John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars LIVE! w/ Nick Kroll

Summary

Podcast Summary: How Did This Get Made? – John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars LIVE! w/ Nick Kroll (Recorded Live at Largo, Oct 31, 2025)

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Episode Overview

In this lively and hilarious live episode, Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas are joined by special guest Nick Kroll to break down John Carpenter's infamous sci-fi bomb “Ghosts of Mars” (2001). Recorded on Halloween at Largo in Los Angeles, the crew dissects the movie’s bizarre choices, nonsensical plotting, strange production history, unexpected cult status, and more, all through their signature blend of sharp wit and genuine confusion. Audience questions, deep-dive factoids, and impromptu musical numbers make this a rollicking dissection of “the best of the worst.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. First Impressions & Movie Premise

• The hosts marvel at the film's awkward title (“double plurals!”) and recap the plot as a Martian police unit encountering possessed miners on Mars, with layers of unnecessary flashbacks.
• Paul (02:44): “It is a movie that takes place in 2176, when a Martian police unit is sent to pick up a highly dangerous criminal at a remote mining planet. Upon arrival, the cops find that the post has become a charnel house… what the fuck is a charnel house, IMDb?”
• June (05:05): “This is a movie ... that has flashbacks inside of flashbacks inside of other characters’ flashbacks. This shit is fucking impossible.”
• They joke about the Criterion Channel hosting the film and director Luca Guadagnino including it in his top 10 of the 21st century, to universal disbelief.

2. Critiquing the Film Structure and Logic

• Frequent complaint: “Ghosts of Mars” is told through a confusing frame narrative of flashbacks within flashbacks, making following the plot nearly impossible.
• Ridiculous transportation scenes (slow trains/vehicles) are lampooned by June and Nick:
  • June (13:15): “...in this future, we have the technology to go to Mars, but we don’t have the technology to make trains go faster than four miles an hour?”
  • Nick (14:09): “Is this a gravity issue?”
• Inconsistent use of oxygen breathers on Mars.
  • June (15:01): “Oxygen goggles does sound like a Bob Ducca malady.”

3. Production Oddities & Behind-the-Scenes Trivia

• Guest Nick Kroll brings research, including having texted cast member Clea DuVall.
  • Nick (27:29): “She said she had a blast making it: two months in the desert. Great night shoots. John Carpenter didn’t like to start before 11am.”
• John Carpenter himself composed the soundtrack, gathering rock/metal musicians, which leads to bemusement at the film’s relentless guitar score.

4. Themes & Social Commentary (or Lack Thereof)

• The hosts wrestle with the matriarchal society setup, ultimately learning from an audience member that Carpenter only included it to justify potential makeouts between Natasha Henstridge and Pam Grier.
  • Audience (51:58): “John Carpenter says the reason he made it a matriarchal society was just because he wanted to set up Natasha Henstridge and Pam Grier making out at some point.”
• Attempts to parse whether the film addresses colonization, Native American themes, ghosts as metaphor, etc.
  • June (42:27): “They're basically like, Mars isn’t theirs anymore, it’s ours. ... I’m rooting for the ghosts, but also—?”

5. Costuming & Character Choices

• Obsession with Natasha Henstridge’s pristine sweater (“my company made all the sweaters for the movie”—a real Amazon review read by Paul at [68:44]):
  • June (20:49): “She has just been in knife fights with ghost human mutants…her sweater is pristine.”
• Jokes about Jason Statham’s thinning hair and his “first on-screen kiss.”
  • Paul (22:56): “What a great choice for Jason Statham to be like, ‘no, get this peach fuzz out of here…’”

6. Plot Holes, Absurdities, & Unintended Comedy

• Why do characters keep killing possessed people, knowing it only releases the ghosts?
  • June (26:43): “Whoever’s in front of them, just killing people, letting all the ghosts loose. Contain them. Contain the ghosts!”
• Debate about the “ghost cam” and whether Martian ghosts are actually just wind that possess anyone nearby.
• Extended riffing on the grotesque and impractical head-on-a-stick visual motif.

7. Audience Participation & Second Opinions

• Audience questions elicit reveals:
  • The Big Bad is literally called “Big Daddy Mars.”
  • The original star was supposed to be Courtney Love, but she dropped out after her boyfriend ran over her foot.
• Musical “second opinion” (61:59):
  • Jason (Song): “Everything is exploding / Now it's a standoff and Pam Grier’s head on a spike / And this town’s looking like an abattoir / ‘Cause that rolling red mist, baby, we're the ghosts of Mar.”

8. Final Reviews & Recommendations

• All the hosts agree: do not recommend watching the movie (“I absolutely hated watching this movie”—June, 70:29).
• Recurring theme: the movie can only be enjoyed as a companion to its own absurdity, or as preparation for the episode.
• Nick Kroll recommends listening to the Blank Check episode on this movie, not actually watching it.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the movie’s confusing structure:

• Jason (05:05): “This is a movie, maybe the first movie we’ve ever done that has flashbacks inside of flashbacks inside of other characters’ flashbacks. This shit is fucking impossible.”

On its legitimacy as a Criterion film:

• June (05:43): “I think I can say this is the very first time for the podcast that I’ve watched a movie on the Criterion Channel.”

On Matriarchies in Space:

• Paul (12:24): “Mars has been terraformed and it has a matriarchal society, which doesn’t seem to play into much of anything else in the film.”

On the Ghosts’ Motivation:

• June (55:13): “Why do they want to put so many heads on sticks? … That’s so extra of them.”

On Production Design:

• June (30:24): “The tunnel that seemed like it was very nicely designed also just had, like, a nice aesthetic to it.”

On the DVD Review:

• Paul reading review (65:42): “My disc of this movie got jammed in the DVD player, but it still played the other movies…so I’m keeping that one in case this movie gets jammed. Five stars, Ghost of Mars.”

On the film’s supposed comedy:

• Paul (72:26): “I feel like what John Carpenter will say is, ‘You didn’t get it. This is a comedy.’ I guess I had to make the jokes bigger. And that, I’m paraphrasing, but that’s what he is saying.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:31 – Show proper begins
• 04:44 – Introduction of Ghosts of Mars, plot rundown, Criterion/Guadagnino bit
• 10:01 – Nick Kroll joins the panel
• 12:47 – Discussion of the matriarchal society and questionable exposition
• 13:09 – Extended “slow trains” and Martian infrastructure riffing
• 15:01 – Oxygen goggles, “breathers” confusion and dental hygiene digression
• 20:30 – Henstridge’s sweater; character costuming
• 22:56 – Jason Statham’s hair and “first on-screen kiss”
• 24:05 – Escape from New York sequel urban legend debunked
• 26:43 – Why do they keep killing the possessed?
• 27:29 – Clea DuVall on filming, Carpenter’s nocturnal production habits
• 34:00 – Martian fish orca flashback sequence riffing
• 42:27 – Themes of colonization, “rooting for the ghosts”
• 51:38 – Audience Q&A: matriarchy origin, Courtney Love casting, “Big Daddy Mars”
• 61:59 – “Second Opinions” musical number (Jason Mantzoukas)
• 70:29 – Final verdicts: unanimous “no” to watching
• 72:26 – John Carpenter “it was meant as a comedy” theory

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Additional Fun

• Audience Costume: Jafar comes in cosplay with a “hand bra,” referencing the movie’s costume weirdness ([51:38]).
• Impromptu Song: Jason performs a “Bruce Springsteen” style summary of the movie’s plot ([61:59]).
• Production Factoid: Courtney Love was the original cast for the lead, dropped last minute due to foot injury ([52:21]).
• Review Readings: Hosts read surreal Amazon reviews, including one from “my company made all the sweaters for this movie” ([68:44]).
• Running Gag: Obsession with the quality and persistence of Natasha Henstridge’s sweater.
• Shower Loneliness: June discusses decorating her shower and listening to podcasts in there ([17:04]).

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The Panel’s Final Take

• Ghosts of Mars is an incoherent, joyless, but inadvertently hilarious mess with endlessly odd and lazy filmmaking choices. The comedy of the hosts is far superior to the comedy (intentional or not) in the film itself.
• Paul: “It looks like something you’d see at a theme park stunt show. Waterworld’s stunt spectacular is way better than this.”
• June: “Absolutely hated watching this movie. I had to set timers to take breaks. Suffering all the way through.”
• Nick: “I can’t recommend this movie, but I can recommend the Blank Check episode talking about it.”
• The hosts suggest: Skip the movie, enjoy the podcast.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Seen the Movie

This episode offers everything a fan of bad movies or comedic critique could want: wild tangents, sharp insight, production gossip, gleeful evisceration, and genuine confusion. Even if you haven’t seen “Ghosts of Mars”—and you really don’t need to—you’ll be thoroughly entertained by the panel’s fabulous mix of sarcasm and sincere engagement with cinematic absurdity.

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Episode Length: ~79 minutes
Special Guest: Nick Kroll
Notable Audience Interaction: Yes
Rewatch Required by Hosts: No!

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“So much to unpack in John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars. Would you recommend it? I’ve watched it twice.” – Paul Scheer (70:18)
“No.” – June Diane Raphael and the entire panel (70:29)

Transcript

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[Paul Scheer]

Get jacked and ready double tough because we saw John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars so you know what that means.

[June Diane Raphael]

Big.

[Paul Scheer]

Paul in the beautiful Jewel gonna take you from the grove all the way to the room Renegade the street Fighter helps with blow off steam Just a sucker punch the eye Life of Tiffany's brain how we staying alive they call it in the badass and he's on the line cranking 88 minutes cause they cool as ice cause they bad Jim funny looking kind and nice calling Joe getting literal Jason is getting lame jewelers making shout all the monkey shots in the pain and just a bunch of movies while they making the grade Here's a real question for you.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

How did this get hello people of Los Angeles and hello people of Earth. Welcome to how did this get Made?

