The Way Back with Alex Ross Perry

Summary

Blank Check Podcast: The Way Back with Alex Ross Perry

Air Date: June 7, 2026
Hosts: Griffin Newman & David Sims
Guest: Alex Ross Perry
Producer: Ben Hosley

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Episode Overview

This episode continues Blank Check’s miniseries on director Peter Weir, focusing on his final feature film, The Way Back (2010). The hosts—Griffin Newman and David Sims—are joined by recurring guest and writer-director Alex Ross Perry for a wide-ranging, often hilarious conversation about the film, Weir's career, the peculiarities of mid-2010s studio filmmaking, and their own cinematic obsessions (with plenty of delightful tangents). The episode critically examines The Way Back as both a respectable swan song and a symptom of a rapidly changing movie industry, while also reflecting on Peter Weir’s legacy and broader trends in Hollywood.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Initial Banter: Taglines, Misremembered 'Way Back' Movies (00:01–08:16)

• The hosts riff on confusion between The Way Back (Affleck basketball movie), The Way, Way Back, and The Way Back (Weir’s film).
• Griffin jokes about pretending to have watched the wrong movie.
• David: "Every podcast is another fight." (01:00)
• Extended riff on the cast of The Way, Way Back and its indie Sundance bonafides.

2. Sound, Style, and First Impressions (08:16–10:26)

• Ben jokes about blowing out the episode’s audio to match the rough, windblown vibe of The Way Back’s sound design.
• Griffin: “This movie is only major nomination: Best Makeup.” (08:36)
• The team marvels at blown-out audio on both the film and its Blu-ray extras.

3. The Poster Problem and Film’s Vague Reputation (10:26–14:34)

• They describe how the film’s marketing/poster gives little away; movie feels like “actors are struggling, and I think they’re walking a lot.”
• Discussion about movies whose titles or posters resist clear summaries (“A Year of Living Dangerously,” “Rain Man”).
• Remark: “This brand of, like, intense sensitivity in the face of adversity became... one of Andrew Garfield's superpowers.” (Griffin, 11:56)
• Comparison of Jim Sturgess's fleeting moment as a Hollywood lead to Andrew Garfield's rise.

4. Colin Farrell and Peter Weir’s Career Context (13:04–15:17)

• In-depth reflection on Colin Farrell’s up-and-down Hollywood trajectory and how The Way Back fit into Weir’s own feast-or-famine filmography.
• Alex: “If Colin Farrell had been here five years earlier or later, people would have really lined up for him.” (13:27)
• The crew’s first encounters with the film: all generally missed it in theaters and caught up later.

5. Blank Check Structure and March Madness Tangent (15:17–19:39)

• Quick podcast business: Blank Check’s March Madness director bracket and group text gossip (“News & Deals”).
• They joke about having to cover Chris Columbus if he wins the bracket; lament the longevity (and mediocrity) of Columbus’ career.

6. Peter Weir’s Studio Journey and the Rise and Fall of Mid-Budget Dramas (19:39–26:51)

• Griffin: “This is a podcast about filmographies, Directors who have massive success early... given a series of blank checks.”
• Discussion of why the movie isn’t called The Long Walk (conclusion: Stephen King novel has that name; Weir based it on the memoir The Long Walk but distanced himself due to factual disputes).
• “I think the answer... is: don’t make this movie. Make something else.” (David, 20:06)
• Transition to discussion of Weir’s meticulous, research-laden process and the changing Hollywood that left him behind.

7. Peter Weir’s Unmade Projects and Retirement (54:25–67:53)

• Fascinating segment about unrealized Weir films: The War Magician (Tom Cruise/Benedict Cumberbatch), Pattern Recognition, and especially Johnny Depp’s pet project Shantaram.
• Ethan Hawke's quote: “Peter’s retired and the industry kind of broke him … it stopped knowing how to make the kind of movies he wants to make.”
• Fact: Shantaram finally becomes an Apple TV+ series with Charlie Hunnam years after Depp’s version dies.
• Weir’s eventual move away from studio filmmaking: “They [studios] no longer make those kinds of films... I watched the market change, moving towards what I would call children’s programming.” (Weir, via David, 67:00)

8. The Way Back’s Production: Research, Survival, and Vibes (71:34–75:47)

• Weir’s deep-dive research into gulags, trekking routes, and consultation with real-life explorers.
• On the arduous shoot: “These movies last forever... These were forever movies.” (Alex, 74:20)
• The film’s difficult road to release: independent, cobbled-together financing; Newmarket’s collapse; importance of non-studio distributors for films of this scale.

9. The Film Itself: Casting, Structure, and Aesthetic (82:25–89:49)

• Jim Sturgess as a case study in Hollywood’s attempt to “make” a leading man—lack of lasting impact.
• Colin Farrell praised for “juice” and memorable energy; Saoirse Ronan’s “old soul” in a supporting role, still “a child” onscreen here.
• Ed Harris lionized as an “awesome forever” character actor; tales of on-set intensity (wants physical hardship, “needed to connect to the land before we film…” per Sturgess, 88:52).

10. The Film’s Tone and Narrative Choices: Adventure, Endurance, and Restraint (108:46–119:47)

• Griffin: “Would this movie benefit from 10% more Hollywood bullshit? ... Do I wish this had 10% more adventure?”
• Ensemble agrees the film resists overdrama: no chases, minimal interpersonal conflict, “it just sucks and it keeps sucking,” but doesn’t resort to The Revenant-style suffering-porn.
• David: “They don’t come across a bear that tries to eat them.”
• Alex: “It’s not human spirit endurance; it’s quite restrained.”
• The movie avoids manufactured stakes, focusing on the attrition and emotional wear of survival.

11. War Movie Preferences and 'War Season' (142:13–145:44)

• War Season: Alex’s yearly tradition of watching World War II (originally Holocaust) movies in the dead of winter, with his partner Anna.
• “We curate War Season, I put together a dossier... a really diverse collection... we could do this for the rest of our lives.”
• Debate on criteria for a great war film—Alex notes the best can “distill the essence of the entire war into a scene,” which The Way Back arguably does not.

12. The Changing Shape of War and Survival Movies (152:10–163:17)

• Discussing why ‘true story’ dominates modern war movies post-Saving Private Ryan; older films more often “just trying to tell a good story.”
• Reflections on the eccentricities of men-on-a-mission, seafaring, and PTSD subgenres (“Best Years of Our Lives,” etc.).

13. The Rankings (177:03–179:23)

• [See section below for full rankings!]
• General consensus: Weir never made a bad movie. His “basement” is always a respectable film—The Way Back is generally near the bottom, but still praised for craft.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Every podcast is another fight." – David Sims (01:00)
• “It is surprising that Peter Weir came out of retirement to make an 80s water park movie.” – Griffin (01:38, running Water Park bit)
• “Jim Sturgess... for four years was a thing.” – David Sims (12:35)
• “If even [Peter Weir] couldn’t get the means after... this is a good movie... this isn’t like, yikes, Tarantino's right, people should hang it up. This has everything in it that he's good at.” – Alex, on Weir’s respectful swan song and the industry (44:01)
• “This movie’s only major nomination: Best Makeup.” – Griffin (08:36)
• “His instincts of visual storytelling are so muscular – even in a drama, even in Dead Poets Society, he can’t ever frame things in a way that you're not like: This is cool looking, this place feels real.” – Alex, on Peter Weir’s directorial voice (114:09)
• “You know what I've started doing? Sucking on rocks.” – David, riffing on the film’s pebble-sucking survival trick (107:13)
• “Operation Dumbo Drop is the way back with an elephant.” – Griffin (160:56)
• “This is well made and handsome. It didn’t really resonate... it seems cold.” – David, final verdict (154:50)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:01–08:16: The Way, Way Back confusion & cold open jokes.
• 10:26–14:34: Film’s ambiguous marketing and audience awareness.
• 19:39–26:51: Weir’s “blank check” legacy and era shift analysis.
• 54:25–67:53: Weir’s unmade films, reasons for retirement.
• 71:34–75:47: Survivalist production anecdotes.
• 82:25–89:49: Casting, standout performances, & on-set stories.
• 108:46–119:47: Film’s narrative restraint & structure.
• 142:13–145:44: “War Season” and the traditions of war film viewing.
• 177:03–179:23: Peter Weir filmography rankings.

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Peter Weir Film Rankings (as discussed)

David Sims' Ranking

1. Master and Commander
2. The Truman Show
3. Witness
4. Picnic at Hanging Rock
5. Fearless
6. Green Card
7. Mosquito Coast
8. The Last Wave
9. Year of Living Dangerously
10. Gallipoli
11. The Way Back
12. The Plumber
13. The Cars That Ate Paris
14. Dead Poets Society

Griffin Newman's Ranking

1. The Truman Show
2. Witness
3. Picnic at Hanging Rock
4. Fearless
5. Gallipoli
6. Mosquito Coast
7. Master and Commander
8. Last Wave
9. Green Card
10. Year of Living Dangerously
11. Cars That Ate Paris
12. Dead Poets Society
13. The Plumber
14. The Way Back

Alex Ross Perry: Leans toward Mosquito Coast or Master and Commander as his #1; generally agrees Weir’s “basement” is three stars or above.

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The Blank Check Tone & Vibe

• Warmly self-deprecating, encyclopedic and digressive, loaded with in-jokes and running bits (“News & Deals,” “War Season,” roasted group texts, Bear Country poster description).
• A unique, affectionate approach to both “canon” and “irrelevant” films, teasing at obsessions with distribution trivia, forgotten actors, and non-existent streaming originals.
• Unplanned deep-dives: The collapse of distributors (Newmarket, RO K), Jim Sturgess’s career arc, the history of war movies, and a joyous chunk on action figures and niche Blu-rays.
• Raucous, collaborative, with room for guest and producer banter, creative asides, and audience call-backs.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• The Way Back is a difficult, well-crafted, emotionally muted endurance drama that typifies transitional Hollywood of the early 2010s—a passion project from a director out of step with the new marketplace.
• Peter Weir is beloved on the podcast as a studio craftsman: “a popular artist” whose films are “forever movies.”
• The table agrees: even Weir’s final film, dismissed at the time, reflects a career of integrity and visual storytelling muscle.
• The episode is essential for fans of Blank Check’s broader cultural and film industrial commentary, as much as for its detailed, often comical, review of the film.

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Closing Notes

• Peter Weir's career, capped with The Way Back, is framed as a dignified, if somewhat melancholy, finale—representative of the contraction of adult studio dramas.
• Listen for epic tangents: War Season rituals, Colin Farrell’s comeback calculus, Ed Harris anecdotes, and deep, deep physical media lore.
• Next up: Disclosure Day, Andrew Stanton miniseries (inc. John Carter), and Blank Check’s ever-chaotic March Madness winner—possibly Chris Columbus!

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[End of summary]

Transcript

[Griffin Newman]

Blank Check with Griffin and David. Blank Check with Griffin and David. Don't know what to say or to expect. All you need to know is that the name of the shadow is blank Jack. In 2023, four men walked into the Blank Check offices to record a podcast. They had survived a 3 hour and 28 minute record on Fight Club. This episode is dedicated to them.

[David Sims]

So is this a tagline?

[Griffin Newman]

No, this is the title card that opens the film.

[David Sims]

Okay. Okay. You didn't want to do the tagline. I found I can.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, I think it sucks.

[David Sims]

Yeah, go ahead.

[Griffin Newman]

This. Their podcast was just the beginning.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Indeed, their escape was just the beginning.

[David Sims]

But how about this tagline? Every loss is another fight. So every loss is another podcast.

[Griffin Newman]

Every podcast is another fight.

[David Sims]

Yeah, I mean, that's sort of true.

[Griffin Newman]

One battle after another, if you know what I'm saying.

[David Sims]

That's the tagline for the film the Way Back.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, sure.

[David Sims]

With Ben Affleck.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I was gonna step on that. I was gonna make.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay, so what was your.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I was gonna say it's really weird that Peter Weir came out of retirement to make this high school basketball movie.

[David Sims]

It wouldn't be that weird of him. It sounds like a good movie.

[Griffin Newman]

My bit was, it's weird that Peter

[Alex Ross Perry]

Weir made this like,'80s throwback water park movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay, right.

[David Sims]

All right. So that's what I was about to do. My other tagline.

[Griffin Newman]

So I had a two stage bit which was gonna be one. Just let's get this out of the way. We all agree this is Ben Affleck's best performance. Right?

[David Sims]

Could do that.

[Griffin Newman]

Then I was gonna pretend I had watched the wrong movie. Then I was gonna say, no, of course I'm joking. It is surprising that Peter Weir came out of retirement to make an 80s water park movie, though.

[David Sims]

Or I mean, you could say we're talking about the Way Way Back at this point.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. That's a different film, not a sequel to this movie.

[David Sims]

Right. But you could argue like, yeah, it's funny. I did not anticipate the sequel being about, you know, you get it.

[Griffin Newman]

They came out pretty close together. Did they not?

[David Sims]

The Way way back is 2013, and it's got a great tagline. I really want you to hear it.

[Griffin Newman]

I can't wait to hear it. My ears are open.

[David Sims]

We've all been there.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's just like, hell yeah, bro.

[David Sims]

People just walking into the theater, just like collapsing into a coma reading that tagline.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, brother. I remember.

[David Sims]

We've all been there.

[Griffin Newman]

I remember thinking way, way back, which

[David Sims]

is sitting in the back of a car.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay, just read the cast of the Way Way Back.

[David Sims]

I'm about Alex. Sometimes you and I are just twi. I was like, I have to read this cast aloud. Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Rooster himself. Is that the show? The new show.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm gonna get better.

[Alex Ross Perry]

We just completed rewatching the Pacific and every time we started an episode, there was an ad for rooster. And it became. Every time I would go, oh, it's rooster.

[Griffin Newman]

I've been HBO maxing and it feels like they drop a rooster ad every mid sentence, every line of dialogue.

[David Sims]

The utter sickness of, like, Bill Lawrence, who obviously has contributed good things to our society, but now it's just like, do you want to do another show? And he's like, sure is a guy.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I don't know.

[David Sims]

He's got to learn a lesson or something. Where's my money? You know, like. Yeah, but you're cast a really famous guy in the role.

[Griffin Newman]

David, you're forgetting something.

[David Sims]

Tell me.

[Griffin Newman]

A rooster is like the biggest hit show HBO Max has had in like five years.

[David Sims]

It is not.

[Griffin Newman]

They have claimed as much.

[David Sims]

Night of the Seven Kingdoms.

[Griffin Newman]

They said it is their biggest premiere.

[David Sims]

Sure, fine.

[Griffin Newman]

In years.

[David Sims]

Biggest premiere. Starring Steve Carell, set in a university or whatever named after Foul. Yeah, right. This is our biggest chicken related, poultry related drama way, way back.

[Griffin Newman]

The other thing you have to remember is it was an incredible chess move against having to lead the Scrubs reboot.

[David Sims]

Is he just collecting a check on the Scrubs reboot? I mean, he must have.

[Griffin Newman]

He blessed it.

[David Sims]

Yeah. He came in and threw the football around for a day. Can't do.

[Griffin Newman]

Terrible news. He's stuck in an overall deal with Warner Brothers.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Oh, no.

[Griffin Newman]

He wishes he could run Scrubs. It feels like a normal writer's room.

[David Sims]

A very flesh and blood writers room.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

You know what I mean.

[Griffin Newman]

Humans.

[David Sims]

Air brought in and out of the lungs in that writer's room by all the participants.

[Griffin Newman]

The people who are giving notes are people and not cybernetic partners of humans.

[David Sims]

Steve Carell, Toni Collette, A Little Miss Sunshine so far. Alison Janney. Wow. She's. She not.

[Griffin Newman]

She's great in that movie. She would have been my five that year.

[David Sims]

Okay, that's insane.

[Griffin Newman]

That's the one.

[David Sims]

She should have won the Oscar And a Sophia Robb.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, we love her.

[David Sims]

Was she Carrie?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Was she Carrie?

[Griffin Newman]

She wrote the diaries.

[David Sims]

Sam Rockwell. He's being a jerk, right? Or is he nice?

[Griffin Newman]

No, he's nice.

[David Sims]

Okay, he's nice. It's Carell who's a jerk.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Carell first build is weird outside of his star power star.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Sam Rockwell is like Bill Murray and Meatballs where it's like, this guy's too cool for school. And then he takes the sad kid under his wing and he's like, I'm actually sensitive to cool. You know, he's the mentor.

[David Sims]

Sounds like a loser. Maya Rudolph.

[Griffin Newman]

My Rudolph is his wife or long term partner.

[David Sims]

Great. Rob Cordry. The tail end of Cordry being like, sneak me onto the poster. Get on there.

[Griffin Newman]

I think Cordry and Amanda's hospital still are there. Amanda Pete, Fun friends.

[David Sims]

Amanda Pete, rudely. Rob Cordrey.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And then. And Liam James. Is that the kid?

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

I mean, I'm dashing to the theater. We've all been there.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This is a coming of age movie with only adults in it.

[David Sims]

And Liam, but that's too.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No, but I know children.

[David Sims]

Overwhelming amount of like, look, there's guys from gentle Sundancey comedies of other.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You know, wasn't this a giant Sundance movie?

[Griffin Newman]

It was, it was, it was a

[Alex Ross Perry]

big purchase, like 20 million sale, 2 million gross kind of thing.

[David Sims]

Oh, yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

It wasn't quite a full Happy Texas, but it was maybe a 10 and a 5.

[David Sims]

Let's find out. That's fine.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm guessing it was a 10 and a 5.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do you think anyone today, other than people watching the skies at that time remember Happy Texas?

[David Sims]

You know, Happy Texas is only remembered because of the.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Exactly. It's not even like I feel like now people like Hamlet too. Sometimes people are like secretly a good movie. But I feel like Happy Texas only comes up in this direction.

[David Sims]

I don't think it's like on streaming.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I was going to ask.

[Griffin Newman]

It feels a little lost. Happy Texas, I remember liking. It's like perfectly fun. And I remember my brother and I being at like the video store, Couch Potato Video across the street. My brother James and I being like, what's this? And my dad's like, happy Texas. That's like the most expensive Sundance buy of all time. It flamed out and we were like, interesting. Watched it like four years after its irrelevancy and liked it. Critical Darlings podcast under the Blank Check Productions banner that I've been executive producing did an episode on Train Dreams and the history of, like, Sundance movies at the Oscars, especially as it's now like the original form of Sundance has now come to an end. And I was just eagerly typing in the notes. Bring up Happy Texas. Happy Texas must be discussed. You must go through the process of explaining Happy Texas to Ben Frisch. It Is important that it exists as a cultural reference point forever. We cannot let it slide into oblivion.

[David Sims]

I need to correct the record on the Way Way back.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

Fox Searchlight purchased it for $10 million at Sundance, which was a lot like that was a big deal. But it made $21.5 million in North America. Domestically, domestic, five world.

[Griffin Newman]

It doubled the investment.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's a lot more than the Way Back made.

[David Sims]

Yeah, they snuck it, I guess because

[Alex Ross Perry]

they had an extra way. So that's.

[David Sims]

But I mean, like, do we agree that if we're rank. Wank. If we're wanking. If we're ranking way back.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Affleck, I would put one and Weiwei is a solid third or are we putting Peter Weir in third? I would not. I like the Weiwei, but fair enough. Fair enough.

[Ben Hosley]

Now if you were wanking.

[David Sims]

If you're wanking, what's your order? These are three films that are not really going for a rod of success.

[Alex Ross Perry]

If you had to Weiwei or watch Richard E. Grant's Wawa, which would you prefer? Weiwei or Wawa?

[Griffin Newman]

Look, Weiwei is Teemu Adventureland. But I like Adventureland so much I'll settle for off brand Adventureland. I struggled with this movie a bit. I think it is very well made. I. I'm not like.

[Ben Hosley]

I meant.

[Griffin Newman]

You just say fuck.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

I meant to put the sound all the way up the gation so that it just. The whole episode sounded blown out and just like really harsh and hard to listen to.

[David Sims]

Good.

[Ben Hosley]

So that it mirrors the movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Oh, sure. Yeah. Okay.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yes.

[David Sims]

And then should our faces like kind of crinkle and get all dried up and our lips get all like chapped

[Griffin Newman]

and if we want to get an Oscar nomination. Sure. Best makeup. This movie is only major nomination.

[Ben Hosley]

I'm going to have to confiscate all of the liquids. Yeah, no one's drinking.

[Griffin Newman]

I watched on the Blu Ray. There was a featurette. There was like a 30 minute making of with all the actors and Ed Harris has the most blown out audio I have ever heard. It sounds like he was recording in the middle of a tornado. It is insane because you're watching and you're like, oh, I guess they must have done this one over zoom or something. And then you're like, no, it was 2010.

[Ben Hosley]

It's crazy.

[Griffin Newman]

What's the excuse?

[Alex Ross Perry]

You're talking in special features.

[Griffin Newman]

Making up. I'm talking making.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Ben's talking about the movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

The movie itself. Yeah. Also bad. Yeah. So maybe it was the same sound guy. Same sound Department.

[Griffin Newman]

They were filming in pretty harsh conditions.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's a windy movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You don't have to. You don't have to fuck with windscreens in here.

[David Sims]

It would be funny if they all had windscreens.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, this is a windscreen.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This whole.

[David Sims]

No, no, I mean, like, Colin Farrell's like, I'll knife you when he's holding up a windscreen.

[Griffin Newman]

It'll sound funny if they were all, like, holding up lavs between their fingers, even though the clip is the part that's supposed to go on your shirt. But they were doing, like, the tiktoker thing.

[David Sims]

That's what the tiktokers do.

[Griffin Newman]

That's what the tiktokers do.

[David Sims]

You know who doesn't know about tiktokers? The characters of the way back.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, here's. Here's.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That was. That was deft.

[Griffin Newman]

An immediate reveal of how little I had ever engaged with this movie until watching it last night. Like, seriously engaged. It arts. And, like, from that first title card, I was like, oh, this movie isn't about Irish people. I just assumed you got Colin Insertion. And I'm like, sturgis swings Irish a lot. I know he's actually British, but I feel like he plays Irish a lot.

[David Sims]

He's definitely played Irish, I think.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, right. And I'm like, ed Harris could play Irish. I was so confident. This was a movie about, like, the potato famine or something. I. I have no.

[David Sims]

It is one of those movies with a poster. You're like, I don't know. It looks. Looks like these guys are having a bad time doing something, you know, Like, I don't know why.

[Griffin Newman]

My whole level of engagement with this movie is these characters are struggling. These actors on the poster are struggling in some way. And I think they're walking a lot.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That has the same game that sometimes we do a movie, like, not this, but bigger ones. Like, you could say to, like, somebody before they watched A Year of Living Dangerously.

[Ben Hosley]

Sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

What do you think this movie's about?

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And it's one of those things where people are like, I don't know. I've heard of this title forever. You know, maybe it's about, like, alcoholic relationships of people that really, you know, it's Days of Wine and Roses kind of thing.

[David Sims]

Or it could be like, yes, man. It's like he does one year living really dangerously.

[Griffin Newman]

He says the most.

[David Sims]

He does the most dangerous way of doing everything.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Sometimes we throw that out as a challenge when we're watching something like, famously at home, Anna had never seen Rain Man. And before I started it, this was years ago. I said, what do you think this movie's about? She said, it's about a guy who's like a savonic gambling. And he makes it rain in Las Vegas. Because all she'd ever seen was the shot in the casino.

[David Sims]

And I'm sure that's.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's what you think this entire movie is about. This is like a gambling 21 to bring.

[Griffin Newman]

And that's why it's 21.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Jim Sturges, right?

[David Sims]

It is.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay. So she thought it was like, 21, like a guy who fixes gambling.

[Griffin Newman]

I was looking at the timeline, because Social Network comes out the same year as this movie.

[David Sims]

2010. Sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Andrew Garfield just fucking blew Jim Sturgis to the black wall.

[David Sims]

I was like, who market corrected Jim Sturgis? Like, I was looking at that too. I was like, really?

[Griffin Newman]

They were pushing him hard, and then it's all, like, completely slipped into oblivion. And watching it, I was just like, oh. This brand of, like, intense sensitivity in the face of adversity became, you know, like one of Andrew Garfield's superpowers.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I neglected to look up Jim Sturgess so that we could have the fun of it.

[David Sims]

We'll have a look at Jim. Because it is a. Like, my wife was like, who's that? You know, because it's like Colin Farrell and whoa. Saoirse Ron into this. And she's like, and who's that? And I'm like, jim Sturgis. But I might as well just be going like. Like, it's just like. It's like the name of a handsome

[Griffin Newman]

sounding guy, but, like, four years was a thing.

[David Sims]

Are we going to say he was universe? No, we're gonna do his career. I'm arguing, like, was he ever a thing? Hollywood was trying to make him a thing, Holly. There was a thought that he could be a thing.

[Griffin Newman]

I think Hollywood was acting like he already was a thing.

[David Sims]

But that's what they do all the time. Yes. And sometimes it works.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And sometimes it's the Colin Farrell thing, where people are like, we sort of agreed that he was a thing, but you're trying a little too hard to make him a thing. Put him away.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And then after a few years, they're like, he was a thing. Let's get it back. Let's get. Open up the box, Colin. Go.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, we'll do it. But it's so funny to actually go through the Colin Farrell filmography item by item, because you. You think of it in your Mind as like, oh, and then he totally bottomed out and then he had a clean comeback and then he bottom out. It's always up and down. He never stops working. But it's always like a good choice, a bad choice, two good choices, three bad choices.

[David Sims]

Feels like someone paying the bills.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I think if he had been. If Colin Farrell here in this movie. Yeah. Five years earlier or five years later, people would have really lined up for him. Yeah, yeah. Like, earlier it's like, man, this guy can do anything. And later would be like, Colin Farrell is like always kind of good. And like, it's cool that he's in this big auteur movie in a small part. We love Colin Farrell.

[Griffin Newman]

He's fantastic.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But at this point, people were kind of like, that's enough of this guy.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Also it's like five years earlier, he would have been the Jim Sturgis part and this movie would have been legitimate.

[David Sims]

Colin being in this movie was so excited to David Sims.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. So exciting. You, Peter. Weird. Didn't see it for 14 years.

[David Sims]

This is what I'm wild. Yeah. Like, it's like Peter Weir's making his follow up to Master and Commander. I'm like, sounds good. And they're like, it's like a true story drama. And I'm like, okay, sounds funny. But Colin Farrell's in it. I was like, I love that he's got the.

[Griffin Newman]

And he's got the right.

[David Sims]

He's got the sort of plum supporting role.

[Griffin Newman]

Peter Rose, letting him do a character actor.

[David Sims]

And then the review, you know, the film came out and everyone was like, it's okay. Sort of handsome. And I was like, oh. And then it was gone, like from theaters. And I was like, okay, well, I guess I missed it. Yeah, I guess I'll wait for Peter Weir's next movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Never.

[David Sims]

Still waiting.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I have very clear memory of trying to see this at Union Square and just not getting around to it.

[David Sims]

Like you were like walking around the hallways and there.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I just, like back in the back at that time, like, you would just. You would just write down. You would just write down showtimes and be like, yeah, this week I could go see. And I just. I just remember post it. Note Union Square, the way back, you know, like Memento style. I could go see that like this week or next week, because I really want to go see it.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Didn't happen.

[Griffin Newman]

Never happened.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I saw it years ago, years after that.

[David Sims]

Well, I assume you saw it as part of one of your sort of projects. Yes, we can talk about that, but we should first say what?

[Alex Ross Perry]

The project of watching good movies.

[David Sims]

Of course. The eternal project we're all part of. What's the podcast?

[Griffin Newman]

This podcast is called Blank Check with Griffin and David. I'm Griffin.

[David Sims]

I'm David.

[Griffin Newman]

You almost just fell for it. You almost. You started looking at an email. You almost missed the cues.

[David Sims]

I almost did.

