A House of Dynamite

Summary

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Blank Check with Griffin & David

Episode: "A House of Dynamite"
Date: October 26, 2025
Hosts: Griffin Newman, David Sims
Guests/Producers: Ben Hosley, Marie Barty Salinas

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Overview

In this episode, Griffin, David, Ben, and Marie dive deep into A House of Dynamite, the highly anticipated new film from Kathryn Bigelow—her first feature in eight years. The hosts unpack expectations, the film’s tense premise, its oddly noncommittal politics, Bigelow’s career moves, and their very mixed reactions to both the movie’s creative choices and its underwhelming ending. The episode also meanders (in signature Blank Check fashion) into recent festival buzz, contemporary Oscar season speculation, the landscape of Netflix original films, and some unmissable tangents about directors, supporting performances, and even animated toy samurai.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Origin of the Episode Title and the Film's Premise

• [00:15] The hosts relay how Marie first alerted everyone to the fact that A House of Dynamite’s title comes directly from a character’s monologue—one that literally references podcasts.
  • Memorable quote:

    “For the first time, we have a quote with podcast in it. Is it funny to overdo the bit?” — Griffin [04:13]

• The phrase “house full of dynamite” appears several times in the movie, and the hosts marvel at hearing “podcast” spoken aloud by the President of the United States (played by Idris Elba) in a Bigelow film.

2. The Strangeness of Movie Presidents & Accents

• [01:30] The crew has a good time picking apart Idris Elba’s accent work, likening his performance to “95% perfect American accent” and drifting ambiguously between regional and international vowels.
• Marie, the first to spot Idris as the President, notes,

  “Sometimes he sounds a little trumpy. Sometimes he sounds like Cuomo. There’s definitely, like, a New York accent. There was just, like, too much going on.” — Marie [02:23]

3. Kathryn Bigelow’s Career and Hollywood’s Blank Checks

• [08:06–13:27] Detailed reflection on Bigelow’s hiatus since Detroit (2017), her flirtations with tentpoles (Tomb Raider, Planet of the Apes), and offers to direct Spider-Man and Mission: Impossible movies.
  • The consensus: Bigelow is drawn to “serious, right now” material rather than pure action spectacle.
  • David:

    “She wants to do really serious stuff. It seems to be what interests her.” [12:58]

• There’s some lamenting the lack of a mid-tier “just-okay” Bigelow filmic output over the last decade.

4. A House of Dynamite: Structure, Script, and Execution

• [13:27–20:55] The hosts break down the film’s unusual format:
  • Three acts show the same 18 minutes from overlapping perspectives between government, military, and the executive branch in the moments leading up to (maybe) a nuclear disaster.
  • Minimal explicit explanation of who attacked; focus is the human cost of leadership indecision and procedural stress.
  • Griffin:

    “This is like kind of a gentleman six to me. It has high highs. It's got some really dumb moments... I didn’t find it not enjoyable to watch.” [15:15]

The Script and Writing Issues

• David and Marie critique Noah Oppenheim’s screenplay as feeling like a first draft, loaded with research but lacking character richness.
• David:

  “I find the writing incredibly clunky. I find the efforts to like crowbar in character stuff... so, so root one.” [61:19]

5. The Film’s Ending: Audience Reaction & Critical Response

• [26:23–31:07] Universal bewilderment at the “cut-to-black, then 15 seconds of random images” finale.
  • In Marie’s screening, audiences groaned, booed, and laughed when the credits rolled.
  • Griffin:

    “The ending feels like an actual admission of defeat...The movie is actually better if when it cuts to black at the end, the credits come up there. It’s worse to even give us 15 seconds of something else.” [30:57]

• Suggestions fly: melt the film, pull a Gremlins 2 metatextual gag, at least add an info-dump text wall.

6. Performances: Standouts and Duds

• [42:39–47:02] The gang debates MVPs:
  • Rebecca Ferguson and Tracy Letts cited as reliably good (“can do this in their sleep”).
  • Gabriel Basso (“JD Mac”) praised as the surprise “heart” of the film—“fresh enough and passionate enough...he’s kind of the sharpest tool in the drawer” [45:54].
  • Discussion of actors with little to do—e.g., Moses Ingram's FEMA subplot called a “big wet fart.”
  • Moments of earned praise for Caitlin Dever, G. Akinagbe, Greta Lee, and a desire for more focus on side characters.

7. The Movie’s Thematic (and Political) Flatness

• [20:39–21:21] The film’s deliberate refusal to assign blame or make the event political is discussed:
  • “It is more saying, we live in a world where at any moment this could be activated. We’re sitting in a house full of dynamite.”
• David notes the movie’s “take” is essentially: “That would be hard. That’s it.” [20:55]

8. Tangents and Signature Blank Check Bits

• Podcast banter about podcasts in movies: “Any time a podcast comes up in any movie, I immediately knock it a star” — Griffin [05:19].
• Extended riffs on Dragonheart sequels, animated toy collectibles, Oscar acting races, and the structural oddities of Gabby’s Dollhouse, Tron: Aries, and Roofman.
• Playful discussion about merchandising, Japanese exclusives, and actor “blank check” trajectories.

9. Box Office, Awards Buzz, and Contemporary Film Talk

• [101:13–108:04] Oscar best picture predictions, animated film nominations, and the meaning of streaming platforms’ festival strategies.
• Running through recent box office hits and flops, insider takes on the Oscar field, and studio (mis)handling of promising mid-budget pictures.
• Ample discussion of Netflix’s approach to prestige, e.g., J. Kelly, Frankenstein, and whether A House of Dynamite can ride its festival debut to a nomination.

10. Closing: Blankie Business and Future Plans

• The episode closes with business—Marie receives a custom “head” for the guest desk, reflecting her new semi-regular status.
• Teases of upcoming miniseries, planned Patreon coverage, and the gang’s anticipation for a Coen Brothers classic on the next episode.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

On the movie’s structure:

“This movie, right, as you mentioned, does the same thing three times. It's showing you 18 minutes... from three perspectives. You do not know who launched the nuke and you don’t know what happens when it hits.” — David [19:35]

On Bigelow’s direction:

“I want her to make Tomb Raider. Because I'm like, Katherine, high-octane action—you used to be the queen of this. Let's do this again!” — David [11:32]

On Hollywood’s “blank checks”:

“You can’t go and make probably an original giant scale action movie with ease. You can do Tomb Raider and try and, you know, have fun with that.” — David [12:05]
“What happened in that time? ... Triple Frontier, hot script, Bigelow attached, three big names, budget disagreement. She drops off. Another year goes by without a Bigelow.” — Griffin [09:15]

On the “podcast” meta moment:

“Any time a podcast comes up in any movie, I immediately knock it a star. Maybe it’s self-loathing. Thank God for podcasts—they saved our lives, right? But the second movies give any weight to podcasts, I’m like, this movie’s done.” — Griffin [05:19]

On the ending:

“Every person in the theater had to go through all three stages of grieving, which is laughing, booing, and scoffing.” — Griffin [25:36]
“The ending of the movie feels like, I don’t know, I got nothing.” — Griffin [29:50]

On character work:

“It does feel like it's lacking even some of the bracks, like, hard details of a Zero Dark Thirty.” — Griffin [29:09]

On performance MVPs:

“I think Gabriel Basso's really good in this movie. He's totally solid but I thought he was kind of the heart of this.” — Griffin [44:10]
“Rebecca Ferguson and Tracy Letts could do this in their sleep.” — Marie [42:51]

Oscar season sidebar:

“What would your ten be right now on October 15th?” — Griffin [101:37]
“Hamnet. Sinners. Marty. Supreme.” — David [101:49-101:55]

Podcast rules:

“If you put the word podcast in your movie, you’re immediately getting knocked down half a star.” — Griffin (closing note) [154:20]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening banter and the meaning of the title: 00:15–05:00
• Idris Elba President and accent riffing: 01:24–03:44, 21:21–22:01, 22:58–23:44, 84:23–87:23
• Kathryn Bigelow’s post-Detroit stagnation / alternate career moves: 08:06–13:27
• Analysis of film structure: 19:35–20:39
• Script/writing criticism: 18:44–19:15, 61:19–62:06
• Audience reaction to ending: 25:36–31:07
• Performance MVP debate: 42:39–47:02
• Oscar race/Oscar ballots discussion: 101:13–108:04
• Box office talk and current movie landscape: 119:05–134:22
• Marie gets her guest desk “head”: 146:13–147:12
• Closing thoughts and future episodes: 152:00–154:20

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Tone & Style

• The episode is conversational, irreverent, heavily steeped in inside-baseball film humor, and marked by the kind of affectionate, self-deprecating meta-commentary the Blank Check hosts are known for.
• The language is sardonic, thoughtful, and fueled by the hosts’ encyclopedic film knowledge and a fondness for tangents.

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Summary Takeaways

• A House of Dynamite is regarded by the panel as a “gentleman’s 6”—competent, at times tense, but ultimately undercooked and hampered by a clunky script, its refusal to take political sides, and a letdown of an ending.
• The hosts lament the lost era of mid-budget, risk-taking studio thrillers—and Bigelow’s drift away from her action bonafides.
• The show packs its usual mix of film criticism, industry gossip, idle speculation, and trademark in-jokes.
• Major through-line: if you're going to put podcasts or podcast references in a serious film, expect a penalty from self-respecting podcasters.

Transcript

[A]

Blank check with Griffin and David.

[B]

Blank check with Griffin and David.

[A]

Don't know what to say or to expect.

[B]

All you need to know is that.

[A]

The name of the shadow is Blackjack. I was listening to this Dynamite the other day, and it said, we're living in a house full of podcasts. Now, here's what's going on. Marie sees this movie. First of the four of us. She texts us, oh, my God, you guys. The big monologue in the movie, the monologue that provides the title for the film already has the word podcast in it.

[C]

Correct.

[A]

Ben and I go see the movie. Like, a couple nights later, that line comes up. Ben, like, slaps himself in the face. He like face palms, right?

[B]

Oh, it's not. If you're going to do the Leo pointing meme. I said the title, which I did.

[A]

I did my part.

[B]

Don't do it after, one, you've already had the title of the movie appear.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then two, you've named the third chapter of your movie that as well and had that title appear. And by the way, just. Just. It just kind of felt like it just was like. And by the way, the metaphor is, it's so we've built a house full of dynamite. I heard that on a podcast I.

[A]

Was trying to do. And you just did it. Idris Elba thing where it's like, 95% perfect American accent.

[B]

I. I think he has had better American accents in the past, but always what you're describing, where it's like, ah. Some. Some vowels are escaping. Towels are out.

[A]

Yeah. Some Sam word.

[B]

Can't. Babe. The sheep pig. Let's. Let's get these vowels back in. This was. I wasn't sure what was going on. He kind of sounded British to me the whole time. I was really confused.

[C]

Got that he was the president.

[A]

What did you think he was talking about all this?

[C]

I forgot. I, like, saw that he was in the movie.

[B]

Oh, you forgot that he was gonna be in the movie?

[C]

I forgot that he was gonna be in the movie.

[B]

Well, then they got you.

[C]

I'm like, well, who's the president? Who's the president?

[A]

That's what they want.

[C]

And I saw this movie at Nighthawk. So I was writing things down on my little order cards, and one of the things was like, he sounds like Cuomo. Like, he's got, like, Jesus.

[A]

You were writing them down for your husband, I assume, who you saw the movie with.

[C]

And I'm like, is it gonna be like some. Like, sometimes he sounds a little trumpy. Sometimes he sounds like Cuomo. There's definitely, like, a New York accent. There was just, like, too much going on. And then when they had the Idris reveal, I was like, oh, oh, okay.

[B]

It's plausible casting as a president.

[A]

We're talk about it. There's a lot you keep saying.

[B]

We're going to talk about things. What are we going to do ourselves?

[A]

Because I have to finish my setup.

[B]

All right, you built a house for yourself.

[A]

Ben's like, no, we go see this movie at Nighthawk. By the way, Marie, I thought what you were going to say is, nighthawk, dine in theater. You on the little order card, wrote down who is playing the president and asked the server to answer.

[C]

Well, you know what I did write down for the server? There was a guy in front of me who was vaping.

[A]

Fuck.

[C]

He lets out a fucking cloud of smoke in the middle of the movie. And I'm like, I'm sorry. This is a civilized theater. We don't do that here.

[A]

This is not a house full of dynamite.

[B]

Right.

[A]

This happened to me on the subway yesterday. And I, like, sat down. Woman next to me takes out a vape pen. The moment I sit down, blows a puff of smoke. I'm like, sorry, other side of the car. I am not sitting next to you.

[D]

I don't approve. I don't vape anymore.

[A]

Yeah, I know.

[D]

At one time I did, and I would vape in studio. And I've learned my lesson.

[A]

You're squeaky clean, Benny.

[C]

You vaped in this studio.

[B]

No.

[D]

When we used to record at the Audio Boom Studios, I occasionally would take a quick little puff.

[A]

That was a little the man. Now you're the man. Who are you if you vape in the studio?

[D]

That's true.

[A]

This line comes up, we go see the movie Truck. Torrance. Yeah. Great artist, friend of the show, man behind 100 soft, was in town for New York Comic Con, and Alan Smithy, anonymous editor of Blank Check, and the four of us are talking after the movie, and you're. I think Truck is like, well, makes your life easy. The quote's just there, right? And I was like, I think I want to flip the word dynamite and podcast in the quote. Because for the first time, we have a quote with podcast in it. Is it funny to overdo the bit? And then Alan Smithee was like, you should just say the word podcast 15 times. And I was like, let me find the exact quote and then I'll do it. There is no way to find the exact quote. We saw this in theaters.

[B]

No one's right.

[A]

Now it's not on Netflix yet.

[B]

No, not yet.

[A]

We don't have a screener link. I was just like, I only remember the one sentence. I think I got it right. But also the three times you didn't get it exact.

[B]

But who cares?

[A]

House of Dynamite as title. Chiron line in movie and title of film are worded three different ways.

[B]

It's true.

[A]

It's House Full of Dynamite.

[B]

I think that's the chapter heading. Right? Exactly.

[A]

It's just filled with dynamite as one time, I think.

[B]

But like, you can't say, in my opinion, you can actually do whatever you want, which is we live in a.

[A]

Free country, but for the time being. Yeah, maybe not. By the time this episode comes out.

[B]

Sort of we live sort of live in a free country.

[A]

Kind of 15 asterisks.

[B]

Yeah, but like, I don't think your movie can have someone say the title and preface it with I heard this on a podcast.

[C]

My God.

[B]

Like, and then it's like, oh, oh, and what's the character? President of the United States. And I'm like, I was.

[C]

I work for a podcast. Podcast. And I was so embarrassed. I felt.

[A]

So anytime a podcast comes up in any movie, I immediately knock it a star.

[B]

Right?

[A]

I. Maybe it's. It's self loathing. We're. This is a room. Thank God for podcasts. They saved our lives, right?

[B]

Podcast.

[A]

But the second movies give any weight to podcasts. I'm like, this movie's done well.

[D]

Especially because he's a politician. He's the goddamn president.

[B]

Why is he listening to podcast?

[C]

We are saying this in the week Obama. That Obama concludes wt not buy that.

[A]

He'S listening to podcasts. Of course he's listening to podcasts.

[B]

Debate. Like, oh, sure. Should Obama be doing something different with his post presidency? Fine.

[A]

Yeah, you should go on. Theo Von.

[B]

I'm more. I'm more just saying, yeah, he should go on and be like, what's the matter with you?

[A]

What if Obama would just fuck up?

[B]

No, he's just like, what's the matter with you? Yeah, he just said that over and over.

[C]

What's your deal, Theo? He's got.

[B]

Okay, well weighed into all this and we'll introduce our show in a second.

[A]

Obama should go on Joe Rogan.

[B]

It's just that the guy's literally being asked like, hey, so what amount of nuke should we fight?

[A]

And he's like, literally ticking.

[B]

Should we fire? And he's like, yeah, So I heard something on a podcast once. I would be like, let's table that until we're in fucking Fort, you know, Apocalypse.

[A]

We got less than five minutes going on. I don't want you quoting any podcast. Now here is what does exist on the quotes page for A House of Dynamite, the new film from Katherine Bigelow.

[B]

First in six years, I believe, right? Seven. Okay.

[A]

I think Detroit was 20.

[B]

2018.

[A]

I believe so.

[B]

I believe. I mean, you could tell me anything here. It was 2017.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Jesus.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So it's been eight years.

[B]

Eight years.

[A]

Here's what's on the quotes page. SA I see Ken Cho and then in brackets, talking to Lieutenant Commander Robert Reeves, the carrier of quote, unquote, the football that holds the nuclear launch codes, and about how many presidents he's worked for, and about the current serving president portrayed by Idris Elba, end of brackets. I've worked for three. They're all narcissists. At least this one reads the newspaper. None of that context necessary. Who is the lunatic who adds that to IMDb? I don't know, but they didn't add the line I was looking for. Look, this is blank. Check with Griffin and David. I am Griffin.

[B]

I'm David. That's not the kind of rapid response the President.

[D]

Hello, it's Ben Hosley.

[B]

Hello, Ben.

[C]

And I'm Commander Lieutenant Marie Barty Salinas.

[A]

There we fucking kind of.

[B]

More Lieutenant Commander.

[C]

I don't know.

[B]

I don't know. My hands are up. My hands are up.

[A]

Democratic Party party. Well, although this movie doesn't pick sides.

[C]

Doesn't pick sides. I'm technically a registered Democrat in New York because you kind of have to be in order to vote for the local primaries.

[A]

But I'm not pegging you as a Democrat. I'm just trying to come with an analog for this movie.

[C]

Thank you.

[B]

You're part of the machine, the Democrat machine.

[C]

No, I'm not.

[B]

No, I'm kidding.

[C]

Dare you.

[A]

Years ago, we covered Katherine Bigelow on this podcast tied into the release of Detroit, which seemed like a very exciting new movie. And that was one of the cases where we put someone on the schedule.

[B]

You're right.

[A]

And it will line up perfectly.

[B]

Right. And we hadn't discussed a lot of women on the show. She had obvious blank check films in her. Absolutely. And she was coming off of a, you know, double Best Picture contender type movies. Yeah.

[A]

And. And Zero Dark was a big zero.

[B]

Dark had also made money.

[A]

Had made a lot of money. And you were like, she's in a real prime position. And people were excited about the trailers for that movie. And then just kind of like immediate Belly flop. We had our friends from Black Men Can't Jump in Hollywood on. We were just sort of like this thing just doesn't work. Feels like Kathryn Bigelow needs a reset. She's done these three Mark Ball movies in a row and something needs to reset and instead just fucking eight year hiatus. Talking to someone the other night who was like, well, what if she made Since Detroit? And I was like, nothing. And he was like, what happened in that time? And I was trying to remember. We can go into some of it. There's like an HBO series that she shoots. The pilot. It doesn't happen. Sure. She was announced to direct Triple Frontier.

[B]

That was obviously a sort of long gestating.

[A]

There were a couple of those, though. There were a couple. Here's a hot script. Bigelow attached with three big names. It's set up at a studio. Budget disagreement. She drops off. Another year goes by with Without a Bigelow.

[B]

Here's the thing. No, here's the thing. Triple Frontier was announced after Hurt Locker Insane. She decides to go 0 dark 30. Post that. She continues to court it, but then decides she's gonna make a Bo Burgdahl movie. Which never happened.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Why do I know that?

[A]

Who was Serial season two?

[B]

He's the guy who wandered off his military base.

[C]

Is that the jihadist or whatever? Am I thinking.

[A]

No, I don't know.

[C]

The different series that New York Times audio did.

[A]

Am I thinking that Serial season two. It was. Serial season two was basically using the mater material that Mark Bull had from interviewing to research for that movie.

[B]

I think so. I think there was a little bit of that.

[A]

Yeah, but. But this is that era where you're just like, maybe she needs to like stop working with bowl and like Switch guy.

[C]

He was held by the Taliban for. Yeah, okay, I remember this. Sorry.

[B]

She did Detroit instead. Yeah, but then. Yeah, I don't. I mean, Covid happened. She's getting older. She's in her 70s. It's not like, yeah, I need Catherine Bigelow to be pedal to the metal. But it is. Yeah. I mean, she did an Apple commercial.

