Josh Horowitz (Happy Sad Confused / Who's A Good Guest) • #386

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Podcast: Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein
Episode: #386 – Josh Horowitz (Host: Happy Sad Confused / Who's A Good Guest)
Release Date: February 18, 2026

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Main Theme of the Episode

Brett Goldstein welcomes renowned film interviewer and podcaster Josh Horowitz to discuss the films that have shaped his life, philosophy on death, and love for cinema. The episode covers Josh's personal journey with movies, the art and ethics of interviewing, reflections on loss, and of course, his ultimate choices for the "films to be buried with." True to the podcast’s ethos, the conversation is candid, witty, and deeply cinephilic, blending life stories and emotional resonance with cinematic nostalgia.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Josh Horowitz’s Origin Story with Movies

• How Cinema Became a Refuge:

  • Josh describes a significant period in his adolescence when, after the loss of his grandparents, he started skipping school to watch movies, sometimes seeing the same films multiple times.
    • “I skipped school to just go to movies for like a solid year... my freshman year of high school, which coincided with those deaths. I just stopped going to school and started to see movies.” (14:41)
  • He described reading movie trades and immersing himself in cinema as a way of processing grief—“a lost year” that set the stage for his later career.

• First Movie Memory:

  • The earliest film he remembers seeing is Time Bandits (Terry Gilliam).
    • “My first vivid memory of going to a movie is Time Bandits... it's kind of a warped kids movie.” (18:51)

2. The Ethics and Nuances of Film Interviewing

• Navigating Bad Films:

  • Josh explains his approach when promoting or interviewing about films he didn’t enjoy:
    • “There are tells... You can tell when you're kind of dancing around... There's always something to celebrate, always something to focus on, you know, ‘oh, the costumes were great in your movie that didn't have a coherent story.’” (05:38)
  • He emphasizes that finishing a movie at all is an achievement worthy of celebration.

• Staying a Fan:

  • Despite working in the industry and rubbing shoulders with fame, Josh insists he’s maintained his genuine appreciation for movies:
    • “I am a fan first. I'm not actually a critic. I've never luckily had to review movies... I am somebody that celebrates movies.” (08:35)

3. Death, Grief, and Moviegoing

• Views on Mortality:

  • Josh admits to lifelong anxiety about death, linking some of it to his early experiences with loss:
    • “Since I was a kid, I have had anxiety over pain and death and waiting for the other shoe to drop...[after my grandparents died] I kind of became a bit of a ne’er-do-well.” (13:09)

• What Happens After Death?

  • Candid skepticism but open-mindedness:
    • “I'm operating on the assumption that this is kind of it... but I'd like to be proven wrong.” (17:10)
    • Brett interjects with hope: “I just don't buy it. There's too much stuff… there's too much sort of magic going on.” (17:31)

4. Film “Obituary” Questions

Brett’s Signature Questions & Josh’s Answers:

• The Film That Scared You Most:

  • Funny Games (“the realism of that movie… that's more disturbing to me than anything supernatural”), and The Exorcist; dislikes jump-scare horror but loves “dread” and exorcism films. (20:20)

• The Film That Made You Cry Most:

  • A Monster Calls:
    • “That maybe is the most intense I’ve ever cried in a movie.” (24:10)

• The Film You Love But No One Else Does:

  • Howard the Duck (“I really do... that movie made an impact”) and Ishtar (signed poster by Warren Beatty). (26:36)

• The Film You Used to Love, But Now Struggle With:

  • The Last Starfighter: “...so buried underneath Atari-level graphics… not very rewarding.” (28:11)

• Film Most Personally Significant Through Context:

  • What About Bob? (Richard Dreyfuss & Bill Murray; a touching story about his dad staying through the movie for Josh’s sake):
    • “He didn't want to leave the theater because his son was enjoying it. That always brings a smile... makes me emotional.” (29:44)

• Film You Most Relate To:

  • You’ve Got Mail (“that movie is basically filmed in and around where I grew up... that's my world”); Squid and the Whale as a “darker” counterpart. (31:06)

• Sexiest Film Ever Made:

  • Bram Stoker’s Dracula:
    • “It's sex and death and all the fun stuff. It's delicious.” (32:43)

• Film You Found Arousing But 'Shouldn’t Have':

  • Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Cool World:
    • “Jessica Rabbit… the mission statement is to make young men feel weird and confused and mission accomplished.” (34:10)

• Objectively Greatest Film:

  • Raiders of the Lost Ark:
    • “That’s a perfect movie. No notes.” (35:51)

• The Film You’ve Watched the Most:

  • Seven and Silence of the Lambs (“maybe the movies I’ve watched the most that are the most rewatchable... it's kind of crazy to say, but...”) (37:09)

• Worst Film You’ve Ever Seen:

  • Nothing But Trouble (Dan Aykroyd & Chevy Chase):
    • “It just doesn’t work.” (38:20)

• Funniest Film:

  • Young Frankenstein:
    • “Young Frankenstein is the funniest movie ever made... Gene Hackman scene alone... greatest comedic scene ever.” (39:11)

5. Special Segments and Deep Movie Talk

• Perspective-Changing Films:

  • JFK: “...just amazed by, like, that you could do that in a movie... the filmmaking.” (40:34)
  • Empire of the Sun: “...the journey of a kid who really becomes a man in the course of that movie... eye-opening.” (41:29)

• Greatest Opening Scene:

  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom:
    • “It's a musical number. It's an action sequence... Harrison Ford in his white tuxedo...” (42:36)

• Best Ending Scene:

  • The Untouchables:
    • “Eliot Ness... reporter says, ‘they say Prohibition’s going to end, Mr. Ness, what are you going to do?’ He says, ‘I think I'm going to have a drink.’” (43:15)

• Favorite Movie at This Moment:

  • Magnolia: “I love Magnolia. We talked about big swings from the beginning... that's Paul Thomas Anderson’s biggest swing.” (45:02)
  • Passion for Muppet Christmas Carol was also discussed in depth (46:05).

• 'Movie to be Buried With'—What Movie Does Josh Take to the Afterlife?

  • Broadcast News:
    • “We’re going to watch Broadcast News because we love it. And it's a wonderful movie.” (50:04)

6. Josh’s Current Projects

• Happy Sad Confused: The podcast continues.
• Who’s a Good Guest?:
  • A YouTube series featuring celebrities and their dogs ("It's good, wholesome fun... if you like what I do, it's there now") (51:04)

7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I have prepped more for your podcast than I do for 99% of my interviews, I'm sad to say, but that speaks to what you do here.”
  —Josh Horowitz (04:22)
• “I like big swing movies. Like, I like, like the bloated Kevin Costner 90s movies... I love Big Trouble in Little China.” (26:04)
• “Love is love. I've always said it.”
  —Brett Goldstein, on Howard the Duck's infamous romance subplot (27:08)
• “I'm not into the jump. I like creep. I like dread.”
  —Josh Horowitz, on horror movies (21:44)
• “Jessica Rabbit… the mission statement is to make young men feel weird and confused and mission accomplished.” (34:10)
• “Young Frankenstein is the funniest movie ever made. Gene Hackman... arguably the greatest comedic scene ever as the blind man.” (39:11)
• “I think I'm going to have a drink.”
  —Josh quoting The Untouchables' ending (44:08)

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Notable Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:22 — Josh on prepping for the show
• 05:38 — Handling interviews about bad movies
• 13:09 — Early anxiety about death and loss
• 14:41 — Skipping school for movies
• 18:51 — First movie memory (Time Bandits)
• 24:10 — Most cried at (A Monster Calls)
• 26:36 — Love for Howard the Duck
• 29:44 — Story of seeing What About Bob? with his dad
• 31:06 — Relating to You’ve Got Mail and Upper West Side films
• 32:43 — Dracula as sexiest film
• 34:10 — Discussing Jessica Rabbit
• 35:51 — Greatest film: Raiders of the Lost Ark
• 37:09 — Most rewatched: Seven and Silence of the Lambs
• 39:11 — Funniest movie: Young Frankenstein
• 40:34 — JFK and perspective
• 41:29 — Empire of the Sun and growing up
• 42:36 — Best opening: Temple of Doom
• 43:15 — Best ending: The Untouchables
• 45:02 — Magnolia as current all-time favorite
• 50:04 — The afterlife pick: Broadcast News
• 51:04 — Who’s a Good Guest (celebrity dog show)

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Tone and Language

• Warm, playful, and self-deprecating humor throughout—true to Brett’s irreverent British style and Josh’s easy, self-effacing manner.
• Discussions oscillate between the heartfelt and the hilarious, blending pop culture reverence with honest reflection and occasional pathos.
• Notable rapport as both participants are cinephiles who share deep personal associations with film, pop culture, and creative work.