[Griffin Newman]

You were actually seconds.

[David Sims]

Someone actually texted me. Who do you think will win Blank Check?

[Griffin Newman]

March Madness, the carbon date. This episode record. Yeah.

[David Sims]

Right. And I was like, oh. And I had a little. My brain did a little.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I should vote while you guys are off on some tangent.

[Griffin Newman]

Who texted you and how are you going to answer?

[David Sims]

Ellen Cushing, host of Hits different your secret podcast. It's not a secret. I want everyone to listen to it. But I said I. I'm still thinking it's going to be Marty Tony. And I think I'd bet Tony, but very soft. Like, I put a flutter down like a 10 bucks on Tony. Like, I'm not feeling too secure.

[Griffin Newman]

Also, much like Wes Anderson movies often have one burst of a static violence.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, right.

[Griffin Newman]

Perhaps he just shanks Tony Scott.

[David Sims]

It would be funny if we're like, oh, Tony's a juggernaut. And then. Right. Like he gets blown in half by Wes Anderson in a very artful way. But no, I think that would be my guess. I mean, what's your guess? Is it for cardboard dating the episode

[Griffin Newman]

now I feel like it's swinging Tony. But maybe I'm very wrong about this.

[David Sims]

I'm just making the Tony guess on the. We've already said the sort of like, well, there's just the mildest backlash to Marty the Juggernaut. And so maybe Tony benefits.

[Griffin Newman]

Don't tell me who I'm going to

[David Sims]

vot for, but that's that. And I don't really know.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

I can't keep. Can't get in the brains of these crazy people.

[Alex Ross Perry]

They voted for Chris Columbus over.

[David Sims]

Here we go.

[Griffin Newman]

I was going to tee you up for that.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You can't. Can't predict anything.

[David Sims]

And I think he's. He's going to sneak by whoever he's up against today. Gus Van San.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That was a war crime to watch. Speaking of sending to the gulag, like 5,000 gulag seats needed for people that looked at.

[David Sims]

Why are you here?

[Alex Ross Perry]

10 years of Columbus and were like,

[David Sims]

I voted for Chris Columbus. Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I really want them to cover Pixels and Christmas Chronicles 2, but not one

[David Sims]

like a pixels episode. Pixels episode will be hard.

[Griffin Newman]

Christmas Chronicles will be a nightmare.

[Alex Ross Perry]

There's a couple of the fucking Thursday Murder Club.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, yeah. Jesus. Yeah, the Netflix run is really bad.

[David Sims]

But.

[Griffin Newman]

But, I mean, Chris Columbus is. Is currently like a folding Gus Van Sant, like, one of his flannel shirts.

[David Sims]

Right?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Here's the insane thing to me edging by. Obviously, my. My. My support of you guys doing Oliver Stone needs no introduction at this point. Here's the insane thing about people voting for Chris Columbus. You'd have to keep covering his movies.

[David Sims]

It is true that we would be setting up.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Don't you realize that this guy makes, like, a net of shit every two years?

[David Sims]

Happy to report this. I'm not. I wish him no ill will. He seems very healthy.

[Griffin Newman]

He does.

[David Sims]

Like, I'm not looking at Chris Columbus being like, this guy's near retirement. No, he's like, he's in great shape.

[Griffin Newman]

Got four decades of bullshit left.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But he could honestly, like, you know, he could. There's no bottom to what he could end up making next.

[David Sims]

Now I want to share with you the Ledger. Oh, yeah, jj.

[Ben Hosley]

JJ in our group thread, researcher was saying he secretly wants Columbus to win.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. He doesn't understand with.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm keeping quiet about this.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So it's really.

[Griffin Newman]

He wants to share it on so

[Alex Ross Perry]

that he can have several months off. Because you guys would cover someone no one writes about or gives a fuck about.

[David Sims]

Right. His dossiers would be like one page.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Be like.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Pixels was released on this date.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Christmas Chronicles 2.

[David Sims]

Based on a dumb idea.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Adam Sandler figured out the way to,

[Griffin Newman]

like, ballast off his job.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, this. This movie had one public screening. It was like the Family Heartland Gala at the Nebraska Film Festival. Columbus did one interview for it. Here it is.

[David Sims]

It won the family heart.

[Griffin Newman]

It won like the Dove family gentleness.

[David Sims]

Chris Columbus has made three of the most successful films ever made in the history of Hollywood. Commercial. Home alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Harry Potter.

[Ben Hosley]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

So, yeah, two Harry Potters, two home alone, Mrs. Doubt.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Exactly.

[Griffin Newman]

The.

[Alex Ross Perry]

The.

[David Sims]

The sequels, which are less exciting, but

[Griffin Newman]

five of the highest grosses.

[David Sims]

Beth Cooper made a bill. Five, Right?

[Griffin Newman]

It did, but that's the rust bump. We can't give that to him.

[David Sims]

Yeah, we could have rust on that episode.

[Griffin Newman]

We could.

[David Sims]

I have no idea how he feels about that.

[Griffin Newman]

I think he probably wants to do Percy Jackson instead. This is 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 walk a really fucking long way. This movie should be called the Long Walk, right? I Assume they could be because of the fucking Stephen King book.

[David Sims]

I assume so. Obviously it is based on a book called the Long Walk. So it's interesting that they did not. But yeah, maybe they were worried they would come off as an adaptation of a Stephen King story.

[Griffin Newman]

Call it the Longest Walk or something. I mean, like, the way back tells me nothing. And this movie starts and I'm like, oh, the premise is they have to walk.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I know. They're also not going back anywhere. They're going somewhere none of them have been before.

[David Sims]

No, that is true. I don't. I think this is like a fairly good movie. I think it's fairly well done. We gotta get.

[Griffin Newman]

It's well made.

[David Sims]

I think the answer to all of our questions is like, don't make this movie. Make something else. Just make something else.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Who are you talking to in this? Peter Weir.

[David Sims]

Like, where I'm just like, you know, if this is going to be your last thing and you're going to put a lot of effort into it, I think you should do something else.

[Griffin Newman]

But do you think he called? This was his last thing. And here's.

[David Sims]

I'm not sure that he did.

[Griffin Newman]

We can look at this theory I want to put forward. Do we think, you know, Ethan Hawke gave this interview recently. Because this is a miniseries on the films of Peter Weir. It's called Podnick at Hanging Cast. And our guest today, of course, is

[Alex Ross Perry]

Alex Ross Perry, returning after my banishment has been lifted.

[Griffin Newman]

We're gonna pin in this pin.

[David Sims]

I have some news in this, his 10th episode.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Is that right? Of main feed. Wow.

[David Sims]

Of main feed. Unless I'm wrong about something. I'm gonna read them out now.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And I brought gifts for you guys.

[Griffin Newman]

Can I try to guess them?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Sure. Fuck.

[David Sims]

You wanna go in order?

[Griffin Newman]

I forgot to wear my Hollow man hat today. I was gonna do that to memorialize your run. Okay, so it starts with

[Alex Ross Perry]

insomnia.

[Griffin Newman]

Starts with insomnia, which I rewatched recently.

[David Sims]

Good movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Because my insomnia has been out of control. And I was like, it's time to check in with Detective Dormer. Let me sleep,

[David Sims]

garbage bags. The garbage scene is in the Skarsgard version. Yeah, like when I rewatched when I watched the original. Like, insomnia. Because it's on criteria. I bought it at some point and

[Griffin Newman]

just announced as a new deluxe second sight 4k package.

[David Sims]

Okay. I'm fine with my Criterion Blu Ray, but, like, where's. There's the scene where Skarsgard's, like, picking up garbage. I'm like, wow. This is just all in the original, like.

[Griffin Newman]

Anyway, I do think the Nolan's better.

[David Sims]

I agree. I haven't. Yes, it is definitely better.

[Griffin Newman]

Really good Insomnia. Then it's. Is it Hollow Man? And then the.

[David Sims]

Keep Hollow Man. And then taking Woodstock.

[Griffin Newman]

Taking Woodstock.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Those are the ones I Remember doing at AudioBoom.

[David Sims]

Those are the first four in studio. The fifth was a remote episode, and

[Griffin Newman]

that was always when it was. Can I pick the least relevant film?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Which I have done. Again, I argue we've come back around

[Griffin Newman]

to it, because then when we get onto Zoom, it swings into.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But Lucky Numbers was irrelevant.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, you're right. That's the end of the irrelevancy.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Not to Ben's landlord, who bought the tape and kept it sealed. But is it relevant to most people?

[Griffin Newman]

We still have it here in the office. Yeah, on DVD and vhs.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, well, I brought the DVD and then Ben brought the tape.

[Griffin Newman]

And then it swings around to four of the most important movies in your history as a person. So then it's Halloween, right? Halloween.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Correct.

[Griffin Newman]

Into Fight Club.

[David Sims]

Nope. You're missing one bit of a contentious episode.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Now I have to think of what we did at Ben's house.

[Griffin Newman]

Clockwork Orange.

[David Sims]

Correct. And so the Halloween and Clockwork Orange. Those are at Ben's place.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[David Sims]

And then the most recent two he did.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Clockwork Orange was here.

[Ben Hosley]

Nope.

[David Sims]

No, it was at Ben's house.

[Griffin Newman]

It was.

[David Sims]

Drove you home after.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

That must have been a fun ride.

[David Sims]

I have referenced this on the podcast before. It was.

[Griffin Newman]

You worked it out.

[David Sims]

We didn't have to work out anything. Everything was immediate, was fine. Everyone on this Reddit is always like, Jesus, you could cut the tension of the room.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Right. We got home and we. In the drive, we analyzed the career of Macaulay Culkin. Yeah, perfect. While David blasted the prodigy and said, I listen to this song every day.

[David Sims]

So I wasn't like, alex, it was really fucked up in there. I'm really mad at you. Like, there was no atmosphere.

[Alex Ross Perry]

David was like.

[David Sims]

Except in the room when I was.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He was like. You see, when MC Max in reality entered into this. This particular phase of his rhymes.

[Griffin Newman]

But wait, there was one after Fight Club, right?

[David Sims]

Correct. His most recent.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Elephant Man.

[Griffin Newman]

Elephant man.

[David Sims]

So that's nine. And this is 10. And you are back to maybe the less relevant episode, perhaps film in a.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I've also never done the last movie.

[Griffin Newman]

You've never done the last film?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Never been here for a ranking.

[David Sims]

Oh, that's right.

[Griffin Newman]

Although we're going to have to fit our ranking in Record it later.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Because you haven't watched all the movies yet.

[David Sims]

I haven't. I mean, I've seen all the movies, but I haven't rewatched Year of Living Dangerously yet. I've only seen that film once.

[Griffin Newman]

I've never seen that. And I've only seen Master and Commander once. So I desperately need to rewatch before I rank. I have a rank.

[David Sims]

I have a feeling that Master and Commander might be number one on my list. Not to spoil. So interesting.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You guys haven't done those episodes yet.

[Griffin Newman]

Those are the two we haven't done.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Correct. Were either of you present at Lincoln center for the Peter Weir retrospective around when this movie came out? No, he was there. I just became a week of Q and A's. Yeah, that's what it was called.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

But it was centered around this, I believe.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So I could be wrong. In my mind, it was 2010, so I think it was sort of in conjunction with this movie.

[David Sims]

If he was doing a retrospective, I mean, that makes sense. Yes. It was January 2011, which is when this. I mean, it was when this is probably going wide. This film came out. Oh, no, I didn't mean to.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Isn't it early 2011?

[David Sims]

Came out early 2011.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. So it was like.

[Griffin Newman]

So it has a qualifying run in 2010, gets nominated.

[David Sims]

No, it didn't have. No, wait, did it?

[Alex Ross Perry]

I think It's a festival. 2010.

[David Sims]

It's a festival 2010.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a festival 2010. It's a proper theatrical. 2011.

[David Sims]

Right. Because it loses to the Wolfman for makeup.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

And that's the. No, that is the 20. So it must have had some, like, pathetic qualifying.

[Griffin Newman]

It must have a pathetic piece of shit qualifying run.

[David Sims]

I mean, truly, It's.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Griffin. December 29, 2010. Los Angeles, California. Like, they don't even allow that at the Oscars anymore. They're kind of like, what? We coughed it onto theaters for, like, one day on, like, New Year's Eve.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, this was an image and new market.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Whole distribution deal.

[David Sims]

Yeah. So. But it came out and it's not even wide, but, like, sort of 600 screens January 2011.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So neither one of you. You were not present at this retrospect. It was.

[David Sims]

No, I didn't have any money.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It was. Well, I mean, you can go see a movie.

[Griffin Newman]

No, you're forgetting Alex. It did infamously cost $1 million a ticket.

[Alex Ross Perry]

We, in retrospect, it was great. But he was there for almost all the Q and A. Yeah, I saw him do a Q and A at a double feature of Year of Living Dangerously and the Mosquito Coast.

[David Sims]

That's cool.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And then I think he just gave like a talk. I think there was like a 90 minute like discussion some other day.

[David Sims]

His muggiest movies. Yeah, those are the two most kind of like damp aired films that he made.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Had already liked those movies, but still seeing them at Walter Reed on film with him, it was like, man, these are the best. Like this guy's. I saw Gallipoli there. I saw a bunch of movies because I was kind of filling in the gaps.

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And it was really a really successful series for me.

[David Sims]

I mean this has been a successful series for us. He's made really interesting, great movies, some of which I know well, some of which I'd seen 0 to 1 times and they were all rewarding. And even this, which was the true. I'll get to it. I know I should see. I know Peter Weir made it. Basically, for the last 15 years I've been like, no, no, no, I'm planning on getting to that.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's strange because to me this is an incredibly easy to watch movie.

[Griffin Newman]

I found this film so hard to watch.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I'm getting to that Is like, well, it's 170 minutes long. Everybody thinks it's bad.

[David Sims]

This is 133.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, but that's short. Yeah, but it's Rock em Sock em. I would say very early in the movie.

[Griffin Newman]

This movie is Rock Em socks.

[David Sims]

I did not find it as hard as I. I'm unsurprised to learn. Griffin.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't think this is a bad film. And it wasn't like I was like squirming in my seat in discomfort. But I did find it to be a bit of a slog. A handsome.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Would you have enjoyed this in a 40x re release?

[Griffin Newman]

Because no question this movie would if the steps were happening. The subtle steps or like you coughing

[David Sims]

the seat coughs for you.

[Alex Ross Perry]

A treadmill screening.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes, I'd love a slow treadmill squeak.

[Ben Hosley]

It would spray dirty water in your face.

[David Sims]

Yeah, yeah. Mosquitoes would come out.

[Griffin Newman]

But imagine how satisfying it would be when they get to the water in the middle of the desert and suddenly they're just spraying water directly into your mouth. Like a fucking water.

[David Sims]

I would say I thought this film was going to be a little more like brutal and tough to watch and slow. And I was, when I watched it, I was like, no, this moves because I'm like, right. Because Peter Weir's like a good director and like this isn't quite the slug. I thought it was going to be. I would not call it Rock em socce.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You don't think the gulag break is rock em sock'?

[Griffin Newman]

Em? I reserve that term for robots only. Yeah, Real Steel is a rock' em soccer movie.

[David Sims]

Yes, it is. I mean, if it, if it wasn't, then they really blew the aside.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm not saying it's good, but it does have that Shawn Levy feeling. You saying I would tell Peter Weir, just make something else, right?

[David Sims]

I think so.

[Griffin Newman]

I was watching this 30 minute making of thing and everyone is talking about how difficult an experience this film was, but they're talking about it in the window between when they have wrapped and when the movie is released. And they all clearly feel like this is going to be a historic effort. Everyone is going to talk about, you know, they're not like, there's no reason

[Alex Ross Perry]

not to think that he had achieved that at this point for almost 30 years straight.

[Griffin Newman]

But this was like a four month shoot of them fighting the elements.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Sounds good.

[Griffin Newman]

You know, and they're all like. And by like day 20, the line between acting and reality is blurred and we're feeling the real things and we're all in it together. No one has any egos. And we felt such a responsibility to tell this story, to like go through such a herculean effort to make this movie and then have it treated with such a shrug, you know, just like a complete kind of just. It doesn't exist. Ethan Hawke in that interview, I play

[Alex Ross Perry]

this movie in Cinematrix all the time.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a smart play, it's a good play. Ethan Hawke had that interview that gets recirculated all the time where he said like, oh, my buddy Peter Weir's retired. After years of people being like, is Peter Weir gonna make anything again? And he said, Peter's retired and the industry kind of broke him and it stopped knowing how to make the kind of movies that he wants to make and he's good at. And also he got broken by like movie star egos. And the two things he cited were how difficult a time he had working with Crow on Master and Commander and that the other thing. Was it supposed to be after this that he was going to make Shantaram?

[David Sims]

That certainly was. We can talk about it.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm sure that was Johnny Depp's passion project. And he said the process of dealing with Depp in development for like two years or more now, that's interesting.

[David Sims]

I haven't heard anything about Johnny Depp being tough to deal with.

[Griffin Newman]

And Ethan Hawke pinned it just on the industry changed and he stopped being able to deal with a list leading men who were no longer collaborators, who were sort of, you know, dictators. Right. Whereas before he had been this guy where a list man would trust him to mold them. I also, I watched this and I'm like, I get why he retired. To put this much into making this.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

And just have it treated with a shrug.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It seems like he.

[Griffin Newman]

From.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You guys have more research, hopefully than I do, which is zero. Seems like he tried other things after this. He wasn't like, I think there was.

[David Sims]

Right. There was some sort. But he's now just said, like, I don't have the energy.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

And like, it's interesting because Master and Commander is now a movie that was liked at the time has now become this, like, canonical movie. I think he appreciates that. But then there's also the kind of the sort of melancholy of like, I didn't get to make another one. I wanted to, like, Master and commander

[Alex Ross Perry]

had like eight Oscar nominations, right?

[David Sims]

10.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's crazy that it just went up

[David Sims]

against Return of the King and it still snuck a couple.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Aside from it just not winning. But it's just crazy that that catapulted him to nothing. That makes me feel like Shanta Tram might have or whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

Shannaram Shannon.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Good thing that didn't get. I mean, I think that became a TV show.

[Griffin Newman]

It became an Apple original series, of

[Alex Ross Perry]

course, with Charlie Hahn. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

We all know it was almost Mira Nair, Peter Weir, and I think there was a third major director who almost made it with Johnny Depp. And then like 10 years later became an Apple series that no one watched.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's a good thing we didn't have to learn how to actually say that. I just.

[David Sims]

Do you remember?

[Griffin Newman]

Yes. What?

[David Sims]

That there was a Hulu original series about Sean Penn going to Mars in which they never actually went to Mars. Because in classic streaming series, you know, fashion, season one ends with them, like, going to go to Mars.

[Griffin Newman]

We've discovered a new planet in our telescope.

[David Sims]

And then like, they're like, no one watched this. Season two has been canceled. So you didn't actually even get to watch Sean Penn go to Mars.

[Griffin Newman]

It was a Bo Willimmer show, right?

[David Sims]

Yes, that's right.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes. I truly forgot that existed until you mentioned it right now.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I think that's what he was promoting when he was on Marin saying he's retiring.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And it's like, I've done. Yeah, I've done everything.

[Griffin Newman]

Melting his Oscars full time into Books. We all love his books.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, of course. Bob Honey who Do Stuff.

[Griffin Newman]

You read. Both of you read Bob Honey who Do Stuff to your daughters every night. Yeah, right.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Every day.

[Griffin Newman]

Honey, Honey.

[David Sims]

Sean, Sean.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Wait. Ben, look up the COVID of Bob Honey who Do Stuff.

[Ben Hosley]

Look up Bob Honey who Do Stuff.

[David Sims]

I believe it's who Just do stuff.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Hang on. How do you think you spell honey in the title of Sean Penn's novel?

[Griffin Newman]

Like honey.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No, no. Think a little bit more Winnie the Pooh. H, U, N, N. You're on the right track.

[Griffin Newman]

E.E.

[Alex Ross Perry]

i don't know. It's something like that.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

I'm seeing if it's honey spelled regular. I will say I will create.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's a Refuse to revise my memory of what the title is.

[Griffin Newman]

That's a true show that doesn't exist. David. And I want to correct.

[David Sims]

This is Shantaram with Charlie Hunnam or whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

I think my joke about the first was too kind. Season one would end with someone making the telescope.

[David Sims]

This is for kids.

[Griffin Newman]

Season two would end with them.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No, no, it's for. It's introduce your kids to sophisticated political satire.

[Griffin Newman]

This is a book for grown ass people.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I think he's written multiple Bob Honey.

[Griffin Newman]

The Bob Honey crown.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's like some kind of. It's not far as gumpy, but it's like some kind of character who like drifts through history. I think everything I'm pulling is from a 10 year old episode of WTF.

[Ben Hosley]

But like a Forrest Gump esque character.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I don't know. Yeah, sure, this was. And don't correct me, this was him

[Griffin Newman]

saying like, I'm done with movies. Fuck them. I'm doing this full time. I did this Hulu show. That's my final thing as an actor. And then he won a third Oscar.

[David Sims]

There are eight actors in history with three acting Oscars. He is the eighth. Yes, he won it for an incredible performance in a movie that I think will be very well remembered that won best picture. And when he won, everyone was like. And he didn't show up.

[Griffin Newman]

It being his third award, him not showing up, people will forget that he won. I think truly it will become a like won best supporting actor that year.

[David Sims]

And like, apart from Walter Brennan, who, God bless him, we love him. Walter Brennan is the weirdest of the winners.

[Griffin Newman]

Ingrid Bergman, Katherine Hepburn, Jack Nicholson.

[David Sims]

Correct.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, Sean Penn is five.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Ben's friend.

[Griffin Newman]

Ben's friend. Daniel Day Lewis, Meryl Streep. And there's one more McDormand.

[David Sims]

She's got a bit of A hard face these days, a bit of a fix, you know, a tough stare.

[Griffin Newman]

And she even has four Academy Awards.

[David Sims]

Three, I guess, four if you count her producing.

[Griffin Newman]

She has three actors, acting wins and a Best Picture.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You would think Pen and Weir would have overlapped.

[Griffin Newman]

You would.

[Alex Ross Perry]

They kind of hit the same.

[Griffin Newman]

You're very rare.

[Alex Ross Perry]

The same stride around the same time. I mean.

[David Sims]

Yeah. I wonder if he ever even considered him for one of his characters.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Something I always loved about Peter Weir, Younger, watching these movies is what you just said. Like, man, he really just has these awesome men at the center every time, and they're just doing some of their best work consistently.

[David Sims]

The crazy thing is that Brennan won three Oscars in a span of five years.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

For playing. I mean, I haven't seen all the movies that he won Oscars for, but I assume basically doing the same shit every time. Because that's what Walter Brennan always did.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And he was only nominated one other time, so he has a 75% track record of winning if nominated. Meryl streep, you're like, three Oscars. Yeah. 21.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Noms. She sucks.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't mean to be rude.

[David Sims]

She's always striking out.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't mean to be rude.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Is there not some weird explanation for the Walter Brennan thing that the rules of the Academy changed?

[David Sims]

You're thinking of possibly. Wasn't there a thing where he was nominated for both lead and supporting or

[Alex Ross Perry]

something like, Ben, just pin that. I tried to steer the conversation back to Peter Weir, and David immediately brought it back to this trivia factoid that we're all tired of hearing at the end of Oscar season.

[David Sims]

It is true that Oscar season's over, and it is kind of like, who cares?

[Alex Ross Perry]

That I very deftly tried to turn this. Sean Penn came up.

[David Sims]

Sean Penn came up.

[Alex Ross Perry]

What do you mean?

[David Sims]

We were on our great pen run,

[Alex Ross Perry]

but then I brought it back.

[David Sims]

The honey thing.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I brought it back. And David, who likes things to keep going in a tangential direction, was like, hang on. We'll talk about Peter Weir in a second. Walter Brennan, who never worked with Peter

[David Sims]

Weir, that we know of.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm. I'm gonna solve this.

[David Sims]

I don't.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I know.

[David Sims]

I feel like I know what you're talking about, Griff, but I'm not totally sure. Oh, yes. Oh, this is what it is.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

In the early years, Extras could vote, which makes no sense because, like, what does that mean? Extras could vote.

[Griffin Newman]

But they realized basically that he was always whipping votes from the extras.

[David Sims]

He was, like, a nice guy that Everyone liked.

[Griffin Newman]

So saddle up next to them at lunch. And they'd be like, he's a man of the people.

[David Sims]

Because there's the other thing where, like, what is it? Like, Betty Davis got a right in vote. And then there's the other thing where, like, someone was nominated for both lead and supporting and won in support. I don't know.

[Griffin Newman]

But that wasn't Clean up all the rules.

[David Sims]

That's not Walter.

[Griffin Newman]

No. Who was that?

[David Sims]

I don't fucking know.

[Griffin Newman]

Please find out.

[David Sims]

It's Alex's 10th appearance on. On Blank Check.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You're here.

[Griffin Newman]

Alex, there was this false.

[David Sims]

You're claiming you've been banned from the show.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I mean, at some point in.

[David Sims]

You just didn't do an episode in 2025.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But it's. some point in that year, both Emily Yoshida and I conferred that you guys

[David Sims]

too big for us for sort of the, you know, twin flames of Blank

[Alex Ross Perry]

Check, you had just outgrown some of your core voices.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So in favor of heavies and famous.

[Griffin Newman]

Excuse me.

[David Sims]

I mean, what it really is, you guys both left the city. I mean, not to. Not to.

[Griffin Newman]

No, no, no, no. There's a bigger thing here.

[David Sims]

Okay?

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Bigger thing is you were chasing clout and fame.

[Griffin Newman]

The bigger thing here is the Coen brothers series and the early Spielberg series were both long, right? Those two series basically comprised a full year. We knew we were doing Lynn Ramsey after Spielberg. Is that right on the timing?

[Ben Hosley]

No, Spielberg, then it's Heckerling and then it's Cohen's.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, yes, I'm sorry. That's what it is. We knew we were doing Lynn Ramsey after Cohen's, so we didn't book Yoshida on a Cohen's because we knew she had to do more. Vern Kaller.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

The thing with you is we have a group text called News and Deals. It is the three of us, Hitmaker Simons, David Lowrey and Sean Fennesee.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Sean, Hollywood fantasy.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, Sean, Hollywood fantasy. Tim, Hitmaker Simons, David. Everything's bigger in Texas.

[David Sims]

Lowry, David, really lovely man.

[Griffin Newman]

Lowry, Gentle soul.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Lowry.

[David Sims]

In a thread that's like heavy on shit talking, David's really there for. I feel like a really more pure energy.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I invited David to it because I was simultaneously getting a endless flurry of text texts from this group text and David. The day, the first one battle after another trailer came out, and I was like, david, would you like to.

[David Sims]

Let's just combine these three ideas.

[Griffin Newman]

This was similarly. We had a group text with fantasy. We had a group text with Tim Both of them were trending towards physical media news and deal announcements. We combined them and then I had. This is maybe the single act I'm proudest of in my entire life.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Wow.

[Griffin Newman]

It's just gonna be one day. I say to the group, what do you think about introducing Arp to this group? Text.

[David Sims]

It was important because things are a little too.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Right.

[David Sims]

We're all too aligned here. Everyone kind of agrees on everything. Like, the biggest controversy is Hitmaker not liking Zodiac. Who cares?

[Griffin Newman]

You know, we all know he's riled up about it.

[David Sims]

Right?

[Griffin Newman]

It's been the great. It's been the greatest choice.

[David Sims]

You roll a grenade in there every.

[Griffin Newman]

It's improved all of our lives. You bring us so much joy and happiness.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I just don't have much else to do. So I. I can devote a lot

[David Sims]

of time and thought my father.

[Griffin Newman]

But very often we will give news and deals first crack.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's true.

