E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Summary

Blank Check with Griffin & David Episode: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Release Date: February 16, 2025

---

Introduction

In this episode of Blank Check with Griffin & David, hosts Griffin Newman and David Sims embark on an in-depth exploration of Steven Spielberg's iconic film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Produced by Ben Hosley, the duo delves into the film's production history, thematic elements, technical innovations, and enduring legacy, all while interspersing their signature humor and insightful commentary.

---

Revisiting the 20th Anniversary Edition

[00:56] David: "Spielberg, within one year of it was like, that was a mistake. Pulled the 20th version from circulation, and now it's hard to watch that."

Griffin and David begin by discussing the 20th Anniversary Edition of E.T., released in 2002. They highlight Spielberg's decision to retract this version due to significant alterations that deviated from the original vision. Notably, the infamous "penis breath" line was removed, replaced with less controversial dialogue in response to post-9/11 sensitivities.

[02:25] David: "He does [remove the line]."

This segment underscores Spielberg's commitment to preserving the film's integrity, even at the cost of shelving an entire revised edition.

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Designing E.T.: Animatronics and Puppetry

[03:08] David: "Like, it's an ETL insult."

The conversation shifts to the technical brilliance behind E.T.'s design. Carlo Rambaldi, renowned for his work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind, was brought on to create E.T. The hosts commend the seamless blend of animatronics, puppetry, and a person in a suit, which gave E.T. his lifelike presence without appearing overly mechanical.

[33:11] Griffin: "He is a very funny looking guy."

They discuss how Rambaldi's design strikes a balance between being endearing and slightly off-putting, ensuring that audiences form an emotional bond with the character.

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Casting Choices: Drew Barrymore and Henry Thomas

[46:25] Griffin: "Drew Barrymore is great. I love her so much in this movie."

Drew Barrymore's portrayal of Gertie, Elliot's younger sister, receives particular praise. Her authentic, childlike energy adds depth to the family dynamic without overstepping into precociousness. Similarly, Henry Thomas's performance as Elliot is lauded for its raw emotionality, capturing the essence of a lonely boy yearning for connection.

[48:48] Griffin: "He had a good take... the emotional connection."

Their discussion touches on the audition process, highlighting Spielberg's method of assessing the children's authenticity and ability to improvise, ensuring genuine interactions on screen.

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Themes and Emotional Impact

[103:00] David: "E.T. is just about, in the abstract, having an experience that changes you forever."

Griffin and David delve into the film's core themes: loneliness, the yearning for connection, and the transformative power of friendship. They explore how E.T. serves as a catalyst for Elliot's emotional growth, bridging the gap between childhood innocence and the complexities of adolescence.

[105:04] Griffin: "That's the thing where I get a little bit like, Steve, I actually need to know less about you sometimes."

The hosts compare E.T. to other Spielberg classics, emphasizing its unique position as a deeply personal yet universally relatable narrative.

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John Williams' Iconic Score

[117:37] David: "It was four hours long spiel. And Spielberg watched it and his response was, I never in my life thought I would make a movie this good."

John Williams' score for E.T. is a focal point of discussion. The hosts admire how the music elevates the film's emotional resonance, seamlessly intertwining with Spielberg's vision to enhance pivotal scenes without overshadowing them.

[126:11] Griffin: "The first use of the flying theme is the first time he flies."

They highlight specific moments where the score intensifies the narrative, such as the bike chase and the finale, underscoring its role in guiding the audience's emotional journey.

---

Legacy and Cultural Impact

[130:12] Ben: "But I love that he's found a little piece of clothing that fits him."

Griffin and David reflect on E.T.'s enduring legacy in cinema and popular culture. They discuss its groundbreaking special effects, heartfelt storytelling, and how it set a benchmark for emotional storytelling in films.

[133:17] Griffin: "And it's a movie that tells a story where it does work."

The hosts affirm that E.T. remains a timeless piece, continuing to resonate with audiences decades after its release.

---

Spielberg's Reflections and the Perfect Movie

[167:18] Ben: "And it. And it's just like unbeatable. It is possible other movies might do it easier, but you're already there."

Concluding the episode, Griffin and David convey Spielberg's own reflections on E.T., emphasizing his satisfaction with its perfection. They touch upon Spielberg's reluctance to revisit the film with sequels or significant alterations, underscoring his belief that E.T. stands as a singular masterpiece in his illustrious career.

[168:11] David: "And it's just like undeniable. Undeniable, unwavering, eternal power."

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Conclusion

This Blank Check episode offers a comprehensive analysis of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, blending technical insights with emotional examination. Griffin and David celebrate the film's artistic achievements while acknowledging its profound impact on both Spielberg's career and global audiences. For cinephiles and casual viewers alike, this episode serves as a testament to E.T.'s timeless magic and enduring significance in the annals of film history.

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Notable Quotes:

• David [00:56]: "Spielberg, within one year of it was like, that was a mistake. Pulled the 20th version from circulation, and now it's hard to watch that."

• Griffin [03:08]: "Like, it's an ETL insult."

• David [46:25]: "E.T. is just about, in the abstract, having an experience that changes you forever."

• Griffin [117:37]: "The first use of the flying theme is the first time he flies."

• David [167:18]: "And it's just like undeniable. Undeniable, unwavering, eternal power."

---

This summary encapsulates the essence of the podcast episode, providing a structured and insightful overview of the hosts' discussions on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Transcript

[Griffin]

Blank check with Griffin and David. Blank check with Griffin and David.

[David]

Don't know what to say or to expect.

[Griffin]

All you need to know is that the name of the shadow is Blackjack.

[Ben]

B, C, Cast Pod.

[Griffin]

BC Podcast.

[David]

BC Podcast. Blank Check Podcast.

[Griffin]

Wow. That was stupid.

[David]

That was great.

[Griffin]

That was so.

[David]

It was simple. Yeah, it was straight simple.

[Ben]

My God, our microphones are all glowing at the tip.

[David]

Would you rather I call you Podcast Breath?

[Griffin]

I was about to say that's what I would do.

[David]

That's the Griffin move, but this is too important of a movie, you know, something that disrespectful to the film and to the medium of podcasting. A serious medium of podcasting.

[Griffin]

Here's the thing about peanut penis breath.

[David]

We're starting out great. Yeah.

[Griffin]

Two things about it. One, my favorite thing about him saying penis breath, beyond the fact that it is such a specific insult.

[David]

Yeah. And I got more things to say about calling him a jerk.

[Griffin]

Calling him an asshole, is that the mom cannot help but laugh because it's such a specific. Like, she can't even shine it. She's clearly being like.

[David]

She goes, he knows it's a full laugh. While she's attempting to scold him.

[Griffin]

When I was a teenager, I met Chris Columbus. Hey. Because my mom, I think, interviewed him for Harry Potter.

[David]

So she sailed the ocean blue all the way over.

[Griffin]

It was in London. It was in London. And kind of a good joke. Yeah, it was a good joke. And maybe it was in her interview. I just. Look, this is. All I remember is that the story was. It was right around when ET got revamped. Right. It was 20th anniversary, 2002.

[David]

Right? Yep.

[Griffin]

And someone asked him about it. He'd worked with Spielberg. Right. And we're like, what do you think of the fact that Spielberg made a couple tweaks and he's changed this thing with the. You know, and he was like, as long as he hasn't changed the penis breath line.

[David]

And he did.

[Griffin]

He did.

[David]

In the 20th version, they take out penis breath.

[Griffin]

What?

[David]

I think it gets dubbed over with something else.

[Griffin]

No, the changes.

[David]

The big changes in the 20th are penis breath walkie talkies removed or walkie talkie placed guns digitally. No, adults hold guns.

[Ben]

Oh, that's such an important detail.

[Griffin]

Spielberg highly regrets it, and we're going to talk about it.

[David]

This is what's fascinating versus all the other times we've talked about this kind of tinkering. Spielberg, within one year of it was like, that was a mistake. Pulled the 20th version from circulation, and now it's Hard to watch that. Which is why it's hard for us to.

[Griffin]

It's out of circulation.

[David]

Recount. Yes. You have to get the out of print dvd. And then he did the fucking CGI T. There's one scene where there's a holistic CGI ET and then he did a lot of face replacements and bits. And all of that sucks.

[Griffin]

I. The penis breath thing, Griff, I don't think that's true.

[David]

Are you sure about that?

[Griffin]

Yes. I think you may have read that in this anecdote. Cool News article from 2001, but it's not true. The only change she changes, she doesn't say terrorist. She says something else.

[David]

Like in a post 911 world.

[Griffin]

Because it was post 9 11.

[David]

The.

[Griffin]

The off screen dialogue of her saying to Michael. Michael, yes. You know you're not going out dressed like a terrorist. Gets changed to like pirate or so I don't know, like something like less offensive.

[David]

Here's my favorite thing about penis breath.

[Griffin]

Sensitive.

[David]

Here's my favorite thing about penis breath. And obviously none of us were alive in 1982. We can't speak to what it was like to be on the schoolyards in the immediate release of this movie. I like that. It feels like an insult exclusive to this film.

[Griffin]

Right?

[David]

You do not.

[Griffin]

It's an ETL insult.

[David]

Otherwise. I'm like, it's astounding that it isn't even quoted. More. Every time he says it and I'm waiting for it, it still hits me. Right. Because it's surprising.

[Griffin]

Yep.

[David]

Penis breath.

[Griffin]

It was nothing like that. Penis breath. Welcome to Blank Checks. I almost said special features because I'm the one who introduces that stuff.

[David]

Podcast. Welcome EC Podcast.

[Griffin]

Yeah. See, the whole thing is Griff's like, let's do this intro where Ben does E.T. but he's. Griffin has a good E.T.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Do E.T.

[Ben]

Griff, you're a professional voice actor.

[David]

Okay? So you repeat the. The part. You do the Elliot DC cast pod.

[Griffin]

No, we're not doing it again.

[David]

Griffin, do the plank Check podcast.

[Griffin]

Do the ride. Right. Doesn't the ET Ride. Doesn't he say, like your name at the end of it or whatever?

[David]

My David.

[Griffin]

Right? And you're like, whoa, he said my name.

[David]

Ben. Can he do Griffin, AKA Producer Ben, AKA the Benducer. What if we loaded every Ben nickname into E.T. i feel like his Griffin's a little funky. I've obviously done the ride many times. It's my favorite ride.

[Griffin]

It's your favorite ride.

[David]

I think it is.

[Griffin]

I think it's my Favorite pure ride adventure.

[David]

It rules and we'll talk about it on Patreon.

[Griffin]

Yeah, I think we'll, we'll, we'll put.

[David]

I feel like it's always a little like goodbye Groovy.

[Griffin]

Do they like have one person? It's not like a computer program that figures out how to say name. They just have one person read like a thousand names.

[David]

This is what's great about it is the ride is. I want to say it's still sponsored by AT&T.

[Ben]

It's AT or T. You have to choose now.

[Griffin]

You do have to choose. You still have to choose now.

[David]

10 comedy points. A decade of dreams. Way to throw back to an all, all time moment on the show. If I remember correctly, the system is still. And the last time I went on was like two years ago. You get handed a phone card while you wait online and then right before you board the ride, you hand that phone card to an operator, you tell them your name, they type your name into a computer and they link it to knowing which number ride vehicle you're in. So it will time out properly. But it is still a pretty fucking manual system.

[Griffin]

But that is. Yeah, it's kind of an old fashioned way of doing it. Right. I guess. What else are you going to do? Yeah, this looks very fun, this ride, watching it.

[David]

We'll talk about it.

[Griffin]

But it looks like very chill.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Not, not too intense for.

[David]

Right. We've, we've talked about the scuttle blank check goes to Orlando. Plans over the years. Who knows if it ever happen. Have always felt like if we could make it happen. This is the ride where you would walk off and be like enchanting. I get where you're coming from. Not that you would be fully theme park pilled but I think you would have a forky esque wall comes down. I get it.

[Ben]

It's one of the ride. It's one of the few rides that has actually stuck with me.

[Griffin]

Wow.

[David]

It is, it is enchanting. It is relaxing. It is.

[Griffin]

I like relaxing. I like hearing that.

[David]

And it's a fascinating combination of the first half the ride is you basically going through ET the movie as a.

[Griffin]

Ride and then you're like on his planet or something.

[David]

Then the second half the ride is basically Spielberg being like, these are the things I developed when Universal begged me to make a sequel and I decided it was better to leave the movie as is. But you know what? I'll let them write a sequel novel and I'll put it in the ride and you go to ET's plan with a bunch of guys, a bunch of weird plant guys who are like playing instruments on their belly and doing stuff. And then he says, your mother fucking name. Which rules because going to say it. ET Is the greatest friend of all time. I hurt my voice a little doing the voice. I have to take a sip. Pow. I just shit my pants. This is Blank Check with Griffin and David. I'm Griffin.

[Griffin]

I'm David.

[David]

It's a podcast about filmographies, directors who have massive success early on in their careers and are given a series of blank checks to make whatever crazy passion products they want. And sometimes those checks clear. And sometimes they bounce, baby. Sometimes they fly in front of the moon. And into film history.

[Griffin]

ET The Extraterrestrial is the film today.

[David]

I am going to put forward a few hot takes.

[Griffin]

Oh, boy.

[David]

Here's my first one. Okay. I think this movie is good.

[Griffin]

Okay. That's not a hot take at all. That's widely held.

[David]

Okay.

[Griffin]

Opinion.

[David]

Second. And this is a hot take. I think this is one of the most successful movies of all time. Financial, just being.

[Griffin]

Financially, it's a take matter of data.

[David]

And third, I think this is one of the most important movies in history. Just kind of in, like, cultural, kind of omnipresent. These are hot takes. I don't want anyone to cancel me for this. I'm very excited to be talking about E.T.

[Griffin]

I see what you're.

[David]

It's a miniseries on the films of Steven Spielberg.

[Griffin]

Yes.

[David]

We've been calling it Podrassic Cast.

[Griffin]

Okay.

[David]

Today we've gotten to what I think is his best film.

[Griffin]

I think it's sort of inarguably his. I have AI above it as a personal favorite. I think ET is.

[David]

Do you have it at 2?

[Griffin]

It's Opus.

[David]

Yes. I mean, AI and ET are very paired, in my opinion. Ben, can you grab me a seltzer? This voice is going to keep catching up with me. I think Empire, the Sun and ET Are very linked. I think Catch Me if youf can and ET Are very linked. I think because it deals with so many of the core themes. He has other movies that are, like, adjacent to ET That I could understand people ranking above or below, but I'm like, this is the cleanest example of everything that makes Steven Spielberg Steven Spielberg. And I feel like it is this, like, incredible apex point of everything coming to a head.

[Griffin]

Yeah, this is. Yeah, look. Yeah. I mean, it's E.T. this is always going to be a tough episode. It's a. It's. You know, there's. It's It's. It's easy to go into superlatives because there's really no way to over superlative ET Yeah. And its success is undeniable. And it's the best.

[David]

Talking about his blank check status, watch the trailer for this movie that very wisely hides ET in all of the trailers for the movie, all you saw was his hands and the glowing finger at the very end. Yeah. Silhouette of the hand. I feel like you don't even see. Silhouette of the rest of his body. So seeing E.T. was a surprise. Was kept off the poster. The main poster image at the time was the two fingers touching. Right. This is how the trailer opens. In 1975, he brought you Joss. Yeah. In 1977, he brought you Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Let's not pay attention to what happened in 1979. In 1981, he brought you Raiders of the Lost Ark. In 1982, he brings you E.T. the Extraterrestrial.

[Griffin]

Why not?

[David]

If you're sitting in the theater and you see that trailer, you're like, great. You're promising me one of the greatest movies ever made. You're promising me the fucking pinnacle of Hollywood filmmaking. And this movie, like, delivered right. There's, like, a confidence to that pitch that it is incredible. It met and also met in a way where the weird contradiction of ET Is like, this is his small, personal movie.

[Griffin]

Yes, it is. And it is undeniably smaller in scale than the films he'd been making.

[David]

Intimate film. And if you actually recount it, like, five things happen in this movie.

[Griffin]

Sure. And nonetheless, it's an epic. It's sort of a little epic, as I think he put it. Like a mini epic. Yes. And it has real sweep. Sweep.

[David]

Look, obviously a lot of that is John Williams, who we will talk about. A lot of that is just the emotion this film is able to tap into. Makes it feel operatic when it is actually very contained and focused. And watching it today, it is just, like, astounding. As much as I still feel like ET Is one of the movies that probably gets repeated in, like, the offices of studio execs all the time of. Wouldn't it be great to make something like ET this thing would not pass one notes round. This thing would not survive. You just cannot imagine them not feeling the need to explain everything, add bigger set pieces, blow it up, heighten the stakes, you know? Sure.

[Griffin]

I think there could be. What I think the movie is missing, and I don't know if you guys agree with me is Barb.

[David]

I'll bring her in you want Barb from Stranger Things.

[Griffin]

Stranger Things is one of those, like, totemic shows that invented everything that happens in it, Right. You know, it's like the tone, the vibes, the aesthetic. Right?

[David]

Like, and then the Duffer Brothers went back in time after they created Stranger Things. Farted out Spielberg, right? Yeah.

[Griffin]

Farted each into Spielberg's ear. So you watch ET now, and you're like, okay, well, obviously Stranger Things did it better. But then you're just watching E.T. like, if only Barb was here, you know?

[David]

Look, I have famous.

[Ben]

You're being facetious, right?

[Griffin]

I am being facetious. Okay.

[Ben]

I just wanted to really crystallize.

[Griffin]

I love to occasionally throw in a Barb. Barb. Because I've never made it past, like, episode three of Stranger Things. I tried three times because that show was so popular. Second of it, you know, trying to be like, this show is so popular. I'm sure I would. And I always. So I've tried three times. So I've watched.

[David]

Oh, just the bar.

[Griffin]

Poor forgotten Barb. This, like, very early character who dies. Yeah, I watched her die three times.

[David]

Barb looms very large for you.

[Griffin]

And then just been like, I can't be bothered. And it's not tried.

[David]

With episode four, when you said Barb, I was Barb. Do you want ET to go to Vista Del Mar? What are you implying? Well, there's a new Barb.

[Griffin]

Hook up with Barb and Star and ET So cute.

[David]

You know what, Ross go to Vista Del Mar. Barn Star, go to Vista Del Mar. That movie rules.

[Griffin]

Such a good movie.

[David]

Yeah. Here's another movie that rules. E.T. the extraterrestrial from 1982.

[Griffin]

Yes.

[David]

So much to say. I hope people are hooting, hollering at a guestless episode because we're gonna expound on this thing. We had two great guests who were possibly hovering around it. But the whole time, every time we talked about it, we kept circling back to. And by the way, if we do ET Guest lists, that's all right. That feels kind of ideal.

[Griffin]

Oh, yeah.

[David]

You know, there were two people kind of sniffing around, and we were like, if it works, it works. But you know what? I'm down to just fucking. Just lay out and talk ET the boys.

[Griffin]

Here we are. When did you first see E.T. the extraterrestrial?

[David]

Griffith, Newman. I cannot carbon date it. It was young. It was early. I feel like it was presented to me as if it were like the Grand Canyon.

[Griffin]

Same.

[David]

Like you are finally ready to understand a thing that is, like, key to our culture. But Also, I think what is still so specific about ET Is it is presented to children as this rite of passage of like, are you finally ready to go through a profound emotional trial?

[Griffin]

Can you handle the sort of more intense emotions of this big feelings movie?

[David]

My guess is I saw it around five, if not younger, but, like, I couldn't tell you.

[Griffin]

I couldn't either.

[David]

I. I remember very viscerally the experience of watching it for the first time and the emotional journey of it. And yet I can't pin what age it was because it's hard for me to think about a time before I had seen it.

[Griffin]

I don't remember the first time I saw it, but I do just every time I watch E. Yes. Realize how written into my brain it is of just like Elliot's little shark toy. Things like this, you know, where I'm.

[David]

On his tongue.

[Griffin]

Yeah. Like, all right. The, like the image of the blood on his finger. Things where I'm just like, I. These, all these things made such an impact on me at a young age. And they are so, like, when I see them, it's almost like freaky deja vu, like that I'm like remembering something that happened to me just because the movie was so kind of like, whatever.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Pounded into me.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Ben.

[Ben]

I mean, same.

[David]

Yeah.

[Ben]

I saw it very young. I don't remember exactly when, but it's just been so. It's ingrained in me, you know, really. And.

[Griffin]

And we were all born after it came out. It's not like we even saw it, you know, in theaters or whatever.

[Ben]

I remember the VHS tape having a little green corner at the bottom of the. The version I had that just like always stuck out to me as seeing it on the shelf.

[David]

O.

[Ben]

And. And this also for sure implanted in my mind that I want to be abducted by an alien.

[David]

So ET Is kind of a real pivot point movie for you. Definitely, yeah. So, David, similar experience for you, wanting.

[Griffin]

To be abducted by an alien?

[David]

No, no, no. Watching ET for the first time.

[Griffin]

That's what I just said. No, no, I don't remember. I don't remember the first time.

[David]

I'll say this, though. Like, all implanted, my brain burned into me. It was not a movie I watched obsessively as a child. It was not a vhs. We had. I remember this one very profound experience. And then my sister Romilly, longtime sister, she was nine years younger when she was a couple years old, and it was like, is romilly ready for E.T. we rented it for her. And I feel like I had Possibly not seen it since the one time at that point, Romley had a phase where she was obsessed with it. And I feel like I watched it five times with her when she was like, you know, four, and I was like, 13. And then we took Romney on the Universal ride. She got terrified because she didn't like actually meeting ET There.

[Griffin]

Is there no way that he knew how to say her name?

[David]

It was bad. Yeah. It like activated some satanic chant and ET and he started talking backwards. No. And we were like, romney, Romney, stop crying. He's going to say your name. And then he goes like, goodbye. We. I will post it on social media. But afterwards that you Universal, next to the gift shop, they have a. Like a photo op where you can get on the bike and ride in front of the moon with E. T. And we were like, don't you want a photo with ET And Romney stopped crying for five seconds in order to do a perfect child, like, model smiling face pose. We got the picture and then she got off and started bawling again. The photo's incredible, but so I watched it a lot in that period. Sure. And then I've seen it, I want to say, two or three times since then. They re released it in IMAX a couple years ago. I remember going to, like, a free public park screening et probably 10 years ago. That was, weirdly, the 20th version projected off a DVD where everyone like, five minutes and was like, oh, fuck CGI, right. But it is a movie.

[Griffin]

Jabba the Hutt was there.

[David]

Jabba was there. ET stepped on his tail and then Jabba ET's neck. But, yeah, it's just. It's a very important film to me, despite it not really being, like, one of my movies.