[Paul Scheer]

We are live in Los Angeles to talk about a movie that is very hard to say because it's got double plurals in it. John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars as if there's Been other ghosts of Mars to distinguish it from. You know, they say in space no one can hear you scream. In this film, no one can hear you scream because they couldn't afford extras. Movie came out 2001 to 23% on the Tomatometer and 25% on the audience score. Now you might be like, well, I didn't watch it. What is this movie about? Well, let me tell you. It is a movie that takes place in 2176, when a Martian police unit is sent to pick up a highly dangerous criminal at a remote mining planet. Upon arrival, the cops find that the post has become a charnel house. What is that, IMDb? What's a char. Anyone know what a charnel house is? Oh, wow. IMDb. Fucking just say fucking Martians are there. I don't. Charnel house. Well, thank you, charnel house. That's really the best description of this movie. It leaves you wanting, like you could have said a million other things. Charnel house. That actually probably the best description of a movie ever. Or this movie. We're gonna break it all down. I mean, we're gonna take you through every moment of this film. And in order, unlike the film, a movie that has flashbacks within flashbacks. That's the way you do it. Now, to break down this movie, I have to introduce my co host. Please welcome to the stage, Mr. Jason Mantzoukas.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

What's up, jerks? Yeah, let's go.

[Paul Scheer]

Welcome, Jason.

[June Diane Raphael]

We're back in Largo.

[Paul Scheer]

We are back in Largo to talk about a movie that takes place in a charnel house.

[June Diane Raphael]

Holy. What the. What even the was. This is a movie, maybe the first movie we've ever done that has flashbacks inside of flashbacks inside of other characters. Flashbacks. This shit is fucking impossible.

[Paul Scheer]

A movie that makes the bold move to do a dissolve as two characters walk two feet down a hallway. At some point, someone's like, gotta make it quicker. They didn't even move down the hall. They just moved two feet faster.

[June Diane Raphael]

Incredible. Stu. This was. I mean, and I think I can say this the very first time for the podcast that I've watched a movie on the Criterion channel.

[Paul Scheer]

It is.

[June Diane Raphael]

This movie is on Criterion right now.

[Paul Scheer]

I want to break down possibly why that is, but I need everyone out here to see their reaction. So let's bring out another fan of Ghosts and John Carpenter.

[June Diane Raphael]

Please welcome Ghost of John Carpenter, the sequel.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Please welcome June Diane Raphio.

[Paul Scheer]

Welcome, June. How are you?

[June Diane Raphael]

I'm well. How are you, Paul?

[Paul Scheer]

I'm well and you know, June, I just have to bring it up before we even start the show. Been a big fan of you on 911.

[June Diane Raphael]

Because you are obsessed. We were talking about it backstage. Obsessed.

[Paul Scheer]

You are in 911 if you've not been watching in a geostorm.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's correct.

[Paul Scheer]

Not like a geostorm. You are in a geostorm. They say geostorm and you are in it. So.

[June Diane Raphael]

And I just have to say, okay, I'm gonna be so for real right now. I've heard you. I was not on the Geostorm episode. I wasn't at that show. And I know it became a big thing within the community.

And I don't have to keep thinking about the community. Disconnect.

The disconnect, I have to say. And I'm not afraid to be vulnerable right now. And honestly, I never knew what it was.

[Paul Scheer]

Wow.

[June Diane Raphael]

And I knew people would shout it out at us. We shouted it at Jason when we saw him at a cafe, and we shouted it from our minivan.

And I didn't know it was them. And they did it for minutes.

Long time.

Somebody fucking behind me is really pissing me off.

[Paul Scheer]

Forced you to turn around. We were the most annoying fans of you.

[June Diane Raphael]

It was amazing.

So what's so wild is to now understand what it is and to actually be such a big part of it, you know, and to have to contend with it in the way that I do.

[Paul Scheer]

We live in geostorm. You live through a geostorm.

[June Diane Raphael]

I would argue that if anything deserves to be like, a second look at, it's Geostorm with June on the.

Oh, that's interesting. I'd be happy to do it.

Sometimes people ask us, would you cover a movie again? Or something like that. I think the only way to do it is if you were not there. And we just need those eyeballs on it.

Well, I will say Paul really hurt my feelings, Jason. Cause I said, I know. I was telling him about my work on the show. And I said, I'm gonna be a Macronaut. It's sort of like a. What was that? The Katy Perry. What was that called? Blue Origin. It's sort of like that. And I said, it's really great. And then Paul saw the preview, and he goes, you're in a geostorm. And I said, I guess I am. And he goes, that's why they cast you.

[Paul Scheer]

No, I didn't say it like that.

[June Diane Raphael]

Said it like that.

[Paul Scheer]

I didn't say it like that.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, they're hoping to get that. How did this get made?

[Nick Kroll]

Bump.

[June Diane Raphael]

They wanted the Community.

[Paul Scheer]

Popular show on tv. I just was saying that if you.

[June Diane Raphael]

Said that's why they cast you. And I said, well, I think my body of work speaks for itself, but, yes, true. Thank you, community members.

[Paul Scheer]

Now, without any further ado, we've made our triumphant return to Largo, and we could not do it without a true. How did this get made, All Star? You know, this gentleman, from his tremendously amazing body of work that includes the shows like Big Mouth and the league, please welcome Mr. Nick Kroll. Boo.

[June Diane Raphael]

Boo.

[Paul Scheer]

Welcome. Welcome back, Nick.

[Nick Kroll]

Am I.

[Paul Scheer]

You are.

[June Diane Raphael]

Mic's not on.

[Paul Scheer]

Wait, let's see if it's not on here. I got a backup mic over here. Let's see if we can give you that. All right. How's that work?

[Nick Kroll]

Good?

[June Diane Raphael]

Better.

[Nick Kroll]

Sorry, I was just talking about the Riyadh Comedy Festival.

[Paul Scheer]

By the way, you were great. I got to watch your set. I.

[Nick Kroll]

Thank you.

[June Diane Raphael]

Thank you.

[Paul Scheer]

I bought the pay per view of the whole event. It was really fun.

[June Diane Raphael]

It was so funny. Heads were rolling. I'm back, baby.

[Paul Scheer]

Ghosts of Mars, a movie that I watched twice because. What?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

What?

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, because at one point I was like, am I missing something? And I think.

[June Diane Raphael]

I wonder that every movie we do.

[Paul Scheer]

And I think kind of yes and kind of no. And I want to answer this thing. Jason said he watched it on the Criterion Channel. Right. You can get that on the. You know, the app. It's a great service. I love it.

[June Diane Raphael]

I didn't know movies like this. I thought.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay.

[June Diane Raphael]

I'm just as shocked as you were.

Okay, I didn't know.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, you might be surprised. A little fun fact that Luca Guadadino, the, you know, director of Challenger's Call Me by youy Name, included John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars on his New York Times list of the 10 best movies of the 21st century. What?

[June Diane Raphael]

What are you talking about?

[Paul Scheer]

Just want to throw it out there.

[June Diane Raphael]

Because that's genuinely heartbreaking.

[Paul Scheer]

It's an odd one. And I found that in my little bit of research. It's a movie that people really go to bat for. And then other people are like, I am severing ties with you because of this opinion.

[June Diane Raphael]

What could those people be saying?

Well, I will.

I mean, what is.

Here's the thing.

There's nothing to go to bat for.

Well, there is certain. I feel like this movie gets maybe a pass from people simply because, at the very least, it's a John Carpenter movie. So you.

[Nick Kroll]

Well, how do you. But how do you know that it's a John Carpenter movie?

[June Diane Raphael]

Because my guy's going to tell you every time you look at it.

[Paul Scheer]

We Got to make sure that people do not get confused. This is John Carpenter's the Ghost of Mars.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

I'm always wary of movies where they drop a bunch of exposition before I know I'm supposed to pay attention. Like, I'm like, oh, wait, I didn't hear any of that. I just watched that. And then I went back and rewound it. And yes, it's 2176. Mars has been terraformed and it has a matriarchal society, which doesn't seem to play into much of anything else in the film.

[June Diane Raphael]

But the panel is all women.

[Nick Kroll]

It's all women. So.

[June Diane Raphael]

There you go.

[Paul Scheer]

Check. Done. We did it. Yeah, there is. And the movie. You know, the movie starts off like all great space movies. Techno music and a train.

[June Diane Raphael]

A train. I want to talk. I guess I'd like to start with the train, if that's okay.

[Paul Scheer]

Sure.

[June Diane Raphael]

And I'm gonna. I'm just gonna jump to the end real quick because just like the movie, I was amazed. Yep, that's right. Right. There's so many flashbacks within flashbacks within flashbacks. It's hard to kind of keep track of where we were. But at the point where we really need that train to move, like, we gotta get the fuck out of there. I'm like, wow, in this future, we have the technology to go to Mars, but we don't have the technology to make trains go faster than four miles an hour.

None of the transportation moves faster than, I'm gonna say a bird.

[Paul Scheer]

Scooter.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yes.

Like everything. When they are. When they finally manage to get in the transport and all they need to do is drive to the train, it should be like. But they are easily swarmed by slow moving.

And you know what I thought. Can I just say something? Because I just was in space. Nick. If you allow me.

[Nick Kroll]

No, I wanted your expert opinion on this.

[June Diane Raphael]

If I could be a woman on a panel for a second.

[Nick Kroll]

Sure.

[June Diane Raphael]

Everything was moving so slowly and the transportation that I. I did think, is this a gravity issue? Is this. Are we not able to push for some reason?

[Paul Scheer]

A gravity issue that would allow a train to move slow but a hot air balloon to stay on track. No problem. Also. Hot air balloon on Mars.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

I loved that. I loved it. I'm also having so much trouble figuring out when do they need breathing help and when do they not need breathing help?