[Griffin Newman]

If we've settled on a miniseries or we're like, hey, March Madness feels like it's trending this way.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That happened in this miniseries. And I said, two movies. And you're like, oh, that's gone already. Peter Weir. Yeah.

[David Sims]

What did he say?

[Alex Ross Perry]

The second you said we're doing Weir, I was like, I just revisited truman show. Like, JD's doing Truman show.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

When the Cohens looked like they were going to win March Madness, we threw out to you guys, what were your Cohen's picks? B, everyone else has a choice.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You say, okay, he has it up. So this is going to be a verbatim line because Yoshida brought this up

[Griffin Newman]

to me and was like, yeah, Arp and I have been complaining that we both feel like we've been shadow banned. And I'm like, you're here doing an episode right now, as am I. And this is what Arp's not explaining to you. You said, I'd request Hail Caesar. A movie that so doesn't exist. It took me 20 minutes to remember.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This is me talking. Yes, yes. Then Simpsons, another Grayson in Matrix play. Because no one remembers all these people that are in the movie for one scene.

[Griffin Newman]

No. We thought you were just making a comment about the public rudely not remembering this film.

[David Sims]

I was.

[Alex Ross Perry]

CBS Films failed that one.

[Griffin Newman]

That's a great art. That was inside Llewyn Davis.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay, whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

Hail Caesar was Universal.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

David says that's a great art. Pick a great film.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And then like a month later, I was listening to some other episode and someone. David's like, I just got a text from a friend of mine. She's going to do Hill Caesar. And I was like, I guess that's. There goes that.

[Griffin Newman]

I say five star masterpiece. You give it a thumbs down. You respond, another chance post Hollow man to talk about what a dud Brolin is to me.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's right.

[Griffin Newman]

I say, alex, you're coming in ice cold with this.

[David Sims]

You are. You were.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I reversed course on Brolin for weapons. I really liked him in that.

[David Sims]

He's good in weapons.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But then he was in something else after that that he was bad in again. What was. What else was he in? In the back half of last year,

[David Sims]

he was in the Running man and Wake Up Dead Man.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, it was Wake Up Dead man that I was like, this is boring.

[David Sims]

I mean if you like Wake Up Dead Man. He's. He has kind of a boring role.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Go ahead.

[Griffin Newman]

Later Fantasy swinging in with his love of Buster Scruggs. You give that a thumbs down.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Relevant for the film today because this to me is almost as good of a last film as you guys have covered. And that is to me, almost as bad of a last film as you guys have covered.

[David Sims]

Exactly the kind of spice and flavor that Blank Check needs.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You said that you can see watching this movie that Peter Weir felt like he was ready to hang it up. Which is what I felt watching Buster Scruggs at Walter Reed. A truly dispiriting screen.

[Griffin Newman]

Me Fantasy.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Alice Tully.

[Griffin Newman]

The Netflix effect makes it non existent. Sadly you go that plus it's a gentleman. 6. It is so funny to me how unsuccessful Honey Don't Drive Away dolls are. Financially, I've seen neither. And then still true. Sean posts a picture of Tom Waits panning for gold and writes Alex looking for hot takes.

[David Sims]

Yeah, solid, solid little meme there.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Little group text me.

[Griffin Newman]

Then Sim sends to me his breakout text with you.

[David Sims]

One on one. We love it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It.

[David Sims]

I think it's from years earlier. Right.

[Griffin Newman]

The con brothers are old guard with nothing new to offer. Buster Scruggs was embarrassing.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Truly embarrassing.

[David Sims]

I dug it up.

[Griffin Newman]

Hill Caesar should have been the last one. It's just Cohen's by the numbers.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's right. Yeah, kind of.

[David Sims]

Kind of. When they have numbers, they're pretty good imo.

[Griffin Newman]

Like 4 months ago you text us you went far. Go sucks. Embarrassing. Francis McDormand it is.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That is an embarrassment. That is an embarrassing way.

[Griffin Newman]

And then you six months being like the Blank Check guys are big timing me. They won't have me on. You were saying every Coen brothers thing is embarrassing.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Not everyone. Just to me. Peter Weir is a guy I Don't think I have a movie of his in my brain that's below a three star film.

[Griffin Newman]

So great that we got you on for this series.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That is true. I wanted you to do Weir for a long time.

[David Sims]

We do.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But to me, I feel like that is a body of work that has some real lows for me.

[David Sims]

I would agree that Peter Weir's Basement is three stars, which can't make a

[Alex Ross Perry]

bad movie, in my opinion.

[David Sims]

Largely because he did not make a bad movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Changes what he's doing so much and because oftentimes his instincts are just. This is what's so sad to me about the industry failing him. As Mr. Hawke pointed out, and as is obvious from this movie's release and everything. Like, how can we fail a guy like this?

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[David Sims]

Did we fail him? He had an enormously successful career.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But like the contraction that happened in the 2000 and tens, he's the kind of guy you picture a scene like some guy who's been at the company for 25 years and has been a top salesman gets brought in. It's like, listen, we're just making some cuts and we gotta let you go. And it's like, I've been here forever, I've done so much for you. And it's like, it's not personal. We just gotta kinda say goodbye. We're gonna offer you an early retirement. But I still have work in me. It's like, no, I'm sorry, you just kind of have to go away. And he's someone. It's like if even he couldn't get the means after. And this is a good movie. Like, this isn't like, yikes. Tarantino's right. People really should hang it up. This has everything in it that he's good at.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes, this is, this is a respectable final film right now.

[David Sims]

I'm always saying Tarantino is right. This is the moment for that.

[Griffin Newman]

He's right about everything. He keeps getting more right.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I don't see anybody selling any Tarantino was a dope shirts.

[David Sims]

Maybe Paul Dano should sell some of his front law. Do you think McDormand's an embarrassing win because Emily Watson should have won. Sure. Emily Watson, obviously very powerful.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Obviously. I hate this kind of like hindsight. Like, you know, she's going to get two more awards, but like she's barely in the movie for 30 minutes. Well, that's just.

[David Sims]

I mean, you're just immediately. You're just on the crazy trip.

[Alex Ross Perry]

If she won for supporting, I'd be like, fine. Whatever. The Emily Watson performance In Breaking the Waves is I think one of the ten best screen performances I have ever seen.

[David Sims]

It's an incredible performance, but this is just silly. It's like it's the Oscar, the movie where Emily.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I cannot believe that even got nominated

[David Sims]

constantly because Stellan Skarsgard got paralyzed in like the fucking insane Lars von Trier movie. It's like the nom is the reward. Like, stop being crazy.

[Griffin Newman]

You were also coming. You were coming in harsh on other areas of Fargo.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You were coming in generally my rewatch of it. I was really bored. And also like, yeah, I know, I couldn't.

[Griffin Newman]

I want you to understand that we don't shadow ban you from the show. Sometimes we strategically go, if you come on a Fargo episode and go obvious,

[Alex Ross Perry]

I didn't come on a Fargo episode,

[Griffin Newman]

they will rip you apart like glados.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No, no, I didn't want to be on a Fargo episode. Also at that time, I hadn't seen it in 15 years. And I'll say this. I asked after you guys roasted me on group chat, I asked every single person I worked at Kim's video with, what do you think of the Coen brothers and Fargo? This is like seven people. I asked. Every single one of them was like, nothing. I think maybe an example of one person was like, I haven't seen it since it came out. No interest in revisiting. I stopped watching their movies.

[Griffin Newman]

One of the greatest.

[Alex Ross Perry]

One person said. The best movies for normies. One person said. Now wait, hold on, I'm just saying. I'm just saying, hold on. Questions.

[David Sims]

People hated going to video stores often.

[Ben Hosley]

Were they contrarian.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Incredibly open minded, open hearted, friendly cinema lovers.

[Griffin Newman]

Front facing.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, it's very interesting to me.

[Ben Hosley]

Make strong eye contact.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I'm simply saying it's very interesting to me that you can turn from one side to the other and have two 180 degree different opinions on the exact same body of work.

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I was hearing opinions from my old co workers that in other contexts would be sacrilegious.

[David Sims]

I would say, yes, you guys were

[Alex Ross Perry]

saying opinions that if I brought to them they'd be like, who are these fucking dorks?

[Griffin Newman]

I agree with you that it is interesting that different people can share, can hold different opinions. I also think if our listenership was like, oh great, I can't wait for the Fargo episode.

[David Sims]

No Fargo.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I never was.

[David Sims]

No, no, he was never going to be.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He's in and out of these later movies. Llewyn Davis aside, that I found dire.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, I'm riding with all of them. David.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Got an intentional air about you today.

[David Sims]

Well, I'm more intentional about what I wear day to day.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh.

[David Sims]

To lean into pieces that feel easy, comfortable and put together.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm sure you could get those from anywhere, right?

[David Sims]

No Quint look.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Really.

[David Sims]

I am.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, he's showing. Quit listeners. He's showing. Tag on main.

[David Sims]

It's been my go to because very clean fits, very nice fabrics. Don't. They don't feel like cheap fabrics.

[Griffin Newman]

I hate dirty fits. I hate cheap fabrics.

[David Sims]

I am. We're in. You know, the weather's getting warmer. I really rely on my Quint polo shirts for the kind of like exactly. Like a formal enough piece of clothing that I can go to the office. But it's comfy.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes. Because we do have a dress code here. Had blanket productions.

[Ben Hosley]

Unlike Griffin and David. I love the beach. I recently got 100% European linen drawstring beach pants. They're lightweight, breathable.

[Alex Ross Perry]

They look good.

[Ben Hosley]

I can. You could wear it on the beach. You could wear it at the beach. Or you could wear it and slurp down some oysters.

[David Sims]

Everything at quints, it's priced 50 to 80% less than what you'd find a similar brand because they work with those ethical factories. They cut out the middlemen getting premium materials without the markup. So refresh your every day with luxury you actually use. Head to quint.com check for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com check for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com check.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You know what the thing is about Hail Caesar that none of you brought up?

[Griffin Newman]

What?

[Alex Ross Perry]

While we talk about the long walk

[Griffin Newman]

fascistically muddled sense of the 1930s. You did write that in a text.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yes, yes. This drives me crazy that no one points this out. People who supposedly know what movies are every time they go to a different movie in that it's set in the 50s. Then why is there a fucking Esther Williams synchronized footing movies. They hadn't made those for 15 years.

[David Sims]

Because it's funny. Who cares? I care. Well, clearly. I mean, that is obvious. Nothing in Million dollar mermaid was 1952.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I will say that is like. That's like saying never say never again was. You know.

[David Sims]

And I believe that's exactly what it's like saying.

[Griffin Newman]

But it's like saying it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's not presented as like, wow, we're making one more of these. And it's just crazy to me that this Movie that's supposedly steeped in Hollywood history. And the fucking. The. The Ralph Fiennes thing. That is a 30s movie he's visiting. Like a Ruben Mamouian comedy of manners.

[David Sims]

And then they go to like, yeah, sure, yeah. Not really. I mean, they still kind of exist.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm having such a good time. Everything you're saying is like, the magic is back.

[Alex Ross Perry]

These movies from the 30s coexist with these movies from the 50s in this pointless fantasia of nothingness.

[David Sims]

I know nothing can be realistic. Like your favorite film of all time, Damien Chazelle's Babylon, another film that I think presented Hollywood exactly as it was. Right. Like, that's. That's an opinion you share. You're not saying anything, so we'll carry on.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Detestable work of art.

[Griffin Newman]

Alex's body is slowly from the toes to the top of his head, turning red, working up his body like a thermostat.

[David Sims]

Hail Caesar. Look, you should yell all of this at the Cohen. And they probably go like, okay, yeah, I get so.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But Griffin. Only because Griffin said, this is a movie. You can feel the guy being like, I'm kind of ready to hang it up. And I don't feel that in this movie.

[Griffin Newman]

No, no, no. I don't feel him saying that while make. I don't feel the movie saying that. I understand why the response to the movie would make him say that. That's the point I'm trying to.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do you think he cared that much about the sort of. Of fall out of his work after that much career ups and downs?

[Griffin Newman]

I think it's so much harder for him to get this movie made.

[David Sims]

PW.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, than his other films. Right. He had to make it in a much scrappier way. It barely gets released.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Guess who steps up to the plate image? Big yellow triangle. Second National Geographic film covered on blank check.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And I would say, I can't believe you missed that logo. Because. Because it's long. It's a really, really long pre roll logo. But this movie really reminded me of K19. I think it's better than K19, but similar. Kind of like, why did you think anyone was really gonna be hot for this story? National Geographic, like two movies where it's like. And then they suffered, and then they suffered some more. And let me tell you, it's true.

[Alex Ross Perry]

They had this directive at the time of like, let's dry.

[David Sims]

It's dry. Everyone's doing an accent, but they're different accents.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a lot of emotionally closed off. Off Russians.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, let's tell the Russian side of things. It's National Geographics 2000s MO.

[Griffin Newman]

And basically what they're.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Will you cover a third National Geographic?

[Griffin Newman]

Okay. What else is a National Geographic?

[Alex Ross Perry]

And I don't remember now. It's weird. I kind of thought maybe these were the only two, but there's actually others.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm going to figure it out.

[David Sims]

I will figure that out and I will crack up with the dossier. Here's some other obvious ones, of course, March of the Penguins. But we're not going to count.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No, no, we're not count the narrative. Historical.

[David Sims]

Yeah, Restrepo. Remember that one? That's a documentary too, though.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

There's really not much. This is kind of it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's why I was fascinated to see that big yellow square.

[David Sims]

There's the Justin Chadwick film the First Grader. I think that is a drama which is about Kenyan education.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

There's that movie Amrika. Remember that? Which is about a Palestinian family moves to Chicago. These were all good civic kind of movies, you know what I mean? About sort of weighty issues. Mostly it's documentaries.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So this is the final National Geographic film to be covered on blank chat.

[David Sims]

That I think there is no question.

[Alex Ross Perry]

All right, well, then it's even more exciting.

[David Sims]

Unless we march with the penguins.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. What would that be?

[Alex Ross Perry]

You do penguins. Patreon.

[Griffin Newman]

We've already done both. Happy Feet.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's true. You farce of the penguins. March of the Penguins. You march and then you farce. I mean, perfect, perfect series.

[Griffin Newman]

A little this, little that.

[David Sims]

All right, so following the release of Master and Commander, which Alex pointed out, got 10 Oscar nominations. One, two. And was successful. Although, as I'm sure we discussed last week, was not hugely successful.

[Griffin Newman]

Incredibly expensive.

[David Sims]

It was very expensive. And they wanted it to make.

[Griffin Newman]

Was basically a financial break even. And you. You asking, like, why didn't he immediately gain, like a new wave of. Of momentum from Master and Commander? I think part of it was, well, is this a series that he's going to stay on? And then it was kind of in a place, a midpoint for a while of like, we can't decide whether or not to make more of these. Yeah.

[David Sims]

And Crow is like, I'm only getting more addicted to sandwiches, guys. So if you want me, you know, to fit into that vest best, I'm

[Griffin Newman]

either throwing phones or eating a whole.

[David Sims]

Because, like, Robin Hood is. Which is this year. I think it's 2010. Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

That's the last. Where he's like, I went back to the gym. And it's like he at least, like, walked through the gym.

[Griffin Newman]

He tightened it way up, as way

[David Sims]

up as he could.

[Griffin Newman]

But body. Eliza's right before that. And body of Lies, he's.

[David Sims]

God bless.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, it's just the character demanded.

[David Sims]

The character's on the phone all the time eating sandwiches. And I love sandwiches.

[Griffin Newman]

I sent you last night in our. In our text with Sean Clements.

[David Sims]

Oh, that Crow movie. What's it called?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, I'm gonna send you a crow poster. I just want your reaction on Mike to this.

[David Sims]

Alex, what's the film called again?

[Griffin Newman]

Let me. Let me just get.

[David Sims]

All right, well, so I'll tell you. So. So, yes. So Peter Weir, you know, in between 74 and 86, he makes eight films. In between 87 and 22,003, he makes just five films. So he's getting. Taking longer and longer to make movies. Takes him seven more years to make the Wave Back. But in between, here are some of the things he was attached to because there were other projects.

[Alex Ross Perry]

First is, I was surprised he did not have the beloved separate Wikipedia page of list of unmade and unrealized projects. He's a guy that should.

[Griffin Newman]

He probably should.

[David Sims]

He has a ton.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You know what?

[David Sims]

He deserves that. And if someone could get on that,

[Griffin Newman]

please, someone make it.

[David Sims]

First one is the War Magician.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

A Cruise Wagner at Paramount project based on a nonfiction book about a patriotic British stage magician who volunteered his illusionist abilities to help the Nazis. I mean, this sounds like, like Harvey Weinstein's, like, let me out of prison. I can release that shit.

[Griffin Newman]

Am I insane for thinking that Benedict Cumberbatch has tried to revive that recently? Or is there a different Benedict Cumberbatch wartime magician movie that is being made?

[David Sims]

Well, Obviously he was Dr. Strange who fought the Infinity War.

[Ben Hosley]

Of course.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This is what I love about Peter Weir is that here was this brand of like, well, this is a vast historical challenging thing that would have a lot of really great roles for our finest movie stars. He should do it. And he had all these projects for years.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, and like Tom Cruise, a guy it's actually surprising he never worked with because it felt like Tom Cruise was a bit checklisty at that point.

[David Sims]

Yeah, I mean, I imagine there's a

[Griffin Newman]

guy who you would imagine he's both meeting with and saying, what do you want to do? And also, anytime he options a book, the weird thing, though, is throwing it away.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Cruise was doing that. Weir was in the kind of other key of Dead Poets and Green Card and Fearless.

[David Sims]

Fearless, yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But I mean, basically running through the

[Griffin Newman]

early stage made more movies.

[David Sims]

Yeah, but you know, he just started taking a long time between projects. All right, look, Cruz had at one point been attached. At this point he's just a producer on it. Cruz Wagner split from paramount obviously in 2006.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Amicably, I'm sure. Very showy.

[David Sims]

There was no problem.

[Griffin Newman]

Checks notes here. Cool and normal.

[David Sims]

At that point, Cruise actually reattaches to possibly starring. But Weir lets it go. Mark Forster, your best friend gets attached and indeed Benedict Cumberbatch was eyed to star.

[Griffin Newman]

There we go.

[David Sims]

Now it is death.

[Alex Ross Perry]

The Swiss maestro himself.

[Griffin Newman]

Just quick pause because I sent Alex Bear Country a poster image and I want you to do. It's called Bear country, your favorite blank check segment. Describe a poster.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So. Hi, Kim. Did I get to do. So Russell Crowe is doing a yoga pose.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, what's the first thing Right at the top of the poster it says

[Alex Ross Perry]

from the director of Unhinged. Oh, that's the car movie that he made that came out that was like in theaters.

[David Sims]

It was in like 30,000 theaters.

[Alex Ross Perry]

May 2020. Let's put this thing wide.

[Griffin Newman]

You've got to break the record of being the first movie to new release to open in theaters. But. But okay, from the director of Unhinged. That's like a scrappy fucking schlocky like B movie action film.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So what we have here is again

[Griffin Newman]

the tone you imagine is going to transfer to the rest of this post.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Neon pink font with a kind of rounded look that says Bear Country. He's doing a yoga pose in front of a pool with a palm tree with the ocean behind him. What I can only imagine is Australia.

[Griffin Newman]

I would argue he's dressed like DJ Khaled.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, I haven't gotten to the clothes yet.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Because he has on noise canceling headphones, noise canceling headphones, spiky crazy hair. He's got. It's all orange chin, tongue, sunglasses, you might say a kind of like velour looking tracksuit that is orange.

[David Sims]

But yeah, I would say Khaled esque for sure. Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But despite the yoga pose which conveys train tranquility, by his feet is a gun, a handgun that looks like it is a cartoon that was drawn onto this poster.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it's not the most fun.

[Griffin Newman]

It's also just got like a couple loose bullets by the gun.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Teresa Palmer is listed beneath that. She's Australian. Yeah, Luke Evans is listed there. He might be Australian.

[David Sims]

He definitely is.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Or English.

[David Sims]

Is he not? I thought he was Australian.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And there's some other names and it says with Nina.

[David Sims]

What am I talking about?

[Alex Ross Perry]

And Aaron Paul.

[Griffin Newman]

And Aaron Paul. Not.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Not necessarily who you want with the and to excite the movie.

[David Sims]

No offense to Aaron Paul, but.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

You do not want him in your and.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And then there's some lady who's probably sexy but we can't see her in a. In a lounge chair on the other side of the pool. But she's blonde so you know she's Australian.

[Griffin Newman]

It might even be Teresa Palmer.

[David Sims]

It could be very possible.

[Griffin Newman]

It could be.

[David Sims]

You could show me her face and I wouldn't be able to tell you

[Griffin Newman]

I was holding a lot of Teresa Palmer stock throughout the and that's bearcrumbs.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I guess we call those penny stocks.

[Griffin Newman]

They were. But I was holding.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, while we're on that subject, while David reads these off above, what Griffin just texted me is a series of unresponded to text messages where I was asking questions about gifts for Ben. This is a good while Griffin has put me back. And it's just worth mentioning that Griffin doesn't respond to one on one text. But if I ask the same question in a group text he responds literally within seconds.

[David Sims]

It is an interesting phenomenon.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Everyone else else a inventory of some objects for Ben which I will now.

[David Sims]

Okay. In the middle of the attachees conversation

[Griffin Newman]

I guess we can just bring out a clean segue.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So Ben, this is for you.

[Ben Hosley]

Oh shit.

[Griffin Newman]

Do you see what it is? Can you make out the proper name?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Ben's gonna come get this.

[Griffin Newman]

This is a vintage boxed dare I say really good condition Spawn action figure from TDOG Mac. And what is the character name on here? Ben. Look on the side and on the top right there.

[Ben Hosley]

This is a future Spawn.

[Griffin Newman]

This is Spawn from the future.

[David Sims]

So is it sort of like a spawn 2099 type situation?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, but it's like a Robo Spawn Mecha Spawn. There's a little like a sticker on the upper right hand that describes what his deal is.

[Ben Hosley]

Part machine, part human, all spawn.

[Griffin Newman]

That's very Robocop esque.

[Ben Hosley]

Now it's funny you give me this which.

[David Sims]

Thank you.

[Ben Hosley]

This is awesome, Alex. I really appreciate it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I just feel like future Spawn is in line with your like pitches for Spawn.

[Ben Hosley]

They now have a future on C.

[David Sims]

They had it all along and I

[Ben Hosley]

just brought it here with me.

[David Sims]

Rat City.

[Ben Hosley]

I just read the first six issues. It's great.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Talk about Happy to give you this thing that I bought 30 years ago and immediately was like this is going to be worth thousands.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah, this is going to pay off.

[Griffin Newman]

Has Anything ever sounded more like a Ben Hosley pitch than, hey, I got a great idea for a comic book. It's Spawn in the future.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. So he's like a demon from hell. Right. But, yes. Now he's in, like, a robot machine.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. And you're like, cool. I assume it's called Future Spawn. No, it's called Rat City. That's what you would call it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I feel like Ben's always bringing lovely gifts, and I wanted to return the favor.

[David Sims]

There you go.

[Griffin Newman]

Very kind of you.

[Ben Hosley]

This is so appreciated. Damn. There's some really good other toys here.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, the line on the back promises a lot of good stuff.

[Griffin Newman]

Have I finally broken Ben into becoming an action figure collector? Are you making.

[David Sims]

Never crack this guy.

[Griffin Newman]

Do you see? Do you see he's got a violator on the.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, no, I saw that. That's the bendy. I just want to make sure I wasn't bringing you something you already had. Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

Damn.

[David Sims]

This is great. April 2004, Variety announced that they put

[Alex Ross Perry]

a picture of that in the carousel

[Griffin Newman]

of content for this episode.

[David Sims]

Here was attached to direct an adaptation of William Gibson's novel pattern recognition.

[Alex Ross Perry]

2004, you said?

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This is right after Master and Commander.

[David Sims]

Yes, that. I feel like that was a 2003 novel by Gibson. I feel like that was also a project that got passed around a lot. Lot. He rewrote it with D.B. weiss. Okay. Nothing ever came of it. He said, I couldn't get the script right and pulled back out of it. I don't know. Fair enough. The major one, of course, as we already mentioned, is that in October 2004, Warner Brothers purchases the film rights to the novel Shantaram for $2 million at the urging of Johnny Depp. It's a 1,000 page book. He wanted to beat out Russell Crowe, who was also really interested in, into, like, that book. And now I don't know what Depp saw in a role like this. An Australian heroin addict convicted of robbery, escapes from a prison and flees to India and reinvents himself as a doctor in Bombay and gets involved in counterfeiting and smuggling and gun running, which leads him to Afghanistan, where he and a mob boss battle the Russians. That is what the book is about.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I will say, as a Weir fan at the time and a depth fan at the time.

[Griffin Newman]

Really?

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I was like, for sure.

[David Sims]

A height of depth.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I was truly like, let's fucking go. I was going to say, so good. Weir's gonna shoot all over the world. It's gonna be hard as hell.

[Griffin Newman]

It's gonna be like 100 million plus budget for, like, an adult tentpole.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

And this is. Johnny Depp is so at the peak of his powers right now that this isn't like, oh, fuck, Disney's agreeing to option Shantaram in order to make Jack Sparrow happy. This is Warner Brothers, a company he doesn't really do movies with.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Everyone is. He starts committing some crimes, sure. But both real and on screen, everyone's

[Griffin Newman]

like, truly, anything Depp wants to do, we will make and make it his requested budget level and with whatever creative team he wants.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, he wants to crack open the window. Yeah. Secret.

[David Sims]

I mean, it would be funny if in 2004, Depp had pitched the Crimes of Grindelwald. And they'd be like, what? And he's like, don't worry about it. It's going to.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But this is great. This is all. I mean, I'm not in crazy. I'm not encyclopedic in the unmade projects of weird. But this, to me, it was always kind of like the great unmade one, because he was really at peak of his powers, even though he's probably in his 60s by now.

[David Sims]

Yeah, he'd be in his early 60s.

[Alex Ross Perry]

After Truman and Master and Commander, it was like, man, this guy, he's still the best. Mosquito coast at this point is 20 years ago, and he's still got this power over movie stars and environments.

[David Sims]

Eric Roth is brought in for a rewrite. So obviously this is being taken very seriously. That's a heavyweight screenwriter. In 2006, Weir does enter the project. But then apparently, he and Johnny Depp were unable to get on the same page, and he decided the pairing wasn't meant to be.

[Griffin Newman]

The page was, how many bottles of wine should we drink an hour?

[David Sims]

Weir says, I was involved for a period. I went to India. I talked to Johnny Depp about it. It's his film. And I just wasn't. You know, it wasn't the right combination.

[Griffin Newman]

That's him being very diplomatic. Correct. But I think it's going back to what we're saying that it used to be like these guys would go to him with their passion projects and say, I want you to get something out of me that I don't know how to get out of myself. And now it's like people like Depp and Crow trying to call the shots and be like, no, you work for me.

[David Sims]

I think we are also at that point, is a little paralyzed by having made a couple, like, really heavyweight movies and just being like, well, if I'm I want it to be really special. I want it to really speak, you know, like he's not just like, well, let me make a movie. Because, like, it's good to make a movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Best Director nominated for Master and Commander.

[David Sims]

Right. And for Trimming and for Truman Show.

[Griffin Newman]

So he's two in a row. And for Dead Poets and Witness. Does he have four?

[David Sims]

It's four total, I believe. Yes, those are the four, I think. He wasn't nominated for Green Card or

[Griffin Newman]

Fearless, but two consecutive Best Picture, Best

[David Sims]

Directors, Best Director nods. Truman was snubbed for picture, but he was nominated. Yeah, obviously. Yeah. Again with Master and Commander. It's like, you know, he's a.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He's undeniable.

