Session 11: The Bard Performs While the Wizard Analyzes Coco

Session 11  of Roll the Credits with Chris is live, and YOU all voted Coco.

This session was a little different. This time you were in control and chose which movie from my first 10 sessions I would review again.

After last session’s of an action-packed thriller, this week we returned to the Land of the Dead. 

We’re leaving behind stepping into a hostage situation on a bus that cannot slow down and to a young boy’s journey to pursue his passion of music while uncovering  a family secret!

That’s what makes this podcast so much fun. Every roll brings a new genre, a new story, and a completely different review.

Join me for Session 11 of Roll the Credits with Chris as I navigate another dice-driven review and discover whether I can lift the ban on music! 

Have you seen Coco? What would you do if your family banned music, but secretly you loved it? Let me know in the comments!

You decided. I live with the consequences.

The dice decide. I live with the consequences. 

Follow @rollthecreditswithchris on Instagram and Facebook for updates, movie reveals, send movie suggestions, and bonus content.

Roll the Credits with Chris — available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music , and Spotify.

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to session 11 of Roll the Credits with Chris. I'm your host, Chris O'Connor. For all you first time listeners, this is a movie review podcast done a little differently because here the dice decide everything. Every week I roll for a different movie on my spreadsheet with the use of my dice, and then I come on here and review it with the help of them. So they help me pick my persona, my mood, and even what topics I'm gonna pick. And then the best part of them all, the dice decide my review rules. Will I skate through a session with no cracks in the ice? Possibly. Or will I make enough figure eights and fall in and have freeze myself? That is also a distinct possibility. Because, like in any good game, chaos is always around us and you never know what's gonna come. Wow. Can't believe I made it to session 11. Thank you guys so much for listening. Thank you all for listening. And this week is gonna be a little different. Instead of I rolled for the movie, I let you guys decide. That's right. Uh thank you for all those who commented and voted. I decided every after I do 10 episodes, I will go on socials and let you guys pick out of the tens which one do you want me to read to? Because, you know, maybe the reviews might be different. Because maybe one week I might have to butcher a movie, but then I can come back and harmonize with it almost, or come back and look at it through different sets of eyes. Who knows? But with that in mind, I this movie's uh it was a close tie until uh the last second minute. So thank you for all those voting. And because this week we are now going to be re-watching and re-reviewing the 2017 Disney Pixar animated in classic uh Coco. So Coco was released in 2017, it was directed by Adrian Molina and Leek Uncritch. And this has a pretty loaded cast, I'd say. You got Anthony Gonzalez, Gail Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Pratt, Alma Ubeck, Jaime Camille, Alfonso Warro, Hubert Zigana, Gabriel Iglesias, I'm pretty sure uh James Edward James Almost. And I'm pretty sure it's uh I heard Chiege Martin in there too, so it's like this was a pretty loaded cast. Now, full spoiler warning ahead. If you haven't seen Coco, uh you might want to stop and watch it before you watch listen to this. Or if you want the spoilers, sit back and enjoy the podcast. So this movie is about uh a the main character's name is Miguel. He longs to be a musician, despite his family's uh band on music. They are very stringent on that. Uh his grandmother throws her shoe or chanclaw at anyone who tries to play music around their their shoe, shoe phone, home uh shoe factory slash home. But uh as his dreams are going big on Dios de los Metos, the Day of the Dead, he finds himself learning about his ancestry and what actually happened that led to the no music band as he travels to the land of the dead and meets members of his family who have passed on. And the thrilling adventures that happen there are you can't make this stuff up. Alright, that goes, that takes care of who I am, what movie we're talking about, and thank you again for everyone who voted. Hopefully, hopefully, uh next time we'll have some more thrilling movies to talk about. And now we're gonna get into the big first role of the session, which is the review persona role. What eyes will I have to look through this movie in? Last time I did this one, I had to do the sorcerer. Like, what was the emotional response? So now I'm curious to see will I do a new one or will I get to pick my own? Who knows? Let's see what the dice have in store for me. First session roll. Okay, 19. Oh boy, this is the first time it's been activated, folks. I have to multi-class. So for all