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Weapons (2025)
145 Plays6 days ago
Last night at 2:17 am, Rick and Travis woke up, got out of bed, went downstairs, opened the closet door, walked into the dark, recorded a podcast ...and they never came back. Until the following Sunday to do it all over again. Zach Cregger's WEAPONS is here!!!
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
This is a true story that happened in my town. So this one Wednesday is like a normal day for the whole school. But today was different.
00:00:14
Speaker
Every other class had all their kids.
00:00:19
Speaker
But Mrs. Gandy's room was totally empty. And you know why? Because the night before, 2.17 in the morning, every kid
00:00:41
Speaker
And they never came.
00:00:59
Speaker
I like doing up to my mistakes when we recorded Barbarians, not once, but twice for the Zach Kregers first film Barbarian. and I was adamant that Georgina Campbell was also going to be in weapons as the second highest billed credit.
00:01:14
Speaker
She is not. She was in a movie called Watchers, which came out last year. Also a horror movie with Dakota Fanning. No relation to Zach Kregers. um That's my bad. Look, Trap, it starts with a W. It's one word. It's two syllables. In Game of Charades, that would be tough to parse out the difference. yeah There's so much mystery around this film leading into it. And but we'll get to it. But there were some familiar faces that did pop up in Weapons. I just happened to pick the wrong one.
00:01:40
Speaker
And so I want to own up to sorry to anyone who went to go see this who was expecting Georgina Campbell. I think are our dedicated listener out of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was it was probably really raw stock. Just hanging on the whole couldn't enjoy the film because they were just waiting for the moment when she appeared and she never showed The moment you said that mistake is the one time i saw the following episode that we did not get a listen out of Council Bluffs, Iowa.
00:02:07
Speaker
That's tough. Don't trust our accuracy. Anyways, this is the Sunday Scaries. I'm Travis Telerik. I'm Ricky Townsend. Today we are covering Zach Krager's new film.
00:02:20
Speaker
Today we are covering Zach Krager's new film, Weapons.
00:02:35
Speaker
um so excited that i literally let my brain freeze there and and forgot the name for a half second um Rick, I'm so excited to talk about this one.
00:02:45
Speaker
um The movie itself also just how it fits into horror movies in 2025. Because I will tell you, I think film in general this year has been a bit panned for there's no great hits when it comes to drama or blockbusters. But when it comes to horror, when it comes to genre movies, I think 2025 is delivering. Like I i think it's the best year thus far of the decade for me. More 22? More than 22. Like this has been, i mean,
00:03:11
Speaker
I'm going to get way ahead of myself here, but I really like this movie. And you add that to Sinners, you add that to 28 Years Later. like These are some of my favorite films of the decade. And so to be that top-heavy or that many power-headers at the top of the order, but there's still a ton of depth with all the other horror movies I'm seeing too, like we covered together, I really love that. And Bring Her Back, I really love that. And Final Destination Bloodlines, like I think this will go down at least to date as the best year for horror movies so far this decade.
00:03:41
Speaker
I'm not willing to make that claim just yet, but my opinion also doesn't matter. The box office speaks for itself and it's been a banner year in that regard for horror. Yeah.
00:03:52
Speaker
Without a doubt, because don't look now, but weapons just is looking like it's going to make its budget back in yeah its opening weekend, which eclipses barbarians entire run, ah The early estimates, the deadline's given is $38 million domestically, which is exactly how much New Line Cinema bought the film for.
00:04:15
Speaker
So what did you think ah of Zack Kreger's weapons, Travis? I love it. um So I want to talk about this more. then At some point, we should probably give a plot synopsis to our audience, too, who has no idea. Well, I'll do a log line. How about that? right, give us that real quick. And then I want to talk more about what I like here. Okay.
00:04:35
Speaker
When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanished on the same night at exactly the same time, 2.17 a.m., a m ah community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
00:04:47
Speaker
Dude, I really liked this film um for different reasons maybe than some of the other horror films we've covered this year. But I think the best film i can pig it to, which is one we haven't covered yet, I think is widely known, is Sinners.
00:05:02
Speaker
Because here we're looking at something that is original IP. It is unique. It is not just trying to, I'd say, fall into the peloton of all the other horror films or maybe the elevated horror craze of today.
00:05:14
Speaker
But Krager went out and wrote and directed something that was completely unique. And that honestly, one of the parts I really liked about this, this is a minor part, but want to lead with it, is so many horror films today, in their trailer, they spoil so much of the film that there's no mystery there. A lot of the best scares you've already seen.
00:05:37
Speaker
And I thought Warner Bros. did a hell of a job marketing this film. I never saw it. I never watched any trailer. So you never watched any. Oh, no, i I went in completely blind other than knowing it's about kids. a trailer is we'll get more into the film. and This is the non-spoiler section, but I think this is really not spoiler because it's in the trailer.
00:05:57
Speaker
The trailer is really just the first five minutes of the film. It's setting up the entire premise. Oh, it's almost like shot for shot, word for word. It's a bit elongated in the actual film itself. But like the entirety of the trailer fits into almost the first five to ten minutes of the film.