[Nick Kroll]

That was. They explained that early on.

[Paul Scheer]

Right.

[Nick Kroll]

With one center sentence.

[June Diane Raphael]

And then they.

[Paul Scheer]

They say something about the. They say something about the oxygen. Oxygen goggles. Here. I. Let's see here. I can Play the little clip here.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oxygen goggles. Does sound like a bob, Duke.

[Nick Kroll]

I was gonna say oxygen goggles and goggles.

[June Diane Raphael]

Rookies, use your breathers.

[Paul Scheer]

We're not gonna have air like Earth for 10 more years. Let's go.

[June Diane Raphael]

10 more years.

[Nick Kroll]

And the goggles are.

[Paul Scheer]

They don't cover the nose.

[June Diane Raphael]

Right.

[Nick Kroll]

They just call the glasses breathers.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

The glasses.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

Are breathers. Come on now.

[Paul Scheer]

And this is all they kind of say is like, you'll get used to it.

[June Diane Raphael]

Two years ago, we were still wearing full face. Breathers. Yeah. It takes about a month to get.

[Paul Scheer]

Over the headaches out here. Yeah. I mean, what I just think to. Why did the breathers decide stay over the eyes. Just give me a little thing over the nose. Give me, you know, anything.

[Nick Kroll]

Well, I guess, June, as someone again, who has spent a lot of time at this point in space.

[June Diane Raphael]

Go ahead.

[Nick Kroll]

Is it possible that more oxygen is passed through the eyeballs and eye sockets than through the respiratory. Natural. What we would think of as respiratory system.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah. I mean, as far as I know, the eyes are. They're an opening to the body. So it's a good question.

[Paul Scheer]

I'm writing.

[June Diane Raphael]

Are they on orifice? So it's possible.

Are they connected to your lungs at all?

Yeah, that's such a good question. I. I'm sure. I'm. I'm sure you could breathe through your eyes in the future.

True.

[Nick Kroll]

You know, I have a related question, June.

[June Diane Raphael]

What's up?

[Nick Kroll]

If you ever brush your teeth in the shower and you get a little toothpaste on your finger, and then you mistakenly rub your eye, do you think the eye tastes the mint?

[June Diane Raphael]

I don't know about that. But you can smell through your eyes. I know that.

[Nick Kroll]

There you go. So that's why it's the breather.

[June Diane Raphael]

I think.

I think only lunatics brush their teeth.

In the show, by the way. I totally agree.

[Paul Scheer]

I've never been on board with that. I didn't understand it. I don't do it.

[Nick Kroll]

I do it all the time.

[Paul Scheer]

Really?

[Nick Kroll]

I smoke cigars in there.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, I mean, you are talking to a person who has decorated our shower to be less lonely.

[June Diane Raphael]

I get lonely in there. And to me, it's a long time to spend with your own thoughts. So I was on a very strange TikTok algorithm about just like people who struggle with. And I'm very hygienic, but struggle with that time.

So Shower Loneliness.

[Nick Kroll]

It's another Bob Duka malady.

[June Diane Raphael]

Shower Loneliness.

It was a very strange wormhole I was in. But a lot of People suggested bringing people. And then I found a small lamp.

[Paul Scheer]

A lamp.

[June Diane Raphael]

And I realized I can put a candle in here. And so now I have a lamp. Lovely little lamp on a shelf. And then I built another shelf. There's a candle on there that crystals. Some crystals.

Yeah, some crystals. A billy crystal standee.

[Paul Scheer]

All I do is bump into things in the shower. I am, anytime I lift my arm, I'm knocking over shelves, lamps are falling on me. I. I have been. My movement is constricted. I have to almost.

[June Diane Raphael]

You sound like a very crowded shower.

[Paul Scheer]

I literally raised my hand the other day and punched that shelf so hard I was like, ah. Now I'm hurt in the shower.

[June Diane Raphael]

Do you listen to anything in the shower?

Yes, I do listen to my podcast friends. Of course.

Okay.

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[Nick Kroll]

You listen to your own podcast?

[June Diane Raphael]

Yes. To the sounds of Jessica Sinclair. Jason Mancukis.

[Paul Scheer]

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[Paul Scheer]

Here'S the thing I'll say about this movie. Yeah, the breathers, whatever. I'm more concerned on why Natasha Hendrich wears a nice sweater that gets it looks like she wakes up as a catalog model. She has just been in knife fights with ghost human mutants.

[June Diane Raphael]

I don't know, something.

[Paul Scheer]

She has the smallest nick on her neck, like as if she was shaving. And yet her sweater is pristine and she seems to not have any real gear on top of it. Sometimes the sweater's on, sometimes she's wearing.

[June Diane Raphael]

A jacket, but that's more of a long sleeve tee. Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

Than sweater.

[Paul Scheer]

A mock turtleneck.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah. I mean, what I wanted to really know about her was what drug is she taking?

Yes.

That Clear.

Oh, is that what it's called?

[Paul Scheer]

Clear.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, I have it here listed as TSA Pre. Worth it.

[Paul Scheer]

That was pretty good.

[Nick Kroll]

She is weirdly kind of dressed like a clear employee, right?

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah. She feels formal, but she's not wearing a uniform. And I like that.

[June Diane Raphael]

I would love to know what. Paul, can you tell me if you have it in there, how many years is this from the movie Aliens? Well, this movie is so heavily.

[Paul Scheer]

2001.

[Audience Member / Guest]

What?

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

This is when this movie came out in the 2000s.

[Paul Scheer]

2001.

[Nick Kroll]

This movie came out in August 2001.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[Nick Kroll]

It's fair to say it's responsible for 9, 11, I think.

[Paul Scheer]

So they saw it and they were like, that's it. We got to go in there. We got a shake show.

[Nick Kroll]

They've reached the pinnacle of their culture.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, every. Everything. Everything was going fine on those flights, but they played this movie on the in flight.

[Paul Scheer]

We expected more from John Carpenter.

[June Diane Raphael]

I will say that there is a time period between 2000 and 2010 that I feel like we can't accept. Movies on this podcast came out during that decade. It's never not absolutely shocking.

It's this movie felt. I genuinely felt like you were gonna say like this movie came out in 1987.

[Paul Scheer]

Well, I also will say, you know, as a bald man, I'm always watching bald people, how they've made their choices. Yeah. And what a great choice for Jason Statham to be like, no, no, no, get this peach fuzz out of here. I gotta shave this dome. Because it does not. That kind of does not look good.

[June Diane Raphael]

It's so Rare to see him with that much hair. So much so that you see it thinning. You're like, oh, wow, there it is.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, yeah. He's a man that is going bald. Like it is. A lot of it is left town. It's also his first on screen Kiss, so.

[Nick Kroll]

Oh, wow.

[Paul Scheer]

You know, he's getting close.

[June Diane Raphael]

And that's because you keep that. You still keep that website.

[Paul Scheer]

I keep a website called First Kiss and Last Bald. So it's. Before you go full bald. And. Yeah, First Kiss, Last Bald is. It's a beautiful website.

[June Diane Raphael]

It's Bonfire of the Vanity.

[Nick Kroll]

I wish this became the future of Jump the Shark. It's one of those. You know what I mean? It's one of those First Kiss last.

[June Diane Raphael]

Balls where when they went to space, it was totally First Kiss last Ball.

[Paul Scheer]

But this cast is like all of my favorite people bangers, like, 100%. And none of them seem to be excited to be there. Ultimately, I did read an interesting fact that this was written as a sequel to Escape from New York. Escape from la.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

And this would be Escape from Mars.

[Nick Kroll]

But I. I was. I did almost zero research to be told by someone else who did research.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay, that.

[Nick Kroll]

That is not true.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, good, I'm glad. Well, there we go.

[Nick Kroll]

Blank Check. Blank check said it was not true. That's who I heard it on. Because I was trying to do research to do this podcast.

[June Diane Raphael]

And you're. And you're listening to the Blank Check podcast.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. It's so great. Honestly. Can I. I'm sorry. If I could do this, you guys at home. I mean, you guys here in the theater, you're stuck here. But if you're listening to this podcast at home. No, go check out.

[June Diane Raphael]

No, no, no. Wait a second, wait a second.

[Nick Kroll]

Take on Ghost Stars.

[June Diane Raphael]

Listen, if you. To listen to it, listen to maybe the Used Car episode.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, yeah, Jason and I are on that. That's a good one.

[Nick Kroll]

But if you like the Used Car episode, check out their Blank Check episode.

[June Diane Raphael]

Wait, the episode about Blank Check, the movie Blank Check?

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah. I will say Ice Cube is dressed like snake. He's wearing the same black top.

[Nick Kroll]

I thought you were going to say. And. But Ice Cube is. He's Grace under fire in this movie.

[Paul Scheer]

This is. I mean, and I do feel like this movie, the characters I love are so dumb. And I think that that's why I don't like them at all. Because they walk into this town that is so aggressively a ghost town. Like, there's no signs of life, and they're good people. Must be partying on the inside of these buildings, like.

[June Diane Raphael]

No, they are a military unit. They are the police, rather they are. They are all kitted out. They don't show any tactical acumen whatsoever. They don't have a plan. They don't know what. They never make a plan. They are freestyling at every turn and every single one of them dies. Except for Natasha Henstridge. Right.

Who is.

[Paul Scheer]

I guess her secret weapon is being super high.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yes. Which in that moment. Give everybody those drugs.

Yes. Well, it's weird. Cause she doesn't. But that's not even her superpower because Jason Statham gives them to her and like, stuff. Sit down. Her mouth.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, right.

[June Diane Raphael]

She doesn't think to do that. And they don't think to take them for themselves.