[A]

You're right. Triple Frontier was 2010. She was going to do it with Tom Hanks and Johnny Depp. I also remember a version where Tom Hardy and Will Smith were attached.

[B]

I mean, it's a movie with a bunch of guys. A lot of guys could fit in it.

[A]

Miraculous Year was her HBO pilot. But that was also 2010 and she had a stacked cast and it wasn't picked up. But you're right, there hasn't even been.

[B]

I think she's mostly just chilling. Yeah. I don't know.

[A]

I don't know what she's Netflix. She had a film called Aurora that was an adaptation of David Koepp's novel. I mean, it's even just like reading things like this. Of course, she was offered the first Andrew Garfield Amazing Spider Man. She was offered Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

She also. Mogadishu, Minnesota. That was an HBO thing that sputtered.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Tomb Raider. The Vikander Tomb Raider.

[B]

Okay, you know what? Okay.

[A]

All right.

[B]

I have a bunch of things to say. One I don't like. We've introduced the show, right?

[A]

Yeah. Yes.

[B]

A House of Dynamite. I don't like the film and I do feel like it is on the same track. A track I wish she'd left off of. Right. And so in theory, I want her to make Tomb Raider. Right. Because I'm like, Catherine, high octane action. You used to be the queen of this. Like, what happened? Like, let's do this again. Let's do something goofier. Let's do something more fun. But then it is like. I guess the option is like, do you want to do Tomb Raider? Right. It's like, you can't go and make probably an original giant scale action movie with ease. You can do Tomb Raider and try and, you know, have fun with that.

[A]

Here's the thought I had, like, halfway through this movie, and you're right. That it'd be more depressing if we were just like, wait a second, Catherine Bigelow directed Extraction 3.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And they're not even promoting her. Here was the major thought I had up until this year when the train came off the rails. I was excited by the direction Mission Impossible had gone in being a Macquarie driven franchise. But if we run an alternate history in which it remains a new director every time, she would have been great. I feel like we almost definitely would have gotten a Mission Impossible directed by Bigelow at some point in the 20s.

[B]

At the very least, the call would have been made.

[A]

Yes. I mean, a Bond or like any of these things where you're like, can we at least give her, like, the caviar franchises? As depressing as that is, maybe that's what she should have done in 2017. That's like, put me up for the most adult, sophisticated franchises.

[B]

I. Not to psychoanalyze her, but I don't think she wants to do that. Right. She wants to do really serious stuff. It seems to be what interests her.

[A]

I liked, but But I'm like, something like Born is the most serious version of a franchise movie. You know, versions of this she can do.

[B]

Look, she tried to make a movie called Mogadishu, Minnesota about jihadi recruitment. You know, I just feel like she's just, like, on this path of, like, no, I want to do, like, docudrama stuff. I want to do stuff about right now. Like, you know, what's happening.

[A]

Here's my bigger take right off the bat. I said right off the bat, 15 minutes into an episode. I like this movie more than the three of you. While admitting it's pretty fucking wonky. It is also not a great film.

[B]

Also courted to direct a reboot of Planet of the Apes at one point.

[A]

I said that already.

[B]

Oh, sorry.

[C]

You said she was. Was it Rise? Is that the reboot?

[B]

Rise was the first James Franco. It makes sense.

[A]

These were the things she was offered post Oscar Bacher. Right, Right. There's. There's that list that Deadline posted that I love to reference where they said they have four candidates to take over Spider Man. This is Sony's dream wish list. Pascal has hand selected of who she thinks is up to the task of rebooting Spider Man.

[B]

And this is. That movie was 2012. So, like.

[A]

But this is a 2010, 2011 announcement, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So right after Hurt Locker, the names were Katherine Bigelow.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

David Fincher, who of course, on the 2002. On the first Raimi film, Wes Anderson, who was kind of at, like, a bad career point, signed to new management. And they clearly were like, kind of.

[B]

Like post Darjeeling, but no, fantastic.

[A]

But Mr. Fox flopped.

[B]

Yeah, but it was good.

[A]

Yes. But Moonrise really did kind of like swing him.

[B]

Back him out. Yeah.

[A]

He got new reps, and there was this moment of like, is he going to director for hire? Can he not do his thing anymore? And then Moonrise was so much smaller budget. Right. And then the fourth name on the list was Mark Webb. And they went with Mark Webb.

[C]

Was that because his name was Webb?

[A]

I think that was a big part of it. And I think the other thing was the other three directors went, no fucking way.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, right? Is that like me saying, like, I'd like a 10 year, $400 million contract.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But, like, my actual desired salary is Marquette.

[A]

But look, you watch this movie, and I'm like, this is like kind of a gentleman six to me. It has high highs. It's got some really dumb. I didn't find it not enjoyable to watch. I also didn't find it frustrating as much as its failings are annoying. If she waited eight years and made this, I'm like, you could have made, like, an okay movie every two years.

[C]

This could. This felt like a Covid movie. This, which is really depressing.

[A]

This feels like we're doing, like, a 2025 series. I'm like, if. If this is the level, if you weren't taking the time to really be like, it's got to be the right project, then, like, fart a couple of these out. I'll never complain about having one of these every 18 months on a streaming service. It feels really like an interview with.

[B]

Her, like, where she explains, like, yeah, I just, you know, wasn't that excited about anything. You know, I just. I wonder, like, what.

[A]

It's. It's also interesting to me that I feel like a lot of filmmakers who are getting older and we're in this, like, am I retired? Do I really have that dog in me anymore? Do I want to hunt the big projects in 2020, like, flipped out. A lot of filmmakers talked about this in 2020. They're like, right, it could all end tomorrow. If I never get to make another movie again. What am I making? And then they, like, launched projects right out of 2021. You know, end of 2020, she still waited another, like, five years. It doesn't feel like this movie comes out of. Fuck. I'm tired of sitting around. I just got to do something.

[B]

So I'm reading an interview with her in Deadline.

[C]

That's what I'm reading right now, too.

[B]

And she generated this project.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And was. She was like, who could I. You know, like, just the very basic idea of, like, what does it look like if a nuclear bomb gets launched in America? And someone connected her with Noah Oppenheim, who, of course has screenplay credits, you know, to his name. Obviously, he wrote Jackie.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

He wrote Movie.

[A]

I like a tremendous amount. But it's also, I love. Very silly. David's making Stinky.

[B]

I like that movie a lot. The script is dog shit. I. Everything else is good.

[A]

I'm not disagreeing with you.

[B]

No, I know. I know. I'm saying my opinion of that script by Noah Maupin, it's very silly.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He wrote Zero Day, which I think is sort of a House of Dynamite style TV show.

[A]

Like, it's very similar to.

[C]

I mean, don't people not like that?

[B]

Of course. Yeah, of course they don't like it. Yeah.

[A]

I'm seeing here that viewers called it bad.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

Out of 10, like, you know, it's just like, you know, it was. It was. It so exemplified what Netflix is now, where they're like, we made a show. Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Lucy Kaplan, Joan Allen, Connie Britton, Bill Camp, who's the president? It's like a huge fucking thing. We cost so much money, I assume, to make it. It's about all this shit, right? There's like a terrorist attack or something.

[A]

Angela Bass, right?

[B]

And people are like, oh, is it any good? And they're like, no, no, no, it's bad. And you can't watch it. You'd fall asleep. No one will ever watch it. Robert De Niro will go on off menu to promote it.

[A]

Sat on a shelf for like two years.

[B]

Yeah, so like he did that. He did Allegiant and the Maze Runner.

[A]

Of course.

[B]

That's weird. But, you know, he has this news background.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Zero Days, she calls him.

[A]

Excuse me, Zero Day is cyber terrorist.

[B]

You know, what if something happens? But yes, another. What if something happened? Movies. And so she calls him and is like, you know, you do the research or whatever. Like, you know, so what would that look like? And so she did commission this script basically from him.

[A]

If I got this script lands on my desk, I read it. My immediate email back to Noah Oppenheim is like, hey, great start. Here are great research material, essentially of notes.

[B]

There's stuff in this, Griffin, you don't know. Maybe this was after years of edits and back and forth.

[A]

It's impossible. But that's what this feels like. This feels like a decent first draft for something you could really disagree on.

[B]

The decent. Yes.

[C]

Is the. Is the structure of the film. Is that something that was present from the beginning or is that something when they were like, hey, actually we don't have a. If we don't want to show the effects of the bomb, we don't want to show it going off. And we also want to like, plant you in media res. There really isn't that much we can do. I guess we have to repeat.

[B]

This is exactly what I want to say. I'll say it and then I'll be done. This movie, right, as you mentioned, does the same thing three times. It's showing you 18 minutes.

[A]

It resets the clock somehow.

[B]

The Movie's an hour 50 minutes. So I guess the 18 minutes is kind of stretched out, but. Right. You're seeing it though, this incident from three perspectives.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You do not know, but each perspective.

[A]

Also kind of contains four or five perspectives within it. It's three different.

[B]

And they overlap. Overlap yes, yes. Yeah.

[A]

But the first act, you're seeing characters only on zoom. The second act, you're in the office with them, whatever.

[B]

Exactly. You don't know who launched the nuke and you don't know what happens when it hits. As Marie says, you've stripped away basically all story. Right.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Out of, I guess, necessity. Because that would make it another movie. If it's a movie about we're at war with Russia, we're at war with North Korea, like, that's a different movie. Right. It's just about the agony of human decision making in this, like, which is.

[A]

What I like about this movie. And the spurts of it that work for me are capturing that. But, yes, it is a movie that doesn't really have a political axe to grind. It is more saying, we live in a world where at any moment this could be activated. You know, we're. We're sitting in a house full of dynamite.

[B]

Here's this movie's take. That would be hard. That's it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That, my friend, is a New Yorker article and it's not a particularly good one. Yeah, that's. That is just not enough. And I was arguing with someone I work with who works in national security stuff. You know, it was like, oh, it's so realistic. It's so good. And yeah, it's about how hard this decision is being like. I'm like, that's fine, I can read about that. I don't need to see Idris Upper going, what fucking. Oh, bangers and mash. What should I pick?

[A]

He is. It is weird that he keeps ordering bangers and mash at a cricket game.

[B]

Fucking hell. Yeah, Quick. Cricket. He's just the most British guy. This is my Greg Sausage roll. Should I do, you know, option 18 and 19, mate?

[C]

You're starting to sound more like Aussie Osborne.

[B]

Oh, fucking remote, mate.

[A]

Sharon.

[B]

Sharon. I have a third child who's not in this show. You ever think about that? It is kids. Only two of them are in the show.

[A]

I'm watching this movie and it was like, first wave of response out of Venice was Bigelows back right at a ven.

[B]

Venice of a very strange Venice. Like a mirror verse Venice. Everything that was like, there kind of faltered out of Venice. Everything that wasn't like there has kind of, you know, had a bounce back after Venice. It's so weird.

[A]

You recently on the Big Picture and talked about the flop fall that we're living through.

[B]

Yes, yeah, yeah. The festival season has been very, like.

[A]

Odd and aberrant, like a Calamitous festival season. But I also feel like every first wave of responses I've heard for a movie, the second wave is the exact opposite. And the third wave evens out to, eh.

[B]

Like, there's true. It arrives, like, fully cooked on your plate. And everyone's like, yeah, I don't know. C plus. It was okay, but I was hearing.

[A]

Like, Hamlet, Hamnet doesn't have the juice. And then I was hearing, like, Hamnet's knocking people out. And then people are like, pp. And it's okay. Everything's leveling out to okay.

[C]

J. Kelly is like, oh, my God. Embarrassing disaster. And then, great movie.

[A]

That's what I heard was Sims and 10 other people telling me.

[B]

But then it debuted. That movie debuted in Venice, partly because that's where Netflix debuts its movie, but partly because it does have scenes in Italy.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And I imagine they were like, this rocks. It's set in Italy.

[C]

It's a movie star in Italy. Let's bring a movie.

[B]

Movie star. Debut that movie in America. Whatever. Nobody listens to me.

[C]

I really liked what you said on.

[A]

You said basically that verbatim of which.

[B]

Is that, what do you think? And I'll be like, tiff, Yeah.

[C]

I love this idea. You just being like some sort of, like, wizard of Oz type figure behind a curtain.

[B]

I'm like, sounds like, tiff, see you later. Like, you know, I just, you know, I'm just running.

[A]

It did feel like things were underwhelming at times. And two of the only things that came out with really positive responses were no other choice.

[B]

The Park Tim Wook film, which we will cover on this podcast, I think, in the new year.

[A]

Yes. And. And House of Dynamite. There was a sense of relief of, like, it's not a masterpiece, but this thing's really gripping.

[B]

Everyone was basically like, it's, you know, it does what it's trying to do. Yeah. It's tense. It's thrilling. It's something real. Right?

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

And this movie has been sort of ensconced on all the best picture prediction lists. Right.

[A]

Like, and then the second wave of responses is, is this thing really fucking dumb? We start hearing that from a lot of.

[B]

I started hearing, like, people are laughing, like, you know, and I'm like, wait, I thought it was, like, incredibly tense documentary film about ripping out their armrests. Nuclear war. And I was like, you know, getting texts. Like, my screening erupted in laughter at the end.

[A]

I look, did your.

[C]

Did your screening. Yes, we had a very. The vape guy.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. This Cape Fear guy.

[C]

He Was like, no, he didn't. When the. The movie cut to black at the end. Are you fucking kidding me?

[A]

Here's my impression of what happened when.

[B]

The vape guy said barnstorm, directed by.

[A]

Kathryn Bigelow, comes up. And here's my impression of the sound we heard. It was a collective.

[B]

There was like an 80s comedian there, like, in front of a brick wal.

[A]

We saw the smallest screen at Nighthawk, but it was pretty packed. Right. On a Sunday night.

[B]

But it is very much, obviously, just sort of been wedged into some theaters by Netflix in their usual way. No fanfare.

[D]

It was packed. And it was basically the smallest movie.

[B]

It's like 20 seats.

[A]

But I will say, like, they have it playing simultaneously. This is very New York. But playing simultaneously at the Nighthawk, Angelica and at Paris.

[B]

The Paris theater, which is a little.

[A]

More than they usually.

[B]

It's a little bit more. I saw it at the Angelica.

[A]

Yes. And I wanted those realistic subway rumbles to convict.

[C]

Did it add to the experience? Of course, yeah.

[A]

The movie ends and there was this collective. Every person in the theater had to go through all three stages of grieving, which is laughing, booing, and scoffing.

[B]

Right. All at once, all in one noise.

[A]

It was like, so weird. And I'm watching it and I'm like, okay. You know, Bigelow is kind of a person with high highs and low lows. She doesn't have much of a middle tier. She's got a good amount of masterpieces in my point.

[B]

There's not a lot of, like, it's just okay.

[A]

And I was like, this is one of her only. It's just okay. And I'm just happy that she's back. The ending happens, directed by Kathryn Bigelow comes up. I'm like, that immediately just went down from like three and a half to three for me. And I'm being generous. I feel like for most you're being a little generous. It goes from three to two and a half or lower, I guess.

[B]

Here's my question, because this is the debate I had, and we can just get right to it, you know, because why not?

[A]

What.

[B]

What is the ending we want? Right? Cause I. I was debating this with my. With my co worker and I'm like, I understand that there's no good ending here.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's a fucking nuclear war movie. Like, what are you gonna do?

[D]

I would like to see the film melt.

[B]

Okay. That's all folks disintegrate, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

That's cool. That's kind of like that postmodern metatextual.

[A]

And then the gremlins, you see their shadows in the projection booth and they're making bunnies with their fingers. And then the Hulkster comes off.

[B]

Because this is what I'm saying. You've stripped out again. Where did this come from? What's it leading to? So I don't know what your ending can be.

[C]

Gremlins, I think they should just repeat the ending of Oppenheimer to put it in there.

[B]

Just. Oh, like literally cut to Cillian Murphy and they're like, see, this is what he was worried about.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

Okay, I want to add to my idea. Then a pinata comes down, we are handed bats and we smash.

[B]

It's just like audience, the movie, work your frustration.

[A]

The pinata is the poster for House of Dynamite.

[B]

Or it's like the film canister. Yeah, yeah, sure.

[A]

How about this? The movie ends with James Cameron direct addressed a camera and being like, this represents the cowardice of American filmmakers. She brings after effects.

[C]

Oh, yeah. Wait, speaking of, guys, I'm going to Hiroshima this month. Did you guys know that?

[B]

I love how she's segueing to this now.

[A]

It's just the tone in which, by.

[B]

The way, guys, you're going on vacation. Marie on honeymoon. You're going on honeymoon.

[C]

Both going on separate honeymoons to separate destinations with separate spouses at the same time.

[A]

Crazy Freaky Friday.

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[D]

You're going to even have a blast.

[A]

You.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, not me, to be clear. Marie's husband.

[C]

Yeah, my husband, who's also a name. Oh, you.

[B]

Oh, okay. All right. I'm. I'm pretty fun.

[C]

But no, I'm going to Japan. Ben's going to Italy.

[B]

We love it. Classic places to go.

[C]

But we just booked a one day or one night, two day little excursion to Hiroshima to go visit the memorial and the museum.

[B]

It's a lovely city.

[A]

I'm sorry you made that transition. It's like, oh, that reminds me. You know where we're going? And I thought you were gonna say Tokyo Disneysea. It was that level of excitement. I understand that you and your husband love history.

[C]

We do love history. And I am like, I was very disappointed in this movie because I am fascinated by the what if. Similarly to Kathryn Bigelow. I'm very fascinated by the what if scene of nuclear war.

[A]

I think when this movie works for me, it weirdly works better at like giving us kind of interesting character glimpses than really outlining for you exactly how this would go down.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Like, it does feel like it's lacking in even some of the, like, brass tacks, like, hard, hard details of a Zero Dark Thirty.

[B]

It is because I think this is such a brief thing in a way that there's actually only so much detail, right? Yeah.

[A]

And, like, I think there's stretches of it where I'm, like, I'm actually enjoying watching this through this character's perspective. This performance works. I'm getting a little glimpse of their struggle in terms of the ending. The problem with the ending is you're watching it and you're going, like, how the fuck is she gonna end this thing? And the ending feels like an actual, like, admission of defeat. Like, the ending of the movie feels like, I don't know, I got nothing.

[B]

It kind of feels. You're right. Sorry we didn't come up with an.

[A]

Ending because there's full spoiler spoilers for people. This movie has these three acts, right? And every time where you're getting to, like, one second left on the countdown, it cuts to black. There's a sustained, like, black. And then new title card comes up and we reset the clock, right? And in the third act, we're with the President in the back of his suv. And the second countdown happens. We cut to black. And I go like, so what's she gonna do now? Finally, the three timelines, right? We end on the president. What do you do here? And then it gives us, like, four random, like, images, like a soldier, like, kneeling, you know?

[C]

Well, people running to the bunker, right?

[A]

You get stuff like that where you're like, oh, fuck, something's happening. And then it's, like, directed by Katherine bigelow. There's, like, 15 seconds of, like, mos. Footage of characters we don't know reacting to something. And I'm like, the movie actually is better if when it cuts to black at the end of Idris Elba, the credit comes up there. It's worse to even give us 15 seconds of something else and have those 15 seconds be like, I don't know.

[C]

You know what I even would have preferred?

[A]

What?

[C]

Like, just giant wall of text.

[A]

Sure.

[C]

At the end of the day, this is the thing.

[B]

This is what I was going for with this movie.

[A]

But I'm like, if you don't have.

[C]

Anything, I'm just like, hey, this is like, you know, this is just one scenario. This is one scenario. If you want, you know, we need to focus on nuclear disarmament. Like, some sort of, like, I don't know, just.

[B]

It doesn't sound good.

[D]

It just says, we're.

[C]

We're. I don't know, just Some sort of, like. I don't know.

[B]

It's just.

[C]

Whatever it is now is bad.

[A]

When they come back up from the black, I'm like, oh, so there's, like, a bonus act. They're gonna do some kind of fallout thing.

[C]

David, what sound is that?

[B]

I'm in Gettysburg right now, so you might be hearing that on the. On the audio. I love that.

[A]

I love that. That's the other thing you want to say.

[B]

Okay. Why? Well, it's history.

[C]

Okay, so does North Korea have nuclear capabilities?

[B]

Yeah, some. Maybe.

[C]

Good.

