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I LOVE BOOSTERS (2026)
54 Plays4 days ago
Doug & Tony review the latest Boots Riley
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Transcript
Juice as a Running Joke
00:00:01
Speaker
Uncle Juice is a good man. He's never gonna stop being the Juice. He could explain a lot, Juice. Just hear him out, of Juice. He's right, Juice. Listen, Juice. the Juice, Juice, this is your life.
00:00:12
Speaker
Juice, Juice, please, Juice. Juice, Juice was there for me every night. It's like he's not really the Juice anymore. I gotta get you dressed, Juice. Juice, Juice, I will.
00:00:23
Speaker
Juice, Juice, Juice. Come on, juice. Juice! They have some juice here. They have some fucking juice.
Symbolism of Boots and Narrative Ties
00:00:41
Speaker
these boots were made for Riley-ing? That's just what they'll do? Someday these boots are going to Riley-o for you.
Influence of Film Scores on Perception
00:00:51
Speaker
Welcome to These Guys, Guys, Jews, everybody.
00:00:54
Speaker
Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi ha hey, hey, hey, ho. did Hey, ho. Like, why does the score for this movie sound so much like Pee-wee Herman's Big Adventure?
00:01:11
Speaker
Or don't they also use the do do do to do a so song in, what was it? ah What's the Coen Brothers movie of the hula hoop? Hudsucker. Hudsucker. That's right. Yeah.
00:01:26
Speaker
Yeah. No. great Great company to be in, by the way. Yeah. if if we're talking yeah peewee's great event big adventure and coen brothers like if you're being brought up in those uh regards or if you're in the criterion closet say you've been compared to fellini and you haven't seen a fellini it's like and hey i like that he's willing to like you know it's almost like the opposite of uh Matt Johnson's failed bit where he's trying to make fun of the pretension of people in there where he's just being out of like yeah I need to check him out like people are comparing me to him it's like yeah it also is people can find their way to surreal art without is like Fellini is like the only door there yeah
00:02:14
Speaker
Yeah, like ah we're we're talking about, I love Boosters, everybody. We're talking about the new Boots rideley join Riley joint. Riley joint. ah Jinx Yomi Asoda.
Boots Riley: Musician to Director
00:02:24
Speaker
um When it comes to ah what you were just referencing there, Doug, what I do love about Boots Riley as an artist is that ah he definitely seems like he's coming at things from a different lens, and that just extends further from him, you know, starting off as a musician, right? That he's musician turned director.
00:02:41
Speaker
But then there's the added layer where, you know, he's a communist ah through his expressed political beliefs. And there's definitely a strong... um sense that a lot of what has inspired him to become a filmmaker is a lot different from the things that have inspired a lot of his contemporaries. There's a lot of like music video director influence in a lot of work. Absolutely. Like Michelle Gondry and stuff, right? And sorry to bother you definitely like made that explicit, but this film seems to take that kind of influence even further.
00:03:10
Speaker
um like I can't wait to talk more about this movie just in its specifics, but just to kind of talk about the Criterion Closet thing specifically.
Boots Riley's Artistic Autonomy
00:03:19
Speaker
What I do like about that in comparison to like a Matt Johnson thing, there's an obsession with being perceived with Matt Johnson. right There's an obsession with like, you know, oh, I need to have a definitive statement to be seen as this kind of filmmaker. And the thing I'll say about Boots Riley, the thing that i respect most about him is that he's making art on his own terms. He doesn't care like if it's done in a way that's seen as professional or tasteful by one lens or another. He likes what he's doing and he's not going to stop doing what he's doing. And you kind of either you have to get on board or you have to get off, you know, and and there's something I really admire about that.
00:03:52
Speaker
he He's unapologetically himself and ah does what he wants. But I also do appreciate that he is, you know, like ah this this is a movie that has, you know, like it's not on the same amount of screens as Mandalorian and Grogu, but stars Kiki Palmer, you know, a known actress. And ah it's it's going to be seen.
00:04:15
Speaker
it's Yeah, it's going to be seen by people. There are definitely people in my theater who I don't think were there because they were Boots fans. They just saw like, oh there's a new Kiki Palmer thing, comedy thing in in theaters. I mean, let me see what that's all about. They were treated to a very, very weird movie. So I'm glad I'm glad that they, you know, I don't say they're being tricked, but I'm glad that like he's been able to bring people in under this larger band, because like we said before, ah he's yeah a communist, openly communist filmmaker. I think it it might have been The Daily Show and he was promoting Sorry to Bother You. Someone like tried to put
00:04:51
Speaker
labeled as like a socialist and immediately like, I'm a communist, you know, like, it's like, that's such a, ah the even the Cold War has been over for a while, but people are
Communism in Riley's Themes
00:05:03
Speaker
still scared. I mean, I guess just because there's, yes. America's threatening to invade Cuba as we speak, right? Like, there's clearly still like, you know, whatever kind of, you know, fear around communism that, you know, shouldn't exist. Fucking Hassan Piker's, but gets subpoenaed by the American government, right? Yeah. The the Red Scare never ended, right? it just These people aren't doing anything to anybody, but the fact that they're communists is so scary. who and And I would say that like Boots Riley kind of gets away with being perceived as scary in the larger sense. Like I feel like, you know, the artistic community has largely accepted him with no issues with his political beliefs, right?
00:05:40
Speaker
I think it's really interesting that he got the cast that he did, the the the money to make the movie that he did. And he was so, he went so bizarre with it. that that this This is a movie that like barely is structurally coherent. And I want to come out the gate and say that like, I don't think this movie 100% successful. Like it wasn't 100% my bag even, right? But I saw what it was doing, right? And I appreciated what it was doing. And I liked a lot of what it was saying. So I'm in a position where it's like,
00:06:10
Speaker
I don't like the execution of a lot of the stuff that's happening in this film, but I like all of the individual elements, you know what mean? So I'm in a tough spot where it's like, I don't like love this movie or anything, but I really appreciate it, you know?
00:06:23
Speaker
I am kind of there with you, although I could see it because a lot of movies that I would like, you know, just list is like, I, yeah, these are movies I love or go to back to a lot, have similar structural things. Even Boots's first film, Sorry to Bother You is, is more structurally coherent. And like you you can follow, like it's, it's more like a, like a quote, quote, normal movie, even with the surreal elements.
00:06:51
Speaker
And I would say that, That's a better. i see. I don't think it's a better constructed film. It almost feels wrong. But like, you know what I mean? In terms of like that that, that, that, that is, that's, that movie has its concept. It follows through on that. Like whether it doesn't, you know, there's definitely dangling plot threads in that movie or things that doesn't follow up on, but it's, it, it stays, it stay it pretty much stays with its one concept that,
00:07:18
Speaker
The whole time, even if it does, you know, diverge at points. Isla Boosters is all over the place and I love it for that. And and just like ah not even on a thematic level, but just like what he's doing visually and on a filmmaking level. This is almost like Boots' as Speed Racer, you know, so it's like. Yeah. I would i would never say that that's the Wachowski's best film, but I respect and love that. Like, I'm glad I live in a world where it exists rather than a world where it doesn't. You know, like when people, before the Speed Racer was reclaimed, yeah there were people would post clips of it, of like, I'm blanking on the character's name, whatever the younger brother is, driving around with with the the monkey Chim Chim. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And they they have the like clearly like green screen, like but fake background. And they're just like driving around and it looks it looks, quote, quote, bad, but it also looks so fucking good.
00:08:15
Speaker
like in Like in the same way that people do try to go to bat for. I think it's way more successful than any of the Rodriguez Spy Kids movies.
Exposition in Film: Riley vs. Nolan
00:08:23
Speaker
But people similarly try to be like, oh, look how fucking crazy this looks, you know, like that in that way.
00:08:29
Speaker
I don't have any issues in terms of like how I Love Boosters visually gets this information across. I think that this film has a lot of issues in terms of its like scripting. you know Yeah. Like and it's it's like a lot of like exposition needs to come very fast right now for no reason. And it's like in terms of comparing this film to Sorry to Bother You, I feel like there's a lot more breathing space in Sorry to Bother You that allowed for me to care for those characters as individual people. And I actually found that I had a lot harder of a time ah actually caring about the people in this film as people. I just saw them as like pieces to expound, you know, the themes of the film rather than three-dimensional characters. And that's a shame because I know that bo's like there are things there in the film that flesh them out more than just baseline. But because they don't, you know, give it enough time because it's more interested in, you know, being zany and being this, you know, all out... It's it's a thing where it's like I have an issue with this, but i can see on repeat viewings it not being as much of an issue, you know?
00:09:32
Speaker
Well, especially like once the exposition is out of, what you know, like I feel like a lot of exposition movies suffer from that. I also bristled first watch, you know, very different movie, but I bristled first watch with Inception or I feel like a lot of Nolan movies were like they're are front heavy with ah the exposition like Tenet. Tenet almost felt like a parody of the Inception thing where you're like oh, you thought there was too much exposition. Fuck you.
00:09:56
Speaker
where it's just like like Sorry, go ahead. No, I was just going to say, I know that that wasn't your your point largely, but in Sorry to Bother You, there's really just one or two things they need to set up. Like, like if even as kooky as the world is, they just be like, okay, Danny Glover's going explain how the white voice works, that we're going to see it.
00:10:19
Speaker
And then later with... Spoilers for that. I mean, the ah episode for that movie is we're going to cover. We're going to go back. yeah We're going to cover that. But like, you know, when that has to go go to cover the horse stuff, that's like the other other major exposition point. But like ah this movie is introducing like a new concept like every other scene.
00:10:40
Speaker
Yeah. And it's like taking things that were already crazy ideas and then it's being like, but it was actually this all the whole time. And it was like this. And it feels like a really messy, like Rick and Morty episode at times. Right. Where like. Which is why I kind like it, I think. Sure. Like there is like a kind of like an animated, like, you know, heightened reality sense to the film. um But I just don't like there's there's not enough space in which these things can land to where like I care, you know. And then also when it comes to these individual characters, I don't think they're given enough to where like I, you know, feel their interiority. It's a shame. i don't want to be saying these things, but I just don't like I think Kiki Palmer is a great actress in this film. I think that she brings a lot to this character. I don't think that the the way the character was written was three dimensional. I think that it was more so like there for the sake of the setup of the film and the payoff of what narratively it needs to go. Boots Riley is more interested in what the grander plot is than the boosters themselves.
Character Development Challenges
00:11:42
Speaker
I would agree with that, but I also think specifically with with Kiki Palmer and her character Corvette, great character. nae He always has cool character names like Lakeith and Sorry to Bother You is Cassius Green. But like, yeah, ah I think...
