Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
13NoH S2E5: Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978 with @travelingstrawberries and @evan.brandon
24 Plays6 months ago
👽 Night 5 of our 13 Nights of Halloween dives into the unsettling world of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)! We’re thrilled to be joined by @travelingstrawberries and @evan.brandon as we discuss the paranoia, eerie atmosphere, and iconic performances in this classic sci-fi horror. Be sure to head over to our Instagram for a specially crafted cocktail pairing that fits the vibe of the episode! 🍸👽 Also, for our fellow podcasters, we’re offering an exclusive 30% off Zencastr promo—link in the description if you’re thinking about launching your own show! We’d love to see your scores and reviews too! Submit them using the link in our bio or share your thoughts in your Instagram stories—let’s see how your rating stacks up! Like, subscribe, and follow us on this terrifying countdown to Halloween! 🎃🔪 #InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers #13NightsOfHalloween #HorrorPodcast #SciFiHorror #Zencastr #HalloweenCountdown #CocktailPairing #AudienceParticipation #BodySnatchers #HorrorCommunity
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction & Episode Theme
00:00:08
Speaker
would like to report four bodies in my backyard I didn't tell you my name hang up I didn't tell him my name all apart
00:00:23
Speaker
all
Guest Introductions
00:01:05
Speaker
um This is Tim. This is Jeff. Tonight, we dive into the paranoia-fueled world of Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1978, a remake that imagines the chilling terror of its 1956 predecessor. This time, the horror is bigger, it's bolder, and eerily relevant to our modern times.
00:01:31
Speaker
We're thrilled to be joined by not one, but two special guests to dissect this sci-fi horror classic. First, we have Christie, who will refer to a strawberry for the show.
00:01:43
Speaker
Hi, my name is Kristi. You can call me strawberry. Most people know me as strawberry. um My social media you can find me is actually traveling strawberries. So
Film Atmosphere & Themes
00:01:56
Speaker
if you want to see some cool cosplay, some acting stuff, some horror things, travel, then that's right where you can go. like Awesome. And then we also have Evan Brandon with us. Evan.
00:02:13
Speaker
Hey, hey, how are y'all? I'm Evan. I don't have too much to say just yet on where I'm going, but me and the wife, we're starting our own podcast coming soon. We're just gonna be watching some bad movies, some good movies, just the all the way around, all between, or we're not ah just specific horror, but we like to mess around and see what we can see.
00:02:39
Speaker
Yeah, I love that. Jonathan and I just recorded ah some not so great movies ourselves. So those I don't know if you've ever seen, a ah we were diving into, I'm brain farting on one of them. Full moon features. We were diving into some full moon films. So some of the lesser known ones. But yeah, I love that. I'll just write that down so I had have something to look at. It's amazing how many bad films there are on 2B. Thank you, Tim. Oh, it's great. yeah I just like to tell me what to watch next, and I don't have a bad time whether the movie's good or not. It's always fun. So together, we'll explore this film's
Audience Engagement & Activities
00:03:19
Speaker
unsettling themes of conformity, the brilliant brilliant performances from a stellar cast, including Donald Sutherland, R.I.P., Brooke Adams, and Jeff Goldblum, and the masterful direction of Philip Kaufman that elevates this remake to legendary status.
00:03:36
Speaker
for the 1978 remake, as we've been doing, this is night five, as we've been doing for the previous nights.
00:03:44
Speaker
This film is known for its eerie atmosphere and escalating paranoia, so we need a cocktail that captures that unsettling and suspenseful nature of this classic. We have Podperson Punch, a drink that reflects the film's mysterious and creeping dread with a touch of 70s flair. So head over to our Instagram, find that recipe, and mix it for yourself.
00:04:07
Speaker
Remember,
Deeper Movie Themes
00:04:08
Speaker
we want you to be a part of this Fright Fest. Watch along with us and share your thoughts and reviews. We have a handy little link in our Instagram bio where you can submit your scores the exact same way we do. Whether you're a fan of the originals or prefer the remakes, your opinion matters.
00:04:25
Speaker
We'll be tallying up the scores and tagging everyone who submits a review with a valid tag to see how these head-to-head scores play out when Halloween rolls past and we're stuck in the gray despair of days until next Halloween. We'll post the winners, the original or the remake. So get ready for a deep dive into the unsettling world of pod people and keep an eye out because you never know who might be next.
00:04:54
Speaker
Okay, so i'm excited to yeah I'm excited to have two guests for this one, honestly. It's always a good time when we have more people here. So let's dive right into this. Who is a first time watcher?
00:05:14
Speaker
Anybody a first-time viewer of this? Shame. Shame. Okay. No, I'm kidding. So we've got two. We've got two. and that There's so much to watch. We have two experienced viewers. I might have seen it, but if I saw it, I love that. So long ago, I don't remember it. So what do we
Historical Context of Original Film
00:05:30
Speaker
think of the story? Who who has something particular about the story here? I have a question. do you think This is just like about Donald Sutherland, though.
00:05:40
Speaker
Do you think he always looked like he was in his 40s? justpe Depending on the time period. I think like in the late 90s he just always looked like a white haired old dude. yeah I was going to say he always looked white haired in my memory. but yeah I almost forget that he's the same dude.
00:06:05
Speaker
from, oh, as the white haired guy, you mean? Yes, exactly. Watching this movie, I yeah almost forget because I grew up with the white haired version and then going back to see this, I'm like, oh, yeah, that is the same guy. It is the same guy. Yeah. Yeah. I was just looking at him and I was like, did he always look older? As my daughter came up and she said, what are you watching, Dad? I said, oh, invasion of the body snatchers. She said,
00:06:31
Speaker
Is, is that the guy from Home Alone? I said, she said, hit that hair. so Not Marv. no Exactly. Not Marv. That's so funny. I could see that. No, he was in Chud. So so i when we get to the story, this is a remake of a movie that is based on a book.
00:07:00
Speaker
So the book was originally published in, I believe, 1957. seven
Versions & Unique Takes
00:07:08
Speaker
54. 54. 54. I'm a couple years of years old. The body snatches. No, see, that's really interesting to me because the whole idea of it being like, um,
00:07:22
Speaker
falling into like a like little boxes on the hillside kind of idea where you're like all conforming the fact that would you say 54 like in 1954 they were thinking that I wouldn't imagine that to be a thing until maybe like the 60s right to like the hippie movement so it's I mean that's 10 years off of World War two yeah and So the original, and we'll get into this when we meet again to discuss the original, ah the original was really, it was it's been interpreted as a commentary on the McCarthyism and fear of communism during the Cold War. ah So it was really a Cold War kind of horror film. But this one took the version to a different level, shifting the setting to San Francisco. And it just emphasizes that
00:08:20
Speaker
omnipresent dread of losing your humanity. i There's something about this film that takes just the idea and it makes it so much more successful to me. I think it makes, like I've seen both versions. I've even seen the one from, there are four versions of this film. Oh wow. I didn't know that.
00:08:44
Speaker
We have the 56 original, the 78 remake, and then we're not gonna talk about the 93 version called Just Body Snatchers. And the 2007 version with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig called The Invasion. I like that one. oh did you know So the girl that plays Nancy, Veronica Cartwright, she is actually in that. Okay. And I didn't know she was Lambert in Aliens, and she was also Kathy in the Birds.
00:09:13
Speaker
Whoa, she's been a little nice. yeah Yeah. So for me, I love that while this is a remake, it still expands the story much like. ah Last night, we talked The Fly with Travis from the 80s. And that movie, also starring Jeff Goldblum, expands on the original in a lot of fantastic ways. And I feel like this movie does the exact same, kind of taking that just that premise of switching out the person you know with someone you don't and expanding on it in a way that really increases that dread and that paranoia. yeah So I really...
00:09:53
Speaker
I like this story. I don't think this movie is perfect. And I'm going to we'll get into that as we go. But I think this movie is I think it's definitely underrated and not seen enough, not talked about enough. I think this story is unique. Yeah. I mean, if you take it all through the decades, there's plenty of times that anybody could think so many different things like right now, it's cell phones. People are
Modern Relevance & Technology
00:10:20
Speaker
zombified into their cell phones just like they just like conform into yeah what's what's this saying to us? What are we all gonna conform to do? If I wake up and start doing TikTok dances, as my wife knows it's not me anymore. It's it's not here at least three and a half hours.
00:10:39
Speaker
there There's something about this film, too, that also ah reminds me of They Live, even though it's different. you know as There's something kind of so similar there, with I guess with the conforming and and falling in line, but I guess They Live would be kind of after they took over, right? Where they're still humans. they're trying to Yeah, they're trying to hide the fact that yeah that's an interesting idea, the fact that They Live is a pseudo sequel to Invasion of the Body Snappers.
00:11:11
Speaker
I also got a lot of 1984 comparisons with this. not Not so much like exactly 1984, but you're watching this world change and you need to conform with them or, you know, so i I see all that. I love that. That's one of the things I love about this movie, honestly. So for me, I gave this a four.
00:11:35
Speaker
on the scale. I thought it was a pretty great story. It expands on the original, but I had to dock the fly for being a remake. This is a remake, so it's not a five out of five on originality, but it is a four because it expands on the idea in a lot of great ways.
00:11:54
Speaker
Right. You know, for me, it's it's the idea that this this otherworldly force comes to take over and it's not in a humanoid form. It's not something that you notice. It's something very subtle that just creeps in out of nowhere like an invasive species to take over um and how quickly the turnaround on that is and how easy it is, you know, as it were, quote unquote, like manipulate people, you know, and I thought it was really kind of kick ass. So I was rocking it at four.
00:12:24
Speaker
I'll ask you Yeah in the beginning where the beginning is really cool where like it's showing all that like and it was like almost like they filmed smoke and then stuff underwater and like layered it or something videos of like old-school Disney stuff doing effects like that I thought it was like a microscopic level. So I think that's interesting that you saw that I overooks yeah I thought it was super cool too. I agree that intro and then oh, I wanted to talk about since you brought it up. Sorry, I'm interrupting now. Um, but the goopy rain. So have you ever heard about that? Goopy rain, like in real life.
00:13:11
Speaker
Yes, so the beginning of the film when it opens up with that gelatinous clear globs on the plants. Oh, yes, yes. That actually happened in Washington, the state of Washington, Oakville, Washington. So where it rained blobs of that gelatinous goo that landed on stuff. So the thing is the rain happened after this movie.