[B]

Maybe medium.

[A]

You're like, shouldn't just be a series where there's a whole Greta Lee episode or something.

[B]

Well, but now. But now. Now you're talking about what I don't like.

[C]

Of course there's. There would be stretching it out more when there's. Yes.

[B]

God, every fucking episode is the same 20 minutes.

[A]

But then I'm like, do you get to focus on the characters more if each segment isn't loading in, like, 15 perspectives here?

[B]

Well, let me do a great impression of a character in House of Dynamite right now. Say there's a nuclear.

[C]

There's a nuclear bomb. It's. It's going to Chicago.

[B]

I have a family member who lives possibly in Chicago. Maybe not.

[C]

Or I have a pregnant person.

[B]

Right? No, but just every song. Well, I also have. I'm like, yeah, everyone's got. Fuck, this is very bad. Yes. Everyone would be stressed out.

[C]

Ask a question.

[B]

What if there's one guy who's like, yeah, who cares? I ain't got no family.

[A]

I hate my family. I'm kind of a lone wolf. Can't tie me down. David?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

This episode of Blank Check is brought to you by Square. And it's hip.

[B]

Square.

[A]

It's hip to be a square. Don't get defensive, okay? Some of my favorite murderers have told me that it's hip to be a square. I speak of Patrick Bateman.

[B]

Of course, there are certain businesses that make the neighborhood the neighborhood.

[A]

Griffin and I have found in my travels that your favorite neighborhood spots often run on square.

[B]

Look, I think I probably interact with a square terminal more than I interact with, like, a subway, you know, like turnstile. Sure. You know what I mean? Like, it's just like getting a cup of coffee, getting a bagel, getting a pizza. I live in New York, okay?

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Like, I'm always. I'm always tapping my little watch on the squares.

[A]

I love doing the tap.

[B]

I do my watch.

[A]

I feel like Gregory Hines doing a little tap.

[B]

Very good. Very good. Thank you.

[A]

Thank you. Thank you.

[B]

Yeah, Square. These are, you know, works for businesses that make the neighborhood of the neighborhood. Like I said, when those businesses thrive, the whole neighborhood thrives. Money spent in the neighborhood stays in the neighborhood. So take this ad as an excuse to go support your favorite local spot and have yourself a day in the neighborhood. A beautiful day in the neighborhood.

[A]

A beautiful day in the.

[B]

Mariel Heller.

[A]

I was going to say Mr. Rogers. And look, also, obviously, very often you go to see a comedy show, you go to a concert, you go to see off Broadway theater, you're going to be dealing with some square right there. When we do live shows, we use square to sell our merchandise. Square makes these businesses a lot easier to run.

[D]

Absolutely. It makes it.

[B]

We use square.

[A]

Yeah, that's what I just said.

[D]

It makes it so easy for us as a small business to be able to sell merch. We use that at our recent art show.

[A]

Absolutely.

[D]

It just makes the whole process so accessible.

[A]

It makes the ability to provide these culturally enriching things and spaces a lot more accessible in a very, very crazy, complicated economy. Is that what I was trying to say? Yeah.

[B]

You can go to square.com, go check to learn more. But before you do, go support your favorite neighborhood spot. You'll be happy you did. See you in the neighborhood. Why is Angel Reese in this movie?

[C]

Because it needs that to me felt like a. Oh, yeah. Remember when Bush was, like, teaching a classroom of children on 9 11?

[B]

Like, what would the president plausibly be doing during some crisis?

[C]

But when it was when she actually fucking showed up in the movie, I started laughing.

[B]

Is Jason Clark in this movie? By law, Is every movie like this just require. I know obviously she's directed him before in Zero Dark Thirty. But, like, just. It's like, where's Jason Clark, somebody.

[A]

It's a punch Clark. He's one away from a free sandwich.

[C]

Would we say he's getting, like, cucked by employees at his job? Because he doesn't really do anything.

[B]

He certainly is not quite. Yeah, yeah, he kind of wins in the bunker.

[C]

But then he had.

[B]

Confirming DEFCON 4.

[D]

We're at DEFCON 4.

[A]

Oh, do we have to reset the episode? Do we have to go back? You were asking about, oh, Angel Reese. They never named the president in this. There is this scene where he shows up to, like, do a meet and greet with children, Right. And the jumbotron says, like, Angel Reese in big letters above the court. And I was like, oh, Angel Reese is a cool name for a president because I didn't know this was a Real athlete. And I thought they were saying, why.

[C]

Don'T you care about women's sports?

[A]

Excuse me. I went to a Liberty game.

[C]

Congratulations about this.

[B]

Like, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

[A]

Because if you're like the percentage he.

[B]

Lives not to dox him with it. Walking distance of where they play basketball.

[A]

Of live sporting events I have been to in the last 20 years. Going to one WNBA game makes a pretty big sense.

[B]

You went to a Mets game last season, and I know you've been to some Paris basketball games because your brother works there.

[C]

I really enjoyed how on the True Grid episode you were able to participate in the conversation about basketball.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Has that episode come out yet?

[A]

Good question.

[C]

Yes. By the time this episode came out.

[A]

I got into the. The Brooklyn and Cyclones, the Mets minor league team because they do theme nights. So I went to Seinfeld night and Hot dog Day. Unfortunately missed Toy Story day, but did get some of the merch right for.

[B]

A markup on ebay.

[A]

Who's Angel Reese? I don't. I don't know anything about him.

[C]

Angel Reese, she's an outlast. Like the second biggest star in the NBA.

[B]

I would disagree with. Oh, excuse me. Excuse me. Everyone relax. Obviously the most famous WNBA player is Caitlin Clark because of her national fame. I think, I think Asia Wilson is way. Let's not dis. Disrespect the mvp.

[C]

I'm not saying that they're. That they're like, that she's like the best player. I'm just saying in terms of like, people. She's very famous in my feeds, popping up with endorsement deals.

[B]

Because Angel Reese is also very, very big in college, much like Caitlin Clark, they were rivals. They still have a rivalry, Bird magic.

[A]

Kind of thing going on. Maybe.

[B]

Yeah. But the Angels team sucks.

[A]

Okay, that makes it tough.

[B]

Unfortunately, she kind of motherfucked her team this year, like publicly. She was like, my team sucks. I don't like the players I play with. I think she soft pedaled it only slightly more than the way I'm putting it right now. So she's, you know, she's working it out where her future lies. Whether she leaves the team or gets better player, I don't know. But she's a famous player.

[A]

Do you know that Angel Reese was born after the first Raimi Spider man came out to keep using that as a demarcation.

[B]

As a fan of pro sports, doesn't surprise me. It's one of those things where I'm like. Where it's like LeBron James is like a Year older than me. I think I said this on an.

[C]

Episode or lebron's older than you.

[B]

I think he's a year older than me.

[C]

Oh, yeah. Cause I guess he's like my husband's age.

[B]

Right. I think he was born in either late 84 or early 80. December 30, 1984. And you know, like, in the NBA, people are like a medical marvel. He walks the court, this man. Wizened. A skeleton practically. I'm like, right, he's my age.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And like, there are guys who are like 29 or guys, like, getting a little long in the tubes. Youth, veteran, like, and I'm like, right, that's just. I'm only gonna get older.

[A]

We did George Lucas talk show recently with Chloe Trost and Emil Wakem, former SNL cast members. Both lovely people, incredibly funny people.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And at some point we got into like, you know, Connor, as George was interrogating them about their relationship to Star wars and what age they were when they came out. And we realized Chloe was born in 97 and Emil was born in 98. And I was like, and they've already been fired from snl. That was the part that flipped me out, was I was already like, in your post SNL career.

[B]

Well, they've got the new, you know, cat, right? Like the Veronica. All right. She was 95.

[A]

Baby Gonzo. Baby foster.

[B]

Jane Wickline was born in 99. That is cutting it close.

[A]

Has SNL had a single cast member?

[B]

That was my question. 2000s. Yeah.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Tommy Brennan, 94. Because I want to say Jeremy Culhane, 92. Ancient. Get out of here, old ass.

[A]

Cam Patterson. I want to say he's young.

[B]

I mean, that kid's young, right?

[A]

He born post millennium.

[B]

Post Millen, April 10, 1999. Phew. Thank God he witnessed nine, 11. Like, I have co workers. I've said, like, my coworker Rose, I love her to death. She's a grown person.

[A]

She's Atlantic, the 911, really tough.

[B]

I said to her, like, were you born after 911? She was like, no, I was in a crib and I was, okay.

[A]

By the skin of your teeth.

[B]

Oh, Jesus. Ashley Padilla. Oh, no. No gear listed for her. It's a mysterious, mysterious.

[A]

Do you know Ashley Padilla was Diane Keaton's personal assistant for many years and she co wrote a book with her. She had some very touching tribute posts. We have so much to say about R I Keith.

[B]

Diane Keaton. No, we. Don't be funny if Diane Keaton in Like, classic Diane Keaton. Wear RIP to her. This was her swan song that the zoom screen is black for, you know, and then the third act is her with, like, a big hat being like, I don't know what to do.

[C]

An incredible presence.

[B]

Feels a little root one. It's like, yeah, Very, very handsome. Esteemed. Okay, yeah, yeah, sure. But what about, like, who's, like, a weirdo we could put in there?

[A]

Our Bobcat Goldthwaite.

[B]

You know, like, who. You know, who's the president? You could have anybody.

[C]

They actually showed a trailer for. Oh, my God. What's a bobcat movie about horses.

[A]

There's a bobcat.

[C]

Oh.

[A]

Oh. Hot for Trot.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Because they're screaming that soon.

[C]

They showed that trailer at Nighthawk.

[B]

I believe it's Hot2Trot. You're right. Hot2Trot.

[A]

That is the. The infamous talking horse movie that my father always use. Example of how to not structure your career. Dabney's in there, and John Candy's the voice of the car.

[B]

I just love in the 80s where they're like, who should play the boss? I'm kidding. I already called Dabney Colvin.

[A]

He's already on D. Quietly. Was like the Samuel Jackson at the box office in the 80s.

[B]

He was reliable.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

They, like, you know, try to make their pre shows at Nighthawk specific to the movie they're playing. They did not do that for House of Dynamite.

[B]

No.

[A]

What are you going to do? Some bummer? Just play a podcast.

[C]

Hot for Trot trailer starts playing, and my husband's like, like, wait, what is this movie about? Like, is there going to be a horse? Is Bobcat in House of Dino?

[A]

Are these spoilers? Here's a question for the group. I want to hear each of you weigh in on what. Who you think delivers the best performance in this movie.

[B]

Oh, good question.

[A]

Because there are good performances in this, but there's not an obvious mvp.

[B]

I don't think there are good performances in this. I think they're perfectly great performances.

[A]

I think they're good.

[C]

Well, I think Rebecca is my personal favorite, but I also feel like people like Rebecca and Tracy could do this in their sleep.

[B]

Yeah, I know, right? I don't.

[D]

I'm gonna say let's go.

[B]

What about Greta Leaf? Let's go.

[A]

What?

[D]

I'm just. I'm gonna say let's go.

[B]

Oh, let's get out of here.

[A]

L, E, T, T, S. Let's. That's why I tried to start the applaud.

[C]

Let's.

[B]

Thank you. Let's go. Mets, let's go Mets.

[A]

Actually, good point.

[C]

Let's go Mets. If everyone else in this film cares about, like, their pregnant spouse, their child, their mom, but Tracy Letts cares about Francesca Lindor.

[B]

He does shout out Francisco Lindor in what was undoubtedly my favorite part of the movie, which is funny because Tracy Letts was on the big picture and mother fucked the Mets quite loudly to the point that I got kind of annoying.

[A]

How great would it be if in this movie they went, like, texting Sean.

[B]

Being like, Tracy Letts is a completely exaggerated idea of the 80s. Go ahead. Yes.

[A]

It's heading towards Chicago. And they just push in on Tracy Letts. And he goes, I have a basement in Chicago with 20,000 blood.

[B]

If we take my steelbooks and put them all around Chicago in a sort of dome, perhaps we can protect the city.

[A]

You know, Loreber first run with slip covers, arrow le with booklets. I think Gabriel Basso's really good in this movie.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

J.D.

[C]

Mac.

[A]

Yeah, it really surprised me.

[C]

You know what?

[A]

He's totally solid, but I thought he was, like, kind of the heart of this.

[C]

I'm not familiar with his. His work because I did not see Hillbilly Elevator. Hillbilly Elevator.

[B]

Oh, you didn't want to check that one?

[C]

I wasn't interested in that. I wasn't rushing to see it.

[A]

He had this.

[B]

COVID 19 has swept America. JD Van's biopic Bubbles up on Netflix. You know, he's in Super 8, though, and he was Kings of Summer.

[A]

He had his, like. I don't remember that little boy, kind.

[B]

Of like puppy, fat kid. You know, PewDiePie.

[A]

Night agent is his Netflix show. That's a hit that will never watch.

[C]

Tom Hiddleston.

[B]

No, that's the Night Manager. Okay, what if there was a Night Manager?

[A]

This is a newish show.

[B]

It's been on Netflix for two seasons. A third is coming. It's Sean Ryan, the Shield, and, you know, the Unit and all those shows.

[A]

I remember him as a Super 8 kid. Then it's like, he's J.D. vance and the new Ron Howard.

[B]

Like a Toys R Us kid.

[A]

I want to be a Super 8 kid.

[C]

And.

[A]

And. And then, right. The J.D. vance thing becomes like a albatross around his neck. And I like Night Agents. A hit. And I kept hearing people being like, he's good. And I'm like, I don't know. I immediately locked into what he was doing in this film.

[B]

I think he's pretty good. Yeah.

[C]

I don't.

[B]

I wasn't as, like, pumped up about this.

[C]

I Don't know if it's, if it's a performance thing. I thought I, I, you know, just kept his character stuck with me mostly because I'm like, oh my God. He like the one person who kind of knows what's going on in our government is like a millennial.

[A]

Here's what I also think. He played Jake very well. This guy's fresh enough and passionate enough. He's not been burnt down and jaded by all of this. Right. That he's kind of the sharpest tool in the drawer here in terms of how to address and analyze this problem. And you can tell that he's been like prepping his entire life for this moment. And yet he's having the performance anxiety of holy shit. Every word I'm saying actually matters.

[D]

Isn't he thrown into the situation because like his superior is not available or.

[B]

He'S like late to the meeting? Right? Yeah, there's something like that.

[A]

But the thing about he knows his shit though. But it's like terrifying when you're suddenly like, every word I say could have like a humongous effect on humanity.

[D]

But he's playing the, like he's overwhelmed. He's playing it like very, There's a.

[A]

Little Ricky in turn that I am inclined to, you know, wow, Alike. I'm not saying he's pulling for me. I'm saying this character type.

[C]

Sorry, I'm just imagining Rick the intern like on the phone with like the Russian defense.

[A]

The last place coffees need to get drunk.

[B]

Here's the thing. I'm going to say it cuz his basso's only job in this movie is to inform everyone that the, the sort of missile interceptor thing has about a 60% chance of working. And so you have Jared Harris again really, really trying with the American accent going. It's going to say it pie mesh.

[A]

I got a daughter in Chicago.

[B]

I heard this news and I was like, that tech is at 6. I thought that just didn't work. Right. I was like, this is good news, it might work.

[A]

I did think because there's so much ramp up of him not wanting to say the number.

[B]

I know they really stretch it out because this movie has a lot of time to fill.

[A]

I thought it was going to be like 15%.

[B]

Right, right. Like actually five minute will. It's like a one in a million bullet with a bullet.

[A]

At that point in the movie we're in the second chapter, so you know, it doesn't work.

[B]

So why is this the crux of your second act?

[C]

I asked A question of you two.

[B]

The Angelica popcorn was very good. Thank you for asking.

[C]

Good, I'm glad. The, the structure of the film, deciding what to reveal when, what characters to focus in which section. What is the organizing principle? I understand the President. Is there one?

[B]

I mean, it's just. I guess you can think about it this way. Is it like Ferguson and her.

[A]

Not really.

[B]

It's sort of like the stages of reaction. So it's like Ferguson and her team are the team that notices and sends the alert up the chain. Letts and his generals are the guys who make the military decision to try and counteract it and then have to decide what's next. And then the decision lands on the President's plate in the third act, which is like, okay, this is happening now. You have to open the football, which is actually a briefcase filled with documents, and pick a retaliation. And you have Letts going, we have to do something. You have Basso going, like I talked to the Russians. I don't think it's them. We could try to defuse this by doing nothing. Kind of the fail safe, you know, debate like in that movie.

[A]

I love failsafe. We talked about this Final Reckoning. Anytime a movie is able to capture 15 minutes of failsafe juice, you got me.

[B]

Sure you love it.

[C]

Which is the first, like what, 20, 30 minutes of the movie, which I.

[B]

Would certainly the first act is the strongest because that's when you're in what's happening the most and it's the most tension.

[A]

I'd also argue that Ferguson has maybe become an automatic 2 stars person. For me, if she is in at least a. A third of the movie. You're already starting out at two stars just from her presence. This movie unfortunately doesn't add a lot on top of the auto 2.

[B]

I mean, I mean, but except for the snowman. Sure. I know you haven't.

[A]

I haven't seen the snowman.

[B]

Snowman.

[C]

You haven't seen the snowman. But we have merch inspired by the snowman.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

I mean that was JD who. That was his creed.

[B]

Who's out of control. Let's be honest. Next year I'm worried about Ferg a little bit. Next year she's got mercy, which is literally like the Tracy Morgan. My. I filmed that in my car.

[A]

Not been able to get myself to watch that.

[B]

It's like, like, yeah, this January 2nd, as early as possible, we are dumping this out. What if you were in a. A chair? Like it's. That's the movie.

[A]

Is it a. Like, what if Emotions were robots movie. What is the premise?

[B]

Let me, let me, let me see what the. Log on in 2029 Los Angeles future.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

A detective stands on T.R. murdering his wife. That's Chris Pratt.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced AI judge he once championed before determin. Rebecca Ferguson is playing the AI.

[A]

It's directed by Timur.

[B]

Timur Beckman. Tov. I'm sorry.

[A]

It's not a screen life movie though, right?

[B]

No, but I think it is. I think it's like him being like, what if I did screen life on a bigger scale where I think it's going to be a lot of screen. You know what I mean?

[C]

No one wants this.

[B]

Well, he is insistent that people want it.

[A]

And Ferguson is the AI journey. She's the sim one.

[B]

She's the. Exactly.

[A]

Jesus. That.

[B]

And then she's in Dune Part three, which like, I'm sure she will crush it. But she has emphasized like was on set for.

[C]

Yeah, it's a small, small role because.

[B]

That character's not even in that book.

[C]

Did you guys.

[A]

But does she have season four of Silo?

[B]

That's back to the silo.

[C]

I believe it's season three. Yeah.

[B]

There have been currently. How many two season seasons of Silo?

[C]

Not sure when season have they left the Silo?

[A]

I think they're going deep.

[C]

Well, season two was spoilers. Spoilers. But season two, she goes from the one silo to another silo.

[A]

Sounds like a good season.

[B]

So season three, we've discovered Silo B. What's in there?

[A]

Most shows these days don't transfer from one silo to another until season four or five, you know.

[B]

That's so true. That is so true. Season one ends with them just finding a door. And then season two is how do we find the key?

[A]

Why they call it Silo the whole first season. They're not in the silo. We found this out. Well, no, I'm not gonna say that's a future episode spoiler. Marie, what were you about to say? Have you guys.

[B]

Too bad. I was excited for.

[C]

Have you guys seen th. This quote?

[B]

Yes.

[C]

That she. Hold on, I gotta find it.

[B]

Rebecca from Rebecca Ferg.

[C]

Rebecca Fergus. I'm googling Rebecca Ferguson throw in front of bus.

[B]

Well, it was. She was motherfucking a co star. Right? I keep saying the word motherfucker. So into motherfucking. She was. Was. She was saying that she had a very tough co star she'd worked with.

[C]

Yes. And she keeps like it's.

[A]

The story keeps going back.

[B]

She won't say who it is.

[C]

She won't say who it is. She keeps out Mr. Blanky.

[B]

Not Timothy Shal, not Tom, not Ryan Reynolds.

[A]

There even some ones where you were like, come on, this guy's a second tier guess. And she was like, don't worry, he's not in the mix.

