Scene DMs
Scene DMs
The One With The Mortal Kombat
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
INTRO
DNo and Merv kick things off with NBA playoff talk, debate whether SGA is already the greatest Canadian basketball player ever after his second MVP, rank the best point guards in the league and in history, share the best new movies they’ve watched recently, and build their ultimate Mortal Kombat starting five.
ACT ONE
The tournament begins as the guys break down the greatest Fatalities and finishers before reviewing the films that started it all: Mortal Kombat (1995) and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997).
ACT TWO
Who has the coldest pre fight one liners? DNo and Merv settle the debate before reviewing Mortal Kombat (2021) and the new Mortal Kombat (2026), diving into the action, characters, and what each film gets right and wrong.
ACT THREE
The best fights in the franchise, a complete ranking of every Mortal Kombat movie, whether the series deserves a trilogy, and first reactions to the new Street Fighter trailer.
HEAT CHECK
Think you know Mortal Kombat? Test your knowledge as DNo and Merv battle through franchise trivia covering the realms, bloodlines, tournaments, behind the scenes casting, and deep cut movie lore.
LEMME PUT YOU ON
One final recommendation before the credits roll.
Subscribe, follow SceneDMs, and join the conversation.
If you want to check out more or get new updates please visit our website scenedms.com for our top picks, movie reviews, episodes, merch, new content, and more.
Click the link to subscribe @scenedms_ page on Twitter and Instagram where we post them. If you have any movie or TV recommendations for us to discuss or review on future episodes then please visit our page, and comment underneath our posts on social. Or email us, at Scenedms@gmail.com if you have any questions that you’d want us to answer on the next show.
All things cinema, theater etiquette, scripts, top fives, favorite actors and directors, and a variety of other categories that cross our minds while watching some of our favorite movies and TV shows. I'm locked in. Are you lights? Camera, come vibe with us.
SPEAKER_02Issue 72. The one with the mortal combat.
SPEAKER_03Your, what's going on? It's your boy Deu Swain. What's good? What's good? What's good? It's Big Merv in the building, as always. Yes, sir. We are back for another edition, a new edition of C and DM. So happy to be back. It's been a hot minute since we got an opportunity to talk basketball. Also cinemas are really here for it. But Murray, what's been going on? How you been? Been alright, man.
SPEAKER_02Got it. You know what I mean? Free me to it's backwards, but you know what I mean? But uh, but yeah, no, I'm I'm doing good, fam. I'm just out here, uh, playoffs going. Got a little, you know what I mean? Suspension thing, but you know, you don't need to really talk about that.
SPEAKER_03Um to as to why.
SPEAKER_02Essentially, essentially, bro, I play on a team that has a rival and they're like two, they're a city away, and then some something happened in the game where like my teammate got pushed. I ran over to, you know what I mean, defend my teammate, and then essentially, like, I got jumped by the entire team. Um and then the referees, it was a whole thing, bro, and then the crowd started fighting each other, it's crazy. But essentially, uh I I got suspended for games because they said I I don't know what I did, but in there's clear video of me not punching anybody or doing anything. I just pushed people and just showed them that.
SPEAKER_03Because the video looks like was it um Captain America Civil War? Or or what's the one with Civil War, yeah, Civil War in the elevator. This guy had or or the Matrix, but Neo had all the Mr. Smiths, the Asian Mr. Smiths on him.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it was like that still. I couldn't, I I still didn't I still didn't get thrown no punches and stuff like that, but I ended up coming out with a broken finger and things. But but uh but yeah, fam. I mean, I mean life's blessed otherwise, season is almost over. Uh just ready, you know what I mean? Move on to bigger and better things and and see what CDM has going on in the summertime, fam. What's going on with you? I know you're back in Vancouver.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's been blessed out here in Vancouver for my fourth season. I kind of feel like a West Coast native at this point. Like I know my way around.
SPEAKER_02It's like just for people now that they're not not watching, he's wearing an LA hat, so he really is a West Coast, West Coast nigga for now for some reason.
SPEAKER_03I don't know why. I still can't get hip to the time zone, though. That's why I can't like watching games at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. is not it for me. I don't I'm missing games by accident because I'm still doing day-to-day activities. It's crazy. I don't like that lifestyle at all. But in terms of-imagine having to stay up till 3 o'clock in the morning to try to watch a game. I know that's your worst, you're right. Forgive me. But I think the the worst thing is, bro, I don't got my bro with me. I'll go to these movies, yo, bro. You see, we kid I think that was the summer I watched the most movies. I'm trying to uh I'm trying to outbeat that number, and I'll do myself this summer. I actually saw a TikTok recently where a girl, she she went on like a movie Marathon where she she watched like five movies in one day. I was like, I was thinking we could have done that, bro. We could have easily done that. Easily done something similar to that. So now I'm thinking, like, man, I might have to do like a movie a day, which I already almost do. But it's like there's not that many, you know. Then you start watching, you know, in international releases and things that you don't really, you know, yeah. But uh nah, I've been cool, man. It's been good to be out here. Um, also just won a championship in Sudbury, so shout out to us for doing that. Congratulations, yes, MVP, finals MVP. Appreciate that. I appreciate that. Finals MVP killing it. Surbre legend. But to keep it on the basketball stuff, um, I want to ask you what your thoughts were on the playoffs. It's tough for me because Bron's not in it, so I haven't been as invested. But since Bron's departure, by the way, he he he went out like uh he went out, he was doing everything himself. Like this was crazy. I'm trying to think of a movie comparison where your teammates were no help. I don't know if there's a superhero movie that's similar to that, uh, where a badge is doing all the work himself.
SPEAKER_02It's just literally, I just always think about Game of Thrones when when Jon Snow and the army was coming at him, and he was just like, I bet. He just took up the sword, he's like, I guess I'm finding these things myself. But uh but that's the only time I can think about it because I can't believe at 41 years old, man, my goat is still out here, still trying to lead teams and do stuff, and I'm like, bro, like how are you even like moving still? How are you even doing the stuff you're doing? But it's just like he's mastered the craft to the point where he's making shots, doing things where it's like he's using his mind. So I don't know, man. Without without Braun in it, I I honestly I feel bad because it makes the state of basketball look bad because of the leadership, but yeah, but man, I just miss Braun, man. I miss watching Braun every single year in the playoffs, watching every game and tuning in, but without Braun in it, it kind of takes away the excitement. People don't realize that this nigga went to the finals eight years in a row.
SPEAKER_03Bro, from from when we're in middle school to university, he was in the finals.
SPEAKER_02He was in the finals, and that's what I'm saying. Like, people don't understand that, like your fam, that's a long time. So if you if he's out of it, it's like it's weird. And and he usually makes it to the finals, and bro, and he hasn't made it to the finals in what six years now? So I'm just like, bro, I sucks to be honest with you. But but nah, but other people have been hoping though, New York, New York might make to the the finals, which is crazy because the city literally might blow up. Um based on that alone, fam. This the the fans are insane, they're crazy, bro. So they might just like light the entire New York City on fire.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, um, it's so hostile, such an advantage to play for the Knicks if you really understand how to shoot there or play well in that arena, man. Like you have the energy behind you, it's a real hard place to get a road winning. It's actually really good for basketball, though. Like having playoff against the garden just makes it look amazing. Like there's the same thing. The Mecca, man.
SPEAKER_02The Mecca. No, but also with that, too, I think that what would be interesting because what um Donovan Mitchell said uh even at the Cavs game, and a couple people said when they when it was Atlanta and it was Philly, it was that what what New York does is that their fans travel, like travel heavy, bro. So like they get they get tickets in certain areas and stuff like that. But then when you look at like the Western side, you look at like um the Spurs and OKC, like you don't see any other fans other than the home fans. Like, you know what I mean? Like, at least they don't show them. It's like very rare and stuff like that. So I think it would be very interesting to see like um uh OKC or the Spurs play against like New York and see if the the and how New York plays on the road and if their fans actually travel to like the Western conference teams and stuff like that, like if they'll be allowed to and stuff like that. But I think it'll be very interesting. I'll be pretty excited about that.
SPEAKER_03A lot of uh great things happening, man. And a lot of stories, a lot of stuff going on, man. What do you think about SGA obviously getting the back-to-back MVP for the NBA inaugural season? He's doing well right now in the playoffs. We have a homie, a mutual friend, who declares if SGA wants another chip and gets another finals MVP, that he will not only be the greatest Canadian to touch a basketball and play in the NBA, but he'll also be among the top three point guards of all time. What are your thoughts on both those things right there? I'll answer after that because I think uh whatever hallucinating drink I told him, make me the same bash, bro. Pour me up as well, but what's your thoughts?
SPEAKER_02Uh man, I think it's I think it's um like obviously Shay's from from Canada, so we always root for our Canadians and want our Canadians to succeed. You know what I mean? Never uh hate Ting, of course, obviously. Um I just think that it's like and I feel like he might think that, he might think that like obviously he's one of the best players of all time, but he might he might not say it because he's just like, yo, like it's disrespectful to the Hall of Famer Steven, like for people to even say that. You know what I mean? People that have like put in the work, like people that were 10 time all-stars and 12-time all-stars and like killing the NBA and did it for multiple years, and Yami Shea has been doing it for the last like four or five years, and I feel like it would just be so unfair to them to because he he did such such great stuff in such a small period of time that they just automatically give him that. That I think it just comes with consistency as well. Because that's what the greats all have. There's never there's never been a player that had a small career that was considered a GOAT. You know what I mean? It's Kareem, it's Shaq, it's Kobe, it's Jordan, it's it's Bron. All these people play what 10 plus 10 plus years of greatness. 10 plus years of greatness. You know what I mean? So to just try to give him that title um before his career is over. Um, I just don't think that's appropriate. Maybe, you know what I mean? Like like we talked about, if he just keeps going and and doesn't stop and he gets uh four four MVPs, four championships, I kinda I can't say anything to that, obviously, like you know what I mean, or three, even three, three P or whatever the case may be. I can't say anything to anything to that, but I think that it's it's I don't want to say disingenuous, but I think it's just like just premature to say that, but premature. That's it. I'm not saying that he won't be. Um I I think he will be, but I just think it's premature to say that. He deserves the recognition though, for sure. I just think it's a good thing. I think it's an accurate a little premature, that's what I would say.
SPEAKER_03I think it's an accurate perspective that you have on that. Um the recency biancy is definitely a thing. A lot of people are drinking the Kool-Aid nowadays. I don't think you're hating it. I think it's an accurate thing to say that you know he could potentially get to that point, but let's just wait and see. Because you never know what could happen, especially when you see a guy like Wemby, a creative player out there. Yeah. He's definitely gonna derail whatever you know Shay is doing right now just because of the phenomenon that he is. But I think if Shay does want another title, um, especially him being the number one option, I think the conversation does change in terms of him being the best Canadian, probably over Steve Nash. Even though Rembi. I definitely will probably take that. Yeah. Right now, I still think Steve Nash is like, you know, a little bit above, but I think it's semantics. I think they're both really great at basketball. They both contributed so much to the game. Their legacy is gonna live on. Even if Shea was to not play anymore, it's like what he did, like you said, coming from a small town of Hamilton. It's like, man, to make it to where he's made it is incredible in itself. But I think you know, Steve Nash, what long longevity, two MVPs, and over the the MVPs over who like he got it over is crazy in itself, right? Over Kobe. I mean, Shea got it over, got it over Jokic and Janis and the Lucas.
SPEAKER_02So I'm not gonna take that away from him for sure. But he did Nash did do it during a time where it was like killers, you know what I mean? Killers, killers, you know what I mean? And and I'm not saying these NBA guys aren't killers right now, and it doesn't diminish his MVPs, but it's just saying how difficult it was at his time to do it. I mean, I guess we sound like old heads now, Jesus Christ. I guess we do. But I mean I guess so. But but no, I'm just saying Steve Nash did it for a longer period of time. That's all I'm saying.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, although the longevity is definitely there. And I think um him changing the pace of basketball, I think you have to give him credit for that, right? He helped invent the modern pace of space offense before the league even understood it. Him and dance only six seconds or less.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. So I can't I can't I can't hate, I can't hate for sure because I don't want to do that to a legend, number one, but also I don't want to do that to Shea, where it's like you put him in a realm where he has to live up to instead of it being where he he belongs, you know what I mean? Yeah, it's like something now he has to live up to. He's like, all right, well, they say I have to do it ten times in a row, blah, blah. It's like, no, no, no, just do your career. You're a great player, you're gonna be all-time great, just do what you do. But I think certain times we like you said, the recency bias is just crazy. So um, and it's no, it's no slight of him. I just want to make that clear to everybody. It's not a slight of him, but we're cheering for him. We're cheering for him. It's just I just I don't want to do that to the greats and put them before somebody else.
SPEAKER_03The fact that he's even among the conversations is a lot in itself.
SPEAKER_02It's a heavy exactly. He deserves it. He deserves it. I I wouldn't say he's not like top, I mean, shoot, top 10. I mean, top 15, you know what I mean, top 10.
SPEAKER_03Uh what I like the most is I think he really evolved like what it means to be a Canadian hooper. Because before him, obviously, you know how it is. We played a university in the States, and it was Canadians are soft and they're this and they're that. And I mean, the flopping stuff, of course, is is attached to his game, but I still think that his poise and his ability to play um calm, not be too high, not be too low, always have that like settled demeanor as if I've been here before, prepared for the moment. I think it's the ultimate evolution of a Canadian baller, man. Like not being emotional when to the point where it hurts you or distracts you from you know completing the mission, um, whether things are going his way or not, on and off the court. And I think that he does a great job of just being still, being in the presence. Um, and I think defenders usually get frustrated because they can't move him, you know, like mentally. And I think crowds get real quiet against him, and he's really good at slowing the game down, and it's like he's utilizing defenders to his advantage, manipulating them. But top three PG of all time is is kind of early because the resumes of Magic Johnson, like, let's be serious, bro. Magic Johnson won in university, then came and won in the league as a rookie. I don't care who was on his team. I don't first of all, you hit the best shot of the of the playoff series to win it. But I don't care if his team was good, bad, or indifferent. Like to be a rookie and come in and win in the NBA, like, I don't care what era that is, that's super impressive. I know his MVP of that too. And you you're you're walking into a different situation. You have to adjust to the different lifestyle, you have to adjust to the different talent, different pace of the game. Like, it's impressive for a young player to come into the league and be the number one option, be the guy and and lead his team to the chip. I don't care who his coach was, like, that's a feat you can't take away from anybody. Um, especially with the talent in that league. And then when you have resumes like Stephen Kerr, you and I always joke around like we don't even like this guy because he took away a couple championships from Braun Braun. But yeah, at the same time, you got to give respect where it's due. He's probably the best shooter of all time, the greatest shooter of all time to play the game. With the accolades that he has and everything, it's like how can you put you know someone that has Isaiah Thomas but Isaiah Thomas?
