Christmas in Spring

The boys investigate their favorite Christmas movies, just a little late...

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hello, movie lovers. It's after midnight and you're listening to Up All Night Cinema with Wade and Adrian on KNRR, not really radio. And now here are the boys.

SPEAKER_03 0:18

You know, when I think of uh up all night cinema, shwe! When I think of my best friend Wade, shwah.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Oh, I used to think that guy was so cool, and then I saw that and I was like, what the fuck are you doing? What are you on, Timothy Chalamet? Up all night cinema? Shwe. Yeah, I was like, what am I watching? I mean, but he named he named some good ones though. Well, yeah, but you know what it was. Do you know what that was for?

SPEAKER_03 0:48

Yeah, it was for um like they were talking about um the Marty Supreme kind of like it was like 18 minutes long of what he wanted to do marketing for like Marty Supreme.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Yeah, but it's just like what the fuck is he talking about?

SPEAKER_03 1:01

I saw the blimp today.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

The blimp?

SPEAKER_03 1:03

Yeah, like a literal blimp and this like the Goodyear blimp? The orange blimp that says Marty Supreme on it. I didn't even know they still did blimps. I haven't seen a blimp in fucking years. I mean, it could be fake, but I saw like posts about it. I don't know. I have to do a little bit more research to see if that was a real thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

You know what was the last time I saw a blimp was in Fringe. Did you ever watch the show Fringe?

SPEAKER_03 1:27

Fringe was so amazing.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Whenever they would go to the alternate reality, that was like one of the modes of conveyance that just carried over from the 30s.

SPEAKER_03 1:36

Yeah. And they still had it. I think the last time I saw a blimp was Wonder Woman.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

I don't remember Blimp being in Wonder Woman.

SPEAKER_03 1:43

Oh, it's more like a plane, but it kind of looks like a blimp to me. Remember at the end when he's when she's fighting uh Ares? Oh, that's right. That's right. And Chris Chris Pine goes off in the blimp-ish plane thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Yeah, and then he blows himself up with whatever gas canisters are there.

SPEAKER_03 2:00

Yeah, no, but um, yeah. I mean, it's an orange blimp. If it's real, more power to him because he was throwing off all types of things.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Yeah. I just I'm just sitting there watching that and I'm like, what are you doing? I'm really excited for Marty Supreme though. I am not so much. Really? Uh you know, it's it's a ping pong movie. He's playing ping pong. And who the fuck brought Gwyneth Paultrow out of retirement for this? Like there's not a better actress working today.

SPEAKER_03 2:33

I don't know. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

I feel like we've gone as far as we can with Gwyneth Paultrow.

SPEAKER_03 2:38

I mean, she is uh an award winner, right? So I mean I mean you know, she has one of those. So I mean that's speaks for something. But I agree with you, they could have found somebody else to play his love interest in the film.

SPEAKER_04 2:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

I don't know. It it's just I saw the preview and I'm like, it's ping pong. Like they're making it seem like it's this life it's ping pong.

SPEAKER_03 3:01

Not for not for other countries, man. Ping pong's like really intense in other countries. And I think that's what they're portraying in the film too, is like ping pong is what like chess is to like Russians or the Chinese or you know grand masters, you know. Like ping pong is a huge deal. It's in Asian countries, it's like one of the most popular sports.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

I was actually, you know, gonna bring up chess before you brought up chess, because that's what it reminded me of a lot was the Queen's Gambit.

SPEAKER_04 3:35

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:38

I think it's gonna give off that vibe. There was also, I'm I'm blanking on the name, but there was a movie that Toby McGuire did where he played the American grand champion.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Oh, yeah, with um Lev Schreiber.

SPEAKER_03 3:49

Yeah, and it was really good. I'm just I'm I'm going blank on the name right now, but it was a fantastic movie.

SPEAKER_01 3:56

Pawn Sacrifice.

SPEAKER_03 3:57

Pawn Sacrifice, yes. That was a great movie.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

I I didn't get to see it, but that was one I really wanted to.

SPEAKER_03 4:03

You should remember You should watch it. It's a really good movie.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Because I'm one of the five people who like Toby McGuire.

SPEAKER_03 4:10

And honestly, I think that's one of his better roles, if I do say so myself. Like I really liked him in that movie.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

Yeah, he is still to this day my favorite Spider-Man.

SPEAKER_03 4:21

Yes, I agree. Although Andrew Garfield is a great Spider-Man, and I don't think he gets enough credit.

SPEAKER_01 4:28

He was a great Spider-Man, but he was a terrible Peter Parker.

SPEAKER_03 4:32

Interesting take.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

I I didn't I didn't buy that guy as a nerd at all. He was way too good looking to be a nerd. Um but uh Toby Maguire made some real questionable career choices. And it was always it was always weird when you'd see him doing something else after Spider-Man.

SPEAKER_03 4:54

Like brothers where he's awesome in.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Like brothers where he's awesome in. That was later, like I that was a little later.

SPEAKER_03 5:00

Later down the road. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

The the one I was thinking of was um The Good German. Oh. I remember seeing that movie, and I'd like to see it again. I didn't love it at the time, but I think maybe that was because you know, I was younger, so I was expecting more of a thriller, and that's not what that movie is. He was really good in that movie, though. He was, but the first time you see him in that movie, he's having sex with Kate Blanchette.

SPEAKER_04 5:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

And and he has this he has this look on his face, and he's supposed to be real intense, and it kind of came up as laughable, and I'm like, oh my god. Uh I don't know how we went from this guy being like one of the, you know, he was like DiCaprio. He was one of those kids who came up that you saw so much promise.

SPEAKER_03 5:50

He might have fallen into the Marvel trap of becoming a superhero. Yeah. Because that's always what happened. That's always what he's gonna be known for. Yeah, he's never gonna be able to evade being the original Spider-Man. It's just there's yeah, uh, but for that matter, like I thought he was really good in Seabiscuit. Not to mention, like, you have Jeff Bridges and you have you know a stellar cast, but like I thought he was great in that movie too.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

And you know, we've talked about Wonder Boys before. I love him in Wonder Boys, he's fantastic in Wonder Boys. Yeah. Uh I still haven't seen, and this is this is one that because in my opinion, it's oh my god, Wade, why haven't you seen this? And the answer is it's too fucking long to schedule into a normal day for me. But uh Babylon. Uh, you know, he looks fantastic in Babylon. My brother's seen it a million times, and he keeps telling me how much I would love Babylon, and I wanted to see it at the theater.

SPEAKER_03 6:46

Honestly, it's I haven't seen it either. It's on my list because of the same reason. I just haven't carved out enough time to sit down. Because I it's not a movie I want to interrupt like and watch it in two cities. I want to watch it all the way through.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

No, I agree. I I was always I won't say brought up that way, but at some point that kind of became, you know, if if you can't watch the movie all the way through, don't even bother.

SPEAKER_03 7:08

Yeah, because let's just say it's a great movie. You don't want to turn it off if the movie's good.

SPEAKER_04 7:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:15

And then you're stuck in a predicament where, you know, you're either forced to turn it off because you have to adult the next day, or you stay up late and watch it, which is what we always recommend, anyways.

SPEAKER_01 7:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:25

But then you might be screwed for the next day.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Exactly. But I've never understood the thought process. Oh, I'm gonna put this on, I'm gonna watch a little bit of it, and I'll turn it off and I'll come back. It kills the momentum of the movie.

SPEAKER_03 7:39

Yeah, I think it works for TV series, but I am not a fan of doing that for movies.

SPEAKER_01 7:46

TV shows have those natural breaks in them.

SPEAKER_03 7:48

They do, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

You know, the episode one ends and they might leave you on a cliffhanger, but they were designed for you to not necessarily jump into the next episode. You can, but you don't have to. But with the movie, you know, it's just, you know, I'm gonna stop it here. I'm gonna come back and watch it tomorrow, and then when you watch it, the the next day the momentum has kind of died.

SPEAKER_04 8:12

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

You know, like um, I'm trying to think of a movie where it would just be so fucking ridiculous to do that with. But, you know, something like uh, you know, like Interstellar.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

Oh, yeah, you can't, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:25

It's brick by brick, like a good movie, a really solid good movie is built brick by brick by brick.

SPEAKER_03 8:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

And at the end of the movie, the filmmaker tears down the wall.

SPEAKER_03 8:37

Yeah. Uh There Will Be Blood is another good example.

SPEAKER_01 8:39

There there will be blood. That's another one. Um No Country for Old Men.

SPEAKER_03 8:44

Perfect example. Magnolia is another one.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

Magnolia is another one.

SPEAKER_03 8:48

It just goes to shit at the last 15-20 minutes of the movie.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

But if if you turn it off and then you come back in midway through to watch the rest of the movie, you might see it and think, wow, that was great, but you're not gonna get the emotional visceral response that the movie was designed to give you.

SPEAKER_03 9:06

Correct. I absolutely agree a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Yeah, so yeah, I've never been a fan of that. The only time I've ever really done that, I remember um some years ago. Um, I was uh I wanted to go buy uh three billboards outside of Ebbie, Missouri on Blu-ray. I loved that movie. And so I went to Best Buy back when they still had fucking Blu-rays.

SPEAKER_03 9:27

They have them back on their website, though, I found out recently. Cool. Very cool. I still would rather order them through Amazon because or Walmart today because like you get it much quicker.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:39

But they have them, which is a good sign.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

I I I loved going and looking because then you do things like you, you know, you go to find three billboards outside of Ebbing, Missouri, and you're picking it up and you look over, and they have the brand new director's cut of Heat. It's the exact same movie. They they erased one line that the director always hated, but the studio made them add.

SPEAKER_04 10:03

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

And then they changed something, they cut a line that um Al Pacino's wife says in the movie. But I've watched it a million times, and I can't, for the life of you, tell you what they took out of that scene.

SPEAKER_04 10:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

So great, fine with me. But I sat down, oh, I've seen this movie a million times, it's been a long time. I'm just gonna watch like maybe half an hour, 45 minutes, because I have to adult tomorrow. And you watch it all the way through. I watched the whole fucking movie.

SPEAKER_03 10:32

That's happened to me too with Heat.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

All three hours.

SPEAKER_03 10:35

And you know, just so we could put it out there, rumors are confirmed about Heat 2.

SPEAKER_04 10:41

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 10:41

And as much as you and I, because we hold the original in such high regard, we're a little leery about them making another movie, even if it's directed by Michael Mann.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:53

But it's gearing up to be one of the best castings of all time.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

Oh, I'm sure the cast is gonna be great.

SPEAKER_03 10:58

Well, you know, Austin Butler, Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, Pacino and De Niro, I mean, it it's gearing up to be pretty crazy.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

Uh, I don't think uh Pacino or De Niro will show up. You don't think so? No, I don't think so. Uh here here's what I think is gonna happen. Because the way I understand it, uh, because there's a book. Michael Mann co-wrote a book. And part of the book is about young Al Pacino and young Robert De Niro doing their things and becoming who they are when we find them in heat, which I find is completely unnecessary. And the other part of the book is Al Pacino's character hunting down Val Kilmer's character.

SPEAKER_03 11:41

I think you're onto something because based on the presumed casting, I forgot to mention um Adam Driver's there, too.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

But I think almost certainly is going to be playing Al Pacino.

SPEAKER_03 11:52

Yeah, and I could totally see Austin Butler playing Val Kilmer's character because there is a eerie resemblance to those two. But the rumor I keep hearing is that DiCaprio wants Val Kilmer's part, which he could easily very much resemble with maybe a little bit of prosthetics, uh a younger Val Kilmer as well. But Austin Butler, I think, naturally fits that role because he still looks young.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

I think Austin Butler would be the better pick for that part. Yeah. I do agree.