[Griffin]

Yeah, I hear what you're saying, but this E.T. is. Yeah, right. To me. Not a movie I'd want to watch all the time.

[Ben]

Do you think you outgrow it a little bit? I don't think so, because I definitely remember having my collection and at some point and I watched it a lot because I didn't have a lot of.

[Griffin]

VHS tapes growing up.

[David]

You owned it?

[Ben]

I owned it, yeah. And at some point I was like, that's baby stuff.

[Griffin]

Of course, when you're a teenager, you write, you swing away, but then you swing back.

[Ben]

Well, no, I hadn't swung back until.

[Griffin]

Today because I swung back.

[Ben]

I mean, well, I was.

[Griffin]

Ben was pretty wrecked, destroyed.

[David]

I can only imagine. I think. Look, I've talked about this a lot. Romilly being almost a decade younger than me, basically insulated me from needing to swing away from any childish stuff.

[Griffin]

That's why.

[David]

Because I was just like, oh, I'll take her to every animated movie.

[Griffin]

That's why you're the man in front of us today.

[David]

Right? Exactly. And obviously, my love of the craft of, like, puppets and animation, whatever. I want to watch these things clinically as my adult brain was developing. But that made it okay for me to see everything ET I. I do think I just want to call this out. I think also culturally, we were of a generation where there was this kind of, like, you go through a phase where you think Spielberg is a corny, manipulative. And that was like a cultural thing of, like, people love Spielberg as kids. Then they get cynical about him if he gets serious about movies, and then you maybe swing back. Now Spielberg is sort of like such an old master.

[Griffin]

Yeah. He's like a guardian of cinema now.

[David]

It's not mostly making adult dramas, but.

[Griffin]

He makes original movies too. So people are just like, oh, you know, used to be like, ah, Spielberg, he's, you know, playing to the middle.

[David]

Of the pack right now. He feels like someone that, like, film Twitter, protects more than the general public does and reveres, you know?

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

But I do think that was, like, a thing of, like, you're in the 90s, and people are like, is E. T Like, corny?

[Griffin]

No.

[David]

No, it's not. It's. It is. It is. I just think it's, like, one of the most emotionally astute movies ever made. I'm gonna say a lot of hyperbolic things in this episode.

[Griffin]

You need to relax. I'm gonna need. I need you to relax because we're gonna go too crazy.

[David]

It's so fucking good.

[Griffin]

Yeah, it's very, very good. Steven Spielberg's E.T. i'm gonna just open the dossier just to sort of. Just to kind of like, put a saucer under the cup. Kathleen Kennedy, a person who everyone has normal feelings about.

[David]

Yeah, look, it's my favorite thing to say when people like to complain about the things she has done in charge of Lucasfilm and go, like, who is this woman anyway? Why'd she get this position? I'm like, I don't know what successes she had. She produced E.T.

[Griffin]

He met her.

[David]

Fuck are you talking about?

[Griffin]

While working on 1941.

[David]

Yes. She was John Milius's secretary and.

[Griffin]

Right. She was working for John Milius. And so she starts working for Seamus Spielberg. She's an associate assistant producer. Sorry. On Raiders. And associate producer on Poltergeist. And while he's working on Raiders, Spielberg is like, while I was doing all this Close Encounters research, I found out about this UFO case in Kentucky. Go find out about it.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

She goes and digs into it. There's a case where a family said they've been visited from creatures from outer space. It's called the Kelly Hopkinsville Encounter. It's a very famous ufology thing. Family of 12 that all said, sort of like these. These gray aliens, you know, hypnotized us. It's a classic. Classic. The return of this Secaucus 7 has just come out, and Spielberg hires John Sales off of that to basically, like, dramatize this.

[David]

And this is the kind of fabled lost project, Night Skies.

[Griffin]

Correct. It's basically a horror thriller kind of movie about, like, families coming under attack by aliens. And Spielberg is, like, thinking about making this piece. Like, what if, like, 20 years from now someone makes this movie and it's about, you know, you throw cups of water on them. Baseball.

[David]

It's just one of these fascinating things.

[Griffin]

It's funny that Shyamalan, the heir to Spielberg at that moment, makes signs, which is Night Skies with Shyamalan's themes.

[David]

Yes, Great point. It's just fascinating to me that this movie kind of comes from three different streams of thought incubation. But all three start with Spielberg. Like, he's not intercepting anything from the outside. Right. Like, there's this one impulse while still making Close Encounters that is like, what if I made a really scary alien? Yeah. Rather than the spiritual one. Then the second thread is while he's shooting Close Encounters and they are filming the stuff from the end of the movie where the aliens come out of the ship. And there's the one main Carlo Rambaldi animatronic alien who is the one who does the hand signals and really interacts with. With Richard Dreyfus. He has this, like, thought of, what if this was like, a student exchange program? What if Richard Dreyfus gets on the ship and the alien stays behind? What happens if there's one alien on Earth and he's thinking about that in, like, a Disney movie?

[Ben]

And is it a coincidence maybe that that movie was almost kind of anti family A little bit.

[David]

We'll talk about that.

[Griffin]

Okay, look, John Sayles delivers this script, okay? Spielberg is just kind of like, this is, like, violent. I don't want this too scary.

[David]

And also, is this different enough from Close Encounters? Do I need to do this?

[Griffin]

And he's reading the script. One of the last images in the script is a little alien left alone looking at the sky. And Spielberg's like, well, that's interesting. And so throughout making Raiders, he's pondering this, and he's trying to get back to the tranquility he says, the spirituality of Close Encounters. He's kind of lonely. His girlfriend at the time, Kathleen Carey, is in California. So is George Lucas. Harrison Ford is pooping his guts out all the time. And Spielberg's like, I wish I, like, had a friend to talk to, because, you know, it's been the days before he could just fire up Twitter and, you know, fire off some sexy posts.

[David]

Twitter is a great place for friends.

[Griffin]

Exactly. Connect to the world in a really healthy way. He's. He's bored.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

And he's like, you know, what if I were 10 years old again and I had, like, an imaginary friend? I feel like it's been turned into. He. Like, there's this kind of apocryphal, like, Spielberg had an imaginary alien friend as a child. I think that that is not true.

[David]

No. I think it's about him going back to the idea, summoning that feeling.

[Griffin]

Exactly.

[David]

Right. And what is, like, why do children do that? What is this, like, need to create a thing to fill a void, you know, a sense of, like, loneliness that needs to be replaced with, like, an imaginary loyalty, you know? Cause it's like, kids with friends have imaginary friends. It's not just, like, a thing of latchkey children who don't know how to socialize, but I think it's the notion of that, like, connectivity.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

I have an imaginary friend who is always gonna be there for me that I can call on at any moment. That's what he's riffing on. Not a specific imaginary friend of his childhood with a glowy finger.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

So, you know, he's pondering all of this, and he's thinking, of course, about his father being gone and, you know, when he was a young man. And that's how he comes up with Elliot and this kid whose dad has flown off to Mexico with another woman.

[David]

Well, but here's the other part of this, the third stream is during Close Encounters, which he wrote, of course, he's, like, writing another script, or at least noodling with the early stages of it, being like, maybe I write all of my movies. And it is his first attempt to try to make the thing that he kicks the can on for 40 years that eventually becomes the fableman's. Right.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

It's the first attempt at being like, do I want to make a movie about divorce? Maybe not a literal autobiographical film about my family. But I want to, like, excise the emotions of divorce and being a child of divorce. And, like, at many points over the next couple decades, every time he sort of toys with it, he goes too hot to handle.

[Griffin]

Sure.

[David]

What he gets into is the idea of, can I fold these three things together?

[Griffin]

Yeah. So he is. He's got the sales draft. He's like, forget it. But he hands. He brings in Melissa Matheson.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Who had written the Black Stallion. 1975, 1979.

[David]

Black Stallion is on set during Raiders.

[Griffin]

Because she is dating Mr. Harrison Ford.

[David]

Correct.

[Griffin]

And she's one of the only people he's around there to talk to.

[David]

Yes. She's written the Backstyling, which he loves. She's written the Escape Artist, which was a notoriously kind of tragic and difficult production. And, well, Francis Ford Coppola's son dies during the making of that filming of that film. Whatever. It's a complicated movie. Right. The point is, he starts talking to her about, like, I'm noodling with these ideas. There's the sales draft I have. There's this other thing I'm interested in. Whatever it is. Melissa Matheson's like, I'm retired. I don't want to write anymore. But sort of talking through it to him until she finally sort of locks in. What?

[Griffin]

David let me read the dossier.

[David]

I watched so much special feature stuff last night. Don't give me that look.

[Griffin]

I just feel like, why do we even have the dossier then?

[David]

Because it's great.

[Griffin]

Okay.

[David]

Well, she said, JJ, phone home.

[Griffin]

She's not into science fiction. She doesn't feel like a good writer. She didn't like Black Stallion. Spielberg says he is. He admired Black Stallion, which feels a little more okay, you know, couched in. But she was feeling very unhappy and miserable about herself. She'd optioned a book for some. Like, for some screenplay that she couldn't finish. Whatever. They all lean on her. Kennedy, Harrison Ford, Spielberg, all in on her. She writes a draft and she writes a book, a screenplay called ET And Me. Then it's called A Boy's Life. She consults with Harrison Ford's young sons, Willard and Benjamin.

[David]

Good names. Sure.

[Griffin]

And she says that. Multiple kids that she talks to, basically, with this proposal of, like, what would you do if you had an imaginary sort of alien friend bring up the healing, taking the owies away. Right.

[David]

Interesting.

[Griffin]

And so she locks into that. It's like, okay, that can be what's sort of magical about him.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

The other thing is that Harrison Ford's boys are obsessed With Dungeons and Dragons.

[David]

Okay.

[Griffin]

And she's like, okay. So I think, like, I'm going to have them playing Dungeons and Dragons, have this sort of like seed, the rich, imaginary imaginative stuff there. I like that.

[David]

Yeah, I do, too.

[Griffin]

Phone home. Melissa's line.

[David]

Okay.

[Griffin]

Spielberg's joke was, melissa, are you working for me or AT and T? And she said, to quote Ben Hosley, it's AT or T& you have to choose now.

[David]

Yeah, funny. But also, wait a second. Ben plagiarized that joke. But a decade of lies.

[Griffin]

She's crap. Spielberg based. Then has lunch with Kathleen Kennedy, walks in with the screenplay. Kathleen Kennedy's meeting with someone at mgm, I think, and he's just like, we could shoot this draft. It's the first draft. And he's like, we could shoot this tomorrow. He says, it's the best first draft I've ever read.

[David]

Still to this day, the best first draft he's ever read. Kathleen Kennedy said, at that point in time, I maybe read five scripts, right?

[Griffin]

But Spielberg said, like, people would read it and cry. Like, it's like, it's, you know, which is not usual for a screenplay.

[David]

And Kathleen Kennedy was like, look, I didn't have enough perspective to understand how good the script was, but I knew it was great. And she's like, now, in the last 40 years, I've read thousands of scripts and nothing's as good as that first draft of ET the other part of it is that Spielberg had been stewing on all the pieces of this for so long that he's basically during Raiders, like, going to her and being like, can I share some more thoughts with you? So, like, the writing process is like. And I think it extends past when Raiders raps them meeting and spending days where he is just spilling notions and ideas to her. And then she's doing things like talking to Ford's sons and going, what about this? What about this? And they're, like, meeting on it. They're talking through it a lot before she goes off, writes, comes back, hands him a perfect thing. And they're like, they probably adjusted less than 10% of what's in that draft.

[Ben]

But ladies, hanging with Steven Spielberg, right? In ET and sleeping with Harrison Ford.

[David]

I mean, it's kind of the tree.

[Griffin]

Pretty. Pretty good stuff.

[David]

Yeah. It doesn't.

[Griffin]

I think being in love with Harrison Ford, especially back then, is kind of a tricky thing. It's kind of a grump.

[David]

They put the right focus on it, which is she is getting to sleep with him.

[Griffin]

That's pretty cool. Sure.

[David]

I mean, yes, yes. But, but so I. It makes sense that this thing sort of like comes together so quickly because it had been in him so long. She knew how to process it. Well, she was pulling from other places when she finally sits down to write. It had all sort of been figured out. But I also think it is a key part of this movie for how much Spielberg didn't really want to talk about his childhood at length until later in life. But everyone knew that the divorce was seismic. I think people used to read this movie as being a lot more like one to one autobiographical. Where when you watch this film now, you're like, the circumstances of his childhood do not line up very well to this movie. It is speaking to a feeling. It is speaking to an emotional truth. But there is, like not a ton of overlap here. And I think if Spielberg had tried to write this himself, it would never have even gotten close to being as good as her being able to process it and with a little distance, form an actual story around. This isn't. It isn't.

[Griffin]

It's not a. Yeah. This is the. Just because he's inspired by his, you know, his childhood, you know, search for a father figure and all that. And that's in the movie. It's. Right. It's not like some one to one movie about Spielberg's childhood at all.

[David]

No. Which is what I find fascinating. And it's a thing I'm gonna just pin on the board right here in our conversation that I was thinking a lot about on this most recent watch. What is E.T. about?

[Griffin]

I have. I have plenty of answers to you.

[David]

I have plenty of answers for you too. But I think part of the movie's power is that it actually is a little hard to pin down, that it is a little bit of like a mirror. And I think why this movie is so effective is I think it is about certain very specific things, but I think it is about them in a way that leaves enough room for everyone to like, fill in the pieces of it. This is my take. We'll get into it.

[Griffin]

You disagree with that? Yes. I think ET Is a very universal and powerful feeling that children have, which is why I agree everyone's speaking to it.

[David]

That's what it's speaking to. Yes.

[Griffin]

Well, Rick Baker had been brought in to, I guess, design a bunch of monster aliens for Night Skies and was basically told like, this is now a children's film and you have to design one alien.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Was really upset, so he got really mad and exits the project.

[David]

You wasted my time.

[Griffin]

Spielberg turns to Stan Winston, another icon.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

And Stan Winston likes the script. But then he also checks in with Carlo Rambaldi, who of course did the.

[David]

Animatronic for the big Encounters for King Kong.

[Griffin]

He did do the little alien in Close Encounter too obvious hero. Alien is only on screen for 10.

[David]

Seconds or whatever, but Kurlombaldi comes from fucking Dario Argento movies.

[Griffin]

He. Is it rude to say he looks like E.T.

[David]

It is not. I had the exact same thoughts.

[Griffin]

He's a very funny looking guy.

[David]

People always talk about that. Like Spielberg, like, you know, throughout. Like, I want him to look a little like Einstein.

[Griffin]

Yeah. It's like he has Einstein's eyes.

[David]

I want the intelligence and I want to put Bo Derek. And then I was just, well, yeah, he's got. He's got Bo Derek's rocking body. He's a perfect 10.

[Ben]

Oh my God.

[David]

Grim, baldy, looks a lot like E.T.

[Ben]

Even his Wikipedia photo in the background blurred out his ET and it's like, you're like, brother, look at this side by side.

[David]

The shape of his head kind of triangulates. He's got these very rich, big but wide set eyes. And then the kind of like small pointiness of his mouth and his nose.

[Ben]

Oh my God, that's so funny, right?

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

And. And you look at him and there's the same kind of like odd, elusive, hard to pin down quality where you're like, this guy looks a little scary, a little intense, kind emotionally, like deep, you know, it's all there.

[Griffin]

So Rambaldi. Spielberg decides he wants both. Stan Winston doesn't want to collaborate, so Spielberg just goes with Rambaldi. Stan Winston apparently intensely regretted that decision. No shit. Obviously. And he's, you know, gives him this really great sort of suggestion of like, basically like, I want him to be off putting, but not monstrous, which is kind of a tough needle to thread. And if the ET Design is bad, this movie stinks.

[David]

I agree.

[Griffin]

It's really would be really hard to overcome if you have like Mac and Me. Like, you know, instead of E.T. right, the Mac and Me.

[David]

Absolutely.

[Griffin]

Like, if you just have a stupid.

[David]

Looking thing and what's wild is like, you know, Rumbaldi comes from like someone who did giallo movies. Right. The year before this. He does Possession.

[Griffin]

Great movie. The creature stuff that he actually designed. Isabella Johnny, people don't know that she's a Carlo Red Bulldian.

[David]

And that's the root of her recent, like legal tax issues is like puppets shouldn't be filing filling taxes. She doesn't. Yeah, I think she went to jail for that. Possibly.

[Griffin]

If you're French.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

And. And you're a famous actor.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

And then you get older.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Something weird.

[David]

It is.

[Griffin]

I don't know what it is.

[David]

It is wild.

[Griffin]

It's like a radioactive half life thing where it's like, up, time's up. You're about to get weird in some way or another.

[David]

Right. Does, like is the biggest talent agency in France, Monkey Paw Incorporated?

[Griffin]

No. Isn't the biggest talent agency the great guys from Deportance my favor? Favorite Netflix show.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

I know. It's not. It's probably, you know, what's that show called? Call My Agent is the. Right.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

I love that show.

[David]

Yeah. What about my monkey Pod joke?

[Griffin]

That was good.

[David]

It does feel like the fame catches up with all of them in a weird way.

[Griffin]

Have you ever watched Call My Agent?

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

So my mom was like, watch this show. I think I was like, you might.

[David]

Be surprised to hear that. My mom was like, watch this show.

[Griffin]

And I fired up with her.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

I was. It was like I was on vacation with her or something and we were trying to decide something to watch. It was a nightmare. And she was like, watch this, let's watch. And like, immediately they're hitting you with like Cecile de France jokes. Right. Of like. And I'm like, this is so great. This is like inside baseball, French acting.

[David]

It's so funny. Anyway, what I was going to say is that possession designs are not that different from ET Interest. There is that sort of like fleshy, gooey, lumpy brown, sort of like bio organic body horror thing.

[Griffin]

Right. And it's just give it nice eyes.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

And more of a kind of personality and vibes.

[David]

The possession ones are fully terrifying. But it is what you're talking about. That line of like, there should be something a little off putting for him in him. What will make him feel real is the idea that the audience has to kind of like learn to love him and warm up to him and start to see a personality in him rather than all other movies like this. Design something that at first blush is cute. Right. Like, they don't trust that they can get you there through performance and story. They're like, well, if he looks cute, it's easy to. To get people in to invoke a movie. We've covered in the past decade of dreams. When David Fincher was doing his casting process for Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and all of Hollywood's hottest actress were coming in and desperately vying, ET did audition for that.

[Griffin]

He did.

[David]

He had a good take.

[Griffin]

He had a Good take.

[David]

Sure, he had a good take. He always said the problem was he would see people like Scarlett Johansson, who. He was like, had a great performance, nailed the accent, had the characterization, and was like, it is kind of impossible to not make Scarlett Johansson sexy. And we could, like, put the piercings or the wigs on her. And it always still was, like, fighting that. And he said to Sony, I need Lisbeth to be like, E.T. and they said, what do you mean? And he said, I want it to be so. If you see her on a poster, it feels a little bracing, and I trust that in the movie you will warm up to it. And he said, like, ET if you see him as, like, a plush doll on a shelf, you're like, that thing is. Is hideous looking. But if you've seen the movie, you connect to the design so they, you.

[Griffin]

Know, he comes up with BET design. It's a really good one.

[David]

Yeah, he nailed it. It's fucking incredible. Beyond the design, it is just. I texted this in BC Group text Max plus our major. All hands on deck. Group text. As JJ Was, like, completing the dossier, and I said, like, does ET Give the greatest performance in the history of film?

[Griffin]

He's a cool guy.

[David]

It is astonishing what they get out of, like, obviously a real mishmash of mediums, right?

[Griffin]

Animatronics, puppets, guy in suit.

[David]

Yes. But I think the thing in the ET Puppet that I struggle to think of, another example of it being done this effectively isn't just like, oh, there's an expressiveness to him. This puppet feels like it breathes. There are motors in it that are like micro expressions that are going on and moments in the film that are not trying to sell an emotion. They are selling the idea that he just exists. There's always this kind of just sort of like, flexing of his face.

[Griffin]

Right. I agree. I think ET Is cool. I do think he's right on the edge of looking completely fucked up and terrifying, which is why he's cool. I like when he gets drunk. I like when he puts on flannel. I like when he crushes some beers. We'll talk about it.

[David]

Can I do a quick ranking of my five favorite comedians of all time? Number one, Steve Martin. Number two, drunk E.T. number two. Number three, E.T. as it goes for Halloween.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

Number four, E.T. wearing lady clothes. Number five, Bernie Mack. These are three of the funniest bits.

[Griffin]

Scared of you History.

[David]

Yeah. I love it when ET Says that. David February. Time for February movie preview. Okay. And I gotta say, it's a pretty Interesting February we have coming up.

[Griffin]

Yeah, what do we got?

[David]

The Monkey actually called the Monkey. New film from Oz Perkins, whose long legs I loved last year, starring another one of our friends, past and future guests, Tatiana Maslany.

[Griffin]

That's right. And looks very, very funny and cool and scary. Also very intrigued by this Martin Campbell action or cleaner with Daisy Ridley starring.

[David]

Daisy Ridley, someone I've always had very, very calm opinions about on this podcast I'm very excited for. It feels like she's kind of ramping up her movie career again.

[Griffin]

Here's the thing. Thing. Oh, and then there's the Day the Earth Blew up.

[David]

I was gonna say, if that weren't enough, February ending with the first original feature length animated Looney Tunes movie ever that I have heard is excellent.

[Griffin]

And here's the thing.

[David]

The Day the Earth Blew up in a Looney Tunes movie.

[Griffin]

What's awesome about all this is that there's lots of interesting, different kinds of movies in theaters that you go see.

[David]

And with Regal Unlimited, the whole point is you sign up and seeing three, four, five, six of those movies is easy and affordable.

[Griffin]

And I find that once, you know, you have the Regal Unlimited, right, you know, sort of the option of basically like, let me pop over to my theater, I have three free hours.

[David]

That's what's nice about it. You do it more.

[Griffin]

Go see the movies.

[David]

Go see the movies.

[Griffin]

Sign up now in the Regal app or at the link in the description in our show notes and use code blankcheck to get 20% off your three month subscription. And then you're gonna be in the Crown Club. You're gonna get rewards, you're gonna build up points.

[David]

You can get free popcorns and sodas.

[Griffin]

25 Grayson candy on Tuesdays, 50% off.

[David]

Popcorn, discounted ticket all into the Regal Crown Club website. And as I said, it's a little deep. It's a little buried in here. There is a section where you can redeem your points for old promotional movie memorabilia like Red one socks.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

Follow the link in the show notes. Notes. Go to the Regal app, click on the unlimited banner and then follow the instructions to sign up and enter promo code Blank check when prompted to receive your discount. And look, I'm just gonna say it again, David. Signing up for Regal Unlimited or maybe gifting a membership to a moviegoer in your life.

