SPEAKER_03 6:35

Sure.

SPEAKER_06 6:36

It's everywhere you wanna be, baby.

SPEAKER_03 6:39

Anything you want. Anything you want to be.

SPEAKER_06 6:42

Is this everything everywhere all at once? Yeah. Before this is the proto.

SPEAKER_03 6:46

I think that Daniels saw this and were like, it all it happens in a in like one building. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 6:52

You know what's crazy? Pretty much every movie that came after this, someone could say, I think it takes a little inspiration from Gremlins 2, and the answer is yes. Yeah. It does. I agree.

SPEAKER_06 7:03

If you had enough cocaine in your writer's room, you probably came to the same conclusion as this movie, did.

SPEAKER_03 7:08

Well, let's tell the people more about this movie.

SPEAKER_06 7:10

Wait, we're not there yet.

SPEAKER_03 7:11

What?

SPEAKER_06 7:11

Do you not know how this goes?

SPEAKER_03 7:13

No, I don't. I thought we did those things.

SPEAKER_06 7:16

No, we haven't done anything yet. Okay, I can't read. What have you been doing? Are you okay? See, we each talk about what we've been doing.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

Okay, I'm sorry. I just wanted to talk about this movie.

SPEAKER_06 7:26

We still haven't talked about what we've been watching. I would like to talk about what I've been doing.

SPEAKER_03 7:31

What's you been doing?

SPEAKER_06 7:32

Uh I've been playing a video game. I've been playing Ghosts of Yote, which is the follow-up sequel to Ghosts of Tsushima, which is uh um like a samurai-based game. It's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 7:45

He has a really pretty horse. My horse's name is Mokisuki.

SPEAKER_06 7:51

Uh it's a very like my horse is getting tired. Did you ever play Red Dead Redemption 2? Or do you know of it?

SPEAKER_05 7:57

I've seen people play it for moments.

SPEAKER_06 7:59

So it's a very open world. Yeah. Uh this game's, you know, you're you're on a revenge path classic samurai story. Your family was slaughtered by a gang, and you have to go take each of them out one by one. But you also get to just ride your horse through like a beautiful Japanese field with the shadow of Mount Yoti. And it's uh it's awesome. I'm really happy that I have time to play it right now. So uh speaking of since we're in the video game track, I thought I'd bring it up.

SPEAKER_05 8:25

I I love that. This is making me wonder should I be re-watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, Turtles in Time as I've gotten the arrow video 4K recently. Yes, you should.

SPEAKER_06 8:39

Just like if they if it's a question of the sign uh and there's a Curusala mode that's all in black and white. That's I don't play in it, but I've turned it on before and seen how it changes it, and it's pretty pretty.

SPEAKER_05 8:51

You ran around me with it on it was interesting. Yeah, but what about you? I have been working on expanding this podcast. Which one? A bit. This one? This one. Yeah. Oh. The Review Review Podcast. Which you can find on Review X2 Podcast on Blue Sky and Instagram. We're accepting tips now. Uh we're not asking anybody for money, but if you want to give it to me.

SPEAKER_03 9:16

I thought you meant like uh when you um left, you know, like I thought you meant picks. But just the tip.

SPEAKER_05 9:25

If you put a little bit of sage in your boots, the pleasant scent follows you around all the day long. I think you should accept those as well. Never accept a wooden nickel. I think we should actually start accepting more of those tips. You can text us anonymously, by the way, so please text us your tips. And we're also working towards some kind of more frequent content. I think I can. I think I can. Is that good enough? I'll manifest it. I've said it. Yeah. Also, please reach out to us if you still have them with your Spotify raps. We had a few people reach out, and now we are building episodes around what those folks have requested, including Tyler D. No, that's uh let's say T Dodge. I want to keep it as anonymous as possible. Demolition Man was the movie requested. Fits all the rules, makes that easy. And requested guest Matthew Foscett. So we're gonna do that. So if you have a Spotify wrapped that includes listening to this program, we'd be happy to accommodate. Does that count? Depending. Does that count me? How much do you re-listen to this?

SPEAKER_06 10:40

Great question. I have to check.

SPEAKER_05 10:43

I'm getting a thumbs down from our guest. He doesn't. That's not what he does. I don't even think she listens to it.

SPEAKER_06 10:50

She's like, do I have to hear him? I have to hear him normally.

SPEAKER_05 10:54

Can I be very honest? Yeah. I very rarely will listen to this because I'm not sure. I feel like that's common though.

SPEAKER_03 11:02

Like, I don't re-watch my stuff. I don't like it's when it happens to be around, like, okay, but I don't make a point of it.

SPEAKER_05 11:10

Yeah, neither do you.

SPEAKER_03 11:11

Like, we've done that. It's in the past.

SPEAKER_06 11:12

Well, why turn it's not even real anymore? The internet's been dead for like 10 years. Can we turn off Oppenheimer then, please? Why is it still gone?

SPEAKER_03 11:19

No, it must run on loop. The residuals! Please, I need health care.

SPEAKER_05 11:27

We've uh discussed what we've been doing. What have people been watching?

What Are You Watching?

unknown 11:31

What am I watching?

SPEAKER_08 11:40

What do we watch?

SPEAKER_03 11:47

What have we been watching? Well, I watched this movie. I haven't been watching. I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks.

SPEAKER_04 11:54

I like this. That's great.

SPEAKER_03 11:56

Audiobooks have I have been able to increase the amount of books I've read this year by like two times. Because of audiobooks on 1.5 speed. Maybe two. And I just finished the first Percy Jackson book.

SPEAKER_05 12:09

Um Chris Columbus did a movie of that right or something as we were talking about Chris Columbus. But isn't there a show now?

SPEAKER_03 12:15

They they're a show, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 12:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:17

They made a movie series, but now they have a show series. Anyway, I I'm I just finished that. I've got other books happening on the on the audio. And then what I've been watching is mainly Ambiance channels because our cat loves them.

SPEAKER_04 12:34

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:35

He likes the relaxing music, and any of them that have like falling leaves or falling snow, like any of the Hogwarts Ambiance ones, he really likes those.

SPEAKER_05 12:46

This was on, and she was like, What's this about? And in particular, seemed to like the vegetable gremlin.

unknown 12:54

Oh.

SPEAKER_05 12:55

That I think attacked Rudy immediately. NFL great Dick Bruck immediately left.

SPEAKER_03 12:59

Hated this movie. Rudy hated this movie. So there's that. There's some dick. Just so people know what Rudy's normal tastes are. Yeah. He uh we've been enjoying pole dark. That's another thing I've been watching. Uh a rewatch for me. It's now on Netflix. Historical British drama. He loves them. He loves Pride and Prejudice. He loves Bridgerton. He's just like his mom.

SPEAKER_05 13:21

He loves this uh austere British dance.

SPEAKER_03 13:24

Yeah, he loves a classical screen.

SPEAKER_06 13:26

So we're saying Gremlins 2, one paw up, one pa down.

SPEAKER_03 13:29

It sounds like. We're going two paws down, I think. No, no, it's Sandcat. Oh, Sandcat. I thought we were talking about Rudy's paws.

SPEAKER_05 13:36

Jess, I'm getting anxiety with the road that I feel like I'm being led to. This happened with the first movie.

SPEAKER_03 13:44

No, it's not gonna be like that, Paul.

SPEAKER_05 13:46

We'll see.

SPEAKER_06 13:47

I'm hurt. I'm hurt. You're already hurt. It's new, it's New Year's Eve, Paul. And what have you been watching? Pull yourself paw yourself together.

SPEAKER_03 13:55

Oh, we saw Hamnet.

SPEAKER_06 13:57

Yes, we saw Hamnet.

SPEAKER_03 13:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 13:59

Yeah. In the theater.

SPEAKER_03 14:00

In the theater. And with all people who like took out a literal plastic bib and started eating a meal in like crinkly bags.

SPEAKER_06 14:08

I think I need to get on my soapbox for a second about America, audience, audiences, movie theater going folk. It is unhinged out there. Like, what the fuck are we doing? This man was eating like an entire chicken dinner with a plastic bib and had like the crinkliest plastic wrapper that you could possibly have. Usually we just type a bunch of cats together. In the quietest movie.

SPEAKER_03 14:35

The saddest, quietest movie.

SPEAKER_05 14:38

True or false, that man is either a CIA plant or a Warner Brothers plant trying to get the theater shut down. Trying to help the Netflix shareholders.

SPEAKER_06 14:51

To me, I'm just like, we we've also seen movies at The Egyptian, which is a very pleasant experience.

SPEAKER_03 14:57

Oh my god, they're pretzel bites. It comes with this amazing cheese and also a chocolate dipping sauce and also cinnamon sugar.

SPEAKER_05 15:06

It's a lot of sweet and salty options, which is what I want. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:10

I needed more. It blew my mind.

SPEAKER_06 15:13

But uh Hamnet. Caramel, please. Uh you know, pretzels aside. Hamnet Hamnet. Pretty good.

SPEAKER_03 15:18

Yeah. Okay. It was pretty incredible.

SPEAKER_05 15:21

What I've been watching is we were just talking about this a little bit. I'm paying fairly close attention to this whole Netflix Warner Brothers debacle, and I fucking hate it. And I don't want it to happen.

SPEAKER_06 15:33

The Paramount Wildcard in there.

SPEAKER_05 15:35

And I don't like that either. I think one is a faster painful death and one's a slower painful death. It's death by decapitation or by a thousand pokes. What's better or worse? Fucking force Warner Brothers to break it up. If it's not viable as a business anymore, sell newline to somebody else. Let them become independent again. Sell Batman.

SPEAKER_06 15:58

Sell your shit. Make DC Studios their own thing or something. I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 16:01

Exactly. Figure it out.

SPEAKER_06 16:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:04

Yeah. It's a lot of doo-doo right now.

SPEAKER_06 16:07

But the real my real question is like, how does someone like Warner Brothers with all of these just like at this huge history of characters and IP, you know, how did how do they fuck this up?

SPEAKER_05 16:19

I think it's intentional.

SPEAKER_03 16:21

I agree. Because I I think it was once it became like a shareholder-led company and not like creatives-led company.

SPEAKER_06 16:29

So you sink the ship so you can Yeah, sell it for parts.

SPEAKER_03 16:32

Sell parts. That's what happens to every big business. So like RIP Joanne Fabrics. Like R.I.P. happens everywhere.

SPEAKER_05 16:39

Welcome back, Spirit Halloween! That's what's gonna be at the Warner Brothers.

SPEAKER_03 16:44

That's what's gonna be at the Warner Brothers lot. Spirit Halloween.

SPEAKER_05 16:47

I saw uh like an AI thing of like the Netflix N over the WB shield. It's interesting, even as as close in history as 1990, I'd say, this movie was a gamble. You needed this to pay off in some way. And thank goodness for if you're the studio, VHS, rental and sales and marketing, stuff that you can stick a brand on that you own is gonna bail you out in the end.

SPEAKER_06 17:16

Before we move on from this subject, I just want to rewind your brains for a second to the year 2000. Because there was a deal on the table where Netflix proposed to Blockbuster to sell them to Blockbuster for a total of$50 million. And Blockbuster turned it down because they said, quote, the model will not last.

SPEAKER_03 17:41

Well, because they wanted to have one store left in Bend, Oregon.

SPEAKER_06 17:44

I just there's a world, there's another alternate dimension where that giant N is a giant B. And the everything we're watching streaming is B and blue.

SPEAKER_03 17:55

Because that And there's still video stores.

SPEAKER_06 17:58

And there could potentially be still, or Blockbuster is just a streaming giant.

SPEAKER_05 18:02

Anyway. Because that was always Netflix's intention from the beginning.

SPEAKER_03 18:07

I I bel what was what year was that? 2004, I think, was the year I signed up for Netflix. I was an early adopter. I signed up for their three DVD at a time plan.

SPEAKER_08 18:19

Me too.

SPEAKER_03 18:20

Which was like super cheap. It was like$5.99 a month or something like that.

SPEAKER_08 18:24

And three a week, I think.

SPEAKER_03 18:26

Yeah, their um, their catalog, their library, was sick. Insane. Like movies you couldn't find, like classic films, foreign films. It was insane. I don't think people understood how deep that DVD library was. And I got my money's worth. And that was back like when you watch TV like seasons. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so like it was great to have the three because I'd be like working on one, have the second one, and I'd always have one in the mail ready to come in and out.

SPEAKER_05 18:57

I've worked that system and on the computer too, like just swapping and rotating and whatever watching what was coming in and going out, getting your little queue in line.

SPEAKER_03 19:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 19:07

I got video games too. Once they started video games, I just grab a Madden or something, so you don't have to buy it and just play it for a few weeks. I'll never forget.

SPEAKER_03 19:15

I want that back.

SPEAKER_05 19:16

I'll never forget getting the Robocop criterion that existed for one pressing. That Netflix had all the fucking DVD criterion stuff, like all of it, stuff that was unfindable. And thank goodness for Beekind Video and Videots and Videots at the Eagle and all the great video stores in this area and uh Scarecrow Video and Movie Madness up in the Northwest and Orbit DVD and uh everybody I can think of. You're amazing. Thank you. And I'm gonna be very brief here because I you could only own it on streaming. I have the recut Rocky four that Stallone did a few years ago. I'm doing my best to separate art and artist. Nothing bad. I rewatched the original cut, which I haven't watched the original cut of that movie in years. And fucking a if it didn't get me in a little bit of that Christmas vibe. I'm wanting to lean into the holiday to the happiness energy that everybody's all this joy of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and Yuletide and Festivus and Winter Solstice and Christmas and all of it. And movies usually help with that. I'm having a little trouble. But Rocky Four.

SPEAKER_03 20:28

That if I could change and you could change, everybody could change.

SPEAKER_05 20:33

And montages.

SPEAKER_03 20:34

I mean it's pretty much a Christmas carol.

SPEAKER_05 20:39

The ghost of Christmas future for me right now is looking grim.