SPEAKER_03 12:19

Yeah, I'm I'm still kind of unsure where Leo falls into all that, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_01 12:24

Like I said, the the rumor for a long time when they were first announced was that he was gonna be uh Al Pacino and Adam Driver was gonna be Robert De Niro, and I think they have that all wrong. Um, yeah, I don't know. Because Christian Bale doesn't fit anywhere.

SPEAKER_03 12:41

Yeah, where does Christian Bale fit? I don't know, man. So for everybody who may just be tuning in for the first time, we are Up All Night Cinema. I'm Adrian. This is Wade, and um, we're happy you're here. It's pretty normal for us to talk about what we've seen lately, and so I'll start with the first one Predator Badlands and I'll leave you to talk about it first after that, Wade.

SPEAKER_01 13:05

Um, you know, I I really enjoyed Predator Badlands, man. Um in in a way, it did kind of uh cut the balls off the predator character. Yeah, yeah. Because it it was more comedy and it was more about family and yeah. Um the term I heard a lot was that it was Disney Fied. Disney Fied. I could see that. Yeah, you know, yeah, it it's it's hard to describe it. You know, the Predator series is weird. It is the first Predator fucking masterpiece.

SPEAKER_03 13:37

One of the best, uh arguably one of the best action movies of all time. It's up there. Definitely you gotta throw it in one of those sci-fi action conversations for best movies as well.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Absolutely. And then the second one was a great idea.

SPEAKER_04 13:52

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 13:53

Uh poorly executed.

SPEAKER_04 13:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

Um great cast, not a very good script, poor direction. Big missed opportunity, the second one.

SPEAKER_03 14:03

Yeah, they really could have uh capitalized on the first one pretty well there.

SPEAKER_01 14:08

Yeah, they could have done a lot of things with two the the way I had originally heard it was Danny Glover's character was supposed to be Arnold Schwarzenegger, that he was now a LA cop and he has to deal with them again, which I don't feel like that would have worked. I like that it was a different character.

SPEAKER_03 14:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

And despite what everyone says, I think Danny Glover was great.

SPEAKER_03 14:29

Yeah. I mean, how could you that scene where he's you know facing off in front of all of them? Oh yeah. You know, and he gives the famous line.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Who's next?

SPEAKER_03 14:40

Yeah, after he, you know, he's holding like the guts of the other one practically, you know, on the blade or whatever. Um yeah, that's that's classic.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

Yeah. The second one, there was some great stuff in it, but by and large it was a missed opportunity. And then we didn't see the predator again for at least a decade, and then we started getting, you know, alien versus predator movies.

SPEAKER_04 15:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

Where the predator was largely the hero because, you know, he's a big game hunter. He's not necessarily a villain.

SPEAKER_03 15:12

No.

SPEAKER_01 15:12

But aliens are correct. So, you know, the predator largely was the hero of those movies, and I didn't see a problem with that. Um, I didn't see the new predator, the one Shane Black did.

SPEAKER_03 15:26

I actually had a good time watching that movie. I don't necessarily think it's a great movie, but it was fun. It felt like it brought a little bit of originality back into the character of the Predator because he was hunting humans again, you know? It wasn't Alien versus Predator, it wasn't it was just a little bit more modernized because it's a new film. Uh but I I actually enjoyed it. It wasn't bad. I'm not gonna ever say that it's a great masterpiece of a movie, but it was enjoyable to watch, even though it it was it was alright. I had a good time watching it, and that could just be because I'm a fan, you know?

SPEAKER_01 16:01

Yeah, I get it. Um I skipped over Predators, Predators is another one.

SPEAKER_04 16:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

That was a movie that was a really cool concept, had a great cast.

SPEAKER_04 16:13

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

The first half of that movie, as we've discussed, is really good.

SPEAKER_04 16:18

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

And then the second half not so good, and then had a really poor twist at the end.

SPEAKER_03 16:23

Yeah, I think that movie has some elements um that kind of resembles the original films. I think they were kind of really going for that. And like you said, it it starts off great, and it just I wish they would have done something better with the second half of the film, like you said.

SPEAKER_01 16:42

It really runs out of gas.

SPEAKER_03 16:44

Mm-hmm. To me, I just that's just poor writing. It's like they they couldn't finish a good script or something, it seems like.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

Well, I think I think we mentioned this on a previous episode, but um Lawrence Fishburne's character, because I I straight say that that's the demarcation line right there. Once Lawrence Fishburne's character shows up in the movie, the whole movie kind of peters out.

SPEAKER_04 17:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:08

And originally they had written that role for Arnold Schwarzenegger, and for whatever reason, he didn't do it. And so I think they were planning on Schwarzenegger carrying the second half of the movie and possibly even doing a protagonist switch where Adrian Brody was the front man and then Schwarzenegger would take over the second half.

SPEAKER_04 17:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:34

But because he wasn't there, they just stayed with Adrian Brody and they didn't really have a second half when they started shooting.

SPEAKER_03 17:43

And that may have worked because it had would have been so many years between Arnold's original appearance that it would have been kind of like a oh my gosh, like this is awesome type of you know, ode to the original. So it could have worked just for fandom purposes.

SPEAKER_01 18:02

Yeah. And everybody always wants him to come back.

SPEAKER_03 18:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

Which once again, you know, it's the Terminator problem. I don't need him to come back every time.

SPEAKER_03 18:12

No, but I think they could have written it in a way where like he shows up and maybe he saves the group, but he dies in the process or something like that to like give him a send-off that's worthy of a hero, you know, that type of thing.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

But that also may have been why he didn't want to do it.

SPEAKER_03 18:29

Oh, you're right.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

So I don't know. But anyway, so Badlands. I liked that the main character of the movie was the runt of his litter, so to speak. Mm-hmm. Uh as he is referred to as the runt.

SPEAKER_03 18:45

Yeah. How about that opening fight sequence, huh?

SPEAKER_01 18:49

So good. I had no idea who either of the characters were during that whole fight sequence, but it was great. Oh yeah. And all the stuff on the Predator Homeland was great.

SPEAKER_04 19:02

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

And um honestly the whole movie was really good. I thought L. Fanning was a great time.

SPEAKER_03 19:08

Yeah, she was really good.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

She was really good. You know, then they had the the baby monster, which was very Disney.

SPEAKER_03 19:16

Yeah, it was very Disney, but until they reveal, we're not gonna spoil it, but until they reveal what the hell it is. But even then, it's still Disney. It was still a cute character. Yeah, but it was badass though. It had all these like special powers, even being so little, and honestly, it saved their lives countless times.

SPEAKER_01 19:33

Yeah. Uh it it was it it was good. It was a really good time.

SPEAKER_03 19:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed Prey.

SPEAKER_03 19:41

Yes. I liked Prey, but I had much more fun watching Predator Badlands. And I've told you off camera, but my favorite scene of the movie is when he's preparing to go rescue El Fanning's character. Oh, yeah. To me, it's such a it's such a like take your hat off moment to the original Predator, where Arnold is using his environment to prepare for war with the Predator. And that's exactly what Deck's character is doing in this one, where he's grabbing all of his environment and making weapons and befriending, you know, the the treacherous world that he's on by his intelligence and ultimately showing that he's worthy of the mantle of the family.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:26

You know, not only that, go ahead, because I think I know what you're gonna say about your favorite scene.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

Oh, what do you think my favorite scene is?

SPEAKER_03 20:33

I mean, you've told me that the legs fighting are your favorite scene.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

I mean, the legs fighting was cool.

SPEAKER_03 20:39

But I what I would actually probably say is I think maybe you really enjoyed the scene where he fights his father.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

I did really enjoy that. I really enjoyed when his brother fought their father.

SPEAKER_03 20:51

And the character of the father is just Oh, he's great. He he's empowering, but it makes you feel not scared, but it it does something to you. Like it's such an imposing force on camera. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Yeah, my my favorite part though was when he gets to the planet and he basically loses all of his weapons at the outset. Because that's always the real gripe about the predators, he's badass and he'll fight Schwarzenegger toe-to-toe. Yeah. But he's got all these James Bond gadgets that are so far ahead of anything that his prey have, which is which is accurate because you know, when I mean I don't go hunting, but if I was to go hunting a bear, I'm gonna have a gun, I'm gonna have all this stuff. And the bear doesn't have that shit. No. And that was the cool part of Prey, too, is because she is smart enough to learn how to use his toys against him. And in this movie, it starts out with him on this dangerous fucking planet where Even the grass can kill you.

SPEAKER_04 22:02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

And he is completely unarmed.

SPEAKER_03 22:06

Yeah. Amazing. Besides that cool ass blade.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

Besides that cool ass blade, yes.

SPEAKER_03 22:12

Yeah. And you know, it's funny that you mentioned that. He, you know, he adapts to his environment because ultimately it's his environment also in his preparation of the use of the environment that helps him defeat his father as well. Yes. Because his father cloaks, right? And that's the the cloak is the rite of passage for the predator. Yeah. And the father refuses to give it to him. And when his father cloaks in that scene, you're like, oh shit, like this is going to be trouble. And then he flips all that dust from the plane. You know, like, oh, he's using his environment to his advantage again.

SPEAKER_01 22:51

Yeah. And that's cool. Because yeah, even at the toward the end of the movie, I mean, spoilers, but um, you know, he's he's using all the deadly things that he's experienced on that planet and making whole new weapons, and that's so cool.

SPEAKER_03 23:08

Yeah. And I think, you know, the biggest gripe for people or what I've read is that the predator is front and center the protagonist in these new movies, as opposed to being the antagonist, right?

SPEAKER_01 23:22

Well, yeah, like like like we said, you know, it's there there's only so much you can do with the the concept.

SPEAKER_04 23:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 23:30

And it it worked great one time. It's almost worked in Predators and Prey. It could have worked in Predator 2, but it doesn't really work because it's just the same movie over again if you do that.

SPEAKER_03 23:45

Yeah, and that's why I think I have a hard time pronouncing his last name, but Trachenberg, I think he's had two solid movies in Prey in Badlands, with Badlands being much better, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_01 24:00

My only complaint with Prey, but it's a big one, is she's basically the only character in the movie. The main character, Amber Midthunder, who's great. But everybody else is either a Native American male or a French fur trapper.

SPEAKER_04 24:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

And, you know, one's her brother and this and that, but honestly, you can't tell any of them apart because you never get time to get to know their personalities.

SPEAKER_03 24:28

No. The um, yeah, the only person that remotely has a what you would call a contributing character is her brother.

SPEAKER_01 24:36

Yeah, but e even then it's so small. You know, it's just like you watch a movie like Apocalypto, which all of those people had such and they're not even made big characters. Just like in Prey, they were not big characters.

SPEAKER_03 24:53

No.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

But they had distinct personalities.

SPEAKER_03 24:56

And Mel Gibson does such a good job with those moments of their distinct personalities that they play such prominent roles within the movie, especially within Apocalypto with like the family structure, right? Yeah, it's it's amazing what he does with the little time of each of those characters in that movie.

SPEAKER_01 25:13

Which which is another reason I will never forgive that man for being the asshole that he apparently is. Yeah, because he's such a gifted filmmaker.

SPEAKER_03 25:23

Yeah. He's he's had a hell of a run with movies as an actor and as a director. It's the same thing we've talked about with other people, Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein, like all these guys that are just closet assholes and horrible people.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Yeah. You you know, right before the uh audio message that he left to his wife, that crazy rant, he was prepping a Viking movie with Leonardo DiCaprio.

SPEAKER_03 25:52

Oh shoot. I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_01 25:54

Yeah, and then after, like DiCaprio was in talks.

SPEAKER_03 25:58

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 25:58

And and then after that came out, you know, after it was released to the public, DiCaprio's agents were like, get the fuck out of there now. You don't want to be within a thousand yards of that, and rightfully so. So he jumped ship and that movie was dead in the water. But man, could you imagine the director of Apocalypto making a Viking movie with Leonardo DiCaprio?

SPEAKER_02 26:22

It would have been epic.

SPEAKER_01 26:24

Oh, it would have been great.