[Griffin]

Sure.

[David]

Great way to support the show. This is, this is a dream advertiser. Yes, A dream partner for us. We want to keep this going. We think it could benefit everybody, especially the movies.

[Griffin]

Spielberg has A script.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Spielberg has a little clay prototype of what ET Looks like. He goes to Columbia, where Night Skies was set up, and they'd made Close Encounters, and they're like, this is going to cost $10 million. That seems like a lot. Your last movie was 1941. Because Raiders hasn't come out yet. That didn't do well.

[David]

And let's remember that Columbia really.

[Griffin]

We have a movie called Starman that we really like.

[David]

Right. This is. I love. I love when our podcast has gone on long enough that stories start to overlap and things we've covered in the past, like this web of shit. But Columbia really wanted a Close Encounter sequel, which is why he makes the director's cut to sort of satiate that need. But when he comes to them with Night Skies, I think they're like, look, this feels close enough to Close Encounters. Even if it's not literally a sequel. We'll take what we can get. By the moment he comes in with a fucking clay maquette and is like, it's now about, like, a nice alien who befriends a sad boy. I think they're like, what the fuck are you talking about? And a thing I saw him talk about a lot in these special features I watched that span over decades is that he kept on being like, this is me trying to make a Disney movie. And in 1982 and 1981, Disney was at their nadir. They are bad.

[Griffin]

It's not quite a brand that you can sell to people in the same way. It's a bit of an embarrassing brand.

[David]

It's embarrassing. He was like, it's uncool. Disney animation is. Is in a bad place. Disney Live Action is in a worse place.

[Griffin]

Like in 1982 or 1981 or whatever. Like, you're talking. That's Fox and the Hound. Black cauldron is 85. It's in. Yes. It's an idiot.

[David]

I mean, Tron comes out the same summer. They're trying to make Star Wars. Yes. Or Shitty Family comics. We both love Tron. The animation movies are, like, struggles behind it.

[Griffin]

Columbia puts this project in turnaround.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Spielberg goes over to Sid Sheinberg, his old mentor at Universal, and Sheinberg says, I love it, but I'm not sure. It's going to be, like, a big commercial movie. I'll give you distribution, but I want you to raise some money with a bonding company. Spielberg does that and signs a contract that has strict penalties where he would give up percentage points if he went over budget or anything like that.

[David]

He's trying to keep himself on rails.

[Griffin]

Well, they're trying to keep him on rails as well. And, you know, so he does it really sort of quickly and sort of conservatively, if that makes sense.

[David]

This movie was set up in the manner of a blank check project where everyone's like, look, the script is good.

[Griffin]

It's.

[David]

It's probably not commercial. He talks about how everyone working on it was like, this feels like a fun project, but I don't know if it's going to make any money. And his greatest wish was that it wouldn't lose Universal money. And Sheinberg just kind of took a flyer and like, look, we got a history. You've made some other hits for us.

[Griffin]

There's also this how Kazagian, who produced Raiders, claims that Spielberg was trying to make a musical at Universal called Reel to Reel.

[David]

Okay.

[Griffin]

Which he could not get them to agree to. And he still kind of owed Universal a movie. And does E.T. also, like, finally, he's like, well, let me just do E.T.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Now, I'm not sure how. Grain of salt on that. You know, Like, I don't know how much we should take it as, like, great Spielberg just getting something out of the way.

[David]

Universal buys ET from Columbia 4, $1 million. And instead just puts all their chips onto Starman.

[Griffin]

Columbia does. Yes. So number one casting decision, Drew Barrymore. Bring her in. Legendary child of the Barrymore acting family, she famously tells Steven Spielberg a story about how she's like the lead singer of a punk band.

[David]

Correct.

[Griffin]

I'm not sure if that was her making something up or if it was quote, unquote real.

[David]

This is what he said. That she talked for minutes about how she had a punk band and they were going to go play CBGB's with her friends at school.

[Griffin]

You confident?

[David]

She's five years old, right. And like six or seven minutes in, he was like, this isn't real. Like, the more details she added, the more he went from, like, maybe she Purple People Eaters. Right. When she started out, he was like, I guess maybe she plays with friends at school. And she started heightening to a degree. But then his realization was, if she can sell me on this being a reality, this kid could sell me on anything.

[Griffin]

I mean, she's. It's the most delightful kid performance. It's incredible.

[David]

It is astounding.

[Griffin]

Drew Barrymore is great. She was first interviewed for Poltergeist, obviously, to be little, you know, little. What's her name? Carol.

[David]

Yeah. In Altered States is her first movie. Is that right?

[Griffin]

She had been in. She is. I think she's very young.

[David]

She's very young.

[Griffin]

Heather O'Rourke, Carol Anne Freeman.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Anyway, Elliot, obviously, is a much tougher decision.

[David]

Yes, David. Jack Fisk or no. What were you gonna say?

[Griffin]

David Hollander, I don't know who that is. Had been cast as some kid from Little House on the Prairie, is made to play D and D at Harrison Ford's house and was seen as too showy and assertive by Spielberg. So is Uncast.

[David]

Well, let's get ahead of one thing here. Right. And it speaks to, like, why the audition process included things like Drew Barrymore talking about being in a punk band, that Spielberg was like, for this to work, I need to, like, create an experience for this children where they are, like, feeling things honestly and also are, like, taking some part in the authorship of this movie. So part of his thought, even though the script, in his view, is pretty perfect, is like, the thing that will make this work is if the kids are really in this in an honest way, and we have to sort of adjust around them and find the right personalities and kids who have that level of imagination and emotional connection and all of that sort of stuff. So all the auditions are these weird tests to sort of, like, see the personalities of the children as much as.

[Griffin]

Anything else that makes sense to me. Yeah. Because Henry Thomas reads. He's recommended. Yes. By Jack Fisk because he had played Sissy Spacek's son in Raggedy Man. He reads and the reading is not very good. But then Spielberg's like, well, why don't you do this improv?

[David]

That's part of what he said. He said he didn't seem comfortable with the language. He wasn't good at learning lines. He does this improv that you can see that is.

[Griffin]

It's a famous. You can watch it on your screen.

[David]

Have you ever seen this, Ben?

[Griffin]

I have.

[Ben]

No.

[David]

It is this callback where he just describes to him the situation where he's like, okay, so government men have shown up and they want to do experiments on ET and they're going to take him away from you, and E.T. is getting sick, and you have this emotional connection to him, and he's your best friend, and he's like, got it. And he's like, okay. And then they just start the improv and Henry Thomas, like, breaks into tears and does basically, at the level of what you see in the final film, the emotional connection of, like, you can't take E.T. away from me. And then it ends with him going, kid, you got the part.

[Ben]

Wow.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Say it. You can hear him say it.

[David]

It's, like, perfect. But he, in that moment, realizes, like, he's adjusting to all these kids. Of, like, what's the way to direct this kid? Right. What's the best way to get this performance out of them? I'm casting personalities, energies, emotions.

[Griffin]

Corey Feldman is cast as a character called Lance, who is going to be Elliot's, like, nemesis, bully, whatever gets taken out of the screenplay.

[David]

Unnecessary.

[Griffin]

Yeah, totally. Feldman is very depressed, but obviously that's what gets him. The parts in Gremlins and the Goonies, which Spielberg produced, Peter Coyote walks in, Spielberg hates him, and then he puts some keys on his belt. And Spielberg's like, I love it.

[David]

Jingle, jingle.

[Griffin]

Where'd you get those keys?

[David]

They talk a lot about how he shot this movie basically in continuity because he wanted the kids to have the emotional experience of, like, this building in real time. And part of the big calculation, which I would argue paid off really well, is, like, when we get to the end of the movie, there will be an outpouring of emotion because these kids will genuinely be saying goodbye to the whole experience. And there's this great clip of Drew Barrymore where, like, a EPK they ask her during filming, like, how. How has this experience been? And she just goes like, it's great because there are a lot of kids in this movie, and sometimes you work on other movies and there aren't other kids. So when you're not working, you don't have anyone to play with, and it's lonely. But here they're kids all the time, Right? But that was, like, the attitude. He wanted to create one of Melissa Matheson's side jobs on top of being, like, an associate producer on the movie and being there to help rewrite stuff was like. She also had to spend time with the kids all the time and, like, do activities with the kids when they weren't being schooled so that she could learn them and adjust to them and pull from what they were feeling and whatever. And Peter Coyote makes this comment on one of these things I watched. I think it was like a Q and a for the 20th anniversary re release where he was like, yeah, the vibe on the set was great. I mean, I had just come off of 10 years of living on different communes, and I rolled onto the set and I was like, yeah, this feels like a commune. And I'm like, wait, we're not gonna unpack that at all.

[Griffin]

That's cool.

[David]

But good for you, Peter. It does speak to his weird kind of earthy vibe.

[Griffin]

Yeah. He's. He's a real hippie guy because his name. His birth name is, like, Robert Cohen.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

And when he was in college, he, like, ate peyote and was like, Peter.

[David]

Coyote, one of the coolest names.

[Griffin]

It's a pretty cool name.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

And he's. He's like a. You can read all about him. He. He discovered Zen, hung out with the Beats. Like, was hanging out in Hate ashbury in the 60s and all that.

[David]

Has a Hall of fame voice.

[Ben]

Sounds cool.

[Griffin]

And then. And he sort of emerges from all of that, and it's like, I'll start acting again.

[David]

Right.

[Griffin]

And he's a great. I love Peter Coyote. He's amazing in this movie. I think we can talk about that later.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Spielberg doesn't really storyboard this or plan it in the ways he'd been doing with, like, Raiders and all that stuff. Says he kind of winged it. I think it really helps the movie.

[David]

Obviously feels, as you said, he needs to work around the kids. He can't impose structure around them. He said a thing I liked where he was like, melissa Matheson did this thing that no other writer I worked with ever did, which was when we started filming. She handed me. She had broken all the scenes onto cards. She had retyped scenes onto individual cards. So I had a stack of cards. And that freed me from needing to carry the script around. And every day I would take the couple of scenes we were shooting and just put the cards in my pocket and then just be able to focus on those scenes. You know, like, take a card out, show the kids, be like, this is what we're filming today. And this takes place after what we filmed yesterday and just really, like, zone into that reality.

[Griffin]

Alan Davio shoots it. Obviously, he'd worked on Amblin with Spielberg. They hadn't worked together again.

[David]

Spielberg moves on to, like, much more established cinematographers. And then Davio says he heard the announcement of E.T. and sent Spielberg, I think, a TV movie he had shot recently.

[Griffin]

You need me to read from the dossier?

[David]

Fucking read from the dossier.

[Griffin]

Because that is not what it says in the dossier. And we have to listen. Spielberg watched a TV movie called the Boy who Drank Too Much, starring Scott Baio. But Spielberg watched it and noticed Davio's names in the credits and called him immediately and was like, you need to shoot my next feature. And Alan's like, why? And he's like, I just saw this thing on television and knocked me out. Like, so very nice of him. But basically also kind of like, hey, it's my old buddy Allen.

[David]

It's one of his only goes on.

[Griffin]

To of course shoot Color Purple Empire.

[David]

He does this next run for the chunk of the 80s. It's one of his only movies not edited by Michael Kahn.

[Griffin]

Yeah, which is crazy. Why isn't it?

[David]

I watched Long Khan interview where I forget what it is, but he explained their response.

[Griffin]

I thought it sucked.

[David]

No, there was some scheduling conflict. It was the one time he was on something else because he thought Spielberg wasn't going to have a movie lined up. And I can't remember what he would have been doing at this time instead. But it doesn't seem like there was any animosity or weirdness behind it.

[Griffin]

No. Carol Littleton, who edited it, is a pretty famous editor in her own right and also married to John Bailey, the very famous cinematographer. Fascinating Hollywood down the line tech power couple.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Anyway, you know, Spielberg starts shooting the movie. E.T. is sort of the big question. We have the look, but how do we, you know, make it move around?

[David]

I'm sorry, it's Poltergeist. It's that Poltergeist and ET Were going at the same time, obviously, that those two shoots basically went back to back. And he asked Khan to oversee Poltergeist because he basically was like, I trust you and I'll be hands on with E.T. that's what it is.

[Griffin]

So with E.T. they're like, he can't be a puppet like Yoda because he doesn't. That won't make sense in a realistic environment. It makes sense in a fantasy environment, like sort of hopping around. So animatronics. Carlo Rambaldi wants to do animatronics, but Spielberg is like, he's not going to feel alive. So whatever. They split the difference by just doing a lot of different things, I think is the answer. Right. They do have some animatronics, they do have some puppetry. They also have people in the suits.

[David]

You have a walk around. ET you have like, like mimes who are doing just hand motions. You have an animatronic, you have puppets. You have all these different things. I think part of what is so astounding about like the success of ET As a performance for me is that they're very smart about, like, the design of ET Is thoughtfully made in conjunction with what you're gonna need to get out of him in a performance. Right. Like the extending of the neck is sort of like. Well, to put like a little person in a suit and have them waddle around is gonna look silly. So better to give him like, no feet and no legs. So it does just kind of like, look like a lumpy shifting of weight. And you pre establish that. But also the neck can retract in, so you don't have this unwieldy thing when he's moving well. But also when it's a planted animatronic, then he can get more expressive.

[Griffin]

Neck makes it look like it's not a puppet person because you're like, well, nothing could fit in that neck.

[David]

Exactly.

[Griffin]

That's what's clever about the neck.

[David]

But that he has this form that can kind of contract when you need him to walk it all.

[Griffin]

Here's the truth. ET's real. He's just a real alien. They found him. Okay? He's just real. And that's the answer.

[Ben]

That's the truth.

[Griffin]

That's the actual truth. Carlo Rampaldi. You ever seen that guy? That's just ET in a human suit.

[David]

Yeah. He fucked ET's mom.

[Griffin]

And you may or may not know that M M's were the original in the script. But then Reese's Pieces came in. This is. And I. I'm not saying this to roast him. I just know it about him because I've known JJ for years. Jj, our researcher. It was literally the Reese's Pieces deal and the sort of rise of merchandising in movies and all that. It was literally his PhD dissertation topic. Yes.

[David]

It's one of those famous stories.

[Griffin]

He wrote 230 pages about this Eminem's.

[David]

Being like, we don't fucking need you. We're Eminem's. And then, like, right, Eminem's lost so much business and Reese's Pieces.

[Griffin]

But it's not just that Hershey's who own Reese's, you know, we're like, oh, we'll do it. They were like, we'll do it. And we'll craft a marketing campaign around it.

[David]

It'll be like, this is a chance to define ourselves.

[Griffin]

And now that's what fucking American culture is.

[David]

Okay, here are things I have to say. One, the entire ET's real. This is what I'm building off of. The entire visual scheme of this movie is built around. Hey, it might be smart if we try to lean on backlighting.

[Griffin]

Yeah, it's a. It's. Yes.

[David]

It will make ET look more real. It will give him a tactility. It will not expose the sort of, like, seams of this puppet.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

It does feel like that accidentally turns Spielberg onto what becomes his number one, like, visual preference.

[Griffin]

It's also, like, as a Kid. I remember it really affecting me how, like, their house is often really. The shades are closed and it just feels depressing in there. Not, like oppressively so, but just a little gloomy. Like, Elliot's room is kind of a gloomy mess. That first whole part where they're playing D and D underneath that kind of stained glass light in the big booth, which, by the way, what is their house? Their house is crazy.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

And like, what is Dee Wallace's job? And how do they. I know it's in the Valley and they're not like, it's not like, they're like, it's a rich neighborhood, but like. Like, I'm fascinated by this house.

[David]

Well, they're also. They're on the hill. Like, it's. They're in this weird liminal space where they're like on the cliff right on the edge of the perfect suburban housing community. But between that and the forest.

[Ben]

That's the thing. It feels like a new housing development.

[Griffin]

It's like out there. Yeah, it's.

[Ben]

It's very of the moment. But we'll be out of date in like a year.

[Griffin]

Right. There's going to be more and more.

[David]

You know, you're correct that this, like, technical, visual, sort of like practical scheme ends up lending this emotional weight. And I also think he responds to that. And then when he starts working with Janosz, it becomes the cliche of the Spielberg, like pools of light from the window shade.

[Griffin]

It's so crazy that, look, this film lost best picture to Gandhi. Obviously an error, but one of those things where, oh, Gandhi was this big historical epic.

[David]

The Oscar voted best cinematography.

[Griffin]

How did it lose best cinematography to Gandhi? I've seen Gandhi. Gandhi is very watchable. It's not a movie where you're like, wow, the cinematography is incredible.

[David]

It wins four Oscars. Does it win editing?

[Griffin]

It won best original score, which we should mention, John Williams wrote a pretty good score.

[David]

We'll get.

[Griffin]

We'll get into that. It won best sound and sound editing back when they had two sound Oscars and it won best visual effects. And I think it won maybe like a sort of special makesup Oscar or whatever. I don't.

[David]

But it is insane that it didn't win cinematography, editing, and I would say original screenplay. What wins original screenplay this year?

[Griffin]

Best screenplay written directly for the screen goes to Gandhi.

[David]

What?

[Ben]

I mean, Gandhi, like, is it like Gandhi? Is Gandhi a small, little, cute, nice guy?

[David]

Well, back to life.

[Griffin]

Well, kind of. That is kind of his.

[David]

Does Gandhi have, like a visible rib cage at all?

[Griffin]

Times, I'm.

[David]

Wait, we keep backing into this.

[Griffin]

I'm assuming neither of you have ever seen Richard Attenborough's Gandhi.

[David]

Little bald gu.

[Griffin]

It's just funny to think about. It's also funny that, like, Spielberg clearly is an admirer of Richard Ambrose, puts him in Jurassic park, likes, you know, and like Richard, Amber, at the time was, you know, graciously as the winner. It was like. I thought E.T. was a better movie. I thought. I think E.T. is like a miraculous movie.

[David]

Yeah. Neither of us have seen Gandhi. Yeah.

[Griffin]

Gandhi is very, very watchable. It is one of those things where you're. I mean, for one, Ben Kingsley is just ridiculously good in it.

[David]

Well, I'm throwing a hot take. I think he's a good actor.

[Griffin]

He's a good actor, but it's, you know, it's just. It's a very straightforward, watchable. Like, here is the Life of Gandhi biopic that by the end, kind of sweeps you up. And, you know, the funeral scene is crazy. You know, like, it's effective. But it wasn't even, like, a big hit, you know, it was like a medium hit. It was a big hit, I guess, for a sort of big historical epic.

[David]

That's kind of weird about it to me is I have Gandhi in one of those Columbia Classics Classic 4K. So I still just. I'm always like, I'll watch Gandhi at some point. But you could see there being theoretically a David versus Goliath narrative that I think, for example, really helped Hurt Locker against Avatar. Right. Where similarly. I don't know why I broke that into two words. There is like, here's the highest grossing film of all time. Does it need Best Picture as well? Yeah, no, it's probably of it, but yet Gandhi was this kind of like, classical Hollywood epic with big scale and all these extras and all these things you said. It's not like they gave it to ordinary people against ET Gandhi's kind of in a weird midpoint, you know, and it's.

[Griffin]

Yeah, it's like, pretty good.

[David]

Can I. Can I finish this epic point I'm building here about ET Being real? ET Is real backlighting. Right. Second thing is, Spielberg concocts a whole scheme which is like, I want to hide the people operating ET at all times. They build these sets and everything around. Like, can we run cables into another room? If Drew Barrymore is interacting to E.T. i want her to feel like E.T. is real.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

I think for the other actors, he's like, look, it will help their emotional reality. But Drew Barrymore in particular, he's like, she's at a crux age where she might just straight up believe this is nailing. And if we can get that out of her, that's kind of magical, right? Like, just, let's make it as as little acting required as possible. And he feels like it's working. Like, oh, my God, we fucking done it. We hide the guys. We run cables through a hole in the wall to another room. We keep that door locked. She never sees them. Like, halfway through filming, she comes up to him one day and she's like, I have a secret. Can I show you? And he goes, sure. And she leads him by hand and opens the door to all the operators. And she's like, these are the guys who work ET Right? And she's presenting it to him like she's figured something out and she realizes she's known and that for her, that's, like, part of the magic. And what she says now as an adult is, even if she couldn't put it in words, she understood that the emotion she was feeling from ET Was a reflection of these people and that she didn't need to believe ET Was real, that she was like, A, the craft of it, but B, like, this is being performed by people, people who are pushing emotion through this. And it helps me to see them as people.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

So I know that that kindness is real.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

And like, the other actors talk about it where, like he said, he cast E. Wallace because he felt like she had a childlike spirit. This movie doesn't show an adult in full until Peter Coyote's, like, full reveal. Right. Is the whole visual scheme of, like, the keys on the Wallace. Yes, that's the one. And he said the reason is because she's, like, a kid.

[Griffin]

She's the only kid adult that they trust.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Or have a connection with. It's the magic of the fact that the first time you see Peter Coyote's face is not that you're seeing his face, although it's a lovely face.

[David]

It's a lovely face.

[Griffin]

And to be clear, I could do 10 more minutes of the keys. The keys get me going. Keys look good.

[David]

Jangling around, sound great.

[Griffin]

You're seeing his face because he's making an emotional connection with Elliot. He's saying, I care about this too. I've always wanted to meet an alien since I was a kid. He's saying things that are finally getting through to Elliot. It moves me to tears. I'm getting goosebumps thinking about the first time you see that sweet hippie's face.

[David]

Do you give him a supporting actor nom for this?

[Griffin]

I don't. That's an interesting. You know, maybe I should.

[David]

I put Dee Wallace in lead.

[Griffin]

Yeah. Is that. Yeah.

[David]

Bullshit. In an episode that will come out in two months for our next miniseries.

[Griffin]

Yeah. I mean, I think I put her in lead. Cause I wanted the people I have in supporting and supporting. I don't know.

[David]

Do you have Drew in supporting?

[Griffin]

I do have Druin supporting.

[David]

So that's the only argument I would kind of make for putting D. Wallace.

[Griffin]

Exactly.

[David]

You have Henry Thomas in Lean, of course. Right. Do you have him win?

[Griffin]

No, I do not.

[David]

Who do you give it to in 82?

[Griffin]

Paul Newman in the Verdict. I'm sorry. Leave me alone.

[David]

No.

[Griffin]

It's one of my favorite screen before David. As much as Henry Thomas is so wonderful in this movie.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

My supporting actors of 1982 are. This is a pretty good list.

[David]

Okay, give it to me.

[Griffin]

Rutger Hauer and Blade Runner.

[David]

Great performance.

