Fire Escape Cast #113

Summary

Fire Escape Cast #113 Summary

Release Date: August 11, 2025

Introduction and Opening Banter

The episode kicks off with a humorous exchange featuring an impersonation of Stanley Tucci, who playfully attempts to rhyme but falls short, eliciting laughter from Dan Reichert and Mary Kish. This light-hearted start sets the tone for the episode's blend of humor and candid conversation.

Discussion of Movies

The hosts delve into a conversation about Stanley Tucci's acting career, highlighting his rise during the COVID-19 pandemic with cooking shows like "Searching for Italy." They reminisce about his breakout role in The Devil Wears Prada, with Mary expressing disbelief that Dan hasn't seen it:

Mary Kish [02:10]: "Oh, my gosh, it's so good. I can't believe you haven't seen Devil Wears."

Dan shares his aversion to romantic comedies centered around fashion, leading to a broader discussion about comedic films. They praise Naked Gun, with Dan declaring it his second favorite comedy only behind MacGruber:

Dan Reichert [02:43]: "I think you would both love it. I think it is number two only to MacGruber for me."

Musicals and Hamilton Debate

A substantial portion of the episode revolves around the hosts' differing opinions on musicals, particularly Hamilton. Stanley defends the musical's depth and appeal:

Stanley Tucci [23:09]: "I think the lyrics are incredible. I think the characters are extremely deep. I think it's heart-wrenching at parts. I think it's hilarious."

Conversely, Dan and Mary express skepticism and disdain for musicals, questioning their relevance and personal enjoyment:

Dan Reichert [22:27]: "How can anyone, even children, like, who is the potential audience here just doing like weird, dumb, like YouTube rap level."

Mary adds nuance by acknowledging her respect for the genre while maintaining her personal preferences:

Mary Kish [29:34]: "But I do like some musicals."

The debate intensifies with playful jabs and humorous banter, illustrating the hosts' diverse tastes and dynamic chemistry.

Video Game Reviews and Recommendations

The trio transitions to discussing various video games, sharing their experiences and critiques.

• Wheel World: Mary shares her thoughts on the game's graphical evolution and gameplay mechanics, commenting on the sudden shift from a serene environment to a more industrial setting.

  Mary Kish [66:05]: "It's not whimsical or beautiful to ride around. And it's actually kind of garish."

• Time Flies: Mary enthusiastically recommends this indie game, highlighting its explorative nature and whimsical puzzles.

  Mary Kish [74:11]: "It is. I'll give you an example in the very Beginning of this game..."

• Undermine: Dan discusses his initial impression of the game, noting its challenging boss fights and randomized elements.

  Dan Reichert [81:28]: "It's like, I feel like I'd have to make sure to watch a bunch."

• Ninja Gaiden Rage Bound: Dan praises the game for its intense combat and modern take on a classic series, while Mary acknowledges its appeal to fans regardless of familiarity with the original games.

  Dan Reichert [87:22]: "It's a big year of Ninja Gaiden."

• Heartworm: Mary describes this 90s-style survival horror game, comparing it to Resident Evil and Silent Hill, and noting its vintage aesthetic and challenging inventory system.

  Mary Kish [90:14]: "It's a rogue-lite where you... Once you kill everything that's important..."

The hosts provide comprehensive insights into each game, balancing personal anecdotes with objective analysis, catering to both avid gamers and casual listeners.

Listener Emails and Personal Anecdotes

The episode features heartfelt listener emails, allowing the hosts to connect with their audience on a personal level.

• Jeff's Email: Jeff shares his struggles with maintaining friendships as life circumstances change, prompting a deeper discussion on the challenges of keeping in touch.

  Mary Kish [101:03]: "If you feel bad about not keeping up with someone, that's probably a sign that you care about them..."

• Anniversary Shout-Out: Mary reads a sweet email congratulating Debbie and Daryl on their 30th wedding anniversary, expressing gratitude for Debbie's enduring support despite Dan's gaming habits.

  Dan Reichert [98:23]: "I am. I was introduced to Dina."

These segments provide emotional depth to the episode, highlighting themes of friendship, love, and personal growth.

Closing Remarks and Future Plans

As the episode winds down, the hosts engage in playful banter about creating a musical episode of their podcast, ultimately deciding against it due to anticipated annoyance. They also discuss upcoming plans, including finishing the Resident Evil 4 remake and exploring other gaming adventures.

Stanley announces his successful completion of a personal goal:

Stanley Tucci [115:00]: "I hit my goal in May. A thousand albums in five months is crazy."

He seeks book recommendations, leading to an exchange of favorite literary works, emphasizing 100 Years of Solitude and House of Leaves as transformative reads.

The episode concludes with laughter, further solidifying the hosts' camaraderie and leaving listeners eagerly anticipating the next installment.

Notable Quotes

• Stanley Tucci [03:29]: "I don't think it's necessary. I just..."
• Mary Kish [14:36]: "Up to you, Dan. What'd you think?"
• Stanley Tucci [23:35]: "I think you'd like it."
• Mary Kish [46:41]: "He's a sociopath."
• Stanley Tucci [95:58]: "I have not played Peak."

Conclusion

Fire Escape Cast #113 offers a blend of humor, heartfelt discussions, and in-depth analyses of movies and video games. The hosts' engaging chemistry and willingness to explore personal topics make for a compelling listen, whether you're a seasoned gamer, a movie enthusiast, or someone seeking relatable conversations about life's challenges.

Transcript

[Stanley Tucci]

What? Gucci. Stanley Tucci.

[Dan Reichert]

No, you can't do that.

[Stanley Tucci]

What would you rather me say?

[Dan Reichert]

Do another thing that rhymes right now. Don't think about it.

[Stanley Tucci]

What? What's happening? Capelan chapanen.

[Dan Reichert]

That was way worse.

[Stanley Tucci]

No, that was really good.

[Dan Reichert]

Do another one now.

[Stanley Tucci]

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to Fire Escape. I'm Stanley Tucci. That's Dan Reichert.

[Dan Reichert]

It's not. You're lying. I'm Dan. Hi. I mean, yes, hi, Stanley. I love the food or whatever you do.

[Stanley Tucci]

And Mary Kish, who's Stanley Tucci show or something. So he's a famous actor, but now.

[Dan Reichert]

Right, but now I'm confused.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, he does a Searching for Italy, like, travel food show on hbo.

[Mary Kish]

Now he has a line. He's like a pot and pans.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, yeah, During COVID he kind of blew up because he was doing like kitchen videos on his own. And people like, just love hearing him say anything.

[Mary Kish]

I know who this is.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm looking at dresses.

[Stanley Tucci]

Really?

[Dan Reichert]

Well, I'm looking at his. His IMDb right now. I don't know if I've seen anything. He's in. Oh, the core. I've seen the core.

[Stanley Tucci]

I think Devil Wears Prada was probably his breakout Beethoven.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, my gosh, it's so good. I can't believe you haven't seen Devil Wears.

[Dan Reichert]

You can't believe I haven't seen the Devil Wears Prada? In what world would I see that?

[Mary Kish]

You. You did a red box letter show where you reviewed movies. I figured you had seen a very good movie.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, it's what, a romantic comedy and it's about fashion. That's like two things. That would be like kryptonite for me.

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't think it's a rom com, is it? It's.

[Dan Reichert]

It's like, I think I'm the audience for it, right?

[Mary Kish]

No, I don't think it's a Rom. There's really almost no Rom in it. It's mostly a comedy. It's mostly calm. It's about, like, a girl who doesn't really know anything about fashion getting eaten alive by, like a fashion world boss who's like Helen, a total bitch and a half.

[Stanley Tucci]

Wait, what's. Who's the. Who's the boss? Why am I blanking on her name, like, most famous actress ever.

[Dan Reichert]

It's not our friend Helen Mirren. It's not her.

[Stanley Tucci]

No other white haired.

[Mary Kish]

Meryl.

[Dan Reichert]

Meryl Streep. String Close.

[Stanley Tucci]

And Anne Hathaway is the, like, intern.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Yeah. I mean, if it's about fashion, there's no chance in hell I ever would have seen it.

[Mary Kish]

It's really good, actually. I think she's quite funny.

[Dan Reichert]

Fashion, but it' really comedy.

[Mary Kish]

It's comedy. It's, It's a comedy first. I just think that's a, it's a mistake in advertising.

[Dan Reichert]

Comedy first.

[Mary Kish]

It's comedy first.

[Dan Reichert]

You two seen Naked Gun?

[Stanley Tucci]

No, but I saw your comment about it being the funniest thing you've seen since McGruber. I couldn't. I have to see this for myself.

[Dan Reichert]

I think you would both love it. I think it is number two only to MacGruber for me. And it's, you know, another lonely island directed and written movie, but holy. I think both of you would love it. And I will watch this movie many more times in my life, probably with you guys at some point.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, let's watch it around. Game of the year.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, God. If you guys can wait that long, I'll do it. Like, it's. I missed, like, 40 jokes because I was still laughing at the previous ones. It's incredible.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I'm glad.

[Stanley Tucci]

Game for all of it.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, he's incredible.

[Mary Kish]

I'm glad it's so funny, too, because, like, the last thing that Liam Neeson was in that was funny was that bit, that skit where he was like, I want to get into comedy. And it's, like, super awkward and funny because he shouldn't be doing comedies because he's, like, known for Schindler's List and really serious roles, but that's for it.

[Dan Reichert]

That's.

[Mary Kish]

I know. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

No, it's, I mean, that's what Liam. Leslie Nielsen was a serious actor and.

[Stanley Tucci]

No, I, I, I, I shouldn't joke about Schindler's List, I guess. But there's a sign.

[Dan Reichert]

That's a great way to start a sentence.

[Stanley Tucci]

There's this sign episode where Jerry's Newman catches Jerry making out with his Jewish girlfriend during Schindler's List at the theater.

[Dan Reichert]

I haven't seen it. Do you think it holds up?

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's in black and white, which I know you hate well, but it was.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, for a reason, right?

[Stanley Tucci]

Like, don't they show me black and white?

[Dan Reichert]

I haven't seen many black and white movies or movies with subtitles.

[Mary Kish]

Subtitles are really, like, that's so limiting for you.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, I know it's because I remember I found that, like, Google Doc I made, like, 15 years ago, and it was like, here's 101 things I want to do in the next thousand and one days. And like, one of the only ones I didn't accomplish was watch a movie with subtitles.

[Stanley Tucci]

Really?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. It's like I have. I've been everything everywhere, all at once. I did in Bonk and I watched like the Seven Samurai. I haven't seen Pants Labyrinth, so, like, I'm. I'm more worldly now. But definitely like 10 years ago, I don't think I'd.

[Mary Kish]

So many horror movies. Remember how, like, I recommended a horror movie you like. Horror really opens up if you're willing to get subtitles because there's some fucked up and really good scary horror movies from like, you know, in other languages and they're super worth watching.

[Dan Reichert]

Nice being. Probably should. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

We watched Amanda and her cousin was staying with us and we watched those two. Watched Barbarian with me for the first time.

[Dan Reichert]

Nice.

[Mary Kish]

So good.

[Dan Reichert]

Blind. Going blind.

[Stanley Tucci]

They had no idea what it was about.

[Mary Kish]

They were probably squirming in their seats. There's like a distinct moment where everyone, I think, just curls up into a ball. Because you're so freaked out.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. It's also. I mean, it's been out for a while, but I still don't want it if you haven't seen it.

[Dan Reichert]

No, don't. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't say anything about movies.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, God, I do want to start watching two other people watch it.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh.

[Stanley Tucci]

Seeing them, like, trying to.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, I am. I'm excited about Weapons, the. The new one by that director. And I don't really know anything about it, so I'll probably just go into Blind to that one as well.

[Stanley Tucci]

I've just seen the trailer. Did you see the trailer?

[Dan Reichert]

I might have seen it like months ago in a theater or something, but before I knew. So if I did, I forgot everything.

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't know if it holds any weight or if it's just a rumor, but I had heard read that Jordan Peele was trying really hard to get the rights to the script, but this director either beat him out somehow.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, wow.

[Stanley Tucci]

Beat him off. But beat him off.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Did you know the director of Barbarian and Weapons is like. He's a dude from the Whitest Kids.

[Dan Reichert]

You know, it's like a sketchwriter and performer.

[Stanley Tucci]

Funny.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Which is. There's. I maybe like off cam. I wanted. I was. I didn't remember how funny parts of Barbarian were. Like, there. There's the. Oh, man. Yeah. I really don't want to talk about. Yeah, this is bad radio. I'll talk to you. Well, after, when we're offline, I'll. I'll tell you, but I was laughing so fucking hard. Yeah. And then I want to see Naked Gun really badly, but I guess I can wait until.

[Dan Reichert]

I cannot say enough about it. And nothing I say would. Would do it justice, other than just like, you two will love it and I will. Yeah. I'll keep watching that movie anytime. It's like. It's like an hour 25, and every 20 seconds, there's a fucking joke that lands, like. And they all land for the most part. It's just unbelievable.

[Stanley Tucci]

Did I read there's another OJ joke in this one, too?

[Dan Reichert]

Here's the trailer one. The trailer.

[Stanley Tucci]

No, I haven't seen the trailer.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, okay. Keep it that way. Yeah, yeah, There's a good OJ Joke in it.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, I just remember the original one. OJ Was in the movie right at the beginning.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, no, he was like. Yeah, he was. He was a big part of the original. Yeah. And. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, he's falling into, like, a wedding cake in the dock.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, he's, like, stuck in a bucket. He falls out a window and gets shot a million times. And, like. Yeah, it's great. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Trips into a wedding cake so much.

[Mary Kish]

That's just in the physical comedy. I'm excited to see that. I saw 28 years later. That's where I put my time this weekend. I liked it. I just found the ending to be so confusing.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm trying to remember because I saw it and I remember. I remember liking it more as it went on because, like, I'm not normally a horror movie guy or a zombie, and I hadn't seen the first two movies, and I'm.

[Mary Kish]

It's got one of the.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I know what you're talking about. I know what you're talking about.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think it's necessary. I just. I was shocked that that's the direction they went with it, but I think it's very dark and brooding and very much in line the film with the first movie. People who, like, 28 days later, most people are like, the first one's great. Second one's, like, bad and can, like, not very good.

[Stanley Tucci]

I think this one is entertaining in my mind.

[Mary Kish]

It's entertaining, but I think it's good. The intro sequence is phenomenal, but, like, that is not the film. And then this new one, the movie is, like, really dark and brooding, and it's. It's. It's got such an awesome premise, which I don't think is a spoiler to say, like, they basically, like, live on an island. And the only way in and out of the island is to walk on this, like, tiny little sand pathway, and then it's covered by water, you know, during high tide. So you only get a couple hours where you can actually get to this island every day. And I find that so entertaining, so interesting to me. And they have, like, you know, like, a whole island system of, oh, I'm the baker, and I'm the person who makes the tools, and I'm the teacher. Like, they have a whole world on this island, but they have to leave the island to get resources. Love that shit. I think, like, a.

[Stanley Tucci]

Sounds like a video game zombie with it.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, Zombie movie with, like, an excellent plot is really appealing to me. So I really did enjoy it, and I was. I was glad that I watched. It was either that or going to the movies and seeing weapons. And I was like, I don't want to leave the house.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, 28 years later is streaming now.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, yes. I watched it in the comfort of my living room.

[Dan Reichert]

Let me. I want to ask Mary a question about the ending. So fast forward, like, a minute if you want.

[Stanley Tucci]

Wait, I don't. Yeah, I'm gonna. I don't want to hear this.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Mary, do you know what they were dressed like at the end? Do you know what that was about?

[Mary Kish]

I mean, they all look like little religious figures.

[Dan Reichert]

No, it's a very specific reference from Britain. No. You know, Jimmy Saville, Jimmy Seville, the. The monster. Okay. There's a whole Netflix documentary about him. Like. Like. Oh, like, beyond Cosby level monster. Like, he was a huge part of British pop culture history, and the guy.

[Mary Kish]

Was, like, wearing all of his religious stuff.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, that, too. The people that, like, grew up watching, like, old British pop culture at the time, and they've kind of built, like, look it up. Because it's setting up the sequel that's coming up in, like. Like six months or something like that. So it's like I was like, what the fuck is this? I didn't realize it was. Until Lucy. Lucy was like, oh, the difference between people who grew up in the UK and the people who didn't grow up in the UK don't. And it's like, oh, shit, I've seen who that was. Yeah, he's look up Jimmy Savile. And 28 years later, it's actually, like, pretty fucking interesting. So.

[Mary Kish]

All right, everyone's fine. We're ready. We're ready.

[Dan Reichert]

Come on back. Come on back. Come on back.

[Stanley Tucci]

Be so fucking funny if you told me to come back. And then as soon as I put them on you just spoiled everything.

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, no, no.

[Stanley Tucci]

That'd be funny. Yeah, I can't wait to watch that. I also need to see the Phoenician scheme. New Wes Anderson. Yeah, I cannot wait for one battle after another. One battle. It's the Paul Thomas Anderson sex movie with Leo DiCaprio and Benicio Del Toro. So it's based on a book. I think Jake is reading it. Jake has. Do you guys know how Jake does this thing where any book that a PTA movie is based on, he reads. So he read oil, exclamation point and by Up Sinclair. Yeah, yeah. So he's reading. I think this is based on. It's not a Thomas Pynchon book, but like Inherent Vice was. But yeah, either way it looks very fucking funny. It's like a modern day rebel uprising in la, I think. But like Benicio La Toro is Leo's sensei, but Leo is just a total fucking slob in the trailer.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, this sounds great.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, they make him look like a real piece of shit.

[Stanley Tucci]

He wears like those, those one battle after the neck.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Stanley Tucci]

One battle after another.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, wow. Okay. I'm very interested in this immediately.

[Stanley Tucci]

Sunglasses wearing like the gators or whatever they're called, the sunglasses.

[Dan Reichert]

But like, everyone you're mentioning is being part of it. I'm just like, okay, that sounds excellent.

[Stanley Tucci]

I mean, yeah, I, I don't think I dislike any of Paul Thomas Anderson's movies.

[Dan Reichert]

I never saw Phantom Thread.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, I love that movie. That's another one.

[Dan Reichert]

Again, it seems like it was about fashion and I was like, I don't think I'm the audience for this.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's about fashion in the same way. Like, the wrestler is about wrestling. Like a pretty good job with wrestling in that movie. You write, like, they go deep on fashion, but the movie's about much more than that. It's this, it's about like this, literally. I, I, I. It's kind of spoiler to say literally, but it's a toxic relationship between Daniel Day Lewis and the, the actor.

[Dan Reichert]

I do love Daniel Day Lewis and, and Paul Thomas Anderson, so maybe I should.