00:13:36
Speaker
It happened in 1994, so it was significantly after this movie. But I couldn't help but be reminded, because I listen to all kinds of weird podcasts about random things like that. yeah And watching that, I was like, wow, something like this really happened, even though it's completely unrelated. Just the idea of it. Like, if I had seen that gelatinous rain, I probably would have been freaked out because of this movie. But yeah,
Character Arcs & Relationships
00:13:59
Speaker
you mentioned that, and it is a really cool
00:14:03
Speaker
subtle intro to the film. It doesn't shock us. Yeah. right What's going on here? Exactly. Exactly. I appreciate that. Yeah. The um the like the flowers and everything too. And yeah I mean, when they show there's one point they show like the little tendrils like coming out and you can see it was something that was already out and they like reversed it. You know what I mean? But it, but yeah it went like, I don't know, it was really cool. I thought the, the practical effects in this movie to me are like amazing, especially for the time. Um, I, I feel like it's, I, that part was like, wow. You know, seeing a lot of that stuff. Yep. So what, what did you score the story? Four. Four for you too. Yep.
00:14:57
Speaker
Evan, what were your thoughts on the story? I gave it a for myself. I do believe um I just did it, which is so funny. um But just watching through the whole thing, you know, I had a good time watching it and I compared it, unfortunately, to the original because I just watched that a couple of weeks ago.
00:15:21
Speaker
It's okay. But, you know, the story of how it came out this time was so much better. And I was like, oh, this is this is much nicer. I can I can accept this. um Which not to say anything bad about the original either, but it was like, whoa, mind blown. This is much nicer. It's cleaner. It's every the whole like she likes. a Strawberry just said was, you know, the effects that they had for the time.
00:15:51
Speaker
You know, it was awesome. It's like, man, y'all are doing good until I see somebody get their head hit in with a rake. And it's like, OK, come on. I thought that was good, too. I liked that. I guess something thought that was pretty good. Yeah, even though it's, so you know what, I feel like the movie now is like a little campy in general. So I feel like you can accept that like little head break thing.
00:16:20
Speaker
Yeah. So it seems we are pretty unanimous in fours across the board for the story. So the character for this one is one that I tend to, if you've listened to the show, you know, I go by character arc and not how much I care for the characters. So whether I like them or not, I tend to look at it. and Does the story tell us a transformative journey for these characters? I know other people scored on if they like the characters and that's totally fine. So,
00:16:50
Speaker
i This is an interesting one to think about because this movie basically starts with your characters in a happy everyday life. And then that transformative journey they go on is slowly realizing that the world around them is not the world they knew yesterday, or that the people they encounter, I love that encounter that probably I would argue this one couldn't be deleted because I love it. But when he takes his clothes to the dry cleaners, yeah and the first time he drops them off and the lady's like, oh, this won't come out. And her husband goes, that's not there's something wrong. It's not hurt. There's something off. And then he comes back like an hour and a half later in the film. And he's like, oh, she's better now. And you're like, oh, shit. He's got that creepy ass smile. She's much better now. You're like, oh, shit, something's going on. The only thing that bothered me about that scene, this is really weird, was he was like, oh, that's coffee. She's like, this is not coffee. And I was like, well, what else would it be? Like, he's like, I a is copyy i put it there myself. I was like, she's an alien. She doesn't know what coffee is like. Yeah, it's her first day on Earth. It was so stupid. But it bothered me because I was like, what was that line about? Like, this is not coffee. Like,
00:18:13
Speaker
I did wonder, I was like, what is it going to be about? And then that ended up not mattering. But I was also like, who is she? Is it blood? Maybe she forgot her line and it was improvised. is coffee but I also like there is this storyline that as I'm watching it with my wife,
00:18:36
Speaker
So we get the scene where I'm terrible with character names. Even if I love the movie, I can never remember their names. um But Sutherland's character, which is Matthew. Matthew, yeah.
00:18:48
Speaker
And then Elizabeth. So there's this weird, it's not a romance, but as I'm watching it with my wife, we get this scene towards the end where they share a kiss and she's like, what's that about? And I'm like, honestly, I think it's just about survival at this point. They've watched everybody they know, they're feeling alone. It's just the two of them. I don't think it's about anything more than just that companionship of us in this moment.
00:19:18
Speaker
No, no he it's clear he had feelings for her. There's that one part where he's like, I love you. And she's like, I love you. But that is toward that is at the end where maybe it was because they went through so much together. But if you watch them kiss in that scene, too, she doesn't move her lips because I was saying I was like, she don't look like she wanted that kiss that much. And my attention and of life fear kiss just saying I agree. I do think there is that underlying something going on. I mean, when I'm watching it on rewatch again, I'm also like, she has this boyfriend husband's situation going on. And he was hot for the time. He was a huge yeah he was in Black Christmas, which is another movie we're doing for 13 Nights of Halloween. So ah he was in Black Christmas, but he ah
00:20:16
Speaker
She has that situation going on, but then she's also going over to Sutherland's house for dinner, just alone with him. And i'm I don't know quite what there, it seems to be a little bit beyond work, friends. More casual time.
00:20:31
Speaker
yeah Coming off the summer of love, maybe you were a little more open around that time. so just eat this Just eat the piece of celery. It's all good.
00:20:41
Speaker
They definitely have some sort of chemistry. And when he's like, do that thing with your eyes or whatever, and she does that big clap. Oh yeah, that was buggy. Yeah, like it shows you that they have like, it seems to me that shows a long friendship, right? Or at least it's been a while.
00:21:00
Speaker
work
Film Rating & Content Discussion
00:21:01
Speaker
husband work wife I Didn't I didn't take it as Explicitly romantic I did take it as a very close Relationship if that makes sense. Yeah, I first thought it was obsession You thought it was what? Obsession like he was obsessed with her. I mean who could blame him but I Right. Good lady. She shows she shows her titties for a very long time in this movie. I guess it's just nothing wrong with that. No complaints here. I mean, everything like the weird puppet like mummy thing on the floor that was growing version of her. Yeah, those were pretty gross and all. Yeah, this is the but part of the point, I guess. No, for a PG movie, this has a head smashing with this PG. Yeah, this is before.
00:21:54
Speaker
So before PG-13 existed, but yeah, it has titties and it has a pretty gruesome head smash. So yeah, that's awesome. I was sitting there with my wife. I said, Oh my God, here's boobs.
00:22:06
Speaker
yeah still It always reminds me when I was a kid and like the first experience with that was watching the comedy airplane because it was PG. So I was allowed to. And I was like, that's awesome.
00:22:20
Speaker
yeah yeah Same situation, a PG movie with boobs, but that doesn't happen anymore. Nope. But anyway, so. Well, unless you get it on sci-fi, then it's PG boobs, but. There just has to be like three or four of them on the same anyways. So for the character, I do think it's that interesting Most movies, I think we kind of see a positive character arc where they're discovering something about themselves and growing and having this happy ending. And this movie is kind of the opposite of that, where they are learning about themselves and experiencing that, but this is not going to be a happy ending.
00:23:02
Speaker
This is kind of a bleak character arc. It's a negative, it's almost a regression where we go from this group of people who trust them trust each other. They're stuck in this together and then one by one, they don't know who they can trust anymore. And it just devolves. And I love that about this progression, this kind of I don't want to say it's a lack of trust because they trust each other, but they're worried about each other. And then and when they lose sight of each other, they don't know if they can trust coming back in. And so I love that about this character arc. I don't think it's super compelling. I think it probably could be told a little bit better. There are some
00:23:47
Speaker
I'll get into my complaints about it at the end. But yeah, I gave this a four on the character arc, because I think it's a very unique character arc. Like I said, it's not a positive arc. It's definitely a downward arc for these characters. just It's bleak. I love bleak. I love it. I love it. So yeah, that's my thought on character. I gave it a four.
00:24:08
Speaker
I also gave it a four. um See, my thing with the character arc with this was the fact that, oh, spoiler alert, by the way, if you haven't seen it, at the end, when with Donald Sutherland, with that classic, like you know that scene where he ends up being one, I was like, that's quite the character arc, right? He ends up being one. like So I was thinking about it, because I was like, they don't really, I mean, they kind of changed throughout it. like I had a hard time.
00:24:37
Speaker
ah finding where to place this, you know, because I was like, yeah they change a little bit. But that to me, I mean, if you're going to consider it part of his arc is like, whoa. ah so Oh, for sure. It's also like the most iconic scene from the film. Yeah. Yep.
00:24:59
Speaker
um I think I put mine at yeah, I put mine at three. um
00:25:06
Speaker
You know, I liked the whole development of all the characters all the way through. um You know, Matthew at the very end, even though he was a, you know what,
00:25:19
Speaker
pod person he looked at Elizabeth so lovingly in that elevator. And even though we were kind of like, oh yeah, he he's still him. And come to find out, and you're like, man. I didn't even think of that.
00:25:36
Speaker
Is he still holding back those feelings for Elizabeth? Is it somehow still some way getting past those aliens? I mean... That gave me goosebumps, Evan. Was his love strong enough to proceed through the aliens? I didn't even think of that. And if so, I'd give him a higher character card. But, not knowing, I'm putting it at a 3, which is a nice get in between. Let's keep it there. That's where I want it.
00:26:03
Speaker
Okay, I actually I love that misdirection because you brought it up and they teach us in that final act that you can fake that you can fake it you can trick them. And so the way that fake out at the end is set up that you think he's just like resigned to it tricking them trying to get through the daily life.
00:26:27
Speaker
and Then it totally flips it on you and you get that shriek which
Thought Provocation & Interpretations
00:26:31
Speaker
wasn't stink attackish of the alien Yeah, cuz the thing is is who he's not nobody's watching him for him to trick Except us right like so he's just living his life, but he's still looking at her like that. So he's still feeling that I didn't even know about this but what if Like they said, like you hear them say while he's hiding under the dock, you can't sleep forever. So like, how is he still staying awake? And, you know, Nancy, when he sees her at the end, how has she managed to stay awake this whole time? How many days has it been? And what if he really is just faking it? She's taking the speed. But he's decided out of his own and need to an instinct to survive to go ahead and point her out. Oh, shit.
00:27:20
Speaker
So the kid can still hide and still watch her from afar because it means obsession. Love for her. You're flipping the whole ending of the movie, Donovan. But this movie, that's the cool thing about this movie is it makes you think so much. it's it's yes It's not just like, here's a horror movie. Here's Aliens. It is it does make you think a lot. And that I think I feel like i notes. I feel like that was something that I wrote down where I was like you just it's like you know it it does make you think and that I didn't even think about that like
00:27:56
Speaker
It didn't come to mind it until you guys started saying everything you guys started saying. And I was like, Oh, well, what if? That's my brain conversation. Yes. I scored this at a two, but now I have to change my mind because do it his point so i'm yeah I'm kicking it up to a three. I'm going to meet up. I'm going to do it. I'm changing your score right now. Three, three it is. Yeah.