[Griffin]

Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

[David]

Great performance.

[Griffin]

Eddie Murphy in 48 Hours, which is a supporting performance.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Nick Nolte is the lead of that movie by another 48 hours. They are co leads. Eddie's the lead.

[David]

It's more of a supporting performance than. Kieran Culkin is in a real pain. Sure.

[Griffin]

Who's probably won an Oscar by this point. Or no. Maybe. No. This episode's coming up pretty soon. But he's probably going to win an Oscar. Bill Murray and to see.

[David]

Wow, that one's kind of interesting.

[Griffin]

And Kevin Bacon in Diner, which is a. I love Kevin Bacon anyway. But is a dynamite supporting.

[David]

But that's a real David pick.

[Griffin]

I mean, do I need to put Coyote in there?

[David]

Yeah, maybe.

[Ben]

How about the keys?

[Griffin]

The Keys?

[David]

Best supporting keys. You did give it. Yeah, right.

[Griffin]

Well, I gave it the honorary Golden Key Award, which I only give out in a year of great key film acting.

[David]

2.

[Griffin]

2003.

[David]

Of course, we're all rushing towards the same job. But he says this thing when he auditioned D. Wallace, he was like. She's got this sort of like childlike thing to her. Right. It is reflected in what you said. Her laughing at penis breath. She can't even contain it. She's kind of on their level. There is this.

[Griffin]

It's funny because I mostly think of her as like a scream queen. Right. Like. Like that's largely right. Yeah.

[David]

But he recognized this thing in her and that she's on their level from the beginning. This is a movie where the cameras are usually pretty fucking Low to the ground she's not too tall. He shoots this movie from the perspect children and of ET who is also, let's say it, a short king and.

[Griffin]

Is real and Israel say it. He's real.

[David]

Yes. But he was like, she feels like one of them. And it is what talking about this, the setup of this family not being one to one. But a thing that Spielberg, I think is really connecting to is his mother, you know, was not always the most adult person. And when his parents split up, he is the oldest. He's taking care of his siblings, three younger siblings. There is a degree to which he is forced into a bit of a parent role.

[Griffin]

Well, there's a degree to which he's the Michael. It's funny. It's like he's split across all the kids. Like, Michael is the one who's kind of responsible for his siblings, but also is making fun of them. And Spielberg talks about how he makes fun of his sisters.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Eliot is this just emotional, like, throbbing kind of emotional creature. Right. Like, his feelings are so on his sleeve who's so in need of a parent figure.

[David]

The middle child figure is so different than Spielberg's identity. And he is so much younger than Spielberg at the time of the divorce.

[Griffin]

Yeah, he is. Spielberg was more of a teenager. Dee Wallace, to me, does not strike me as a Spielberg's mom. Analog. Really? Because, like, she doesn't seem like this kind of floaty, arty person. She mostly just seems busy.

[David]

It's the most Matheson magic of. She's reinterpreting stuff in her own way. And then they're casting based on what she wrote rather than him trying to analog it to his own life.

[Griffin]

I'm watching this with Forky and like, when she leaves Elliot alone. Home alone with a fever.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

La's 10. We were kind of like, you know, I mean, again, you know, it's a single mom thing, right? Where it's like, these are latchkey kids. What can you do?

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

And we were like, you know, 10, you could leave a kid home alone. It's a little borderline, but I was like, but with a fever. I would probably kind of feel weird about it when she leaves Gertie alone at the age of five just to go around the corner to like, get something like, it's not. You do have. Again, you're like. You're like, damn. Like, that is. That's a wild thing to do. But. But again, the sort of latchkey kid thing, it's very different from life.

[David]

They live no supposed to do his mom. But there is a similar. He said that one of the big things he insisted on the script is that they call her by her first name because that's something he and his siblings did to his mom.

[Griffin]

So annoying that they all call. My daughter does that sometimes. It's so annoying. They know so early that it's annoying.

[David]

That's pretty funny. I give her. Very fun.

[Griffin]

No, it's a good.

[David]

Will you relay some comedy points to her when you get home tonight? Just give her five.

[Griffin]

I. It's very interesting.

[David]

Maybe a little dangerous to give a young child.

[Griffin]

This is the first time I've watched this movie since I had a daughter. And it is. My daughter's pretty close to Gertie.

[David]

I was gonna like personality and age and. Yeah, she's got some Gertie vibes. Yeah.

[Griffin]

And it was not. It was. Yeah, it was interesting.

[David]

Yeah. The D. Wallace thing is just like. Right. Her not being able to contain the laugh. Them sort of treating her like one of the gang. Right. She's not the same as Spielberg's mom, but there is this feeling of like. Like her energy creates a need for Elliot to kind of step up and be the leader, which is more interesting because he is not the oldest child. And that Michael, in some way is like a reflection of, I think, the bullies that Spielberg felt like he was sort of tormented with. And he talks about that. No, no, just I. The analysis of, like, ET Forces Michael to have to respect Elliot in an interesting way. Yeah. Right.

[Griffin]

But I still think of Michael as the Protector. Elliot is E.T. that's like the whole weird phenomenon that happens. Yes. They become one being. And Michael is the only one who's really attuned to that. Michael is kind of the secret hero.

[David]

Michael is great.

[Griffin]

The scene where he goes and sits down with the toys.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Very quiet little scene. Really gets me every time.

[David]

But the first 10 minutes of this movie are Michael and his friends, the headphones kid, and fucking see Thomas Howell.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

For about 10 years there, seemed like the biggest movie star out of the ET Cast.

[Griffin]

It is funny to think he was in Soul Man.

[David]

Yeah. He got to star in movies. But there, that first chunk is like Elliot being ignored. Them kind of gently ripping on him.

[Griffin]

Bit of a whiner. He's younger than them, but he wants. It's a classic, you know, younger sibling thing of like, they just want to play D and D. It's also what.

[David]

Spielberg's about her happy childhood. Right. This feeling, not even based on circumstances, of what happened with his parents. But just like, he was a worried sensitive, lonely child. He just felt this way all the time.

[Griffin]

Yeah, Very feely. Very feely boy. Clearly. And, you know, I think it's easy to get a little annoyed by Eliot at first, just in that way of like, ah, stop being such a little pain in the ass.

[Ben]

Stepped on the pizza.

[Griffin]

He did. It's not just that. It's that he then blows up the spot that they had gotten. Secret pizza.

[David]

That's a.

[Griffin]

You really feel for the kids pizza. Like, fuck.

[David]

It's an anti save the cat moment. It's a moment that threatens to turn you against the character forever. It's such a bold move to be like, everyone's going to be angry at him.

[Griffin]

You can't play D and D without pizza, too. It's like. It's like it's pizza, D and D pizza.

[David]

And also from their perspective, he comes back, they're like, where's the pizza? He's like, I stepped on a. By the way, I found a goblin. You're like, excuse me. First of all, unforgivable crimes. Second of all, that's your excuse.

[Griffin]

Second of all, clearly you're not ready to play D and D because we just, like, said the word goblin near you, and you're like, there's a goblin inside. There's a fucking goblin in our house. Oh, Elliot. He's such a cutie pie, though.

[David]

D. Wallace, on one of these 20th anniversary Q& A things, they're talking about Spielberg's whole strategy of making the kids not see the puppeteers engage with ET Is real. And then she interjects and she's like, I have to say, I'm being thrown off every time one of you guys talk about him as a puppet, because to me, ET is real. And even 20 years later, I feel that way. And it's like, that's why he cast her. Because there is a part of her that still cannot engage with ET as the adult at the time of the making of the movie, being anything other than, like, another actor she worked with, or not even actor, a real thing she reacted to.

[Griffin]

ET Is real.

[David]

ET Is real. David, People like to say that one should stop and smell the roses. Today I'm doing something different. I'm imploring our listeners to stop and listen to the ad read, because the ad read is going to sell you flowers that you can then smell.

[Griffin]

Valentine's Day is coming up.

[David]

I mean, I was gonna bring it up. You're a married man.

[Griffin]

Sure. For me, there's only one place I trust 1-800-FLOWERS.

[David]

You gotta show your wife that you love her and that you care.

[Griffin]

Each year I'm ordering stunning, high quality bouquets from 100 flowers that my wife absolutely loves. And we're partnering with 1-800-flowers to make sure you're a Valentine's hero with this exclusive offer for our listeners an easy sell.

[David]

This is a great time of year to encourage people to order flowers for the love of their life. Look, and this doesn't need extra spin on it. We don't need to put any mustard on this ad.

[Griffin]

Re the offer with double the flowers. Double the roses for free. When you get one dozen, they'll double your bouquet to two dozen. It's the perfect way to say I love you without breaking the bank.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

1-800-Flowers. It always delivers.

[David]

Trust. I trust you when you say that. Yeah. This is all that needs to be said. Ding dong.

[Griffin]

And who's that at the door?

[David]

We should check quickly, right? I mean, I know we're almost. We're getting through this ad read.

[Griffin]

Okay, but while you check the door, I will tell you that I got a great bouquet from 1-800-Flowers. It arrived right away.

[David]

I'm just gonna walk to the door quickly.

[Griffin]

It's really nice. I didn't get roses. I got a sort of double blue. Yeah, yeah.

[David]

Hand outraged.

[Griffin]

I was in a really, really nice container. Yes.

[David]

Who can plant a rose bud?

[Ben]

My God, Dan.

[David]

Buck petunias, too.

[Ben]

It's been a while. How are you?

[David]

Dan Candyman. Cam. Been a dog's age. It has. It's been a long time since you guys have invited me to come along over.

[Griffin]

No one invited you.

[David]

I felt like it. I felt it in the air. My ears were burning.

[Ben]

Wow, Dan Candyman, you look like crap.

[David]

It's been a rough couple years.

[Griffin]

Why? What's going on, Dan?

[David]

I come from the Candyman family, of course, of the Montreal Candyman. And we're a flower family by trade. The name does tend to confuse people. Along with me singing a song that's a modified version of the Candy man, the Willy Wonka song. And it always confused people. So I'm actually here today selling candy.

[Griffin]

Okay, well, I'll buy some candy to.

[David]

Raise money for my high school's basketball team.

[Griffin]

Okay, cool. How much?

[David]

You're not gonna ask any questions about that?

[Ben]

What are M and N? Well, you know, these are just gray shells. There's not a color in sight.

[David]

Look, I'll admit, yes, I'm selling candy. That's not really why I came in here today.

[Griffin]

Okay. What's going on.

[David]

I need flowers. I need longer have the hookup. My family has completely divested.

[Griffin]

Oh well. And I actually do have great news for you because all roses from 1-800-Flowers are picked at their peak, cared for every step of the way and shipped fresh to ensure lasting beauty. The bouquet I got came fresh, sat on our table looking great for ages. Didn't like wilt after two days. Like some, you know, local sort of bodega flowers you might buy or whatever the little patch, little pattern packet to sort of spruce them up and make them alive.

[David]

Gosh. Because this is a stressful time of year for me. You know, Valentine's Day is really rough on Dan Candyman. I don't because I'm part of a very large polycule. I have to get a lot of flowers.

[Griffin]

I hate all your lore.

[David]

I think it's interesting and people are going to be excited.

[Griffin]

Well, you better get on it because bouquets are selling fast. Lock in your today. And of course, if you do order a dozen roses, they'll double the rose bouquet for free. That's a great value. You to claim your double roses offer, go to 1-800-flowers.com check. That's 1,800flowers.com check to get your double your roses offer, 1,800flowers.com Check now that.

[David]

Sounds great, but I have to admit my many, many partners have some pretty specific tastes. Double roses sounds nice, but by any chance does 1-800-Flowers offer kaleidoscope roses, hand dyed 24 stems in a purple vase with wind chime and cloth included? I'm looking it up. Okay, they do have it. Great. What a great product. Would you like to buy one M?

[Ben]

Sure.

[Griffin]

Fine. Give me an M. There you go. Thanks.

[David]

That'll be $25.

[Griffin]

Wait a second.

[David]

I have to raise money.

[Griffin]

1,800Followers.Com Check.

[David]

David yes, going online without ExpressVPN. I like to say it is akin to driving without car insurance. And that is an experience I know all too well.

[Griffin]

I did that once by mistake.

[David]

Oh.

[Griffin]

My car insurance like lapsed and I didn't. I didn't know it.

[David]

What did it feel like? I felt bad to get a ticket on edge. Unprotected?

[Griffin]

Yes.

[David]

Paying unwanted fees. And worst of all, you had no way to watch the British miniseries cuts of Michael Winterbottom, Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden's the Trip.

[Griffin]

That is a great example of what explains ExpressVPNs to the table.

[David]

This I like ExpressVPN. I think they're fun. Intro number one car insurance metaphor intro number two, flight safety. It's like going online without paying attention to safety demonstration on the flight. Right? Intro number three, phone case. Going online is like not having a case for your phone. We get it. Intro number four, saving report. Remember the good old days before autosave, your document goes missing.

[Griffin]

I didn't ask you to read all.

[David]

Five because I need to set up. What? How big of a swerve Intro number five is. Intro number five. Going online without ExpressVPN is like having sex without a condom. ExpressVPN goes there. Okay, well, honest.

[Griffin]

Look, every time you connect to an unencrypted network, cafes, hotels, airports, your data is not secure. Hackers can get access to your, you know, personal data, passwords, bank logins, credit card, all that stuff. It doesn't take much knowledge to do it either. Just need a little bit of cheap hardware. Any 12 year old could do it, but any smart 12 year old, and.

[David]

Most of the time you have unprotected sex, you might be fine, but the repercussions could be huge.

[Griffin]

That's.

[David]

Do you really want to raw dog the whole Internet? And it says underneath, rephrase or ad lib is needed. Not needed.

[Griffin]

Nope.

[David]

Perfectly worded. Raw dog the Internet. Thank you very much. ExpressVPN. That's the best ad copy we've ever gotten.

[Griffin]

It would take a hacker with a supercomputer over a billion years to get past ExpressVPN. VPNs, encryption. You fire up the app, you click one button, you are protected. It works in all devices, phones, laptops, tablets and more. You can stay secure on the go. It's rated number one by top tech reviewers like CNET and the Verge. You know, like I said, it's like the easiest thing to do without any hassle to just basically stop someone doing something weird.

[David]

Look, and this ad copy is focused on raw dogging and also the safety features they offer. But lest we forget, ExpressVPN is incredibly helpful for streaming.

[Griffin]

Secure your online data today by visiting expressvpn.com check. That's E X P R E-S-S vpn.com check. And you can get an extra four months free. Expressvpn.com check. The film begins. Oh, we'll get to the release later. The film begins in the forest.

[David]

Well, it first just begins with the letters ET Coming up. True. No, like preamble. No. Universal Pictures presents studio logo and then just ET Fading in, the extraterrestrial fading in. And then the movie starting. It's a little like ominous Especially because the logo is the hand drawn version, which otherwise we basically only see over his shoulder as he's like doodling E.T. in school and writing his name. But there's something kind of just like, like no preamble, no ramp up title cast. And then we're in the forest and we're seeing this very shadowy, backlit thing of this admittedly very cool spaceship design.

[Griffin]

It's a cool spaceship. Roundy round.

[David]

Boy, looks like a Christmas ornament. Interesting. Sure.

[Griffin]

Because they like flower. These are botanists. That's how I always took it. Right. These aliens are botanists.

[David]

ET has said, when people asked for, like, direction on the development visually of ET has said this. I'm sorry, Steven Spielberg.

[Ben]

I was more excited to hear what ET has said.

[Griffin]

ET Said I am botanist.

[David]

Graph. Spielberg said that when they asked him about, like the sort of biology of ET that he would say to people, like, I almost think ET Is a plant.

[Griffin]

He has, like plant veins. I've heard this too. Like he's a plant inside.

[David]

Like, maybe think of him less as an animal on his planet, more like a plant.

[Griffin]

Love it.

[David]

Yes, but that makes sense with the flower pot version.

[Griffin]

They're studying, you know, whatever you're seeing.

[David]

A lot of ETs in this opening, but all in silhouette, all obstructed, all.

[Griffin]

Through trees are E.T. he is kind of enchanted, I think, by the lights. That's why he misses his flight. He's like looking at the valley, he's looking at the houses, and he's thinking, like, one day the ultimate valley movie will be made. Magnolia.

[David]

It is the Wall E movie.

[Griffin]

But until then, this is the ultimate.

[David]

Valley that I love. And I feel like Wall E is one of the only movies to kind of come close to touching ET Magic at times.

[Griffin]

I love Wall E, but I said.

[David]

Come close to touching it at times. I put so many fucking qualifiers on that. And yes, and you're waving your hand.

[Griffin]

I do not.

[David]

I'm pushing back to your back. But what I like, I'm pushing back to your pushback. To my pushback. To your pushback. He's making the most disrespectful faces.

[Griffin]

And I really like. I really liked Wally when it came out. And I've only grown to love David's.

[David]

Making stinky poo poo faces. And I want to jump over the desk and strangle him.

[Griffin]

It's. Come on now. Nothing touches ET except for Mac and me.

[David]

Comes close to touching it at times.

[Griffin]

What do you think, Ben?

[David]

You won't even let me finish My stick.

[Griffin]

Every time you say it, I wrinkle my nose.

[David]

That's what I'm saying. It's making stinky poo poo phase.

[Ben]

I'm sorry, Griff. He's. He's reaching.

[David]

Come closer. I'll reach.

[Ben]

He's reaching.

[David]

I'm Tam Matumbo. I got the wingspan. Let me reach. The thing I like is this very subtle implication that, like, this guy's just a little different.

[Griffin]

Yeah, he's a little different.

[David]

He's just made a little different. It's not overstated. And we don't get to see the personalities of the other ets. But like you said, it's like there's a Brooklyn One thing in a life light. Ed Burns. Yeah.

[Griffin]

There's like one with glasses.

[David]

Let me phone home. I gotta call my mom.

[Griffin]

There's a demolitions guy. He's got, like, soot all over his face. Just trying to think of, like, what the guys would be. The ETS would be like, there's a gay one, but I like that. That we don't. It's the 80s, so it's a little broad.

[David]

Yeah. I'll let you do a take on what that one sounds like.

[Griffin]

Fabulous.

[David]

Wow.

[Griffin]

Oh. Oh, boy.

[David]

Go girl.

[Griffin]

Right? There's one girl. One, obviously. Again, it's the 80s, so they're like, we could have one girl, one, and one kind of. You can pick, like, other minorities.

[Ben]

One racially ambiguous one.

[David]

Slay queen. She ate. I put my whole e tussy into that damn thing.

[Griffin]

This is what people miss about this show.

[David]

They miss this.

[Griffin]

I don't know.

[David]

Have we not been giving them this.

[Griffin]

Sort of phantom podcast energy? Right, sure. Yes. E.T. is gay. No, sorry. He's. He's hanging out. He's hanging out. He's looking at the valley. He misses his flight.

[David]

Yeah. There's just. He just sort of gets caught up in a moment. The other Te seem very like, okay, let's get in and get out. Let's get some samples.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

Data collection.

[Griffin]

ET Is a. A bit of a messy. Misses his flight home.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Then crashes on a 10 year old's couch.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Eats everything in his fridge, Drinks beer. Trashed in the day in the middle of the day. And then rip. Rips open all his toys and shit and makes like some weird DIY project. Is like, let's go in the woods and turn it on.

[David]

But beyond him being magical.

[Griffin]

Relax, buddy.

[David]

Beyond him being magical, there's this quiet implication that, like, E.T. is a genius, but he can't get past the language barrier. Right. And in the stuff like the ride and the books, they make it more canonically like, get out of here with the ride. He is a botanist and fucking whatever. I know. I'm just saying. Right. There is an admittedly problematic Robot Chicken sketch much that is sort of like, if ET goes up to his planet, is he the Forrest Gump of his planet? Is he the up.

[Griffin]

Enough, enough. Let's stop invoking all these terrible things. But I. I do sometimes wonder if he. If et's a child.

[David]

Like, it's a question.

[Griffin]

Right. Or like a young person on the crew or something. I don't know.

[David]

Adore.

[Griffin]

Like this elf. Angor.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

To the. You know, of the Andalites in Elfangor is the captain who dies and gives them their morphing power. And Animorphs.

[David]

Sure.

[Griffin]

And then there's Axe. Right. And they meet. He's the only survivor. And they meet him and they have an Andalite, but he's like a. He's like a teenager. He's like the baby, you know?

[David]

Sure.

[Griffin]

And that's kind of what ET might be.

[David]

Maybe he's like Labyrinth or Animorphs. If I can just say some more words that are nonsense to 90% of our listeners. No, I. I just adore this movie's lack of definitive answers in all the things we're talking about. Right. I love that you're just like, maybe he's a child or maybe he's an elder, Maybe he's a genius or maybe he's a fuck up, you know?

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

Like, so much of it is about, like the struggle to form a line of communication, but just barely.

[Griffin]

E.T. phone home.

[David]

E.T.

[Griffin]

Phone home. Anyway, and he goes to the shed of young Elliot and pretends to be a goblin.

[David]

Right. And you have this, like. You don't really see ET even sort of clearly until 15 minutes in. In the first 10 minutes are largely this kind of like ET being left and Elliot, like, fighting to get a. Just a crumb of attention from his older brother and the friends and them all just kind of like overlapping dialogue, cutting him out. Yeah. And then he slowly discovers this thing.

[Griffin]

Yeah. Discovers him with the Reese's Pieces, the flashlight. Have you guys ever, ever eaten Reese's Pieces?

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Yeah, I've eaten Reese's Pieces.

[David]

Yeah. They roll, I guess.

[Griffin]

I don't think my mom ever had a mercury thermometer, so I guess I never did the specific holding it to the bulb. I did run it under the tap once and it kind of backfired. And maybe this has happened to you guys too, to pretend to be sick. Because then I had like a temperature of like 103. Like, it was like, you know, it's too hot too fast. And then my mom was like, whoa, what is going on with you?

[David]

I feel like we had a, like, platform plastic thermometer with a metal tip that was the sensor. And I would put it under my armpit.

[Griffin]

Yeah, armpit thermometer was a thing when we were kids for sure. For annoying kids who couldn't keep it in their mouth.

[David]

Right. Well, that was part of it, but I guess that wasn't me trying to trick.

[Griffin]

But did you guys ever pull the thermometer trick?

[David]

Yes. Yes. You also might be unsurprised to hear that I got sick so often. I didn't need to pull tricks. I was basically out one out of every five days.

[Griffin]

Yeah, you just had to say, I feel sick. And your mom was like, sure you do, Right.

[David]

Wednesday was like Gray Griffin Day, where I was like lying there on the floor.

[Griffin]

So Elliot stays home from school and.