[Stanley Tucci]

I think you'd like it. It. I actually don't know. I can't recommend it wholeheartedly. I mean, I don't, I don't like to recommend things unless I'm positive the land. Well, okay, I know you hated Magnolia though, right?

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I appreciate when something that weird exists. Like, I love it when people spend a whole lot of money on shit that's just bonkers. Like, you know, see my KOJIMA Obsession and everything. So I appreciate it. I did not enjoy watching it really.

[Stanley Tucci]

Okay, fair enough. It's really long. I love the Master though. It's one of my favorite movies.

[Dan Reichert]

I never saw that either.

[Stanley Tucci]

That movie. You should watch that before you watch Phantom Thread.

[Dan Reichert]

I remember some kind of middling reviews, so I didn't wind up seeing it.

[Stanley Tucci]

I fudgeing. I think it's amazing. It's Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix just trying to out act each other.

[Dan Reichert]

That sounds fun.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's. And they're both like. People talk about how good Philip Seymour Hoffman is in that. He's basically playing Elron Hubbard. Yeah, but like Joaquin Phoenix. I would actually say Joaquin Phoenix. I think to be reductive and just compare them. I think Joaquin Phoenix is better in that movie. He plays such a weirdo, a dude who's like clearly got PTSD from World War II before they knew what that. Actually, I don't know if they knew what that was back then. They might have, but like, he's fucked up.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, that movie's amazing. And it's just basically like if L. Ron Hubbard got consistently called out for the inaccuracies in his teachings. Okay, how full of shit. Like Phil, Philip Seymour Hoffman's character is kind of a stand in for like L. Ron Hubbard or like any, I guess, church leader. But yeah, he. It's. It's awesome. I like that movie. I think it was2012 that came out when I was at Game Informer.

[Dan Reichert]

Sure. Nice. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

But I can't wait for one battle after the next, whatever it's called. What else have you guys been up to? Oh, Mary seen you in like a month.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, yeah, Mary had a suggestion for you. I remember I watched a couple of weeks ago, but we didn't wind up talking about it.

[Mary Kish]

Speaking of movies, I've been trying to get everybody to watch K Pop Demon Hunters because I was shocked with my reaction to it and I was curious what you guys thought.

[Stanley Tucci]

I will say I did not watch it. I. If you want to wait, I promise I will watch it by next episode. I told you guys before this. I've had like a migraine building up all day, so I was trying not to look at screens as much as I could. If you want to talk about it now, go for it. But I will watch it by next episode if you want to hold off. Up to you, Mary.

[Mary Kish]

Up to you, Dan. What'd you think?

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, go for it.

[Dan Reichert]

It was a process for me.

[Stanley Tucci]

Can I get the premise quick? So I like what is It. Because Mary's like, mike, can you watch this by tonight? I was like, I'll try, but what the fuck is K Pop? Demon Hunters.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary, do you want to.

[Mary Kish]

Sure. So it's a K Pop.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, yeah.

[Mary Kish]

And they also hunt demons.

[Stanley Tucci]

Is in anime.

[Mary Kish]

It isn't. It is a musical anime. Well, cartoon.

[Dan Reichert]

Cg.

[Mary Kish]

I'm going to just. I'm going to classify it as cg Cartoon. Yeah. And there is then a rival K pop group of men that start competing with them, and then they find out that the K pop competing group of boys are demons. And then they have to K Pop fight their way out of. Who's going to win the crowd. Because if the demons win, they're gonna suck the souls of all the fans.

[Dan Reichert]

Mm.

[Mary Kish]

But the girls are losing their popularity and they're also fighting amongst themselves. And one of the girls likes one of the boys.

[Dan Reichert]

Ooh.

[Stanley Tucci]

Like a Capulet and a Montague.

[Mary Kish]

It is a bit like a Montague situation.

[Stanley Tucci]

Dan, that's a naked gun reference. I'm surprised you didn't catch on.

[Dan Reichert]

That's Romeo and Juliet. I'm a red man.

[Stanley Tucci]

What? Oh. R E A D. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Read a book. What?

[Mary Kish]

Read a book.

[Stanley Tucci]

Talking about bitch. The. It kind of sounded. Had Scott Pilgrim vibes. The premise to what you were saying, like, I hate that movie.

[Dan Reichert]

I hate. I hate everything. Scott Pilgrim so much. Yeah. I remember the worst.

[Stanley Tucci]

Also, when I was at Game Inform. I remember that movie was still, like. People were obsessed with it.

[Dan Reichert]

Just a lame, emo, nerd bait shit. Just wasn't funny. Like, just sucks.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. Nerds suck.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Just everyone was dorking out about it. Just dumb nerd bait shit. I.

[Stanley Tucci]

You know what I do when I see nerds? I give them. I give them swirly.

[Dan Reichert]

Wedgie town, USA over here, brother.

[Stanley Tucci]

Swirly Central Russia for me. Head in the toilet, feet in the clouds.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Died as he lived in the toilet.

[Dan Reichert]

Killed them. Jeez.

[Stanley Tucci]

No, I. I died giving someone a swirl.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I see. Okay. Mary's. It was an uphill battle for us because if there's three things. Okay. So me and Bonk. Like, I wasn't. I didn't think we're gonna have time to watch because, like, Tuesday night was the only night that I would have been able to do it. And it's usually me and Bonk's movie night. And. And I was like, you know, Mary was really giving me the hard sell. I'm like. And we didn't have anything locked in. I was like, oh, do you want to. Do you want to try this or. No. She was just like, let's do it. I was ready to write it off. She was like, let's do it. But. And I went in blind. And it's. I'm telling you, before the title, it did numerous things. That is just kryptonite to me and Bonk. We don't, I mean, we don't really know anything about K pop. I don't think we've ever seen. I could probably point out K pop in a police lineup, but, like, we've never taken it in. No. And then, like, we don't like musicals. Like, you know, Bonk and I saw About Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen and all that. Like, well, we don't like musicals at all.

[Stanley Tucci]

Wait, wait, wait, wait. You didn't like Hamilton?

[Dan Reichert]

No, I mean, I. It literally did not.

[Stanley Tucci]

Like, everybody loves beloved music.

[Dan Reichert]

It just seemed really lame. Like, I, I, I left. I just. It's so. The raps are the lamest I've ever seen in my life.

[Stanley Tucci]

Does Alex Bon Yellow know that? Oh, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, trust me. He was texting me in the last few weeks, trying to explain musicals to me. It's like, I. Trust me, it's not going to happen.

[Stanley Tucci]

Speaking of Hamilton and Lin Manuel Miranda, Alex Boniello is on the. I don't even know how you describe it. Basically, Lin Manuel Miranda, they revived the Warriors.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

An audio musical. And Alex Boniello plays a character on it and he sings.

[Dan Reichert]

Yep.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, what does he say? He's got a really funny line. He's like, I'm not here to. I got to look it up. I don't. Let me. You keep talking, I'm going to find it's a really funny line.

[Dan Reichert]

So. Yeah. No, but to give Hamilton some credit, I do remember leaving the theater that night and thinking, like, well, those people are good. Good at their jobs. So that's probably the nicest thing I have to say about Hamilton. But we don't like musicals. We don't know anything about K pop, and we don't like anything that's meant for kids. You know, like Disney stuff. We don't seek out, you know, like, it's just like. And so we go in blind.

[Mary Kish]

Red flags here.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, we go in blind. And right away, just like the art style and the tone. I'm just kind of like, okay, here we fudgeing. Go. And then it was the moment they're on the plane at the beginning, and they start fucking singing as they're fighting. And I just turned to Bonk. I'm like, are we going to be able to do this? Is this like, I know you're doing this for Mary. I know it'd be so we can talk about it. But like, they're singing, they're making quippy Marvel type jokes and stuff and it's like, oh, boy, this. And give bonk credit. Like, not me for like, she was like, no, let's see it through, you know?

[Mary Kish]

Is this why she unfollowed me on?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, probably. Yeah. No, she had a whole. She had a whole tirade ready for him and she's like, I'll just unfollow. I'll bite my tongue.

[Mary Kish]

No, no, she did it. I give her credit. She's. She's more open minded.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. So it's just one of those things where it's like I can't separate in my head with musicals. Like, I've never understood why a character would be singing. Like, people don't do that well, they're K pop stars.

[Mary Kish]

Does that help?

[Dan Reichert]

That's the thing. It's like, so if it's like this like any universe thing where it's like, oh, actually they do kind of explain it. It does help a little bit because I always do struggle if it's like a broad or a Disney movie or something. And it's like, why aren't you just saying what you feel? Why are you seeing? Why isn't anyone think it's weird that you're just singing out of nowhere?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

I do not understand and my brain doesn't track with it. But as it went on, there was every once in a while, okay, a little chuckle here, a little chuckle there, Little like, it's like, oh, that fight scene was actually really well put together. I think the first time I started kind of chuckling and bonked it too was like when the rival boy K pop band shows up and like, you know, the girls are all like, their eyes are popcorn coming out. And like the AB stuff was really funny. And then we both started like really laughing with that weird cat with the like bird.

[Mary Kish]

I like that too.

[Dan Reichert]

When the cat knocking stuff over and everything. We were both like, okay, we're both like openly laughing right now at this. And by the end, I will say, and the animation is incredible. It is undeniably incredible. By the end, I did not hate it. Looks like I gave it, you know what? I gave it three stars out of five. The same score I gave President John Cena and Prime Minister Idris Elba movie. I gave it higher than Happy Gilmore too. I gave it to like, you Know.

[Mary Kish]

I Happy Gilmore 2 sucks.

[Dan Reichert]

That's the thing. It's like when I saw it going near it, when I saw it, I was like, all right. The bar was low. I was expecting nothing from it. But then it's like I got a couple little chuckles out of it. So it's like, all right, that wasn't bad. And then I saw Naked Gun. I'm like, oh, right. Comedies can be brilliant. You know?

[Mary Kish]

Totally what a comedy is. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I think.

[Stanley Tucci]

Speaking of, I found the line.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh.

[Stanley Tucci]

Alex Bonyello on the album. He plays a character named Luther. And at one point he has a line lyric, I didn't come to make friends. I came to make your dad his Depends.

[Mary Kish]

Wait, sorry. Is it a rap like the other one?

[Stanley Tucci]

There's like. There's definitely some hip hop vibes to it, but not. Not like on the level of Hamilton.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know how anyone could ever hear Lin Manuel Miranda say or sing anything and is cool. I like this.

[Mary Kish]

It happens.

[Stanley Tucci]

I will say l. Manuel. I will say Lin Manuel is my least favorite part of Hamilton.

[Dan Reichert]

Mike Manati unironically says that Lin Manuel Miranda is his favorite rapper.

[Stanley Tucci]

I think he's really smarmy. He everything I've heard. He sounds like a wonderful human being.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know the guy. Yes, absolutely. But Bono is good friends with him. I've one degree of separation. I've heard nothing but good things about him. Yeah, great.

[Stanley Tucci]

Sorry, Lynn.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I just don't like yourself. I'm sure you're great. It just seems like everything you do for your life's work seems insufferable.

[Stanley Tucci]

O you just.

[Dan Reichert]

How can anyone, even children, like, who is the potential audience here just doing like weird, dumb, like YouTube rap level. Like, my name is Hamilton. I'm here to say I shot a like. It's like, who the is this for? Why are are people like with me and saying this is good. It's in Hamilton.

[Stanley Tucci]

Amazing. I. I've. I've genuinely not heard anybody that dislikes you like it.

[Mary Kish]

I feel like 3/4 of the United States are with you.

[Dan Reichert]

You're a man of taste and humor and like, please. I'm. I'm. I'm gonna try to be here. What I'm gonna try.

[Stanley Tucci]

You're so brave.

[Dan Reichert]

It seems so. It's so stupid to me. It feels like the universe is playing a prank on me. Like, what do you like about Hamilton?

[Stanley Tucci]

I think the lyrics are incredible. I think the characters are extremely deep. I think it's heart wrenching at parts. I think it's hilarious. I think it's like, it's, it's just vibrating with electric, like, I don't know. I, I, I've never been asked, what do I like about Hamilton before?

[Dan Reichert]

You think you know someone I know I love. Nice.

[Mary Kish]

Breaking up.

[Dan Reichert]

This might be grounds.

[Stanley Tucci]

Are you surprised I like musicals? Not.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, specifically Hamilton. Seems so lame.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, this guy likes musicals who has this book on his desk.

[Dan Reichert]

I know you're a wine dude, but, like, I associate Broadway with, like, theater kid stuff, and you never struck me as a theater kid.

[Stanley Tucci]

You know, I. Oh, to be clear, I've been to one Broadway show. It was King Kong because they had an animatronic giant gorilla lean over the audience.

[Dan Reichert]

That's cool.

[Stanley Tucci]

It was cool. I loved it. Apparently the show was bad. I didn't know enough about theater, but.

[Mary Kish]

But people say Hamilton, like, broke through. Like, it's not just something that people like or musical people. Like, Hamilton was so beloved, it became pop culture. It tapped into a vein of people who wanted to experience history in a not boring thing back then.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, yeah, they sang.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm trying. I'm trying to tip for myself a little bit because I was kind of talking about musicals a few weeks ago.

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't give a. Whether you like Hamilton.

[Dan Reichert]

You just asked me a question for me, for my. I'm trying to temper myself because a few weeks ago, I found myself getting heated about musicals on Giant Bomb. And Bonk was watching and texting me. She's like, you're being very Paul Reichard right now. And I'm like, oh, shit, she's right.

[Stanley Tucci]

But, like, you don't have to like, okay. Actually, I have a question. Yeah. Have you seen the movie on Hulu? It's a Hulu original, I believe. Theater Camp.

[Dan Reichert]

No.

[Stanley Tucci]

Okay. Trying to weigh whether.

[Dan Reichert]

Listen, I was in theater classes in high school. I loved it. I acted in school plays and stuff.

[Mary Kish]

Like that until you.

[Dan Reichert]

Until they started doing singing. And I was like, I'm completely out of this. Like, even as a teenager, I was like, this is insane.

[Stanley Tucci]

I, I'm a terrible singer, but I was not a theater kid. I will say, theater Camp on Hulu reminds me of Palm Springs. It's one of those, like, Hulu original overlooked gems. You should watch Theater Camp. It's really funny. I just get.

[Mary Kish]

It's a girl up listening to music.

[Stanley Tucci]

You don't have to be. You don't have to be in a theater. I'm not in the theater. Theater Camp.

[Mary Kish]

Hilarious music. Disney. Like Little Mermaid. When you were growing Up.

[Dan Reichert]

You know what? When I was. Was the right Disney age, I liked little. I never liked Beauty and the Beast. I didn't really get that. I liked Little Mermaid. I liked Lion King, and I liked the laugh.

[Mary Kish]

Be my guest. Be my guest.

[Dan Reichert]

Simpsons version.

[Mary Kish]

But sure, yeah, I'll take it.

[Stanley Tucci]

But like Aladdin. Because Jasmine was a babe.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I wasn't.

[Mary Kish]

Like, they sang in that too.

[Dan Reichert]

I was six, you know, Like, I never ever went back and watched those movies. I think, like, I can't imagine doing that now.

[Mary Kish]

But when did the thing happen in your brain where child turned eight? Eight?

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know. I had a certain point. I'm like, why the are they singing? Like, even as a child, you know.

[Stanley Tucci]

Dan, you spend much of your life playing Nintendo games. I don't think.

[Dan Reichert]

I know. I know, I know. I know.

[Stanley Tucci]

Not that you can't be an adult in, like, Nintendo games, but you get where.

[Dan Reichert]

No, no. I. I 100. I wasn't someone who played games. I could probably make the exact same argument about Mario. You're a little cartoon plumber guy and you're. Yeah, but it's just something about the singing. Like, I'm not someone who thinks that stuff for kids can't be good or have value or anything like that. I just think, specifically my brain. This is just a me thing. I can't get over the fact that, like, why the are they singing right now? Nobody does.

[Mary Kish]

Have you seen Encanto?

[Dan Reichert]

No.

[Mary Kish]

Encanto. A lot of people compare to, like, modern Disney, like, Lion King, where it's like, songs. Yeah, it's a Disney movie with, you know, cartoon people who are going through shit, and then sometimes they're singing. But the songs are pretty good.

[Dan Reichert]

But why wouldn't they. If they're going through shit, why wouldn't they just talk about it and have a scene about it and not. I'm sad. I. You know, like, I just.

[Stanley Tucci]

That's the part. The theater goes back far, far into history when, like, singing. It wasn't, like, a weird thing. Like, that's how they told stories as. With a side.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, if I went to my therapist today and sang, you know, like.

[Stanley Tucci]

This has to be realistic. Like. Like, you just. You. You just played a game where a guy drops people into some ink to. So their bodies don't blow up and torch the earth.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it's cool.

[Mary Kish]

When I turned 8, I realized it just wasn't real.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

But they don't.

[Stanley Tucci]

Like, that's the thing.

[Dan Reichert]

If Norman. There is actually, like, a musical thing.

[Stanley Tucci]

I was gonna say the puppet scene. Like, you can have him swim around.

[Dan Reichert]

No, there's actually even more music stuff.

[Mary Kish]

And they sing Happy Birthday to you.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, that's fine. No, that's the thing. Happy birthday. That's the thing people do.

[Stanley Tucci]

Exactly, exactly. Why don't you just go up to someone when you hand them a cake on their birthday and say, happy Birthday. Why do you sing it?

[Dan Reichert]

Because it's a tradition. It's a fun thing.

[Stanley Tucci]

There you go.

[Mary Kish]

The keyword was fun.

[Dan Reichert]

I do realize this is fully just my dad because it's like, I was asking about that, you know that Saturday night movie that came out about Saturday Night Live. And I thought, like, oh, man, Dad's such a big dork for, like, old SNL stuff. Like, I bet he'd love this Saturday Night Live movie. And I asked him, like, have you seen it? He's like, oh, the one with all the fake people? And I was like, what do you mean? He's like, yeah, the fake people playing the real people. And I was like, yeah, Chevy chase is like 80. He's not gonna play himself in 1975.

[Stanley Tucci]

So what is Chevy Chase doing in all his movies? Playing other people.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Look, I'm not saying this makes sense or it's a good way to think. I'm just saying it's how I think.

[Stanley Tucci]

John Belushi was not actually a pimple when he popped his mouth in Animal House. Like, what is. Why do I. Why do I spend so much time explaining things to. To you and your dad?

[Dan Reichert]

Look, that's what every friend of mine has been saying for many years.

[Stanley Tucci]

Like, I.

[Dan Reichert]

It's not right. I know, I know it's stupid. I'm in the minority here. But it's just like our.