SPEAKER_03 20:44

I think that's the point. The point of the ghost of Christmas future.

SPEAKER_05 20:48

I think I'm looking at the ghosts of my Christmas future. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 20:51

If the ghost of Christmas future showed up and was just like a dude, you'd be like, Oh hi Mark. Okay. But it's always the Grim Reaper.

SPEAKER_05 20:59

Every time.

SPEAKER_06 20:59

Every time. And you're like, fuck. This does this just can't go well. You're not going to show me a good future here. No.

SPEAKER_03 21:06

Because that's the point of them is to like shock you into changing.

SPEAKER_05 21:11

Yeah. Kind of like Daniel Clamp. Kinda?

"Gremlins 2: The New Batch" Facts

SPEAKER_06 21:16

Donald Clamp. Uh Daniel. Ted Theodore Logan. Donald Turner Esquire. Esquire. William. Remember the trash can. Alright, we need to move on to the facts.

SPEAKER_04 21:30

Archaeology is the search for facts.

SPEAKER_06 21:36

We watched Gremlins 2 The New Batch. It is an Amblin entertainment. Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Warner Brothers. Warner's brothels. The Warner Brothers? No. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 21:48

No, different podcasts.

SPEAKER_06 21:49

1990. PG 13. It is an hour and 46 minutes.

SPEAKER_05 21:53

That's appropriately rated. It was an I Because the rating exists now.

SPEAKER_06 21:57

I was I was convinced this was like over two hours.

SPEAKER_05 22:00

It feels long.

SPEAKER_04 22:02

It does feel long.

SPEAKER_06 22:03

Budget is 50 million. Adjusted that is 124.2. Opening weekend, June 17th, 1990. That is a bullish, bullish summer release.

SPEAKER_05 22:14

I mean, wouldn't you based on the first one?

SPEAKER_06 22:16

Sure. Yeah. 9.7 million US, 24.1 million adjusted.

SPEAKER_05 22:20

Final Gross But the Cube is great, right? The Cube is it's like 200 million.

SPEAKER_06 22:24

We'll get that. Right? Maybe. Final Gross North America was 414 adjusted. That is 102. Oh no. It didn't make its money back. Final Gross Worldwide is the same, so must have not had other releases this weekend are Dick Tracy. Weekend top five is Dick Tracy. Another 48 hours. Total recall, get your astomes. Get your astomo.

SPEAKER_05 22:49

Two weeks. Two weeks. Give the people air.

SPEAKER_06 22:53

That was great. Thank you. Give the people air. This movie B to the F part three. I got I'll be right back. I gotta go put Cowboys in Back to the Future three.

SPEAKER_05 23:04

Let's do it but a Western. Let's do Predator, but in Samurai Times.

SPEAKER_06 23:07

Let's do Predator but in Back to the Future, but you know, they're in Cowboys. Other films from 1990. Pretty woman, Cadillac Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Robocop, 2, Days of Thunder, The Hunt for Red October, Tales from the Dark Side, the Movie.

SPEAKER_05 23:26

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Like Gremlins. Dark movie. Very grown-up movie, grown-up themes, grown-up approach. Movies that have sequels that are like, You ready to sell some fucking toys?

SPEAKER_08 23:40

Let's go for it.

SPEAKER_06 23:42

Get on board. It's got that same dude from the Key and Peel sketch. He just shows up and goes, What do you want in this movie? The same sequel document.

SPEAKER_05 23:50

Vanilla Ice? It's in the movie. I watched an interview with the composer, and he wanted somebody, it was like KRS1 or somebody like that. And the pr the producer's kid's friend was like, I love vanilla ice, and the producer's like, it's vanilla ice. And the composer was like, fuck my life.

SPEAKER_06 24:06

Well, we're gonna get more of that. Letterbox average for this movie is 3.5. Once again, you can follow me at Run BMC. I am at Paul Axe Badly. Siskel and Ebert, two paws down. Way down. Two paws way down. Sandskill and Rudent Rudert? Sansskull? Rupert? Rudebert? That's not anything. If you is that something? It's not. Okay. Rotten Tomatoes 72%. 59% popcorn. Metacritic 69.

SPEAKER_03 24:37

Very cool.

SPEAKER_06 24:40

Cool joke, bro. 69, dude. When did someone bring it up? Is that joke in that? Is someone gonna bring that movie? Bill and Ted has not been brought in.

SPEAKER_05 24:50

It is a franchise. And is that joke in this movie? Probably. Probably, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 24:54

Most likely. Is there a Bill and Ted reference? Most likely. Almost certainly. 6.2 user uh major awards, wins, and nominations. Six Saturn noms, including picture, effects, and score.

SPEAKER_03 25:07

The effects are impressive. I mean, this movie is essentially effects.

SPEAKER_06 25:13

Flex the movie.

SPEAKER_05 25:15

In camera effects and close-up camera work and stuff. I mean, it's pretty it takes a pretty incredibly photographed movie, and then same cinematographer holds his own beer or whatever. And so I yeah. Director of this film is Joe Dante, the director of Gremlins, The Burbs, and Inner Space, which have all been on this podcast.

SPEAKER_06 25:37

So, how many Spielbergs have we done? Couldn't tell you. It's I feel like Dante. I mean Fincher, we've done three. Three or four. Okay. So Dante might be up there for four.

SPEAKER_03 25:49

Four Dantes you've done.

SPEAKER_06 25:51

We've done four Dantes. Will we do Dante's peak? That's not Joe Dante. Is that this movie? Is that his peak?

SPEAKER_05 25:58

Is this Dante's peak?

SPEAKER_06 25:59

I hope I really hope not. For him. You be nice.

SPEAKER_05 26:03

Writer of this film was Charles S. Haas. Matinee, Tex, Martians Go Home. Nope. Chris Columbus for the characters, who again will be directing the third film, who I think has the disposition for it. I mean, Home Alone 2 and some of these things that are just really fucking wacky. I think he has the disposition for it. Director of Photography, John Hora, R.I.P. Moonwhacker. Moon Moon. Moonwhack? Only Ben Affleck can stop the Moonwacker. Explorers. Starship Troopers. Music, Jerry Goldsmith, R.I.P. The Mummy, Mr. Baseball, and Ben Burris's scariest movie of all time, Powder. Producers, Steven Spielberg, Poltergeist, Poultry Geist. Listen to our poltergeist episode. Kathleen Kennedy, Jurassic Park, Rick Baker, Gorillas in the Mist, and Frank Marshall. Jessica. Stop eating my sesame cake. And let's talk about Congo. Bad gorillas. Or fun facts, I mean. Or no, wait. But it's still me. It's still you.

SPEAKER_03 27:15

Oh, there's more.

SPEAKER_05 27:15

Zach Gallaghan was uh Billy, Bill, William. Uh sorry, Billy. It depends on if you're in the brevity thing. Waxwork 2, lost in time. The psychic rising storm. Phoebe Cates was Kate. Princess Caribou, Date with an Angel, Drop Dead Fred. Hashtag Team Fred. Just me? Anyone else? I think I'm Team Sanity. Sorry. Oh, that's disappointing but expected. Howie Mandel was the voice of Gizmo. Little Monsters Family Switch, killing Hasselhoff. Tony Randall, R.I.P. Incredible performance, masterwork, amazing. You teamed. He's the voice of Brainy Gremlin. Of the brainy gremlin. Pillow talk, Lover Comeback, and the Odd Couple from television. Great, great show. John Glover was clamp in the mouth of madness. Payback and Scrooge listen to our Scrooge episode. Yeah, to get into the holiday spirit.

SPEAKER_06 28:11

Right. And see the ghost of Christmas future.

SPEAKER_05 28:14

Incontinence. Yeah. Boating accidents. Robert Brosky, R.I.P. Fred, Mrs. Doubtfire. A movie that I feel like would have been on this podcast by now.

SPEAKER_03 28:27

Mrs. Doubtfire?

SPEAKER_05 28:28

Yeah. Hello! Yeah, it was a run by fruit. Like, is that a movie you feel like you could just talk about forever, Jessica? Yeah, I feel like any millennial movie.

SPEAKER_03 28:37

It was Oh, I have a guest for you for that movie.

SPEAKER_06 28:40

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 28:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 28:41

That's exciting. They need to bring it to us, though. We should not bring it up.

SPEAKER_03 28:44

I'll tell them to bring it to you.

SPEAKER_05 28:46

It's that easy.

SPEAKER_06 28:47

It's that what's crazy is we haven't done a lot of Williams. We've done What Dreams May Come, which was our first episode ever. Go listen to our What Dreams May Come. Which you chose. I did, I chose it. And you should go listen to it. It's really bad audio.

SPEAKER_05 29:02

And Dead Poet Society.

SPEAKER_06 29:03

We were so and that was a Riley Shanahan.

SPEAKER_05 29:05

And we have a birdcage on the code.

SPEAKER_06 29:08

But we haven't we haven't done any comedy, Williams.

SPEAKER_05 29:11

We could do a whole entire podcast episode about my feelings on why we've done what we've done and why we haven't done some other things. I'm I'm so glad to hear though, because I could talk about Mrs. Doubtfire for a million years.

SPEAKER_03 29:24

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 29:25

Thief and broadcast news. Great movie. Robert Picardo was Forrester, Star Trek First Contract. Nope. Confess Fletch, hail Caesar, Hail Caesar. Christopher Lee, R.I.P., one of the most interesting people in the history of history.

SPEAKER_04 29:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 29:46

I don't want to call him Doctor, I just want to say Catheter. The Wicker Man from 73, no Bees. The Lord of the Rings, the trilogy.

SPEAKER_06 29:54

Sorumon.

FUN Facts

SPEAKER_05 29:55

And Hugo. Haviland Morris was Marla. Home Alone 3. No Columbus. Denied. 16 Candles. Jack and Diane. Dick Miller, R.I.P. was Mr. Futterman. The Terminator, Piranha, and you guessed it. Tales from the Crypt, Demon Knight. Jessica.

SPEAKER_02 30:15

Fun facts, fun facts.

SPEAKER_03 30:17

Fun facts song?

SPEAKER_05 30:18

Yeah. Whoa.

SPEAKER_03 30:19

It's good. Okay. It's really catchy. Great.

SPEAKER_02 30:22

Fun facts, fun facts, everybody. It's fun fact time.

SPEAKER_03 30:28

So here's uh fun facts. The uplifting end of the world video scene was included by the filmmakers when they found out that Networks actually had such video prepared to run. CNN has a video for this purpose in its archives, and its staff are instructed to quote, hold the video for release until the end of the world is confirmed, end quote.

SPEAKER_05 30:53

I know you all didn't watch a ton of 30 Rock, but did you ever see their version of this joke?

SPEAKER_03 30:58

I didn't.

SPEAKER_05 30:58

Of like the fact that networks truly prepare these videos.

SPEAKER_03 31:03

I'm not surprised.

SPEAKER_05 31:04

Is so dark.

SPEAKER_03 31:06

As a climate communicator, I think we should have these for a variety of reasons.

SPEAKER_05 31:12

I don't disagree with you. It's just rough. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:16

Yeah. The experiment's over. So we're not through the fun facts yet. Oh, sorry. Okay. When Billy tries to explain the rules regarding Mogwai to the building staff, they uproariously laugh and interrogate him on the detail of this of these rules. This scene originates from the filmmakers themselves seeing the rules as irrational. And some questions in the scene were based on real ones raised by fans from the first movie.

SPEAKER_05 31:43

As well as critics. This was pointed out by a bunch of people that were like, hey, hey, hey, but the science of and the filmmakers decided to take umbrage with that and really let it go in this one.

SPEAKER_03 31:56

The character of Grandpa Fred was based on Al Lewis's character, Grandpa Munster, in the television television show The Monsters. In the 80s, Lewis hosted a show on TBS as Grandpa Munster called Super Scary Saturday, where he would show old monster movies just as Fred does in this movie.

SPEAKER_05 32:17

I think I've seen that. I maybe you have to. It's also in Fright Night. Oh, maybe that's what I'm but I've definitely seen that whole thing with Al Lu. I I really like that they do that kind of omage shit in this movie like that.

SPEAKER_03 32:33

John Glover's Daniel Clamp performance is based in part on Ted Turner and in part another rich bag of meat. Just a big old rich bag of meat of meat. 340 pounds of meat brought an intentional over-enthusiasm and innocence to the character to override what was written as a villain. Dante liked the approach and felt it brought a necessary lightness to the film and enjoyed the character's new subversive arc.

SPEAKER_04 33:04

I dig it.

SPEAKER_03 33:05

After the massive success of Gremlins, Warner Brothers immediately greenlit part two. Director Joe Dante had no interest in a sequel whatsoever, feeling the story had been told and passed. After stops and starts, different directors and storylines that included going to Mars, the studio returned to Dante. Dante finally agreed to return on the conditions that he be given complete and total creative control and a blockbuster budget. They agreed. Dante intentionally made a movie poking fun of the first entry and the studio's desire to make money. Dante has been quoted as preferring this entry to the first.

SPEAKER_04 33:58

That's a lot of crazy shit.

SPEAKER_03 34:00

Them some facts.

SPEAKER_06 34:01

Those are those are those are facts? Were they fun?

SPEAKER_04 34:05

I thought they were pretty fun.

SPEAKER_03 34:06

I think there's uh some fun things in there.

SPEAKER_06 34:08

Were we partying and having a big old party and drinking our champagne and singing New York, New York? Fun. Fun, fun, fun. Fun for all.

SPEAKER_05 34:16

All the way to the weekend. Great.

SPEAKER_03 34:19

We're the googly-eyed gremlin right now. What's his name? No. Gremlin. Yes.

SPEAKER_06 34:24

Can I have a googly-eyed gremlin? You want a googly?

SPEAKER_05 34:27

Just stupid as fuck. This episode is brought to you by stupid as fuck googly-eyed gremlins. Why not? Jessica, you're more than welcome to read it right off there off the sheet. But if you would also like to, do you want to just get like imagine you're pitching this? You're the sequel doctor, and just pitch it to us.