SPEAKER_02Isaiah Thomas, the John Stocks and the, you know what I mean? Like those guys, like you can't, like, I don't know. I just feel like they have a lot more all-stars and all MBAs under their belt. Um they have less MVPs. They have less MVPs. They they have less MVPs, but he but still, like, I feel like I think the all the all-MBAs and all the all-stars show uh a level of of consistency and longevity. You know what I mean? It's like Kawhi, that's why Kawhi is an interesting subject. You know what I mean? He has two final, he has three, no, sorry, two finals MVPs, two different teams, two chips, and and broke up two dynasties, but at the same time, you're just like, is he an all-time like great? You know what I mean? Like, do you feel him like you see what I'm saying? Like, is he like a top five small forward of all time? And you'd be like, uh his postseasons are, yeah, for the most part. But like, is his regular seasons? Nah, you know what I mean? That's that's the difficult thing about it. That's why it's so hard. That's why I but Shea has the regular season in the playoffs right now, so that's why it's like a I don't know, man. It's a this is an interesting subject, but I don't want to take too much time because you know what I mean. We but so how about this?
SPEAKER_03Who's who's the top five? Just to finish off the conversation of basketball, who's the top five point guards in the league right now? Because if I had to pick rapid fire, I'd go Shay for sure. I think he's elite, he's efficient, mid-range assassin, just definitely that old school aura, that swag. He has all that. Stephen Curry, I even in his old age, he had an incredible season. I mean, he was kind of injured at the end of it, but even when he came back for the play-in and the stuff that he was doing was sensational, bro. Like that clutchness, his ability to still run around and run off screens, the chemistry he has with Draymond. I think uh, you know, he gets attacked on defense, but offensively, I think he still has it. And then, you know, my favorite, I'll argue this to the death of anybody this past season. I think Luka Doncic was the best point guard in the NBA. So for him, like, you know, I watched a lot of Lakers getting to the Browns, so seeing what he does every single night, it was to the point where throughout my season, you know, my teammates were pretending to call me Luca because if I was making certain passes, I'm like, yo, Luca really could, there's not a pass he can't make, there's not a bookie he can't get. So of course I'm gonna put him down as one of the best point guards. And then, bro, I I got to go Jalen Brunson, man. Being consistent, and he kind of reminds me of those like undersized, but plays with amazing heart type of point guards. You love AI, you know, growing up, Barron Davis, you know, the J Kids. Uh, you talk about the Steve Nash, the Jason Williams, the Daron, like uh there's so many players that are just small in stature, but are just incredible when it comes to their fearlessness. And I think that Jalen Brunson is like a bucket, bro, especially in the mid-range area. And I think it's so cool to be on a team where your pops is coaching as well. Like, I gotta show love to nepotism right there. And then, bro, my fifth pick, I don't know if you want to debate this if he's a PG or not, but Kate Cunningham. I think Cade Cunningham is probably one of the best point guards in the game right now. Um, consistently, he's young. He he led a Detroit Pistons team to a great spot, um, led the East, you know, came back when they were down from whatever two games in Orlando to win in the series. I think his pace, his size, his reads, it's scary how good he is now young he is, and then he has all the tools and he uses them, right? It's mid-range, his post-up, uh just throw the ball really well, and he makes great passes. Like I think Durren had a great season because of a guy like Kate Cunningham being able to get him the rock. So those would be my top five PGs right now in today's game.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'd have to, I'd probably have to go the the not the same. I might take out Cade. Um, but I know he had a great year. I might put Tyrese there, Tyrese Maxi, I really love his game. Um I might put Tyrese there, but um I I would say Shay, yes, of course, killer. Um solid on the defensive end, team is winning. You know what I mean? He's a winner, so uh he's up there. Luca, like you said, is bro, there's nothing on the court he can't do um offensively and the passes he makes, the things he does, literally Luca magic. Um legit. Um and like you said, Jalen Brunson again. I think Jalen Brunson again, like you said, it was a good one. Um I'll go Tyrese Maxi, and then obviously I would have to go 30. Um he is getting old, but he is he is he's he's still cooking. He's still cooking. So gotta give respect where respect is due. You know what I mean? So I would that's how much I would say about that for sure.
SPEAKER_03Nah, that's a big time top five right there. Uh let's shift over to what we came here for, man. We came here to talk about cinema, movies. As Merv always says, cinema, absolute cinema. Because guess what? We're gonna talk about something that was crazy, snuck under the radar, but you know, we gotta let people know word of mouth how great this film was. We're gonna talk about some movies that we've watched recently that were the best. And I think there's three films that I've seen over the past week and a half, and I think you watch some new movies as well, so we could just, you know, give some love to it. Usually we do it in the CDF's timeout, which y'all can check out on YouTube. Uh, but right now I want to give some love to because we both saw Obsession. So Obsession, it's a crazy film. You know what I'm saying? It came out this month or this past month, directed by Curry Baker, and it's an indie horror film, right? So I think it's uh iconic that it's doing so well in the box office right now. It's on an unprecedented run. And and the film already made over $80 million worldwise in his first two weeks. So it's it's crazy I was able to do something like that. Um, and you know, it's basically about you know breaking the mysterious one wish willow to win his precious heart. And then he he's kind of like a hobous romantic, the main character, and he finds himself getting exactly what he wanted. But he soon discovers that his desires become a little bit too dark and sinister when he pays the price for it. So one of those movies that examines be careful what you wish for. And it kind of explores that horror of finding someone's mind and ripping themselves away from themselves and that self-governance because the woman wasn't able to really be in control of herself. So that was kind of weird when you're like trapped inside of your own self psychologically. But it starts with a cautionary dark tale, I think, that you know, don't take advantage of people, you know, say with their agency when it's being compromised. And the question is whether love can be considered to be genuine if it's forced or altered or based on a wish, right? So I I thought that was a good movie, had its funny moments, the acting was incredible, wasn't a big cast. Well, everybody understood this is what you think about obsession.
SPEAKER_05Do you like me?
SPEAKER_02I no no no no no no. Do you do you like me? Do you even like me at all? Is it isn't it is Nicki happy?
SPEAKER_05Does Nikki like me?
SPEAKER_02I thought it was uh like you said, absolute cinema. Absolute. I think it was um exactly what kind of horror film that you kind of need now. Um, especially with now we get oversaturated with horror and kind of the repetitiveness of certain horror movies. I feel like this one um actually pushed the envelope of like a simple thing turning into a moral horror. You know what I mean? And and it just being like laissez faire, like it's like, yeah, like I made a wish. And like I call the back of the box and say, like, yo, can I get rid of this wish? And they're like, nah. I don't know what you called. It's like what? Like, you know what I mean? So I don't know. I think it's just an interesting, uh it was such an interesting movie, and then after thinking about some of the things after how it came together, like circle back together, I was like, yo, this movie was great, man. I thought the ending was perfect. I was scared, I didn't know how they were gonna end it. I had a couple ways that I thought it was gonna end, and then it didn't end like that, and I was like, oh shoot. So um, I thought it was really well done, especially for guys that um Came from Instagram trying to direct and come together and I think it was really cool seeing them on the big screen and doing their thing. That was that was tough. And I think the the actress uh E Ida Ida Ida Ida what's her name? Uh Indy Indy Narrat? Indy uh yeah yeah. I think she she deserves an Oscar nomination. Wow, yeah already. I I definitely do. I think that her her she did such a great role. Like it actually terrified me. Like legit. So I think she did such a great role. So um I would say Obsession as well was one of them um recently that I watched that I really loved.
SPEAKER_03Man, we gotta show love, and we're obviously gonna do a separate episode for this in itself. But Michael, I mean highly anticipated movies. You spoke about it. Absolutely episodes previously, you said it's gonna make almost a you said it's gonna be uh uh be a billion dollars. It's gonna make a billion, yeah, and what is it at? It's probably the bill. It's almost there. It's at you know, $788 million worldwide, um, you know, $400 million domestically, like $500 million internationally. It's becoming the second highest grossing musical biopic of all time, trailing the 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody, which we posted a clip for on our Instagram today. Y'all go follow us in DMs underscore. But I thought that movie was was really good. This is how I break it down, Merv. I think we talked about in our text chain a little bit. As a fan of movies, I thought it could have been better. In terms of like, I wanted more uh exploration of like the psychology of what made Michael what he was and like how he made certain hits or spending a little bit more time in that sense. But I guess there's documentaries or different things that I can look at when I want to get that. Uh but in terms of, for example, like why was his pops abusing them? Like they didn't talk about like why like what made his pops want to abuse them. Yeah, they showed his pops abusing them, but like what made what what happened in his pops' life that made him act that way? Like stuff like that would have been cool. But from a from a fan of Michael Jackson's standpoint, the movie was outstanding. Everything that you could have wanted is surpassed my expectations. The live performances, I think that Jafar did a great job. He kind of had the DNA and obviously the spirit of Michael in him, of his uncle in him, and embodying that performance was uncanny. I think uh Nia Long being in it, just knowing our history with her, it's so cool to see her in her later stages of her acting career and still doing her thing. But yeah, all the performances were incredible. I thought that it was cool seeing the costuming, the pacing was fast, but I liked how they're able to get to the major stuff of his moments, and it just felt like a highlight of all the beautiful things. But again, there's so many other things I wish that like someone would tackle when it comes to an MJ movie, but I understand it's difficult when the estate is being attached to it, but it just sucks that like Janet Jackson wasn't in it, and so was like another brother, and they were left out. Or um, but I love that they got to use the real music and things of that nature. And and one of the biggest things I'll before I let you go, bro, I'm so obsessed with no pun intended, with the relationship or the dynamic between Prince and Michael. I I wonder if one day we can get like a documentary or some type of episodic thing, because they obviously respected each other and they were close to collaborating many times, but they never did. And they're two of like probably the biggest figures in music, not even just like the black community, just in space. So I wonder like what their relation was. And I've heard some crazy stories of Prince trying to run him, run him and Michael's mom over with a car after the James Brown performance. Like, I really wish there was more stuff like that. They touched out in the movie where Michael was like, if I don't make this song right now, then God's gonna give it to Prince.
SPEAKER_02It made a couple of us laugh too, because not everybody got that reference. I was dying when you said that.
SPEAKER_03So it's hilarious. But what do you think of that movie, man?
SPEAKER_02I thought it was um, I thought it was great. I thought it it showed exactly obviously they skipped over times and time skips. I don't really enjoy them too much uh when it comes to uh films. Um, especially when it's like, I mean, it's a time skip if it's like, oh, it's a child and then they grow up kind of thing, it's cool. But like when it's a biopic about somebody that's a famous person, we miss out on some of the great years of like what did we miss, you know what I mean? And and knowing what we know, like we know he did stuff during those years. He traveled, he performed, he was with Bob Marley in Jamaica, you know. I mean, there's so many different things um that happened. Uh they performed, they opened for the Whalers, like Bob Marty and the Whalers, like yo, like I I think that that that would have been such interesting stuff to to jump on, but again, the movie's only a two-hour movie, and they could have made it longer, but so it's a two-hour movie, or I I think it was less than that uh movie, and you you can only fit in so many different things and layers that you gotta and then obviously you gotta add in the part where makes it a story, makes it like something like what's going on with him and how it's going, you know what I mean? So that's not just like telling you information, you gotta make it into a story as well. Um but I I I really enjoyed it, man. I thought the performances down there almost got up in my seat. We're in Portugal, so then it's like America and Canada where people are probably jumping up and dressing up, so I couldn't get up. And we watched it in 40X as well. So 40X was I was I thought the chairs were gonna start moonwalking, they didn't I was cheese. Um But nah, but it was a great experience, loved it. I thought Mike, I thought Jafar did a great job. I thought everybody, I think uh Coleman Domingo killed it. Oh yeah. Killed it as as Joe. Like killed it. Like I was like, damn, I hate this thing. But um, I think he he did such a great job uh with that. So um I was trying to think. Um Yo, how about Mike Myers, man? You thought that was crazy. Mike Myers? Nah, honestly, to this to this moment until you said it, I I still don't know who Mike Myers was. Like I like yo, fam, you said that, and I was like, Mike Myers was in a film? I was I guess I was so locked in on Michael, I was like, what? I saw like Miles Teller, of course, obviously, but I didn't see Mike Myers at all. And then you're like, yeah, he was in the movie. I was like, where? And I was like, what part was he at? You know what I mean? And that's crazy because he's such a master of disguise. Yeah, he is. Like literally, he can literally like even like when he was in Glorious Bastards, I was like, yo, is that him? I was like, what? And then all that stuff. So um, nah, but he killed that.
SPEAKER_03That was hilarious because he was telling uh MTV to put the to put the music card that he told Yeah. Hold on, chill.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, uh and then when I replayed it, when I replayed it in my mind, I was like, oh, okay, okay, okay.
SPEAKER_03I can see comedian delivery will never will never fade, bro. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's hilarious. He's hilarious. And now he's a part of two of the biggest bow picks of all time, right? Because he's also a similar role. He was like a label or studio head in Bohemian Rhapsody. So it's crazy that he's able to be a part of most of these legacies.
SPEAKER_02Nah, he's a GOAT for sure. Obviously, that's why he's on my Canadian Mount Response, of course, of actors.
SPEAKER_00You can put them all in a plastic bag, cover the plastic bag in Crisco, and then shove them up your ass. Yeah, your butthole.