00:12:00
Speaker
I think for me, I at least had enough to latch on to with Corvette because it's working off of such basic like ah identity, existential issues of in terms of like ah being adrift, not wanting to be a part of something bigger and meaningful, but then also just the weight of, you know,
00:12:20
Speaker
ah capitalism of of, you know, ah bills and like the financial expectations that, that you know, like that's that's just I don't care. who you Well, I guess not who you are. There could be billionaires listening to this and you're like, I don't know anything about that. be but like Musk listens to this podcast. Peter Thiel's favorite podcast. catch you But I'm assuming most people know what that feels like. You know, like when you see the image of the rolling ball of debt, basically, I mean, it represents all that. It's like, just like a ball of shit of like all these things that are coming towards her. And, and like, it made me think of Katamari when I first saw it. But like, I, I, I, I think people so understand that on like a,
00:13:05
Speaker
like a primal level, you know, ah just because of like that struggle everyone goes through. But I agree that in terms of like yeah actually ah fleshing out beyond that, we're not given a ton like Kiki Palmer and the rest of the cast is great. Like they're doing what they can and we'll get specifically into like some of the characters of like,
00:13:25
Speaker
They are mostly conceptual and we don't have time to really explore one character. Specifically, I almost feel like it's like ah a pointed joke that there's like not much to him. And that. Yeah, we'll get to that in a second. I just before you move on to key from Kiki to much. Right. Like what I do want to say about like my issues with the characterization. Right. It's like a lot of this film is about like. their ownership of their identity under the system, right? And like the idea of boosting is meant to be parallel with the struggle within the sweatshop that we see later on in the film, right? yeah And like the problem I have is that all of these scenes of them boosting, right, are in montages, right? We don't really like, you know, get like a moment where we get the weight of those things, A, right? B, do we even ever see them sell clothing, right?
00:14:16
Speaker
Do we ever see them, like, you know, ah put a spin on the clothing to design it themselves and then sell it to somebody? I don't think we do. We only see Kiki's designs after she's already made them, but that feels like a separate... school In high school. Years ago. And that feels like, yeah, it feels like a removed element from the boosting itself. Like, it's not like that she's, like, taking and repurposing those clothes they steal. Like, like it seems like with the clothes they they steal, they're just they're making a profit. And maybe they also donate, because, you know, like, of the three Fs, one's philanthropy. it's a funny run running joke. Yeah.
00:14:53
Speaker
ah But but like that they it seems like they give they ah give some of the clothes away to like you know like you know kids in in need and stuff stuff like that. But that's we we see like we see them handing out flyers for the sale.
00:15:05
Speaker
her Our introduction to her is her like poaching a client to sell to him. and then it's really just, yeah, the the one scene of them giving the clothes away. But mostly it's just the montage of boosting. So, yeah, I agree. Because like the movie itself, despite this title, like...
00:15:22
Speaker
The boosting is the jumping off point. And I assumed going in from, you know, all the previews and just knowing Boots' his whole deal, was like, oh, OK, so this going to be like about redistribution of wealth or something. And it's like kind of, but not really like it's got like a whole lot of other like things that it needs to to touch on.
00:15:42
Speaker
Well, this more this film is more interested in drawing the direct parallel to like how, you know, slave labor or adjacent, you know ah you know, lower rung, lower class labor in other countries is ah analogous to you know, the lower classes in America. right, and showing how, like, there is an intersectionality between the two struggles, right, and while one group of people may have it, like, harder from a different perspective, their struggles are united because their perpetrators are the same people, right? It's a very clean, very easy answer, right? It's a very clean and easy theme to go through, especially if you're communist filmmaker, right? I'm a fan of all of this stuff, again. ah My issue is that like clearly Boots is more interested in the Chinese stuff, and he's not really interested in the boosters. And like once he's introduced the boosters, he's more interested in providing more ways to talk about the Chinese aspect and relating it to the American realm. We get more time with Demi Moore's interiority than Kiki Palmer's interiority. And I think that that's a massive mistake in this film. We get a whole... like
00:16:50
Speaker
montage of Kiki or not of Kiki Palmer of Demi Moore's like history like is that that's Viggo Mortensen right like who's doing the narration for for all the stuff about Demi Moore like yeah that's a great scene. Viggo Mortensen. Yeah, which is a great scene, but I agree that like we don't take that time with... We spend a lot of time to you know set up Jianhu's whole deal, and I really like ah Poppy Liu in this. ah But yeah, I agree that like that stuff... I like the China stuff. It's just like once we get there...
00:17:30
Speaker
it almost, don't want say it cannibalizes the film because it still stays to like what its like thesis is. It just kind of, it it it starts ballooning in a way where it's almost not really able to keep up with itself, which,
00:17:46
Speaker
You know, at the pace the film goes at where, like I said, there's like a new thing every other scene. Like I'm I'm it's fine because I'm still being entertained. But like, yeah, as an emotional arc, I do think, you know, and like I said, you know, like ah sorry about you. We'll get it. So an episode, but there you can track a very clear arc, you know, like as fuzzy as that movie can get with maybe some of its supporting characters or arc. If you want to track cashes,
00:18:11
Speaker
arc in that movie, it's, you know, you can, you can clearly see what it is. Like it it's, that it's not, it doesn't get really distracted from falling through on that.
00:18:22
Speaker
Have you seen ah like a lot of Ralph Bakshi's animated films from like the 70s, like like Fritz the Cat movies like that? I've seen clips of them. I've never like sat down and like actually just like watch them. But I, you know, like I like the art style.
00:18:38
Speaker
I'm not going to like, you know, go rush out to go watch. for They look cool, though. Yeah, they've got an interesting art style, right? But the reason bringing it up in context with i Love Boosters is that specifically these kinds of movies in the 70s, like these overly verbose, like politically minded, ah kind of edgy, like Fritz the Cat and and other films that Bakshi made in that period were very socially conscious, but they were also like kind of offensive, right? Yeah. I Love Boosters is in that same realm narratively in that way. But in terms of like the way the story is delivered, like there's a lot of like heady ideas that are being said a mile
Narrative Style Comparisons
00:19:15
Speaker
a minute. And then there's like the straight through line exposition that when you boil it down, it's like super simplistic. Right. So it's it's this thing where it's like the movie is always flooding you with ideas. Right. And it's ah it's like a bunch of things where it's like I am aware of these things and I'm glomming onto it really quickly. Right.
00:19:33
Speaker
I can see it flying over some people's head. Like I feel like this is a situation where I compare it to something like Eddington. Right. And I feel like Eddington is able to thread the needle of a lot of this stuff that's like so bizarre You know, like in a way that feels a lot more grounded and takes at its own time. Right. I feel like I love boosters. Well, because that that keeps you in Joe's head.
00:19:55
Speaker
You know, like that's the strength of Eddington is that to, you know, like it adds to the uncomfortableness. ah And like why I think that that's like Astor's best movie is because it keeps you in in Joe's head in his POV. Yeah. Like, yes, Kiki in Corvette is, you know, there's unabriguously she's our our main character, but it's not like we're like inside her mind. Like, I mean, like. This movie has like family guy cutaway gags, right? Like this this movie is more interested in being a comedy, right? And it will, like, always go to where it thinks, like, the funniest bit is or where, like, it will set itself up for a bit later on. Right. And I'm not saying that is an issue. Like, that's just the nature of the kind of It goes where the joke or the idea is, you know, and like, and like again, I see what you're saying. And and that's not always, you know, like...
00:20:49
Speaker
a problem, especially when the ideas are cool and it is such a fun movie. But yeah, I do. you You do wish that there was something more, uh, to some of the characters. I mean, yeah, I don't know. I'll see how I feel on rewatch, but I think it, uh, it does, uh,
00:21:08
Speaker
you know I'm not keeping painting. Sorry to bother you. Some deep character study, but like, I do feel like in his other stuff and even of the couple episodes I've seen of I'm of um a Virgo that like, because, and that by virtue of it just being a TV show, like that also has like crazy, like sci-fi world building where it's adding like all these concepts and throwing them at you, but we still get it filtered through like the main characters POV. Sometimes it switches to like, his girlfriend's POV. So we like, could like, you know, flesh out like her, her, her deal, but it's, it does keep it like character focused in a way that I think helps ground it.
00:21:48
Speaker
And the key word there is focus, right? I feel like this movie is so unfocused. And I don't even, I'm not even saying that necessarily as an issue, right? Like it has fun with the places it decides to go. It's just that I wish that it was able to go a bit further and in certain spaces. and And one thing I will say too, right? Like we we've ah <unk> credited Kiki Palmer's performance. I do also want to call out ah like the other boosters, right? Taylor and Naomi Aki, right? So good. Other page.
00:22:17
Speaker
Right. Like she was in fucking Zola, the Toxic Avenger. Well, Toxic Avenger. Yeah. I was going to say Taylor Page is probably like my second favorite performance in this film. I love what she's doing in this movie.
00:22:30
Speaker
And ah Naomi Aki, you know, like I've liked her in Mickey 17. And this movie in particular reminds me of Mickey 17, especially in terms of like what people negatively took away from it. I would say I like Nicky 17 a lot more than this one, ah you know, but like two different goals, you know, two different kinds of movies.
00:22:50
Speaker
And in Mickey 17 is, you know, for... I think you can think that movie for, you know, sometimes like a little bit of a lack of focus, but there is ah a grounding emotional core to that movie of like, you know, like where we begin and end and our, you know, viewpoint on how we see the Mickeys as as ah as a person. So I would say, yeah, it's more... That movie is more successful in this... In that regard. But...
00:23:18
Speaker
If you're asking me which one I'm going to rewatch, I don't know. I love... bo I mean, I'll rewatch you either of them because I've rewatched Mickey 17 play. They replay that on HBO all the time. So I've i've seen multiple... They got to make their money back somehow.
00:23:29
Speaker
Yeah, it made negative money in in theater. So, but i yeah, i I can see this becoming like a comfort rewatch just because of the live action cartoon-ness of it all. And it, like, despite all the bumps in, like...
00:23:49
Speaker
unfocuses of it like it goes down smooth in terms of like ah it just feels good man Mm hmm. there's There's a real like ah yeah like so like growing up, we didn't have like Adult Swim as a separate channel. I don't know how it was in America. Right. But it was like it was just Cartoon Network at night.
00:24:08
Speaker
Yeah. So we had the same thing in Canada. Right. So like when it became Adult Swim, like every Friday, I would say. Right. Like there would be like a movie night. Right. Where they had like like two movies. Right.
00:24:18
Speaker
And ah they would always be like things like ah fucking Joe's Apartment, you know, Tank Girl movies. Yeah. Right. I feel like i Love Boosters would be right in that rotation. I feel like it would fit really well in just being like a kind of messy, over the top idea forward movie. ah But it's highly entertaining and highly watchable. You you brought up Looney Tunes, I believe, earlier. Yeah. Yeah. And ah like whenever it's leading fully into the cartoon logic, it's when I'm loving it. There are moments where it's like them driving around and they'll just cut to miniatures like without like, you know, saying anything like ah just little touches like that. Let's make this movie special.
00:24:58
Speaker
Yeah, it feels like, ah you know, there's two movies that came out this past weekend that at times feel like and I'm speaking broadly because I haven't even seen the Star Wars. This one has baby Yoda in it. But like I'm going to assume that like a lot of other Star Wars stuff, it feels like grown man playing with toys. There's parts of this that feel like a grown man playing with with toys, but not in pejorative in a way I find very charming.
00:25:29
Speaker
This feels a lot more innocent. You know, this isn't about like, you like a lot of it's about like, oh, I've got a portal and I'm jumping in the portal. I'm running around, you know, like. Yeah, it just feels like, oh, did Boots Riley play portal recently? Because he seems to be having a lot of fun with the portals.
00:25:45
Speaker
Yeah, and and it's what's interesting, too, is like the the concept of the film, the thing that it's sold as, is not what this movie is about at all. like That's just like the the springboard of what this movie is about.
00:25:57
Speaker
And like there's a part of me that like wishes that we just got like a straightforward Boosters film, but then I also do like how crazy and like extravagant it gets with this overexposition, what it does with this teleporter thing. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.
00:26:15
Speaker
Yeah, I know what you're talking about. i We didn't officially designate like a spoiler free section, but like, yeah, I'm i'm recommending this this this movie ah before we get in and like, you know, spoil the the whole thing. So I would definitely say ah it seems to be, you know, playing in a good amount of theaters. Go see it while it's in theaters. ah this is This is the kind of original thing, even if it's like messy. It's like I...