SPEAKER_06 34:48

Up to you. Give us the log line. We're going down the elevator in this place, and it's broken. So you so you have some time.

SPEAKER_05 34:54

Sound the alarm.

SPEAKER_03 34:58

Well, I want to read the official one. Okay. So people have some context as to how this was sold to the public. Maybe to like the financiers.

SPEAKER_08 35:08

Investors, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:09

The gremlins are back. And this time, they've taken control of a New York City media moguls high-tech skyscraper. That's it.

unknown 35:19

That's it.

SPEAKER_05 35:20

I have to say, I really enjoy that reading. We don't have a tendency to teen. We don't have a tendency to burn. We have a tendency to turn into a green liquid chlorophyll time. When you hear a reading like that of a log line, it just melts you. Why is he Irish Australian? Yeah, I remember.

SPEAKER_06 35:34

Tony Randall. No, it's also there's Californian in there too. He goes like a little surfer with it sometimes.

SPEAKER_05 35:40

It's so good. I love it. It's out there. It's a choice. Love it. I assume Joe Dante, like me, was like, love it, great, fuck it. Who cares? Yep, made me laugh. And that was it.

SPEAKER_06 35:52

Cocaine.

Brought To You By

SPEAKER_05 35:53

Cocaine. This episode is brought to you by uh stupid as fuck googly eyes.

SPEAKER_06 35:58

Stupid as fuck googly eyes. They can get you out of some really bad situations. You get pulled over. You get pulled over, put on your stupid as fuck googly eyes. And just like, I don't know, sir. I didn't see the stop sign.

SPEAKER_05 36:09

It's a hell of a product. Yeah. Enjoy the advertisement for it. We'll be back.

SPEAKER_03 36:22

Text or but something about like aura.

SPEAKER_05 36:25

Yeah, you're aura farming right now, Ben.

SPEAKER_03 36:27

Yeah, don't fucking aura farm.

SPEAKER_06 36:29

They do say aura farm, that's true. Yeah, don't, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:32

Maybe that's what they say.

SPEAKER_06 36:33

Aura farm and crash out. Yeah. He's crashing out hard right now. Dad crash out. A dad crash out. Uh when dads crash out, they get their stupidest fuck googly eyes on for sure.

SPEAKER_05 36:43

God damn it, I fucking hate this. I'm not gonna stop. You look stupid as fuck, dad.

SPEAKER_06 36:49

You know who's good at he's in the movie. You know who's good at crashing out is Joe Pesci.

SPEAKER_03 36:53

Oh one of the greatest. I feel like his career is built on crash out.

SPEAKER_05 36:59

He's one of the greats. I was saying this off mic. Eyes wide shut, casino, two bizarre, very long movies that I absolutely love watching over the holidays.

SPEAKER_06 37:10

You're an absolutely long, bizarre person.

SPEAKER_05 37:13

I'm a madman. I am these are not the actual stupid googly eyes, they're just my eyes. Oh. Microwave process cheese food cinephile time. We're back to Cinephile.

SPEAKER_06 37:26

Do you know how to play this game?

SPEAKER_03 37:28

I think so.

SPEAKER_06 37:30

You will pull a card. That card will have an actor's face on it and their name and a movie. All you have to do is read that name of the actor and the movie, and then Paul will have to name a movie that that actor was in. I have to name a movie the actor's in, and then they'll come back to you for a movie. And each of us will go until one of us messes up, and then we'll talk about our first experience with the movie Gremlins too.

SPEAKER_03 37:51

This is this is like um movie tarot, it feels like a little bit.

SPEAKER_05 37:55

Consider me your personal Zoltar machine in this moment. Okay, great.

SPEAKER_03 37:59

Aww. Steve Martin. Do I say oh the movie? Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 38:04

And that's for you. The jerk. I will go with the father of the bride.

SPEAKER_06 38:10

Surprised you didn't go with planes, trains, and automobiles.

SPEAKER_03 38:15

Cheaper by the dozen? That was him.

SPEAKER_05 38:18

Father of the Bride part two. The Muppet movie.

SPEAKER_03 38:22

What?

SPEAKER_05 38:23

It's true.

SPEAKER_03 38:24

Oh gosh, now I'm crashing out. Stop shooting at these cans.

SPEAKER_04 38:30

That was the freebie.

SPEAKER_03 38:32

What?

SPEAKER_04 38:33

What was? The jerk was the freebie.

SPEAKER_03 38:35

Oh yeah. Yeah. Because I keep thinking about that.

SPEAKER_04 38:38

It couldn't be cheaper than that.

SPEAKER_03 38:40

What? Uh LA story?

SPEAKER_05 38:42

You already said it, but Adam. I'll take that. I I was a little late, but I'll take LA story.

SPEAKER_06 38:47

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_05 38:48

Cheaper by the dozen too.

SPEAKER_06 38:51

That's the one he was trying to get you to guess. Um now I'm stuck.

SPEAKER_03 38:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 38:57

Uh we did. That's got a sting.

SPEAKER_03 39:01

We did Cheaper by the Dozen, Cheaper by the Dozen 2. We did LA sting. Yeah, I think I'm done. We didn't.

SPEAKER_05 39:06

I think I'm spent.

SPEAKER_03 39:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 39:09

The clue I was trying to give Ben was RAXIN!

SPEAKER_06 39:14

And I said that's gotta sting. Yeah. I mean my stupid shit.

SPEAKER_03 39:19

Well, you got to all your all your dad jokes.

SPEAKER_06 39:22

All your googly-eyed, stupid.

SPEAKER_03 39:25

Are we doing this again? Do we do it another round or are we done?

SPEAKER_05 39:28

I mean, we can if you want. No, it's okay.

SPEAKER_03 39:29

No, we can't very stress.

SPEAKER_06 39:31

We have to take the rest of the podcast. We have to move on because we get to talk about the movie.

SPEAKER_03 39:34

I know. I've been trying to talk about this movie the whole time.

SPEAKER_06 39:37

Well, clearly, you don't understand how this podcast runs.

SPEAKER_03 39:41

I've only been on it four times.

SPEAKER_06 39:42

So I went in watching. So I went into watching it this time. I'm gonna talk about it starting. And I was convinced that I've seen this movie uh at a young age, that I had rented it from Blockbuster. And after seeing about 25 minutes of this movie, I am now convinced that even. Either A, that never happened. I never have seen this movie. Or B, I have blacked this movie out. Barenstein. It's Bar and Stein. One of those two things, or both. Shazam was Sinbad.

SPEAKER_04 40:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 40:13

Shazam. Shazam with Sinbad. Kazam was Shaq. Rick Fox. Cool. I because I remember renting this movie.

SPEAKER_05 40:23

I remember the cover, and I You had no idea what you were walking into. You were not prepared.

SPEAKER_06 40:29

I was absolutely not prepared for this movie. At one point I said, what is this? And Jess was like, What is this? Jess was like, this is more of a fever dream. A monster. This is more of a fever dream than anything. And sure is. I was like, this is, and this is where I think about halfway through, I was like, this is like if someone was like, you like Lucky Charms because it has marshmallows, well, you're gonna like this one because this is only marshmallows. And you're like, and the milk is just whipping cream. You're actually, I wanted the other things too. Nope, just marshmallows.

SPEAKER_05 41:05

What can I wash this down with whiskey?

unknown 41:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 41:08

Drink it.

SPEAKER_06 41:10

Um, a little bit of razor blades in there, too. Uh so I I'm gonna just gonna say that this was my first viewing. I rented this from Beekind video. It took me a half hour to find with the help of some random dude in there who was just hanging out. Every time I go in there, I feel like there's just random dudes hanging out.

SPEAKER_03 41:28

They like the vibe. I get it.

SPEAKER_05 41:30

The aura that resonates from it is not a sponsor. There's a riz that comes from and yeah, but if they wanted to be all gas.

Cinephile Round

SPEAKER_06 41:38

I I'm I'm I'm really concerned because I know how much you love these movies, Paul. And I'm just like, I have no, I have I feel like I have no nostalgic anchor to this. Fine. Uh and it's it it was it was it was a movie that I watched, and I don't think I was ready for how much it there's just nothing that really happens in this movie. It's not really about anything, it's just kind of about like the it's the it's the it's it's just that I disagree with entirely. It's just a rehash of the first one, but in this time it just like puts it into a city with like a corporate and like corporate vibe.

SPEAKER_03 42:20

That's literally the log line. The gremlins are back, and this time they've taken control of a New York City media molecules high sky sky high tech sky.

SPEAKER_06 42:27

But in terms of like characters, and like there's not really anything else that this movie is about. It's just kind of like a Pandora's box is opened and you need to close the box. And even Gizmo kind of gets like sidelined in this movie. So for me, I'm sitting at two gremlin boobs.

SPEAKER_03 42:45

Two wait, so does that make like a pair, like a one? One female book. Or like are you counting bosoms like independently? Bozoos, okay.

SPEAKER_05 42:55

Two gremlin breasts.

SPEAKER_03 42:57

Got it. Got it.

SPEAKER_05 42:58

Jessica, yeah. It is your turn to speak. You have the floor.

SPEAKER_03 43:04

Oh no.

SPEAKER_06 43:05

Paul's fallen.

SPEAKER_03 43:06

I know. Paul's upset already.

SPEAKER_06 43:09

He's trying to get into the holiday spirit, and here we are. Super good. Tearing him down.

SPEAKER_03 43:14

Uh, I would probably give this two of five. Um, I'm gonna say like uh the art plans that that Billy kept drawing.

SPEAKER_05 43:23

Billy's beautiful, beautiful big building bonanzas. He's one of the word bananas. Battlestar beats? So, this one was this the first time for you. First time, obviously. First time seeing it. I know it is. I just want to.

First & Current Experiences

SPEAKER_03 43:41

Yeah, first time seeing it. Um, I think this one went down a lot easier than the first one. I'm sure it did. Because it is so like over the top, and it's very upfront about that. Yes. And so, like, the animal cruelty that happens in the first movie felt a lot more sinister. And I mean, because there was like a naturalism to it that they were still kind of trying to meet, and then in this one, it's like their their experiment lab is like a Nickelodeon set, and it's like bonkers, and you know, like, oh, these are bad people. We all acknowledge what they're doing is messed up. You like know that they're gonna get their comeuppins, so I feel like there was less of the thing that made me so upset in the first movie, more of just like this is unending bat shit, crazy. Literally, like literally, yes, there is a bat in this. Yeah, there's a bat symbol. A bat gremlin.

SPEAKER_05 44:52

Um, yeah, because the marketing has to cross over, it's free to use that bat symbol.

SPEAKER_03 44:57

Yeah, and so it just costs nothing. Uh so I was just along for the ride and was I'll say it, I was impressed by this movie. I was impressed with how hard this movie went in every single direction it could possibly go. This is fucking so hard, and to that effects team, like the y'all, this movie got goopy. It got extremely goopy, and the secret of the ooze is yeah, and this, yeah, they were inspired by this, and so to that production team who had to clean the goopies, I'm sure you're still taking hot showers thinking about like getting it off of you because it's everywhere. Um but still a two out of five. But still, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 45:47

Is there is so I like to put a heart on things that I feel like I understand this may not be so wonderful to everyone that they'd want to re-watch it, but I would re-watch this for what would you re-watch this before we talk about it?

SPEAKER_03 46:03

Like again?

SPEAKER_05 46:05

Would you watch this again? That's a no. No, like the googly eyes just almost knock me over into being just shot out of Jessica.

SPEAKER_06 46:14

The very definition of re-watch.

SPEAKER_03 46:16

Yeah, no, like my brain was like, like, we need to stop the podcast to watch it right now. And I was like, is that what we're doing?

SPEAKER_05 46:25

But would you be excited by Actually, Paul?

SPEAKER_03 46:28

I would be excited to re-watch it with you, like live tweet live stream. And I think I would be doing the look back. I would I would not be afraid to re-watch this movie because it's not like I said, the animal welfare of it is it's not as like sinister to me as the first one that made me so upset.

SPEAKER_05 46:49

And as you said, like it just goes down easier.

SPEAKER_03 46:52

Yeah, it's just goofy, it's like goofy eyes, you know.

SPEAKER_04 46:56

The movie They didn't get Disney for this one, but it is goofy, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 46:59

Yeah. Um but like if this was like playing at a bar or like playing at a party, I might sit down to watch it, you know.

SPEAKER_05 47:07

This is a good episode. This is a good take. I like this.

SPEAKER_03 47:11

See, I told you not to be so scared.

SPEAKER_06 47:13

We gotta see some series from Disney.

SPEAKER_05 47:15

Yeah, I bet we did. Yeah. As no Snow White in this movie, just a haircut reference.

SPEAKER_06 47:21

The haircut.

SPEAKER_05 47:22

So there is a heart on there for you, it sounds like. There is a two with a heart where it's like, depending on the situation, maybe you'd rewatch it. Sure. Maybe if you relisten, if you listen to this episode somehow, you ended up listening to this podcast. I assume under duress, you would then re-watch this movie, maybe. Okay. Okay, so we're at a two and a two, but with a heart.

SPEAKER_03 47:44

With a heart.

SPEAKER_05 47:45

I'm gonna say a couple things and just read my previous letterbox review that I was like, I'm just gonna review this and see if I still stand by it. I find that there are elements of Ivan Reitman, John Landis, and Joe Dante across these three directors. And I like work from all three of those directors, especially separating certain pieces of art from artists. And there are pieces of Ghostbusters in this movie. I never realized I've not sat and really, really watched this movie in quite a while. I've had it on as a second screen or a background movie or something like that, because I it's always been so tried and trout for me. I don't remember it's always existed in my mind, and it's always been like some sort of a high rating, like a four or a five, something like that. And really sitting with an analytical mind, the elevator attack that happens to Phoebe Cates reminds me of the Dana chair attack in Ghostbusters, and there's even a joke with the elevator, it's the exact same joke. Something happens that's super out of reality and kind of scary, and the response from the person is I'll get the next one, in terms of an elevator, and even like the dancing toaster and the dancing gizmo, they remind me of each other, and there's elements. Ben, you even said this earlier. There's elements of diehard or airheads if you're a Brendan Fraser fan, as we are.

