Irish Cinema & The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Summary

Dear Movies, I Love You – Episode: Irish Cinema & The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Release Date: March 11, 2025
Hosts: Millie De Chirico and Casey O'Brien
Network: Exactly Right Podcasts

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Introduction

The episode kicks off with Millie De Chirico and Casey O'Brien engaging in playful banter about their appearances, setting a lighthearted and relatable tone for the discussion ahead.

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Exploring Irish Cinema

Millie De Chirico [05:08]:
"Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of Dear Movies, I Love You. This is the film podcast where you and I and us are having a tumultuous, torrid, spicy romance with motion pictures."

Millie and Casey delve into the rich landscape of Irish cinema, highlighting their personal connections and the unique qualities that distinguish it from other national film industries. Casey shares his academic background in Irish cinema, which adds depth to their exploration.

Casey O'Brien [25:26]:
"When you think of Irish cinema, they're often very dark and funny and gloomy with a sense of tragedy, even in the lightest movies."

They discuss prominent Irish actors like Daniel Day-Lewis, Colin Farrell, Martin McDonagh, and Brendan Gleeson, acknowledging their significant contributions to the film industry. Millie mentions Saoirse Ronan, adding to the list of notable Irish talents.

---

Deep Dive: The Banshees of Inisherin

The hosts focus on the acclaimed film "The Banshees of Inisherin," starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. They provide a comprehensive synopsis and analyze the film’s themes, such as the fragility of friendships and the dark humor intrinsic to Irish storytelling.

Casey O'Brien [30:59]:
"The Banshees of Inisherin is a comedy slash horror that explores the breakdown of a lifelong friendship on a remote Irish island."

Millie relates the film’s narrative to her personal life, sharing a poignant story about her father's similar experience with a long-term friend deciding to end their friendship. This connection adds an emotional layer to their analysis.

Millie De Chirico [35:27]:
"It felt like watching Brendan Gleason’s character mirror my dad's real-life situation, making the film incredibly impactful."

They praise the film’s direction, cinematography, and performances, particularly highlighting Carrie Coon’s role as Brendan Gleason’s sister. The discussion emphasizes the film’s ability to portray deep emotional struggles with authenticity and dark humor.

Millie De Chirico [43:15]:
"The dynamic between the black cat and golden retriever personalities perfectly encapsulates the tension and eventual breakdown of the friendship."

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Film Diary

Millie De Chirico [14:53]:
"I haven't watched an actual motion picture in the past couple of days, but I did rewatch a fascinating docu-series about BTS called 'In the Soup.'"

Millie shares her recent immersion into K-Pop culture, particularly her engagement with BTS’s documentary series. She appreciates the serene and authentic portrayal of the band’s interactions during their vacation, contrasting it with her usual film-watching habits.

Casey O'Brien [19:27]:
"I've been binge-watching 'Love is Blind,' a reality TV show that, while not cinematic, has been oddly captivating."

Casey discusses his indulgence in "Love is Blind," reflecting on the emotional rollercoaster of watching relationships unfold without visual interactions. Their film diary segments offer a glimpse into their diverse viewing preferences beyond traditional cinema.

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Film Gripe: Pre-Movie Events Overload

Millie vents about the increasingly lengthy and unanticipated pre-movie events at theaters, such as extended introductions, trivia, and interactive segments that delay the actual start of the film.

Millie De Chirico [06:14]:
"Lately, there's been a rash of pre-movie events that extend far beyond the advertised start time, making the theater experience feel more like a variety show than a movie night."

Casey empathizes, suggesting that these extended sessions can deter audiences seeking a straightforward cinematic experience. They both agree that while some pre-movie content can enhance the viewing experience, balance is essential to maintain engagement.

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Film Advice Ultra

The hosts address listener questions, providing thoughtful insights and recommendations:

1. Navigating Keanu Reeves’ Filmography

   • Nicole’s Question [52:42]:
     "How to traverse Keanu Reeves’ movies to honor his career without feeling overwhelmed by unavailable films?"

   • Millie De Chirico [54:07]:
     "Start with his newer works like the John Wick series, then move to older films such as 'River’s Edge' and 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.'"

   • Casey O'Brien [57:00]:
     "Categorize his films into genres—action (e.g., 'Speed'), drama (e.g., 'The Devil’s Advocate'), and sci-fi (e.g., 'The Matrix') to streamline your viewing."

2. Understanding "Beau is Afraid"

   • Jeff’s Question [52:42]:
     "Can you explain and defend 'Beau is Afraid'? I found it unresolved and frustrating."

   • Millie De Chirico [62:10]:
     "Sometimes these avant-garde films are meant to provoke and evoke personal emotional responses rather than provide clear resolutions."

   • Casey O'Brien [63:06]:
     "Appreciate how the film makes you feel, even if it leaves you bewildered. Emotional impact is a valid metric for its success."

3. Recommendations for Short Thrillers/Horrors

   • Shannon’s Question [65:05]:
     "Looking for thriller/horror movies under 90 minutes for a partner with a short attention span."

   • Millie De Chirico [65:28]:
     "Consider classic horror films from the 1930s or 1980s franchises like 'Child’s Play' and 'Jason' that maintain suspense without overextending."

   • Casey O'Brien [68:09]:
     "Movies like 'Cube' (90 mins), 'Sexy Beast' (2000), and 'Evil Dead 2' (84 mins) are excellent choices."

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Employees’ Picks

Millie De Chirico [70:37]:
"I recommend rewatching 'Once' (2007), a romantic drama about creative collaboration that remains emotionally resonant."
She suggests a watch party to revisit the film together, emphasizing its timeless appeal and personal significance.

Casey O'Brien [74:13]:
"My pick is 'The Butcher Boy' (1997) by Neil Jordan, a dark and fantastical film about a mentally troubled boy. It's a blend of humor, violence, and surreal elements that offer a unique viewing experience."

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Conclusion

Millie and Casey wrap up the episode by encouraging listeners to engage with them on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Letterboxd. They invite listeners to send in their film-related questions and share their thoughts on Irish cinema and "The Banshees of Inisherin."

Millie De Chirico [75:06]:
"If anyone wants to fly us out for a live show in Dublin, email us at [e-mail]."

They close with well-wishes for St. Patrick's Day and acknowledge their production team, maintaining the episode’s friendly and inclusive atmosphere.

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Notable Quotes

• Millie De Chirico [07:40]:
  "The pre-movie pomp and circumstance feels like performance art that eats into the actual movie time."

• Casey O'Brien [25:38]:
  "Irish cinema often delves into dark humor and tragedy, reflecting the complex emotions of its people."

• Millie De Chirico [30:14]:
  "There’s a messiness to Irish movies where they can wallow in darkness yet still laugh about it."

• Casey O'Brien [43:30]:
  "Brendan Gleason’s character couldn’t just communicate his need for solitude; he had to take drastic measures."

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Follow Dear Movies, I Love You:

• Instagram & Facebook: @dearmoviesiloveyou
• Email: [e-mail]
• Letterboxd: Casey Lee O'Brien and M. De Chirico

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This episode offers an insightful exploration of Irish cinema through the lens of "The Banshees of Inisherin," enriched by personal anecdotes and thoughtful analysis. Millie and Casey's dynamic discussions provide both entertainment and depth, making it a valuable listen for film enthusiasts seeking nuanced conversations about their favorite movies.

Transcript

[Millie Decherico]

This is exactly right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Hi, I'm Matt. And I'm Leah and we're from the Grown Up Stuff podcast. And just in time for tax season. On this week's episode, we're chatting with CPA Lisa Green Lewis about how small businesses can tackle their taxes using TurboTax Business.

[Millie Decherico]

A Forbes study mentioned that a whopping 93% of small businesses overpay their taxes and 17% of Gen Zers believed that you could write off any expense as business expense. So can't blame them. It's really important to do your taxes right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Listen to Grown up stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

[Millie Decherico]

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[Casey O'Brien]

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[Millie Decherico]

Hi, Casey O'Brien.

[Casey O'Brien]

Hi, Millie de Jericho. How are you?

[Millie Decherico]

Be honest. Take a look at. Take a good look at me right now, huh?

[Casey O'Brien]

Do you think you look cool?

[Millie Decherico]

Okay. Do you think I am dressed like Justin Bieber?

[Casey O'Brien]

No, I would never say that. You do Justin Bieber. No, no, no, no.

[Millie Decherico]

But I'm dressed way too young for my age. And you must admit that you look like.