you non-DD players, multi-classing, I rolled a 19, which means I multi-class as well. Multi-classing is where you can, it's a common thing in DD. You can take, or any RPG game where you can take, you can build a character with two different uh personas or two different uh classes. So kind of typical ones or ones that I think would be cool would be Rogue Wizard, uh, you could be uh artificer cleric, uh warlock paladin, rogue druid, uh rogue paladin. You know, it's all about how you want to combine them too. And you work with your dungeon master to figure out like what might be the best niche for your character. So basically what that means is I will have two rolls to make. So one will be the primary, and then the second uh the multi-class will be the second one, will be like what like you know, kind of coming in with the little jabs almost. So let's see what I get. So I'm gonna use two dice, and then let's pick do the first one. Okay, I rolled a 16. Okay, that triggers a reroll. Wow, why am I rolling so high finally? It's crazy. Two. Oh yay, I get to play a bard. I am so excited, especially since this one's big about music. So a bard is a he's kind of the supporting character in D. He's very charismatic. Uh, he always plays an instrument, but he's very reliable with his spells, his uh abilities, he gives out inspiration, and based on what I've seen, they are also the horniest characters I've ever seen in my life. So, you know, forewarning, folks, but uh basically how I transform that is like how is uh the dialogue, the music, what is it fun, memorable, or is it a disaster? You know, like how's the humor, the charm, the fun? Uh, even too. Like, I'm gonna put consider the music as well because it's like music is part of the dialogue of this movie. So that's definitely a factor. So, all right, I'm starting off with a bard. That's gonna be an interesting one. Let's see what I get next. Okay, I rolled an eight. Ooh. Okay, so this is okay. I'm back on track with two new personas. So the sub I'm multiclassing a bard wizard combo. And wizards are the you know, they're the highly intelligent ones of the DD world. They have instead of like uh bards and sorcerers and druids, they have to get their spells from a spell book. This is actually the character I play in my campaign. So I get to learn spells, I have to copy them down into my spell book, and then I can cast them, mess stuff up. I have an ability where I can cast two spells in with my action and bonus action, which is pretty cool. So I transformed that into, you know, you're thinking about the logic, you're thinking about how I can transform it, like what's the magic behind it? I transformed a wizard into does everything make sense here? Like, what is the plot? Are there plot holes? Like, are there does everything line up logically? Is there anything that makes you like, are you sure about that kind of thing? So, you know, there are some questions, so I think that's kind of a good combo. Bard warlocks and uh not warlock, barred wizard. I've been playing warlock too much too much lately, but a barred wizard's gonna be an interesting one to play. All right, let's roll for my mood. This one might be a little longer to get to, I apologize. Five serious, okay. I'm a serious bard performing while also multiply with a little bit of wizard in me nitpicking finer details. Okay, let's do it. And with that, let's get into the review rules and see what I pick. So, also, if you if I sound a little echoey, I apologize. I am on travel right now. So, changing it, new location, new setup. Alright, so now we've gotten into that. Let's uh talk about Coco a little bit more. So you guys hope you all are ready for a fun review. So let's go. First review roll of the session. That fell in that fell. I will find it in a second. All right, another another die. Okay, one the characters. Okay, that's a good one for us. Very good, very good, very good. 16, distinct and memorable. I'd say with the characters, yes, definitely very memorable for lots of different reasons, especially looking at it through through. I'm gonna focus mainly on the bard, but then the wizard will come in when I can. I definitely think for like the writing, it's memorable because it's like Miguel is so passionate about the music, and like music is like life. It's like the mariachi band. But you know, it's very festive and very proud and like has romantic feels to it almost. And like songs often talk about love, like you know, remember me, which was play Ernesto de la Cruz, but then you realize it's not his song, it's actually written by Hector to to his daughter to Grandma Coco, and it's like it's very impactful since it does show, like, even at the end of the movie when you know Miguel sings it and she remembers her father, and that is kind of impactful right there because it's like music can reawaken things, and then music can help open things, and that was very good, and like even too, like uh the characters are all very memorable because it's like they're