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Conclusion

This episode is a heartfelt, nostalgia-soaked, and often hilarious journey through Josh Horowitz’s lifelong love affair with movies, charting how they intersect with memory, grief, professional life, and pure joy. Any listener—whether or not familiar with Josh or Brett—will find warmth, laughter, and a host of recommendations for both comfort viewing (You’ve Got Mail, Broadcast News) and cinematic revelation (Magnolia, Raiders of the Lost Ark).

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For More:

• [Josh Horowitz: Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Who’s a Good Guest (YouTube)]
• [Films To Be Buried With Patreon]
• [Brett Goldstein: Shrinking, All of You, Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)]

Transcript

[Josh Horowitz]

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[Brett Goldstein]

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[Josh Horowitz]

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[Brett Goldstein]

It's only Films to Be Buried with. Hello and welcome to Films to be Buried With. My name is Brett Goldstein. I'm a comed comedian, an actor, a writer, a director, a Portuguese man of war, and I love films. As John Cabot Zin once said, you can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf. And the surfer is a clear nod to the Burt Lancaster film the Swimmer, which I love. So that's something in a way, isn't it? Yeah, smart. John Cabot's in. Every week I invite a special guest over. I tell them they've died. Then I get them to discuss their life through the films that meant the most of them. Previous guests include Barry Jenkins, Kevin Smith, Sharon Stone, and even bed ambles. But this week we have podcast host, content creator, producer and interviewer. It's Mr. Josh Horowitz. You can still watch my film all of you, which are made with Will Bridges and Imogen Boots. It's available on Apple tv. I'm very proud of it. I hope you all love it. You can also watch Shrinking Season three. We are now up to episode four of that. I think you can watch new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV. Head over to the patreon at patreon.com forward/brettgoldstein where you get extra time with Josh. We talk beginnings and endings. He tells me a secret and you get the whole episode uncut and ad free and as a video. You can get [e-mail] BrettGoldstein however, this week I'm including a lot of the Patreon as a treat for everyone, but not the secret. Of course, the secret remains a secret for the actual Patreons. So Josh Horowitz, you might know him as the host of Happy, Sad, Confused, where he's interviewed basically everyone you've ever loved. He has a new series out called who's a Good Guest that you can watch on his YouTube channel I met Josh a few years ago. I did his podcast. He's an absolute delight. He did a Q and A for us, for all of you. He's a lovely, lovely man. He knows his. And I was very excited to spend some more time with him. We had a very nice time talking, and I really think you're going to like this one. So that is it for now. I very much hope you enjoy episode 386 of Films to be Buried With. Hello and welcome to Films to Be Buried With. It is I, Brett Goldstein, and I am joined today by an actor. He's played himself. He's been killed by Bill Murray. He's a MTV er. He's a Comedy Centraller. He's a Red Carpenter. He's a Q&AER. He's the host with the most. He's one of the great interviewers. He's one of the great personalities you'll meet in the business. He's happy, he's sad, he's confused. And he's a legend. And he is also the Benjamin Button of his field. He looks 12, but he is, in fact, in his late 90s. Will you please welcome to the show. It's the brilliant and the very, very old. It's Josh Horowitz.

[Josh Horowitz]

Please sit down wherever you are. If you're in your car, do swerve to the side. Everything's fine. We're okay. I'm exhausted for you, Brett. I've heard all your intros, and I'm always. I didn't realize you were reading it straight from the script that I provided. Thank you for just, like, going verbatim.

[Brett Goldstein]

Everyone. Everyone's very, very demanding on their intros, as were you, and I'm glad I got to do it. It's lovely to see you.

[Josh Horowitz]

This is an honor. How are you? I'm great, Brett. This is truly. I have been more obsessed and excited about this than my own interviews on my podcast. I have prepped more for your podcast than I do for 99% of my interviews, I'm sad to say, but that speaks to what you do here. This is such a. Honest, honestly. I'm so thrilled to see you, buddy.

[Brett Goldstein]

Well, that's really kind. And you're one of the best of biz. I did your podcast a few years ago. It was fucking dreamy. It was dreamy. I remember it was the first time I was like, oh, maybe doing press isn't all bad. It was really a lovely thing.

[Josh Horowitz]

Luckily, the bar, as you know, is very low. I try to be middling,

[Brett Goldstein]

but you Also, you very kindly did a Q and A for us, for all of you. You were there for the premiere for the first night. Not the premiere, the actual first night that it played in the cinemas. And we went and turned up at an audience that was so fun, and you were lovely. So I'm grateful to you for everything.

[Josh Horowitz]

No, you and Imogen killed it in that. And it makes it a lot easier when you've got two good people, three good people, including your director, and you've got a great movie to talk about because, as you know, when we're all on both sides of it promoting something that we know didn't quite work, that makes it tough, but that one work. So congrats.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah. How do you handle it when you're. Because you're very good at hosting those Q and A's. What do you do if you don't like the film?

[Josh Horowitz]

There. There. There are tells. If you watch enough of my stuff, you can tell. You can tell when. When you're kind of dancing around, there's always something to celebrate, always something to focus on, you know, oh, the costumes were great in your movie that didn't have a coherent story. So, like, I think the more you kind of, like, see me going into a very specific, weird, ancillary corner maybe means, like, oh, wait, the movie wasn't great. But, like, I also. And I've heard you. You talk to other fol, like Edith Bowman and Chris Hewitt. They're all the best. And I think we all come at it from the same way, and we appreciate how hard it is to make anything semi decent. It's a miracle every time it works in any way. So I don't feel like I'm ever being disingenuous. I'm truly just celebrating. You got there. You got to the finish line. Let's celebrate this.

[Brett Goldstein]

And do you want to make stuff?

[Josh Horowitz]

I've dabbled. I've always. So luckily for me. Cause it's like, I've. So my main gig for years has been, yes, as an interviewer and red carpet person, etc. But I have always had kind of, like, my brother's a writer, very successful writer in the business. And, like, I definitely have that side. And luckily, though, my work at MTV and Comedy Central has afforded me the opportunity to do stuff in that kind of creative realm. I had a sketch series for years called After Hours where I would call upon celebrities to make fools of themselves, and I would actually act in those two.

[Brett Goldstein]

Oh, great.

[Josh Horowitz]

And I actually wrote. You would appreciate this, Brett. After all my years of doing junkets. I did a series for Comedy Central called Junketeers that was like a workplace comedy set in my world, like the junket world, because as you know, it's so insane.

[Brett Goldstein]

That's a great idea.

[Josh Horowitz]

So that was kind of like my exorcism of my side of the.

[Brett Goldstein]

Was it like a mockumentary?

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah, it was like a mockumentary with celebs playing themselves and actors playing the absurd junketeers. So it's fun. Like every, every year or two I feel like, oh, I have to write something and make something in some way. Because there is that side of me that likes to do that too.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, because I also think that you're like, you know, you're very good at analyzing the stuff. So you do understand, you must have a. You have a deep understanding of how it all works and what makes good stories and.