SPEAKER_02But nah, I think that like what you said, I I I understand people want to see that stuff, but it's such a how do you say, like a uh like a snowball effect. Because it's like, okay, if we watch why Joe ended up being like that, and we watch why did Joe's dad start being like that? Why did Joe's Joe's dad, you know, Joe's dad's dad start being like that? It's like how much further down the line do we need to see to see, you know what I mean? Some things like it's just like it's like you have to watch the movie from everybody's perspective, which would be a dope thing to do because it's like you're making a movie from every single person's perspective, but it's Michael. You know what I mean? So you have to watch it in that regard and and not really think about like uh oh, like why is Joe Jackson doing this? Or why is Marlon doing this? Or why is whatever doing this? It's just kinda like that's why I felt about it at least. I think that was so difficult. Um the part I I did want to see though, or that I didn't know because I didn't really know much about the Jackson, uh the Jacksons, I only knew much about Michael, uh, is that they had like ten siblings, uh like nine or ten siblings, and I was like, but there was only six of them in the film. Yeah. And then come to find out there was so many of them that weren't. Obviously Jan Janet wasn't, and I was confused. I was like, where was Janet at the entire time? Um so yeah, I I don't know. I thought that part was kind of sad because I would have loved to see her in it, but she she gave it to her support and that was the best she could do, so that was the best we feel about her. So I can't really can't really hate on it. And that's as her brother, she loves her brother, so she wouldn't miss out on her if it was, you know what I mean? So yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, bro. I I'm tight because she I think she they said she's spazed at the premier. That's what I'm saying. I want to know, I don't know what the what the real story is, but but because obviously his kids were upset, but we saw Janet, she was says that she wanted to be a part of it, other people didn't want to be a part of it, but I still thought it was a good movie. What do you think about like Biopics having a sequel? I think it's like the first time we've ever seen a Bob Pic doing like a part two theatrically in a sense where it's like we didn't complete it. So I think they're gonna tackle more stuff. I heard they might be tackling like some of the cases, some of the Never Never Land stuff. And yeah, again, I I think that nothing could ever destroy my image of MJ in my head and how great he was as an icon. So whatever dirt or whatever they try to say, like personally, I'm on the other side of it. I think he will he didn't do any of that stuff. And I think that um even if they were to touch on some of the allegations, I still don't think it would taint my relationship with who I think he was. And that's him as an artist and the the art that he's contributed to our world. But at the same time, I think it would be interesting to at least tackle some stuff like his relationships. You know what I'm saying? Like he was yo, Michael was a girl, still people don't even understand.
SPEAKER_02Don't get it. People were talking about like, yo, American. I I seen Marlon, I seen Marlon, somebody said about Marlon. Marlon said one time he was just like, because uh somebody asked him if you if Michael was gay. Yeah, he was like, he's like, leave your girl in the room with Michael and see and see if he's gay. They said, yo, he used to be clapping things. That's what they said, that's what his brother said. Yeah, so that's why I'm just like I get confused about it, but you know what I mean.
SPEAKER_03I mean, I think he wants to be mysterious, and and that's why his image and everything obviously, even like, yeah, I wish they touched on the Villa Lago a little bit more. I know that he said because of it, but I wish they they they talked about like a little bit more. But I again there was at least some some inclement of like what was going on and why he made certain decisions. And we know that they have to dramatically change the ending of the movie because of the lawsuit as well. So yeah, I think with more time and obviously more money for Antoine Foucault, he's gonna get an opportunity to add to the story and even make it bigger and better than what it was. But I thought it was an incredible film. I think the last one I wanted to talk about show Love to real quickly was It's Got Is. I think that was uh a really good movie that came out. Um it's like a Neo-Western revenge thriller directed by Alicia Harris. And it was based on a play that she wrote in 2018. But the film basically is cool because it explores like the dark cycles of generational trauma and the complexities of morality of violence, and it talks about the beautiful and also the the different kinds of levels of like a black woman and what they go through and their female empowerment and what it costs to like break free of the sins of your of your of your past and your family's your family's sins too. Like that's the kind of thing as well. But I thought it was really well done. It kind of reminded me, I did a little review, but it kind of reminds you of like Kill Bill mixed with Moonlight. So it's really, really dope. Angela uh Bible A. Fox is in it. Um Stardon K Brown is the bad guy, that's in it. Uh so I think it's uh a movie worth mentioning. Um, it's not playing in a lot of theaters, but I think it's something that people should talk about. But yo, we're here for Mortal Kombat. So let's get to it. Before we get into the first act, first of all, did you play Mortal Kombat games growing up, or were you more of like a Tekken or a Street Fighter guy? Like what were you?
SPEAKER_02I was not allowed to play a lot of those games because I would emulate the actions of my little brother. Um or or me and my older brother were trying to do different stuff, or the older brothers were trying to do different stuff. So um, but yeah, no, I I think I was more of a Tekken. I played a lot of Tekken, a lot of Tekken actually. Um and a little bit of Mortal Kombat, but not that much where I was like, oh, like you know, I mean when Mortal Kombat like 11. I remember when you were playing it, I think it was 11. I think that was 11, you had it. I don't remember. And like I was just like, I'm not really into it. I don't know the story anymore, especially because it's such a storyboard of a game. I was like, I don't know the story, I don't know anything. I just know Sub Zero and Scorpio, Scorpion, and Johnny Cash and Sonya, Jax. I know like all the main and Raiden, Liu Kang. I mean that's a main group, but I don't know anybody else.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And then stuff like that. But um, but yeah, no, I was uh uh I may have played it sometimes, essentially.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I I played it quite a bit growing up. Um I don't think I had every single one consistently because again, obviously I had a mom's who was like, gang, no. You're like, what do you mean what do you mean brutality or fatality? What are you talking about? You're eight years old, relax. Go play Sonic the Hedgehog. Like what do you do? So I had a couple of them. When I was on my pop sauce, I had more of them. You know, Pops will let you do, will let you watch it and play any type of game. Oh, Violet? Oh, yeah, yeah. I teach you how to be a man still. Great, great, great game. But um, I I I love the soundtrack. I love obviously the finishing, the secret characters, and that was pretty cool being able to unlock characters and everything like that. And that was back in that time too, when you could do like unlock, you know, special different buttons that can unlock different things, like uh combinations on some GTA stuff, codes, essentially. Um But I felt like it was cool because it felt like it was like a forbidden game. Like, ooh, I shouldn't be playing this, but I used to love playing. Uh I think the one thing that drew me to Mortal Kombat, because like you said, I play a lot of tech game and Street Fighter as well. But what drew me to Mortal Kombat, it was like it was more than violence. It was a game that was like, yo, we're not afraid to have mythology. Like we're we're okay. We're we're gonna create origin stories for each single character, and we're and we're gonna lean into it. And every fighter felt like it came from some type of world that wasn't seen. And I love that about it. But if you had to, you already mentioned some, but who is your starting five for the top five Mortal Kombat favorite characters? Favorite? I would have to go.
SPEAKER_02Oh take that out, Marla. Uh my favorite, my favorite character would probably be. Oh no, honestly. I would say maybe Johnny. Okay. He's not my favorite though, but he's like the most well known outside of like uh like Scorpion. You know, Scorpion's from hell. I I don't know. See, I don't like this list no more. Let me say 75, 75, 75. I won't put I won't, no one, no, no order. I would say Sub Zero, Scorpion, uh, Liu Kang, uh, Shao Kahn. Um, Katana.
SPEAKER_03Tough.
SPEAKER_02Very tough. Yeah, I'll say what would you say?
SPEAKER_03Uh Scorpion and Sub Zero, man. You know, that's like Brada FJ. You gotta be on every of this, that's for sure. Um Lu Kang is the chosen one. I'm gonna go Raiden, bro. I was a big fan of the King. I was gonna go with him, yeah, too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Man, you you said Katana. I love Katana. I love her, I love Melina. Um, you know what? I'm gonna go Kung Lao is so tough with the hat, bro. I was crazy with Kang Lao. Kung Lao is insane with the hat, bro. You know what? For for some of the Mortal Kombat fans, I'm gonna go with Smoke. I used to love Smoke, bro. Smoke is OD as well. Smoke is tough. Um, if I do an honorable mention, of course, Ermac and probably Reptile through in there. I was gonna say Ermac too. I was gonna say Ur Mac too, but Urmac is crazy. Um, but yeah, that's dope, man. Let's take a quick time out before we come back with some more CDMs. Yur, what's going on? We are back, CDMs, man. Issue 72. It's the one with the Mortal Kombat, and man, this is gonna be a great episode, a fun one talking about a video game that was adapted into a franchise, and a franchise that's making a lot of money. Um, you'd think there'd be some more movies in this franchise, but I mean, it feels like every time they put out like a decent one or a one that makes money, the next one after that uh severely struggles. Um, let's take a break. But right now we know the recent boom of video game movies. We might have to do a part two. We did an episode season one about this, but you know, the Smash Bros is taking off, the Sonic the Hedgehogs is taking off. Uh there's so many movies right now that are based off of video games that are making uh enormous around amount of money. So I mean, I think Mortal Kombat was like, why not us? But before we start reviewing the films, uh let's talk about who do you think or what are some of your best you know finishers in Mortal Kombat, if you had to think of any from from anybody that fatality or something that you remember playing in the game or in the movies. One I know is uh is it Noob?
SPEAKER_02When when he and uh Noob Noob, he go him and him like split the person in half when they when they like separated and then he whatever. I think that one was tough. Uh Cyrax, when he blows up the entire planet. Or he when he th he throws the bombs at you and he blows up the entire planet as one. Um one of the recent ones, man, I like uh I like the Omni Man one, the train. Yeah, the train. The train one, the train one where he takes down to the train and kills everybody in the train track, but and also the the player. Um man, I'm thinking about some of them. Some of them are really bad, bro. Honestly, I'm not gonna lie. Yeah, some of them are crazy. Some of them are OD. Um, but yeah, those are some I can think of. Like I was saying, those are some of the best ones I can think of.
SPEAKER_03Um I'm gonna try to see if I can see some more right now, but uh uh the Sub-Zero one where he takes the spine out, he rips your spine. I think that's like the icon. Oh my god, that one's OD. Yo, that was insane. That became like an urban legend, but seeing a character kind of pull someone's spine out with a skull attached. Like, are we are we serious? It kind of reminds me of those like old school Kung Fu moves that he's like, I'll take your heart and actually take the heart out, but it was like a whole spine, bro. I think uh Scorpion's sick one was when he used to take his mask off and reveal the like his skull.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, the fire?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was that one was tough. That was tough. Yes, because like someone's burning alive under there. That was pretty crazy. Um, I think Lu Kang turning into a whole dragon and eating his opponent. That was that was pretty sick.
SPEAKER_02Like Kung Lao and the Kung Lao in the hat. On the floor? On the floor? Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Kung Lao on the on the floor, yeah, that one's serious, though. It's insane. That one's serious, though.
SPEAKER_03I'm under throwing Johnny, Johnny Cage's uh sack the the the undercut where he makes a split and hits someone in the nuts.
SPEAKER_02Oh, it's a split and it hits them in the nuts. I hate that one. I hate that one. It's such a cheap, it's iconic, though.
SPEAKER_03It's crazy.
SPEAKER_02It's crazy.
SPEAKER_03But man, all right, let's start reviewing these films. The first film, uh Mortal Kombat, conducted by Paul W. S. Anderson, came out in 1995. It had a great cast, man. I actually like this cast. The cast was kind of true to, you know what I'm saying? When we talk about the casting for Michael, everybody looks like who these people were.
SPEAKER_02Raiden was white, bro. Raiden was white, so that's that's not to say the casting was great. Let's cop down. Yeah, that's Cobb Down.
SPEAKER_03You gotta get a great actor to play the role, bro. Um, but this this film, um, it made $122 million, budget at $18 million. Uh, so it made its money back tenfold, and it basically follows the story of the Earth Realm fighters. Three of them Liu Kang, Johnny Kane, Cage, sorry, Johnny Cage, and Sonia Blade. And they're being pulled to some interdimensional martial arts tournament where the fate of the Earth literally depends on the victory of them because they're down 9-0. What's the same? Like, how are you down 9-0, bro?
SPEAKER_02Like, I every time, bro, it's 9-0, bro. It's 9-0. They're down 9-0.
SPEAKER_03That's it. That's insane. But I guess it adds to the pressure of the the series, the situation.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so they they skip they because they say it happens every like what century. Like, it happens not that one every once every generation. So I'm like, um, it's been nine generations being getting your ass whooped. But I bet.
SPEAKER_03But this one uh focuses on Shang um with Shang Shen and him overreacting and being that villain in that movie that tries to cheat. They all try to cheat, but he's like, I'm trying to dunno the fighters before the fight even happens, which is the same level of cheating. But um, he's trying to help the outworld conquer Earth through the tournament victories. And the reason why I listen, man, I like this movie a lot. I think um it was funny. One of my first relationships to uh video games and movies being adapted at a young age. Uh, it actually might be a situation where my dad showed me the movie before I actually played the game, and then it was like, oh wait, this was oh, okay, this is based off this. All right, cool. Uh, but I think what makes it really work to this day is one, I think it it holds its tone. Like that film is confident and it's it understands that, yo, this is ridiculous and we don't apologize for it. It knows that it has ninjas in it, it knows that it has thunder gods in it, it knows that it has people who are stealing uh your soul, sorcerers who are stealing your soul. And it has like these great set pieces, bro. Like all these tournament part fight battle scenes look incredible, whether it's like the the spooky islands or whether it's the fantasy worlds and stuff like that. And it fully leans into the madness um instead of grounding the material, which I like because I feel like some of the other films like they struggle from that and they're they're like embarrassed. Um, so I really like that. And I think that uh the theme music is one of the biggest things from the movie, right? Like you think about the soundtrack, it the way that the song was able to be permanent through workouts. I still hear some of those techno songs now to this day. Uh I think it's iconic whenever you hear that. But when the beat drops and the title screams that morning, like I you can't help but to start just fist pumping on some jersey stores, Jersey Shorts type stuff. So I like that a lot. But um the last thing I'll say about this, I I really like the villain, man. I think the villain reminds me of those old school, you know, we we obviously did a Bruce Willis, not a Bruce Willis episode, but we did an episode about Um die Hard, and we talk about the villains in those movies. But what happened to those Shakespearean villains, man? I feel like villains nowadays are too cool. Back then, I liked how like over the top villains were. I like, I think that's why I like Jim Carrey in the new Sodic movie, because he's over-the-top. Obviously, that's more com comedic and purposely intentional and being funny goofy. But I like those villains who are like, they have a personality, like because it makes him distinctive. It makes it like, oh yeah, I remember this villain. This is how he sounded, this is how he looked. So I think that the guy playing Shang-Shu's performance is really something that kind of carried the film in a sense.