very, you know, tight-knit family who are very obsessed about shoes, and like who the you got the grandmother who's like, you need to eat more, and like she's very demand, not demanding, but more strict, and she wants what's she thinks she wants what's best for everyone, which is fair. And then Miguel wants his own dream and passion and memories, and he wants to do his own thing, which is kind of important. You know, you gotta all we all follow our own path, and like as a bar, you know, you feel the emotions in his talk when he's playing music, or you feel it when he's playing with Hector Poco Loco, it's like you know, it's not one of the bigger songs, but it's like one of the more fun ones. It makes you want to get up and dance a little bit, and you know, they are they're feeding off each other, and they didn't know grandfather and grandson, great grandfather and his grandson, but they fed you saw that ambience when they played with each other, which was very cool. And like, you know, they have those moments where they're panting with each other, which is very iconic, I think, and memorable, because it's like it feels proper since they're both musicians, and you know, he doesn't look at Hector like he's a homeless guy. You know, it takes a bit, but you know, he moves past it. And I think with the wizard, like everything like looking from a wizard perspective, all of the characters make sense because you know, everyone has their job to do at home, and they're very they honor Dioceos Metros very seriously, and there's for a reason for that, since that way their dead, their deceased relatives can come and see them. And I mean that's a great way to honor it, and very cool that they showed it that way, like you know, they built a world where you can kind of see them, and Miguel gets transported because you know, she he plays the guitar. I mean, that's very creative, and I think one of the cool funniest part is too, like, he makes the promise, but every time he plays the guitar, what happens? He gets sent back, and he has to deal with his great-great great grandmother, which is that you don't mess with that woman and her giant animal sphere because man, that thing is terrifying, and it could probably eat you. So, all right, it's kind of interesting talking barred while trying to also talk about the characters. But all right, next review of let's see what I roll. Let's see what I get four. Okay, so I am talking about the sound and the score. Okay, that wow, this is like barred heaven right now for me. Let's see what I get. Let's see what I get. Uh, that was a little dice word cock. Sorry guys, that when that happens, it usually means it's like leaning or it's like you can't really make one clear number. Okay, 19. Definitely distinct and memorable because it's more again. I the bard has like that mariachi band feel to it. It feels very uh Latin influence music. It's like very uppity, very music that's passion from the heart, from inside you, you know. You wanna music is about connecting with yourself or with others, and that definitely is something that Hector did pretty, very well. Like, you know, he made music based on like his family, his loved ones, or he tried to have them remember who he is. And it's kind of funny that Ernesto de la Cruz took them all and he was remembered. But it at the end, when you hear, you know, when you see the fact that she kept the letters and the poems that Hector wrote, it realize everyone discovered the truth that Cruz was a fake, and you know, Hector was the real genius behind it. So, and the fact that he played, you know, he was this distinguished, and you know, Hector is remembered now. It's kind of ironic since uh now, you know, Hector gets to be remembered forever, which is kind of another coming from a wizard spot, like you know, the music is what made De La Cruz so rememberable, but now it's no longer gonna be de la Cruz, it's gonna be Hector. And I think that's very unique and powerful. And even too, at the end, when that moment, uh, the song that uh Corazon song with Miguel's playing that, it's like it's impactful because it's like, you know, the world is now changing, the world has grown now, and like their family's past has been healed by uncovering, you know, they learned the truth. They learned the truth that, you know, he yes, he did leave his family, but he wasn't abandoning them, he was coming back. And I mean, that's kind of impactful, right? There is the fact that he, you know, Hector was coming back until De La Cruz killed him. Which, very like from a wizard, very backstabbing friend who wants the fame, yes, and also feels like something kind of out of a telenovela, I feel like, you know, definitely like Spanish soap opera, like, you know, dramatic pauses, dramatic flair. Fiery personalities is definitely a strong thing, but and it's see you can see it through the music, too. Like as a bard, you know, it's distinctive. It's like, you know, it makes you feel like you want to get up and dance, get up