[David Sims]

He's six time nominee total because also a Best Picture nod for Commander and writing nod for Green Card.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He's just one of the best. Like at this time, he's just undeniable. A totem of studio filmmaking where at this time the script is everything. You gotta get a great script and a great star and there's nothing more to it than that.

[David Sims]

And that was always his formula.

[Griffin Newman]

I've invoked if there is a formula in other episodes, but it's a quote that stuck with me. In that same Ethan Hawke interview. He goes, he was that rare thing which is an actual popular artist. He was like an artist of intelligence and skill who made entertainment.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's a weird thing for Ethan Hawke to respect so much.

[David Sims]

Some other minor ones that sort of cross his desk. The Fox 2000 project, Shadow Divers. Okay, everybody, that sentence, people discovering Hitler's

[Griffin Newman]

lost sub fucking rules. Was anyone ever attached to that?

[David Sims]

I. I mean, that feels like another project that I would occasionally hear about. Because it's like it would be these like non fiction bestsellers, right? Yeah, usually about World War II. And you know, it's like, yeah, why do you know, they get optioned and they sort of pass it around. But no, it's never been made.

[Ben Hosley]

Made.

[David Sims]

So Peter Weir says, the thing that changed is I no longer work with the studios. Right.

[Alex Ross Perry]

When is he saying this?

[David Sims]

Like, he's saying this in a 2012 interview, but he's saying like, from Witness through Mastering Commander, that's my studio period. They no longer make those kinds of films. Someone from a studio said to me recently, we're not in that kind of business anymore. I've watched the market change. This is all from around right after, right around when last, when this movie

[Griffin Newman]

comes out, when he has not yet

[David Sims]

claimed he's not retired. But he's like, what's changing? He Says I watched the market change moving towards what I would call children's programming.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay, Peter, Okay.

[David Sims]

I'm surprised that even amongst acquaintances and my friends of my children in their 30s, you revisit childhood by going to the cinema as an adult. I find that quite fascinating. I feel like when he says I find that quite fascinating, he means I don't like that or I think that's stupid.

[Griffin Newman]

Uh huh.

[David Sims]

Anyway, so he doesn't really want to make what he thinks of as a kid's movie. He wants to make a large canvas movie, which is basically what he's been doing. So he's looking around.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That is fascinating as this contraction happens that he's not like. I guess my move is looking at dead poets, looking at even something like fear. His move isn't like, you know, I've done that really well. Also I have made fairly small character dramas.

[David Sims]

Right. Like kind of a more widely pitched.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That seems like a lane I'm in now. And it's not like, oh well, I've grown out of that.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Even Truman show is kind of that. Even though it's fairly.

[David Sims]

The book he reads that he. In classic Peter Weir fashion, which I feel like is always the case with the movies he makes. It's like he can't stop thinking about it. He can't let it go. Is this book the Long Walk, which allegedly details a true story, although it seems like it's a very kind of like we're not really sure, totally sure

[Griffin Newman]

how true it is. What's real? Did it happen to the guy who wrote it? Did he steal someone else's story?

[David Sims]

Or was it like a tale?

[Griffin Newman]

And then Weir himself has admitted that basically he wrote a fictional movie based on the account that is questionable.

[David Sims]

What if you escape from a Soviet labor camp camp in Siberia and marched by foot through Siberia, China, the Gobi Desert, Tibet and the Himalayas, all the way to India. And what if you had to walk so far? He read Anne Applebaum, my co worker Anne Applebaum works at the Atlantic. Her book Gulag. He gets very interested in the gulag and like, you know, all this and then the feat of endurance and the tenacity of human beings and survival stories. I guess he never really quite made that kind of a movie. But that was kind of a movie in the 90s early. Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Like Peter Weir says, I've gotten really interested in gulags and American studio heads are salivating. He could not be swinging further away from the interests of the studios at this moment.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, they want, you know, Guantanamo. That's like a cool prison for us now. We don't want to see Russians in

[Griffin Newman]

prison in 2006 in any Guantanamo related filming. This was an era where they were all hitting big at the box office. People wanted to see movies about Peter.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Are interested in imprisoning men from the Middle east or just Russians, because we'll

[Griffin Newman]

keep green lighting those despite audiences telling us please stop now.

[David Sims]

I can't. I will mispronounce the name of the author of this book, Slavomir Rock Roich. I'm not sure I think that's correct. But BBC Radio 4 in 2006 had attempted to verify his account. They walked away being like, this is likely not true.

[Griffin Newman]

That's offensive. Also that they walked away because that's kind of like hitting them where it hurts.

[David Sims]

He was a prisoner in the gulag. We can't find evidence that he escaped. Possibly someone else escaped and he's telling their story. Something like that. So Weir gets jumpy and is kind of like, okay, well fucking I don't want to do it then if it's controversial. But then he finds that three men had done a walk like this and they do more research and so he decides to kind of re fictionalize it. That's why he retitles the movie. Not because of Stephen King, because he's like, I don't want to be presented really as a straight adaptation of this book that's a little, you know, muddy. He goes and talks to these people. The one guy, Glinsky, Wiltot Glinsky, who lives in Cornwall, who he said basically

[Griffin Newman]

was like his first major hire and was the primary consultant on the movie. This making of thing on the Blu Ray has a lot of him talking to all the actors about how to do everything and what it physically felt like.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Come on guys, one foot in front of the other. You know the deal.

[Griffin Newman]

But basically, yeah, this guy, like a survivalist who decided to like. It'd be an interesting challenge to see if we can do the thing from this book. Did it with a group of guys and then he basically writes a fictional movie based on this guy's accounts of what the emotional experience was like.

[David Sims]

Right. He meets with other people who had maybe trekked through the Himalayas. Well, you know, he's coming to it as truthfully as he can. He also hired Anne Appleback. I had no. I should have emailed Anne. I mean, she's a bigger shot than me, but she does work in the Atlantic and I've been on many a zoom with her.

[Griffin Newman]

Is she in the slack? Can you like, she's in Slack?

[David Sims]

Yeah, I could probably.

[Griffin Newman]

Could you ask right now, like, hey, anything you want to tell us about gulags? Quick takes on gulag?

[Alex Ross Perry]

She's on the gulag beat for the Atlantic.

[David Sims]

You're saying, well, she. She writes about, like, political oppression in Eastern Europe by. A lot about Russia.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

She does man the Gulag Day desk.

[David Sims]

I really honestly cannot be flippant about this. So.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm not being flippant. I think our joke is more that

[Alex Ross Perry]

what she's doing sounds very serious. And I like the idea of someone talking about political oppression in Eastern Europe and you being like, so here's who has three Oscars and why. Anne says, david, I wrote the book

[David Sims]

on the Gulag and says that, Peter,

[Alex Ross Perry]

please stop sending me memes of the Slack.

[David Sims]

Used him as a sounding board, you know. And then she and other professors direct into survivors and all that. Look, the way back, what you're also hearing in my accounting of all this is this took years. His process just seems so slow because he's so meticulous.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But that also used to be allowed. That also used to be forgivable for these filmmakers that prioritized, like, authenticity, research, verisimilitude and their storytelling. It used to be like, you're vaguely being paid to develop this while you do research for two years. And I'm sure Master and Commander had a similar kind of heavy lift of, like, approaching the time period.

[Griffin Newman]

We also talked about that. Yeah, I think absolutely, yes, on the Truman show episode. But, like, because Cary's dance card is so full, he gets two and a half years to prep that movie while he waits for him to run through his other contractual obligations. And, like, when movies have major budgets like this and people go, why did it cost this much?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Much?

[Griffin Newman]

Sometimes, like, those are major factors. And those are things that studios refuse to spend money on. Now, I would say, basically, is like, we'll let you work for like, a year and a half with like, a small staff to just figure out how you're going to approach this.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. And he really did the most with that kind of thing.

[Griffin Newman]

And that's the kind of thing where if you had a list actors attached, they would grant you that. Because they were like, well, if it's Mel Gibson, if it's Harrison Ford, if it's Russell Crowe, we think we will make back that investment. Yeah, right. The money we spend on your research. But the thing is, will be paid opening weekend.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But I lament that is obviously dead and gone. That he represents is, like, whether they Knew it or not, almost every time. These were forever movies.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Like, obviously, Year of Living Dangerously is not like, you know, a basic cable classic, but these movies last forever.

[Griffin Newman]

Master Commander is a great example of that where I'm just like, certain that movie has gone into profit many times over now. At the time of release, it was seen as a breaky and even like

[Alex Ross Perry]

Dead Poets just becoming like, what it is.

[Griffin Newman]

But that was a major hit at the time and then has just become like an.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, but these are forever movies. He really just had this instinct of making something that wouldn't age at all,

[Griffin Newman]

but that was not the way they were thinking at that time. And you also imagine if Peter Weir's like, cool, I'm gonna like, not rush and take my time to develop this movie. Every six months that he spends working on this film. The chances of this getting made in any traditional way are like, cut in half.

[David Sims]

Also, like. Like, this only gets more old out of fashion.

[Griffin Newman]

That's what I'm saying.

[David Sims]

Yeah. It's just like each passing year, it's

[Griffin Newman]

like you're losing the last development exec at each studio who would maybe greenlight something like this and have the power to do so.

[David Sims]

No studio is making this. Instead, it's funded by exclusive media group, Spitfire Pictures, Image Nation Entertainment, which is the film division of Abu Dhabi and National Geographic.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Image Nation is still very active.

[David Sims]

It is. But none of these are obviously like,

[Alex Ross Perry]

pay for a lot of shutters movies. They're very. You'll see that logo a lot.

[David Sims]

No, I know the logo very well. It's a very.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I know the logo and I think it's a very.

[Griffin Newman]

You have it tattooed on your chest.

[David Sims]

Yeah, that would be weird. So.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But that's when. That's when shit gets very depressing for me of this generation or this level of filmmaker where you see the independent cobbled together financing from all the people who are probably in jail now for one reason or another.

[Griffin Newman]

For the red granites of the world.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. Financial crimes in their own country. And just the idea that he's going hat in hand to the Middle east trying to get $5 million for a chunk of his epic. This is just really bad when this starts happening.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, but you asking, as we

[Alex Ross Perry]

sit here in the shambles of Roquet, the collapsing nature of being able to support things that are just obviously of interest to audiences.

[David Sims]

I haven't done a deep dive on

[Alex Ross Perry]

RO K. Well, we keep sending you the links. I know what's holding you up.

[David Sims]

I looked at one of the articles, but it does seem like there's. They're like, we think there's a market for this stuff that's not really getting picked up at film festivals right now. And then they're like, it turns out there's not a huge market. There might be a reason a lot of stuff's not going picked up. Yeah. RO distributor that has like did Dead Man's Wire.

[Griffin Newman]

Right, Right. Basically, like formed a year ago where, like we got a lot of financing and there's more product than there are distributors these days. There's stuff getting left at the table at festivals. And also there's not enough stuff being put in. The theater will buy these movies and we'll back them fully and we'll overpay because we know we basically need to pay a tax on being so new, of course, that filmmakers are wary to trust that we'll support their film.

[Alex Ross Perry]

What they forgot is when you do that, you have to fail for like two years.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. And instead they failed on one movie and are now insolvent.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, I agree.

[Griffin Newman]

Like five other movies they've bought that are now like, are we ever coming out?

[Alex Ross Perry]

I sent the best. The best triptych of images to illuminate this narrative.

[Griffin Newman]

But Newmark, the duff. Yeah, yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

30 minutes later. Out of business. Yes, but.

[Griffin Newman]

But this new.

[Alex Ross Perry]

New market is to me like seeing that logo and looking it up. This is their penultimate movie. Yeah. They're out of business probably when this movie's coming out. Right. Essentially. And this is just super depressing. Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

And this is, I mean.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I mean their final. Do you know what. Did you. Did you look up new market. The new market chronology. Because their first film, much like National Geographic, is another film you've covered Memento. Yeah, yeah.

[David Sims]

I mean, that's what I.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So they have this like 10 year miracle run that ends basically with this, followed by the Joseph Gordon Levitt heavy metal movie Hescher.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, right.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And then they're done.

[Griffin Newman]

Because am I mistaken that they were a production company and they couldn't find a buyer for Memento. And Bob Bernie was like, fuck it. I'm going to figure out how to release this.

[Alex Ross Perry]

What we now call a black bear.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes, it's a bit of a black bear.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Can't find a buyer for the rifles of Amia King. It. We'll release it ourselves. We'll show you guys how much money there is in beekeeping thrillers.

[Griffin Newman]

They were primarily financier production company. But then they have this run of Memento. Donnie Darko, Real Woman have.

[David Sims]

Donnie Darko was a giant Bomb. But real women have curbs.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I mean,

[Griffin Newman]

and then Passion the Christ is the most successful independent film in history.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, they probably didn't have a very favorable split on that with. With. No, with Mel. But.

[Griffin Newman]

No, Mel took home the lion's share. But it is crazy that they released Passion of the Christ. They successfully got that movie to like record breaking numbers that records that still hold. And seven years later they were gone.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. No, they're a major player in this mid aughts boom time of kind of like big small movies.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. But they could like last 4 years of struggle. Whereas like ro k can't survive one movie. And if the Way Back screened at TIFF last year, RO K would have been the only place that offered.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. Or it's like the Eden, Ron Howard's movie. That's like kind of a similar Peter. That's kind of. I like that movie. I don't know if you guys saw it.

[David Sims]

I did not care for that movie at all.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I think we can all agree it's very strong and. But that is to me like that

[David Sims]

was released by Vertical.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yes, but that is the state of the Peter Weir type of movie now is that it's like, why did this person make this? What were they thinking? Who on earth would release this? And then it comes out and everyone's like, what is this?

[Griffin Newman]

Well, and no, to your earlier point where you're like, why wouldn't. At this inflection point in the industry, we're pivot back to something like Dead Poet Society that is easier to make.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He could have made three more of those.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. Because it's like that movie had a budget that maybe a studio wouldn't give him.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You know, the answer is he doesn't

[David Sims]

want to do that anymore. He says, I want to work on a big campus. I'm not interested.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. So like. Right. You could more easily make a cheaper version of Dead Poet Society than you can make a cheap version of the Way Back. But I do think there's almost like a lifestyle creep. A like scale creepy creep.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You're saying Peter Weir is ballin' like he needs the money.

[Griffin Newman]

It's beyond that. I think these guys get addicted to the challenge of how difficult it is to mount these big productions especially.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But that's the thing.

[Griffin Newman]

Like if you're successful at doing it, you know how to do it and like maintain the story thread within it and like hold on to dramatic, you know, and artistic integrity, then I think it's hard for you to scale down. Like Ridley Scott is a weird I thought a lot about Ridley Deception, who will just throw in a like, fucking good year in between the movies.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I thought about Ridley Scott with this movie a lot because they're very similar in a lot of ways in the scope of what they do and in their kind of hit ratio of forever movies. But for some reason, Ridley Scotch has figured out how to never slow down.

[David Sims]

Well, he works fast and the movies he makes can be a little sloppy as a result, although often they really are good. He also works with big stars, which I feel like Peter Weir is clearly getting sick of. Eden, I think is a really good comp for the way back because that movie is also really dreary and about survival and like, you know, it's these people who went to live on an island and it's like it's based on a true story. And they're like, what do you think happened when in 1931, like, a bunch of randos decided to live on, like, a random island in the Galapagos Islands? I'm like, did it go badly? And they're like, oh, yeah, it did. We were hoping to surprise you with that. Like, you know what I mean, where they're like. Like 50 minutes in, they're like, it's starting to get worse. And I was like, yeah, I called that from the beginning. Jude Law and Sydney Sweeney, we're not going to recreate society, sure.

[Griffin Newman]

But that movie was also, like, cure five of the hottest people

[David Sims]

don't do

[Alex Ross Perry]

sex needed to restart society. Sydney Sweeney showed up causing trouble.

[David Sims]

No, that's the thing.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You're.

[David Sims]

It's like. It's like, oh, it's Anna Das and Sydney Sweeney. And you're like, oh, do they look good? It's like, no, they're like starving and, like, their pieces are dirty.

[Alex Ross Perry]

God, David's really throwing some shade on the. These beautiful actresses here. I thought it was solid to a fault.

[David Sims]

This is the same with Nuremberg, where everyone's like, oh, Nuremberg was good.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Including our friend, second best movie of the year.

[David Sims]

And I'm like, no, you guys are forgetting how good these movies used to be. That movie stunk. Like, it's no good and it's all gray and like, it anyway.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Forgetting how good they used to be.

[David Sims]

The way back, there's always a temptation to cast a nationality. Weir says, but that gets impractical. Sure. He didn't want all American. He didn't want all English guys doing accents. So he wants a mix of guys. He sure gets a mix.

[Alex Ross Perry]

When Ed Harris started talking, were you guys like, that's cool. He's just not doing a voice.

[David Sims]

I did briefly go like, oh, so, right. Are we just doing. But then, like, Colin is like, oh, he's American. Colin's speaking Russian.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Like he's not doing.

[David Sims]

And I'm like, okay, so we're not doing that. We're not doing.

[Griffin Newman]

Everyone's Russian. I'm just gonna respect it, though. Cause I'm going into the movie originally thinking I'm gonna hear Ed Harris full Irish brogue, right. For two hours and 10 minutes. And then the movie starts, and I'm like, ed Harris could be playing any nationality.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I didn't know it got this cold in Ireland. Truly.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm looking at this. I'm like, the potato. That's why the potatoes died. They froze.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Looks like the Arctic Circle here. This is crazy.

[David Sims]

So Ed Harris is obviously. Has already worked with Peter Weir. They respect each other. And so that another weird superpower is

[Alex Ross Perry]

kind of keeping people. Not forever a couple Fords. Couple Mels.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. Guts.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Interesting that Ed to have a couple heads. But Ed's like, his, like, in the pocket supporting mvp Both times.

[David Sims]

Yeah, for sure. For sure.

[Griffin Newman]

It might not surprise you guys to hear that in this making of a special feature, Ed Harris seemed really activated by how difficult this shoot was. And I'm not being.

[David Sims]

No, he was really into. I think he's also just into Peter Weir, because Peter Weir similarly intense with, like, let's fucking figure out, like, what bread they ate or whatever. You know what I mean? Like, let's do deep research, get into the character Harris.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He's obviously in the news lately with arm candy for Amy Madigan. Yeah, he's just the fucking best. He's just like one of these. Like, he's never, ever been bad.

[David Sims]

Truly.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And has never really been given credit for how consistently awesome he has been.

[David Sims]

That's a great question.

[Griffin Newman]

What's his worst performance?

[David Sims]

Harrison, where you're like. Because he does a ton of movies where you're like, okay, he's phoning this in.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I stopped watching Westworld, but that's.

[David Sims]

No, but I loved him in Westworld.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But then he started giving interviews where he's like, well, I'm phoning it in now. Because they changed the character. And I don't like this new.

[David Sims]

It is right? It is true that they kind of are like, twist, by the way, now you're a robot. And he said he was sick of it. He was still good.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He was like, I signed up to play the man in black. Now I'm the man in white. I'M phoning it in now, but, like,

[Griffin Newman]

I'm looking through here.

[David Sims]

Ian McKellen said that once upon a time.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't think I have seen an embarrassing Ed Harris performance.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He couldn't embarrass himself if he tried.

[Griffin Newman]

Like, I haven't seen Radio, but I imagine he acquits himself better than anyone else in the cast of that film.

[David Sims]

That's pretty close, though, because I haven't seen that either.

[Griffin Newman]

It's embarrassing that he's in it. Sure.

[David Sims]

I would say that's also the era, the sort of post he gets a bunch of. N0.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

That early 2000s, where you kind of feel like him trying to sniff for an Oscar.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He's on the post. Well, Polly, he got so close.

[David Sims]

Well, but then see A Beautiful Mind, which he's good in. He's really good in Enemy at the Gates, where he's.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Which rocks. I was thinking of Enemy as a gangster in this. We're talking about great Russian. Russian war narrative, the Hours, which, like,

[David Sims]

is an undeserved Oscar nominee. He's not, like, bad in it, but that. That's my least favorite part of the Hours. When it's on the movie, I like.

[Griffin Newman]

That's when he felt like he's in territory, and it's inevitable he's gonna get one. So.

[David Sims]

You know what I've never seen is the Human Stain, which is a book I love.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Right. I've never seen that either, but.

[David Sims]

And he has. He has the most interesting part in it if it's the part from the book that I remember. But no, you know, that was forgotten.

[Griffin Newman]

But I also think he's starting to get into this era where, like, Beautiful Mind, for whatever reason, was, like, driven to rewatch the trailer recently. Because I was like, is my memory correct about this, that the marketing of the movie was just selling the CIA so hard.

[David Sims]

He's the other name on the poster.

[Griffin Newman]

Exactly. Russell Crowe. Ed Harris and the trailer.

[David Sims]

No, it's Russell Crowe, A Beautiful Mind.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, Ed Harris.

[David Sims]

A tiny little Ed Harris.

[Griffin Newman]

But, like, Jennifer Connelly's barely in the trailer. They obviously don't show the Paul Betany stuff like that movie was.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So they can. He's not real.

[David Sims]

Right?

[Alex Ross Perry]

You can't put him in the trailer.

[Griffin Newman]

That movie, Soldier, told itself as a badass story about a cool CIA analyst. And so the trailer and all the marketing was so Ed Harris heavy. And then you watch the movie and you're like, oh, Ed Harris is the red herring. And I feel like History of Violence is the same thing.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, he's obviously remarkable in that he's so incredible.

[David Sims]

But.

[Griffin Newman]

But, like, you're like, this should have been an Oscar nominee. You're like, well, but then William Hurt.

[David Sims]

Yeah, right.

[Griffin Newman]

The same kind of thing happens with Jennifer Connelly in like.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, sure.

[Griffin Newman]

He's used in a way that's making it easy to take him for granted because you don't walk out of the movie thinking about his character.

[David Sims]

We haven't even started.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Have you guys rewatched Pollock recently?

[Griffin Newman]

No.

[David Sims]

No, I actually been meaning to.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So good.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Pollock rocks.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It is such a good movie. He's so good in it. Well, he directed Appalooza. Did you ever see that?

[David Sims]

He wrote Appaloosa, I believe. Did he direct it, too?

[Griffin Newman]

He directed it.

[David Sims]

Let me look it up.

[Griffin Newman]

Did he direct the Beethoven movie?

[David Sims]

Beethoven's accent. Beethoven.

[Alex Ross Perry]

We both said the same thing.

[Griffin Newman]

Something I'm trying to tee you up here.

[David Sims]

Yeah. So, yeah. Written, directed. Written and directed.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I saw Appaloosa.

[David Sims]

Did you see Apple?

[Alex Ross Perry]

I've never seen Appalooza. Do love a modern Western. It's very solid. It feels like he kind of wanted to make Go.

[David Sims]

I always confuse it with Hidalgo because they both have Vigo and they both have names where you're like, huh, yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Agneska Holland.

[Alex Ross Perry]

A place. And Hidalgo is a horse.

[Griffin Newman]

Correct. Yeah.

[David Sims]

But those are the only two movies he directed.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's interesting he hasn't done more of that. He's just awesome.

[David Sims]

I interviewed him and he was so scary. As I brought up many times on

[Griffin Newman]

this podcast, Jim Sturgis makes a comment in the special feature saying, like, I always pitied the PA who had to go up to head Harris and tell him cameras were ready.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Pity the fool.

[Griffin Newman]

He pities the fool. Okay, so did you.

[David Sims]

Jim Sturgis.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Did you see him in To Kill a Mockingbird or something?

[David Sims]

Yes, I interviewed him for To Kill a Mockingbird. That was why I interviewed him. He was good.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You can't act like talking about Ed Harris isn't talking about this movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Can I bring up the Ed Harris stuff relevant to this movie? I want to. To say finish. Finish your anecdote.

[David Sims]

No. No. What?

[Griffin Newman]

No, I'm sorry. You interviewed at Harris.

[David Sims]

No, it's fine. What are you going to say? He wants to talk.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Sturgis.

[David Sims]

What were you going to say?

[Alex Ross Perry]

What was.

[Griffin Newman]

David loves Sturgis and he's got a lot of Sturgis things. No, that he was like, he likes the good burn so much that they talked about. They built a set for the woods where they could control the elements just in Case, like, you know, the scheduling didn't line up. They tried to shoot most of this movie chronologically, so they had a large indoor wood set that they could redress and have a snow machine or have sand or whatever the fuck. And Ed Harris would, like, get to set every day. And he'd be like, peter, come on, let's just go out there. Let's just go out there and do it. If it's snowing, we'll wake all these guys up at 2 o' clock in the morning. Everyone would do it. That he, like, really wanted to be in pain.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, he's the best. He was good in Love Lies Bleeding. Also, he's great in Love Lies.

[David Sims]

He's great in Love Lies Bleeding.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He's good. He's a guy who's now devolved.

[David Sims]

The only problem with Love Lies Bleeding is he's like, I'm your dad, and. Oh, like, you're like, 78 years old.

[Griffin Newman]

He's so cool.

[David Sims]

But it doesn't matter.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's like Duval, when we were saying after he died, it's just like, this guy just was awesome forever. Awesome forever.

[David Sims]

And also was a guy where everyone was like, yeah, but he's, like, kind of scary and a pain in the ass. And you're like, yeah, well, I don't give a shit. Like, so.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Because he has such an intense amount of integrity for the craft of acting.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes. The other Ed Harris anecdote was that they. He was like, you know, they were saying that when they'd be setting up at. Harris would, like, wander off, like, a hundred miles away from where everyone else was, far away, and just stand by himself. And he was like, it's great being in nature. You're in these places where no one is, and you can just.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Like, Clint Eastwood.

[Griffin Newman]

You can really hear things.

[David Sims]

We compares him to Clint Eastwood says, like, I think he has a bit of a Clint thing. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

He was like, this is the privilege of being away from all the noise and the cacophony and you can actually listen to nature, except to make a movie. And there's always 140. 40 people yapping about. Sorry. Sturgis is like, so one day, Ed Harris, like, the PA comes over and Ed Harris just starts screaming. Can everyone be quiet for five minutes? We need to connect to the land before we film. And then everyone's saying, like. And he was right. And it was incredible how different the next take was. Like, this is all the stuff in the interviews. Sure. That felt very squad tattoo.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Like, then in the way back, which of Course, I assume at this point has been nominated for 10 more Oscars.

[Griffin Newman]

Beyond that, it's like, do you know that like Vincent D' Onofrio gained 60 pounds for full metal Jacket. Like everyone assumes they're telling the stories that will go down in history about the commitment to the craft and the struggle in this movie. David.

[David Sims]

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[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

No minimum balance fees.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

No monthly fees. Like I said, it makes your everyday spending work harder by delivering real rewards and progress.

[Griffin Newman]

It's got some stacked benefits if you ask me.

[David Sims]

You can earn up to 3% APY on savings that's 7 times higher than a traditional bank.

[Griffin Newman]

Add that to the stack.

[David Sims]

Rated 5 stars by USA Today. Real Humans 24. 7 of 5 stars is the customer service. Well, so the people will pick up the phone when you call them and

[Griffin Newman]

you go, good job. Thank you for that good service.

[David Sims]

And they've got a great way to build credit history with your own money. They've got a new card that unlocks safer credit. Building cash back.

[Griffin Newman]

That's the sound of me running the card against the chimes again.

[David Sims]

No annual fees, no interest, no strings attached. You're going to get 1.5% cash back on eligible Chime card purchase purchases when you get qualifying direct deposits. Okay. My younger self would have benefited from this. I needed something like this back when I was overdrafting once in a while. Little David with those fees. Chime is not just smarter banking. It's the most rewarding way to bank join the millions who are already banking fee free today. It takes just a few minutes to sign up. Head to chime.comblankcheck that is chime.com blankcheck

[Griffin Newman]

Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services, a secured Chime Visa credit card and my pay line of credit provided by the Bancor Bank NA or Stride Bank NA. MyPay eligibility requirements apply and credit limit ranges $20 to $500. Optional services and products may have fees or charges. See chime.com feesinfo advertised annual percentage yield with Chime+ status only. Otherwise, 1.00% APY applies. No min balance required. Chime card on time. Payment history may have a positive impact on your credit score. Results may vary. See chime.com for details and applicable terms. David?