[David]

Meets ET Takes it because he wants to really lock in with E.T. he shows E.T. his Star wars action figures.

[Griffin]

It's maybe the best. No, I have to stop saying maybe the best moment in the movie. But it's so accurate. This 10 year old meets E.T. and he's like, all right, so this is Lando Comercy.

[David]

And here, look, by the way, here's how Spielberg constructed this, right? He's like, let's put a bunch of cool shit in this room and let Henry Thomas do whatever he wants.

[Griffin]

He arguably has too many toys. You're kind of like, this is a middle child. How does he have this. This cooler room with this many toys?

[David]

A lot of them are probably inheritance from Michael. Whatever, but. But it is. He was just like, show him whatever you'd be most proud to show him. Look around this room. Describe in your own terms.

[Griffin]

There is divorce kid energy too, I guess, of like, if your parents are divorced often, both parents then kind of will buy toys to try and affection and like.

[David]

And it's part of him being the middle kid. Michael's like, sort of old enough to be like angry about this, right? Gertie is a little too young to fully process what's going on. Elliot would just be pure emotions about this thing. I also love that it's like this is a snapshot of a moment before Lucas goes in and is like, we have to come up with like Wookiepedia names for all these characters, right?

[Griffin]

So he's Hammerhead.

[David]

They're all Hammerhead, Walrus Man. Like, there's no fucking panda baba Momon Nidan shit in here. Here he's just listing the toy names.

[Griffin]

Real, real.

[David]

And then Lando. He loves Lando.

[Griffin]

Save the best for last. Islando Calrissian.

[David]

Kid's got good taste.

[Ben]

It just feels so authentic. How can a kid explain, like, humanity?

[Griffin]

Right, Right.

[Ben]

And it's just like, using like, the toys and the things and the objects that represent our culture.

[Griffin]

Now. He would be like, here's my favorite Twitch streamer.

[David]

Yeah. Here's my favorite Fortnite skin.

[Griffin]

Oh, God.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Jesus.

[David]

He's asking E.T. to gift him some V books shows.

[Griffin]

E.T.

[David]

I. I also think there's an element. No. And you have the Yoda moment later. Right. Which is then accompanied by John Williams quoting his own score, which is a little too cute, but I think works. But I also think there's an aspect of Spielberg almost being, like, proud and in awe of his friends friend, where he's like, look, realistically, this kid would be obsessed with Star Wars. And also, it's cool that my friend made something that undeniably, culturally pervasive that it's not even me just putting in an Easter egg. Sure.

[Griffin]

No, it totally. Yeah. Of course. These kids are right at the age. Right.

[David]

That Hammerhead means something to an 8 year old. I think it's something Spielberg is like, that's cool that George did it.

[Griffin]

Let's just be honest. Griffin just loves that the kid loves toys.

[David]

I do like that he's got a pretty good fig collection. I mean, this kid brings home six figures a month, if you know what I'm saying.

[Griffin]

I don't like.

[David]

That's me recirculating a meme structure that's really big on, like, action figure photography. Instagram.

[Griffin]

This could have been a big episode.

[David]

It is a big episode. Remember when I said he put his whole E into it?

[Griffin]

That was good.

[David]

Yeah. Put it on the mount Rush.

[Ben]

Damn it. See, I already had. Cut that out.

[David]

No, it's back in.

[Griffin]

It's back. We're going to keep calling it back.

[David]

Keep it in and double. I put my whole E tussy into that damn thing. No bits.

[Griffin]

Yeah. So another thing. Moment that really, like, you know, in a sort of heartrending way feels accurate to me, is they're like, all right, he shows Michael E.T. okay. And then they're like, all right, let's show it to Gertie. But they have to like, threaten her toy with mutilation to kind of get her in line. Just breaks my Heart watching that happen. Like, not. Not like this, like, tragic way. It's honest, but just in a, like, it's honest. It's how a kid like, that operates. Like, obviously my kid cares most about her toys. Right.

[David]

These, like, you know, like Matrix Bear.

[Griffin]

She does love Matrix Bear. He's usually Daddy Bear. I will say.

[David]

Well, because Matrix is daddy.

[Griffin]

I guess so. And then. But then Gertie gets it just like them, like, the way Gertie gets it, the way they all get it with et of like, this is our friend, it's not going to hurt us. And the adults can't know about it.

[David]

But the concept's a little too big for Gertie, so they have to introduce some stakes to get her to lock in and pay attention to what they're trying to impart upon her. It's also just such a perfect, like, I feel like, historic Spielberg piece of direction is. Is the whip pan from the sort of serene, emotionally, like, locked in sensitive moment between Michael and Elliot and ET all connecting.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

Whip pan to Gertie, like, kicking the door open.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

Then, like, whip pan to ET's reaction, Gertie's scream and ET's neck extending and screaming back in response and them just needing to, like, muzzle her. But I. The Michael thing, I think it is like. Like the. What you're saying about, like, Michael doesn't engage with Elliot because Elliot's annoying right at the beginning when he's being dismissive.

[Griffin]

Of him, whiny and like, you know, and he's also.

[Ben]

He's a. He's a teenager. He's, like, in that phase with his teen friends.

[Griffin]

He doesn't want his dumb younger brother to be, like, playing D&D2. He's playing D. It goes a little.

[David]

Into my read of what this movie is ultimately about, which I'll get to, but that, like, Michael C. That Eliot has connected to et and there's a sort of, like, emotional intelligence now to what he's presenting to him, sort of with a new sense of, like, maturity just totally recalibrates Michael immediately. Right. Like, for the rest of the movie, Michael respects Elliot.

[Griffin]

Right? Right.

[David]

There's a part of him that has grown up the second he's connected to et.

[Griffin]

I just also think that there's this bond of the three of them are all, like, we are in on this project together of, like, protecting ET and the.

[Ben]

The. The way that they get Gertie on board, too, by saying that only kids can see ET is so they have.

[David]

To turn it into a game for.

[Ben]

Her and I just wait.

[Griffin]

But she does respond to that with give me a break.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Like, so I do feel like she's kind of like, I'm older than you think. Oh, really? She says, give me a break.

[Ben]

Oh, I don't know.

[Griffin]

I.

[David]

But she's playing this line all the time. I mean, there's sort of the stuff of her like saying too much to grown ups when she shouldn't and other times taking the responsibility very serious. There was this aspect to Gertie of just like, it's amazing that this performance does not become overly precocious, wise beyond her years, kid. Because she says things that are very much from a child's like, perspective, but she says them with a level of confidence and authority. Right.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

Like, isn't that the magic of the Drew Barrymore line deliveries in this?

[Griffin]

I mean, I guess so.

[David]

There's something that's a little bit like, hey, I wasn't born yesterday. Yesterday.

[Griffin]

I look, Drew Barrymore turned out to be a really good actor.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

So it's one of those things in retrospect, I can be like, this is a great performance. You never know with these kid performances. Is it just kind of a magical feat of directing the right environment's been created for them? These are cute kids. They're being cute. Obviously with Elliot, with Henry Thomas, it's this. The emotions that come out of him are so raw that there is something kind of magic they're tapping into with that actor. And he turned out to be a good actor too.

[David]

Yeah. Yes.

[Griffin]

But yeah. Should I be nominating Drew Barrymore for best supporting Actress? I don't know. I do. I love her so much in this movie.

[David]

I mean, here's the argument in favor of it. As you said, she turned out to be a good actress. But there is. This is a distinctly different performance than any other performance she gives in the rest of her entire career. Like even the rest of Child, even Barrymore, like Firestarter and fucking Cat's Eye are like, not this.

[Griffin]

Well, that's. She starts doing this, right. This kind of genre horror and then.

[David]

Her 90s, like poison ivy, Batman Forever, Shore shit is not this. And when she has her like late 90s. When she has her late 90s, locks into what becomes the Drew Barrymore movie star Persona, which is the kind of like goofy flower child thing that is not this is that kind of.

[Griffin]

Does that kind of start with Wedding Singer.

[David]

Wedding Singer is very more become the moment.

[Griffin]

Because like before then things like Scream or Boys on the side. I feel like it's more like the kind of rebellious, wild child. Young, 20s. Drew.

[David]

No. And her and Sandler talk about this. That she's like, I'm at an inflection point. I want to push back. Like, I want to put the wild child shit behind me. And she saw Sandler on SNL and saw Billy Madison and was like, me and that guy. That would help both of us.

[Griffin]

Fascinating to consider.

[David]

She turns me into something sort of like, more Girl Next Door. And I think there's an emotional basis to him that I can pull out.

[Griffin]

Her career is just so interesting in that. Yeah. Like, things like in the early 90s, she's doing poison ivy.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

And like, six years later, seven years later, she's doing Never Been Kissed, where the premise is, like, this, like, lovable girl next door who never, like, had a fun experience in her life and is a big dork. And you're like, it's Drew Barrymore.

[David]

Right?

[Griffin]

Like, what do you mean?

[David]

She's already been, like, crazy singer, like, shifts that immediately.

[Griffin]

Yeah, no, it's. And completely successfully.

[David]

And even the other stuff she does as a kid, like, irreconcilable differences or whatever, it's a little like her arms crossed. Being like, I'm gonna stick it to my divorcing parents is not the same energy as Gertie. Gertie's a very specific thing. Spielberg talks a lot about how he needed to, like, really form a relationship with these children and make this set feel like a family to make these kids feel safe. And before this movie, he thought he never wanted to have children. Children, I think, largely because he was still working through the ways in which he felt like his parents.

[Griffin]

Him up and he's becoming wildly successful and all this.

[David]

And the other thing with Spielberg, the interesting dichotomy to him is, like, he is simultaneously someone who had to grow up way too fast and also didn't grow up right. He's sort of, like, stuck at odds with himself. And it's just sort of like, I'm living it up. I'm making movies, I'm playing with toys. I have money. Why do I need to, like, burden myself with a family? But he knows that he needs to create this kind of environment to make this movie. Movie. Drew Barrymore is the one he gets closest to. And the largest reason for that is that Drew Barrymore has, like, a chaotic, dysfunctional family. And the more she works on the movie, he's like, she has parents who don't pay attention to her who are putting her in bad situations. Unlike Henry Thomas. Who, like, talks all the time about how good his parents were, especially after the success of this movie, of being like, we have to make sure you're a normal kid.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

We are taking you out of Hollywood. We are not letting you work a ton. You're going to real schools. Right, Right. And is just sort of like, I don't know how they pulled it off, but they did. I think he recognizes in Barrymore, like, this is at the brink of going really bad, which it did for a while and it rebounded. But he always stayed close with her. Right. And she talks about, like, my relationship with Steven Spielberg was the first time that I recognized what a parent should be like. And he talks about in that he saw, like, I think I do want to be like at that.

[Griffin]

I know he's like, that's the thing where I get a little bit like, Steve, I actually need to know less about you sometimes. Like. But yes, he says this is what convinced him he should be a parent. I guess more people should just go out there and make ET if they're feeling a little on the fence about bringing kids into the world, just go make E.T.

[David]

Just make one E.T. e.T.

[Griffin]

Is real.

[David]

E.T. is real.

[Griffin]

Gay. E.T. is not real. Yeah. Gay, Gay, gay, gay.

[David]

We're going to come up with a better name for this.

[Griffin]

Gay.

[David]

ET Is real. If you believe hard enough.

[Griffin]

Right. There is a bit.

[David]

If all of our listeners clap their.

[Griffin]

Hands, you know, obviously, Peter Pan. You see Dee Wallace reading Peter Pan to Drew Barrymore at one point. And then when Det. Dies. Spoiler alert.

[David]

Sure.

[Griffin]

She's basically doing the Tinkerbell wish he could come back kind of thing from Peter Pan.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Peter Pan's obviously just so influential and important for Spielberg. And, like, she feels like the most, you know, like. Like Ben was saying about, like, you know, like, I believe in E.T. vibe from her. Right. Like, you know, like, she, like, he is like a kind of magical fairy in her life.

[David]

There is this, you know, Spielberg framing this as a Disney movie to people in a way that made them worried. Right. He is like, iterating on a canon of, like, formative trauma, childhood movies, Right. These things that his generation, people who grew up before ET he existed talk about of like Old Yeller having to be put down at the end of the movie. Spoiler alert.

[Griffin]

I hate that dumb movie. My parents made me watch it.

[David]

Bambi's mom being shot at the beginning. These things that are like rites of passage for children that are, like, part of watching this is. This is going to be tough. And it's going to make you have to work through some.

[Griffin]

So silly.

[David]

Spielberg is doing that, but he's also infusing it with this sort of like new Hollywood character study performance based, non plotty, you know, he's like not going for mellow melodrama. It is, it. It is just this like perfect moment of like 10 different traditions of Hollywood all coming together at the same time, which I've talked about. That's part of Spielberg's development is that he is this guy who is like forming a bridge between new and old Hollywood, but he's also doing that with the movie itself.

[Griffin]

Old Yeller feels like this punishment that was inflicted on baby boomers that they then inflicted on millennials.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

That we are not inflicting. Old Yeller died.

[David]

Done.

[Griffin]

Millennials were forced to watch Old Yeller by their poor scarred parent. Did you ever see Old Yeller?

[Ben]

No, actually.

[Griffin]

But do you know what it's about?

[David]

That's why Ben turned out the most.

[Griffin]

Normal out of us, you know, and like my parents made me watch it. And then of course at the end, yeah, there's young Yeller. Not to spoil Old Yeller, but yeah, sure, we shot a dog, but don't worry, there's another dog, Young Yeller.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

And she's sort of walking out half happy. But I remember as a kid I was like, that sucked. It's not like as a kid I was like, can't wait to watch Old Yeller. Can we buy that on fucking vhs? And it's just great that we are just like, done, done outta here. We'll show our kids ET which is emotional and sad and then triumphant or whatever. But like, that's great. It's a great arc and experience. Old Yeller is just like, yeah, you know, don't let your dog get rabies or else your dad's gonna shoot it with a shotgun.

[David]

Swing in with my take.

[Griffin]

Yeah, fine. What is this fabled take? It better not be. Wallow is better than E.T.

[David]

I didn't say that. I don't make your stinky poo poo face. I'm not throwing this out. I'm a revolutionary take. But as I keep hovering around it, I keep going back to like this core basic thing. Right. Which I think above all else, E. T is just about, in the abstract, having an experience that changes you forever.

[Griffin]

Huh, sure.

[David]

Right. And the way we're talking about the experience of like showing this movie to a child and forcing you to like, think through, through your sense of the world and life and process emotions that you maybe haven't touched before and whatever.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

Like, that is what this movie is about to me, more than anything. ET Is filling a void in the family structure. ET Is like, means of, like, emotional language for a kid who feels sensitive and overwhelmed by the world, but doesn't know how to actually make sense of it. Like, it's all these other things that are more specific. But I also think this movie is just about, like, experiences that change you irrevocably and especially in your adolescence growing up. These things that are these, like, stepping stones of maturation.

[Ben]

It's experience that change you, but it's. You have a. It. But it's, like, because you have autonomy.

[David]

Correct. You experience something.

[Griffin]

Autonomy.

[David]

Yes. In a way that is like adults trusting you or you commanding some level of trust to, like, they have a.

[Griffin]

Whole experience that they. Oh, they don't need adults. Adults for exactly, like, you know, it's like they are learning how to have experiences without, you know, having their hands held. And that's, you know, making more adults realize.

[David]

Right.

[Griffin]

When the adults come in and bring all this with them, the, you know, all the crazy tech.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

They. They. It takes them forever to realize that the kids already know more about ET and can. And figured out ET Way better than they can.

[David]

What's. What's so touching about the Peter Coyote.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

Part is that he does get it, and yet he kind of can't help.

[Griffin]

He can't quite. Right. He's empathetic.

[David]

He recognizes what has happened, and yet he cannot stop the wheels from spinning in his head of, like. But this is an opportunity. There is a sort of, like, responsibility for us as a species to learn as much as we can from this.

[Griffin]

But what I like about ET Is none of that's being said. You just know. It's true. True. You don't know who these guys are really, or what they work for, what their ultimate goal is.

[David]

This whole framing of like, this is a gift. This is a very special gift. And I'm so happy he found you and you unlocked him in this way.

[Griffin]

Actually really jealous.

[David]

But it's not like he's like. And we want to chop ET up to make like. Elliot says that, you know, growth hormones or whatever. Right.

[Griffin]

They do.

[David]

And it's not like we want to dissect him or any of this stuff. He's just sort of like, we need to learn more. And Elliot's like, this isn't about that.

[Griffin]

Yeah, for sure. Yes.

[David]

I like that he's not a capitalist. I like that it's not like ET is a threat that he's only five degrees off from coming from completely the right place. But there is that adult part of it that he can't turn off.

[Ben]

I did have a thought where I was like, fuck, wait, is E.T. like, the cure for everything and we just let him go?

[David]

That's the question.

[Ben]

You know what I mean?

[Griffin]

What if we just chopped up ET and we're like, if you eat like, one little bit of E.T. you live forever.

[Ben]

Cure for, like, you know, all of these horrible diseases. Yeah, yeah, but he's too cute. We gotta let him go.

[Griffin]

You gotta let each.

[David]

You gotta let him go.

[Griffin]

No. What? Or like, right, what can these people teach us? Like these healers, these scientists who are visiting us. Us. But they're not visiting us and going like, you should not bomb. Like, you know, they're just kind of like, hey, we're just checking out some grass. Leave us alone.

[David]

You know, my other thing. I think that here's his other thing.

[Griffin]

ETB Wally. Yes.

[David]

I'm so angry at you, David.

[Ben]

Is there. What is there a stink in?

[David]

This is like dumb animation and your will vint in disrespect all over again.

[Griffin]

Who.

[David]

I shouldn't even be reinvoking this stuff now he's going to get more dismissive at.

[Griffin]

No, I. I won't do the will of intimate. J.D. has to be here for. Because J.D. is so good at, like, the ire of, like. David, you haven't heard of, you know. Yeah, right.

[David]

I think this movie, being a divorce movie is overstated. I think that is a prism that is helpful for it, tackling what it needs to tackle, which is this sense of core loneliness as a child. Right. That is like getting to a level of awareness that you're starting to identify. Sadness, fear, anger, these emotions that are starting to make sense to you, but you can't quite put your hands around.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

And when I'm talking about these experiences that change you, they are the things that happen in your maturation as a human being that do help crystallize those things for you. Whether they're positive experiences or negative experiences, the divorce creates the structure for the void that ET can fill. But ET Is not a father. Father figure, you know?

[Griffin]

No, I think ET Is something of a father figure.

[David]

But I also think in a certain way, Elliot's like a father to ET Is what makes it interesting is it is not a one to one thing.

[Griffin]

It is not.

[David]

It is a very complicated emotional thing.

[Griffin]

That is true. But he is. He is like an emotional being that Elliot relates to and that is what he needs.

[David]

And someone who hears him and like, sees him. And literally the conceit of this movie that is so great that you almost think on paper is that one step too far. They are emotionally bonded. They feel the same things. They feel the same pain, they feel the same joy. It is just that he knows someone else totally gets what he's going through. Right. Like that is what is going on. Metaphorically. The sense of complete understanding from another person at an age where you're just like, am I totally alone in feeling this way? And that is the greatest fear.

[Griffin]

E.T. to continue the plot, Elliot stays home. They meet E.T. yada, yada, yada. He can levitate balls like Plasticine. What do you call it in this country?

[David]

Sure.

[Griffin]

Play doh.

[David]

He's got magic. He's making a solar system.

[Griffin]

He's from over there.

[David]

He's trying to communicate that he needs to in fact, go home.

[Griffin]

He can heal.

[David]

Yes. He can make flowers. Flowers grow pretty again.

[Griffin]

He can write. He can grow a flower. He can heal.

[Ben]

Elliot's cut, the flower device.

[Griffin]

It's such a simple effect there.

[David]

Yep.

[Griffin]

Emotional payoff later.

[David]

Yep. I mean. Yeah. The whole movie is that. Yeah.

[Griffin]

And there's just a lack of over explaining. Yes, exactly. The bond between them is communicated very simply. Elliot's getting some out of the fridge. A lot of, to be clear, is really loading up. ET Opens an umbrella. It startles him. Elliot, startled, drops everything.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

That's all you need to know. They're kind of becoming the same thing. Then we have this wonderful scene that I remember as a kid I would always forget about because it's the weirdest scene in ET Where ET Starts ripping some Coors lights. That seems great. Nothing wrong with that. Throws on the quiet man. Right. He's having a great time.

[David]

Did you forget this? I'm like. This is the scene for me where I'm like. I think this is the weirdness that transcends this movie for me. That it's not playing it safe. That it's like taking weird turns.

[Ben]

He's wearing a teddy bears little pajamas.

[David]

Right. Well, they've tried to hide ET in the plush pile, which I love.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[Ben]

But I love that he's found a little piece of clothing that fits him.

[David]

But it's also such a weird like old man sort of. I know, it's like a grandpa bathrobe.

[Ben]

It rules.

[David]

I'm just like, let grandpa sit in the comfy chair and watch his old movies. Yeah, Right. Watch his stories or whatever.

[Griffin]

Getting ripped.

[David]

But it's Like, Elliot knows that if he takes one more than one day off from school, he's going to be pushing his luck. He has to go back to school. He trusts that ET now is comfortable enough in the home. He's not going to do anything wrong. But in fact, ET Gets too comfortable.

[Griffin]

Did you guys ever dissect a frog?

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

It's so weird to me. Like, that.

[David]

Never.

[Griffin]

I never did that. I think it's not really done quite as much anymore.

[David]

You know what's.

[Griffin]

Even now seems weird. Super weird.

[David]

I want to say third or fourth grade, we not only dissect. Dissected a frog. I remember with even greater specificity, we dissected a sheep's eyeball.

[Griffin]

I've heard of that. I. I just.

[David]

Teacher took out like, a sheep. What do you call it? Like, vacuum seals, plastic bags that he had to cut open with scissors and just plop on the table and be like, here's an eyeball.

[Ben]

We did a heart. I don't remember what animal, but I remember that was really especially discussed.

[David]

Have to imagine this is done right, that any listener of this show who is like, 20 is like, what the are you guys talking about?

[Griffin]

I. I don' I think so. But obviously it's such a brilliant choice for this because Elliot feels for the frogs much like he feels for his little home frog friend. And obviously, also, Elliot is three sheets to the wind, so he frees all the frogs. And then he's also drunk.

[David]

In the magic of movies, when he's.

[Griffin]

Drunk on the magic of John wayne and Maureen O'Hara, he's a hero. I love him. Obviously, having her stand on the kid who's lying down so that he can kiss her. It's great.

[David]

Henry Thomas talks about when he read the script script, he's like, this rules. I get it. Alien, ET I love this guy. And he gets the kissing scene. And he's like, I don't know if I want to do this movie.