[Casey O'Brien]

I mean, you look. You're looking kind of Gen X. You look like you could work in a record store right now. Ew, ew, ew. She's wearing. She's all in black. Black hoodie, black baseball cap. It's dressed like Steve Albini.

[Millie Decherico]

I think it bangs because, you know, I put my bangs. I have my swoopy bangs.

[Casey O'Brien]

You do kind of look like Skrillex.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, no. Thank you for your honesty. I don't know why I like pop on camera for the first time today and I'm like, oh, what the are you doing? What is this look?

[Casey O'Brien]

It is. It is shocking. Working from home, seeing not a soul, and then popping on your zoom. And the horror of seeing your own reflection is really just a startling sight to see.

[Millie Decherico]

I. I do feel like I look like an emo kid with a swoopy bag outside of a hat. Okay, just as long as we're clear on that.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, fabulous. Well, Millie, we have too much to talk about today. We, of course, have another installment of our Film Diary segment. That's the segment where we talk about the movies that we've seen in the past week. We've recorded very recently, so might be a bit late.

[Millie Decherico]

Might be a variation on the film part of the film diary. Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

I have been watching things that might disturb people, frankly, and we'll get into that. But what else are we talking about today, Millie?

[Millie Decherico]

Well, this is going to be an episode that, that you're going to have to, like, guide me through a little bit because we're going to talk about Irish cinema, basically.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's right. And the last time I guided an episode was the Garden State episode. And I feel like you were just really unsettled by that whole, whole experience. So hopefully we have a more positive one this time. And because like she said, we're going to be talking about Irish cinema, we're going to be talking about a little movie called the Punches of in a Sharon from 2022. I can't wait to talk about this movie. I love this movie and I love movies from Ireland and can't wait to dive right into that.

[Millie Decherico]

And then what else do we have for this?

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, you know, we've had so many wonderful questions from listeners, voicemails and actual letters, and we just, we have so many of them that we need to dedicate an entire segment to it. So we're doing something. I'm calling Film Advice Ultra, where we go through a few film advice questions that have been sent in. And so that'll be really fun that we'll be doing that at the end of the episode. But that's it.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, that's it. Well, all this and so much more on this very, very good episode of Dear Movies. I love you, Dear Movies, I love.

[Casey O'Brien]

You and I've got to know if you love me too. Yes or no?

[Millie Decherico]

Check the box below. Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of Dear Movies, I Love youe. This is the film podcast where you and I and us are having a tumultuous, torrid, spicy romance with motion pictures.

[Casey O'Brien]

Very spicy. We're Down. Bad for movies, as they say. The children say.

[Millie Decherico]

That is right. My name is Millie Decherico.

[Casey O'Brien]

And I'm Casey O'Brien.

[Millie Decherico]

Cool. And we are. Yeah, we're gonna. We have a lot to talk about today.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, my God, we have so many things.

[Millie Decherico]

We've already established that I look like an emo kid from the early 2000s.

[Casey O'Brien]

We painted a picture there.

[Millie Decherico]

Right. We've established that you are Irish.

[Casey O'Brien]

Huh.

[Millie Decherico]

So I don't know. What else, what else can we, you know, possibly prep them for for the rest of this episode?

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, quickly, before we get into our film diary, I believe you have a film gripe to deposit upon our. Our ears.

[Millie Decherico]

I don't know. That's like a rapper sound. Did you know that that is a money counter?

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, is that what that is? I don't know. I don't know if I ever put that together.

[Millie Decherico]

Have you ever heard rap song and.

[Casey O'Brien]

They go, yes, I have heard.

[Millie Decherico]

That's a money counter. At least that's what I think it is. But I have a film gripe.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie Decherico]

I mean, I reluctantly bring up this film gripe only because I don't want to. Like, I always feel like every time I say anything, I'm calling someone out that I know.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, that's. That's okay.

[Millie Decherico]

Am I like sub tweeting?

[Casey O'Brien]

Sub tweeting? Yes.

[Millie Decherico]

Okay. Well, anyway, hopefully this won't destroy the people that I love in my life. But my gripe is that I have recently been, you know, going to see a couple things in the movie theater in the past. Like, I would say six months. Let's call it six to eight months. Okay. There has been a rash of this. And I'm saying this as a person who participates in this very thing that I have a gripe about, okay. Which is that the time at which the movie starts, that's published on the website, in the newspaper, like on social media, is a lot of the times different than the actual time the movie starts when you get to the theater. And it's because these intros are so long now.

[Casey O'Brien]

Are you referring to the trailers or the little. Like there's. Because now it's a mess. There's like trailers. That's one segment. But there's also like trivia and Maria Menounos talking to us. You know, that type of shit?

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, I'm talking about that. Plus the actual in person pomp and circumstance of people who are introducing a movie, doing their own trivia, doing their own games and T shirt throws and bands. I. I've seen full Bands play before.

[Casey O'Brien]

A movie now, but are they in person or is this just on screen?

[Millie Decherico]

It's, it's a mixed bag. A lot of it is in person. Sometimes it cuts to a zoom and it's like a pre recorded little ditty. Now, I want to make a distinction. Okay. I actually should make a couple distinctions. Number one, okay, if it's published that there is a talk before the film in some way, an interview, a lot, either live or on a zoom. If you've told me that there's going to be 45 minutes to an hour worth of, you know, conversation with the filmmakers or with a historian or with something like that, again, I've done this thing. This is like part of my job. Right. If you've prepped me for the idea that there's going to be this like long thing before the movie actually starts, I'm down a lot of times I'm going for that specifically. Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's just these surprise ones that you weren't prepping for are the ones that give you the agita.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes. And it's, and it's usually because it's, it's, it's usually like a series that I will attend. And I gotta say, this happened in LA too. Okay. So this is not, this is, this.

[Casey O'Brien]

Is not Atlanta specific.

[Millie Decherico]

Right. This is a country wide phenomenon.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

Where you go to someone's regular programming event. Right. Say it's like at a movie theater. They have. There's a weekly night or a monthly night where, you know, the people who program it and who organize it show up. They're usually like boots on the ground, like chit chatting about the movie. Sometimes they're doing some little fun skits or interviews and stuff like that. Right. So that part I feel like has gotten so long and that is the part that I'm not prepared for. Like, I think, okay, if you want to kind of get up and be like, hey, guys, welcome to, you know, Casey's kooky film Fun. You know, this is the, you know.

[Casey O'Brien]

My old show, Casey's Cookie Film Fun.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes, you're right. And then you're just like, hey, I'm Casey. You know, welcome. Here's a little bit of housekeeping. Here's a little bit about the film. You know, here's maybe like a couple of T shirts. I'll ask a couple questions. That is fine. But that you should really keep a cap on that because quite honestly, if it goes longer than 15 minutes, maybe I'm like, yo, like, what am I doing? Am I? Yeah, watching a Full variety show before the actual movie. Like, what is happening?

[Casey O'Brien]

I hear you. I totally hear you. I think I have a whole other thing to go off on about film Q and A's. I feel like we could dedicate a whole episode to the film Q and A.

[Millie Decherico]

Tell me about it.

[Casey O'Brien]

But part of it is that it's just so long. And like, sometimes these movies, if a movie is over two hours and there's additional programming added to it, who has the stamina and energy to. To sustain all of that? I mean, what a nightmare.

[Millie Decherico]

Listen, God, let me tell you right now. Fairly recently, I went to go see a movie. The movie TRT was like 2:31. 2:32. So we're talking two and a half hours. Okay? It was being put on by, you know, one of the local movie theaters here. And there was supposed to be a little bit of a pomp and circumstance. I was prepared for pomp and circumstance, okay? Like I said, we were like, okay, so we're good. We're next door having a beer, and we were like, okay, looks like the movie's supposed to start at 8. Or the event supposed to start at 8. Maybe we walk over, like, 10 minutes after, finish our beers, you know, like, we hate to show up, you know, obviously, like in the middle of kind of like a fandango. But, you know, whatever, we're. Our check is late, right? So we show up probably like 8, 10, and think, okay, well, maybe the movie's gonna come on in the next, like, five minutes. Yeah, that movie started damn near 9:00.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, my God.

[Millie Decherico]

There was so.

[Casey O'Brien]

I would have been asleep. I would have been asleep.

[Millie Decherico]

There was so much going on, dude, I couldn't even tell you. We, like, walked and we sat in the back and we were just like, oh, so there's more trivia. Oh, so there's more, you know, personal stories about the first time you saw this movie. Oh, so now there's like multiple people coming on stage and there's like, all kinds of, like, giveaways. There's a person who came up with a ukulele. I was like, when the ukulele came out, I was like, we are fucked, dude.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, a real harbinger of evil.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, my God.