[David Sims]

Yes?

[Griffin Newman]

You know what that is?

[David Sims]

It's someone walking towards me. Who is it?

[Griffin Newman]

The sound of a new franchise on Blank Check Special features. Our Patreon feed. And I'm a little biased. The franchise is one belonging to my good friend robocop.

[David Sims]

He's your friend?

[Griffin Newman]

I sometimes call him Robert Cop.

[David Sims]

We've decided to collaborate with him by watching the movies that he's.

[Griffin Newman]

No payola. We're doing this of our own volition.

[David Sims]

Yeah, of course.

[Griffin Newman]

But we do of course acknowledge that he is a good friend. We're covering his film. His two direct sequels, RoboCop and RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3, the original trilogy, the greatest movie ever made. And two movies that make me want to eat glass. And we will also be covering the remake which makes me want to eat glass laced in poison. Yeah.

[David Sims]

But look forward to that. Also we're covering the Billie Eilish movie. Probably as long as that came out.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Out.

[Griffin Newman]

I hope it came out. I really hope it came out.

[David Sims]

Our series. Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

And Supergirl. And we'll be covering Supergirl and Supergirl

[David Sims]

right at the end there.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

And we do talk about robocop's dick.

[Griffin Newman]

I. I don't have much to say. I really kind of sit back.

[David Sims]

He takes a bow of monk silence.

[Griffin Newman]

I just have some work to do, some emails to catch up on and they're not really my movies. So there's not much I could really can contribute to the conversation.

[Ben Hosley]

So we're kicking off that series series here today, June 1st. And that's a preview for what's to come throughout June into July.

[Griffin Newman]

Absolutely.

[Ben Hosley]

So check it out. [e-mail] link checks.

[David Sims]

Jim Sturgis, Ascendant, as we said. Possibly.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Possibly.

[David Sims]

Weir says he saw across the Universe. Okay. If you say so.

[Griffin Newman]

You're questioning whether he saw it.

[David Sims]

It doesn't really feel like something he'd run to.

[Griffin Newman]

Probably likes the Beatles.

[David Sims]

Yeah, maybe. Right. He thought he had a quality. And then he said in meeting him he has a very interesting manner. He's got a kindness to him. Was keen to not have a typical hero. I'm willing to believe that Peter Weir feels this way. My whole thing with Jim Sturges is I'm like he never has read as much of anything to me.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Even watching this movie.

[David Sims]

He's fine. He's like an adequate looking guy who's fin.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He blends in with like these other five guys in the movie. Even though you know he's the lead, there's no doubt that at this time, Weir's told like, this is a guy that you really want to put in the center of the movie.

[David Sims]

And probably like, you know he'll do it like, right, he'll fucking do four months in Bulgaria for you.

[Griffin Newman]

He wants to do it. He wants to be like, I'm getting like the real serious actor. Heavy lift shit. You also. You talk about this phenomenon all the time, Art, but like the guy who is bankable, who. You can get a green light for any project with this guy for like exactly two weeks. You know, where Hollywood's just like, we think if we invest in this guy now, two years from now, he will be worth five times as much as we paid. So he is like a go picture green light activator. I mean, and it's a guy who either has like hits that you can't credit to him or hasn't had a hit yet. But the charisma is so strong in movies that didn't make money.

[David Sims]

But this is what I don't understand, because he's not. So that's the thing. Okay, but we must remember what we

[Alex Ross Perry]

are wants here clearly is like Mel Gibson and Gallipoli.

[David Sims]

Yeah, sure, I want to be finding someone with a bit of a. Who's young but has a little bit of earth to him or something. But like, across the Universe was a colossal bomb. It was incredibly expensive.

[Alex Ross Perry]

0707.

[David Sims]

Then in 2008, he's in the Other Boleyn Girl, which is a movie that I think, like, made its budget back and did fine, but was really poorly received.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And I do not. I don't even remember him in that.

[David Sims]

He's the fucking. He's not on the poster.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Isn't the poster.

[David Sims]

Because Bana's doing this while girls are thinking he's Amberlynn's brother.

[Griffin Newman]

I was gonna say he's the other Bolin guy.

[David Sims]

He is the other Boleyn guy.

[Griffin Newman]

But across the universe, sort of the

[Alex Ross Perry]

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Of the other Bolin franchise, he was

[Griffin Newman]

a Julie Taymor discovery. This is Amy Pascal, Sony. Across the Universe is delayed for a long time. Amy Pascal loved, like, discovering stars and like, keeping them in the stable and betting on them. So they threw him onto 21, which is also Sony, and he's the face of that movie.

[David Sims]

Like he's front and center on the post.

[Griffin Newman]

Movie is a hit.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it's a solid.

[Alex Ross Perry]

They let Spacey be frank in that movie. There's only one reason you make the money. Let him be frank.

[David Sims]

And so that movie has made money. Like, it made, like 80 mil domestic. Like, it was like a solid. And after that, I mean, I assume we're getting close to when this movie starts to be made, but it's crossing over, AKA Woke Crash.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

Which. Which went nowhere.

[Griffin Newman]

That was also delayed for years.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Because Sean Penn was in it and he demanded they cut him out. Out of it. There was a whole plotline with Shot Penn where he didn't like the politics of the final movie, and he said he somehow had the power to get his whole story, chunk removed.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Bob, honey, do stuff.

[David Sims]

He was in the film Heartless, directed by the great Philip Ridley, which I've never seen, which is sort of like the last time Ridley made a movie. This year, obviously has the insane one, two punch of way back in Legend of the the Isles of ga'.

[Griffin Newman]

Hool. He's the main voice in ga'. Hool.

[David Sims]

Right. I mean, so, I mean, at this point, his agent is basically just imagining, like, how. How big a vault will I need for the gold coins I'm gonna be making off this guy?

[Griffin Newman]

And then One Day with Anne Hathaway and Cloud Atlas are like the last two movies of what feel like the things that he got on after 21.

[David Sims]

Cloud Atlas is one of my favorite movies. And it's one of those things where you're like, oh, right, and Jim Sturgis.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

You know, like all the other guys, you're like, cool. And then he's there too, because then

[Griffin Newman]

it's five years of movies you haven't heard. And then, like, Dean Devlin tries to make him the hero at the center of Geostorm, and then it goes back into movies you've never heard of.

[David Sims]

I think he's done some tv.

[Griffin Newman]

Has he?

[Alex Ross Perry]

No way to know.

[David Sims]

There kind of is no way to know. But he was the star of Feed the Beast on amc, and then he was the star of Home Before Dark on Apple TV with Brooklyn Prince, of course. And then he was the star of Jesus Mixtape, which premiered on Binge.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Why are you saying things we all know?

[David Sims]

What the fuck is going on? On?

[Griffin Newman]

You're wasting airtime.

[David Sims]

Okay, so he cast Jim Sturgis. Like, that sounds great.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It just feels very. Yeah. Like Griffin says, it's like, if you need a guy of this age, he's. I'm sure 10 people passed on this movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. But like 10 years earlier, it's. Or not even like five years earlier. It's. It's Ewan McGregor or it's Colin Farrell or it's, you know, Gyllenhaal.

[David Sims]

Yeah. With Farrell, as we often will hear about Farrell, I feel like they meet and Peter Weir was like, he's really fucking fun to talk to and hang out with. He had the. Like. I was not going in thinking this was his part. He walked out with the part.

[Griffin Newman]

He's relishing. It feels like this opportunity to Eastern

[Alex Ross Perry]

promises in terms of art.

[David Sims]

Is.07, maybe?

[Alex Ross Perry]

No.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, it is.

[David Sims]

Yeah.07.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Really?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I thought it was like nine or ten.

[Griffin Newman]

It's seven.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay. So tolerance for, like, tattooed Russian convicts

[Griffin Newman]

is high through the roof.

[David Sims]

The Q score is immense.

[Griffin Newman]

The public is demanding it. They're angry every time they show up in a theater and that kind of guy doesn't show up.

[David Sims]

Where's a guy with, like a weird knife that he talks to?

[Alex Ross Perry]

This performance I found very subtle and moving.

[David Sims]

Oh, yeah, Ben, I do. I fucking love. What I love about the way back is that you're like, okay, then they're all gonna die. And Weir's like, no, actually only a couple. And some of them will just kind of stop walking for other reasons.

[Griffin Newman]

They're just like, you know what? I'm tapping out.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Ferrell's just like, ah, Mongolia. I fucking love Stalin, though.

[Griffin Newman]

I was, like, actually bummed he didn't get a big dramatic death scene or

[David Sims]

just a big dramatic anything.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. Ben, this is a tattooed, crazy convict whose best friend is a knife he calls wolf. What did you think of this part of the movie and the general dryness of this movie?

[Ben Hosley]

Well, it was a subtle performance.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Best friend is a knife.

[Ben Hosley]

His best friend is a knife. You know, it's like one of the few objects he has left.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

So of course I understand why it's so important to him. Reminding him of, you know, before he became, I mean, a gulag prisoner.

[David Sims]

If Ferrell wasn't going big in this movie. Movie, it would be tough because, like, everyone else is pretty lowkey in this movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Frell. Getting the and in this movie, it starts immediately. Farrell has the juice, and I'm like, I'm going to hate it when he's out at the end of the first act.

[David Sims]

Right, right.

[Griffin Newman]

Because he's so front loaded that the only reason he would get the and is if he has an early exit.

[David Sims]

And instead it's no mark Strong exits in the first act. And Farrell exits in the second act.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Ben Hosley]

Okay, But Russian prison tattoos are awesome. And it was definitely something that went across my desk at one point in my life.

[Alex Ross Perry]

There was like that book that was everywhere. It was like Urban Outfitters on the counter. Book of Russian tattoos. That's why you have those diamonds on your kneecaps, right?

[Ben Hosley]

Well, of course.

[David Sims]

Saoirse Ronan. I mean, there's no. You don't need to explain casting her, but as Peter Weir says, she's got an old soul, she's so talented, blah, blah. I mean, like, obviously you fucking cast her.

[Griffin Newman]

Was my experience watching this movie last night. You see just her frame off in the distance. Right. Guys see someone walking towards them and I was like, oh, my God, Yes, Here we go, sir. Oh, no, wait. This is one of those movies where she's still a child.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Just immediately was like, oh, right, she's a little kid in this.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

I mean she's probably.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I think there's a Peggy Seagull, Jeffrey Epstein email to that same. That same effect.

[Griffin Newman]

Almost definitely.

[David Sims]

She would have been about 15 or 16 when she made really? Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay. Yeah, she's old.

[Alex Ross Perry]

When's atonement? Isn't Atonement Atonement 07, your favorite?

[David Sims]

The year you can't remember clearly.

[Griffin Newman]

And then Lovely Bones is 08 and City of Ember is 09.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, everyone knows that.

[Griffin Newman]

Everyone knows that.

[David Sims]

I haven't checked in with the City of Ember recently.

[Griffin Newman]

Going great.

[David Sims]

So this film was shot in Bulgaria and Morocco. Some shooting in India, I think. Right. For the end. So the Bulgarian forest became the Siberian forest. Crazy. Morocco is the Gobi Desert. Crazy. Okay, cool. They weren't actually going to be able to film in the real Gobi Desert or Russia because of problems that would come up with doing that. Bulgaria obviously has like old Soviet era studios. They're being used now. I mean, this is how you make the. Any movie these days.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Sure. Yeah.

[David Sims]

And they. He had to shoot on location. It was an advantage visually. It's advantage psychologically. I wanted to create true emotion for the audience and connect with these people. I mean, you know, they're all. It's what you're talking about, Griffin. It's like they're all talking about this movie with so much integrity and so seriously. And it was so hard to make it it. And they're all giving these interviews, I assume because these all interviews are all from January 2011. Being like. But it was all worth it to make the way back.

[Griffin Newman]

I just want the listener to know that ARP has Entered the bathroom. We just need to quickly, I think, give some space to make sure no toilets are broken. No oops are loudly uttered. I just want to. I just. We're a little bit on edge until we hear the flush.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Just knowing the history of ARP in this bathroom. I was going to.

[David Sims]

I'm trying to find if there's any other, you know, there's nothing else that's like, really that interesting about how they made this movie. To me, honestly, it.

[Griffin Newman]

It is.

[David Sims]

They shot on location. It was really hard.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Weir kept saying he had this running bit and the making of thing about how he had to approach casting the locations. Like he was casting actors because they couldn't film in most of the real places that they walked through. So then it's like, which country is going to double for which other country? But this movie truly, like, had four months of filming across multiple continents.

[David Sims]

Right, right. And then the film exits production and doesn't have a distributor. Yeah. Like they can't find a regist now it is like it's post recession, I guess. Like, that's what Weir is saying.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay, we're here in a flush. We're here in a flush. All good. So are.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay.

[Ben Hosley]

The seat is down.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

But after, like, it basically takes until they play at the Telluride Film Festival and New Market signs on. So that's in September 2010.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

So, like, it really was like touch and go if this was even going to get released in 2010. I guess.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. And I'm sure you remember it was just on all these lists of like. And maybe this is a chance for like an Ed Harris curse career.

[David Sims]

There wasn't like a Focus campaign Harris career cap, but there was a. Weir usually gets nods.

[Griffin Newman]

There's a Peter Weir movie that many people haven't seen, but, like, it might be able to score in a few categories. And then looking through it, it's like it basically got zero precursor noms anywhere, not even critics groups. And then just kind of got the surprise makeup nomination.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You pointed out, like, both publicly and privately that even by this time, the strategy of, like, the Oscar hopeful movie comes out December 25th was just kind of cooked. It's a nightmare even then. You could. You couldn't do it put it in there that late. Especially with like a distributor that's probably like, at that point, just one person sitting on the floor in an empty office answering the phone. Correct.

[David Sims]

Right, Right. It's like, if you're gonna do that, you need to push, like an incredibly major campaign to get it like in front of everyone in this movie, it's like, no, but they walked. Their skin got so dry and people were like, uh huh, Ben, I mean,

[Alex Ross Perry]

you like the dryness, right? One of the drier movies.

[Ben Hosley]

It's very dry.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Cause you were probably. Cause you're watching Mosquito coast, you're like, like, this is the damp and muggy. I don't like this.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah, no, it looked really unpleasant.

[Griffin Newman]

Way too buggy.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Except for the mosquito part of this movie, which is fucked up.

[Ben Hosley]

It's so fucked up, I have to say that it looked unpleasant being in the desert.

[David Sims]

So you figured walking across the mobi desert by yourself with no possessions would be easy, but actually it seems like pretty shitty.

[Ben Hosley]

Yes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Now, Ben, you were saying that you ran out of your lozenges that, that you're fixated on now. Have you considered sucking on pebbles?

[Ben Hosley]

Hot pebbles?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Not just any pebble. It'll keep your mouth salivated.

[Griffin Newman]

Just get a little moisture out of it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You don't have to keep buying them. You can just find them and carry them around in your pocket.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, you save money.

[Ben Hosley]

Less sugar intake too, by far.

[David Sims]

I kept thinking, you know, pebbles have almost no sugar. It's actually crazy. We don't eat them all the time.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I wouldn't surprise people if Ben came in one day saying like, you know what I've started doing is sucking on rocks.

[David Sims]

I think I'd be a little alarmed.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I didn't say you wouldn't be alarmed.

[Griffin Newman]

I.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You said you wouldn't be surprised.

[Griffin Newman]

And then we find out he's selling bags of rocks.

[Ben Hosley]

I become a rock influencer. It's my new diet trick.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, rocks suck on rocks. I kept.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It works. And I mean, everyone in this movie is shedding the pounds.

[Griffin Newman]

That's true. Yeah, they're looking true.

[David Sims]

It'd be funny if like Gustav Sar Sword kept getting fatter. Like, how are you doing this? Like, there's one guy on the.

[Griffin Newman]

He's got a stash of fluffer.

[David Sims]

He's like, sandwiches or what? Yeah, I actually found a cotton candy machine. I haven't told you guys.

[Griffin Newman]

That's always a good bit.

[Alex Ross Perry]

David, did you overall like this movie?

[David Sims]

I think this movie's pretty good. Yes. I said like, I was basically like dreading watching it a little bit. And certainly there are parts of it that are. That are sad. And I was sad when people died and so on and so forth. But like the sort of procedural I like, I just felt like it wasn't too heavy on the like Revenant style. This was so Punishing, sure. You must be punished as they were punished.

[Griffin Newman]

I. I had this thought many times while watching the film. Like, I definitely prefer this to the Revenant because it's not doing that. It's not like shoving your face into the dog shit.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And many a true story type movie can do that. Don't you understand like how bad this was? And I'm like, yes, I'm a.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Maybe it's because I've already seen this, but I never thought this movie was that just because it was at a time where that wasn't really in vogue of like the point of this movie is a miserable experience.

[David Sims]

But my other fear, of course was there's gonna be kind of treacly of this sort of like, ah, the human spirit endures, which it doesn'.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It doesn't have that at all.

[Griffin Newman]

It's not that at all.

[Alex Ross Perry]

The end is truly like, all right, see you guys.

[David Sims]

Instead, it has like lovely little moments that I like of dialogue and like, you know, characters.

[Alex Ross Perry]

There's so much stuff in the middle of the movie where like just his eye is so great. Like his. Some of the, like this is a guy, Peter Weir, you know, he's making people wait around to get a 10 second shot at sunset.

[Griffin Newman]

Totally.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You know, he's making everyone stand in one place for 45 minutes until the sun is perfect for a shot that serves no narrative purpose.

[Griffin Newman]

And the shot is worth it. It doesn't feel like it's indulgence. Right. It doesn't feel like it's sort of him self sty, stylizing and that Harris

[Alex Ross Perry]

is there like shadow boxing being like, this is what we're here for. Yeah, just wait in the hot setting. Right.

[David Sims]

I feel like everyone's on board in this way. Right. Like this is what I want to be doing.

[Griffin Newman]

Searching for the focus. They like the discipline of it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do you like, like survival?

[Ben Hosley]

Like that's what I was gonna ask

[Alex Ross Perry]

you Prison Break movies. Because you're talking about the Revenant, which doesn't occur to me at all. I'm watching this thinking like Papillon, Runaway Train.

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I'm thinking of like people who break out of jail and the movie is like, if you, you don't keep moving, you will get caught and you will die.

[Ben Hosley]

Because you guys famously are outdoorsy. People love hiking. So I was wondering how you related to that aspect of the film.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, I simply would not do this.

[Ben Hosley]

Would you survive?

[Griffin Newman]

I'm in the movie way back at minute five, I eat a bowl of bullets. I just swallow Them I did. I'm in the Gulag.

[David Sims]

I kept saying to Forky, like, I think by this point, I'm dead. By this point, I'm definitely dead. Like, dead here. Dead here. Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I think Griffin would do well in the Gulag. I don't think you'd want to leave.

[Griffin Newman]

That's actually not a bad guy's being

[David Sims]

like, hey, I. I drew like a naked lady on a piece of paper, you know. Three cigarettes, please.

[Griffin Newman]

Three hots and a cot.

[David Sims]

I don't think they got a lot of hots or cots.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

It was pretty rough there.

[Griffin Newman]

One cold and a floor.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it's kind of more than five one and a half colds in a floor.

[Griffin Newman]

I do like a mattress. So that. That's maybe where I'd be struggling. But I do think I'd make friends.

[David Sims]

I'm imagining you showing up to the Gulag and they're like, what's your name? And you're like, just. If I. I do like, like a mattress.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I feel like Griffin's role put that in my file. His role in the Way Back is kind of Rob Schneider and Judge Dredd, where you're just walking across the wasteland and everyone's like, this guy is still talking.

[Griffin Newman]

That's the meanest thing you've ever said to me.

[Alex Ross Perry]

If you were in the Way Back, not. Not in real life, but if.

[Griffin Newman]

I think I.

[Alex Ross Perry]

If it was. If it was life or death, I think that would be the vibe you bring.

[Griffin Newman]

I think I'd be at the midpoint between that and Mark Strong.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

Right? Where it's like, this guy doesn't really want to escape.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

I like that he finds a way to care.

[David Sims]

You're that guy, Right. It's like he talks.

[Griffin Newman]

That's the mark.

[David Sims]

He talks about escaping as a way to kind of get through.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Or you'd be like, Mr. Burns, when is the fighting Hellfish or the flying Hellfish flashback? And he wakes up on the cot and they're like, hey, you're not dead.

[David Sims]

Yes, I would just to your mo. Like, Papillon's a movie. I find a smidge.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's a bit.

[David Sims]

Bit of a slog. It's got cool stuff. Runaway Train I like because one, it's on a train.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, that's true.

[David Sims]

And two, that movie is bananas cold. Like, it is cold. But I mean, like, that's something where John Ford was like, bigger and the director was like, uh huh. And John Voight was like, what if I went even bigger? The director's like, uh huh. Like, and that just kept going and going.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And Eric Roberts, he's insane in that movie. Have you seen Runaway Train?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

These movies are more alike to me because this is a World War II movie, but not really.

[David Sims]

This is very, not barely at all,

[Alex Ross Perry]

but it fits into our at home syllabus of World War II. But even rewatching it, it's interesting because the Russian, Russian. The Russian experience of World War II is entirely inscrutable to Americans. You're never taught it. It's not part of the history. I mean, it is, but it's not part of the history you learn. And the average person couldn't describe even vaguely what Russia was doing during World War II because they're both like average

[David Sims]

American, I would say the average.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, yes, not the average human on earth, but like, it is very hard to understand. Yeah. And this movie is that. But it also sort of. I mean, well, it. I mean, literally, partially, but you know, it's a World War II movie. Movie in spirit, but it has no combat.

[David Sims]

It's not about these front. And these are all enemies of the Soviet Union.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Which is why they're in the Gulag.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But you know who else was enemies of the Soviet Union?

[David Sims]

Adolf Hitler.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, see, that's why people get confused about this.

[David Sims]

They sure do.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's like, wait, if they were fighting against the Nazis, why are they imprisoning people who seem okay? And it becomes very confusing. And as Anna wanted me to point out, point out, Russia was just basically in the middle of purging their entire population anyway.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And they were using this as a fine opportunity to continue their essentially reign of terror.

[Griffin Newman]

And I like the setup. I mean, it's, it's just, I guess historically accurate, but that the Gulags at this point in time are like half criminals, half political criminals. So you got guys like Colin Farrell alongside guys like Ed Harris, who's just like an engineer who moved to Russia for war work and is now. Right.

[David Sims]

Subversive. And so he's, you know, and like Janus. Jim Sturgis is Polish. And of course the Soviets conquered Poland when they were allied with Hitler.

[Griffin Newman]

His wife sells him out at the beginning of the movie.

[David Sims]

I mean, strong she's coerced into. Right. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. And then she thinks he will break. Right. Yes. In. In interrogation. I mean, I, I agree with you guys that this movie is right.

[David Sims]

Like, I, it's like pretty good. I mean, I did not think it was a masterpiece. I was a. Like, I was sort of a little, you know, whelmed. But I, I had fairly low expectations. So I was like, right, no, this is a well made movie and he's a good director. And what was I thinking?

[Alex Ross Perry]

I just don't think he could fumble even with. Even with half the resources. He wants his eye, his instincts. Like, I hate this phrase. I hate when people are like, this director always knows exactly where to put the camera. It's like, so does everybody in front of the actors. Like, this is an insane sentence. But his instincts of like visual storytelling are so muscular. Even in a drama, even in Dead Poets Society, he can't ever frame things in a way that you're not. Like, this is cool looking, this place feels real. These actors are in the moment and he's in complete control. And this movie is totally solid. Like, I'm not saying it's even. You know, it could only not be in the top five of his because his highs are untouchable. But I mean, the response to it or the new market dumping of it, it's non existent. Distance is totally undeserved.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, it's a really strong representation of this exact moment in film history where things are just kind of like falling apart and no one knows, you know, like, is there a way to make these movies anymore?

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's why I found it fascinating and called it months ago. Yes, just because it is that to me. And he's really just, you know, I mean, he was just. He would have been the top of anyone. I'm sure there was a time where he was ahead of Ridley Scott on people's lists.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, I also, I think, think, like.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But he never made, like, what's it like? You know, he didn't have a movie.

[David Sims]

Ridley had a really terrible 90s. I mean, like, in between Thelma and Louise and Gladiator, Ridley makes movies.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Gladiator, what would you rather watch, White Squall or Master and Commander? It's tough.

[David Sims]

Master and Commander.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay. It's a toss up.

[David Sims]

You're saying that's a toss up?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Oh, yeah. Both of these guys took to the sea, sure, right. But I think the better, largely similar

[Griffin Newman]

results, I think the better comparison is if Gladiator had performed, or rather if Master and Commander had performed the way the Gladiator did, both financially and at the Oscars. What do the next 15 to 20 years of Peter Weir look like? And I also feel like versus, that was like the second win that like gets to the next 25 years of Ridley Scott being unstoppable.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Peter Weir could have made Gladiator. Ridley Scott could not have made master and commander.

[David Sims]

I think Ridley Scott could have made master commander. Just wouldn't have been as good. And I love it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Of course he could have made it and he might have, but it would have not been I Gladiator in Peter Weir's hands is I think an equally great movie. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

This is my struggle with this film and I think I put it at the bottom of my Weir rankings. Bottom a lot of look, I think the guy's never made a bad film. So I'm just ra.

[David Sims]

I'm definitely putting it at the bottom

[Griffin Newman]

of things three and above.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You don't like war.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't like war.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You're a real 4F?

[Griffin Newman]

Absolutely. I'm flat footed as I got bone spurs in my arms. I got both spurs in my brain face. Yeah.

[David Sims]

Yes. Carry on. Carry on.

[Griffin Newman]

I think what I was struggling with and it's frustrating because I'm like it is because Peter Weir has so much integrity, has such control of the dial and is not compromising the story to meet the sort of commercial demands of the moment that I felt like I was struggling to find a handle on it. I think this film is like impeccably made. I think basically everyone in the cast is like good to great. Like Sturgess is probably the worst and he's solid. He just doesn't really register and everyone above him is like shades of excellence. All the sort of stuff that could be seen as like bravado. We're going to go out here and struggle. I'm going to fight to get like a 10 second shot shot just to prove that I'm like this serious of an artist. Like all of that is on screen. None of that is like performative chest thumpy shit. But I kept being like, do I need this movie to have 10% of some Hollywood bullshit in some area? Do I wish this had like 10% more adventure? Because basically from the moment they escape, it's just we have a really long way to walk.

[Alex Ross Perry]

They sure do.

[Griffin Newman]

The conflict is, is are we going to die before we finish this walk? But unlike the sort of prison escape movies you're talking about, there's not the kind of like we're being chased shit, I don't want Tommy Lee Jones on their back. But from the moment they escape and the escape is not that much of a movie.

[David Sims]

No.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. Then you're just sort of in like Escape is exciting. Is this a funeral march? Right. How many guys are going to die? How long is this going to go on for?

[David Sims]

The other thing is you keep Thinking like, well, for example, will Colin Farrell turn on people? He's obviously the wild card. Right. He can't be trusted. Will Saoirse Ronan she' introduced where it's like, what's this girl's deal? She's lying about her background. And the answer is, like, she lies because, like, she wants to have a more sympathetic sounding background than my parents were. Political distance. Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Like, no more lies, as Anna quoted.

[David Sims]

Right. But like, it keeps not doing the more dramatic swerving thing of, like, they fight with each other, they betray each other, which I respect.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm respecting that. It's not doing the endurance of the human spirit.

[David Sims]

They don't come across like a bear that, like, tries to eat them.

[Ben Hosley]

Might have been fun, though.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Though there's no.