and sing with it. Heck, you might even want to pick up a guitar, you know. And it's like just the songs in this one too are very not like they're different from like the some of the other Disney movies. I feel like, you know, remember me. Uh Poco Loco is definitely, I think, one of the best ones because it's like it feels just very like, you know, you got two musicians riffing off each other and having fun with it. So I think it's very well done in that way because it's like you remember the songs, especially in this one, and you know, the fact that each song is a wizard coming in from my wizard persona now, too. Like each song as a grow continues, each one continues a different, you see a different version of it. Or, you know, you see, okay, how Dela Cruz played it and how Hector played it, might be two different styles and personalities as well. All right, and then you know, Miguel's riff on them too, which is pretty awesome as well. Alright, I think I've talked enough about the sound and the score. Let's see what I can talk about next. Hold on. Two, all right. Direction and vibe. Alright, that's an interesting one. Let's see what I get. Direction and vibe. Okay, 13, functional. I mean, yes. I definitely think from a barred perspective and a whiz, you know, come with the bar perspective, yes. Definitely the story is functional in the ways of, you know, yes, this is a Disney movie. You know, do you always have that one really bad guy who eventually gets defeated, you know, and also, you know, but also too, like, it's impactful when you kind of see, I think at the end when they're breaking into De La Cruz's concert to reveal the truth about who he is and he's a fraud. You know, you have the great grandmother being like, How dare you take the love of my life? And he's like, Hector's like, You still love me? And he's like, she's like, in a moment, I'm not done with you. Like, you know, you have that moment of like, you do not mess with the fiery Latina person that is angry at you, but also channeling their rage to someone else because that was hilarious. And like you just see the rest of the family like in line because they know you don't mess with grandma in any way, you could get chocolate to the head, or worse, or you could get eaten by your well, could they well they do die, but if they get eaten by their spirit guys, does that mean they die, or do they just get disinterdo they come out disassembled and have to get reassembled with it as their skeletons? Like, that's kind of an interesting question to ponder. Sorry, wit wizard brain could kick in there for a second, and I apologize. But no, like the direction of the vibe though is very it's very unique almost because it's like you start to see too, like everyone thinks at first, oh, De La Cruz is uh Miguel's great-great-grandfather, and then you kind of you know, you see pieces falling into place, and it's like what makes it too. It's like you don't see some of them until like I think you re-watch it, like, because it's like I didn't notice until like I rewatched it that Dante, the crazy dog, yes, he would act erratic, but when he was with Miguel and Hector together, they he was behaving, he was he wasn't acting like a crazed dog, he was acting, you know, he was acting chill, like kind of like you know, okay, I got my people together almost. So it's like something kind of you pick up, but it's also like in the end, though, too, you have that moment where everyone's trying to even too, like Miguel's trying to save Hector, which is like, you know, it's sad, but yeah, you know, people might forget about it. You and you know, it's kind of sad how they faded off, but it's like you know, that that's impactful right there, too, is the fact that, you know, or even like it could have been like, okay, this could have been it could have been like a dramatic twist almost, but instead, you know, Hector gets remembered, and you know, his music continues on when you know they play they play uh Miguel plays Remember Me, and it's like you know, the direction, the vibe, sometimes it went great with like influencing the culture stuff, but maybe like the story it lacked like you know, certain it lacked a lot of it has a lot of powerful punches, but maybe more twists, especially like with De La Cruz actually poisoning him and Hector instead of being like everyone blamed it on the chorizo. So, you know, something to think about almost, I'd say. And I like the fact that you know, Coco is very a family-driven movie. It's like it's not just about Miguel, but it's also about his family getting that closure, getting that confrontation they need, and kind of put hearing the truth and moving forward from it. So, in both literally the afterlife and everyone currently alive. So, all right, so let's see. I've done character, vibe, sound. Let's do one more since or we could do two more, three or more. Let's see what else I can roll. Mistakes or issues? Okay, okay, okay. Sounds good. Let's see, let's see what I can roll for