[Stanley Tucci]

You don't have to like musicals. To be clear, I don't care.

[Mary Kish]

Not being stoked about musicals in general, which I like, I think is just like a personal preference of yours and specifically hating Lynn Manuel Miranda. Okay, if it was just coveted musical.

[Dan Reichert]

If it was a present, if a play about the life of Alexander Hamilton and the Duel and all that stuff, it'd be great. That's fine. But then it's like every time, like, you'd hear the. The music start, and sometimes it's like, h, here we go. You're going to sing a song about it.

[Stanley Tucci]

Like, yeah, the lyrics are incredible.

[Dan Reichert]

They're not okay to me. They're not subjective.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, sorry, it's not James Maard Keen. Or where the.

[Dan Reichert]

His name is.

[Stanley Tucci]

What, the tool guy? Oh, no, that's Bianca loves tool. Me and Bianca love tool. I love tool. I thought it was me and you that liked it.

[Dan Reichert]

Fine.

[Stanley Tucci]

Sorry. Bonk. That was a. I didn't mean to shoot that stray bullet at you. Yeah, I. You don't have to like musicals, to be clear.

[Dan Reichert]

Even Book of Mormon. Like, I like Trey Parker, Matt Stone stuff. I love South Park, America, all that stuff. And, like, I just.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, yeah, there's a lot of musicals in there.

[Stanley Tucci]

South park hasn't been relevant for 20 years.

[Dan Reichert]

That's what I hear. Yeah. Actually, yeah, I think it might be relevant again finally. Well, well, well, good. Yeah. But the thing, like, when. When it's cartoons. So, like, you know, like South Park, I love the south park movie, and it's straight up a musical. I bought the. The soundtrack as a kid and everything. And like. Like, it's fantastic. But I think it's just because, like, it is in this whimsical, like, oh, it's just these cartoon characters and this silly, you know, story and stuff. Like, I think I can accept it. Or even Team America where it's like, how ridiculous is it that these puppets are singing and all this stuff, you know, I think it's just when you're showing me real people on a stage or in a movie, I just can't handle it.

[Stanley Tucci]

I'm gonna. Now that I know this, I'm gonna, like, next time you're here or when I'm at your house, I'm going to, like, try to put a musical on without you knowing.

[Dan Reichert]

I'll know. I'll detect it.

[Stanley Tucci]

Well, you'll know when they start dancing and singing. Yeah, but, like, you.

[Dan Reichert]

No, you'll know when the police show up and kick you out of my house. Imagine.

[Stanley Tucci]

Imagine what. What, Dan, what would your brain do if you saw Will Forte and. And Jorma is Jorma.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Announced that they're doing a MacGruber musical.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, I mean, I know it would be hilarious. I. I know it would be funny, so. Because, like, there wouldn't be any remote, like, taking so seriously thing where it's like. I think when people talk about, like, Hamilton, this is important, you know, pop culture, you know.

[Stanley Tucci]

You know, rest in peace. But, like, imagine if Val Kilmer is alive and he came on stage. He's like, we probably love musical.

[Dan Reichert]

It reminds me of. There was an old, like, there's an old Seth Meyers joke about the Rocky musical. And he's like, oh, yeah, this. This Rocky musical is gonna hit Broadway next week. He's like, so if you're a Fan of the bravado and machismo of the Rocky film franchise and lavish Broadway musicals. Who are you? You know, that's kind of how I feel. It's like. Yeah, it's just. That is not for me at all.

[Mary Kish]

It sounds like you like it if it's ironic, but what I will say is puppets. You liked K Pop Demon Hunters.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, yeah, I forgot what you're talking about.

[Dan Reichert]

I did generally like it. Again, three out of five stars. That's a good host.

[Stanley Tucci]

You should host.

[Dan Reichert]

That's a good. That's a good score for me. I got that. Tied with Jingle all the Way, Alien, Romulus.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, my God, I can't believe it. Tied with Alien.

[Stanley Tucci]

Not three stars. That movie was not good.

[Dan Reichert]

It was fine. It was fine. Yeah. I don't know. I, I very much tried to be open minded and give new things a chance and stuff like that, but it did have an uphill battle that I do think it overcame.

[Mary Kish]

I had to fight through a lot of your ignorance to get those three stars.

[Dan Reichert]

Now we're just getting personal. My goodness.

[Mary Kish]

I'm actually like really proud of that. We had to fight decades of like, just complete. In utter anger and like, you know, deception. You didn't want to believe that you could like this.

[Dan Reichert]

And, and to give Bonk credit, as I always like to. I was going to turn it off if Bonk had any kind of like, yeah, let's turn it off. All right. Let's go watch something better.

[Mary Kish]

We gotta give it up to Bonk. I feel like she's always benefited your life for the good.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, my God.

[Mary Kish]

She's shoving vegetables in your gullet. She's getting you to, to like, live a healthier, better life. And now the first musical you didn't hate. And I'm, I'm excited. I think if anything, this only reaffirms my belief that every time I think I should be proud of you, my pride is actually for Bonk.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh. Oh, yeah. Any credit of me in the last 10 years is 100% agreed. Yeah. Bonk.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

I do want to watch Friendship. You've been telling me about it. I see clips of it. What's the, what's the actor's name?

[Mary Kish]

Hard to get through that fucking.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, you've seen it, did you?

[Dan Reichert]

Friendship.

[Stanley Tucci]

Wait, did you like it or no?

[Mary Kish]

I saw it theaters. And me and everybody in that theater walked out and said the same thing, which was like, what the was that?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, really? Three and a half. I gave that slightly above K pop D matters.

[Mary Kish]

I cannot, I cannot And I love. I love that show. I love Tim Robinson. I'm in. It's just so, so dry. Like, it's really hard. I seen the very few laugh jokes.

[Dan Reichert]

Are you kidding? I was cracking up at one joke. Mike, Very brief. Take it off. Very brief. The. The drug trip scene with the frog. That was the funniest shit. Okay, you put it back on. Put it back on. That killed me.

[Mary Kish]

There's. There's a couple, I'm telling you. And there's. There's simple ones, too. Like, I got a full coffee here. Like, there's funny things that happen that I'm like, that's funny. But generally I was just like, this guy is so sad.

[Dan Reichert]

It is a weird one. Again, three and a half isn't, like, glowing for me, but, like, you know, it's. I thought it was generally good. And like, for Mike, specifically in his, you know, big Tim Robinson fandom, I think it's very much.

[Mary Kish]

I am also a big Tim Robinson fan, and I will be curious what you think, because, like, I. I struggled. Like, I think, like, towards the end of that film, I was like, why isn't this funnier? It's still. It is funny. It's just so hard to watch.

[Stanley Tucci]

I saw the scene, the boxing scene with the soap in his mouth.

[Dan Reichert]

Boxing scene with the soap. I don't remember that.

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't know. I just watched a bunch of clips yesterday. He's boxing with Paul Rudd in their garage. And maybe it was a deleted scene.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know.

[Stanley Tucci]

But it's uncomfortable.

[Mary Kish]

They have. The whole film is uncomfortable. There is like an extended scene of him playing drums during a party where I was like, just leave. Just go home.

[Stanley Tucci]

What's the actor? What's the other actor? No.

[Dan Reichert]

Connor o'. Malley.

[Stanley Tucci]

Funny. Yes.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

I find him to be so funny. He was in Palm Springs as well.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

When the earthquake happens, he's like, no, I should have never left the Great Lakes. He cracks me up quite.

[Dan Reichert]

Honk if you're horny. I think you should leave.

[Stanley Tucci]

Sketch what he's talking about when he's talking about the Goonies in that clip that you sent me, he's like, I don't even think it would fly today. He's like, I don't know what the word is, but he's. He's pretty melted.

[Dan Reichert]

Sloth.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. Yeah. I want to watch Friendship. I'll see if I can get through it. Yeah, you should watch.

[Mary Kish]

You get through it. I'm just curious if you're going to be like, this is laugh out loud, funny from beginning to end. Or if you're like, I was uncomfortable because it was a sketch that was two hours long.

[Stanley Tucci]

Mary, you'd like Theater Camp. If you haven't seen it. You don't have to be a theater kid. It's. It's a mockumentary with. What's her name? She played the. In the Bear. She was like, the love interest in season two. She's in Theater Camp.

[Dan Reichert]

It's new.

[Mary Kish]

It's not old.

[Stanley Tucci]

Two, three years old. Jimmy Tatro is in it. The bro guy from Real Bros of Simi Valley, or whatever it's called. The main dude in American Vandal, that mockumentary they did a few years ago. Theater Camp's really funny. I like it quite a bit. But, yeah, I really want to see 28 years later, now that I know it's streaming, I might watch that this weekend.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I had to pay for it. But again, my justification is, like, I didn't want to leave the house, but I wanted to see, like, a new movie, if that makes sense. And, like, usually when after it's not in theaters, if you wait a long enough time, it'll just be on, like, HBO or Netflix. Like, one of those major dudes will buy it, and then you can watch it for free, quote, unquote, because you're paying the subscription, but you're not paying for the film. I spent $20 renting this movie because it just came out on streaming, and I was like, I don't want to wait for it to be on Netflix, but I don't want to go to the theater.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it's never long anymore. Like Sinners. I remember I saw that, like, felt like a few weeks after it came out in theaters, you know, and it's.

[Mary Kish]

And it's on hbo. It's.

[Dan Reichert]

Sinners kicks ass. It is.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yes, I want to watch it.

[Mary Kish]

Sinners is worth seeing. It's worth paying for. If you don't have hbo, It's. It's. It's quite good.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Speaking of going out for entertainment and musicals, I'm finally going to see David Byrne for the first time ever.

[Dan Reichert]

Big pants?

[Stanley Tucci]

No, I wish. I don't know. It's. Who is the Sky Tour. So did you see American Utopia?

[Dan Reichert]

No.

[Stanley Tucci]

That's on hbo. Do you like Talking Heads much?

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I've heard normal amounts, and I like them. I think they're good. I just.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, American Utopia is really good. It was on Broadway. It actually overlapped with. With me being here back on the east coast for, like, a year. I just never went. But he's bringing some musicians back from that for who is the sky. We're going to see them. Him at Radio City. I can't wait.

[Dan Reichert]

Nice.

[Stanley Tucci]

But yeah. You guys want to talk about video games?

[Dan Reichert]

Sure.

[Mary Kish]

Okay. Okay. Yep.

[Dan Reichert]

And Mike, I feel like you just betrayed everything I know about you by saying you like musicals.

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't like seek out musicals. I just really like Hamilton. What other ones do I like?

[Mary Kish]

I don't like Hamilton, but I'm not falling on that sword. That's crazy. Saying that is death.

[Stanley Tucci]

You don't like it? Why didn't you speak up? But you just left Dan in the lurch, yo.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I'm calling her out when we come back. Come bring it in. Bring it in.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's funnier.

[Dan Reichert]

Jake. No, Jake, the episode started 30 seconds ago. No, Jake, the episode started when I told Mike betrayed me. Don't let her get off the hook. That is coward, Mary.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. What?

[Dan Reichert]

That is coward. Say it with your full chest. Say it into the microphone.

[Stanley Tucci]

I agree. What the.

[Dan Reichert]

We're back. You just.

[Stanley Tucci]

You just sent Dan out into. While you're sitting comfy in the trench.

[Dan Reichert]

Me out here in the desert.

[Mary Kish]

Funnier. That's funnier. It was just you.

[Dan Reichert]

That is.

[Stanley Tucci]

You're right. That's hilarious. You just let him take. Mary's sending you sprinting at the Germans while she eats soup back in the trench. Like, what the.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, boy. You both betrayed me.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Delicious. I. I felt like you were doing a good job. I didn't think there was any reason.

[Dan Reichert]

For me to chime. Dan's got this. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

You.

[Stanley Tucci]

You didn't just leave him out. You, like, jumped on him.

[Dan Reichert]

You're afraid of Hamilton fans, Mary.

[Stanley Tucci]

There.

[Dan Reichert]

That people were talking about.

[Mary Kish]

They're really intense people.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. Have you seen me?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. Hamilton people.

[Stanley Tucci]

Aren't I threatening?

[Mary Kish]

Are really into Hamilton, and I don't want that heat. So I was just gonna say, I don't know if you've noticed, but I didn't support or defend Hamilton. I just said, that's wild.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm glad the truth is out now. I'm glad the folks are hearing the truth now.

[Mary Kish]

All right, so the truth is this.

[Stanley Tucci]

Is not video game talk.

[Dan Reichert]

That I think it's important.

[Mary Kish]

I think Hamil is fine. I think it's fine. I don't understand why it's such a big deal. And I was seeing these tickets that were like $500 just to watch people rap. That I don't think is exceptionally good either.

[Stanley Tucci]

This is. This is Getting racist. I will say.

[Dan Reichert]

What?

[Mary Kish]

What?

[Stanley Tucci]

I'm joking. I'm just saying. I'm sure people will say that.

[Mary Kish]

If anything, we're just. We're all, like, pretty. Not educated. Probably enough to speak on this. Maybe, Mike, but, like, because you like musicals. I like. I don't. I don't like musicals very much either, but I do like some musicals. I have respect for the genre, unlike you. And I just. When I was watching it, there was a couple of the ones of the songs where people were, like, doing them in karaoke, and I was like, give me a break. Singing Hamilton at karaoke. Like, there's no other break. Good song that you can sing at karaoke. And that was the truth that I didn't say, which is, like, good. I. I don't think the One Shot song is that good.

[Dan Reichert]

That's Eminem. The Mom's Spaghetti.

[Mary Kish]

Close enough.

[Stanley Tucci]

Wait, what One Shot song?

[Dan Reichert]

You only get one shot. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Not giving. I know. Shut up.

[Dan Reichert]

He's from Detroit, Mike.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, I've seen.

[Mary Kish]

I'm gonna get. People are gonna come for me.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. My shot. That's not my favorite song. Dear. The when with Aaron Burr. First of all, what's. What's his. Who plays Aaron Burr? Oh, my God. He won the Tony for it.

[Dan Reichert]

Supporting.

[Mary Kish]

I know. It's people.

[Stanley Tucci]

Leslie. Leslie Odom Jr. His. His voice is like. He's one of the best singers I've ever heard.

[Dan Reichert]

They're all very talented.

[Mary Kish]

We're not questioning the talent of the.

[Stanley Tucci]

Don't backtrack. Don't be at.

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, no, no. At no point did I say these people aren't.

[Mary Kish]

I have a lot of respect.

[Dan Reichert]

When I left, that was keeping what I did.

[Mary Kish]

We're keeping what you said. Son of a. Everybody here is going to be unpopular. When this episode releases, everyone will know the truth, which is Dan is a. Mike is a dick. And I don't like Hamilton, but everyone needs to know.

[Dan Reichert]

But I'm loud and proud about being a. Mary's trying to hide it.

[Stanley Tucci]

We need someone more educated than us to come on and talk about Hamilton. I just.

[Dan Reichert]

I have one degree of separation from Lin Manuel, and he's also a big wrestling guy. Probably in my life. Watch wrestling with Lin Manuel, Brandon.

[Mary Kish]

I have a lot of respect for Lin Manuel. I literally listen to an interview with.

[Stanley Tucci]

Whatever his name correctly.

[Mary Kish]

I listened to an interview with him this morning. Why Linman.

[Stanley Tucci]

Linman Rando sounds like a Star wars character.

[Dan Reichert]

Sounds like the latest Mega man.

[Mary Kish]

Boss Dan was like, not everybody needs to, like, sing the things that are happening in their life. There's this, like, scene of where he's, like, trying to leave, and his wife is like, come back to bed. And he's like, no, I can't. I have to go out. I'll be back before you wake up. And she's like, no, come back to bed. And he's like, no, but I'll be back before you wake up. And I'm like, shut. Just say these things.

[Dan Reichert]

He's going to. I'm going to bed.

[Stanley Tucci]

Isn't he going off to war in that scene to fight Your brother went to war.

[Dan Reichert]

Did he sing the news to you? Now, if there's one person who dislikes I'm going to Mikey.

[Mary Kish]

And you're like, come back to bed.

[Dan Reichert]

He did, like, come play Armorines with me.

[Stanley Tucci]

If only we could play Armorines without it.

[Mary Kish]

We should write a musical, Dan.

[Stanley Tucci]

Imagine if they made a McGruber musical. They could do the sex.

[Dan Reichert]

The McGr musical would be good. Absolutely.

[Mary Kish]

I'm gonna fill you up.

[Dan Reichert]

Wow.

[Stanley Tucci]

Wow, wow, wow.

[Mary Kish]

There is. There is one musical scene in it where he goes, aren't you gonna make your music? And she goes, it can wait.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah, yeah. See, that's diagetic. It makes sense for Vicki to say, yeah, I do.

[Mary Kish]

That's a good one. See, we still got it. Anyway, I like musicals. Yeah, I like that.

[Dan Reichert]

Let's do. Okay, let's do. We won't tell people when it's gonna be, but one episode of Fire Escape in the future will be the musical episode where we have to sing everything.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, my God, that'd be so annoying.

[Dan Reichert]

It'd be the worst podcast episode of all time.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

It would be funny, though, if we actually committed to it for two and a half hours.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, there would be an all annoyed.

[Mary Kish]

I would be so annoyed.

[Stanley Tucci]

That would be tiring as.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it seems unnecessary to sing all of your thoughts.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. But again, like, they originally did that because they had to find ways to communicate inner thoughts. They had, like, a background chorus.

[Mary Kish]

They're masters of their craft. You suck at writing music as far as I'm aware.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I tried to write music.

[Stanley Tucci]

Are you talking to me or Dan?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, Dan.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I don't have a musical bone in my body. What are you talking about?

[Stanley Tucci]

You said that like you were going for the groin.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Oh, you got me.

[Mary Kish]

I did get.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, no. My music career. There's a.

[Stanley Tucci]

What I'm saying is.

[Mary Kish]

It'S going to suck. Not because musicals suck, but because we can't make good musical.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, sure.

[Dan Reichert]

We wouldn't claim it's good. No, I would.

[Stanley Tucci]

I stand by my craft. If I make wine and it sucks, I'm not gonna say it sucks. No, I absolutely would. So we all beat Claire Obscure.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Have we decided whether we want to talk? Yeah. So we're gonna. Are we kind of spoiling Claire Obscure?

[Mary Kish]

We did though.

[Stanley Tucci]

Are we stupid?

[Mary Kish]

We're gonna do.

[Stanley Tucci]

We're gonna do that might as well be a musical.

[Mary Kish]

We're gonna do the end of Claire Obscure. And so if you do not want to hear the end and spoilers of Claire Obscure, you should move forward in time.

[Dan Reichert]

I think we are gonna make a point to tell Jake to time.