[Casey O'Brien]

Ukulele, dude.

[Millie Decherico]

I was like, so that thing that started damn near 9:00 and I just sat there going, christ, that we're gonna be here till midnight and it is only Wednesday. Like, I. Yeah. And I said to myself, like, this is. This has happened to me many times, and I've got to say something about it, because it is.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. You have a. You have a voice and you need to be the voice for the voiceless in this situation. I think. So.

[Millie Decherico]

I mean, is that not. That's a gripe. That's a formidable.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, that's a great gripe. I mean, I think that's what keeps people away from the theater in general is that it's like I'm gonna. I. You know, you think of watching a movie as like winding down time, but if you're doing it somewhere outside of your home, you're not really winding down, you know, and so I think that puts a lot of people off. They want to be at home on their phone, relaxing, but instead they're bombarded, sabotaged by these random other events before the movie. It can be too taxing for the general public.

[Millie Decherico]

You know, it feels very like. It's like a Fellini esque, like modern, like theatrical circus.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie Decherico]

Where I'm just like, what am I watching? This feels like performance art. I understand that everyone's here to like be excited about this movie, but that also, like, it is really eaten up into some time.

[Casey O'Brien]

Totally.

[Millie Decherico]

And so I just, I don't know, I feel like I need to put my foot down.

[Casey O'Brien]

Grape accepted.

[Millie Decherico]

Thank you so much.

[Casey O'Brien]

I'm sorry to hear that. But maybe we can move on to something a little bit more positive, which is our film diary. And yet, like we mentioned at top, a little bit of a light week. But Millie, would you like to start with what you've been watching this past week?

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, so listen, you already mentioned we haven't. It's been a quick turnaround in between episodes. So I gotta. I gotta admit, I haven't really watched an actual motion picture in the past couple days. However, I did rewatch a very fascinating, slash comforting docu series. I would call it a docu series perhaps, but it's not even anywhere streaming on the platforms. So it also feels like it's like a very weird thing to watch. But. Okay, Everybody knows that 2024 was my big K Pop discovery year.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie Decherico]

If you listen to my last podcast, I saw what you did. You probably picked up towards the end of last or mid to end of 2024 that I suddenly figured out what K Pop is and I got really into the band. Well, I got into two bands really. One was a band called TXT Tomorrow by Together, which I actually saw in concert. My very first K Pop concert. And I was radicalized by it. But then I ended up getting into BTS because quite honestly, they're the biggest K pop band, at least by American standards or, you know, wherever world standards. And our friend of mine, Eddie was, is totally responsible for this, by the way. So I watched this series that they did because they have a lot of content, right? Like, when I'm talking about content, I'm talking about not just like music videos and interviews and stuff, like documentaries. They have their own web series where they, like, play games. They're just. They are completely iced out in content. Right. But they. They did this documentary series called in the Soup. And it's called. It's S O P, not S O u P. Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, in the Soup is a movie from the early 90s.

[Millie Decherico]

That's right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. And it's a black and white artsy movie that was a big hit at Sundance and it's about a screenwriter in New York. But anyways, this is definitely not that.

[Millie Decherico]

Although I wish. I only wish that Steve Buscemi hung out with bts. That would be quite, quite amazing. No, this is a collab.

[Casey O'Brien]

That would be what?

[Millie Decherico]

A collab. This is a series. There's actually been two seasons of it, but it's a series where basically they go on vacation together to the woods or something.

[Casey O'Brien]

Interesting.

[Millie Decherico]

They go. At least the first season was that they rented some kind of lake house and it was like they were all just like chilling and it was like real. I mean, you want to talk about Indy, it was like almost like a minute by minute kind of like, let's just see what like seven friends do. Like, there wasn't a lot going on. And that's, I think, part of the charm of it. They were all just like hanging out in basketball shorts and hoodies and just kind of like sitting around playing computer games and building Legos and cooking for each other, which is my favorite part of it because it's very. It's nice to watch people cooking for other people, I realize. But it's very peaceful and it's very, like, serene. And, you know, it's like, oh, yeah, here are these, like, really famous people. But it's like. I mean, it's just imagine like going on watching Beyonce go on vacation or something. Just like no makeup to wear regular clothes, and you're just like, oh, and this is kind of like a. I mean, it feels like a documentary. Like a. Like a minute by minute direct cinema, if you will.

[Casey O'Brien]

Direct cinema.

[Millie Decherico]

So I know that's big words, but I'm just saying. But I watched the first. Rewatch, the first season of it, and it's lovely. And you don't even really have to know anything about them to enjoy it, I feel like.

[Casey O'Brien]

So, anyway, well, very good. For my film diary this week, I would say I got very far away from film in general. I ended up watching a lot of episodes of a little show called Love is Blind, which I don't know if people outside of Minneapolis are appreciating on the level that I am, but it's a reality TV show and it's. The episodes are kind of long, and I watched a bunch of them this week, so it sort of took over my viewing habits all week long and really didn't get around to any films besides the banshees of an assurin this week. Have you ever watched this show?

[Millie Decherico]

No. What is. Why is it a Minneapolis thing, though?

[Casey O'Brien]

The premise of the show is that you date somebody without seeing them. So there's like a guy's side and a girl's side of this kind of facility. And they meet in these rooms where there's a screen in between them so they can hear each other, but they can't talk. And they get to know, you know, they date several women, and eventually they propose to somebody without having seen them, you know, sight unseen. So that's like the first third of the season is in these pods, you know. Then the last two thirds is they meet the people in real life, they have to live together and then get married. And it takes place in a different city each season. And it is ridiculous and very silly and horrifying because there's always a couple that comes out when they. They do the big reveal of seeing each other for the first time. You can always tell when people are so turned off by how somebody looks like.

[Millie Decherico]

God, I hate that.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, it's. It's very cringe at times, but it is so addicting and awful. And so this season is in Minneapolis, and I'm loving all the Minnesota stuff going on in it. I've only seen the first six episodes by the time of this recording, so waiting to see, you know, who ends up with each other. But that sort of has taken over my life. And in some ways, I wouldn't say it's. It's. It's cinematic in some ways, you could say.

[Millie Decherico]

But, yeah, I'm thinking it's cinema.

[Casey O'Brien]

If there's any other Love is Blind viewers that listen to this podcast, please write in. I want to know who else is watching this show.

[Millie Decherico]

I know you're probably like, yeah, I know you're probably like, not in this frame of mind whatsoever because you're married and you have a kid. But if you were single right now and they were filming this show in Minneapolis, would you, would you try to get cast?

[Casey O'Brien]

I think 100% no. I mean, the people on this show are always so are. I find I would not date anybody on this show. We tried desperately, desperately to get my brother to go on the show and my mom was like, do it, do it, Shane. I'm willing to embarrass myself on public, on national television, you know, so. But no go. He didn't sign up for it, unfortunately. But yeah, so that's sort of taken over too. But well, wow, look at us just watching reality TV show instead of watching, you know, art. But that's okay.

[Millie Decherico]

You know, that is okay. Once in a while, you know, it happens.

[Casey O'Brien]

So fabulous. Well, that's our film diary for this week.

[Millie Decherico]

Foreign.

[Casey O'Brien]

Hi, I'm Matt. And I'm Leah and we're from the Grown Up Stuff podcast. And just in time for tax season. On this week's episode, we're chatting with CPA Lisa Green Lewis about how small businesses can tackle their taxes using TurboTax Business.

[Millie Decherico]

A Forbes study mentioned that a whopping 93% of small businesses overpay their taxes and 17% of Gen Zers believed that you could write off any expense as a business expense.

[Casey O'Brien]

So can't blame them.

[Millie Decherico]

It's really important to do your taxes right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Listen to Grown up stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Grown Up Stuff. It's tax season, and by now I know we're all a bit tired of numbers, but here's an important one you need to hear. $16.5 billion. That's how much money in refunds the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud last year. Here's another 20%. That's the overall increase in identity theft related to tax fraud in 2024 alone. But it's not all grim news. Here's a good number. 100 million. That's how many data points Lifelock monitors every second. If your identity is stolen, LifeLock's US based restoration specialists will fix it, backed by another good number, the million dollar protection plan. In fact, restoration is guaranteed or your money back. Don't face identity theft and financial losses alone. There's strength in numbers with Lifelock Identity theft protection for tax season and beyond. Join now and save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off terms apply hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It's stock up savings time now through March 25th. Spring in for store wide deals and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible snacks like Lays chips, garden veggie straws and planters nuts or sweet treats From M&Ms. And Oreo plus many more. Then clip the offer in our app for automatic event long savings stack up those rewards to save even more restrictions applied. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details. Moving on to our main discussion, the banshees of Inisher and Irish cinema. Now. Millie I am Irish. My name is Casey O'Brien and I've been to Ireland and I even kind of studied Irish cinema in college. Kind of. I mean, I took a class on Irish cinema and I had a professor whose specialty was Irish cinema. So I feel like I had a little bit more of an informed college education on Irish cinema than most people got chops. What, what, when you think of Irish cinema, do you have any thoughts that go through your head? Millie?