00:28:18
Speaker
I'm all for, I'll just say it now. This is my second favorite movie that we've done for 13 nights of Halloween. So I'm all for changing the score and the higher right now it's behind a Cronenberg's the fly for me. So the fly is so far the top, but we still have the original black Christmas to get to. So.
00:28:39
Speaker
You see, I have a question yeah about, because this was something I didn't understand. I want to know your, all of your takes on this. When they're falling asleep and they start like flaking over and stuff, it's like how, yeah, but how is this, what is, like that to me is what didn't make sense. Cause you had the, like, don't fall. And it was very, like, I kept thinking of like Freddy Krueger, like don't fall asleep. but Yeah.
00:29:05
Speaker
Well, they just wonder how do they make that connection to absorb who they are? Yeah, and then there's any physical contact that you ever see, aside from them maybe touching the plant at one point, they the flower that might be the DNA extraction part of it. I don't know is something I love about how vague this movie keeps all of that. So because I feel like if it had been over explained to us, they would know way too much about what's going on already, and we don't need it. So I kind of love the vagueness of it all. But yes,
00:29:35
Speaker
So you notice those little spider webby tendrils touch Sutherland Sutherland's character before it takes over. But then there's also there's also that scene with Goldblum when he lays down and then the body next to it, which they describe as being pretty nondescript. It's formless to that point. It doesn't have any distinguishing features. And then it starts to look like Goldblum. So I definitely think it's a proximity thing. I also noticed Throughout, I was going to get into this on direction, and it because I think it's brilliant. Throughout the film, the garbage man is seen. Yes. Yes. That's what I was thinking about that too. You see all this dust that comes out of her. The dust. Is it it broken down? Yes. that So they're taking away the bodies, that which yes that was something I'm like, why do they crumble? They're like dried husks. They're taking the dried husks. They suck their bodies. You're a raisin. You're a raisin.
00:30:35
Speaker
Basically. And so you'll notice throughout the film that like at the first time I watching it, I joked with my wife, like, can you imagine living back then when you had to take your trash out to the trash man? And then second time I watched it, I was like, oh, shit. Yeah. yeah That's a pod person. That's why he's taking the trash out. That just being realized when Elizabeth's boyfriend wants to be, we're taking out the garbage. Now I get it. he no yeah duing his old body That scene is what woke me up to it. Woke me up. ha ah He fell asleep in the bed with that plant next to him. And then the next scene we see her wake up and roll over and he's cleaning up the floor.
00:31:15
Speaker
And then he takes it out to the trash. So he's cleaning up the husk. all of it He's cleaning up the husk of who he was because he's now a pod person. And he takes it out to the trash. The trash man is already a pod person. And you see that trash man pop up again and again and again throughout the film. It's brilliant. every what's every every other scene Yeah, what's what's crazy though too is that like they it's kind of like they knew to go for the cops and the garbage people and like it so it shows you that they are in a way like smarter life intelligent yeah yeah intelligent that they knew to do that to keep it I mean because that's what that's what would fuck us over right like
00:31:58
Speaker
Yeah. Well, when Matthew's calling in, all the times he's trying to call in, he keeps getting gas lit and redirected and everything because everybody higher up already knows what what the deal is. And so they're just trying to shortchange him. How about the scene? like shoot out of but Straight chills down my spine when he calls 911 about four bodies in his backyard and they say his name and he's like, i don't give my name how do you know who I am? I'm like, oh, so good. So good.
00:32:28
Speaker
We got sidetracked. We were talking about characters, right? I think had but we Were we all done? Yeah, way we all gave scores. i think We all gave characters. OK, so then we'll we'll we'll get to some more of that. But the music and sound design that accompanies this. So
Sound Design Praise
00:32:46
Speaker
this is. one
00:32:50
Speaker
This music, I think, is ahead of its time. And I use the word music lightly because There's not really much identifiable music in this film. It is truly sound design to make you uncomfortable. And I love that. And I've seen it echoed in the decades since in a lot of movies where it's just kind of this soundscape that's meant to unsettle. And this movie going back and watching it and thinking about it. I can't think of a movie pre-1978. Can't say that I've seen all that many of them, to be fair, but can't think of one. To be fair. Yeah. To be fair. Pre this one that truly just made unsettling noises.
00:33:40
Speaker
to put you into the moment. And on top of that, it's also just the dialogue sounds sharp and good. The pod people sounds like the the movie sounds fantastic. So ultimately, I don't have a lot to say about the music because I don't think there's a real identifiable, strong Jaws theme to accompany the pod people.
00:34:04
Speaker
But I think this movie is extremely successful at creating this atmospheric sound that unsettles you. And I think that is to be praised. I also think it uses silence beautifully to just have no sound and to make you feel isolated and alone. So I praise it for that. I don't have a whole lot of more else to say in this category unless someone else does.
00:34:31
Speaker
Yeah, I think I rated it a three with sound because I can't do do do do like if you were like, can you do do do do and like sing the but like, you know, you can't like be like, and and and and or like any of the classic movies that if you asked me to do do do do I could give you that soundtrack. So that's where I was like, okay, there's no I can't even think of what like the theme music was. But as far as like sounds, as knowing that like screeching where they find somebody who's you human, like that's where I think the sound comes in. And like you said, silence too. And silence to me sometimes is like like creepier more so than music. Yeah, I would definitely agree with that. Yeah. Yeah, I went ah i went through with it as well. It's got good ambiance.
00:35:25
Speaker
you know just the subtle sounds that you hear when you hear them it's like oh okay shit I didn't catch that and then you're hearing it and you're like okay yeah this is getting me a little bit and I mean it's an old movie you know everybody's seen it I'm sure except for me and Jonathan apparently
00:35:46
Speaker
But, uh, but off my first watch, you know, I was able to catch a little bit of it. And, um, you know, when I caught it, I i was like, Oh shit. ah Okay. Well, that ah gets you. And then the sounds like the, uh,
00:36:01
Speaker
special effects sounds and stuff like that, you know, the juices out of the people. It's like kind of gooey. The pod people sound gross. Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah let's see. um Like you were saying, Evan, the ambiance, I definitely feel that. It's a good word. um There are a lot of like the those like repeating low tones of synth stuff along with some of the sections of the horns they play just did. They really helped heighten some of those tense situations. And I felt that a lot. Yeah, I really dug that pretty hard. um And then the moments where you talk about strawberry where it's like the quietness of certain things like when um
00:36:52
Speaker
What's his face? Elizabeth's boyfriend is like sitting there. He's watching a game, which normally people would have a TV loud, lots of sound going on, but no, he's always with the headphones and everything. That kind of restriction of sound as part of the scene, I think is really cool. Did you see where he was watching the clocks? That was weird. He wasn't watching basketball that time. After he changed, he was sitting there watching like the spinning dials or something going by on the TV. It was literally like clocks. Power meters or something. I was like, why is he watching clocks?
00:37:22
Speaker
That was so weird. I also think the way they show his shift, we didn't bring it up earlier, but I think it's so fascinating. When you go back and rewatch and like your first scene of him is him watching the game with the headphones on and how he just like grabs her onto his lap and starts making out with her and he's so animated.
00:37:42
Speaker
And then when he's taken over, it's gone. And he's just very stoic and still, it's so, the way I describe it is not subtle. The way it's done in the film is very subtle because it's fast. yeah And I think it's so good, but yeah, go sorry, go ahead.
00:38:00
Speaker
I was also a big fan of how when they're at the port north towards the end, they hear the bagpipes playing from the ship. He's like, oh, there's hope, you know, and then running over and then finding out it's just a radio station that they changed on the boat, totally killing his hopes, realizing that it's all screwed. Well, that was wonderful. Sorry to interrupt, but that was like earlier when she was saying, oh, when you play plants music, I think it was Nancy and like the mud bath area, right? She's like, when you play plants music, like they like it, it helps them grow or whatever. So they took that and they ran with that too, where it's like, oh, the music, the plants like the music, right? Look at that. Was it plants? Was it music for the plants or was it music to shrink?
00:38:52
Speaker
I think it would, they were playing, I think they were playing the plants. I feel like because that was like a thing that
Special Effects & Visual Storytelling
00:38:59
Speaker
all of a sudden was like known that plants like music. I feel like they were playing it because they were loading all the pods onto there, right? They didn't know he was there. They would have been screaming at him. So they were playing it to the pot. That's what of that's my take on it. You're making it me possible my score for the script. Yeah.
00:39:21
Speaker
But yeah overall, um I enjoyed what I i was hearing. it It did a lot for me. So along with all that, I give it a four. I was a four as well. And I really like the sound of the crunch when the dude puts his little garden hoe into his doppelgänger's skull and crushes, that sound but going in there, you know? you even like even at the Even at the cleaners, the Asian cleaners, like when the guy's first like, it's not my wife, and he hits the thing. and it the He's a big air blast with that coat and everything, whatever it was. Oh it's yeah. That was neat. Damn. Did we give our scores for music and sound design? I was a four. ah I was a four. I was a three. I think I was a three and I think I kind of felt wavered on it, right? I don't know. We're open to adjustments. We're totally fine with it.
00:40:15
Speaker
yeah I still want to give it a three just because I feel like I can't do to-do-do the song. That's fair. yeah that That is my line between five and four. If I can do, do, do, do it. It's a five. If I can't, it's a four, but that's fair. So on to, we've already mentioned it multiple times because it deserves it. The special effects for this film oh yeah from the opening shots. I love, I'm pretty sure I didn't do research on this. I'm winging it on this part. Um, most of the special effects in this film are filmed in reverse.
00:40:49
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. You can kind of tell. Yeah, it looks so good, though. We get the opening shot. We get like these spider web tendrils that reach across a plant. And yeah, if you know anything about special effects, you can guess that it's filmed in reverse and they're just pulling it back inside. But.
00:41:12
Speaker
It looks so good. It looks flawless. And even when these pod people are popping out of the plants, when there's there's that person, it's clearly a person, I don't believe it's puppetry. It's clearly a person wrapped in whatever pops out at the, like, it's the end of the second act.
00:41:35
Speaker
It's the best scene in the film. it's Well, it's one of the best scenes in the film. It reminds me of the cotton candy covering from Attack of the Killer, Clowns from Outer Space. Yep. That weird kind of fibrous, you almost skin tone-ish, reddish, bloody-ish kind of skin set. As you see it pulsing out of the flowers before the petals fall off. It's so good. The pulsing. like So good. The one that like is... ah Donald Sutherland, like, what's his, William? matthew Matthew. When Matthews like comes out and it starts out looking like a freaking baby thing and then it literally turns into him. It had like the slid alien eyes on it too. yeah side yeah It was so, and it looked real. like i not
00:42:22
Speaker
I don't know. I think especially for the time, like I think now we're so like, okay, like I can see this is reversed. I could see da, da, da, da. But I think if we sat there and watched it in, what was it, 1978, we would have been like, holy shit, dude. like this is you know like Now that we know so much, we can point it out. But even we can point things out if it holds up and looks, it's like Jurassic Park. It holds up, it looks good. like yeah Even that's I'm sitting there today and going like, yeah, I can tell it's filmed in reverse, but I'm like, holy shit, this looks fantastic. Yeah, it looks so good. I'm just amazed. Even when he goes to smash the head in that scene.