[Mary Kish]

And we will put timestamps so you don't.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

You don't get spoiled. And I'm giving you lots of heads up now if you're listening, it's in.

[Stanley Tucci]

The episode description as well. Because I know timestamps are different on different platforms, but we'll put it.

[Mary Kish]

We've all finished it.

[Stanley Tucci]

We've all put spoiler. We'll put spoiler timestamps in the episode description. If you're listening to this and have not beat Player obscure.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Also came out in like, April, what are you waiting for?

[Mary Kish]

Oh, my God.

[Stanley Tucci]

I have not played pretty good. Yeah. No, Dan, you asked before we were recording. Once I started to. Potentially, I will say I said that when I saw where they were going with the ending, I stopped liking it as much.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. So you told me. Because I was at a certain point and you were like. Oh, yeah. Where you were, Dan. I was probably at like a nine. And then what happens in the next two or three hours probably brought me down to like an eight. So I'm curious.

[Stanley Tucci]

I was completely wrong with where they were going.

[Mary Kish]

What act were you at when you went down? Just so I understand.

[Stanley Tucci]

It was basically when you start to see that, like it's a family thing and you're in this created world by. So I'm going to butcher details because I've forgotten some of the names. But like, basically you find out that the. The Paris you start in was a creation.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

The real world Villar version. Lumiere was a creation of the mother in the real world who is trying to keep. Who's broken from the death of her son.

[Mary Kish]

Son.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, and one thing I didn't realize is the like, Is there Lumiere in the real world or does she live in like actual Paris and Lumiere is like this distortion.

[Stanley Tucci]

It could be. It could be like either way, it could be her imagination.

[Mary Kish]

They don't really expl.

[Dan Reichert]

There was that like surreal Eiffel Tower and stuff, so I didn't know if it was like, oh, it does mean.

[Stanley Tucci]

So Paris of the City of Light. Lumi, I believe means light or has something to do with light or Lumi, I don't know. I'll look that up. My Amanda, I think it's in another.

[Mary Kish]

Surreal world because they have all these like, powers and stuff like that.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh yeah, that makes sense. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

But there's obviously elements of Paris and real world places in there. So maybe, maybe they visited, you know, Paris before. But anyway, the point is, is you're right. It was the paintress was the mother. She is so upset about her son that she painted a world and essentially like put herself in it and kept everybody alive. But her power was waning along with.

[Stanley Tucci]

Versions of her son and daughter in that world.

[Dan Reichert]

Verso. Yeah, Verso. And Mael. Well, that wasn't her name in the real world, but yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

And all the dreams she was having were of her real self.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Stanley Tucci]

The mask.

[Dan Reichert]

Who's was. Got a facial and then he was burned.

[Mary Kish]

They talk about.

[Stanley Tucci]

They talk about how much the Gustav looks like Robert Pattinson. The dad looks like Pierce Brosnan.

[Dan Reichert]

Very like modern day Pierce.

[Stanley Tucci]

How did they get away with that? That's a whole other thing. I'm sure there's Reddit threads at some.

[Mary Kish]

Point when you're that hot and symmetrical. It could just be anybody.

[Stanley Tucci]

The dumbest joke. That was a Naked Gun joke. Yeah, that was funny. I hated that. Yeah. So I, I really like. Basically it came down to the Matrix. Are you going to take the red pill or the blue pill?

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Stanley Tucci]

Are you going to keep Lumier alive? And basically it comes down to whether you think that that imaginary or like, created world is as valuable as, quote, unquote, the real world. And also like. Or do you want to destroy it? And potentially. So, okay, I should say the dad is also trying to destroy it because he's basically worried about. Or he, he just. His wife is. Has gone insane and has made this world. So he wants to destroy it, I guess in the hopes that it will bring her back.

[Mary Kish]

He wants to pull them all out.

[Stanley Tucci]

And I think he thinks reality is more important than the escape and the art.

[Dan Reichert]

I think he thinks that she, like the family needs to get over it and move on basically. And he's trying to just kind of end this, you know, know. God, sorry for the term kayfabe, but this kayfabe world. And kind of wants everyone to just kind of like Process everything and what to see.

[Stanley Tucci]

Did you guys choose?

[Dan Reichert]

I chose. Okay, so I. If I had understood everything correctly the first time, I probably would have chosen the one where it's like, go to the real world and. And get rid of the.

[Mary Kish]

Don't explain it. Say what you chose.

[Dan Reichert]

I chose the one where Myel stays in the fantasy world world because I was under the impression that the real world was like way more up than it was. I thought like the mom was just like dying. The house was burnt down for some reason. I thought it was like all is lost. And then when I saw. I watched the other ending and I was like, oh, I didn't realize. They just like, yeah, they went through some real. But it's mostly like emotional stuff and some. Some scarring and stuff like that. But like, I think I thought it was like the apocalypse in the real world. And I was like, no, let her. Let her enjoy this.

[Mary Kish]

What did you think about your ending?

[Dan Reichert]

I thought it was interesting. I thought the way they brought Verso, I mean, I don't think it was a good ending in terms of like, it wasn't good for Maille.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think either of them are good.

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, there's. It's a bittersweet. No matter how you take it.

[Stanley Tucci]

I think it's. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

The idea of like Verso coming out and like being forced to kind of like, haha, I'm playing this song and everything's fine and like, meanwhile he's just kind of being forced to exist when he should not. Like, I think that's a really interesting idea. Like they're both, Both very interesting. Like, what, What, What a good decision at the end because neither of them is black or white, good or bad or anything. And they both have like, incredible implications.

[Stanley Tucci]

And yeah, it's actually asking you something larger than the game. It's like, do you. I. I chose to stay with Lumiere. Lumiere?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

You stayed in the fantasy?

[Stanley Tucci]

Yes. Because in my mind it was like, well, whether these characters are quote unquote real or not, whether this is the truth in this context, they're the characters I've gotten attached to by playing the game. So is it any less real than the real world they're talking about? So I kept it alive. What did you do, Mary?

[Mary Kish]

I chose the real world because Verso said to me multiple times, I don't want to be here and I don't want to sing anymore, and you're making me and I don't want to live this life anymore. And I Thought to myself, like. Like I was always against my dad telling me what to do and felt really strongly that, like, I wanted to support my Al and what she wanted. It wasn't until Verso said that he didn't want to be alive, which I think is a very gutting realization.

[Stanley Tucci]

He doesn't want to be around anymore.

[Mary Kish]

He wants to die. He has asked to die. And I think, like, this is the part that's very real. Like, you're. These are, like, really real world implications all of a sudden where I'm like. Like, I love my family, but if my family member was like, I don't wanna be here no more, I would support them even if it hurt me. And that's why I chose the real world. Cause I was like, I don't wanna make you sing for me if you don't wanna be around anymore. And I. And I chose it. It's also very solemn. I mean, everyone's mourning. There's a grave where your son is. You say goodbye to all of the characters. I, like, got choked up saying goodbye to all the characters that.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm not that weird hairy face guy. He can. Whatever. That's fine.

[Mary Kish]

I liked them all and I loved. I just. I felt so bad for the. The. Oh, my gosh, I'm forgetting all their names, but the girl names.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Like, Luna was. So she was mad in the. In the scene when you. If you choose reality, she doesn't say goodbye. Like, she doesn't, like, hug you or anything. She's mad because you chose to kill her.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

And so by choosing Verso's ability to have his own death, I was inadvertently killing a lot of people that I loved. And that was really hard for me to accept. But I still believe that I am satisfied with my ending because I felt, generally speaking, that I understood that they needed to heal and deal with the mourning process and the grief and move forward as a family as opposed to being in the painting. Even though I prefer the joy of the painting.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. My initial thinking was that, like, oh, my El obviously went through, like, unbelievable trauma and, you know, whatever respite she can get from that through this fantasy world, this fiction, like, you know, allow her to have this piece. And, like, I think when I made that decision, I did not consider the implications of, like, oh, well, these are, like, sentient characters basically, that exist in this fiction and what does that mean for them? You know? And so it's like, it was so interesting watching the other one and being like, oh, fuck, I didn't think about that. Aspect of this, you know, and it's. God, what a good ending. What a. What a just tremendous game.

[Mary Kish]

And they say they're copies as well. So in this new world that Maelle has constructed, you're also again, making copies. It's not the same people that we were with during our journey, obviously. It's like very similar, but it's not the exact same. They explain that early on when that tiny dude that has like, he looks like an upside down broom, he's got that hair, he dies. And they're like, can we bring him back? And the guy goes, or whatever, yes. And they go, I can, but only a version.

[Dan Reichert]

It's like when you clone a dog. Yeah, it's just like it's gonna. I mean, is that not like. It's like, oh, it's great. It looks like. And it has the same genes, but like, like there's so many things that you can't like, replicate maybe.

[Mary Kish]

I feel like we're talking about like humans. It'd be like if you died and we cloned you and put you on this podcast.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, that would be fascinating. You should do that. Even if I don't die.

[Mary Kish]

Okay, I will.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Fourperson podcast.

[Mary Kish]

I'm sick.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Yeah. But we each get 25.

[Mary Kish]

Deal with one of you.

[Dan Reichert]

We each get 25%. And it's a joint bank account. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

No, because that girl that has two.

[Stanley Tucci]

Heads and one body having a joint.

[Dan Reichert]

Bank account with your client. I'm getting half the podcast. Fuckers.

[Stanley Tucci]

Don't let him get away with that from fire Escape.

[Mary Kish]

Don't let him get away with the.

[Stanley Tucci]

Millions that we make every year.

[Mary Kish]

The girl that has two heads in one body, she only gets paid once by her job.

[Stanley Tucci]

He's just seeming immediately in a hypothetical scenario.

[Dan Reichert]

Hey, don't sound too bad now, does it? Me?

[Stanley Tucci]

Yes.

[Mary Kish]

You know, bad before because I can't handle two annoying people.

[Dan Reichert]

It would be the worst podcast of all time.

[Stanley Tucci]

Sign in next time. And there's to be going to be six of me and be like, I'm on to you.

[Dan Reichert]

Now I get, hey, as long as there's more me than you, that means I get the bigger cut.

[Stanley Tucci]

God, that'd be such a. Like a stupid Tim Robinson sketch. Is someone cloning himself so he can make more money on his part?

[Dan Reichert]

Revenue.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, it's really funny to me. What if your clone. Yeah, but you're assuming your clone would go along with it. What if your clone decided to take all your money?

[Dan Reichert]

What's my clone going to do?

[Mary Kish]

He'd be Greedy.

[Stanley Tucci]

He or you, he would be thinking start his own podcast that. Oh my God, what if we cloned ourselves and they started competing with us.

[Dan Reichert]

Like a bizarro fire escape.

[Stanley Tucci]

The bizarro fire escape of evil fire escape.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I'd copyright strike the out of them.

[Mary Kish]

Water capture copyright strike you. Because they're the same.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I would say they're AI and so yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh my God. What if Dan got cloned and every single thing and desire and need and detail was the same except his clone was super weirdly into musicals. Like all he talked about was musicals.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, then he can do his own podcast over there and then we're not.

[Stanley Tucci]

Comparing Disney movies and he loves.

[Dan Reichert]

Then yeah, he can do a side podcast. That's fine.

[Stanley Tucci]

He's got the yearly thing to the Disney club or whatever.

[Mary Kish]

And he's called more popular and beloved than you, Dan.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, good for him. I wish everyone success.

[Mary Kish]

I wish everyone success.

[Dan Reichert]

But he's no enemies.

[Stanley Tucci]

Normal. Yeah. But yeah, Clapskier. Probably my front runner for game of the year right now.

[Dan Reichert]

It's very up there for me. It is like there's, there's a battle going on up at the top of my list right now and I don't.

[Mary Kish]

Know, there's a couple. There's a couple. But I do think it's very well executed. It did win me over in the end. I will say, like, I also towards the end because I'm just not a big JRPG person. I was like, oh, this is a lot of, of hours. And there were times where I was like getting there, where I was ready.

[Dan Reichert]

But I kind of saw it as a breezy one in terms of like turn based rpg.

[Mary Kish]

You know, they can be like, can't those be like 70, 80 hours frequently?

[Dan Reichert]

Like, I mean that's more the norm than what Claire Obscure is.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's reasonable. But I, I'm just being honest. Like usually when I play a game around the 20 hour mark, I'm always like, what else is out there?

[Stanley Tucci]

I would love if a turn based game got game of the year for us. No, I'm not lobbying. I'm just saying you are.

[Mary Kish]

That's a big news.

[Dan Reichert]

It will clearly be talked about a lot at game of the Year.

[Mary Kish]

We have all agreed that as we are not going to grow and we are not going to be better people.

[Stanley Tucci]

So what is the Seinfeld thing? No hugging. No.

[Dan Reichert]

No hugging. No learning.

[Stanley Tucci]

No learning.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, we learn. Yeah, we learn.

[Mary Kish]

No, we hug.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, we've got hugged. Yeah, we hugged. Yeah. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

I played Wheel World you guys talked about last episode. I won't drone on. I like it a lot. I also have started listening to much more music from Italians do it better.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I found a June from the soundtrack. Like her a lot.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yes, that is. She's good too. But yeah, I like it quite a bit. Very relaxing.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Stanley Tucci]

I like the structure of it. I think it works as an open world game. I will say it was weird how I came across that. I came across that game because. Is it Annapurna or A24? No, A24 doesn't do video games. Right. Annapurna had, like. They had ads on Instagram, like in my stories. Like, I hadn't heard of it through the industry. I heard about it just surfing Instagram, which was funny. Like, I was like, oh, this is how normal people come across video games sometimes.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I just saw it on Steam Next Fest and I immediately was like, oh, shit. Okay. It's like bike biking, arcade racing. Almost like that Breath of the Wild type, you know, Obviously much more condensed and scope, but like, yeah, I loved it immediately.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's really good looking. I like the art style. Kind of reminds me of shit. What was that game two years ago that was also kind of like a zen Breath of the wild in the desert? Yes. It reminded me of Sable in the vibes. Kind of.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I find this, like, easier to navigate than Sable or like most games of recent years were like. This game had such a very simple presence and I. I played this because, Dan, you recommended it and I also, I got like a little bag with some goodies from the company. So I was looking it up. I know. Mess Hoff. They do good stuff. Yeah. And so I. Why didn't I. I think.

[Stanley Tucci]

Where are my goodies? Wheels?

[Mary Kish]

Where are my goodies? They sent us chocolates.

[Stanley Tucci]

What Wheel the.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, they were good.

[Stanley Tucci]

What the what the?

[Mary Kish]

I like the. Sing it. Sing it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Penis.

[Mary Kish]

Where's my goodies? What?

[Dan Reichert]

The soundtrack of Real World 2. World.

[Stanley Tucci]

I'm gonna play Real World 2.

[Mary Kish]

It's gonna be great.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's not on a bike this time. It's on a dildo with wheels.

[Mary Kish]

You can. Basically, there's like a human bike. You can exchange your bike. So we don't have to explain the game because you did it last time, Dan. But I was just gonna say I finished the game. I. I thought it was excellent. And the only complaint I really have is that I think the second world. So when you do all this stuff, you're in this stunning landscape and it's.

[Dan Reichert]

I thought the game was fun, it looks like.

[Mary Kish]

Like, is that what. When you talked to me, did you think the game was done then? Because I don't think I was in.

[Dan Reichert]

The second world yet. Because it's like, I knew it was going to be like a condensed game. I know you can beat it in a few hours and stuff.

[Mary Kish]

You go to the moon, bud. You kick the moon.

[Dan Reichert]

Wait, wait, wait, wait. I. I got to the, like, corporate place.

[Mary Kish]

Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Is that the moon that you're talking about?

[Mary Kish]

Credits?

[Dan Reichert]

No, I haven't beaten it yet.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, okay.

[Dan Reichert]

I got sidetracked by Bonanza and a bunch other.

[Mary Kish]

Not really a little bit. But, like, I think literally in the beginning of the game, the fucking skull is like, gotta go to the moon or so. Like, I think there's like something alluding to it. But anyway, you kick. Yeah, it doesn't matter. The point is, is the first area is so beautiful. And I thought based on what you said to me, which was this game is like seven to nine hours. And I was like, that's perfect. That's exactly I'm looking for. I spent like seven to nine hours getting through this first stunningly fall landscape. And then they were like, great, let's go. So let's go to the next area. Don't correct me.

[Stanley Tucci]

I wasn't correcting you. I was adding flavor.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, we're not incorrect.

[Stanley Tucci]

Just adding my fucking crepuscular.

[Mary Kish]

What is the equal of autumnal spring? Like sewage.

[Stanley Tucci]

Wait.

[Dan Reichert]

What season is sewers?

[Stanley Tucci]

Feces. Wait, what. What season is sewers?

[Dan Reichert]

You heard me.

[Mary Kish]

What season is sewer?

[Stanley Tucci]

Summer is probably the most sewer. I guess so.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Well, then area two is summer. Because it looks like it is. It's not beautiful. It's like. It's like, dirty and it's green and it's dark.

[Dan Reichert]

Factories and stuff. Swamps and.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I don't understand what Messoff was thinking. I just have to say, for a game that's so peaceful and so beautiful and so whimsical, the second area is plops. It's not whimsical or beautiful to ride around. And it's actually kind of garish. Like the. The sound effects, nice of the machines smashing down on the ground to collect oil or garbage or rats or whatever they're doing. I just didn't understand.

[Dan Reichert]

I guess I do understand, like, what they're going for narratively with that, like, it's not supposed to be. It's supposed to be this corporate hellscape thing, you know, with that company, like, ruining the lamp. But, like, you know, I get what they're trying to do, but for what that first area sets up, it really does set up this, like, fun, breezy biking game. And it's like, I don't know if I needed the, like, narrative shift there. Like, I could have just used, like, hey, add that, you know, square mileage to. To the cool first area. You know, I think that's part of why I didn't beat it. Like, I still likely will because I like the game a lot. But, you know, it's like, I got that second world. Didn't love it.

[Mary Kish]

It's not beautiful.

[Dan Reichert]

It's not. And then it's like other games came out and stuff. And so it's like, it's kind of dropped off the priority thing for me a little bit. But I still do like the game a lot. I just wish it was like that first world, but three times bigger instead of, you know.

[Mary Kish]

I agree.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Or maybe show that there's problems, but don't make the game hideous. Right. Like, I think you can show that technology, that is the story is, like, corporations are taking over and there's like, like, robots and a. I think there's, like, a whole corpo conversation to be had about that game. But they also, like, made the second area not nearly as beautiful to play. And there's a third area, just so you know.

[Dan Reichert]

I wonder where that is.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. Wait, is that the moon?