[C]

Rebecca Ferguson gets candid quote.

[B]

She hasn't been in that many movies.

[C]

I will shove someone under a bus.

[B]

To make him boy. So who does she mean, who is it?

[A]

You know who it is. No, it's.

[C]

It was every time we decided it was Hugh. If it was Hugh.

[A]

It's not Hugh.

[B]

It's not Hugh. She's worked with him multiple times. She. People forget reminiscence.

[A]

No, she has openly said it's not Hugh.

[C]

Oh, I saw.

[A]

Are we going to say who we think it is?

[B]

You can tell me. I forgot.

[A]

Everything points towards Jake Gyllenhaal in life, a movie that is completely forgot.

[B]

Yes. And Al, you know what a movie that is. Okay.

[C]

And certainly Jake Gyllenhaal.

[B]

Certainly. I have heard 1 billion stories about what a high energy individual Jake Gyllenhaal is and how that can really go either way.

[C]

Oh, really? Because in my experience when I worked out as a receptionist, when his mom was editing a movie she made, he came in. No, he like, wore like a disguise and wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. There were like 10 people. I mean, he was like.

[A]

He was bubble boy. He was fertile.

[C]

He was like, Cory, you're right, had a hoodie on and was like. But Maggie was lovely. And she and Peter were talking to everyone last night. So nice, you know.

[B]

But Jake was last night, late on TikTok, I found some rando comedian, you know, 900 likes, like, not a big video. Doing Rachel in Dark Knight, like doing Maggie As. And it was just one of those impressions where you're like, I've never thought about, like, how odd this performance is.

[A]

And how good the second Rachel Dawes.

[B]

Yes. Just like, it just. She keeps, like, at first she's doing lines and then she starts doing other. But she's like, I have to go to the mall with Harvey. Like, she just keeps hitting that. I'm gonna show it. It's so funny.

[A]

Was it Arnaud de Chaplain who was the. Was there an international filmmaker who did a big story of how he shot an entire movie, Jake Gyllenhaal, that got shut down?

[C]

Yes.

[A]

He's just notoriously, I will just say, incredibly eccentric in his process in a way that has been known to make things Complicated and drive people a little crazy.

[B]

He's never given a performance that radiates that energy. It's just like, even something like Ambulance or whatever, where it works, it just kind of feels like it is, to quote Jared Harris, a fucking coin toss. Whether you're gonna get over the top in a way that kind of overwhelms or over the top in a way that kind of serves the movie. Okja being the sort of barometer performance where you're like, do you like this?

[C]

I like that.

[A]

Do you even know what we're talking about? About.

[B]

No. So she ever, at any point during.

[C]

This context of the Rebecca Ferguson stuff?

[A]

So, like, I would.

[D]

To answer your question, I say it's about 50.

[B]

50 according to. That's a bit of a Margaret Thatcher.

[A]

So, like, two full years ago, if not more. She. There's some interview where they're asking her about her experiences in Hollywood and power and whatever. And she was just like, I had a co star, an A list male co star. They were number one on the call.

[B]

Sheet, which he would have been in life.

[A]

And they broke down yelling at me. It wasn't my fault, but they were so frustrated, the process of the movie. They took it all out at me. And I felt defenseless, like there was nothing I could do. And I went to the producers and complained and said, I'm not working with him again. I want to work off a fucking tennis ball anytime we have dialogue. And they said, you can't do that. He's number one. We have to protect him. And she said, fine, I'll be in there. But when it's his coverage, he has to talk to the back of my head. And it was presented as like, you go, girl. Like, you don't put up with his.

[B]

But then, of course, everyone's like, who's she talking about?

[A]

Everyone comes up with the list. She's not in that many movies. It's the A list star. It's the male lead, right? And then she has systematically, for the last two years, just been, like, circling back. It's also not Chris Hemsworth in Men in Black International. She has ruled everyone, everyone else out. Which is why I feel comfortable presenting my hypothesis that it is Gyllenhaal, because he's basically the only person.

[B]

But is that because Jake was possessed by the symbiote? Because life is a Venom prequel. Except it isn't.

[A]

But was directed by Daniel Espinoza, who.

[B]

Directed Morbius, who directed Jared Leto's As I was quote, telling Griffin this morning, biggest hit as a Star Morbius.

[A]

That is his highest grossing film in which he is his first build.

[B]

Hollywood Reporter was like Tron. Aries may signal that he's no longer an A lister. Who can open a movie. Never opened a movie.

[A]

He's never been an A lister.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

We were like. Jared Leto's best run is ensemble. Right? It's American Psycho. It's Thin Red Line, it's the Dream.

[B]

And it's Requiem for a.

[C]

Well, Requiem sort of the lead.

[A]

That's the one. He is closest to being the leader.

[C]

That's such a. It's such an even split burst in.

[A]

And Connelly Burst and Connolly and Leto.

[B]

Are the three leads of the film.

[A]

Right. But you're like, that's the best run he ever had. It is ensemble working with great directors.

[B]

In 25 plus years ago. Like a long time ago.

[A]

Exactly. All of those movies are. The last of them is 2002. Right. When Angel Reese was born. That's the last of those two.

[C]

I would disagree a little bit. Reflect when he showed up in ensemble roles.

[B]

Showed up, showed up. Crucial phrase here.

[C]

Even though he's doing a thing in Blade Runner.

[B]

You know, we talk about this, I think on a future episode.

[A]

That's our new Red Hulk. We're dissecting the crash out of Jared Leto in like five different episodes.

[C]

I enjoyed him in House of Gucci. He was like one of the people.

[A]

That was dialed into the right. I hate that performance.

[B]

I like that performance and I like that movie. I'm not opposed to all. I'm just saying don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining. He's never opened movies. He's never been an Atlas star.

[A]

Never. It's a psyop.

[B]

It's. It's truly like he got that Tron roll as like. Yes. It feels like he cast a spell on someone.

[A]

Like, look, there's. There's like Heartthrob, Prefontaine, you know, Jordan Catalano. Then there's the era we just talked about. Which, by the way, it helps that.

[B]

All emerging indie star.

[A]

It helps that all those movies have lasted and have only grown in reputation. So it makes him feel more relevant.

[B]

Then he was in a big band and won an Oscar.

[A]

Well, then he does like six years of dog like that.

[B]

It's not called chapter 27.

[A]

Is chapter 27. But what's the one where it's. He's. It' Mr. Lonely. But it's a Mr. Something.

[C]

Mr. Nobody.

[A]

Mr. Nobody. It's like all of those movies don't work Then he's like, I've retired from films. He focuses on the band.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Dallas Buyers Club is him coming out of retirement. He wins an Oscar that we're all happy.

[B]

I called it Instant Buyers Remorse Oscar. Just instant. Exactly. He took the stage.

[C]

Who else was nominated that year?

[B]

I don't care if a fucking ham sandwich is on, give it at the trophy.

[A]

But this is a good exercise. Who did Jared Leto.

[B]

All right. Okay.

[A]

Come on.

[B]

Beat first. You know, first and foremost, before we think about anyone else that might have been a contender. But he beat Barad Abdi.

[A]

The Captain himself would have been my winner that year.

[B]

I think Bradley Cooper in American Hustle.

[A]

Quite good in that film.

[B]

We could have gotten the when will Bradley get his Oscar thing out of the way. Michael Fassbender in 12 years as a.

[C]

Slave, an incredibly powerful scary in that movie.

[B]

And fucking Joe to Hill and the Wolf of all these are way better than Jared Leto.

[A]

Barcode is what would have been my.

[B]

I mean, that's an amazing performance.

[A]

He won the bafta.

[B]

Probably.

[C]

Yeah. I don't. I. I'm more clear headed about Leo winning for Wolf of Wall street over McConaughey and lead that year.

[A]

Hardcore.

[B]

Well, obviously hardcore. But like, at least with McConaughey you were like the man was back. He was on Interstellars the next year. Exactly.

[C]

Him winning makes sense.

[A]

But I think he is fantastic in that movie and I think Jared Leto was bad in that movie.

[B]

Yeah. Barrett Letters bad in them. That's the other thing.

[A]

McConaughey is undeniably good in a movie that doesn't. Doesn't do really anything.

[B]

Shitty movie, in my opinion. Kind of a shitty. But I saw it on my first day with my wife.

[C]

Oh, wow. That's kind of crazy.

[B]

It's completely insane. It's the only reason I bring it up. Just a insane thing to do.

[A]

That's how you build a foundation for a marriage.

[B]

See, I've said this. Scene one of that movie. Rough sex with two prostitutes. Scene two. You have a. This is the first date we are on. That is how that movie begins. We exited. We were like. Anyway, like it was like. With no discussion of the film. We were like, I don't know. It was fine.

[A]

I just cannot think of another example of someone winning an Oscar and everyone deciding, oh, he's proven himself as three different things. He's never been.

[B]

Right.

[A]

A leading man, an A list blockbuster star, you know, like, so it's so bizarre.

[B]

Jared Leader is in this film, right? No, he's not. What are we supposed to say about A House of Dynamite. I just find. I find the writing incredibly clunky. I find the efforts to like crowbar in character stuff like, oh, I'm. I'm worried about this. Like just so, so like root one force so bad. Like you're saying like notes should be getting that. Hammering that out right away.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

We do not need that level of handholding of like people in society because they're people.

[C]

They're just, they're. They're people. I also don't need to care about them because whatever they experience affects me hypothetically.

[A]

So like this is what the bowl films excelled in. At is like not having like overly stylized, overwritten, spell out the emotions, dialogue.

[B]

You're right. Like those movies are both character movies. Obviously. Hurt Locker, very much more a character movie. It's about this place and about this job too. But it's about this guy. Right. And then Zero Dark Thirty. The way they trick that movie into working is by having like a central character. Right. Versus it being total perceived procedure.

[A]

And that movie will similarly to this, go on like a 20 minute side tangent with a different character. It's not everything through her.

[B]

Jason Clark's gotta punch his card.

[A]

He's gotta punch the card. He's so close to a toasted sub post it.

[B]

He's gonna finish his punch card and then realize that Quiznos is gone. It doesn't exist anymore.

[A]

That's the great shame is unfortunately it is a Quiznos card.

[C]

Can I add another?

[A]

Talks about the tragedy.

[B]

Are we so.

[C]

No. I wanted to add another complaint that hasn't been brought up yet.

[A]

Please.

[C]

The Moses Ingram, who I think is a really great actress.

[B]

Love her.

[C]

Has nothing to do in this movie. In a subplot that is just a big old fucking wet fart. There's something what is happening. Like we're introducing FEMA. Are we going to see what FEMA's response is or what their plan is?

[B]

No, there's just something sort of. It's sort of interesting. Again, it's sort of like a weird footnote that would appear in an article like this sort of perversity of like who gets to go to the survival bunker.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And Moses Ingram is like, weirdly, I get to. Because of this and that. Right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then this other girl who I talked to Bobby Finger about this movie, A Friend's Wedding. I'll explain in a second. Was like, I'm obsessed with this girl who's like, why does she get to fucking go? She's just been here for like a Month. And we never see that girl again, obviously. No. Check in with this again. I think your answer is something kind.

[C]

Of like, we also get the bunker discussion with Rebecca Ferguson.

[B]

And this movie repeats its beats over and over and over again. I cannot deny this repeats its.

[A]

It repeats half an hour.

[C]

If we're going to introduce FEMA and it's like, okay, their emergency management, they have to deal with, like, I don't know what's going on on the ground after a scenario.

[B]

We're not going to see what's going on.

[C]

Are we not going. But, like, we're not going to even learn about what their strategy is behind.

[B]

A house of hurricanes. I'm asking Ben.

[D]

I'm interested.

[A]

House of plastique. They introduce her to be like, the. Is going on. And they're just kind of getting alert messages. And she's like, can someone fill us in? And they're like, we don't have time to fill you in.

[C]

It's also repeated with the. The woman. The young woman in the press room.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

They introduce the element of press.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And then. Oh, are we going to like the move? You know, we have such a tight timeline. Timeline of when we find out that this is happening and when it's going to hit. Right.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So there's that whole question of, like, how do we inform the public? What. What do we do? And it seems like the answer is, no, we don't. But again, like, I. It's gonna get out. Someone's gonna tweet that.

[A]

There's like, I. I hate saying this. This is the version of me that's like, this would have been better as a TV show where you can just do a full episode. That is the us.

[C]

Yeah, sure.

[B]

I mean, I wouldn't watch it, but I. I know what you're saying.

[A]

I also probably wouldn't watch it. That's the.

[C]

Yeah, but it's just like this. They. They kind of introduce people and scenarios. They don't explore them.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And you. We spend a lot of time going over.

[B]

The.

[C]

The bullet. Hitting a bullet. Coin toss.

[D]

Now, I understand they can't show the object.

[A]

Right.

[D]

They have to keep that as an unfair own. But they do. They do launch then the missiles that are supposed to, you know, intersect. I'm kind of like, what's up with that missile?

[A]

You want to see?

[B]

I want to see it. Do you want to see.

[D]

Keep going? Yeah, Just give me like three minutes. Just a chill going through the sky. What if they reset A little bit of whistling, too?

[A]

Reset the timeline and a new Chapters from the perspective of the missiles. Like, God, I'm so worried I'm going to this up this up, up. I'm a fucking coin toss.

[D]

What's like a British actor that could have been the voice of a missile, but he's trying to do an American act.

[A]

I was going to say Gary Oldman, kill it as one of the missiles.

[C]

I was thinking like Ray Winstone, which is more on the.

[B]

Stephen, I know about nuclear weapons. Fuck this.

[A]

I'm a fucking missile.

[B]

They fucked with Black Widow. What if we make it?

[C]

What if we make it? A woman?

[A]

Do you know about this? Emma Thompson.

[B]

Women can beat weapons of mass destruction too.

[A]

Okay, have any of you followed?

[B]

Hire more female? Yes. What's up?

[A]

We're submitting this episode to nothing.

[D]

We're sending it into the sky.

[B]

Have any of us followed?

[A]

I brought this up to Ben the other day, so he knows this. It was prompted by an activity we. We took place in the Dragon Heart franchise.

[B]

Well, I know the film Dragon Heart starring Dennis Quaid with Sean Connery is the voice of a dragon.

[A]

So like three or four years after that, they make a direct to video sequel called Dragon Heart A New Beginning.

[C]

Can I ask what activity this was that brought caught up Dragon Friend of.

[A]

The podcast, Eva Anderson was in New York City with her brother, the great Dash Anderson. Yes. We went to an immersive event. Eva loves her immersives in her.

[B]

She does. She came all the way for immersion, right? All the way to.

[A]

She did like seven things.

[B]

I was gonna say, like. But she did a lot of immersions.

[A]

Yes. But this one was called Viola's Room.

[B]

Yes. It's at the Shed.

[A]

Right. And it's a cool. Like there aren't other performers in it. It's like a set, you know, walkthrough with headphones on, narrated by Helena Bonham Carter.

[D]

Shoeless.

[B]

You are shoeless.

[A]

Like Joe Jackson, Helena Bonham Carter could.

[C]

Have been the nuke.

[A]

So I was going down a rabbit hole with my friends on the Dragon Heart franchise.

[C]

Ben's giving me the thumbs up.

[A]

First movie theatrical couple years later, like 97, there's a direct to video Dragon Heart A new Beginning where Robbie Benson, a famous.

[B]

A famous voice actor who, you know, was so good on Severance, so great.

[C]

On Severance, season two this year. Also an excellent NYU professor. Did you know that?

[B]

I didn't.

[C]

Yeah. He teaches in the film department.

[A]

Okay. We're doing direct to video Dragon Heart. There's a new dragon. It's Robbie Benson, the voice of the beast. Right.

[B]

I am the dragon.

[A]

Then the thing's on ice for like 12 years and clearly someone at Universal runs in with data and they're like Dragon Heart doing weirdly well on dvd.

[B]

Well. Or it might have just kind of been like fantasy shit, man. Game of Thrones, like whatever. We own Dragon Heart.

[A]

We own Dragon Heart. But they do three Dragon Heart sequels within like five years. And the dragons in those three are Patrick Stewart, Ben Kingsley and Helena Bonham Carter.

[B]

So Ben Kingsley first in Dragon Heart 3 the Sorcerer's Curse.

[A]

And I think he's a new character, but Patrick Stewart is continuing the Connery character. Is it the other way around?

[B]

So Dragon Heart 3, the Sorcerer's Curse, which is directed here. I'm not looking at the names. Probably Orson Welles or someone.

[A]

Yep, probably.

[B]

That is a pretty. So he's playing the same character of Drago.

[A]

Kingsley is playing the connery.

[B]

Right, okay. Then in Dragon Heart, Battle for the Heartfire. That is set 50 years after. Okay, yeah. So in that one you have Patrick Stewart as Drago.

[A]

Okay, so they're both Drago.

[B]

And then Dragon Heart Vengeance. This begins before the events of the last movie, but ends after them.

[A]

What are we doing the Godfather too? It like a lady ice dragon.

[B]

Helena Bonham Carter as S. She's. She's.

[C]

This is insane.

[A]

I watched this trailer and they. Cuz we're. My friends and I were watching all these trailers, right? And we're like waiting in each of the trailers for the big name drop of who's the Dragon.

[B]

Right? We get in the booth for one day, let's be honest.

[A]

Especially when we're going like Patrick Stewart, Ben Kingsley. We're like, who's the third in this series? And the Doctor was a woman. None of us had considered that the dragon could be a lady swinging at.

[B]

A curveball in the dirt. And that curveball's name is.

[A]

And Helena Bonham Carter as the voice of Ice Dragon. And in the trailer they cut to a five second shot, clearly filmed on an iPhone, of Helena Bonham Carter wrapped in scarves and bangles in the recording studio going ra. Like actual footage risk of her doing it clearly comprising 1/5 of all the time she spent recording this dialogue. And then we go to this audio show and I'm like, she would probably show up and voice the missile, I think. I mean he will loan the voice to anything for the right price.

[B]

Isn't that basically what she does in, you know, Terminator? Whichever one she's in does it Salvation.

[A]

She's in Salvation, but she's mostly. It's Her.

[B]

Her. No, she's right. She's the doctor in the past or whatever.

[A]

Skynet.

[C]

Yeah, this is what I'm saying. I thought she was like the Rebecca Ferguson AI.

[A]

Just you see her face in that. You see her.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Yeah. On a big screen.

[D]

But anyway, we are after the show talking about Dragon Heart for some reason, and then because of.

[A]

How about him?

[B]

Carter. Okay.

[C]

Right, right.

[A]

You were like, she's pretty good in this. And I was like, hey, Ben, you want to hear a thing that I talk about anytime I'm given the opening. Recently learned a lot about the dragon art franchise.

[D]

They were also trying to sell me on watching Streets of Fire.

[A]

Oh, Ben would love Streets of Fire, right?

[B]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, oh, yeah.

[C]

Streets of Fire is cool.

[B]

I know why you haven't seen it because it was a flop and it's only recently had a cult research, but, like, kind of crazy you've never seen.

[C]

It's like major, major scumbam energy. There's like, really fun music in it. Willem Dafoe is like. I think it's like, it's one of his first movies.

[B]

I kind of hate. Speaking of the Loveless. It's early.

[A]

Another jackety Willem Dafoe Moranis as a bul. We were saying. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[B]

All right. Speaking of. I just. I just want to remark on Dragon Heart vengeance, which apparently takes place both before and after Dragon Heart battle for the Heartfire.

[A]

I'm glad I've infected you with this sickness.

[B]

Well, I'm just talking. So, like, you know, this Halloween, last Halloween, I. I did the Saw movies. Right. I was like, I'm doing it.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

All the dragons spooky enough to.

[B]

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[A]

So this prompting a new conversation.

[B]

This year I've been doing the paranormal activities. Yeah, right. Of which there are seven.

[A]

You recently got marked.

[B]

I've been marked. I've entered the ghost dimension.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I am now. You know, I have met my next of kin.

[D]

Right.

[A]

Next of kin is the Paramount plus one. Yeah.

[B]

I mean, it was intended for theaters, but Covid pushed it.

[A]

But you scaled the mountain to watch it.

[B]

I sure I watched them all on Paramount. Plus they're all available there, and I'm.

[A]

Sure they ran smoothly.