00:43:09
Speaker
There's so many layers to that scene that I love when he goes to smash her for first. yeah Yeah, he goes to Elizabeth first and he looks at her and he can't do it. and So he goes and he looks at the one that's starting to look like him and he just takes that rake to his head. And I even love since that like it doesn't react like a human body. Yeah.
00:43:36
Speaker
It just kind of crumples like it's hollow inside. And I truly, I don't think that's a limitation of the special effects. I don't think that's a limitation of the time period. I think that is fully intentional because it is a hollow replica of him. And so when he smashes it, it's just filled with goo inside, but that looks so good. So good. i have I mean, the five to me, a five on categories means it's timeless. It looks amazing 50 years later. This movie almost 50 years later looks amazing. It looks so good. So this one is one that was easily a five for me, easily.
00:44:22
Speaker
Yeah, when you put it into perspective that it's like 50 years, it makes it even more like, holy shit. I rated it a four just because I still feel like, I feel like five is kind of like one of those things it's hard to give out. we should You know, it's fair it's hard to give out. um But i you know, and honestly, because there isn't, even though the head smash, when you look at it, you're like, okay,
00:44:49
Speaker
I can tell it's like a fake head smash. It still looks good 50 years later. Like if I didn't know any better and I watched this when it came out, I probably would have been like, oh fuck dude. Like, so I mean, I i want to, can I give it like a four and a half? You can give it a four and a half. Okay. I want to give it, cause I feel like five is like, I don't know. can Five is like a, you got a really, really,
00:45:18
Speaker
Really shouting it from the mountain top. Yeah, but I mean, like, i I think from the beginning, I talked about the practical effects on this. But I like that because I hate CGI. I hate CGI. I'm right there with you. I'm right there with you. It really was. This was really a good. It was it's just enjoyable to watch because that I hate when effects like that take you out of the movie.
00:45:46
Speaker
ah I like to hug the weird wispy moving tendril things, like when they're in the bath, um when Jeff Goldblum's getting copied. ah Not a special effect, but I could have done without the the the muddy old man ass. You get false scrotum, you didn't notice that? I saw a bottom scroat hanging out too, like muddy scrot, and I'm like, ah, balls. It was like diarrhea, that, yeah, I was like,
00:46:13
Speaker
ah For a big boy just sitting in it. And they can't clean it. sure He's like, give me a towel. Yeah. Let me cover that shit up, please. Please. cover her head up bro But yeah, like this, like seeing like the texture of the skin as his body's laid out there, you know, even with like the the trickle from the nose blood from the copy, once he finally wakes up and Nancy's like freaking out, it was kind of cool because he has that reaction. He's like, oh, no, like it touches him. He's like, oh, freaking out and shit.
00:46:45
Speaker
um there They have some so so there's some mild effects, but they're fun, but as you saw, it seems kind of typical for the time. So I mean, I wasn't like super impressed or anything, but it's still, yeah, like Strawberry was saying, it was pretty cool. um The editing with some of the sequences and some of the long shots they had there and like the perspectives and cutting back and forth, they did pretty good job with a lot of that, but some, I mean, there was a little too much right taste, but still pretty cool. Too much of what?
00:47:14
Speaker
A lot of fast transitions. Oh, OK. See, i i there there's so there's there's more of the few places where there's a lot of fast transition and that kind of bugs me. OK, gotcha. but Gotcha. But overall, I gave it a three. OK. For for the facts, for like the editing special effects editing effects. So you're taking quite a bit of the editing into a three.
00:47:40
Speaker
Anyway, are you sure three? right
00:47:44
Speaker
Am I know, I'm just messing with you. No, that's what you feel. Maybe three and a half, maybe three and a half. Okay. I'll adjust if that's I your official, if that's what you believe. Yeah, yeah. Think about that fucking sick looking baby thing coming out. It's an adult size baby thing coming out. Adult size baby, that's the one that gets me. It was an adult size baby. Okay, four, four. supposed to punt a piece of paper through the goal post? I'll go four. It's pretty sick, dude. I'll go four. Like if I was a part of a movie and those were the special effects, I'd be like, hell yeah, this is awesome. Well, exactly. If an indie film today released a special effect that looked as good as that, it'd be legit. That'd be worth watching. Yeah. Too legit to quit. Too legit. Too legit to quit. And then what were your thoughts on that?
00:48:40
Speaker
I think I gave it a four. I'm going to go ahead and bump that up to a five though. Yes, it's a five. Just kind of sitting, you know, as I was watching it the first time and it was like, okay, this is looking good. But then watching it today, I was like, man, I'm seeing things that I didn't catch the first time. You know, you're seeing the goo come out of the plants along with these humans. And you're just like, yes, are these aliens? And you're like, oh, fuck, that's gross. that's so Slippery. and you and then you got one chi and then you've got a what's name Jeff Goldblum in his little cocoon thing and when those eyes open and his eyes are closed yeah but then when his eyes open the eyes closed right back down and it's like
00:49:28
Speaker
And that's fucking, that was weird. How'd that happen? And then of course, I don't know where, body's gone. ah I know how it happened. because I think they took it. Cause the window was open. Yeah,
Acting & Chemistry Discussion
00:49:39
Speaker
boy when he walked in there, he shifted him out the window. Cause that's when he's, when they said, this window get opened.
00:49:46
Speaker
like and be more that shift that some bitch right on out yeah The whole time is out here gaslighting everybody a fucking aliens other aliens what a dick he brought it from Space time weren't you like why are they listening to him like why are they going to him for a He's supposed to be the expert. So he's like a psychologist, like really famous one who's written a bunch of books and stuff. I was immediately suspicious in his first meeting. So Jeff Goldman was all pissy about him and shit. I love Jeff and that's it. He's the one guy that everybody, all the super-hute Christians listen to, Joel Osteen. He's the Joel Osteen. You've got the prosperity psychology going on? Yeah. Yeah.
00:50:37
Speaker
I just loved, I'm immediately suspicious in that opening scene with him when that lady is like, my husband's not, it's not him. And he's like, are you sure he's gaslighting her the whole time? Like, maybe like, oh, man, he is gaslighting so hard. Yeah.
00:50:56
Speaker
It's a weird side thing, but is does anyone else understand what the fuck was going on with Leonard Nimoy and his little hand cover thing? No, no. What the fuck was that about? So, yeah, cool. So, yeah, bruh. And then he's going to go out and catch a falcon in a minute. Yeah, right. Okay, just so that was one bird. That's a random. Now that you mentioned it, i do know able nimo I do know what was going on with that. So it was Leonard Nimoy's choice.
00:51:28
Speaker
to make, okay, it's not a good choice, but it was his, to make his character a little bit more distinctive because he had a friend who had a burn on their hand and they wore something similar like that to cover the burn, to cover the scar. And that gave Leonard the idea to have his character do that just so it would stick in your memory like it did.
00:51:53
Speaker
it did and did du yeah so so crafty me moy Pretty clever, but I still have no idea why the heck he did that. So so at first I thought he was driving gloves. I was like, where the hell is he? Yeah, right. No, he's just trying to look cool. He's like, um he's like, I'm trying to be like post apocalyptic.
00:52:12
Speaker
I just got this leather flap on my arm. You know what, when I first saw this movie, I didn't even realize this is like a kind of over here thought. I didn't realize that Jeff Goldblum was Jeff Goldblum because of how young he looked. Yes, he's a baby. He's a baby. I did not know. and then I think i ah later on it was something where I was like, Jeff Goldblum, invasion of the butterflies. And I was like, how is Jeff Goldblum? Like, I don't think I knew the whole time the first time I saw it because he looks so different. Yeah, cut. So I was just looking, Jeff Goldblum was about, so this movie was released in 78 and Jeff Goldblum was born in 52.
00:53:03
Speaker
So he was 26. Wow. He was 26. What was but but first movie? Do we know? Can we look? i got on but ah This was one of his first films. He had done some TV before that. But as far as films go, there was nothing.
00:53:26
Speaker
um Nothing really bigger than this. He had played So prior to this, I can listen because there's not that many. He was, remember my name? He played Mr. Nudd. Thank God it's Friday, Tony, Annie Hall, Lacey Party Guest. So if that tells you anything, he was playing. Oh, Annie Hall. He was kind of like a background actor. Yes, exactly. So it was like, it would be like an uncredited almost thing. Almost. Now for somebody who didn't have a name, right?
00:53:57
Speaker
Yes, he was in an episode of Starsky and Hutch. ah He was in an episode of of the Blue Knight TV series from the 70s. He played Hood number three in St. Ives. So like, there was not a lot. He he played ah the TV series Columbo, which I still love to watch Columbo. And Donald Sutherland's character reminded me a lot of Columbo. He played protester in an episode.
00:54:23
Speaker
So he didn't do a whole lot that you would know by name until this movie. And this movie is one of those that started to put him into those named roles. And it gradually grew. The Fly was a major breakout for him. He was in Transylvania 6500 before that. But yeah we all know Jurassic Park was the one that made him like a household name. yeah Yeah. So it was a, he had a long trajectory of doing a lot of work, doing it really well and earning his reputation for sure. So I, I love Jeff Goldblum. I mean, this second movie in a row with Jeff Goldblum. So
00:55:09
Speaker
I don't want to take over and be like, hey, this is blah, blah, blah, blah. But so recently, I've been acting and doing a bunch of different things. And I had some background work. I've had my first speaking role. But it's interesting once you start acting and watching movies like now that I've had like background experience I've had like kind of like a side character experience and I've had a speaking role so when you come at it like watching knowing how the that all like comes to play now when I watch movies I'm like how are they're acting and I have to say like
00:55:55
Speaker
The acting even holds up in this movie. like The acting is not bad. like Because a lot of movies that you watch from like the 80s and the 90s are still like, you know what I mean? like It's a very, like ah yeah, yeah, fuck you. I don't know. But there was something about this movie that was still so genuine. And it goes back to even when Donald Sutherland is like, hey, do that thing with your eyes. and like yeah I know I brought it up before, but there's something just so genuine about about their acting and even now seeing things and watching it from this perspective. I'm like, the acting is still really good.