SPEAKER_02Um Shang Sun's Shang-Sun.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, because every like line reading that he had, it just felt like iconic. He's just like, yo, your soul is mine, or like how you would just say certain things and do certain things. But to the point where they use they use his voice and his like face for the actual Mortal Kombat games. Game from Africa, yeah. He killed that role, right? So I just like that. Like I said, nowadays I feel like villains are too cool. Like, like I like my villain to to have some swag to him, but also be a little different. Yo, brother, so he's mine.
SPEAKER_04If so much is touching K.
SPEAKER_05Going to need to see Nighton.
SPEAKER_03Your soul is mine. And the last thing I'll say is, bro, I think that uh the movie really respected the source material and it didn't try to outsmart it, but the fighting to me is was really good. Like that that scene at the end with uh Shao Sung and um and Liu Kang, I think was incredible, and it gave like Liu Kang his like emotional character arc of being able to redeem or have some type of redemption for his brother after seeing you know the dream of him and one of the first opening scenes. He has a dream and everything. So I think it brought the movie together full circle. But I just loved uh Katana in it. I loved uh the fighting scenes and the CGI was like damn near better than some of the CGI I've seen recently in certain movies. So I think that uh it was it was a solid film. But what did you think about the first one?
SPEAKER_02No, I thought the first one was was it was decent. Especially when I watched it as a kid, it was it was a lot better. But when I watched it now, I'm like uh it was alright, you know what I mean? It was cool, but um especially watching the new effects and everything, like watching it as like my older mind, I'm like, this is a terrible effect. But I guess but from the source material and the and the subject matter, um, it kind of f follows it a little bit. Um based on like I told you, I watched like a whole three-hour lore film on all the games ever. Um and it kind of follows it a little bit. You know, I mean it stays to the source material on a lot of background information and stuff like that. How it starts, really not the same, but it's uh kind of follows the same kind of stuff and stuff like that. And I think the casting outside of Raiden wasn't bad. Um I think that it was actually pretty decent. Um so I um I enjoyed that. I enjoyed that. I thought coming together, especially as the first one of those at that time to make video games into movies, I thought it actually did a really good job of doing that. I agree. Especially a fighting game like that, yeah.
SPEAKER_03And like I said, yeah, you talk about the fighting. I think that's what I really enjoy was the fighting. But even like the animatronics of like Goro, that part of him, like I I I appreciated them doing that because it kind of reminded me of obviously we love Alien and we know the real the practicality they use for that. Um like James Cameron, you know, those type of guys, Spielberg actually, with uh, you know, uh with Jurassic Park, like using actual animatronics, I appreciate that more so than doing the green screen uh CGI stuff. So I thought Goral, even though at times you could tell you look like fake, I was like, man, this is so cool. Um, instead of like some type of BS uh visual effects, but like the fighting scenes, like I said, were so cool. The guy who played Luke, like his fighting scenes were iconic, bro. Like he was really and now that we understand we understand the acting world, I'm like, damn, he bro, he probably had to do that take like like 20 something times, gang. Like he was not throwing no kicks.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, deadass, bro. And I think that I spell I spell uh as well with Luke Kang's character. I think they did a good job of like what he is to the lore. I think they did a good job, at least in the first one. Because he is that he is that man, like he really is like that. Like he is really like that, like he really liked that. So um I was glad he actually was able to do all that. But uh, but yeah.
SPEAKER_03Oh, and this part's for Uche. Uh Lil Wayne upgrades you freestyle. He said, feet hanging out the window, like no, no, no, no. What did he say? No, no, no. Actually, he says that in a different song. He says Luke Kang twice. Another song, I'm thinking about the um man, the song was Shorty Lowe. They know, they know remix where he says, All my kicks fly like Liu Kang. As a kid, I was like, nah, this guy Wayne's crazy. Because you know, flying kicks, Luke Kane has a special where he he could uh levitate in the air and do like 25 kicks in a row. Crazy. Anyways, that's for Uche. Uh you want to talk about the second Mortal Kombat? Because it was an abomination, but it was titled Mortal Kombat Annihilation. Annihilation, which it should have been abomination.
SPEAKER_02Um, yeah, so that one came out in 1997, if I'm not mistaken. Um, and it follows, it's like really it follows right after the Mortal Kombat, the first one. But clearly the actors are also different. Umly two of them returned. Yeah. Only two of them returned. So it was clearly very clear that nobody wanted to be a part of the second part of the.
SPEAKER_03Wait, let's let's let's take it back. The coach didn't even run it back. The coach left. The coach put a Kawhi. Paul Paul W. S. Anderson didn't return. He passed on on directing the sequel. He said, I'm actually gonna do something bigger and better. Thanks. Um, and I think that's also why this movie suffered and in tone and it looks so different from the first one. Like to the point where it does.
SPEAKER_02It just is it uh especially like from a story standpoint, it's very, it's not very good. Um I think they they try to keep some things like killing off Johnny. Yeah, and Shao Kahn shows up right after, and he's like, he's doing, I mean, he's trying to do all his taking over. I thought that was pretty cool. But essentially just follows that because then Shao Kahn kills Johnny. Kills Johnny, murks him. So they're like, yo, like we gotta like try to fight, fight these guys because these guys just dipped out. We gotta like do something. Liu Kang wants to go back and murk off these guys. Um Raiden, Raiden's watching all this and he tries to help out at first when he tries to help um kill him. Um, but then they go back and then now they're trying to figure out like what to do next because like they're supposed to meet up with like different people, and like they keep saying to Lu um Lu Kang, they're like, yo, you're not ready. You're not ready. And he's just like, fam, the entire movie, huh? The entire movie, he's a chosen one. But they keep telling him, Yo, you're not ready. You're not like that. You're not ready, you're not ready, you're not ready. So, anyways, he runs into this girl named Jade. Um, and for people that don't know, uh well, I guess you'll find out. Uh Jade uh ends up helping him out um to try to figure out how to get back at um God, these names, bro. Uh to try to get back at Shao Kahn. They all like link up together or they like defeat a couple people, but when they meet up with Shao Kahn, it was like a setup thing. And um and now they have to try to fight out um uh what's his name? The fam again. Shao Kahn. For the love of God, bro. You gotta murk this guy off, blah blah blah. Um and then they run into Jax. Jax is another character that that came up came about. He's really good friends with Sonya Blade, um, uh and things like that. And bro, the movie honestly is not very cohesive. So that's why I'm actually jumping all around because it's not like it's not a good movie, bro. It's like one of the worst movies ever. So I'm trying to like tell you as much as I can with the information that I have. So, anyways, um I'm just looking at my notes. Raiden is watching all this happen because again, he's uh like a uh he gets promoted to being like an elder god or something like that or something like that. I forget. And and then he like denounces everything and was just like, nah, I want to become like a regular person. Um and go help them. So he like cuts off his hair. Now he's just a white guy with blonde hair. Bro, honestly, bro. I'm trying to explain it to you the best I can, but anyways, that's what he does, and then he like ends up fighting more of these guys, and I essentially bro, the movie's trash. I I don't know what to say to you, bro. I don't know how what else to say. Like, there's nothing cohesive about the story, there's nothing good about the story, like nothing happens where it's like, oh my gosh, like this is such a great movie. Like this movie is one of the worst movies ever. Literally. Um, and I'm not hold I'm not holding back any punches with this one because it is literally one of the worst stories. So yeah, so that's the kind of rundown of that trash movie that I couldn't even like finish.
SPEAKER_03Well, it made $51 million significantly less than like more than half uh the the the less than what it made last time. But you're right, man. I think it was uh it was sloppy.
SPEAKER_02Sloppy, bro. That's why I'm cheese. People are thinking I'm just like trying to skip through no, like this is sloppy. This was like really bad, bro.
SPEAKER_03Like, they didn't have the budget to finish certain scenes, like all the animality transformation scenes look so unfinished. And Shao Khan, even him as a character, looked like like they got Bigfoot or the Big Show. Sorry, not Bigfoot, Big Show from WWE or something like that. Uh, to like cosplay, like Zeus. Like, it just looked like a bad costume design of who he was. Then it looked his face looked terrible. It felt like they're just doing it just because like there's so many characters that popped up and disappeared without any explanation, or characters that had entire emotional arcs in 30 seconds, which makes heroes.
SPEAKER_02Smoke pulled up. Smoke pulled up, Cyrax pulled up. I'm like, fam, where are you guys even coming from? What's the backstory to you guys?
SPEAKER_03It was insane. It felt like the worst version of again Captain America Civil War when automatic show up together. Um, or is that no, yeah, Winter Soldiers when Iron Man and things go dumb? But uh Civil War when everybody kind of showed up at the airport and for that iconic scene, but they do that right. This one felt like I was like, who are these created characters, gang? Like these characters don't exist, they're just putting powers together. It was horrible, man.
SPEAKER_02That was and if I didn't watch the lore, if I didn't watch the lore video before, before it, and then watch it, I would I would have been so lost, bro. I would have been lost, I wouldn't have known anything. Because, like I said to you, I didn't play the games like that. So you're you're introducing characters I don't know, and I like should have some emotional connection to, but I don't because I don't know who they are.
SPEAKER_05Face it, Luke.
SPEAKER_00You will fail the feel.
SPEAKER_04Oh no, I've seen everything.
SPEAKER_03I think uh if you're attached to the film, especially when it comes to nostalgia, um, then this is considered a disaster. Like you'd be super disappointed as a fan. Um I think this is probably one of the worst movies I've ever seen. And re-watching it, I felt the same way. Honestly, re-watching this for this episode, I wasted my time, and and for the week, I felt like it was literally. It's the worst thing that happened to me this week outside of outside of me hearing a report or reading a report, sorry, that they're gonna remake The Godfather. That almost almost almost went crazy. They said they're gonna remake the godfather? I sent you the DMs though. Yeah, yo, I'm not gonna lie. I I crashed out. I said, nah, these gonna troll it, they're joking, right? There's no way. Um they can't they don't have any original ideas, bro. There's original ideas.
SPEAKER_02That's that's like that should be untouchable work. Like you like There's certain things that you should never ever remake that should never be touched. Never. Never. That's insane. That's what I feel about heat, but but they're touching it. So but they're allowing it because they're they're they're bringing back the original director and they're bringing and they're bringing Leo and all the guys.
SPEAKER_04I see what you're gonna talk about. It's like when uh a man takes a shot, the coach is like, no, no, no, actually, yeah, yeah, yeah. Go ahead.
SPEAKER_03All right, man. So we come to a general consensus, man. The second one shouldn't have happened. Um, it was a disgrace. And uh, yeah, probably one day we're gonna talk about the worst movies of all time. This has to be on the rushmore of it. Um can't believe they put this on into theaters. But that is the end of act one, and we're gonna take a quick media time before we get to act two, so don't go anywhere. We'll be back with more CNDM got rid of Yur, what's going on? We are back, C and DM's act two, it's issue 72, the one with the Mortal Kombat um Q Marlin playing Mortal Kombat right there, because that's so good. Um, we got some hungry lawyers. Um man, but speaking of Mortal Kombat, when it comes to these characters, they have such I think memorable one-liners that really make them feel more personable. You really get to relate to certain characters and get a better feel for them when it comes to their attitude or line deliveries. But who are among the best characters that have the best one-liners, if you had to say? Because I have a little list of a couple characters that I feel like it's hilarious. Anything, but oh no, no, what are you saying? Nah, yeah, go ahead.
SPEAKER_02Who are you gonna say? I was just I was gonna say like anytime Kano talks, I think it's hilarious. That man is hilarious, bro. No matter what he says, he's just hilarious, bro. He's just wild and he just says whatever. In the games, I'm talking about too. Like the movies, obviously, he's hilarious too, like the reason, especially the recent ones. But like, bro, in the games, he's hilarious, bro. He just says whatever.
SPEAKER_03Bro, he's just whatever comes to mind. He's he's KG, still. He's OG, he's he's like the OG best trash talker in the game for sure. Like Kevin Garnett. He talks trash to like he'll talk trash to Shao Khan. Like he talks trash, like he doesn't care. He doesn't care. He doesn't care who he's talking to, he's talking crazy. He's trying to slide on Sonya, but dissing that at the same time. Like the man, the man's hilarious though. His one-liners are incredible and he's fearless. Uh, you gotta give it to Kano, man, because he has that best uh that pure trash talking energy.
SPEAKER_01What I want to know, if this Shang Song guy is so great, how come he's got such a crummy looking boat? Hmm? Yeah. Anyway, guy gives me the creeps, a treasure of these moments.
SPEAKER_03I spoke about Shang Song. Like, I think that him and his like Broadway type of like Shakespearean deliveries is hilarious. Yeah. Uh I think Scorpion has them, he's like the maximum aura. He's like Shay, man, minimal dialogue, but but he'll say one thing, get over here, or so, or something like one little thing, and it'll get everybody, you know.
SPEAKER_02He's a real hate. Like he hates sub-zero, huh? Everything to do with sub-zero.
SPEAKER_03They're linear, they hate their tribes hate each other. Like, there's no there's no reconciliation. There's no let's say, bro, died?
SPEAKER_02All right, bet. Lil bro, I I I I got it.
SPEAKER_03Back is in blood for life.
SPEAKER_04Matter doesn't even care. He said, Oh, we're both in hell, I will haunt you in here too.
SPEAKER_02Like, yo, let it go, man. I said I'm dead. No, no, I can come back alive for this. I can come back alive for this.
SPEAKER_03That's insane. Yo, you mentioned it, but Johnny Cage, right? I think that he's hilarious, especially because we love movies. So him just being an actor, I think, is just hilarious every time he says some things. Um, in the first one, I thought hit hit that scene where he was like, This is the part where you fall, and the guy doesn't fall, and he's like, Oh, where do you get these guys?
