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S3.E4: The Monkey (2024) – A Killer Toy Story or Just a Joke?
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🚨 FULL SPOILER REVIEW AHEAD! 🚨
Stephen King’s The Monkey has finally made its way to the big screen, but does its mix of horror and dark comedy work? In this episode, we break down the film’s approach, its tone, and whether it successfully delivers scares or just cymbal-clashing chaos. None of us were familiar with the original King story, so we discuss the film purely on its own merits—does the comedic angle enhance or undercut the horror?
We also feature added reviews from @beardedfilmguy and Aaron from @abhorrormovies, giving us their takes on the film’s execution and whether it sticks the landing.
🎙️ This episode is brought to you by Zencastr—our go-to podcasting platform for high-quality remote recording. If you’re thinking of starting your own show, check out Zencastr here to get started!
👉 Let us know your thoughts in the comments! Did The Monkey work for you, or did its tonal choices leave you scratching your head?
🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more horror discussions!
#TheMonkey #StephenKing #HorrorMovies #MovieReview #Podcast #ThatBeardedFilmGuy #ABHorrorMovies #TheAverageReviews #HorrorDiscussion #Zencastr
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Transcript
Introduction to 'The Average' Podcast
00:00:31
Speaker
This is Tim. This is Jonathan. And this is Chris. Welcome to The Average, where we don't just watch movies, we break them down, but not scene by scene. Nope, we're here to talk about what makes a movie. Script, acting, music, direction.
00:00:47
Speaker
And everything in
Personal Perspectives in Film
00:00:48
Speaker
between. Because movies aren't just something you watch, they're something you experience. And that experience, it's different for everyone. Your past, your perspective, it all shapes how the movie hits you.
00:01:00
Speaker
That's why we celebrate those differences. Whether it's a brand new release or an obscure cult favorite or something in between, we're here to break it down.
Chris Petillo's Return
00:01:09
Speaker
And we want you to join the conversation.
00:01:12
Speaker
Every episode, we score movies using our own system, and you can too, using any of the three methods on our Instagram. And before we jump in, we've got an exciting update for season three.
00:01:23
Speaker
You might remember him from our Black Christmas episodes with Ivy Tholen during 13 nights of Halloween and way back our very first, like two years ago now, 13 nights of Halloween episode with Ring, Chris Petillo is now gonna be joining us pretty much full time.
00:01:42
Speaker
Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, thrilled to be here. I'm an ex-Instagram personality, but I currently don't have the social media, so I'm going to be kind of a ghost. i'm I'm going more that direction every day. yeah so Totally understandable.
00:02:02
Speaker
Anyhow, more movies, more discussion, and more perspectives, adding a richer dialogue to our already awesome analysis. Thank you for being here, Chris. Happy be here.
Introducing 'The Monkey' Film
00:02:12
Speaker
But before we get into it, don't forget to like this episode, drop your total score in the comments using those methods on our Instagram, and hit subscribe wherever you found us, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.
00:02:25
Speaker
Tonight, we're diving into The Monkey, the latest Stephen King adaptation, this time from Osgood Perkins, who less than a year ago released a pretty well-received movie in Long Legs.
00:02:39
Speaker
This is a mix of horror and dark comedy based on one of King's lesser known short stories. But before we get into whether it works or not, let's set the stage.
Film Development History
00:02:50
Speaker
Yeah, so this one's been in development libo for years. Frank Darabont had the rights way back, but nothing ever came of it.
00:02:56
Speaker
Then in 2023, it was suddenly back on the table with Perkins directing and James Wan producing. And what we ended up with is this movie that takes King's original concept, a cursed toy monkey that causes deaths, and twist it and just i totally twist it into something a lot more unhinged.
00:03:13
Speaker
Yeah, one of the big changes right off the bat is that the monkey doesn't have symbols like in the original. It's a drumming monkey now. And apparently that is because the producers were worried Disney might own the rights to the symbol banging version from Toy Story 3.
00:03:31
Speaker
Which is hilarious. That's awesome. ah Imagine legal trouble over something like that.
Perkins' Adaptation and Personal Influence
00:03:37
Speaker
ah But the real shift here is in the tone. Perkins has talked a lot about how he took major liberties with the story, leaning into absurdity, extreme gore, and a kind of morbid humor.
00:03:46
Speaker
um His take is that death is random, cruel, and sometimes so ridiculous that all you can do is laugh. Yeah, so a lot of this is coming from a personal place for him.
00:04:01
Speaker
He's been open about tragedies in his life. If you know anything about Perkins, he is the son of Anthony Perkins, who turned in the greatest horror performance of all time, in my opinion, as Norman Bates in Psycho.
00:04:17
Speaker
So his son, but his son but his I don't remember how Anthony died, but it was pretty unique. um I actually think it might have been AIDS.
00:04:33
Speaker
I should double check that before I let that in the final episode. um But his mom died, was on one of the planes in 9-11. Wow. So that was his coming at it from a personal place. He's been open about these tragedies and how it shaped him.
00:04:52
Speaker
and his approach to horror. He basically told the studio, your script about a killer monkey toy is too serious. People around this monkey die in the most insane ways imaginable.
00:05:03
Speaker
Why wouldn't we lean into that?
Dark Family Drama and Death Scenes
00:05:05
Speaker
Absolutely. Which makes for an interesting mix because on one hand, you've got this dark family drama between two estranged brothers, Hal and Bill, both of whom have been scarred by the monkey's curse.
00:05:15
Speaker
Then you've also got these completely over the top death scenes, decapitations, explosions, s swarms of wasps and a guy getting trampled by a stampede. It's all wrapped up in this conversation.
00:05:27
Speaker
Stephen King meets final destination kind of logic where the deaths are unpredictable and elaborate. The moment someone turns that key, you're just waiting to see how this is going to play out.
00:05:39
Speaker
Right. And it's got a lot of that early 2000s horror energy, big, messy, and kind of just mean spirited, but in a way that's like in like ah intentionally funny, you know? Yeah.
00:05:51
Speaker
Which is where this gets interesting because some people love that approach approach. For others, it might not hit. And that's what we're about to
Audience Expectations and Comedy
00:06:00
Speaker
get into. So let's dig in on this gnarly ass film.
00:06:05
Speaker
We're going on with some story and plot action. Who would like to go first? Yeah. Has anybody read the original? No. That was going to be a question I had for you. i am not familiar with it at all.
00:06:18
Speaker
I'm not familiar with it at all, but but I will say that based on my viewing, I feel like the kid's story and dropping the monkey into the well is where Stephen King's story ends.
00:06:33
Speaker
like I felt like... Yeah, I feel got the same impression. Did you guys ever see Monkey Shines? I did see Monkey Shines. Because, like, I vaguely remember bits and pieces of it, and, like, I'm assuming was the original movie version of this.
00:06:49
Speaker
Okay. Hmm. So I wasn't if you guys recalled any of that. I did see it it didn't It was one of those I watched while I was doing something else, so I don't remember it ah ton.
00:07:02
Speaker
But i did wonder if this was a remake of that one. I didn't look into that a lot. I've heard some back and forth with like small blurbs I've seen online, but nothing I've actually dug into. Yeah. For me, man, like I thought the story was awesome.
00:07:17
Speaker
You know, just like these two hateful brothers, you know, did like the the early on story part of it of them growing up in the bullshit that the one gives the other and the animosity that builds that quiet seething like, ah, you asshole. I hate you, Bill, you know.
00:07:32
Speaker
Hal. yeah And it's like how that carries on into their adulthood ah with like this fucking grudge that Bill has against Hal because of their mom's death, you know, from, you know, messing with the monkey, you know, like there's going to be spoilers.
00:07:48
Speaker
If you're listening, We're just going to spoil it. I'm not going to try not to. It's going to happen. was going to say, I want to, but I don't want to be that person because there's so much awesomeness that I want to talk about as far as the deaths themselves. Yeah, we're going to talk about it. So if you're worried about spoilers, skip to the last 10 minutes where we get final thoughts.
00:08:06
Speaker
Well, you kind of have to talk about spoilers with this one. it's I mean, it's like the trailers. The trailers did not really give away. I mean... really what was going to go on, which I appreciated about the trailers, but it had to, you know, it couldn it couldn't lean too much into what, what was actually going to happen in the movie because it takes away a lot of like the allure of it, you know?
