Last Looks: Megalopolis

Fri Jan 31 2025

This week Paul answers all your questions about Megalopolis, chats with Jason about some TV, books, and comics, and announces next week's movie! Paul & Jason's Recs SAS: Rogue Heroes Landman Billions Jentry Chau vs the Underworld Laid Traitors US Extracted Wild Robot The Diplomat Shorsey Wolf Hall Jenny Sparks by Tom King Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder & Nick Dragotta Legacy of Vader by Charles Soule Kubrick: An Odyssey by Nathan Abrams and Robert P. Kolker Stanley Kubrick's Boxes Doom by Jonathan Hickman Astonishing Spiderman by Scott Aukerman Namor by Jason Aaron Karma Doll by Jonathan Ames

Summary

Podcast Summary: "How Did This Get Made?" – Episode: Last Looks: Megalopolis

Release Date: January 31, 2025

1. Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of "How Did This Get Made?", hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas dive into their latest cinematic curiosity, Megalopolis. Paul opens the show with vibrant energy, setting the stage for an in-depth exploration of the film and inviting listeners to engage with their reflections and critiques.

Paul Scheer [00:24]: "This episode is going to truly a mind-blowing one."

2. Deep Dive into "Megalopolis"

The primary focus of the episode centers on Megalopolis, a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The hosts dissect various aspects of the movie, including its themes, character dynamics, and underlying messages. Paul highlights the ambitious nature of the film and its attempt to create a "perfect utopia."

Paul Scheer [01:18]: "It's like Tommy Wiseau's The Room, not Brie Larson's Room."

The discussion touches upon Coppola's meticulous attention to detail, exemplified by subtle callbacks and foreshadowing within the film. Jason and Paul explore the blending of mythological elements with modern storytelling, pondering the feasibility and execution of constructing a utopian society within a densely populated city like New York.

Jason Mantzoukas [06:23]: "Like Middle Earth, where they all live."

Paul Scheer [06:26]: "Whatever the fuck is going on."

3. Listener Feedback and Corrections

The episode incorporates listener interactions from their Discord community, presenting corrections and omissions related to Megalopolis. Multiple listeners contribute insights that shed light on overlooked nuances and inconsistencies within the film.

Rob from Long Island clarifies the origin of "Dingbat News," connecting it to another of Francis Ford Coppola's works.

Rob [Bombay Beach Revival] [04:22]: "Dingbat News was the name of Sofia Coppola's newspaper..."
Mitch Coppa discusses Coppola's dedication to continuity and character development, particularly highlighting a scene involving Dustin Hoffman's character.

Mitch Coppa [06:29]: "Francis Ford Coppola really cared about what he was making..."
Angriest Hiki points out Megalopolis's connection to the Godzilla franchise, noting the appearance of Megalon.

Angriest Hiki [06:31]: "Megalopolis is one of Godzilla's foes..."
Maximum Clark addresses the symbolism in Dustin Hoffman's credits, debunking the notion of hidden significance.

Maximum Clark [10:15]: "This was clearly an artistic choice by the title company with no special significance."

June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer engage humorously with these corrections, acknowledging the depth of listener involvement.

4. Additional Media Discussions

Beyond Megalopolis, the hosts transition to broader discussions encompassing television shows, audiobooks, and comic books.

Television: The trio discusses standout TV series such as SAS Rogue Heroes, Billions, and Wolf Hall. Jason expresses interest in SAS Rogue Heroes, while Katie praises Gentry Chow versus the Underworld and Wild Robot for their storytelling and character development.

Katie [14:53]: "I loved the first season a couple of years ago when it came out."
Audiobooks and Films: Jason shares his current audiobook endeavors, including a Kubrick biography, while Katie recommends the animated film Look Back and discusses the emotional impact of Wild Robot.

Jason Mantzoukas [25:05]: "It's called Kubrick and Odyssey. It's supposedly the definitive Kubrick book."
Comics: A lively segment on recent comic book releases features titles like Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragoda, Legacy of Vader by Charles Soule, and various Star Wars expanded universe novels by Timothy Zahn. The hosts emphasize the richness and diversity of contemporary comic storytelling.

Katie [29:01]: "The book Doom by Jonathan Hickman and Sanford Green is a great one-shot Doctor Doom story."

5. Listener Recommendations and Personal Takes

Listeners contribute personal endorsements and critiques of current media trends. Jason discusses the resurgence of The Onion in paper form, lauding its commitment to humor and quality journalism without ads.

Jason Mantzoukas [43:50]: "The Onion is back, and you can get it in paper form... get another subscription to The Onion."

Katie shares her enthusiasm for anime titles like Dan to Dan and Dead to Dead Demons, alongside documentary recommendations such as Jon Ronson's Kubrick's Boxes. The hosts engage in a dynamic exchange, highlighting their diverse media interests and encouraging audience exploration.