00:56:39
Speaker
So you skipped a category, but that's fine. We're going to go right into the acting and then we'll go back to the script because your transition so well. I'm not going to let's talk about the acting because, yes, that I seen to me was so good. I'm watching that from a script pro perspective and from an acting perspective. I loved how genuine that scene felt.
00:57:05
Speaker
and I'm watching. I believe these two have been friends for 20 years. You know, I believe that this is a regular thing. And just the way he tells her do that thing with your eyes and you see, you're not crazy. I'm like, that is fucking adorable. are they I love it. It just felt real. It was so good. And I think that's a reflection of a lot of the way You know, we kind of talked about like, I'm not exactly sure what was going on between the two of them. Yeah. But it overall, it doesn't give me romance. Overall, it gives me a long term, very close friendship. These two are deeper. It's almost a deeper connection. These two understand each other on a deeper level. I never got the impression that he was jealous of the boyfriend and wanted the boyfriend out of the picture.
00:58:02
Speaker
I always got the impression that he was there for her, yeah period. And whether it's a wholesome kind of romance that we don't see, like he's not jealous at all, but he loves her deeply, I think, well, I think that's what it is, yeah but it is very...
00:58:18
Speaker
rooted in friendship and not in lust for lack of better term. you know It is truly about their connection. And I think these two show it so well, even when he goes in and she is becoming the pod person.
00:58:35
Speaker
And he like rescues her from the situation and sneaks her out of the house. And then she wakes up in the car with him. And there's just that softness to this kind of tense, terrifying moment that they're sharing. And even we mentioned their kiss earlier in the character development. Like I said, I didn't take that as a romantic, like, oh, this is the culmination of our feelings. I took it almost as like, this is the end.
00:59:03
Speaker
You know, we've been through a lot together and I appreciate you and I don't know what the next 24 hours are gonna hold. You know, that's, and that is all in the way they portray it. And it is so good. I cannot praise the acting in this film quite enough. Like you said, there is just something very natural and real about it. And to go into the darker side,
00:59:33
Speaker
that scene, the scene that sticks with me probably more than any other. There are three key scenes in this film that stand out in my mind. The first one is when they're driving in that car and having a great conversation that's totally on the script and that guy bangs on the windshield and says, they're coming, they're invading. And then you see that guy dead like 30 seconds later.
01:00:01
Speaker
that scene and the way it's just like it escalates the unease through them watching it and like, oh shit, this is getting real.
01:00:13
Speaker
Yeah, because they acted that out very well too. Like they didn't over act it. It was like, she was like, Oh my God. Like, you know, like yeah if you were to see a dead body and he's like, he had that feeling like, we don't know what's going on yet. Like, I'm going to keep driving. Like there was never like that moment where it was like, Oh, you know, it was, they never over acted in my opinion in this movie.
01:00:39
Speaker
Fun fact, the guy who ran up to freaking at them on the car and like banging on the windshield windows, is actor Kevin McCarthy, who actually played Dr. Bunnell in the original.
01:00:51
Speaker
Hey, recurring actor within the chain again, like with Black Christmas. um Yeah, and that guy's been in all kinds of stuff. and He's been a pretty cool actor, too. So like that's one of those weird bit parts that he just kind of pops into there. Another connection that we'll find out again in six days when we talk about the original film. i love it Kevin McCarthy.
01:01:15
Speaker
and yeah yeah okay Yeah, he's usually playing like a lot of scumbag asshole roles in a lot of films, but in like he's awesome at it. i Just wait till you get to see the first one. yeah have I have actually never seen the first one. so anyone say page I saw the first one when, okay, so back when this ages me just a little bit, when signs came out.
01:01:39
Speaker
So, Signs came out and, you know, that was a big deal because I was in high school and so it was a great film. You shot a lot of fan you. But i were watching that one, I saw a lot of people talk about how ah Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of the best sci-fi horror movies ever. And if you like Signs, you need to watch these. And so, I went back and watched the original, but I probably have not seen it since high school. So, I don't... I remember only doing... But you were in high school, were you?
01:02:08
Speaker
I graduated in 08. 08? Yup. How old are you? I'm 34. Oh, okay. Class of 2002. Yeah, 04. Okay.
01:02:26
Speaker
I thought you were... I was like, when you said that, I was like, is he that much older than me? Because it came out in 2002. Oh, so it would have been when I was in junior. Yeah. Cause I'm like a, damn, I was like 12 or 13. So as I was like, nope. So I was off. It was in junior high. Uh, I remember watching it. Yeah. It was pretty iconic for me growing up. It was that tree scene. Whew.
01:02:53
Speaker
Oh, I remember the one of Joaquin Phoenix in the closet watching the news footage and mess me up. That was scary. it was The signs is not the gem to a whole different movie. I mean, it's still and aliens, right? Oh, signs is still scary.
01:03:10
Speaker
So roping it back to the acting. I was a five on the acting. I thought these performances are genuinely flawless. I cannot find a moment that I'm like, you know what? Could have stepped it up. Can't do it. Not there. I'm amazed. From Donald Sutherland at the beginning being like, this is a rat turd to. yeah It's a caper. Eat it. It's a caper.
01:03:39
Speaker
Rat turd. No, it's so good. And then even but like he's got this bubbly enthusiasm at the beginning that Jen generally like dissipates throughout the film and becomes bleaker. And it's so good. Jeff Goldblum is fantastic. As always, I cannot tell you when he's not fantastic.
01:04:00
Speaker
ah But even, man, yeah, I'm i'm just like, there's there's not a rough performance. ah Brooke Adams as Elizabeth is so good, the whole film, as is Veronica Cartwright, as Nancy Belichick. They're just...
01:04:20
Speaker
Honestly, if I was to pick somebody, Leonard Nimoy is the weakest and even then he's not weak. He's still, he's still great. So it's a five for me on the acting. I cannot.
01:04:32
Speaker
knock anybody on the acting. And, you know, if I was to say that the acting of five means they should be nominated for an award, I would nominate just about any of these performances for supporting actor or lead actor in a film. I think they are that good. and They are fantastic. Five for me. Got some heavy praise. we'll I told you this is like my second favorite movie of our list. I love this film.
01:05:00
Speaker
At the beginning, I almost like just from some of the side angles, I almost thought that Brooke Adams was Margot Kidder. Yes. No, you're yeah straight. I thought it was Margot Kidder at the start. I'm like, wait, no, no, that's not her. It's somebody else. Okay. And I was like, Oh yeah, this is from the other movie.
01:05:17
Speaker
um The acting though, man, it was cool for what it was. I mean, I thought some parts were kind of hokey. um Like what parts? You beat me to it. I was going to give me a part. and We're doing the car when Kevin McCarthy comes running up on the car. Like I thought they were acting way too chill for what was going on. Me as a guy, I would have been a little bit more like, hey, get off my car, back the fuck up. You know, you know, Fred to come out there, you know, and I just he was just being also was just so passive about it. But that's not his character. His character is kind of.
01:05:55
Speaker
Just calm. And it he was concerned more so for Elizabeth at the time than he was at his car. Well, even the chefs earlier threw something at his windshield and cracked it and the dude just sat there.
01:06:08
Speaker
He just drove away. He can't prove anything. either There's no cameras and we saw it. So like, like you do shit about it. But like another guy would have been like, Hey, fuck you. Let's fight. I know you threw that shit at my window. Let's go. We're like Donald Sutherland. This movie was just like when he got on the phone, he's like, they threw some shit at my window. Like, here we go. So, you know, he actually, yeah, like he kind of is very calm. If you think, if if you think about it,
01:06:35
Speaker
Um, but I get what you're saying. Like, yeah, ah like you would think i mean it was like stuff like that. That kind of annoyed me. Yeah. Okay. But otherwise, I mean, it just was, I didn't think it was anything too over the top. I mean, a lot of it was just tension and running and trying to figure out, you know, your next move versus, you know, the, the more and you know intense personal moments where they're being gas lit and then an emo is just being like, well, just trying to not psychology the shit out of them, you know, um,
01:07:06
Speaker
sorry that though i be it's it that I think three is okay. I think it's good for me. do you i realize Okay. Are you coming at it as a point where like you feel like most actors probably could have played that part because they are just kind of like reacting to something that's almost easy to react to?
01:07:29
Speaker
I guess. I mean, it just didn't, at least some of the reactions were a little lackluster for me. Yeah. Coming out here with some good questions, man. yeah She's putting you under the microscope. No, this is me as like getting into acting, like wondering like, well, I would have expected like to see more random people freaking out than just the one other lady. Yeah. Because I mean, depending on how fast this transition is going with them taking over, I would have expected to see just a lot more of that varied reaction to people being like, what's going on here? What the hell? oh ah You know, like, and why wouldn't they're passing like the little porn vendor shop, whatever's on that one strip where they're trying to get away? Like, why haven't those people been taken over yet? Like, where's the injection into that? You know, why are they still untouched? You know, it's weird in that aspect. I am taking notes as we go to address this when we get to directing.
01:08:23
Speaker
So you are speaking more of like to like a whole like a whole acting perspective like the people in the background and like the extras and the background actors and just everybody like like if this show was happening to us we'd be freaking we really would be freaking the fuck out not keeping any kind of cool right Right. I mean, there's like, says there's still too much closure for the fact that this massive takeover going over, uh, would have liked to see a little more expressiveness from a lot of the main characters. Like I said, even in all that Donald seller was still like trying to act cool the cucumber through the whole fucking thing. Even when he's being chased down at the warehouse at the dock and he's just hacking shit and they're trying to grab at him. He does his mild, like slide out the window, roll down off the truck part, want to be parkour thing running it off.
01:09:12
Speaker
And it's like, what the hell, man? I don't know. like yeah How can you still be so composed and so chill and nominal through all of that? And I don't know. That just kind of bothered me. I get it. Yeah. OK. That's a good perspective.
01:09:27
Speaker
I gave the acting a five myself.
01:09:33
Speaker
You know, just the way, you know, Donald Sutherland has gone yeah from the zany right off the beginning of talking super fast. Hey, you're going to do this. We're going to do this. Everything's going to be great. I'll see you at 7 30 in the morning. We're going to be. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. I think as the movie progressed, daughter Donald, as he, you know,
01:09:59
Speaker
Didn't react so much to everything. I think it was more along the lines of to keep his friends calm as they as he can. You know, when they're in there asking Leonard Nimoy so many questions, he's like, you know what? I'm going to step outside. They're asking a bunch of questions. I don't want to get involved with this. I'm just going to step outside, let them talk to him.
01:10:25
Speaker
um You know, Nimoy's acting was good. He was ominous. He got me stressed out just because of all the gaslighting that he did constantly throughout the movie. It was like, man, you seem like a skeezy fuckbag and I don't like you, but I'll deal with it.