[Mary Kish]

It's not. That's the fourth area. Fuck.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay, there's another spoiler.

[Stanley Tucci]

Great. Should we timestamp this as well?

[Mary Kish]

People who haven't come for me? Yeah, because I said that there's a moon in Wheel World.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't think it's. I don't think. That's Too bad.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think. Come.

[Dan Reichert]

Come get a breezy racing game.

[Mary Kish]

I didn't care for Hamilton. And there's a moon in Wheel World. Suck my dick.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I'm off the hook.

[Stanley Tucci]

I didn't care for Hamilton and there's a moon in Wheel World. Suck my dick. We need some new merch that just says that. A T shirt that says exactly that.

[Dan Reichert]

Mouse pads.

[Mary Kish]

That's just a mouse.

[Stanley Tucci]

No, I'm. I'm. I'm actually gonna get that made.

[Dan Reichert]

Hyper specific mouse pad. I dare you. I get it made.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's not. It's not hard. We have.

[Mary Kish]

I don't want to be associated.

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't need. You don't need to dare me. I'm already committed to making it. Let me write that down. You guys keep talking. I care for Hamilton.

[Dan Reichert]

There's a moon.

[Stanley Tucci]

Is wheel world one word? No, it's.

[Dan Reichert]

Anyway, I don't think we can see who buys what. If anyone buys this mouse pad, it will be the most unexplainable thing anyone's ever bought.

[Stanley Tucci]

Imagine someone getting it as like a Father's day gift. Like, what the mouse. Mouse pad. Or we get another like, banana hammock and put this on that.

[Dan Reichert]

Months. And now it's like the stupidest thing.

[Stanley Tucci]

It would be above my penis if it was a banana hammock and it said suck my dick. Okay. Suck my dick.

[Dan Reichert]

Sure. Suck you see now the sausage is made here.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, Suck. Suck my sausages. Okay.

[Mary Kish]

Anyway, I liked it. I think it's a good game. I think it's worth playing. And that's like my only criticism. I love the evolution of it. Upgrading my bike. I love racing people. It's a great game. Is really the tldr.

[Dan Reichert]

I'll give it another criticism. I do think once you get all the legendary parts on the bike, which you get fairly early on, it is hard to want to switch to other ones because they have. And they let you just like gain. Boost passively and like, it stacks.

[Mary Kish]

So you have all of it. Yeah, you have to have the whole. You have to have the. Once you have the complete set, there's no reason to upgrade your bike. I actually never upgraded my bike in a second level.

[Dan Reichert]

And I like you. You in a game like this, you want to be constantly leveling up and getting better and stuff like that and say, well, all of these let me boost, you know, so that's fair.

[Mary Kish]

You should never have gotten that sick bike until the next. The sec. The end of the second.

[Dan Reichert]

Or make it a gradual thing. Stretch out across all. I guess there's four zones. Thanks for the spoiler. But yeah, instead of just all in.

[Stanley Tucci]

The one of which is the moon.

[Dan Reichert]

Wow, okay.

[Stanley Tucci]

What's the third one? Saturn.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, sorry. That you guys, like, listen to a gaming podcast and you heard about a game and what happens in the game. Oh, you guys better like, go move ahead 60 more seconds because I'm gonna talk about a game soon.

[Dan Reichert]

Do you want to spoil what the third area is? Because I don't know that either.

[Mary Kish]

You guys don't. If you don't want to hear about Undermine to peak time Flies, Heartworm, DK Bonanza or Ninja Gaiden Rage Bound, don't listen to this podcast because we're gonna spoil all those.

[Dan Reichert]

No, we're not. We're respectful of our audience.

[Mary Kish]

You are not.

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't harbor any resentment toward our audience at all? No, I like fire.

[Mary Kish]

I don't harbor any resentment at all.

[Stanley Tucci]

But also buy this dumb mouse pad. Yeah, I was not here last time. Mary's already made it known she doesn't want to talk about Donkey Kong more. But I have not talked to anybody about it. And I hear it's really.

[Mary Kish]

I didn't say that you suck. I said we got in a fight before this podcast started.

[Stanley Tucci]

Fight.

[Mary Kish]

And I said.

[Stanley Tucci]

I said I was defensive because I having a migraine, literally, as we're talking right now. And it's just every time. My brain in half.

[Mary Kish]

You're a dick. You're like, there's something wrong with every time I laugh.

[Stanley Tucci]

My head. Head is like lava.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary, quit being funny. That's really rude.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I can't help who I am.

[Stanley Tucci]

It hurts.

[Mary Kish]

I'm taking a lot of this episode.

[Dan Reichert]

On yourself, I think. I think you're the villain here.

[Stanley Tucci]

Held on to the Epstein fight. I shouldn't joke about that.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, my goodness.

[Stanley Tucci]

Jake. For real, for real.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't think you mean it for real.

[Stanley Tucci]

I mean, I actually.

[Mary Kish]

I want the world to know who you really are.

[Dan Reichert]

Now they're turning against Mike.

[Stanley Tucci]

I'm just taking the heat off.

[Mary Kish]

Let's show he is.

[Stanley Tucci]

This is a disaster.

[Dan Reichert]

Is it really?

[Stanley Tucci]

I heard it's good. I haven't talked to anybody.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it kicks ass. It's awesome. It's like donkey kicks ass. Do you like. Do you like Mario Odyssey?

[Stanley Tucci]

I think it's one of the best games the last 10 years. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. You know, it's the same team and everything, and it's like, I will not put it on that same level. It is not far, though. I think, you know, Odyssey is probably, like, the best 3D platformer of all time I could see. I would say this is closer to, like, maybe one of the Galaxy games, which is not something I would say lightly, you know, like, those are also among the greatest platformers of all time. And the gimmick it's got is really good. Like, I don't know if you've played any of it at all or seen much of it, but the idea of just.

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't have a switch, too.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, God. Just being able to burst through anything in the environment for the most part. I mean, the small exceptions, but, like, it's very satisfying just having, like, a Donkey Kong with a skill tree. And the fact that they took this, like, one of the, like, Mount Rushmore biggest, like, you know, names and franchises in games history and. And. And Made it modern, made it feel new in a very real way and didn't just lean on nostalgia or anything. Like it does the right amount of like hey, here's a thing you recognize or here's a song that we. We made a new version of or here's these characters from the DKC series or whatever. Like it picks its spots very well but it very much feels like a new experience and it's. It's really great throughout and a lot of people said this and I, I didn't understand until I got there myself while I was in New York. But like it the last few hours really hammer it home. Like you know, I was loving it before that and when I talked about this last episode I had not seen the last few hours. And it's like it does some really smart things gameplay wise, nostalgia wise, all that that really like this is a special game for sure. And it is the time to fun factor is. Is about the shortest I've ever seen. You're having fun instantly when you start the game. So super doy. Oh, among the dewiest games ever. Yeah. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's. It's only on Switch 2 though, correct?

[Dan Reichert]

Yes. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

I gotta get one eventually anyway. I just haven't yet.

[Dan Reichert]

And it's not gonna go down in price if anything. It'll go up.

[Stanley Tucci]

No. Yeah. Well, cool. Yeah, I. That's high on my list and I need to have played that before game of the year because I feel like it'll come up.

[Dan Reichert]

It will be high on mine for sure. It is one of those that is jockeying for that top position. Position.

[Stanley Tucci]

Mary, what else have you been playing? Time Flies.

[Mary Kish]

A couple. I loved this game and I'm really excited to talk to you guys about it. This is a really short, sweet indie ass indie game called Time Flies. The premise is you are a fly and you have a bucket list of things you would like to do before you die. And the catch is, is that because you're a fly, your life expectancy is 72 seconds.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh oh. The art style.

[Mary Kish]

Art style.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's like rasterized drawing.

[Mary Kish]

Extremely simple.

[Stanley Tucci]

So think Microsoft paint.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. Like pretty much like black and white or like really simple visuals. Right. Eight bit. You're a dot. But here this is important to recognize for people who are like ah. It's like too simple. You might be spoiling it. So be careful looking. Cause like this game is explorative. The whole joy of this is how explorative it is. It is. I'll give you an example in the very Beginning of this game within, like, the first 30 seconds, this won't spoil too much. You will get up from your couch, and you will fly, and you will go past a guitar, and if you land on the strings, the guitar will let you play it. And then on your bucket list, you will cross off, learn how to play music. And that is, like, the crux of this game. However, so much through this game, you will land on a fly trap, and it will eat you, or you will land on a faucet, and you will die, and the game will just say, you died. Very reminiscent of, like, you know, any modern game died, and you start over, you play again from the same spot, and you just try new things until you get more things off your bucket list. And to complete the level, you have to do all the things in your bucket list in the same life. So not only have you have to uncover the puzzle, but then you have to do a time puzzle where you're like, I want to do the guitar first, then I want to do the hair, then I want to find this, then I want to do the marble, then I got to do the globe. And you kind of like, map it out in your head.

[Dan Reichert]

So question, can you. Does it show these bucket list items before you, or is it like, oh, it's invisible. And then you play the guitar, and then it fills in. Learn to play music.

[Mary Kish]

There is a piece of paper that you can check throughout the game so that you can always see what they are. But some of them are puns, and some of them are play on word intentionally, so you might not realize what you're doing.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Like, music doesn't necessarily say, play a string on the guitar. It's just totally okay. I see.

[Mary Kish]

I see. And. And. And it's so hard to not spoil these because they're really.

[Dan Reichert]

I think I'll play this. Like, I like the. What you're describing sounds fun. I downloaded on my switch.

[Stanley Tucci]

There's a video on the. One of the videos on the game's Steam page.

[Dan Reichert]

Are you gonna spoil it?

[Stanley Tucci]

No, it just. Is the game also really funny at some points?

[Mary Kish]

It is very funny.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. There's a thing, like, making me laugh that I'm watching.

[Mary Kish]

It's a bit cheeky. I don't think it's, like, too adult or anything, but it has some slight nudity, but not a lot, but, like, there's some butts and stuff, and I think they, like, play with the human form. There's some fart jokes in it that I think you guys will think are very Funny. There's also puzzles throughout it, so sometimes you'll just go into an area, you'll be like, what is this all about? And you'll get a puzzle piece, and you have to get all of the puzzle pieces to construct the puzzle, which I think is cute. Also, there's four different worlds, which I also don't think is a spoiler. So, like, the moon.

[Dan Reichert]

The last one.

[Mary Kish]

The moon is the last one.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mary Kish]

If you do all of the little things, then you actually get to the credits. And I did all hours, guys, and I loved it. I loved every minute of it. I thought it was, like, the best Sunday afternoon game I've played in. In a dog's age. I just adored it.

[Dan Reichert]

Did you ever play Minute?

[Mary Kish]

Yes.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Is it anything like that? Where it's like. I. I do remember that being a similar thing where it's like, okay, I gotta do a bunch of. In, like, one run, basically. And that kind of also had that very lo fi, you know, art style.

[Mary Kish]

It did. I think sometimes for me, minute was more like, how do I navigate doing all this in the same life? Whereas I feel like Like Time Flies is more whimsical and experimental. I found myself playing in this game a lot. I was doing things just to see if I could. And this game toys with you a lot. There'll be, like, things. You'll be like, oh, this has got to be something, and then it'll kill you, or. You know what I mean? And you won't get mad because you just pop back up like it's not a big deal.

[Dan Reichert]

Sure.

[Mary Kish]

The last thing that I found was interesting, and I don't know what this game is really trying to say with this, but I should mention, your life expectancy changes based on the country that you choose to play from. And the country is the average year expectancy of actual humans, but they put it into seconds.

[Dan Reichert]

That's cool.

[Mary Kish]

Yes. So if you want to play a little longer, you would be like, I'm from Japan. And if you want to play a little shorter, you would pick, like, a country where the life expectancy is really short.

[Dan Reichert]

Short.

[Mary Kish]

I don't know why they did that, but I think there's, like, there's, like, facts in it.

[Stanley Tucci]

Can't house flies live for, like, a month?

[Mary Kish]

Probably. But in this game, I think. I swear, like, the longest.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, I'm not.

[Mary Kish]

The longest you can live is like. I swear is like picking Sweden, and it's like 76 seconds or something like that. I end up googling where's what's the longest life expectancy. I forget now.

[Stanley Tucci]

Somewhere in Norway. Yeah, I'm curious.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's somewhere. And. And I picked that just so I could have longest life expectancy. There's also differences in the game depending on the country you pick. I found this interesting. In one of the worlds you're like in an art exhibit and depending on what you pick, the art will change. And so in one of them, I picked that I was from Korea and the art said, you don't want to see this art, so we're not going to show it to you because it's like propaganda.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, interesting.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. I thought that was really neat.

[Stanley Tucci]

Is the highest.

[Mary Kish]

That's not what I got.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm looking at mine was like states and. And Mary, I. I got bad news for you. You're not gonna last as long as me or Mike.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, no, wait.

[Stanley Tucci]

New York is.

[Dan Reichert]

New York is number three, Minnesota's number four, and Oregon's number 12.

[Stanley Tucci]

Okay, there's got to be. Why. Why is New York.

[Dan Reichert]

State. It's a big state.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I was gonna say countries, not states. Monaco is the highest with 87 years. Other high life expectancies are Hong. Hong Kong and Japan.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. And ours is not very. Let's move to each of those super high.

[Stanley Tucci]

I'll go to Monaco.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. I'll go to Hong Kong.

[Stanley Tucci]

Mary, you're going to Japan.

[Dan Reichert]

I want to go to Japan. I want to go to Japan now.

[Stanley Tucci]

I love you, Hong Kong.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I don't know anything there.

[Mary Kish]

I like Japan.

[Stanley Tucci]

All those places sound good.

[Mary Kish]

Should have called it.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, this game sounds cool. It sounds almost like a 20002021 era time loop game. Game like Forbidden City had the similar figuring out the order to do things in and the.

[Mary Kish]

And the puzzles are. Are sweet and cute and they're not too complicated. I. I can sometimes get frustrated with like, complicated puzzly games if they're racking my brain too much. Every one of these, I was like, oh, I get what you're doing. Like, I figured everything out within a couple hours. It's so sweet and short. I. I just think it's adorable. And I was really excited about it. So. Yeah, that was time flies. Check it out.

[Dan Reichert]

Nice. I. I do intend to play that.

[Mary Kish]

Have you been here?

[Dan Reichert]

He goes, yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Give it to me, baby girl. What else do you got playing on?

[Mary Kish]

I have a couple other short ones. I'm not going to talk about this again. I already talked about peak. I played peak more. It's awesome.

[Dan Reichert]

It's good. It's awesome.

[Mary Kish]

They added the ability to eat people.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

I wasn't at launch.

[Dan Reichert]

No. I saw the cannibalism patch. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. There's a cannibalism ad, which. So funny, because now you can, like, you basically, like, kill people intentionally so you can eat them, which I love. I played Undermine, too, I think, Dan, you. Did you recommend this to me as well?

[Dan Reichert]

I. I think I might have given you a code or something like that.

[Mary Kish]

I played Undermine, too. This is. I never played Undermine. So unfortunately, I'm, like, not the perfect person to. To give this, but it is a rogue light where you, like, once you die, you have to start all the way from the beginning. And you. I haven't gotten too far in it. I think I've only gotten to the second area. It's freaking hard, which is one of my issues with it. But I do like the idea that you essentially kill stuff. There's lots of secrets in each area so that you can build your Persona. And you pray to gods that you can add different traits to yourself, like longer life, or maybe, like, you hit stronger or you have more magic and you come across different deities. And you have to pick one of two special items that you get, which are randomized. Sometimes it's things like, more luck. Sometimes it's things like Pierce. Sometimes. I don't know. Sometimes it's bad and, like, really not helpful at all. And I found that really strange. But anyway, I'm still kind of getting through it a little bit. I think I need more time with it. I've probably only put, like, seven hours into it, but I. I think it has potential. I like the fact that you're, like, in all these areas. You also. Once you kill every. You cannot leave the room. Once you kill everything that's important. And then once you do that, you can explore the room to mine it for gold. Look for secrets in the walls. And there's always a boss fight, I think at, like, the end of three rounds. And the boss fights are pretty intense. There's a mobile boss for the first boss. It doesn't change out, though. It's the same boss each time, so it's a bit repetitive.

[Dan Reichert]

Is this Early Access? I feel like shit. I thought it was. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

[Mary Kish]

We usually don't review games that are early access. I think I only did this because you sent it to me. It feels early access now that you say that it is.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm looking at it now. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Because I think that in a game like this, because it's so repetitive. Roguelite, you really have to exchange different bosses. Bosses. That way you're not playing the same boss fight over and over and over again.

[Dan Reichert]

Even games that I'm interested in because I played a bit of Undermine 1 and liked it, but I. I typically don't play them in Early Access. I didn't do hades to new Hades 2. Really.

[Mary Kish]

I didn't do Hades 2 either.

[Dan Reichert]

You know, Rogue Legacy was. When I tried because I love the first Rogue Legacy so much. And two was just like, okay, this is cool. And once I start getting into it, it's like, oh, hey, keep an eye on our roadmap. We'll do more in success. I really don't like that feeling at all. So it's like, I feel like if I have any interest in the game, I always just kind of wait till the 1.0 and I wonder go back a similar situation.

[Stanley Tucci]

Play Rogue Legacy 2 again. I think I said that a few episodes ago. Playing game.

[Mary Kish]

We did talk about it. A few episodes.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

No, we've. We've definitely talked about Early Access games, but maybe not like in development. Early access.

[Mary Kish]

It's just not something we usually make a habit out of. And I think like, yeah, Hades 2 is a really good example of that because everyone was talking about it and we were like, you know, I'd just rather wait until it comes out.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Does it have a release date?

[Dan Reichert]

Is it this. It's not this year, is it. Is it this year?

[Stanley Tucci]

May. No. Okay.

[Dan Reichert]

That was like, even last year, like, giant bombs. Game of the year. People were raving about it and it sounded awesome. Honestly, everything people were saying, like, made me really want to play it. But it's like, I will be thankful that, like, I'm never hurting for things to play. I will be thankful that I wait until it's done.

[Stanley Tucci]

When does Hades 2 1.0 come out? Release PC September.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Stanley Tucci]

No, wait, hold on.

[Dan Reichert]

No, there's no way. It's not announced.

[Stanley Tucci]

PC Games N who I don't trust ever.

[Dan Reichert]

Sorry. That is.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's.

[Dan Reichert]

Don't.

[Stanley Tucci]

Early 2026 or end of this year.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, feel like we'd probably hear something.

[Stanley Tucci]

Apparently this year, two months ago, there's a subreddit it. There's the last major update. It was out. So it's close, I guess. And I guess you could play it now.