[Griffin Newman]

The wolves are settled really quickly. Like, anytime it gives.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Everyone is very respectful to her. Yes.

[David Sims]

There's not, like, a creepy sexual element with her character and her dynamic with that.

[Griffin Newman]

Harris is probably my favorite part of the movie. But as you said, these are all, like, really small, graceful character brush strokes. Even the beautiful moments.

[Ben Hosley]

You're right.

[David Sims]

Like the snake.

[Ben Hosley]

When Harry's on a snake attack, he's actually following the snake to.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Anna said, why does that look good to me when they're eating the snake? Because when hungry people are eating in a movie, it looks. They make it look good, but it basically keeps. Also, those wolves looked great. I mean, that that scene happened is like, even in 2010, you're like, shit, he got real wolves. And it's like, Peter Weir is not fucking around with CG wolves. Like, it. Basically, he's telling the actors, like, keep your hands. Yes. Keep your hands where the wolves can see them.

[Griffin Newman]

Totally.

[Alex Ross Perry]

They're. They're not trained.

[Griffin Newman]

It refuses to, like, turn any of these things into, like, Roland Emmerich set pieces. Right. It refuses to, like, create, like, artificial interpersonal drama between the people. There are moments and there are tensions and whatever. And I just kind of kept being like, I'm having a hard time staying with this because it just feels like, yeah, this sucks. I agree. This sucks. And it continues to suck. And I. I don't mean this backhandedly, but I kept thinking while watching this movie and then watching this fucking special feature of all them talking about how difficult it was. And I'm like, that's not in vain. All of that is on screen. But I like, flashback to being in an acting class in my 20s with the gradle as Elizabeth Camp Rip, who was the best acting teacher I ever worked with. And there was a guy who wanted to do Long Day's Journey into Night. And in this class, rather than just, like, do the text of the scene, she'd be like, work on the character and then present to us a moment, if it's a private moment or an improvised thing. But I don't want you thinking about how to say the dialogue right. I want you to try to explore your take on the character. Right. And so the guy just leans into playing the sick sickness, and he's just sort of, like, curled up in a ball, sort of like an alcohol withdrawal, like, shaking and crying. And we just watch this for, like, seven minutes. And I'm sitting there being like, God, this guy's a good actor. This is crazy. I don't have this kind of, like, physical control and, like, emotional, like, you know, recall and whatever. And then she goes like, are you. Are you done? Do you feel like you've done everything you wanted to show. Show us? And he's like, yeah, I guess so. And she goes, good. Okay, so now we know you can do that, right? Yeah.

[David Sims]

What did you.

[Griffin Newman]

Probably told this story before, what did

[Alex Ross Perry]

you bring into this session?

[Griffin Newman]

That's a good question.

[David Sims]

You rolled into a ball. Seven, eight minutes.

[Griffin Newman]

I feel like I was doing Tom and Glass Menagerie. But then I also remember you weren't

[Alex Ross Perry]

allowed to bring in a monologue from the Usual Suspects or something.

[David Sims]

Something.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, I think you could have.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

In fact, I probably did, at some point, bring in some movie character. But I also ended up getting thrown into other people's scenes a lot where it's like, isn't that part of it? It's like, well, this. This woman's working on proof. Can you be the Jake Gyllenhaal part? And I'd be like, great. I'm really good at improvising math.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So what did you think? Who did you think was okay? So now that we know you can do that in this movie, we're.

[Griffin Newman]

Or I think the whole movie has a little bit of that vibe where it was like, it's not that this is showy. It's not that this is, you know, hollow. This is, like, incredibly skillful and is, like, rooted in something really honest and, like, powerful. But then she said, like, we know you can do that, but, like, now let's work on how can you actually tell a story. And it's not that I feel like this movie isn't telling a story, but I kept feeling like, unlike the Revenant, which I feel like, as I said, is pushing your face in the dog shit, and seeing saying, like, can you believe how hard this is? And trying to make you suffer along with the characters. I think this movie is maintaining a distance and is showing you the suffering that is mirroring what everyone was going through while working on the film. And I'm sitting there a little bit and going, like, I agree, this is, like, very impressive that they did this. This is objectively insane to consider any human beings going through this. I don't quite understand what I'm supposed to take away from this. I'm not looking for, like, a GI Joe PSA at the end of the day.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do you like Castaway?

[Griffin Newman]

I love Castaway.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay. Which is very schmaltzy, but it's very schmaltzy.

[Griffin Newman]

And I'm not begging this movie to be a schmaltzy, but I do feel like Castaway has the kind of, like, Hollywood building blocks.

[Ben Hosley]

He needed a Wilson.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. Well, they had the knife. I mean, the knife is kind of

[Griffin Newman]

the Wilson of the movie.

[David Sims]

Wilson and truly.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Like, did they send out promotional knives for this movie?

[David Sims]

Did you get a promo knife for this movie?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Newmarket was famous for their sword swag.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Alma Mento had some promo stuff, but

[Griffin Newman]

I was like, if this has an electric young leading man, does the. Does it carry me through the whole thing?

[David Sims]

Yeah. I mean, I know. I know Sturgis is really taking some hits from us today, but I do

[Griffin Newman]

feel like he's not bad in it, but.

[David Sims]

No, he's not.

[Griffin Newman]

Kind of just.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He's fine, but he's. I think if you stacked up every Weir movie and you rank the lead performances, he's the bottom, no question. Only because that is literally male Rushmore.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

He's a rare guy that really did not pop in the hands of. Of. Of Weir.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, even he launched the career of Napoleon in Bill and Ted's excellent Adventure, you know.

[Ben Hosley]

You know what might maybe helped?

[Alex Ross Perry]

What?

[Ben Hosley]

And this is a part of the book that was not included in the film. There are Yeti, like, creatures in the Himalayas that they mentioned spotting a pair of yeti.

[David Sims]

It would be fun to. If, like, one hour and 55 minutes into the movie, they're like, oh, and by the way, we fucking saw the Abominable Snowman. Anyway, moving on back to Indy. You know, like, what if the snowman

[Ben Hosley]

takes them inside his lair and they're tied up and they have to escape?

[David Sims]

That's what happens in Tintin and Tibet. Not to spoil it.

[Ben Hosley]

Wow.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But Griffin in, like. Yeah. In the hopeless survival narratives, like, the moment where they come to the gates of where they've been going. And there's like Stalin on the gates and they're like, oh, this is communist too. We have to just turn around.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Does that not satisfy the urge to of like a tragic, ironic story beat?

[David Sims]

That beat is very interesting, but it's played very quietly. I really like that beat because I like them being like, fuck. Like it's everywhere and we are enemies of this particular ideology, so we can't go, like, we can't settle here or whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

This is where I am just personally struggling with the film and not making a larger indictment. Right.

[David Sims]

And then I love Colin Farrow being like, I like Stalin too much to go here anyway.

[Griffin Newman]

I love it as well. But. But I'm like, this is a fascinating scene in and of itself. I'm really engaged in this scene. The scenes aren't like, building upon each other for me. And it's just the nature of what the narrative is, where the fact that it's like, oh, they get here and there's this like, dramatic irony of, oh, now we have to like, find another way. But also, five minutes earlier, the movie lost Colin Farrell, the most interesting character, because he was like, I don't want to get to that ideological threshold. And now I'm like, okay, so now the movie's like, hit a cul de sac. And also we lost Colin Farrell, whose character bowed out of the movie because he thought this checkpoint was gonna go differently.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But now Saoirse Ronan kind of is stepping up to be like the third lead when he's gone, which I think

[Griffin Newman]

she's great in that.

[Alex Ross Perry]

The two kind of Griffin beats are when he suggests the tattoo should be on his butt. Yeah, that'd be your move there.

[Griffin Newman]

And then Stalin on his asshole.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He'd be, you know, threatened with. With a knife. And the guy who just can't see and freezes to death.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, that's who I would play.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. Like, what happened to Griffin is like, I don't know, he has bad eyesight. Oh, there he is. He's frozen.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, B, what happened to Griffin? He slept in. He missed the escape.

[David Sims]

He couldn't hit his, like, alarm, which is just like a bunch of sticks. Cuz it's the guard.

[Griffin Newman]

He hit it, but he hit the snooze stick 80 times.

[David Sims]

It is nice to see Gustav stars. Skarsgard, an actor I always enjoy, obviously, is largely, you know, mostly does Swedish movies. But yeah, he's really good.

[Griffin Newman]

Really? He was good in Black Bag. Yeah, he was good in Oppenheimer.

[David Sims]

He's good. Yeah. And he's good in Westworld, actually, to speak of Ed Harrison's favorite role.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So, Griffin, you feel like the movie goes off a cliff when Ferrell stays in Russia?

[David Sims]

I would say it goes off a cliff.

[Griffin Newman]

It does slow down a little bit. It loses a lot of juice.

[David Sims]

Saoirse dying is a really well done scene. It's beautifully done, actually. It is beautifully acted and done, but I am like, yeah, I'm a little dead into the movie.

[Griffin Newman]

I think Farrell's the spark plug. I think Feral is the equivalent of adding the news and deals, group chat. Like, you need him there to create the, like, innate tension of, like, where's this guy gonna go?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, you. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And I'm expecting.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yes, that is that. I. I'll take that. Right.

[Griffin Newman]

And I'm expecting that, like, as much as I'm going to be sorry to see him leave the movie early. It will come to, like, a head in a very dramatic fashion.

[Alex Ross Perry]

There's nothing like that. But the elements are like that. The sandstorm is that. The mosquitoes are that. When. When she takes off the.

[David Sims]

Like, the mosquitoes, the way they deal with it is they ask one guy, like, how do we deal with this? And he's like, easy, put this shit around your neck.

[Alex Ross Perry]

There's just some guy wandering around Mongolia. When Saoirse Ronan takes off her shoes and her feet are all fat, Anna just goes, I remember this part so well.

[David Sims]

Her favorite part, I was like, why? It is kind of striking because they're like, oh, yeah. And she's like, I mean, you know, I've been walking a lot.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And everyone's like, you're used to the blister.

[David Sims]

You're not supposed to look like this. Like, you're going to be fine.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I'm used to the blistering sores of feet and stuff like this. You're not used to this weird kind of puffiness and then someone else has it later.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Very, very well earned makeup nom. Like, it's incredible. And it is so subtly done that you have to keep reminding yourself that it is makeup, because from the mosquito

[Alex Ross Perry]

bites to the dehydration, you just feel

[Griffin Newman]

like you're watching a documentary.

[David Sims]

It lost, of course, to the Wolfman, because that. That has a wolf.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, the Wolfman swept that year. I feel like it was kind of the Return of the King. Director Brick Baker, Best supporting wolf.

[Griffin Newman]

The goat. I have always disliked the look of that character in that movie.

[David Sims]

We've talked about this, right? You're not a big fan of the Baker job and that's sor. Like, one of his big, like, later

[Griffin Newman]

in life jobs kind of swan song, like, to a certain extent. I think it's his last Oscar win. And he basically talked about the process of making that movie drove him so insane that he was. He had his own kind of Peter Weir, like, I guess I'm not aligned with this industry anymore moment.

[David Sims]

Yeah, right.

[Griffin Newman]

Like, he still did men in black 3. He, like, fulfilled a couple legacy jobs, but he basically starts pulling back after Wolfman.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And he views it as like, that was the last time I got away with doing what I want to do. And I've just never.

[David Sims]

Maleficent is the other one.

[Griffin Newman]

He did, but he didn't win for that or. He did.

[David Sims]

No, he didn't even get nominated. He just worked on the movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. I don't get that design.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So once the movie progresses, because it's such a simple, literal movie, there's, like. There's very little like, oh, what about this part? It's basically like, what about the mosquitoes? What about when they find the water well and they all start drinking water?

[Griffin Newman]

So removing the schmaltz from the equation.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Right. What about when the Mongols give them a second of water and they say they're too poor for horses and they're just like, okay, well, we have no questions about why you people are wandering around out here.

[Griffin Newman]

I like all of these moments. Castaway. I am a sappa contrarian and a goofball.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do you like Jerry?

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Oh, the Fence Santa movie. That's the best. That movie fucking rocks.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I put this movie closer to Jerry than the Revenant, but Jerry is, like,

[David Sims]

abstracting everything to the million degree, which is so cool. I mean, Jerry rocks.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So the category.

[David Sims]

Bring. Bring back Jerry. Jerry, too.

[Griffin Newman]

Jerry's castaway comparison.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Is Van Sant still on the board?

[David Sims]

Well, he's going up against your favorite filmmaker of all time, Chris Columbus. Right now.

[Griffin Newman]

That's happening right now. Cast away. The structure of problem solving, which is what I think I like in this type of movie when I connect to this type of film.

[David Sims]

Totally. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is the fun of Send help. Even, like, any immigrant movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, also, I mean, this is insane. Chris Columbus is winning. Who the fuck wants this over a psycho remake episode?

[David Sims]

I would love, very much love to discuss the psycho remake, a movie I love.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But the other, like, to us, like, the movies we like watching at home, there's, like, the two kinds of. This kind of movie you're describing is something like the Martian, which has a kind of identical problem Solving structure. And then there's the kind of, like, seafaring adventure, Shipwreck in the Heart of the Sea, where it's just like, another thing of, like, can these people survive?

[David Sims]

But in the Heart of the Sea is one that nobody likes because that

[Alex Ross Perry]

one's a not nobody. Yeah, I think a lot of people like that movie. I think a lot of people find that to be, like, a really worthy seafaring adventure. People. Yeah, definitely.

[David Sims]

I think a very popular A whale is writing that right now. I think a lot of people like that movie and wanted to come back.

[Griffin Newman]

Even, like, All Is Lost, which is not my favorite movie and is similarly, like, very special.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's not your favorite.

[Griffin Newman]

It's not, in fact, my number one favorite movie of all time, Sight and

[Alex Ross Perry]

Sound Pole number one, All Is Lost.

[Griffin Newman]

I know, people.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Number two, the Muppet, where you're like,

[David Sims]

I know these are unranked, but just to be clear, All Is Lost is number one.

[Griffin Newman]

All four slots. My letterbox floor.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's not Some Is Lost.

[Griffin Newman]

No, it's All Is. You have to respect the All.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I always thought that was your favorite movie.

[Griffin Newman]

This is why I'm trying to correct the scurless rumor.

[David Sims]

Even All Is Lost, which is not your favorite movie. Please finish your thought.

[Griffin Newman]

And it's so stripped down and obviously, like, most talking wordless and whatever has that kind of like, okay, here's this one problem. He's got to solve this. Where I feel it stands backing up. And I think this movie I rewatched Day After Tomorrow recently. A movie that rules that David's wrong about.

[David Sims]

Not a movie I like, but that

[Griffin Newman]

is a movie where I'm always fascinated by its Hollywood junkiness, where it's like, we can keep escalating the type of natural disasters that happen. And then you feel two thirds into the movie, them go, there is no way to resolve this film.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

They can't undo the weather.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No.

[Griffin Newman]

And there's nothing for them to conquer. There is no way for them to score a win.

[David Sims]

Randy Quaid can't fly a train into this.

[Griffin Newman]

And then they're like, I guess to fight wolves, I guess, like, Dennis Quaid has to come to him. I always forget how late in the movie.

[David Sims]

That's, like, right at the end. Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Even starts his journey. It's over an hour before he's like, it. I'm walking. I'm going to do my own long walk. And then that's pretty expediated. And I feel this movie being like, peter, we're pitching this to studios Studios being, like, cool. So can every 15 minutes something insane happen? The guys have to try to kill each other. There have to be, like, big kind of, like, conflicts that they can, like, score wins over. And he's like, no, that's not the kind of movie I'm making. And he has, like, saying he's constant. Yes. And then he's over.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No, no.

[Griffin Newman]

Nothing happens so far into the well. If I'm not making it with a studio, then I'm making it exactly the way I want. And I'm not going for any Hollywood bullshit artifice. And I'm like, I could use, like, 5 to 10% more. Kind of like not wins.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But I mean, what you're describing is the way Mosquito coast is structured. Yes. Which is like a series. Series of builds and activities and ice transports and little things that arise. And it's sort of endless obstacles that he's facing.

[Griffin Newman]

It's so focused in its bleakness. It's not like, selling out the message of the movie and the integrity of, like, you know, the character study and all of that. But it does have that kind of build that I think I was just kind of struggling to hold onto here. Every scene would happen, I'd be like, this is a good scene. And then the next scene would start, and I'd be like, okay, this scene has to win me over again from zero.

[David Sims]

Where do you guys. I, I. When once we hit the monks is when I'm like, I'm parking my ass here.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This is great.

[David Sims]

I want to hang out with you guys. Like, this is great. I don't want to go to keep walking.

[Griffin Newman]

They leave at Harris there, and I'm like, why are you not staying there?

[David Sims]

Just like, I got to get home. Right.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Anna was very prepared.

[Griffin Newman]

Got to get home. To my wife.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Anna's comment at the end of me down the river, our rewatch was like, I did not know that the point of this movie was, like, this eternal love that he has to return to.

[David Sims]

I feel like they did debut that notion pretty late.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Even though it is the first scene in the movie.

[David Sims]

It's the first scene in the movie. And then you have a couple times where he's sort of the vision of the door, which I like that stuff.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I mean, Weir's just good at that stuff.

[David Sims]

He's good at that stuff. But they.

[Alex Ross Perry]

There's so much of that in Truman show too.

[David Sims]

Again, because this movie doesn't have, like, over labored kind of monologues of, like, guys being like, yeah, that's my wife. I love her. So much.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You know, like, the photos and the helmet. Right.

[David Sims]

It does take a while for him to be like, oh, no, by the way, like, we got across the Himalayas right? From. Even though, like, clearly the wisest man you've ever seen was, like, not a good idea. It's the winter. Like, wait until spring.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yetis. Yetis. There be Yetis.

[Griffin Newman]

This was another thing I thought while

[Ben Hosley]

watching that was the missed opportunity for me.

[Griffin Newman]

The other thing I thought was, would this movie benefit from starting one week earlier rather than starting in the interrogation

[Alex Ross Perry]

room, giving you, like, Sturgis in Poland being rounded up.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, but let's also say maybe. Maybe it's a guy with a little more juice than Sturgis. Right.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Who is that? I mean, I don't want to go down this rabbit hole at this point,

[Griffin Newman]

but it's a really good. In 2010 at this moment, it's tough. We can keep pointing.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This is also when, like, male actors started being hunted for sport.

[David Sims]

Who is new then? Is that more interesting or is. Do we shoot higher? Do we get like, Matt Damon? You know, do we get like. Like a very established actor?

[Griffin Newman]

It's tough because it's like, if it's too thin, the options are overflowing.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

But then you could end up with like, a Toby Maguire where you're like, I don't know what that looks like. You know, I don't know why I'm going to him. But he did occur to me.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He's Sturges esque in his gentleness.

[Griffin Newman]

I just think I realized too late in this movie, much like it sounds Anna did. Oh, right. The thing that's driving him is wanting to see his wife again.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

Which this movie and its stoicness is not overplayed.

[David Sims]

James Franco, like, who made a survival thriller this year.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Now we're talking.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Although, like, that's the better survival thriller for him to be in.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It is.

[David Sims]

I'm not, you know, but you mean

[Alex Ross Perry]

like a guy who's just kind of innately charismatic?

[David Sims]

Can be. Although sometimes Franco, you're kind of like, did you forget to plug in today?

[Alex Ross Perry]

But I think him at that time would put himself in the hands of a master like Weir and he would. He would rise to the assignment, one would assume at this time.

[Griffin Newman]

I do think he wants a certain emotionality in this role, though. Right. Like, he wants a certain.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But he also. But this script doesn't support that because there isn't any of those moments of like, yeah, what are you gonna do? What's the first thing you're Gonna do when you get back.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Kiss my wife. What about you? Hug my mother.

[Griffin Newman]

Like, there's why I'm like, does it need to start a week earlier so that there's some status quo of their relationship rather than it starting with him in the interrogation and her, like, setting him up.

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

And him falling on the sword.

[Ben Hosley]

You know, it doesn't make sense too, because. And I guess the characters at that time don't know. Know this.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[Ben Hosley]

That the war will eventually end, but even beyond the war, like the occupational

[David Sims]

fall, he won't be able to go to, as we see. Right, right.

[Ben Hosley]

So it's like the chance of him being able to go back and see his wife. It doesn't seem like it could happen, like, within his lifetime.

[Alex Ross Perry]

The postscripts that, like, follow the fall of communism are very. It's like, wow, this is really consolidating decades of history into a series of

[Griffin Newman]

title cards with footsteps over them. Because it's like, oh, right, he hasn't gotten to the end of his problem.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Continues.

[Griffin Newman]

I think a lot of prison movies too. Like, you gotta see some amount of their life on the outside before they go in to understand what they've lost. I don't think with without exception, but I felt like I didn't have enough of a grounding in this guy to have him be the one driving the movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I guess because we watch like 30 World War II films a year kind of in a row.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I'm like, I know what he was doing last week. I know what happened to Poland.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I do know Schindler's List. You know what happened to Poland.

[Griffin Newman]

I have, I have, yeah. David?

[Ben Hosley]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

My name is Griffin Newman and I love movies. What? That's not what you say.

[David Sims]

You say, oh, my name is David Sims and I love movies.

[Griffin Newman]

Blanket.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Thank it.

[Griffin Newman]

If you love movies like us, you should be listening to the Eye of the Duck podcast, named after the eye of the duck scene. Do you know about this?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Isn't it David Lynch?

[Griffin Newman]

He said, every movie has a scene that defines the whole. The way the eye of the duck represents the duck. Every time we do an ad read for our friends and I try to remember this anecdote. I do. But on each episode of their podcast, they explain the anecdote well. And host Dom Nero and Adam Volrich, friends of the show, Friends of My Life, explore a movie by finding its most essential scene. And right now, Dom and Adam are celebrating the films of Studio Ghibli. You ever hear of them, David?

[David Sims]

I love those movies and obviously We've

[Alex Ross Perry]

covered some of them on our show.

[David Sims]

But not all.

[Griffin Newman]

Not all. And in fact I will be going on their show soon to cover a film that was not covered in our series that I have never seen before. I'll be watching Pom Poco for the first time.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

One of the most testicle driven animated films ever made. Is that. What do you say?

[David Sims]

It's got a lot of balls in it.

[Griffin Newman]

It's got. For sure. Right?

[David Sims]

We will.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I guess maybe.

[David Sims]

Maybe one day we'll. We'll cover Takahata. But who knows. So it'll be very exciting to listen to that.

[Griffin Newman]

This is their first series devoted completely to animation. I love that. And the work of a single studio. So join them as they enter the studio of dreams and madness. They're going along on masterpieces like Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro. Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies. And do you want to take this one?

[David Sims]

Yoshifumi Kondo's Whisper of the Heart which was covered way way back when.

[Griffin Newman]

We did. We did.

[David Sims]

Great movie. Country Roads, take Me Home, etc. Begins this series beginning with the 1984 classic Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind. Continues through all the way through Miyazaki's final question mark film the Boy and the Heron.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Who knows?

[David Sims]

Maybe he'll make another one. And for listeners who want to go even deeper. Adam and. And we're expanding on that lineup over on Patreon. Eye of the Duck After Hours. Five bucks a month. You can get exclusive coverage of Pre Ghibli works like Lupin iii. The Castle of Cagliostro. Hidden gems like Hiroyuki Morita's the Cat Returns. Great movie that I have seen 100 times. My daughter really likes it. Wow. And Studio Ponok's Mary and the Witch's Flower.

[Griffin Newman]

Not as good.

[David Sims]

It's a pretty interesting movie. That's from a Miyazaki acolyte. You know, from a trainee. Like an apprentice. That's not all you get from subscribing to After Hours. You also hear weekly analysis of industry news. Thoughts on new releases in film and television. Recommendations for what to watch or play. Yes, Even video games.

[Griffin Newman]

I've been on the show several times over the last five years. They've explored a lot of franchises that we've covered on the show. I've gone on specifically to cover some movies that we haven't in those franchises. So when they did Toy Story, I did a light year episode for people who Ask why. Why? No Lightyear on blank check. You can listen to that Dial of Destiny I did with Connor Ratliff. They've also done the Alien franchise, Mission Impossible, Evil Dead, Jurassic park. And they also will catalog movements, things like 80s dark fantasy, cyberpunk space films and movies about UFOs.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

So you can explore the scenes at the heart of your favorite movies and follow Eye of the Duck wherever you get your podcast. New episodes drop every every Monday. Brought to you by the Morbid Network. I like saying morbid network in such a uplifting way. Brought to you by the Morbid Network.

[David Sims]

The morbid work.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do you like those movies?

[Griffin Newman]

I love Schindler's List.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You like the Spielberg treatment of a world War?

[David Sims]

Well, he's only seen Saving Prevariah one time.

[Griffin Newman]

Gave me a fucking panic attack. I had to stop that. But I do own the Steelbook. I own the 4K.

[David Sims]

Thank God.

[Griffin Newman]

A commitment to rewatching it at some day.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do you fuck with Fury?

[Griffin Newman]

I like Fury.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay. He's all right. Anna said last night, after this first, so excited to rewatch it. Then she goes, man, what a great movie. Really comforting. I could see watching this once a year. And I said, really? Once a year? She goes, yeah. I mean, it's not like, really intense and something that's hard to watch. And I said, you watch Fury all the time. She goes, okay, well, not Fury, but, like, something that will be more intense than fury.

[Griffin Newman]

Like, two months ago, I texted you Arp. I want to make a pitch. What if we put you on and I named a bigger. Well, you'll probably have announced that in the next mini. We'll announce at the end of this episode.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Oh, okay, great. You're gonna announce it in the middle so that people have to listen.

[Griffin Newman]

And then you were like, why? Why would I not be doing the Way Back? And I was like, well, I assumed you only put your finger down on way back. Cause of the, like, most irrelevant movie in a filmmaker's career. And you were like, you're forgetting that I like War Season.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You don't know about War Season. Well, you do know about.

[Griffin Newman]

I knew. Can you share with the listener?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Basically, like, 15 years ago, we were driving up to Vermont for the weekend, and we bought some DVDs at a gas station, as one did at the time. One of those DVDs was Ed Zwick's Defiance, a film we had not yet seen. We go to a snowy cabin, we watch Defiance. Turns out it's a masterpiece. Just fucking incredible. I mean, that's a movie like this also just like the Edswick movie. Yeah, it's incredible.

[Griffin Newman]

Defiance for me is a perfect example of Oscar nomination morning. Defiance gets zero noms. I go, what a relief. I never have to watch that drag to recycle bin.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It is better than if that movie came out last year. Not last year, but two years ago. It would be like, well, this is the best movie of the year.

[Griffin Newman]

If it came out last year, would he put it above or below Nurber?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Above. Okay. Defiance is an excellent film that is really well made with three incredible performances from Craig Schreiber and Jamie Bell. It is such a. A good ver. It is what you are saying you want from this movie. Maybe it's an endless slog of hopeless survival set against inhospitable elements, but with that Hollywood sheen and the melodrama layered over it with romance. So we watched that and we were like, this fucking rules. Defiance is great. We go home, our neighbors ask us to cat sit. We're feeding their cat. We look on their DVD shelf. Two things there that we're interested in. Schindler's List and shoah.

[Griffin Newman]

Uh huh.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Take them upstairs and we watch them in the week that they're gone.

[Griffin Newman]

Sounds like a fun week.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So now we're thinking this is Holocaust season. So then we spend like five years.

[David Sims]

To be clear, my head is in my hands.

[Alex Ross Perry]

We spend like five years in the dead of winter.

[Griffin Newman]

Ben, can we commission a shirt that says, and now we're thinking it's Holocaust season.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Now wait a minute.

[Griffin Newman]

With a cartoon depiction of art.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, that's sort of, sort of the prologue.

[Griffin Newman]

Because then wearing a slayer shirt.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So for like five years, every February, March, when it's just the worst out gray, cold copper.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes, sure.