[Josh Horowitz]

I don't know, deep. No one's ever described me as deep though. I appreciate that. I mean it's. Look, it's easier to pick stuff apart than it is to build it. Like let's be real. So like so, so yeah, it's not as easy as that. But yes, like, I mean I grew up an obsessive like you. Like, I love movies and TV and pop culture and I listen to all the DVD commentaries. So I'm not ready to write and direct a movie tomorrow. But I'm happy enough to dip my toe in to those waters as much as I can.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah. It seems to me you similar to Edith Bowman and Chris Hewitt. Actually you're the triangle of great.

[Josh Horowitz]

It does seem that I prefer three headed monster.

[Brett Goldstein]

You work for the dark side, but you three remain fans. It doesn't seem like having done this has destroyed your love for it.

[Josh Horowitz]

Well, what's. You haven't seen into my soul yet. Let's, let's talk in half an hour. No, but, no, you're. No, I mean you're right. Like, and it's obviously a conscious effort. Like as much stuff as we watch and see, like it's. I very much, when I walk into a movie, try to remember like, because I've seen the folks that it does wear down. You see those like 70 year old, 80 year old journalists, film critics that are like, they're not having fun, they're not happy to be there and like I am good at kind of like being so appreciative. And I think it comes because I am a fan first. I'm not actually a critic. I've never luckily had to review movies. So I am Somebody that celebrates movies and, you know, having worked at mtv, which is. Was. It is was such a fan centric culture, also helped. Like, I always was thinking of, like, I was covering, you know, like Twilight and Harry Potter and Hunger Games, like all of these, like, ginormous, like, fan driven franchises. And it really made me appreciate that even when I wasn't, like, I'm not the. I'm not a Twilight person. But, like, I still loved seeing the passion for it.

[Brett Goldstein]

So that's nice.

[Josh Horowitz]

I try to keep it positive. As positive as possible. Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

Have you gone through phases of exhaustion with it where you're like, I can't.

[Josh Horowitz]

Well, the nature as, you know, doing a podcast, I don't know how you do this also in addition to your entire other life. I don't know. I truly don't get it. But good. Keep doing it. Like, it's unrelenting. I've been doing my podcast for 12 years and I do one or two episodes a week, and that's only part of my life. Sometimes it's two a week when it's, like, busy, like award season. And they're long conversations and they're career

[Brett Goldstein]

conversations and you film them properly.

[Josh Horowitz]

I try. I try to. So, yeah, I do, like, have moments where I'm like, why am I doing this to myself? Because no one's making me do this. Like, I'm. No one, say, putting gun to my head, like, make 100 episodes of Happy, Sad, Confused this year. But I know the audience appreciates consistency and I know even if I get kind of, like, fried, I'll come around the bend the next week and be appreciative. So, yeah, it just takes one good event or interview to get me excited again.

[Brett Goldstein]

And you had Emerald on this week,

[Josh Horowitz]

and that's a good example.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, that's the fucking buzz. That's the buzz.

[Josh Horowitz]

That's an easy one. She makes it easy. Yeah, she's the best.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah.

[Josh Horowitz]

Refreshing Wild cherry cola meets smooth. The treat you deserve. Pepsi Wild cherry and cream. Treat yourself.

[Brett Goldstein]

Joshua, I forgot to tell you something.

[Josh Horowitz]

What?

[Brett Goldstein]

What? Oh, God. I don't feel good.

[Josh Horowitz]

Should we start over? What's. Is there something we could start over?

[Brett Goldstein]

We could start over. I. The recording's fine. It's just. I made a note and I should have said it earlier, but.

[Josh Horowitz]

Well, just say it. Just say it.

[Brett Goldstein]

Oh, okay. Well. Okay. You've died. You're dead. Dead. What? You're dead. Dead.

[Josh Horowitz]

Well, shit, that kind of ruins my day. Brett, I'm gonna be honest and.

[Brett Goldstein]

Well, it depends on your view of Death.

[Josh Horowitz]

You know what? Now that I think about it, this explains a lot. People weren't returning my emails, and now I get it. So I'm dead.

[Brett Goldstein]

People were seeing your emails going, what the fuck? I thought he was dead. How did you. How did you.

[Josh Horowitz]

How did I die? Yeah, that's a great question. It's actually. Do you have time? It's kind of a story. It's kind of a strange story, but it's interesting. So I was actually doing a junket of all things for a Fast and the Furious movie. It's fast and furious 18, the Bone Temple, which is great, great, by the way. And I was entering Vin Diesel, the great Vin Diesel, and we're buds. Like, I've interviewed him a lot, so I felt, you know, comfortable, and I decided to, like, kind of poke him and kind of, like, metaphorically poke him. I didn't actually physically poke him. And I. And I kind of made fun of, like, the Chronicles of Riddick. I made. I like to make little Riddick jokes to him. And he choked me out. He started, like, choking me.

[Brett Goldstein]

Wow.

[Josh Horowitz]

And it was like a joke, I think, at first. And now that I think about now, I'm getting it. I. I never came to. I'm dead. So that must have been what happened.

[Brett Goldstein]

You were killed by Vin Diesel during the first Injurious 18.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah, I know.

[Brett Goldstein]

Death by Vin.

[Josh Horowitz]

I know. I mean, it's. It's a claim to fame. It's a good way to go, I guess.

[Brett Goldstein]

Pretty cool. And I have to say, it did really help with the sales of Fast and Furious 18, which went on to become the biggest film in the franchise. And. That's right.

[Josh Horowitz]

They won all those Oscars. Yeah. Yeah, that's great.

[Brett Goldstein]

Fast and furious 19. The. The.

[Josh Horowitz]

The Bonier Temple. Keep on boning.

[Brett Goldstein]

Exactly. Do you worry about death, Joshua Horowitz? Yeah.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yes, of course. You would have to be an idiot not to. And I'm no idiot. No, yeah, I. Well, no, I mean, I actually envy people that don't. Aren't preoccupied with death, Andy. People that, like, don't worry, that, like, don't mind, like, turbulence on airplanes. And I envy people that, like, you know, they can fall asleep immediately on planes. And I envy people that, like, don't think about death every other waking moment. I. No, I don't think I. I'm joking, obviously, but, like, I, I. Yes. Since I was a kid, I have had anxiety over pain and death and, like, waiting for the other shoe to drop and all of that. So.

[Brett Goldstein]

Do you remember what started it I

[Josh Horowitz]

mean, I think, you know, like, I mean, relating it to like, like personal stuff. Like, you know, I've been very lucky, honestly. Like, obviously like anybody, I've lost loved ones and friends. But like, when I was. I was probably like 12 or 13, and within a year, my grandfather passed away very unexpectedly. I mean, he was, he was old, but like it was a sudden heart attack. And then like within a year, like his wife passed away from lung cancer. And I remember just like it really discombobulated me and kind of threw me off. Like, as a kid, I kind of became a little bit of a ne' er do. Well like, as a, as a teenager, like, I started like acting out and like skipping school and not even doing anything like, nefarious. Like, I've like, never smoked a cigarette. I've never done like anything really like, anything that illicit. But I. Ironically, you'll appreciate this. Like, I skipped school to just go to movies for like a solid year. My, My freshman year of high school, which coincided with, with those deaths. I just stopped like going to school and started to see movies.

[Brett Goldstein]

Wow.

[Josh Horowitz]

So I have kind of a lost year that like.

[Brett Goldstein]

And it paid off.

[Josh Horowitz]

It's. I mean, it did also. It's like, it's kind of fascinating because, like, there's like a year in time of movies that like, oh, I saw Silence of the Lambs, Dances with Wolves and Soap dish all like 15 times in the movie because, like, that was what was out that year. And I kept going back to the

[Brett Goldstein]

soap. This is great.

[Josh Horowitz]

So this is so good.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah.