[Dan Reichert]

I'll play it soon, once it's ready.

[Stanley Tucci]

But I still have not played Peak.

[Dan Reichert]

It's awesome. It's great. It's just. It's one of those games. It's like a million different games. That it's just like, boy, it'd be awesome to get a bunch of people together and play this. But like Mary, I think you're good at this. This like you, you tend to get groups together and play. Play things frequently.

[Mary Kish]

And I do like to poke friends with it and we actually have been calling it friend slop. I don't know if anyone I've seen people say talked about that genre before, but friend slop is like the idea that like maybe on your own it probably wouldn't be that amazing.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

But you get four people together and around all night and it doesn't, it doesn't matter if you do good. It. It's like irrelevant if you win. The point is, is that you're fucking around with your friends and like drinking and having a good time together. It's just something to do. I was a good example.

[Dan Reichert]

So rare that I'm able to do that. Like usually it's with like giant bomb, like because hey, it's during the day. This is what we do. So it's like, you know, repo call your company, things like that. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, it's just like at night I just. It seems like it'd be hard. Like I just never play multiplayer games, you know, out. Like it just seems like it'd be a hard thing to put together. You know, I think we're, we're very busy. It's at work. It's just like I don't. I think it'd be hard to get a group together where everybody could do it, you know. Yeah. They're fun though. I love that stuff.

[Stanley Tucci]

Are there any other games?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, there's people. Dan, you were.

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't have the run of show open, so.

[Mary Kish]

Don't worry. I'm the, I'm the host now. Playing Ninja Gayen.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, Ninja Guide. Rage Bound is really cool. It's. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Mike, you're back. You're back in.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. Distract them.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I'm a fan of the old NES series and I'm a fan of the 3D ones and this is definitely obviously harkening back to more like it's weird. It's harkening back to the NES and that. It's a side scrolling action game, but the look of it is way more. It kind of looks like a Pixel art Saturn 2D game. Incredible pixel art. It's the people that made Blasphemous. So like I thought Blasphemous was a cool game. I loved the art and everything, but I just like, I don't Know, the From Style thing isn't always my favorite deal. And that was kind of that like from style but in 2D. This is just kind of a throwback. It's more of like a messenger type, you know, ninja side scrolling.

[Mary Kish]

The messenger. Is it actually like the messenger?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it really like I don't think you need to have any nostalgia for Ninja Gaiden at all to like it because it's like the stuff it does is like, you know, in the messenger you could do that kind of like Perry jump off of like almost like cuphead style. Like.

[Mary Kish]

But what's cool about the messenger was the time.

[Dan Reichert]

Well the. The big shift. Like the big twist thing like this does not do that.

[Mary Kish]

But did I do it again?

[Dan Reichert]

Wow, Mary. Can't be stopped.

[Stanley Tucci]

You want to talk about Schindler's List while you're at it?

[Dan Reichert]

Talk about who Darth Vader is. No, it's. It is fairly straightforward. It is like tough platforming action ninja stuff and then really tough cool boss fights. It's very much the. To like get your ass kicked the first time, learn a little bit more the second time, come back and beat it the third or fourth time. On the bosses, you are like the. The ninja guy. Kenji in. In body. But there's also the spirit of this Komori, this like ninja girl that like they have different abilities and there are parts where like you're utilizing both. It's like, you know, it's aha and a Ka if you've played Death Stranding. But it plays off that stuff really cool.

[Stanley Tucci]

Is also like Egyptian philosophy.

[Dan Reichert]

I think it's Kojima, but yeah, it's a.

[Stanley Tucci]

He's just co opting these ancient beliefs. That's so funny.

[Dan Reichert]

But no. Mary, I think if you like the messenger, I think you. You could definitely find some stuff to like. Harry. It is. The difficulty is just perfectly balanced, I think where it's just hard enough to. Where I'm. I'm kind of struggling. But when you win, it feels like you won something.

[Mary Kish]

Feels good.

[Dan Reichert]

It's just a beautiful game. Great soundtrack. Does Ninja Guidon proud. It's a good Ninja Guidon year. You know, as someone who likes that series series. Getting new TD one, new 2D one here, getting a new 3D one with. With four coming out. And I got a ninja guy in two black remake episode. Like man. For a series that has kind of come and gone at weird intervals. It's. This is a big year of Ninja Gaiden. So I'm a fan.

[Mary Kish]

Okay. That's cool. I I really did love the messenger, but I never played Ninja Gaiden, so, like, it's not. It's not for me for, like, the nostalgia. It would have to be, like, a good game on its own, independent of all that cool, cool background stuff, child stuff.

[Dan Reichert]

And again, if they didn't even have Ninja Gaiden in the title, I would feel the exact same way about it, because, again, it doesn't even really look like the old NES games or play that much like them. So it's kind of not nostalgia at all for me. It's just like, oh, here's like, a new good 2D ninja game. I think you would like it a lot.

[Mary Kish]

Okay, the last one for me, I'm gonna say briefly, because I've only played five hours, so I'm still too early to, like, really say if this is good, but. Mike. Mikey. There is a new 90s survival horror called Heartworm. It is very much in the vein of Resident Evil 1. What I think is cool so far about it is it lets you play with tank controls or not. And it lands. You play, like, with, like, really old PS1 graphics or PS2 graphics. Like, you can kind of choose how old school you want this experience to be.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, wow.

[Stanley Tucci]

Like, the. The pause menu is Resident Evil 1.

[Mary Kish]

It is. It is literally Resident Evil of, like, your health.

[Stanley Tucci]

The health. The health descriptions also are the same. Fine.

[Mary Kish]

I think you can have six items. And it's brutal because, like, so many times I was like, I desperately need this item, and I. I didn't have any space. You have to, like, throw away items or, like, get. You have to get to a trunk to put your items away, and they're only. You can only save in the saved spaces. So very similar puzzles. Akin to Resident Evil. There was, like, this one or. Or Silent Hill. And I also think it has a lot of Silent Hill story to it where she's just like, I've always thought about death. She sounds like that girl from Edward Scissorhands. I've always been strange and unusual, and I've always thought about dying. And so I'm gonna go to this place and find out what death is really like. And so she essentially deciding to go into this other universe intentionally because she wants to know what I don't know, what's on the other side of life. And so you're in an underworld, which I think is more akin to Silent Hill, you know, like a. Like a dark world. And it has memories of her from her childhood and her, like, but they're distorted and Fucked up. And there's monsters now.

[Stanley Tucci]

Okay. It looks. It combines fixed camera with over the shoulder. I'm reading in the description. How does that work?

[Mary Kish]

I think that it's mostly those styled camera shots that are still. That make it look cinematic, which I like and I've always thought were really cool.

[Stanley Tucci]

No. Yeah. The description on Steam says it combines over the shoulder and fixed camera. I'm curious, like, when it goes over the shoulder.

[Mary Kish]

Campbel. I don't really remember over the shoulder yet. But I will say there was this one time where I go into an alleyway and the camera moves from like a bird's eye view as I'm running to, like, get closer to me, which I thought was really cool and cinematic. So it like moves around based on, like, what works for me, but most of the time I think it's still okay.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. Another, like. Remember Signalis several years ago.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, Signalis.

[Stanley Tucci]

Fucking ruined.

[Mary Kish]

Okay. This is my caveat. This is my caveat. I don't think it's as well put together as Signalis. I. I don't. And I played Signalis and I loved it. I think this game is cool. I just don't think it's as scary. I don't think it has as many components as Signalis. But I still think it's interesting. And I. And I like that they're. They're trying to make like a 90s horror. So if you're into 90s horror, I think this could be worth checking out. But I think Signalis is like, set a real high bar. I. I have to admit that.

[Stanley Tucci]

Okay, cool. Any other games?

[Mary Kish]

I'm out of games.

[Dan Reichert]

I will talk next one about the one I went. Well, I can say it was metal year. Snake Eater remake. I played through in New York. So either of you.

[Stanley Tucci]

I guess it's more for Dan. I don't think it would be your kind of game area. Have you played Mafia? The Old country at all? Apparently it's good.

[Dan Reichert]

I've heard not the hottest stuff on it.

[Stanley Tucci]

Really. Reviews I'm seeing are like eights.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Okay.

[Stanley Tucci]

I haven't touched it. I just. I. I've always tried to like that series, but I like the idea that this is actually in sicily in what, 1900 or something. Seems appealing. I might check it out. And I don't mean to have a dearth of games. I've been playing a very long game for work that I'll be able to talk about, I guess, down the road.

[Mary Kish]

Where's your dearth?

[Dan Reichert]

Where's my dearth? Loser.

[Stanley Tucci]

Right. Here.

[Mary Kish]

He doesn't have a dearth of games.

[Dan Reichert]

I actually shivered when I heard someone start singing just now. Oh, God.

[Stanley Tucci]

I think you're, maybe you're afraid that maybe you're just afraid of how much you, deep down, actually love musicals.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, that's, that's probably, it's like in there.

[Dan Reichert]

That's probably what's going on. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Closeted musical lover.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I would only be able to appreciate things if they're sung to me.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Yeah, that's, that's the second half of my life is that. Just wait, it's coming.

[Stanley Tucci]

There's a joke in theater camp where the, like, basic. Okay, so I, I do want you guys to watch this movie. It's, it's funny. You don't have to be a theater kid. It's hilarious. It's basically Amy Sedaris, the mom. She is the head of Adirondacks. It's an acting camp in the Adirondacks. She has a seizure and goes into a coma. So her son Troy, who is Jimmy Tatrick, like biggest bro ever, has to go take over the camp and keep it afloat. And everybody hates him because he's a bro and it's a theater camp. And he's asking, he's just a dumbass. And he's asking this dude, Glenn, who is the stage, like, stage manager. He's like, so he's like, yeah, so this year's, this year's play is a music, A straight play. He's like, wait, so what is this? Straight plays? I guess it's just no music. He's like, what would a gay play be? He's like a musical. It's a very funny movie.

[Mary Kish]

That's pretty funny.

[Stanley Tucci]

Also, Caroline Aaron, Am I that up? Caroline Aaron, raspy voice. She's in it. She's really funny. I don't know. I, I, I've pitched that movie enough. You should watch it if you. It's like an hour and a half comedy mockumentary.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Stanley Tucci]

Anyway, do you want to talk about emails?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, yeah, let's.

[Dan Reichert]

Technology. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

This bit is fun. I do it all the time. Okay. As usual, you can Write into firescapecast gmail.com for any questions or comments or concerns you want read on the show. We never read the concerns, but questions are fair game. That's Fire escapecast Gmail dot com. Mary. Actually, Mary, I'll.

[Mary Kish]

No.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. Mary, do you want to read this first one? The first one's not a question. It is a shout out.

[Mary Kish]

Sure. Hello, fire casters. Oh, I like that.

[Stanley Tucci]

Sounds like a mage.

[Mary Kish]

I know. I feel like we earned that Fire caster. All right. Hello, Fire Caster. Just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed your podcast over the years, and I was hoping you could give a shout out to my wife as we will soon be on a road trip to go see Oasis in Chicago celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary.

[Dan Reichert]

30Th anniversary. That's awesome.

[Mary Kish]

What a huge feat. And seeing Oasis sounds amazing. I would love to see Oasis.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh yeah, I know. Yeah, that'd be amazing. I grew up with them. Anyway, sorry, there's more.

[Mary Kish]

When we go on trips, she often asks if we can listen to those goofy people on my podcast, the one with the guy who eats eggshells thinking they are egg whites. Actually, my wife bought one of Dan's books after listening to him on one of our trips, discussing his anxiety on the podcast. Podcast. She used to be an avid gamer back in the day, excelling in games like Half Life, Unreal Tournament, Elemental, Gearbolt, Phantasmagoria, Mortal Kombat, among others. But these days it's Peggle. Just Peggle. Only Peggle. But I have been inspiration.

[Stanley Tucci]

Are you okay, Daryl? Do we need to rescue you?

[Dan Reichert]

Damn.

[Mary Kish]

Peggle?

[Dan Reichert]

Nope, nope.

[Mary Kish]

But I have been an avid gamer since the 70s and I still game most. Most of old consoles and I have the current ones. I think I spend too much money and time on the hobby these days. Anywho, I wanted to give my wife a good shout out for putting up with my gaming over the years and never really complaining about it. Thank you, Debbie. Happy anniversary. I love you, Daryl.

[Stanley Tucci]

Happy anniversary.

[Dan Reichert]

Happy anniversary.

[Mary Kish]

That's the sweetest email.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's almost as long as I've been alive.

[Dan Reichert]

Awesome.

[Mary Kish]

For a good. A good anniversary shout out.

[Stanley Tucci]

I mean, good work.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. First of all, I just want to say, Debbie, you have been gaming for so long and you have such a good history of gaming. You have earned just being a retired Peggle gamer. You can just play Peggle now and recognize that that is what you love and I think that's cool. And so I hope you enjoy Peggle. If you like Peggle, I am going to recommend Peglen, which is Peggle. But you are also like a little goblin going on an adventure. Peggle goodness. So I think you would like that. But no pressure. Happy anniversary.

[Stanley Tucci]

Also, what are your thoughts on Hamilton? Thank you, Daryl. Dan, do you. We did trim this one a bit. We got kind of straight to the question. Jeff. Jeff. We just wanted to trim it for the intense, for the purposes of this section. But Dan, if you want to read this second one from Jeff.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Hello, Fire gang. Longtime listener, multiple time. Write in. As you've grown older, how have you learned to cope with changing friend dynamics as people's lives change, careers, moving, marriage, et cetera, as well as learning to let go and move on when your relationship with someone changes so much that it can't be rekindled or is best left for a reconnection later in life? Thanks again for always making the workday go faster or my evening walks less lonely. Only that is Jeff. Yeah, that's. As you get older, that's definitely a thing. It's like, I feel like in college especially, like, you know, everyone's socializing all the time, you all live in the same city, you know, you're all like, living in the same dorm and stuff like that. And I think post college is where that can drift apart and things. And I think about that fairly frequently because, like, I think I'm guilty of, like, if someone's not in my immediate vision cone, you know, if it's not someone I work with every day or I live with or is in my city and, you know, I. I run into and hang out with frequently, I am guilty of. Yeah, exactly. Like, I'm kind of guilty of, like, I'm not always the first one to reach out or keep up, you know, and it's never, like, I do worry about that because, like, I don't want any of my friends to think that, like, I'm not reaching out because, like, I don't care anymore or anything like that. It's just like, I so kind of have to live in the here and now, like, maybe to a fault where it's like just moment to moment. And so that just means the people, you know, you guys, giant bomb guys, bonk, you know, Ben, folks here in Minnesota, things like that. But it's like, I have so many friends from all these places I've lived and jobs I've had and everything that, like, I'm probably not reaching out to at all. And they probably are like, oh, I wonder if he is still friends with me or something. And, like, the answer is almost always yes. Like, I have very few people that I like and, like, I don't want to talk to that person, you know.

[Stanley Tucci]

So, yeah, I think, I hope most people now understand how. How tiring it can be to keep up with everybody. I feel like most of my friends, I don't have any friends that are dicks about it. Like, hey, you don't really talk to me anymore.

[Dan Reichert]

I've had some that are like, oh, I guess we're not friends, like, or like, I'll hear through a third party that, like, oh, yeah, you know, this person thinks that, like, oh, you know, Dan was in town. He didn't reach out. It's like, well, yeah, but it's like, that is a stressful thing for me. It's like, especially when I travel and it's like. Like, I was in San Francisco and New York just recently and I was there for two nights each time. And most of that time was with work, stuff I had to do. And I did socialize in both instances, but certainly not with everyone. Like, what? Yeah, every city I go to, I'm not going to text everyone I know and try to figure out timing. It's just like. So I hope I. I get up in my head about that. In fact, the New York trip was really kind of stressing me out because it's like, I know a lot of people in New York and I had very limited time and didn't know how much free time. I'd be like, I hope people don't think like, oh, I saw Dan was in town. He didn't even reach out. And it's like, it's never that, like, oh, I don't want to hang out with you. It's just that, like, I appreciate you.

[Stanley Tucci]

Reach out to me. I did middle finger to all your other friends who you didn't reach out to. We didn't hang out, though.

[Dan Reichert]

No, you were the one that was busy. I. Yeah, yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. I. I'm trying to. I got apologies if this sounds. I'm purposely trying to be vague because I'm respecting someone's privacy. Dan, I texted you about this. I have a friend who I, like, grew up with, was very close to until I was like, went to college. Basically had a few hiccups with this friend growing up in those 18 years where I was like, oh, that was kind of a shitty thing. And, you know, like, we didn't hang out, but we were always like, every time we hung out, it felt like we had never stopped. Basically recently got some very, very bad news from them in no short, in no uncertain terms. Like their health is, like, steeply declining where to the point where I'm like, you know, getting ready to say goodbye, which is nuts. So that was weird because we have not kept in touch a lot in the intervening years since high school. So they kind of came back out of the woodwork to tell me this news. So it's A very kind of complex relationship now, like, in many ways, because I'm trying to figure out. I was like, oh, yeah, wow. It's. It's. It's not only a friend that I had kind of emotionally moved on from and didn't worry about keeping up with. All of a sudden, now they're back in a very intense way, you know, like, I want to, you know, talk to them and be there for them all the time. So it's like, I guess to answer the email's question, it's like, you don't know what's going to happen in the future with, like, maybe people. People will come back into your life. And I'm sure of it, people will leave. I don't know. I think we're. I think if you feel bad about not keeping up with someone, that's probably a sign that you care about them a lot and maybe you should try to. It can be tiring to keep up with people, but, like, I don't know, I feel like it's a trust your gut thing. Like, if it's. If you are feeling guilty that you're not keeping up with a specific person, that's probably a sign that they mean a lot to you and maybe you should every once in a while, put some time aside to text them. If, like, you go to a city, like Dan said. If, like, I went to San Francisco and I found out that, like, so and so was pissed I didn't hang out with them. I was like, oh, I didn't even think of them when I went there. It's probably, you know, they have a higher opinion of me than I do of them. I don't know. I don't. That doesn't keep me up at night. But, yeah, I don't know. I, like, I would also say video games are pretty good. Like, I have certain friends I only catch up with through video games. Like, they can be a good medium.

[Mary Kish]

Friend, slide up, whatever, stay in touch and thoughtful of each other without having to be like, what's all the shit in your life about? You know, like, sometimes you just want to see someone and catch up.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Say hi.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. And like. Yeah. And I would also say, like, you don't know what new hobbies you're going to pick up that are going to make you want to reach back out to someone. I have people that now that I'm into, like musicals, I talk to a lot more now.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. And people you talk to less now that they know that cut.

[Mary Kish]

Cut us off immediately.