SPEAKER_03 26:26

Yeah. And you know, I've liked some of the other stuff Mel has done, like um it the name is escaping me, but where he has the I think it's called Beaver, but The Beaver.

SPEAKER_01 26:36

Yeah, that was good.

SPEAKER_03 26:38

I love that movie. It was Jodie Foster, right?

SPEAKER_01 26:40

Yeah, Jody Foster directed it, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:42

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:42

Yeah, that was a that was an interesting movie. Jennifer Lawrence is in that movie.

SPEAKER_03 26:46

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

Yeah. That's one of her first uh movies before she became famous.

SPEAKER_03 26:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:51

So we both liked Badlands, correct?

SPEAKER_03 26:54

Yes, we both like Badlands. I think each of us have our questions about where it could have been better, or you know, certain things maybe we slightly dislike, but overall, great freaking movie. And I think it's a a it's a great entry to the future of the Predator franchise.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

Now, here's my question.

SPEAKER_03 27:13

Hmm.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

What did you think of Begonia? Schwe. Oh, fucking Timothy Chalaman. He's another one I'll never be able to look at the same way again because of that.

SPEAKER_03 27:24

But he's also the the next age great actor. I mean, look at his track record of what he's done so far from a young age. Like he's he's the next Leo.

SPEAKER_01 27:34

He may have shot himself in the foot a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 27:36

Nah, not at all.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

You don't think so? Nah, not at all. I think he's gonna be a meme for the next 20 years. He's never gonna live it down.

SPEAKER_03 27:44

No, but it doesn't negate the fact that he's fantastic. I mean, his track record's pretty awesome so far.

SPEAKER_01 27:53

But so is Yorgos Lanthamosis track record.

SPEAKER_03 27:56

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:58

So begonia, yes or no?

SPEAKER_03 28:00

It was a yes for me.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

Um it was a big yes for me.

SPEAKER_03 28:04

I think I think I was expecting more though.

SPEAKER_01 28:07

Um, the movie was exactly what I was expecting, except for the ending. Without without giving away the ending to the movie.

SPEAKER_03 28:17

Let's definitely not give any of that away.

SPEAKER_01 28:20

But I wish it wouldn't have gone that direction at the end.

SPEAKER_03 28:25

Now I didn't know it was a remake of a Korean movie.

SPEAKER_01 28:28

Save the Green Planet.

SPEAKER_03 28:30

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

Which is hard to find.

SPEAKER_03 28:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:33

I I remember that being at my local video store in like 2003 or 4 when it came out. And at the time I was not into foreign movies, so I didn't rent it. But I distinctly remember the cover of the box was this guy in a parka sitting on the planet Earth with a metal colander on his head, and he's like dancing. And it caught my eye. And, you know, if I would have seen that box a year or two after, probably I would have been ecstatic to watch it. But I still to this day have never seen it.

SPEAKER_03 29:12

Yeah. But I I heard that the original director or writer, I can't recall which one it was, was a producer on Begonia. Okay. And that he had some level of input with Jorgos on the film to some degree.

SPEAKER_05 29:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 29:29

Uh, which is probably a good thing. I think it shows a level of respect if it's a adaptation from an another original film, right? But yeah, it's I think Begonia does a really good job at, like you said, building the layer of bricks. Oh, yeah. Because you don't really know if the suspicion of Jesse Plemens character and um Aiden Aiden Delvis, it you don't know if their suspicion is accurate or if they're just batshit crazy.

SPEAKER_01 30:01

Yeah. Well, I think watching that movie, I was just impressed because we talked about Heat, where you had Al Pacino and De Niro sitting across from each other at a table, just having a conversation. There's so much subtext to what they're saying. And because they're such powerhouse actors, you feel every moment of that scene.

SPEAKER_03 30:25

That was so intense, that scene.

SPEAKER_01 30:27

Most of Begonia is that scene, but drawn out.

SPEAKER_03 30:31

No, absolutely. Because there's multiple scenarios in the movie where it's just Jesse Plemens and Emma Stone's characters and the angles that Jorgis uses with like the overhead shots or the underneath shots to portray like power and dominance in different angles and things like that. Um, it's it's phenomenal the vibe that it gives you when you're watching it. And not only that, like the music is very subtle at points in those in those transitions, but it's so perfect with uh adding a level of anxiety, I would say, to certain situations, right? Yeah. Um, I thought it was really good for that reason. I I agree 100% with you that those scenes carry the movie.

SPEAKER_01 31:17

What I like about that movie, you know, he you have him over here going, I know you're an alien. And she's over here trying to figure out a way out of her situation. And they had one scene in particular where it seems like she may be willing to do basically anything to get out of this situation. I mean, like anything. And that's when Plimmins drops this bombshell on her, and I'm not gonna ruin it for anybody, but the look on her face where she realizes just what kind of crazy she's dealing with.

SPEAKER_04 31:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:51

My favorite scene of the movie. But the whole movie is for the most part, it's both of them trying to convince that third character. What was his name?

SPEAKER_03 32:01

Um, in the movie, I think his name is just like Dawn or something. Jesse Plymouth's cousin, right? In the movie.

SPEAKER_01 32:07

Jesse Plymouth's cousin in the movie.

SPEAKER_03 32:08

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 32:09

The whole time Plemens has been telling him she's an alien, she's an alien, she's an alien. And she's over here appealing to his humanity and being like, you know, this is fucking wrong, what's going on here?

SPEAKER_04 32:22

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 32:23

You you see that, right? And so it's kind of a tug of war between the two of them for this guy's soul. Yeah. And for the most part, it really seems like whoever can convince him is the one who's going to come out on top in this situation.

SPEAKER_03 32:39

Absolutely. But, you know, without giving too much away, that essentially what happens.

SPEAKER_01 32:45

I mean, yeah, I guess you're right. Because the character Not in the not in the way I expected.

SPEAKER_03 32:49

No, me neither. I was floored when when when what happens happens. But that whole character arc leading up to that point of what his character does, that is the you could consider that the climax of the movie because everything from that point forward just becomes unhinged.

SPEAKER_01 33:06

Yeah. It's kind of a free-for-all.

SPEAKER_03 33:09

Oh yeah. Absolutely. Because there's no as much as he his character is the voice of reason in the movie.

SPEAKER_01 33:17

Oh, yeah. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 33:18

I think that's really beautiful that Jorgis scripted it that way.

SPEAKER_01 33:23

Well, he he's he's just so innocent.

SPEAKER_03 33:26

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 33:27

And Jesse Plymouth's character, whether you believe the whole time if he's right or wrong, is clearly unhinged.

SPEAKER_03 33:34

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

And Emma Stone's character is clearly in some scenes, even when it seems like she's playing along and she knows she's getting the advantage, like the dinner scene. And she antagonizes him because she can't help herself, because she's kind of a dick. She even later, in towards the end of the movie, refers to herself as being cruel for no reason. Yeah. And yeah. But Jesse Plumman's character people.

unknown 34:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:06

And this guy's stuck between them.

SPEAKER_03 34:08

And Jesse Plemen's character is unhinged for a reason. And the movie slowly reveals that. And as the movie goes on, he becomes more unhinged because of what transpires in the movie.

SPEAKER_01 34:24

Yeah. I think I thought it was great, man.

SPEAKER_03 34:27

Me too. I think the first what it's about a two-hour movie, right? Which is unique. A little shy. Yeah, it it it that's different for Jorgis' recent films, because they're usually longer. But the first like hour and 30 minutes it has the moments of those interactions with the two main characters that kind of carry the film. Yeah. But after the climax, there's so many other things that happen in that 30 minutes that is just batshit crazy. You know, like the cop, the cop, the mother, you know, all these things that happen. It's just at that point, like when the movie just takes off, I was just like floored watching it. I was like, holy shit, like what the what the hell's going on here, you know? Like, and that's I think really where what you talked about earlier, the the brick by brick buildup. And I think what this movie does really well is it builds those bricks, and then you just have that moment that just it's like a car driving through a brick wall, and you're just like, oh my gosh, like this movie's going crazy right now, and it's brilliant.

SPEAKER_01 35:34

Yeah, he doesn't necessarily knock down the wall, he blows it up with uh C4.

SPEAKER_03 35:40

Yeah, yeah, that's exactly what I feel happens because you think that moment is what what happens to Dawn, the cousin, but then the movie just gets exponentially more intense the last like 30 minutes.

SPEAKER_01 35:53

Yeah, it gets way crazy.

SPEAKER_03 35:55

Yeah, and especially with Jesse Plemen's character towards the end.

SPEAKER_01 36:00

Yeah. I I'm just impressed that he managed to get Emma Stone to shave her head.

SPEAKER_03 36:05

Hey, I think that shows a level of trust that she has for the role, but mostly for his storytelling.

SPEAKER_01 36:13

Yeah. I mean, like uh me and Jen talked about when we walked out of the movie, and it's so rare for somebody in Emma Stone's position to find a director who will not only put her front and center, but will continually challenge her, yeah, and give her interesting things to do.

SPEAKER_04 36:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:38

Like uh, I feel like Reese Witherspoon is in this area where she's constantly finding her own projects, which are usually books, and she will find a way to get them produced and made. But by and large, you know, she doesn't have that visionary director who's gonna take them across the finish line, especially now that Jean-Marc Vellet, the guy who directed Wilde, has passed away.

SPEAKER_03 37:08

Yeah, and that was a great movie.

SPEAKER_01 37:09

That was a really good movie. If I'm not mistaken, didn't he also direct the first season of that show that she did? I forget the name of it, with uh Nicole Kidman.

SPEAKER_03 37:20

Uh yes. Uh is it not pretty little things? Um something like that. Something fire. Something fire, right?

SPEAKER_01 37:27

No, no, I can't remember. They've done two seasons of it. Uh Andrea Arnold directed the second season, but then Jean-Marc Vallet came in and edited his way.

SPEAKER_03 37:38

Yeah. I know what you're referring to. I just can't think of the name either.

SPEAKER_01 37:42

Yeah, I I can't remember the name of the show, but uh But Wilde's great.

SPEAKER_03 37:45

I mean, and Reese Witherspoon kind of seemingly retired from acting. You know, she she went on too bad. Yeah, yeah, I agree. Um, but she went towards the like the businesswoman route, and she's made a ton of money like selling her business and other things, I think. Um the last two movies I saw of hers was Wild, and then she was in Mud with Matthew McConaughey.

SPEAKER_01 38:10

Oh, she was great in Mud.

SPEAKER_03 38:11

Oh, she was fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 38:12

Mud is a great movie too.

SPEAKER_03 38:14

Yeah, and that's one I don't think that gets talked enough about when you think of Matthew McConaughey and his great roles. Like Mud is fantastic. And the two kids in that movie are standouts.

SPEAKER_01 38:27

Really good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:30

So we are recording this episode right before the holidays.

SPEAKER_04 38:37

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 38:38

And I felt like I I did what what you recommended. I was looking through my movies that I had there, and I was like, you know what? You know, I got a bunch of movies here that I really love, but we haven't done a top five holiday movies.

SPEAKER_04 38:57

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 38:58

And so because we're close to the end of the year, I felt like it was fitting to maybe throw out our favorite top five holiday movies, but with a catch, because you and I have talked a lot about what holiday season means to us, right?

SPEAKER_04 39:16

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:17

There are the traditional holiday movies. Yeah. There are the non-traditional holiday movies, which there's entire Reddit things about. But then there's also what's personal to us during the holidays.

SPEAKER_04 39:31

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:33

And so I thought it would be great to do a top five of our favorite holiday movies based on all that combined.

SPEAKER_01 39:42

Okay. Okay. I mean, that sounds fine to me. You're okay with this airing in uh late March? I think I'm okay with it airing in late March. I'm fine with it, man. Uh, the the thing I like about doing this episode now, because we are entering the silly season.

SPEAKER_04 40:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:02

Uh, and this episode will come out after you know the Oscars and all that shenanigans. So it's kind of a silly season to begin with.