[Josh Horowitz]

She suffered from. She died from break break fluid brain fever. Yeah. Kevin Klein in that epic. But yeah, a long way around of saying that. Yeah, I really do. As I think about it, like, there was a trickle down effect of me just like reconciling with the first losses in my life. So. And yeah, I just kind of like, you know, like everybody, I think I fear almost, you know. Yes, certainly I fear my own mortality, but I worry about my loved ones, my mom, like those around me. So, yes, it's. It's always there.

[Brett Goldstein]

When you had your year of living in the cinema, did you. How did it stop? We caught. Would you get in trouble? Like, how did it.

[Josh Horowitz]

Oh, I was too good. I was too smart for my own good. Brett. I would, I would call my parents because we would. They would get like truant slips. They would get like this report in the mail, like, Josh has not been at school the last two weeks. And then they would of course confront me with that. And I would Lie straight to their face. And I would be like, I don't know what they're talking about. This is. This is a clerical error. And it got to the point where I would literally call the house and impersonate a guidance counselor to my parents, my poor parents, and convince them that it was a clerical error. And this just like snowballed to the point where, yes, obviously it caught up with me eventually, but it was too late by that point. I essentially had to graduate in three years because my freshman year I really didn't complete any classes. So, yeah, it's kind of crazy. It's a crazy year to think about.

[Brett Goldstein]

And you would go on your own or would you skip with a friend?

[Josh Horowitz]

No, I didn't. I was so anti. I had like, I didn't have friends. I was a mess. Like, I would go to, like, I would go to like a fast food restaurant, hang out there. I would buy every newspaper. I'd buy Daily Variety. Again, I'm a freak. I'm a crazy person. I would read all the trades and then when the movies opened at like noon or whatever, I would just go into like a New York City multiplex and just go back and, you know, until I had to move through that.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, I love it.

[Josh Horowitz]

Worked out.

[Brett Goldstein]

It's not bad. It's not bad. And it really did work out.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

I hope your parents aren't angry anymore.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah, they. They forgave me.

[Brett Goldstein]

Okay. What do you think happens after you die?

[Josh Horowitz]

I, sad to say, I don't have a lot of hope of much I'd like to be proven wrong. I'm operating on the assumption that this is kind of it and we're just, you know, incorrect. Oh, wait, I forgot the premise of your shield. Correct me good. Before I go down the rabbit hole of nothing being out there. What happens?

[Brett Goldstein]

No, listen, also, the whole thing with nothing happening, I just don't buy it. I really don't. Like I was thinking about it, I was talking about it for someone else. All jokes aside, I just don't buy it. I just think there's too much stuff. There's too much stuff. There's too much sort of magic going on. You know what I mean? Like, I don't want to be a woo woo, but there's too much stuff. I don't think it's nothing. I could be a little woo woo.

[Josh Horowitz]

That's okay. It's good to be woo woo. I'd rather be more woo woo than the pragmatic, sad person that I am.

[Brett Goldstein]

Because also, no wonder you're fucking terrified because you're describing a blank nothingness

[Josh Horowitz]

going into a void.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, that doesn't sound fun. What if I tell you it is fun? There's a heaven. It's filled with your favorite thing. What's your favorite thing?

[Josh Horowitz]

Oh, cinnamon buns.

[Brett Goldstein]

Fantastic. Do you know what it's filled with? Cinnamon buns. And they're at the perfect temperature. And they're also at the perfect consistency. I remember cinnamon buns. And they, you know, the walls are made of cinnamon buns. The chairs, everything smells of cinnamon. Beautiful. You can eat the furniture, but it will just keep growing and rising. It's beautiful. Anyway, it's filled with cinnamon buns. The cinnamon buns want to talk to you about your life. They're huge fans of yours, but they want to talk about your life through film.

[Josh Horowitz]

And the first thing that's fortuitous.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, it's nice of them. The first thing they ask is, what's the first film you remember seeing? Joshua Horowitz.

[Josh Horowitz]

You know what it is, I think. I bet you're a fan of this filmmaker. My most vivid memory, my first vivid memory of going to a movie is Time Bandits is Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits. I did the math. I would have been five years old.

[Brett Goldstein]

And this is in New York.

[Josh Horowitz]

This is in New York. And I think this kind of blew my mind. If you think about Time Bandits for a kid, it's kind of a warped kids movie. I mean, it's a kid's adventure, but it's also David Warner as like, the scariest version of evil of the Devil ever, arguably. Do you remember how it ends, that movie? When I'm thinking about it, the movie ends with the devil winning and the kid's parents being turned into, like, lumps of coal. His parents are killed at the end of Time Bandits. Spoiler alert. Yeah, I swear to God. So that might also color my temperament.

[Brett Goldstein]

This is what sent you away from school for a year.

[Josh Horowitz]

Exactly. But that made an impact. But I still love that movie and I love Terry Gilliam. So that was a good start, I think.

[Brett Goldstein]

Did your parents take you?

[Josh Horowitz]

I don't think so. I think, as I said, I have an older brother who's four years older. He would have been nine, though. So I don't think he took me. I think we had. Maybe my mom took me. I don't remember. Someone had to take us. So I don't know who to lay the blame on.

[Brett Goldstein]

But.

[Josh Horowitz]

But my parents. Yeah, my parents. Like, once my brother was old enough, kind of let him steer the way. And so most of my film going experiences as a kid were thanks to my older brother.

[Brett Goldstein]

That's cool. What is the film that scared you the most? Do you like being scared, Josh?

[Josh Horowitz]

I don't mind being scared. I don't. You know, horror, I wouldn't say is like my top genre, but I love horror. I love good horror. I mean, I think objectively speaking, like the obvious one is always. I'm always going to go with the Exorcist, but everyone I'm sure has said that. You know what came to mind when I was thinking about this is Funny Games. Michael Haneke's funny. I mean, come on. And I actually haven't seen the original. I've only seen his English language remake. Yeah. But as I understand it, it's essentially the same movie just with different actors. But the realism of that movie, the home invasion thing, and it's just like, it's no bells and whistles. It's just sort of like, oh, this is what actually could happen. And there's no rhyme or reason to it. That's more disturbing to me than anything supernatural. So that one jumps out at me and then I think of like, you know, I'm not big into the jump scare movies. Like, I don't like the feeling of being like manipulated in that way. Like, I remember like walking out of Event Horizon. Like Event Horizon was too much for me. It was just like. I mean, it's effective, I'll give you that. Like it's doing what it sets out to do. But I just remember being in the theater like every like 10 minutes being like, just jump in like. And like, okay, I get it. You're winning. You got.

[Brett Goldstein]

You did it. That's good.

[Josh Horowitz]

Paul W.S. anderson. Other Paul Anderson.

[Brett Goldstein]

Interesting. So you don't like. You don't like being made to jump?

[Josh Horowitz]

I'm not into the jump. I like. I like creep. I like dread. Like, I like a, like I got like a David lynch dread. Like I think of like Firewalk With Me is like such a creepy movie, right?

[Brett Goldstein]

Scariest film ever made.

[Josh Horowitz]

It's pretty. Yeah, it's pretty. Pretty fucking scary. I love that stuff. I like a good exorcism movie. Back to the original sucker. Even like a kind of a bad exorcism movie is kind of a good exorcism movie as far as I'm concerned.

[Brett Goldstein]

Do you know the film the Last Exorcism?

[Josh Horowitz]

Yes.

[Brett Goldstein]

You know that film? Love that film. That film was a huge, weirdly, was a huge influence on my first film, Superbop. If you've ever seen that, no one will, Gosh, will ever sort of understand why, but it is the temp. We sort of studied that film, the Last Exorcism, and the kind of structure of it. And, yeah, it's a big part of what Superbowl is, is the Last Exorcism.

[Josh Horowitz]

Go back to the videotape, folks. That's an unlikely source material. That's crazy.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah.