[B]

Well, I actually use. I use it through Apple, so they do run smoothly, which is a smart way that, you know. So it's just what I love about these things, and it's why I do it, because people will then get on my letterbox being like, david, you don't actually have to watch Every paranormal. I like watching how these franchises trip over themselves to connect backwards. And like, how you watch the people behind them, the disparate people usually fall over themselves being like, so what is it about the hit long ago at this point that worked, right? What should we connect to? Because in Paranormal Activity they keep fucking, like ending up back in the house from Paranormal Activity 1. Like a fucking tunnel opens and they go there and I'm just like, guys, I don't think the audience is like, yay, the house with the staircase. Like, they don't care.

[A]

It is funny how like the big 80s and 70s horror franchises would just be like, and this time the monster, right, tracks someone different.

[B]

It's a guy, so it helps to be just like, Freddy's back.

[A]

But it's just like. And here are a new group of characters who are going to be haunted and hunted by this guy.

[B]

You're getting eight kills of varying, like, levels of gore and fun and all that.

[A]

You get like Paranormal Activity 10. And the big twist ending is like, oh, that's how they got the bed sheets. And then the movie ends with like, hey, we got an extra set of pillowcases. You want these? And they're like, those are the cases on the pillow.

[B]

And the paranormal stuff started like, my friend Hannah was watching them because I started watching them. And like, there's in four. In four, right? There's a kid.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And then there's another. There are two six year old boys.

[A]

That's the Xbox Kinect one.

[B]

That is correct. That is right. And you know that in two a baby boy got kidnapped by the monster lady from one. Okay. And then in three you see the prequel of how those girls grew up, which is the best movie.

[A]

And three and four are both catfish.

[B]

Correct. And three is the best of this series. And four is not very good. Almost done.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Four has two six year old boys. Okay. And one of them is in the family. And one of them is like a spooky kid who's his friend who's doing lots of weird shit.

[A]

Oh, that's gonna turn out well.

[B]

Right? Exactly. And like, clearly the movie's like the spooky kid is the kid who's abducted. Like the kid, right, who's been like, in the hands of the evil.

[A]

Misdirect.

[B]

It's a misdirect. And then the other kid is like, actually, I'm adopted. And they're like, it was him all along. And I'm like, so who's the other kid? And they're like, we don't know, don't worry about it. And I'm like, so did he only exist to misdirected. They're like, yeah, but what a twist.

[A]

He just has outra tastes.

[B]

And I'm like, that only exists for the twist.

[A]

This is why I really want to do Final Destination on Patreon, especially now that we're in an era where the modern movie is a triumph.

[B]

Now, that's a series that I feel like dips in and out of trying to build connections.

[A]

And anytime they do, it's so much fun.

[B]

It's pretty funny. I mean, six, the recent one, it's a masterpiece. Did a great job, basically, on every front. Yeah. But there's other ones where they're like, yeah, I heard about this. And that's sort of like the extent.

[C]

Yeah. Well, the fifth one is they try and like retcon. Like they. They bring in the plane crash.

[B]

I can't remember if I think it's the fourth or is it the fifth one where they.

[A]

It.

[B]

I think the fifth one ends with them getting on the plane.

[A]

And you're like, this whole movie was set in the year 2000.

[B]

It's one of those where they. They built to that twist. And you're like, why? And they're like, I don't know. Wasn't it cool when the plane blew up? All right. Yeah, I guess so.

[C]

I love those movies. I would like to.

[A]

Bloodlines is great. I still think that is the best time I've had in a theater all year.

[B]

What about not House of Dynamite? Yeah, about a House of Dynamite.

[A]

David?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I care about sleep deeply.

[B]

You need your shut eye.

[A]

It's maybe my number one favorite thing.

[B]

You do. You do love sleeping. And yet sometimes you seem to struggle doing well.

[A]

This is why it is set yourself up for success when it comes to sleeping, you know, because how you sleep is just important as how long you sleep. And I gotta say, the fine folks at Lisa Lisa, they make a mattress that really delivers on the how it can adjust to your body and your sleep position in a way that feels intentional and balanced. And that kind of support helps me fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, which is what I'm looking for.

[B]

Leesa has a lineup of beautifully crafted mattresses tailored to how you sleep. Each mattress designed with specific sleep positions and feel preferences in mind. Maybe you like the back, the side. Maybe you like firm. Maybe you like a little more give. Right?

[A]

When they say tailored to how you sleep, the answer for me is I sleep poorly. And the Lisa goes, what if we helped you Sleep better.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

And that's what I'm looking for for.

[B]

Night one on a Leesa. You will feel the difference. They have premium materials that deliver serious comfort and full body support no matter how you sleep. I sleep on a Lisa every dang night.

[A]

What model you got? Tell me what model you got.

[B]

I can absolutely tell you. And I just have to check just to make sure. I have the legend hybrid with the cooling. It's got the cooling thing.

[A]

I got the legend chill hybrid. I like to chill. Boy, does that thing chill me.

[B]

Yeah, there you go. That's fun. You do a whole questionnaire on the website to sort of figure out what might, you know, fit you best and to sort of like figure out your preferences.

[A]

There's a lot of options. This isn't one of these, like, do you sleep well or poorly? It's not. Some of these mattress companies is a binary. Right. Harder firm. No, they get into the details.

[B]

They got free shipping, they got easy returns, they got 100 night sleep trial. So you can try it out, see how you like it. If you don't like it, send it.

[A]

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[B]

They're West Elm's go to mattress partner. Did you know that?

[A]

I didn't know that and I love to learn that.

[B]

They were awarded best hybrid mattress by the New York Times. Wire cutter.

[A]

Cut, cut. Snip, snip.

[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

At the Home Depot. What did you eat at Nighthawk?

[A]

I'm. I was trying to remember. I got, I got two things. I got tater tots and I got, you know, I had this tooth removed and I'm still in a zone where I can't eat popcorn Damn.

[D]

I got some popcorn. It was great. I also got that scallion or like green onion dip. It was so.

[A]

I remember what I got. There's a. There's a one battle bottle special item.

[C]

Oh, the chicken.

[A]

Yes, the chicken lollipops. I thought it's called finger licking, guys.

[C]

I almost ordered that. I kind of wish I did. I always end up getting like the halal rice bowl.

[A]

Sure.

[C]

Situation.

[A]

I wanted like two soft ish finger foods.

[D]

We're at DEFCON 2.

[A]

Oh, time to reset the episode.

[B]

No, I'm just gonna walk off the roof. I'm gonna Jared Harris. It's.

[C]

I. I like, averted my eyes momentarily.

[B]

When you didn't even catch that. Because their reaction is like, jesus. Yeah, get on the copter, though.

[C]

I was like, wait, wait, what, did something happen? Dave was like, yeah, he jumped off.

[A]

It's very nervous and no one really follows up on it. I was just like, wait, which guy just died?

[B]

It's. It's the whole problem with this movie. It's like the stakes at this point are so popular.

[C]

Caitlyn Deaver got paid.

[B]

I hope she got a nice bag. I love to see her.

[A]

I think she's got. Does quite a good job in this scene.

[B]

Yes, she does. Given again to me the sort of hackneyed nature of the scene.

[A]

Yes, yes. But she makes it feel like a fucking real thing.

[B]

I bought property on Deaver Island, Justified season two. And I've got like a lavish hotel at this point. Yeah, she's always good.

[A]

Gabinga Akinigabe, I believe is his name.

[B]

Love him.

[A]

He is so good in this as well. There's sort of a side of people.

[C]

I met when I worked as a receptionist at a post facility. Love that guy. Really great guy.

[B]

He's Chris Partlow on the Wire.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

A character I love. And I love how at the end of the Wire, he survives and he's in prison for all the murders he did. And he's with, I think, Wee bei, who's another of the characters who just survived, you know, and went to prison. And they're just hanging out in prison and you imagine them being both like, yeah, fuck, we did all that shit.

[C]

This movie had two members of the Wire, two members of the original Broadway cast of Hamilton.

[B]

So it's got Renee Goldsberry as a.

[A]

As Michelle's wife. It is weird how we need to talk about it.

[B]

But she is nuclear.

[A]

What? She is so Michelle in this.

[B]

Yes, yes, yes.

[C]

Well, it's. It's weird. It's. It's. She's very Michelle coded in styling. And the fact that she's like, you know, her husband is like, oh, yeah, you're my. Kind of. My advisor. I don't know if all presidents are.

[A]

Like that with her, but also their banter is so much our public understanding of the Obama marriage.

[B]

Right.

[C]

And then also you have Idris being like, well, first of all, listening to podcasts and then being like, how's your jump shot?

[B]

Anthony Ramos, of course, is the other Hamilton member. I found him a little distracting. I'm gonna say.

[C]

I don't like him in anything. I'm sorry.

[A]

I like him.

[B]

I like him in. I do. I do like him in in the Heights.

[C]

I don't like him in in the Heights.

[A]

I like him in Transformers. Rise of the.

[B]

I did not see that one. I don't get to rise with those beats. I will, I will.

[C]

I think he's like, what? The thing that really gets me is him in Twisters when he's positioned an alternate romance, like, an alternate romantic option. I'm like, I'm sorry. Glen Powell is just rising off. He's rising in my face.

[B]

True. He is rising in one's face, but it's also like, in that one, he's like the guy in the polo shirt who's like, all right, but, like, get back in the truck. We got to get back to work. And I'm like, this is a good use of this guy.

[A]

I feel like someone throughout when that movie came out, if you flip him and Corn Sweat, both of them are more interesting in each other's roles.

[B]

With Corn Sweat, I was just kind of, like, knowing that since he was going to be Superman, the whole time he was on screen, I was like, this guy could be a good Superman. He looks like Superman.

[C]

Well, and I also was like, oh, this is cool that he's going to be Superman, but he's playing, like, the antagonist in this.

[B]

I'm like, okay, they messed with my tornado computer. I don't remember what he did in that movie.

[C]

Yeah, I don't know. Whatever. But, yeah, not a fan. I did like that one girl, though. The one who. Who worked in the, like, Alaskan army base. Tears silently rolling down her cheeks.

[B]

Do we know her name? I didn't clock who, but she was good.

[C]

You know how she's the one who has to, you know, announce if there was an impact, Right?

[A]

Yes. Yeah, I'm trying to see if her name is here.

[B]

I don't see it on the big. I thought Tracy was good. Tracy, let's. It's Kind of just one of those things where you. You're like, is this the first time he's done this? Like, he crushes as like, a general.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Like, give me that all the time.

[A]

Yeah. Can we talk about Idris?

[B]

Yeah, by all means. What is there to say?

[A]

Alan Smith, the editor of this show, is just like, his vibe as a president is so bizarre and unprecedented in terms of what he's doing, because he really is playing it as President Idris, where, like, the movie almost needs to stop and explain how he got elected. And it's part of this, I was saying was like, we're a little in a Trump era, depicting presidents on screen. Because up until.

[B]

Because, right. This movie is about, we assume, a somewhat competent administration reacting, right?

[A]

Right up until, you know, let's say a little bit Obama, but really up until the first Trump presidency, right? Any kind of white guy over the age of 55 with a pretty good jawline and slap a suit on him. He's the president, could be the president. And if you want the president to be evil, rinse and repeat with someone who's got more of a character actor face and an interesting voice, right? But you could just sort of depict an empty suit president on screen without it feeling like any statement. Especially in shit like Transformers or whatever, where you're like, at some point, we need to cut to a White House house. You know, Transformers 1 has the bit where there's like a. You see cowboy boots on a desk and a dude doing a bad W. Bush impression, right? But then I feel like the later Transformers movies are like, hello, I'm President Human Being. The Transformers are our friends. And you're like, there's nothing political about this, right? Obama kind of breaks the mold in a lot of ways of like, here's someone who, because of our own ugliness as a country, we thought was unelectable, right? And is such a good communicator and is charismatic. And it's not a perfect figure, but obviously he's the best WTF guest of all time, Mark. And then Trump. You're just like, my impression of him on the podcast, this thing now, where anytime there's a bad present a movie, people are like, this movie is really going after Trump. Right? Even if they don't resemble Trump in any way. Idris in this kind of plays like a dilettante.

[C]

He's. He doesn't know, like, was he. I think he was just elected or something because he keeps talking about how, like, the campaign was so exhausting. He seems so sleepy he seems sleepy.

[A]

And he seems stressed out, and he seems, like, a little annoyed that he has to do actual work while not being a bad guy. But everyone's kind of like, he's really charismatic down to that Ken Choi moment, which is a kind of the most backfill you get on him, which is like, I'm going to miss the show. It's kind of fun watching the A listers do their routine. You know, they're all the same. They're chronically late and they're narcissists. And then you just watch this guy absolutely struggle to be like, I haven't learned any of this. I don't know what the to do. He's turning to Prince Eric from Little Mermaid being like, solve this for me. And you're like, this character is bizarre. And you can't just, in the third act, cut to him and be like, and he's the President. It's a stressful situation.

[D]

He's not even great at the basketball thing.

[A]

No, he misses the shot.

[D]

He misses the first shot.

[B]

Kind of the joke, Right?

[D]

Yeah, yeah. And he's just not, like, really engaging with the kids very well.

[B]

Right.

[A]

He's a little full of shit.

[B]

You know, he's also bad at the nuclear part.

[A]

That's what I'm saying.

[B]

But I mean, anyone would be, I think is sort of the point.

[C]

I would be good at it.

[A]

Oh, okay.

[C]

Yeah. I'd say this one. This one. Compared to the menu, I say, like, rare, medium, and well done.

[D]

Jonah Howard King, so fucked up.

[B]

Who played Prince Eric in the wonderful Little Mermaid remake.

[A]

Probably my fifth favorite. Rob Marshall, Disney Live. Action for fault.

[B]

You know, he plays the guy who's holding the football who gives him this.

[A]

Right moment in the back of the car with Idris.

[B]

Yeah. And there's a slightly sinister energy to him that I kind of appreciated. Exactly. Where you're like, is it just because this guy has this weighty job? Is Bigelow trying to tell us, like, it's kind of weird that anyone would have influence at this point, Even someone who means well. Like, you know, this is when the.

[A]

Movie works for me. And it's why I think the Gabriel Basso section works, where it's just like, when all the cards are down, the stakes of any sentence become so severe.

[B]

Right. Interesting to think about.

[A]

There are times where I think the movie captures that well on a kind of human interpersonal level more than, like, the logistics of how this goes down. Another thing I think this movie does well is just really illustrate how much zoom sucks you watch the first act of this movie, and you're like, these important conversations are happening on a grid of eight faces.

[C]

Is.

[A]

And you're like, this sucks. This is too weighty to happen over that.

[C]

Gabriel Bosso is taking a call, like, from his iPhone as he is like, I'm sorry.

[A]

I think that is the best section of the movie. And not only that, I think it is the most effectively tense section of the movie, especially when he's doing the run around with the security guards.

[C]

No, that's exact, like, and the metal detector.

[A]

And he's so stressed out that he can't maneuver, like, what is the right way to stay on this call call. He lacks the professionalism of some of the other people there to be like, I should mute myself or, like, I should turn video off. And yet you're like, how bleak is it that, like, six guys are looking at a computer screen where the president's video is off and he's in the back of a car being like, I don't know.

[B]

I don't know what the.

[A]

Should we do?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Versus, like, a kind of Doctor Strange, love, this is important kind of thing. Like, it. I think this movie at times captures a certain modern hell.

[C]

There was a part that, again, everything I say that I liked and want more of, it makes it sound like I want, you know, like a limited series or whatever.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But the guy who works in the, like, White House cafe, that moment, I.

[A]

Think, is really good.

[C]

And because, like, that's what I'm more interested in is, like, these people on the fringes of these big, insane decisions. What, like, they're not getting any information. They're getting drops of it. How do they respond? What is life like for them?

[A]

A rare moment in this film that is beautifully underwritten.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

What is the name of that guy who's sort of Rebecca Ferguson's right hand?

[C]

Oh, the one who's about to propose.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Did you notice that? I feel like it came up at one point that he was about to get married or proposed to his girlfriend.

[A]

That is better than the amount of people who have a child in a city or the wife is pregnant, because it's at least hinging on this idea of. Of this guy's gonna regret that he didn't do it. He doesn't realize that he already missed his one chance to propose. Right.

[C]

I mean, I guess. I don't know.

[A]

Steps out to the hallway. He's got the fucking phones. The cafe guy asks him what's going on. He takes the pause and he just says, Go home. And I'm like, I wish the rest of the movie had that level of confidence in its writing to not need to spell things out. Ben, you had a major complaint off of that scene.

[D]

Oh, I said he, we should have followed him home.

[A]

There should have been a full ass.

[C]

Like, I'm more way more interested in that guy.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Than I am in like anything with like Jared Harris and his daughter or like, whatever. Like, I would rather I'm, I'm more interested in the people that are more like.

[A]

I agree. Tertiary, Greta leasing I do think is kind of interesting in that setup. Ben. Ben did specifically say afterwards he wished we had an entire chapter based around the cafe guy so we could learn about how long he seeps his tea and such. So these are the kinds of questions the movie really needs to answer.

[D]

Yeah, maybe like, how does he relax?

[A]

Here's another conversation maybe he throws on a Netflix show. Alan Smithee was like, it's crazy to think Greta Lee, Oscar nominee. And now two years later, she's got one scene at Katherine Bigelow. Movie, movie. And I went, no, no, no. My friend Greta Lee just missed out on a best actress nomination. And in the year 2025, we're seeing the difference where it's like, she got the whirlwind of press. She got like, put on the grand stage. She just missed out on the nomination. Her level up paycheck gigs are one scene in House of Dynamite and human lead in Tron Aries.

[B]

She's in a season what if Morning.

[C]

Season 4 of the Morning show. I don't think she's available. Very great.

[A]

I think she's a very good actor. David, do you want to be the tiebreaker?

[B]

It's interesting. I, I, I really liked her in things. I like past lives. I think that performance fits that movie. Well. It wasn't a performance where I was like, oh, my God, I want to see everything this person can do. She's very. You haven't seen Tron Aries yet?

[A]

No.

[B]

You haven't met him.

[A]

I haven't entered the grid.

[B]

You should.

[A]

Or I haven't entered Los Angeles.

[B]

She's very like lost in that movie. I don't know that that's.

[A]

Sure that's not her fault. Perhaps.

[B]

Probably not. I mean, maybe someone else could have had a little more. She has like a couple moments.

[C]

As someone who's seen every episode of the morning show multiple times, I think she is terrible in that show. Here's a question.

[B]

I have not done that.

[A]

I have never watched the morning show. Can we hold the morning show against anyone.

[B]

No.

[C]

Well, I think there are people who are very good in the morning show. I believe that Billy Crudup and I think that Jennifer Aniston as Alex Levy. What is great.

[B]

And she had sex with Jon Hamm in space.

[C]

No, she didn't go to space. Rhys went in her place. But she did have sex with Jon Hamm.

[A]

And was January 6th in space. Or were those two secrets?

[B]

I hear things about the morning show where I'm like, season two in on.

[C]

Season three opens with Reese going to space and ends with her speaking to the FBI about her involvement in January 6th.

[A]

Does sound like the best season in television. Television that's ever been produced.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

A lot of stuff. A lot of stuff goes on.

[B]

I think she's fine in House of Dynamite in the Gettysburg scene.

[C]

Ooh. We're getting a documentary about the making of the Avatar films on Disney plus.

[A]

Hell fucking yes. Can I say this? I went back to Pandora last week. Re release of Way of Water. That new trailer fucking rules.

[B]

Yeah. It's so cool.

[A]

And there are, I guess, three preview scenes that they have playing an alternation for the re release that's now done. The one I got was Stephen Lang meeting Una Chaplin, head of the Ashnavi. And I want to say I'm pretty ready to let her destroy my life. I am so all in on this character. Fire and ash looks so fucking good. Spider can breathe now.

[C]

Good for him.

[A]

They. They fucking link him up to the tree, and now his dreadlocks have the fucking.

[C]

They gave him those fucking dreadlocks for a reason.

[A]

He can flash with the dreadlocks and he can breath without an apparatus.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[B]

Seems like a lot to. Yeah. To throw in the soup. Game is over.

[C]

I'm really excited.

[A]

Kayakon in the trailer a bunch.

[B]

He's all over that.