SPEAKER_02This is where you fall down.
SPEAKER_04Where do you get these guys? The press says, I don't know how to do this stuff. That part was hilarious. Where are you going, John? I wanted a trailer, so like he's actually hilarious.
SPEAKER_03He's hilarious. That was a good one. Um, and I I would say Raiden too. I like Raiden because Raiden will say like some half-wise stuff, like it'll be the wisdom, but then it'll be some other stuff that needs some context. I don't know. It's like he's like the master philosopher, but the master guy where it's like, yo, what did he say? Are we sure what he said makes sense? But then maybe it does make sense. It's especially hilarious when he talks. But man, let's review the next Mortal Kombat. So this one came out uh 2021, directed by Simon McCoy, and it has a solid cast as well. It's alright, not too bad. It made approximately 84 million dollars, but you know, this movie came out during the pandemic, so it was rough. Uh, you remember those times? It was very hard for a lot of movies that they took a lot of uh damaging impacts and effects because of pandemics in the theaters and whatever, and movies being released theatrically, but then going straight to streaming right away.
SPEAKER_02So during this time with the bootleg. So I that's alright. No, I ruined I ruined the numbers because I watched that bootleg.
SPEAKER_03Yo, it could have been 100 mil. What's wrong with you? Uh me. That's me still. This guy write it back. Yo, what they say about uh uh the iceman, how it's uh uh diamonds going could 10 times platinum in the crib. Oh yeah, easy. Oh, so what a combat was double platinum immersed crib. Oh, double platinum, double platinum, trust. But it came out simultaneously on HBO Max and also in theaters, but like I said, non-theaters from long because 2021. But I think the reboot, um I understood something immediately. This is this is the first time where people were more self-aware, I think, especially now in the 2020s. People are way more like this, the fandom. We talked about this before with like Dune and uh Planet of the Apes and different franchises, where it's like the fandom now affects how scripts are being made. Like these movies not going forward, they're like, oh, we're listening to what the fans said, the complaints about the last ones, all right. We gotta add this character, and okay, we gotta do that, we gotta make sure blah blah. So I think this is the first one where like the Mortal Kombat film understands what the fans wanted immediately, and the fans really wanted brutality. Because if you if we talk about the first two movies, we don't see like blood that much. I think in the first one, when Liu Kang's fighting uh Shang Sung at the end, he's kind of bleeding from the lip a little bit. That's about it. But this film sets the tone. You see, you see the when like Mer was talking about when I was playing those video games in the condo or the townhouse, he would come downstairs and see me playing these games like they're taking out body parts, they're taking out organs, you're seeing bones, you're seeing gore. And I think this film really embraced that properly, and then it really adds to the action and makes it like a real thrilling experience, especially when you see it in theaters, but the bone snapping, the blood spraying, the fatalities really landing the way that fans expect them to, I think was cool. Because that opening sequence, like I said, was amazing. You got a sub-zero who's like genuinely excellent the way his casting was, his character was. Plus, he's being played by a hero, um, the guy that's like I said, who's in um Shogun and who's in John Wick in so many movies, legendary martial artist, um uh heroy Sonata. And he gives that emotional weight in the movie, right? And then you you also have Sub Zero who's terrifying because he's so calm, but he's also like a menacing figure. Uh no screaming, you know, but at the same time, he's just killing efficiently. But uh I think one of the biggest problems, like I mentioned to you off the screen, bro, was the movie peaks in the first 10 minutes. I think I think it has such an incredible opener that it just descends from there. Uh, it has its moments for sure. Some cool fight scenes, a couple characters here and there. But the original character of Cole Young, and that's what the synopsis is around about him. I just think it was it was a misfire. And I wasn't really intrigued with his storyline. I really wasn't happy to be a part of his journey, especially because he's not really like a part of the lore. So it's like you're trying to create something where it's like, ah, I'm I'm trying to be connected to something I'm not really connected to. Um made it tough. I appreciate the swing because again, we always complain about sometimes people don't take these creative liberties, but at the same time, it's like that was a miss for me. Um, because like every time the movie was not about Scorpion or Kano or Sub Zero, I kind of felt the energy of the film dip. But I think Kano in the middle part of the film definitely saves it. Uh Josh Lawson understood the assignment perfectly, and he treats the Mortal Kombat legend like uh R-rated comedy, and I think that's what you know everybody was lacking in that film because everybody was being a little bit too serious. But um, we felt kind of like a good pilot episode for a franchise rather than like a complete film. But what'd you think about that?
SPEAKER_02No, I thought I thought the same. Um uh when I originally watched it, I thought it was cool. I rewatched it, I was like, oh, okay, okay. Like I can see why they made a second one. Um because it wasn't that bad, you know what I mean? It wasn't like terrible. Uh but my only problem, I think, was some of the acting. Like you said, like the first 10 minutes is just like absolute cinema. When it comes to uh Sub Zero and and Ivan Scorpio at the time, yeah, Han Hans, Hanzo. Um and then and then to see him like descend into hell, like thinking that oh, he might come back because his family died, it's like nah, he died. And then his baby was left while he died outside. You know what I mean? And Raiden had to save his baby and everything that I was. Like, okay, like alright, alright, we got some, and then it just goes, and then it just goes downhill from there. It's like, okay, like what are we doing? Um Cole Young. He like is supposed to show that it's like all this adversity stuff, because you know you have to build adversity in films because that's the climax, and that's all people, whatever. And I feel like that was what was happening is that he was trying to build like this adversity. So he got beat in his first fight that we saw him in. And his daughter's like, oh, you need to do better, his wife's like, you need to do better, and he's just like, oh, like, ah, like whatever. And then he finds out that he has some lineage to I'm like, okay, like I don't I don't care about him. Who cares? Exactly. You know what I mean? Like, and like he was born with a mark, like, okay, that's dope. You know what I mean? That I think that's pretty cool. And then Sonya comes through, and I think that she does a good job of like trying to explain what they're trying to do. And I think I mean that's that's literally what happened. So I thought that was pretty good. Her and Jax are trying to figure out everything that happened. Uh her catching Kano. Her and Kano have a crazy beef. That's actually Laura accurate, too. Like they have like an OD beef where like all she cares about is killing this man.
SPEAKER_03Um, she was bad in the first movie when she when she jumped on the boat, she didn't even care. And Jax is like, don't go, don't go. And she like risked her life to go on a boat just to chase Kano. Then when she's in there, she's like, wait, where am I? Yeah, you're a part of the tournament now, buddy.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, exactly exactly, fam. Like, you're not locked in, but like you hate Kano. Like, in the in um, in uh what was it called? I think it was in the lore, he like ends up having Kano ends up like tricking them into because they like went undercover and went after him, and then he tricks it, they tricks them into like some ambush, and like Sonya and Jack's the only one that survived or something like that. And then so she's just like on a hellbent mission to kill this thing, like hellbent. Um so, anyways, I think that Sonya the Kano, I thought all that stuff was pretty cool. I thought their dynamic, Sonya and Kano's dynamic was actually pretty dope. Um when Reptile came through, I thought it was actually really good. I actually I actually messed with that heavy. Um especially because especially because Reptile originally, like originally back in the day when the game came out, he was actually just a ninja with a green suit. But as time is gone as the time came out, went on, he turned into reptile. So I actually really rocked that. I thought it was actually pretty cool um to see him as a reptile. Um especially like the way they showed him too. Like not like they did in um Annihilation, I think it was. Yeah. Uh where he was. I don't want to talk about the C the CGI in uh Reptile. Um and yeah, I thought the the movie was really well done. Like Kung Lao was really good. Uh yeah, I thought it was it was well done in that regard, like having the certain characters and how they're supposed to look. Um it was just like the like like the CGI was so bad, especially Jax's arms. Jax's arms is so hard to look at. Yeah, I was bad. Um it was really bad. But you know what I mean? But when Kung Lao did his uh uh his fire, I was like, okay, like I mean that looked legit. That looked fire. And then when um no, no, that's when Kung Lao did his uh hat. Hat, yeah, yeah. And then when uh Liu Kang did his fire, I was like, okay, this is actually pretty tough. Like I actually messed with it. And then um and then Shang Sung when he did like the soul suck, the soul song, I was like, okay, like this stuff looks like legit. I don't understand why Jax's arms is so.
SPEAKER_03I kind of like the um when Sub Zero put the ice over the family and killed them that way or whatever. I thought that was pretty much that.
SPEAKER_02They didn't show it though, so that's the only reason why. Yeah. Because they just like they he just like did it like off screen. Yeah, yeah. So but no, yeah. I thought the first one was actually I actually didn't mind it at all. I thought it was like comparable to the the first two. Jesus Christ. Uh it was way better with CGI and everything, and and and everything like that. So I really rocked it.
SPEAKER_03You know what it reminded me of? Uh maybe this is a bad comparison or a bad comp, but it reminds me of um the G.I. Joe Snake Eye movie. Uh, where it was like, to me, it was like solid. Like it's cool. Like it's it's good enough for you to like for you for them to make another movie and and hopefully you bring some other people to the table so they can improve. Like you said, I think what you mentioned about how okay, we're cooking here, there's something in the pot. That's what I feel about this movie, where it's just like, okay, there's something here. You guys haven't found out the recipe yet, but like there's something here that that could be that could be pretty great if you guys get the right people involved in the mix, the right story, and work on it properly. But like, it's not one of those things where I saw and I'm like, I don't need this anymore. Um, there's certain movies that I've seen like that. What's that that Kevin Hart hero movie that came out with with them that was horrible? I forgot based off of a game too as well. That like was a Borderlands or something like that, or something like that. That's a movie where it's like, all right, gang, I don't even need to like I couldn't, I don't need to see that again. But this is a movie where it's like, okay, I okay, I see potential.
SPEAKER_02I see what you're trying to do. I see what you're trying to do. And with the budget, with a bigger budget and a little bit, you know what I mean, more time, maybe not during COVID, you might be able to rock with it and really do something with it.
SPEAKER_03And and you know what's crazy? I was gonna say this to the third act, but outside of a bigger budget, maybe even with a better director, maybe like I was thinking, bro, who would you think you'd want to direct a Mortal Kombat movie? Me personally, Chad Stelecki, who we know is the guy that does all the John Wicks, if he somehow got involved with Mortal Kombat, I mean, the way he's able to display his fight choreography, I think is second to none. So imagine him having the opportunity to play around with these characters that have powers, because we know how good he is with martial arts. And how good he is at framing, and how good he is at like just depicting these fight scenes. I mean, when you talk about like some of the best John Wick stuff the over the shot camera, the God's eye view of him going from over. You talk about um him helping out with ballerina and those fight scenes when she was in the the the island with the with the town and the people with the dishes. Uh, you talk about all the John Wicks, the fighting sword scenes with the guy who, the same guy I'm talking about who plays um Scorpion, uh, who's also in John Wick uh with the with the swords and stuff, like the stuff of common in the shooting each other. Like there if you gave him these characters to play with, I think we would really have a great movie on our hands, personally. At least action-wise, at least not necessarily story-wise, but at least for sure, action-wise.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I feel like because the most of the fighting that they have in these movies is based on martial arts. I think that from that standpoint, it would be very well done. Um from how the way he knows how to shoot the angles of of each scene. Um, I think that would be actually pretty interesting to see if a different director actually took on the mantle of trying to do that and build that world out. Um I think that'd be actually pretty cool. I don't know who I would even pick, to be honest with you. That's a question I didn't even think about. But um, but yeah, no, I I agree with that. I agree with that. I think that if a different director also took the helm, like maybe it might turn and turn into something that we never thought it could be.
SPEAKER_03Facts. All right, you want to talk about a second one? Let's review Mortal Kombat 2, which just came out recently in 2026. Uh, I think you could talk about it. You saw it recently, I saw it when it first came out. Um, but you have fresh eyes, so what happened with that one?
SPEAKER_02Nah, so um, so it is finally the Mortal Kombat tournament. You know what I mean? Like the tournament's about to start uh um in this one. And and John, and it's about to start in like like a day. And Johnny, uh Johnny is uh Johnny Cage is old. He's an old man in this in this iteration. He's an old man that you know I mean he's a washed up martial artist, washed up movie star, and he's just trying to I mean make ends meet. He's at Comic-Con, trying to get like some fans, like mess with him. And then Raiden and Raiden and Sonya pull up on him and it's just like yo. And he's like, ah, I'm definitely like lit right now, clearly, like, you know, I mean, it's a joke thing, like whatever. Or like you guys are just trying to get autographs, and then and then uh Raiden ends up opening up uh uh the gateway with his lightning. So everybody so everybody's like, oh okay, okay, whatever, whatever, whatever. Um, and and and Johnny's like, alright, I'll I'll I'll see what's going on. And he goes and sees, and then he meets Jax, meets um Lu Kang, he meets uh again Raiden and Sonia, and they talk about like yeah, there's like a tournament for the Earth, essentially, and if you guys lose this tournament, then Earth is gonna be taken over by by Shao Kahn. Right? Um and I I forgot there's a whole scene about Adina Adina or Adina Adina. Um the Adina uh where um Kitana's from, and it shows how she was enslaved by Shao Kahn. Um her entire city uh world was enslaved by Shao Kahn. And um uh Shao Kahn actually defeated their world for the tenth time in the Mortal Kombat rules and actually beat and killed um Katana's dad. And it became and Katana became his I mean his ward essentially and his kid, adopted daughter. Um so that was what happened.
SPEAKER_03Side note, I never understood that. Like, why because I know you saw something from the lore. What made him take on Katana? Was it because she fought back or because she showed like strength or like what made him nah?
SPEAKER_02She was young and malleable, like in the sense of like, you know what I mean? I I'm on the lore, I'm I'm forgetting at the moment because I literally watched like three hours, so I'm forgetting about Katana specifically. But I know she does end up like she starts working with Shao Kahn. Uh Sindel like tries to fight um and she actually dies and then he brings her back, and then that's why she ends up being like the way she was in the film. Um, and things like that. But um, but yeah, I don't I I can't remember. I would have to go back and look at it, but I it was it was somewhere in there, bro. I I'm trying to tell you guys, there is so much lore to Mortal Kombat, it makes absolutely no sense. I'm I'll I'm being legit. Like, I was I I had to pause it like so many times to rewind because I was so confused. I was like, yo, who's this again? Like it's been three hours, like who's this? Whatever. Anyways.