00:26:40
Speaker
would rather there be more movies like this than not. So like, it's, it's worth your time in that way. And it's not like, I mean, like how long is it? It's long. It's like longer than 90 minutes. It's an hour 45, but I don't, I wasn't like bored during any part of it. So yeah, this is, this is like and a pretty easy recommend for me, but I am just also, it is one of those things where it's like,
00:27:07
Speaker
ah The style above substance, but the style is like really fucking fun. So like who gives a shit? And you said something along the lines of like the you'd rather more of this kind of stuff. Right. Like and that's the where I'm at. Right. Like how long has it been since I'm a Virgo? Like what?
00:27:29
Speaker
Like five years. Right. COVID time is so weird where I can't like, it was either five years ago or, you know, yesterday. It came out 2023. So two years ago. oh Or three, three years ago.
00:27:46
Speaker
Weird. And then what, i sorry to bother you, was 2018, right? Yeah. So five years. Yeah. Between that and Fergo. Yeah. he doesn't work like super frequently. Right. And I wish that there was something that I wish that there was like eight movies a year that felt like this.
Riley's Future Impact
00:28:03
Speaker
Right.
00:28:04
Speaker
It's the fact that there is nothing else that feels like this movie and we have to wait so long for movies to feel this way. That makes this special to me, you know? Especially especially American cinema, because like I think it's pointed that in the one of the first trailer for this movie, he was playing the ah shoot. What's the Mr. Oizo song that has Eric Wareheim in it in like a fat suit? ah Ham. ah It's a really, really, really great ah song. but the But the fact that he had like a Quentin Dupont character,
00:28:37
Speaker
a song in in his trailer like this this does have vibes of his movies but then you look at how prolific Quentin DePoe is especially like his friend like when he's fully like just working with a French cast and stuff he's just like fucking banging that shit out like let's let's get an ecosystem where Boots can you know put stuff out of the clip like that Dupuis is slowly becoming like one of France's most important auteurs, like quietly. like i feel like if he keeps going unchecked at this pace, he's going to become like their next like Godard, you know, like in five years, if no one stops him. I'm not even, you know, telling anyone to stop him. I like no one should stop him. Stand out of the way and let him do whatever he wants to do.
00:29:22
Speaker
Let him keep going. Let him cook, right? um But youre you're totally speaking to a totally valid point where it's like the French audiences would totally let the ship fly a lot more than the American audiences. and They would elect him president in France. If he made this in France, they'd be like, well who yeah sane blue give him
00:29:48
Speaker
Cahir de Cinema the Top 10. Do you ever look at the Cahir de Cinema's Top 10 lists? Is that ever the best thing you do? I love doing it. because Mainly because they love Shablon.
00:30:02
Speaker
Like, hell yeah. yeah like Like the village when the village came out, the top 10 lady in the water when it came out, top 10, you know, like every, every single shot of one movie. They're like, you know, even the Will Smith one, even the from then top 10 after I don't know about it after Earth, actually. Maybe I don't know if after Earth made the cut for that.
00:30:22
Speaker
But like, I think well we we all know the real auteur in that one was Will Smith. So, you know, like maybe they just don't don't count that one. you know, French french cinema wasn't so um on board. Maybe like Brazil had their version of Calle de Cinema that was like after, that's our movie. Number one.
00:30:40
Speaker
Yeah. i don't know why Brazil, that was just the first country. No, they've been hungry for movies about Dianetics. There's not enough, ah at least on a big budget scale. They just really love Moby Dick. that They can't get enough of movies that are exactly like Moby Dick.
00:30:56
Speaker
Like, can you do Moby Dick but, like, put Scientology in it? Like... That's what Melville was missing. Do you think if you were like went deep enough with those like Scientology speed runs in the L.A. Scientology space, do you think if you went deep enough, you would find like the after Earth stuff on display like in a museum? Yeah, people assume that like, you know, Tom Cruise is just waiting in a room as a final boss. He's busy like training for a movie or getting ready to like for a promotional thing. He's not just sitting around there. It's going to be the the hidden after Earth room. Yeah, it's going to be like the fucking break room that has you know, ah Battlefield Earth props, you know, because they had them laying around, you know, that's that's a lot more interesting to me, you know, keep to keep doing those speed runs. I to see more of those props.
00:31:45
Speaker
Well, those kids just need a better strategy. They make so much noise. They go in with like a. but you know, like a noisemaker and shit. I'm like, bro, you need to still, you show up hitman 47, that shit dress dress up as employees. If you can get so much farther.
00:32:05
Speaker
Pick up a random object off the ground. And if anybody even so much as looks at you, suspiciously just throw it at them. that's the hit me That's the Hitman special. Everybody knows that's how you play Hitman. Fucking knock them out. And then, yeah, you take their clothes and dump them in a ah trash compactor or something. Yeah. at Every location you're in, no matter where you are, there is like a human size cupboard. Yeah.
00:32:32
Speaker
yeah you just ah You're just not aware of them until you're looking for them, but then once you notice them, they're everywhere. Yes, exactly. I don't know what that phenomenon is called, but it's true. Back to I Love Boosters.
00:32:46
Speaker
What would be your biggest challenge in a job like this?
00:32:53
Speaker
I shop here a lot, and I feel like I should have it all. just want to take it all home, eat it up, and shoot it out my eyes.
00:33:02
Speaker
just feel like give it to me. It's mine anyway. That is such a good answer.
00:33:12
Speaker
What's a booster? Somebody that steals clothes from the store and sells it at discount price? It's like community service. Back to I Love Boosters. Yeah. yeah So ah we're fully, ah you know, like we're jumping around probably different different word spoilers. But I alluded to the like Keith's character in this. Like, I feel like because some of the biggest complaints that I heard, especially for some female friends about um ah Sorry to Bother You was that. ah shit, why am I b blanking on her name? Tessa Thompson's character that like, she was kind of underbaked, like a love interest other than like, she had a cool aesthetic, you know, like she had the air, she made in like her, like an art performance thing. But like in terms of like, yeah what what her what what's her interiority? Like what's going on with the character? Cause they started teasing like a love triangle with like Steven Young. and you're like, where where is that going? And that thread never fully fleshed out. Like that just felt like a ah first time
00:34:09
Speaker
screenwriter filmmaker thing of like yeah I'm throwing shit in here and there's like where I'm not gonna fully pay off on on all all of ah those threads ah but like i it's it's it's it's a fair critique ah of the movie so I almost felt like having the love interest you know like so this is our leads are female in this one and have like the male love interest who just shows up and like hypnotic music starts playing and and like you're just showing like yeah this is doing the thing Yeah, he's just like hot and has an accent. and But then like when you reveal about his character, the the more like there is a fun twist of like, yes, he's a soul-sucking demon, which that was the scene. eats souls out of pussies. He eats souls out of pussies. That was the scene where I was like,
00:34:56
Speaker
Okay, i know there's at least one family in here, you know, like a mom. i think she I think she came to see the movie for her because I could hear her laughing. And i yeah when I saw Leaving with the Kid, the kid had headphones on. So it might have just been one of those things. was like, I don't have a sitter for the kid. i got to bring the kid. I'll just put, yeah you know, just fucking put yeah some... pad Yeah, if i fucking just you know watch your your TikTok speedruns or whatever, and Mama's going watch a movie. So I'm like, I don't know, was she expecting this or uncomfortable? i'm like, ah, whatever. The kid probably didn't look up from from from from the screen. But the fact that there's the you know this a sex scene of Cunnilingus that then ends with... and like The fact of while he's sucking the soul out, it's like it's almost like...
00:35:43
Speaker
like some kind of anime hentai in terms of like there's like squirt the squirt that's going everywhere and then just like the look of him in demon form. It's such a wild scene. ah But I was like, yeah, this is the scene where I think and I think there was just like an older white couple who maybe just wandered in. you know There are weirdly there are people who just go to they're like, oh there's a movie playing. So whatever movie that's playing, yeah.
00:36:10
Speaker
I wonder if they were like, what the fuck did we just go in? They didn't leave, though. So like to the credit, they gave it a ah chance. But that that scene is not short, you know, like it linkers on that moment. So I just like that that's in there.
00:36:24
Speaker
they would have voted for Obama a third time. Right. Um, but yeah, no, when it comes to, uh, the, that sequence in general, I think that all of this stuff, like this, this whole subplot is actually emblematic of my problems with this film. Right. Because like him as a demon, I get what they're doing. They're, they're doing a whole like minute shit. Yeah.
00:36:42
Speaker
thing from the perspective of this woman who's trying to like figure out her own identity and this guy is going to like sideline it entirely and she needs to stand up for who she is not let somebody else's goals get in the way of her happiness right they have seen it a million times in in movies right and the problem is is like this this soul sucking demon thing I wish that she found out on her own, you know, like, why are we hearing about the second hand? Right. We only know about this from the flashback. We never see anything in his behavior beyond him saying that to her. Right. That proves that he's a demon. Right. Like, like the the the whole thing that he's a demon is only by its window dressing.
00:37:22
Speaker
Right. And like, I wish that it actually, you know, played into the plot a bit more or, mattered a bit more or, you know, Kiki Palmer was a part of that rather than being told that. I have a lot of issues specifically in how it's handled. I like what it is. I like what it yeah You know what I mean? It's No, I know it matters more that he works at the fashion show than him being a demon. A demon.
00:37:46
Speaker
Yeah, which is something that doesn't make any sense. It's like like not even during the final set pieces or chases that are happening. Like he could have turned into a demon and like ate somebody or save. How funny would that That would have been a good bit. I don't know. There's a lot of stop motion. Maybe they use up with their budget for that. and they're like, ah, we can't do another demon transformation.
00:38:08
Speaker
How funny would it have been it if we got stop motion, like Keith Stanfield eating like skinless people, like that'd be awesome. You know, that would, I mean, that, that's one of the twists where like you talked about in the beginning where it's like, it, in you know,
00:38:22
Speaker
it it enumerates on some things that it brings up because like in the beginning, all the like gags on the background, and the TV, like with the lower thirds are incredible. Like I'm waiting for this movie to come out on, on demand so I can get screen caps of just crying black mother demands more police because that's, that was just, I wanted to stand up and applaud. I was like that the whole movie justified just for that kind of imagery or, or like the gig worker, you know loving gig work because that he gets paid the freedom to get paid less.
00:38:55
Speaker
Like all that shit. Yeah, that was really funny. yeah like that yeah that was really funny like all last yeah All that stuff was so good. But the fact that that the movie follows up of like, no, those are just throwaway gags or like like ancillary world building. Like that's actually, there's like like, it's not even like a deep state conspiracy because it all just ties back to this one evil fashion lady. I mean, I guess it's the fact of like, She just has her fingers in so many pots that she can manipulate the media like this because she has that pull and that she's rich. But i almost wanted it to have nothing to do with Demi more if you were going to, like, bring, like, go to, like, I love the visual and, like, the escalation of all that and, like, the skinless people. But I was just like...
00:39:41
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. There's already enough stuff that we're tying back to Demi Moore's character. I guess it's just because you were established like in that Viggo Mortensen thing of like, yeah, she's fucking was brilliant, like MIT student and the physicist stuff. I was like, well, you already have the portal device tied to her. So like you can just have all that stuff explained like with the with all the sci fi and like you also have to make the skinless people be be her to like, I don't know.