Reactions to Comedy in the Film
00:08:25
Speaker
Yeah. Agreed. i think for my wife, cause we, we saw it together yesterday. um She didn't realize it was going to be this funny. but oh And i think that was detrimental for the first trailer at least to lean so serious.
00:08:44
Speaker
Like that first trailer leaned pretty serious and then it kind of loosened up a little bit since then. Some of the marketing since then has been hinting at the campier side of it.
00:08:56
Speaker
But I've been pretty open that I don't like comedies. i don't like I don't find them funny. I found this movie hilarious, and I was the only person in my theater who laughed quite a bit because this was my kind of humor. This was my sense of humor because it was messed up.
00:09:15
Speaker
I thought it was so funny.
00:09:18
Speaker
i be you I wondered my my issues with the story come in... I feel like it was trying to tell a deeper story at times.
00:09:30
Speaker
And I'm not always sure how well it stuck that. Like there was a little bit of hint of generational trauma. So like this came from my father is said a lot.
00:09:41
Speaker
My brother and I carried this from our father, which was a hilarious opening. ah He says that. And then at the end, it's him and his son who have to keep this you know So there's a little bit of hint to that, but it's not really expanded on all that much.
Thematic Elements and Critique
00:10:00
Speaker
And there's also that... um
00:10:04
Speaker
I actually really like the like life on the monkey and how it's random. And it seems to be or appears to be random like life.
00:10:15
Speaker
And I thought that was good. Just wasn't that much deeper with it. I don't know that this is the movie that needed it But something more in the end would have helped.
00:10:29
Speaker
ah The jerk brother was just the most over-the-top, cliche bully brother in like, the best way.
00:10:40
Speaker
ah Bill was a total knob. Yeah.
00:10:45
Speaker
I couldn't stand him. And i also, yeah I couldn't stand him. i I'll get into it more, but I did like the nerdy brother. What was his name?
00:10:57
Speaker
Hal. Our main Hal. Yeah. ah I appreciated the way a lot of what we're experiencing early on is kind of seen through his lens.
00:11:10
Speaker
So his bully brother is seen through his lens, but also the girls in the movie. Like he's a prepubescent nerdy boy.
00:11:23
Speaker
And all of these girls are shot in a way that they seem giant and terrifying and they're bullies and he's intimidated. And i'm like, I thought that was pretty clever. I actually appreciated that approach to the younger kid side of the story, which I was surprised that that was there because i did not know it was going to be. i don't remember kids being in the trailers.
00:11:47
Speaker
Mm-mm. So when it took up the first like 40 minutes of the movie, I was a little surprised by that. Yeah, i mean, I think you definitely see young Hal and Bill, but the trailers, at least in my opinion, didn't give any indication that that was like young, like a younger version of himself. And that's what this kind of movie was going to be. Like have the split with, like you said, the first 40 or so minutes being ah ah them as children and then, you know, the rest of the movie, them being grown up.
00:12:16
Speaker
Yeah, but i also like ah that whole bit that you've got going between Hal and his son, Petey, how he wants to protect his son, but, you know, you know wants to try as much time as it as he can, but he can't.
00:12:27
Speaker
And like how the the monkey brings them together in like a really kind of dark way, you know? it's It's something else, man.
00:12:38
Speaker
ah But overall, man, i I really enjoyed this story for what it was. i didn't really expect it to
Cursed Object Story and Ending
00:12:43
Speaker
be as funny as it was. um So that was a pleasant twist for me in the theater.
00:12:49
Speaker
um I just scored this one as a four, you know? Okay. So i I was actually a three on this one because it's a cursed object story. It's a cursed object story its heart.
00:13:03
Speaker
ah It tries to bring in that generational trauma story. it tries to bring in a little bit more, like I mentioned.
00:13:14
Speaker
I'm not sure exactly how successful it was at that. The ending, to me, left a little bit to be desired. I kind of thought the ending was going to go a little...
00:13:25
Speaker
I say a little bit bigger, but at the same time, we had like a plane crash and half of the city die. But which I thought was hilarious, but it also felt really disconnected. Like i didn't understand.
00:13:39
Speaker
Throughout the whole movie, it's the final time the drumstick falls that someone dies. You know, the it plays the song and then it holds it And then when that falls, the last one dies.
00:13:53
Speaker
But somehow at the end, when the monkey started just hammering away, every hit meant someone died. Yeah, dude, that gets hat do that monkey went off, dude. After Bill tried to force it to do what he wanted it to do.
00:14:06
Speaker
that That could be why, yeah. It felt like the rules changed in that moment just a little bit. i I mean, i didn't hate it It just left a little bit to be desired for me there.
00:14:17
Speaker
So I gave it a three on that one. ah Yeah, I gave it a three as well. And I mean, to everything you said, ah both have said, I mean, it is, you know, a cursed object story. There's lots of like Final Destination type influence, like you had said in the introduction.
00:14:32
Speaker
And then, I don't know, focused kind of, it it wasn't a very compelling story to me. And I know it wasn't necessarily trying to, but at the same time, to your earlier point, there were like deeper things here that were trying to be said. And part of my problem with the movie, and we'll get into it, is kind of like an identity crisis. I don't know, like this movie is half in comedy, half in serious, but I don't know that the, I i don't know that they meshed as well as they should have um at times at least. And so so, I don't know. I did give it a three though.
00:15:05
Speaker
So our we actually got two other scores from BeardedFilmGuy on Instagram. And Aaron, who did the Wolfman movie with us, they both scored this at a four. So they're right there with you, Jonathan, on story.
00:15:20
Speaker
so Yeah. Our character here. this This was a tougher one for me. This was a tougher one for me. So ah do we want to start with positive or negative?
00:15:34
Speaker
i I just want to say, as far as characters go, i wish I'd have seen more happen to Elijah Wood as that shitty stepdad. Yes! Trying to be like, I took your power. i took your power. was like, dude, shut the fuck up. You didn't take anyone's power.
00:15:46
Speaker
You'd just be an asshole. You know, trying to mess with a dude and his connection. That was the funniest scene in the movie where they're sitting on the couch holding hands. You feel that? I just took your power. well What are you talking about?
00:16:00
Speaker
When he starts to argue back, I didn't give you permission to take my power. This is hilarious. I loved that whole exchange. I just think that was that was one of those moments, though, where i feel like it was too much of like a comedy. like It wasn't dark comedy at that point. It was like a scene you could see in a Judd Apatow movie, you know or like Forgetting Sarah Marshall or something. like i mean but it was It was funny, and I laughed. yeah That and the scene with the the pastor or the priest with ah with the first death, and he has that...
00:16:27
Speaker
Yeah, and it's like, it was so absurd. i mean, it was funny, but it's like, this is kind of, i mean, this is absolutely just absurd. And I don't know, at that point, i hadn't really felt like what this movie was like yet. And so.
00:16:40
Speaker
It was like something absurdity. Yeah, it makes me wonder if on second watch, if you now that you know, it's kind of absurdist, would you ah ah enjoy it more from that perspective? I think so. I think so.
00:16:54
Speaker
I think that is generally what I'm seeing in in people's feedback has been, like, my wife didn't know it was going to be funny. She thought it was going to be, like, a Final Destination, little more serious horror type thing.
00:17:09
Speaker
And then I'm busting it out laughing in the first scene when the guy's intestines get ripped out by that harpoon hook. That was so great. I'm laughing. And I'm like, oh, this, I'm going to, when he's like, oh, you you don't want, you do not want that arm to come down. I i enjoyed that.
00:17:26
Speaker
um Yeah. I mean, I loved the, I loved the Adam Scott cameo or it was a cameo to me because I didn't know he was going to be
Unresolved Plot Points
00:17:34
Speaker
in it. And first scene and he was just so good. He's so, he's so fucking funny.
00:17:38
Speaker
Okay, but what happened to him? Nobody knows. Yeah, they say he just they said he just left one day.
00:17:49
Speaker
So that was one of the loose threads that I wanted to come back at the end. I'm fine not knowing where this monkey came from, anything about that. I prefer to not know anything else about this monkey toy. I don't need an origins.