They just put it in her mouth and then lock her outside, I think. But then the other thing is, to your point, Paul, about how dumb people are, how dumb this unit is. Even long after they've figured out that if they kill someone who's got a ghost inside of them, the ghost exits and goes into someone else. Probably one of them.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

Whoever's in front of them are just killing people. They're just killing people. Letting all the ghosts loose. Contain them. Contain the ghosts.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That's it.

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, but they are in a hard. They're sort of between a rock and a hard place, Jason. Because. Because if they don't kill them, they will be killed by them. Well, no.

[Paul Scheer]

Clea Duvall kills that man who is in a cell. He's not doing anything. And then she's like, my guys, I gotta shoot this guy. Which is true police brutality. Like in that moment, maybe there's a remedy. Maybe there's a cure. He was not doing. He wasn't almost out. And then when they say, like, why'd you do that?

[June Diane Raphael]

She's like, fuck this guy.

[Paul Scheer]

Fuck him.

[June Diane Raphael]

She goes, fuck this guy. Crazy.

[Nick Kroll]

I also. I texted Clea Duvall.

[Paul Scheer]

Did you?

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, wow.

[Nick Kroll]

So I did a lot. What I'm saying is, I did.

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, you did a lot of research.

[Paul Scheer]

Wow. You got in a lot of.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah. And I watched almost half the movie. She said she had a blast making it two months in the desert.

[Paul Scheer]

Great night shoots.

[Nick Kroll]

John Carpenter didn't like to shoot early. Didn't like to get going before 11.

[Paul Scheer]

They said that. Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

He love it.

[Paul Scheer]

Required night shoots because he's a night person.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

And so when they were shooting nights and it was night out, that made sense. But then when they moved back to la, he's like, we're gonna keep that night schedule. We're on sets. He's like, I'm a night person.

[Nick Kroll]

Well, he did the music and music business. People tend to be night. They really like to night. They're night owls.

[Paul Scheer]

Right? Yeah, people. He did do the music on this movie.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, he does the music on all of his movies.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes. And he called in, like, like, a crazy crew of people to, like, help him out from, like, Anthrax and Guns N Roses and Buckethead, you know, like, and the Cars. Like, he had.

[June Diane Raphael]

Here's what I'll say. John Carpenter still tours. I believe he's playing here in a couple. Or did he just play? Or is it just. Okay, so, like, these are iconic soundtracks, and to see him play them in live is bananas.

[Paul Scheer]

So it's great. He's even made soundtracks for movies that he hasn't made.

[June Diane Raphael]

Let me ask a question about the jokes.

[Paul Scheer]

It sounds like a joke, but it's true.

[June Diane Raphael]

Let me ask a question about the ghosts for a second. To the group, to the panel.

[Paul Scheer]

Mars.

[June Diane Raphael]

Is it the ghosts of Mars or the ghost of Mars?

[Paul Scheer]

No ghosts. It's John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars.

[Nick Kroll]

I still don't know what. Which. What the answer was. Is there an S or not? Is it a plural or.

[Paul Scheer]

No, a plural.

[Nick Kroll]

Okay, thank you.

[Paul Scheer]

Multiple ghosts.

[June Diane Raphael]

It's a possessive and a plural.

[Paul Scheer]

So, yeah, John Carpenter is right.

[June Diane Raphael]

They belong.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[Nick Kroll]

They're not.

[June Diane Raphael]

They're not his ghost. But is it John Carpenter's ghost of.

[Nick Kroll]

Mars or is it John Carpenter's ghosts of Mars? As if the. Of Mars belong to the ghosts.

[Paul Scheer]

Like, so ghosts. Oh, I mean, this is something. Maybe that's why Luca Guadadino likes it so much. Just the lay questions.

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, I guess this does go to my question, because I didn't know. Ultimately, we find out that the scientist with the spiky hair who arrived via weather balloon was.

[Paul Scheer]

When her weather balloon blows up, by the way, they. I guess they shot it once. Can we just, like, loop it back? Like, they rewind it and fast forward it to make it look longer. Like, boop, bloop, bloop, bloop.

[June Diane Raphael]

So she let go of. She found that tunnel and opened the Pandora's box. The tunnel that seemed like it was very nicely designed also just, like, had a nice aesthetic to it.

[Paul Scheer]

She opens a tunnel that just. It is beautiful. Looks nice, but you're, like, not human made. Yeah, it looks human.

[Nick Kroll]

It looks pretty human.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

That was the thought I had. I was like, wow, aliens are just like us.

[June Diane Raphael]

Except that when they talk it sounds like.

Okay, so that. That's my question, actually.

Jason's language.

I don't know. And I actually. My interpretation of my reading was that actually because we did get to see. I think we. We saw the ghost point of view in the red ghost cam.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah. Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

And where we got. Ghost cam, where we got to follow. We got to be. It felt like we were the ghost cam.

I don't know about you, but I felt chill.

So when we were.

[Paul Scheer]

Or is it red because they've ripped off people's faces and the blood from the skin of the faces is.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, well, that was.

[Paul Scheer]

That's in the movie. I'm not being gross.

[June Diane Raphael]

I assumed it was red because the mist is red and the red isn't Mars, the red planet.

Mars is the red planet. I know that from some of my work in the solar system.

[Paul Scheer]

No spoilers.

[June Diane Raphael]

I. What I felt when we were in the ghost cam, that it was rather peaceful and it wasn't moving so frantically. We were kind of tracking and smooth movements. But then when we saw the humans possessed by the ghost, they were acting a fool. They were crazy chaos monsters filing their teeth. No, no, I don't. I can't even. I actually can't talk about what. No, Jason. I can't talk about what they were. I can't talk about what they were doing.

How did they find so many files?

[Paul Scheer]

They were all.

[June Diane Raphael]

But it felt like. It felt.

I mean, I guess it's a mining colony.

It felt like they were.

[Paul Scheer]

They were piercing cheeks.

[June Diane Raphael]

They were still human.

They pierced fingers.

I hate them so much. But it didn't feel like that was the ghost.

[Paul Scheer]

Right? The ghost.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's not the ghost.

The ghosts take over these miners. Hundreds and hundreds of miners. So many miners. The ghosts take them over. But yes, I agree with Juni, the sentiment. Which is why did the ghosts. We never see. Do we ever see. I don't think representation of the Martians of the past.

[Nick Kroll]

No.

[June Diane Raphael]

No.

So are we to assume that the filing of the teeth.

[Nick Kroll]

We do in Natasha, in her flashback, when she takes the drug, I feel like she goes in. You get. Oh, you get it. Their story a little bit.

[June Diane Raphael]

You don't think she's seeing the.

[Nick Kroll]

You see the form and. And the form doesn't not look because the.

[June Diane Raphael]

The ghosts have. The ghosts.

[Paul Scheer]

We do have. We can watch and see if we can.

[June Diane Raphael]

By the way, this is a masturbation.

I guess it is a sweater, Paul. It is a sweater.

Exclusively a masturbation scene.

[Paul Scheer]

All right. So were saying.

[Nick Kroll]

So there was. This was when they were pirates and conquistadors.

[June Diane Raphael]

So hot.

[Paul Scheer]

So hot.

[June Diane Raphael]

What was that?

[Paul Scheer]

What was People. Fish people.

[Nick Kroll]

That was fish people.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, that looks like a shot like a shark.

[Paul Scheer]

What?

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh yeah. They look like there's some fish frame by frame.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, yeah, that's a fish person.

[June Diane Raphael]

That was. That looks like Martian. That was an alien.

[Advertisement Voice]

That was.

[June Diane Raphael]

This was for sure. Abe Sapien.

[Nick Kroll]

This was.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, that's what I was saying.

[Nick Kroll]

I believe this is the. The fish man from the Shape of Water's first movie.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Also.

[June Diane Raphael]

Also Abe Sapien. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That looked like a cat orca.

[Paul Scheer]

There's a.

[June Diane Raphael]

Definitely an orca in there.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, there's.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's an orca.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, that is. That's a shark.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's an orca for sure. What?

[Paul Scheer]

That's a shark or orca. That's orca. Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

What is happening?

[Paul Scheer]

And Mars notably does not have a lot of water.

[June Diane Raphael]

And doesn't it seem like this is what she's thinking about while she jerks off? Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Orca. Oh, orca.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, orca. Oh, Lizard Guy. All the water flash a wave. What's interesting is why do the Martians have such a memory of water on a waterless planet? Is it just that that's how old it is or.

Probably.

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

I mean, because fucking Jason when back in the day, Mars was all water and when it exploded, all of the orcas got shot to earth.

[June Diane Raphael]

And I think you're right, Nick.

[Nick Kroll]

Leaving just the red clay behind. You fucking idiot. Wow.

[Paul Scheer]

Wow. You know, and this is why I'm glad you listened to Blank Check because this is kind of the facts that we needed. We don't get fact checked enough and now we get it. I will say this.

[June Diane Raphael]

You know, we get away with too much. Nick, thank you for coming on the show and setting us straight.

[Paul Scheer]

Talking some orca truth. I will say the big leader, which you know is out of body proportion from everyone else. Where did he come from? Like, did they. Did he just be like.

[June Diane Raphael]

He's just a minor, right?

[Paul Scheer]

A giant ass miner. Everyone else is like a human. I'll find this weird fucking creature and I'll be him.

[June Diane Raphael]

I think that's gotta be it.

What other reason is there that guy is an alien?

[Paul Scheer]

He's gotta be.

[June Diane Raphael]

If we see a picture of his chest, Paul.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

His chest is what seems like he has low boobs.

Well, what he's got what?

[Paul Scheer]

Numb.

[June Diane Raphael]

What?

[Paul Scheer]

Num.

[Nick Kroll]

What?

[June Diane Raphael]

He. I believe he has like a human jaw. They all have. They're all wearing parts of other people which make them seem like, like there's the woman who has hands as a bra. Right. Some other person's hands are. Have. Right.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, it's very like a call. Like a non jeopardy.

[June Diane Raphael]

Someone was holding her boobs. Okay.