[C]

Yeah. I just got sent a trailer for Fire and Water. Colon. Making the Avatar Films official trailer November 7th.

[A]

I can't wait to plug my dreadlocks into that. Doc.

[C]

I think you. I think it'd be really cool if in 2025 I had dreadlocks. You decide to start growing dreadlocks.

[A]

I'm gonna push back on this.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Oh, you got some notes on that proposal?

[A]

The bit ends now.

[C]

Yeah. House of Dynamite.

[A]

I, I, I do agree that I think it's what I like about the Greta Lee section, right. Is like, it's more interesting in a way to see a person have their life interrupted, get a call. That's just like, it's fucking happening and then have to deal with the fallout of those words being said. I think the. The moment with Rebecca Ferguson's husband. Husband in the car is like similarly kind of emotionally effective in that way. Rebecca Ferguson is very good in this. But it is funny how much this movie was like sold the whale style on one image of her standing sideways in like Mission Control with a phone to her head. And you were like, it's gonna be a Bigelow movie of Rebecca Furries and taking names. Right. Just knocking them down like throwing fire. Ethan's doing the look, he's doing the whale.

[B]

Now this is a reference to an episode that I think still hasn't dropped, which is. I think the Hail Caesar is where I start that.

[A]

That's where we really talk about it.

[B]

I'm much more interested in the fallout of all of Ethan Hunt's good intentions. And I wanted a scene in this movie where Tracy Letts is like, do we call in the imf?

[C]

A thing that I did write on my Nighthawk order card to show to my husband is Ethan Hunt would fix this.

[B]

He would.

[A]

Can we talk Bigelow tears for a moment? Sure.

[B]

Tears of the Catherine.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

I just to put it out here, I have not seen Weight of water.

[A]

Or K19, but I've seen water weighs about a pound. Those are the two worst ones.

[C]

Okay. Really? I thought people kind of liked K19.

[A]

Crazy.

[B]

That's like a myth that's been pushed by the woke media.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I have my top 10. My top 10 right here. And I think it's. Yeah, it's unchanging, but I should put a house of dynamite on here.

[A]

So I basically think Neil near Dark Blue Steel, Point Break, Strange Days, Hurt Locker and 0 dark 30 are all degrees of excellent.

[B]

Well, yeah, sure.

[C]

What's your favorite?

[B]

Point Break is my favorite.

[C]

Mine is. Mine is Strange Days.

[A]

I put Blue Steel at the top of my list when we did our rankings just because I was so, like.

[C]

A Ron Silver thing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you like it when Ron Silver is not chill. He ain't.

[A]

Strange Days, I've now seen several more times since we did that series and I fucking love it.

[B]

I. My. My top five are Point Break, Strange Days, Hurt Locker, near Dark Blue Steel.

[C]

Sure. Yeah.

[A]

Like she does for within the can of directors we've covered and especially for how relatively few movies she has. She has a good number of like.

[B]

But of good movies.

[A]

Top tier movies.

[B]

Yes. And then I have Zero Dark 30, a solid sixth. But the trouble for her is I have the loveless seventh.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you want that to be true. True when you've made seven movies, not 11 movies. Because then below that, I have Detroit K19. I'm going to put a House of Dynamite right at number 10 above the weight of water.

[A]

I mean. Yeah. Even like me defending this movie more. I'm like, my only question is, do I put House of Dynamite above the Loveless?

[B]

Right. Sure. Right. That would be the highest you put it.

[A]

That's the highest I'd put it. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

O Dynamite, mate.

[A]

It is wild just looking at that gap of like 17 to 12.

[B]

And to me, it's also a problem that I'm like, I did not like Detroit. I think Detroit has so many of the same problems of like, just because something happened or could happen does not mean it's a good movie.

[A]

Like.

[B]

Or it's interesting material. Right. Like, Detroit just gets so lost in its, like, struggle for, like, veris similitude or what. You know, it's like.

[A]

And her.

[B]

You have to understand like all the horrible thing, like. No, I don't.

[A]

Herlocker and Zero Dark, as you said, find ways to build really good character stories to make them character studies within this.

[B]

Detroit has characters that's sort of trying to do that like Boyega character can lead characters.

[C]

I think that Zero Dark Thirty is a. It works mostly for me as a like Jessica Chess. That's the whole performance.

[B]

She's queening out.

[A]

I owe it a rewatch.

[B]

It's a very flawed movie in my opinion. But it's got really good stuff.

[C]

Urge to rewatch that.

[A]

That one just anytime I'm kind of.

[B]

Stressed out, I just like Pratt and fatigues. Give that guy a semi auto. I want to watch it. Joking.

[A]

He's such a real American.

[B]

He is such a real American.

[A]

When are people going to stop being mean?

[B]

And you know what he's not is weird.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And I'm going to make a. Do an interview about how I'm not weird.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Whatever kind of weird thing you think I am, I'm not that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

No further questions.

[A]

Yeah. He just needs to fight the accusations of being. Being kind of lame. He keeps responding to those as if he's been accused of war crime.

[B]

It's Zachary Levi. It's not that bad yet. Yeah, but like how Zachary Li would kept. Keep going on the Internet being like, stop saying that I'm weird and up.

[A]

Right. See, my movie had more specific accusations of like, you're faving weird tweets.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

And Pratt, it was like the thing.

[B]

That you went to a weird church or Whatever.

[A]

The thing that started the Pratt spot viral.

[B]

You divorced on a Ferris, you fool.

[A]

Right. But like, someone made the grid of like, pick the best rank the four. Chris's right.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And ever. Like, overwhelmingly the Internet put him forth.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And he felt the need to like, sit down with Barbara Walters and be like, why does everyone hate. And you're like, I don't know.

[B]

You're fourth of just love. Pine and Hemsworth.

[A]

20 million a movie. You're doing okay, guy.

[B]

Yeah, right. Oh, boy. House of Dynamite.

[A]

When this movie go up on Netflix 24th.

[B]

24Th of October.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you think it's going to get a Best Picture?

[A]

No, I don't think so. I think it's over. No. Okay. Right?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I don't know. I like, I'm looking at the best picture field and it goes about seven deep that I'm like, okay, these. These all feel plausible. And then I'm kind of like, I don't know, man.

[A]

Let's do this. With our episode, you have seen way more than the other three of us.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

What would your 10 be right now on October 15th?

[B]

What would. I'll you give you what. Yeah. Like, okay.

[A]

One battle after another feels the most locked.

[B]

Hamnet.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Sinners.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Marty. Supreme sentimental value.

[A]

That feels like a pretty ironclad five wicked for good.

[B]

Uhhuh. Now I am like, I don't know.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So here's the sort of buckets of what's next. Yeah, you've got like Avatar Fire and ash on its own island of question mark of like, hey, they always dominated these Avatar movies, but it's too. Does fatigue set in?

[A]

Are they gonna take it for granted? Especially when it's not a grand finale.

[B]

You've got the Netflix bucket. J. Kelly, Frankenstein, House of Dynamite. This sort of like, what do they push? What do people like the most? We can't even tell what like does. Well, because there's no box office, but it's true.

[A]

Like, I could see a world in which all three of those get in. I could see a world in which none of them get in. I see a world in which one of them.

[B]

I struggle to imagine all three, but one seems plausible and two seems possible. But.

[A]

But also zero. Very possible.

[B]

I would right now maybe pick J. Kelly. I'm sort of waiting to see on Frankenstein if that goes over better.

[A]

No, it might have that same kind of craft surge and. And it getting the runner up at Toronto for all.

[C]

That was interesting because that's another thing where the first responses to it were, it's Dog shit A tiff.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So saying it's a friendlier audience then you've got your acclaimed foreign film bucket. It was just an accident.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

No other choice.

[A]

Excellent, by the way.

[C]

Oh, I'm excited.

[B]

Favorite movie of the year. That isn't one battle.

[A]

So it's your number two of the year is another way of putting that.

[B]

But it's sort of like one battle. It's kind of like, well, what the am I, you know? But I love that movie so much. So you got. It was just an accident. No other choice. And the secret agent sort of hovering down there, this sort of neon, you know, like, can favorites also that it's.

[A]

Basically now, if not a given. There's almost a kind of standard. Often one of an international director gets in and it gets one of the best pictures.

[B]

It was just an accident. In some ways is, you know, not the easiest movie to sell to Oscar. But in other ways is so compelling.

[C]

It feels like it's his most approachable.

[B]

Right. Like maybe this is the moment that like, yeah, it gets this.

[A]

So I went to see it with my dad. We saw it at the New York Film Festival. My dad only knows about Panahi from.

[B]

From like the. Right, right.

[A]

And. And here this guy, he's made five.

[B]

Films, like movies essentially under house arrest.

[A]

Smuggled out of the country. These movies are like an act of protest. And he just immediately goes, I didn't think it was going to be so funny. And I was like, yeah, all of his movies are funny. That's the other thing. His movies are very political, but they're very human. They all have really strong hooks. But this one especially, it's the.

[B]

Has like more of a. Right. Like a straightforward plot that anyone can grab onto versus the last couple, which obviously he made under very intense conditions.

[A]

Do you know about this guy, Ben?

[D]

I do, yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Can I give you like the one sense.

[D]

This is one of the things I know about David.

[B]

Lots of stuff.

[A]

Can I give you the one sense.

[B]

You don't know about?

[A]

Is all the.

[B]

We go on about me and him normal? Exactly.

[A]

Well, yeah, but now you've heard the Dragon Heart sequel spiel two times. Try to argue you're normal. Can I give you the one sentence on it was just an accident, which will also maybe function as helping to sell this movie to our audience.

[B]

Sure. Throw it out there.

[A]

Bunch of guys who are like POWs, basically. Right. We're. We're political prisoners and tortured and blindfolded, unfolded in Iran and. And have not recovered from the trauma of that One of these guys comes across in the wild who he thinks was his torturer.

[B]

They never saw the guy's face, but he thinks from the guy's gate, the.

[A]

Voice, the sound, the gate, the smell, all of this. And he, like, blindfolds him, knocks him out, is going to bury him alive. And the guy makes a fairly compelling argument while he's in the midst of being buried that he's got the wrong. Wrong guy. So then the rest of the movie is this guy being, like, driving around.

[B]

In his van, going to friends and other.

[A]

Other people who are captured and being like, can I show you?

[B]

Being like, oh, my God. Do you. I think. Do you think this is him? I think it's him.

[A]

And every person he goes to is like, has different levels of, like, how ready they are to re litigate their own trauma.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But it's just about the absolute uncertainty of, like, can you ever know? And if you got the wrong guy, then what does that say about you and what have you done?

[D]

I mean, it sounds heavy, but you're saying it's also funny.

[A]

It's really funny.

[B]

But it is.

[A]

But, like, is that not a great premise for a movie?

[D]

It is, absolutely.

[B]

And I knew nothing going into it. I truly knew nothing.

[A]

I'd seen a trailer which gives exactly that much away, and I was.

[B]

Yeah. Then there's Begonia, which I have seen, and I don't buy it as an Oscar movie, but obviously they do, like, Yorgos some. Sometimes you've got, like, the spring scene movie. Does that go over? It's kind of getting, like, tepidy, you know, okay, reactions. You got something like, does the Testament of Ann Lee come on strong? Does weapons, like, have a surprise?

[A]

I put money down on a weapon surge.

[B]

Does Bradley Cooper surprise everyone with this thing? Is the thing going to be on?

[C]

How about this?

[B]

Does Netflix get Train Dreams, which is better than any of the other Netflix movies?

[C]

Does Netflix get K Pop Demon Hunter?

[B]

No, I don't think so.

[A]

No. No, you guys, they can't.

[B]

No. But they'll get it in an Oscar. It's going to win.

[A]

First time with you recently. I think it's very good. Marie, can you name all of the animated films to ever get a Best Picture nomination?

[C]

First one is Beauty and the Beast.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

I am the Beast.

[C]

We've got Toy Story 3 up.

[B]

I'm the Potato Head. I am the old man.

[A]

I believe we're at the end of the list.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

It was really like, Beauty and the Beast was a phenomenon when they went to 10 everyone's response was, oh, this means that Pixar is going to get an auto nomination every year.

[B]

For a minute it did seem that.

[A]

Way, and then Pixar started to lose it. I don't think there's a fourth one.

[B]

There is not.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. And there have been other ones, like, you know, the spider verse movies like, things like that, where they were like, this could get into.

[B]

This be the crossover.

[A]

Right. I think for an animated film to get into best picture again, it needs to be like a true. It would have to be like Wally. It would have to be like, this is a giant theatrical.

[B]

Wally would have made it with that.

[A]

And it's getting critics awards.

[B]

I mean, the thing about it is the only real version of that since the movies we just discussed is spider verse. And that probably was just cost by being a spider man. Right.

[A]

And they still gave it animated.

[D]

Would Green book count just because it's such an animated performance?

[B]

I'm not a cartoonomobile guy.

[A]

Die. Ben. That is the most sober, realistic way I've ever seen a pizza be eaten on stream. I don't know what you speak of.

[B]

How could you call me a cartoon? Wow. Remember Green Book.

[A]

We got to open the book.

[B]

We re release Green Book right now. Someone was making green book in 40x.

[A]

Oh, my God, the bum.

[B]

Every time. He's being racist. Every time. Linda Cardellini. Bum, bum, bum, bum.

[A]

The heart of the movie when they throw away the glass.

[C]

I was reading about the 40x for one battle after another, which I really regret not going to playing for like.

[A]

Four or five days.

[C]

Apparently when like Sean Penn gets his little butt play happening, like you're a.

[B]

Little butt, it gives you a little.

[C]

A little tickle.

[A]

Just a little lower back a little. Ooh.

[B]

You know, that movie's really good.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

That movie.

[B]

One bad laugh.

[A]

Yeah, it's really good.

[B]

And I'll say this right now, now that's my best actor right there.

[A]

Leo.

[B]

I don't think that's getting beat, my friend.

[C]

Not.

[B]

I was thinking about him today.

[C]

Supreme.

[B]

Haven't seen it.

[A]

You're saying personally or who you think is going to.

[B]

Timothy Chalmer is going to win the Office.

[A]

I think so too.

[B]

Yes. But no, no. I think for Timmy's winning for two reasons. One, I hear he's very good in the film.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Two, Adrian Brody took one step on that stage and everyone was like, why didn't we just.

[A]

I mean, we got this wrong. Absolutely.

[B]

Just Brody, he just like, he just goes like this. Like, he moves slightly to get out of his seat. And everyone's like, you know, Sham was really good, David.

[A]

I'll be a little more generous. I'll give him five seconds.

[B]

Yeah. He took one breath on the seat.

[A]

He gets it from the seat.

[C]

Oh, no, it's when he throws his fucking gun. That's when.

[B]

That's when he lost it.

[A]

The moment he turns back around and throws his gum to Harvey Weinstein's ex wife. Where people went, oh, fucking no.

[B]

Everyone's like, he actually already even has an Oscar. What are we doing?

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Doesn't matter. Because it seems like this might be the better outcome in a weird sort of a way of like, it's kind of annoying when you get your Oscar for playing a musician. Yeah. And everyone's like, I love you and I love Bob Dylan. This one. It's like you threw your whole timusy into this one.

[A]

How old is he now?

[C]

He's 29.

[B]

Yeah. He's almost 30.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And he will.

[B]

He'll be 30 on December 27th, and.

[A]

He will win best actor, presumably with three lead nominations under his belt before the age of 30.

[B]

It's a good point.

[C]

It's pretty shit.

[A]

Undeniable.

[B]

He's having a good run.

[C]

I love my boy. I'm so excited. Like, is he going to thank Kylie at the Oscars?

[B]

Everyone is so hung up on the normal person he dates.

[C]

I mean, I'm just. I'm. I'm not against the relationship. I'm actually very. Did you see Gwyneth Paltrow gave some interview recently where she was like, talking about how elite.

[B]

Gwyneth. I don't know what's going on at any point in time where she said that she asked him, like, do you have, like, a girlfriend? And he was like, yeah, yeah, I do.

[C]

And he's like, she's got two kids. And I was like, oh, that's so nice for a young man to be interested in a woman with children. And I had no idea it was Kylie Jenner.

[B]

It's just like her being like, I'm in Avengers Endgame 2. I don't think so. I mean, that one.

[A]

Yeah. No, no, I'm just. I'm withholding myself statements.

[B]

Oh, withholding your statements. Like Kylie Jenner.

[A]

Look, going into Oscar Newman Goes to.

[B]

War with Jenner family, when it felt.

[A]

Like Brody and Chalamet were neck and neck. Right. And Chalamet had just given his SAG speech of like, I want to be one of the greats. And I like that speech.

[C]

I liked it too.

[B]

I did too. But it was a bold kind of thing to so admit. Like I. It's always the risk. Like, do you want to admit how much you care about this at these awards or whatever?

[A]

Actively engaging publicly with a duel against the notion of being. Being cringe, which I like that. I feel like he's like, you trying too hard.

[B]

Right?

[A]

I like, I want to be good.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

I'm not doing the work.

[A]

I'm not naturally. I'm not trying to drop that back. Right. Like this means something to me. He shows up at the Oscars, Kylie's there with him in the front row. And I just immediately thought to myself, he's not winning tonight.

[B]

He's in that canary yellow suit where.

[A]

I was just like, it was more of a butter, I think they don't want to give it to a 28 year old who's dating a Kardashian. And when the rock shows showed up at Venice and he was really slimmed down and you were like, yeah, we gotta talk. What is up with this? Look, I said, he knows there is no universe in which they give him an Oscar if he gets up on stage and he's like bursting out of the suit. There's certain things where like regardless of performance, they're thinking about the moment at the podium. And I do think those things factor in. I like that movie quite a bit. I think his performance in that film is extraordinary, which, I'm sorry, it's smashing.

[C]

I still have to see it.

[B]

I really like that movie and that performance.

[C]

Should I go see it in Japan? Pan.

[B]

My friend texted me last night being like, should I go see it? And I was like, look, most people seem to not like it. It's kind of a bummer. I like it. Check it out. She got their shoes. Like solo viewing. Yeah, it's just me.

[A]

Are they going to give him the nod, like out of appreciation or is he even not guaranteed to get.

[B]

I don't think he's guaranteed to get in the five at all. Because like at this point the narrative is that it failed. Like, it's not just that it underwhelmed or whatever. The narrative is like, oh, it didn't work.

[A]

Which is what the movie's about.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

Which does make the movie more fascinating.

[C]

Well, who's it would be, cuz? Okay, Leo. Shalam.

[B]

I think Michael B. Jordan is a lock.

[A]

I disagree with you on that. Why? I would love to see him get dominated. I'm just not sensing people putting enough credit on that performance as a driving.

[B]

I'll put it this way, if the Oscars stun Michael B. Jordan, it's going to be a tornado of for them. And I'm pretty sure they will not. I'm pretty sure they will.

[C]

All right, well, let's revisit this.

[B]

You're going to. You're going to snub the most famous black actor of his generation for a playing twins performance in a box office sensation that's going to get a best picture nomination.

[C]

Is very much like involved with the. Yeah, no, that. That nomination makes sense to me.

[A]

Who else is in there?

[B]

Well, and here's why. The. Here's the other reason he's getting in there. It's again, kind of tricky after that.

[C]

Well, then maybe there is room for the rock.

[B]

Well, all right, let me.

[A]

Wagner Moore.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Secret Agent.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon.

[C]

Which great performance. Which you said that I'm gonna love.

[A]

David Jesse Clemons, Begonia. Jeremy Allen, White, Springsteen, George Clooney, Jake Kelly. This is kind of seen as the top tier.

[B]

It's a softish feel after that.

[C]

And then because Stellan's. Stellan's doing supporting.

[B]

He's supporting.

[C]

Mezcal's doing support.

[B]

Yes. He is somewhat, I think, strategic.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

So yeah, like supporting is also supporting actor.

[C]

This year is going to be tough.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, today, how much they love one battle. Do they want Sean and Benicio?

[C]

Like, Benicio to me is like MVP of the movie.

[A]

Agree.

[B]

He's pretty amazing.

[A]

I think he's unbelievable in that film. My guess is that both of them get nominated, but both of them getting nominated and both of those guys already having at least one Oscar and then it, I think the Stellan lifetime achievement award. It's hard to argue with that campaign.

[B]

I haven't seen the film yet.