00:18:03
Speaker
I don't need the Annabelle origins of this monkey toy. Okay? But when they say, when the dad, the last thing we see of the dad is him flamethrowering the monkey in like, it reminded me of Inglourious Bastards from Quentin Tarantino.
00:18:19
Speaker
That's what I'm seeing. yeah um When he's doing that, and then the next thing we hear is that he left and never came back. I want resolution to that.
00:18:31
Speaker
Did he die? Did the monkey get him? Or did he just run far away Because when the monkey starts killing everybody around them, if the dad is still alive, that means he's open game.
00:18:46
Speaker
So I was kind of hoping that would come back at the end, but it didn't make or break the movie for me. But I would have liked to see Adam Scott make an appearance in the final act, maybe.
00:19:00
Speaker
yeah I don't know. yeah I think the movie would have benefited from more explanation, but also just more Adam Scott screen time. And how did the monkey get from being flamethrower to them, you know, in the first place? I didn't quite get on that, but...
00:19:14
Speaker
Well, it's the same as when the boy chopped it up and it reappeared. It just... Okay, all right. Yeah, they jokingly like, oh, I can teleport. We know that. And it's just all-powerful monkey toy.
00:19:27
Speaker
You're just supposed to buy it. And that is one area where I think the absurdity, if anything, I don't think it leaned into absurdist quite enough. It's pretty absurd.
00:19:39
Speaker
But i agree with Oz in saying that we're making a movie about a killer monkey toy. We can't take it seriously. Like you can't, you gotta to go campy. You gotta, you gotta to go absurd with it.
00:19:53
Speaker
So I agree with him there. Ultimately the character arc for me didn't land tremendously because how is the same at the end as he is at the beginning other than his relationship with his son.
00:20:14
Speaker
that's That might have improved, but that was all his brother's doing. So the credit here, I actually give to the brother who the spoiler here is that the brother is behind it all.
00:20:29
Speaker
How did you feel about that?
00:20:32
Speaker
I mean, I wasn't surprised at all. i mean, it was just kind of a little too safe of a play for me. i mean, i don't I don't know the source material, so maybe that's how it is, but i don't know. ah I feel like the Stephen King book ended with them dropping it in the well.
00:20:48
Speaker
And then everything after that was Oz's continuation of the story. I don't know that for fact. That's a guess. um
00:20:58
Speaker
i when When it was revealed to be the brother, i was like it was a little bit of an eye roll for me, but I was also like, it makes sense. It makes sense. but He's got his like weird like trapped out like fortress, though. I don't know. It was funny.
00:21:14
Speaker
I was just like, what the what's going on? like what His Rube Goldberg machine setup of stuff he's got going
Character Dynamics and Resolution
00:21:20
Speaker
on there. i was like, yeah okay. Yeah. His haircut was the thing I noticed the most. Jeez.
00:21:27
Speaker
He looked like a frigging weirdo, man. And then, like, his his his childhood, alter his altered childhood tuxedo for the funeral stuff. He took, like, his skater shirt from, like, junior high and, like, seamed it in with everything. Like, bro, come on.
00:21:40
Speaker
He looks like such a nutter, bro. ah So bad. But his comeuppance and everything and Hal kind of getting what he wanted from that first turnkey eventually by the end of the film, I thought that was kind of ironic but funny.
00:21:54
Speaker
So, I mean, yeah I felt that worked pretty well as far as some character arc, as far as Hal getting that childhood wish come true finally, even though like they kind of had their resolution end. was kind you know i was kind of I kind of knew the brother was going to die at the end.
00:22:09
Speaker
It was one of those, like, they'd showed us all of these pieces. So I was waiting for that final monkey arm to drop. And I was like, it's not going to be Hal.
00:22:20
Speaker
His son's right there. They're not going end the movie. This movie, the way everything been going, i was like, it's going to be the brother. ah The cannon taking his head off, though, and ah it being the bowling ball from the beginning of the movie.
00:22:36
Speaker
I thought that was pretty good.
00:22:41
Speaker
Right. So, i mean, interesting that they become like the guardians now of the monkey, Hal and Petey. So, I mean, I kind of hope that leaves some leeway to some kind of really weird sequel and some more awesome deaths and gore.
00:22:55
Speaker
Who knows? But, you know, the fact that him and his son are now a little closer and his son understands why everything is the way it is and why he's been so distant, you know, as crazy as it is, I think that's a wonderful thing.
00:23:07
Speaker
Yeah. I'd like to see a bigger finish on the end for that. This is the kind of movie that I'm not opposed to a sequel to.
00:23:16
Speaker
Because... ah dode do we need it? Not necessarily. Would I watch it? Probably. So... It was just kind of absurdist and fun. And if I get more absurdity and fun, I'm okay with that.
00:23:31
Speaker
I just see the sequel would delve into the gray territory of where the monkey came from. And that's what I don't need. I would like a sequel to see Elijah Woods die. Yeah, that was my, I thought he was going to get it ah once they introduced him and you cast Elijah Wood.
00:23:48
Speaker
He's going to die, but he didn't. I've also been watching Yellow Jackets and he has a big part in that. so Okay. Yellow Jackets is great, by the way. have not seen it.
00:24:00
Speaker
Cannibalism, cultish stuff with teenage girls in the woods. Jeez. It's a showtime. It's pretty good. isn't there Isn't that one girl on it too? Sophie Thatcher, is that her name? Yeah. du She's got a good run of some horror movies recently.
00:24:17
Speaker
Sophie Thatcher, ah yeah, they definitely amped her character up in season three because she's gotten pretty popular. That's what heard. Ella Purnell was in season one and has done a couple cameos in the rest of the seasons.
00:24:30
Speaker
ah And then there was one... Yeah, I think those two really blew up after the first two seasons of Yellow Jackets, and now they're done a bunch of movies.
00:24:41
Speaker
But yeah, I was a three for the character, how compelling the arc was. I went four.
00:24:49
Speaker
And I went to, but I think anything, like I had a lot of fun with this movie. So anything negative for me is, and I've said this, but leans into how absurd certain things were. And I just really couldn't take a lot of like the impactful character moments and development seriously when it wasn't serious, but I'm also not the
Comedic Elements vs. Character Arcs
00:25:08
Speaker
biggest fan of comedy. And when I do watch comedy movies and get into them, like character compelling character, compelling plot isn't really, you know, what I'm watching it for. So ah yeah, I ended up going with it too.
00:25:20
Speaker
All right. but You're adding depth to but the conversation. We ranged from two to four. So the music and sound design on
Music and Sound Design
00:25:30
Speaker
this one. Oh, our friends, a Bearded Film Guy gave it a three.
00:25:36
Speaker
And Aaron from AB Horror Movies gave it a three as well. Okay. So for music and sound design. Music. There's a couple of like memorable songs that pick up some like old school classics that they threw in there through some parts which are well placed.
00:25:53
Speaker
um The rest of it just blended really well. um I love all the sound effects that they had for all of the different deaths and the squishes and the splats um and just like things being triggered and all these little things going on like Dude, there're like between all the deaths and like all the craziness that happens, there's so much depth of sound of all the different stuff that you hear. and It's like kicksawber it's murder ASMR.
00:26:20
Speaker
Basically. Yeah. there the The monkey circus song. that plays when he's drumming is something that I would recognize instantly again.
00:26:35
Speaker
like, ah, yeah, that that's from the monkey. They did a pretty good job of making that recognizable. I did wonder if they got that from like an old school toy already, or they probably wrote it for the movie.
00:26:48
Speaker
But I thought that was pretty good, but the rest of the movie, like you said, the music fit. I liked some of the licensed song choices, but...
00:26:59
Speaker
The sound effects of the death were the highlight for me. the various sound effects were nicely done, I thought.
00:27:10
Speaker
Yeah, i mean, it was just very punchy. And to your point, like ASMR. should like ah Or like a mukbang YouTube video, but for like just gruesome death. Yeah. ah and So yeah, I gave it a three because I thought there was some good stuff. But i ah at the same time, there wasn't like any like super memorable like piece of the soundtrack. I guess the monkey the monkey song. See,
00:27:36
Speaker
see I was a four on this one. So I was a little bit higher on this one. I'm a three. Okay. So I got the high score on that one. ah Bearded film guy gave it a five and Aaron gave it a two. So we had every score but a one on that. So there, there really isn't a whole lot more to say about that one though, but decided focus stress effects this we could probably talk about for a minute
00:28:07
Speaker
ah
00:28:10
Speaker
The cherry pie.