6. Upcoming Episode Preview: "Passion Play"

Concluding the episode, Paul Scheer teases the next installment, which will feature Passion Play, a film starring Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, and Bill Murray. The brief plot synopsis underscores the film's reception, noting its low score on Rotten Tomatoes and critical disapproval by Mickey Rourke himself.

Paul Scheer [47:12]: "Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 3% score on the Tomatometer."

The hosts warmly invite listeners to continue engaging with the podcast through ratings, reviews, and social media interactions, while also acknowledging their production team and announcing their upcoming live tour.

Notable Quotes:

Paul Scheer [00:24]: "This episode is going to truly a mind-blowing one."
Jason Mantzoukas [06:23]: "Like Middle Earth, where they all live."
Katie [14:53]: "I loved the first season a couple of years ago when it came out."
Jason Mantzoukas [25:05]: "It's called Kubrick and Odyssey. It's supposedly the definitive Kubrick book."
Paul Scheer [47:12]: "Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 3% score on the Tomatometer."

Conclusion

This episode of "How Did This Get Made?" offers a comprehensive and entertaining examination of Megalopolis, enriched by active listener participation and a broad spectrum of media discussions. The hosts' insightful critiques, coupled with their engaging dialogue, provide both existing fans and newcomers with a thorough understanding of the film's intricacies and its place within the larger entertainment landscape.

Transcript

Paul Scheer (0:00)

Knight, King Kong versus Adam Driver. And Jason and I talking audiobooks. All this and more on today's how did this get made? Last Looks hit the theme. Last lunch.

Jason Mantzoukas (0:17)

Last looks. Last looks. Last Looks.

Paul Scheer (0:24)

Welcome all my circumstances, Caesar fans and Cicero fans. A place where you can both live together in one. A perfect utopia, if you will. This is Last Looks. I am your host, Tal Jon Shear, AKA Paul Scheer. And this is the only show where we break down how did this get made films even more. Why? Because it involves you. You call out all the things that we might have missed. And honestly, there wasn't enough time to get into everything we wanted to talk about in Megalopolis. So this episode is going to truly a mind blowing one. Now before every show starts, we like to give somebody a chance to maybe have an alt tagline for the movie that we just did. And I gotta say that Discord user Zilla21 had the best tagline when he said it's like the room with a view.

Jason Mantzoukas (1:18)

Ooh, I love it. That is. That's great.

Paul Scheer (1:23)

Look, I just want to make sure that we're all on the same page. He means Tommy Wiseau's the room. Not room. Brie Larson's room. Thank you Zillow21 for that tagline. Remember, if you have an alt movie tagline or title, submit it to us on our Discord and we may just read it on the show and I might over explain it just like I did. Now coming up on today's episode, we will be hearing all your corrections and omissions on Megalopolis. And believe me, there are a lot. Then Jason and I will chat about all the stuff that we've been watching and we've been watching a lot of TV and yes, we're watching Sas Rogue Heroes.

Jason Mantzoukas (2:00)

You'll get into all that more in.

Paul Scheer (2:01)

Just a little bit. But before we get into anything else, I want to give a big shout out to Sean Fogle who created that amazing opening theme song. Thank you, Sean. We love these songs. If you have any Last look episode theme songs, please, you know the drill. Send them to how did this get made@earwolf.com Keep them short. 15 to 20 seconds is best. All right people, how did this get made? Is on tour. It's a giant spring tour. We are going to Austin, we are going to San Fran. We are going to the Tree Fort Music Festival where you can purchase a festival ticket or a regular ticket. That's right, Boise. We are taking care of you. Plus we're going to go back to Denver finally. We have been excited to hit Denver again. So we will be there. San Francisco, I said we're going to be there, I think. Or maybe not. Portland, Seattle. We're doing it all. Go to hdtgm.com so far the only movies that have been announced are for the LA shows. But as we get closer, we will tell you exactly what to watch. Also, I want to plug a brand new show that Rob Huebel. How did this get made All Star and I are doing? It is called the Dark Web. You can go to my website, Paulshear.com to find out how to enter the Dark Web. You can also go to EntertheDarkWeb.com it is a weekly YouTube show where Rob Huebel and I watch the craziest stuff that we can find. But not like in a disturbing, upsetting way and not like in a ridiculous way. These are things that just make us laugh. And it's a big new show, so watch it. It's completely for free on YouTube. Again, my website. Or EntertheDarkWeb.com to get right to it on YouTube. All right, now enough of plugs. Now it's time to get into Megalopolis, where there are no plugs. It's a perfect world. It is now time, though, for you to tell us where we went wrong. Just like Mayor Cicero told Caesar when he developed a perfect plan for whatever they called New York. Anyway, it is now time for corrections and omissions. Hit the theme.