00:40:07
Speaker
No, it's a lot of hats on hats in this movie, which is strange, right? Like, it would have been fine if there was no sci-fi element and it was just about people who stole clothing, right? With Lootie Toon's elements to it, right? It's the fact that it's, you know, adding the portals. Then the portals turn out to be Marxists. Then there's, like, the skin. Yeah. then like like It's the fact that it's doing all of these things. It's not an issue. Like, it's not an abundance of riches issue. It's that it has these riches, but it doesn't give the appropriate time or, you know, ah presentation of these things to where I can fully appreciate them. Right. And it's like there is such a thing as like getting a stomachache from getting too much of a sweet tooth. Right. And I feel like this film is, you know, guilty of that at times.
00:40:48
Speaker
Because our only payoff with the skinless people after the initial reveal that. It's just a visual gag at that point. And it's fun. Like, it's fun for the set piece of, like, while they're being chased by the cops, there's, like, you see the stop motion of the skinless people leaping around and, like, you have the action scenes with them and there's, like, funny banter between them. It's fun. But I'm, like, you kind of skipped over, like, there's actual, like...
00:41:14
Speaker
You could like Naomi Aki's character ah in the beginning, like she introduces Paul, which is like this pyramid scheme run by Don Cheadle.
00:41:25
Speaker
Don Cheadle like a fat suit. I also love All they need $13,000. Right? Like... Just the visual of him having like the different pyramids of like, it has like Elon Musk, Bill Gates. And then the one on the top says you like, that's just another good video. Like i want the screen cap of that visual. Like, cause that's just like, there's a story just in that image, but like the reveal of the skinless people and the conspiracy to Naomi Aki, it should be like, I think there's a glu.
00:41:56
Speaker
you know fleeting reaction shot where cut back to her like when they like take the skin off or something or she she says to him like oh doctor whatever like why are you why are you here dr jack you're here but like it should be like that should be whatever that should be like deconstructing her whole world like her whole world should be crumbling down from that like this should be like yeah you just found out about the matrix Yeah. And and that whole pyramid gag thing, pyramid scheme thing is just treated as a gag that has no dimension to it. It's more so just like shorthand to just be like, fools, you believed in this, you know, and it extends to the Lakeith Stanfield character because it's like the moment that he does that, you know, for sure that he's not going to end up with Kiki Palmer in the end. Right. Right. It's a situation where, ah you know, these jokes are a little too obvious, these ones specifically. And then the stuff with the skinless people, like, it's a funny gimmick. It makes sense for what the film is saying. But then it's also like, as the film is unrolling, I'm thinking to myself, like, what are they getting out of this? You know, like, why are they running after this so much? It doesn't seem like they're so into this chase, you know? Like it just it seemed like the film was kind of running out of excuses by that point. It was more so just wanted to do this visual gag rather than, you know, have a good reason for it to happen.
00:43:20
Speaker
Because it's funny when they do the reveal and then the one guy played by blanking on his name. He was also in Faces of Death. He played her boss.
00:43:31
Speaker
ah Uh... yeah He was in Sorry to Bother You. Jermaine Fowler, he's funny. I like these credit just as based young dude. ah But like when when immediately like that he's telling them but like they're looking for like where the $100,000 suits are and he just gives it up all immediately. Like, yeah, it kind of doesn't make sense that then he would be all gung-ho and literally have a gun and be ready to chase them after where it seemed like... all It just seemed like he was number one priority was survival. It was like, yeah, whatever. This isn't worth dying over. him the fucking suits. Like, like why why is he continuing to chase? like Like, it's a fun video. Like, I always feel spoiled for like complaining about because I'm like, he did the stop motion animation. It looks fun. It's like, I'm sure it's hell a lot better than any of and monster effect animations that you can see in... And Jabba the Hutt's son played by Bruce Springsteen now playing in theaters. Like, I'm sure I'm sure it's all better than that.
00:44:34
Speaker
But ah yeah, I just wanted like, well, kim well if you're going to go here, like, let's let's like actually do something with it. Yeah, it's it's a shame because like you've got that stuff going on. We referenced at the top of the podcast, the music in this film is so good. Like Tune Yards really nailed this one. I was kind of 50-50 on the score in, sorry to bother you, I wasn't always on board with the directions Tune Yards went with, but this film, like Tune Yards is really locked in with like everything. I think the score is great, and it's just a good collaboration between them. i don't remember, did they do a score for, like, I only watched a couple episodes of I'm a Virgo. They
00:45:16
Speaker
Yeah. They did. Okay. It's an exclusive partnership between Boots Riley and Tune Yards. They're everything they've done. It's just great how much he loves everything Oakland. Like, yeah, it's like all the movies will take place there. he's collaborating with Oakland artists. It's all all goes back to Oakland.
00:45:36
Speaker
And have like a very specific way of making music. Right. So like the the way that those sounds have evolved through all of these films has been fascinating. And there's a real propulsion to it that when this film is like in its action mode, it does feel almost like a Wes Anderson film. like like a kind of like a Grand Budapest Hotel, the way everything is like intricate, you know, things are stacking it on top of each other, ah things are clearly artificial, right? Like a lot of that stuff going on. um I think that where I may prefer Wes Anderson is that it feels like it like there's there's a precision to it, right? Like it's done that way to do something specific with the characters. And this one, it's more so like, wouldn't it be fun if, right? And and I wish it was a little more developed than it was, you
Retail Workers in Film Narratives
00:46:24
Speaker
know?
00:46:24
Speaker
Like, Wes Anderson has a sense of whimsy and they'll definitely be like, like, like some occasionally like a throwaway visual gag in his movies. But yeah, you're right. It's mostly like character or emotional. Like, what's the emotional point of this scene that I want to communicate?
00:46:42
Speaker
And that's like, ah you know, informs the visuals we' we're seeing. So, but again, it is, it is just like, we've talked about the visuals. It is, it's a feast for the eyes. Like yeah the shout out the whole art department, the whole art department in terms of like the fashion, the the sets, the everything. Like I love the, I'm already playing on the name of, like Metro Outfitter, Metro Designers. That's Demi Moore's like chain.
00:47:13
Speaker
ah But like will all the Will Poulter stuff is so good. he He's, he's, like I like wanted more of him, but he was so good. Like, and and then that's not like whenever he turned, I liked whenever he turned up the volume, he did that thing with his hand, like, yeah, along to the metal music, you know, like very, yeah.
00:47:31
Speaker
It went to like, yeah, like it'll be like industrial noise music or head metal. And then he turned down to like it said chill or something on the knob. And it's a completely different music as well. and And I do love that. There's that undercurrent of the retail employee who's trying to organize and nobody and everybody in the film essentially is going, well, what I'm doing is different. I'm doing something on my own.
00:47:56
Speaker
You know, like I thought that that commentary was actually quite ah funny. Right. Because it was it was showing that everybody was working towards the same things, but they were seeing themselves as different because of their own selfishness.
00:48:09
Speaker
It makes sense thematically. i just made me a little disappointed because I really like Isa Gonzalez. And i i like I was like, oh, stop minimizing her. Or just saving her as like a cutaway at the end. So you can be like, oh the main character finally realized their struggle's the same. It's like... No, make her fully integrate her into the crew. Because, like, I like that we kept adding to that. Like, once Poppy lose in there, I was like, this is great. Let's keep just keep plussing the team. I don't care how late into the story it is.
00:48:41
Speaker
Winston doesn't join Ghostbusters until there's like, don't know, like 40 minutes left in the movie. So fucking you're going to insult Ernie Hudson. how Yeah. So come on. Yeah. Well, when if we're talking about Ghostbusters specifically, the fact that when he comes into the film and he's just like, hey, as long as I'm getting paid, then it's fine. You're doing what this guy's all about. I know, what like, I'm on board with this guy, you know? Yeah. ah You know, morals.
00:49:06
Speaker
um And this film does the same kind of thing where it's like when it does add the characters, I don't think that the addition of new voice like voices is the issue. It's more so just like you have these interesting voices, you have these interesting perspectives.
00:49:19
Speaker
but you just chose not to develop all of them. You chose to kind of use some of them as purely representational. Like Poppy Lou's character you're talking about, right? We care more about her brother or, you know, guy friend back at home than her, you know, ultimately, right? And I think that's a big mistake. I think, like, you know, we we should have it so, like, the core group of boosters should feel like a team, you know? No matter how late a Ghostbuster was introduced, we still, by the end of the film, felt like the Ghostbusters were a team. I wish the Boosters were like, you know, we did. we felt We felt like they were a team and that they were sharing the load of the stakes because it's like Poppy Lou's stakes aren't even physically there with her. It's all the workers in the factory in China. It's like we cut to them to remind the audience of like, Well, you know, they're getting cancer, they're being exploited, like, like this, this, they're the ones in, in danger. Meanwhile, it's like, well, I would like to care about, you know, like, yeah, that's, I get what you're saying. Like that is, it's all the same struggle. Great. But also, Hey, I like, I really dig in Poppy Lou's vibes. Okay. you give me some more with like her you know, as a, as a character? Yeah.
00:50:27
Speaker
have what What is her perspective of America, right? Like now that like even though her mind is clearly still helping China, right? What is her space now that she is here in America doing these things, right? That's an interesting idea. Just like a scene. Because her only POV is just destroy Demi Moore. Like I want revenge.
00:50:49
Speaker
hmm. And again, it's so bizarre that we yeah we give so much to Demi Moore when Demi Moore's character is so one note. Right. Like I like that she's doing the whole like her hands are up and she's like oh, you know, I'm I'm i' a genius, you know? Yeah. i like I think she's doing a good performance. But that's the only beat she plays. Like even even in the final confrontation after they've accelerated everything. ah and I do think the last act, as fun as like some of the stuff is, is where the movie is is the weakest in terms of how it tries to to square these circles and, you know, narratively to tether stuff. But especially on, it didn't really feel like a payoff when...
00:51:34
Speaker
you know Demi Morris confronted at the end like it should be like ah everything's unraveled for her and all she has to be like you don't understand how hard this is and then they kind of just dismiss her her security takes her away and there's like there's just like bye it's like well that didn't feel the classic go ahead sorry No, i was just going to feel like, you know, like I don't need every villain to face like a full reckoning for everything. But in terms like what this movie is doing, especially since it's giving us like the crowd pleasing, like ending in and payoff, it's like, well, you don't have a payoff for like her
00:52:09
Speaker
Yeah. Well, it does feel weird in that way. And then also it feels weird in the sense that like it, the movie does the whole, like you and i were not too different now, you know, like they try to do like ah the reason you are doing the things you are is because you were inspired by me. well You want to be me. Yeah.
00:52:26
Speaker
Yeah, but but the problem is because Kiki Palmer's fashion career thing wasn't properly fleshed out as a part of her character, that rings hollow. I don't buy that, right? I do feel as though Kiki Palmer's character, I don't even believe that Kiki Palmer did all the things that she did for political reasons by the end of the film. Like, it feels so paper thin that I don't know what she is motivated by beyond her making her own decisions in life as a vague state, you know? Even her personal vendetta against Demi Moore feels impersonal. Like, it doesn't feel specific to, like, straight up, baby we see that Demi Moore stole her design. And I thought the escalation would be of that of, like,
00:53:10
Speaker
of something like, oh, I don't know, we have to hit her like in her home. Like, I mean, I guess the version of that is that they they hit the fashion show. But I was like, doesn't there need to be some kind of, instead the conflict zooms out in terms of like, we need to, you know, bring the China thing in into this final set piece of the fashion show. But I'm like, you kind of need to,
00:53:31
Speaker
get smaller and more intimate because those conflicts are always the more compelling. It's, you know, the Black Panther problem of the final act of that movie. It's just a bunch of ah CG noise because the initial, when Michael B. Jordan fights that him out of costume in the waterfall, that's way, a way better fight, you know, that it's shot like a boxing match, you know, like it's shot like the one of the fights in Creed, you know, or something. and And then by the time you get to the final act, it's just, you know, Marvel goofiness.