Absurdity in Death Scenes
00:28:14
Speaker
um Uncle Chip. Yeah, I want to know if that, like, did they actually just use cherry pie for that? Because that was slushy and goopy. And is one of my biggest complaints about this movie, okay, is i don't know how many trailers you guys watch for it, but every death was in a trailer.
00:28:37
Speaker
every death was in a trailer other than the the final death and i think the b1 but i saw enough trailers for this that i saw it all there was a trailer going around with oz sitting down with um coroners and they were watching the movie and then seeing like oh could that realistically happen blah blah blah bla And that went around and they showed the soupy sleeping bag of the uncle. They showed the aunt's face catching on fire. all of that. So I was a little disappointed because there was no surprises.
00:29:19
Speaker
like oh I wanted some more surprising deaths. I still enjoyed them. I still... The number of people who explode from nothing is great.
00:29:31
Speaker
Everybody explodes. Everybody explodes. yeah The swimming pool. i was dead saying That is so absurd. Talking about absurd. I to make her explode when she dives in. i mean Talking about absurd. That's one of the most absurd scenes in the movie.
00:29:46
Speaker
A, it's like 2 a.m. m that he answers his phone and he goes outside to the pool and there's just this chick in a bikini who decides 2 a.m. is the time to go swimming. And the air conditioner unit falling in the pool is enough to make her body explode on contact with the water.
00:30:04
Speaker
but I think that was pretty hard. No, it didn't even fall in the pool. hit the ground and struck a puddle of water and the shock went through the puddle into the pool.
00:30:15
Speaker
Like that is super effing absurd, man. Like what the hell? and thought I thought was funny. Yeah, that was that was, I think, my favorite scene in the movie. I mean, it was it was dumb, but I just, I did not expect her. Like, that was the last thing that I expected. It was one of the most surprising deaths. It's like, oh my God, like, you get a real shock from it. Because like i why I did not expect that. Like, okay.
00:30:37
Speaker
Her leg flies up and it hits him. I thought that was so good. I genuinely thought we were going to get like a prolonged water electrocution. that it was going to be a slow, like agonizing him just watching her.
00:30:54
Speaker
Nope. Instant explosion. But then the shotgun has the same effect on the realtor. That dude, that, that got me. I was like, Oh my God. It was not like bugs or something like crazy to jump out at her.
00:31:06
Speaker
Yeah. That one cracked me up. That one was in a trailer. So I knew the gun was going to pop out of that one. I think the one that surprised me that I enjoyed was the ah realtor signpost for the aunt.
00:31:22
Speaker
I knew was like the monkey kept trying, like the stairs breaking didn't work. So it was like, okay, now going to catch her on fire. And that didn't happen. In the face, dude, the lures in the face. I was like, this poor woman, one thing after the next, trying to take her out. Like this lady did not deserve that. And Ida, God rest her soul. She did not deserve that.
00:31:44
Speaker
No, she didn't, but it was pretty funny. I loved her glasses. I loved her orange sunglasses.
00:31:53
Speaker
The one that I didn't understand, I think.
00:31:58
Speaker
So I guess they do say they never really answered it. um The mom.
00:32:06
Speaker
So they said it was kind of that freak accident. One and whatever. Boomerang aneurysm. Boomerang aneurysm. And the brother is trying to kill his brother because he believes the brother turned the key and it killed mom.
00:32:22
Speaker
That doesn't line up with all the deaths that we saw. None of them... They were all caused by physical objects.
00:32:32
Speaker
So... He never really answers if he turned the key. Or not. So you're saying that... that could have just been like a natural death. It's like a coincidence thing. I guess I didn't really think about it. like i don't know, man. The way they staged the blood and everything from the eyes and the ears and then wherever. I don't know, man.
00:32:55
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, i think part of that might have just been for shock value, but the way I walked away at the end was him saying that he didn't turn it for his mom and that his mom truly was a freak accident. That is what I got because it it wasn't super clear. I'm curious if someone else got that, but i it it doesn't answer that.
00:33:24
Speaker
I thought we would get more of an answer to that, but I walked away from him saying, because he reiterates to his brother, like, no, it's a one in whatever million chance.
00:33:36
Speaker
It was just that. He was kind of reinforcing what his mom had said when they were boys after the babysitter died and how she was talking about death to them. Yeah. You know, I see that was him kind of reinforcing what she had said from how to bill in that way.
00:33:52
Speaker
Yeah. I see that. i That's just what I took from it was that it was an accident. or not Not a monkey accident, but a true accident in nature. Freak event.
00:34:05
Speaker
that happened. And then it caused that rift between them, which I actually think adds a little more complexity to the movie. So I don't know, but we're on editing and special effects.
00:34:16
Speaker
kind of Yeah, we jumped a little bit. What'd you think of the wasps though? I thought they looked pretty cheesy, but when they started like eating that guy from the inside, Yeah, his face like jaw starts kind of coming off a little bit. Yeah, I was getting uncomfortable.
00:34:32
Speaker
I was uncomfy there. i was expecting it to be a little more though. I was expecting something more to happen. i mean, I guess his face like being chewed off by Wasp from the inside is kind of a lot already, but.
00:34:44
Speaker
expected him to explode. I wanted to see the body split from like the pressure inside and explode just to press and like split and then the bugs come out, you know. yeah That's what was hoping for. I honestly thought the ending was going to have more chaotic.
00:35:02
Speaker
i thought there was going to be a body dump at the end. And technically there is, but it's after the climax when... the The cheerleaders on the bus was just, it was unnecessary.
00:35:14
Speaker
It was ridiculous. And I'm not mad that it's there. I wasn't mad that it was there. was like, this serves no purpose and it's a lot of fun. Except, ah oh, they cheered.
00:35:27
Speaker
They were cheering when they brought the aunt's body out of the house, weren't they? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. yeah Yep. So they they were getting their their return.
00:35:40
Speaker
i Actually, so editing and special effects, again. thought all of the deaths were edited really well. The marketing for this movie actually made me think it was going to be gorier than it was.
00:35:53
Speaker
I thought it cut pretty quickly. We didn't see any of the crazy grossness.
Editing and Special Effects
00:35:59
Speaker
Yeah.
00:36:01
Speaker
I thought it was tightly edited, honestly. i i enjoyed the construction of this movie probably more than the story itself.
00:36:12
Speaker
I thought it was tightly done. I liked a lot of the...
00:36:21
Speaker
I'll get into the shots and stuff with the direction, but
00:36:28
Speaker
I liked a lot of the editing they did with the monkeys shots, particularly the cutting from his drumming to showing something else or how hearing the music during scenes when the monkey was active.
00:36:42
Speaker
I thought that was done nicely. i actually gave the editing and special effects of five because there wasn't anything I could complain about. I thought it was really well done on that, that department.
00:36:55
Speaker
I even thought his monkey shrine of TVs, even though I don't know what that was all about. I thought it was cool. so And he was watching videos of monkeys. I don't know. He was on it, man. But i agree. ah I did think this category is a five all the way as well.
00:37:15
Speaker
I gave it a four, and I agree with everything, but I think there was some CGI that I thought was a little. like Specifically, ah at the very end, when the cannonball takes off the brother's head, i mean yeah of course it's CGI, but it kind of just looks cheesy to me. And like the girls in the bus.
00:37:34
Speaker
so There was some CGI that I wasn't super super thrilled about, but i'll ultimately, i was impressed. I completely agree. i completely agree that it was cheesy CGI, but it worked in this movie for me that it wasn't. I was like, yeah I don't care that the cheerleaders looked a little cheesy because yeah it was a cheesy scene in a cheesy moment.
00:37:58
Speaker
But I agree. i agree. You were not alone. Bearded film guy and Aaron both gave it fours as well. I really liked that one shot where we saw the guy impaled on the tree with the surfboard.