[Nick Kroll]

I. Can I say if I were one of them, I, I would have taken Pam Grier's boobs and made them my own.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yes, you can say that.

You can say that.

[Nick Kroll]

Can I say that?

[June Diane Raphael]

I don't like you looking at me so intensely and like holding eyes, saying it. But you can say it.

[Paul Scheer]

By the way, Pam Grier killed, off screen, a major character. We don't see her death. We're just kind of left to be like, what happened? And then all of a sudden, we just watch her head just be put on a pike. Which apparently was done practically into much pain of Pam Grier.

[June Diane Raphael]

Wait, she actually had to get beheaded?

[Paul Scheer]

Well, they, they had to. They built a very special rig for her and it was apparently incredibly painful. But that they were able to create all the other heads next to her for. No.

[June Diane Raphael]

Like, see, here's the thing. There's certain choices. There are a couple choices that were made in this movie that I absolutely loved.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay.

[June Diane Raphael]

And I loved that we didn't see her death. I loved that we had to paint a picture for ourselves based on her final expression in her resting place, which was.

[Paul Scheer]

Just.

[June Diane Raphael]

I laughed so hard that her face was. It was so funny.

[Paul Scheer]

Did you. She was hitting on Natasha Hendrich, right?

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, Right.

She was sexually harassing her. And that's why.

[Paul Scheer]

Thank you.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's why the commentary on, like, oh, it's a matriarchal society was tough for me because I felt like they were trying to say, like, you guys are just as fucked up.

[Paul Scheer]

Right?

[June Diane Raphael]

And I was like, clearly these women.

[Paul Scheer]

Didn'T solve the problem of ghosts of Mars. They just let it happen.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah. That's what happens in a matriarchy. The ghosts take over all the gigantic mutant miners.

[Paul Scheer]

At the end of the court case, the person's like, I guess we just say, what? There were ghosts on Mars. Guilty.

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[June Diane Raphael]

When the guy chopped his own thumb off trying to open the can, that.

[Paul Scheer]

Scene in the movie, I was like.

[June Diane Raphael]

What on earth are we on?

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That's what I'm saying.

[Nick Kroll]

He took his like his. Like, nitrous.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yes.

Yeah.

He also blew himself up with a hand grenade.

[Paul Scheer]

I. But I thought that, like, I. Yes, he had the nitrous, but I also thought he was just trying to impress somebody and just messed up. Like, I feel like when you were a kid, didn't you ever try to do that thing that they did in Aliens where you put the knife between your fingers and stuff like that? I just feel like he was trying to.

[Advertisement Voice]

Wait.

[June Diane Raphael]

I feel like you were setting yourself up for a story. Did you do that?

[Paul Scheer]

I mean, yeah, I did it, but, like, I got all five. But it was, you know, I had one of those. Those knives that had, like, the retractable. Like, retractable blade.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

So he did that a lot at lunch. And then, you know. And you would hit yourself more often than not, I'll tell you that much, because you would have no fear with the retractable slate. And you're like, well, I can do it now. You can't.

[June Diane Raphael]

I couldn't understand the ghost's rules. In my mind, ghosts can go anywhere.

[Paul Scheer]

Sure.

[June Diane Raphael]

These ghosts are bound by the physical world. They can't go through doors, they can't go through windows, they can't go through bars.

[Paul Scheer]

Neither can orcas.

[June Diane Raphael]

Like, my question. Yeah. My question was, like, at one point, one of the ghosts gets loose right. In the. In the. When they're in the jail, in the structure, rather. And the ghost could go into anybody. And it goes into one of the guys in a prison cell. And I'm like, this ghost is a fucking idiot. Because now all this guy does is peel his own skin off in a prison cell. Like, why not take over any of the good people who are outside? We've done.

[Nick Kroll]

Jason, who are you to judge who the best host for the ghost is?

[June Diane Raphael]

Ghost host.

[Paul Scheer]

Ghost host. I do believe that, like, what I like about the aliens is, like, is we will infect you and then we'll destroy your body because we feel like you are a piece of shit. I like that energy.

[Nick Kroll]

Can we talk about the owl? Look, allegory of this.

[June Diane Raphael]

That is.

[Nick Kroll]

Is it an allegory for, like.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, like what, Al Gorey?

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah, that.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

Former vice president.

[Nick Kroll]

This is 2001. He's just lost.

[June Diane Raphael]

He's just lost.

[Nick Kroll]

Bush v. Gore.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yep.

[Nick Kroll]

And what is Al Gore? What's the Al Gore element to this?

[June Diane Raphael]

Listen, it's an inconvenient truth that these miners.

Absolutely. We gotta move to Mars.

[Paul Scheer]

There's a lot of hanging. There's a lot of hanging. No more breathable air on Those posts.

[Nick Kroll]

Well, there seems to be some sort of it's. But it's not. I can't quite get the moral of it, which is, like, if you invade, if you try to take dominion over someone else's land, then, yeah, like, these.

[June Diane Raphael]

Motherfuckers, they'll get you. They'll get you back.

[Paul Scheer]

Right. Because, I mean, I do think it. I do think that there are some Native American themes in this. Like, not, like, not put out fully in front, but I feel like that's, like, what they're going for.

[Nick Kroll]

Right? But then it's like. But the moral is like, that. Like, they're like, they're gonna be shitty about it once. Like, it doesn't make any. Like, you don't quite get what it is.

[June Diane Raphael]

They're basically like, mars isn't theirs anymore, it's ours. And, yeah, wait a minute. Did, like, the bad guy. Like, the bad guys, I think, are winning. I'm rooting for the ghosts. But also, it seems.

[Paul Scheer]

But it also seems like when they got to Mars, they were all dead. It wasn't like, we got to Mars, we killed all them, and then we started terraforming. It was like, we got to Mars, it was a dead planet. And then the ghosts are like, whoa, whoa, whoa, we're still here. We're ghosts.

[June Diane Raphael]

Respect us. We're just in search of corporeal forms. Yeah.

I do think that that's the interesting part of the moral question mark. Because they are ghosts, after all. They're not. They couldn't enjoy the resources of this planet if they wanted their own devices. They'd still be in that tunnel, that very nicely designed tunnel.

[Nick Kroll]

They're floating around. Or even if they got out and there's no bodies, it seems like they're.

[June Diane Raphael]

In some sort of, like, crypt or, like, underground. Like, have they been trapped? Or like, what.

[Paul Scheer]

What's the word? Well, you see, all right, here's my lore that I've been writing on Reddit about it. There were. There was a species on Mars that encountered this very violent tribe of people. And they're like. They condemned them to this underground tomb, and they were like, lock it away, because these are bad people. But then these dummies from Earth come and they're like, what does this tomb? Open it up? And then they let it out again. So they are repeating it. Like, it's like, oh, the people already solved it for you, but you're opening it up. I mean, right there.

[Nick Kroll]

I think that those ghosts are stuck in there, in that tomb. They gotta wait for somebody to Fall.

[June Diane Raphael]

I think you're right. I absolutely think you're right. I'm just upset that the ghosts didn't obey ghost rules. You know what I mean? Like, I don't think they're really ghosts in that sense. They weren't, they weren't like going through stuff. They just.

I do think you're right because that one ghost we met a couple of prisoners in the holding cell and all of them are interesting characters and when we're in the ghost cam, he does or he or she does decide to take the body of the least interesting guy.

Yeah.

You know, I was like I want to see.

[Paul Scheer]

But they're wind. Right. I think they're just finding whoever. They're just going to the front. They're just going like who's in front?

[June Diane Raphael]

No, there's a number of occasions where they go. And it's almost like a Goldilocks.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

It's like not you that's in that scene. Not quite right.

[Paul Scheer]

But then why does the goat. When then why does she vomit out the ghost? Like does the ghost like oh, you're too high.

[June Diane Raphael]

I think the ghost didn't like all the, all the drugs. The ghosts are anti drug.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

They're straight edge.

They're straight edge. Didn't you notice everybody when the ghost took them over had X's on their hands? They're all straight edge. They're all going to hardcore show.

[Advertisement Voice]

Okay.

[June Diane Raphael]

But that's actually it is interesting because it does seem like I don't know if you're possessed by a ghost if you're not possessed by a ghost. Like everybody seems to be on drugs though.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

So it was interesting. Like why, what is she taking by the way?

Are you looking right at me? I did not give her those drugs.

[Paul Scheer]

I mean I will tell you that she said that she improvised that this is from major plot point.

[Nick Kroll]

But you know Natasha, you guys did level one together at ucb.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's true. She's always coming up with things that people.

[Paul Scheer]

She said it's a combo of acid and ecstasy. And I feel like everyone is saying like you are wasted. And I can't see a more like.

[June Diane Raphael]

She seems wide awake.

Absolutely presence like. Yeah, absolutely present.

[Paul Scheer]

She looked like lucid 10 hours last night. Like. Yeah, she looked ready to go.

[June Diane Raphael]

Doesn't look beaten down, bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Oh, every. And when she suffers injuries. They look great. Yeah, it's just like a little cut here and a little cut here. Otherwise she looks great. Meanwhile, Clea Duvall's out here getting beheaded by Someone who threw like a circular saw blade at her. I think multiple people get beheaded because someone Frisbees a circular saw blade at them and they're like, head gone goodbye so quickly.

Like, no resistance at all.

[Paul Scheer]

I will say that we're talking about props. Scott, our producer, found this prop of giant film reel and some lights.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

So at one point, maybe there was a movie studio on Mars as well. They seem to be walking.

[Nick Kroll]

Well, no, this is where they faked the moon landing.

[Paul Scheer]

I will say in this movie that takes place on Mars, that when they say his name, they're like, whoa, he's a bad dude. It's like, you know about this guy who's been accused of murder three times and gotten off because of self defense. Seems to me like that wouldn't be the top of the food chain of bad guys. Like, oh, self defense. Like.