[Josh Horowitz]

No, I mean, like. I mean, I saw, like. I wouldn't call it like an exorcism film, but even like something like Constantine starts with that great exorcism scene. My beloved Winona Ryder was in a movie nobody ever saw called Lost Souls. That's like an exorcism. Like, even, like I said, I don't know, it gets away like that. Just the template of the exorcism just coming to town. Works for me.

[Brett Goldstein]

It's nice we know who your beloved is. It was always her.

[Josh Horowitz]

Oh, yeah. Come on. Well, no, no. Heather's. Bram Stoker's Dracula might come up later.

[Brett Goldstein]

Oh, yeah. Okay. What is the film that made you cry the most? And do you like crying? Are you a crier?

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah, I like. I like a good cry. I mean, most recently, Hamnet did it for me. I was watching the other day. I did. I honestly, I found myself. The other day, I found. I was on X or whatever the hell we call it, and, like, someone had posted the clip of the end of Hamnet and I just, like, watched that, like, three minute sequence and I watched it like, three times in a row and I was just like, I wanted to, like, I wanted to feel Brett. It works like, it's just like, you know, like, I like. I like my buttons pushed that way. I don't like the. I don't like the event horizon button push. So I do like a good cry. I like a good, like, self sacrifice in a movie. I like it like, when, like, the music cues in a big way. I have a very unlikely one that I'm sure no one has said.

[Brett Goldstein]

Go on.

[Josh Horowitz]

Have you seen A Monster Calls? Do you know what?

[Brett Goldstein]

I'm talking with this movie with Lynn Neeson.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah. Liam Neeson's the voice of the monster.

[Brett Goldstein]

It's a king killer film. I've tried so much in that film.

[Josh Horowitz]

It's.

[Brett Goldstein]

It wrecked me and I'm amazed it hasn't come up a lot. You're right.

[Josh Horowitz]

It's an amazing movie. It is. It's a dying mom movie. It's a. It's based on a children's book. Beautifully made. It's J. Bayona. I remember seeing it, like, at the Toronto Film Festival, and, like, it was the premiere and, like, I just remember waves of, like, sobbing the last 20 minutes, like, walking out of that theater like an absolute blubbering mess. So that movie, that's, like, maybe the most intense I've ever cried in a movie that I think that I can think of.

[Brett Goldstein]

It's fucking killer. Because doesn't she. The mom says he doesn't want to say goodbye. He's, like, mean to his mom right at the end, and she says to him, I'm not. She says, I. I want you to know in years to come that I love you and that this. I don't. I forgive you for this. And I forgive you. Yeah.

[Josh Horowitz]

Even you saying that. Goosebumps. It's crazy.

[Brett Goldstein]

Jesus.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

That film has not sort of been talked about since even.

[Josh Horowitz]

Well, even when it came out. Nobody saw it. Like, that was like, on my top. But yeah, that's what it was like. No one. No one saw it. But I highly recommend it. It's a good one. Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

And he's got that beautiful middle section that's animated. I love that film.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yes, yes. But, yeah, like, all the. Like, I always think of, like, I have all the same scenes from movies that stand out. I think of, like, you know, that opening scene in Star Trek and Chris Hemsworth says, let's name him Jim again. Just that line and that Giacchino score always kills me. Always. End of glory. When Andre Braugher, like, says, I'm going to carry the flag. Like, I love, you know, good self, like, sacrifice that gets, you know, what

[Brett Goldstein]

can kill me in 10 seconds.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

Just seeing the 10 seconds of it is the last 10 seconds of planes, Trains and Automobiles.

[Josh Horowitz]

Oh, yeah, that's a sweet one.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, that would do me. That'll do me right in what's. What's the film that you love? It's not critically acclaimed. Most people don't like it. But you love it unconditionally.

[Josh Horowitz]

This is like my favorite category because this is like, I could. I could talk for an hour here because. Because I have so many favorite, like, weird movies. Like, I like. Like we were talking about, like, Emerald, how Emerald is always, like, swinging big. I like big swing movies. Like, I like, like the bloated Kevin Costner 90s movies. Like, I like the Postman and Waterworld, like, make more of those. I love Big Trouble in Little China.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah.

[Josh Horowitz]

I have an Ishtar poster signed by Warren Beatty. I might have the only Ishtar poster signed by Warren.

[Brett Goldstein]

Nice.

[Josh Horowitz]

But this might be. This is definitely controversial. I like, love Howard the Duck. I really do.

[Brett Goldstein]

Me, too.

[Josh Horowitz]

Do you really?

[Brett Goldstein]

What's the beef with Howard the Duck? I've never understood it.

[Josh Horowitz]

I think it was the expectations. It's a very silly, weird movie. It's hard to buy into it. It's very weird. Like, the lead character is like a little person in a duck costume voiced by somebody else.

[Brett Goldstein]

She has sex with him as well. Right.

[Josh Horowitz]

It is implied. It is implied, Brett, that there is sexual relations between Leah Thompson's character and the duck. Yeah, that happened in a movie.

[Brett Goldstein]

Love is love. I've always said it.

[Josh Horowitz]

But that movie made an impact, and I've seen it in subsequent years, and it still makes me smile. I think it's really funny and silly and weird, and it's too bad Jeffrey Jones is in it. That's a bummer, that guy. But he's great in it. But, yeah, Howard the Duck. I stand for it.

[Brett Goldstein]

Great answer. Great answer.

[Josh Horowitz]

This episode is brought to you by Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home with agents who close twice as many deals. When you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it. Get [e-mail], own the dream.

[Brett Goldstein]

On the other hand, unlike Howard the Duck, what is a film that you used to love but you've watched recently and you've thought, I can't get on board with this anymore because I've changed.

[Josh Horowitz]

I think I'm pretty forgiving. This was actually a hard one for me because actually, there are not many that I would now dismiss. I will say, as much as I loved it, and I still love parts of it, the Last Starfighter, which is a movie that meant a lot to me as a kid, it does suffer. It's not the story, it's the technology. It was one of the first CGI Reliant movies. Especially the second half of that movie is so buried underneath atari level graphics. 1984. So the first 45 minutes are great, and then the next 45 minutes are you're watching someone play an atari game from 1984. That's not very rewarding.

[Brett Goldstein]

You make me want to watch it.

[Josh Horowitz]

That sounds good to you, right? Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

What is a film that means the most to you? Not necessarily the Film itself is good, but the experience you had around seeing the film will always make it meaningful to you. Josh Horowitz.

[Josh Horowitz]

Well, a few different directions in this I thought of. So my dad was a big part of. As my mom. My mom is thankfully still around and loves movies, but my dad, who passed away a few years ago, was a big part of. You know, he. He loved film. He loved a certain type of movie, a lot of different types of movies. And we spent a lot of time going to the movies together. I was the youngest child, and I remember going to see what About Bob with him, the Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfus movie. And what I remember of going to Frank Oz directed it.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yes.

[Josh Horowitz]

And I. I loved it, and I still like it a lot. And I remember he hated it. And I remember he. Like, I could tell he hated it. And he. What I remember is he could have and clearly wanted to, but he didn't leave. He didn't want to leave the theater because his son was enjoying it. And that always brings a smile to my face and makes me emotional to think about. And I. And I did a book many years ago of actually interviews with filmmakers, and I dedicated it to my dad, and the dedication reads, to my dad for not walking out of what About Bob?

[Brett Goldstein]

Oh, man.

[Josh Horowitz]

That's what comes to mind.

[Brett Goldstein]

That's beautiful. That's a real lovely thing. Thanks. Oh, God, you're gonna make me cry, Josh. That's a real sacrifice as well. Over Christmas, I took my niece to see a show. I won't name the show. And it was terrible. And then in halftime, I turned to her and I said, are you enjoying it? And she said, yeah. And I said, me too. And then we sat through the rest of the.