SPEAKER_03Wait, but you know what it reminds me of? Remember uh Gamora and Thanos. That's why it kind of gives me a lot of things. No, no, no.
SPEAKER_02It's literally the same thing. Like it's literally the same thing. Like she doesn't like really want to be like, she doesn't rock with him, um, kind of thing. And she's actually been a secret agent the entire time for raiding. Um, so so anyways, Johnny, Johnny uh decides, like, yo, this is he's like, I'm I'm for sure having an aneurysm right now, whatever. So, like, and and Sonya's like, yo, don't you want to save the world? He's like, yo, breeze this world, so I don't care. Like, you know what I mean? He's like, I'm about to go get I'm gonna go about to go get as drunk as possible, and and if it happens, it happens, but I whatever, whatever. So, anyways, he dips, and then him, him and Sonya actually get called to the first round of um of Mortal Kombat, and he ends up Johnny, Johnny ends up play uh fighting Katana, but she doesn't actually kill him, she like spares him essentially, and so he's still alive, and obviously that that's based on the fighter because Sony Sonia play went up against uh Sindel and killed her. So it's like it just depends on who you are, because you can either die or you can whatever.
SPEAKER_03Um game when you have the opportunity, when you wound the person, you have opportunity for my fatality. If you don't press the buttons quick enough, the person will just drop and it'll just like pass out. So essentially it's not the same thing, which is kind of cool.
SPEAKER_02No, that's what happened. That's what that's what that's what the good thing you said because Johnny was waving back and forth, and and and uh Shao Kahn said, finish him. He said out loud, like, finish him. Yeah, pause. Um and and Katana was like, about to go. She was about to go, and then he was like wobbling back and forth like in the game, and then just fell. And I was like, wow, that they actually like went off the game. I was like, yo, that's actually pretty tough. I remember that specifically. Uh but, anyways, uh what happens what what happens is is that Shao Kahn, um, uh Shang Shang's son and what's the other sorcerer's name? Essentially, they're trying to uh steal the amlet of whatever that gives you power of all these souls and all these people, so you're pretty much immortal, essentially. Um so they try to get it from Kano, because in the first one, uh uh uh Dwayne um was talking about uh Kano actually dies at the hands of Sonya. So they find his body, they resurrect him, and then they take the emulat off him, and then they like go and like kill Raiden, essentially. Like try to. And you know who kills him? Is is Kang Li is Kang Lee. Kang Lee? Kang Lee Kang Kang Lee. Kang Lao, Kang Lao. Kang Lao. He actually slices his uh throat with his he comes back from the dead because they they obviously bring him out bring him back from the dead, and now he's on the outer world side and he slices his throat and like it's just like a bear of light comes out of it. I'm like, Jesus God. Um light comes out of it and he's like dying essentially. Um and then yeah, if it follows through and it goes through the rest of the film, obviously we run into Jade, Jade's um uh Katana's protector, but also very loyal to to um Larata Shao Kahn, Shao Kahn. Yeah, so she snitches, so she snitches on Katana for going to meet over Raiden, and then Katana's like put on display for the entire city to see like what happens when you betray the k betray um uh Shao Kahn. Jade's a snake, but then she ends up in the end like fighting for um the good side, Earth. But she was still a snake in that moment. I don't really care. Um but anyway, Cole from the first one dies. He gets killed uh because um Shao Kahn, Shao Kahn gets the emulate right before he fights him. And and Cole yo yo yo messes him up, like cuts his throat, like slights him open.
SPEAKER_05Oh double!
SPEAKER_02I'm like, I'm like, oh shoot, like maybe the emulate was fake. You know what I mean? Because that does happen in the lore. I was like, okay, maybe the emul is fake, whatever. Man heals up still and smashes, man. And I said, yo, man uses his hammer.
SPEAKER_03He slices, he sliced them and and was about to clean the blade, like, oh, I did it.
SPEAKER_02Like I was rams. He's like, Yeah, I killed this beast. Yeah, yeah, I got him. Yeah, you're you're dead, buddy. Um, so yeah, so the that so he ends up um killing Cole. So that's why like I didn't feel anything towards that. I'm like, oh, like you know what I mean? Like I I I I and then he put him in the and then he put him in the um this dissolving pits, like uh of like whatever. So the man's dead dead. No, like stuff. Like he's not coming back, like that's dead. I I was like, oh, maybe they might no, no, he's dead.
unknownHe's dead.
SPEAKER_02Um so, anyways, uh then they find out that um uh Shao Kahn is like cheating essentially. So they try to like break into it, but then they meet up with Braca. They then Johnny's just like, oh well, I I want to fight now, I let you guys down. And then so he's like wants to fight with them now, so they they try to like sneak into Shao Kahn's temple to get the amulet, so break the amulet so that they can um they can actually fight him and and be a serious thing. Um is funny though. Yeah, the brother they run into Braca. They uh Johnny has to fight Braca and figure out like show that he's just not an actor and he can fight especially glazing him in real time. Glazing, fam. He's like, yo, this guy's tough. I want to learn everything you know. I'm like, alright, bro. Get off meat, bro. Holy. Um but but nah, then they sneak into the castle, um, and they actually run into Shao Kahn, and Shao Kahn murders Jax. Dummy's him, man. Dummies Jax, bro, kills him. I was like, oh shoot, so we're losing bands left and right. I was like, okay. Is that the video game still? Um, so yeah, so then they they end up killing, um, but then you know who comes to save the day in in hell? So you know who? The man that has the craziest grudge I've ever seen. Scorpion. He hears, he said, Sub Zero is still alive. He said, Sub Zero is he I just want everybody to understand, he like is able to manipulate things around him, so he's able to like make like his eternal hell or whatever into like whatever he wants to do. Yeah, it's like paradise, yeah. So he makes it into like a paradise. But then as soon as the man hears as soon as the man hears sub-zero's alive, the man reverts back to it. The man says, Yeah, man. Uh but Kang Lao does uh end up coming back from the dead and is off to kick for Mortal Kombat and he has to go up against Liu Kang. Uh Liu Kang doesn't want to kill him, but ends up killing him because there's the only other option. Um But anyways, Johnny eventually learns that he has an ability, he's able to break the amulet, and Katana switches sides and ends up killing her father, uh her father. Um not really her father, her her her, you know what I mean, like kidnapped father of Shao Kahn. Um and yeah, they're able to kill Shao Kahn now, but they have to really defeat the evils, the real evils, you know what I mean? So they're they they team up at the end and there should be a Mortal Kombat 3. Three, yeah. Whatever. But yeah, it was actually a decent movie. I thought there was a lot of nods to like the game again. Um especially like the that pit where he like killed Cole. Like I remember that. I remember that fighting area. Yep. Um I remember, I feel like I remember where Katana and Johnny fought. So I was like, okay, that's pretty cool. I like the finishing part. That part is pretty dope. Katana's blades spinning. Yes. I like that part. That part was tough. Um what else? Uh Johnny, Johnny's Johnny's uh ability. I liked it. I like how they did the effect. That was actually pretty cool. Double the double get over here. Oh, the double get over here was insane. Insane, bro. That was tough. Yeah, no, that scorp scorpion was on it in his bag in this film. He even like he even like turned into Spider-Man. Yeah, like uh separate uh like multiple versions of himself, type of thing. Oh no, no, no, no. That's Sub Zero. Sub Zero was on the was on the the the multiple personalities thing. I don't know what he was like, it was the entity, it was called something. He said it. He's like, we we we we linked together. I forget what it was.
SPEAKER_03Oh, on some like Venom, on some Venom stuff.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, like they they linked together so that they could like separate and be there at the same time. I don't know what it was, but yeah, it was a good movie though. I thought it was it was it was solid. It was very I texted you immediately. It was like this movie is trash. But then like if I if you like think about it for what it was, and especially when I watched the lore film, I like to watch the lore video, I was like, okay, the movies, you know, I mean it is it it was supposed to be for what it was, you know.
SPEAKER_03So and that's why I'm happy we had that combo because I think uh that's the game that I feel like you usually usually try to coach me on is when I watch a certain movie, and it's like yo, just just love it, gang. It is for what it is. I watch it for what it was, yeah. When we think about it as a video game movie, it's like, all right, I'm going to have fun. Did I have fun? Check the box. Yes, I had fun. You know what I mean? Like similar to Michael, that's why I said like as a movie goer, I don't care that it wasn't like whatever in depth for me, like that, because I had goosebumps. I was dancing, I was getting, I was getting mad. I watched it in subbreek, mind you. But I was like, why is no one else singing out loud? Why am I the only one fighting the urge not to like dance and sing I'm like either y'all too young or y'all just don't respect Michael's readiness or whatever racist? But uh I'm gonna say like but um for for for the for this movie, I felt the same way where I'm just like in my seat, like, nah, oh no, it's crazy. I remember pressing Triangle X Square doing this move, and they actually did it. Like, and and Liu Kang did what he does, and everybody. So I felt like I had fun. It was funny when it needed to be. I think Carl Urban, man, like him playing Johnny Cage is just so great. Um, I think that he understands the totality of that character, um, of being vulnerable in moments, of being washed up, uh being like funny, of being kind of naive and clueless, but like also being a hero that's like a bumbly hero at the end of the day.
SPEAKER_02Oh no, I thought you just like did it. He was like old. Like I wanted him to be like still like young and in his acting career. True. I thought that would have been like super cool. Like I they made him like wash, they made him like washed and like on some leo. Johnny's Johnny was never like that. He was always the confident one that talked crazy, you know what I mean? I didn't want somebody that was like washed up, that was like didn't have confidence in themselves. And I was like, what? Like yeah, I didn't want that. I wanted like the Johnny that was the talk crazy, like you're a fam, like you know what I mean? You know who I am, like it's me type thing. I didn't want the the Johnny where I was like, Yeah, like I don't know if I could do this, and no, I just want to drink. I don't want the old man. So that's why I was just like, uh like I get why they they picked him because he's obviously like a dope actor. Yeah, but at the same time, I was just like, bro, I I honestly wish I I was thinking like when I was watching, I was like, damn, I felt like Glenn Powell could have done a great job of this. That's what I thought. I was like, Glenn Powell could have done a great Johnny Cash. I mean Johnny Cash. Johnny Johnny Cage. Yeah. Like I think he he would play the arrogant part. I think he was like, you know what I mean? The glasses, everything. I feel like he has that, he has like the Johnny Cage face. I feel like solid. That's a solid pick right there. That's actually a good pick. So that's what I thought about immediately. I was like, oh, I think he could have done a better job. Like, no disrupted Urban, but he's just like, I feel like he is just like older. I didn't want an older cage, you know what I mean? So, but yeah, but no, I thought that I thought it was decent enough.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, like I said, I had fun at the movie. So that was my test for it. Um, just again, comparing it to the video games. As a video game fan, I was like, okay, does it have the finishers? Does it have the most memorable characters, characters that we care about? Uh does it try to provide some lore and origin story for Katana? Yes, it's corny. She has the ribbon, uses the ribbon. It's like the Chavesky's gun, like uh Chubaski's gun. Like, I get it. Like it is corny, it's heavy handed in its metaphors and its analogies in that sense. But um at the same time, like I said, that's the fight scenes were all so incredible for me, man. Like I just. I was in there literally like, wow, these sequences are tough to pull off. And they and then they did a great job pulling it off. But I think the movie works best when it balances both the horror, the martial arts, and the stupidity equality. And I think that's what the movie's getting better at. It's like finding the tone of like, all right, we can be serious in this moment, but at the same time, it's Mortal Kombat, bro. Like the whole concept is kind of goofy, like in a sense. So um when it becomes a little too yeah, goofy as well. When it becomes a little bit too comedic, I think that's when the stakes disappear. Um and when it becomes too serious, that's when the fun stops. But I think like I said, this film did a good job of trying to balance all those different things. And it was a bigger spectacle. They had a bigger budget, it was larger in scale compared to the first one, and it it's noticeable. And when you see it with the with the with the set pieces that you talked about. So do you think it's deserving of a third one though? Do you think that it should be a third movie to round out the children?
SPEAKER_02Call it quick. Call it quiz. Yeah, I'm not trying to say that it was, you know, it's a like I said, a bad movie or anything. I just think that sometimes you should should know what to say no. Get out with the going's good. Yeah, and you mean the going's not that great, but I just say like, you know what I mean? Don't try to like, because everybody's trying to do this whole universe thing and like whatever. Like, let's just chill. We don't really need to go into that too tough. You know what I mean? Just let it be what it is. That's what I would say personally.
SPEAKER_03Yes, alright. That's the end of Act 2. We will be back for Act Three to finish out this episode. It's been a great episode just reviewing the different Mortal Kombat movies of the franchise. Don't go anywhere. We'll be back with a quick timeout. Yo, what's going on? We are back. C in the ends, man. It's been a fun episode talking about Mortal Kombat. Murray's more of a gamer than I am, but uh when it came to Mortal Kombat, I was definitely heavily onto Mortal Kombat. Um, but speaking of video games, bro, I know we talk about this all the time. I know John Madden's coming out soon, which is which seems like it's pretty cool with Christian Bell, uh Nicolas Cage in one movie. Let's go. Um any video game adaptations left out there that you still think needs to be executed or redone. Because when I say redone, they they dropped the ball on uh Max Payne. Max Payne as a game was immaculate in the movie was was horrible. Mark Waller was walking as shit, and it's and I love uh wasn't it um Mila Cunez? Like those are two actors that I love. And I don't know what happened. It was from Toronto, like all the ingredients were there for it to be a great film. And I felt like they just packed it in. I felt like they just didn't they just didn't do what they're supposed to be doing. So um is there any any any video games that you could think of currently that I know Zelda's coming out soon. I I'm I should I'm sure that'll be a good game, a good movie.