SPEAKER_04 40:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:11

And you guys could either decide to have Christmas in April or you could bank these till next December. I'm I'm fine with it.

SPEAKER_04 40:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:21

Okay. So let let's do it then. So what's what's your first movie, man?

SPEAKER_03 40:26

Ooh.

SPEAKER_01 40:28

First holiday movie that speaks to you.

SPEAKER_03 40:31

It's a romantic comedy.

SPEAKER_01 40:32

Oh, I can't wait. I like a good Christmas romantic comedy.

SPEAKER_03 40:36

And to me, this is like one of the best ones. It's the holiday.

SPEAKER_01 40:40

Oh, the holiday. The holiday.

SPEAKER_03 40:43

Not just Kate Winslit. You got Jude Law. Mm-hmm. Cameron Diaz. Yep. Jack Black. Yeah, Jack Black's there.

SPEAKER_01 40:53

Uh and he's great in that movie. He's I I would heavily disagree with that. Really? I like him. I love Jack Black. I'm a big tenacious D fan, but he is so fucking silly in that movie and not in a good way. I like him in that movie. Well, you know what it reminds me of? What does it remind you of? He's playing the same character from Shallow Howl that he's playing in the holiday. Like it's the same, it's the same acting. You know, like I'm thinking of the scene where he's looking at Gwyneth Paltrow, Gwyneth Paltro again. He's looking at Gwyneth Paltrow. She's in her underwear and she's all hot, and then she takes off her underwear and she throws it at him, and it's the underwear is huge, and he's like, Oh my god. And it's it's the same level of acting that he's doing in the holiday. I just I just didn't buy it. I I liked I did because I did just see this movie for the first time last year. Okay. During the holidays. Okay. Uh, because Jen really likes that movie. I love the relationship between Kate Winslett and Eli Wallach, the old Hollywood screenwriter. That's the best part of the movie. That is the best part of the movie.

SPEAKER_03 42:14

Oh, absolutely. I I also really enjoy the the tandem between Jude Law and his kids when they're revealed. I think that's a really nice uh addition to the movie because for the longest time in the film he portrays himself as this other person until the kids are revealed.

SPEAKER_01 42:34

And yeah, he's like a bar-hopping ladies man, it seems like.

SPEAKER_03 42:39

Exactly. And then when the kids are revealed, and it it completely changes the dynamic, uh, but it also puts a little bit of doubt within that of like what's gonna happen next, right? Because you and the doubt comes from Jude Lost's character because he's unsure now that the kids are revealed, right? Um, and I think they did that really well. Um, but yeah, Kate Winslick's character with Eli Wallish's character as Arthur is so beautiful in that movie.

SPEAKER_01 43:10

Yeah, that's a whole fantastic storyline.

SPEAKER_03 43:13

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 43:14

And the whole the whole movie, I was just waiting for more of that.

SPEAKER_03 43:18

Yeah. And you know, um the director, Nancy Mayers, she's done a lot of good stuff, you know. Um, something's gotta give.

SPEAKER_01 43:27

I did not dig that movie. Really? Didn't dig that movie at all.

SPEAKER_03 43:32

I like that movie, man. Jack and Diane Keaton, like that's yeah. I also I also really liked um the intern, the one she did with De Niro and Hathaway. I I thought that was enjoyable too. Yeah, I didn't know. A lot of people that one a lot of people probably didn't watch it, but like I said, I'm w one of those people that will watch most movies, and I have a soft spot for romantic comedies or for feel good type movies like that, you know? Okay. So I'll watch them. Yeah. All right. The holiday for me is just a feel good. Good movie. It makes me smile. It makes me feel good. And I think there's a really soft spot for Eli Wallish's character. And that's probably why. But I watch that every holiday season. It's a staple for me.

SPEAKER_01 44:12

Now, when you were talking about romantic, oh, it's a romantic comedy. The first thing that popped in my head, what was obvious to me, was I know what you're gonna say. What oh, I I hope you know what I'm gonna say because it it's it's one of my favorites.

SPEAKER_02 44:26

Go for it.

SPEAKER_01 44:26

And even though this isn't what I was gonna say first, it's what I'm gonna say first now. But I'm gonna say while you were sleeping.

SPEAKER_04 44:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:33

I I love while you were sleeping. That's easily Sandra Bullock's best movie.

SPEAKER_03 44:38

Yeah. Yeah. While you're sleeping is fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 44:40

Such a great movie.

SPEAKER_03 44:42

A good 90s flick.

SPEAKER_01 44:44

The problem with most romantic comedies is they're predicated on these outlandish stories to make the movie last.

SPEAKER_04 44:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:53

And for some reason, to me, while you were sleeping feels very genuine. You know, it's an honest mistake.

SPEAKER_04 45:01

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 45:02

And everything happens so fast, and she is such an awkward person in the movie that she doesn't know how to correct them at first. And she just plays along to not hurt people's feelings.

SPEAKER_04 45:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:18

Without realizing it's going to be worse down the line.

SPEAKER_04 45:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:22

And then you get, you know, Bill Pullman. Easily the best Bill Pullman movie, also. I know there's a lot of uh Independence Day fans out there. I'm not I'm not a big Independence Day fan. It's a good movie, but it's not as good as while you were sleeping.

SPEAKER_03 45:39

Yeah, and his uh his son may eclipse him at some point. You think so? I don't know. I liked his sentry entry, and he's done some other things. Um what else has he done?

SPEAKER_01 45:49

I'm sure I've seen him and stuff, but I've only really noticed him in that. Uh what has he done? Let me let me think about it. I'll get back to it, but so while you were sleeping, it's full of great character actors, you know, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden. Yeah. I I forget um uh uh what's his Gallagher.

SPEAKER_03 46:09

Yep, that's what I was gonna say, Gallagher. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 46:11

I always just think of him as eyebrows. Those eyebrows do most of his acting for him.

SPEAKER_03 46:17

They're they're unmistakable. Um think about the director, John Turtletob. While you were sleeping, I feel is like not his normal type of movie to make because he's done like you know, the National Treasures, right?

SPEAKER_01 46:29

Usually he steals the Declaration of Independence.

SPEAKER_03 46:32

Yeah, but he also did one of my like not good movies, but favorite John Schvolta movies in Phenomenon. Yeah, that was a um not great movie, all right. No, he did The Kid.

SPEAKER_01 46:42

Oh, The Kid was another not great movie.

SPEAKER_03 46:45

Yeah, he has the he has this weird array of movies that are like not necessarily good movies, but like for the time they came out, they're like, Yeah, they're they're fun or like cool, you know. I think he did didn't he do three ninjas? Oh my god, yeah, he did three ninjas.

SPEAKER_01 47:01

Um Jesus, how did this guy get past three ninjas?

SPEAKER_03 47:06

Yeah, he also did um instinct with Anthony Hopkins.

SPEAKER_01 47:10

Oh yeah, that that was one that I really enjoyed at the time, but the older I got, I'm like, what am I watching here?

SPEAKER_03 47:16

Yeah, he also did the Meg.

SPEAKER_01 47:18

Oh, with Statham?

unknown 47:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:21

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_03 47:23

That's what I'm saying. And I think he also did probably the best one on his list is probably if I I think it was him. You'll have to correct me if I'm wrong, but he might have done cool runnings.

SPEAKER_01 47:32

Oh, I don't know, but if he did cool runnings, cool runnings is definitely the best thing he ever did.

SPEAKER_03 47:37

Yeah, but like think of that weird array of movies, and then you put in while you were sleeping.

SPEAKER_01 47:42

That is uh that is a eccentric resume, if I've ever heard one, right?

SPEAKER_03 47:47

That's so random. It's one of those lists of movies where you look at a director like that makes no sense at all. None. Some of them do like cool runnings and three ninjas, you know, National Treasure, maybe, because they're like Disney movies and stuff like that. Disney's the kid, also, you know, like obviously he he fits in a category for a type of film.

SPEAKER_01 48:09

Well, but I'm pretty sure while you were sleeping, if I remember correctly, uh, was Hollywood Pictures. Oh, which was a subsidy of Disney.

SPEAKER_03 48:21

That makes sense then why he would have done it.

SPEAKER_01 48:23

Yeah, while you were sleeping is a great romantic comedy, it's a great Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_03 48:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:29

Um, yeah, highly recommend while you were sleeping to anyone who has not seen it. That that's kind of a genre that died was the romantic comedy.

SPEAKER_04 48:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:37

And every once in a while they kind of try to bring it back, and you might get one hit movie, but they just yeah, they just can't sustain.

SPEAKER_03 48:45

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 48:46

All right. Well, what's your second movie then?

SPEAKER_03 48:48

My second movie is the one that made me think of doing this episode. All right. And it arguably is probably the best Christmas movie or the best holiday season movie.

SPEAKER_01 49:02

Ooh, the best Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_03 49:04

Oh arguably, in a lot of people's book. All right. It's a wonderful life.

SPEAKER_01 49:09

Oh.

SPEAKER_03 49:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:10

Yeah. I was never a big fan of a wonderful life myself.

SPEAKER_03 49:13

But tell tell us, tell us why you love it. Well, I think just the story about the character, you know, James Stewart's character, George Bailey, he's kind of struggling in life, and he goes through this arc of, you know, he lives these flashbacks and he's kind of contemplating like not being around at all, you know. But then he goes through this trajectory of the movie where life becomes meaningful again. And I think for the holiday season and the way the movie is themed, it works really well. I think there's a because James Stewart um was also in uh the World War, a lot of his blankness and his despair in his acting was actually him being just very depressed and kind of down on his luck. Yeah. Um, from what I've read about the filming of the movie and things like that. And so I think he just does a brilliant job commanding the screen, obviously. For me, I think it's just a classic. It's something that's I don't watch it every year, but I watch it every few years.

SPEAKER_04 50:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 50:19

Um, I bought a box set that came with like the original black and white, and it also comes with like a colored version.

SPEAKER_01 50:26

See, I was never a fan of when they used to do that, when they would colorize old black and white movies.

SPEAKER_03 50:31

I don't typically care for it all that much. I do really enjoy the black and white version.

SPEAKER_01 50:35

It looks pristine. Like that's that's how mark of that movie is when you when you do see it in the untainted black and white, it feels like winter.

SPEAKER_03 50:45

Yeah. It's a wonderful life is a redemption arc story, you know? It's the main character wanting to end his life, you know, in lieu of saving somebody else's, and he's reminded of all the good he's done in the world and why he needs to exist. Yeah. And I think I think it's well written. And I think that theme is to me, I think it speaks to me is very critical. Um, just because I feel for that movie, because in the past I've struggled with depression and I've struggled with wondering if, you know, I have a place in this world and things like that. And so I think to hear James Stewart's story and dealing with, you know, PTSD or trauma from coming back from the war and then filming this movie and you know, a lot of his experiences or how he was really feeling was the character he was literally playing. Um, I think just creates a a tour de force for him as the main character, but also um as this redemption arc story for the character in the movie.

SPEAKER_01 51:45

Okay. Yeah. I mean, I I I do like James Stewart. I I've always enjoyed James Stewart. Uh I would like to see more James Stewart movies.

SPEAKER_03 51:53

Yeah, I would too. I think there's a handful I've seen, but I know he's considered one of the early greats, you know, and so I'd I'd really like to watch more of his as well.

SPEAKER_01 52:03

I love three of his four Hitchcock movies are some of my favorites, like the The Man Who Knew Too Much and Rear Window and Vertigo.

SPEAKER_03 52:13

Yeah, I was gonna say Vertigo.

SPEAKER_01 52:15

Oh, those are movies, man.

SPEAKER_03 52:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:17

Harvey is a trip. Have you ever seen Harvey?

SPEAKER_03 52:20

No. Did you ever see uh Mr. Smith Goes to Washington? No, yeah, that's also a f a Frank Capra movie, the director from It's a Wonderful Life.