00:54:01
Speaker
Sure. Yeah. And I think that the the issue ah with, ah by by kind of like separating it to this like ah ah China conflict, I guess you could say, like versus like, you know, keeping it homegrown in terms of like the ah issues that are brought abroad there is that those are two different conversations, right? And Boots Riley feels better equipped to have the American conversation, but so much of the film's lens is directed to the Chinese thing because...
00:54:31
Speaker
Hell, that's where most of it's made, right? um And the stuff with Demi Moore stuff, like, I feel like she's only as prominent, like, you're bringing up about, like, how it should kind of been brought into the home, right? If they're going to bring up this idea that she had stolen the fashion concept, right, they should have made something more conspiratorial about, like, oh, we've been watching you keep e-palm, and we watch everybody who- Well, and that almost felt like they were going there with implication because they revealed that she never sent that design into the competition. so
00:55:03
Speaker
then it doesn't answer the question of like, wait, how did she get the design? i mean, because it's not this. That's not the that's not the outfit that she was wearing when she like snuck into her place. Right. So it was like, wait, how did she get that?
00:55:20
Speaker
Yeah, it it just doesn't make sense. And it's sloppy. And it's a shame to say that because there's so much about this movie I love, you know, and you you wish that it could have been a bit tidier in those key areas, because if it was, then that would push this over into, you know, cult classic in my eyes. But as it is, it's like there are key issues that hold this back for me being like whole hog recommend, you know.
00:55:45
Speaker
Yeah, like I still recommend the movie and it's a great time. And, you know, like we're both pro the message of like what he's saying. But I the last act really is i wish it was tighter because like as fun as some of that.
00:56:01
Speaker
those set pieces and gags are like the fact that the payoff for the, cause we find out it's not just a teleporter, you know, like the company's trying to save on shipping and stuff. Like it's not just a portal ah device. It's also like a particle, like it can accelerate the situation or, you know, like ah deconstruct materialism, dialectical materialism.
00:56:22
Speaker
Right. We should say specifically because it's a marcus Marxist thought. mean Right. Mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly. Like it can it can deconstruct and it can it can accelerate. I just wish the payoff to like their whole... You think that there's... This kind of ties into the problem of like we never see a heist fully unfold. The most we... We see them planning to hit one of the stores when they're working there.
00:56:44
Speaker
and But then... They get undercut. Betty Lou. ah Yeah, yeah, because she's already robb robbed it, so we don't even get like a full like payoff with that. But similarly, like all the setup of like how the portal accelerator like works, like when they accelerate the situation, it just is like... in Hey, I support the message of general strike. We got to hit them where, you know, it hurts financially. we need to be able to save it, but it almost feels like so simplistic for what the movie is. I like, I, and yeah it just needs some way to tie all these threads together that they like, just makes that be like, okay, worldwide, there's just strikes happening now because we accelerated the situation. But I kind of be like, i like, I know you introduced the sci-fi gizmo. So it's,
00:57:33
Speaker
Not technically like a cheat or a deus ex machina, but it does feel like we kind of cheated or skipped over something important to get to like, like, I'm fine with that being the end point of like, yes, we all let's strike like let's solidarity. Let's do it. It's just like, it doesn't feel earned in terms of like how we get there.
00:57:53
Speaker
Well, yeah, like the the that last thing you said is key, right? Because it it now, like it doesn't feel earned in the sense that this device now is just making the subtext of the film text. That's the whole reason it exists, right? Is to be like, look at these visual metaphors made into sight gags, right? And then the end of the film is just hinged on the fact that when they shoot the thing at the people, it's like always...
00:58:16
Speaker
you know, accelerate it. And what it does it do? We're all at the same place now. You know, it just takes a bit of time for these people to come around and understand that all of our things are, oh, Doug, you're muted. ah But like they they they all have it. So like all of their struggles are united, right? But it just takes a bit of that time to get there. But it's it's such an obvious thing. It doesn't feel earned. It feels almost like too optimistic, you know?
00:58:38
Speaker
Which I'm fine with it being like giving us like a happy, bre you know, like it's fine for a movie to present like some kind of optimistic fantasy. But like I said, like, can you please earn it? Because it doesn't even it's not even a metaphor at that point. It's just the thing you're like. And and like again, that's it's a message I support. Like that would be great if we could all join together and. like do a general strike. But it's like the reason that hasn't happened is because there's a lot of, you know, like material factors that make that super hard to yeah get everyone on that page and be willing to make that sacrifice. And and and just having a ah plot device machine, like, you know, turn that on and just jump to it. I'm like, that doesn't do anything for me emotionally.
00:59:23
Speaker
100%, right? Like we were sold on the movie I Love Boosters. We were sold on the idea of women doing heists to screw over the rich people, right? The fact that the movie is like third act resolution is just we're going to point a a laser at people and they're going to turn to our side.
00:59:40
Speaker
It's lame. You know, it doesn't feel earned. It it feels juvenile. Right. It feels shockingly like an inept storyteller, you know, and I don't want to say that about Boots Riley because I like Boots Riley. But it's like I don't think that this was ever the right way to take this story. And the fact that it does do this way, go this way, it it's it reeks of inexperience is the way I'll say it.
01:00:02
Speaker
it It reeks of, I wrote myself into a corner because I was having fun cramming all these ideas in. And oh shit, I guess I have the MacGuffin thing that can just make the resolution happen. So let's just do that. Which is, yeah, that's just a lazy. Tomorrow? Shit.
01:00:23
Speaker
Yeah. Like, it's almost like, well, like, if that's our end point, you need to either, either this becomes some kind of James Cameron four act movie and we have another act to build to the general strike, or you need to whittle down some of your billion other ideas so we can, like, you know, make that, you know, make that goal to the finish line make more sense. Yeah.
01:00:51
Speaker
If this movie took like an extra 30 minutes of my life, I would have not complained. You know, I was liking what I was seeing. I was liking its ideas. Right. I was just not liking the way that it was taking us to those ideas. You know, I was not liking the way that it was unpacking them in an entertainment or, ah you know, thematic level. Right. I just don't think it did ah the the full work. I don't think it it got to the finish line. And that's a shame for me to say, because I am such a big fan of I'm sorry to bother you.
01:01:17
Speaker
um And a lot of what I do appreciate it, but I'm sorry to bother you, is still present in i Love Boosters. It just it it does kind of feel like a step down creatively, though it feels like a little less experience there, which is a shame to say.
01:01:32
Speaker
Yeah, again, we'll see when we, you know, we do I'm a Virgo. But to me, from the couple episodes i saw you know, like when that initially came out, that that felt like a step in the right direction because it was like a doubling down on like the the surreal live action cartoon of it all.
01:01:51
Speaker
But it kept it it it kept it focused in terms of like, where are we being propelled with for this character and my emotional engagement? Because I cared about his journey. you know it's It's like a coming of age thing. So you know it's a very universal, basic emotional thrust. But it it worked in terms of getting me engaged of like seeing this guy discover like what the real world is. And to in you know hibs him having this unique scenario, how does that affect...
01:02:20
Speaker
ah how the world welcomes him. And so like, we don't really get that that here, which is a shame because like, I think you can still do high concept, goofy over the top stuff and still have that emotional resonance.
01:02:37
Speaker
Mm-hmm. I think the moral of the story is that Megan Ellison should be giving him more money to make more movies all the time. you know He should be making movies like every year, right? And he should be doing whatever he wants to do, and then he'll iron it out, right? And I think the Fellini comparison, to bring it back to the Criterion thing, right?
Demand for More Riley Films
01:02:56
Speaker
don't think that comparison is totally inaccurate, but one thing I will say about Fellini is that Fellini was able to make a million movies. Yeah. Right.
01:03:03
Speaker
And just by the sake of like the American film industry, we we've only have two Boots Riley movies and he's in the what his 40s. We have two movies in a in a show. So like, yeah yeah, I mean, that's all within the span of.
01:03:17
Speaker
eight years, I guess, that we have those. But like, yeah, it'd be nice to to get more from that. It's just it's just unfortunately. the Yeah. Like it almost makes us sound ungrateful because it's lucky that we even have that what we have, you know, like but I it doesn't mean I can't want more. Like, give me more. Yeah.
01:03:37
Speaker
We can still critique an artist because we respect them. you know i don't think that either of us, any of the negative things that we've said about this film shows a disrespect in the artist. right I think that instead it it shows that we know that they're capable of better. We know that they will make better in the future. And there's a lot that they have done here that's still successful. It just you know wasn't ah slam dunk out of the park thing.
01:04:01
Speaker
we've talked about rewatching this movie countless times. I'm going to watch this movie again. You know, like absolutely another thing, another thing I wanted to talk about with this movie specifically, ah did you have any issues of the sound mixing of this movie?
01:04:15
Speaker
No, not really. i think I like heard everything the way I was supposed to. Although weirdly, there were times where there were screenings for other movies when the trailer seemed like it was poorly mixed, where I was like, wait, did they get...
01:04:32
Speaker
Did they get like a weird file to put with it? Because it doesn't like I'd already seen the trailer multiple times. was like, don't remember it sounding like this or like all this ah music being drowned out or like, you know, levels not being right on it. But like the the actual film, the screening itself, i i I did not clock any any issue with that.
01:04:53
Speaker
But I also hear sound mixing issues in my theater. Like, oh, shit. It was to the point where like the music and the exposition and like everything, you know, was compounding to the point where it was really hard to hear. And ah like I had posted about it online and apparently it's a very common issue. like Like many people have had that in their theaters. So I'm wondering if maybe there was like a theater bound issue where like a lot of my...
01:05:17
Speaker
problems of enjoying this film came from just like not being able to understand it because the theater dropped the ball right or if this was just like a an issue with mixing and mastering the film with on boots riley's end right where it's like you know maybe it wasn't exactly up to snuff for a theater and it's highly dependent on where you're sitting right i'm just buying in the sky you know did he uh seem other people chimed in had similar experiences did he chime he's very online it would be useful to get his input he Yeah, on I would like to know what his because he's like very especially very active in like almost using Twitter as like as like market research because like he like when the trailer was before the movie was coming out, he was interested of like, what movie did you see that boosters was in front of like the the trailer was was for like he wanted to know that. So I'm like, boots, like I think you should know something's up with the mix in some theaters. So we're we help us help you, bro.
01:06:15
Speaker
Yeah, come on. we're We're just floating the concern, right? Like, you don't have to listen to us, right? But like, you know, you've shown concern in other areas. Maybe this will tickle your pants. um But also, let's have a dialogue. Boots, come on the show.
01:06:28
Speaker
Yeah, Boots, come on the show. We know you listen. Come on. We can talk blue collar. I know you are passionate about that movie because there was something, there was some university Chicago film thing I went to where I post like the, one of the films they were showing was like, sorry to bother you. And then he chimed in of like,
01:06:48
Speaker
Yeah, ah like, actually, Blue Collar is almost maybe a better example of whatever they were trying to to talk about or so or something about it. Like he was he was highlight like it wasn't he was taking a time of like, it was like, well, i actually know this movie. Like, yeah, sure. My movie's cool. But what about Blue Collar?