00:38:10
Speaker
Yeah. I was like, dude, that is awesome. Holy crap. And his briefcase is open. so
00:38:19
Speaker
So the script for this one, there are some fun lines in
Notable Script Lines
00:38:25
Speaker
here. There wasn't really too much that you could really judge on script here. Cause most of it's all visual, you know, from, from everything here.
00:38:33
Speaker
Um, The beginning at the pawn shop, though, when dad is trying to get rid of the monkey. oh my God. What was it? ah When he pulls out the flamethrower and he's just like, who's smiling now, you infernal whore?
00:38:47
Speaker
And wo shit it's like, OK, dad is like, I'm getting rid of this thing. ah thought that was pretty cool. And then. um when they're When Hal picks up Petey and they're at that first hotel and after the lady explodes in the pool, he's trying to get Petey up and he's like freaking out.
00:39:04
Speaker
and where ca What did he say? was it We got to make like eggs and scramble. Oh yeah, he graham he screams it because his mom Doesn't his mom or his dad say that at the beginning?
00:39:17
Speaker
His mom does when he's in the back of the car. She's like eating in the front and kind of like saying some weird stuff to her son. and but Yes, when she's like going through that dad left us, he made like an egg and scrambled.
00:39:30
Speaker
Yes. i wasn't yeah Yeah, that was a weird line to me because I was expecting her to say something about like cracking or I don't know. I like i don't know. Yeah. yeah's There's some odd bits of dialogue in it, but overall it was still kind of fun.
00:39:43
Speaker
So I don't really have much to really say about the script other than that. You know, the rest of it just kind of short bits that just kind of flow and carry on the rest of the visual part of the story.
00:39:53
Speaker
So this is one of those moments that i wish I could take notes in the movie theater, but I can't. Because there were a couple I wanted to write down. ah When the mom is talking to the kids about death after the babysitter dies, I thought she actually had a really good line about just how it happens to everybody. um the The quote on IMDb is abbreviated, like it was taken from a commercial and cut the whole part of it.
00:40:23
Speaker
The quote on IMDb is everybody dies, some of us peacefully and in our sleep, and some of us horribly, and that's life. I think in the movie she says some of us die peacefully in our sleep. Some of us die tied to our bed with a gag in our, like she just goes on and paints this whole scene about dying horribly.
00:40:42
Speaker
actually thought that was a great line. ah
00:40:47
Speaker
i I put my problems with the story because I feel like the story leaves a little bit to be desired I thought the script was hilarious.
00:40:58
Speaker
I thought the script was sharp and witty. I'm not going to give it a glowing praise, but this was my kind of humor. So I thought it was really funny, even and probably when it wasn't supposed to be.
00:41:15
Speaker
But ah I have noticed now between Longlegs and this, Oz's sense of humor in his scripts Because Longlegs, much more serious movie, had some of the driest and darkest humor in just a couple scenes. It's it's not a lot of scenes. It's like she's talking to a young girl and it's just an awkward scene, but it comes across very funny for me.
00:41:44
Speaker
i And that carries on into this movie. Kind of a lot of dark, awkward humor. And I liked seem seeing him explore that more. I liked seeing him lean into that.
00:41:57
Speaker
So I enjoyed the script quite a bit, actually.
00:42:03
Speaker
So this movie, though, kind of – mean, because I loved Long Legs. Long Legs was one of my favorite horror movies last year. And I see people that – some people online think that, like, Nicolas Cage's performance was really absurd and like like they couldn't take it seriously or get scared by it. But I thought it was, like, kind of chilling.
00:42:20
Speaker
But after seeing this movie and understanding Oz's sense of humor, to your point a little more, it kind of makes me think, like, I don't know, if I rewatch Long Legs, maybe I'll just find Nicolas Cage really funny and it's going to change my – my uh just how I view that movie um see
Director's Unique Humor
00:42:38
Speaker
I didn't find him funny in that movie and I know what you're saying my wife did my wife did he was like I couldn't take him seriously I thought he was chilling I thought ah the FBI agent was the funny one because she was so socially awkward
00:42:55
Speaker
There were numerous scenes where she like doesn't want to be doing what she's being asked, but she doesn't know how to say that. And I thought it was hilarious. but Yeah. That's me. um Have you seen that one, Jonathan?
00:43:08
Speaker
No, I did not get around to watching it. I saw the trailer and it looked like it was really good. But then I started hearing mixed reviews and like how people thought it like it ended up being like a really funny movie. And i'm like, what? It kind of confused me. So I just never got around to checking it out.
00:43:21
Speaker
It's like an R-rated Scooby-Doo is what I would say. i'll have to I'll have to give you i'll get i'll give you my streaming password because I have the digital copy.
00:43:32
Speaker
but Yeah, I loved that movie. I thought it was fantastic. But it like scratched an itch that, ah and I might have told this to you, Tim, like through text message or something, but it scratched an itch that like Silence of the Lambs satisfied the 90s. And not that it's you know Silence of the la Lambs tear per se, but...
00:43:49
Speaker
right um Yeah, it just filled like a void, or like I said, scratch an itch that I've been... there There's not enough of that horror crime genre.
00:44:01
Speaker
Yeah, and just from like the tone and the vibe of that movie, the atmosphere was very just like dark and dismal. and You don't always get that as much anymore. Right on.
00:44:13
Speaker
Well, as far as scores go, I sat at a three on this one. So I was a four on the script for this one. I really enjoyed the script. but And I gave it a two, but that's primarily because some of the comedy just didn't really land with me. And so I thought, I mean, sure, was but it was intentional, but I don't know. Some of it was very corny. And I was like, I don't know. It doesn't really fit. it's and It's okay for it to be a corny comedy, but it just didn't fit with some of the other scenes.
00:44:42
Speaker
And so that was like kind of a jarring disconnect for me at times. I am so curious if you watch this again later, if you would find it funnier because you know that's what you're getting into or if you would like it even less.
00:44:55
Speaker
um Bearded Film Guy and Aaron. Bearded Film Guy gave it a four and Aaron gave it a three.
00:45:05
Speaker
So the acting, I actually, wrote was the little boy played by the same guy? Same kid, both?
00:45:16
Speaker
ah Young Hal and Billy. didn't think so, but it could be. I thought they were two different actors. They looked like two different kids to me. Yeah, they are. Wait.
00:45:32
Speaker
Okay, so he is from... No, it is played by the same kid. So they did a good job with the hair, really making them look different. He played both Young Hal and Young Bill. Christian Convery...
00:45:44
Speaker
He played Sweet Tooth on Netflix
00:45:50
Speaker
based on the Jeff Lemire comic. But I gotta be honest, Theo James impressed me.
00:45:59
Speaker
I thought he did a bang-up job of the brothers just being one kind of a psycho adult still in a mullet sewing his own clothes.
00:46:11
Speaker
Like... He played that part really well, and then he also played the other brother really well. So he's he stood out. I thought that was good. Tatiana Mazaslani, whatever her name is, ah she was good as the mom.
00:46:29
Speaker
I thought she delivered probably one of the better performances in the movie. i like her. And then Osgood actually makes an appearance in this film. He is the uncle. the director is that uncle.
00:46:43
Speaker
Yep. That's funny. The one who we're going to do our best, which probably not going to be very good. Yeah. I loved that scene. said, they're telling, yeah. And you know, we never, we never wanted kids, you know, and, you know, and we're swingers, we're swingers, but that doesn't, that doesn't affect It's like, do what the hell?
00:47:04
Speaker
It's like one of those kind of weird moments where it's like Tarantino writing himself into his films kind of a thing. you know It's goofy, but it's funny. it's ah It's a really you know offhand role usually. Yes. It took me a second to realize that was him. at first, I was like, is that him? Yeah, yeah, that's definitely him.
00:47:21
Speaker
But I didn't realize he got his start in acting until I started digging more into I think he was an illegally blonde. Hmm. Way back when. so And I think that's where he started.
00:47:32
Speaker
so And then did he just take like a massive hiatus and then decide to direct 15 years later? or so So I didn't realize that he has done as many movies as he has.
00:47:44
Speaker
I thought he had only done about three of them.
00:47:49
Speaker
But hear a lot of... He's done seven. And well, he's done six and he has ah his first one was Black Coat's Daughter from 2015.