[Josh Horowitz]

And some blood started to trickle down.

[Brett Goldstein]

But I now love the show because she loved it. You know what I mean?

[Josh Horowitz]

Like, it was like, okay, watch it through their eyes. Yeah, of course.

[Brett Goldstein]

Okay, let's do this then.

[Josh Horowitz]

Totally.

[Brett Goldstein]

What is the film that you most relate to? Hmm.

[Josh Horowitz]

Well, I would say, you know what? Like, you know, you've Got Mail, the Nora Ephron movie. That movie is basically filmed in and around, like, my. Where I grew up. It's all, like, the places I would go to. It is speaking the vernacular of me, Upper Westsider, you know, the lineage of the Woody Allen, the Nora Ephrons, the Noah Baumbacks. Like, that's. I am stereotypical. I am cut from that cloth. And that movie, I think. I don't know. That resonates with that. It's familiar. It's a warm blanket. It's like, that's my world.

[Brett Goldstein]

That's like where you live.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah. It's the idealized version of where I grew up. It's the best parts, like squid and the whale was like the sad part of it. Right? That's like, that's, that's like the divorce, which I thankfully didn't have to go through. But like, that's like kind of the darker side of like a New Yorker like me. And you've got male is kind of the sweeter side.

[Brett Goldstein]

Interesting. I love the squid, Noel.

[Josh Horowitz]

Me too.

[Brett Goldstein]

I love it.

[Josh Horowitz]

Me too.

[Brett Goldstein]

That's where you're from as well. Josh Harwiz. This is, this is what we all came for. What's the sexiest film?

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah, People have been wanting to hear me. Finally.

[Brett Goldstein]

People have listened to 400 episodes of Happy, Sad, Confused. And what they haven't heard is Happy, Sad, Confused, Horny. And they want to know.

[Josh Horowitz]

You know what's really funny? We keep name checking, Emerald. We actually, in the course of that podcast, we renamed Happy, Sad, Confused, Horny, Sad Confused. That's the first time it's ever been said. And now you said it. That's so funny.

[Brett Goldstein]

Oh, dear.

[Josh Horowitz]

The sexiest movie ever made. The ones that comes to mind. I already name checked it and her. I'm gonna go with Bram Stoker's Dracula. Bram Stoker's Dracula.

[Brett Goldstein]

Okay. Bram Stoker's Dracula is a sexy film.

[Josh Horowitz]

Thank you. It is.

[Brett Goldstein]

It's a very sexy film.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yes. You got sexy old men and like Sadie Frost, Winona, everybody, the writhing around, vampire ladies. It's. It's sex and death and all the fun stuff. It's. Yeah, it's. It's delicious.

[Brett Goldstein]

You know, this sort of. But I really hope it's true that Winona Riley and Keanu Reeves are married because they were actually married within the scene, but by an actual priest. And it's all sort of technically binding. I hope that's true.

[Josh Horowitz]

I like to go with that. Have you ever had an introverted wedding in one of your films? Are you married to several women?

[Brett Goldstein]

I've been married once in this show, but I don't think we did the ceremony. I think it skips through. So I've never had to. Okay, put a ring on and say I do, but I think that is legally binding once you do. So. Yeah.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah. I think honestly, Winona and Keanu, I don't think they would object. They still seem very fond of each other. I think the world wants that relationship to come around. It's not too late.

[Brett Goldstein]

I'd be so happy.

[Josh Horowitz]

That could heal the world. Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

There's a subcategory troubling boners worrying why don'ts a film you found arousing that you weren't sure you should.

[Josh Horowitz]

So how does everybody not say who Framed Roger Rabbit? What percentage of folks bring that up? Is that a constant?

[Brett Goldstein]

You know, what's good about you, Josh, is it does come up. But you had the answer. It was ready to go.

[Josh Horowitz]

No. Come on, you're human. Please. Jessica Rabbit. But here's the thing about Jessica Rabbit.

[Brett Goldstein]

Jessica Rabbit's unbelievable.

[Josh Horowitz]

Well, but it was clearly designed to do exactly what we're talking about. Like, this is. Like this is the mission statement of Jessica Rabbit is to make young men feel weird and confused and mission accomplished.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, Jessica Rabbit's a wonderful. Just one of the all time sexiest creations. The thing that makes it disturbing is when you think who drew her was. It definitely wasn't someone that looked like Jessica Rabbit.

[Josh Horowitz]

Don't go there. No, you took it one step too far. You know what's a good. I took this. I was thinking about this. You know, it's like a lesser known version of this. Around the same time, a little later. Do you remember the movie Cool World?

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. With Kim Basnit. Hollywood, if she could.

[Josh Horowitz]

There you go.

[Brett Goldstein]

The tagline, very.

[Josh Horowitz]

A little bit of a darker Ralph Baski, was it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

Very sexy.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

That's your two way tie. Okay.

[Josh Horowitz]

I mean, you could. I honestly, we. We could go with Howard the Duck too, though. I mean, because that, like, it was like Leah Thompson was. I had a crush on her. Like that was sexy. But then you're like, oh, wait, she's having sex with a duck. So that's weird.

[Brett Goldstein]

But he's a. Well, he's an alien.

[Josh Horowitz]

He's a wizened. He's. He's more alien than ducks.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, he's an elder duck.

[Josh Horowitz]

We don't know his actual biological age, but sure.

[Brett Goldstein]

I think on this planet.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

Time runs differently. Oh, God. What's objectively the greatest film ever made. Objectively.

[Josh Horowitz]

Objectively, I think you have to make a case. And again, I'm sure this has come up. I think Raiders of the Lost Ark is probably the perfect movie.

[Brett Goldstein]

Correct.

[Josh Horowitz]

Right.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah.

[Josh Horowitz]

Did I do it?

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, I think you did.

[Josh Horowitz]

No problem. I mean, maybe the moment when Belloq swallows a fly. If we want to count that as a demerit. It's a small. It's just stressful.

[Brett Goldstein]

It just makes that Seem more stressful.

[Josh Horowitz]

Exactly. Exactly. But, no, that's a perfect movie. No notes.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, it's pretty fucking great. Your brother, who's a writer, when did he become a writer?

[Josh Horowitz]

So he. Right out of college, so he's four years older than me, and he started writing on some TV shows. Like, he did a Fantasy island reboot. That was his first gig. He did Felicity, and then he wrote on Lost. So he's been huffing it for years. Yeah, yeah. And then he wrote the. Not the last Tron movie, but Tron Legacy, the one.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

Did you. Have you ever interviewed him on your. I have.

[Josh Horowitz]

So I.

[Brett Goldstein]

He.

[Josh Horowitz]

He did. He did the podcast, actually. Again, we're getting, like, much more, like, emotional and real than I ever do. We. We. I talked to my brother after my dad passed away, so I had him on the podcast to talk about, you know, kind of our shared. Obviously our love of our dad, and also how he. He informed who we both were. Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

That's nice. Okay. What is the film you could or have watched the most over and over again?

[Josh Horowitz]

So I thought of two related movies, and this, again, probably speaks to the darkness of my soul. I think, truly, this is the reveal of this. How dark and twisted I am. I think seven and Silence of the Lambs are maybe the movies I've watched, like, the most that are the most rewatchable. Like, they're just easy. I don't know. It's kind of crazy to say, but, like, relaxing time. I wouldn't say relaxing, but they're like. I find I love Fincher because Fincher's movies are so tight and so, like, just meticulous. And I feel safe in his. In his crazy hands. And in that way, like, seven is like a, you know, a jewel. Like a jewel box. It's just, like, perfect in that way. And Silence of the Lambs, again, like, I could have said that for the last category. That's a no notes movie. That's just the delicious. And also I've seen it the most because that was part of that year. I was. You know.