[C]

You haven't seen. Oh, you've seen cinema.

[B]

But from what I'm hearing about Hamnet, Paul Mescal will be winning.

[A]

Really? He's gonna win.

[C]

That's what I'm hearing is a Jessie Buckley.

[D]

Jessie's Buckley.

[B]

It's her win that has already been engraved. I think that is not in question. But I'm basically just hearing like the movie has a major moment where he fucking does like Shakespeare and it rocks and everyone cries and I'm like, I don't know, man. I think they might just be like Timmy and Meskel.

[C]

Baby, let's on Elon Musk's X Whatever.

[A]

Oh, the Everything website.

[C]

The Everything website.

[B]

A chill just went up my spine.

[C]

That there is a line where he is going to kill himself and he Goes to be or not to be.

[B]

Look, I'm not saying that I think I'm gonna love Hamnet. I will see what I think of it.

[A]

You still haven't seen it. Yeah.

[B]

But the thing with me with Sentimental Value, which is the film, I think is very good. Have any of you seen it yet?

[C]

No. I'm really excited for it.

[B]

I think. Think it will. I think it will do well at the Oscars because they. They liked his last movie because Neon seems to be back, you know? Right. But it is not a movie where it's like, oh, my God, Stellan just crushed that monologue. Like, it's an odd, aloof, frosty Norwegian movie about a filmmaker. Like it. It's not like Otto, you know.

[A]

But at this point in October, many, many months to go. Right. I think there are basically four people locked in. Supporting actor. It's the 21 battle, guys. It's Meskal and it's Skarsgard.

[B]

Some would argue with you about Benio, but I would predict it.

[A]

I think Benio is getting in. Right. Two of those guys have already won. Yeah. Paul Mes really young. And Stellan Skarsgard's a legend.

[B]

He is.

[A]

He is. And here's another thing to consider. He's probably about to give us six months of no Skips banger interviews.

[C]

He's about to think that's gonna hurt him more.

[B]

It's possible he won't put his foot in his mouth. But I'm excited, me. I'm excited. Like, does he show up to interviews in the fat suit for Mama Mia too?

[A]

That's best case. Scen. Does he accept the Oscar in the fat suit?

[B]

Does he show up as his character from Pirates of the Caribbean, Bootstrap Bill. Bootstrap Bill Senior or whatever.

[A]

If we're lucky.

[B]

Right? Right. I don't know what he'll do.

[A]

Any of it's good. All the. All the scenarios you just outlined are good.

[B]

I would love to see Delroy Lindo sneak in there.

[A]

I think he's so fucking.

[B]

Because he's so deserving of a nom at this point. He's never had one.

[A]

Sandler was like.

[B]

Sandler is still high on prediction lists. He's great in the movie. And there's all. Again, it's the kind of like. Like, isn't it? We have never nominated him. Like, does they have to make room for him? I don't know. The Oscars, they're silly.

[C]

What about the Shark Tank guy? What about Kevin o'? Leary? Is that.

[A]

Everyone says he's Very good.

[B]

He's probably really fun in that movie. I. I don't think the Oscars will care.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Is he Mr. Wonderful? That's his name?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

He's the bald one.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

I'm up on Shark Tank. There's the bald one. What?

[A]

Then.

[D]

We'Re at DEFCON 1.

[C]

Oh, fuck. This episode is brought to you by.

[A]

Rumchata, a delicious creamy blend of horchata with rum.

[B]

It's best enjoyed over ice or in your coffee.

[A]

Rumchata. Delivering vacation vibes anyway.

[C]

Or anywhere you drink it.

[A]

Find out [e-mail] Drink responsibly.

[C]

Caribbean rum with real dairy cream, natural and artificial flavors.

[A]

Alcohol 13.75% by volume 27.5 proof. Copyright 2025 Agave Loco Brands Powake, Wisconsin. All rights reserved.

[B]

So this film, I guess, came out October 10, 2025, last weekend.

[A]

Yes, that weekend at the box office.

[B]

It was an underwhelming weekend at the box office. Now, Griffin, I know you've seen the number two movie. Of course, the number one movie I have seen. And we love it. And its name is Tron Aries, starring A Lister.

[A]

Jared, our favorite. A Lister, the platinum movie star.

[B]

A movie I found just this side of enjoyable because of the Tron business. Didn't find Jared too engaging.

[A]

I took my little cousin George to New York Comic Con.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

And as we're on the riding the subway over to beautiful Hudson Yards, New York, a real neighborhood.

[B]

You know what? That. That's what it is. This is a real neighborhood. God damn it.

[A]

He was asking me questions.

[B]

A hot dog stand and everything.

[A]

He was asking me questions about Hudson guards. And I was like, this has been a thing. Barely. Maybe less time than you've been alive.

[B]

I was gonna say probably 10ish years.

[A]

Basically broke ground when you were born.

[B]

You should just say this was almost a New York jets stadium.

[A]

All of this. Of course, that's what I said to him. But we kept passing Tron Aries ads. And he was like, oh, my God, Tron Aries is out. Have you seen it yet? And I was like, no. And he was like, oh, I want to see it. And I went, do you like Tron? And he went, I saw the last one. I thought it was boring. And I went, well, have you seen the original? And he went, yeah, I saw that one too. I thought it was boring. And I was like, here's the whole cultural experience of Tron every time, which is they put a new thing up and you're like, that looks cool. Do I care? And Then we kept seeing Tron stuff at, like, Comic Con. He was like, oh, those Tron Aries toys are cool. And I was like, I thought you said you found Tron boring. And he was like, I do, but it looks good. It does look good.

[B]

How it looks.

[C]

I like in the trailer when Jared Leto, like, just dissolves into a bunch of, like, little Legos.

[A]

Little black Legos. Excuse me, Marie.

[B]

When he derasses and Jody Turner Smith does it too.

[C]

That's so cool.

[B]

Several times.

[C]

I think that's. I just think that's really cool.

[B]

Like, some. Some guy at, like, a Hollywood, you know, test panel. Right. You know, like, what do you like? Do you like action? I really only like it when Jody Turner Smith de Res. Oh, okay. We'll make a whole movie of that. I gu.

[C]

I haven't seen any of the Trons.

[B]

They're all great. This is the worst.

[C]

I feel like I probably think they were boring.

[B]

Yeah, definitely.

[A]

Like, Erlich was like, it's okay. And I was like, that's a pretty high bar, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Jared Leto, Tron. I thought this was going to be an atomic disaster.

[B]

Jared Leto, Tron. And it's half in the real world. Like, all things from, like. No. And they're.

[A]

They're abandoning most of the original and legacy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And Bridges is barely in it.

[B]

He burping, though.

[A]

The idea that it's watchable to me is, like, high praise. I will go see it and probably think it is fine.

[B]

The amount of sort of noises that Bridges makes makes it seem to me like there were takes that were all of those.

[A]

No.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I. I love Tron, Marie.

[B]

Tron.

[A]

I. I had just, like, braced myself for. This thing is going to blow chunks.

[B]

Patreon.

[A]

Tron.

[B]

Patri. Tron. I. I've Patron now that we've got Aries.

[A]

Patron. Yes.

[B]

And I've got my steals.

[A]

I just got them as well. Boy, that 82ste. That transfer.

[B]

Oh, baby.

[A]

As Tracy Letts would say, reference quality.

[B]

Reference quality. DEFCON 1. Number two at the box office. Griff, I actually haven't seen this movie, but I know you did, and I think you liked it.

[A]

Marie, have you raised the roof?

[C]

No, but I really want to roof now. I've heard.

[B]

Griff, can you confirm a complaint I've heard, which is everyone's, like, a little. A little long, a little shaggy. Could have tightened it apart from that. Good.

[A]

I would have watched it for five hours. It has immaculate hangout vibes.

[B]

He's hanging out on the roof.

[A]

I was genuinely compelled by every Single solitary second of that movie. First of all, I can rarely think it. It's a limited grouping of artists who become less pretentious while also not just becoming lazy and hacky. To see D and France, be like, I want to make something that's fantastic, fun, right? And do it well. And be like, you're. You're like, nailing a link later movie. It's awesome. Tatum is on fire in it.

[B]

How's Dunst?

[A]

Dunst is so good.

[B]

How's Dinklage?

[A]

Dinklage is fun, but Dinklage is, like, playing the pill. Dunst in her last scene. The whole performance, I thought was good, right? I'm like, chang. Tatum might be, like, mortal lock on my best actor blankies category.

[C]

How?

[A]

And I was like, Dunce is, like, kind of right there on the supporting edge. She's really solid in this, but it's really showy work. Her final scene is such a fucking knockout. She is doing things. There are facial expressions she is able to conjure up in a scene where she is not saying much, where I was just like, I don't understand how you can have this level of fine motor control or be able to conjure up feelings this specific and this deep to get this kind of detail work.

[B]

How's Melanie Diaz? An actress I adore?

[A]

She doesn't have a ton to do in it. It was nice to see her.

[B]

Nice to see her. She has not made a movie since 2018, although she was for the last few years on the CW's reboot of Charmed.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Which nobody remembers.

[A]

Here's my complaint about this movie. It's not a complaint about this movie. It's a complaint about the state of filmmaking right now. Films don't get financed unless you have 10 names in them, Right. There are a series of smaller roles in this. Like Ben Mandelson, where you're like, oh, fuck, Ben Mendelson shows up. Now there's gonna be.

[B]

There's not much to do, right?

[A]

And it's clear that everyone's calling in favors. And you're like, uzo Adoba has, like, five lines in this thing.

[B]

Juno Temples here, same lakeith Stanford.

[A]

Keith has a significant role.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

But the Juno Temple role is like. And I love Juno, and she is good in the movie, but it is the exact kind of role that used to be small enough that movies could take a chance and break a new talent on it. And in instead you're like, this is a weirdly small role for the woman from Ted Lasso.

[B]

I love Juno. What are You, Paulie Bleeker.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

I was in the bathroom. I just wanted to make this joke. Patron.

[A]

Yeah, we made that.

[B]

I made that joke. But you know what? We're gonna say it again. Patri Tron.

[A]

You're gonna love Roofman so much.

[B]

I know.

[D]

I'm excited.

[A]

It is so good. Yeah, it is so good. I was having a ball of a time. I was grinning from ear to ear. I found it very emotionally affecting.

[B]

He's grinning.

[A]

Yeah. Channing's the best. You know, we do a whole long Channing talk in the Hail Caesar episode.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And right after we recorded.

[B]

Because it's a little bit of us being like, he. It happened, but could it have happened more? Or whatever.

[A]

The end of a run and that. He's been in a weird place since then. And we recorded that episode, and then like, a week later, I was like, we didn't even mention Roofman. By the time this episode comes out, Roofman will have come out, and he will undeniably be back on top. And instead, Roofman has, like. Roofman is one that should have played at Toronto.

[B]

It did play Toronto, my friend. Did it. Yeah, that it did. It got good reviews. People liked it.

[A]

I think they mangled.

[B]

I did, too.

[A]

But it's.

[B]

Look. But it's. I can't deny it. It's tough right now for that sort of a movie. The sort of 15, 20 million dollars, you know, true story dramedy. Yeah.

[A]

Then here.

[B]

I want to see it.

[A]

Here's my new note. If I were them, I would have held it until January. I would have premiered it at Sundance, and I would have released it in February.

[B]

I will say this. I certainly. With. It's Paramount, right?

[A]

Paramount, Miramax, Right. Yeah.

[B]

Two companies. Well run.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Cool guys behind them. I, you know, they kept pitching me on it, like, yeah. And I was like, yeah, sure. Can you show it to me? And they're like, yeah, maybe. And I was just kind of like, guys, if you want to build up buzz, like. But they were kind of, like, hiding the ball with it a little bit.

[A]

Doing a Channing movie star push when they really needed to, like, build up word of mouth. Because it's just. It's a. It's a very, like. It just played, like, gangbusters with my crowd last night. And it's not doing.

[B]

It's not doing amazing. Although, you know what? It didn't cost a ton of money. It opened to eight. It'll probably clear, you know, 15, 20.

[C]

I'm kind of surprised because I assumed it was, like, getting A smaller release.

[B]

I don't know man.

[C]

Than for it to be number two at the box office.

[A]

Another thing.

[C]

Hi baby. Joey.

[A]

We've like lost the ability to do the like 800 screen release.

[B]

The old classic like slow expansion, big expansion.

[A]

If Roofman were playing on 8,000 screens rather than 2,500, like how many screens do they put it on?

[B]

It opened on 3,300 screens.

[A]

Yeah, I. I believe if Roofman had opened on 800 screens it would have made the exact same number with a higher per screen average and would have had a feeling of oh, Roofman's over delivering. And there have been a couple movies recently that I felt that way about.

[B]

What else?

[A]

Smashing Machine.

[B]

Smashing. Smashing. That was an interesting case of the initial track on was like, I guess this play is working. It's going to open kind of strong and like you made the joke. It's the Dwayne Johnson thing. Right. F Cinema score incoming. Right? Yeah.

[A]

And instead it like opened horribly and got an A minus in them score versus opening to 20 and getting an.

[B]

S. I think the thing about it was obviously it was just hurt by the buzz being kind of tepid. Right. Like you needed the buzz. Yeah.

[A]

I. In my opinion, one is the Taylor Swift movie completely sides.

[B]

That's so true.

[A]

She completely use the term movie.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Really loosely. But that was a weekend that they thought they had all to themselves. And even though they're not the same audience, they were just going to get some default movie going.

[C]

I also think one battle had legs and it also ate into it.

[A]

That's number two. And also it just took all the excitement.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

In the sort of like film nerd sphere that needed to be rooting for.

[B]

But it got middling reviews at the fests and stuff. I mean Benny won the Silver Lion. Yeah.

[A]

It was just a weird journey. I also think we've talked about how usually the A24 hide the ball, sell it as a different genre thing. Helps trick people into going to see the movie.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And instead people went like oh, this just looks like the Rock is really transparently doing.

[B]

It's an Oscar.

[A]

Oscar B playing.

[B]

Right.

[C]

The way that you described it to me is like Fat City.

[A]

Way more interesting is the closest Benny.

[B]

Told me that was.

[A]

But they up by trying to sell it as something more commercial than it was. Cuz it didn't convince the commercial audience. And film bros were like, oh, this is just sellout from Benny's acting number.

[B]

Three at the box office. One battle after another.

[A]

Yes. Still doing okay, you guys.

[C]

Can I say I just want to say something.

[B]

Please.

[C]

I'm really enjoying the Cohen's Bro. The Coen Brothers series.

[B]

You're sad we didn't get to.

[C]

Yep.

[B]

Like bring land that plane right on One Battle Island.

[A]

The one battle came out. Our Reddit was inundated with fans being like, I hope you're all happy.

[B]

This is what it's going to rock.

[A]

It's rules.

[B]

Seth Roll Rogan was on it. You heard of him?

[C]

No, I know, but I'm just. I'm just saying it would have been fun to.

[A]

Well, maybe our democracy is broken.

[B]

It's.

[A]

That's on you. We didn't pick. We assumed. We assumed PJ was gonna win. I thrilled that the Cohen's one.

[B]

I think One Battle is doing just fine without us. But of course it would have been nice to talk about it. But I think the Cohens have been fun to do.

[A]

I'll say this too. I got a lot of. Are you guys really not going to do an emergency episode episode on this? Our schedule gets two filled up.

[B]

Two weeks. We don't do emergency episodes on the 12th. Movies by auteurs. What?

[A]

Right. That's not how the show works. People are still caught up in like the first couple years where we'd sometimes try to glom onto a new release to get a ratings bump. I will say. And we've been sort of planning this going forward next year. We have several new releases on the Patreon schedule.

[B]

Yeah, we're trying to do that a little bit more.

[A]

Things that previously would have been a quote unquote emergency episode that are tied to things we've covered but aren't straight up. But like, why would we do a one battle emergency episode?

[C]

We got to do a whole PTA series.

[B]

Monday. Number four at the box office is a little movie about a dollhouse.

[A]

Gabby.

[B]

Gabby's Dollhouse. Who's this?

[C]

Can you guys tell me who Gabby is?

[B]

Yeah. Everyone was like, and of course, David, as a parent, you must be excited for Gabby's Dollhouse the movie. And I was like, I don't know what that is.

[A]

It was a very big DreamWorks liveaction CGI hybrid Netflix show that.

[C]

So it was a Netflix Netflix thing?

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Most of DreamWorks Animation in theaters and they didn't put in K Pop Demon Hunters because.

[A]

Excuse me, it is a Show produced by DreamWorks. A Universal Picture for Netflix. Netflix doesn't have the rights.

[C]

Isn't the Sony did the fucking K Pop.

[A]

Okay, so can I amend some of my Sony fix stuff?

[B]

I wanted to bring Something else up. Yeah, go ahead.

[A]

No, basically, Sony develops more movies than any other animation so studio. Because most animation studios have an agreement with their parent company that's like, we have one slot held for you a year.

[B]

Take a picture, Ben 2 maximum.

[A]

And Sony Pictures Animation basically develops like six or seven movies per year.

[B]

Fade to us just. We all just leave our chairs and the chairs are spinning and G's just still talking about this.

[A]

The only thing I've never gotten clarification on is do they take something like K Pop Demon Hunter and have everyone bid against it and. And see if someone like Netflix is willing to offer more money than Sony would? Or do they only shop it around after big Sony has.

[B]

Or, you know that meme of like, the sports bro talking to his girlfriend and the. He's got sunglasses on. Yeah. You know what my daughter's obsessed with right now?

[A]

What?

[B]

Super Kitties. You aware of this on Disney Plus?

[C]

What is. What is this different from, like, DC's League of Super Pets?

[B]

It's quite different.

[A]

Very different.

[B]

Very different. Do you know about this, Griff? You know about the Super Kitties?

[A]

I've seen the thumbnail. Sure.

[B]

Yeah. Well, he pretty much got the idea.

[A]

I. I didn't feel the need to look any further into.

[B]

Oh, no Super Kitty.

[A]

How do you get her back on the Spidey?

[B]

Well, she still loves Spidey. Let's not. Let's not forget Spidey. But no, her. Her bff, her. Her little pal from school. We went over to his house for a play date and he was like, want to watch some Super Kitties?

[A]

I her up.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Gabby's Dollhouse, I think, is a perfect example of, like, they were truly 18 months late on it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, if your daughter was born 18 months earlier, she would. And the movie's a little too late. And even down to, like, Gabby is now, like, 17.

[B]

Right, right. She's like, hey, number five at the box office. It's made $172 million. Griffin, what is it?

[A]

Conjuring Last Rights. I was talking to a friend yesterday about the disappointing box office roofman, and he said, but hasn't basically every movie flopped this fall? And I was like, no. There are two humongous hits. Conjuring and Demon Slayer. Slayer are both, like, shattering the backboard. It's just that more expected things have been underperforming, but there's not a lack of people buying tickets.

[B]

But, like, the only thing that has underperformed to me in a shocking way, honestly, is nothing. Because even Tron. I'M like, that does happen with Tron. Like, it always underwhelms.

[A]

This is on you for thinking it would do better than us.

[B]

Right? Like, I know it was below tracking. I hear you. But at the same time time, like, like, because people are like, well, Tron legacy made money. And I'm like, look at Christmas 2010. It was the only offering. And even then, it underwhelms.

[A]

And in our True Grit episode, we talk about. Right.

[B]

Fills the gap.

[A]

And you're waiting 15 years. If I were. If I were greenlighting a third Tron film for release in 2025, I would have been like, this thing has to be under $100 million. Then they say to me, good news. We got Jared Leto. And I go, great. It's got to be under $60 million.

[B]

You are not Morbus sleeping on a better ropes number six, a conjuring. Though I haven't seen it yet. I will check it out, possibly on hbo. Max.

[A]

Yeah. You might take.

[B]

I might not rush to the theater because I hear it's kind of bad, but I do kind of want to fill in.

[C]

I'm just really interested in, like, the. The, you know, like that guy with the weird face bought the doll.

[B]

No.

[A]

What are we talking about?

[B]

He died. Guy who died.

[C]

Who's that fucking comedian?

[A]

Oh, Matt Rife bought the Warren's house.

[C]

I thought he bought the doll.

[B]

Someone else died and was near the doll, the house.