01:07:06
Speaker
Well, hats off. Well, literally hats off, I guess, in Boots' case. But hats off to Boots Riley because Blue Collar is a great movie. But also he shouldn't. Directed by, I'm seeing nobody. There's no. A dead person. Somebody who's in the ground.
01:07:22
Speaker
A man who got struck by ah an ambulance, I guess. An ambulance driven by Nick Cage. It turns out it was directed by the child who got hit by the semi-truck in Penn Cemetery. ha ha.
01:07:39
Speaker
but Yeah, but I actually, yeah, i just only see blue Blue Collar, so. oh you haven't seen it? No. Richard Pryor is fantastic in that movie. That is, because, like, here's your prior. He's a good dramatic actor, but, like, that one he is nailing, you know? It's got Yefikoto in it. I wonder if he's, like, kind of surly or annoyed that characters in it.
01:08:08
Speaker
Yafik Koto in that movie, I do not, I'm keeping my lips sealed. He is perfectly utilized in that film. Okay. yeah so Harvey Keitel is also quite good. Like, like paul that's one of Paul Schrader's wokest films, I will say. You know, The Dead Man, if we're going to, you know, invoke him. Yeah, yeah, yeah. R.I.P. movies.
01:08:29
Speaker
Yeah, rest in peace. you Like, when you were alive, you made good movies, but then you died, and then you never made a movie again. Yeah. Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah. Yeah, it's weird how that works. There should be movies made by dead people. Well, no, I know. Actually, I take that back. because That just means a i You mean the last 15 years of Woody Allen's filmography? Yeah.
01:08:52
Speaker
Yeah, but it would really just be some AI slap because isn't like Val Kilmer in some movie where they like AI'd him into something? Yeah. And I'm all on board. i hate that. I also hate the thing where they're like, well, the family signed off. People kept doing that for the Ghostbusters. legacy to see Like, hey, the ah Harold Ramis' family said it was okay. Oh, did they say they said yes to a million dollar millions of dollars? That's really surprising. That's great of them.
01:09:22
Speaker
The only one of those cases that like has any kind of like legitimacy in my eyes is fucking James Earl Jones, because before James Earl Jones died, he was like, I want my voice to be generated. Do you know about this? Like he wants to be have his voice be like Darth Vader forever, all that stuff.
01:09:40
Speaker
Yeah, sure. Whatever, James. I'll i'll give you i'll give you that. You you wished for it. We'll AI you into Fortnite. you could i mean, that's already happened. so yeah That's right.
01:09:53
Speaker
That is him in in Fortnite. That's right. Well, that's what mean. Like, it's not... I wish... Because, like, that thing coming out, is that... With the Val Kilmer, is that going to be on his IMDb as a movie, like, listed as a That's stupid. There should be another listing for the AI actor Val Kilmer.
01:10:12
Speaker
And where there's just, like, not... the the day it was generated and then like to whenever I guess like there's no death date for the ai see see you're you're talking about like creating the infrastructure for AI to exist on IMDB I say kill it with fire don't let it get that far stop it in its tracks right now let's let's not let it get there Oh, no, I'm, yeah, I'm on the same page. It's just so frustrating. i almost got into, i pick my battles sometimes. almost got fight into, not like a physical fight, but like just hanging out in the sauna, the gym, and guy was exalting the the the pros of AI. And i was I was just like, it's not that impressive. And he was like, actually, it's pretty impressive. And I almost wanted to shoot back like, yeah, if you're stupid, it's impressive. Yeah.
01:11:03
Speaker
but My thing to do with like AI people is just like talk through it with them like Columbo, you know, where it's like i'll I'll walk them into a trap where I know AI can't do something, you know, but I'll act aloof about it. Or I'm like, oh, it can't do that. You know, that's weird. I guess you can't trust and like like that's the way I go about it, you know, where it's like I know better and I'll lead them that way.
01:11:23
Speaker
I know what it can do. It can give you tips on like best ways to kill yourself because it's done that. And then also if you ask it for like a good way for attention, it can sometimes recommend you do a school shooting. So like it it is useful for stuff like that.
Art's Role: Inspiration or Entertainment?
01:11:41
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's got some use cases for sure. Whether or not it's good, that's... Who's to say whether that's good or bad? Yeah. We'll let those lawsuits play themselves out.
01:11:51
Speaker
Yeah, it has... It had ideas. <unk>re We're doing the Noah Wiley, like Confederate uncle defense, right? Like, you know, he took his stance. Yeah.
01:12:04
Speaker
What more could you want? You know, some people go through their entire lives never taking a stance. So, you know, like.
01:12:12
Speaker
Bear from obsession, an example. we just talk about a guy. Oh, Jesus. No, that's talking about somebody not taking a stance. and And what's interesting, too, with I Love Boosters is it takes a stance, but it also kind of doesn't in the sense that it's just kind of like dancing around, you know? Like, it's it's vaguely about those ideas, you know, Marxist ideas, but it's not like... I wouldn't show this to somebody who's trying to learn about Marxism. This is more like pop art for somebody who already knows Marxism, you know? Yeah.
01:12:42
Speaker
That's what I was kind of thinking during it in terms of like it's broadly entertaining enough that someone who's not like that far left can still have a good time. But I don't think it'll because he said in interviews where he wants the reason that he's making films on this scale. And I support it, you know, regardless of what. Some people online may say, like, yes, take the better Ellison's money and run to to make something at this level.
01:13:08
Speaker
Because, like he said, like, if someone sees Sorry to Bother You and then, like, joins a union because of it, like, that's a win. But I'm like, what is someone going to be inspired to do by Love Boosters? Are they going start shoplifting because of it? I guess that's practice, sure. But, like, you want to do
Humor in Exploiting Retail Systems
01:13:26
Speaker
it. If that's his... I am pro shoplifting, actually, on that note, I will say, you know, like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:13:35
Speaker
I'm pro just like, you know, be careful, especially certain companies, targets, loss prevention tech is very, very advanced. You know, maybe go somewhere else where it's not two tracking you the same way.
01:13:48
Speaker
Two words, banana trick. Do you know about this? What's the banana trick? You take the the barcode for a banana, you put it on whatever you want, right? Let's say a flat screen television. Measures it by the pound, right?
01:14:04
Speaker
Measures it by the pound. It doesn't measure it by, you know, what it is. It just reads the barcode and it goes, okay we're going to charge you by the pound. You walk out of there with a $30 television. so just It just thinks you bought a lot of bananas.
01:14:17
Speaker
Exactly. Yeah. You didn't hear it from me. You know, ah that's all I'm saying. You know, let the banana trick. You know, that's all you want to know.
01:14:27
Speaker
See, and this movie doesn't even have any real... You know, like, if I watch a movie about con... Like, that's kind of some of the fun... know, I'm not saying, like, people should try to pull cons from The Sting or ah fucking Matchstick Men. i mean, those cons are, like...
01:14:43
Speaker
absurdly convoluted or set it off yeah but the fun of those movies is that they can give you like real like like like oh yeah these are schemes that people pull you know like or the like methodology behind it is at least sound whereas i'm fine with us being you know totally out there sci-fi surreal but There's no, even before we get to the magic portal gun for boosting, we're not getting like any like actual, you know, like
Layered Humor in Cinema
01:15:14
Speaker
boost. Well, I mean, the strategy of like distraction, have a distraction so that you could boost like, sure. That that basic element bit ah works. I do like the scene of, uh, fucking, uh,
01:15:30
Speaker
What's her name from from Zola? um um Oh, Taylor Page, I believe. Taylor taylor Page, where she holds her breath and then she becomes Robin Thede. Like she's light-skinned. That's the key of like... oh what it was i get yeah Because the joke is that like, it was like, oh, yeah, of course... you get followed by security if you're black but she can't even pull off the fully white so security was still key like following her around because it's just like yeah she was still a black woman she was just really white and like and it's funny to see robin robin the do that bit because she makes a lot like black lady sketch show like a lot of humor derived from her her light there's like a character that's like a light skin hotep, uh, you know, where she'll just like be, there's a whole sketch where she's doing the Spike Lee track and shot. And she calls out to, he's like, I would tell you, drop some truth on you while doing the Spike Lee shot. And then one of the things she lists is like Stevie wonders blind. Cause he was tired of looking at white people.
01:16:36
Speaker
It's awesome. yeah Um, the, on On the note of the Taylor Page stuff, I did also like when they did the reverse in time thing and they showed her parents fucking, you know, like this good, good visual gag, you know, just her parents is like sloppy on the ground, you know. Good, good, good gag. And I always love the payoff of like when you read reverse like a crazy thing or an experiment gone wrong and the person's like unaware of it because she's just like, I guess it
Unique Worldviews in Film
01:17:05
Speaker
didn't work. You know, like she just like was unaware that she had just been deconstructed.
01:17:10
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's good. It's good stuff. Like good ideas. there's good There's good bits, you know, does it all come together? Maybe not, but at least it has a worldview that I like, you know, like ah if if this was like, you know, i'm thinking like, you know, Jerry Seinfeld's Pop Tarts movie, you know, like that that that movie is like, you know, rancid.
01:17:30
Speaker
you know And a lot of that movie is trying to skirt by on its goodwill, right? A lot of the movie, this movie gets by on its goodwill, right? And um I'm saying that the goodwill is earned in this case. Boots Riley is ah trying to make a certain kind of movie that people don't really make anymore or even... Ever. Right. So it's like I want to more movies like this and I'd rather more movies like this than not. So it's it's really hard for me to, you know, be like, I'm against this movie. I hate this. movie I don't like this movie because there's so much about this movie that I want to see more of. And it's just like little slight adjustments would have made it better here and there. But I still really love what it's approaching, you know.
01:18:08
Speaker
Right. Like all this, all our critiques are coming from a place of love. It's like, give me more. Yeah. no yeah it's already mine. Give it to me. I love that monologue she does when she's interviewing. And then his response of like, that is such a good answer. Like, I hope he... I hope Will Poulter comes back to like...
01:18:31
Speaker
collab with boot with with boot just seeing him do funny stuff is always good like that's probably one of the i you know guardians 3 to me is lesser than uh say guardians 2 i mean it's still better than all ah you know all the other marvel s stuff but like i do love his like the i feel like people have even memed it of like when someone threatens his dog and he's like well he zooms and i'm like let's not be rash now yeah Like Will Poulter is really funny as a comedic actor, but he went all in on the serious aspect. Right. And he was in Detroit, that Catherine Bigelow film.
01:19:06
Speaker
a Big mistake. that movie Which is like technically a good performance because he's terrifying. in it And it's an it's weird that he's the main character of the movie about the Detroit riots, where it's like, no, the racist white cop. We need to see inside his, which I think is like a useful deconstruction to be like, yes, and see how a guy like that thinks and justifies himself. But for that to be the movie's main POV is really weird. It's an issue.
01:19:38
Speaker
Like Catherine Bigelow really like laying on her like white neoliberalism in that moment. Right. um and And, you know, like Will Poulter, he was trying something. John Boyga, he was trying something. there There were ideas in that movie, but it just didn't work. But what I was getting at there was that he did a lot of serious stuff. But in this movie, it seems like he's going back to those comedic roots and like people like him because of where are the Millers? Like he was really good at We're the Millers. And I feel like he's recapturing ah a lot of that energy in this movie. And then you brought up Kiki Palmer. And I do want to go back to her because we haven't talked about her a lot.