SPEAKER_01 52:28

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 52:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:29

So for my second movie, let's hear it. Once again, just like the first, okay, when you said the greatest Christmas movie of all time. It's up there.

SPEAKER_03 52:39

Wonderful life is considered, it's in that conversation.

SPEAKER_01 52:42

And when you said that, you know, in my mind I'm thinking, you know, the holiday spirit, the feel-good movie, you know, all the things that Christmas movies are.

SPEAKER_03 52:52

Ooh. There's a twist coming here.

SPEAKER_01 52:54

I swear to God, I thought you were gonna say Bad Santa. Because that is absolutely my favorite Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_03 53:02

I knew it was gonna be on your list. I didn't even put it on mine for that reason.

SPEAKER_01 53:05

Oh man, I love me some Bad Santa. I didn't bother seeing Bad Santa too, because I have an issue with you know comedy sequels that are made like 20 years later. Like don't bother.

SPEAKER_04 53:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:16

But man, Bad Santa, what a great movie that is. Yeah. Everything about that movie, it's just he's such a low life who is stuck playing a mall Santa, and he has to do it every year because it's the only way he gets paid all year, because he's a thief. And they rob the him and the gentleman who plays is uh Mary Elf. This is this is how they get paid, and this is how they live all year. It's gaining the mall's trust while they case the joint, and then on Christmas Eve they make off with the loot, and he he doesn't want to do it anymore. He hasn't wanted to do it for years, and every year he gets a little bit drunker and a little bit more ornry, and he he's absolutely hilarious in the movie. And then we get Bernie Mack, who's the mall security guard who's finally too smart for them.

SPEAKER_04 54:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:05

And then and then you get Lauren Graham. Just who the fuck thought of that?

SPEAKER_03 54:11

I don't know, man.

SPEAKER_01 54:12

Whose idea was that? And how did he not get the Oscar for best idea of all time?

SPEAKER_03 54:18

Probably because it's not a category.

SPEAKER_01 54:20

Well, it they should have given him a special award that year.

SPEAKER_03 54:23

Yeah, yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_01 54:25

Yeah, no, that that is a movie though, because yes, it is incredibly funny. Yes, it is really dark, but it does the same thing that it's a wonderful life does. It's a redemption story, and it's about love and the Christmas spirit.

SPEAKER_03 54:42

It sounds like it's a wonderful life.

SPEAKER_01 54:44

It it sounds like it's a wonderful life, exactly. You know, but he he he falls in love with that stupid kid. You know, that kid just gives him something that he doesn't have and you know, changes his whole outlook, changes his perspective, makes him want to live again. It's uh, you know, as dirty of a movie as it is, it's a beautiful movie. And the scene where he walks into the house wearing the ski mask and carrying a crowbar, and grandma offers to make him a sandwich is just amazing.

unknown 55:18

You know.

SPEAKER_03 55:19

Oh, I'll make you a sandwich. But you know what? There's not many actors that could pull off what Billy Bob Thornton does in that movie. He's very unique. Like, yeah, I don't I don't know if you put anybody else in that role and they do it like Billy Bob Thornton. I don't know if anybody else can do that role, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_01 55:38

I I agree. I can't imagine them having anybody in that part. Bill Murray, maybe, and even then it wouldn't have been good.

SPEAKER_03 55:44

No, yeah, but Bill Murray's never, to my recollection, been like that typical asshole, though. He does have a level of nonchalant or I don't care, or like, yeah, hey, I'm Bill Murray attitude, you know, in his movies, but not the same way Billy Bob Thornton just says, like, F the world, like I'm Billy Bob Thornton. I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want in every movie that I do.

SPEAKER_01 56:08

The scene that always comes to mind for me when I think of that movie, really, where it's just like who could have done this besides Billy Bob Thornton? Is is the scene where he's in the tub bathing and he's got the cloth on his face, and the kids are like, What are their names? He's like, Who's names? They're like the the elves, what are their names? He's like, I don't know, I call them Bub or Hey Chief, or you know, and then he just like turns on time, he's like, Are you fucking with me? Like, you know, like nobody could have done that besides Billy Bob. Like the the level of comedy he's doing, but also very serious, very serious, yeah, very rude.

SPEAKER_03 56:49

That's just him. There's nobody better at that at that role than him, honestly.

SPEAKER_01 56:53

And they tried to replicate it. Like, I know they remade the bad news bears just because he was so good in bad Santa that they're like, we gotta capitalize on this persona. I don't know if it worked. I'm not sure how well that movie did.

SPEAKER_03 57:06

I thought it was okay. I mean, I I'll watch anything Billy Bob does.

SPEAKER_01 57:10

Yeah. I I do I do like Billy Bob. I want to watch his TV show. I haven't watched it yet.

SPEAKER_03 57:14

Oh, Landman?

SPEAKER_01 57:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 57:16

Oh, it's freaking great, dude. And season two is just about to premiere, or maybe it's already premiered episode one, but um I think I think I think it's yeah, some of it's on.

SPEAKER_01 57:25

I I saw it advertised today.

SPEAKER_03 57:27

I haven't I haven't started it yet, but uh season one is some of the best TZ TV I've seen recent uh in recent years. It's really good. And he plays the same freaking role.

SPEAKER_01 57:39

He plays the same role. He's just good at it. I saw him in an ATT commercial the other day, and I'm like, God, he's still playing that same role.

SPEAKER_03 57:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:47

I love a good comedy, Billy Bob Thornton. He his facial expressions, man.

SPEAKER_03 57:52

And it he just makes it feel so natural because that's he's perfected that that role, you know? Yeah, it's just him. Like, you don't doubt, like it's not him acting, it's just like, oh shoot, like you really think like this is the guy, you know?

SPEAKER_01 58:06

The scene where his partner is trying to negotiate with Bernie Maca has him over a barrel and he knows he's got them over a barrel. R.I.P.

SPEAKER_03 58:17

Bernie Mac.

SPEAKER_01 58:18

R.I.P. Bernie.

SPEAKER_03 58:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:20

But he wants 50% of their take, and Billy Bob's partner is trying to negotiate it down, and he just keeps offering a little less every time he opens his mouth, and Bernie Mac has never once budged off of half. And he's got them down to like 49%, and he he looks at Billy Bob, and Billy Bob's like, What's one more point? Like the look on his face, like, shut the fuck up, man. Like he's winning this. It's it's funny, but it's also kind of sad at the same time.

SPEAKER_03 58:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:51

I don't know. Like, that's just such a great movie.

SPEAKER_03 58:53

It is, it is.

SPEAKER_01 58:55

Um fantastic cast. John Ritter, the last thing John Ritter did before he died.

SPEAKER_03 59:00

Yeah, that's a good choice, man. It's a great Christmas raunchy comedy, but also just a great comedy in general outside of the Christmas theme.

SPEAKER_01 59:10

You really could watch that any time of year.

SPEAKER_03 59:13

Yeah, and have a good laugh with it for sure.

SPEAKER_01 59:15

You you will definitely laugh with it. It is better at the holidays, but you will laugh with it.

SPEAKER_03 59:20

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 59:22

Okay, so what you got for your third pick, my man?

SPEAKER_03 59:25

My number three is a movie I know we both have seen and we both really like, and it's the holdovers.

SPEAKER_01 59:32

The holdovers is really good. I did really enjoy the holdovers.

SPEAKER_03 59:36

And you know, the reason I chose the holdovers, not just because it's a great movie and it's holiday themed, but because I cannot recall a movie in recent years, like recent recent years, quite a few years, that is a holiday-themed movie that's good in general. Um something, and not only that, like this was a nominated movie, right? Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:03

So well, it it definitely at least won Best Supporting Actress, if not a screenplay award, maybe.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:10

Yeah, and so uh I felt like I had to include it uh just because it's a s standalone, a standalone great movie, but also because it it has all of that holiday spirit in the writing of the movie as well. Yeah. Uh and I I love I mean, I'll I'll watch anything Paul Giamatti does, but I love me some Paul Giamatti, man. Me too, but it I think it's it's written really well. The cinematography is great coming it it's uh to me, it feels like a little it feels like it's a movie from a different decade. It's uh kind of grainy, yeah, gives that old school kind of vibe. Um, I think Alexander Payne makes some stellar movies like Sideways. Uh I really like Downsizing. He's done some other ones about Schmidt with Jack.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:59

Uh about Schmidt.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:01

Mm-hmm. Um, and so he has some some really great stuff. Um, but yeah, I mean, for the most part, outside of Paul Giamani, I mean, the rest of the cast is relatively unknown for the most part, let's just say that. You know?

SPEAKER_04 1:01:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:19

Um they've obviously done other things, uh, but nothing prominent in terms of this level of movie. Um, you know, Angus Tolle's character, Dominic Sessa, did a great job. Um, you're thinking of the the best supporting actress, uh, the Mary Lamb's character. Um, what what's her name? Um is it something Randolph? Divine is Divine Divine Joy or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:46

I think it's Divine Joy Randolph.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:49

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:50

Yeah, I've I've only really ever seen her in this one movie.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:54

I I know her first name's Divine, because the apostrophe caught my eye, so I'm I'm aware of that. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's Divine Joy Randolph.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:03

Yeah. And I just I love the trajectory of this movie. You know, you have Paul Giamatti's character that's just this uptight school teacher and you know, supervisor, and the school that they're at always closes for the holidays, but unfortunately some students are left behind, and Angus Tole is one of the students that gets left behind. And there's this more so than everybody else. Correct. And there's this weird combination of a relationship that blossoms between those three characters that ends up, you know, running the whole movie through various different difficult scenarios of each of their personal lives. And it really kind of reinvents Paul Giamatti's character because he, in my opinion, finds his humanity through essentially becoming a pseudo-parent for Angus Tully's character because his parents are just terrible people.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:02

Right? Um, yeah, and and and um, yeah, I think it's a great film.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:07

My favorite part of that movie is when Paul Giamatti starts going to that uh pub and he meets that woman and they have that flirtation, and she invites him to the Christmas party, so they go to the Christmas party and she's fucking married. And I'm just I felt that in my soul.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:27

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:28

Yeah, I felt that was like, oh, right there in the pit.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:32

Yeah, that was um what's her name? Um shoot.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:36

Oh, I don't remember the actress. I I'm sure I I think she was probably the second most famous person in that movie, and I can't remember who it was.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:42

Oh um Preston is her last name, I think. I think it's Preston. I have to look it up, but the fuck.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:52

Yeah, I'm trying to look it up now too.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:54

Yeah, but she's done some other stuff.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:56

Yeah. Hold on, I got it right here. Carrie Preston.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:00

Yeah, yeah, that's what it was. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:02

Yeah, she was in uh oh, she's the girl from Elzbeth.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:06

Yeah. And she's not like wildly famous, but she's more famous than the other people.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:11

Yeah. Yeah, I recognize her from things, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:14

Yeah, that was a fucked up scene.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:18

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:19

And you almost feel like that scene is there to potentially unravel Paul Giamatti's character because he's on that trend of like, oh, like I'm starting to feel emotion and and and and become this every person.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:36

You know, that little glimmer of hope. Exactly. And then it was taken away s just as fast. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, that's a good movie, man. I really enjoy the holdovers.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:48

That that'll be one that I'll have to put in my rotation.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:51

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:53

Um, by that same token, I'm gonna include this movie. This there there are better movies, I'm sure. And this is more of a Thanksgiving movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:03

Okay, but still, it's holiday season, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:05

It's holiday season. Yeah. Um, but the holdovers reminds me a lot of Scent of a Woman.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:14

Ooh.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:15

Because Scent of a Woman is about, you know, uh, Chris O'Donnell is, you know, the the charity case at this prestigious college where everybody's fucking writ. All these kids have all this money, and he's, you know, on a scholarship. And you know, he can't afford to go home for the holidays, so he's gonna take this job watching this retired army colonel who blinded himself being a drunk asshole.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:45