[Griffin]

Of course, if I was 10.

[David]

Also, I don't want to do this movie. And it's like, I don't like girls. This sucks. Not just, like, this is embarrassing to do. He's like, this seems revolting. I think they shot this first. It almost sounded like Spielberg said this was one of the only things that wasn't shot in continuity. Maybe to get him over the hump of the kissing thing where she was so worried about.

[Griffin]

About.

[David]

And Henry Thomas is like, as a little. A little kid was just like, I need to nail this in one so we can move on. And the Beautiful thing of like the door, the wind sweeping open, the kid on the floor, him stepping on him so that he can kiss. Erica Elenich from Baywatch.

[Griffin]

Oh, sure. Is that who it is?

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

And that Henry Thomas like attacked it the first time. And they're like teeth climbing. Linked classic. Like she was not ready. They're like teeth hit.

[Griffin]

Yeah, yeah.

[David]

And then Spielberg's like, cut. And he's like, great. So print. Moving on. He's like, Henry that looked insane. And Henry Thomas had to be like coaxed into doing three more takes until it looked right.

[Griffin]

Well, it's great.

[David]

And drunk ET Is the funniest in the world.

[Griffin]

Drunk ET Is funny.

[David]

This is what I'm saying of him owning like. Okay, what of the ET Performance works the least. Least the walking looks goofy. So let's try to limit the walk to scenes where ET should look a little funny. It's funny when he's in a Halloween costume. It's funny when he's drunk. You don't really do the walk around ET that much other than those moments because you can tell outside of the spaceship getting off and getting on. He knows, like, let's like limit how much we do this because this is when you stop taking EC ET Seriously as an emotional character. Character.

[Griffin]

Now there's not much plot.

[David]

This is what I'm saying. Like five things happen in this movie. There is a long section that is just like everyone getting to know E.T. then he communicates this one idea. I need to phone home. Right. They make this sort of plan quietly.

[Griffin]

You don't see them really.

[Ben]

It's the Buck Rogers comic strip.

[Griffin]

He's the satellite dish. He kind of gets it from that.

[David]

But it's. He's got a record player, he's got like a saw blade, he's got a fork, he's got an umbrel.

[Griffin]

What's the speak and spell?

[David]

Yes, but. But basically it is like it just happens in between scenes that he has constructed this thing that they're all going to use Halloween as the COVID because that's the night where parents let you go out and aren't worried about dress.

[Griffin]

ET up as a ghost.

[David]

It's a great bit. Like you say Gertie is like, you know, trusted with this secret which she can't hold. So she keeps on wanting to tell the grown ups but they keep on being like Gertie and her imagination. What is this weird thing? Her new bit. Why Gets her talking about being another.

[Griffin]

P movie but looks like Jesse when she's dressed as a Cowgirl. She's got the little red hat.

[David]

She does.

[Griffin]

She's so cute.

[David]

She does.

[Griffin]

She's not the cutie pie.

[David]

Doesn't she make a joke about, like, this isn't my real costume.

[Griffin]

There's a whole thing where she's like.

[David]

They'Re gonna let her change the costume.

[Griffin]

I'm a cowboy pretending to be a ghost or whatever.

[David]

She wants to be a ghost. Right? But it's. Right, it's so they can give ET The.

[Griffin]

She should have won the Mark Twain Prize that year.

[David]

She's so funny in this movie.

[Griffin]

I know.

[David]

We're pushing alligators in the sewer.

[Ben]

Just a couple of things. After he gets in trouble for letting the frogs go free. There's apparently a deleted scene where Harrison Ford played the principal.

[Griffin]

You can see it. It's on, you know, YouTube or whatever. You don't see Harrison Ford. Like, it's a cameo where he's kind of in shadow, much, like, all adult.

[David]

But even still, he was, like, distracting to the audience. They could just tell.

[Ben]

It would just, to me, feels just so weird and un.

[Griffin]

It kind of feels like, again, the less adults, the better.

[David]

That's the thing. It's kind of breaking the adult rule rule. It's more than you even want. The amount of, like, the teacher you. You hear in that dissection scene is, like, as much as you can deal with, you know?

[Ben]

And then I just love, too, when the mom gets the call about, you know, Elliot getting in trouble at school, that ET Is just kind of like pink panthering, like, behind her, and she just never sees him. I just love that little moment.

[David]

It's crazy, man. First of all, I love you using Pink panthering as a verb. But also, it is one of those sequences where you're like, this is a difficult balancing act, Stephen. I don't know if I'm gonna buy this, that she somehow keeps just not noticing him. And it is to the credit of both her as an actor and the, like, puppeteering of ET that without it being too cute, they keep on just sort of selling that. It's just like, she would just barely miss. Miss him. Yeah. You know, she's a little too caught up in, like, running down the things in her head, you know?

[Ben]

But she, like, puts the coffee can down, but she's, like, you know, so chaotic and stressed out as a single mom that she doesn't really, like, clock that the.

[David]

What they use is not her being oblivious. It's that she's just sort of in, like, what else do I have to do, Mom? Mode.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

But it is perfectly timed in stage where you never feel like it's breaking reality. Where I'm like, come on, she would have seen it. Them now.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

Halloween day they have their Halloween thing. It is kind of a funny Mandela effect thing to a degree. And I'd say a lot of it is because of the Amblin logo that the classic image of Elliot and ET Riding in front of the moon is often transmuted with the end.

[Griffin]

With the other piece sequence. Yes.

[David]

During the daylight with the red hoodie. Whereas when he flies with ET in front of the mo, he's dressed up as a ghoul.

[Griffin]

He is. He's a ghoul.

[David]

He's in the gray sweatshirt. That's the first time the flight theme hits. Right. Let's talk about John Williams first flying.

[Griffin]

Called flying.

[David]

Cuz he talks about the secondary motif of the film, which is the what? What Sounds, I would argue, very similar to the AI score. The very gentle kind of sad, lonely piano music that doesn't hit sweeping until the bike for the first time.

[Griffin]

Why has been marking delete on? I don't understand. What's he doing?

[David]

It would feel like to hear that for the first time.

[Griffin]

Da da. Someone layer me doing that over the beautiful Alan Davio footage.

[David]

I always thought there was no way to improve upon ET and perhaps, perhaps we have stumbled upon it.

[Griffin]

You know, I saw this is jumping ahead to the end of ET but it's relating to John Williams.

[David]

Sure.

[Griffin]

I saw Wicked in theaters.

[David]

One of the first.

[Griffin]

Yeah, Wicked rocks. One of the first films I saw in theaters. After you're doing his stinky poo poo face. But that's fine because Wicked that good. One reason I liked Wicked is that Wicked makes the correct choice that very few movies make, which is that the final seconds of Wicked are someone going and it goes to black and then you explode with happiness. Which ET Also.

[David]

Sure. I'd say Wicked though is ending at a cliffhanger, which this is not. And we'll get to the fucking ending. But the ending is there's a cliffhanger in E.T.

[Griffin]

Where'S he going? Where's that going? Yeah, but it's kind of the same ending actually. They're both flying off.

[David]

It's a cliffhanger that Spielberg is pot committed to never resolving.

[Griffin]

You don't know that.

[David]

Come back in a year.

[Griffin]

Gaiety 2026.

[Ben]

Oh, can I pick? Can I pitch the tagline?

[Griffin]

Yeah, for gay.

[Ben]

The extra extra terrestrial.

[David]

Okay.

[Griffin]

Come on. What? Your phone is ringing. Universal Pictures on the line. We're canceling Wicked 2. We don't need it with this solid gold.

[David]

We're reinstating DII dei, but just for.

[Griffin]

Gay ET Even Trump agrees.

[David]

He is feeling the name.

[Griffin]

God. Oh, boy.

[David]

He. He flies in front of the moon. It's very brief.

[Griffin]

It's beautiful.

[David]

In both cases, though, it lasts much. It's a much shorter stretch of time than you think of where I'm like, I almost expand it in my head into being this like triumphant two minutes of flying. But in both cases, it's very small. They just do like one arc into their landing spot in the woods. ET Sets up his device. Yeah, I'm.

[Griffin]

It's a cool device, by the way.

[Ben]

I just want to say I am at this point, really, it's. The movie is just destroyed me.

[Griffin]

I'm.

[David]

I'm really like, this movie hits something magical. There is a story Spielberg told in one of these things I watched about the first assembly cut they put together. Right. And the movie was where it was.

[Griffin]

The David Sim score. Before Johnny Come in, there was no score. Right.

[David]

Williams didn't even have a theme to hum him.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

And it was four hours long spiel. And Spielberg watched it and his response was, I never in my life thought I would make a movie this good. And the way he recounts it is not a like, holy, Steve, you nailed it.

[Griffin]

Right?

[David]

He is like, things came together on this that even when I am watching a version of this that is twice as long as it's should be without music, without finished, without final effects and all of that sort of shit, he's just like, this is a miracle. This just worked. The core emotion of this worked. And people talk about like, filmmakers are always like, that first assembly ad is the worst feeling you will ever have.

[Griffin]

Because it's nowhere near where it's put together.

[David]

And you're like, this is a disaster. My career is ruined. And he just could kind of see, like this just something. We hit on something here and it's only going to get better from here. Even said, like, I. I don't know if it's going to make any money. This feels very personal to me. But this exceeds all my expectations of what I ever aspire to do as a filmmaker. And then every step of the way you tighten that cut, you add the Williams. He does one test screening.

[Griffin]

Sure.

[David]

To Universal, where he was just like, I so badly just want this to be my weird little film. I just want them to not touch it. And they screened it.

[Griffin]

You can have one test screening, but I don't Want to.

[David]

The audience response was so ecstatic that they were like, we don't know if this is going to make money, but this thing undeniably works with anyone who sees it. We're good. We get it. We're excited that we have a good movie to sell. We're behind it. And they just like, no notes, didn't touch it. But everyone goes through this whole fucking process being like, this might be a movie for 10 people. We hope we make back our budget. I think to them, they were like, he looks weird. It's an odd pitch for a film.

[Griffin]

It's cheesy. It stars a bunch of kids, sort.

[David]

Of like open emotionality. A little bit dead after penis breath.

[Griffin]

Is kind of a weirdly specific thing to say. Yeah, Lose a lot of people right there.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

It's weird that the score is a guy going, anyway.

[David]

I just love this balance of everyone being like, I think we're on to something here. And also, I don't know if anyone else is going to like it.

[Griffin]

Well, they did like it, but we'll get to that. So ET Flies in front of the moon. Just said to Ben's crying point. I always cry at one point in ET and then I will also cry at other points that sort of move around. Right. Like, there'll be things that get me every time. I always cry when the bikes take off the second time, you know? Sure. That is the most triumphant emotional moment in America and Hollywood, you know, mainstream stuff.

[David]

David, here's the thought I had very, very similar to what you just said last night while watching it. I'm like, the last 15 minutes of this movie are the pinnacle of Hollywood as an idea. I'm like, this is the entire notion of America being like, movies are an industry. We're going to make a dream factory. We're going to put too much money and hire a lot of craftspeople to try to make these, like, transcendent emotional experiences that travel across the world and across decades. And I just watch this and I'm like, it's this inflection point where he's getting, like, the best of old Hollywood, like, artificial emotional magic with a sort of, like, more focused emotional realism. And just like, the best people all at the top of their game, delivering perfectly speaking, things that you could not put into words.

[Griffin]

At least until Jack Black showed up in the Minecraft trailer. Yes, Steve, it's. Yeah, it's. I think Nick, our old researcher, Nick Laureano, had a letterboxd review. Let me find it. That was essentially, I'll tell you what my review was. It was very good and I, I invite you to read it out to us now.

[David]

G, period. M, Poland, period. Let me try that again.

[Griffin]

Go for it. You can do it. You can do it.

[David]

Period. M period. Colon. The goodbye movie.

[Griffin]

That's what he said.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

What do you guys think, Ben?

[David]

Five stars.

[Griffin]

What do you think of that?

[David]

I give it a perfect uber ride.

[Ben]

Yeah, I, I, yeah, I give it five stars.

[Griffin]

Yeah. Good job.

[David]

Yeah, I think this thing's unimpeachable.

[Griffin]

I do too.

[David]

But what was Nick's review?

[Griffin]

I'm trying to find a God. How many, how many friends of mine on letterbox have fucking watched E.T. i guess it's a popular movie. It's weird.

[David]

It's almost like everyone has seen from.

[Griffin]

1975 to 1982, Steven Spielberg had a more powerful connection with the audience than anyone before or since. And of all the films in that mirac run this as the most wondrous. He is correct about the, the being in sync with what people are feeling and thinking.

[David]

Here's what I find really fascinating.

[Griffin]

Boring, old, you know, sort of like Jimmy Carter America or whatever. You know, like late 70s, early 80s America.

[David]

Here's what I find fascinating about that. Much like our previous miniseries subject, David Lynch. Weirdly, I think Spielberg and Lynch are both artists who primarily try to work through their subconscious conscious. Right. Spielberg talks about the fact that he's like never really done therapy in his life, that he will watch his movies 20 years later and be like, I guess this was that trying to get expressed out of my system. But that he doesn't didactically work through it before he tries to figure it, how to transmute it into a film. Right? And like people have that same sort of like, I can't speak to why Mulholland Drive made such an emotional impact on me. But those are elusive moves, movies, right, that are not trying to hand you clean sort of like emotional arcs and story beats that can carry you through. Spielberg has like that aspect of being able to like just pull some emotion out of his system that he can't even put into words and create the right delivery system for it and also like entertain. That is just insane. And it's as you said, in that run of years, it's just like he knew how to say stuff to audiences.

[Griffin]

He did.

[David]

And it's not like he lost that, but he's got more, he became more complicated in what he wanted to try to say. And this is sort of like the pinnacle for me of all of it right, David?

[Griffin]

Yes.

[David]

Here's an impression of me going glasses shopping before Worby Parker.

[Griffin]

Oh, no.

[David]

Okay, now here's a new impression I've been working on for my MADTV reel.

[Griffin]

Okay.

[David]

This is me glasses shopping since I've jumped over to Warby Parker.

[Griffin]

Oh, sounds like someone's having a lovely time.

[David]

An incredible time. I love it.

[Griffin]

Well, why do you love it? Is it because Warby Parker uses nothing but premium materials in each frame? That's a big part of designing them in house.

[David]

That's huge.

[Griffin]

They've got silhouettes, colors and fits made to suit every face.

[David]

Yes. But also Warby Parker has done some good work over the years cutting out some of the middlemen, making glasses more affordable and sturdier. They last longer. I'm less worried when it comes time to replace them. It feels like less of a holistic life commitment.

[Griffin]

Yeah. They're also cheap.

[David]

This is what I'm saying.

[Griffin]

Not cheap. And like, oh, they're cheap. Like they're inexpensive. Considering the quality.

[David]

Cut out the middleman. But that's the thing. It used to be I'd go like, oh my God, new glasses. This is a. They cut them out with giant scissors. I'd go to, I'd go to old fashioned glasses stores, right? And I'd go like Dr. Glass. This is Dr. Who by the way, was a jerk, had terrible bedside manner. But I'd go there and I go, these prices, I'm gonna have to commit to this for 10 years. That's a strong look. I'm wearing these things on my face every day. Worry Parker makes it really easy to go in person to one of their locations. Try on a bunch. Or you can pick a couple online, have them ship them to you so you can try them out in your daily life. Or you could do the virtual try on.

[Griffin]

Take a little picture.

[David]

They're versed.

[Griffin]

It's flexible look. You should get started with wary Parker's virtual try on. You can try on glasses and sunglasses, seeing a realistic color, texture and size of each style from home right now or head over to warbyparker.com check right now to take the home try on quiz and pick five pairs of frames to try on at home for free. That's warbyparker.com check. Warbyparker.com check.

[David]

Can I say a couple quick things? Just add on, just put a little, put some sprinkles on top of this. They have over 250 retail locations across the United States. Their glasses start at $95 dollars with prescription lenses anti reflective scratch resistant coatings. Many of their locations offer comprehensive eye exam starting at $85. You add a pair and you save 15 when you purchase two or more prescription pairs of glasses or sunglasses. So once again head over to waryparker.com trek right now to take the home try on quiz and pick five pairs of frames to try on at home for free. That's war parker.com check war parker.com check.

[Griffin]

After Halloween it's sort of interesting.

[David]

It's so Elliot basically needs to go home because ET's device is taking too long and his mom's going to be worried.

[Griffin]

Yeah. Elliot goes home.

[David]

Yeah.

[Ben]

The device is cool cuz it does feel like it could work a little bit.

[David]

You just buy it enough like the, the.

[Ben]

I think the best component is the fork that.

[Griffin]

Yes.

[Ben]

That they. He makes a.

[David]

Of course you would say that. You're married to a goddamn fork that he makes a.

[Ben]

A bespoke like record player.

[Griffin]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Scratchy. Scratchy. But yes. What happens.

[David]

I love that it's like messy and like discombobulated you know where I'm like oh it's like the umbrella's over here and the wires are running here. It's not like a clean tight line. Little like flick a switch and it goes on.

[Ben]

But it's wind powered. It's just so cool.

[David]

So Michael goes back.

[Griffin]

Yeah but this is where it all cracks open. Now the mom is worried. Where was Henry?

[David]

Right.

[Griffin]

I mean sorry. Where was Elliot?

[David]

Elliot.

[Griffin]

You know. And then of course ET doesn't come back. Michael finds him by the culvert. You know he's becoming great. ET he's all fucked up.

[David]

This is, this begins.

[Griffin]

I guess the idea is he's just sort of exposed to the elements. I don't. They don't even. It's also just Elliot's in turmoil. I don't know.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

And also again really explained like like why ET starts to. It's. They sort of seed it with like he's starting to look sick. They say that earlier it's like maybe he just can't be here for too.

[David]

Much time away from his ecosystem. Cuz like does he's eating Reese's Pieces.

[Griffin]

Only he isn't on the best diet and it's like.

[Ben]

And drinking course.

[Griffin]

Does ET come back to life you know because of the love of the children around him? Yes.

[David]

So maybe some worvy parkers and horror frame.

[Griffin]

He comes back to life because his people come back. Right. Like that's sort of how I take it. Like it's like they are part of.

[David]

Whatever sustains him to once again jump to the end. But it is part of what is so devastating about like ET Being like, come. And Elliot saying stay. That they're both like, why don't you come to my world, right? And they're like, we can't. This could only ever last a week.

[Griffin]

Yeah. They got to split up, right?

[Ben]

Which I don't.

[David]

I would go, yeah, of course you would. You'd. You'd. Fucking Roy Neary so fast.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

But that's like this is the part of it that even though he has an kids yet, he's doing this direct rebuke to Close Encounters, right? And this is what makes it such an interesting counterpoint movie to me is like in speaking of these sort of like unresolved things, right? And like filling these like emotional holes from your childhood. And Spielberg like making movies that speak to his loneliness without really successfully working through them. The shift in, what is it, five years between, between Close Encounters and ET Is like Close Encounters is him still making a movie as a kid who ran away, joined the circus and won, right? And part of that is the pursuit of like, I made it out of my childhood home. I'm away from all the sadness and the anger. I've made it to Hollywood, I'm making movies and great. I got on the ship and now that's what I was searching for. There was some siren call pulling me out of my home, away to something greater that will answer everything for me. And I think he has grown up enough in the five years between these two movies that he's now speaking to a thing that I think a lot of people who experience massive success early on in their careers have to face, which is you get everything you think you wanted and then one day you sit down, you go, fuck, I'm still not happy. That wasn't the thing.

[Griffin]

Yeah, you push against the door, you open it, right?

[David]

And that causes some people to spiral out of control and other people, people have to start then doing the hard work. And ET Is the inverse of Close Encounters, which is you are home and the things come to you and you have to work through them. You can't run away, right? You can't just go on the ship, enter the magical city of light.

[Griffin]

No, you're not.

[David]

And have it all be perfect, right?

[Griffin]

You know the Andalite ship that Elfangor and Axy Milli hang out on is all grass.

[David]

The Animorphs book series just remind everybody.

[Griffin]

Yeah, it's all grass. Because you know Andalites eat through their feet, Okay? I always like that.

[David]

Yeah, I bet you do.

[Griffin]

They don't have mouths.

[David]

Look what I'm doing.

[Griffin]

The animorphs are way too powerful and cool for you to be doing Stinky.

[David]

You're kidding me. I hate that he doesn't get upset when I do it to him. And when he does it to me, it is. It. It. It fucking hits. Right?

[Griffin]

I don't know what to tell you. I learned as a teenager to stop getting upset about people, like, not agreeing with me because I would get so upset. Like. Right. You know what I mean? Like that. That thing where you're like showing your friend a movie and then they don't like it and I take it and I just built this armor of like, I just can't. I cannot let it get to me because then I'll just be upset all the time. Right? And I think it is kind of why I became a critic, because I was just kind of like, I can just sort of feel what I feel about a movie and it'll be okay if not everyone agrees with me. Right? You know, like, you won't have that kind of chip on your.

[David]

I want to pin this. I want to pin this thought. I'm going to come back to this.

[Ben]

Correct me if I'm wrong. The Brits are kind of known for their emotional detachment and also for being.

[Griffin]

Sarcastic about everything anyone ever said. So there's maybe that and the feeling that anyone has.

[David]

They're basically, what's all this then?

[Griffin]

Except for. Then obviously if you watch like, whatever, you know, an episode of Porridge, and they're like. And you're like, you got a lot going on in there.

[Ben]

What's Porridge about?

[Griffin]

It's a prison sitcom. I always think of Porridge.

[David]

That was not going to be my guess.

[Griffin]

The whole thing with Porridge, you know, you moved to Britain.

[David]

I was guessing it was a fucking sitcom about making dinner every night.

[Griffin]

Exactly.

[David]

It's a prison C. That's the thing. You move to feed them porridge. Is that the idea?

[Griffin]

But you move to Britain and, you know, you learn like, oh, right, they have their whole own pop culture history, right? That I don't know anything.

[David]

You move to Britain as one does.

[Griffin]

As we, of course, as I had to, right? And it to me, the, the.

[David]

The passage in every young.

[Griffin]

The British. The most British ass thing I ever learned was they were like, oh, we have all our great sitcoms like It Ain't Half Hot mom and Lo. And you're like, Jesus Christ. This is cartoon. And they're like. And Porridge. And you're like, stop right there. I'm sorry, what is Porridge? And they're like, what do you mean? It's a really funny sitcom. What's it about? This guy who's in prison. How you. The weirdest sense of humor on these people.

[David]

How often would they make. Please, sir, can I have some more jokes on Porridge. That just feels like a layup. If the show's called Porridge and it's prisoners and they're asking for more gruel. Right.