[David Sims]

And you've been in winter for months.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Every year we're like, okay, so let's do like, like, you know, five, ten Holocaust films.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, the Holocaust of seasons.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Eventually we run out of holocaust films, or at least, you know, the ones that you need to see or revisit. So then we say, now it's war season. We've expanded this. This is now an entire season devoted to World War II in cinema. Now there's. We could do this for the rest of our lives. We wouldn't run out of movies.

[David Sims]

There are a lot of World War

[Alex Ross Perry]

II films and we do this every year. I take it very seriously. I put together a sort of dossier. Not a blank check, JJ style dossier, but a one sheet that I make our list on every year.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

And is it always fresh films? Every year?

[Alex Ross Perry]

No, no, there's stuff that's been on there forever. Like, there's stuff that. It's like we just watched Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. And I was like, this has been on the list since before I started printing them.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Like, I have handwritten pieces of paper.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, are they all blind watches or are you throwing in rewatches?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Oh, no, we always. Rewatches are a very important part of it. Such as the way back on his birthday was a few weeks ago. I said, it's the night of your birthday. Anything you want. What do you want to do? And she goes, schindler's List. This is fucking great. So we watched it. We watched half of it. The next night, we finish it. And I was like, the finishing night was an hour. We watched two hours. And I was like, what do you want to do? It's still a little bit early. She goes, feels like we should watch an episode of the Pacific. I was like, this is unbelievable. Her commitment to it exceeds mine by a thousand. But Anna loves nothing more than World War II.

[David Sims]

I was about to say it's very much World War II.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That thing I always say is, this was on an SNL where I think it was a Five Timers Club sketch where Tom Hanks was talking to Andy Samberg. He goes, you know what? I love Andy. And he just goes, World War II, that's pretty good. That is on A to a T. And we curate wars. I start working on the list in the summer where I'm like, oh, there's this new movie, like I. Or whatever. I'll be like, at a film festival. And I send her a picture of some poster for a Norwegian film with a swastika on it. And I'm like, adding it to the list. Like, it's. It's gotta go on the list. And we end up putting together, like, a really diverse collection of war films that tell the totality of the story. From the Eastern Front, South America, after the war, this. And like, what did we just watch? Music Box, the Costa Goffras film.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Which I'd never heard of. And I think either came up when I was reading something about it was just an accident, or it came up on, like, a Cinematrix with what's her name? Jessica Lange. And I was like, what is this movie? It has a swastika on the poster.

[Griffin Newman]

I also feel like Wesley Morris brought this up.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Maybe that's right.

[Griffin Newman]

Maybe that is where I was like, this is the exact kind of movie we don't make anymore that used to be important to me.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It came into my brain somewhere. Now, obviously it wasn't on my printed list because I printed that list in January.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So we. But we were able to squeeze it in anyway.

[Griffin Newman]

Is that her dad is a Nazi.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. Or is being accused of having been commandant.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

Have you seen number 24?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Wait, is that the NER. Is that the Norwegian? Yeah, we watched that last year. That was like the. What made you watch that?

[Ben Hosley]

I don't know, actually, other than I was looking for something to watch on a flight.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. Is that settled down about the formula for heavy water? Is that right?

[Ben Hosley]

This is about a guy who was part of the resistance in Norway.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Oh, the resistance fighter. Oh, yeah. And then it's like kind of a doc drama and there's like scenes of him talking to stuff. Students in it. Yes, yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

Cutting between that and his, like, various exploits.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, yeah, that's right. Something I find very interesting and unheralded in like the endless morass of Netflix slop is that every year Netflix will drop like 10 international films about World War II that I've never heard of. And you watch them and they're all like, solid and it was great. You look it up and it's like, oh, this was this country's submission for the Oscars. Didn't get released. Never heard of it. David Sims. Never saw it.

[Griffin Newman]

Basically, all quiet on the Western front. Was only one of those that punched,

[Alex Ross Perry]

but they put up.

[Griffin Newman]

But they have like 10 of those a year.

[Alex Ross Perry]

10?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

There's one Will. There's one called like Blood and Gold. There's one photographer of Mathhausen that was like a Spanish concentration camp movie. Occasionally we still get a good new Holocaust. Did you see David, it was a tiff movie. Irena's Vow.

[David Sims]

No, I've at least heard of that one.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But that's highlight of this year's war season.

[David Sims]

Fair enough.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Total, like, classy surprise of like, really, really good, good movie.

[David Sims]

Have you seen I this? I wrote a piece about Stan Skarsgrd and I. I've never seen this film. Good evening, Mr. Wallenberg. No, this was a Stalin Skarsgrd breakout movie. It was a big movie in Sweden where he plays a famous Swedish figure, a diplomat who was instrumental in saving the lives of thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust. Never seen it, but it looks like the kind of sort of handsome Oscar submission that was big in its country but not really big outside of it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So many of those. Even. Even still.

[David Sims]

Anyway, that's all.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, but this is a very important part of Our viewing. So we were happy. I think we initially watched this movie as part of that and as just. Peter. We're fans, but, man, we love War Season. It's almost over, but we're in it. We're still in it.

[David Sims]

Anything else? Any other watches this year?

[Alex Ross Perry]

I mean, yeah, we've been doing it for months at this point.

[Griffin Newman]

Are we almost pulling out a war season?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, yeah. It's getting a little too warm. But then when it gets warm, you can watch things that are. That, you know, like that take place in the jungle. You can kind of migrate to the Pacific.

[Griffin Newman]

Do you pin the end of War season on a. On a calendar date, or is it. Yeah, Memorial Day. Okay.

[Alex Ross Perry]

We can. We can drag it out to Memorial Day, but not consistently. Yeah, we can. Like, I think one year we saved Midway for Memorial Day.

[Griffin Newman]

You were so excited when Midway was coming out.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, I was so excited that I waited, like, two years to watch it at home on Memorial Day.

[Griffin Newman]

But I feel like in those two years. Years, you were constantly texting. That movie is, I guarantee you, an eight out of ten at the worst.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And it was. It was a very, very solid movie.

[David Sims]

Is that the one with Glenn Powell or was that the different one?

[Griffin Newman]

That's Devotion.

[David Sims]

Oh, that's right. That's right.

[Griffin Newman]

Which starts and weird. The second actor above the title has disappeared.

[David Sims]

Oh, who was that?

[Griffin Newman]

Jonathan Majors. Oh, dear. Midway was. Was Patrick Wilson. Dennis Quaid.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, it is.

[Griffin Newman]

Is a role in Emirates. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Dennis Quaid. Is. Is he MacArthur in it?

[David Sims]

I couldn't tell you.

[Alex Ross Perry]

He's high up. He's brass.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. So anyway, we watch hundreds of war films, and I can throw this on and be like, well, of course this guy was rounded up in the Communist purge and he's being accused of being an enemy of the state, and we're off to the races. And it's kind of fun to continue the conversation of expanding the conflict of the war and never needing to, like, pause or take a break, because you can kind of just jump into whatever and know. Because the thing that you're missing in this movie that is, like, really what makes good war films great is that great war films can distill the essence of the entire war into a single moment.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes, that's a good call.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Often either the beginning or the end of the movie. Schindler's List does this. The opening save in Private Ryan. It distills the essence of World War II into a scene.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. So the soldiers meeting in the middle of the battlefield from opposite sides, both Tending to a war horse.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And this movie. Well, sure. And this movie doesn't have that scene. It doesn't have the moment. That is a good call that stands in for like. And that is what it was about in Russia during World War II.

[Griffin Newman]

I also think everyone in this movie you meet is so thoroughly broken already that I. I just me with this not being my chosen genre. I think I usually need the emotional in of. Here's what they lost and what is hanging over the movie emotionally is them trying to get something back.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do you like old. Because to us like the history. I mean obviously they started making World War II films like before the war almost. Yeah. Like. But the kind of first wave, the men on a mission movies which are just pure action films.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do you like those movies at all?

[Griffin Newman]

I prefer that.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I feel like this is something I can't picture you watching because you're not like a dad in the 70s.

[David Sims]

Yeah, I mean I watched them. That is not my favorite kind of war movie because. Because those do tend to have a little bit of a formula to them. But they're fun.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Like, I mean do you.

[David Sims]

Yeah, this is the tough guy. This guy's kind of the smart guy.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do you like Great Escape? Do you like.

[Griffin Newman]

I like those two movies. Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But I'm like Heroes of Telemark and Force 10.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm doing in my head like what's my favorite war movie? And I'm like, oh, my answer is like Best Years of their Lives, which

[Alex Ross Perry]

is post war romance is very important.

[David Sims]

Part of War Lives is an incredible war.

[Griffin Newman]

An incredible, incredible film. But I think. And Gallipoli like truly has shot way up on my all time war list

[Alex Ross Perry]

with Peter Weir in attendance. Yeah. We just. Another war season. One this year was the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Speaking of Glen Powell, that is a

[David Sims]

movie that is weird.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You know, it got brought up.

[David Sims]

You're like, oh, this will be really chill. And it's like, no, it's better falling in love with the Nazi.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, but. But it's actually quite. But it's important to have for us. Like you don't want to watch this movie every night. You don't want to watch like an action oriented movie, something. So to have the occasional wartime romance which are often, you know, quite nice. And then like did you see Beasts of War? The like Australian shark World War II POW movie? No, it just came out. It's like a shudder original that came out. It was maybe at festivals last year. It's a true story. It's like basically a bunch of Australian fighter pilots. Pilots were just on a plane, and then it goes down roughly 15 minutes.

[David Sims]

Doesn't even have a Wikipedia page.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No, it doesn't. I was surprised. Didn't have a Wikipedia page. It's like a legit movie. And, you know, it's like. It's like this, but on a boat, but with a shark.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

I would say this looks a little less Tony than.

[Griffin Newman]

No, no.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So that was like a. That was like a Saturday night. We're tired. War movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Sometimes you need something that's like horror action.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, no, see, this is why you're like. Like, this is we. When you come on the podcast, we want to make it count. And if. If the schedule lines up where we can have you a couple times in one year, then that's it. But I'm like. I'm sitting here. I'm just like, thank God we got

[David Sims]

you on this one Way Back episode. Which is just us otherwise being like, I mean, this is well made and handsome. It didn't really resonate. It is, but it seems cold.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You know what's a. You know what's a. You know what's a.

[David Sims]

Sun's hot.

[Griffin Newman]

Can we get Bombas to sponsor this one? This feels like one to really. Oh, my God, you're so right.

[David Sims]

Bombus gave up on us. Really Come back. Bombus.

[Alex Ross Perry]

They.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

It's been a minute.

[Griffin Newman]

What if for every one ad read we do for them, we do an ad read for a shittier business?

[Alex Ross Perry]

They should have. They should have done a promo for this. You know, it's a bad way that you guys might do someday, Although it seems not likely with the way voting goes. Is Miracle at Santana like a Spike Lee movie no one has seen?

[Griffin Newman]

I've never seen it.

[David Sims]

I've seen that movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It is.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, I mean, Defy Bloods is like, one of my 10 favorite.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, Vietnam is a whole other thing, right?

[David Sims]

No, but that movie is. Is a failure having I having seen it. And I like Spike Lee, but it's one of his most, like, misshaped. It has interesting stuff. Like, it's not, like, without merit, but it's. It's odd.

[Griffin Newman]

It.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It is nearly without merit.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it's not very good. I can't really defend.

[Alex Ross Perry]

We were motivated to watch it years ago.

[David Sims]

Well, because you're like, how could this be that bad? Like, this must be interesting.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It must be something.

[David Sims]

Yeah, yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But that, you know, stuff like that can still get made, at least at this time, even.

[Griffin Newman]

That's 2006.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's him.

[David Sims]

Cash Inside mansion.

[Griffin Newman]

And that's the outside mansion.

[David Sims]

It's like nine or ten. But yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

The differ.

[David Sims]

That's when he got in a fight with Clint Eastwood.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. He's like, I'll show you. Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

But that's like the shift of like, he's one of the last guys who, A, like, inside man is enough of a blank check to get to make that. And B, they let you make that under any conditions.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do you like the two Clint movies he's making? That response to.

[Griffin Newman]

I really, really disliked Flags of Our Fathers.

[David Sims]

It's a good movie.

[Griffin Newman]

And Iwo Jim, I like, respect it.

[David Sims]

Iwo Jim is an incredible.

[Griffin Newman]

What it surprised me is good. I don't enjoy watching this.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It would surprise you for me to say that I really like Flags of Our Fathers and think Iwo Jima is a very bad movie. Wow.

[David Sims]

It would surprise me a little bit. Just the second part.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Flags of Our Fathers is a great movie. Letters from Iwo Jima.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Is I think the worst looking movie I have ever seen that is made with any budget.

[David Sims]

Well, it did not have much of a budget.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No. But I'm talking like, yes, you could show me a $2,000 movie that looks worse. Whatever digital technology was being put in front of him at that time. It is the worst looking movie that I think has been made by a major Hollywood studio with a major director.

[David Sims]

It comes in, you know, you're like, is Alex out of Hot Takes?

[Alex Ross Perry]

And he's like, but it's strange because it was made concurrently with a movie that looks entirely different.

[Griffin Newman]

See, I remember.

[David Sims]

I think you're being a little hard on him.

[Griffin Newman]

I also, I remember feeling that way about Flags of Our Fathers. I remember seeing that in theaters and being like, I hate the way this fucking looks. This movie is like so blunt over the head, restating every thematic point six times. I thought, like, across the board, most of the cast is bad. Like, I felt like it was basically wall to wall bad performance.

[David Sims]

It has a little bit of the Clint cast faces problem where it's like they're. Yeah. Not all the actors are that good.

[Griffin Newman]

And. And the script is so unsubtle that it would need massaging to bring the performances down to something specific. And instead you got Ryan Phillipe, like kind of walking through it.

[David Sims]

They kind of got railroaded though, those guys.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, a little bit.

[Griffin Newman]

Those guys got real a little bit.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Very solid film.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

But I have it mid to low on my Clint list.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, I'm just realizing in this conversation that every war film that I would say I. I love is a movie that basically, by narrative design, obfuscates the war to some degree.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But you like Vietnam movies.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, do I like all Vietnam movies?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Like all of them?

[Griffin Newman]

Yes, you're right. I like all Vietnam movies. We all know that. My favorite movie of all time is all is Lost. And I like all Vietnam films.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's too bad you'll never cover any of them on this show. Thanks to people voting down below.

[David Sims]

I mean, if obviously Fall Over Stone won, we would be covering half of all Vietnam movies. I don't love Vietnam. That is one of my less favorite war genres. But there are some great Vietnam movies.

[Griffin Newman]

I think there's. It is likely we cover Spike eventually. I'm trying to think, who else has a Vietnam movie we haven't covered?

[Alex Ross Perry]

I mean, do we do Forrest Gump's a Great Vietnam?

[David Sims]

We could do Michael Cimino.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Do Forrest Gump again. Yes.

[David Sims]

I'm not doing Forrest Gump again.

[Griffin Newman]

We could do Gump. No, but his movies as a director.

[David Sims]

Oh, yeah. Of course.

[Alex Ross Perry]

The interesting thing about a lot of these World War II tropes is, like, they stopped making World War II movies during Vietnam, largely because the idea of making, like, celebratory robberies, people weren't in the mood. Men on a Mission movies were Went Away.

[Griffin Newman]

Coppola, I've heard of him.

[Alex Ross Perry]

De Palma is in De Palma, yeah.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But De Palma, to me, he's another one of these guys like Weir, that. The ignominious end of his distribution and his opportunities is just such a bummer.

[David Sims]

Yeah, De Palma's tough. I mean, supposedly he's working on something now. Would it be good? I don't know.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Like, how can he go from it's hard to Mission Impossible to like, not being able to get a movie.

[Griffin Newman]

It's hard to end a series on the ward. You know, it is a thing they try to avoid.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I think this is as good of a final film as my vague recollection of every final film you've covered. If you're saying definitively final ones.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, yeah. And like a guy sort of choosing to call it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No one's going to stand up for this movie and be like, actually, that's Peter Weir's secret masterpiece. But, you know, the basement on final movies in the miniseries is. Is quite low.

[Griffin Newman]

Operation Dumbo Drop. I'm looking through a list of that.

[David Sims]

We do need to cover that. And who directed that? Was that Orson Welles?

[Griffin Newman]

It was Orson Wells. No, of course it was Simon Windsor.

[David Sims]

Oh, yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Ben. Operation Dumbo Drop.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah, Never seen it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This is the best thing about it.

[Griffin Newman]

It got dropping elephant.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Ben's choice that Ben hasn't seen is like my. That's a miniseries. Perhaps like a Patreon.

[David Sims]

We have. Griff. I will remind you this came up

[Alex Ross Perry]

when it was revealed Ben had never seen Bushwhacked.

[Griffin Newman]

We've covered a Windsor.

[David Sims]

We've covered one Wincer.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles.

[David Sims]

He did go to Los Angeles when

[Alex Ross Perry]

there's a movie that is.

[David Sims]

So we might cover the Phantom one day.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So Tailor made for Ben and he just for some reason missed it.

[Griffin Newman]

It is bizarre that he.

[Alex Ross Perry]

How'd you miss Dumbo Drop?

[Griffin Newman]

Dumbo Drop is good.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I don't know.

[Griffin Newman]

Do you know? Do you want to know what Dumbo Drop is? The big three.

[David Sims]

I think we're going to play the box.

[Griffin Newman]

Danny Glover, Dennis Leary and Ray Liotta. And their job is to get an elephant across.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I've never seen it. Don't look at me.

[Griffin Newman]

It's cool.

[David Sims]

I have seen it.

[Griffin Newman]

It's kind of the way back with an elephant. They're like walking the elephant. Elephant by foot. And then at a certain point they're like, this is taking too long. We got to get the elephant in a plane and then drop the elephant with a parachute into its final landing spot.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it's. Where is it?

[Griffin Newman]

It's probably one of the five best movies ever made.

[Alex Ross Perry]

The recent Vietnam movie that I didn't see, it was the. The Farrelly one. The greatest beer.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, sure. I'm surprised you haven't seen that.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Don't be.

[Griffin Newman]

Really?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. Don't be surprised I haven't seen that. Why would I see that?

[David Sims]

You like war movies. You watch.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That movie was about.

[David Sims]

You just said that you watch war movies all. No, no.

[Alex Ross Perry]

World War II movies. I am not encyclopedia.

[Griffin Newman]

You don't with Vietnam.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I do, but we certainly don't favor those movies. There's way less variety in the.

[David Sims]

I agree.

[Alex Ross Perry]

There's so much less variety.

[David Sims]

They tend to be one to two

[Alex Ross Perry]

kinds of movies and the sort of. But, you know, similar to World War II. I think one of the better genres of the Vietnam movie is the soldier after Vietnam, which is what you like.

[David Sims]

But.

[Griffin Newman]

No, but what I'm really. Yes, yes. It's exactly what you're saying. I'm looking through the Vietnam list here, and it is like, I like people. PTSD movies because that's an emotional story in the wake of war.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Even if it starts with Active.

[David Sims]

What's my favorite war movie? I don't know. I Love war movies so much. I'm like, Alex and I like any movie that makes me Google ship.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Now do I need every movie to be like that? No. But the way back where I can be like. And how many people do live in Mongolia? Like, I love.

[Alex Ross Perry]

See, this is the.

[Griffin Newman]

That for me gets into what Ben would call a homework movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But this is the interesting thing that we love. Splitting the difference on. Of curating War Season is like, there's movies that, like Nuremberg that you're like, this is one to one, this is a Hollywoodized version of a. Everyone in this movie is a real person. And then there's stuff like this where it's like, this is sort of based on a thing. And what really went out of vogue kind of post Saving Private Ryan for a long time, even though that movie is. Is fictional, was making these big ticket war movies of like, no, we just made this up.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It became much more popular in the 2000s to really like, be like, this

[Griffin Newman]

is a true story based on true story.

[Alex Ross Perry]

We're adapting a memoir. We're adapting something true. Whereas prior to that, Schindler's List was almost like an outlier where a lot of these movies, even music boxers I just watched are like, well, it's kind of inspired by this thing, but like, mostly we're just trying to tell a good story.

[Griffin Newman]

And then it becomes turn it. Because it was like the profile.

[Alex Ross Perry]

There just weren't World War II movies before that for a long time at this level. They were being made other countries. And there's a lot of good foreign war films in the 80s. And France was making a lot. And they sort of tried to grapple with their horrible history. America just. Vietnam was in vogue for over a decade, kind of until Schindler's List made World War II big business.

[David Sims]

Well, it's also. The generation starts to shift and like boomers want to watch World War II movies because their. Their parents served in World War II. You know, like, it's. It's just that's how one day maybe we'll get that more.

[Griffin Newman]

We're probably like 10 years away. More films about the Clone wars now that cyclically it's kind of coming back.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, it's like. It's like anything. The. The distance between these things started getting

[Griffin Newman]

really short for that.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, I mean, I mean, it's not a joke. That's a great statement.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Very, very.

[Griffin Newman]

That's what I wanted. I wanted profundity points.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But to us, we do love David's Googling of like, what is this movie based on.

[Griffin Newman]

We do love David's Googling.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Thank you. Because we, we enjoy like kind of communication. Comparing, like, oh, so I looked it up. It turns out like Charlotte Gray, the Cate Blanchett movie, where it's like, this is a true story. This is like some remarkable figure who needs a biopic versus the ones that tend to be like. This is a kind of interpretation of life during wartime in Fill in the Blank.

[David Sims]

Just to be clear, Charlotte Gray is not about a real person, but it is based on a novel.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Wait, what's the other one? There's another one with a nearly identical title.

[Griffin Newman]

Veronica Guerin.

[David Sims]

Yes, that's the IRA movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, right, right.

[Griffin Newman]

But she's a journalist.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But I'm getting those confused.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay, what am I talking about? My favorite war movie of all time is Small Soldiers.

[David Sims]

Yes, of course.

[Griffin Newman]

And that's based on a true story.

[David Sims]

The war of that kid's house.

[Griffin Newman]

Alan Abernathy.

[David Sims]

January 21, 2011.

[Alex Ross Perry]

These are going to be rough. This is a terrible.

[David Sims]

That's why it's a fun box office game. The Way back is over.

[Griffin Newman]

January 2011.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay, number one.

[David Sims]

Number 15 on 678 screens to $1.2 million. And it's going to let that out. Leg that out to $2.7 million. It's not a great show.

[Alex Ross Perry]

A third of a black hat.

[David Sims]

It makes. It's about a third of a black hat.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Black hat. 6.

[Griffin Newman]

5.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it makes 24.1 worldwide. So it's a little better overseas, unsurprisingly, civilized countries. But number one at the box office

[Alex Ross Perry]

is kind of like, was that its widest? Did it go beyond 600? Is it like immediately down to like.

[David Sims]

Because I feel like they're like, okay, we'll expand it like. And then it's like, no, we won't be expanding it. That was its widest. 678 screens, theaters. So number one is, I would say a film that's kind of tonally very similar to the Way Back and has the same kind of energy. I'm joking. It's a comedy. It's opening number one to $19.6 million right at the start of January. America's like, we want to laugh.

[Griffin Newman]

We're ready to lie.

[David Sims]

We want to see some romance.

[Griffin Newman]

It's not a Freeberg Seltzer.

[David Sims]

No, it is a romantic classier than that. It's a romantic comedy. Comedy from a very well known director.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Is it a Garry Marshall?

[David Sims]

No, but, you know, sort of like an old hand. It's an old, not quite as old as Garry Marshall. But he only had one more film left in him after this one.

[Griffin Newman]

He only had one more film left in him after this film. Tell me about the stars of this picture. Well, first, who's the distributor of this fine film?

[David Sims]

Of course, it's from the great people of Paramount Pictures.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Alex Ross Perry]

When was this director Most active?

[David Sims]

The 80s.

[Alex Ross Perry]

An 80s director.

[Griffin Newman]

An 80s director who's only got one left in him. And tell me about the stars of the picture.

[David Sims]

Well, there's a lovely lady and a handsome young man. Now, the lovely lady is about to win an Academy Award.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay. Interesting.

[David Sims]

This threatened to be her Norbit.

[Griffin Newman]

This is no Strings Attached.

[David Sims]

That's right. With Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher and Ivan Reitman, of course, would then make Draft Day and be so exhausted by the ego of one of the stars on that movie that he retired.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That was his. That was his way back. That was his way back.

[David Sims]

He was like, I can't deal with Griffin Newman asking me endless Internet questions saying, we have to stop for five minutes. So I connect to the office.

[Griffin Newman]

I had to take a long walk down that hallway and try not to spill coffee. And I failed.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Congratulations on being able to differentiate no Strings Attached and whatever the other one is.

[Griffin Newman]

The benefits.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's a summer.

[David Sims]

The other one. But the reason is everyone sort of remembers. Everyone just thinks they're both called no Strings Attached. No Strings Attached to the title people.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a better title.

[David Sims]

It's also the better of those two films. It's a good movie, people. It's pretty fun.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Pretty fun.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Oh, and I have presents to give Griffin before we wrap up.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, no, don't worry about it. Think I've forgotten about that.

[David Sims]

Number two at the box office is a film that came out a week earlier. So truly at the top of January. Opened fairly well. It's an action superhero movie. Did okay.

[Alex Ross Perry]

What. What is the origin of the superhero?

[Griffin Newman]

Is it the Green Hornet?

[David Sims]

It's the Green Hornet, yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Wow. Yeah. So which is a January release.

[David Sims]

Like a January, like, second release.

[Ben Hosley]

That was.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. That was a big thing. Was it had a summer release date. Then they announced they were pushing it back six months. Order to put 3D post conversion, 3D on it and release it in January. And people were like, oh, dumping ground. Is this thing like. It did pretty good and then it did well.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Made $100 million.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Would that be it? Wait, did you didn't do Pulp Heroes yet?

[Griffin Newman]

No.

[David Sims]

Would that count? But that's like tv, you know?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Pulp Heroes is like Radio and comic books. It's Shadow Phantom. Dick.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I put Green Hornet in.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, we all remember how direct directed Green Hornet.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Michelle Gondry.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

We're not doing his ass anytime soon.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Speaking of being broken.

[Griffin Newman]

Macrob and gasoline.

[Alex Ross Perry]

The we and the eye. Come on, David. The pod in the cast.

[Griffin Newman]

Mood Indigo. These are Heater episodes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I just want more, like, of the energy of Ben getting to do, like, the 90s comics. And I listen to the Mortal Kombat episode. Like, that's just such a.

[David Sims]

We're offering a lot of that energy.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Not worry. Yeah. Number three at the box office is another comedy.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

Star driven from a big director.

[Griffin Newman]

Is it a holdover from December? It's a January release.

[David Sims]

It came out. It came out, I guess a week before.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay. It opened against Green Hornet.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a big director.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a January comedy.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Distributor

[David Sims]

Universal. And this director usually works with Universal.

[Griffin Newman]

This director usually works with Universal.

[David Sims]

Especially at this time. I'd say so.

[Griffin Newman]

Especially at this time.

[David Sims]

I think his. His production company was sort of comedy

[Alex Ross Perry]

director or jack of all trades. No.

[David Sims]

Well, he made a lot of comedies, but. No, but he's at this point a prestige director.

[Griffin Newman]

I know. Say no more. It's Ron Howard's the Dilemma.

[David Sims]

That's right.

[Griffin Newman]

Which was a bit of a flop.

[David Sims]

It was a bit of a flop. It's a bad movie.

[Griffin Newman]

But Kevin James had hit so hard with Paul Blart in January that they were trying to make him the King of January.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And this was a hot project. The cast of that movie is so bizarrely stacked.

[David Sims]

James Youaring, you've got Jennifer Connelly, Winona Rider, Channing Tatum, Queen Latifah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

How could it be bad?

[David Sims]

I think it's definitely bad.

[Griffin Newman]

As Sean Fenisty would say, is in fact quite poor.