[June Diane Raphael]

And that's why I. What I needed. The only thing I needed. Otherwise, it's a perfect movie. The only thing I needed was a little bit more of an understanding of, like, why.

[Advertisement Voice]

What.

[June Diane Raphael]

What's our main character's name?

[Paul Scheer]

Our main character's name. It is Melanie. Melanie. I need the audience all got it wrong too. A lot of different names out there.

[June Diane Raphael]

Somebody.

[Paul Scheer]

Melanie Ballard.

[June Diane Raphael]

I. I needed to understand why she needed to keep him under her dominion. Why. Why not leave him?

Why did they have to separate?

Why do you care?

[Paul Scheer]

Because she knows that he's wrongly accused and she says that to him. She says, like, look, I'm gonna bring you back because that's my job, but I don't think you did it.

[Nick Kroll]

But she still insists that she's gonna bring him back.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

When he handcuffs her.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

Which I was like, this is so strange. He pulls her arm so far at what I'm like, at some point, she has to be like, what are you doing?

[Paul Scheer]

Why am I agreeing to this? All right.

[June Diane Raphael]

Meanwhile, she has her gun right here with the other hand.

Easily. Easy peasy.

What's the point of this?

I guess the thing that confounds me though, is the world is ending around her. Like, we've got bigger alien fish to fry.

The ghosts of Mars are here. Yeah. I mean, they. They also set off a nuclear device. They blew up. That's right, A nuclear. So wait, okay, I had a question. The tribunal, right?

[Nick Kroll]

That is also on Mars and that's matriarchal.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes, yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

Like, I would say the matriarchal tribunal.

[Paul Scheer]

Is like, say that that's in New York and this is probably happening in California. Like, that's what I Feel like.

[June Diane Raphael]

But it's all on Mars.

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Yes.

[June Diane Raphael]

So, I mean, at the. They don't even mention, like, you set off a multiple ton nuclear explosion on the planet we currently reside on as a matriarchy. They don't even ask her about it.

[Paul Scheer]

I mean, I think that she makes some very odd choices. Like when Jason Statham is like, yeah, I brought you in here to, like, fucking hit on you. And she's like, cool. I like it. I'm like, what? When did that happen?

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, at one point, she. We're in her flashback for most of the movie because she's telling the story to the tribunal inside of her flashback. We go into Jason Statham's flashback, which.

[Paul Scheer]

Is a talent where he's talking about.

[June Diane Raphael]

He sees Pam Grier's head, and then he finds the guys who are looking for Cube in the shed. At which point we go into Cube's brother's flashback. We are four flashbacks deep currently from the reality, which is the present tense scene is only ever the Tribunal.

[Paul Scheer]

And I think the way that they justify that is because at one point she's like, I only know what they told me. So I feel like she's like, yeah. And so while we were in there, Jason Statham was out there and he sees her head and he's like, what? But what's so interesting is that, you know, I was talking to Ice Cube and his brother. Really interesting backstory on him. He like, she's like, telling a real rant, like, yeah, but where were you? No, hold on. So when he was young, he had a tricycle. It was really cool. Tricycle.

[June Diane Raphael]

It would be amazing if it was revealed that, like, what's it called, Usual Suspects at the end, she's made the whole story up.

Oh, my God.

None of that happened.

[Paul Scheer]

She rips off her blonde face, like, ah. Kills the trash.

[June Diane Raphael]

She's filed all of her teeth down.

[Paul Scheer]

And she's like, I'm a man. We've beat you.

[June Diane Raphael]

I genuinely.

[Paul Scheer]

The matriarchal society.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yes. Yes. Are you leaving?

[Paul Scheer]

I'm gonna get out of here. I'm gonna go to the audience. I'm gonna see what the audience has to say. And I have some gifts for the audience as well. Well, we have some great people out here tonight. All right, Jafar is here. And Jafar is in costume. So, again, great work.

[June Diane Raphael]

Jafar, amazing with the hand bra. Oh, yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

Incredible.

[Paul Scheer]

Full, great costume here. Amazing costume. Job well done. All right, so what do you want to bring to the table? You have a lot of good stuff.

[Audience Member / Guest]

Yeah. So once Again, I watched all of the special features on the dvd.

[June Diane Raphael]

Thank you.

[Audience Member / Guest]

Lot of great stuff. So John Carpenter says the reason he made it a matriarchal society was literally just because he wanted to set up Natasha Henstridge and Pam Grier making out at some point. And he thought he would have an easier time convincing everyone if it was like part of the ethos of the universe that they were in.

[Advertisement Voice]

Smart.

[Nick Kroll]

It's a fucking. It's a chess match.

[Audience Member / Guest]

Yep, yep.

[June Diane Raphael]

But the only kiss, right? The only kiss is between her and Saitham, right?

[Audience Member / Guest]

Yeah, yeah. But they have, like, the sexual tension thing. They might have filmed more, I don't know. And then. And then the other thing is, Natasha Henstridge was actually cast like a week before they started shooting, and her role was originally going to be played by Courtney Love, who was.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, kind of love that.

[Paul Scheer]

Interesting.

[June Diane Raphael]

Courtney Love that.

[Audience Member / Guest]

Same seas. Yeah. But the reason she wasn't able to is because her boyfriend at the time ran over her foot with a Volvo. And so she had to pull out at the last second. And then they called in Natasha Henstridge.

[June Diane Raphael]

That's a terrible thing to have happen, that. I mean, a real failure of the pullout method.

[Nick Kroll]

That's the worst thing that's happened to Courtney Love in a relationship.

[June Diane Raphael]

Definitely, definitely can't imagine anything else.

Oh, and the fact that we know it was a Volvo is somehow so much, not so much.

[Nick Kroll]

Dating, like, a local professor from, like, a small liberal arts college.

[June Diane Raphael]

She was visiting Phillips Exeter, teaching 11th.

[Nick Kroll]

Grade honors English class. He's driving, like, a boxy maroon Volvo.

[Paul Scheer]

All right, what do we got over here? Okay, I'm going to. Yeah, you lean over to me. Okay, perfect. Hi, what's your name?

[June Diane Raphael]

Hi, my name is Amy. I just wanted to point out that.

[Audience Member / Guest]

In the credits, the scary, like, white.

[June Diane Raphael]

Face Martian guy was called Big Daddy Mars. Just wanted to see if that's an absolute.

[Paul Scheer]

I love Big Daddy Mars.

[June Diane Raphael]

Big Daddy Mars.

[Nick Kroll]

That's what I think is, like, the host. The ghost knew that he was the host with the most.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yes.

[Nick Kroll]

And so I think that was the leader ghost. And he was like, that's Big Daddy Mars for sure. I'm gonna get myself over there. It also seemed like I'm gonna slide right into him. His ear.

[June Diane Raphael]

Maybe Big Daddy Mars had been the leader when they were corporeal in the past.

[Nick Kroll]

Maybe. Correct.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, definitely.

[Nick Kroll]

And then he found the big. The biggest miner.

[Paul Scheer]

You leave that big minor for me.

[June Diane Raphael]

I'm Big Daddy Mars.

[Nick Kroll]

Have you guys watched that reality show, Biggest Minor?

[Paul Scheer]

I watched a documentary about it. And it was actually really terrible what they did to those miners.

[June Diane Raphael]

They made them so small.

[Paul Scheer]

Some of them are back being minors now, or I should say not being minors. Hi. Hi. What's your name? What's your question? Ryan. When they were at the ghost rally and the big daddy was swinging the sword, were those just the beheadings or was something else going on there? I was really unclear.

[June Diane Raphael]

It was beheadings.

[Paul Scheer]

Okay. All right. Why do they want to put so many heads on sticks? They're hanging people up from the ceiling. Like, that's a lot of work, a lot of energy, a lot of effort.

[June Diane Raphael]

It is. And that's. That's why I have to continue to question these ghosts, because what do they want? It's like, that's more. That's so extra of them. Like, if they're just trying to get from host to host, like, why that fanfare?

Well, I think. Aren't they saying at the end, like, oh, they see us as like a disease here and they're trying to wipe us out kind of thing? Right.

Okay, again, that's fine. But why put our heads all facing in the same direction?

[Nick Kroll]

I agree.

[June Diane Raphael]

What's the best?

[Nick Kroll]

Because I don't think they fully. I feel like they've integrated with humanity in certain ways.

[Paul Scheer]

So they're.

[Nick Kroll]

They are these cor. They are. These ghosts have taken this human form, but they've still integrated some human. In human behaviors into their. Like.

[June Diane Raphael]

Like beheadings.

[Nick Kroll]

Beheadings and stakes.

[Paul Scheer]

Wow.

[June Diane Raphael]

They've really taken the worst of us.

[Nick Kroll]

This is a fact that. That I just made up. This is that. That is where George R.R. martin got the idea for the heads on the stakes for Game of Thrones. As you watched John Carpenter's.

[June Diane Raphael]

He also made on that list heads on the stakes and challengers. That's what Luca Guadagino was inspired by originally.

[Paul Scheer]

The tennis balls are supposed to be heads. And here's the thing. The heads on stakes are often put outside. Outside, like a. A town. Right. And. And to be like, don't come in here, because what we do to bad people, you know, like, it's to scare away people. But if it's a whole town of.

[June Diane Raphael]

These ghosts, it looked like just a cemetery. Like, this is where.

[Paul Scheer]

So they want to respect the dead.

[June Diane Raphael]

I'll be honest. It did not feel well thought through. And I don't mind saying it.

[Paul Scheer]

All right, that is a fair point. We all disagree with you.

[Nick Kroll]

But can I just say, as someone, like, all I could think about was Pam Ger having to do that full face prosthetic, like, makeup that. Not the makeup. It wasn't her head, right?

[June Diane Raphael]

It was.