Because the family wants to go see family for Thanksgiving. They don't want to sit at home with Uncle Al Pacino, who's an asshole. Who just hates his life, who just hates his life and tries to make everybody as miserable as he is. So Chris O'Donnell gets stuck over Thanksgiving weekend with this guy. And on top of that, he's facing possible expulsion because he witnessed some classmates execute a prank against the headmaster, and everyone knows he knows who did it. And he's going to go down for it if he doesn't talk.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:25

But when he actually does have the weekend with Al Pacino, Al Pacino flies them to New York and puts them up in the Waldolf Astoria. And they wind up having this amazing weekend together.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:37

And it's a life-changing situation for both of them. And they the end of the movie is one of those great, great Oscar-winning monologues.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:48

Yeah. It's and that's usually a lot of times what tips the scale for Oscar winners.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:54

Yeah, I'm I'm not sure if he really should have won that year. I think it was you know, this happens every once in a while, like with Leonardo DiCaprio, where it's like, oh, this guy should win an he's he's one of the greatest actors living today. He needs to win an Oscar. And every time he got up He didn't win. It he didn't win. It just didn't work out in his favor. And one year they're like, okay, you know, this has all the hallmarks. Just fucking give it to him already.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:23

Yes. But I think the year for that layout one was well deserved.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:28

I'm not 100% completely sure on that.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:31

Like with the rep with the rebbinate?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:33

Great movie. I wouldn't have voted yes for him in that movie.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:39

He wouldn't he wouldn't have been. I mean, I'd have to look to see who else was nominated that year. Uh he he does do a great job, but once again, I think he was overshadowed by Tom Hardy. I think Tom Hardy is what you really remember from that movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:54

I I remember them both. That movie's stellar.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:57

And it's all you got to do is blank.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:01

And it's beautiful to look at.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:03

Oh, it's beautiful to look at. But Sentable Woman, and I think I heard Al Pacino say in an interview, you know, the somebody said, I'm not sure if that was the movie you deserved to win an Oscar for. And he said, if you if you're in the business long enough, a lot of people didn't win an award for the movie you deserved it for.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:22

Yeah. And I mean, I think uh, you know, uh Martin Bress, the director, he had a pretty good run in the 80s and early 90s.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:31

Yeah, uh all I could really think of is Midnight Run.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:35

Yeah. What else did he do? Beverly Hills Cop in 84, I think that was, or 85. Yeah. He also did uh he also did Meet Joe Black.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:47

The Brad Pitt one.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:49

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:49

Yeah, the Brad Pitt one.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:51

Yeah. Yeah. It it wasn't well received, but I think Brad Pitt is really good. His accent's questionable at times. But um, I think a lot of people still consider that one of his better roles, and I think it's you know, you have Anthony Hopkins in it and stuff like that. But um yeah, I think that's still a a pretty good run, you know. Beverly Hills Cop, Sent of a Woman, Midnight Runs Fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:19

And I would argue that Beverly Hills Cop is what made Eddie Murphy the star. Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, still like statistically on the timeline, it is. Like that was the movie that really shot him to start him, but yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:35

You also have Coming to America.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:37

You also have Coming to America. He went on an he went on a fantastic run for a while, too.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:43

But I think when people think Eddie Murphy, you know, no matter what he's done since, Beverly Hills Cop is always the gold standard.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:52

I think Beverly Hills Cop is the standard, and honestly, I think a lot of people remember him for his stand-up just as much. Oh, yeah. His stand-up's great. You know, he's kind of like one of those, you know, if you want to consider him the next generation of like, you know, Richard Pryor or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:10

Oh, he he absolutely was the next step in Richard.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:14

Yeah. Where, you know, he he's done movies and his movies are great for his roles, but everybody's gonna remember him where he started and the brilliant performances he's he put on as as a stand-up comedy guy.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:28

Yeah. Yeah, but a Axel Foley is a character for the ages. I mean, they're still they're still fucking making them. They just made another one for Netflix. I enjoyed it. I it was I yeah, I did not watch it.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:41

See, and I think that's you your difference and my difference, right? Like, you won't watch those new movies or you know, necessarily, but I'll watch them just because they're available and I might not have other things to watch, but I also just I like to I don't know, it's like an ode to something of the past, even though they're never gonna compare to the originals, but um, you know, this one wasn't bad. It had some elements that reminded me of the original Beverly Hills cop, and I was like, Yeah, I dig that. See, see, here's my problem with it.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:17

Um, I have a hard time when they're obviously cash grabs.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:24

And I feel like that one came right on the heels of coming to America, which just watching the preview turned me off entirely because in order for that movie to work, there was a whole sub-story that was not included in the first movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:43

Correct.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:44

That you just have to assume is there, and it doesn't really make sense to that movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:48

Yeah, and that's why I didn't watch the second one either coming to America. Yeah. Um I did care to watch the new Beverly Hills cop because it was, you know, Axel Foley coming back.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:02

And he's making all these stupid mistakes because the way they did things back then is not the way they do things now, you know, and and uh I mean that's that sounded a little funny. Yeah, no, it yeah, it it has some good elements and themes, and Eddie Murphy's great, you know, in it as Axel Foley. It's it's very reminiscent of the originals, and that's why I think I enjoyed it. Uh, there was at least elements I could grab and say, oh yeah, this makes me feel like I'm watching bits and pieces of the original, and I think that what that's why it was tolerable for me.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:37

Yeah. And I also know that they tried to do a TV show. Are you aware of that?

SPEAKER_02 1:12:43

Mm-mm.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:43

I don't know where it was supposed to go, if it was supposed to go to Netflix or what.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:48

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:49

But they actually filmed a pilot where the main character would have been Axel Foley's son, and Eddie Murphy would have shown up from time to time. And you know, they did the pilot and nobody wanted it.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:03

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:04

It sounds like a premise that could work, though. It sounds like a premise that could work, but I think the issue with it was why am I watching yeah, why am I watching Beverly Hills Cop if Eddie Murphy's not on screen all the time?

SPEAKER_04 1:13:16

Correct. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:17

So I don't know. Uh I've never seen Beverly Hills Cop 3.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:21

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:22

And that's because I hear largely it was a piece of shit.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:26

And I don't know. I don't know, but that sounds like a funny concept.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:30

Yeah. Yeah, I I um I liked it. It was enjoyable to watch one time. I'm never gonna watch it again, but yeah, there was bits and pieces reminiscent of the original.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:40

Interesting.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:42

Well, okay. So Scent of a Woman, that was my number three. Okay. It's it's a Thanksgiving movie more than a Christmas movie. That's okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:51

But you know? That's okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:54

Get yourself a rotisserie chicken, pretend it's Thanksgiving, and pop it in.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:58

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:59

And what's your number four, sir?

SPEAKER_03 1:14:02

Hmm. Can we just go with Die Hard?

SPEAKER_01 1:14:06

Uh I was expecting it. Die Hard, I don't give a shit what anyone says. Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Absolutely. It takes place at a Christmas party. Exactly. Indeed, it does. On Christmas Eve. Exactly. But they they play Let It Snow over the end credits.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:29

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:31

How is it not considered a Christmas movie?

SPEAKER_03 1:14:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:34

They play Ode to Joy in the middle of it.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:37

Mm-hmm. And you have one of the best villains ever in Alan Rickman.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:42

Oh, first time on screen, too.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:44

Yeah. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:47

Hit the ground running, he did.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:49

Oh, absolutely. Man, did he do that?

SPEAKER_01 1:14:53

Some of the best one-liners. Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:01

R.A.P., we lost him way too early.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:03

Who are we talking about?

SPEAKER_03 1:15:05

Rickman.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:06

Oh, Rickman, yes. I'm sorry. I thought we were talking about Bruce Willis. I was like, he's still alive.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:11

He's coming close too, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:13

He is coming close too. That's gonna be a hard fucking day when that happens.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:17

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:18

That guy was my childhood for sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:20

Yeah, mine too. I mean, yeah. We'll have to do a special episode for that one.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:25

Oh, yeah, when that when that happens, but I I hope that's not for a long time.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:30

Me too.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:30

Me too.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:31

You know. But yeah, Alan Rickman was a great actor that we did lose. Um, the the guy who played his henchman, Alexander Gudinoff.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:41

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:41

He died really young also.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:44

I think he died of cancer.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:46

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:47

Like the mid mid-90s.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:49

Yeah, he wasn't even 50.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:51

Yeah, poor guy. He was uh apparently he was a dancer, he was a Russian dancer, somehow became an actor.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:57

You know, he had that kind of he was very elegant, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:01

Yes, um very pronounced movements.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:05

Yeah, you could tell that when he's on screen, it's like you almost can't take your eyes off of him. One, I mean, you know, strong facial structure, blonde, voluptuous hair. Like he's just piercing eyes. Yeah, yeah. He demands your attention when you look at him, but I think you hit the nail on the head in his movements.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:26

It's almost like that that scene where he's walking across the the roof of the building with the gun, and yeah, he's like moving like Michael Myers and Bruce Willis having a gunfight with the other guys, and he's just creeping up on him.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:39

But it feels like he's dancing. Yeah. You know, and and and and that's really cool to know what you mentioned that is him being, you know, a former dancer or whatnot, but I can totally see it.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:53

Yeah. Even the little parts in that movie, all those guys are great.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:56

Yeah. And and and we've talked about it in previous episodes where how important you know, B characters are to films.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:06

Yeah. And that's something that modern cinema misses.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:09

Yeah, we we've we've reiterated this over and over again that the eight the 70s and the 80s more so, but the 90s did a great job at it too. Like they've done such a good job at side characters uh impacting the film. And I we feel like that's been lost with most recent cinema in a lot of ways.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:30

I will tell you, if they made or even if they remade Die Hard today, the first thing they would do is cut out the character of Ellis. First thing they would do. And you need that character.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:48

Not just for the color that he brings to it, but you know, the the whole the whole bit where you know, because Hans obviously knows he was at the party for a reason.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:00

Correct.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:01

Do you work here or do you not work here? Who the fuck are you?

SPEAKER_04 1:18:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:05

The moment they find out he's a cop, okay. Who who are you why are you here? And here's Ellis going, oh, he's my friend. Because I'm important.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:15

Hans, booby, you can't have diehard without that.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:21

No, and and and you know, as small as that role is, it's such a pivotal piece of that specific scene.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:29

Yeah. But it also shows the links that Hans is willing to go to.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:34

Correct.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:34

Because that's now the second person he's just murdered indiscriminately.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:39

Correct. Correct. Not only does it add because of who, like you mentioned, Harry Ellis' character is for that specific scenario, but it they did it so well to include it as part of one of the main characters under under arching uh development of like, oh, you this guy, like, he's he doesn't care. Like he's going to any length, yeah. Murdering innocent people and doing all these things, like, yeah. Hans Gruber does not care.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:11

He does not. Especially about the people of the Asian dawn.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:15

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:18

He read about them in Time magazine.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:24

Um, I I own that movie in 4K. It's in, you know. So not only was I looking at holiday movies, like I have like literal holiday movies, like It's a Wonderful Life, The Holiday. Um, I have I have like the the old school child cartoons of like Rudolph the Red Nose Rain year. Oh, those are great. I have all those in 4K, like a special edition 4K. It's amazing. It's too cool. Dude, it's awesome. I'll I'll I'll send you a picture of it. But um, but then like I, you know, while I was going through all those movies and I thought of the holiday theme, I come across diehard and I just start laughing.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:02

The the moment you mentioned the holiday theme, I was like, well, we gotta talk about diehard.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:07

Yeah, well, you know, that there's a few movies that I have and honorable mentions that might fit in in the same context as Die Hard does.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:18

Yeah, oh, I'm sure. Do you mind if we segue into my fourth movie, which is very much a diehard style movie? It wouldn't be a segue, it's your turn, Wade. Fantastic. So Die Hard 2 to me is also a really good Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:36

And I know the the complaint with that movie, you know, whenever you do these sequels like that, is you know, it's impossible that this is gonna happen again. But I remember that being the previous. How does the same shit happen to the same guy twice?