01:10:45
Speaker
um Elizabeth did great all the way through it. um She had the right amount of emotion. to not be so overdramatic of what you would normally see from a 78 movie where the woman is normally kind of like ditzy. It's like, oh my god. You just have her ankle dropping down off that high heel. It was like, come on. She is never the damsel in distress. No. Yeah, because if I broke my ankle at that point, I'd be like,
01:11:22
Speaker
but but But when you're in that situation where like you got to keep going like they're gonna get you she does she handle had a movie where she was an actual damsel in distress Called shockwaves. It was a Nazi zombie movie. um I Think around the same time maybe 78 something like that But she was a damsel in distress there and she Overacted in that movie, but in this movie she was right on point And I don't know if that's maybe just the direction that the director was saying don't go too hard But don't go too easy either um Overall, you know Nancy act in the way she did and then of course, course Jeff Goldblum
01:12:13
Speaker
was the mouth, as he always is. Yeah. and He's gonna get what he wants to say out and say it really fast. And you're like, damn it, I gotta put my Jeff Goldblum ears on. somewhat neuroic Like he normally would. Yep. Yes. Gotta be prepared. Yeah, overall, you know, I didn't have a problem with any of the acting. And as for what you said about the porn stores and the nudie shops, it made me wonder,
01:12:44
Speaker
that somebody wouldn't be like, oh yeah, I'm not yet an alien. Let me go into this nudie shop. And then they get you in the nudie shop. ah It's a trap. you know So they're not acting any differently. They're like, hey, get your ass in here. Get your ass in here. get And relax more of that shit. It's a trap. That was something that stuck out that I didn't realize you were talking about that. Yeah, it was like, oh, they why haven't they been taken over yet?
Script Analysis & Dialogue Quality
01:13:13
Speaker
So they went for the police, trashmen, government officials, the infrastructure, and that included the nudie shops. You get them in there because you can- I feel like you're supposed to be emotionless, so you don't think about it because they talk about removing emotions and like love and hate, blah, blah, blah. But Elizabeth, like Brooke Adams definitely was the best performer of the film. Absolutely. Oh, fantastic. You talked about the emotions and that leads back, we'll jump back to the script.
01:13:45
Speaker
Before we jump into the next category, I want to tell you a little bit about Zencaster. When I was preparing for our 13 Nights of Halloween series, I was really searching for a way to streamline the process. I wanted a professional-looking setup to invite our guests to. I wanted quality audio and video recording. And I wanted the easiest way to release the episodes to as broad of an audience as possible. This is how I landed on Zencaster.
01:14:12
Speaker
It is now super easy to record a podcast with Zencaster. Just log in using your browser and start recording a high quality podcast right away. record studio quality sound, and up to 4K video with your guests. Feel a sense of Zen, knowing Zencaster's multi-layered backups ensure you always have your recordings in the highest quality, even if the connection is unstable. And speaking of audio quality, have you ever worried what you sound like? Zencaster's post-production process makes you sound buttery smooth. It automatically removes those ums and ahs in your recording. It removes those awkward pauses in conversation too.
01:14:53
Speaker
Set the podcast loudness and levels while reducing background noise with the click of a button. So if you are thinking of starting your own podcast or just want to streamline what you are already doing, go to zencaster.com slash pricing and use my code AVERAGECUSTOMER and you'll get 30% off your first month of any Zencaster paid plan. That's AVERAGECUSTOMER, one word.
01:15:19
Speaker
I want you to have the same easy experiences I do for all of my podcasting and content needs. It's time to share your story. So let's dive in to the next category.
01:15:33
Speaker
ah So we were talking about the script. Jonathan specifically mentioned the, I believe it was Jonathan, the lack of emotion. Was that it? Something about that?
01:15:45
Speaker
emotional reaction more with like Donald Sutherland and then certain aspects of people in the ground. Yeah. So there is this crazy like it's so subtle. It's so good. I love it in the script when it's towards the end of the film, which I have my issues with the end of the film.
01:16:07
Speaker
i
01:16:09
Speaker
Where to go, where to go? Backscratcher! Yeah. Backscratcher!
01:16:17
Speaker
So they are, it is Donald Sutherland and Elizabeth. Is that her name? Yeah, sorry, I'm brain farted. Matthew and Elizabeth? Yeah, it's Matthew and Elizabeth. But Elizabeth says to Leonard Nimoy's character in this scene, she goes, I hate you.
01:16:44
Speaker
And Kibner goes, there's no need for hate now. Pause or love. And I'm like, damn, that is subtle and that is dirty. And that is so good. Like, I love that just like touching on the lack of emotion and how there's no need for it now.
01:17:09
Speaker
Whether it be hate, a negative emotion, or love, a positive emotion, there's just no need for emotion. The future doesn't need it. And it's just one little, it is two words. Complacency for everyone. Yes, it is two words. And man, there's, so this script is one that is not like,
01:17:33
Speaker
We've had movies in 13 Eyes of Halloween so far. I mean, this is night five, so the four other movies, where we can go through and we can pick out lines that are either laughably bad or just incredible lines that I would have tattooed somewhere on my body. You know, those are the two options that we've had. This movie yeah is so unique in the fact that it has neither.
01:17:59
Speaker
Yeah. This movie does not have iconic lines that stand out as being brilliant. What this movie is, is brilliantly written.
01:18:11
Speaker
It is an intelligently written sci-fi thriller that it does not over explain anything to you. It does not under explain anything to you. It does not give you beautifully poetic macabre lines. It gives you bleak, realistic writing. And I love it for that.
01:18:35
Speaker
Like we talked about how a lot of the character interactions just feel genuine. And I think that is because the dialogue is somehow very real. It is very genuine. It's not, you know, I don't feel like I'm going for a quotable moment here. I feel like I'm going for a moment of humans connecting. yeah And there's something to be said for a movie that is able to accomplish that so well without like,
01:19:04
Speaker
the tagline for a poster isn't really here. Like there's good lines in this movie for sure, but there's not one line, like the fly from last night had fantastic quotable lines. This movie is not, it's not that, it's just fantastically written from top to bottom. It it is one of those movies that is truly unique in the way it's written. i I can't really tell you, like, to tell you why a line is brilliant, you have to explain the entire scene. And that, to me, is a quality of the writing. You know, that it is not just, hey, that line's brilliant. It is like, this is why. It's good.
01:19:54
Speaker
because of everything that comes before it and everything that comes after it that is so well thought out. I mean, just a small example as we mentioned the dry cleaner.
01:20:07
Speaker
You know, it's just a small throwaway scene if you're not paying attention, but then it is such a chilling and unnerving scene. Or we keep going back to that scene about the eyes. That is just a beautiful moment of connection that is very real. You know, there are so many of those that make this a standout in the script for me. I truly, truly love this script.
01:20:33
Speaker
Like I said, I have my complaints about this movie. I'm holding back. I'm gonna i'm gonna save them for my final thoughts. Save them for the final thoughts. But overall, I think this script is fan fantastic. I gave the script a 5. I think the script is is brilliant, honestly. I think it's so good.
01:20:56
Speaker
I think I gave the script a 4 if I'm not mistaken. It's not that I had any problems necessarily with it. um you know there were parts that I'd say could be cut out but really in reality at the end of the day if you cut any of it out it just doesn't make the movie you know everything is where it should be in place to make the movie the movie that it is you know you take something out here you're gonna miss something out here and it's like nah I think the way that everything was written
01:21:33
Speaker
yeah The way that they all acted it all out the looks that they gave each other the whole time I Mean it it was good. I I say a four I could bump it up 4.5 4.5. I'll do it. I'll do it'll fuck it. I'll give it a 4.75 Did you say for one second five I do four and three quarters my fives for a little bit I Okay. I don't want to get, I don't want to just start handing out fives like i a five dollars i get a five. This is 13 nights at Halloween. I'm feeling good. I'm handing out fives when I feel like I think I gave it a four. And I think it's for that reason where it's like, everything is great. Everything is good, but there is no.
01:22:25
Speaker
memorable lines, nothing that you would like quote or you know what I mean? But it's solid, it's just solid.
01:22:39
Speaker
um There wasn't anything that was really memorable about any of the dialogue really with the script, you know what I mean? Jeff googled going off with his neuroses while, you know, Tyler Sutherland's on the phone trying to get ahold of somebody at the party while letting him always gas lighting the shit out of people. You know, it's a lot of jumble and all that, but the rest of it, you know, it's very minimal, but to the point, but nothing that's really gonna stick in my brain too hard. So I gave
Direction & Visual Impact
01:23:09
Speaker
it a three.
01:23:11
Speaker
Okay, Jonathan. I'm the pooper of the party. i hope it This is where this is one of the movies to me that I'm going to transition into directing now. That the two of these, the script and the direction go hand in hand.
01:23:28
Speaker
more so than a lot of movies. I mean, yeah, obviously the director's working off the script, but there's a lot of stuff that was probably documented in the script that was not spoken. So one of the things I love early on in the film, we mentioned we have at the beginning, so moving into the direction category, we have those plant things at the beginning.
01:23:57
Speaker
Okay, with those spider webbing tendrils across, so on.
01:24:05
Speaker
We get to Donald Sutherland and he's cutting out newspaper clippings. Okay, did anybody notice what the newspaper clipping said? I did not catch what was on the list. It said something about the pop. Didn't it say something about kind of what was going on in the movie? Yes. so He's cutting out and he wasn't cutting out that story. He was cutting out a different story. But the article he's cutting around says like strange spider webs appear overnight across the area.
01:24:35
Speaker
And that is referring to the pod thing. And that is such a subtle, subtle detail that it is a brilliant of the director. to make sure it makes it into the final cut, it's also be most likely documented in the script to make sure that that connects things. So that is an area that I was like, damn, that's good. So you also mentioned earlier scenes about expecting people to react to the you know changes. And on my third rewatch of this movie,
01:25:11
Speaker
i Even as early as him coming back with the rat turd story and her meeting him in the health department, if you watch in the background, some of those characters are acting like pod people.
01:25:29
Speaker
Yeah. So there is, as early as that, the next day after everything, you start to notice that some of the background characters are just emotionless and standing there kind of observing, you know, not being quite normal. feelinging around As the movie progresses, the number of people acting abnormal changes.
01:25:55
Speaker
And there's so much detail in that background. And we mentioned earlier the trash man who appears throughout the film and is just this subtle thing. There's literally a scene of Leonard Nimoy when he leans on the garbage truck. That's it. That's the only like that's There's no acknowledgement of it. You don't see the trash man, but Leonard Nimoy leans against it. And it's there because somebody was recently turned into a pod person. And it is so subtle. And it progresses throughout the film that height there's
01:26:35
Speaker
Man, i I've said it multiple times. I have issues with this film and I'll get there. But the direction is while I could put some of my issues on the direction, I'm choosing not to in this one because I love the way the first two thirds of this film play out. The first two thirds of this film are brilliant.