SPEAKER_02God of War is coming out, God of War is coming out soon. Uh that's a good one as well. Um I don't know. I think that there's there's a couple of games that they probably could do, like a Red Dead Redemption, maybe, or GTA. If they could do those, but it's such an interesting one because like those the games are open world, but they do follow a story, but they are open world, you know what I mean? So it's kind of weird how you would do that. Um but I feel like yeah, you could do probably with that.
SPEAKER_03Um like Crash Bandicoot's off the table because of uh like Smash Bros. and how that was already like you think Crash could be uh or a spiral?
SPEAKER_02Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe. I think those games are just so far gone, and that's what I was trying to think of. Games are like newer. Like I feel like those games are so far gone, like people haven't played Spiral and Crash Bandicoot in years. Facts. Um, so like I mean Smash Bros. people still play. Like, you know, I mean I go I went to the barbershop. I went to my barbershop, they played it all the time. Um and stuff like that. So people still play that. So like obviously those characters look obviously they're gonna come out with a Star Fox game after after um Super Mario Bros. or Galaxy. They're gonna do that. So I don't know. I think that from our childhood, I can't really think of anything else. Um especially like if it's any adaptations right now that they could do. Um, I think that yeah, like God of War. Um there's a couple like games like Ghost of Toshiba or where I forget that phrase. The ghost, but it's kinda weird because I feel like Shogun, like I'm not saying it's the same thing, but I feel like it's in the same era. So it's like you know, I mean they kind of touch on certain things, but obviously it's a different story. Um so maybe not, but yeah, no, I think it would be interesting to actually do a list of uh video games that could relate or like could be made into movies. Max Payne would have been a great film, but now the the time's gone. Yeah, I feel like that time is is is gone now. Um, so I don't know if they can even do that anymore personally.
SPEAKER_03Alright, if I reverse the question, uh do you think there's any movies recently the last couple years that would make great video games? Because you know, remember, we I know you and I both followed that one page. Well, I don't know if you followed them, but I know I I think I see you you like it sometimes. But the guy who like plays the the nostalgic games. Yeah, yeah. So like it that always makes me think about like, dang, I forgot they there was a video game for The Godfather. I forgot about that. Or there was a video game.
SPEAKER_02There was a video game for everything.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, what do you would is there any or Sopranos? Like when I saw that, I was like, yo, I wish I knew that. I would have been playing that OD.
SPEAKER_02I see some games, I was like, bro, there's games for these movies. I was like, bro, I would have been playing these games.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, insane. So that came out recently, you'd be like, oh, this would make a I mean Superman manas there. Like it has to be a I know it has to be a Superman game for the Super Game. Open World Superman game because of how powerful he is, but they're like there have like after seeing that movie, there has to be a Superman game, bro.
SPEAKER_02I feel like I feel like a Sinners game would actually pretty dope, honestly. I feel like if you like it play as the twins in Chicago or something like that, like that would be pretty dope. Um I feel like that'd be pretty fire, especially especially because it's all gang gang violence. So it's the Irish mob, Irish mob versus the Italian. I feel like that that would be pretty dope to kind of to kind of see. Um uh yeah, I think they they came with a Dune game, so that's fine. Um It'll be interesting to see an Odyssey game. Based on the the It's obviously a lot of time on the water, so it'd be kind of different, but it'll be actually pretty interesting to see how it is when they get to the different destinations they end up going to. And like skipping through that stuff. I feel like that would be pretty dope. Um some of the best movies I've seen recently that would that would work. I feel like nah, they have Fantastic Fours, whatever.
SPEAKER_03What about uh what about some of the indie movies that not indie, but the smaller budget movies we watched last year, like uh like Nova Kane. Imagine playing a character that like Like doesn't get hurt kind of thing? Yeah, like yeah, or uh nah Flight wouldn't make a good movie. Flight? Yeah, not flight. What's it uh flight or flight? Fight or flight. Remember we watched that one?
SPEAKER_02Turn or flight, the fighting one? Yeah, that one would be interesting as well. Uh I'm trying to think now. Nah, obsession, I wouldn't be able to play that game, fam. I'd be Power the entire time. Power the entire time. Um, what? Yeah, I gave you. Um, but nah, nah, I think I would I think I would go for so some of the recent ones that I think could could possibly like send help could be one. Could be could be because you can be stuck on an island and trying to just like figure out how to get home. You could either be both characters, you could be the one that's doing it, or you could be the one that's you know what I mean, unable to and and being bossed around. You know what I mean? So those could be one. Um, I'm trying to look at this this list of movies I recently watched. Um Yeah, shout out to the letterbox. Letterbox you give me right, bro. This is what I'm looking at. I'm happy to see you finally uh use it. My teammate talks about it a lot. He always says, like, yo, you didn't fill out your letterbox because we talk about a movie, he's like, Oh, I didn't I didn't see you watch it because your letterbox didn't update. And I was like, but damn, my nigga, uh my fault. Like, I I'll be on it better. So I thought we're doing a lot better of going on here. Um but nah, I think um I think a good one would have been for I mean for years now, Top Gun Maverick, Top Gun, Top Gun would have been a lit one, bro. That would have been a fire one. Um it re-released because it was like the anniversary for it, it re-released out here in theaters, Top Gun. So like it was in like IMAX and stuff out here. So that was something that was recently in theaters at least. Um but yeah, bro, I think that's last one I would say is go. Uh go would be cool. A little basketball. Yeah, it would be interesting to see. I think I no, oh speaking of that, I think a Zootopia game would be pretty lit. I don't know what the premise would be, but like being able to go through different, different um I guess you could pick what animal you want to be, and then you could live in different areas, but like do different jobs and stuff. Like that would be pretty I actually think that would be pretty dope. Like obviously it'd be more of a childish adventure game. Yes, but I feel like that would still be very interesting. Or 28 years later, that a game like that would be dope. A game like that would be dope. But it's it would be like any Resident Evil game or any of those zombie kind of zombie games and stuff like that. So I don't know if it would have been the same, but but yeah, those are some those are some that I'll I'll say though. I'm we're probably definitely missing some, but you need a kill Bill game, man. That's what we need. Please don't get me started on that. We need a kill build game so bad.
SPEAKER_03But getting back to Mortal Kombat, um, what are you what do you think are the best fight scenes in the franchise when it comes to the movies, not the game, but the movies. Because there's certain ones that pop out that I think about. Obviously, we talked about the opening scene of the 2021 movie. I think Sub Zero vs Scorpion finally gave the fans the brutal mythology fight that we deserved. Um, so that's now it's a big one for sure.
SPEAKER_02I I think Kung Lao and and uh Liu Kang, their fight in the last one, yeah, the recent one was OD because they're both tough, they're both like they're guys, you know what I mean? They're guys are so guys. So like you know what I mean? They were like going at it. And they're bros. It was like bros. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. Like they're bros, they're guys, they're so like yo. I don't want to have to do this, but I have to. Like exactly. Man's like, yo, I promise you I'm gonna bring you back. And I was like, bro, this man's talking spicy like that. It might have been killed me. He said, Don't make me do this. I said, Oh, no, this thing's been holding back. So, oh, he's like that. No, and then and then he murk him, so I was I was I was actually uh I like that scene. That scene, that fight scene because especially the hat, the hat kept going around um the entire time, and and and Luke Hang kept like dodging it, you know what I mean every single time and like hitting it with the fire and all stuff. I was like, oh, that's tough. Don't make me do that. And then when he fought when he fought uh uh Shao Kahn, and then he like did the dragon. Oh bro, I was like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, you're serious though, you're serious.
SPEAKER_03Let's see why. You know what? Call me corny. I like the 1995 one where Scorpion and Johnny Cage fight in the forest. Um he's in the forest, and uh that's when we see the thing. You know what we're here to call it is handland Johnny has to be the CGI is kind of trash, but I do it, though. I I thought the concept was cool where you get to like run around the trees and then the thing got caught, and then they got caught in the so I like that. That was pretty cool. Um and yeah, I think uh the classic one would be Liu Kang versus uh Shang Shang Sung in 1995. I was gonna say that too, but I I assume you were gonna you were gonna do that one. Yeah, and their fight was just like if you like like martial arts, like my dad loves that. Like if you like martial arts, that scene is just as it's like Jackie Chan versus Bruce versus uh Jet Lee. It just has everything in there, like every kind of style and different types of um formations and stuff, so I like that a lot. Alright, man, let's get to the fun part. If we had to do a ranking for the franchise, what would your ranking be for all four films of the Mortal Kombat franchise?
SPEAKER_02Well, I might go uh one is 95 Mortal Kombat 95. I'll probably go. Actually, I'll probably put it two. Um I'll probably put this recent one, number one. Uh and so 2026 or 2025, Mortal Kombat, whenever it came up, 2026. Mortal Kombat, I'll I'll I'll give that uh the one spot. Um just for the graphics, CGI, the storyline actually is I mean, alright. Um then I'll go original, so Mortal Kombat 95. Then I'll go Mortal Kombat 2021. Right. And then I'll go that Abomination at fifth. It's not even deserving of a fourth spot. I'm putting a space there so they don't have to even be touching. So Annihilation would be in the fifth spot.
SPEAKER_03That's a lead. You don't want yeah, I get it. I get it. You don't want to contaminate the rest of them, okay? I don't want to contaminate that trash. I have a similar list for me. I would probably about to rank the Mortal Kombat franchise. I'd go 1995's Mortal Kombat as number one. I think it's original to the Avatar, the original Avatar. Like I like how it just has a tone for my introduction to this type of film. Uh number two, I'll go Mortal Kombat 2. I think 2026 was a good film. I liked it. Watched it once in theater, once at the crib. You know what I'm saying? Had a fun time with it. And then for three, I would obviously go 2021. Um, and then yeah, like you said, the fourth film by far has to be the worst film in history, but also Mortal Kombat history is Annihilation, aka Abomination 1997. But um, man, we talked about if it deserves another trilogy. Did you see the uh getting away from because I think this is unless you have anything else to talk about, I think we've we're pretty Mortal Kombat, like we've touched on on everything when it comes to this this this. Not the video game, but more so the movies. More so the movies. Yeah, more so the movies, and I think that we uh did it justice and gave it his flowers. So I hope he didn't sound like we're gonna be. At all. But do you did you see the Street Fighter trailer? Because I I know this is kind of in the same realm and world of Mortal Kombat essentially. Did you watch? I know we don't watch trailers, but were you able to see them the street fighter trailers?
SPEAKER_02I watched the I watched the first one. I watched the first one, I think, um, and that was about it, because you know me, I don't watch too many trailers. Um and yeah, it was it was it was cool. It was cool. I don't I I don't have a very big history with Street Fighters, so it's kind of hard for me to know the storyline and the fighting styles and the kind of different ones. Like uh a lot of these fighting games I didn't have like a history with. Um so it's kind of hard to do that, but I will definitely do my due diligence and just like I did with Mortal Kombat and go through the lore of Street Fighter before watching the film. But I think it's pretty interesting that they're doing that. You know what I mean? I don't know why Street Fighters randomly, you know, I mean it's not like it's on a rise recently or something like that, why they're deciding to do it, but it'll be very interesting to watch, definitely. Um to see like if they try to incorporate combat kind of the same stuff Mortal Kombat does. If they make it brutal like Mortal Kombat is, because the game is not really known for being brutal like that. So I wonder like how they're gonna do it and what it's gonna look like. So I think that'll be interesting to see.
SPEAKER_03You made a great point. The game is completely different when it comes to the tone. We use we've been using the the word tone a lot this episode, but Street Fighter is more colorful, it's like more ridiculous, it's more charismatic. So I want to see that. That's some Street Fighter is more over the top, it's more caricature type vibes, it's it's less of a horror than Mortal Kombat. Um, Street Fighter is more about the swagger, the bigger personalities, and the tournament energy. It's more about the arcade spectacle. And it was an arcade game. That was a game you played at the David Busters, you know what I'm saying? You play that at the rec room now. Um but if if, for example, if if Mortal Kombat was like heavy metal, then Street Fighter is kind of like neon hip hop, if that makes sense. So it's like way more metal. So I'm interested to see, and and 50 Cent is gonna be in it. It's an interesting cast for sure. Um, I want to see how it all plays out um with all these people that are acting in it. But so many characters that has uh all the diamond the entire game. So many characters before we uh you know go into let me push you on segment, obviously the heat check. Let's let's get into QT hater raid of the month, bro. Talking about one thing that we've hated that happened in the movie world and pop culture this week. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Let me go first, please. Alright, so with a lot of things, we as human beings don't digest things. We we want to be the first to react to everything, correct? Um obviously I I gave an example of how I was the first when it came to Mortal Kombat. I text Dwayne and said the movie's trash. He spoke to me about it, I changed my mind because I was like, you know what? Let me look at it from a different lens. Instead of just coming at it because I have all these feelings towards how the acting was and blah blah blah blah. You know what I mean? Let's just look at it for what it is. And then niggas wanna talk about Drake's albums. This is where you're gonna piss the guy. Alright? So I seen a man at 1230. The album came out at 12. 1230 say this album's trash. Right? Again, I don't mind people's opinions. I don't really care if you don't like Drake. I don't it doesn't make me keep me up at night, nigga, like I don't care. But my problem with that is what grinds my gears about that is you're literally going in to hate on it. You know what I mean? If I don't like somebody, I don't listen to their music. Uh respectfully to Taylor Swift, I don't like her music. Not because you know I mean it's just not my type of music. Do I go and listen to her music to be like, I hate her music? No, I don't have to listen to it to know I hate it. You know what I mean? I just don't have to do that. That's not what I do. So why would you tune into a man's album just to be like it's trash? Knowing you don't like the man. And then on top of that, I we have people, like a friend that we already mentioned, he wants to say that he Iceman's not him, Abidi's whatever, has a couple songs, and made of honors he doesn't like any of it. And he's like, I miss that old Drake. And then I'm just like, you guys don't even know what kind of Drake you like, to be honest with you, because he gives you every single Drake you want in three different albums, and you guys are still complaining, saying it's trash, it's not rough. And that's why as you get older, as we are about to be 32-year-old men this year, I don't care about other people's opinions on things that I like. And this is the part that I I think society needs to get is that because we have a platform, it's just like us. You know, I mean we have a platform about watching movies and stuff like that. You don't have to listen to what we're saying. You don't, you know what I mean? It's it's everything's optional. And we nothing lives and dies but our work. So if we come on the internet and have an opinion on something, it's because of the craft that we do. When you come on the internet and like random people just think that they could just put a 20-minute video together or a 10-minute video saying, yo, this person's this, this person, thinking that people care. You know what I mean? Without putting in any work, it's just a random person just saying, like, oh, like album's track. No work has been put in. No years of examining music, years of examining, you know what I mean? No, no nothing. Just just pure engagement. So this is my hit rate is that idiots like that when it comes to whether movies, when it comes to, you know, I mean, things like that. I think people need to shut up more. You don't need to announce it from the heavens, like, oh, I don't like it. You know what I mean? I think that people need to give things time to judge anything. That's my kind of digest before it's like before you eat it. It's like, okay, like that's not very smart. So that people have very quick to judge movies. I mean, people are judging Green Lantern, and then the recent trailers came out, people are like, oh, wait a second. And it's like trailer, yeah, it was really gonna dial you into the movie, like the the the show. Like, come on, guys. Like, like it's like human beings, we take time to work, we take time to do things. First, interaction, yeah, you know what I mean. You read something, you don't like it. You watch something, you just don't like it. You know what I mean? That's that's that's my thing. I just think that people instinct before we have an opinion on anything. Um, especially a very like strong opinion. And I have a lot of reasons for that. Like I can give you reasons. It's not because I just don't like it. You know, but yeah, that's Chef's kids. That's my uh Grandma hater.