SPEAKER_06 49:12

Like Cornish's favorite son, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 49:14

Absolutely. What Charles Norris?

SPEAKER_06 49:15

Oh, sorry, Cornish's second favorite son. Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 49:18

The Airhead's diehard thing of being trapped somewhere, and fucking A, if it is not so hard to make a movie that is about New York and not make New York a character, but make it feel like a fucking New York movie. It does to me. And there are a couple outdoor things that happen and an overhead shot that happens, and it's like this feels like a New York movie, but and it feels like Alien Dollar sign at times. Yeah, I see Gizmo as Rambo, but I see Gizmo as Ripley too. All all credit to that. I'm going to now read my review as quickly as I can. This movie doubles down on what the first one does in a way that is so blatant. It is a hammer over the head. It is Looney Tunes, it is blazing saddles. You like it or you don't like it. It's funny to you or it's not. There's an anger that Joe Dante comes from, like making this movie, like he's like mad at himself for doing it, that I respect the shit out of. But the movie doubles down thematically on the evils of racism, bigotry, xenophobia, consumerism, capitalism, media perversion, automation, playing God, especially via science or religion, and animal rights and animal abuse. Because I feel all those themes in the first movie. And I feel like this movie is like, well, if we're making a second one, you must have liked all that stuff from the first one. So we're gonna make it like all that more like brightly lit and crazily scored. There's stuff where it's like the way the movie is scored makes the scene so much funnier or scarier than it is. The music is so good, but this introduces feelings toward a few new things like hatred of the billionaire class, or at least being critical of it, corporatization of society uh and of entertainment, and the fear of independent thought, like why that is bad. Like we have approved corporate art that is supposed to be here, not whatever it is that you're drawing that's so awesome, but thanks, Billy. Sequelization, animal testing, the diet craze and GMO, fast food, and apparently vegetables. The movie has some sort of thing against or for vegetables.

SPEAKER_06 51:38

He says that he drank his vegetable soup, like concentrated vegetable soup. So I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 51:44

Okay. Yeah, but I I think from here the best thing for me to do is to play the entire mini monologue from the brainy gremlin voice by Tony Randall.

SPEAKER_01 51:56

I think the main question that people have is creature, what is it that you want? Fred, what we want is, I think, what everyone wants, and what you and your viewers have. Civilized nation. Yes, but uh what sort of civilization are you talking about? Oh, we may stumble along the way, but civilized, but you need the convention, change the music to the volunteer. Everything you have to decide is worked on to a comment over the status. That's what we're talking about. Now, is that civilized? No, clearly not.

SPEAKER_03 52:46

We want access to the arts. We want the Broadway. Yeah, the Broadway.

SPEAKER_05 52:52

And now this movie does have some flaws, up to and including uh there's an appearance by Hulk Hogan, and somehow does not almost never have I wanted another appearance in a movie where I'm like, kill him, kill him, and I don't do that all the time.

SPEAKER_06 53:06

What is with the meta in this movie? It's so fucking meta. It's so weird.

SPEAKER_03 53:12

I uh when I was watching it, I felt like this word kept coming up for me is uh pastiche. I don't know if you're familiar with it. So pastiche is an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work artist or period. And I felt this was a pastiche of 80s films.

SPEAKER_05 53:33

I agree with you.

SPEAKER_03 53:34

So like the Hulk Hogan of it, um, the Rambo, the Rambo of it, the um the Batman returns, like Dutch angles of it. There were so many references to 80s.

SPEAKER_05 53:48

Tim Burton, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 53:49

This movie, I this is like a hodgepodge pastiche of 80s uh more is more cinema.

SPEAKER_06 53:57

I have another word for that. It's called IP orgy.

SPEAKER_05 54:01

And this movie is it beats so many things to it. When you see one of the characters with a WB insignia tattooed on its body, I feel Joe Dante being like, fuck you. Like, that's what I feel from it. Sure. My my goal here is to get Jess's star rating up, and Ben, I at least want you to put a star on it. The movie does have some issues, it does feel long. It does feel long.

SPEAKER_06 54:28

I can't believe it was an hour 46 minutes. I'm still not sure that's true.

SPEAKER_05 54:32

And there's some redundancies and some things that haven't aged super well.

SPEAKER_06 54:36

But this is the human characters have no arc. I disagree. I think clamp does. Well, clamp, sure, but like clamp is like the for me. I mean, we're getting ahead of ourselves, but for me, I'm like, you lose so much of the commentary when you when you do that to clamp. I think that performance is fantastic. Sure, and I think that's why they did it. Because they cast him and he was great, and they were like, oh, he can actually pull this off. But the but clearly that character was meant to be a arch.

SPEAKER_05 55:04

Oh, yeah. The only real bad guy in this movie is Christopher Lee. Like, that's the true, true bad guy. And it should be the rich dude. I don't disagree. I like John Glover's take. We're gonna talk a lot about this, I'm sure. And uh yeah, he commits all the way, just like the movie. I'm at a four and a half. Holy shit. I think the movie is gorgeous, and I think it really is Joe Dante saying, Okay, you want me to come back and do this? I don't wanna do Star Wars. I don't want to make toys involved with my movies. I don't want that to limit me. And I'm going to shove this down your fucking throat. Here's what you get. I respect the shit out of that. I don't disagree with anything you're saying. It's a four and a half Gizmo caca. Because that's what uh spike, mohawk, stripe, whatever he's called in this movie, when he grabs poor Gizmo. And we're gonna talk about this so I don't need to say it now. Two, two with a heart, four and a half with a heart. Whoa. Very important. I think it's very specific to want to rewatch this movie because I understand Ben's point of view too, of like, why did I do this?

SPEAKER_06 56:21

Because everything you're saying is like, I don't disagree with anything you're saying. I still don't think it's a good movie.

SPEAKER_03 56:26

That's the I just want to note that Paul has said a really serious take, heartfelt take of this movie, and he's also sitting in a chair that sounds like it's farting. That's what you're hearing.

SPEAKER_05 56:38

Is it the chair?

SPEAKER_03 56:38

It's well, you know, it could be both.

SPEAKER_05 56:41

And do you not know that I request this chair for every recording? Good for you. It's so he can hide his face. Amaya Joe Dante.

SPEAKER_03 56:50

So you may or may not be hearing the chair or Paul's Toots.

SPEAKER_05 56:54

Toots boots. Toots boots. Let's start the movie. Okay, finally.

SPEAKER_01 57:01

Sorry to be and now our feature presentation.

SPEAKER_05 57:11

Which I get because the movie does feel long, but like, even those long jokes like the opening that's Looney Tunes. Yeah, I was like, what is happening?

SPEAKER_03 57:19

Yeah, I was like, did we put the right disc in?

SPEAKER_05 57:21

This is telling you what the movie is immediately. You this is what you're walking into. And Chuck don't Chuck Jones directed and wrote those, and uh, it's intentional.

SPEAKER_06 57:31

It is totally intentional, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 57:33

But it's also Warner Brothers selling their other IP, which is what Joe Dante was told to do, and I think he wants to do it to death almost to rub it in. It's like a sending 37 copies of a movie to somebody thing where it's just like kill me. I I don't disagree with that. I don't want to watch that, and that's okay. I this is what this is why I really understand. Can I tell you?

SPEAKER_03 57:58

Can I tell you this is why I understand these all perspectives are valid. Is this Joe Dante's autour film? Is this what we're getting?

SPEAKER_06 58:05

I want to I want to tell Paul something that's gonna upset him greatly because I said it to you during the while we were watching.

SPEAKER_05 58:10

Some shit makes an ass out of you and me.

SPEAKER_06 58:12

Well, I told him I was like, you know what this reminds me of? This reminds me of the Space Jam sequel.

SPEAKER_05 58:17

I think that's a kind of a low, low-hanging fruit, like lowbrow take.

SPEAKER_06 58:21

That's just how it felt. It felt like I was like, oh, we're watching a rehash of the first one.

SPEAKER_05 58:25

The Droogs don't show up like in this movie, for instance, like they do in Space Jam 2, where it's just like Freddy Krueger doesn't show up in this movie. Sure, but the bat signal does. But it's played for like a laugh with Space Jam 2. The Droogs thing feels like we want to appeal to a very specific age group that has to take their kids to this or might understand this. The bat signal at that point was so universal. Sure. The way that that movie Oh yeah, I guess it was 89. I mean Warner Brothers technically, but it was that movie made a crazy amount of money. Like, for all I know, that joke was done in reshoots, and for me, it but it plays. This movie, as as I forgot to mention in my review, they took the bar scene from the first movie and made it into most of a movie.

SPEAKER_06 59:10

Well, yeah, yeah. So yeah, we had the Warner Brothers beginning, the Twin Towers. Twin Towers keep showing up in these movies.

SPEAKER_05 59:20

I just want to let them know. Nice copter, you assume Sarah Coates is in there? They're not reporting? They're not there anymore. They're not. Does anybody feel like the level of clamp will not come down there and leaves the TV and sends his lackeys? Does that work for anybody in terms of Mr. Wing? And when he says the what he wants to call the neighborhood or the district or the gentrification of the area, business ends up but he puts like a a gross pun on it, like it feels cringe. It's not played for laughs.

SPEAKER_06 59:50

Why didn't why didn't this old man if he if he was gonna die at some point, which he knew he was going to die at some point? They call it out. Why why didn't he make plans? Yeah. For this creature that is could take a little bit. It's so sad.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:04

But like the creatures in his shop that are dangerous to society, but also like very rare, you know, like made no plans. And didn't he have like a grandson in the first film? Like that young yeah, so like what happened to that kid? And like, why aren't we movie's got a movie? I guess the movie the movie's got a movie.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:22

That's what the movie I think is trying to say all the time. Uh and it does it like very heavy, heavy-handed at some points where it's like movie's got a movie. You can't talk about the rules of the gremlins.

Start The Movie (conversation)

SPEAKER_06 1:00:31

Gizmo escapes, and this is where it's like just it just happens to happen. It's like a it's like a made-for-tv Disney movie plot where it's like the dude who works at the tower just happens to find Gizmo, and you're just like, What? Why? What what is the and again movie has to movie, but that was where I was just like, ah, we're just like beats are just kind of like, yep.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:49

And and I was just like, Gizmo's the real victim here.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:52

The humans are so fucking stupid in these movies. He's the one hero in this movie. Humans are fucking stupid in a lot of cases.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:59

Worse than that, googly-eyed gremlin.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:01

And point in case is Robert Picardo, when he says like this Confucius or Bruce Lee crack, and and when Gizmo's getting hit with Rambo stuff, it it has shit to say about the ignorance of like when he makes that Bruce Lee comment, you're like, this guy's a fucking asshole, and the movie like the music kind of plays that way, and it it's heavy in the like Gizmo is going to be influenced by TV. If you didn't get that message or like that message in the first movie, which I I, as the director, thought I got across. Here's what you get in the sequel. You asked for this, and if if I didn't get the message across, my bad, here it is. I understand that that has become problematic, especially in what you were saying, like hallmarker Disney movie type thing, and like movies got a movie, but the I think the movie says it at so many points. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:59

No, I don't have a problem with that. I have a problem. The thing that I'm talking about is like when when Gizmo escapes and the like one of the twins from the from the signs. From Terminator 2.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:08

Is he in Terminator 2? They're in Terminator 2 as well. Okay. Uh but he finds he finds him. I'm just like, okay, I guess like this makes sense because the movie has to movie and he has to get to this building.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:19

It's just a level of like happenstance that they they use exposition, like a d a very quick exposition dump. If you want to find something weird, you have to come downtown. And that's the end of it.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:30

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:31

I I don't like the constant gizmo abuse in this movie. That's gizmo to me doesn't fall out of the movie. It goes on this Rambo journey of like, we're gonna torture this character until like we make him like steal or like I don't like which gonna make him dance.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:50

Like a toaster. Yeah. Oh yeah. The CG too. When they because did they do they didn't do that in the first one?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:54

I don't think so.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:55

The like zoom out CG blue screen. Blue screen of of Gizmo walking.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:00

I I think they believed, and I don't think the lighting change is that rough or dramatic. Do people remember how a lot of in blue screen or green screen like the lighting changes? I don't think it's that bad considering that the era.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:15

There are other movies that are worse.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:18

Thank you, Jessica. Jurassic Park comes out in like a couple years after this.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:21

Like but okay, you can't you can't hold things up to Jurassic Park. Why not?

SPEAKER_06 1:03:26

It's a movie, it came out a couple years later. Why can't you not?

SPEAKER_03 1:03:30

They have rarely met that standard movies of anytime.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:34

What I'm just saying is like those moments where I see Gizmo scrambling around where it's not the pup anymore and it's blue screen or whatever, it looks rough to me.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:41

I don't know. I love to see him dance.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:43

I do too. I think you also have not only a budget but and a timeline, but a filmmaker with an approach when you look at Jurassic Park that is massively different than this movie. Yes, they're both movies, but that's like a blanket statement that I think is like there's more nuance to sure that uh Jurassic Park is something I just I think you're right, it's something so singular that I can't I can't weigh the two against each other ultimately. I mean no the the right I can't put a heart on Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park's five stars. That's Jurassic Park is five stars, period. Yeah, or whatever you want to rate it. As long as it's a fiver approaching. But to be clear, you gave this four and a half. Four and and this is the thing I love the lighting of the movie, and I love the angry approach of the movie, the really heavy-handed hammer in the forehead approach of the movie. Uh that especially digging into it, knowing Joe Dante was like, I don't want to do this. Everything is an escalation from the first movie. It's it's not massively different from the first movie, but everything is an escalation. Well, now it's an electric gremlin and a tomato gremlin and a fucking dumbass gremlin, and what it's in the movie, all that stuff. It all comes from a a place of like, why the fuck not?