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, I mean, I definitely think of people like Daniel Day Lewis. I think of Colin Farrell, Martin McDonough, Brendan Gleason, that whole crew.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie Decherico]

I think of Shirsha Ronan, who we'll probably talk about a little bit. A very long time. I did not know how to pronounce her first name.

[Casey O'Brien]

Me neither.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, I thought, I don't even want to take a stab. I thought it was like sour. Sour.

[Casey O'Brien]

I don't know.

[Millie Decherico]

Some. But yeah, I mean, I, I honestly, I think of, you know, even people like John Houston and stuff.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know, just like John Houston, he moved to Ireland, I believe, with Angelica Houston, and he made some films there.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. But, yeah, I mean, I mean, I'm, that's probably real like softball answers, though. I mean, like, what do you, what about you?

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, you know, it is a small country and they have, you know, I would say a smaller film industry. So, like, it is a little bit. It's a, it's, it's easier to kind of track the, the big players in that world. And I, but I feel like, you know, this is a very broad generalization, but I feel like when you think of Irish movies, Irish cinema, they're often very dark and funny and gloomy and there's usually some sense of tragedy and even in the funniest, lightest movies coming out of that country. So I feel like when you talk about Irish cinema, they do have a very specific vibe to them. If you've ever been to Ireland. I feel like the movies that come from that place are representative of the people there, you know, so. Yeah, yeah, I.

[Millie Decherico]

You're so right about all the vibe of Irish movies, or the ones that at least I've seen and really loved. And I. I feel like you're. There is a dark humor there. There is a darkness. They're, like, not afraid of going dark. I think that's what I really admire. And I just kept thinking, what. What country has, like, the opposite vibe of that type of cinema? And I was like, it's gotta be like, Japanese.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's exactly what I was thinking. Yes, they do have a very opposite feeling, like, I think, about a movie like Waking Ned Divine. Have you ever seen that movie Waking Ned?

[Millie Decherico]

No, I have not. I have not.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, it's a wonderful movie. It is from 1998. It's directed by Kirk Jones, and it's about this small village where someone in the town wins the lottery, Ned Devine. And they find him and he's dead. And the rule is, if a person dies without cashing the lottery ticket, nobody gets the money. It goes back into the pool, you know. So basically they have to do this whole ruse to pretend this other guy is Ned Devine in order to get the money. And it's very funny and very sweet, but even that, there's, like, dark. It's, like, about this guy dying. You know, there's like an element to it where it's like, this is not all, you know, sunshine and bubbles. You know, it's. There's still a darkness there to the movie.

[Millie Decherico]

Right. And, like, I mean, maybe I need to step back and say, it's not as if Japanese cinema isn't sad.

[Casey O'Brien]

No.

[Millie Decherico]

Or deals with heavy subjects. In fact, there's a lot of sadness and a lot of, you know, like. I don't know. I suppose darker subjects, especially in, like, Kurosawa movies and stuff like that. Like, I. But I think it's the treatment of it. Like, I feel like the way that Japanese cinema, at least, you know, through a specific, you know, maybe time period or, like, if you. If you go through, like, certain decades where the treatment of the subject is almost kind of like the opposite. Whereas, like, Irish cinema, like, just goes for the jug, you know, really goes for the jugular, and is like. Doesn't care. And that's what I love about it. It's just. It's like going for it. I mean, that is like, one of the things about the Banshees of Inisherin, specifically that I really love is that it's just very like. No, like this. This friendship. The end of this friendship, which the movie we'll talk about in just a second is so dark and so there's no frills. And there's something that I love about that. And I feel like if, like, in an. In a different country, perhaps like somewhere like Japan, if you took that same plot line, it would just be expressed just more tenderly. I feel like.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, I. I feel like there's, like, a messiness to Irish movies. I don't know if that's the right word, where it's, like, really in the muck of, like, it really goes there. It really is, like, totally fine, sitting in this, like, supreme darkness, but then, like, still laughing about it, like. Yeah, I feel like they really wallow in that bog of sadness, you know? So.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

But no, this is a great way to transition into the Banshee. The Banshees of Inishearin. It's funny because on Google, if you Google it, it'll say, you know, like. They'll say, like, the genre of movie, and it says, the Banshees of Inishearan is a comedy slash horror.

[Millie Decherico]

I mean, it could be, which.

[Casey O'Brien]

I mean, it is, like, it's so. The. Re. The. Let me just give a quick synopsis of this movie. This movie stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason, and they were, like, lifelong best friends. And then one day, Brandon Gleason is like, I don't want to be friends with you anymore. And he gives some reason. This also, this takes place on a remote island, a fake island called Inisherin, and it takes place in Ireland in 1923. And so Brendan Gleason is like, I don't want to be friends anymore. And he gives some reasons as to why, but not really. You never really quite get to why. He's like, I just don't want. He's just. It's basically like, I don't want to be friends with you anymore. And it drives Colin Farrell as it would any normal person. It drives Con Farrell like, nuts. And he just, like, cannot get over him. And it gets to a point where he keeps trying to reengage with Brendan Gleason. Colin Farrell's like, why? Like, let's talk. Talk. Let's hang out. And Brendan Gleason gets to a point where he's like, if you talk to me again, I'm going to cut off one of my fingers. And Colin Farrell's like, okay, yeah, right, yeah. And then he does, and he cuts off One of his fingers, and it keeps moving on. It's like, if you talk to me again, I'm gonna cut off another finger.

[Millie Decherico]

Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

And you're like, he has to be kidding, right? He ain't, kitten. So it's really. I mean, it. That is kind of a horrifying notion that someone you love and spend time with. I mean, Colin Farrell and Brandon Gleason are getting beer like, every day together. They have, like, a routine. And all of a sudden, to have someone that close to you in your life be like, I actually just don't want to see you anymore. And I don't really have a reason. I just don't. That is scary to me. And it is dark and frightening.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, well, let's. Let's unpack this a little bit because. Sure, let. First of all, I absolutely was obsessed with this movie when it came out.

[Casey O'Brien]

Me, too. I really loved this movie when it came out.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah. I was a huge In Bruges fan. So. Which is the movie that they were in prior?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. I just have to say that the director, Writer and director, Martin McDonough, he did In Bruges, he also did Three Billboards outside of Ebbing, Missouri. You know, I did not like either of those movies that much. I didn't find. I didn't like In Bruges that much. I didn't. I don't know. I thought it was trying to be too. I just didn't. I didn't vibe with it. I can't explain why. Just didn't think it was funny or something. But this. I was absolutely. I absolutely was head over heels for this one.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah. Yeah. I. I loved In Bruges. I am one of probably the only people that actually liked Three Billboards when it came out. Like, a lot of people had problems with it, but this one is definitely my fave.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, y.

[Millie Decherico]

And I. So right around, like, after I saw this movie in the theater, like a couple months after I saw this movie, I was staying at my parents house and I think it was probably for, you know, like, summer or something. I had like this extended break and I was there for a couple weeks, and my dad was going through this kind of like, very similar situation with his, like, lifelong best friend.

[Casey O'Brien]

Wow.

[Millie Decherico]

They were like. They had been friends for like, 40 years or something crazy. Like. Yeah, they, like, were in the, like, you know, they were like in the military together. So that's even more like the bonds that of like, ex military people. Like, I mean, they were like, really close. I mean, they had followed each other, you Know, like across the country, like, you know, moving and, like, getting stationed places. And we used to spend, like every holiday with them, you know, just like total besties. And like, I think it's. I have to say, like, I think guys, generally. Straight guys, I will say generally, this is going to be a stereotype, but I'm going to say it anyway. Straight guys generally don't have a ton of friends. Okay. Let alone guys of a certain generation.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

Like, this was like, my dad's only friend is what I'm saying. Yeah. And my dad just literally, like, had a light bulb moment and said, I just, like, don't want to be friends with this guy anymore.

[Casey O'Brien]

Did your dad have to cut off any of his fingers?