[A]

And everyone was like, the house is basically a museum.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Matt Rife and his business partner bought this house. Matt Rife is apparently really into these. A cult. And he's made it very clear that he doesn't own the doll or any of the artifacts, that what he has bought is the right to be the custodian of the objects for as long as he is in possession of the house. But the house is basically a national lived in landmark.

[C]

Is it the house that the. That was haunted?

[A]

It's the house they lived in, which is like a museum of all their spooky objects. Namely Annabelle, who I love to remind people was in reality a raggedy and all.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Is not a creepy like fucking.

[B]

It's just a regular raggedy and now don't touchy.

[A]

No touchy.

[B]

I'm not. I'm not saying I'm not scared of the raggedy and the case closed. Number six at the box office new this week, of course, is Soul on Fire Griffin, the William H. Macy True Story, in which he plays a guy who helped a kid who had burns.

[A]

William H. Macy has been showing up in Disney Emoji Blitz when I have to watch Ash to get free spins on the wheel.

[C]

I thought you were going to say.

[B]

That he had an emoji.

[A]

I wish.

[B]

He should have.

[A]

I fucking wish.

[C]

Isn't he like the guy in the Incredibles?

[A]

No, but he looks like him. And they haven't done that character yet. That's a Wallace. I'm like, has William H. Macy done any Wild Hogs? If they had Wild Hogs.

[B]

Okay. But do you remember when William H. Macy played the fucking Green Lantern villain in the Dropout?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's good. Remember that shit? Hector Hammond, when they were like, his hairline could be 80% higher on his head?

[C]

I really enjoyed that.

[B]

That. That show is good.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I just. Anytime they cut to him, I was like, who chose this?

[A]

I keep getting this autoplay ad. That is William H. Macy as a surgeon performing open chest surgery on a body and then talking about some fucking cell phone game. What has happened?

[B]

You know the thing.

[C]

Jail.

[B]

No, his. No, his wife got in trouble.

[A]

They had crazy legal bills.

[B]

No, he was. He was free and clear.

[C]

But like, I'm sure, you know, I get it. He's.

[A]

I'm even like, what is the conversation that leads to like we have a game about like castle demons that like eat berries. How do we promote this? William H. Macy giving a measured performance as a surgeon.

[B]

Sounds good. Number seven is the aforementioned Demon Slayer. The latest of those.

[A]

Now, I know the release of that film is kind of equally split across dubs and subs, I believe.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

But there was an argument that it has now surpassed Crouching Tiger.

[B]

Right, right, right.

[A]

It's kind of a fuzzy stat because some people are watching the American dub version. But you're like, this is maybe ostensibly the highest grossing international film at the domestic box office ever. That's under discussed.

[C]

That's kind of. That's good.

[B]

Thank you for discussing it.

[A]

Thank you.

[C]

Did y' all see that trailer? That weird trailer? That's like two trailers for Ching Chainsaw Man.

[A]

Yeah. That's also about to over perform, I think.

[D]

Very excited for that movie.

[A]

Ben likes chains.

[D]

Never watch the out of that show. Shout out to Yoshida for recommending Demon Slayer today.

[A]

The only animated film to make a hundred million dollars at the domestic box office. About to obviously this year, right, be beaten by Zootopia.

[C]

But Bad Guys 2 didn't even make it.

[A]

Bad Guys too sold out around what, 80? Damn dog man's the closest. It made sense. 95.

[B]

But yeah. Zootopia 2, that'll right. Man, this rock the house, whatever.

[D]

His head is a chainsaw. His hands are also chainsaw.

[A]

Chainsaw, right?

[D]

Was it?

[A]

Doesn't he got a chainsaw dog?

[B]

Are you kidding? I don't know about this. I'm pretty sure Ben just bought another ticket. It has four now.

[A]

He's going to lie down in the.

[B]

He starts pulling up arms, hold his own aisle.

[C]

I'm glad that I know that you're into chainsaw on them, because I feel like that's a thing that I can buy you in Japan.

[B]

Oh, my God. What are you gonna buy me?

[C]

What do you want, David?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Wait, Marie, I might have to send you a little bit of a Japan list.

[B]

Yeah, I don't do that famously.

[D]

You love getting various merch and stuff.

[B]

Love stuff.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

What I want in Japan is to, like, sit in some, like, fancy onsen and like, look out upon, like, trees, you know?

[A]

Is the 30th anniversary of Toy Story.

[C]

Is there a. Is there like a. An exclusive?

[B]

Oh, my God. Wait.

[D]

David just jumped off a roof.

[A]

Takara has made a collection of dolls that are Woody as Samurai, Buzz as ninja, Jesse as geisha.

[B]

Sounds culturally sensitive.

[C]

Woody as ninja, Woody as samurai. Please, no, sorry.

[B]

Woody as number eight is the smash.

[A]

I'm trying to find a way to get these.

[B]

Number nine.

[C]

Wow, this looks so fucking cool.

[A]

They're. Thank you. Look at this.

[B]

Look at this. God.

[A]

It rules, right? It's really well done. Culturally sensitive.

[C]

I just think this is great.

[A]

Look at that.

[C]

Look at him. He's got a little helmet.

[A]

It's not for me, David.

[C]

He looks so cute.

[A]

It's for me?

[B]

Yes, it's for you.

[A]

Look up the Jesse one.

[B]

Number nine is the stranger's chapter. Chapter two. Real winning strategy there.

[C]

Oh, my God. Her kimono is cow Prince.

[A]

She can come on to my house. Oh, no. It's a Sparks album.

[B]

Jesse Geisha.

[C]

Look at.

[B]

We're saying this about geisha.

[A]

Jesse Sparks album title number nine.

[B]

I said. Oh, number ten is good boy.

[C]

I also want to say she's not. She's not a geisha. She's just wearing a kimono.

[A]

Okay, I apologize.

[B]

Opening at number 12, Kiss of the Spider Woman. That one kind of.

[C]

Oh, I want to see that. That as the only person who, you know, supports all of Jennifer Lopez's creative genres.

[B]

I've seen kind of mixed things about it.

[A]

I think Diego Luna is quite fantastic in it. And all the buzz out of the festivals was Tanataya, I believe is his name, and J. Lo. And I was pretty taken by Diego, who kind of doesn't miss.

[B]

Are you watching Andor yet?

[A]

I'm gonna get there.

[B]

Oh, okay. Why did I remember you saying you wanted to discuss something about Andor Catherine Hunter? Can't remember. Anyway, Diego Luna. When's he bad?

[A]

That's what I'm saying. Yeah.

[B]

I mean, I can't say I saw. Wow. He hasn't made a lot of movies recently. I guess he was busy fucking making Andor.

[A]

He directed a couple films too. I feel like he kind of took a step away from acting until Rogue One. He directed, like, three or four.

[B]

He's directing something right now called A Mouthful of Ash.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Sounds like a house full of dinosaurs. Dynamite. That's what you get when you stay in a house full of dynamite.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

David, can I share something with you specifically that I just started watching and I'm. Now I'm gonna have to watch the whole thing. Gilmore Girls is so good.

[B]

Ben, what got you on the Girls?

[D]

It was a show that Nelly was obsessed with, and she was like, ben, you've never watched a single episode. Throw on the pilot. I'm loving this thing. Are you kidding me? It's funny. It's hard, heartfelt. I'm all in.

[B]

It's a great. It's one of the great.

[D]

Parents stink.

[A]

The parents stink.

[C]

I'm gonna say something controversial.

[B]

Marie, don't do this.

[A]

Do it, Marie.

[C]

Lauren Graham, like, it's her whole, like, I drink so much coffee and I, like, talk really fast.

[B]

Yeah. That's literally what happens in Gilmore Girls.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Describing the whole show.

[C]

I literally can't. I can't.

[B]

Look, man, as someone who was a huge Gilmore Girls fan at the time, right? Like, when it was on the WB and then the cw, this was always the thing. It was always a show that put some people off. Kind of auto. Put people off. They're talking too fast. I don't like Lauren Graham. You know what I mean? Like, it was always that thing where I'd be like, you know what's secretly kind of the best show on tv? Gilmore Girls. Ah. They talk too much. And then it became, like, what. It became. It became like a show that everyone agreed on. It was like, to my total surprise.

[C]

Does she stop? No, she just. She keeps doing it.

[A]

Keeps drinking more of the show.

[B]

It's written 90. 90 pages per episode.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, Lauren Graham. Talk to her about it. It's so interesting.

[D]

She.

[B]

You can see how it haunts her. I think it was the hardest television show to make, like, because they had to just shoot for such long like, because the scripts were so crazy and you can't fuck up those like crazy, crazy like rat a tat, like dialogue things. And all of those guys are just now starting to do this sort of like, yeah, maybe we had a good time on Gilmore Girls, but you can tell that they like really suffered. Like while were making it.

[C]

My mom used to say that we were like the Gilmore Girls, cuz she'd be like, I had you young and we're best friends. I'm like, you had me when you were like 27. Which was completely normal in the 1980s, but whatever.

[B]

Hey, shout out.

[D]

I love it. Shout out to Sam, right? Is this diner? Sam?

[B]

Luke. Luke.

[C]

Okay, the coffee shop.

[D]

Love that guy.

[B]

Yeah, he's the best. Just keep watching, baby. It's. Oh, I'm.

[D]

I'm. I'm all in.

[B]

What season are you on? You're still in season.

[D]

I just watched the pilot.

[B]

Well, then you're going to have a great time. It's only getting better until season seven, which you can avoid that one. But seasons one to six. No, season seven is when they fired Amy Sherm. It's the Dan Harmony. Exactly the same as Community season four, where they're like, we can still do this without the person who wrote all the episodes. Right. And you're like, oh, this is weird.

[A]

And they hired Dan Harmon to take over Gilmore, swapped him.

[B]

And it was for the exact same reason. It was like, this show's too expensive, you take too long. You know, like, blah, blah, blah.

[A]

I was going to say that's another one where you talk to anyone who worked on it and they're like, we're really proud of that show. I'm still working through it in things. Therapy.

[B]

Right, right, right, exactly. And it's like the product was good, but you. It was really hard to make it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But then you watch the show without the showrunner and you're like, this is like drinking RC Cola. I'm just like, huh? Everyone's here. Connecticut.

[A]

Yeah. Leaves. Leaves Connecticut.

[B]

And yet why is this off?

[A]

Did they promote Connecticut to regular? Where did they make the opening credits by season seven? Okay.

[B]

Vonda Shepard.

[A]

Because they kept kind of Connecticut over in the negotiations. Yeah.

[C]

All right. We did.

[D]

Yeah, we did it. House of Dynamite here at the end of the episode. I have a little bit of business to attend to, if I may.

[A]

Yep.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

So Marie is sitting. We all have separate desks. Marie is sitting at the guest desk.

[A]

Which had for so long without a head. Of course, you, David and I have our faces on the front of our desks.

[B]

Right.

[A]

The likenesses done by our good friend Joe Bowen. And Caroline Framke in the vamps episode drew a little picture of a vampire and taped to the front of the desk. And that was their placeholder for a while. Yeah. Where's that gone?

[B]

I don't know.

[D]

I. I have it stashed away.

[A]

Okay. We should still put it somewhere in the desk.

[B]

Well, in the museum of blank check that one day will be built. And her keeps buying houses.

[D]

And so Joe was really kind. He made us another Wood character. But this time of checky, we got actually two. There's a little one up there as well.

[A]

It's a little kind of baby Chucky. Chucky Jr. Yeah. Might be coming to an ad read soon.

[D]

So cute.

[B]

But I actually wouldn't have an annoying voice at all. What's your business?

[D]

Been so. No, it's okay. I just. I have a little surprise.

[A]

Ben has a little surprise.

[C]

What?

[A]

Wait a second.

[B]

What?

[A]

Oh my God.

[B]

Are you serious? Ben is handed over. Oh my God.

[A]

Marie is blushing. Marie's face has turned into I love you.

[B]

Wait, I got ahead.

[A]

Marie got ahead.

[B]

I have. Oh my God, Joe.

[A]

I did not even go to Zoo.

[B]

Marie gets ahead.

[C]

Look at how I look. So sassy. Let me see. Look at this.

[B]

I'm like, you got your little classic.

[A]

You're giving a little DreamWorks face. Almost.

[C]

I'm giving a little DreamWorks face. I'm like, do you really think that David.

[B]

Whatever you say, Marie. Yes. You look great.

[C]

Oh my God. Okay, wait. So I'll leave it here. And then when I'm.

[B]

When you're. You can activate moving forward.

[D]

We'll swap it. But yeah, when I. I wanted to make checky and I was like, you know what? I'm gonna put in the order for Marie's head as well.

[A]

It's very thoughtful of you, Ben.

[C]

Look at my bun.

[A]

Got the bun.

[B]

Bun. Amy Sherman Paladino Bun heads.

[A]

And we got. We got a good amount of Marie episodes coming up. Because we have so many new releases, we're going to to have a guest on at least one of them.

[B]

I think we're planning on a Ella Maai special guest. Ella McKay.

[A]

That's an interesting way to pronounce it.

[B]

I don't know how you.

[C]

Was it George Maai? Is that how you pronounce it?

[B]

That's what. That's literally why I just did that. Cuz he spells it that way. Ella McKay.

[A]

Right now though, there is a plan three episode round.

[B]

You're going to be on fire.

[A]

Fire. And Ash, is this thing on in.

[B]

You're going to check if this thing is on.

[A]

You definitely got to check.

[B]

And you're going to be. Be making the no other trope.

[C]

I also, we also. You know, the Raimi trailer came out.

[B]

We're gonna send for it.

[A]

I haven't watched it yet. I'm so excited. Oh, my God.

[C]

It's. It's. I think it's gonna be fun.

[A]

Like fucking Rachel McAdams in the dirt.

[C]

She's.

[A]

She's on a beach being haunted.

[C]

Well, she don't really being haunted.

[A]

Okay, well, I haven't watched it yet.

[C]

No, it's. It's. She's the mousy employee of a really shitty younger boss played by Dylan o', Brien, star of Twinless that I haven't seen yet. But here's.

[B]

I wasn't a fan of that movie and people got really mad at me. But I like him in it and generally.

[C]

Yeah, but yeah, he's like her shitty millennial boss.

[A]

Look, two of these are late December platform releases that we're releasing in 26, but you look at the 26, here's why we don't do emergency episodes anymore. We have a Cooper, we have a park, we have a Raimi, we have the first new Star wars movie in seven years.

[B]

It's back.

[A]

And we have a Spielberg and a Nolan.

[B]

Yeah, that's true. God, the summer, baby.

[A]

Thrilling. That's just the first six months.

[B]

And don't, don't forget M. Night Shyamalan coming later too.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Get that on the schedule.

[C]

He posted that thing on Instagram of his, like, book tour date with Nicholas Sparks. And like, the line to get the book signed was like, doubly around the block.

[B]

He's canny, man. When he's like, what do I do next?

[C]

Nicholas Sparks, he's making a magic eightball TV show.

[A]

Do you see that With M Night or. No, Sparks isn't working. It's just M. Night.

[C]

No, just M. Night.

[A]

Yeah, that sounds perfect.

[C]

Yeah, sure. Why not?

[A]

Possibly. Gina Prince, Bythwood Children. B. Bone and Blood.

[B]

Yeah, that might be of Blood and Bone. I think that's 2027 is the plan, but I don't really know.

[A]

Horizon 2 will.

[C]

I was about to say that movie.

[A]

Is never coming out safely on a shelf. I. I love to repeat, David is confident will come out someday Monday. And I am.

[B]

I'm not being like, brash about it.

[A]

It will be purchased at an estate sale.

[C]

Can I read? Read this headline from Page six. Quote, furious over Hollywood Reporter profile. Kevin Costner searches for buried treasure Shops Shipwreck show source.

[A]

I forgot to say this.

[B]

Can't count cause out.

[A]

I forgot to say this in our intro. The lovely people at American Cinema Tech who had us out there for the friend of the fest to introduce a Hudsucker proxy. We sent them a list of a bunch of movies as an option of. Of things we would think about. We're excited at the idea of screening. And my big push to them was, can you guys get Horizon Part 2? He's been able to play it at festivals. It's totally log jammed. We've covered him in the past. It might take more infrastructural work, but I think if you could get it, there's also a good chance he could show up and we could do it. Like talk with him. Right? And they said we have all already thought of that and tried and could not do it before this series. So I just want people to know I made an attempt to figure out a way to get more blankies to see this movie.

[B]

Griffin himself cannot solve this problem, but I bet you some giant corporation, maybe.

[C]

A bunch of Saudis.

[A]

Well, the Saudis said no.

[C]

The Saudis said no.

[A]

That's the most telling part of that.

[C]

Maybe it's different Saudis. I don't know.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

A source told Page Six this week of the Yellowstone Star, Kevin Costner is on a deep sea diving binge to discover sunken and treasure. The insider added quote, he found gold coins and emeralds recently in the Caribbean.

[A]

The thing that's great about Kevin Costner is you start a sentence like that and I go like, where's this metaphor going? And you get to the end of it and I go, oh. He literally. Emeralds.

[B]

I think Costner just on a beach. He just calls his press leak the emeralds.

[A]

First of all, you were miming a cell phone, but I think that's a shell.

[C]

He's communicating.

[B]

Be a conk.

[A]

Hello, Ocean, it's me, Kev.

[B]

I'm uniting with Knuckles on a search for the Chaos Emeralds. That'd be great. Speaking of Idris Elba. Yeah, that's his defining role.

[A]

Yeah. What if he plays Amy? What if he's the voice of Amy.

[B]

The head, taking the role of amy in Sonic 3 or 4? How many of those are there?

[A]

I'm voicing Big the cat. A real American.

[C]

Costner has a history of exploring the sea.

[A]

Yeah, he does.

[C]

He played a co postcard.

[B]

All right, I'm wrapping this.

[A]

The Guardian.

[B]

We're not just reading New York Post.

[A]

He fixed the BP oil spill.

[B]

@ least threw out a proposal.

[A]

He didn't. He didn't make it worse, I'll tell you that.

[B]

Probably not.

[C]

Yeah. I just want to say that my husband asked me what time I'd probably be home today and I was like, I don't know. Three.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And he was like, there's no way. And I was like, what time is it? 10:52. Okay.

[D]

For listening, we will announce our schedule with upcoming new releases as well as a new miniseries very soon.

[B]

So look forward. Next week of course is Inside L and Davis. Yeah baby. Which I'm excited to record. We're recording that next week.

[A]

I've. I've actually been holding myself off from rewatching it.

[B]

Me too.

[A]

I'm really excited because there is a chance. It's my number one good ass movie at times. It has been my watch it and you're like, it could happen. But I'm just. My question is just how high is it going to remain with all of these.

[C]

Can I, can I ask, are you to going. Going to do the. Please, Mr. President, I don't want.

[A]

Please don't podcast me in outer space. I have an embarrassment of options next week. That's all I'm going to say. Outer space.

[B]

Space. Outer space.

[A]

My new bit I do with Asa Erlich because now he loves Star wars is I do my impression of Kylo Ren, but I just say lines from girls.

[B]

That's good.

[A]

And I go like, do you like Kylo Ren? And then I go, your child, Hannah. Your child.

[B]

Nothing will stand in our way. I miss Kylo Ren.

[A]

He's a good guy. Well, no, he's got debatable. He's got good ideas.

[B]

Sure. Create an intergalactic fascist force kind of as a tantrum.

[A]

Do everything to win your dead grandpa's love. Be a school shooter kind of School shooter.

[B]

He's a school slasher. Sure.

[A]

And Anakin was worse in that.

[C]

I thought Kylo did that. I thought that was the Anakin thing with the little.

[B]

The little baby pad big prequel. I think I already said it. It just cannot earn him killing children. It is the biggest problem of the movie. The moment he starts to kill children off screen, you're just like, nope, I don't buy it. Sorry. Even though you convinced me of the grand evil of the dark side, when.

[A]

I saw the re release, people applauded that moment. Well, now it's just a meme.

[B]

Now it seems like a meme.

[A]

We weird.

[B]

I'm peeing.

[C]

Okay, I guess we're. We're done.

[A]

Yes. Okay. Thank you all. And as always, a warning to all filmmakers. If you put the word podcast in your movie, you're immediately getting knocked down half a star.

[D]

Blank Check with Griffin and David is hosted by.