SPEAKER_03 1:05:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:14

I'm so glad you also feel this.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:17

Is that do you like it at all, or is it already grating to you like it feels it's it's grading to you, right, Ben?

SPEAKER_06 1:05:24

Like immediately. It's just exhaust. I I just like it is tiring. And the and the plot the plot points are just to me. I'm like, invest more in the script. Give me a little bit more to hook into character-wise from the human point of view. Because I I just when those two fuckers from the first one show back up, and I'm just like, oh, these fucking Futtermans, these fucking people again.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:44

That poor man.

unknown 1:05:45

That poor man.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:46

Yeah, and also he so to a degree, everyone though, like the main kid Billy or whatever, when he's he like, I don't really give a shit about Billy. Like Billy could fuck off.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:54

I don't he recognizes and cares about Gizmo, but like also Gizmo is the most dangerous creature on the face of the planet considering the thing and he just doesn't use him as a channel.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:05

And hey, don't come out of the drawer, Gizmo. And also, like, I'm gonna leave for the night.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:10

And also, gee whiz, I didn't know my boss wanted to fuck me when it was obvious to everybody with eyeballs.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:16

Oh, yeah, that you don't have to have googly eyes. Let's put googly eyeballs. Yeah, he and there I think he considers like doing something that he absolutely should not do because he wants to like work his way up. There's a level of selfishness that happens. But the when the the thing about the banality of the the future or the way that corporations want to run things, when Robert Picardo comes through and is like, that's not an authorized picture. We need things that are color coordinated and authorized. Fascism. I think it's so forward-looking and a really good commentary, and it's dark and it's difficult, but and it's and it's in a movie that it's like you turn away for a while and it's and you turn back, but it's always something interesting.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:59

Our fascist corporate overlords aren't gonna be upset about this, are they?

SPEAKER_05 1:07:06

Smart building fucking up, things that don't need to be smart or AI. Smarthouse.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:12

Yes, I made for TV Disney movies. We don't need it. We don't need it. It's true. But yeah, I mean, yeah, I think that's the thing where I'm like, when we see this laboratory, first off, this like futuristic mall slash skyscraper or whatever. Trump tower. Trump tower, yeah, clamp clamp tower. It first off, it it just look she was right. It looks like a Nickelodeon set. That's how well okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:35

First of all, the security, uh a level five lab, there is none security.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:41

There's no clean room.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:42

There's no like the the the guy, the the package delivery guy just like walks right down a short hallway into this.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:49

No, there's a short hallway. It looks like a circus hallway.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:51

Like it's yeah, but it's short in length, and he just like comes around the corner and he's he sees everything, and like there's no containment, there's no there there needs to be like a hermetically sealed vestibule and um and then hermetically sealed vestibules.

SPEAKER_06 1:08:06

Not a sponsored, but I just want to say it again.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:08

And so yeah, they're just they're just doing the science wrong. And and really um like they're they set them, they asked for this, they set themselves up to fail.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:21

I don't disagree with you, and I don't disagree with anybody about the sets or that the movie like does not care about the science. It does not care, it doesn't concern itself with that, it really just concerns itself with like we're gonna give you exposition and set pieces and try to move, but there is so much validity to what you're both saying about how slow the movie can be at times and how things are just happening like a line. Like when we meet Fred and his show's getting cancelled and that whole thing, and we go on a walk with Fred and Billy, and Fred says about Clamp, like that guy's strange. Oh, and it's like, yeah, everyone feels that way.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:01

Have a relationship with this uh Dracula presenter. Like, how did how how are they besties? Yeah, he's like doing drawings, and then he just like walks into this recording studio. What's wrong with this intergener intergenerational relationship they have for? I'm not saying that they shouldn't be friends, I'm just saying, like, how did this happen and why like it it just it's not important to the movie? The relationship?

SPEAKER_05 1:09:28

The movie doesn't feel it's important to the movie because Fred has his character arc. What he wants is to become taken seriously and become a newscaster and he gets character arc.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:38

I love that.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:39

He's one of a few, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:40

Great. Um, love that from him. Um but but the fact that we just have like Billy going around so this building we have just seen uh delivery man walk into a high secret like laboratory, and then we see Billy just go into uh like a live set, a hot set, and there's just like everything, everything everywhere all at once in this building.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:07

Everything is I will say, like the armchair quarterback and me kind of wanted them to not have Billy and Kate? Is that her name?

SPEAKER_04 1:10:14

Yeah, Phoebe Cates.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:16

Yeah, part of me was just like let's let's not let's just go on.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:21

Here's the thing is we all feel this movie is a little overlong. Do you really wish that they went into the backstory of him and Fred? Do you really wish, or do you wish it was this capsule story about what's happening in this moment?

SPEAKER_03 1:10:32

They could have done it so easily with with just like a line of like because he's he's he's a man who walks around in his Dracula outfit, just out in, you know, so it could have been like, Man, I was really stressed on my first day, and you helped me out, you know, like you took me. It could have been really easy. But like you said, we're movies got a movie, we don't super care about it.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:55

But their relationship also doesn't super matter for the plot.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:59

Fred's story matters, Fred's story matters, and so having him and Billy. It's like this guy just got his show, Fred moved to 3:30 a.m. This is his nine to five job, is dressing like this guy. For all we know, based on Billy's disposition from the first movie, this is a guy that he'd see and be like, this is a program he'd watch, sure, potentially. So, like the idea of him wanting to engage this guy where clamp cable network exists in this building. So it's CN. I think we need to be conf, yeah, which Ted Turner owned at the time.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:34

We needed Billy and Kate to help us transition into this second film from the first one to be that bridge, to know what to do with Gizmo, to share with everyone what happens with Gizmo.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:48

Except Billy doesn't know what to do because he leaves him in a fucking trouble.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:52

But he knew what to do with it, and then he says later, like, maybe I shouldn't have done that.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:56

Because that that's because Billy's a dum-dum.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:59

Yes, Billy's got googly eyes. But Billy needed we needed uh Billy to talk to Fred so that the audience can introduce Fred. And so Billy was really just like an expositional tool to help set up this film.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:14

Billy is an expositional tool for this movie. Yeah, yeah. It is bizarre to a degree that it follows him almost by happenstance because it followed him through the first movie, and it's helping me realize a little Ben there's some validity to like Gizmo, now that Barney the Dog is gone, is the hero of this series. Yeah. And Gizmo goes through hell, and we as an audience go through hell with him to get to the point of like the his payoff moment and these moments that the movie wants. And I do like that Billy hears the delivery guy whistling that tune from the first movie.

SPEAKER_08 1:12:51

That's a good trick.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:52

The movie knows the things that are like adorable or that audiences will want and and uses to punch its point home, like where Billy goes up and gets the monkey, gets by Julia Sweeney from SNL, it's Pat, and gets the monkeys out of Christopher Lee, who's clearly the super evil guy, all these guys in this laboratory are the evil guys, and lets the monkeys out. And you're like, Yeah, great. There are little moments, character moments, that I think provide levels of context to redemption for Billy in general, and that's the thing. That's uh to your point again, a problem with the movie is the movie has a tendency to be kind of general.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:37

I mean, would you call this movie fan service?

SPEAKER_05 1:13:40

I think it's filmmaker service. I th I it's Tarantino writing about feet.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:46

But I mean, like using some of these things, like I feel like that is not nice to Joe Dante.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:53

But there's a there's a level of I think doing something like this where you're like grinning and laughing to yourself. I'm doing something. Where it's like, I I don't know if I care if anybody likes this. My check's gonna clear.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:08

Yeah, no, I think that was very But that's different than like doing something for you, like to make it. I I hear what you're saying, but that that's like to me, it feels more like fan service where it's like I'm just gonna give everybody the thing that they kind of want.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:23

And and that's the movie does that, I think, with Gizmo, especially with like they really amp up the purr that Gizmo has in this movie, and which is a s a gift in a miracle every time I get to hear it. Sandcat did not like it.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:36

Rudy again was not in the room, and I kept asking Jess, where's our gizmo? Where's our Mogwai?

SPEAKER_03 1:14:42

He didn't like it at all.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:43

On the notes of these things, like where it's like Billy bangs gizmo's head into the thing, and you're like, No, don't I don't like that, don't do that.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:52

I think one of the easy solutions, so like when Billy goes on this date with his boss, to me, like if that drawer could lock, easy solution for me is that Billy locks this drawer and Gizmo picks it and gets out. That's that's kind of fun. That solves that solves two problems to me. It gives me it gives me Billy understands that this is a dangerous creature, and it gives me Gizmo having agency and being like, I've gotten better.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:18

Yeah, having capability without the like mon the broken montage that happens later.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:23

Yeah, yeah, it felt like Billy was acting below his intelligence. I agree with that from what we saw in the first film, especially by the end.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:30

He's kind of doing a Jack Burton and Big Trouble in Little China thing where he's just kind of a dipshit and he's just kind of along for the right, but I don't hate it.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:38

He's just Mr. Bean in his big trouble.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:40

I like that, but I don't know if I agree with it. So this is one of the things that I'm just like sequel wants to point out things that happen in sequels, and it brings in John Aston. He's the janitor that's squirting from the and and gizmo squirting janitors from the water fountain, and he's talking to it and what he's gonna do to it, and Gizmo doesn't immediately run away, and that's the moment where it's like Gizmo loses his absolute purity to me, where it's like you could easily scuffle off and not get wet. You know what's gonna happen, but movie's gotta happen.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:18

But he did. He did move away a little, and he was like hiding under the draft board, and then the water got on the draft board and it dripped on him. He didn't see it.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:30

I did not chill though.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:31

Because this is a moment that upsets me because uh you can tell that Gizmo is in pain whenever he gets wet and he has to shoot out the the clone puffball game. Telemetry work is yeah, and um like he doesn't like that, and so I don't believe that Gizmo would be like it's fine getting wet.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:51

I just don't understand why he doesn't run 20 feet away, but there's also the gag that happens of like not only movies got a movie, but like no matter what he does, uh no matter where he moves, water's gonna get him.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:03

I want to remind you that in the first one they run through snow.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:06

Yeah. This is this is the people in the control room. The logistics of the water you two are the people in the control room.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:12

The logistics of not getting wet just like what if consider the atmosphere.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:16

What if they drink do they have to drink water? It's like signs.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:19

Yeah, it's like signs, yeah. They walk into the atmosphere and they're in New York in the summer? It's humid.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:24

Why was Mr. Wing considering Mr. Bean? Mr. Wing. Sorry, sorry. Considering how dangerous this animal is. It is adorable. Is it eternal? Is it mythical? Is it globally vital in some way? What why is this creature being preserved? That is my biggest question is that this thing is. And it's Gizmo specifically. Except for maybe he's the last one for all we know. And here we get to that. But that this is, you know, the it ends up evolving into the cousin of the predator or the thing where it's like this is globally disastrous.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:07

Gizmo never chooses to uh cocoon, and they all but water finds him. No, but you know what I'm saying? All of his little clones cocoon and become like lizard zombies or whatever, and he doesn't and he doesn't want that.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:22

He doesn't, as Jess was saying, like there's a level of just agony that this poor creature goes through.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:28

I don't think Mr. Wing uh was trying to necessarily save uh Gizmo's species because he was still removed from his native habitat.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:39

And that's not conservation. He's in a cage. In a cage with no plans for if no contingencies, like that's not good conservation at all.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:49

He couldn't bring himself to say this is the the thing from the movie the thing. I I can't.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:56

Yeah, he was gonna He just didn't know what to do with it.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:59

I think he was He could he couldn't bring himself to do the horrible, just kill horrific Yeah. Is that the th because he does that movies don't happen?

SPEAKER_03 1:19:08

I mean the evolution I I think and and maybe here here's opportunity for future franchises. But like Pokemon inspired by this. There has to be deep lore about the Mogwai from where its place of origin. There has to be. And so like there has to be an indigenous or native peoples who know how to handle the Mogwai. And that's who it should be being returned to.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:32

Well, and he was he that person? I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:35

This is me wanting story to be known not to take it into New York City and put it in a cage and let silly white people come around.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:44

Let me say, like in the first one, I'm not as interested in that. It's to me that becomes like the Midaclorians effect where I'm like, I don't need to know why the magical creature exists. Just let the magical creature exist. You know, so I'm like, does do I need to have that back?