[Millie Decherico]

No, thank God. But it was crazy because it was like he was the Brendan Gleason character, like, in his own life and he had not seen this movie before. And I told my dad, I was like, we are gonna watch this movie together. So me and him and my mom watched the band's Futures of an Ashiran because I was like, it's like ripped off. Ripped from the headlines of your life right now. And he predictably was like, blown away.

[Casey O'Brien]

Wow. Amazing.

[Millie Decherico]

And was sort of like, I mean, yeah, I started seeing why don't they get it? Why don't they get It?

[Casey O'Brien]

I'm like, whoa, See, that's so interesting because you are. When you're watching this movie, you're like, colin Farrelly just doesn't want to hang out. Leave him alone. But you also understand where he's coming from, where he's like, why the. What happened? Why? I'll change. I'll. What do you need? You know? And it's like, I don't know, just to have someone, like, I think that's like a deep seated fear to feel. I mean, it's kind of like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It's kind of like you turn around and all of a sudden the person doesn't know. You don't know the person you've been so close to, you know? Hi, I'm Matt. And I'm Leah and we're from the Grown Up Stuff podcast. And just in time for tax season, on this week's episode, we're chatting with CPA Lisa Green Lewis about how small businesses can tackle their taxes using TurboTax Business.

[Millie Decherico]

A Forbes study mentioned that a whopping 93% of small businesses overpay their taxes. And 17% of Gen Z believed that you could write off any expense as a business expense.

[Casey O'Brien]

So can't Blame them.

[Millie Decherico]

It's really important to do your taxes right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Listen to grown up stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Grown up stuff hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It's stock up savings time now through March 25th. Spring in for store wide deals and earn four times the point. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible beverage items like Red Bull and sparkling ice, or breakfast favorites like Kellogg's Pop Tarts, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and Kellogg's Eggo Waffles, plus many more. Then clip the offer in our app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more restrictions applied. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details.

[Millie Decherico]

Don't miss your window of opportunity.

[Casey O'Brien]

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[Millie Decherico]

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[Casey O'Brien]

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[Millie Decherico]

Okay, so this is, I think like what I wanted to unpack maybe about this maybe, you know, is where like when you think about this movie and you think about the dynamic between these two characters. Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

You're obvious. You seem like you're obviously more afraid of the scenario of being like cut off. Right. Because obviously it's, it's huge. It's a huge. It's like a breakup. And it's even worse than a breakup.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's worse.

[Millie Decherico]

Breaking up with friends is so painful. Like the worst. Right?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. Because there isn't really a structure for that. If you say to your, you know, significant other, I want to break up, they know what that means immediately. But there's no, there's no Way to really break up with a friend, other than being like, go away. I don't want to see you ever again. And I don't know. There's not a language for that, I guess.

[Millie Decherico]

Well, but then I guess my question is that it would. Could you do that? Could you do the opposite? Could you be the one that, like, walks away from someone?

[Casey O'Brien]

I think so. I mean, but the thing that's frustrating about the movie is he's just like, spending time with you was a waste, and I don't want to waste any more time, you know, and, huh.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

I feel like if I were to walk away from someone, it would have to be like, you are causing pain in my life and I can't be around you. And maybe Colin Farrell's character is causing pain in Brendan Gleason's life, but I don't, I don't know. I would have to, I think if I were to be the, the one who broke up with somebody who broke up with a friend, it would have to be for like, a more specific reason than Brendan Gleason gives in this movie, you know? Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

See, that's interesting.

[Casey O'Brien]

I see Millie is trying to figure out how to cut me out of her life. So that's why she's interrogating me about.

[Millie Decherico]

I'm like, I'm writing all this down because I am just going to disappear.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

I'm never going to give you a reason. No, I, I think, I don't know, I just think about me. I, I, When I was younger, I think the idea of losing friends was so super painful, like, just so super painful. I wanted to be liked really badly by people. I think I probably had some like, you know, codependency in certain regards when it comes to, you know, just friends and this kind of stuff. Because I was young and I, I don't know, I just idealized so many things.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

As I've gotten older, I think I've begun to understand, like, solitude, to be honest. I've begun to understand solitude and I've begun to understand the idea that, like, people change, things change. I'm not as scared.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

And I'm not saying like, I mean, I'm like this, you know, fortified fortress on an island. I'm not like Alcatraz or anything emotionally. I'm just saying as I understand, understand it more. Because when I watched this movie, I, I was thinking, I was actually, like, looking at the, the Brendan Gleason character going, this guy has a different energy than this guy. Right. Colin Farrell seems very, I don't want to say simple. Maybe simple is not the word, but he seems very, like, just like a.

[Casey O'Brien]

Hard on his sleeve. Just kind of very earnest. Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

You know, maybe not, like, happy happy. I mean, this is Ireland, for crying out loud. But, you know, like, kind of just more like living in the moment. He's not, like, mulling over, like, deep things, you know, he just wants to have a beer at the pub with his friends and just, like, hang out with his donkey and fucking be a simple dude. Right. I feel like that Brennan Gleason is the opposite. He's like, I'm. All I want to do is just be my goth fucking self. I want to sit around and ponder the meaning of life, and I just feel like my energy has changed, and I just can't hang out with this dodo friend of mine anymore, and I don't want to tell him why. I want to be, you know, very mysterious about that, and that should be fine.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. But I think the. Maybe I'm the simple, you know, airheaded one in my own life, but I. I do think Martin McDon's movies are very about men a lot of times.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, sure, sure.

[Casey O'Brien]

And I think Brendan Gle's character does something that, like, men do, which is be super dramatic and black and white. And it's kind of like he couldn't just communicate to Colin Farrell, hey, I want to be goth and be alone.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

He said to him, I don't want to be your friend anymore. Which is, like, two separate things. And he couldn't just be like, hey, how do we. How about we meet once a week instead of every day, you know, and maybe that would have solved the problem first, but no, instead he goes, right? He's like, I want to be alone. And the. The way to do that is to cut off my finger to show him how serious I want to be alone, you know?

[Millie Decherico]

Well, I think you could really, if you really want to reduce it down to its, like, simplest form. Okay, this is something that I see on TikTok. So this is from. From TikTok.

[Casey O'Brien]

So this is a verifi. This is a verified source here.

[Millie Decherico]

This is absolute Bible.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie Decherico]

There's something that they call, like, they call a relationship black cat and golden retriever.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. Huh.

[Millie Decherico]

Do you know. Do you see where I'm going? Yes, with this. So, like, one person is the black cat. One person is the moody, you know, mysterious, dark cat. The other is, like, the happy, dopey golden retriever. Right. And, like, there's some people who are actually looking for this dynamic in relationships. Like, they're like, I'm a black cat and I want a golden retriever.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, you said you want a shitty little vampire that sort of feels. Feels like you're looking for black cat energy right there.

[Millie Decherico]

Like, I. I think I am a little golden retrievery. I have some black cat moments, but for the most part, I'm a golden retriever. And so that's the thing is that, like, it's this, like, opposite energies thing of these two guys.

[Casey O'Brien]

Right.

[Millie Decherico]

And like, it's just finally the black cat's like, I'm so fucking tired of this lap dog. I don't want to hang out with him anymore. Like, I want to go off on my own to, like, sleep in the corner.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

No distractions.

[Casey O'Brien]

So, yeah, I think, you know, and it's also. This takes place in a small village where I think people idealize small town life a lot. I know my grandparents who grew up in, you know, small town Iowa, were very excited to move to the twin cities because they were tired of everyone knowing their business all the time. You know, like, you can be much more anonymous in a larger. And you can be much more alone in a, like, a larger city. When you're in this small village, it's like, he can't. He can't be alone, really, because people will just come up and knock on his goddamn door all hours of the day. So, yeah, I relate to that too well.

[Millie Decherico]

And this is like the beauty of this movie. And I feel like why it, like, is an Irish classic.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie Decherico]

In a lot of ways is that because it is. You will feel the confinement. Like, it's actually not a confining place. Right. It's on the coast. It's beautiful.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's like ansive. Could have been shot 70 millimeter.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, my God. Yeah. It could have been a 70 mil movie for sure. But I. But that's the thing is that it's like, even though it's in this beautiful, serene environment, it also feels like isolated and closed off, which really is like a part of the story about how hard it is to even think about not talking to somebody in town, because there ain't a lot of people in town. And, you know, again, I think that's what makes this movie hit for me is that it is like the. The place that it's being shot at. The clothes which they're always wearing. Like, it's like a lot of, like, wool.

[Casey O'Brien]

I gotta dress.

[Millie Decherico]

Double boiled wool coats and yes, slacks. You know, I absolutely am obsessed with the sister.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, she was incredible.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, man.