Spotlight on Keke Palmer
01:20:09
Speaker
I think Kiki Palmer is astounding. Like we talked a bit about her on Scream 3, season 3, whatever.
01:20:15
Speaker
um i mean, she's always incredible, and especially like this era of her. I just want to get it out there. I think she's one of the best actresses working today. ah yeah I think she is one of the most talented like actors out there. Just continue. Sorry.
01:20:29
Speaker
No, I co-sign that wholeheartedly. I'm always excited to see her in something. And i think I think her performance in Nope is like one of the best of the decade. she she it's It's incredible stuff. mean, like he's already... Hand-crank camera.
01:20:49
Speaker
Yeah. Wow. I knocked over my water too. I was doing such a ah dap up. Yeah. But yeah no she's she's great. like she she like she She isn't cast in enough movies like this. And I feel like this showed a lot of goodwill in my books because like she was in that fucking like Jennifer Lopez, This Is Me Now music video movie, right? I still got to see that.
01:21:17
Speaker
It's worth watching. Right. But like at the same time, like she chooses a lot of like commercial garbage. So yeah, like she's she's in a Peacock miniseries remake of the Burbs, which. Yeah. ah Okay.
01:21:31
Speaker
Or wait, is it not a miniseries? Like it has it listed on... It's like full season. There's going to be a second season? There's doing multiple seasons out of the burbs. Well, I mean, what else does Peacock have, right? Like what what else are they going to make sure? Well, the serious and Fresh Prince that ran for apparently five seasons ended. So they need a new, you know...
01:21:53
Speaker
They don't. Poker Face was really. Was that like the only show that like actual people talked about? You know, like there were there was like buzz. off the Second season, the the first season had all the buzz. And then the second season came and everyone was like, what is Poker Face? Like nobody cared. By the way, we're not talking about Euphoria. But I like the fact that Natasha Lyonne came back for this most recent episode of Euphoria and she had nothing to do. like She's like, I'm going to do crack and be racist.
01:22:19
Speaker
Imagine if I had an even raspier voice, you know, like it was her character decision. um But ah yeah, no. um We were just talking about Kiki Palmer. I feel like in this film in particular, she's not doing as much of the broad charismatic comedy that she usually does right like usually like when she's on screen your eyes are on her right and I feel like this film she was far more comfortable you know being a part of the tapestry which I really liked I wish the film was more in service of her though because like You know, we talk about Sorry to Bother You. Like, I really, like, I leave that movie and I think about Laquette Stanfield's character. You know, I really cared about his struggle, right? And by the end of the film, I feel like she's shortchanged. You know, I feel like she's bringing that to her performance, but her character doesn't leave it, doesn't make it so I'm leaving the film thinking about her. I think about the way it's just the larger point the film has that she is servicing rather than film servicing her character. And yeah, agree. Like hopefully they collab again and we can get more of, you know, what we're talking about because she, she, she deserves it because, Yeah, as great as she is, like, I'm just looking at, like, what she upcoming. It's a lot of it's lot bullshit. Angry Birds three. They're doing a third sister act. OK, hold on. Hold on. You just want me back. Is she going to be Whoopi's daughter?
01:23:53
Speaker
I'm your daughter, Whoopi. Like, their entire character is her saying that, you know? i mean, and and i buy if I see that on the screen, I'm like, yeah, she has that energy. She is Whoopi Goldberg's daughter. That makes sense.
01:24:06
Speaker
By the way, like i like like, I'm not saying this to be cruel, right? But like, I can't wait for the Whoopi Goldberg biopic, right? Like when she passes, you know, like I feel like she has had one of the most interesting lives ever, you know, like just look at what she's done, you know, like the many places she's been in her career.
01:24:28
Speaker
Whoopi Goldberg, fascinating. I think, I think it should be a trilogy so you can have like a whole movie devoted to like her time on Star Trek because I i want to dig in. I want to dig into the day to day of like what she was doing.
01:24:43
Speaker
Yeah, right. Just like her, her just like hanging out on set. She suddenly says something wrong and she goes, what's that about? You know? well yeah
01:24:53
Speaker
And have her play herself, even when she, as at a younger age, like that, that's the kind of project it'll be. No de-aging either. Like, what'd be you play yourself from like 40 years ago? yeah Totally. like there is I don't think your performance stylings have changed that much since you on the Oscar.
01:25:11
Speaker
She really mellowed out later. Like, no, yeah, I think she's still got the same vibe. Yeah, exactly. and Like, i don't know why we got into Whoopi Goldberg, but I have to think of Goldberg recently. Sister Act 3. That's so what we' the thing we're all waiting for. She's also, baby ah back to Kiki's upcoming, she, I think, is going to be the female lead of Spaceballs' legacy sequel, Spaceballs. The new one. Come on now Now I'm excited for Spaceballs 2. Josh Gad, josh gad i yeah i'm point you can't see because this is audio, but I'm pointing directly at you. Don't fuck this up. fuck it up
01:25:49
Speaker
Don't fuck it up. Don't fuck up. This is this is ah the way I'll see it, right? Because like Josh Gad, he was like in Book of Mormon, like the original thing. you know like He's got some juice. you know like yeah There's something there to Josh Gad where I'm like...
01:26:03
Speaker
this is the thing that you can win us over with. You know, like we'll, we'll forgive Olaf, you know, you terrorize toddler screens for decades, you know? So like, this is the thing where you can cement a legacy.
01:26:15
Speaker
I'll forgive you for Muncher, whatever their fake Slimer was in the Ghostbusters Legacy sequel, which I'm like, what what was he even in the booth doing? Because I don't... It's not like... Even even Slimer has more of a like a vocal performance where he like screams. Muncher just chews metal and like spits it out like bullets at children. So I don't know what he was doing in the booth.
01:26:42
Speaker
I feel like Josh Gad is like... a step, a slight step above James Corden, right? Like he's always running away from James Corden who's on his tail in terms of like people who are unlikable. So like if he can like escape those clutches, if he can step up a couple more staircase steps, you know?
01:27:01
Speaker
And he's he's like in stuff where I almost half kind of want to like because like that's like I'm still holding out hope for like the space balls of it all because it's like I didn't even fully hate History of the World Part 2. I just think I was like there's not enough here for multiple episodes of a TV show. Like you could have just done a movie like a like.
01:27:23
Speaker
Like, even if, you know, theatrical comedies weren't even a thing at that time, like, I don't know, just do ah a TV movie then if that was the the pitch. Like, it still would just be a series of sketches. there just wasn't enough there.
01:27:37
Speaker
If we're talking about hypothetical Josh Gad projects, I want to bring it back to who's more important, Kiki Palmer. Right. And, you know, Kiki Palmer did that, ah you know, movie with SZA. I haven't seen that one yet, but I heard it was charming. You know, oh it's a lot of fun. It's like it's just a straight up good buddy comedy. Like it it like, yeah, it hits all the beats that you would expect, like in those movies. But like it it just does it really well. It's it's it's it's really funny.
01:28:05
Speaker
I feel like Kiki Palmer should do more buddy comedies like that. I feel like she is a talent where she works really well with other people that way. Put her in a fucking movie with like Ayo Adebri. Put her in a movie with, i don't know, fucking Ariana Grande, you know, like just fucking pick it people, you know, Sabrina Carpenter, Jenna Rotea, whoever, right? Like just put them in movies with Kiki Palmer, film career for life. And then she does a dramatic thing here and there.
01:28:31
Speaker
Like that, she, she would nail it every time is the way I see it. I agree. Do it, Kiki.
Keke Palmer's Interview Decision
01:28:38
Speaker
Do it. Come on. We know you're listening. And come on the show, you know? Yeah.
01:28:43
Speaker
We can talk about ah the Jonathan Majors interview that you yeah took offline, ah which good call on your part. That's good that you, it's good that you didn't keep the episode up, but that also means you do that. You shouldn't have done You shouldn't have done in the first place. I was going to ask her about the Sean Evans, you know, hot ones, you know, ask her if it was real, you know, if, if maybe like they are in a secret relationship, relationship you know, just, just asking, you know, I want someone to dish on that guy and be like, it's all bullshit. You thought hot ones.
01:29:19
Speaker
i They're all acting. this is all a bit. It's actually the same word. Wasn't even mad. He takes off his skin and he shares his skin with the subway takes guy. It's, it's, it's all the same guy.
01:29:35
Speaker
Yes. No, this makes sense. See, now we're getting back to it I Love Boosters. um See, that's a conspiracy that I could get behind. i need to run to the washroom real quick. ah Is it cool if I do that real quick? Yeah, yeah go for it.
01:29:50
Speaker
I mean, we're we're, I think, rounding it out here. But yeah, go ahead. Yeah, yeah. We'll come back and and then round it out. Yeah, I'll be right back.
01:31:35
Speaker
And I'm back. Sorry about that. Oh, you're all good. We're back. I did not. I guess I knew it at some point, but I was just like a Will Poulter's filmography. I was like, oh, he's on The Bear. I really need to watch that show.
01:31:50
Speaker
Oh, he's so good on The Bear too. Oh, I forgot you haven't seen it. Oh, he's so good because he, yeah I don't want to spoil it, but he he does show up in like the second season, I want to say. And he has like a very understated role. Like he like he's in it. because Because the thing was like when The Bear was just starting, right? Like they brought in bigger celebrities but they brought them in like in a subtle way you know like there's that whole like classic ah John Mulaney and Bob Odenkirk episode i'm sure seen clips of right yeah and Berthal's there yeah it's like there there was a point in time where they could do that it wouldn't feel like you know oh oh we've got celebrities right but then like in the third and fourth season they've got like John Cena's there like it it gets really out of hand but ah Will Poulter is like a pivotal character in The Bear And and he's so good.
01:32:40
Speaker
Okay. I well i mean, it's not like i was I was never going to watch it It's just, yeah, i I haven't gotten around to it yet. But with everyone who's in it, I mean, especially ao I mean, I gotta fucking i watch it.
01:32:56
Speaker
It's the thing that fucking made her. And like that was like, i don't know if I ever talked. to It wasn't it wasn't her podcasting or posting online. Oh, OK. Well, that's how I knew her. Like, yeah, that was the thing. Did you know her when she was podcasting and all that? Like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I haven't listened to multiple episodes of her podcast or anything, but she would guest on other stuff ah a lot. And then also her post a prolific, you know, whether it's just like her funny letterbox reviews or, you know, it it's just seeing a poster succeed. It's it's very in power. It's like it's the whole one of us made it.
01:33:31
Speaker
Well, like her podcast, I think it was called like Iconography or something. Yeah. Right. Like I listened to that podcast like as it was coming out, like I liked it, you know? And so like that that was one of those things where to see that transition was insane to me. And it was one of those things when the bear was premiering, I was like, I know how funny this person is. Right. I'm like, she is brilliant. Right. And then it was the fact that she had this dramatic edge to her that made her so exciting. Right. It's kind of a shame that I always,
01:34:01
Speaker
projects haven't been as exciting as her talents have been unfortunately like after the hunt you know should have been a better movie you know should have been a role for her i still haven't seen it i mean you know it's luca so like i'm gonna check it out and give it yeah it's shot it's also weird than its reputation is what i'll say it's okay it's reputation But it it's also the weird thing about that movie is I'm like, did did Julia Roberts do a horrible crime that I memory hold? Because like no one except the Mr. Robot guy is in the Julia Roberts business who for some reason post Mr. Robot, he puts her in everything he does. i mean, I do really like her season of Homecoming. Yeah. Actually, Doug, I think you have it the other way around. i I think it's because she's very selective and she just really likes his work. That's what I think it is.