[Griffin]

Probably made it once.

[David]

They only made it once. Well, the. Probably four.

[Griffin]

I believe there are 20 episodes. I think it's a three season that.

[David]

Ran for 30 years.

[Griffin]

100% stealing the Simpsons.

[David]

But it's funny every time.

[Griffin]

Yes, I believe Porridge, I think, is a major, major influence on the Office. Like, that is one of the classic, like, Jason Merchant touchstones of, like, you can make a sitcom about, like, a sort of mundane, sad. Yeah. Anyway, Porridge.

[David]

They bring Gray ET Home.

[Griffin]

Poor Gray ET he's all gray.

[David]

Both feels bad because he's connected to E.T.

[Griffin]

Yes.

[David]

In terms of physical health and also the worry of, like, what is? Why can't I fix this? Right? And then Dee Wallace comes home, and for the first time, she has to engage with. With ET and it's such a beautifully played moment of them being like, mom. They're so worried that they're gonna let her in on this. And they're like, mom, we need to show you something. And she sees ET and her first response is like, oh, that's great. How did you do this? Right. She immediately responds to it like, it's a fun art project they did. And they don't say anything to correct her. And D. Wallace just plays the realization very quickly of like, wait a second. Fuck. This is a living organism on the floor of my kitchen that is dying.

[Griffin]

Very fun stuff. Very normal. It is so terrifying. I mean, as a kid, the most terrifying image of ET Is the spaceman arriving, Right?

[David]

The spaceman breaking through the window.

[Griffin]

The window. Like, the way they come, you know, the great Spielberg, you know, visual construction of, like, they're at every door and then even the window. They're coming through the windows.

[David]

It's like zombie movies as a kid.

[Griffin]

It is so terrifying.

[Ben]

Yes.

[David]

And he said it was one of the ways in which the shooting consequentially.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

Really got really helped because it's like when one day they show up to set and the house has now been, like, ruined with all this fucking plastic. It was upsetting. It was an invasion. They had spent like, whatever, 30 straight days with this home, feeling, feeling safe.

[Griffin]

And it's amazing, like the way it's just in the snap of a finger suddenly, right? It's turned into like this lab, this quarantined lab. Like, how does that happen so fast? But you're like, of course it does.

[Ben]

She's like, this is my home. But it doesn't matter.

[Griffin]

She can't protect it to in her. In their defense, alien in her house.

[David]

Gray ass alien.

[Griffin]

And she's probably like, what about, you know, plumbing, insurance. There's a alien.

[David]

Man, I love that. As like a result of this movie having like, you know, a budget cap on it, trying to keep itself on rails. Right. And this ET Animatronic puppet being so complicated that you're like, they couldn't build two of them. So for this sequence, they clearly just like cake. ET with gray makeup.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[David]

You know, like, there's something about the effect where you're like, oh, they didn't make a second sick ET Puppet. You can tell that they've just layered something on top of the hero. Hero puppet and then washed it off later. There's something kind of like weirdly more upsetting about him just kind of being like dusted with powdered sugar.

[Griffin]

Yeah, it's. It's so unsettling the way he looks. Even though, right. E.T. always looks up.

[David]

But also they've kind of needs a.

[Griffin]

KT to kind of zhuzh him up, if you're asking me. Get him to the salon, get a facial.

[David]

They've kind of so successfully built up, teach him how to cook into a life of ET that just like limiting the motion a little bit becomes like, oh, my God, what the is wrong with E.T.

[Griffin]

It'S just funny that on Queer Eye, one guy is like, I'm going to change your house and make it look amazing. And another guy is like, so this is how you make an omelette. You put eggs in a pan. You know, it's like, you know, it's a little imbalanced.

[David]

David. Beyond that, that one guy's like a culture expert and that his thing is just sort of like, here's an album you might like.

[Griffin]

Spotify playlist about the culture guy. And I know, I know, I'm the new one, the culture guys a little.

[Ben]

His name's Karama.

[David]

Yeah, he's my favorite.

[Griffin]

My. My wife watches it and I don't.

[David]

I haven't watched it, but I think Karama's a real One she, she really.

[Griffin]

Likes the culture guy.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

I might just remember Jay in the original one, which I watched. Right.

[David]

He was the silly one.

[Griffin]

And like, literally would just kind of be like, you know, make sure to shake someone's hand when you meet them. It's kind of like, get the out of here.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

The other ones, this guy's tearing down walls in this guy's home and you're like, you know, you should really like, sign emails with Best and like, Ted.

[David]

Allen has, like, heavy food. Yeah, that guy rules. But that Jay was sort of like, I recommend talking to people. And you're like, what?

[Ben]

Good.

[Griffin]

Thanks, Jay. You're not really queer of you.

[David]

You're not even like, recommending activities. You're not telling me plays to go see.

[Griffin]

I just love the, I know the original one would have the heart stringy moments a little bit, but it was kind of more just like, put some pants on, you're a mess. And the new one is always like the most uplifting. You know, it's so emotional by the end. It's always some hugely transformation.

[David]

I was into it for the first two seasons because I was like, this is surprising that, like, Queer Eye can actually get to me by season three. I was like, guys, we're pushing it. I'm out. This is too much. Yeah, yeah.

[Griffin]

It's so well made. I, I, I sympathize with it as a, you know, I mean, the ultimate.

[Ben]

Lesson of the newer Queer Eye is like, you know, how you can fix someone's problem? Just throw a bunch of money, money.

[Griffin]

Get you a new house. And here's how you make an omelette, as I was saying.

[Ben]

Oh, of course. And there's that. Learning how to make an omelet.

[Griffin]

It's just funny that in one week you can change someone's house, but you cannot teach someone to cook in one week. So fundamentally, you can probably just teach them to make risotto.

[David]

These spacemen seemingly change the house in like two hours.

[Ben]

Yeah, they wrapped the whole fucking house in plastic.

[David]

They transform everything. They set up their fucking labs. And it is, it is part of what makes this section so upsetting. And I feel like this is when children start to cry and like convulse. Right? And I feel like I've told this story story before, but I went to see this park on the lawn screening of ET with my then girlfriend and Derek Simon, my oldest and best friend, often invoked, and his now wife, I want to say, and we were sitting on a towel next to young parents who had maybe a three year old. And this section starts. ET Is gray, Elliot's on a bed next to him. They're both sick. They're reaching out to each other. The girl just starts losing it. And the father just very calmly says to her, don't worry. This is what happens to everyone when they watch this movie.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

And he said it with the right tone that actually consoled her of being like, you don't have to be scared. What you're feeling right now is normal.

[Griffin]

Yeah, yeah.

[David]

This is shared. And it was just like, there, there. It has stuck with me. The profundity of watching that happen to strangers, neck to me and knowing that this movie just exists on that like, spectrum. But it is that thing of like the spacemen are scary. It is scary that not only ET Is dying, but so is Elliot. It is so much more intense than you expect this movie to get.

[Griffin]

Right.

[David]

Right. In terms of the threat, which is still kind of abstract, as you said. We don't really know what their designs are for E.T. i don't think they're ill intentioned. But you just see like this movie is within spitting distance of, but becoming like horribly traumatic.

[Griffin]

It's very traumatic. It's very traumatic to watch Elliot suffer. And I do feel like that is the thing they're most worried about. In a way. There is a compassion to even the medical stuff where it's, it's scary.

[David]

I think E.T. dying would make children upset, but Elliot also at risk of dying. And it, it being the sort of like they're feeling each other's pain is what pushes it over the edge to being a profound formative experience for children.

[Griffin]

But you know, Elliot, ET Disconnects from Elliot consciously, clearly to kind of try to save him, heal him.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Which works. That's when Peter Coyote comes in. It's where we see his face, all that that we were talking about. And ET dies and is dead for a good 15 minutes. Like it's like, it's not just a sort of like, he's dead, he's back kind of of thing. Like it's a long thing.

[David]

15. It feels longer than it is.

[Griffin]

I'm going to look it up. Let's find out.

[David]

Let's find out.

[Griffin]

Because it's like E.T. you know, it's the, it's the whole E.T. on the table. Let's try this, let's try this. Let's shock him. Right. Which is so visceral, especially when you're a kid. God.

[David]

The moment that is just a true reaction where Drew Barrymore says she didn't know what a defibrillator was. So when they're taking it out and this was a big thing, Spielberg was like, hire real doctors. The main doctor was his GP or his internal list. I think he said, sure. And he was just like, when you give actors medical dialogue, you can tell that they're trying to remember the jargon on the page.

[Griffin]

Of course, I mean it's unavoidable.

[David]

And especially with this where it's like you want to believe in the reality of actual doctors operating on a alien. He was like, don't get actors, get real doctors. Have them go through the routine of what they would really do. And so he just kind of let them run with that, right? And they take out the doctor. Defibrillators. Drew Bar doesn't know what that is. She doesn't know what it's going to do. And when you have that reaction shot where the shot goes through and she like shudders, she like jumps. That is just like a real captured moment.

[Griffin]

It's about. It looks like it's about 10 minutes.

[David]

Thank you.

[Griffin]

You're welcome.

[David]

Much appreciated.

[Griffin]

Although it's even ET's revival, of course is slightly drawn out. They put him in the fridge thingy. Elliot talks to him. It's so genuine and lovely, the flower. And then he walks by, you know, he doesn't see the light, then he sees the flower. He's like, double take on the. I'm just like. Spielberg really takes his time with it. He's really playing you, you know, somehow.

[David]

So quickly backs into an incredibly funny sequence of Elliot now needing to cover the fact that you can pretend to cry right to now play sad.

[Griffin]

He's so good though, which I do.

[David]

Think like helps children get through the rest of the movie. Like the movie needs a 10 minute re. Respit from emotional.

[Griffin]

Right. And then it revs up into the fun of the car chase.

[David]

The two disconnecting, the two empowered. They're getting away with this on their own.

[Griffin]

But it's like Barb isn't there though. That would really make it feel power.

[David]

There are some stranger things happening in this movie, let's admit it. But they plan great escape. Yeah, yeah.

[Ben]

And I love that their ability to get away because they can maneuver on bicycles and they know the neighborhood. They know the neighborhood. But the adults, even with all of their power and resources are, are like completely proven.

[Griffin]

Like, well, in the defense of the adults, they didn't know the bikes could fly.

[David]

Yeah, that's true.

[Griffin]

Because the whole magic of is like they're doing it they're getting away, and then they. They're cutting through these developments that aren't even built yet. Right. Which is really cool. Like the sort of, you know, and they're sneaking all around and you're long and you're with it, and then you're like, they're, you know, they're going down the hill and you're like, no, like, they've got the blockade and they've got the gun.

[Ben]

Well, that's the thing too, which is so scary. We talked about earlier in the episode when she literally says, like, they're kids, no guns.

[David]

Yeah.

[Ben]

I really think that that is. Is a powerful part of the story.

[David]

And I think it is part of the core cowardice of replacing it with walkie talkies. We're speaking. Spielberg in 2002 was like, is this a little too intense? And by 2003 was like, what the am I talking about? Because the positioning is so specific where it's like you see them with guns, and then once the kids come into range, they are not aiming at the kids. When the kids fly overhead, the guns are basically being held out of the way.

[Griffin]

No, they're not aiming at the kids. But it's terrifying that they have.

[David]

Terrifying that they have them. But the adults have the wherewithal to be like, I can't stand shoot a kid. Right. There is a sense of intensity that also doesn't feel like a threat of real harm, but it's. It's the, I don't know, raising of stakes.

[Ben]

And I'm biased because I had a run in where I was quite young, trespassing and got in trouble with the cops, but had a very scary moment that I don't want to get into. And I just feel like their instinct is to have guns is to protect stupid country.

[David]

That's what's scary is that. That's the immediate instinct.

[Griffin]

Right?

[David]

Right.

[Ben]

Like the. The guy has a shotgun.

[David]

But this is the other thing about this movie. The bubble of ET Is so contained that you're like, these aren't the spacemen. These are the local authorities. Right. They don't really understand what's going on. That there's so little ripple effect of anyone who has any interaction with ET up until this point that I think part of them having the guns cocked and loaded, but not even aiming them anywhere the kids is just like, what is this? That's been called in. Five kids on a bicycle with a weird, like, bundle of blankets in the basket. And then so quickly when the adults turn, it's like the bikes Start flying. And it's such a great heightening up of just like the first bike ride moment. Despite it giving us the iconic image is so brief is a small distance basically just insulates what would be a crash off the cliff. Right. You don't have the confidence that ET Will be able to lift five bikes.

[Griffin]

True. No, I mean it's. Yeah, it gets me every time I just start sobbing.

[David]

And he does the fucking eyes like basically editing truck in. Right. He cuts three times to closer and closer shots of Elliot. Elliot's worried that he's not gonna fucking do it. There's the question of if it's ET Too weak to pull off the fucking shit again. And then just the ET Close up in the basket.

[Ben]

He's wearing the little blanket over his head.

[Griffin]

He looks like a little babushka.

[David]

Can I say it? Is this the greatest blankie movie of all time?

[Griffin]

Well, people already I think are.

[David]

People are saying it on the Reddit. I'm stealing it from the rabbit.

[Griffin]

Very good stuff.

[David]

And then they fly and you cry.

[Griffin]

Oh yeah.

[Ben]

I cry.

[Griffin]

Oh yeah.

[Ben]

For sure too.

[David]

It is. You can tell a watching it academically. Right. Studying it intensely. You can see in the lead up to the sequence the shots where it is clearly an adult stunt double doing the bike riding in Elliot's sweatshirt.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

And you can see in the kids flying the shots where it is clearly little stop motion puppets. There is not like an invisibility of the effect. And yet the emotion.

[Griffin]

I'm going to tell you the effect is.

[David]

This is what I'm saying.

[Griffin]

I don't know.

[David]

That's what I'm saying. I'm like. I'm watching it, trying to break it down and I recognize the techniques. But that's me like putting my no fun goggles on.

[Griffin]

No fun.

[David]

Because it is so perfectly constructed that you don't question any of it. When they did the re release in IMAX a couple years ago, I think it was 2022. I went to see it with our friends Jordan Fisher, Ray T. And I believe I texted you right afterwards and I said, here's a take. Is ET the greatest example of an already great film that is somehow improved most exponentially by the score?

[Griffin]

I mean maybe you can talk of.

[David]

Movies that are like mediocre and the score makes it like a 7D.

[Griffin]

Dun dun.

[David]

So the first.

[Griffin]

That part.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[David]

The first use of the flying theme is the first time he flies. The second time is when he comes back to life under observation. Right. They do a quieter version of it. And then this is when it really repels up. This is one 15 minute track on the soundtrack. I think it has three slashes in its title. Because this is basically 15 minutes of unbroken music that cover the entire final section, right? It is titled Excuse Me, Escape Slash, Chase Slash Saying Goodbye. It is everything from them leaving the home to the end credits to black. And then end credits is its own theme. William said it was a very complicated piece because it responds so directly to so many moments, has to sync up to specific images and beats, right? It has to go through all these different moments of like expression. And it's 15 sustained minutes, which is just an endurance test for all the musicians. And this is peak full orchestra, you know, like a thousand violins and the drums and everything. And they tried scoring it a couple times and it kept on being off. And they're doing it to picture. They have the movie locked in a cut that Spielberg likes. And Williams kept being like, it's a little off. We're not hitting all the beats. I don't want to have to stitch it together in post. Let's try it again. And Spielberg says, let's turn the screen off. Just play it for 15 minutes. Sure. You folks just feel it. Don't worry about the image. Play the piece as John has written in the most emotionally connected way you can. And I will re edit the movie around it. Because Spielberg in that moment was like, this shit is fucking gold. And I don't want a worse version of the Williams track just because it fits my edit. It's easier for me to futz the fuck edit based on their timing.

[Griffin]

Good for him.

[David]

And he was like. It was the only sort of editing pass he did at that point was just to adjust that a little bit. And he was like. And he did. He had to do like five little shiftings of things. It gave him a couple new ideas. But basically he was like, just give this to me as if it's a fixed piece of classical music and I will now edit to it as if it is a pre existing track. And it is just astonishing. There is, you know, you have everyone getting to the ship in the woods, right? Everyone coming together this moment realizing they're going to have to say goodbye to E.T. this dialogue that is incredible that I will get to in a moment, okay? But like the score is swelling and building and building up to him walking up the ramp, right? The door irising in on him. And then it gets quiet and you're like, oh, right. Well, the scene score hit the absolute peak of what it could do. And now it's going down to a settled mode. And yet when the ship starts taking off, Williams ramps it up again and within 60 seconds, gets it bigger than it was 60 seconds earlier when you thought it had hit its peak. And it just feels like it keeps on transcending and hitting a new plateau as he's just like getting so much mileage out of these fucking close ups that are every actor having a different but incredibly specific personal response to it.

[Griffin]

I want to point out a problem in the Wikipedia.

[David]

Okay, do.

[Griffin]

It says that ET Places his glowing finger on Elliot's heart and tells him he'll always be there. No, he doesn't. Puts it on his head.

[David]

Yeah, puts on his head.

[Griffin]

Come on now. Wikipedia, not heart. It would be lame if it was heart because ET doesn't know about human concepts of like, oh, our heart is kind of like, you know, a metaphor for our emoji. He's like, no, I'm going.

[David]

You'll remember. Sure. Right?

[Griffin]

Yeah, he does.

[David]

Right here, baby. Good ass, baby. Here are the two things in the score that get me the most.

[Griffin]

Okay.

[David]

Very hyper specific things. Okay. One is at the start of the bike chase when the strings just start going crazy, right? Like, oh, my God, they're getting away with it. And the second is just the bum, bum, bum, bum of the finale.

[Griffin]

Wicked. That's what I was just saying that the timpani. Yes, that's why Wicked rocks.

[Ben]

Should we get timpani's for the office?

[Griffin]

Yes, we should end every episode every time. So good. Yes. I mean, I love it. I love the ending. I love the triumph of it. I think, you know, it's not quite the Titanic level of, you send everyone out happy in a sad movie. Because ET Isn't a sad movie. ET Is a melancholy movie. Whereas sort of, you know, you cry at the end. But I do think you just exit with a pep in your stack because of the music. Well, Jesus, timpanis are expensive. Oh, yeah, those things. Yeah, they're expensive. How much do they cost? Well, looks like you got like $40 timpani at Walmart or whatever.

[Ben]

Just one is five grand.

[Griffin]

Yeah, but they're big shit. We would only need one. To be clear, we don't need two.

[Ben]

No, I, I. Yes, we don't. What do you need a whole set?

[David]

Give me a second.

[Griffin]

What do you. What? I'm giving you second. Yeah, okay. Why? What are you doing?

[David]

I'm just looking at, as it is written in the script. Okay. And this must feel like goofy to write and takes a lot of confidence to Be like, no, this is exactly what it should be. E.T. come. Elliot, stay. E.T. ouch. Elliot, ouch. Sure, I'll be right here.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

Bye.

[Griffin]

Bye.

[David]

I mean, that's like masterful shit that defies all Their way they talk throughout.

[Griffin]

The movie is so beautiful.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Where they're just kind of echoing each other and you're just feeling their connect. It is. It's beautiful.

[David]

But the dialogue in this movie never like, explains the themes.

[Griffin]

Yes.

[David]

It never underlies them. It is. Yeah, yeah.

[Griffin]

One, there's one time when Michael kind of just says it explicitly. Like Elliot feel like, you know, does to the adult or whatever. And it's fine because you need him to tell.

[David]

You need someone to tell them.

[Griffin]

But it's almost. You almost wish you didn't have to like.

[David]

But also the divorce movie part of this, I think the father is directly invoked two times. Right. There is the like, well, you should call your father about this. And he says like, what, she's in Mexico with Cindy or whatever.

[Griffin]

Yeah. And she, the mom is really upset because. And then comes back to the table and says he. He hates Mexico.

[David]

And Gertie says, what's Mexico?

[Griffin]

Gertie says, what's Mexico? But Michael, again, Robert McNaughton, the most underrated performance, is really aff because he's the most mature. And he says to Elliot, like, can't you think about anyone else for a second? You know, like, don't say that in front of her. And then there's just gonna upset her.

[David]

One later moment where they sort of bemoan the end of the experiences that they used to have specifically with their father. Going to the ball games, you know, or popcorn or breakfast.

[Griffin]

Yeah. That moment I don't like because again, it's just a. Like he was like, hey, remember when dad would go buy us popcorn? Where I'm like, do we need to say that? We know you miss your dad, but it's fine.

[David]

It's literally only twice in the entire time, so.

[Griffin]

Only twice. So it's a good movie that ends well.

[David]

Well, hold on, I want to say this.

[Griffin]

What do you want to say?

[David]

These final shots, the faces, right. Like, Dee Wallace is kind of like overcome with emotion, but is sort of laughing. The boys, you know, like Michael and his gang are all kind of like looking up in awe. There is this like, whoa, this is cool. Gertie is kind of just like completely emotionally overwhelmed in a way that feels like, what if you told a 4 year old their pet died? You know, you're like emotionally beside yourself, but also can't really intellectually process it. Elliot is, like, borderline stoic. His eyes are full of tears. He's making these adjustments in his face, but he is, like, not clenched jaw. But this final shot, what just kind of knocks me out and is the thing that every single time makes me cry as the drums are going is that this final, final shot is Henry Thomas in real time, over 20 seconds, starting to process. Right. Like, that's what's on there. Everyone else has, like, a clearer emotional response to what's going on. And Elliot is looking up and just being like, okay, right, so this is my life now. This is who I am. This is what has happened to me and what happens next. And is what Spielberg said always stopped him when he was trying to come up with fucking sequels ideas is like, what could I possibly say that is more impactful than ending on the note of Elliot not knowing how he moves past this? Not as, like, a core trauma that he'll never get over. But you do go, like, if you've had this experience for a week of your life, then what the is your life like as an adult after this? Well, I don't think he's cursed.

[Ben]

Of course, we don't see it, but it's safe to assume that the government shows up, arrests the entire family, locks them up for the rest of their life. Lives.

[Griffin]

It's possible.

[David]

There's a terrible commercial that Lance Accord directed with Henry Thomas that I hate and I think is sacrilegious.

[Griffin]

Yes.

[David]

Where it's like, he comes back and Elliot's like, thank God I've been waiting for you. And it's so modeling and. But I think part of what, like, the difference between Wicked, which is like, well, we know this is half a story, and we know where the story is going, and whatever the, like, lack of answers at the end of ET I agree with you that the ending is so emotionally triumphant. You do walk out feeling something, but it's not a clean ending.

[Griffin]

I'm not comparing the ending of ET And Wicked in any way, except they had timpani.