[Brett Goldstein]

That's when you saw that.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah. So there's Silence of Lambs and Seven,

[Josh Horowitz]

and I thought Dances with Wolves is also that lost year. Yeah. Which I would not put in this category.

[Brett Goldstein]

Silence of the Lambs, of course, a wonderful rom com as well. I mean, famously, a perfect trailer.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah, exactly.

[Brett Goldstein]

What's the worst film you've ever seen? And I know you don't like to be negative, and nor do I. So we can do it quick.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah. No, I labored over this one because there's not a lot that I aggressively hate. But here's one. Do you remember the movie Nothing But Trouble? Do you know what this movie is?

[Brett Goldstein]

Chevy Chase.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yes, Chevy Chase. Directed by Dan Aykroyd. This was Chevy Chase, arguably height of his powers. Demi Moore coming off of. I think this was like her ghost follow up. It was like Aykroyd, like after Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2. And it was. I remember it was like called Valkynvania, which is like the town they go to. And then they cut it and renamed it Nothing But Trouble. And it's basically like Dan Aykroyd's like, Nutty professor knockoff. He plays like multiple roles and it's. It just doesn't work. I love Dan Ayroy, but. Sorry, that one didn't work.

[Brett Goldstein]

Okay. You're very funny. You're happy, sad, confused. What's the film that made you laugh the most?

[Josh Horowitz]

It's Young Frankenstein, obviously. Young Frankenstein is the funniest movie ever made. Yeah, I've seen that one many, many times and it still makes me laugh. It's the Gene Hackman scene alone. Arguably the greatest comedic scene ever as the blind man. Gene Wilder trying to put the candlestick back in the bookcase with Terry Garr. Put the candle back. I mean, come on. Madeline Khan.

[Brett Goldstein]

I mean, yeah, I love. I think. Did you see the musical?

[Josh Horowitz]

I did see the musical, yeah. Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

How was it?

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah, I mean, it was very. It was like it was played the hits, you know, it's like you get all the lines, but yes. No, the movie I put on a pedestal and then, yeah, runner up. I would put like Love and Death has actually a lot of. I have a lot of affection for that Woody Allen movie, but yeah, Young Frankenstein. Perfect.

[Brett Goldstein]

Are you ready for this? Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Patreon section. Oh, my God. It's the exclusive bit just for the VIP. Say hello to them.

[Josh Horowitz]

Hi, VIPs. Hi, smart people that are on the Patreon. You should check out my Patreon too, by the way. That'll make it even cooler.

[Brett Goldstein]

You should imagine that a double up. What is the film that changed your perspective on something?

[Josh Horowitz]

Well, I have two different answers. If you want both, I'll give them to you. But the one that jumps out at me from a film nerd's perspective is I vividly remember walking out of seeing JFK and just being amazed by, like, that you could do that in a movie. And I'm talking about the filmmaking, right? Like if you remember, like, the different stock of film, the different, like, the way he shot it was like, revolutionary. He kind of. He went. Albert Stone went to like the next level with like, Natural Born Killers later. But, like, JFK was the one where he like, broke the mold and showed like, you could make a thriller using. Throw everything in the kitchen sink into it and like, the cinematography and everything in that movie. I just was like, I walked out of it with my. Get my head blown apart. That's a horrible thing to say after talking about jfk. It's like the worst thing, anywho. But no, JFK as like a film nerd. Like, that was the one that kind of like, rocked my world.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah. What's your second one?

[Josh Horowitz]

Although the other one, like, I was thinking is, I think you've talked about this on the pod. I've heard you say, I think Empire of the Sun. You fan?

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, I'm a fan.

[Josh Horowitz]

Big time fan of that movie. And I think I'm essentially the age that, like, Christian Bale's character is when that movie came out. And I think just seeing the journey of like, a kid who like, really becomes a man in the course of that movie and like this, like, cloistered wife and kind of seeing how big the world is and how dark the world can be, that was. I don't know, I think it was eye opening. I probably saw it when I was like 12 and like, oh, wow. Like the world's more. A little more complex than in my little, little bubble.

[Brett Goldstein]

Hell of a jumps out.

[Josh Horowitz]

Such a great movie.

[Brett Goldstein]

That kills me that when he says, I don't remember what my parents look like. Oh, God. Oh, God.

[Josh Horowitz]

It's top. I mean, top five, top ten. Spielberg.

[Brett Goldstein]

It's. Yeah, yeah. And I don't know why it wasn't well received when it came out. I don't understand it.

[Josh Horowitz]

It was kind of the first time he did, like, the hardcore drama. And I don't think that the world. I guess he had done the Color Purple and then he did that. But, like, you know, it took them a while to like, come around to him as like a serious filmmaker as opposed to like a genre.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, that's interesting. What's the greatest opening to a film

[Josh Horowitz]

probably has been said, I'm gonna go, not Raiders, but I'm gonna Temple of Doom, Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom. That opening sequence is a great opening. Yeah, it's got Dan Aykroyd in it. Look at Eagle Eye, you know, making up for Nothing but Trouble.

[Brett Goldstein]

All is Forgiven.

[Josh Horowitz]

Come back Always forgiven.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah. Everything. Like, come on. Harrison Ford and his white tuxedo. Like, it's. It's a. It's a musical number. It's an action sequence. It's.

[Brett Goldstein]

And it goes on forever. I love that.

[Josh Horowitz]

And I could keep watching it. Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

It's.

[Josh Horowitz]

It's punctuated with. Nice try. Wow, Shay. Then we're done.

[Brett Goldstein]

So good. What's the greatest ending?

[Josh Horowitz]

I have a weird one. First I thought of the thing which maybe has been said, which is a great one. I like that. But I also like. You know, what movie I haven't mentioned that I'm obsessed with is the Untouchables. I love Brian De Palma's the Untouchables. Such a good movie. I've seen that movie a thousand times, and I love. It's actually a weirdly structured movie because the end section of it is in a courtroom, and it's a little bit anticlimactic. But the very ending of the movie is fantastic. It's Eliot Ness, played by Kevin Costner, leaving the court. They just vanquished Al Capone, right? And the reporter comes up to him. He's walking the streets of Chicago, and he says, you know, they say Prohibition's gonna end. Mr. Ness. What are you gonna do? And this whole movie's been fighting, you know, fighting a good fight for prohibition. And he's just been told, prohibition's ending. And he says, I think I'm gonna have a drink. And then the Ennio Morricone score swells up, and then he walks through Chicago. Done. Amazing.

[Brett Goldstein]

That's pretty great.

[Josh Horowitz]

It's a great one, I think. I, I. My hot take is, like, Brian De Palma, like, between Mission Impossible and Untouchables. Like, I love depraved, weird Ron DePalma. Don't get me wrong. But, like, he could have just been one of the greats, like, just as, like, mainstream Spielberg. Like, he could. Like, he made such great. Like, he was so good at action and suspense, obviously. And if he had, like, if he was a little less weird and depraved, he would have been like, Spielberg, essentially.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah. Carlito's Way is in my top 50.

[Josh Horowitz]

That's a great call. I love Carlito's Wife.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah.

[Josh Horowitz]

Love, love, love John Penn and that.

[Brett Goldstein]

Oh, my God.

[Josh Horowitz]

You kidding me?

[Brett Goldstein]

Come on.

[Josh Horowitz]

Beautiful.

[Brett Goldstein]

What is your favorite film? It's not on your homework.

[Josh Horowitz]

My favorite movie. That's an impossible question, Brett. My favorite movie.

[Brett Goldstein]

Listen, I wouldn't be a guest on this podcast for that very reason, but you're the guest, so you have to answer it.