[Casey O'Brien]

We didn't even, I mean, touch upon that. But she's trying to leave the damn island, right?

[Millie Decherico]

Like, yeah, she's trying to leave and. And the ways in which she, like, she just. She's the one that, like, cuts all these guys to the bone, and I love it so much.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. Incredible.

[Millie Decherico]

Like, we'll read you to filth. It kind of sets up this whole, like, town that they live in as being this. Like, there's a lot of characters.

[Casey O'Brien]

I mean, this could have been a TV show, I think. Like, I wish it really could. I. I don't say that about a lot of movies, but this was a fun world to explore.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know, and I wanted to live in it more.

[Millie Decherico]

I too. I just love. To me, this is like, I know that if we decided to create a letterboxd list about this, it would go off the rails very quickly. In fact, I'm sure there's probably already multiple lists, but this is like one of the most goth movies I've ever seen. Like, and not goth isn't. This isn't like, you know, some, you know, like, Anne Rice thing. This is deeply, really goth. Like a goth energy, a goth vibe, a goth palette.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

Color palette. So I. I love it. I would put it on my letterbox list.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, that's good. That's good. I also just want to shout out the. The sister is played by the actress Carrie Condon, and I believe she was nominated for an Academy Award for that role because she's really incredible in this movie.

[Millie Decherico]

She's a great actress, by the way. We should shout her out for sure.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. Before we depart this segment, favorite Irish musicians go.

[Millie Decherico]

Besides Enya, I think we already established that.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie Decherico]

Is. Is probably one of my all time faves. Actually, my all time favorite of all time is Sinead O'Connor, which, you know, talk about. That's my girl right there. Like, I have a T shirt of her smoking a joint that I wear out in public often.

[Casey O'Brien]

Amazing rip.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes. But I. Besides Enya and Sinead O'Connor, I mean, I gotta say, like, I'm a very. I love you two, but only in a very specific little amount of time. I don't know how you feel about that.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, I agree.

[Millie Decherico]

I'm kind of like a Joshua Tree rattle and hum gal. I don't know about you.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, no, I definitely. I think Joshua Tree is really the. I'm not a YouTube scholar, but I do listen to Joshua Tree and I. I'm. I'm swept away by them. They're epic at times, you know, and. And earnest. And sometimes it's fun to be that earnest, you know?

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, I. Yeah, I love Joshua Tree, the big, like, the big, you know, anthems off that album. But also my. I think my actual favorite is probably Rattle and Hum era because it's like when you two came to America and discovered like American rockabilly music and recorded at Sun Records and they started wearing fedoras and the vests with the black vest with no shirts on underneath. I love it when, like international artists basically, like, go to Memphis and start playing like 12 string guitars and like, they just listen to like early Elvis Presley and like, love that when that happens. So I don't know. That's my favorite YouTube, I think so.

[Casey O'Brien]

Very good for me. I love the band. My Bloody Valentine, Shoe Gaze, kind of. She's rolling her eyes.

[Millie Decherico]

I'm like, duh.

[Casey O'Brien]

I'm like, come on. Love them. And you know, I love a good Van Morrison. Yeah, I love, love the Irish. I am Irish. You've never been there, have you? Died?

[Millie Decherico]

I've never. I would die.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's great to go.

[Millie Decherico]

But anyway, if you want to send me to Ireland, if you're a shitty little vampire and you're like, hey, we should have our honeymoon in Ireland, you can email us at dear [e-mail].

[Casey O'Brien]

Love it.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

All right, well, this is fun. Moving on. All right, so usually we do film advice at the end of the episode, but we've gotten so many good questions lately that we gotta, we gotta get through some more of these because they're just. It's piling up. Our mailbags are piling up and we gotta get through them. And so I thought it'd be fun to go through a few of these, you know, all at once. If that's okay with you, Millie.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah. Oh, this is exciting. I'm so happy people are writing it.

[Casey O'Brien]

Me too. I'm thrilled. All right, here we go. Here is a voicemail with the first question for film advice. Here we go.

[Millie Decherico]

I would love advice on how to make one's way through the catalog of Keanu Reeves movies. You guys have definitely paid him his dues in his past.

[Casey O'Brien]

And my partner and I want to.

[Millie Decherico]

Make his way throughout all his movies to honor the man and the legend, but have already encountered one or two that are not available to stream. And then the ones that we have been able to watch, we went chronologically in time, so his early days ones, he's barely in them, so not off to a strong start. And Also just even welcome to weird ways to make through the catalog, like sad Keanu, happy Keanu, least sexy to most sexy Keanu. Although that's probably impossible. But anyway, thank you.

[Casey O'Brien]

And this was from Nicole. This is a question from Nicole, seeking our.

[Millie Decherico]

I mean, you know, I got opinions about this.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. I mean, how to traverse the filmography of Keanu Reeves. It sounds like they've started already. I mean, have they gotten into the Bill and Ted's? That's my question.

[Millie Decherico]

Well, okay, so here's what I'm going to suggest. I will, I will say this is not my experience, but looking back on my experience now being I'm not going to call myself a scholar on Keanu.

[Casey O'Brien]

Reeves, but I think you can.

[Millie Decherico]

Okay, thank you. An ardent fan, by the way. Have y'all read the book? It's the Alex Papademus book. It's called Keanu Reeves Most Triumphant, the movies and Meaning of an Irrepressible Icon. I have not read this. So Alex Papademus is. He was like one of my favorite writers on Grantland. Do you remember Grantland?

[Casey O'Brien]

Bill Simmons'yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

He was a great follow on Twitter back when I was on Twitter. But, you know, Grantland, I was such a huge fan of the people who wrote for Grantland. And then I kind of have like, been a nerd about following them into their other ventures post Grantland. But he wrote this book about Keanu Reeves. It's kind of just like a. A treaty on being into him. Anyway, I, I gave that book away for Christmas. I think I actually sent one to Danielle for Christmas. Danielle, My former co host of. I saw what you did. But anyway, so when I think about your question, and I think about, like, if I had to redo my entire strategy of getting into Keanu Reeves and like going through his filmography, here's what I would do. I would actually start with his newer stuff first. So I would go, you know, hit those John Wicks real hard. I would do, definitely do a John Wick series. I would go into. I mean, I would do like a little 47 ronin. I would do. I would definitely do Destination Wedding and always be my. Maybe like, you just. Those are just such like, weird, romantic, late period romantic comedy blips for Keanu that I just feel like are so irresistible. And I'm just like, you got like seeing him kind of play himself. And I know it's like, you're not going to get it if you're not into Keanu Reeves. You're kind of like, should I, should I start with his more like self reflexive, ironic Keanu Reeves. Knowing he's Keanu Reeves roles. I say yes, why the fuck not? But then I would do that. Then I would go to the beginning, then I would do River's Edge first and foremost. I would do like you know, Bill and Ted, Point Break, my own Private Idaho type of stuff. And then so I would just do the weird thing where it'd be like newer movies first, then older movies, then the mid period of his absolute fame. Then I would do Matrix, you know, Speed. Johnny Mnemonic.

[Casey O'Brien]

I love Johnny Mnemonic. See, yeah, that makes total sense. There he is. He has had so many different careers.

[Millie Decherico]

Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

You know, because at first I feel like he was kind of action surfer dude. And I'm just going to include Bill and Ted in that category. Like there's like action surfer dude, Bill and Ted, Speed, Point Break, that's kind of its own thing. Then there was like dramatic Keanu and I would put maybe Bram Stoker and like him doing like the Devil's Advocate and those types of movies. And then there's like sci fi Keanu, which is like the Matrix and Johnny Mnemonic. So it's, it's so hard like to. How to navigate. He is kind of tricky to navigate because it's like if you're like not into sci fi, there's a huge chunk of his movies you might not be into, you know.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

So well, and like, and I, I.