01:34:54
Speaker
Well, she has good taste because Mr. Robot. Well, Mr. Robot's good. I can't co-cite everything Sam Esmail's done, but, you know. I beg to differ as a non-Mr. Robot fan. You know, like as a a person who watched Mr. Robot and went, Christian Slater's really good in this. Maybe I'm not the right person to ask.
01:35:14
Speaker
I mean, maybe I'll watch. don't know. I've watched five minutes of that movie that Obama consulted on, Leave the World Behind. And then I never. So bad. i never went back to it.
Obama's Film Involvement
01:35:26
Speaker
I think also there's supposed to be Easter eggs. It's like in the Mr. Robot, you like they reference the fucking company from it or something. I don't know.
01:35:37
Speaker
i don't remember. Like that that movie is really bad, though. Well, you should watch the rest of it is very funny. But I'm just like, do you mean Obama consult? Like, because it's like it's it's like a cyber attack knocks out everything. Right. Like, is is ah ah Obama just walking through like what would be the government's response to that? Like, what's his consultation? No.
01:35:59
Speaker
No, no. Obama essentially co-wrote like tech, the happening, right. Where it's like a family is trying to escape a bunch of like tech based anomalies. Like one of the first things that happens is they're on the beach, but then like a, a, a cruise ship like crashes on shore where they were trying to relax on the beach. And, and, and what i love about that sequence is like, they're like,
01:36:21
Speaker
essentially the the boat's coming in, right? It's crashing into the the the the shore so on a straight angle, right? Like it's not on an angle like diagonally whatever, it's coming on straight onto the shore. And this family sees that the boat's coming and they just run hor like parallel to the trajectory of the boat. I'm like, why wouldn't you like run in the opposite direction? It's like worse than the thing that people say about Prometheus, right? Where it's like, oh, a giant fucking sphere is it's probably going to crush you if you still, like you're not going be able to run out of the circumference of that. This is a cruise ship that you've got like,
01:36:56
Speaker
gain on you know right children with you you can run in the opposite direction and and you can easily get out of the way of this thing's trajectory why are you choosing to run continuously in the way that this thing is coming towards you i don't know that's strange from the twisted mind of barack obama
01:37:15
Speaker
definitionally speaking, ah Obama cinema, you know, like, like there is a direct link to him in film and, uh, yeah, no, it's, it's kind of the thesis of Obama cinema. If you think about it, because if you do watch it, it is very much so about like neoliberal politics and like the nightmare version of what happens gone awry, you know, like one of the set pieces of the film is the family's trying to drive, but then there's like an army of ah autonomous vehicles that come after them you know like self-driving yeah yeah it's it's just funny that they're collabing because in the timeline of Mr. Robot and like what that show lays out it kind of just directly which also is the case in our timeline draws a connect line between Obama's era of neoliberalism and that's setting the stage for like Trump and like the collapse of all that you know so i was like does he understand that that that that
01:38:13
Speaker
That's what that was saying? Or maybe Esmail doesn't even understand that that's what he was saying. I wouldn't be too surprised if that were the case. And I wouldn't be too surprised if Barack Obama was just like, you know, I i don't care you that you said that. I like the way that you did it. You know, like I wouldn't put it past people who are in those positions of power to just be the act that you're like, yeah, call me out. I mean, he does like Bulworth, you know, so he's probably like, yeah, fucking call us out. Like, yeah, man. Yeah.
Obama's Potential 'Bullworth' Moment
01:38:40
Speaker
I would love it if like he went Bullworth in the next like two, three years, you know, like if Obama like really snapped, you know, like I'm still holding out hope for a redemption with that that guy, you know, like I don't, he's not fully off my list, you know.
01:38:55
Speaker
I mean, I'll believe it when I see it. I feel like exactly the the fact it's just that he knows he could go Bullworth and chooses not to, you know, that that's his crime.
01:39:06
Speaker
Why would you hold back? You know, like, you you know you can, but you don't. You know, that's cowardly.
Riley vs. Pharrell: Bold Filmmaking
01:39:13
Speaker
coward anyway boots Riley ah not a coward but because he go he goes for it he's unapologetically doing his thing even if we have qualms about the execution of what that thing is I think we're both in agreement like we want more give me some more and and also he he wears a larger hat than Pharrell Williams and you know Pharrell Williams you can talk about cowardice or not but you know if you're wearing a bigger hat than Pharrell not a coward in my books Yeah.
01:39:44
Speaker
ah Mike, ah or, you know, Mike, drop. Pharrell, what are you to do? <unk> Fucking calling you out. Time to make another Lego movie.
01:39:56
Speaker
You know about his canceled biopic, right? Have we talked about that? It was like a Lego biopic, right? No,
Pharrell Biopic Intrigue
01:40:04
Speaker
no, no, no, no. no so So the Lego biopic has come and gone. Like he made that. But then there was an entire like live action biopic that he had made with like fucking, ah what was the live action fucking Little Mermaid remake?
01:40:19
Speaker
That actress. um There was her and then there was Divine Joy Randolph. They made a whole like ah biopic about ah Pharrell Williams's childhood in the 70s directed by Michelle Gondry.
01:40:32
Speaker
And they shelved it. What? The movie's never coming out. They just deemed that it was not good enough. and they There was a new Michel Gondry movie, and they they she that's like more evil than fucking ah Acme vs. Coyote or whatever other canceled movie. I mean, like that that movie's coming out, so that's not even Lost Media anymore.
01:40:54
Speaker
No, but this is different because this was going to be like a quasi-musical about the music that influenced Pharrell Williams growing up, right? It wasn't like, you know, Pharrell Williams and then becomes the superstar. It was like a ah ah period piece of him in the 70s growing up and the music that shaped him. So like certainly wasn't going to be your traditional biopic and definitely sounds like it may not have been good. ah But at the same time, I want to see it. Michel Gondry, he was probably doing something interesting.
01:41:21
Speaker
Yeah, I would watch it. Michel Gondry, do something challenge. See something I can see. he still makes French films. like And some of them are still good, apparently. Really? i want to look it up. There there were a couple that like stuck out to me like that he's been making recently. there There are some that, like, you know...
01:41:43
Speaker
Uh, was it mood Indigo was one that came out like in the 2010s that I was like, Oh, it's fine. You know, but it was trying to recapture like science of sleep. And it's like, when you're trying to recapture science of sleep, that's when you know you're in trouble.
01:41:56
Speaker
I wanted to check out book of solutions. Um, and then there's this new animated film that he put out like two years ago. man. man I just love this guy. I'm just kidding. Did you ever see Kidding?
01:42:10
Speaker
Michelle Gondry's show Kidding? No, because it was a Showtime show and Showtime show. Showtime is not a real change. I mean, I could have just torrented it or something. But, you know, like whenever someone talks about a show a show on Showtime, like, oh, man, Yellow Jackets is kind of fun. I'm like, what's that on Showtime? Like, all right, that's your problem.
01:42:31
Speaker
do Do you know what the cast of that show was? It's Jim Carrey. And then also someone very prestigious is like the elder statesman in it. Frank Langella.
01:42:42
Speaker
and And then and then his ex-wife is Judy Greer. And then his sister is played by Catherine Keener. Damn. Yeah, Catherine. Yeah. And then the show also features an impressive cameo from Ariana Grande and then also a cameo from Tyler, the creator. um Like the the show has like a really strange, it's it's really good, actually. Like I do like kidding. Is it the last... season but Is that the last one before they cloned Jim Carrey? Yeah, you're right. Yeah. Before they swapped him out, you know. um the thing was pre-COVID, right? Like they were like, let's get him in before he goes away into the cryogenic team chamber where they'll they'll wake up the real Jim Carrey like after the apocalypse. but But now we're stuck with this version. and you know It's like one of his Saddam decoys.
01:43:37
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. We're stuck with them. This this Jim Carrey is going to be really strangely obsessed with musicals for whatever reason. Like just completely different trajectory from now on.
01:43:48
Speaker
um Yeah, no. ah Jim Carrey is surprisingly good in kidding. it's It's another situation where he's, you know, doing a dramatic role. and And Michelle Gondry isn't asleep behind the wheel. There's a lot of really strong set pieces that are...
01:44:03
Speaker
structured around how they can move the camera in interesting ways Okay. All right. i'll I'll check it out. And maybe I should watch some of this French stuff. But, ah Michelle, i'm I'm still waiting for Green Hornet 2.
01:44:18
Speaker
I think the first one had some potential. You just need to tie that script up and, you know, we'll be good to go.
Michel Gondry's Creative Projects
01:44:25
Speaker
Michelle, you directed a film about Noam Chomsky. I just wanted to ask, would you want to update the film considering the Epstein releases?
01:44:34
Speaker
no.
01:44:40
Speaker
ah He probably has no comment. for That would be his answer. ah I have a no comment. that i We dipped into the French impressions a couple of times during this episode. That's the American-Canadian alliance on saying fuck the French, even though that's entirely not true because Canadians care about the French. We do. Yeah. And then also, if we've referenced him multiple times on other episodes, we are going to probably be covering like Quentin Dupont movies in some capacity. It's got these movies coming out.
01:45:19
Speaker
That's right. When are those coming out? Well, the but ah the ah the first one, the animated one's already premiered, and then the fucking new one that's coming. I didn't even know that Kristen Stewart was in the one with Woody Harrelson and Tim Heidecker. And also Eric Wareheim is in it, too. like it's That's a stat cast. um Yeah, no. ah Both of those look great. I can't wait to see them.
01:45:44
Speaker
um i would I would guess that they're going to be like... fall releases. Yeah. Yeah. ah those Those movies, like Quentin Dupuis movies often come out pretty quickly after the festival releases, I find.
01:45:59
Speaker
Okay, well, yeah stay tuned. Well, you know, ah if we're not covering those, there'll be some other recent release of his because i he's just an interesting voice. And, you know, I feel like that is in line with some of the, so you know, maybe maybe not in terms politically of what I Love Boosters is about, but in terms of that, like, zany so surreality, that that's that's definitely up my alley.
Riley vs. Dupieux: Genre and Style
01:46:21
Speaker
Yeah, well, he he makes like legitimate surrealist films, right? Like I would say that like Boots Riley has elements of surrealism in his films, but I wouldn't say he makes surrealist films, right? He's making like genre films, so boot Boots is like, because like is it like this is, so I love Boosters as sci-fi, you know, like it but you could easily just just do the surreal part without having to have, ah you know, like a sci-fi gizmo, explain it.
01:46:49
Speaker
I've heard people compare I love boosters to repo man. And like, I get that comparison entirely. Right. Like that, that just makes sense. Um, and you know, maybe, maybe I love boosters would have been better with a Harry Dean Stanton, who knows?
01:47:03
Speaker
Um, but you know, at the end of the day, I think that their goals are aligned ultimately. Yeah, I agree. Um, anything you want to plug?
01:47:16
Speaker
Nah, you know where to find me, guys. You can find me at Porro Rolla Tony on Twitter. That's all I'll say. Yeah. ah Yeah. And I'm on Twitter at TheDugFiles, but stay tuned here. so yeah we We're just going to keep cranking these out. So this is probably going to drop like five episodes in one day this week. It's going to be crazy.
01:47:38
Speaker
That's going to be a lot of fun. Yeah. All right. Algorithm. Boost. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We'll fucking spam it.
01:48:20
Speaker
you