[Josh Horowitz]

My favorite movie of all time, right now, in this very moment. And it's not binding because tomorrow it will change. Yes. The day I died again. I feel. I feel ashamed saying this because I know you've said this one, but I'm gonna say it myself, too. I'm a Magnolia guy, too. I love Magnolia. I love Magnolia. We talked about big swings from the beginning. That's Paul Thomas Anderson's biggest swing. I love Look, There Will Be Blood. Amazing. Of course. Something about Magnolia.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, there's something about Magnolia. There really is something. Well, I think I do know what it is. I think it's that his dad died. And I think it's. Do you know what? I'm going to give you a big old fucking hot take I've got that I'm now putting together. I think Magnolia is really special because he made it when his dad died, and it's all infused in that. And I read an interview with him one day where years and years and years ago where they were like, why does it rain frogs? And he's like, when my dad died, it was so unfathomable. It may as well have rained frogs.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

And you sort of go, yeah, that's nothing.

[Josh Horowitz]

Made sense. Yeah.

[Brett Goldstein]

What the film is. And then Muppet Christmas Carol, which I genuinely think is, if not the greatest film of all time, top two. That film is so powerful and beautiful and funny and all the things that it is. But it was made very shortly after Jim Henson died by his son. And I think there is some magic and melancholy in that film because I think it's made by a load of people who are making something beautiful, but they're mourning as well. I think that's in the fit. It's like, in it. You can feel it.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah. I think that's not just a hot take. It might be an accurate take. I like it now, arguably. I mean, there's so much to love in Magnolia. Like, I could have named that as, like, the best opening sequence of all time. That's one of those. But I think the stuff that works on me the most, maybe in that film is the Tom Cruise stuff, is the Philip Seymour Hoffman stuff. And it's. Yeah. How did he do that? Like, how did he even do that? And he was so young when he made it, too. Like, it's crazy. He was going through something.

[Brett Goldstein]

I love the sound. I love the sound. I love the ending. I love the music, guys. A great fucking film.

[Josh Horowitz]

And Fury Road, that's a perfect movie, too.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yes, it is.

[Josh Horowitz]

Yeah, that's also the best movie of all time.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah, okay. Joshua Horowitz, you have been a pleasure. As expected. However, when you were on the press junket for The Fast and Furious 18 the Bone Temple, you saw your old friend Vin Diesel. You were like, vin, my brother. And he said, why are you calling me brother? And you said, I set the thump up because I thought it was all about family. And he laughed. Chuckles. Oh, you've seen my films. And then you go, yeah, I've seen all your films. I've even seen the Chronicles of Riddick. What a dummy I am. I've seen it twice. And he says, what did you say? And you say, I'm such a dummy. I've seen Chronicles of Riddick twice. And he says, what the fuck did you say? And you think he's joking. You go, I said, I'm such a dummy. I've seen Chronicles of Riddick. Riddick twice. He puts his hands around your throat like Homer Simpson and Bach, and you think you're doing a bit, and he keeps squeezing, but he's stronger than you think. He's actually quite strong, Vin Diesel. And he crushes your windpipe. And it breaks. Breaks your windpipe. And then you are out of breath, and then you're dead. I'm walking past with a coffee, and you know what I'm like at press junkets, and I hear a lot of commotion. I go. And Vin goes, oh, boy. I put my head in. I go, everything all right, Vin? He goes. He says, if I've killed someone, Brett, do you reckon that's good or bad for the film? And I go, I think all publicity is good publicity. And he goes, okay, well, I've just killed Joshua Horowitz. Oh, right. Oh. I say, well, I've got a coffin here. Give me a hand. Anyway, there's more of you than I was expected because you've had so much water on this press junket. You've swollen up. So I go, vin, can you help? He goes, yeah. So he starts tearing you apart with his bare hands. He breaks you up into segments. We put you in the coffin. You're absolutely random. There's no room in this coffin now. There's only enough room in this coffin to slide 1 DVD in the side for you to take across to the other side. And on the other side, it's movie night every night. What film are you taking to show the Cinnabones in Heaven when it is your movie night, please, Josh Horowitz.

[Josh Horowitz]

So just to backtrack, you're at press junkets with just rolling around a coffin just in case something happens. Okay.

[Brett Goldstein]

Just in case. Cool.

[Josh Horowitz]

Okay. Just point of information, you know, I'm like, yeah, no, that's fine. That's fine. No judgments. I'm dead. Who am I to judge? Can I do a box set? Can I do a DVD box set?

[Brett Goldstein]

What is it? Let me decide.

[Josh Horowitz]

I was going to do the Indiana Jones box set.

[Brett Goldstein]

Yeah. I don't like to cheat the system. You have to pick if you can get them all on one dvd, maybe.

[Josh Horowitz]

Remember, I'm the guy that cheat that lied to my parents for a year about going to school. I do the workarounds.

[Brett Goldstein]

You want to lie to God with your box set?

[Josh Horowitz]

I'll leave out Crystal Skull. I only need four movies. Arguably, I only need three. No, wait, I can do something else. Well, I got something. I got something. Okay, this makes no sense, but I love this movie. We haven't mentioned it. I want to watch All Eternity and the Afterlife and all my Cinnabon friends. We're going to watch Broadcast News because we love it. And it's a wonderful movie.

[Brett Goldstein]

It's a wonderful movie. Everything I love in movies, you can have that. That is a lovely, lovely, lovely idea. Joshua Horowitz. What a delight. Would you please tell the people listening at home or in their cars or on the treadmill or anywhere they are what to look out for, to listen to and to watch. Starring you. Coming soon.

[Josh Horowitz]

Well, twist my arm. Here's what I'll say. Of course, Happy sad Confused continues. No one can stop it at this point. Or horny sad confused, as Emerald Fennell likes to call it. But even more important than that, Brett, I think I told you this. I'm doing a celebrity dog show that I'm obsessed with. It's called who's a Good Guest? It's me, a celebrity, and their dog. It's. I know. Don't you laugh at me.

[Brett Goldstein]

No, I thought the guest was gonna have to pretend to be a dog.

[Josh Horowitz]

That would have been the smarter way to go.

[Brett Goldstein]

I heard that. There's an actual dog. I'm less concerned about this idea.

[Josh Horowitz]

I am unabashedly obsessed with this show I've been doing. I've shot six episodes. I made it with the beautiful people at Bark, and it's with everybody from Bob Odenkirk and Zoe Deutch and Patrick Wilson and Jennifer Goodwin and Johnny Knoxville. And it's really sweet, honestly. It's good, wholesome fun, and it's on my YouTube. It's on Brooke's YouTube. And I hope people check it out. Because if you like what I do a little bit.

[Brett Goldstein]

It's there now.

[Josh Horowitz]

It's there now. We started running it.

[Brett Goldstein]

I'll check it out after this.

[Josh Horowitz]

Please do. Yeah, it's really sweet. So who's a good guest?

[Brett Goldstein]

Oh, fantastic. Who's a good guest? You're a good guest. You're a good guest.

[Josh Horowitz]

Thanks. I was, I wasn't fishing, but I'll take it.

[Brett Goldstein]

You're a good guest.

[Josh Horowitz]

Oh, is that, is that Vin?

[Brett Goldstein]

Thank you so much for doing this. It was lovely to see you. God bless you. Thank you.

[Josh Horowitz]

Thanks, buddy.

[Brett Goldstein]

Good night. So that was episode 386. Head over to the [e-mail] Brett Goldstein. For the Secret with Josh Horowitz, go to Apple podcast. Give us a five star rating. Right. About the film that means the most to you and why it's a lovely thing to read. It helps numbers and we really appreciate it. You can watch all of you and shrinking and Ted Lasso on Apple tv. I hope you like all of those things. Thank you so much to Josh for his time. Thank you to Scrubius Pip and the Distraction Pieces network. Thanks to Buddy Peace for producing it. Thanks to Adam Richardson for the graphics, Lisa Lytham for the photography. Come join me in a couple of weeks for another incredible guest. But that's it for now. Thank you all for listening. I very much hope you're well. And in the meantime, have a lovely week. And please now more than ever, be excellent to each other. Sam.