[Millie Decherico]

Think it makes sense. I mean I'm, I'm gonna politic and, and this from my, my way, my method only because I feel like he's the kind of actor who's had a long enough career and had, has had all these iterations like you say, to where it would. I think it's fun. And, and again, maybe these are my own personal viewing habits where I, I like a lot of older movies and there's a lot of times where I've watched newer movies by older actors not knowing that they were in older movies and then going back to see those older movies being like, oh my God, isn't it so cute how young they were? So that's kind of like if you're not really into Keanu Reeves. I mean, I don't understand how that's possible, but whatever. Like, and you were to watch. Yeah, the newer, like if you were to watch John Wick 1 through 4 and then you were like, oh fuck, I got to go watch River's Edge. I mean I think you'd be delighted to see River's Edge. Keanu. Bill and Ted's Keanu. Just like that. I love you to death. Keanu. Like where. Yeah, he was more of kind of like a surfer dude. Like, you know, he got that, like. I mean, that's a whole other story. He got that vibe very early on in his career that he was just kind of like, you know, a little bit of a dodo. Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

But that was like the joke for him about him for so long was that he was stupid. Like, I feel like that was like such a big joke for a long time. And it resurfaced again with Matthew Perry's autobiography. Did you hear about this? How he makes several jokes in it about, like, all these talented people keep dying and Keanu Reeves is still alive. And he makes that joke twice in the book. And it was kind of like that was such a thing for like 10 years where it's like, Keanu Reeves is dumb and a bad actor. And luckily he was able to shed that. I feel like. And has come out on top afterwards. But, well.

[Millie Decherico]

And like, again, my misunderstood king. I mean, I'm sorry, I don't want to speak ill of Matthew Perry at all, but I'm just saying that, like, he doesn't have to prove anything to anybody. He was. He's based and cool as.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

And was all like, guess what? I do whatever I want to do. Like, I'm gonna eat a sandwich on a bench. I'm gonna be in a band still to this day. I'm gonna be a bass player in a alternative band.

[Casey O'Brien]

Dog Star.

[Millie Decherico]

I'm gonna smoke cigarettes and hang out at the Arc Light and just be like, extremely real and cool and have an age appropriate girlfriend in the art world and just be like, my awesome self. And like, that's the thing is that, like, most people wouldn't go that far to even know that he's an actual cool in reality person.

[Casey O'Brien]

And this is.

[Millie Decherico]

Again, I don't know him personally. I'm just saying this is everything that I've gleaned from information that I've heard elsewhere. But I'm just saying that, like, I don't know, I feel like he. That, you know, he got such a bad rap for so, so long that I'm just like, I'm satisfied that, oh, he just decided to say it and just do whatever he wants to do.

[Casey O'Brien]

He paid no mind. And yeah, we love him for that.

[Millie Decherico]

He wasn't. Oh, he wasn't trying to prove himself. Like, come on. So great.

[Casey O'Brien]

Wonderful. Well, that's a great. Thank you for asking that Nicole, I hope that helped answer your question a little bit. I think we just talked about how we like Keanu Reeves, but think there was an answer in there. I think, Millie, you gave. You gave a good, good answer in there.

[Millie Decherico]

Steps.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. So thank you, Millie. Okay, so this next question. I just thought this was funny, so I wanted to put it in here. This is from Jeff. He wrote. And I don't know if you've seen this movie, and I'm kind of surprising you with this one, but, hey, loving the podcast. Can you explain Bo is Afraid to me and defend why, if it's possible, I should appreciate it. I got to the end hoping for some sense resolution, and I'm still furious about it at least a year later. Help. I will admit the design and cinematography were stunning. I just missed the point. Thanks, Jeff. Have you seen Beau is Afraid?

[Millie Decherico]

Of course I have.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, Jeff, you're asking if we can help you appreciate it, and no, we cannot, because I don't know. That's a wild movie. Bo's Afraid is nutty. Did you like it, Millie?

[Millie Decherico]

So here, here, I'm gonna. I'm gonna actually rip off somebody else's words.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay.

[Millie Decherico]

Okay. Because this is actually the most perfect description of what I thought of it. If you Google Bo is Afraid, there is a Reddit thread from 10 months ago. The title of it is Beau is afraid 2023 is admirable but unlikable.

[Casey O'Brien]

It is an unlikable film. And here's a quick spoiler for the ending. How can one really appreciate a testicle monster? And, you know, I think my answer for appreciating this movie or, like, explaining what it means is when you see the testicle monster, how did that make you feel? And I think however that made you feel is the correct response to how you felt about this movie.

[Millie Decherico]

So sometimes, you know, I. I'll just say, from my experience, I have. Sometimes I have the patience for art.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie Decherico]

In that way. And when I say art, I'm meaning, like, capital A art, you know, of, like, over ambition, thought experiments, things of this nature. Like ex. Like, again, like, sometimes I have an appreciation for these things, for exercises in, you know, just weirdness, I guess. And for some reason, like, I had a little bit of attention for it when I saw it in the theater. I will say that the, like, last two thirds of the movie was grueling. The mom section was grueling. It almost felt like we were, you know, at the hardest part of the Soul Cycle class, where you're just, like, doing the really hard Climb. And you're just like, really? Your heart is pounding and you're just like, oh my God, I can't wait for this to be over with so I can go get a smoothie. That's kind of how it felt. And. But at the end of it, I did feel like I went through some, which is like. Yeah, I don't know, like something.

[Casey O'Brien]

The director Ari Aster described it as a Jewish Lord of the Rings. So. And this was definitely his like, as they say, blank check movie where he had two huge hits and he was kind of able to make whatever he wanted. And he certainly did. There didn't feel like there was any editing or censorship of any ideas on that movie. I'm. I still think about that movie. It's like upsetting and I'll probably never see it again. Yeah, I. I watched that movie while feeding my newborn baby. Oh, that's. And that sort of seared into my mind too. Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

Well, anyways, Jeff, I don't know if that answered a goddamn thing, but you're.

[Casey O'Brien]

You're in good company, Jeff, is what I'm saying. Okay, One more here, Millie.

[Millie Decherico]

Okay.

[Casey O'Brien]

This is from Shannon. Hi, Millie and Casey. Loving the pod so far. I am a movie lover married to a woman with a short attention span. She's always down to watch movie, but if it's longer than 90 to 100 minutes, I've lost her. I'm looking for some recommendations of solid thriller slash horror movies that are under 90 to 100 minutes. Thanks in advance, Shannon.

[Millie Decherico]

So I'm gonna, I'm gonna cancel Shannon with some of this because first of all, I feel like longer movies, there's kind of like two big. For me, it feels like there was two kind of big waves of long ass movies. One was like 6070s and one is.

[Casey O'Brien]

Now we're in the. The second coming of the long ass movie.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes. And I don't know why that is. I don't know. I just think that like every once in a while, a generation of movie makers, like, I got a lot of to say. I'm gonna make a movie called Bo's Afraid. Make it three hours long, and that's just the way it's gonna be. So I hear you, I hear your partner.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

Because I'm going, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

Anything over 90 minutes, it is. You're like, you do look at your watch.

[Casey O'Brien]

I have on a school night. I'm. It's. It's tough.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes. So here's what I'm gonna suggest. Number one, it may be that you Gotta go older. And I'm talking about like 30s, 40s, which, I don't know, you, you know, temp check on that for your, you and your partner whether or not you can actually like stay awake to see like, you know, the original Frankenstein or something like that. But if you want a short horror or thriller movie, you can't, you cannot do any better than like something that was made in like 1935. Like they, they were not making a lot of long movies back then. I mean, I talked about Mad Love a couple episodes ago, which is the Peter lorre movie from 1935, about the rogue hands. He's a surgeon with the rogue hands. I mean that shit is an hour and eight minutes. Like you could fucking watch two of these joints in the same amount of time that it would take to watch like, I don't know, the remake of, of any 80s horror franchise that's out in a movie theater right now. You know what I'm saying? Like, so go in that direction if you, if it's not like too fuddy duddy for you to watch like old, old horror. Those movies are short as hell. But then also, I don't know, there's a couple of like, I mean, I feel like some of the 80s stuff feels under 90 minutes. Like, I mean these kind of like franchise movies like Child's Play or the Jason movies, like if they're making a lot, if they're making like 12 movies in a series, likely they're not all going to be like three hours long. So think about that too. Like these kind of like really storied, famous, long running horror franchises from the.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes, Millie, I'm sorry for, I was laughing, but I'm like, they're like, we don't want to, we need something that will keep attention. I just don't know if like an old ass 1930s movie is going to do that. But you know, to each their own.

[Millie Decherico]

It's an hour and eight minutes, Casey. If you can't watch, like, if you can't coast on old vibes for an hour and eight minutes, it's like, you're right, you got, you gotta, you gotta think about some medication perhaps. Like it's like fire up the coffee machine that long.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay, I have a few answers here. So one is a movie we mentioned last week with Brian Sauer, Cube. Cube is like an hour, hour 30 from 1997. A group of strangers awaken to find themselves placed in a giant cube. Each one of them is gifted with a special skill and they must work together to Escape an endless maze of deadly traps. I love Cube. That's a good one.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes, good.