00:48:01
Speaker
And I've heard really good things about that one. And then he did i Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. And then his first one that I was aware of was Gretel and Hansel in 2020, which I'd heard pretty mixed things about that one.
00:48:17
Speaker
So I never watched that. But then Long Legs is what put him on my radar.
00:48:23
Speaker
Yeah, honestly, I had thought Long Legs was his debut. I didn't even know that he had done these. I mean, I've heard of these movies, but I didn't know they were his. Yeah. He started with acting. Oh, he actually he actually was in Psycho 2 in 1983 as young Norman.
00:48:41
Speaker
I'm sure he loves that. Which would make sense. Yeah. And then Six Degrees of Separation as a kid, but Legally Blonde in 2001. was Dorky David.
00:48:54
Speaker
not another teen movie in 2001. He's a dorky looking dude. I mean, i I think it fits well. He is.
00:49:05
Speaker
But yeah, the performances in this movie, I thought were pretty solid. Yeah. Colin O'Brien, Petey. I'd never really seen him in anything before. seems He's kind of a newer actor, but ah I liked you know his is ah is portrayal of a pissed off teenager who's like, fuck you, dad, and why won't you hang out with me kind of thing. I think he nailed that pretty good, and being kind of a talkback and dirt hole kind of kid.
00:49:29
Speaker
The scene in the car where the realtor knocks on the window. and And when he was like, I just found out I have an uncle this moment. I was like, that's pretty, pretty good scene. I like that. She off's in the car and he goes through his whole diatribe. I'm like, yes.
00:49:44
Speaker
Yep. She's like, oh, no card. but Yeah.
00:49:50
Speaker
Yeah, no, I agree with everything you guys have said. I thought the acting was really good. i thought the child, like children actors were really good. The mom was great. Theo James was awesome. Although I don't know, I think he was, and I keep coming back to this, but him as the brother was a little too goofy for me at times, but I don't know if that's, I don't blame him for that. Yeah.
00:50:09
Speaker
yeah but The other guy um that was trying to get the monkey, the the young guy that held a gunpoint with the the cop uniform, Rohan Campbell. He was awesome. Yeah, he was awesome.
00:50:20
Speaker
Oh, that guy kind of annoyed me a little bit. Really? he was okay, but i was like, just I don't know, something bad just like just kind of annoyed me. Who? I thought he was really good in the the car scene when he's in the back and he has the gun. and ah It goes off. It's like, dude, you knob. Come on.
00:50:37
Speaker
Act like you know what you're doing. Like, seriously. Yeah. He's not even listed in the cast, and he's probably like the fourth biggest character. I'm looking at the wiki.
00:50:49
Speaker
yeah I'm on the IMDb. Canadian actor was starring as Frank Hardy on the 2020 series adaptation of The Hardy Boys. He's the rasher. yeah Wasn't that his name?
00:51:00
Speaker
Oh, he's so he's the guy. He's ah he's in The Halloween Ends. Yeah, yeah. He's sos ah Michael Myers' counterpart in Halloween Ends. That was him. i couldn't see his eyes or recognize his face. There's a crappy hair. i was like, dude, geez.
00:51:18
Speaker
It was. And that was one of the, like, that was entirely on purpose to be just weirdly funny again. Yeah. He was in the Halloween ends. One of the most divisive Halloween films of all time.
00:51:33
Speaker
Never saw that one either. So I don't know. I can't say that's, I have such a weird relationship with those three Halloween movies. That is the discussion of Halloween ends is an entire episode in itself.
00:51:45
Speaker
Uh, yeah. Cause I didn't hate it, but I think every complaint about it is valid. So that was like, and not to delve into it, but that was more like it. That movie was like an expectation versus reality thing. So i really hated it the first time, but I've rewatched it a few times and I kind of like it more knowing, you know, what they were going for.
00:52:05
Speaker
But yeah. I digress. I like tangents. They make it more interesting sometimes. But for acting, I was a four. I thought it was pretty great in the acting department. Same.
00:52:18
Speaker
Four. half I was a four as well. We're actually four across the board with Bearded Film Guy and Aaron as well. Nice. they said This is one that I wanted to talk about. The direction.
00:52:32
Speaker
i I love this connection and it's not with a jaded or not jaded, but rosy glasses that I'm seeing this.
00:52:43
Speaker
ah But, you know, I'm like, oh, Oz's father was in my favorite movie of all time. I, one of my favorite directors of all time. And that movie is beautifully directed.
00:52:58
Speaker
So I go into this one, like, oh, maybe he learned something from his father who worked with the master. I think he was way too young when his father died.
00:53:09
Speaker
But one of the things I've grown to love about these two recent Osgood movies is he kind of has this eye for liminal spaces.
00:53:21
Speaker
And I love it. Between Longlegs and this one. Longlegs really leans into like a vintage kind of grungy 90s aesthetic.
00:53:36
Speaker
This one just leans into kind of a misty, foggy aesthetic. But both of them use liminal spaces in their shots where we set up, we have a nice little lighting.
00:53:47
Speaker
You just see a dirty hotel room that you feel like you have been in before. You see the outside of a motel or something and it's just foggy and I love it.
00:54:00
Speaker
I love his use of these spaces and he's now I've seen two movies of his and both of them use those types of spaces really well. And I thought this one actually leaned into it a little bit more than long legs did.
00:54:17
Speaker
And there's just a lot of establishing shots of this liminal space where we feel like we've been, we feel like it's familiar, even though it's slightly strange, uh,
00:54:29
Speaker
And he often, in this one I noticed, would have people interacting. Usually a liminal space doesn't have characters in it. But he might establish the shot of the liminal space and then a character would walk into screen.
Liminal Spaces and Vintage Aesthetics
00:54:43
Speaker
And he did that with this movie. But I think it gives all of it a very... Even though this movie is absurd and over the top, it gave it kind of a realistic, grounded atmosphere.
00:54:59
Speaker
ah One of the scenes, I think it's early on when they go to their aunt's house maybe, but there's just a shot of this couch that the boys are sitting on that I was like, i swear I've sat on a so scratchy, itchy, 80s couch like that in a paneled basement before too.
00:55:18
Speaker
Like i I can feel that couch. I can smell that basement. from that shot and that's one of the things that i think oz is really good at in his movies is giving you this sense of familiarity he doesn't so far it's not sterile it's not super clean you know we're not dealing modern glass we're dealing with something that feels lived in and real And I like that about it. And I think this movie, even though it keeps that liminal space, when we end up in that fortress factory at the end, it gets a little bit more dreamlike there, but the flickering lights in the shadows and how it's still kind of a foggy, blurry atmosphere in there still leans into that.
00:56:05
Speaker
So aesthetically, I think his movies are very pleasing for me because I love liminal spaces, stuff like that. I love vintage signage.
00:56:14
Speaker
paneled co paneled basement couches stuff, like that's a whole vibe that I'm here for. And he's done that now with both of his films. So I'll be curious to see if it continues because it gives me this, like that's his style is leaning into that.
00:56:33
Speaker
And I think it's also smart of him because liminal spaces are kind of big on YouTube right now. They're big on social media. They're a whole... pages that I follow that are just shots of like a neon light on a foggy night. And I'm like, yeah, I love it.
00:56:49
Speaker
but But that, that's something that stood out to me a lot in this movie. He also likes a lot of centered shots using the rule of thirds, but he puts everything in the middle.
00:57:02
Speaker
And I like that. It's starting... Well, I like that it's identifiable. like That's Oz. He doesn't really use the golden ratio in his movies much.
00:57:15
Speaker
He's very much a rule thirds camera guy. ah But I like it. So I'm starting to really like his visual style.
00:57:25
Speaker
i totally had a lot to say on that one. with I actually thought the absurdity of this one probably leaned into his personality more than long legs did.
00:57:39
Speaker
i agree.
00:57:42
Speaker
I think, i I don't know if i had an issue with this, but you were talking about the vintage and the the the style of the movie. What year? I mean, it was like what? 99 or something. The beginning, like late 99 or 96, something somewhere between there. I remember 25 years later was today.
00:57:59
Speaker
which you said twenty five years later was today Okay, so the today sequences didn't feel very modern. It felt like it felt very vintage. And don't know if this is like small town Maine, and that's just kind of what he gets away with, and and I'm not as familiar with that.