mistakes or issues. I gotta call out, like, do is there some stuff that's questionable? Four, weak or flat. I mean, coming from like a barred standpoint, there's not really like a lot of weak moments with the the script the the script. The quotes because it's like it's very all of them carry impact. All of them have moments where you want to laugh, you know, especially Hector, you know, in person Frida Carlo. I mean, and then you actually meet skeleton Frida Carlo. So it's like, you know, you can't really, you know, there's not really a lot of major mistakes or issues from like the Bard perspective, because it's like they're all very every line like has an impact, like every line is impactful. Every line I think carries the plot like from you know performing to Miguel confronting his great grandmother, you know, the fact that you know he's confronting De La Cruz and like De La Cruz, you know, you kind of see like the pivot from De La Cruz the nice guy to De La Cruz, nobody's gonna stop me from being remembered or feigned. So it's like, you know, all these scene like the script was very well written and very well done since it carries a lot of weight. And then you know and even to the again music is such a big part of this and it's like I think that's where why it's also memorable is because of the music. But I will say this coming from the wizard you know there are there is a big plot hole that I think I need to address because it's like I know from some research I've done the Oceo Smart also has a table of the forgotten but they don't have that in Coco which you know it's kind of sad but it's also like they need I think a driving factor to again it kind of goes this ties into the direction and vibe like you know they could have made some more twists or some other stuff but you know the fact that they don't have a table of those who were forgotten it kind of leads to they wanted that in there probably to explain like why Hector is afraid of not you know he's afraid of dying again and it's like if you ponder like what happens after they die as skeletons or they're forgotten like where do they go? Is it like heaven hell or is it an endless void? Like stuff that like you know could you know it could it be asked by like a kid or even an adult so it's like something to think about. So you know from a Bard standpoint movie really sells is strong but as a wizard it falls weak and flat on the this point like you know major part of DLC was not just as that but doesn't get highlighted for the script or for the dramatics of the all right uh we're getting close to the 25 and minute mark I think I'll do one more review see if I can squeeze one in and since you know I did spend a like eight minutes getting my review done uh getting the selection process done so I want to make sure you guys get an ample amount of time so I might extend this a little bit more so let's see what I get five visual effects oh yeah the visual effects the world building the special effects well this is kind of different since you know again this is a Disney anime so let's see what I get new dice roll good roll good natural one oh well from a Bart standpoint this is where it's gonna be hard it's weak and flat from a Bart standpoint because it's like there's not a lot to do you know it's hard to make the unless it talks almost the the atmosphere the world it does it talk unless it doesn't talk back to you then it's not gonna be as impactful as you know the rest of the music or the quotes like this one is kind of coming from here it's like you know it's like an art it's like your stage almost it's gonna be your stage and that's it. So but from a wizard and even from a wizard's perspective you know it's kind of like it's cool seeing how they built it but it also doesn't answer the question like does it expand every time someone dies you know we see the flowers you know we saw what happened there but it's like do they also bring up and this is asked do they have bathrooms in the land of the dead I don't remember I'll have to I'm like trying to think do they have bathrooms there? That's something to think about too and like you know what happens does all the food stay good or does it get spoiled all the offerings and do they eat it or do they leave it there? That's something to think about kind of like not trying to be rude uh you know that's kind of like some of the world some of the world building questions they have some big world building questions that maybe could have been addressed more or maybe if they make another one which I'm hearing they might that would be something to possibly talk about so you know from a barred perspective it's kind of hard to talk about world if this was like a druid barred robe then it would be different or a barred uh druid class like it would be something cool or you could talk about the world building but you know it's kind of the world is the state it's a it's a stage but it doesn't add much else unless you know and then the wizard is like you're you kind