[David]

You earlier said. I said, but Wicked ends with a sense of a cliffhanger, and ET Doesn't. And you said ET Is unresolved. But I'm, like, staying in the unresolved portion is the point.

[Griffin]

I'm just saying more movies should end with fucking trying. I agree with orchestral music. Because movies are good.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

I think people should just end with, like, what's a really dumb movie? What's like, a really dumb movie?

[Ben]

Dumb and dumber.

[David]

Yeah, exactly.

[Griffin]

Should I would. Bum, bum, bum, bum.

[David]

Okay, but what about Dumb and Dumber too?

[Griffin]

Bum, bum, bum gai bump, bump, bump. Which, by the way, obviously should be the.

[David]

Here's what I think more movies should do.

[Griffin]

What?

[David]

Have five ets each. You represent a different area of self improvement. Culture, food. Yes. That's interior design, style, queer. Grooming.

[Griffin]

Queer. Yeah. Anyway, E.T.

[David]

E.T.

[Griffin]

Premieres at the. As the closing film of the Cam Film festival.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

So I would say that suggests at this point, like you're saying Universal knows they got something, but they're not just.

[David]

Putting it out like their thing is. As I repeat, their thing is we show this movie to audiences and it works. The response is undeniable. The question is, if we can get people to go, how do we convince them to leave their home and take a chance on it when the movie's being sold as a tiny bit of a mystery box?

[Griffin]

Sure. This is all a little bit. These documentaries all seriously. Oh, the deck was stacked against me.

[David]

Steven Spielberg, he was just saying, like, you know, Jaws, Close Encounter, whatever. Like Raiders. He was like, this shit's gonna work. And he does say that the can screening was the greatest emotional response he has ever had.

[Griffin]

Standing O. Everyone freaks out. Francois Truffaut sends him a telegram that says, you belong here more than me. Just a line from Close Encounters which he says will never be equaled.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

It opened in theaters in June. June 11, 1982, and it made $359 million, which is the most movie money a movie had made at that point.

[David]

Domestic, yes.

[Griffin]

Obviously not adjusted for inflation or whatever.

[David]

But it basically holds that record until 1997.

[Griffin]

Until. No, until Jurassic Park. Jurassic park beats it.

[David]

Doesn't Jurassic park beat it worldwide but not domestic? I know. We cover this. We cover this in the Jurassic episode. We'll get to it. But I think that's what happened. And then I believe domestically, ET Is only dethroned by the Star Wars RE release, adding on to the grand total of Star wars in 1997. That's what I believe to be the truth.

[Griffin]

This, I don't know. I guess maybe it's a worldwide thing. I have no idea. But Jurassic park is.

[David]

You folks will hear. It settled in the Jurassic park episode.

[Griffin]

And it's a hit. It does break through a sort of kid movie ceiling that was seen to exist or whatever. And, you know, and all that. It's nominated for nine Oscars. It wins for Gandhi. Wins Best Picture and Best Director. Rude and Best Actor.

[David]

Rude.

[Griffin]

Wow. That was a.

[David]

You know, Ichi wasn't even nominated for acting.

[Griffin]

Correct.

[David]

And he gives a beautiful, sensitive performance.

[Griffin]

He does, does. He does. And they made a wonderful video game for the Atari, of course, that had no problems with it whatsoever.

[David]

You know, the Atari video game thing. Right, Ben.

[Griffin]

You must know that, Ben.

[Ben]

Oh, the really shitty game where they.

[Griffin]

Made way too much of it because they were like, everyone's gonna buy it. It was like, the worst game of all time.

[David]

It's basically unplayable. They dug a big hole and buried all the games there. It's helped lead to the destruction of the environment. It kind of is the beginning of the end for Atari.

[Griffin]

Yeah, it's beyond the beginning of the end for Atari. It's. Right. It's the coda for Atari.

[David]

But they stake everything, everything on, like, people are going to want to play ET no matter what. We slap ET on a cartridge and people will buy it instead. It, like, destabilizes the entire.

[Ben]

And I think they, like, made one guy, like, program it and, like, such.

[Griffin]

A short no time. Exactly. Yeah.

[David]

It's a perfect, dare I say it, Boondoggle.

[Griffin]

You know, the. Right. They improve on it in every way with the Xfinity commercial.

[David]

That's a better film than touching work.

[Griffin]

Right. And they're going to improve again on it with gay, which is essentially ET3.

[David]

Right. Our infinity trademark. Registered copyright.

[Griffin]

Exactly. Call me. Obviously. Right there is this book, the Green Planet or whatever, that's this kind of sequel novelization where Spielberg's like, let's.

[David]

ET's professor. He's a good character.

[Griffin]

Is he? Is he now?

[David]

PTR has really reclaimed him as one of their own.

[Griffin]

Oh, I'm glad.

[David]

And then made Merch of Botana Kush, who's the stoner version of Botanicus.

[Griffin]

I would say with et, okay, the ride is great. You guys like the ride. But generally with et, it does seem like any attempts to do more ET were almost a folly. The game, the sequel ideas, the remastering, you know, the 20th anniversary edition. Just leave ETB. Spielberg has been wise enough to do that.

[David]

Yes. And he did an interview recently where he said he was scared in the wake of its success because he actually didn't have the contractual power to stop them from making it. He had to implore them. And he like.

[Griffin]

And he had such growing clout that he could, obviously.

[David]

And he said, you know, I went.

[Griffin]

Whereas with Jaws, he didn't have that power. They make a bunch shitty sequels. Although people got so mad at me for saying they were shitty. And I got so many texts from. Is good.

[David]

Everyone cares about the draws.

[Ben]

I mean, this is very Recent.

[David]

Yes. Event.

[Griffin]

Two days.

[David]

Talking about it with Drew Barrymore at the 92nd Street Y, which was a surprise event. It was supposed to be Meryl Streep doing Out of Africa. Sounds like a snooze as part of a. Like that.

[Griffin]

That.

[David]

I think out of Africa, It's.

[Griffin]

It's the 40th annivers. 30th.

[David]

40Th anniversary. Right. So they, they just subbed in Spielberg travel because of, I think, the California fires. And they like announced at the last second, we're so sorry Meryl Streep can't make it. We're replacing your event with an ET Screening with Steven Spielberg and Drew Marymore, which is maybe the greatest plus up.

[Griffin]

Of all time of an upgrade.

[David]

But he said, and I heard him told other versions of the story. The interesting thing about watching the fucking Blu Rays for this movie is like every five or ten years they do another anniversary edition of. Of this film. So there's like all this legacy special feature that's him commenting on it from like 10th anniversary. 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th. Right. Like, you see the same stories evolve with more and more distance. But he said basically that they were like, could we please get a sequel? He earnestly tried. He developed some of the Green Planet stuff. And then he goes back to them and he was like, guys, nothing I'm going to give you is better than that. There's no ending better than what we just had. I really think we should have the confidence to step away and go, we made a perfect movie. And he was like, I respected that. They, yeah, they accepted.

[Griffin]

They knew that. Yes. You know, he is about to enter a bit of a funny period with Twilight Zone, Temple of Doom, Color Purple, Empire, the Sun, Last Crusade, always Hook. It's his softest, you know, underbelly, kind of.

[David]

It is an awkward transitional period that doesn't produce bad movies, but produces weird movies. And certainly films that have weird responses after ET Is like such a fucking undeniable triumph in all areas to the.

[Griffin]

Point that he's like, you too. I think of Spielberg is like, you too? In so many ways. Of like, when he's making Jurassic park and Schindler's List, he's like, I'm auditioning for my comeback in a way. And it's like, but you're still famous. And it's like, yeah, but, like, nonetheless, I kind of need to prove myself in this weird way.

[David]

Well, we said 1941 episode.

[Griffin]

Like to bring up you two for bed.

[David]

Okay, yeah, sure. In the 1941 episode, we say that movie feels like Spielberg having the yips from how much success he's already experienced and trying to fuck up on purpose so he can break his own, like, streak. That would become a burden for him were it to last longer sustained. Right.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

It doesn't feel like he's doing that in the post ET Rum, but it does feel like he's like, this is the best version of this movie I'm ever going to make. I can't keep doing versions of this. I have to morph. I have to evolve. I have to try other stuff. I have to branch out. Yeah, yeah.

[Ben]

I'm weird. I just got an album downloaded on my phone.

[David]

It's funny to think that we are a year away from another Spielberg Alien movie.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

Which will now be his first in 20 years.

[Griffin]

First in four of the worlds.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Are we saying, like, he hasn't made anything Alien y st since then?

[David]

Right. And Colman Domingo gave an interview and they were like, what can you say about it? And he said, like, six things that would apply to E.T.

[Griffin]

It'S true. He's. I mean, he's overselling me. I'm worried. I'm so hyped now. And Colman Domingo, I feel like, is such a sort of, you know. Right, exactly. That I'm worried he's getting me too hyped. But I'm very hyped for whatever that is.

[David]

I'm excited in the way of like, I kind of trust that Spielberg would not make another Alien movie unless he really had a reason that there's something new he wants to do or say from a different perspective.

[Griffin]

E.T. opens number one at the box office June 11, 1982. Griffin, number two at the box office is another science fiction film. A sequel.

[David]

It's a sequel.

[Griffin]

Is it a great film?

[David]

Star Trek. The Wrath of Khan.

[Griffin]

That's right.

[David]

How many weeks had it been out?

[Griffin]

Two.

[David]

Okay.

[Griffin]

Came out the week before.

[David]

So it had one week.

[Griffin]

I feel like that movie is a.

[David]

Big hit this summer. Is a little notorious for a lot of high profile flops where other studios were just like, ET Was a fucking buzz. Saw it, like, sucked up all the oxygen. Huh.

[Griffin]

I mean, that Wrath of Khan obviously is a big hit. I'm trying to think of what's coming.

[David]

Tron comes out. This does. Okay.

[Griffin]

Blade Runner, the thing.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Tron is probably a good example. Yeah. I'm looking through. I'm like, I'm looking. I'm going ahead.

[David]

And a lot of those movies are darker More mature, but they're also more clinical.

[Griffin]

Genre movies that are. It's just kind of. People clearly are like, well, I could also just cet again.

[David]

You know, people are just like, chasing the dragon of E.T. being like, you know what? If I buy a ticket to ET the end is going to make me feel like a trillion dollars again.

[Griffin]

BeastMaster.

[David]

Sure.

[Griffin]

Number three in the box office is a sequel. We did a box office game for a future episode recently that was, like, sort of six weeks in advance of this one. And this sequel was in that box office.

[David]

Oh, fuck. Yeah. And this is an episode we recorded yesterday. I'm already forgetting. It's kind of crazy how quickly I do these. A complete brain dump the second we finish the record.

[Griffin]

Yeah. I mean, it's not a big deal that you don't remember this. It's a big sequel.

[David]

We do a lot of episodes. It's a big sequel in 1982.

[Griffin]

Yep.

[David]

And it's a three, not a Trek. It's a three. Give me the genre again.

[Griffin]

Mr. T is in this film.

[David]

Oh, it's Rocky III.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

The genre is movie with Mr. T in it. Yes.

[Griffin]

He pities the fool.

[David]

He does.

[Ben]

He does.

[David]

In fact, he has.

[Griffin]

Or is Mr. T in Rocky II? No, he's in Rocky I.

[David]

He's Rocky III. Clubber Lang. Rocky 2 is Apollo Creed again.

[Griffin]

Yeah. And Rocky III is Clover Lang.

[David]

But Thunderlace is also is in Rocky III. They're both in Rocky 3.

[Griffin]

Rocky 3 rocks. Great movie.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Not as good as Rocky's. Well, maybe it is as good as the other sequels. I don't know. They're all kind of good. Except for five, which is.

[David]

It's a little light on Robot Wives.

[Ben]

Sure.

[Griffin]

Number four at the box office, talking.

[David]

About the most cowardly shit of all time. When Stallone did his recut of Rocky 4 and was like, I took out the robot, and I'm like, that's the best thing you ever did, was having Paulie basically fall in robot.

[Griffin]

Is true. That is a great thing that happens in Rocky 4, a film that is 42 minutes long and nonetheless has a room for that plot.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

No. And it's like mostly montages and then, like, you know, two big fights and a robot.

[David]

The implication that Paulie the Robot, that they give him a robot who's like, he'll help you around the house. Then the robot starts acting like a 50s housewife. And then Paulie starts implying that he puts his dick in the robot.

[Griffin]

Well, you know what? You got to put it somewhere, Paulie. I Guess. I don't know. Number four at the box office.

[Ben]

That's a classic. David Sims, the Atlantic.

[Griffin]

Let's move on. Number four, the Box office is a film that came out one week before that is produced by Steven Spielberg and is kind of under Puck by being released against E.T.

[David]

But this is. Michael Khan had to cut one or the other.

[Griffin]

Sure.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

I still think that's MGM up releasing Poltergeist then. But Poltergeist was obviously solid hit. Yes, but not an ET sized hit.

[David]

No, but you know what is an ET sized hit? Less than 20 movies in his mystery.

[Griffin]

Sure. Number.

[David]

If you adjust for inflation, it's like five. Yeah. Anyway, I don't know. Go on.

[Griffin]

Number five at the box office is a sequel opening new this week. A legendary bomb. Any classic. Why on earth would you make a sequel to that movie? And then, of course, when you learn what the sequel is, you're like, well, why would you do that?

[David]

Well, it's not the Sting two.

[Griffin]

No, but it's kind of like that.

[David]

It's not Butch Casting the Sun. No, that was a TV movie movie. But it's kind of like that. It's a sequel with a bad take. It's not.

[Griffin]

It's just like none of the stars from the old movie are in it.

[David]

So it's Sing Tui in that way.

[Griffin]

Yeah, that's what I mean.

[David]

Yeah. Huh. None of the stars are in it. When was the original from?

[Griffin]

The original from 1978.

[David]

Okay.

[Griffin]

It's got a great, great actress in it. Making one of her first. Giving one of her first performances.

[David]

It's not as Jaws sequel. No, it's not. Is it? Is it King Kong Lives?

[Griffin]

No.

[David]

That was a good guess, though. Linda Hamilton.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

Yeah. It's got a great actress giving one of her first performances. She sings a great song in 1982. She sings a great song in the movie Stinks.

[Ben]

Grease 2.

[Griffin]

Correct. Michelle Pfeiffer. I want a cool.

[David]

Good job on that.

[Ben]

Thank you.

[David]

It's been reclaimed.

[Griffin]

Yeah, but it's a piece of. But Cool Rider rocks. What?

[David]

Super yaki's gonna come for your head.

[Griffin]

Oh, Bo. Number six at the box office is a film that I'm guessing is not a dark drama, but I have to look it up because I actually don't know what it is. Oh, wait, I do know what it is. Of course. It is Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner in Hanky Panky. Hanky Panky.

[David]

Great title.

[Griffin]

But it would be funny if that was like. I'm like, what's Hanky panky. Oh, it's about the Holocaust. Oh, Jesus. No, it's about sort of like a. I've never seen it. It's like a sort of jokey mystery movie.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Yeah. Okay. Cool. Is any good?

[David]

It's okay.

[Griffin]

It sounds like it's bad.

[David]

It's fine.

[Griffin]

Number seven at the box office is Porky's.

[David]

Sure.

[Griffin]

The Canadian softcore comedy that swept the nation.

[David]

Talk about having to put your dick somewhere. Was it.

[Griffin]

It's so weird that they put their dicks through the holes in the wall.

[David]

It is.

[Griffin]

I guess. I guess they're stupid, horny teenagers.

[David]

But it's like you're looking through the. And I never have going to happen.

[Ben]

And yet unfortunately created a weird genre of pornography.

[David]

Yeah. What happened? Some mean lady yanks it. Right. Isn't that the bit that they're like, oh, the hot girls in the shower will do something nice. And then like a lunch lady comes.

[Griffin]

In and it's like school marm made 109 domestic. It was crazy.

[David]

Was it the number two or three?

[Griffin]

It was right up there. I'm not sure where it was, but it's what.

[David]

This is what I love in these, like, 70s, 80s years where, like, the modern blockbuster and films hitting these kinds of crazy numbers are first forming is you'll be like, the number one movie of the year is Star wars. And the number two movie of the year is Smokey and the Bandit. You know, there's like a huge gulf between the two.

[Ben]

I'm trying to make a joke where it's like it's aged, like uranium. Like it's. It's like, so radioactive.

[David]

Yeah.

[Ben]

Do you.

[Griffin]

I don't.

[Ben]

I don't really know how to do it.

[David]

Three of them. They made a trilogy.

[Ben]

It's crazy. It's so disgusting.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Number eight at the box office is a film.

[David]

Anyway, we'll do those on Patreon.

[Griffin]

I've seen. I think I've seen all three.

[David]

I've seen none.

[Griffin]

Porky's is bad. And then Porky's two is really bad. And then Porky's Revenge is like. It's not even fun.

[David]

Like, Porky's 2 is colon the next day. Yes. And Porky's Revenge is the titular Porky getting back at these kids.

[Griffin]

Yeah. Mean sheriffy guy. Okay.

[David]

I thought he was like a land bar.

[Griffin]

He's like a bar owner. I don't know what the he is.

[David]

He's like a boss.

[Griffin]

I feel like Porky's Revenge doesn't even have, like, nudity. It's Just mostly like plot.

[David]

I'm like, what are these movies about? It's a mean bar owner and some kids putting their dicks in place.

[Griffin]

Kind of. It's like a sex comedy. High school or whatever. Sorry. Number eight is Sword and the Sorcerer.

[David]

Oh, sure.

[Griffin]

The sort of Albert Pin.

[David]

That was a big flop.

[Griffin]

Yes, huge flop.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

Fantasy movie number nine is Visiting Hours. Not the Ed Sheeran song. No. The 1982 psychological slasher film starring William Shatner, Lee Grant, Michael Ironside.

[David]

Good lineup.

[Griffin]

Sounds pretty cool. It was a feminist journalist who's the target of a serial killer. Sounds cool.

[David]

Who directed this picture?

[Griffin]

Of course. Jean Claude Lord.

[David]

Jean Claude Lord.

[Griffin]

The Canadian Jean Claude Lord.

[David]

Okay.

[Griffin]

And number 10 at the box office is Conan the Barbarian.

[David]

John Milius.

[Griffin]

Great movie.

[David]

Spielberg's old buddy.

[Griffin]

Yeah. So that's E.T. for you guys.

[David]

Yeah, I think rules. He's one of my best friends. I'm trying to think if there are any other points I want to make. What were the other pins I placed in? Ben, did we keep track of the pins? I think I got to all the pins. I think I pulled the pins off the board.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[Ben]

No, I think you got to all the pins.

[David]

Yeah. But no, I, I, I just, I. I think this film is kind of unparalleled for what it is doing.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

And it's. And it's just like undeniable. Undeniable, unwavering, eternal power. And what it gets.

[Ben]

It feels like you could watch it 200 years from now.

[David]

Yeah.

[Ben]

And it still would have resonance.

[David]

Yeah.

[Griffin]

I hope so.

[David]

He's a great guy.

[Griffin]

Yep. Bye.

[David]

No, don't say bye.

[Griffin]

See you later.

[David]

That's not how the show ends.

[Ben]

The theme songs playing Outro. We have timid.

[Griffin]

We are minutes before the domes hit. Yes.

[David]

Thank you all for listening. Tune in next week for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In this economy?

[Griffin]

Or is it?

[David]

Am I wrong?

[Griffin]

Tune in next week for our Blinkies episode with Joseph Cinematrix Reid.

[David]

Wow. Reading Rango himself. And in two weeks, tune in for Temple of Doom with our friend Olivia Kre.

[Griffin]

Had.

[David]

Yes.

[Griffin]

Right. But next week is the Blankies, where we will discuss the best films of the year, the Oscars and all that.

[David]

Maybe I decide to just nominate ET in a bunch of categories for 2024.

[Griffin]

The real challenge is will Griffin watch Amelia Perez before the Blankies episode?

[David]

I will. I've said this. My concern is I'm worried I'm going to like it.

[Griffin]

If you like it, you like it.

[David]

I know some people like it. I know. I'm Just a little scared that I'm kind of the big swing nature of it, the message messiness of it is going to endear me to it to. To some degree. But also I might hate it. We'll see. I will watch it. I will absolutely watch.

[Griffin]

You're gonna be mixed to negative, but I'm not sure.

[David]

But I talked about Green Book. I only watched like two days before the ceremony when I was like, okay, time to just get this over with. And I guess I will probably do the same with Amelia Perez.

[Griffin]

Green book's watchable, though.

[David]

Green book. This is the thing that's insidious about Green Book. It is very watchable.

[Griffin]

Amelia Perez is not. I found. I find Amelia. Paris is real slog.

[David]

Yeah. Anyway, you know what isn't a slog?

[Griffin]

Green book.

[David]

E.T. phone home. Ben.

[Ben]

Coming up on our Patreon Blank Check special features, we are kicking off our Star Trek commentary series where we will be covering the card era. Yes, the Trek films.

[Griffin]

That's right. Star Trek Generations. Look to the Stars is posting in in a few days on our Patreon.

[David]

A weird movie.

[Griffin]

Yeah.

[David]

In a lot of ways.

[Griffin]

It's got its pluses and minus.

[David]

It's got. It certainly has its pluses and minuses. Thank you.

[Griffin]

You're welcome.

[David]

And as always, Gayet is Cam.

[Griffin]

That's right.

[David]

Just to settle the debate. I need to pee so bad.

[Griffin]

Like, oh, okay, I'll keep talking to B.

[David]

No, don't.

[Griffin]

Why not? Don't.

[Ben]

We'll just pause.

[Griffin]

No, ET Is real. Come on, let's talk about it. Let's just talk about how E.T. is real.

[Ben]

I mean, I would love to hug E.T.

[Griffin]

Are you like, how Diego Luna is always like, I want to touch Jabba, like in interviews. Do you know about this? The actor Diego Luna, who plays Andor.

[Ben]

Yes.

[Griffin]

So Andor, I don't think ever, you know, shares any space on screen with Jabba. But on the press tours, Diego Luna is like, I would love to touch him. Like, the texture seems so interesting.

[Ben]

It kind of seems gross, though.

[Griffin]

I know, but not to Diego Luna.

[Ben]

It seems sticky and stinky.

[Griffin]

He wants to touch Jabba. Just let me touch. He just. He said it many, many times. And I hope someone has finally let him touch Jabba. Peter Coyote, one of the founders of the Diggers, Ben, you know, the digger famous, hate astronauts, free, you know, street theater guys, you know, left wing anarchist types, you know, so that's cool, don't you think? He's still alive. Peter Coyote, there he is. He's a cool guy. Just looking him up. I don't know why I'm still talking.