[Casey O'Brien]

Sexy beast. Jonathan Glazer's Sexy Beast from 2000. That's a good one. That's with Ben Kingsley. Ray Winstone. Ray Winstone is like a retired thug in Spain and Ben Kingsley comes back to retrieve him for another job. And then Evil Dead 2. Hour and 24 minutes. I love Evil Dead 2. Don't need to watch Evil Dead 1 to know what's going on.

[Millie Decherico]

Absolutely.

[Casey O'Brien]

So those are, those are some of my under 90 minute horror movies. I hear you, man. I, I.

[Millie Decherico]

Evil Dead 2 is like the Magic Mic 2.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. 100.

[Millie Decherico]

Just throw that out there.

[Casey O'Brien]

No, you're 100. Correct. Yeah. I still haven't seen the Brutalist and I'm kind of gearing myself up for that because that's a long. That, that's imposing film length.

[Millie Decherico]

You know, Intermission.

[Casey O'Brien]

Intermission.

[Millie Decherico]

Intermission.

[Casey O'Brien]

That was, that was our film advice. You know, this is kind of film advice ultra. Because we usually do this at the end of the show and just do one question. But we were able to do a few of them and spend a little more time with that. So that was fun. Moving on to the end of our show. Unbelievable. We finished another one, Millie.

[Millie Decherico]

We did. We really did.

[Casey O'Brien]

Employees picks. Employees picks. What movie recommendation are you gonna give to the people today?

[Millie Decherico]

Okay, here's gonna. This is gonna be my recommendation based on, you know, the Irish cinema that we spoke about this episode. Mostly because I wanna rewatch this too. So I was thinking, what if we all rewatched it together?

[Casey O'Brien]

Together?

[Millie Decherico]

And then you could email us at Dear Movies at exactly right. Media.com we can chat about it.

[Casey O'Brien]

We should do a watch party sometime online. That would be fun, wouldn't it?

[Millie Decherico]

Dude, I would love that, actually.

[Casey O'Brien]

Let's put a pin. I don't know how we can do that.

[Millie Decherico]

Put a pin that out. Put it up in. So I was thinking about this movie the other day because it was kind of a huge. I mean, I wouldn't say it's a juggernaut, but it was like a huge thing when it came out. The movie once from 2000.

[Casey O'Brien]

Hello. I saw that movie at the premiere at Sundance film festival in 2006. And Glenn Hansard was there and sang a little song afterwards. I love the movie. Once.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, I have not seen it since it came out. I remember crying a lot during. Felt very emotional for me. It was very romantic for me. And I love the, like, I love a movie about creative collaboration. And so I was like, oh, this is like. I don't know what I was thinking about. I was like, they should remake that movie once and do it about, like, I don't know, get a K pop star and like some, you know, a young. Like, get like a Phoebe Bridgers and a K pop star together to make a new version of Once.

[Casey O'Brien]

Interesting. An interesting pitch.

[Millie Decherico]

Tell me that's not a good idea.

[Casey O'Brien]

I think they have to do the song. The thing is, that song Falling Slowly is so good in that movie. I felt like it was like. I was like, whoa. It was like, the music is good. And sometimes it's hard in movies for the music to be like movies about musicians. It's like, it's not a guarantee the music is going to be good, you know?

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, well, get to whoever wrote the Shallow, Shallow, Shallow song, your favorite song of the decade, and just get like, somebody's got to come up with a really good ballad. And then you get like, you know, one of these K pop guys to get it in with Phoebe Bridgers.

[Casey O'Brien]

Sure. And there we go.

[Millie Decherico]

Then they do the song and it's like, it would be a great remake. And I don't know, I just. So anyway, bottom line is that's my recommendation. Let's watch Once again and see if it's still good. See if we still cry. I would.

[Casey O'Brien]

Excellent choice. I love that movie. I. That's worth a revisit. The movie I'm going to Recommend is a 1997 film, an Irish film called the Butcher Boy. It was directed by Neil Jordan and it is about kind of a. A boy who has a. Is mentally unwell. He has a violent fantasy, like, world he kind of escapes to and his sense of reality really starts to disintegrate. There's a lot of, like, interesting, fantastical elements to it, but it's also funny and violent and kind of freaky. And you mentioned her earlier. Sinead O'Connor plays the Virgin Mary in it and it's. It's really cool to see her in this movie. And so I highly recommend Butcher Boy by Neil Jordan.

[Millie Decherico]

Hey. Pretty good. I've never seen it and it sounds.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's good. It's dark, as you might imagine.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

But excellent.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah. Well.

[Casey O'Brien]

Wow. We did it. Unbelievable.

[Millie Decherico]

On how does your Irish heart feel after talking about your homeland?

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, just filled like a pot of gold. I don't know. I want to go back to Ireland. It's so beautiful and gray and it smells like burning Pete everywhere. And it's amazing. I. We. If. If anyone wants to fly us out to do a live show in, like, Dublin, we'll do it.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah. If anybody wants to arrange that in the house that they filmed the banshees of in a Sheridan with the donkey. Donkey, please email us.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, my goodness. Well, if you. You heard, some people get their film advice answered kind of by us. And if you'd like to receive any film advice from us, if you have any questions or need a specific recommendation or need help navigating a director's filmography or need a film gripe resolved, please write into dear [e-mail] if you want to send us a V voicemail like our friend Nicole did, you can just record a voicemail on your phone voice memo and then email it to us at Dear Movies at exactly right media.com.

[Millie Decherico]

That is right. Also, we're on social media. We are at Dear Movies, I love you on Instagram and Facebook. And we also now are getting, like, people being like, why aren't you on blue Sky? Why aren't you on blue Sky? I don't know. Maybe we'll be on blue Sky.

[Casey O'Brien]

Are you on blue Sky?

[Millie Decherico]

Listen, I. The timing of Blue sky for me was so fucked because I was like, I was an early adopter to Blue Sky. Looked around, was like, nobody's here.

[Casey O'Brien]

I left, gotta go back.

[Millie Decherico]

And now everybody's here. So now I'm like, should I restart my account? And that's why I'm like, okay, maybe I'll start restart my account and also put the show on blue.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay, well, this is an ongoing conversation, so we'll pick this up at a later date.

[Millie Decherico]

And if you want to follow us on letterboxd, which is where we hang out and put our film diaries and whatnot, we are at Casey Lee O'Brien and M. Dicerio. That's D E C H I R I C O.

[Casey O'Brien]

Look it up and follow us. I love when it makes me so happy when people follow me on letterboxd. I would say that's the social media platform that I use most regularly and happily.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, thank you again for another wonderful episode, Millie. Thank you for talking to me about Irish stuff and of course, yeah, have a happy St. Patrick's Day. You doing anything for St. Patrick's Day?

[Millie Decherico]

What? When is St. Patrick's Day? It's right before my birthday, so I don't care. You know, I save all my partying for my birthday. I dye my own river in the backyard green for my birthday, so very good. But for all those who celebrate, you know, have a good one. And we'll see you next time.

[Casey O'Brien]

Bye.

[Millie Decherico]

This has been an exactly right production hosted by me, Millie de Chirico and produced by my Co host Casey O'Brien.

[Casey O'Brien]

This episode was mixed by Tom Breifogel. Our associate producer is Christina Chamberlain, our guest booker is Patrick Cotner and our artwork is by Vanessa Lilac.

[Millie Decherico]

Our incredible theme music is by the best band in the entire world, the Softies.

[Casey O'Brien]

Thank you to our executive producers Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark, Daniel Kramer and Millie To Jericho, we love you.

[Millie Decherico]

Goodbye.

[Casey O'Brien]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest. For Albertsons and Safeway. It's stock up savings time now through March 25th. Spring in for store deals and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible cleaning items from all and Cotton now and dinner essentials from Daisy, Skippy, Hellman's and Barilla, plus many more. Then clip the offer in our app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more restrictions apply. Visit Albertsons or Safeway.com for more details. Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide, and every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn [e-mail] credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report CBS, Monday, February 24th introducing the new daytime drama beyond the Gates.

[Millie Decherico]

Welcome to Fairmont Crest Estates, where the wealthy and glamorous Dupre family rules the.

[Casey O'Brien]

Community with poise and sophistication. That is, until a cheating husband and.

[Millie Decherico]

His trophy wife start stirring up trouble. Find out what happens beyond these majestic.

[Casey O'Brien]

Gates and behind closed doors, where scandal, romance, betrayal, passion, secrets and revenge await.

[Millie Decherico]

CBS Daytime is about to get soapier. The new daytime drama beyond the Gates premieres CBS Monday, February 24th and streaming on Paramount.