of look and you're like hey what about this what about this what about this what about this and it's like these questions seem I think valid and like even too like what happens you know I think too even from a wizard perspective you know again it kind of comes back to what happens when they pass like where do they go that's not really explained and can't they also change their clothes because some of them are wearing rags man give them some fresh dreads or some fresh clothes at least so all right I'm gonna end it there that was gonna be the end of our reviews so we've come to the end of our reviews duh which means now it is time for the m the final two rolls of the night I'm sorry folks first roll up as always is gonna be the rewatch roll how likely am I gonna turn on Coco especially with looking through it now with my barred wizard eyes let's see what I get two probably yes I would say so because it's like I love Disney movies like but this one's not it is good for the music and the atmosphere but I often do there are some questions that I do ask here and there like you know I love the world building but as a Bard and wizard it's like you love it for like the music and some of the lines but as a wizard you're like there are some cool moments but then you like well what about the you have you start to develop a list of questions almost you know you it might be like an occasional like oh let's watch it with the family or like oh we're at Disney let's turn it on you know but it's not gonna be like a Disney movie that I'm like I'm immediately going to especially with these lot eyes I'm looking at since it's like you gotta be you know it's like it you want to listen to the music you go for the music I think a little bit too not the maybe not the whole movie there are parts that are good but there are also parts that are hard to watch especially in the beginning with I think we can all agree the grandmother smashing the guitar and then acting like oh everything's fine and it's like no it's not not even close. They want and you know Miguel disowning his family I mean that is sad and impactful but it's also like you can't force him to be what he's not so just something to think about. And with that ladies and gentlemen we are at the final role of verdict roll of the night let's spit and again for all you new I will re-this is gonna be the final roll I have three categories good bad and iconic and we'll see what the what my dice say Coco is and I have to defend it or live with it. Let's see what I get 13 good I'd say yes it is good for a lot of you know different reasons because of like the this the script the fact that of the cultural influence like the Dios Muertos is such a major factor and it allowed it opens the eyes and you get to travel to this amazing place and like the music it's very I love the music in this movie. You feel very powerful like remember me you know each one brings a different kind of emotional feeling I feel like you know you hear remember me you want to think about a happy moment in your life Poco Loco you kind of want to dance a little bit and Corazone family Corazone it's like at the end you hear it and you're like you dance to it because it's like things are you're embracing the change you're embracing the truth and not living a lie or like embracing what future is going to happen and like your family's gonna you know your family's gonna be beside you. So it's like it's very good in those eyes because it's like it makes you feel things and as a bard you want people to feel your music feel your performance and you want them to feel something while you know it's good in those sense like and like the wizard like the a lot of the stuff makes sense it honors the direction of de los muertos but they also take some creative liberties with some stuff and they also create a few plot holes or questions that people might have like you know again do they go to the bathroom what happens to their food you know where do they go when they're finally forgotten they didn't even have a table of the forgotten. So it's like questions like these that pop up as a wizard as well that you have to like be like huh something to think about. You know but that's what makes I think cocoa good. It's like it's not it's there but it's there in these eyes but also it held back since the wizard kind of was like oh yes this this and this because a wizard's job is high intelligence. You need the intelligence to cast spells you know they're the ones who are gonna be looking for the nitty details so that way it could save you from a trap or save you from doing something you might regret. All right and that brings us to the end of this session thank you so much all for listening I will be back next week with a new movie to review and watch and uh we'll start it up and every 10 you guys have the power so keep an eye out on socials please like follow and comment can't wait to hear what you guys all think of this session. Until next time roll wisely thank you everyone