SPEAKER_03 1:20:51

It's because the first model works so well. It's because the first model works so well, and you know, they're gonna they're gonna they're gonna do it again.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:00

So I'm picking another diehard style movie set at Christmas. I'm going with the long kiss good night. Ooh, that's on my honorable mentions. Oh man, I love Sam Jackson and the Long Kiss Good. Sam Jackson. He is the fucking man in that movie. He is so good.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:22

And you know what, to be honest with you, I I left that off because I really I had such a strong feeling that you were gonna include it in yours once you knew what the topic was.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:31

Yeah, that was the first movie I thought of, to be totally honest with you.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:34

Yeah, it was up there for me too.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:36

Yeah, it's yeah, that's just you know, it was it was Jason Bourne like five years before we got a big budget born movie. It's so obvious the same story. But what's great about that movie is they put that Sam Jackson character in there. Because for the people who haven't seen this movie, uh Gina Davis is this stereotypical household mother. She's a teacher, I believe. But she lost her memory eight years ago, and she just kind of showed up in this town. She has no idea who she was before she was there, and now she's married and she has a daughter, but she's still got this piece missing. So Sam Jackson is this private investigator who's trying to figure out who she was before. And as we learn, the reason he's having such a hard time finding out who she is is because technically she didn't fucking exist.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:34

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:35

Because she was a spy, she was an assassin, and she fucked up a mission, but she managed to live through the ordeal that they thought killed her. And now she's back and she regains her memories, and she basically has to stop her old boss from killing a bunch of people on Christmas Eve. And Sam Jackson, man, I remember there was this scene because Brian Cox is in it.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:01

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:02

And at the time, they don't know whether to believe Brian Cox or not. And so they kind of leave him in the dust, but Sam Jackson leaves behind his uh book. He's got like this little notebook and he's always doodling in it. And Brian Cox finds them, and he's got a gun on Sam Jackson. Sam Jackson's like, How did you find us? He's like, Oh, I found your notebook. The address was uh between this and a picture of what looks like a man's erect penis. And he's like, That's a duck, not a dick. You know, just funny shit. Uh, Jen, I showed that movie to Jen like the first or second year we were together. And they have a scene before Gina Davis has total recall and remembers who she is. They're in like a train station, and all these government hitmen have been sent there to kill them, and they're having a gunfight with these guys, and Sam Jackson's laying out the plan. He's telling her, Okay, this is what we're gonna do. And then somebody throws a grenade at them and it's rolling on the floor, and Jackson's like, Fuck it, run for your life. Jen was laughing so hard I had to stop the movie, and then I had to go back and we had to watch that part again.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:16

And still to this day, sometimes she'll just out of nowhere be like, Fuck it, run for your life. That movie. Oh man, it's such a great action movie. My my one issue with that movie is they make it very obvious early on, and it feels like it was studio interference. Like the audience needs to know earlier that she's a government spy and what's going on. So they have like a dream sequence that was obviously tacked on and kind of sucks. But other than that, that is a that's a fantastic movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:52

Yeah. Uh same director as Die Hard 2.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:55

Same director as Die Hard 2. But then it's also it's also the same director as Cutthroat Island. So what are you gonna do? Hey, people fall off, you know? People fall off. You know what else he directed?

SPEAKER_03 1:25:06

What?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:07

Cliffhanger.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:08

What oh really? Really? What is it? Uh Rennie, Rennie Harlan?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:12

Rennie Harlan. Yeah, cliffhanger, bro.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:15

Wow. Yeah, I forgot about that, but yeah. Oh that's like an epic, you know, that's a good run right there, dude.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:22

That that is a really good run, actually.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:25

I I don't think I've ever actually seen all of Cutthroat Island. I should change that. I remember that was a big joke at the time because it was such a bomb.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:32

Is it uh as big of a joke as Velocipastor?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:35

Well, Velocipastor is obviously supposed to be a joke. Like that is that is a unique situation where those people use their limited budget in a creatively hilarious way.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:49

Yeah. You know, like Which which goes to show you that you could do anything, and if it just hits, it hits. It hits. Like that's a there's a cult following for Velocipastor.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:58

Absolutely, there is, and those guys did what Tommy Wazoe did with the room.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:05

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:05

But the difference is they were trying to do that, and Tommy Wazoe thought he was making art. Yeah, yeah. He won't tell you that. He'll tell you that he was intentionally trying to be funny. No, yeah, but that's not what he was doing.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:19

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:20

He thought he was gonna win an Academy Award for that shit. All right, so what's your number five?

SPEAKER_03 1:26:28

Oh man. Um, this is hard for me.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:32

Oh, yeah, I know. I know. I uh same.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:35

I've got like six movies I want to talk about, but I'm gonna I'm gonna name all of them and then I'm gonna give you the one I choose.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:41

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:42

I have Elf.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:45

I have Jingle All the Way.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:47

I have Lethal Weapon.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:48

Oh, of course.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:50

Uh-huh. I have uh this one I'm surprised you haven't mentioned yet. Batman Returns.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:55

I haven't mentioned Batman Returns, but Batman Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:57

Well we've talked about it. Yes. Yeah. And so I'm gonna go with the last one. Okay. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:03

It's oh yeah, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a Christmas movie. Fucking Shane Black, man. Yeah, all his movies are Christmas movies. All of his movies are Christmas movies, even when they're not really Christmas movies. The Last Boy Scout, too. Like, if you watch that movie, because the first time they talk about his daughter in that movie is because she drew a picture of Satan Claws. Because they were supposed to draw Santa Claus because it's fucking Christmas. Uh and so when I was going through that list, Iron Man 3.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:31

Yeah, yeah, and um uh there's a few others too. They are they're all uh they're all within the the context of Christmas. Um, but I was looking through all that list and I was like, oh, kiss, kiss, bang, bang. And then I thought about Shane Black movies and I was like, all his movies kind of have some aspect of Christmas involved. And I was like, I gotta go with this one. Not only that, kiss, kiss, bang, bang is great.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:57

Yeah, kiss, kiss, bang, bang is great. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:00

Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer play so well off of each other.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:04

Oh. Yeah. And and that was a coming to for RDJ because he hadn't really done mud.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:12

No, well, that was about the time like after he got fired from Ally McBeal, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:28:16

Correct. Yeah. And you see his acting chops in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. And Val Kilmer also, I'd say it's reasonably safe to say that he wasn't really everywhere doing all that much.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:29

No, his career was on the downslope. Correct.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:32

And so Kiss Kiss Bang Bang came out, and it was like, oh shit, this is Val Kimmer at his at his greatest. Like, not greatest, but you know what you know what I'm saying. Like he was so funny. Yeah, he was awesome as gay parry.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:46

Yeah. He was great. No, the best part of that movie for me is because, you know, Robert Downer Jr., they go home after the stakeout and they had the gunfight. And so Robert Downer Jr. goes back to his hotel room and there's a dead body in his shower. You know, so he's taking a leak and he sees the body and he's he just freaks out and he's like, oh my God. And you know, he pisses on the body by accident. And so when he calls Val Kilmer to tell him what's going on, he's like, Can they pull my DNA from that? And he's like, wait a minute, wait a minute. What do you mean you piss on the body? And he's like, No, I get to ask the questions first. Why did you piss on the body? Yeah, that that's a great movie, man.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:31

There, I mean, the dialogue in that movie is so well written for the dynamic. And I would wonder how much of it is slapstick, you know, um improvised, because I I think they're both insanely capable of doing that. But I also I also know Shane Black is a great director. Yeah, well, he's a great writer too. Exactly. I was gonna say that next. So I'm I'm wondering what the dynamic of that was during filming. It'd be really interesting to look that up because there's, I mean, you know, equal parts there on on the actors and the directorslash writer.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:08

I've I forget where I saw this. I don't know if I watched a commentary or a special feature or what, but I know they have a scene in that movie where Robert Downey Jr. and Michelle Monahan, who's another amazing actress who did not have the career she should have, but they're sitting in a bar and they're ripping on people around them. You know, like, oh, and over there's geriatric Steven Seagall, and then they would show a guy who looks like Steven Seagal if he was like 30 years older. And apparently, apparently, the way they did that was they had a bunch of extras come down. Oh gosh, and Robert Downey Jr. just pulled people out of the audience and and made those calls.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:59

That's funny.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:00

So I thought that was really good, but I I don't know whether it was improv.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:05

One of my favorite dialogue scenes is um Harry asks him something along the lines of like, you know, he's like, like gay Perry, like, is that still your name, or like, are you still gay or something? And he says, Oh no, like I'm knee deep and pussy, I just love the name so much, I can't like get rid of it, or I can't do without it.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:24

I love I I can't even remember what it was in reference to.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:28

Yeah, yeah. I just remember that's I I just remember dying at that that those two lines.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:34

I I just remember he was trying to blow Robert Downey Jr. off in one scene. And Robert Downey Jr. is trying to talk to him, and he's all like, oh yeah. And Val Gilmer's like, oh yeah, uh, he's a he's a chimp from the future. All he can say is ficus.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:52

I love that. I love when they're talking about um the one bullet. I mean, there's so many good just like sections of dialogue.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:59

Do you know what do you know what will happen if you look up the word idiot in the dictionary? Is it gonna be a picture of me? No, there's gonna be the definition of the word idiot, which you fucking are.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:14

Yeah, that might be one of Shane Black's best movies.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:17

I I think so. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a lot of fun. You know, the whole detective story and where that goes.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:23

This neo it it it really is, and that's the part we've haven't really touched on, but it really is a comedic ode to neon noir type films, you know? Yeah, and same with same with nice guys for that matter.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:35

Yeah, I was gonna bring that up because that's also a Shane Black movie, which also happens, if I'm not mistaken, at fucking Christmas.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:42

Yeah, yeah, there's a theme about it. But um, yeah, you and I both really love the neon noir genre.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:49

Uh we have I think it has a special place for both of us just because of how cool it could be and uh how much you could do with it. But these comedic styles for this, um, I think it really shows like what you can do with it. And I think just Shane Black does it perfectly. And obviously he has an appreciation for the genre. He just decided to make two bangers of comedies because Nice Guys is another movie which is in my recent memory, a great action comedy or drama, whatever you want to call it. It's so good.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:23

The the scene at the beginning of that movie, the nice guys, when Ryan Gosling goes to break the window, and you know, he does the movie thing where he wraps his elbow in in it in like cloth and he breaks the window and he almost just severs his artery and he's just bleeding everywhere. Oh my god. I I I can't remember the last time I laughed like that in a movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:33:48

Honestly, that's one of Brian Gosling's best roles.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:51

Oh, he was so good in that. I did like Gosling also in um Fall Guy.

SPEAKER_03 1:33:56

Yeah, he was great in Fall Guy.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:57

I thought Fall Guy was a was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:00

But yeah. But nice guys, he's special in nice guys.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:03

Nice guys. Russell Crowe is great in nice guys.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:06

Yeah. That that all around uh I mean, I don't know how you don't put both of those movies in conversation for Shane Black's best forms, but he's done he's done some good stuff, but those two for me are definitely at the top of the list.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:18

Yeah, they're both they're both great. Shane Shane Black is uh is a special guy that we haven't appreciated enough.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:25

No. Yeah. I mean we could we could do a whole yeah, we could do a whole episode of just talking about his movies, you know?