01:27:02
Speaker
Hands down. I have no issues with the first two thirds of this film at all. I think it is so good. So for me, the direction from those subtle little details throughout the film and they keep going all the way throughout. So I'm praising it again, man. And I looked at my looked at my score and I i said it was a four, but I'm changing it to a five because I'm talking about.
01:27:27
Speaker
Man, I love it. And Jonathan mentioned some of the quick cuts earlier, and I have to talk about them because I hate quick cuts, but I love long takes. And Kaufman balances those two, and I thought he balanced them really well because we have these beautiful long takes of, one of the ones that I remember is, ah I can never, Elizabeth and Matthew walking down the health department hallway. And we have this long take of their conversation and their dialogue. Again, acted great, script is fantastic, but we get a bunch of interactions from outside characters and we follow them down, we follow these other characters without cutting, fantastic. But then when the tension is elevated, he's cutting quickly. He's making some quick cuts at appropriate moments. And I'm like, man,
01:28:23
Speaker
I love it. I love it. I couldn't tell you another Kaufman film, to be honest. I looked, apparently he was hailed as an auteur of the time. And this is the only film I've ever seen on his list. He he did the right stuff and ah he wrote the right stuff. He didn't direct it. um Let's see, the director.
01:28:46
Speaker
His last movie was Hemingway and Gellhorn. He did Twisted Quills. There's really nothing on his list of direction that stands out, but he had some skill. I thought he balanced things. There's also just fantastic shots of, there's one of Nimoy and Sutherland talking with that pyramid building from San Francisco in the background.
01:29:14
Speaker
and it splits the scene right down the middle. So good. I just thought it was balanced beautifully. There's a lot of great stuff in the direction. So I gave it a four and as I'm talking, I convinced myself to bring it up to a five. So I'm a five on the direction. I ah love this film. I love this film. Tim, you you you film lover you. know be sure I I'm not sure if this really cuts so much to direction. I mean, it does cut back a bit to the special effects, but like,
01:29:45
Speaker
Throughout the film, like once you know that that something's happening and people are getting taken over, you see the guy the banjo guy and his dog in the park. You see him a couple times and you're like, okay, when is it going to happen? Is something going to happen to him? What's going to go down? You're waiting to see something happen with the banjo guy to see him just not play anymore, just be totally lackluster, just sitting there with the instrument.
01:30:06
Speaker
but no When later on towards the end of the film, Matthew and Elizabeth are running away and the dog comes running up and the dog has the banjo man's face. Yes. It's somehow in the pod copy. It took both of them and melded into one copy of both of them. Super freaky. I'm sure that messes a lot of people when I saw it in the film. be dog ice tea ah Well, that was something that got you thinking, too, because you're like, oh, they fell asleep next to each other or something happened where it mutated or. Yeah, it's so bizarre. and I was like, man, that was super cool of them to have that. It led me on with that expectation of seeing. Well, I was waiting for a reaction with that and then seeing the the banjo man faced dog just like ra but totally got me. You know, and no I love that.
01:30:58
Speaker
I don't know what else to call it really. Um, and I like how they alluded to early on in the movie when they've got the plant in the water by the bedside and they fall asleep and then they go into that whole like black light purple color on the plant, just kind of given that ominous feeling of what's to come. You know, I thought it was really cool. Um, um, that I always, I always suck about talking about direction. I've said it before and I'll say it many times in the future, but, um,
01:31:26
Speaker
I like some of those long shots, those long takes you were talking about, especially like when they've got that one where you see Donaldson walking down the street and you see him through the windows of the shop of each section, all the way further down as you see that perspective, you know, of him and all the people that he's around, you know, that was kind of nice. So good.
01:31:46
Speaker
Um, but, uh, except what I suck at this topic, but so I gave it a three.
01:31:56
Speaker
Okay, I want to echo if I may Tim talking about the long shot of going down that hallway in their department I don't know if any of you guys caught it But they were as they were walking past one of the doors. There was a person behind one of the doors with his hands against the window and It was shining through I don't know if y'all caught that shadow. It was the second door if I'm not mistaken that they walked past and And at that point I was like, oh shit, the invasion is already going on even further than we expected. And that was, you know, right off in the beginning. Yeah. Very nice. I didn't catch that. You can take it back to that Asian guy that she bumps into, that Elizabeth bumps into, just kind of looks at her weird. Yeah. As they continue out in the hallway, just kind of that weird back glance. What the hell? Yes, it it was right before that is exactly when it happened.
01:32:53
Speaker
But the way that, you know, the direction and everything of how it was going, I was like, man, it it could go any which way had I not just seen, unfortunately, the 50s version, I might have been like, oh, I mean, of course, we all know what invasion of the body smatchers is, what it's all about. Yeah. But the way that they were able to do it, had you have not known anything about it, have you never seen the first one? Have you never read the book?
01:33:22
Speaker
it would be like, oh shit, what's what's about to happen here? You know, it is Elizabeth's boyfriend right off in the beginning when he changes, you know, he goes from this horny horn dog to just as calm, stiff, and you're just like, okay. Nice little change up, nice little change up. and then They get around town and all the shit starts going crazy and it's like, okay. And I don't know, all in all, I think I gave it a four. I'm going to stick with that. Okay. With some direction on everything, you know, was ah it was solid.
01:34:09
Speaker
Yeah, I'm going to stick with a four. All righty. Dig it. Yeah, I think I gave it a four too. um And there's like nothing yeah there's like nothing else I can say that hasn't already been said. um But the only thing I was thinking about where you where you were talking about like the newspaper clippings in the beginning, at the end he's doing that too.
01:34:34
Speaker
Yes, I did notice that. So it does because they because they did say like, oh, you'll still be yourself, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I think that was playing into where we were like, oh, he's still himself. Like he's clipping the newspaper, coings like he wouldn't be doing that.
01:34:51
Speaker
if he was, you know, an alien or whatever. But then that goes back into like, was he pretending so he wouldn't get caught? Like, I don't know. i But there's nothing I can complain about with the direction. I think the scenes for the time are set up beautifully. And i it's again, it's not a five because um I feel like they're, it's just not, do you know what I mean? There's just, there are things that you can be like, this is perfectly tied up with a pretty bow, epic, like, this is amazing and this is great, but I don't want to do things that are a five, like an injustice by giving it a five. So, but it is, it's close, it's close enough. And and I love it, it is one of my favorites, but um I gave it four.
01:35:45
Speaker
All right.
Cultural Significance & Recognition
01:35:48
Speaker
So that final category out of five before we begin to wrap this all up is the it factor. So the it factor generally refers to the cultural significance as in there are a lot of ways people look at this. Jonathan has a unique way of looking at it. I have a different way of looking at it. And I love that about this category is it's pretty open to interpretation. But for me, I look at it as
01:36:18
Speaker
Are people still talking about this movie? Is this a movie that, you know, I kind of look at the cultural relevance as, is it TikTok relevant? You know, is it being talked about today? Are there podcasts being done about this movie? Which is like a fourth wall break, because that's where we are. But, you know, how relevant is this movie? So for me, I give it a three.
01:36:47
Speaker
when it comes to cultural relevance, because if you are into sci-fi horror, this is known as one of the greatest sci-fi horror films there is. However, if you're not, you've probably never heard of this film. And so that's that's where that line is drawn. it is It's got a stacked cast from Jeff Goldblum, Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, stacked cast.
01:37:17
Speaker
So you could get to this movie by following any of those actors. You could get to it by following Kaufman. You could get to it by following alien invasion films. So there are a couple of different ways that you could get to this, but ah it was chicago criminal Chicago film critics association named it the 59th scariest film ever made. So there we go. I found it. So Chicago. Yeah. And you all, you know, 59th is It's not first or second or third but There are a lot of horror films and to be on that list is significant yeah And I do think that's something for a movie that we we mentioned earlier. It's PG Yep ah It is it is very subtle
01:38:06
Speaker
in its horror, because what it's conveying is a sense of isolation and just sheer paranoia. you know It's not people being mutilated. It is not possession and occult stuff. It is the idea that you cannot trust anybody around you. And it builds on that.
01:38:30
Speaker
Yeah. Would you say this is, you know how, what is that new category, every like elevated horror or whatever? yeah Would you say this is maybe like a precursor to like elevated horror where it gets you more thinking? Oh, I would say watching this, I was like, if A24, a studio like A24, redid this movie today, yeah I think it would be a huge hit. Yeah. And I do think I do think it it has to take that approach of elevating it much like this movie did. i As I've said, I think there are very few flaws with this movie. I'll get into it with my final thoughts. But elevating it to just feed off your paranoia, and we already distrust people constantly in our lives. And to just think that your closest friend has actually been replaced with somebody you don't know and is out to get you is a terrifying notion.
01:39:25
Speaker
You know, on the outside, they are the person you've known your entire life. On the inside, they're a complete stranger. That's horrifying. yeah And so I love that for this movie. I give it a three because again, like I said, if you're not in the sci-fi horror, you have probably never seen this film.
01:39:46
Speaker
but I think that's a shame. I think you should see this film. and Yeah, I'll tell you why in a second, why I have issues with it, but I love this movie still. So it's a three on the it factor. I think it should be talked about more, but it's not, so it's a three.
01:40:08
Speaker
On the hit factor, I put it as a three as well. um Unfortunately, I hadn't seen this soon enough. I have seen The Invasion, that Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig won. I loved that one growing up. That was one of my mom's top tier movies and it was, all right, hey, we're gonna have a seat and we're gonna watch a movie on the couch and it's gonna be The Invasion. Okay, all right, yeah, next week.
01:40:35
Speaker
Hey, we're going to have a seat down and we're going to watch the invasion. All right. I got it. I get the gist of it. But, um, you know, as dad would always tell me, it was the invasion of the body snatchers and the people under the stairs and cat people. People under the stairs. He said those ones were the ones that would fuck him up when he was a kid growing up. And.
01:41:00
Speaker
He said, I'm not going to let you watch them until you're older. And then we just, we, we were always too drunk to even watch it. it And so we did watch it. It was, I was too drunk to watch it. Um, but you know, the significance of it, I'd say it's best if maybe we could bring this to like our children. I mean, sure. There's babes. There's a little bit of blood.