[Paul Scheer]

It was. That's the thing. They made it. They built a rig so they did not want to spend money on the.

[June Diane Raphael]

Prosthetic to do a life.

[Paul Scheer]

So she had to stand there with her mouth open next to a prosthetic of Harry Knowles from Ain't It Cool News.

[June Diane Raphael]

Wait, really?

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah. Oh, my God.

[June Diane Raphael]

What on earth is this movie?

[Nick Kroll]

It's not on Earth.

[Paul Scheer]

All right. Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

What? On Mars?

[Paul Scheer]

All right, where we got. Here we go.

[Nick Kroll]

If you were the last ghost on Mars.

[Paul Scheer]

Hi. What's your name? What's your question? My name is Dan, and we were talking about the vehicles earlier. I want to talk about the battering ram, because that was a full sized metal vehicle being pushed by, like, four people that somehow broke through the prison front door. Right, guys, battering ram. Thoughts, questions, answers? What do you.

[June Diane Raphael]

You know, they. I don't think you're accounting for ghosts having, like, super strength.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Like, you should see what an orca can lift again.

[June Diane Raphael]

Like, if I threw. If I threw even a very sharp rotary saw blade at you, maybe it would lodge. Maybe it's the fact that it's able to cleave off a head. Severing the spine is for a clean shot.

[Paul Scheer]

Like.

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, so they're so strong.

[Nick Kroll]

And. And I. I will just say, like, we don't know because. But when you have someone motivating you, like Big Daddy Mars, you know, like, win one for the Gipper. Like Newt rock me level and he and his speech. Jason, I think you do it probably best.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, he's like. It really is. Like, they so often talk about creating actual languages for Game of Thrones, for Lord of the Rings.

[Nick Kroll]

This is where George R.R. martin got the idea for language.

[June Diane Raphael]

They're just like us. Just do a bunch of gibberish. Who cares? We got it.

[Nick Kroll]

What he's saying. Win one. Win, win one for the Gipper.

[Paul Scheer]

All right, you have a good notebook here. What do you got?

[June Diane Raphael]

Well, this is something I kind of.

[Paul Scheer]

Just was thinking about hearing.

[June Diane Raphael]

Big Daddy Mars. Is this just an allegory of matriarchal versus patriarchal society? That that's what's at stake here? Big Daddy Mars versus. Versus. Yes, Mommy.

I don't know. Because the matriarch of society seems very patriarchal, and I think that's what he's trying to say. And to that I'm like, let us try once.

[Paul Scheer]

He wouldn't let you try, but you're too busy making out with each other. That's what happened. Not like men who don't make out with each other. That's how we figured it out. Hey, what's your question? I just want to say I saw on IMDb that John Carpenter said that Natasha Henstridge downplayed some of the flashback framing sequences. And she replied that he should have directed her better. Well, I read this quote as well and I didn't understand downloading. Downplayed it. Like I don't know how you like downplay a scene that you're acting in. It's like she didn't act it, I guess.

[June Diane Raphael]

Like she downplayed the flashback.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

So when she was all a flashback.

[Paul Scheer]

Like the, like the trial. But I don't know how you downplay. Yeah, I mean, I don't. I've never heard that term. Like. Oh, she really downplayed that scene. Like she's just testifying.

[Nick Kroll]

Well, I think it's because she. They shot them. From my understandings, they shot. Got all of the flashback stuff right. And then she fully improvised the. The tribunal scenes and she downplayed what had happened in those scenes. So then they had to go back and reshoot all of the flashbacks based on her performance and what she improvised as what had happened.

[Paul Scheer]

That makes sense. All right, there it is. Wow. Now that. Yeah, so that really makes sense. Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

Cuz they couldn't just reshoot the tribunal scene. That was one location and just like set up.

It's impossible.

[Paul Scheer]

Disrespectful to the actor.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah, that was in the can. So they had to go back and forth to match to how much he had downplayed what had happened.

[Paul Scheer]

Obviously we had opinions about this movie, but there are people out there with a different opinion. And it is now time for second opinions. Hi, my name's Ned.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Well, the train from Shining Canyon is coming running slowly up those tracks. And we'll learn about the space cop on board. But we'll do it in multiple flashbacks. Well, they went to pick up Ice Cube from jail, but they got there, it turned out that everyone had gone insane. Oh baby. Statham wants to fuck everyone. And Cube's little two gun run isn't gonna do much good. Oh, science lady had a hot air balloon. Which is a real weird thing to only see in a single flashback.

[Paul Scheer]

Ho.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

Everything is exploding now it's a standoff. And Pam Grizz head on a spike. And this town's looking like an abattoir. Cause that rolling red mist, baby. We're the ghosts of Mar.

[June Diane Raphael]

Thank you, Springsteen.

[Paul Scheer]

In theaters Now.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yes.

[Paul Scheer]

Wow. Wow.

[June Diane Raphael]

Jeremy Allen White is in the audience.

[Paul Scheer]

That was great.

[Nick Kroll]

Can I just say what I. You know, because you guys have. You guys do this show all the time and you guys like to watch people get up and sing is to me like that. That. That would scare the living. I would never get out of me.

[June Diane Raphael]

You're never.

[Nick Kroll]

You won't. The fact that everybody just did that so well is like, unbelievable. How. It's really amazing.

[Paul Scheer]

Truly great.

[June Diane Raphael]

It is.

[Paul Scheer]

And. And they're not.

[June Diane Raphael]

It is.

[Paul Scheer]

And on top of all that. Yes. They're in front of people singing a song that they wrote. Like. Yes. It may have a familiar melody.

[June Diane Raphael]

Wrote it. And that's like.

[Paul Scheer]

That's even crazy.

[Nick Kroll]

Well, no, I actually have notes on the writing.

[Paul Scheer]

John. John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars has an average of 4.4 out of 5 stars. All right. There are 2,797 reviews. 69% are 5 stars. Yeah. Only 3% are 1 star. And we start off with Stormy. Maybe Stormy Daniels. Stormy Daniels, who writes Wish Ice Cube and Natasha Hentridge did it. Second one to follow up this one. I could have done without all that rock music, though, because after the first 45 minutes, it was driving me crazy. And I'm a big rock music fan, but that was a bit much. One person found this helpful. 5 stars. Great movie.

[Nick Kroll]

Can I read? Can I read one?

[Paul Scheer]

You want to? Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

No, I have one. I have my own. This One is from ultragirl43. I thought this movie was terrific. I didn't think it was weird at all that Statham had hair like that. I thought it looks really good natural. I also thought for her first kiss, he nailed it.

[Paul Scheer]

Maybe. I feel like that may have been Jason Statham who wrote that.

[Nick Kroll]

You think he wrote that?

[Paul Scheer]

I don't know. I don't know. It just feels like.

[Nick Kroll]

But it was Ultra Girl 44.

[June Diane Raphael]

The first audio second opinion we've ever had.

[Paul Scheer]

You know, we can't judge it. It's the future. Patty Lisenby wrote this. My disc of this movie got jammed in the DVD player.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, that's so sexual.

[Paul Scheer]

But it still played the other movies. And after two months of unsuccessfully trying to get it out, I ordered this one. It arrived in good condition and on time. Just after the arrival date promised.

[June Diane Raphael]

Not on time. I want to be very clear. That is, in fact, not on time. It is one day late.

[Nick Kroll]

She was just downplaying the flashback.

[Paul Scheer]

But Patty goes on to say that when the disc did arrive, the Jam movie did drop down and came out. So I'm keeping that one in case this movie gets jammed. Five stars, Ghost of Mars. What? Two for one. Two for one.

[June Diane Raphael]

I would like to go into that person's review history to see what they wrote for the DVD player.

[Paul Scheer]

I also feel like, why would you ever need to have five DVDs loaded up at any given note? Like, I get, like, CDs.

[June Diane Raphael]

Sure, sure.

[Paul Scheer]

DVDs.

[June Diane Raphael]

I didn't even know you could do that with DVDs.

[Paul Scheer]

I mean, it's more of a thing. Like, I remember people used to have cars where they're like, yeah, put 10 CDs, trunk. And then, yeah, you can.

[June Diane Raphael]

CDs, yeah. But DVDs, you're not going between movies.

Or are you? I think this fucking idiot is putting DVDs. I kind of think, too, in a CD player being like a movie no play.

[Nick Kroll]

How come?

[June Diane Raphael]

Movie no play. Disc in machine.

[Paul Scheer]

I did.

[June Diane Raphael]

I write review. I speak Martian.

[Paul Scheer]

I did have a 100 disc changer at one point. I had 100 disc ch. Changer. CDs. CDs.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

And you would put them all in, like, a big carousel. And it was. It was.

[June Diane Raphael]

So did you have to remember what.

[Paul Scheer]

Was where you could. Could type it in, like T9. Like, t. T. That must have taken LL B. Like, yeah.

[Advertisement Voice]

Wow.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah.

[Nick Kroll]

And this was a disc, man.

[Paul Scheer]

This was a. I would carry it. I would carry. It was heavy.

[June Diane Raphael]

You walked around with a backpack.

[Paul Scheer]

A backpack. And I need a power source, too.

[June Diane Raphael]

So a car battery. I remember. But I remember seeing you on the subway in New York and you had a car back.

[Nick Kroll]

Yep.

[Paul Scheer]

But if I wanted to switch from AC DC to Weird Al, it was no big deal.

[June Diane Raphael]

No problem at all.

[Paul Scheer]

It took about 30 seconds, both in the A's. I put it by the Y. Lois writes this. My company. Lois wrote this. My company made all the sweaters for this movie. Five stars.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

What?

[Paul Scheer]

That.

[June Diane Raphael]

I have so many. That's the kind of one. I wish. There was so much more to that.

[Paul Scheer]

I know.

[Nick Kroll]

So this is the sweater that you were. Yeah, I was gonna say, like, obsessed with.