[David Sims]

Quite poor, but. And just one of those things where the poster is just like, james, is

[Alex Ross Perry]

there a guy on the post? Does Vaughn have his hand over his head?

[David Sims]

Both of his hands.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Both of his hands.

[David Sims]

He's like.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't know what to do about this.

[David Sims]

This is one of those that had

[Alex Ross Perry]

an ad above myself. Subway stop.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Like that they just left up.

[David Sims]

But it's like Kevin James is just smiling like an idiot. Yes. Like, Kevin James looks like he was born two seconds ago.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, do you guys remember what the premise is?

[David Sims]

Like, do I have to tell. Yes. He sees his wife kissing.

[Griffin Newman]

He sees friends.

[David Sims]

Yes. Kevin James's wife kissing somebody.

[Griffin Newman]

The entire. Yes.

[David Sims]

And, like, do I tell him or not?

[Griffin Newman]

Kevin James is married To Winona Ryder.

[David Sims]

Right?

[Griffin Newman]

Winona Ryder is having an affair with Chant signing Tatum. Vince Vaughn witnesses it and the whole movie is him being like, do I tell my friends or not?

[David Sims]

Oh, my God.

[Griffin Newman]

It's gonna make him feel bad. And it's one of those things where you're just like, tell him. This is an interesting conflict.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Stop talking about it. I wanna either way go away.

[Griffin Newman]

Which do you think is the better. Act as a friend. Decide that and stick to it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Quite a dilemma. No, it's a dilemma you'd never do.

[Griffin Newman]

Howard, it's so long.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, let me pause. Just to keep the games. Let me pause the game so people have a reason to keep listening. So I am leaving these. This is gonna be like a reverse A memento kind of story. I'm gonna leave these Blu Rays for Tracy Letts.

[David Sims]

Oh, yeah, of course.

[Griffin Newman]

Right, right, right.

[David Sims]

So we're recording with Tracy.

[Griffin Newman]

So it will have happened.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This will have paid off. Hopefully. I'm leaving three sealed Blu Rays, two of which are reference quality of my own films to contribute to Less. Cause I think he'll watch these. But more like it's almost a badge of honor to have these in the archive.

[Griffin Newman]

So this is Vinegar Syndrome. Her Smell and Pavements. Vinegar Syndrome.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Pavements. British Eureka. Masters of cinema. Listen up, Philip. Which is the only Blu Ray release of it ever?

[Griffin Newman]

And that's a Blu Ray DVD combo pack.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Oh, yeah. Dual format edition. Contains both Blu Ray and DVD editions. And because of rights issues, this can't be issued on Blu Ray in America.

[Griffin Newman]

You've been trying to work this out, right? Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Can't be done.

[Griffin Newman]

Do you know what Ben has purchased

[Alex Ross Perry]

for Tracy Letts in the discharge?

[Griffin Newman]

I think Ben might go 3 for 3.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, he's definitely. I'm definitely going 3 for 3. I'm gonna write him a nice note too. I'm gonna toss this goodie bag to Griffin.

[Griffin Newman]

Great.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And this is. You know what half of this is. But it'll still be fun

[Ben Hosley]

for Tracy. Ace ventura. Pet detective.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Steelbook 4K. Steel book re a recent release.

[Ben Hosley]

Spawn.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Nice.

[Griffin Newman]

Arrow, 4K sort.

[David Sims]

Then that's been like sharing his culture with Tracy.

[Ben Hosley]

And then of course, naturally, Trash Humpers.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Nice.

[David Sims]

Which maybe Tracy has that one.

[Griffin Newman]

It's the one.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I feel like he would have open contempt for the world. Work of harmony.

[David Sims]

Korine. I might imagine it's not his cover

[Alex Ross Perry]

for when you give him Spawn. Make sure he's looking at future Spawn.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[Ben Hosley]

I'll have it.

[Griffin Newman]

He'll add it to the display.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This will hopefully not have Paid off in like shame and confusion. This bit that I'm now contributing to because one of my favorite razzings of Sean is in the YouTube clip of Big Picture when Tracy was like, what's the name of the director with three names? And Sean, without pausing, just goes, Paul Thomas Anderson. And he goes, no, no, the one who's on your show. Go,

[Griffin Newman]

David. Do you think you're going to have a chance to buy discs?

[David Sims]

That's my plan.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

Why do you want to just leave it to Ben? I don't know. I'm trying to sneak. No, no, not. I was trying to go yesterday, but then I realized they're closed on Monday.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Where would you go?

[David Sims]

Night Owlburg. I see.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But yes, even to contribute to the archive of his would be an honor.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I'm still getting to lay a commemorative brick.

[David Sims]

I mean, I can also dig around in my collection because I have a fair amount of dupes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But I'm like, I think it has to be truly.

[Griffin Newman]

I think it has to be sealed.

[Ben Hosley]

If you send me a list on my way home today, I can stop by.

[David Sims]

But I was just. I was hoping to go and vibe.

[Griffin Newman]

I think you gotta go.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This is like one of my all time worst bits, which is the bit that King size candy is an offering to the king from his subjects, which I, you know, like, that's kind of what we're doing here. This offering to be true emperor physical media.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And you make an offering. You can't give him your used collection.

[David Sims]

Just to finish. Just to finish.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And then Griffin can open this.

[David Sims]

I mean, to be fair, Tracy shows up with like his dupes and throws them at Chris.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's okay for him to do it.

[David Sims]

Of course he's.

[Griffin Newman]

And I think most. You're not giving him sealed.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, yeah, these are sealed. I imagine these are offerings from other subjects that he has no need for. The king can throw his scraps.

[Griffin Newman]

Speaking of the king, number four at

[David Sims]

the box office wins best picture in a couple months.

[Griffin Newman]

The King speech.

[Alex Ross Perry]

That's right.

[David Sims]

And number five, what's it up to at this point? 57.

[Griffin Newman]

And it's going to make it to 130.

[David Sims]

135.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Has Epstein gotten his DVD of it yet by this point? Do we. When was that even email sent?

[David Sims]

Number five at the box office.

[Griffin Newman]

I think he has not gotten it yet. It is crazy to consider that it's still in January. Used to have a thing that was 80 million away from its eventual box office total because of a best picture.

[David Sims]

Going to talk about Jeffrey Epstein. And I was about to pick up my stop sign number.

[Griffin Newman]

New York Finance.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Number five at the box office is a film from Alex's favorite directors who he said such lovely things about on this episode. Their biggest hit ever. Also a 2010 Best Picture nominee there.

[Alex Ross Perry]

True Grit.

[David Sims]

I gave it away.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I think maybe my favorite Coen Brothers movie.

[David Sims]

Incredible movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I love this movie. Yeah.

[David Sims]

You've also got Black Swan, as mentioned. So Natalie's got two.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I'm excited for people to respond to that take of mine. I. I love a True Grit.

[Griffin Newman]

Is your favorite?

[Alex Ross Perry]

No, no, just the earlier thoughts.

[David Sims]

Yeah, they'll be really, really even handed.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Just that I think Virgo is, like, good number.

[Griffin Newman]

What is Black Swan up to at this point?

[David Sims]

Black Swan's up to 83, so it's also got some run to go.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Little.

[David Sims]

The Little Fockers are on their way

[Griffin Newman]

out of the Troublemakers.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So much comedy.

[David Sims]

Number nine.

[Alex Ross Perry]

So much comedy.

[David Sims]

Comedy. Undeniably not Hollywood's best comedies. Like, none of this. When you're like, I wonder why Hollywood stopped making comedies? And you're like, the Dilemma. Little Fockers. Like, oh, little.

[Griffin Newman]

Little Fockers makes it to a soft 100 domestic.

[David Sims]

Yeah. No, no, no. Little Fockers made 148 domestic.

[Griffin Newman]

That's insane.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Friends With Benefits makes it to, like, 80 or 90 domestic.

[David Sims]

Are you talking about no Strings Attention Attached?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

I got it right.

[David Sims]

The first that made it to 70 domestic, 150 worldwide.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay, yeah.

[David Sims]

So, like. Okay, yeah. And the Dilemma, which was a bomb, made 48 domestic. Yeah. So that's flop territory, but we would

[Alex Ross Perry]

have killed for that on this film. Well, yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Also, like, most studio comedies would kill for 48 domestic now, and that was seen as a disaster.

[David Sims]

I mean, it was. I'm sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I can't believe how little money the Way Back made.

[Griffin Newman]

It's crazy.

[David Sims]

Number eight is the Fighter. I can. Nobody want to see that shit. And I liked it. Number eight is the fighter. Number nine is Yogi Bear.

[Griffin Newman]

What's fighter at?

[David Sims]

Fighter is at 72 and 88. Fighter makes.

[Griffin Newman]

Does fighter stay at 96?

[Alex Ross Perry]

93?

[Griffin Newman]

93.

[David Sims]

And number 10 is, of course, the comedy of 2010. Number one, Tron Legacy. I love that movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Digital jazz, man.

[David Sims]

That's right. You also.

[Alex Ross Perry]

When are you going to splice in the. The rankings if you do that?

[Griffin Newman]

I'll tell you when we're gonna splice them in, man. Right here.

[David Sims]

Here are our rankings for Peter. We.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay, this is the pickup on our ranking. Now that I've Rewatched Master and Commander, and we have recorded all the episodes. David.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Do you want to go first?

[David Sims]

This is a very hard one. I don't know if you found that, Griffin, incredibly difficult because it's a lot of great movies. A lot of movies I admire for

[Griffin Newman]

different reasons and, like, centimeters in between these positions.

[David Sims]

Yeah, 100%.

[Ben Hosley]

It's.

[Griffin Newman]

It's basically interchangeable. Did you include the plumber or.

[David Sims]

I included the plumber.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

So my list is. And it really. It's tough.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Because. Yeah, a lot of these are fun. Number one, mastering Commander. That was not tough.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure. You're going from.

[David Sims]

From top down one to top one to down. Number two, the Truman Show. Number three, Witness. Number four, Picnic and Hanging Rock. Those three are all movies I just think are sublime. And they all felt a little interchangeable to me. Number five, Fearless. Number six, Green Card. Number seven, Mosquito Coast. Number eight, Last Wave. Number nine, year of Living Dangerously. Number ten, Gipoly. Those are all movies I think are pretty interesting and tremendous. Yeah. I'm sure yours list is different from mine.

[Griffin Newman]

It is. Although, you know what's interesting? I mean, Master and Commander is unsurprisingly lower for me. But then our rankings are the same for the next couple.

[David Sims]

That's interesting.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

I have Truman at number one, Witness at number two, Picnic. A Hangrock. Number three. Agree with that block you just established. Then I have Fearless at number four, which is the same as you, minus Master and Commander at the top of that list. Right.

[David Sims]

Where do you have Master and Commander?

[Griffin Newman]

I have Gallipoli at 5.

[David Sims]

Jesus, this is so up. And insane.

[Griffin Newman]

Mosquito coast at 6, master and commander at 7, last wave at 8, green card at 9. You're living dangerously at 10.

[David Sims]

And then I have my last four are way back at 11, plumber at 12, cars that ate Paris at 13, dead poet society at 14, wild.

[Griffin Newman]

So, yeah, I have a totally different order there. I have cars at 11, cars 2 at 12.

[David Sims]

Cars 2.

[Griffin Newman]

No, I have cars that at Paris at 11, dead poets at 12, plumber at 13, way back at 14. I would say the top 10 are all degrees of excellent for me. And Cars, they date. Paris, Dead Poets, and Plummer are all very good. And the only movie of his I like, don't enjoy is the Way Back. But I also don't think it's a bad film. I don't think he ever made a bad movie.

[David Sims]

No, but that's it.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, that's it. Now we cut you back to that episode. Wow.

[David Sims]

Oh, my God. I can't believe it the way back.

[Griffin Newman]

Number one for everybody across the board. We really changed our mind.

[David Sims]

Debuting in theaters this week is also the comic Company Men, the John Wells film.

[Griffin Newman]

A film I hate.

[David Sims]

What if the Bosses had It?

[Griffin Newman]

It's actually one of my least favorite movies.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Don't remember what that is.

[Griffin Newman]

It's about a bunch of like middle managers or whatever. Yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No, maybe.

[David Sims]

Yeah, they're.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Exactly.

[Griffin Newman]

And how much they struggle in the recession. These guys used to have.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Who's in? Who are the. Who are the executives?

[David Sims]

Costner, Affleck, Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones.

[Alex Ross Perry]

These are some guys. This sounds watchable. Yes, this sounds very watchable.

[Griffin Newman]

Kevin Costner is non exec.

[David Sims]

This sounds very watch.

[Griffin Newman]

Costner is a Joe the Plumber who hates Ben Affleck, his brother in law who's never worked a real day in his life. These guys used to play golf.

[David Sims]

He's got a point.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. It's a terrible movie. It's directed, written, directed by John Wells.

[David Sims]

That's right. I believe counter later.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes. And then he gets burnt.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, you know who can answer that question for you?

[David Sims]

Who?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Tracy.

[David Sims]

Good. And now of course, he's back on the Pit, Right?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Thank God he's off our movie screens.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Making good TV for us again.

[Griffin Newman]

He was like my least favorite middlebrow director.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's.

[David Sims]

I mean, it's interesting because I also actually associate him with ER's decline and then I associate him with the West Wings decline because he took over the West Wing. But like he obviously was in important at er, but he becomes too powerful later in ER and he starts to infect with too many special episodes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's fine. It's fine.

[David Sims]

But the pit's good and he's great.

[Griffin Newman]

I guess.

[David Sims]

He's my best friend. So next week on the podcast, of course we're going to talk about disclosure day.

[Griffin Newman]

Ah.

[David Sims]

Because that's going to be pretty new. Yeah, brand new. I think that's coming out on the 12th. But then, Griffin, what are we going to do then?

[Griffin Newman]

We're going under deceit.

[David Sims]

Yes. We will be looking for someone. Who could we be looking for?

[Griffin Newman]

We'll be trying to find To Nemo, an episode we offered to arp.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I was offered Finding Nemo.

[Griffin Newman]

You said something to the effect of I don't really have any relationship to Finding Nemo. I've seen it twice. Finding Dory, I've obviously seen 25 times.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Astrid's preference is finding Dory, your daughter, by a wide margin.

[David Sims]

Also my daughter's daughter.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Why is that?

[David Sims]

Because Dory's so Cute at the beginning with her big old eyes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Well, I guess so. But I mean the whole. Most of it's in an aquarium.

[David Sims]

My daughter also. Well, but my daughter likes the aquarium because she's the septipus.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, well, I like the beluga whale with the vibrating crystal scale.

[Griffin Newman]

It's got good characters.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, I mean it's a fine film.

[David Sims]

Good characters.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I just don't know. I just don't know why she gravitates towards that.

[David Sims]

I think just cuz it's like. It's the classic kid thing of like. Well, Dory's the best character anyway. So like a movie with more Dory. It's just like more for me.

[Griffin Newman]

You solved my only issue.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I just didn't think I would have that much insight.

[Griffin Newman]

I. I said neurotic father.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Alex.

[David Sims]

Neurotic. He's not neurotic.

[Griffin Newman]

No, but. No.

[David Sims]

I even killed.

[Griffin Newman]

This was the best episode we could have gotten you on. But yes. In two weeks we start our talking the walk.

[Alex Ross Perry]

A secret side. Talking the walk.

[Griffin Newman]

You did say this. This is kind of a talking the walk. We'll replay this.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Oh, so. So you're doing Andrew Stanton?

[Griffin Newman]

We're doing Andrew Stanton.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Sorry, I didn't want to cut off your actual promotion so people can be excited.

[Griffin Newman]

His first three films are the cleanest distillation of a blank check arc we will ever cover.

[David Sims]

Finding Nemo, big hit. So he makes his like sort of like more ambitious animated film wall E and then uses that to make something crazy. The action film people have tried to make for a hundred years in Hollywood. The biggest scale imaginable.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Does it have a cool title from the books? Sounds good so far.

[Griffin Newman]

A title.

[David Sims]

John Carter, End of title.

[Griffin Newman]

A title that John Wells would come up with.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Now wait a minute. Where's the rest of the title?

[David Sims]

The title's over. You won't learn where he's from.

[Griffin Newman]

Basically the definitive is.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Is. What does Mars call? Mars in the movie?

[Griffin Newman]

No, it's called Barsoom.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Of course. Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

Arguably the definitive bounce of the last 15 years. The last 10 years.

[David Sims]

Most definitive.

[Griffin Newman]

It is the shorthand. It has replaced Waterworld. It is the one of our.

[Alex Ross Perry]

E destroyed Disney in a way. Absolutely broke.

[Griffin Newman]

Disney changed everything. Then he rebounds with Finding Dory. He has this cushion that he can go back to his most successful film. And then in the year 2026, he returns with two films in the blink of an eye. A Hulu original that came out months ago.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Everyone knows this.

[Griffin Newman]

We all know this. And then what is guaranteed to be another one of the Highest grossing films of all time. Toy Story 5 coming out this summer. A thing I was loath to cover on main feed, but David to twisted my arm and I conceded. Maybe it is time to do Andrew Stanton.

[David Sims]

Oh, yeah.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

I really had to bully you into this one. I'm excited. I'm excited to talk about it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Thanks for having me on this one.

[Griffin Newman]

Of course.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Griffin has his gift bag.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay, I'm going to open my gift bag. Let's see.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It's a lot of stuff you know about.

[David Sims]

What's your number one Peter Weir movie?

[Alex Ross Perry]

I mean, if it's not Master and Commander, it's Mosquito Coast. It was definitely Mosquito coast for a long time.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And then very Alex.

[Griffin Newman]

Moving rewind.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Watched Master and Commander when we did like a C series during the Pandemic. And I was. I had always liked the movie. I was like, oh, this? I forgot. This is like one of the 50 canonically greatest films ever made. Period. Like in a. In a. By hands. By human hands.

[Griffin Newman]

I have a bumper sticker that says, please stop honking. I'm trying to watch the 2025 major motion picture, Pavements. Much appreciated.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Getting a lot of merch here.

[David Sims]

It'd be funnier though if it was like trombo or something like these.

[Griffin Newman]

I've been asking you to hold on to which I moved be promotional stickers of my face from Pavement. These are bags I got. Are they the full band or these just.

[Alex Ross Perry]

No, there's the full band, but I brought the ones that had you in the front.

[Griffin Newman]

Thank you. I really appreciate it.

[Ben Hosley]

I just want to shout out with the bumper sticker that today I pulled in right after ARP into the parking garage and I knew it was him because he had the Pavement.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I put that sticker on my car. Inherited the car from my grandmother. And I covered up the Biden Harris bumper sticker that I couldn't take off with the Pavements bumper.

[Griffin Newman]

Good call. Pavements hat. Pavements ball cap. The tick versus Arthur VHS collection. Oh, it only has the one episode. It's a classic. 21 minute VHS.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, that's right.

[Griffin Newman]

But you found this. And I immediately realized this is. This is quite a pricey VHS on the secondhand market. Well, the tends to be going for over $100.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, that was a dollar when I bought it.

[Griffin Newman]

It's crazy. Yoked up Arthur carrying Carmelita, his love interest that we never got to in the live action.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I've had that waiting for you for nine months.

[Griffin Newman]

All of my love interests were not human on the show. And then and then. And then, of course, the Buddy Christ as seen in the hit film Dogma.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You guys are benefiting from me getting all the stuff from my dad's storage locker.

[Griffin Newman]

I really appreciate this.

[Alex Ross Perry]

All these sealed toys I forgot about.

[Ben Hosley]

And you know what? We're gonna take pictures and post it on Social.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, yeah, Definitely part of the carousel. What was the other thing you said you wanted? The carousel.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Ben's.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, Future Spawn. Yeah. Arp, thank you for being here.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah, thanks.

[Griffin Newman]

Hey, you had two movies last year.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Both of which people should watch.

[David Sims]

So four this year.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Zero.

[David Sims]

Interesting.

[Griffin Newman]

For now.

[Alex Ross Perry]

For the year. I'm calling my shot.

[Griffin Newman]

You're calling your shot?

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Much like Peter Weir, this is no movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I'd rather explore sunken World War II submarines than get out of bed at 6am to go be yelled at.

[David Sims]

Well, I believe you do probably get out of bed at 6am to be yelled at if you are a parent of a young child.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Not by like an ad.

[Griffin Newman]

Right?

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. Well, Video Heaven's on Criterion Channel. That's the only thing I care about people watching because I benefit directly from it.

[David Sims]

But Payments is on movie.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Payments on movie. But I'm not going to see a dime there. But Video Heaven, like, that's my movie.

[David Sims]

Yeah, right. You own like the movie outright.

[Griffin Newman]

Can you give the quick pitch to people who don't know? Because if you listen to this podcast, it's true. Real nerdy shit.

[Alex Ross Perry]

You've made it to cusp of hour three on a podcast. You would probably enjoy a three hour essay film about the history of videotape as a medium and video stores told entirely through clips from movies and television depicting video stores as physical spaces. I made this movie. It has 180 film and TV show clips in it, accompanied by a essay read by Maya Hawk.

[Griffin Newman]

And if you're hearing this and going, well, this sounds a little. A little.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yeah. I don't know if I can listen to three hours of Blank Check and watch a three hour movie.

[Griffin Newman]

A little educational, a little dry. Lest you be concerned, the last 30 minutes features ARP just doing a drive by on like 15 early 2000s independent films.

[Alex Ross Perry]

It does feature Amy Heckerling's Loser.

[Griffin Newman]

It does.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I spent 10 years on this movie. Griffin walked out of seeing it and said, what? No Freaky Tales.

[Griffin Newman]

This is our running bit that I keep asking him why Freaky Tales didn't make the cut. And I keep demanding that News and Deals respects the existence of Freaky Tales. Just that it exists.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Maybe give tracy letts a 4k of freaky tales.

[Griffin Newman]

Fuck. I don't know if it can arrive in time because that's Lionsgate Limited. I don't know what their quickest shipping option is. He's coming here in like three days.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

I was looking at overnighting some Amazon stuff and fuky tales from upstate.

[Alex Ross Perry]

There's the Lionsgate Studios on the Hudson. I'm sure you guys have seen this. David, it's like near Yankee Stadium. You ever seen the Lionsgate Studios? It might be past Yankee Stadium probably.

[Ben Hosley]

We had to actually send one of our hats to that location because they're the production company that's involved with the Jon Hamm show.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Did that ever come out?

[David Sims]

It's coming out soon. I literally got a text from a friend today watching a show screener being like, are you guys aware John Ham listens to your show on the show?

[Griffin Newman]

That's what we should plug. You're in an upcoming episode of Our Friends and Neighbors. Forget about your Friends and Neighbors passion

[Alex Ross Perry]

film that I spent 10 years on and love dearly. Watch this Apple show.

[Griffin Newman]

I love Video Heaven.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Yes. I love it too. And it's on the Criterion channel for the foreseeable future.

[David Sims]

Great.

[Ben Hosley]

It's excellent.

[Alex Ross Perry]

But people are really watching it on there.

[Griffin Newman]

It's great.

[David Sims]

That's.

[Alex Ross Perry]

They kept sending out there, like what's popular these days and it was always up there.

[Griffin Newman]

It's highly recommended. And I just want to clarify that fat cocked gentleman thieves in New York City are always listening to the Halloween episode of Blank Check featuring Alex Ross Perry as depicted in the Apple series.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Blank Check fans can say they were there first.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Alex Ross Perry]

And yeah, people are always like, wow, that movie. It's 2 hours and 50 minutes. That's insanely long. And I'm like, guys, if you listen to Blank Check, if an episode of that length show, I remember when you

[David Sims]

told me you were like, it's gonna be about three hours. And I was like, oh, that's pretty long. You're like, I figure anyone who's watching this is cool with watching it for three.

[Alex Ross Perry]

If a blank check episode comes out, that's 2:50. People are like, I guess David had to be somewhere that day. This is a crazy amount of time to not spend marinating in the love of cinema.

[David Sims]

I wanted to point out to you that we are.

[Griffin Newman]

We're about to hit three.

[David Sims]

About to hit three hours. So we are.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I also feel like we wrapped up half an hour ago.

[David Sims]

We wrapped up. We were kind of wrapping an hour.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I looked up, it was 2:30. I felt.

[David Sims]

I felt the exact same Way. And now I feel less good, but I feel okay.

[Griffin Newman]

I think we're doing great and I think everyone's gonna be.

[Ben Hosley]

But David. But David, look on the brighter side. There's more toys.

[Griffin Newman]

There's more toys. Just what I love for sound insulation.

[Ben Hosley]

So this is his new thing, by the way. Justifying that he just added.

[David Sims]

He suffocates us. Then at least there's sound.

[Ben Hosley]

It's absorbing sound.

[David Sims]

So tune in next week for Disclosure Day. Hope that rocks. And then we're doing Andrew Stanton and then we're doing whoever won March Madness. I assume Chris Columbus.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Do you want to claim one of those episodes now?

[David Sims]

Bicentennial Man.

[Alex Ross Perry]

If he wins, I will tell on Mike the story I'm about to tell you guys about why I find it so aggravating whenever you. You're like, and he's the nicest guy in Hollywood.

[David Sims]

Can't wait.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I'll tell this story privately right now, and then I promise if he wins, I will come on and make people feel bad about this victory. There's no chance he's going to win?

[David Sims]

No, I don't think so. But maybe he wins.

[Griffin Newman]

You've given me an idea here. Thank you all for listening. Please remember to rate, review and subscribe. Tune in next week for Disclosure Day. Thank you all for riding the high seas of Peter Weir with us.

[David Sims]

Absolutely.

[Griffin Newman]

And Arp, I'm going to read you a deadline announcement that just happened. Ben, can we bleep out the announcement? And I just want to get arp's reaction to it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Good, good.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay, so bleep out what I'm about to say and then get arp's reaction brings to direct and to script spin off.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I mean, this is going to get the shit back on track. This is what the people want.

[David Sims]

It's a real bummer.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This is definitely what the public wants.

[David Sims]

When I think. I think these three faces look at.

[Alex Ross Perry]

I mean, I appreciate that all the progressive gains of the last decade have been erased by the current political climate, but this is a bridge too far. We can't let people like this run Hollywood again.

[David Sims]

And as always. Or that was.

[Griffin Newman]

That was the end. As always.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah, that's. That's it.

[Alex Ross Perry]

At some point, there'll be a lag and I can see. Start unboxing this bag of presents.

[Griffin Newman]

I can't wait.

[Ben Hosley]

I'm excited.

[Alex Ross Perry]

Nothing for David, but what do you get for the man who has everything?

[David Sims]

A little bit. Yeah. I mean, people are having this. I'm going to turn 40 in a month and everyone's like, look what he's got.

[Alex Ross Perry]

This is what he's got recently. Is that the stop sign?

[Ben Hosley]

Correct. And it's two sided.

[David Sims]

Okay. This is to shut Griffin up, I think is the idea.

[Griffin Newman]

Sometimes he feels like a cash is going by too quickly. He needs to slow it down.

[David Sims]

Slow is definitely, definitely not something we really need to use.

[Ben Hosley]

Blank Check with Griffin and David is hosted by Griffin Newman and David Sims. Our executive producer is me, Ben Hosley, our creative producer is Marie Barty Salinas and our Associate producer is AJ McKeon. This show is mixed and edited by AJ McKeon and Alan Smithee, researched by JJ Burch. Our theme song is by Lane Montgomery and the Great Great American Novel with additional music by Alex Mitchell, artwork by Joe Bowen, Ollie Moss, and Pat Reynolds. Our production assistant is Minick. Special thanks to David Cho, Jordan Fish and Nate Patterson for their production help. Head over to blankcheckpod.com for links to all of the real nerdy. Join our Patreon Blank Check special features for exclusive franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us on social at blankj. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Checkbook on Substack. This podcast is created and produced by Blank Check Productions.