SPEAKER_03QT haterated of the week. So Chef's kids. I was gonna talk about how Hollywood keeps making these video game movies, like they're embarrassed to be making video games movies. Well, forget my QC haterator of the week. I'm I'm piggybacking off what you said because I feel the exact same way. Um, I had a couple teammates as well, American teammates who obviously are. Just hate, but you know, trying to comment on uh art 47 songs, whatever 43, 47 songs, however much, yeah, in in in a day. I don't even care if it was the same week. I said there's no point, there's no way you were able to digress or dissect these songs. Because we all know music is subjective and environment matters, who you're around matters, the setting matters, time of life, time you're at, how you're feeling that day, the temperature outside, you know, I got it. Are you in a breakup? Are you sad? Are you happy? Are you with people? Are you listening to a car? You're listening inside the crib, are you cleaning? Like, like you said, all these things matter. So when I have some teammates who are like, yo, maid of honor is not for me, I'm like, well, because you're not on a yacht or a catamaran with things or whatever, with family and listening to music in that environment, you're not in the visa, you wouldn't understand. Uh you don't get it. You don't get it. That's okay, it's not for you. Uh you you you don't like Habibie. Well, well, BT? Yeah, Habi D. You just don't like RB. Like, you that's what you're telling me. You're telling you what that old Drake back classic is is something that could have been on so far gone. Like, what are we talking about? That's I don't understand the WNBA.
SPEAKER_02Stop the city. Come on, come on.
SPEAKER_03Okay, go ahead. Prioritize it. Ice man, man's manager.
SPEAKER_02Why come on?
SPEAKER_03Why is he responding? Why is he there? Bro, so if he doesn't respond, then all Drake's scared. It's uh he didn't respond to Kendrick. Forgive him for putting on an amazing album or party and then taking time to just you know live life a little bit before you release an album.
SPEAKER_02No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. People are out of their mind. You know why? Because Drake never, he's not one of those people that go on podcasts and go on stuff that talk to people. You don't know what he's feeling. People said they I mean a lot of these people have podcasts, a lot of these people have uh platforms where they can do that. Drake doesn't do that, he does it through his music. And he literally did that. He took two years to really digest it. They said he needs to do some reflecting, so the nigga did some reflecting and then made the music about him reflecting. And you're still complaining because the nigga reflected in his music. Like I I I like I literally am so confused by it. I'm not saying like, yo, like if a man said that you're a pedophile, or you, you know what I mean, or called you whatever type of name, you you you're gonna be like, oh, okay, say that's like I'm just gonna let that go for the rest of my life. Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna boom you every single time I see you. Every single time. It's a fight, every single time I see you. Like, it doesn't matter. I don't care what's going on now. It's a fight every single time. On site. So, anyways, continue. That's all I just have to say about that. But anyways, continue.
SPEAKER_03Nah, that's a big time. But I think yeah, I thought he put out some great uh quality work and it's gonna live with us for a long time. Some are gonna be called classics, some are just gonna be alright classics, and I think uh he's provided some great music for us. I'm happy that he's like back showing how dominant he is. He never left, but it's just cool that to see all the bandwagoners, people like come back on the side or whatever, whatever. So um I like the bravery, man. I think I like the fact that he was able to use it to get out his deal smart, but then I also like the fact he's able to feed us so much music. So, like you said, there are different types of Drake. We're getting tired of this type of Drake. Okay, here's this one right here. Like, there's different uh aspects of you. It kind of feels like an actor who's able to do different ranges, um, who's able to get different registers of their performance. Feels like Zendaya's having a crazy year. Feels like Zendaya to me. Zendaya's there in different movies. I'm like, oh, she's doing this. This is different. This is like and I like that. So um you probably get the highest paid year of anybody ever.
SPEAKER_02I see why. Jeez, I watched Dune, Dune, Drama, Spider-Man, Odyssey, Odyssey. Four big time, big time movies, uh, of the year. Four big time movies. Crazy. Three, at least with big productions and big time people in them. And she's a main character in two of those films. Odyssey, she's not like the main character, but in Dune, she's she's right there beside beside Timothy. Facts. And in Spider-Man, obviously, she's Mary Jane, so she's fam.
SPEAKER_03Anyways. So excited for that. All right, man. That was a great conversation. Let's move on to the heat check, bros. I have some questions for you.
SPEAKER_00He's heating up!
SPEAKER_03CDS heat check. We are gonna get right. All right, five questions. Obviously. Oh, yeah, questions, bro? I got I'm ready, bro. I'm ready, bro. Yeah, yeah. Ball balls in balls in my hands. Uh yeah. Hey yo, all right, pause. Alright, um, question number one. What are the six main realms in Immortal Combat?
SPEAKER_02Ooh, there's um Order, Chaos, uh, Nether Realm, Outer World, Earth Realm.
SPEAKER_03Oh, no way. Note that. There's one more. And you mentioned it earlier in the pod. Like, not hell. No. You mentioned the name earlier, um, and it had to do with uh Shao Kahn and Katana. I'm not giving this guy hints.
SPEAKER_02Oh, Adina. I know why you give me that. Oh, wow. Wow, I know my stuff, honestly. You ran through that, like chaos, uh, order. I said, okay. What wrong was this? The time is the lower the lower video, bless me, still.
SPEAKER_03I'm not gonna lie, that blessed me. All right, question number two. So one for one. Question number two. Which action star, this is a little tidbit. This is probably tough, but the the movie might give it away. Which action star turned down the role of Jax in Annihilation to play the lead role of a 1997 comic book movie called Spawn? Oh, Michael? Yeah. He turned it down? Michael Jai, Michael J. White. Ja White. Be Spawn instead. I mean, I can't. He turned it down. Right decision, though. I mean, right decision. Nah, yeah, he's classic for that as being spawn. Facts. All right. Can you name me three? So two for two. Question number three. Can you name me three notable bloodlines that are in Mortal Kombat? So anybody that's related, just three different sets of familial uh relationships.
SPEAKER_02Uh well, the Hans Hanzo family. Um Elder Gods?
SPEAKER_03Sub-Zero were brothers. That's insane. Uh huh. Sorry? What did you say? No, I'm saying that's crazy how like the Lung Kwe brothers were like that. It was like their like bros first. Like Bihan, the original Sub Zero. That later turned into Yeah, they turned to Modern City. Sub-Zero, yeah, who is who is now Scorpion. It's crazy. Um yeah, so that's one. What was the second one you said?
SPEAKER_02I said the elder gods, like those guys, like that that counts, or no, that doesn't count. Like a family or like a Yeah, I'm not counting that, I'm not counting that. Uh I would say like Katana's family, and Sadell, like Molina. Those guys? They count, they count?
SPEAKER_03Two.
SPEAKER_02I'll count that, yeah. Um the Linkwe? The Linkweight. Did I already say them? Yeah, that's what you're used to that.
SPEAKER_03Oh, Link, the Linque, yeah. Um there's like two obvious ones, cheap ones that if you play the games in the later games, they have like the the Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Like the the Oh, like Cyrax and those guys?
SPEAKER_03No, no, no. I'm thinking more of the main characters, but they kind of have like uh legacy characters that kind of follow after on some brownie stuff.
SPEAKER_02Oh I'm not gonna get this one still.
SPEAKER_03Oh, okay, but uh okay, well, all right. So there's the Cage family because Johnny also has remembered Oh, don't cheese me, bro.
SPEAKER_02I know he has a daughter, bro, but that doesn't count.
SPEAKER_03I I didn't know that counted still, but uh you know Briggs obviously has Jacqueline, his daughter. Um Jax, yeah, yeah. Yeah, there's Kang Lao and Kang Jin. The Shaolin monk Kang Lao is related to the younger archer thief uh Kang Jin, but they're cousins. Then there's uh Kung Lao and Liu Kang, which is obviously talked about their distant cousins. Um but that's good. All right, so two for three. Alright. The fourth one. This is gonna be easy. Damn it. How many tournaments does the realm have to win in order to get permission to take over? All right, last question. This one would be tough. Which character from the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie is entirely unique to the film, excuse me, and doesn't originate from the video game franchise. So which character from the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie is entirely unique from the film and does not originate from the video game franchise? Oh, damn. That would be a good question because you watched the lore video, so you might you might have picked up on something like that. No, I'm just trying to remember who's in the movie. Uh to give you a hint, to give you a hint, this person was defeated by Goro. That's all I'll say. In the first one.
SPEAKER_02Oh, the black guy, the black guy, the black guy. I don't know what his name is, though. I I don't know, I don't remember his name, but the black guy. And like we were supposed to feel sad about it, but like we didn't know who he was because he had no like Mortal Kombat history. Um I don't know what his name is, but I know he's the black guy. I know that I know who you're talking about, but I just don't know his name. Ah yeah, stuff. I'll take I'll take that three for five.
SPEAKER_03Uh yeah, but it's him, Art Lane is his name. Art Lean is the black guy. Say it again. Art Lean, L-E-A-N. He's uh an Earth Realm martial artist in front of Johnny Cage who fought in the tournament, was defeated by Guru, and uh he was created only for the film's adaptation. It has no prior or subsequent canonical presence in any video game.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'll take that three for five still because I wasn't gonna get that.
SPEAKER_03But good job though. Three for five. Let's go. Yes, sir. Scene, DMs, he checked. Yes, I'm gonna get five or five. I'm happy. I'm used to you on segment, man. We're finally here. Uh this is one of our shortest episodes, though. You didn't admit it, by the way. Um, I mean two hours, uh what are you talking about? Blame Annihilation. Uh let me put you on segment. What are the two movies that you're suggesting for everyone to watch out there and recommend?
SPEAKER_02Uh you know what's crazy? I'm gonna recommend um I'm gonna recommend some games actually. Um I'm gonna recommend playing Mortal Kombat 1. Uh, because that is technically a movie in itself. That was one of the things I I spoke to Duane about is that um is is uh Mortal Kombat is such a famous game is because of its story. And I think if you get a chance to play the game, you can actually see how the story actually goes within the movie. So I would say play Mortal Kombat 1 that came out in 2023. Um and and the story of it, obviously, obviously you don't really need to put the game on easy and get through it and and just watch the film part of it, which I think is very dope. So I'm gonna do that one. And then I would say just watch the original uh from 1995, I would say. So I was gonna give a give it one video game, one movie. And I'll say like, yeah, that movie. Um there obviously a couple animated movies you could say, but uh I think I'll just go with the originals here.
SPEAKER_03Ah, I like that. I'm not mad at that. Alright, for me, I'll probably go original, 1995, for sure. And then I gotta go 2026, man. I don't know if this is me giving into your QT rant about recency biasy, but uh I like I liked it. It was um recent. I just saw it. Um I think uh I gotta recommend it for people because I one, I want to get people to come out to movie theaters, and two, I want to continue to you know preach. Yeah, like I said, people want to see solid movies. Like I understand that some movies are won't be the best or the greatest every time, but I think in order for us to continue to make movies, we gotta at least support them or at least go at least check them out for ourselves. So I'll go with the new one. Uh like you said, I'm on a similar vibe where I don't think there needs to be a third one. I think that this is this is fine. But yeah, that the first one will be a good start intro, and then this last one will be a good bookend if you had to like encapsulate the Mortal Kombat experience in a sense. Because anything else is just gonna be tough, man. This is gonna be tough to create or recreate or whatever the source material. So I'll go with that. But it's definitely been um great episode talking about Mortal Kombat. Um, it's still in theaters, let's continue to make some money. We'll see what happens if they're gonna announce a new one anytime soon. Um, but man, Mortal Kombat, man. Like that was that was that was fun, bro. Because like I said, I I have a history to it with the video game, especially more recently. Uh, so I thought that it was a good thing that we got to talk about this for sure.
SPEAKER_02No, facts. I actually had fun uh watching these and learning some of the lore. So I'm glad we got a chance to do this. And I'm hoping that everybody enjoyed our little banter about Mortal Kombat. And if you have any opinions on it or you feel some type of way, you know what I mean, comment, let us know, and maybe you can be on the next episode and let us know about Mortal Kombat. And you know what I mean? Give a we should give a section to the fans for them to come educate us on certain things. And if they feel like we mistakenly said something or did something like that, it would be pretty dope to have them on. So maybe we'll do that in the future.
SPEAKER_03That'd be pretty dope. Smart, smart idea. But yeah, as for us, man, scene dms, we are everywhere. Check us out on social media. Social media is doing pretty well, continue to support that. And then obviously subscribe to CDMs on YouTube, on social media. We're CNDMs underscore on Insta on Instagram, Twitter, we're out there, uh, yeah, TikTok, YouTube. Continue to leave messages, continue to share, like, subscribe, support our stuff. Appreciate you guys. We'll be back with another episode next week. Same time, same place. Yes, sir. See ya.