SPEAKER_03 1:19:57

No, I don't need to know why he exists. But I think I the question was like what is the why didn't he have a plan? Why is that? I mean he should have had a plan for sure. Yeah, so I have to be on my soapbox here, and he shouldn't have been there in the first place. And I don't think Mr. Wing had good intentions for it because he was running a shop and he was in a shop. That's the illegal pet trade.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:23

He was the and Clamp's offer to essentially say, I just need to demolish this and I'll still like we'll keep your business. Was Clamp were do you think those were his intentions? I think they were.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:36

Like he would have let him keep his happiness in Seattle where I thought I mean when you look at a deal, when you hear about that deal, you're like, oh, no way would he respond to it. Sounds like a bad deal. But after seeing the characters based on a performance badge, after seeing the performance of that actor, I'm like, oh, see, and this is where I mean would have.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:52

I think they changed. I think they changed what Clamp was gonna do and be because the actor was so strong.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:57

It's in the fun facts. That was an actor choice by John Glover to say, I'm going to play this character as what's the best version of a billionaire? Just someone who's not fucking self-aware and obsessed with making money andor having weird fantasies about like going out at night and beating the shit out of people. Yeah. Rather than just contributing. Yeah. But this movie, just to your point, Mark Cuban. The the people that went through this that are now going through this a second time, the Futtermans, uh, which I think it's great that Mr. Futterman is getting therapy because he needed it regardless, outside of this traumatic event that he went through, outside and his marriage and his war trauma, and his personage, and his fear of communism. But that these people that didn't plan for this get so unbelievably fucking lucky twice. Well, that like they just fall into success, they fall upward.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:56

I want to just talk about real quick that because we're getting bogged down and I'm still in the second act, and like so that that like so long.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:04

I know. I I'm gonna convince one or both of you.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:06

Gizmo gets wet, a bunch of the pop things come out, they're the same. Some of them are the same, or at least stripe is the same, the rest of them are new. Kind of.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:13

It's like it signifies a leader, it signifies like an alpha.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:17

Yeah, stripe or spike or whatever you want to do.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:19

I think they call them Mohawk.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:20

Okay. Some shit. Kate is told to go take care of Gizmo and she accidentally gets the really dumb fucking looking one.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:27

The googly-eyed gremlin.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:29

And it just starts throwing shit at her.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:30

Dude, it's immediately like aggressive and acts like a gremlin. Like it just wants to fuck shit up. Like be chaotic. And her haircut is that Lord Farquad? You're obsessed with her, and you're it's called a page boy. This was not like a Courtney Cox scream three haircut. Like, this didn't get me.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:47

Oh easy hair old. I was asking Jessie too.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:50

Oh, no, no.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:50

No, so Ben was like, babe, what is the name of that haircut? And I was like, a a page boy? He's like, yeah, it's like the Snow White haircut. Then they mentioned Snow White. And she had the little red. Which was in the first movie.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:04

Yeah, and she has the headband too. The your mom made you an apple pie, somebody sat on it on the bus, kills me every time. Because all this movie wants to do is make you laugh. Now that's the main thing I'm gonna use for my argument is how much did you laugh through the movie, despite the length? And how much are we laughing here? Because I think that's that's the entire mission of the movie, I believe, is to just make you laugh at how ridiculous it is.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:32

Oh, you're a you're asking. I I didn't laugh that much. I think I I chortled a few times, but see, come sa.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:42

It was it was more of like disbelief that a thing was happening, and you'll watch it again, and that disbelief will become exalted laughter.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:50

But I wasn't like, ha ha ha, this is a funny movie. So genius.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:57

I didn't watch it thinking that this That was so good. I love that.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:01

No, but like I didn't watch it.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:02

It's so specific, it's very specific.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:05

I didn't watch it thinking this is a comedy.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:08

It doesn't present itself as a comedy.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:09

It doesn't present itself as a comedy, so I wasn't like laughing as if it were a comedy.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:15

It was in the comedy section.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:17

Thank you, be kind for making my point that it should be in the comedy section, even though it tricks you.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:24

I think we as we have to categorize movies because of awards or like whatever, we have to use very broad terms. And like the bear, this would be comedy. Yeah, this would not be a drama, or this would, you know, like this could be like sci-fi fantasy um because of the creatures and and stuff. Um it's a fantasy movie, huh? Does it have some some jokes and yucks in it? Like, yeah, it does, but like I'm not so does Lord of the Rings.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:52

It has the Looney Tunes, it has sound effects lifted literally from the Looney Tunes.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:57

Yeah, it's like a it's like a cartoon.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:59

What determines a comedy?

SPEAKER_03 1:25:01

Oh god, we're gonna be here. Please keep going, Paul. Yeah, let's keep going. I'm tired.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:05

So, okay. The yogurt thing. We're gonna be going in an hour and a half. Is it all natural yeah, kind of like the movie? It just feels long. Yeah. All natural. Is the yogurt all natural? Is it pesticide free? And this is like 1990, which I think is pretty good in four.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:22

Is the chicken was the chicken exactly?

SPEAKER_05 1:25:24

It goes Portlandia. Yeah, or Portlandia goes this. The toppings do contain potassium benzoate. I don't know, hold those SOBs. What is that? That's bad. Tell me what it is. But the the It's bad. Okay, it's a topping and it's bad. Billy getting caught turning off the water by Rick Ducoman from the Burbs, and the eggs in the putrid stays.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:44

He's only in it for like a second.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:46

He's in it for it's like a uh a cameo because he and Joe Dante are homies or whatever, I assume. It's like some of the weird imagery that's so random. I'm with you guys, where it's like the mimes getting out when Billy's released. I'm like, what huh? What is that? I I'm feeling the this is a sequel, it's being more ridiculous and more more and more on every level, but some of it is just like, huh?

SPEAKER_06 1:26:10

I enjoy the first one a lot more than Jess, obviously. But me too. I I enjoy the first one because of its simplicity to a degree that I'm it's very simple. I agree. I and I and I really appreciate how real the stakes are in that movie. I never feel that anyone in this movie is truly in danger.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:33

I think because like the genre of the first one leans towards horror. This one leans towards farce. It does.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:43

I I do believe that especially Clamp, especially when he's told like you could be the hero of the city, the savior of the city, that that character specifically has a lot invested in making sure that those creatures stay in that building. Sure.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:00

I I do think that a few characters, it's I really when Kate sees the kiss on Billy, and it's just like, you know what? I got bigger fucking fish to fry than this asshole right now. And it doesn't come up till later. Some other things that are played clearly for laughs, but the gremlins are now attacking the clump cable network. Clump?

SPEAKER_06 1:27:24

Clump Beverly Hills Hillbillies?

SPEAKER_05 1:27:26

The clumps come on now. The nutty, the nutty clamp of clumpets. But they attack the the microwave show, and clearly Joe Dante hates fucking microwaves, I guess. But the exploding microwave and the control room attack. This is my my big thing about this movie is that the gremlins attack all these security guards that are calling out the science of this duo of movies. Where they're talking about what yeah, but they how do they multiply? How do they and how do they do this and that and caraway seeds and after midnight and a gremlin pops out of a control panel and attacks people and punches this guy, which I feel like is Joe Dante saying, like, just can't are you not entertained? Like, just let me entertain you. Calm down. Yeah, that that that happens. But Robert Picardo also it doubling down on the shittiness of him of almost being the Roy Cohn of just him being awful and super shitty and constantly just in his own head and in his up his own ass, and taking that woman's flashlight that she was gonna use to defend herself and just snagging it and saying, whatever they are, they gotta respect the chain of command. And how seriously he takes himself. I mean, the people who die in this movie should die. And the look the woman gives him, by the way, when he says that, where she's like, give me a fucking break.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:01

There's so much meta commentary in this movie.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:05

That I was like, when we when the when like the literal film reel spirals and we get the gremlins eating it and Hulkan and shit. I was like, What? Why why? Because they can. Because he can. I guess. Again, I just come back to how the first one Yeah, it's just not funny to you.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:25

Like, it's just I guess it's just not funny to me either.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:28

And that's okay. I think that's really where it comes from.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:29

Jess is kind of shrugging her shoulders. I feel like I might lose the heart because I'm talking too much about this movie. Clamp planning an award, like a parade for himself, and the loot the the loony tunes of this in terms of the gremlins can apparently manifest whatever they want. Glasses, tiny sweaters, guns, what like no gizmo shirts. Like they that these are like magical fucking creatures, and the effect of the gremlin getting shredded to me is very satisfying.

SPEAKER_06 1:30:01

And and gremlins then meet science, right? Then they get to like, yep. And and this is where uh what did they say when they're like uh this is sunscreen, uh genetic sunscreen? Genetic sunscreen. And I was like, so this literal this is writing rewriting their genome. Love it. I'm like, is that what they mean by saying genetic? Because they're I'm not sure they're using that word right. Genetic sunscreen.

SPEAKER_05 1:30:28

I don't know if the movie cares. I think a lot of people understand genetic rather than genome. And yeah, the movie's taking the lower hanging fruit in this moment. Vegetables, yeah, or uh picking an olive off for the martini. But the movie's like, great, you want more gremlins? Here's a fucking tomato gremlin, here's an electric gremlin, here's a flying gremlin.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:49

Well, they knew they needed a gremlin to get out of the building and to not to survive, and become a gargoyle.

SPEAKER_06 1:30:56

And how many of them were and how many of them were toys later?

SPEAKER_03 1:31:00

I don't know. I I imagine a lot of them gotta look it up.

SPEAKER_05 1:31:03

Yeah, or on lunch pails or on therm, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:06

You know who would be really good at finding this? Sarah Coates. Sarah Coates is an incredible at finding like 80s and 90s toys.

SPEAKER_05 1:31:15

Already, as we established in the beginning of this movie, in the chopper observing, collecting data, yeah, keeping an eye out, googly eyes everywhere, sees everything. Is Sarah Coates in the room right now? But Leonard Moulton reading part of his own review from the first movie, and then just being like, ah, and Leonard Moulton saying, I like this movie better. It admits that it's a cash grab.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:40

Once we got to like the midpoint and we have the like meta celluloid uh shadow puppets, and then we have the Hulk Hogan, and then we have the Leonard Moulton, you know, like we have all of these like super meta moments. To me, as a script writer, if my story was only that of the Gremlins exacting mayhem onto this building, that movie's not very long. And so we're we need to add some filler to it. Why not? These um pulp culture icons and these little you know um meta moments, and there for all we know, there may have been more on the cutting room floor.

SPEAKER_05 1:32:22

I guess the thing about like Bulk Pigster, the pig, the king of the pigs showing up at the movie theater, uh Bulk Hogson, the big ugly, stupid piece of trash that shows up in the movie theater. The movie I guess that's the thing, is it's just like the filmmaker just I get why you guys are where you are. The filmmaker is just like, I don't like this either. And what the what I assume that the world wanted was more gremlins, so here you fucking go.

Meet Me Halfway (through the movie)

SPEAKER_03 1:32:59

I don't think that must be what you want. I don't think those moments made me angry like they did Ben, which understood was his uh like experience. Like you seemed like upset that they were happening. Upset about what the celluloid moment, the Hulk Hogan, the Liner Mountlin.

SPEAKER_06 1:33:15

Or was there a lot of eye rolling? I think it was more just like, why? This is not not anger, confusion. This is not progressing any story, but you seem like kind of upset by it. Whereas I was just like, I think because I'm always I'm always coming back to script. Like that is always what I'm coming back to. And with the if the script isn't giving me anything, that is just like a a thing shoved into the middle that I'm just like, okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:33:39

Well, I guess I I hear that. Like this, if if this were like a a tris traditional, like three-act story, it's not great.

SPEAKER_05 1:33:51

Structure's weird.

SPEAKER_03 1:33:52

But I can appreciate this film from like where Paul, I think you're coming from, is that this was just a series of strong choices by a filmmaker.

SPEAKER_05 1:34:03

Just sketches strung together.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:05

And that that this is just like this was just like yeah, a series of strong choices for maybe no reason at all, but they seemed like very personal reasons of Joe Dante to like include it. And so this this becomes like Joe Dante's burn book, like you know.

SPEAKER_06 1:34:25

I I don't I don't disagree with any of that.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:29

I just don't want to no, yeah, like this is not a movie like that is a typical movie that I enjoy. I would much rather watch the extended all three cuts of uh all three films of Lord of the Rings than to watch this film again.

SPEAKER_05 1:34:44

Oh, I'm losing the heart.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:46

Um oh no. That's just because this this type of film isn't my jam as like a simple goer. I get it. I understand.

SPEAKER_06 1:34:55

Two stars are mostly there for the effects, just to be clear.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:59

Can we are we are you getting you got your little list there?

SPEAKER_05 1:35:03

It's it's what you were saying just a moment ago, Jess, about how personal it is and what we're talking about about effects, where it's where it's leaning into the practical basic stuff like close-up camera effects when the gremlins are multiplying in the backs of when the water happens.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:20

When the um the smart gremlin, when they um get the water on them and the electrification, and and he they have this rigged up gremlin to like fall over an edge and to like shoot ooze out and then like drips down.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:39

Gooeier was a request on this movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:41

Yeah, and it was such weird and gooey. It was giving like um uh the tales of the crypt, yes, uh the laugh even at points, yeah, and but like how they looked when they started melting, and that moment was sick.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:55

This this is the point that I made, as you're saying, like the practical stuff or the things that they're doing with the camera, like where it's so personal that this it's like acid, do not throw in face, and one of the gremlins throws it in the face of the other one, and then it rotates toward the camera and lifts its like Phantom of the Opera mask. Like, this was their plan the whole time. Like they have this insane knowledge of every single gremlin and every single experience it's ever had before. Again, like there's a level of these feeling like magical imps, like like chaotic evil creatures. They're fairies, and yeah, and Gizmo being tortured and chewing his way out, finally, where as we've lost the gizmo thread, as Ben said, but Gizmo chews himself out after he gets like hit with a train and the poor copier thing and the whole thing, or it's like that copier thing, by the way, would have killed that poor thing. The light, yeah, yeah, but he goes full Rambo and Futterman, who's also anti-commie, like uh Sylvester Salon Salone Salone. Gizmo and Futterman are like communism bad. And Futterman does this redeemable thing where he's like, I know how to fucking deal with this. I'm a brave and capable person, I went through therapy for this, I'm fucking going in. And like I really appreciate not only his offer, but like that it follows immediately up by clamp being like human beings in there, real lives. You know what kind of lawsuits we're looking at? Like, where there's always this edge of him being this non-self-aware, like, I'm here to make money. Like, he's not ever too nice. The writing is always just a little bit making sure that it's like I don't like him. He's not a bad guy, but I don't like him.

SPEAKER_06 1:37:49

I like him more than I like him in Scrooged. Yes. I think his character is so good, man. I think his character is more likable in this than and it is because he like he he does go on a quest to like save the day. He's not just like a suit who's like looking out for himself.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:07

He runs in with those people at the end of the movie and clearly shows that he's incapable and has no business running in with them. But there's a level of him like he's willing to self-sacrifice.