SPEAKER_01 1:34:32

We really can. But then we wouldn't get to talk about my fifth movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:36

Oh, all right.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:38

So now I've been doing a lot of soul searching here, and I did put Scent of a Woman on on the list when I probably shouldn't have because that means I have to exclude, you know, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard 2, Christmas Vacation. Um, like I said, you know, Christmas Vacation was that's probably the best Christmas movie ever made, easily. Yeah, yeah. Um with the same token as Bad Santa, one that I like to do a double feature with is The Night Before, which is just another wild fucking movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:13

Yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:14

You know, Batman Returns, of course, is a great Christmas movie. I I'm sure that was you who sent me the um meme the other day about how Rambo First Blood is a Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:27

Yeah, because there's a Christmas tree in the background.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:29

Christmas tree in the background. For my number five, I'm gonna go with Edward Scissor Hands.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:35

Ah, yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:37

I love that movie, man.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:39

Yeah. That is one of John one of Johnny Depp's best for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:42

One of Tim Burton's best.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:44

I would agree.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:45

Um, aside from Batman Returns, probably his best movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:49

But you can also put like other movies on there, right? Tim Burton has a a few other Christmas themed movies that you could throw in there.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:57

Um trying to think. I mean, there's the nightmare before Christmas, but he didn't direct that. No, but that's a huge misconception, is he did not direct the nightmare before Christmas. He produced it and then it's based off of an original idea.

SPEAKER_03 1:36:10

Yeah, but I think I mean it's enough of an original idea in his as a producer that it gets credited to him.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:17

I know it's it's his world and somebody else is playing with it. And what what really makes it his world is that the woman who wrote the screenplay for that movie is the same woman who wrote the screenplay for Edward Scissor Hands. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:34

But uh Edward Scissor Hands, it it's a beautiful film. It's it's a fairy tale.

SPEAKER_03 1:36:40

It is.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:41

You know, the well-manicured lawns and the you know, what do you call those the those rows of houses that all look the fucking same except they're painted wild Tim Burton colors, but it's it's you know, this nightmare suburbia where everybody wants to be because it's obviously rich upper middle class people.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:02

And for some reason they live underneath this giant gothic castle on a hill.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:08

That nobody ever goes near. And of course, the Avon lady goes there. The silliest conceit. And then, you know, he's got the scissors for hands, but it is such a beautiful movie. The love story between Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder in that movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:26

Both you and I have a special place for Winona Ryder.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:29

We do, and it's also the only time she's ever played that character.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:34

You know, like I'm pretty sure that's a blonde wig she's wearing. I can't imagine it not being a wig, but you know, like you also she's got the pixie cuts and yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:45

You also can't like it's a stellar cast for all the B characters. Yeah. Alan Arkin. Diane Weist. Anthony Michael Hall. Yes, uh, Kathy Baker.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:57

Oh, Kathy Baker, yeah. She's always she was dead in that movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:00

Yeah. Um yeah, that's a stellar, stellar cast. It's a really there's one other guy. What's the other guy? He's an older, older actor.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:11

Are we talking about the inventor who creates? Yes.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:14

Um what's Vincent Price. Yes, Vincent Price, yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:19

It was Vincent Price's last movie, also.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:21

Yeah, yeah. He was, I mean, for the time he was in it, like he's he he's iconic.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:27

He's iconic. It's it's such a hauntingly beautiful movie, and you know, we've talked about it before with uh Guillermo del Toro, but it really is about how the monsters are people and how people don't give people who are different a chance, yeah, or they use them for their own gains.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:48

And I don't know, the the love story in that movie is so beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:52

It really is.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:53

And the look of the movie is so beautiful. And when Nona Ryder is so beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 1:39:00

And the music is so beautiful. The music, it it's the set design, everything.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:04

That's a great design. Um, Johnny Depp's makeup, you know, it's it's it's also before Johnny Depp was insufferable to watch.

SPEAKER_03 1:39:12

Yeah, it's it's it's arguably one of his best films, if not the best, yeah. Yeah, it's up there.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:19

Yeah. Such a quiet performance, so innocent. Yeah, it's that's a that's an amazing movie. I I I really like to watch that movie, particularly around Christmas time.

SPEAKER_04 1:39:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:30

Yeah. I also like to watch Gremlins around Christmas time, though, so I don't know what that says about me as a person.

SPEAKER_03 1:39:37

It's a classic, man. It should be on the list. There's just too many.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:40

There's too many. There's too many great ones. I I've always liked the Christmas movies where they're a little creepy. Like there's a version of a Christmas carol with George C. Scott from the 70s that used to scare the shit out of me when I was a kid. Some movies do that, man.

SPEAKER_03 1:39:58

Like uh I you know, like honestly, so my good friend, you met him, John, he's a audio engineer from California. And this last holiday season, he did all the audio engineering for the Christmas Carol, the one that I told you that Diane Venora was in, that I told you, hey, you should come, you know?

SPEAKER_04 1:40:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:17

Um, and there are scenes in there, and the director of that Christmas Carol at the Hollywood um church there, I forget the name of it. Um, he's done like voiceover stuff for Hideo Kojima in video games, and he was in the original Beauty and the Beast as a voice character. Like, he's legit, and he takes a serious um approach to Charles Dickens' book when he wrote this version of the play for um to do this performance. And one of the things he mentioned we were talking about him is like there's a lot of aspects of this story that are actually really creepy and very scary. And so a lot of that is embedded into the play. And so the first time I was there for like, I don't know, within the week I was there visiting. I I I hung out with you. I we probably went to one of the movie marathons, but I probably watched like 20 rehearsals of this play, and then I was there opening night, and it was creepy to watch with everything, you know, buttoned up and scenes where you know, like they visit him in the night, and the set design was so perfect and the lights shutting off, and I mean it it was great, but it gives you the real dynamics of the movie, and it's like, yeah, this is actually a a a very haunting and creepy story at times. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:39

Well, you see some versions of a Christmas Carol, and you know, it starts with Jacob Marley, his old partner, and it's never played quite the way it is in the George C. Scott movie, but the guy who who comes out of the wood in that movie with the chains, he looks fucking dead. He he looks like a ghost, you know, like he's got like a handkerchief that he ties around his chin to keep his his jaw up.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:11

Oh shoot.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:12

It's just so fucking creepy. And the music in that movie and the way things are done, like um, I think it's the ghosts of Christmas past.

SPEAKER_04 1:42:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:23

They have a scene in the movie, and he it's a guy, it's a big guy with a beard, and he he like at the end, he like opens his robe and he's got like all these children's souls like around his legs.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:37

That's very true to the to the book, if I'm not mistaken, because in the play, they died they designed it the same way. Fucking terrifying. It's terrifying, dude. It really is. Like in the play that I watched, like it was a giant man with a robe with a beard, and he comes out of the woods, so to say, like you say, and there's just these kids were great in the play, they were great actors, but they were like literally like hanging from his limbs and creepy crawling and stuff. It was so good.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:07

But then from the other side of that, you also have the Muppets Christmas Carol, which is fucking amazing.

SPEAKER_03 1:43:13

Yeah, you got you gotta throw it in there as a great Christmas movie, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:16

It's a great Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:43:18

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Like, you there's so many of these movies that can go into that top five.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:24

I I actually bought a uh a couple years ago for a Christmas decoration. We only have it out at Christmas. I bought a it's a dual Funko Pop of Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat.

SPEAKER_03 1:43:36

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:37

I love Funko Pops.

SPEAKER_03 1:43:39

I know you do.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:40

Yeah. But yeah, uh, I mean, we can go on forever talking about great Christmas movies, but let's let's recap the five that we did pick. So what were you what were your five that you think we should all watch?

SPEAKER_03 1:43:53

I had The Holiday, uh It's a Wonderful Life, The Holdovers, Die Hard, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:01

And for my five, I had While You Were Sleeping, Bad Santa, Scent of a Woman, The Long Kiss Good Night, and Edward Scissor Hands. Yep. Those are uh those are great movies. Yeah. Yeah. Uh I'm sure we left out a whole a whole bunch of great Christmas movies. The Santa Claus.

SPEAKER_03 1:44:21

There's a lot. The Santa Claus, the original one. Yeah. Only the first one was any good. Yep. Home Alone.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:27

Oh, Home Alone. We forgot Home Alone, but yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:44:30

Yeah. I I kind of wanted to stay away from, you know, uh ones that everybody traditionally knew. There was some on our list that everybody traditionally knew, but like Die Hard. Like, yeah, we had some really good ones there that people may not know about. And that's our hope. Is like the funny aspect of this is that these aren't your traditional Christmas Carol, sing-along family feel-good movies. A lot of these that we named are only going to be considered Christmas movies because there's three seconds of a part where it's considered a Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:00

Tangenally associated with Christmas.

SPEAKER_03 1:45:03

Yeah, and that's the running joke is that it's a Christmas movie for that reason.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:07

Yeah, because you could you could watch um The Longest Good Night or Edward Scissor Hands or Die Hard. You can watch these movies anytime.

SPEAKER_03 1:45:16

And I think that's why this episode being recorded during the holiday season but airing in spring is really good because, like, yes, a few of those are legitimate Christmas movies, but the rest of them, like you said, can be watched at any point during the year.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:45:33

And they're great standalone movies.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:35

And I watch horror movies at all time of the year. It doesn't have to be October. So, you know, feel free to watch a fucking Christmas movie in spring. Yeah. Have a have a good time.

SPEAKER_03 1:45:44

Yeah. It doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:46

Yeah, it doesn't it doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. That's a that's a summer movie, though. That's not a Christmas movie, but I didn't have a good Christmas quote. You know, it's getting late, man. I know, I know. I uh we gotta we gotta go to bed, you know. Yeah, I'm I'm on vacation though. I mean, I guess I don't have to go to bed.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:04

I think you're gonna probably stay up and watch something. You're gonna text me in the morning and say, hey, this is what I watched.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:10

I mean, I was before we decided to do this because this was an improper two recording.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:16

Correct. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:17

I was planning on watching The Man from Nowhere on Tubi because somebody recommended that to me.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:22

No, no, no, no, no. You gotta turn that on right now. Please, no, seriously, go no, no, no, no. You can't know, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:30

Is it a Christmas movie?

SPEAKER_03 1:46:32

Uh, for the sake of this answer, yes, it's absolutely a Christmas movie.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:36

It's a Christmas movie, I'll watch it right now.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:38

It's it's the most Christmas movie of all time.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:41

The the most Christmas movie ever made. Oh, dude, it's on Tubi. Oh, it's on go watch it.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:47

Yeah, please. Go watch it right now.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:49

I did I did look for it today to see if it was on there because I'm I am I plan on talking about this next week, but I I've been watching a lot of Hong Kong uh cinema and a lot of Japanese films on there, and I was like, do they have the Man from Nowhere?

SPEAKER_03 1:47:03

I will I will re-watch it just so we could talk about it, even though I know that movie backwards and forwards because I've seen it probably three or four times, but I love that movie. I still think to this day that's my favorite, my favorite Korean movie.

SPEAKER_01 1:47:16

Okay. Well, then um no matter what, um, before we record next, I will make sure to watch that movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:47:22

We'll talk about I'm so excited that you're gonna watch that movie because I'm really curious to see what you think.

SPEAKER_01 1:47:28

We we will we will uh start the next episode talking about the man from nowhere. I will yes, I'm so excited. If not tonight, that'll be my movie I watch tomorrow. My Jen's at work.

SPEAKER_04 1:47:40

Sweet, sweet.

SPEAKER_01 1:47:41

All right.

SPEAKER_03 1:47:41

So a man wait, a man from nowhere?

SPEAKER_01 1:47:44

Shwe. Shwe. So um I guess that's it for us for tonight, you know. Adrian's punch drunk over here, so we're gonna we're gonna get the hell out of here. But before we go, in the spirit of Christmas, I would just like to reiterate what Gina Davis so eloquently said in the long kiss goodnight, which was die screaming, fucker. We are up all night cinema. I'm Wade. This is Adrian. Say goodnight, Adrian. Shwat!

SPEAKER_00 1:48:20

Thank you for listening to another all-new episode of Up All Night Cinema with Wade and Adrian on KNR. Not really radio. And thank you especially for all your kind ratings and reviews. Unless you haven't left us any. And if you haven't, why the fuck not?