[Stanley Tucci]

I'm just Going to be phased out of Fire Escape now.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, we're going to have to look at the legality. I think we have a super majority vote here. Yeah, Genuine question.

[Stanley Tucci]

I'm so curious. Like, I feel like before this episode, if the audience had been polled, which one of us likes musicals, I highly doubt I would have gotten the most votes.

[Dan Reichert]

It would have been. It definitely would have been me. So it would have had to be Mary then.

[Stanley Tucci]

I feel like it would have been Mary. Like that's what people like musicals if. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, you both dislike them. Yeah, yeah, I think that's dislike or like, sorry, just so I understand, like.

[Stanley Tucci]

If people like before this episode were like, hey, one of the Fire Escape.

[Dan Reichert]

Cast members, look, there's no fucking chance anybody would vote me. So it's one of you two.

[Mary Kish]

I agree. But I think it's unfair to assume me because I don't think there's a lot of like preconceived notions that I would like musicals. In fact, I think there would be a lot of assumptions that I don't like musicals. And the only thing that you would make the connection of is like, oh, like girl, like, like musical or something like that. But you're the wino. If anything, you're cultured. You would like musical.

[Dan Reichert]

I do.

[Mary Kish]

It would be weird for people to assume it's me.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary.

[Stanley Tucci]

I was saying, processing deduction. They would have gone with you. But, you know, maybe you're.

[Dan Reichert]

No, but you are the high society fellow.

[Mary Kish]

That's misogyny, baby. Like, I don't.

[Stanley Tucci]

Because you're a woman.

[Mary Kish]

I'm a think it's in there. He stops saying, hey, Mike was the.

[Dan Reichert]

Only one who you used to be in our Bestel test episode last. Last time.

[Stanley Tucci]

So yeah, two women. I'm not going to show up for that.

[Mary Kish]

I'm an ally.

[Dan Reichert]

No, people totally would assume it was Mike. Yeah. The guy who lives in New York City and loves high society stuff. Yeah, I agree.

[Mary Kish]

We agree. We agree.

[Stanley Tucci]

I love high society stuff.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, my God.

[Stanley Tucci]

Guys, I need to send you photos.

[Dan Reichert]

Literature, dork, wino, sommelier that lives in New York City. You don't think it's you.

[Stanley Tucci]

The next email is about literature that.

[Dan Reichert]

You put in there because you want to talk about literature.

[Mary Kish]

You don't think it literally picks this.

[Stanley Tucci]

Right. You're right. You're right. It was not my most self aware comment.

[Mary Kish]

Thank you.

[Stanley Tucci]

I agree. But I need to send you photos of some of the most famous winemakers. They are like, like, like dumpy farmers with like farmers. Yeah. Wearing like stone cold Steve Austin shirts. Yeah, I'm not kidding. Yes, I'll. I'll send you photos. It's not always high society in wine.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Okay.

[Stanley Tucci]

We did open a. A very big, funny bottle of wine last night. It was funny because it was bigger. What does he say in Bert Reynolds and Celebrity?

[Dan Reichert]

Bigger than. No, it's people cosplaying as poor. Yeah, poor culture is not your costume.

[Mary Kish]

You guys think so? I hang out with pores all the time.

[Stanley Tucci]

I dumpster dive with beer drinkers.

[Dan Reichert]

I buy 200 vintage stone cold shirts off ebay to seem cool and poor.

[Stanley Tucci]

Okay, I don't think we answered Jeff's question at all.

[Mary Kish]

I have a legit answer to this.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, go for it.

[Mary Kish]

And it is a bit personal, but I think that the person that I will talk about will understand because we have been such. We have such a cool story, which is when I moved to Portland, the people that I knew moved away almost within like two months, which was heartbreaking. And they didn't know anyone in Portland, and I didn't have any buds here anymore, and that was really hard for me. And maybe through a mutual friend, name them. I am. I was introduced to Dina. Nina Freeman.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I've interviewed you'd.

[Mary Kish]

At a game studio. Nina is a game designer. She's also a Twitch Streamer, but she's.

[Stanley Tucci]

Did you just get her name wrong? Is that how far you've drifted, Nina Freeman? Yeah. You said Dina, though.

[Mary Kish]

I did not say Dina.

[Dan Reichert]

You said Dina.

[Stanley Tucci]

Said Dina.

[Mary Kish]

Said Dina.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary. Such close friends. You said Dina Nina Freeman. And I was like, oh, I wonder if that's her, like, tag or something.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's just funny.

[Mary Kish]

She's out of my life. I can't remember everybody's name.

[Dan Reichert]

All this time you definitely said Dina.

[Mary Kish]

Okay, that was a slip of the tongue.

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't know how to be a dick. It's just so funny that you're talking about how you're so close.

[Mary Kish]

Nina.

[Dan Reichert]

If you listen to Dino Dinah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Listen to that Nina.

[Mary Kish]

Start right now.

[Stanley Tucci]

Captured person.

[Mary Kish]

Damn it. Nina is a game designer. She made Sybil. She made, like, Gone Home. Worked on Gone Home Tacoma and How do you do?

[Dan Reichert]

Right?

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. She came on after Gone. You're right.

[Mary Kish]

And we met in May. And so she makes these indie games and we met, we became really good friends and we hung out all the fucking time. And we actually became very close and we played through a lot of the Silent Hill series together.

[Stanley Tucci]

And not so Silent Hill is a good name.

[Mary Kish]

Not so Silent Hill and we, like, talked through all of them, we played all of them, and we became very close. And then I think during like, Covid times, her and her partner decided to move to the east coast where their family is from. It made more sense for them. That's where they wanted to be, to, like, actually, like, buy a home and like, raise a family. And I was like, that really sucks and it's really hard for me. And we kind of kept in touch. And ultimately what ended up happening is we. We just stopped talking to each other very often, like basically at all. We really don't. Don't catch up as much. And it's very rare, but I'd say like once or twice a year we will see each other online and be like, oh my God, I love you. And I still love her to this day, and I think very highly of her and I know her name and I appreciate her and her work and I adore her. But I don't speak to her on a weekly or a monthly basis anymore. That's just not who I am. I usually am talking people who I'm literally hanging around with, and I've. I've lost that touch. But she streams still and I lurk in her stream sometimes just so I can like, hear her voice. And. And I don't actually comment or like, talk because I don't want to, like, catch up. I just like her. And so I just want to say, like, this is my opinion, but I'm not good at catching up with people that are no longer in my vicinity. There are people that I love in my life that I don't talk to anymore, but it's not because I don't like them. It's because they don't live where I live. And I'm not going to go get lunch with them. And so I don't. I don't slack them or I don't text them, I don't email them, I don't talk to them at all, but doesn't mean I don't love them. And so there may be people in your life that you want to reach back out to. And you can take Mike's advice and you can reach back out to them and you can try, but if they don't text you back, my advice to you is it does not mean that they don't care about you, you and they don't love you. They might be focused on what's ahead of them and you should just enjoy the memories that you have with that person and care about them as much as you want to. I love people in my life and I love people in my past. And Nina is someone who I spent really good quality times with in my past. And I will love her forever even if I don't talk to her anymore.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, that's very. That sounds like Dina. Nina.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, shout out.

[Mary Kish]

Dina and I are super close.

[Stanley Tucci]

Text her right now. Be like, hey, Dina, how you doing?

[Mary Kish]

Dude, if she listens to this, she's gonna be like, you idiot. I tried to say something nice.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's Denina.

[Mary Kish]

Denina, Nina Freeman. She made. She made a lot of indie games. Check them out on Steam.

[Stanley Tucci]

Thank you, Jeff.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it's just like, you know, I got my old friends, you know Jim Turry, he's great. I love to love to catch up with Jim Turi, you know. Great.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I'm coping this episode.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Jerry Shrier. Yeah, yeah. Good friend.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh yeah. Jerry Shrier.

[Mary Kish]

Good gu on myself.

[Stanley Tucci]

Are you drinking wine? What kind of wine?

[Mary Kish]

I got it from a bottle. I'd have to go downstairs and get it.

[Stanley Tucci]

You got the wine from a bottle? Yeah, that's often how it happens.

[Dan Reichert]

Has anyone ever tried wine from cans? Is that a thing that somebody tried to make? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Good.

[Stanley Tucci]

There's a rose one that was going around.

[Mary Kish]

I was just in cans.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, I had a really funny joke the other day. I'm going to tell you guys about it.

[Dan Reichert]

We were.

[Stanley Tucci]

I was walking. I was walking through my neighborhood.

[Mary Kish]

Judge whether or not it's funny, Mike.

[Stanley Tucci]

I was walking through my neighbor with some friends and a cop rode by on a bicycle. And I said. And I was like, why the fuck do we need bicycle cops? And then there was like a two second beat. And then I said, and also, how did that bicycle become a cop?

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. Yeah, it's pretty good.

[Mary Kish]

I like it. It's got that shrimp fried rice energy. You know what I mean? No, you tell me a rice.

[Dan Reichert]

Go on, give her, give her time.

[Stanley Tucci]

You tell me me a shrimp. Fried this rice yet? It's a good bit.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I it up.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary, you ever done open mic?

[Mary Kish]

You tell me. You tell me. I rice fried the shrimp.

[Stanley Tucci]

Mary gets up on stage and just up the first joke and walks out without saying things.

[Dan Reichert]

No one ever sees her again. Just walks into the ocean.

[Mary Kish]

I just, I just. You guys have. Are we allowed to crowd surf here?

[Stanley Tucci]

You jump and just pancake on the floor Explorer. Yeah. Thank you, Jeff.

[Mary Kish]

In this podcast.

[Stanley Tucci]

All right.

[Dan Reichert]

No, he went to Andrew's book thing because. Yeah, because he's not the high society guy.

[Stanley Tucci]

You guys have Read books before. Okay. I don't know, you guys might remember this. Hey Fire Escape. I wrote earlier this year about my goal of listening to a thousand albums by December. Well, I hit my goal in May. A thousand albums in five months is crazy.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean like an hour on average probably, right?

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, but yeah, you really would have had to been moving on. Okay, yeah, cool. I listened a thousand albums out of December. I hit my goal in May. I listened to all your album recommendations. Enjoyed every single one. Awesome. So you probably listened to Evil Friends by Portugal the man, one of my favorites. I've been working on a new goal, trying to set aside time to read every single day. Right now I'm reading the Brothers Karamazov which should take me a long time to read. It's a really fucking good book. But once again I need some recs for what to read next. So my question is what are some novel recommendations you have that are your favorites or that you find the most life changing? Nathan from New Hampshire.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay, so Mike probably has a much deeper well to come to draw from and probably no question. Yes, I'll give my dumb guy answers here as far as like a novel I've read in recent years that I really really liked. It's a little indie one called Bram Stoker's Dracula.

[Stanley Tucci]

I wonder where you're going.

[Dan Reichert]

I read that. I thought that was really good. Mike also recommended a couple to me that I really liked. Like there was a period where I was actually reading fairly frequently in New York. Mike the Visit from the Goon Squad. That was one. And what was the Russia one from the Lindelof?

[Stanley Tucci]

I knew that's the one that inspired Last of Us Something City.

[Dan Reichert]

Something carrying an egg through Russia or something.

[Stanley Tucci]

Something in the city. Yeah, it's the David Benioff from Game of Thrones wrote it. It's really good.

[Dan Reichert]

But I did enjoy that a lot.

[Stanley Tucci]

Like Mike you do in the Last of Us Part two. Oh, I'll look it up. It's crazy and I can't remember it.

[Dan Reichert]

Like in that period where I was actually reading fairly regularly. You all of your recommendations really hit for me. Except for the one about oh, city of Thieves. Yeah, except for the one about the guy surfing because it was just like six hours reading a guy describing waves.

[Stanley Tucci]

I love. My wife's cousin was is reading it now and we waxed about it.

[Dan Reichert]

For me that was your only miss. Everything else you ever recommended was awesome. A couple other just real quick ones. Gaming, light hearted life story thing. Mike Drucker, good friend of Mine. Good game. No rematch. He just put out. I was laughing out loud throughout the entire fucking book. It is tremendous. Just a collective. Like he's about my age. Played like very similarly. So very relatable. Very just like. Yeah, he worked at Nintendo. Late night comedy. Like incredible career life. If you like wrestling. Mox's autobiography is fantastic. John Moxley's is great. And then if you're into kind of like getting into like meditation and things like that and kind of learning a bit of a how to of that. The first kind of entry level one. I've read a ton of books on mindfulness meditation stuff. Wherever you go, there you are by John Cabot Zinn is a great entry level one in to that.

[Stanley Tucci]

Hold on. Yeah, the guy. The guy who wrote a book about meditation's last name is Zen.

[Dan Reichert]

It's Z I N N. I was.

[Stanley Tucci]

Like, that's a very. Kojima. Okay, gotcha.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, but that, that's. That's a good first line. And then. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. No, yeah. City of these is really good. That's a quick read too. Fairly quick. Mary, you have any.

[Mary Kish]

I think my. My book tastes are probably not for this crowd. I read mostly fantasy smuts, so I.

[Stanley Tucci]

People read that. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I don't know.

[Stanley Tucci]

Fairies and witches. Fucking. Yeah, fucking and sucking.

[Mary Kish]

So here's the thing just to be clear. I. My tastes generally because, you know, I work a lot and I don't want to read something too serious. Usually when I read, I read deep fantasy. That is very opposite from like the movies that I would watch. The movies that I like are generally horror. You guys know that I like to be scared when I watch films. When I read, I like to watch like, I like to read things that are like, wow, there's fairies everywhere and there's dragons and this guy's super hot and we're going to bang. And like that's escapism for me. It allows me to really get out of my head and stop thinking about work. I recommend. And A Court of Thorns and roses by Sarah Moss. And Fourth wing, which is what I'm. I think I'm on the third book now. I should have finished it by now, but I haven't. Sorry. And that is about dragons. So if you like dragons, Fourth Wing.

[Stanley Tucci]

Is that also smut with dragons?

[Mary Kish]

It is also smut. It's by Rebecca Yarros. And so like the idea of Fourth Wing is there's. I mean, it's generally what you sound. It sounds like you get to pick you if you're smart enough. And strong enough and you can survive. You get paired with a dragon, then you fight in wars and stuff, and it's like a girl who is. So she gets paired with a dragon, but there's also a dude, and he's, like, super hot, and they bang. That's it.

[Dan Reichert]

Cool.

[Stanley Tucci]

Nice. I did that.

[Mary Kish]

I mean, I find it really cathartic just in the sense where. Right. I certainly ain't thinking about work when they're like, I'm riding this dragon, but I wish I was riding Tom. And it's, like, cool. Like, yeah. You know, like, that's exciting for me. And, like, I just gets me out.

[Stanley Tucci]

Of my bank material. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

100%. And, like, so, like, that's my thing. But I don't think that's what normal. Like, I don't think that's what, like, a lot of people probably prefer to read. So I can understand that that's not everybody's cup of tea. I will say I'm very curious what you think, Mike, but I just want to say I had a lot of anxiety this week. Weekend. I. I downloaded your audiobook, Dan, and I listened to your entire. I listened to your entire audiobook this weekend.

[Dan Reichert]

Really?

[Stanley Tucci]

Did you narrate it?

[Dan Reichert]

I.

[Mary Kish]

Yes, he did.

[Dan Reichert]

They wanted. They wanted to hire a VO actor to do it. And I thought it was really weird that, like, I can't imagine my words and my personal story being some actor. So, like, I talked them into me going in and recording the whole thing. I did not know you did that, Mary. Is that.

[Mary Kish]

I did it this weekend. I did it Saturday. Saturday. I was having a hard time getting out of my head. I. I think it's. I think it's. I think it's helpful as a. Especially as a beginner's guide of, like, reflecting and thinking. It's also nice because as practical examples, you talk about, like, real. Real examples of you being in school and being like, I need to not take this class. I'm too anxious. I don't want to speak in front of a class. I think that's, like, something that's very relatable and a lot of people can understand. Understand. And I also think it's endearing that, like, you know, for what you do for a living, which is obviously very much about putting yourself out there, it was obvious that you had severe anxiety about doing that originally. And so it's nice to see how you've. You've taken a lot of baby steps to overcome it. So I thought that was really nice. So, Yeah, I thought it was Lovely. I also think it's nice in your book, you use, like, very few large words. It's not a very complicated experience. I think you can read this to your children at night before they go to bed. I think this is for any kid or adult that's like, I just kind of want to talk about my anxiety. I think that is literally what this is. It's like, I will just tell you my story with anxiety, and it will help bring maybe some peace into your world that you're not alone. Like, a lot of people having pretty much everybody, but, like, not a lot of people have clinical anxiety and it's not weird to talk about.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

And I mean.

[Dan Reichert]

And that is why I did it. It's just because, like, I think that, like, if I had heard someone talk about this stuff back when I was first struggling with it, I would have been like, oh, that feels better. Not, like, alone with this thing. But I also wanted to go to, like, lengths to be like, I'm not a doctor, and this is an approachable book from just a normal person. So that's great to hear. Thank you. I did not know you did that.

[Mary Kish]

Well, it was recommended to me. I wonder why. I assume Spotify knew. Spotify recommended it. Spotify recommended it?

[Dan Reichert]

Hell, yeah. All right.

[Stanley Tucci]

I don't know if I've ever told you this joke. I think I said it to Jake about your book, because I read it back in 2015.

[Dan Reichert]

That's what I'm putting something like that.

[Stanley Tucci]

I had a joke that maybe you'll find funny or you'll be insulted.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I'm excited for either.

[Stanley Tucci]

I was like, no, it's a great book. But now I have an anxiety attack every time I watch Gangs in New York.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's a dumb joke. It's like the reverse. It triggers me now it's a joke.

[Dan Reichert]

Sure, sure. Yeah, yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, no.

[Mary Kish]

Because you were in the first one.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I had a second one during Lord of the Rings. Two Tactics Towers. I can't remember if that was in the book.

[Stanley Tucci]

I didn't know that. No, that wasn't in New York was.

[Dan Reichert]

The New Year's Eve one. And then, like, whenever Two Towers came out, that was the second one. And I was like, what the is going on with me in movie theaters?

[Mary Kish]

You know, like, that's in the book. But I don't think you just. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think you said the movie. I think you just said, I was in the movie theater, and I kept having panic attacks in movie Theaters which.

[Dan Reichert]

Had to go sit in the bathroom and I was like, I'm fucking dying. What is this?

[Stanley Tucci]

Hangs in New York was the in the book.

[Dan Reichert]

That was the first one. That was New Year's.