00:58:17
Speaker
yeah But there were times I was like, this doesn't feel modern, and but it's 25 years later. It doesn't feel like any time has really passed. And it kind of threw me off a little bit at times. but The biggest indicator for time passage really – ah Cell phones was about it.
00:58:34
Speaker
There wasn't a whole lot of tech, but when the kids were little, there were goosebumps posters on the wall and goosebumps books on the bed. I noticed that. The baggy JNCO pants looking the kind of wannabe things. yeah Yeah. Oh, the JNCO shirt. I saw that JNCO shirt. we Yeah. JNCO jeans.
00:58:52
Speaker
Yeah, and I guess like Elijah Wood's house was pretty modern. So like I guess maybe it was just the the small main town. um But i one of of the my favorite shots in the film, actually, and you had mentioned this, Tim, is ah the motel shot, actually, when they're like pulling up to the car and at the motel. it was just the whole The whole thing was framed awesome yeah and and very pretty. And i like the vibe a lot. So I agree. I think ah with this and Long Legs, I i think i look forward to Osgood Perkins' movies going forward.
00:59:24
Speaker
i don't really have much to say about direction. i agree with you guys. I liked a lot of the shots, the way they were laid out. Yeah, man. I'm just going to say I'm a three on it, man. I know direction is your favorite category.
00:59:36
Speaker
So I might have gushed a little bit because I'm a sucker for the liminal spaces. And i there were enough shots in this movie that I was like, I would just take that character-less shot and put it as the background on my phone because I like the aesthetic.
00:59:52
Speaker
I gave it a five. I gave it a five on my direction. And I'm right in between you guys. I gave it a four. Yeah. a Bearded Film Guy gave it a five, and Aaron gave it a three. yeah
01:00:06
Speaker
So the cultural and it factor on this one, this is challenging.
Cultural Impact of 'The Monkey'
01:00:12
Speaker
we We are, this is open to a amendment because we are talking three days into its theatrical run.
01:00:20
Speaker
Have no idea what this is going to pan out to be, but so far it's divisive.
01:00:28
Speaker
Yeah, and I think, I mean, this one was kind of hard for me because I think there's very little like cultural impact. I mean, before being serious, I think it was a fun movie, but it doesn't add a lot to anything.
01:00:39
Speaker
doesn't add a lot to me as a person. um But I think the biggest part of it's just adding another good movie to like Stephen King's portfolio, I think is like the biggest cultural impact. But.
01:00:54
Speaker
Yeah. i think I look at it called... Go ahead, Jonathan. No, no, sorry. ah So as far as... impact i mean it might you know hopefully depending on how it's well received after a little more time in the theaters uh maybe might be something that would inspire people a little more to take short stories and expand upon them and see what you can come up with you know and helping other people work you know that sense of creativity because i mean we're not seeing too much as a like as much originality we'd like to see you know a lot of just like a lot of rehash regurgitated stuff so
01:01:28
Speaker
Maybe there's a lot of untapped material out there that maybe people might think, well, this started out as a short story. Of course, it's Stephen King. Yeah, but there's lots of authors out there and other people who write write all these small things that end up being picked up by somebody else, and he just runs into this amazing, colossal thing.
01:01:46
Speaker
So I hope that it has that kind of impact. yeah But we'll see. I think Blackphone probably did that better. Yeah. Blackphone was so good.
01:01:56
Speaker
Yeah, and I mean, that's also based on a short story. It's Stephen King's son, though, right, I think? Yes. Yeah. And, um yeah, I think that movie was more impactful in terms of, you know, making, like, people realizing that short stories exist and you can have, like, a really cool movie or whatever come from it.
01:02:13
Speaker
Yeah, but now I get Blackphone 2, and I don't know that I need that. So, am I going to watch it? Yeah. But one was a short story that's now turned into two movies.
01:02:25
Speaker
So is it supposed to be like a prequel? Because I think Ethan Hawke's in it. or is it I mean, I don't know. Okay. I've avoided all information about it because I'll see it because I really liked Black Phone, but I've avoided paying any attention.
01:02:38
Speaker
um I've been looking at kind of the cultural impact on social media. I think it's done pretty well. it had a buzz about it because of Long Legs.
01:02:52
Speaker
I mean, Long Legs did came out less than a year ago. So it's still very fresh in people's minds that Oz made that movie. I think one of the mistakes to... Not even sure like using that word.
01:03:13
Speaker
Is going from a movie like Long Legs to this, where Long Legs was a little bit more serious... and grounded police procedural to this one being an absurdist comedy final destination. you know So it's going to be jarring for people who really liked Longlegs to come see this one and it be nothing like Longlegs.
01:03:40
Speaker
So I think that is a little bit, I think it put this movie in people's,
01:03:48
Speaker
why can't think of the word?
01:03:54
Speaker
People were aware of it. People were interested in it because of long legs. And i it'll just depend what if they thought it worked as a horror comedy or not.
01:04:07
Speaker
Because it's not scary whatsoever. But there's not really another genre that you could put this movie into other than horror and comedy.
01:04:17
Speaker
And I'm seeing a lot of the marketing has been pretty good. I've enjoyed... Like I mentioned... There are too many trailers showing every death. I think that's detrimental. But I thought the marketing of him sitting down with coroners talking about the kills in the movie and how have they seen stuff like that, is that likely? It's clever marketing.
01:04:38
Speaker
It's good. Did the kills live up to that marketing? Not really for me. you know The exploding person hitting an electrified pool is not realistic, but...
01:04:51
Speaker
You know, less a little to be desired there, but the marketing for it was smart. They're also pushing right now. i don't get the connection. I don't get it, but I think it's hilarious.
01:05:03
Speaker
ah They're pushing right now that you can screen this movie in churches at the same time it's in movie theaters. They're advertising. You can get the rights to show this at your church.
01:05:17
Speaker
Yeah, which I don't understand either. I would understand if maybe Longlegs had that, because Longlegs kind of has a connection It's more religious. Yeah. Yeah. Like, there's zero religion other than, like, he built a shrine to the monkey. He basically worshipped the monkey as a god towards the end of the movie.
01:05:35
Speaker
Yeah. But I'm just like, i think it's just a shock value to upset uptight religious people, and I think that's hilarious. People are for Zidals' children. Yeah, you know. Don't play with your monkey.
01:05:47
Speaker
I couldn't see the movie Friday night because I had Bible study, but I still think them marketing this for churches is so funny. But I don't understand it necessarily. Like I don't i don't get the connection, but it's out there.
01:06:01
Speaker
It's creating a buzz. People are talking about it. So I gave the it factor a three because it's still kind of – Its greater cultural impact is left to be seen at this time. It could come back and change that.
01:06:16
Speaker
But for now, I'm hoping it dethrones Captain America at number one, which it looks like it's going to do for the weekend. So that would kind of be awesome. But I was seeing the buzz about this is that this movie could take the number one spot from a superhero movie.
01:06:33
Speaker
And for horror, that's a pretty big deal. So I'm cool with that. That would be awesome. Yeah, Terrifier 3 did it with Joker 2. Oh, yeah that's right. Art the Clown dethroned, do yeah, my guy.
01:06:47
Speaker
But it Joker 2, I still haven't watched that because I don't want to put myself through that. It doesn't exist in my brain. I actually really enjoyed that movie. I had a lot of fun with it. I think it's misunderstood.
01:07:00
Speaker
Or I just really don't have good taste in certain movies. but That's one of those that I don't and don't think the first one needed it. So when I heard mixed reviews, I was like, I don't know that I need to put myself through that.
01:07:14
Speaker
I'm sure I'll watch it someday. Sure. I'll watch it someday. Well, with my high hopes yet to be seen, i gave it factor of four. Okay. Three and four. And I went with the two. So, and I kind of talked about it at the beginning. so don't know. thought fun movie and my theater was pretty full and i mean people were laughing and enjoying it. I think it will be kind of like a horror movie that's except or they're not acceptable but people are able to digest it and you could take your person that maybe isn't that big into horror to this and they'll have fun with it. yeah so
01:07:48
Speaker
Honestly, it's a party movie. yeah Yeah. You show this at a Halloween party and it's going to go over pretty well in most cases. Yeah.