01:41:28
Speaker
But it ain't something that you know kids ain't going to see on fucking TikTok or YouTube or whatever. It's less boobs than what you see. yeah you get You get some nipple shot. It's tasteful. It is tasteful. yeah tasteful it's It's not a nasty, dirty way to watch it. you know if if i could If I could say,
01:41:48
Speaker
It's time for a good nice revolution to bring back the old 70s movies 80s movies. Let's bring them back I'd say this would be a top fucking this would be five And it would be a lot higher rating on that. He said 59 If people watched it today and actually had a better mindset to just shut their brains off, get off the fucking thoughts of watching YouTube, TikTok. They'd be like, whoa, this is an actual damn good movie. So, you know, I'll still stick with the three, but you know, it is what it is in the day of our technology of what we have today. Everybody says it's to CGI and not practical effects. I agree.
01:42:43
Speaker
Okay. ah Fine strawberry algo. Uh, yeah. So for being an it factor, Beaman's film came out and like Leonard Nimoy is like the big draw for the sci-fi crowd. So him being in the film definitely draws a lot of attention to it, especially as a remake. Um,
01:43:09
Speaker
I mean, that's just what draws the sci-fi crowd. There's people like him and all the stuff he's already done with Star Trek. So people are going to be like, oh, alien film going on. Let's check this out. Now, even though Evan and I are like the last two people, I guess, to ever watch the film. I don't think you're the last two. No.
01:43:28
Speaker
um I mean, I've always heard reference to the film growing up in a lot of different stuff. I've always been aware of what it is. I just never got around to being drawn in enough for any particular reason to sit down and watch it because there's always been something far crazier and more fantastical for me to put my eyeballs on and get soaked into.
01:43:49
Speaker
so I mean, I still liked it. I still thought it was a great film. um That whole idea of, you know, the homogenization of people and being complacent and just all being the same. It's still a scary thing that nobody really wants, because who wants to lose their individuality, individuality right? um So still pretty kick ass. I sit with a three as well on the effector now. Okay.
01:44:15
Speaker
um I feel like I originally put it at a four and I don't know if I kept it at a four or moved it to a three. um I can tell you. Can you tell? You had it at a four.
01:44:29
Speaker
Okay, so I think for me, I want it to be more of a four. I want to believe it's more of a cult classic than it actually is. Because when I think of like cult classic um you know horror movies, it's like that like this and like they live. I like The Shining. like I like a whole different type of horror, though, than I think a lot of people, like I can't take the Saw movies. There's a lot of horror movies. i don't Like and for me this is something that is a little deeper and it does deal with um Different types of issues and it is just like scarier to me um I want it to be higher, but I know it's not like I know it's not I feel like if it's something I mentioned to somebody like randomly they'd be like I don't know what the hell you're talking about like and I do have a lot of friends that I
01:45:22
Speaker
Like my friends, my cool friends in home. and they're like My one friend Rachel, she's an artist and she actually painted that scene with Donald Sutherland like, ah, and it's amazing. ah Sweet. That will be, yeah I'm drawing that as the background for the video. So that will be the drawing. Yep.
01:45:42
Speaker
That to me is just like such a like one if if I were to pull up like scenes in my head of like classic That would be one of them um Yeah, I want it to be bigger. I want it. I do feel like it's underrated um But I know that it's not something a lot of people have seen and I know it's something that it's probably lower on the scale and So I want it at a four, but I would say it's probably a three. Okay. All right. So I will lead us into wrapping this episode up. So leading into our entertain, how entertained were you? This is our only one out of 10. This is where, you know, most podcasts are going to talk about, you know, how entertaining they were. What is it out of 10? So for me,
01:46:36
Speaker
And then we'll go into our final scores. We can kind of lump that all together. So for me, I'm an eight out of 10 on this. This movie
Final Thoughts & Ratings
01:46:46
Speaker
is fantastic. I love this film. I love...
01:46:55
Speaker
the first two thirds of this film. I think the problem with this film is that after that scene where all four of them kind of fall asleep and the four pod people start to wake up and we have him smashing his pod person head. After that, the movie drags on for about 20 minutes too long. So I would say up until that point, it's perfection.
01:47:23
Speaker
after that point, it needs trimmed. So um I don't think there's any problem necessarily with anything that happens at the end. I just think it needs cut, sharpened up, trimmed, because it goes from them running to hiding, running to hiding, running to hiding, the end.
01:47:42
Speaker
And it just becomes a little bit too much at a movie that is nearly two hours long. I don't have a problem with a two hour long movie, but in this case, I think this film works better at an hour and 40 minutes.
01:47:57
Speaker
you know, sharpen up the editing at the end. And I could have been harsher on some of my scores, but I put it into this because the fact is, I think it's brilliantly executed across the board. I just think it needed some more time being cut. I do like the scene of him trying to burn down the pod plant for lack of better terms. I think that's good. I just think there are,
01:48:25
Speaker
Matthew and Elizabeth run and hide run and hide run and hide and run and for 20 minutes too much So that that's where my criticism of this movie lies. I think the acting is brilliant. I think the script is fantastic I think the direction I almost docked him because the movie feels too long but It was just so smart, the way he executed it, that I couldn't. I ended up putting it in Story and some other spots, but man, did this it goes in here.
01:49:00
Speaker
The fact that it is 20 minutes too long takes away from some of my over my enjoyment. This would be a 10 out of 10 if it was 20 minutes shorter. I can tell you that right now. I would watch it again because this is a movie that you pick up on a lot the next time you watch it. You pick up on more each time. But I do think there is a weakness in the final act. So that's not that the resolution is bad. It's just that it takes too long. So for me overall,
01:49:30
Speaker
It's an eight out of 10 on enjoyment and my final score, I'm pretty high on this one because I told you this is one of my favorites of, it's one of my favorites. It is my favorite sci-fi horror film. ah So I'm a 44 or a four and a half stars out of five for this film because I love this film. I just think it's 20 minutes too long and that is its only problem. So that's where I'm at on this one.
01:50:01
Speaker
Cool, man. I enjoyed the heck out of it for what it was. um Just a lot of craziness going on, and they're trying to figure out what they're going to do and how they're going to escape it, only to find out that there is no es escape and you're you're fucked. It's awesome. Seeing Leonard Nimoy being this this collaborator, this gas lighter, and just making everybody you know feel like they're going out of their mind, even though they're trying to make it seem rational for some reason.
01:50:29
Speaker
I enjoyed the heck out of it, man. I gave it a seven. Nice. All right. You have your total score, Jonathan? for you name me Oh, yeah. Overall, i had ah after my changes for my ups, I gave it a 34. So three and a half stars for you. ah Nice.
01:50:50
Speaker
and Go ahead, Evan.
01:50:54
Speaker
Ladies first. I didn't know. I didn't realize that this was a two hour long movie. It's almost two hours long. yeah Yeah, dude. it was yeah I saw the time I was like, shit, this is a long film. I think it was like an hour and 55 minutes. So the fact that I didn't realize that this was that long of a move, like when you said that, I was like, what? It makes me like it more because I did not realize it was that long. i bye To keep my attention is very hard to do.
01:51:26
Speaker
um But i I do have a problem with like the run and hide, run and hide, run and hide, just to lose. Like I really don't like movies where in the end it is a bleak, um I like to have hope. I don't like where, move i don't i the worst thing for me is watching a movie where it's not just straight up like a slash or whatever, but when you watch a movie that's a little bit more in depth and you fall in love with these characters just for everybody to like die,
01:51:56
Speaker
it's For me, it's annoying because I'm like, why did I watch this? So that's where like my problem comes in. But now that we're talking about, well, was it ah like, was that really what happened? Was he pretending? um That's interesting. um For me, i I give it a four and a half just because I still really like this movie. I just did something that just sits with me so.
01:52:22
Speaker
Nicely, I like it. i'll I'll watch it again. I'll tell people to watch it like It's still a favorite of mine Yeah, and it's underrated it is so you were nine out of ten worth watching yeah nine out of ten yeah awesome I Put it at an eight out of ten um Kind of where you were saying Tim is just that last 20 minutes could have been cut um too much runaround I was like, man, this is going a little bit far. you know Just kind of cut that right there. The whole movie as I was watching it, I was thoroughly engaged. My wife was doing something. I think she was watching TikTok or whatever she was doing. and I said, hey, honey.
01:53:12
Speaker
This is a good damn movie. I'll rewatch it. um She said, was it really? I said, are you here? I said, especially after you just watched the fucking fifties version. This is much better. No, I kid around because that one had its, you know, that one had its own good things. But i as I told her, I said, you know, this was it was solidly acted the sense of direction, the way everything was going.
01:53:43
Speaker
The suspense, the music, the cues, the of the ambiance, like I had said earlier, you know, it just kind of was like a unsettling, unsettling at times. And you're just like, okay, I like a movie that's going to make me unsettled because it's hard to do with today's movies. You know, you got blood gore, you got this, you got that, but something that makes you actually feel a bit of sense of dread.
01:54:12
Speaker
just by looking at the world around you it's like oh yeah um so yeah i'd say it's a it's an eight out of eight out of ten um i'm gonna go with a four out of five stars uh i'm not gonna lie i've only watched it twice i might have watched it three times but like i said i probably was too drunk the first time um i could probably give it a 4.5 out of five after another rewatch, but I have to go for another rewatch to say that. But all your wife sees the banjo man face dog. Make sure your wife sees the banjo man face. That's a good. That's true. I mean, I was like, yeah, that got my wife to.
01:55:01
Speaker
Okay cause whisper look she's already been mad at me cause I watch made her watch the Greasy Strangler and she didn't like that. I don't know what that is. who sounds a end time she's watched it this depend girl on You gotta the Yes, you gotta watch it.
01:55:23
Speaker
It sounds greasy. Always greasy. So greasy. So together, our average comes to a 39.5 or a 40 out of 50. So four
Conclusion & Legacy Reflection
01:55:36
Speaker
stars out of five for the four of us. But this is where we need listeners to go ahead, send us your scores as well. So That's all we have for that one. As we wrap up our deep dive into the 1978 invasion of the body snatchers, we've explored not only the film's chilling atmosphere and haunting performances, but also its significant impact on both the sci-fi and the horror genre. With its timeless themes of paranoia, identity loss and societal fear, it's no wonder this film has left such a lasting legacy. A huge thanks to our guests for joining us in this conversation, adding their unique perspectives to this
01:56:17
Speaker
to the discussion. Be sure to follow them and continue the horror chat over on their platforms. As we move deeper into our 13 Nights of Halloween series, it's films like Invasion of the Body Standards that remind us why horror can be so powerful and reflective of our own collective fears. Don't forget to check out the cocktail pairing for tonight's episode over on our Instagram and submit your own reviews. Let us know if you think this version of invading the invasion of the body smackers holds up against the original or if it's just another pod person in disguise. Keep watching this
01:57:23
Speaker
are a