SPEAKER_06 1:38:17

Yeah, he's not just a you know, like the scaredy cat who runs away. And I feel like in Scrooge, he is kind of just a suit who's just in it for himself.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:25

He's being sold by people. He's sold on the idea of Kingston Falls. He's open to being sold, and it doesn't feel like he's gonna steal like the character, one of the characters he's based on. Like that he wants to, but he also wants to create like corporate company towns, which is a problem. Potterville when Billy says his plan and Clamp says uh or Billy says, I think we strike at 420, and Clamp's like, I like that, and I finally get to use my secret exit. I like that. Like he's he's kind of just a very excitable, childlike dipshit. I kind of like. Like Richie Rich. Sure. Macaulay, McCauley, Colkin Clinton.

SPEAKER_06 1:39:07

I think he is the character that I care the most about in this, except for the Dracula dude. I like the Dracula dude a lot. He has a good arc. I I like Kate's thing. He kind of disappears.

SPEAKER_05 1:39:15

I like Kate's thing too.

SPEAKER_06 1:39:17

Yeah, I mean Kate kind of again is like sidelined a little bit in this, and then like it feels like the human characters in this are just kind of like wandering through set pieces.

SPEAKER_04 1:39:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:39:29

Like that's just kind of like they're just kind of like meandering they into another uh you know, a bat gremlin or a spider gremlin or just kind of like sure. You know, they're they're not they're not actually what is the what is the ultimate goal of this of the movie?

SPEAKER_05 1:39:47

To not be a dramatic extension of the first movie, which it seems like it's extremely successful at. Okay, so what is the goal of the story? To make money. That's why this movie exists. That's What happened was to try to make money.

SPEAKER_06 1:40:02

Isn't that I mean, isn't that like why why is that something to be happy about?

SPEAKER_05 1:40:06

But Joe Dante wasn't happy about it. And I thought it was extremely clear. And it's it's problematic that we've reached the point. This is part of the reason why I brought up the Netflix Warner Brothers thing. Is it's really upsetting that this thing that seems so fucking angry that it even exists, that it almost is intentional in the like, you want another hour and 45-minute little romp of like product placement? Here you go. And it I under everybody's everybody's point is valid. I I think that this movie is fantastically acted by the non-top two or three build. I think that the puppeteering is amazing. I think the blue screen work for the time is really good, and I think the movie does what it wants to do in terms of like we're just this goes up to 11. Like with every single thing, it's just turned up a little.

SPEAKER_06 1:41:02

It's all marshmallows.

SPEAKER_05 1:41:03

Now spider gremlin. It's all marshmallows.

SPEAKER_03 1:41:06

But the and the fact that the Phoebe Kate monologue about President's Day.

SPEAKER_05 1:41:12

It sounds worse. It sounds more traumatic.

SPEAKER_03 1:41:15

Yeah, but the fact that it was a joke, that it was a reference to the first film, and they made it into a joke, you know, just how like self-aware that moment was of just like fuck the first film, we don't care. Like this is I'm the captain now, you know.

SPEAKER_05 1:41:33

Joe Dante demanded that that first mon that that monologue was in the first movie. It was in our fun facts section that that Spielberg and Dante went after it about having this really heavy, difficult, dramatic storyline with her. And the fact that they are willing to say, like, look, we have to jettison anything that really matters. And like pointing it out, like, yeah, there's a level of it that's funny that I think that works for me, and there's a level of it that's difficult that it's like, why are you throwing this away? I'm gonna do this monologue in my acting class on Tuesday. I try to do it every year. I love that monologue.

SPEAKER_06 1:42:12

So I think that's like so bizarre and wonderful. I don't remember what I gave Gremlins, but I'm pretty sure I gave it three and a half or four. It's like a I I really like that movie. And I think that like what this movie does as a sequel is the thing that I mostly dislike in sequels. It's what I dislike in the Mummy Returns, it's what I dislike in Jurassic Park The Lost World. It's so much about commenting on the movie prior to it and just increase and all it does to like uh elevate the story is by is just trying to increase is just like bringing the stakes up higher. And you're like, oh yeah, well, now there's more raptors. Now there's yeah, you know, and I think that that is the thing that I dislike about sequels is I I like aliens because aliens doesn't just increase the amount of aliens, it like differs the stakes, it makes the stakes way more different and more grounded in a way that most sequels don't have the build T2 does the same thing, right?

SPEAKER_05 1:43:12

Lost life, lost family for Ripley and Sarah Connor. Like they've lost their life and they've lost their family at least once, and then Ripley has to go through this at least twice, right? Yeah, yeah. And I feel this, and I want I know you've seen these, Jess. The alien and alien dollar sign. So I feel that Gizmo is as much Rambo as he is Ripley, where there is this like reticence, like kind of Ripley is pushed to an edge. And I think Gizmo is pushed to an edge. It doesn't, it's never earned that that character goes through all the shit that he goes through or it goes through, but at the end that he re-he he comes into his his peak, his Dante's peak, where he's like made this bow and arrow and he's going to fucking save everybody. Like from the spider gremlin that was going to he's Kevin McAllister. Yeah, he's just he's waiting for them to show up. He wants them to show up. I could have called the cops at any time. Gotta fucking sound attack.

SPEAKER_06 1:44:22

Do you feel that Ripley? I don't necessarily feel Ripley in this.

SPEAKER_03 1:44:26

No, I didn't feel it at all. I felt like very like uh Rambo or John McClain or something.

SPEAKER_05 1:44:32

I feel that I guess I I'm letting Alien 3 bleed over a little bit where there's like an anger about having to get to the point or like the marketing part of it, or like why are we still doing this? That seems to be happening. Where like this is where the movie that's been jumping the shark the entire time goes, let's do it again. Like where gimbal gimbo? Gimbo gimbal? That's gimbal? Go to gimbal's. Yeah. Oh, great Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_06 1:45:00

I love that movie.

SPEAKER_05 1:45:01

But now we have New York, New York, the Reebok sign. Remember our box? Uh I remember. They were flying high at this time. This was a high rebound. Pump it up, dude. Now? White men can't jump. Anybody got reboxed?

SPEAKER_03 1:45:14

This and I I think in 1990 I did have a pair of Reeboks. They were white and they went up your ink a little bit with some Velcro. Basketball legs?

SPEAKER_05 1:45:23

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:45:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:45:25

I would pump, pump, pump, pump, pump it up. Like to the air pump? Yeah, to dunk it or whatever, make me jump a little higher. I had to pump it up. I had Reebox at one point.

SPEAKER_06 1:45:34

I thought that air pump was so cool.

SPEAKER_05 1:45:37

Does anybody get a laugh at all out of the like Phantom of the Opera, like acid gremlin coming back where the movie's just like, we're still going gag, gag, gag.

SPEAKER_03 1:45:56

And then we have the um Phantom of the Opera, which you know, that was the hottest show on Broadway.

SPEAKER_06 1:46:01

The hottest show on Earth. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:02

It was in that's why I'm like, this is a pastiche of 80s pop culture. But bringing it all in. And so it really is. I was like appreciated that they did bring it in because it is a time capsule of that moment.

SPEAKER_05 1:46:18

We use that term a lot on this program. Time capsule. This is part of what makes heart or no heart or ratings that happen. I was but only 62 years old and very stylish wearing uh Remember Our Box at this time when this movie came out. That is part of what makes the movie so legitimate across every single feeling to me, is it's just like the movie is going for broke all the time. And as much as I feel that in the movie, everything that happens in that Key and Peel sketch is also it feels completely legitimate. Like two things can be true. Yeah, and I think it's that's hard to achieve. But Marla, by the way, is it interesting to anybody else that Daniel Clamp marries somebody or ends up with somebody named Marla? Like what is that meatbag did? His second wife was Marla Maples, which I felt I was like, wow, how fucking predictive is this movie? But when Billy says Marla, smoke. That's one of the only things that Billy does in either movie that I laugh at. The thing that I laugh at at this movie without question, every single time. Elevator, go or what uh elevator, sound alarm, and all the gremlins go, eh, mm-hmm. Like that makes me laugh every time. They're silly. Yeah, the the tattoo of Warner Brothers is just like, yeah, great, go for it. Who cares? Kitchen sink doesn't matter. You're not getting the pot deposit back anyway.

SPEAKER_06 1:47:48

I mean, they really are creatures of chaos, right? They are they are chaotic evil. They are low-key, they are they are fairies, they are throughout folklore and and myth. We have creatures of chaos.

SPEAKER_03 1:48:00

That's why you shouldn't do elf on the shelf. Never invite the Faye into your home.

SPEAKER_05 1:48:03

Ben, to your point, like with Gizmo with like the bow and arrow or having him have some agency to get out of the drawer. It's like Willow. Use the fucking acorn on the dragon thing or something else you encountered before you get to the end of the movie. Do something that gives the character some level of other than a montage. Correct. And the movie does like a busted kind of slale salon, like montage of like Gizmo getting buffed where he buffs through the floor, which is cute. Where but it's also like Gizmo has ripped his shit. Like if he can hold that up and go through a floor, he's got wow, he goes Uncle Iroh.

SPEAKER_06 1:48:39

If anyone gets that, I know you get that reference. I do, Jessica Aaron Martin. Go on. It's from Avatar, the Last Airbender.

SPEAKER_05 1:48:45

Nope, I'm lost. Oh, the M Knight Shyamalan movie. He's my birthday buddy. Wow. He's we're both we have the same birthday. August 6th. Oh, same birthday.

SPEAKER_06 1:48:54

Do yourself a favor someday and just go hard and binge the series.

SPEAKER_05 1:48:58

The hose and gremlin attack, the this electric gremlin's that's been trapped in the phone line. Yeah. I kinda it's there's a level of it to me that's a little bit like that it's Billy that thinks of the plan. Like it feels unearned.

SPEAKER_06 1:49:12

I mean, that whole that whole little sequence, I was like, okay. I mean, this is the whole I was like, yeah, this is why we have an electric gremlin. Like, there's no other reason to have an electric gremlin except for this.

SPEAKER_05 1:49:23

But like, there's no other reason to have a vegetable gremlin or a bat gremlin or smart gremlin. Sure, but the smart gremlin is a fucking smart gremlin is I like the smart gremlin for an absolute Dante's peak. It adds a lot to the story. And that when he gets super smart and it starts with an electric gremlin, it's just a character for plot, right? I I like that clamp and Billy trap it. Like there is a level of clamp with the shredder and the trapping of the electric gremlin.

SPEAKER_06 1:49:53

Why would that work?

SPEAKER_05 1:49:54

I think that would it doesn't, but the movie doesn't care that it doesn't work.

SPEAKER_06 1:49:58

No, but it does work, they they put it on hold.

SPEAKER_05 1:50:00

But it doesn't actually work, is what you're saying. Practically, it makes no sense.

SPEAKER_06 1:50:03

No, it my thing is I misunderstood you. No, I'm just saying, like, in terms of like you create a gremlin made of electricity, and then he's like, okay, and then he just knows that like I'm gonna hold up the phone and it's gonna put it in the phone, and then I'm gonna hold it. Why? We're making why is that a thing? Why do you know that?

SPEAKER_05 1:50:19

We're making similar points where there are things that happen for Billy that are unearned, like he fails upward. Yeah, and and a lot of He never had a fucking plan between movie one and two. Gizmo!

SPEAKER_03 1:50:29

He's just a mediocre white guy. Yes. He's gonna fail upwards his whole life.

SPEAKER_06 1:50:32

I'm gonna be honest, his drawing, not that great. I think it's pretty good.

SPEAKER_03 1:50:36

I think I thought it was pretty good. I think it's a pretty good drawing.

SPEAKER_05 1:50:38

I think it's fine. Who's the elm trees? They say death, they say Freddy Krueger. I think it's fine. They say new line cinema, and that's done with.

SPEAKER_06 1:50:45

But why does he know how to do this?

SPEAKER_05 1:50:46

I think it's kind of what we're saying, where it's just like movie's got a movie, and like Billy has to have these moments because in the 80s, yeah, but he doesn't earn it.

SPEAKER_06 1:50:54

I think he's agree with you. He doesn't lock Gizmo into a drawer, but he does know how to electrocute a bunch of it.

SPEAKER_05 1:51:00

Makes no sense. Did he learn a lesson between then before he says, like, shouldn't have done that? Like, I don't fucking know. I don't know if I care. Okay, I care about stuff in this movie where it's like Gizmo has the smile and the Rambo keyboard buzz plays, like where it refers shit that the movie is trying to be delightful in, where all the gremlins get fried after all their various references. Great effects. Girl Gremlin isn't there.

SPEAKER_06 1:51:27

Oh, yeah, she's she's getting getting it on.

SPEAKER_05 1:51:29

And we'll find out about that later because apparently a couple gremlins in various ways. Gargoyle Gremlin is preserved, right? And Girl Gremlin survived, and whoever's singing in the bathroom in that wedding moment that happens. Is there a gremlin singing? There are gremlins in the background going, but they're all they're humming. Fred gets to be made an anchor because he's been uh capturing all this because he was smart enough to good for Fred.

SPEAKER_03 1:51:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:51:59

I'm happy for Fred.

SPEAKER_03 1:52:00

I think my favorite moment was when he was having his like Tom Brokaw moment on the on the couch with the smart gremlin.

SPEAKER_06 1:52:06

Me too.

SPEAKER_03 1:52:07

I love that moment.

SPEAKER_06 1:52:08

And the smart gremlin. It's so funny.

SPEAKER_05 1:52:14

Can I say creature? Yes. Like the the words that the gremlin that Smart Gremlin uses and the terms and the reasoning, I think, is all just like it's super intentional, but it's also inside of a movie that tonally is just absolutely fucking insane.

SPEAKER_06 1:52:32

I like that the gremlins have the same level of respect for journalists as like a an active war zone. Yeah, they're just like, oh, he's a journalist. Leave him, let him do it.

SPEAKER_05 1:52:43

I was in Beirut. Oh, they must miss you. There's a comment that happens in the But the Gremlins, like, they're like, oh yeah, we understand this.

SPEAKER_06 1:52:49

We don't we don't do anything.