[Stanley Tucci]

Two Towers.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I just think it's nice. I don't have severe panic attacks or like severe anxiety. I don't think I have clinical anxiety, but just like regular people I have anxiety. I was struggling sleeping because I was like thinking about work. We have a lot of pressure going on at work and like I'm thinking about stuff that is past due and it's freaking me out. And like I was just, I was really unable to get out of my head, if that makes sense. I couldn't get out of my head. And there's only a few things that really, really get me out of my head. And again, horror movies. Absolutely. Cause I'm like, that person's gonna die. I can't think about work when that's happening. And often metal, like loud music, concerts, things like that that are like heavy will get me out of my head. Cause it's, I don't know, it's intense and people are like moshing and shit like that. That will get me out of my head. So I actually gravitate towards things that force me to get out of my anxiety.

[Dan Reichert]

It's like sensory overload type things where your brain doesn't get a chance to have a break to.

[Mary Kish]

I mean how could you.

[Stanley Tucci]

And horror also puts things into perspective.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. I mean there's not someone living under my house.

[Stanley Tucci]

I'm not going to tell you what horror movie I just spoiled.

[Mary Kish]

But I just could be any of them.

[Stanley Tucci]

Could about any of them.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

But anyway, yeah, I couldn't, I couldn't get out of it. I listened to an anxiety book to help me.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh wow, awesome. Well thank you.

[Stanley Tucci]

Did it help?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, a little bit. I think, I think when it was.

[Dan Reichert]

Sober that's fine I guess.

[Stanley Tucci]

But that on that re release new edition with that help me a little bit. That would be the funniest part.

[Mary Kish]

The 10 year anniversary, it was fine.

[Stanley Tucci]

And then there's mine under it's like I can't watch Gangs in New York anymore.

[Dan Reichert]

It is funny because like I've thought about like, because I wrote that 10 years ago and like I say in the book that was like anxiety is not a thing that it's a chronic thing. I'm not going to be like, oh, I'm never having.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, you're not solving it. The point of it isn't to solve It.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, but that's the thing is like in that 10 years I am still like literally today I was in therapy talking about my anxiety and stuff like that. And so it's like I do have another 10 years of like growth and learning and things like that. How stupid would it be to write anxiety as an ally too? Like just putting like a number on it still.

[Mary Kish]

Anxiety is anxious. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Anxiety. Anxiety is an ally too. Colon. I'm still anxious.

[Mary Kish]

I would, I mean, maybe.

[Dan Reichert]

I do have a lot I could talk about.

[Stanley Tucci]

And it's like, bring it on.

[Mary Kish]

Sequel. Bring it on some more Anxiety harder. Yeah, it's still here.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, they're back. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, I've got. I will actually say I hate when people say. No, I don't hate when people say it. You, you mentioned like what are some books that were life changing. I will say my favorite book of all time, that I actually, actually gave me more appreciation for life and people like. So it kind of changed my life is 100 years of solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is, I was reading. It's. It's a fairly long book and it's dense as hell. I remember reading that and like halfway through it, not knowing exactly where he's going. And then the more and more you, you get through the book, toward the end, I remember thinking, I, I don't understand how a human wrote this. This is like an alien that had been studying humanity from afar for a thousand years finally wrote a book to distill what humans are like. The book, the book is about the like, I think something like eight generations of one family living in this village in South America. And so the book starts with like the patriarch and the matriarch and then goes all the way through to their great, great, great, great, great grandchildren. I will also say it's magical realism. So some weird happens that's presented as quotidian, like normal. My, most of my favorite authors are like magical realism.

[Dan Reichert]

Like Jorge.

[Stanley Tucci]

Sorry, Jorge Luis Borges, who's Argentine writer. I also love his stuff. He's only ever done short stories, but if you can get labyrinths collection, like same thing. He, he's. I would consider him a genius, but yeah, 100 years of solitude is like. I remember putting that book down and feeling like I was actually different. It sounds so fucking stupid but. And it sounds like hoity toity. But it's an incredible book. One of the most unreal. I think it's my favorite like work of art. It's incredible. I will also say anything by Italo Calvino in The same vein. He's an Italian magical realist writer. Invisible Cities. It's not so much a novel as it is like he goes through these imaginary. Imaginary city. Invisible cities. I don't know. One of those two. One of my favorite books. I can't remember the names. Like Dina. He goes to different imaginary cities.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

If on a winner's night of travel.

[Mary Kish]

Think about her every day.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's amazing. And then I will say less like it wasn't life changing, but just the way it's constructed is amazing. It's like kind of reading a video game. House of Leaves. Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.

[Dan Reichert]

I've owned that for like 15 years and I keep meaning to. To read it. I. I love the like it does fun gimmicky things, you know, with like the text and blank pages and stuff. Like it seems really cool.

[Stanley Tucci]

You should. It's. I will say it's not as long as it looks because in true like God, that book's so cool. The back like hundred pages or something is like the Mass Effect codex where if you really want to dive into of the book, it's like not an index. It's. It's like the research papers that one of the characters has been reading in the story. You can actually look at what he was reading and get into the lore of stuff. So again, it's kind of video gamey.

[Dan Reichert]

But they were like Clockwork Orange. I remember they had a glossary where it's like means this and yes.

[Stanley Tucci]

But House of Leaves, for those who aren't familiar is. It was one of the biggest inspirations for Control from Remedy Energy Entertainment. If you've seen people reading it in public, it's kind of infamous for people like rotating the book to read it in public on subways. But yeah, he. It's. It's also a horror book. I should warn people. It gets creepy and it's like what's the kind of horror? It's unsettling horror.

[Dan Reichert]

He basically discovers not the resident evil.

[Stanley Tucci]

He discover. He moves into this house in Massachusetts, I want to say. And he's going through marriage problems at like the. It's one of those things where the book is kind of a metaphor for his marriage falling apart. He discovers this.

[Mary Kish]

Did he get divorced after?

[Stanley Tucci]

Have you not read it? Mary, you would love it. Of all people. I would say this might. You would love it. I think Lucy also loves that book too. It got big. It blew up again on social media after Alan Wake 2. But like I read it before that. So I'm Cooler than all those people. But yeah, he. He finds a doorway on the end. Like, on a exterior wall of his house. House that has a. Like, it's a closet that should not exist. He goes. Because it's. It should technically lead out of the house.

[Mary Kish]

But there's like, the lion, the Witch in the Wardrobe.

[Stanley Tucci]

It doesn't lead somewhere else. It's just a little closet that should technically be jutting out from the house. But when he looks at it from the outside, it's just the wall of the house. And each time he goes through this door, it starts building this, like, impossible space underground below his house. And they go on expeditions into it. And sometimes it's like, miles longer than it was before. But it's just like the sense of creeping dread in that book. It's not. It's. It's. I hope. I'm probably selling it terribly. It's an amazing book. But, like, if you're not up to be a bit creeped out, it's not. It's not the best book to read. Like, at night.

[Mary Kish]

Creepy book.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's amazing. I love it. But. But, yeah, I'd say 100 years solitude. I will also say one more. Brothers Kamazov is amazing. Like, for. I don't know. Dan, you know, nor McDonald was very well read. He loved, like, Russian literature. I will say Russian literature is, like, between. For as like, high futin. As it sounds. You read it and you're like, oh, I get why these are classics. These are hilarious. They're poignant. They're incredible stories. Like, they're. They're approachable as hell. Still, like, they're long as hell.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, I've heard the moth joke. I get it.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. Like that. He's emulating Nabokov and Tolstoy with that and Dostoevsky. But like Brothers Karamazov is unreal, Nathan. So you're already on good track there. But I will also say all the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Dore. He wrote the book Cloud Atlas that the movie's been based on. It was Cloud Atlas actually back here right now. All the light, we cannot see you. You two would also like that book. It basically, this war is too real.

[Mary Kish]

I love it when it's like, there's a demon and he's in the closet.

[Stanley Tucci]

Wait, how did I. How'd you know it's about war?

[Mary Kish]

Because anything important is usually about war. And I've heard there's no war.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, there is war in 100 years solitude. This book, all the Light We Cannot See is Now a Netflix show that sucks.

[Dan Reichert]

Sucks.

[Stanley Tucci]

So don't watch the show. The book is equal parts Indiana Jones meets, like, serious literature, which is what makes it great because it's basically, it's during World War II. They're at Mont St. Michel. It's this. You can look it up. It's off the coast of Normandy. There's a causeway. Mary, you were talking about 28 years later. But like, during high tide, you. The. The road narrows up.

[Mary Kish]

But maybe they read it and they were like, this would be a great zombie movie.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, probably about high tide. But no, it's. It's a father who lives there with his blind daughter during the war. And so, like, it starts off and he's building, like, mini replicas of the city to, like, so she could feel it and he can kind of tell her what it's like. However, there's also a parallel plot about a Nazi, like, Colonel Lieutenant trying to track down these famous gems that went missing from the museum in Paris. Paris. So, like, it's equal parts Indiana Jones adventure and there's Nazis and this really touching story about a father and daughter. And it's just. It's fairly long, but I went through, I think, in a weekend. It's the most readable thing ever. Really, really good. And then the daughter befriends, I think a Nazi soldier, if memory serves. It's really good. Yeah. 100 years solitude is like. Is the. Is the book to read before you die? If anybody. Whatever. That's my official answer for that. But anyway, thank you, Nathan. That's our episode. Yeah. Like I said. Firescapecast gmail.com sending questions. We're. You guys read like eight emails again. When I was gone, it looked like based on the run of show.

[Mary Kish]

Is that every time you're doing that to annoy me? Dan is like, I love reading 400 emails.

[Dan Reichert]

I love emails.

[Stanley Tucci]

Are you doing it to get under my skin?

[Dan Reichert]

No, I've literally never. It's never been a bit. It's just like all. No, I thought about me and I like answering emails and 100%, I pull a bunch in there. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I think Dan doesn't have evil bone in his body. I didn't. I don't even think he questions other people in his life. He's just that obtuse.

[Dan Reichert]

Wow. I don't know how to take that.

[Stanley Tucci]

Went from a compliment to really lethal.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm dizzy after that one.

[Stanley Tucci]

Jesus Christ.

[Dan Reichert]

Jesus.

[Stanley Tucci]

That comment was a work of literature, Butcher. I just. It was.

[Dan Reichert]

So I went from oh, thank you to wait What?

[Stanley Tucci]

Jesus Christ. She's calling me a dumbass in polite terms.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know where I am.

[Stanley Tucci]

It was the. Mary, you are the most vicious of all three of us. And it comes out of nowhere. And I've got. You would think I would have gotten used to it after 10 years. Now I have not. It's.

[Mary Kish]

Anyway, he didn't do a bad bone in his bio.

[Dan Reichert]

Thanks so much. He. He's a dipshit. What?

[Stanley Tucci]

Okay. He's not. He's not evil. He's just a.

[Dan Reichert]

He's a sociopath.

[Stanley Tucci]

Oh, yikes. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Fire.

[Stanley Tucci]

That's our episode. Trying to move on.

[Mary Kish]

I think I lost multiple friends on this one. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

What do you have. What do you have going on as well, Aside from reconnecting with Dina. Nina.

[Mary Kish]

I'm not reconnecting with Nina. That was the whole point of that. I. I am still streaming on Twitch every Monday. I am not listening to musicals. I don't have anything else that's going on in my life.

[Stanley Tucci]

Okay, cool. I don't give a shit. Dan, what do you got going on?

[Dan Reichert]

Giant bomb dot com. That's the whole thing. Giantbomb dot com Join Support Independent Games Media. We're kill over there, and I'm about to make Jeff Grubb play Jurassic park trespasser on Blake Club. If you don't know what that is, it's going to be a very special thing. So check out giantbomb.com and then I'm Dan Reichert on whatever. So cool.

[Stanley Tucci]

Mary. I'm kind of fucking annoyed you didn't mention that. We're back with resident Knievel.

[Mary Kish]

We are back with resident Canadian 11 months.

[Stanley Tucci]

Dan, do you know. Do you know the context of this?

[Dan Reichert]

I saw that. Like, I saw people being like, holy shit, a new episode.

[Stanley Tucci]

They're like, I don't. I truly don't know how it got 11 months. So. Okay. It's funnier because.

[Dan Reichert]

Remake, right? A four remake.

[Stanley Tucci]

We got nine tenths of the way through the game, like, literally before the Krauser knife fight, and then just didn't post an episode for 11 months.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I get it. It's a miracle sometimes that we get the three of us together for a few hours. You know, there's a comment.

[Stanley Tucci]

There's like. There's like 11 months. Y' all have not been that busy. And I want to respond. Be like, you just bought yourself another 11 months, buddy. I forgot. Are you cool be commenting that. No. There's no.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. There's no excuse in the world. We just we were busy. We did one.

[Stanley Tucci]

Mary had to come back to a game she hadn't played in 11 months. It is arguably maybe the most difficult boss fight in that game that she had to. Then which one?

[Dan Reichert]

Wait, Krauser or Krauser? Yeah. Oh, nice, nice.

[Stanley Tucci]

In the remake, I would actually say Salazar is tough because they totally changed that one.

[Dan Reichert]

Right.

[Stanley Tucci]

I haven't played the remake.

[Mary Kish]

I couldn't dodge.

[Stanley Tucci]

They added the new arena. But then also. Yeah, he, like, puts mines all over the floor. I would actually say it is not good, that fight.

[Mary Kish]

You said that when we played it, you were like, I don't care for this boss fight.

[Stanley Tucci]

Rewatching you. I was like, it cemented. I don't like it. That's a whole other thing.

[Dan Reichert]

But, yeah, we're back.

[Stanley Tucci]

I think the finale is probably the next episode. But yeah, that's. That's not a paid thing if that's just on our YouTube channel. So go subscribe there. So, you know, when the next one comes up, whether it's next week or next year, we'll finish Resident Evil 4 remake. And then we got to figure out what else because we want to play other stuff.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, we're going to figure out the Next1.

[Stanley Tucci]

Revelations 2 is one of the lost episodes, as is the. What the hell? The Jake campaign from Resident Evil 6.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yikes.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, we played all the other two. We played Chris's and Leon's.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, we were like, mad.

[Stanley Tucci]

There's four, isn't there four. Oh, eight. As you unlock when you.

[Dan Reichert]

There's four. Yeah. We haven't played rough.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, it was fun playing through it because we fought. You can share the misery. No, five was the one that we actually, like, did not talk for a few days after that episode. Yeah, no, that's back. And then if you're listening to this, there's a new episode. We were a bit late because I was traveling, but Vinny and I have a new Mike and Vinny save the world up on Fire. Fire escape that is paid. You have to be a video tier member for that. And then we're also playing an evil campaign over on Next Lander itself. If you're not a Patreon patron for Next Lander, you should be. Those guys are great. And we've been playing those two parallel campaigns, and they're. It's going even better than I had hoped for because the campaigns are so fucking different. It's a struggle in the Fire Escape one, but I think we're turning the tide. Finally. We're in episode 12 or something that's a very fun show. I like playing Warhammer with Vinnie in the mornings over coffee. Yeah. We'll be back in two weeks. I'm going to work on that mousepad. Yeah, wait, I got to rest.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, you did say you're going to do it, so I think you have to do, like, make note on it.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah, that'll probably be on fourth. Fourth wall did reach out and say, do you guys. We'd love to offer you, like a free design. Just give us the prompt and we'll make it for. For you. I wonder if she would ask why I'm saying, hey, can you get us a mouse pad that says, I didn't care for Hamilton and there's a moon in Wheel World? Suck my dick.

[Dan Reichert]

I think I trust you to make that.

[Stanley Tucci]

I'll make it. I'm just saying I don't know if we want to ask 4th wall because they reached out.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I think you'll do a great job with it. I wanted to be a Marty original.

[Mary Kish]

I wanted to do like a, like, it's like a stitched, like a stitch.

[Dan Reichert]

Like a crochet. Like stitch.

[Mary Kish]

Like a. Grandma made it.

[Dan Reichert]

God bless the home thing. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. God bless this mess type situation.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Okay. Live, laugh, love. Sweet. Yeah. We'll be back in two weeks. The next episode of Fire Escape. What episode is this? Like 113 something?

[Dan Reichert]

Sure. You could say anything, I think.

[Stanley Tucci]

Okay. We'll be back with the hunt.

[Mary Kish]

Would know.

[Stanley Tucci]

We'll be back with episode 134 in a couple weeks. Until then, I feel like we're missing something.

[Mary Kish]

Are we hot?

[Stanley Tucci]

Mary? Mary, Usually up the merch.

[Mary Kish]

Stay wet.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. Stay wet.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yikes. That's. That would be a good mouse pad too.

[Dan Reichert]

Just. Yeah. Make the. While you're in the the back end there, do stay wet. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Wait, hold on. Where's our emails?

[Stanley Tucci]

I want to be. I want to be. I, I, I want to be cremated. Unless my wife agrees to put a shirt on my dead body at the open casket wake. And the shirt just says stay wet.

[Dan Reichert]

But no pants. Dick hanging out, no pants.

[Stanley Tucci]

Figure out how to make me erect when I'm dead.

[Mary Kish]

Completely heart.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, they can do the taxidermy. People can totally do that.

[Mary Kish]

Absolutely.

[Stanley Tucci]

No, no, no, no, no. I'm saying I need someone formaldehyde.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, just a video playing above your dead face.

[Stanley Tucci]

I want a fluffer at my funeral to make sure I stay hard when I'm dead.

[Dan Reichert]

Sure.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think that's how, how dicks work. Dicks work. Happy anniversary Debbie and Daryl. We're so happy for you.

[Stanley Tucci]

It's crazy. Yeah, in a good way. Not crazy, bad.

[Mary Kish]

Not in a weird way, but in a supportive way.

[Stanley Tucci]

Deborah, Bye.

[Mary Kish]

Bye Deborah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Dina by Deborah Bye Deborah, Debbie and Daryl. Happy Anniverso Deum and D Real Enjoy. Enjoy. Awasas the band. I hope they sing Wander Wang. We'll see you next episode.

[Mary Kish]

Bye.

[Dan Reichert]

Hamilton People marries the enemy Shamilton.

[Stanley Tucci]

Shamilton.

[Dan Reichert]

Hamilton.

[Stanley Tucci]

Shamilton is funny.

[Dan Reichert]

That's what Mary said.

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. You're gonna get. You're gonna get. Oh, we get Hamilton and hate some little theater.

[Mary Kish]

Get me?

[Stanley Tucci]

Yeah. Stay out of mid.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. They're going to sing insults at you.

[Mary Kish]

I know they're going to. She's a.

[Stanley Tucci]

That's exactly how it go.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Stanley Tucci]

Are we out? Is this it?

[Dan Reichert]

Probably. Yeah. End it.

[Stanley Tucci]

I already did.

[Dan Reichert]

You kept talking. Stop. Sam.