01:07:59
Speaker
Bearded Film Guy was a four on the it factor, and Aaron was a three on the it factor. Okay, sassy. So how entertained were you overall?
01:08:11
Speaker
And this is...
01:08:14
Speaker
i Man, I'm just going to gush about... like I have a buddy who I actually started the average with back when it was, it began as a way to rank the Marvel films to determine which Marvel film was the best Marvel film. That's how this all started.
01:08:32
Speaker
ah Cause it used to be like based on source material and action and all that. And then I just evolved it to talk about all movies. But he always gives me a hard time for the system. And I'm like, yeah, man, but you tell me how many stars it is out of five and then you score it and it's never wrong.
01:08:50
Speaker
Like um it's been right every single time. And I just love this part about it when we talk about how entertained we are. Because we've been pretty much all over the board, but let's get into how entertained we are.
01:09:04
Speaker
I was very entertained. i I enjoyed most aspects of the film. um And I think it satisfied what I was looking for as far as, you know, some gore and some just some crazy action that I wouldn't get in other films. And just the fact, like said earlier, i was surprised at how humorous it was.
01:09:25
Speaker
And that just really wound it up for me with the comedy aspect of it on top of it. And i know I'm definitely recommending this to everybody. That's, you know hands down going to recommend to everybody.
01:09:37
Speaker
And just like i would I would buy this. I would own it in my collection, I think, because I enjoyed how just the fun comedy of the kills itself, all the way, especially with the mass part of it at the end.
01:09:50
Speaker
So, yeah, i and I enjoyed this one very much, despite some of my critiques of the other parts. So I'm sitting pretty high on a nine as far as my entertainment on this.
01:10:01
Speaker
and Chris, you want to go? Yeah, i mean, i I've been kind of critical of the movie so far, but this one was the easiest one for me. I mean, I enjoyed this movie a lot too. i think I think I maybe enjoyed it like immediately after more than I do now, that just because i don't know like the lasting impact for me, and it was just pure fun, but it was refreshing going to a movie and just having fun with it. There not being a whole lot else with it. you know It's just a popcorn flick that you go, and I didn't have to think that much.
01:10:31
Speaker
And so, mean, I appreciated the hell out of that with this one. So yeah, I ended up giving it an eight. I had a lot of fun.
01:10:38
Speaker
Yeah. Like I said, we have been all over the board leading into this, but I'm saying that an eight too. I thought the final act Didn't really hit home too much for me. The brother, brother, brother dialogue.
01:10:51
Speaker
I wasn't feeling that much, but everything up to that point, I was having a great time with. I like I bust in out laughing when the priest is getting up doing his, his thing at the funeral.
01:11:06
Speaker
uh making a joke about how her head's not attached to her body i like i thought that was so funny when the lady explodes diving into the pool i'm busting up laughing like i i was purely entertained by this movie and like jonathan said i would own it i would watch it again for sure bearded film guy gave it a 10 aaron gave it a 7 So even if we're all over the place leading into it, we are all in that high out of 10 category for how much we enjoyed it.
01:11:42
Speaker
So final thoughts on it. ah i said, I kind of hope that there's some sort of sequel to it. I really, do i really do. And I want to see some more crazy out of that. Just like all the rain, like all the different death stuff that happened at the end in such scale was so amazing.
01:12:00
Speaker
And i would like to see some more comedy gore. i really would i would. I would like to see some more of that out in the theaters.
01:12:09
Speaker
Yeah, for me, I think I would prefer more of like a so spiritual sequel or spiritual successor. So it's not really the monkey. It's not really related, but it's Osgood doing the same thing with another movie, another concept, maybe another short story. I don't really know.
01:12:21
Speaker
um And it having the same, you know, vibe and tone, but it not being, you know, a continuation of this or a prequel to this. I don't know that I would necessarily enjoy that, but... and no I thought this one was awesome. i I had a lot of fun with it despite my criticisms. and I look forward to you know more movies from the director.
01:12:42
Speaker
I want to see. I'm double checking here. um He actually already has another movie. i saw that. i think I think the mom stars in it. The mom in this movie that we ah we gave her. Tatiana?
01:12:56
Speaker
I think so, yeah yeah. I don't know how this guy was so prolific. It's called Keeper. During an anniversary getaway in a remote cabin, a wife is left alone after her husband departs, only to confront a sinister presence that exposes the cabin's chilling past.
01:13:14
Speaker
It sounds more serious. It's not written by Osgood, but it is directed. ah Yeah, it's Tatiana Maslany. ah Do we know if Longlegs was written by him?
01:13:26
Speaker
Rosef Sutherland. I think it was.
01:13:33
Speaker
um
01:13:37
Speaker
Yes. Long Legs was written by him. Interesting. But yeah, i I like his little style that he's developed himself. And my final thoughts.
01:13:52
Speaker
Kind of gave my final thoughts on how entertained I was. I'm here for the next Osgood movie. I'll see Keeper. I can't believe that the dudes made three movies in a two-year time span, maybe less than that. That one's coming out in 2025.
01:14:06
Speaker
like That's prolific for a filmmaker. I know Luca Guad... whatever his name is, that pretentious director, put out two movies this year, but... Yeah.
01:14:19
Speaker
I didn't see either of those, and I won't. so
01:14:23
Speaker
he He burned me. I'm done with him. ah Yeah. So our final scores, grand totals for everybody. ah got 39. You got 39. I got 39. I think mine was 32, if I did my mental math correctly. but It was. Okay, good. And then Chris Higgins was 43.
01:14:45
Speaker
That's bearded film guy. And then Aaron was 33. Altogether, we averaged a 37.2. point q So a three and a half stars, which is i would consider that pretty accurate for an average
01:15:03
Speaker
for this movie. Hot damn. All right. So three and a half stars at 37 puts it in the great category, according to her. It's a great movie. It's great movie for social settings, specifically.
01:15:15
Speaker
And I would agree with that. I think this is a... I think it'd be a crowd pleaser because the gore is not insane. It's not enough to gross people out necessarily too much for those that are sensitive to it.
01:15:27
Speaker
It's also not like the deaths are scary. We're not talking Terrifier three shower scene. Or did you see Terrifier two yet, Jonathan? No, I still got to get around to doing that. Maybe I'll do that later tonight. I don't have to work until later. It's not the girl strung up by her ankles chainsaw scene from the first one. like it That's not this movie. This movie is... Yeah, the hacksaw, where he cuts her in half like from upside down, hanging like that. would Dude, that was so brutal. And I was like, oh, wow.
01:15:55
Speaker
Man, I can't wait for you to see the bedroom scene. and No, it's hardcore. It's great, but... two is i I think 2 is awesome. i mean I've said it on this podcast. I think every episode I've brought up Terrifier. Anyways, go ahead. um the The bedroom scene in the second one, I almost passed out.
01:16:11
Speaker
like I almost passed out. it was It was too much for me. ah But yeah, that's not this movie. This movie borders... but It's like...
01:16:23
Speaker
the three stooges of horror movies. It's slapstick. It is slapstick horror. It's Jason lives Friday six. Like it's just silly and fun and it's great.
01:16:35
Speaker
So yeah, that that's where we're at. I don't have a whole lot else to say. Anybody else? No, I'm good. Yep. All right. youre Bearded film guys. Final thoughts were he loved it.
01:16:47
Speaker
Thank you. And Aaron from AB b Horror said, a very entertaining film. The finale was somewhat anticlimactic, but still a fun watch. He enjoyed it. So I was right there with Aaron.
01:17:00
Speaker
All right. That about wraps up our deep dive into the monkey. Chris, excited to have you joining us. Very excited to be here And look, at the end of the day, the monkey reminds us that life is cruel, random, and sometimes straight up ridiculous.
01:17:16
Speaker
Kind of like this movie. Kind of like real life. You never know when fate's going to wind up that drum and take a swing. Or maybe the choices we make have a greater impact on those around us.
01:17:30
Speaker
And on that cheerful note... Remember, movies are more than just what's on screen. They're the conversations we have after the credits roll. So keep the dialogue going, share your thoughts, and let's turn every movie night into something unforgettable.
01:17:44
Speaker
This is the average where the real review happens with your friends. See next time.
01:18:16
Speaker
Bye.