SPEAKER_03 1:52:51

We don't commit war crimes.

SPEAKER_05 1:52:52

Right. But and but they all get what needs to happen in terms of they all get melted, they're all dead, and Clamp comes in with all of his like uh privately paid mercenary soldiers and slips and makes a fucking fool of himself and tells Fred, like, oh my goodness, you were so smart to take all this video and whatever and report the news. I'm gonna make you an anchor. Think evuncular, like think likeable uncle. Like think like somebody that you want to have for Thanksgiving dinner every year.

SPEAKER_06 1:53:25

Is this his Scrooge to Bob Cratchit moment?

SPEAKER_05 1:53:27

I think it is. Like, I think that character goes through, he's super bored, he's conquered everything he can think of in the movie, he doesn't know what to do. Have you shredded my mail? And at the end of the movie, he is motivated to even in his perverse, dipshit, ununderstanding, unrelated way, try to be better.

SPEAKER_06 1:53:47

I I don't disagree with you, but I think it is very clear that that decision was made like halfway through filming, that that character was going to do that, or something, or somewhere around there. Like to me, I'm like, that's your story. Your story is about an asshole fucking billionaire who's going to come around and actually be a benevolent human being.

SPEAKER_05 1:54:08

But that's a dramatic this movie isn't trying to tell a dramatic tale.

SPEAKER_06 1:54:12

You can do that, you can do that in the same way that this movie does it, I think. It just it doesn't do it, it doesn't do it super purposely, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_05 1:54:21

Yeah. I understand what you're saying in terms of rewriting or reframing it. It's not wrong or bad. I just don't see the movie wanting to go for necessarily what you're saying. But it does even at the end where uh you know Dean Norris has to shoot Dean Norris from Brayman. The best the best dean. Can't help himself the best Dean. Can't help himself but shoot the gremlin because he's gotta shoot something, because there's gotta be that guy. But where Clamp starts to tear Fred apart for taking the video or whatever, like it never I and I think the performance sells it. Does it ever just feel to you like at that last moment when uh John Glover is saying, Daniel Clamp is saying, Who told you to do this? Like there's a level of authenticity there that he feels that he's that what he's saying or what he's doing in terms of this attitude or this approach is like not right, not only for money, but like as a a person. He's seen people's potential more and more through the movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:55:30

I'm trying to remember that moment and it's not coming to my brain.

SPEAKER_06 1:55:35

It breezes so many moments, it does do that.

SPEAKER_03 1:55:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:55:38

It it's just that it's the last little moment after the gremlins have all been melted. We're insured for the damages, and Daniel Clamp is like going around and just kind of like finishing sentences, sandwiches, storylines, you know.

SPEAKER_05 1:55:51

I I like though that he he makes this uh comment that this kind of thing that Simpsons does with Hank Scorpio in the problem of yes, Cypress keep creek and unhouse people turning into mailboxes. Hank Scorpio is a great. That's a problem. But the the we've talked about Jurassic Park, the building talking to people and the way that it talks to people, it has this it's got this this howl kind of way that it does things that feels so passive, like just be calm, everything's fine, and it's like no, the fucking world is on fire, people are marrying fucking gremlins or whatever is happening in this movie. The movie just goes Paul.

SPEAKER_06 1:56:31

People can marry who they want.

SPEAKER_05 1:56:32

That's fair. That's very fair. If they want to marry Gremlins, I I like that he ultimately is like he makes a face like, you know what? This is fucking rad.

SPEAKER_06 1:56:41

Let's go. Did he come out a little bit?

SPEAKER_05 1:56:43

Did he realize that he was I think that character is like a repressed character? It's commented on a couple times in the movie, and that he ultimately is just like, I'm just gonna. As far as I know, the world has essentially ended, and like I have nothing to be scared of anymore. I'm just gonna be who I am.

SPEAKER_06 1:56:59

And he always wanted to fuck a little reptilian creature. I don't know that that's what he wanted.

SPEAKER_05 1:57:05

I think he wanted someone or something to be obsessed with him, like he's obsessed with Clamp or the Clamp Corporation.

SPEAKER_06 1:57:10

I just can't think of the keen the Keen Bill sketch where it's just like, yes, this is why we have women in the writing room.

SPEAKER_05 1:57:16

Yes. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Robert Picardo gives into his feelings. The movie finally ends. I've drugged you both through so much of this. I'm so sorry. I love that Daffy Duck pops up four times in the credits.

SPEAKER_06 1:57:31

It is now 2027.

SPEAKER_05 1:57:32

We didn't watch we didn't watch the credits. We made it all the way. I understand why you wouldn't, and I already feel like I lost Jess's heart because I drug her through such a few. I feel like I just rewatched it right now. You're very welcome. And I I cut down my notes more than you believe.

SPEAKER_06 1:57:48

This is what New Year's Eve feels like for me sometimes.

SPEAKER_05 1:57:51

I I don't consider or care about that, so I don't think about it, but I probably should.

SPEAKER_06 1:57:55

It's midnight, it's a lot of reasons. It's way past midnight. It's uh we've fed all of them.

SPEAKER_05 1:58:02

I think uh maybe Jess, you are the most anticipated score, possibly. How should we do this? Well, let her decide. She's the guest. I think that's fair. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 1:58:11

What do you mean decide how to like who like rescore?

SPEAKER_05 1:58:14

Yeah, who goes in what order?

SPEAKER_03 1:58:16

Uh I think let's go uh Paul Ben Jess.

SPEAKER_05 1:58:21

I feel there's a level of guilt and nostalgia that are hitting me now. I think I can stand on everything I said and pretty much everything the filmmakers have done. But I think I have a more clear idea of how insanely fucking specific this movie is. I am gonna leave the heart on the movie. I'm gonna go to four smoke. That's a very high score. I think the movie's lit gorgeously, I think it's scored gorgeously. I love the puppetry, I think the special effects hold up for the era. I find things about it that don't work, where it's a little bit long, or sometimes it picks where it wants to go with characters that have arcs or stories that make or don't make sense. And I do think the movie knows and feels and hates that it is a cash grab. And whether you like that or not is a very personal thing. But I think also on a filmmaking level and level of commitment, as it goes hard in the paint, we were talking about committing a lot through this episode, that this movie does that where many others fear to tread, and I think it's very commendable and it's executed well.

SPEAKER_06 1:59:37

I'm sorry that you had to do that, but I appreciate your honest reaction.

SPEAKER_05 1:59:46

You know, the Saturn Awards in this for fantasy movies, it's a big deal. It's not there for a few Saturn Awards. There's a lot of movies that take from this.

SPEAKER_06 1:59:58

Jess wants to go to bed. Midnight for her, and she's going to turn full gremlin in pumpkin eyes. Um I'll be honest, when I came into this episode, I was closer to a one and a half.

SPEAKER_05 2:00:10

Are you sad you watched this movie? Are you upset you watch this?

SPEAKER_06 2:00:13

Am I upset that I watched it?

SPEAKER_05 2:00:15

Do you feel like it wasn't worth watching?

SPEAKER_06 2:00:17

I mostly, honestly, I mostly felt bored and flabbergasted. Like mostly just like what it was just so much of what? Now, now hold on, but let me let me one and a half was kind of where I was leaning. And so coming in with a two was me going, I'm gonna go to a soft two, and I'm gonna I'm gonna let this conversation unfold. I'm sorry, everybody. I actually think through conversation, that I I won't ever watch this movie again out of choice, personally. So there's no there's no heart for me, but there is so much about the movie that I do appreciate in terms of the uh the effects and in terms of the commentary, which is like a hammer in the fucking head, and and the director of and now again, like what I was referencing with my distaste of some sequels like Lost World and Mummy Returns, I feel like the movie falls into some of those pitfalls, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_05 2:01:10

It predates those, but yes. It does. But that's what I mean, like the the sort of like setting the groundwork for they they wouldn't allow the anger and venom that exists in this movie toward itself in the mummy and yeah, sure. Universal would badly never would never happen.

SPEAKER_06 2:01:27

Um I'm gonna go to two and a half.

SPEAKER_05 2:01:30

I feel really good about that because I think it's a movie worth watching.

Final Ratings

SPEAKER_06 2:01:34

Two and a half gremlin boobs. What's the half boob? That's up to you. We'll do total recall at some point. There you go.

SPEAKER_03 2:01:41

Maybe it's just like an extra nipple.

SPEAKER_06 2:01:42

Um open your mind. It might be an extra nipple. And you know, I do think it's a New Year's movie. Open your mind. Because that meant you can't feed them past midnight and they have a big old party. New Year's New Year.

SPEAKER_05 2:01:53

Like when Harry met Sally, which was our first episode of season three. True. Special. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 2:02:00

I am going to give it two and a half as well.

SPEAKER_05 2:02:03

You're going up as well. I thought you were both going to end up going down because I was so insane.

SPEAKER_03 2:02:07

Take off that little heart because I don't, I'm not gonna seek it out. I'm not gonna avoid it.

SPEAKER_05 2:02:13

But it happened.

SPEAKER_03 2:02:15

But I do you watched it for for the same reasons that you know Ben is saying, is that because while I was watching it, I was like, this film would never be made today. Which I miss that people could make strong choices.

SPEAKER_05 2:02:36

It's kind of special.

SPEAKER_03 2:02:37

It's special, and even when it's a box office flop, it's you know, I'm I'm sure they made their money back on like VHS, but um even if it gets panned, even if like any reason, I do understand and appreciate the artistic merit in this for the effects, for the you know, puppetry, the early CGI, like all of that, but also for the strong, bold directorial choices and um whether like this is my cup of tea or not, like I appreciate that this film exists and what it did, and then I do think it is a pastiche of 80s cinema and pop culture, and is uh a reaction to a film and uh a filmmaker's like personal experience. So I I bumped it up because of the artistry involved in this.

SPEAKER_05 2:03:38

Whether or not you like it, you feel like the message comes across. Like that it that like like stop sending me copies of the movie, stop like bringing Mac and me uh trailer to my talk show. Please, but I respect the game.

SPEAKER_03 2:03:58

Yes, I respect the game of Gremlins 2.

SPEAKER_06 2:04:04

More than the game by Sarah Coates. Or no, that was Lazella, sorry.

SPEAKER_05 2:04:07

It sure was, but Sarah Coates is keeping an eye out from the chopper to make sure we're all safe. Thanks, saddlebags, saddle, side saddle, side saddle, not saddlebags.

SPEAKER_03 2:04:17

Is that her like nickname?

SPEAKER_06 2:04:19

Side saddles too.

SPEAKER_05 2:04:20

Yeah, and sick fuck off and ace.

SPEAKER_06 2:04:25

She has to listen to this episode for sure. Um she'll be back. She'll be back.

SPEAKER_05 2:04:29

Season four. We're excited.

SPEAKER_06 2:04:30

We'll be back in more of season four. Stay tuned in 2026. Jessica Aaron Martin, you got to you got to cap our 2020 or our season three and celebrate the beginning of season four. Happy New Year!

SPEAKER_03 2:04:44

Happy New Year! So excited.

SPEAKER_05 2:04:46

I love that we have all decided this is like a New Year's movie because there aren't a lot of acquaintance.

SPEAKER_06 2:04:53

No.

SPEAKER_05 2:04:53

Our bookends on that note are Jamie Henwood, our What Are We Watching theme and What You Been Doing theme are Matthew Foskett. Fun facts are Chris Old's The Interstitials are me. Our pen. Sometimes when you listen to the debate debate or various other versions of this program, Jessica Aaron Martin comes in and really fucking dunks.

SPEAKER_06 2:05:16

Jessica, where can they find you? Look for you, see your work, do anything.

SPEAKER_03 2:05:19

On the Instagram at Jessica Aaron Martin.

SPEAKER_06 2:05:23

You might find her in an episode of NCIS. Maybe.

SPEAKER_03 2:05:27

NCIS LA.

SPEAKER_06 2:05:28

Streaming's out there. They can watch whatever they want at any time.

SPEAKER_05 2:05:33

I got this movie for$2 because I if you need help, hang up and then dine.

SPEAKER_06 2:05:37

Metroid Other M pod.

SPEAKER_03 2:05:39

Yeah, yeah. Do Metroid Other N. I I don't get residuals from that. But like TV. Enjoy your life. Come to the theater. We produce live shows. 1448 Hollywood motherfucker. 1448 Hollywood. February 6 and 7.

SPEAKER_05 2:05:55

Um follow us on Instagram and Blue Sky at Review X2 Podcast. Text us anonymously. Anonymously. Star Trek contract. Anonymously.

SPEAKER_03 2:06:07

Anonymously.

SPEAKER_05 2:06:09

Google it. Subscribe anywhere that you might do it. We like good pods. Share this. Review. Spread it around. Get wet. Eat after midnight.

SPEAKER_03 2:06:19

Whoa. Whoa.

SPEAKER_06 2:06:20

Get wild.

SPEAKER_05 2:06:21

Yeah, make this same New York New York thing. New York, New York. You want the Predator. Are the Gremlins cousins with the Predator?

SPEAKER_03 2:06:30

I don't think so.

SPEAKER_06 2:06:32

Do they come from a similar planet?

SPEAKER_03 2:06:34

I don't think so.

SPEAKER_04 2:06:36

Could be.

SPEAKER_03 2:06:37

Are they aliens? I don't think they're aliens. I don't think they're aliens.

SPEAKER_00 2:06:41

I think they're just magical earth creatures.

SPEAKER_04 2:06:43

I agree.

SPEAKER_00 2:06:44

Hi everyone. This is JJ, the co-founder of Good Pods. If you haven't heard of it yet, Good Pods is like Goodreads or Instagram, but for podcasts, it's new, it's social, it's different, and it's growing really fast. There are more than two million podcasts, and we know that it is impossible to figure out what to listen to. On Good Pods, you follow your friends and podcasters to see what they like. That is the number one way to discover new shows and episodes. You can find Good Pods on the web or download the app. Happy listening.