[June Diane Raphael]

He was. He was.

I don't think it's. Let me be clear. I don't think it's the sweater. I think it's the sweater wearer. Va, va, va voom.

[Paul Scheer]

Hey, I like a nice, high quality sweater. Which is why I always shop at Quinn.

[June Diane Raphael]

Lois must be so happy, though, that those sweaters held up through some serious.

[Paul Scheer]

I was. Lois, drop a link in here. Where is these sweaters?

[June Diane Raphael]

Lois, send us some sweaters.

[Paul Scheer]

Get us in a sweater. CM writes this. I love this movie. Criminals and police come together to suppress the last native Martians. It demonstrates, it demonstrates just how tough colonization can be. Ice Cube was perfect. I think John Carpenter should do a sequel and include Ice T2. The Ice Duo would be unstoppable. And I think they would both destroy ghost Martians. Five stars.

[Nick Kroll]

Wow.

[June Diane Raphael]

So he's been waiting for this story.

To be told, this pro colonizer story.

[Paul Scheer]

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. So much. So much to unpack in John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars. Would you recommend it, is the question. I've watched it twice.

[June Diane Raphael]

No. Yeah, it's so. I mean, I absolutely hated watching this movie. I had to. I looked at the clock and I thought, june, just do nine minutes and then you take a break. I was taking breaks. I was suffering through this.

[Paul Scheer]

But you see, when you were watching it and I walked in on you watching it, I was like, ooh, I'm missing some subtlety here. I need to re watch it now.

[Nick Kroll]

And you and June, you watched this in the shower. Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

Is that right?

Over the course of several showers this last.

[Paul Scheer]

Sweet. Your showers. Our water bill is extensive.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

I mean, you put a desk in our shower now. MacBooks do not work well in showers.

[June Diane Raphael]

I am also a no on this one. This one is joyous, especially for a John Carpenter movie.

There's.

There's stuff here and, and I do think for the episode, tune into some of the movie. Absolutely. Good to see the madness therein. But it's being that it's such a obtuse plot that I just, at the end was like, I don't know what this is in service of. This feels like a bunch of nothing. And as great as Cube was, and I'm always in for Cube when he shows up at the end of the movie to take Natasha Henstridge out and he shows up with new chrome guns, and now they're in, like, black leather dust busters. I was like, where was this movie?

Yeah, I'm into.

Yeah, I think I'm into this moving forward from here. But I, I. The movie itself was really tough.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[Paul Scheer]

Now, what did Blank Check say?

[Nick Kroll]

Well, I was gonna say, like, I can't recommend this movie, but I really can recommend the episode of Blank Check. Talking about this film, Joan Ray is, is.

[Paul Scheer]

That's a good. That's a good. Listen, I like Jonah Ray.

[June Diane Raphael]

He's great.

[Paul Scheer]

I like the Blank Check guys. The. I'll tell you this much. This movie is. I feel like what John Carpenter will say is, you didn't get it. This is a comedy. I guess I had to make the jokes bigger. And that I'm paraphrasing, but that's what he is saying. I made a comedy. You fucking idiots needed a spoon fed to you. But I think that that's like retroactive. I think that that's like Tommy Wiseau going like.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yeah, it was always.

[Paul Scheer]

The room was meant to be funny. I feel like he. Like, he. Yeah, the end felt like it was on tone. It's not a fun watch. It's not a fun watch. Although I will say, if, you know, tune in for the action. No, not for that either. The action looks like something that you would see at a theme park stunt show.

[June Diane Raphael]

Yes.

[Paul Scheer]

It looks like I was watching this. I'm like, is this something? Did they just hire the actors from Halloween Horror Nights to do, like, punches that are so broad? I'm like, waterworld was fun. Spectacular is way better than this.

[June Diane Raphael]

It looks like Halloween Horror Nights, but the maze is Mad Max. Yes, but they didn't license Mad Max, so it's like. It's an adjacent sounding thing. It's like bad, bad Drax. Nope, that's. There is a Drax. Forget that.

[Paul Scheer]

We worked really hard.

[Nick Kroll]

On all the stunt scenes.

[Paul Scheer]

I will say in. In.

[June Diane Raphael]

Oh, I have a question about the movie.

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah.

[June Diane Raphael]

How come throughout the movie, they do so much shooting, shooting, shooting, or shotguns, rifles, but then they seemingly run out of bullets and just use their machine guns and guns as bats. Okay. But then one scene later, shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting. Where'd they get the ammo? Why are they using? Why are they clobbering people with the guns?

[Nick Kroll]

Well, I think they were just saving bullets.

[June Diane Raphael]

Okay, okay. I mean, the movie, they were making.

[Nick Kroll]

A call based on who their foe was, whether they could knock them cold with just a baseball swing.

[Paul Scheer]

I will say, the moment that really made me laugh the most in this film was when I, Ice Cube does like, Leroy Jenkins. If you're familiar with that moment in pop culture history, this is something that happened online a handful of years ago as a game.

[June Diane Raphael]

All right, guys, let's do this.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, my God. He just ran in. Save him. Oh, gee.

[June Diane Raphael]

Stick it clean.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, Jesus. Let's go, let's go. Stick to the fledge.

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Stick to the fledgling.

[Paul Scheer]

That. That. That is the moment. Just completely disregarding the plan and running into a room full of zombies. All right, well, that's a. That's a. That's a four. No recommend. Sorry, Luca Guadin.

[June Diane Raphael]

But it does make sense now. Why, at the end of a bigger splash the orca comes out of the pool and eats Dakota Johnson. Well, if you haven't watched that movie, everybody watch a bigger splash. Interesting. Now we're getting somewhere. 956. So everybody in the audience was like. Like, we are done.

[Paul Scheer]

Nick, you want to plug anything you want to tell us? Anything we should be aware of?

[Nick Kroll]

Yeah, there's a blank check. Covers this podcast. Oh, boy.

[June Diane Raphael]

They're currently doing the Coen Brothers, and it is a dynamite series.

[Paul Scheer]

Cannot wait. Maybe. Yeah, maybe two people, you know, will come back on it.

[Nick Kroll]

I'm going to be. I'm. I'm starting to go out and do some dates around the country, performing around. So keep an eye out for, uh, some live days.

[Paul Scheer]

And that is your jazz. Your jazz band.

[Nick Kroll]

Yes, this is my jazz band. It's me, Jeff Goldblum, and. And Jeff Goldblum.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, wow. I'm very excited. All right, so Nick will be on the road. June, Jason, anything you want to talk about?

[June Diane Raphael]

Obviously, 911, the television event that I'm a part of is. Is still ongoing. And also, I know Plan C was in the lobby, so. And they're. They're still, I think, passing out some literature. So please feel free to stop by on your way out, and you can learn about safe at home contraceptive that can be mailed across many states. It's pretty amazing. So, yes, thank you to plan C for being here and for all that you do.

[Nick Kroll]

Jason.

[June Diane Raphael]

I will continue to plug season 19 of Taskmaster.

[Paul Scheer]

That is, yes, great season.

[June Diane Raphael]

Available on YouTube. YouTube, wherever you are. I'll also say I'm in a bunch of the next season. Season two of a Man on the Inside, the Ted Danson Mike Schur show that's on Netflix starting next month, as well as season two of Percy Jackson, which is coming back. If you want to see me scream at children. Percy Jackson, Season 2.

[Nick Kroll]

I'll also promote the movie I made with Andrea. I don't understand. Understand. He was on Hulu.

[Paul Scheer]

Now, that's great.

[Nick Kroll]

And it might be a movie that.

[June Diane Raphael]

One day, you guys.

[Paul Scheer]

No, no, you guys would do here on this. No, it's got a great rotten tomato score. People love it.

[Nick Kroll]

All right, well, I'll go see if the blank check guys want to check it out.

[Paul Scheer]

Oh, geez. Thank you, everybody.

[Jason Mantzoukas]

That's our show.

[Paul Scheer]

That's a wrap on John Carpenter's Ghost of Mars. Love being back at Largo. Love doing live shows. And speaking of live shows, how did this get made? We'll be on the road in New York and Philadelphia. That's right on the 7th and 8th. Check us out. But more importantly, see Jason and I in Boston, D.C. and New York doing Dinosaur, which is your favorite people from TV improvising on stage. Based on your suggestions, you can get tickets for our shows in Boston, D.C. and New York by just going to hdtgm.com our T shirt design for this episode says Big Daddy Paul. To get that design on a T shirt, a sticker or a mug, or many other types of products, please click on the merch [e-mail] as always, if you have a correction or omission for this episode, leave me a voicemail at 619Paul ask write a comment on our discord at discord gg hdtgm and I'll respond to your messages next week on Last Looks. Plus, Jason and I will be chatting with comic book legend Ed Brubaker who claims to be a Ghost of Mars expert. So don't skip out on next week's Last Looks. And remember, if you're on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, make sure you're subscribed to our feed and have automatic downloads turned on in the show settings. It helps us and we appreciate it a lot. And last but not least, I got to thank our entire team for who this show could not be done without. I'm talking about our producers Scott Sahne, Molly Reynolds and our movie picking producer Avril Halley, our engineer Casey Holford and our social media manager Zoe Appelbaum, as well as our intern Quinn Jennings. That's all I got people. See you next week on Last Look. Bye for now.

[June Diane Raphael]

Unplanned pregnancy is one of life's unexpected twists, and in this age of restrictions and confusing online information, it can be difficult to know where to turn. Plan C pills.org shares up to date information on options for abortion pills and virtual support in all states, with a focus on how people are getting pills by mail. The site also shares information on how people are getting pills delivered in advance to store at home in case of future need. Visit Plan C Pills.org that's PlanCPills.org to learn more. This message is offered as a public service of how did this get made? And Plan C, a 10 year old nonprofit initiative.

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