00:06:10
Speaker
and i love that because there is know they they threaded the needle of creating enough intrigue to get butts in seats it sounds like but also not ruining everything and so credit to them and also credit to warner brothers this year they are killing it i don't know if you're this is their 11th number one if if this finishes number one which it looks like it's going to be freakier friday ah it'll be their 11th weekend with the number one spot yes So some of their other biggest ones, I don't want to cover everyone, but their marquee films of this year, they were marketing Sinners, Minecraft movie, Superman.
00:06:44
Speaker
um They still have coming up this year, One Battle After Another, the new Paul Thomas Anderson film and The Conjuring Last Rites, which not as big as One Battle After Another, but for horror fans, it's pretty exciting to see the but I mean, I don't know how big final now the conjure and Paul Thomas Anderson, who we're going to talk about on this pod, one of my favorite filmmakers and was a big influence on craigor um ah his his box office record is nothing really stellar despite making some of the best American cinema in the past 50 years. Well, I guess at the point is... But it there's ah it's a big budget film. It's $120 million. dollars So hopefully Leo can help you know get some of that back. And my point is there's a little something for everyone there too, right?
00:07:24
Speaker
they're They're not going a narrow lane. They're bringing the superhero blockbuster movie. They're bringing the highest grossing horror movie of the year. They're they have the highest grossing US kids movie of the year in the Minecraft movie.
00:07:36
Speaker
um So they're they're really hitting, you know, one battle another is more of a movie made for the cinephiles like you and well I. Well, will say ah Michael DeLuca and Pam Abdi, who were the or the co-chairpersons and CEOs of Warner Brothers film. They were on like rocky waters in the beginning of the year. And I think they've demonstrated that they they belong, at least for now. Yeah. it's It's a what have you done for me lately business. So we'll see how long this lasts. But in a post-COVID world,
00:08:04
Speaker
WB killing it. Yeah, this here. Tell me what you... I want to hear your thoughts and then we can actually you know get go a bit deeper too. But give me your first take here. I want to point out, I think it's very funny, the timing that we... This just goes to show that we care about this podcast and our listeners, all, I think, an average of 50 of them now because we have busy work schedules.
00:08:28
Speaker
I went to go see it at an 11.35 p.m. showing after I got off work despite having to get up the next day at like six, you saw it at nine 15 AM Friday morning.
00:08:39
Speaker
ah yeah um Just funny, funny freaks doing funny things. Trav, I was so beguiled by this movie that on the way home from work, I was driving, it was like seven 10.
00:08:52
Speaker
And I was like thinking about what I want to say on this podcast and what I want to say to you. And I had things I loved, things I wasn't sure about things I was frustrated by. and I kept oscillating between these big swings.
00:09:06
Speaker
i was at a red light and I looked at my AMC app and I saw there was 715 showing at the theater near me. And so instead of going home, I went to Stonebriar Mall, caught like 20 minutes of it just to like,
00:09:21
Speaker
Oh, God. Douse myself with the weapons. I know. Sicko behavior. And I love that I did it because it kind of clarifies some things for me. It clarified how I felt. And I have, it was very serendipitous. I happened to walk in during one of my favorite scenes, which I want to talk about.
00:09:36
Speaker
Um, But yeah, long story short to do some additional reflecting, I did a pit stop and did 20 minutes in the theater and then came here. That's incredible. I did not know that.
00:09:49
Speaker
Wow. Okay. So even though the preview was just yesterday, last night, you've somehow seen it twice and it's, I haven't seen it twice. I saw, saw 20 to 30 minutes. One a quarter times. But so my, now that I have that behind me,
00:10:03
Speaker
And by the way, ah do want to get into the D box because I lost my D box the card. Okay. So we we are different theater patrons because i go to Cinemark. You go to AMC. I'm an A-lister.
00:10:19
Speaker
For your showing, you had to come to my court here. come to I had to go to the other side. Yeah, because me and my buddy Justin... um He's so cool. He had no work that day. I had too much work and he just, i was like, you want to go to 850?
00:10:35
Speaker
Oh, missed it. do you want to go see the 945? Misty, you want see the 1045? And he hung with me the whole time and then it got to 1135. He's like, can we make that one? Yeah, I'm with the Cinemark. ah For those who don't know, Explain the D-Box, Trav.
00:10:47
Speaker
Yeah. Well, this is embarrassing because Cinemark is my home turf, but the upgraded experience that they trumpet called D-Box is something I'm also too frugal to have ever experienced, but it's supposed to be a more immersive experience. Dude, it's awesome.
00:11:04
Speaker
so So what, do you feel like vibrations in the chair? Yes. Okay. like it's And you can control it. If you get tired of it, you can turn it off. Um, but yeah, basically you're in this chair, it can do full recline and there's a, but you can do fully heated seats and it's like 20 chairs in the middle, like the best seats in the house and they're all red. So you can tell the difference.
00:11:26
Speaker
And, uh, And basically it lines up with odd parts of the movie. Like obviously the the most predictable things, but still really cool is like the jump scares is going to vibrate, which fucking freaked me the fuck out. ah We'll talk about it during the Ben Gardner awards, but even like slow push ins,
00:11:45
Speaker
your seat leans forward a bit really um if it's a long tracking shot it'll like sway to the side and then it will just be absent for like a good 20 minutes you'll forget about it and then all of a sudden boom here comes the vibrate who is i'm assuming zach crager and his directorial experience didn't also put in the notes for like this is what i want a chair to do while someone's sitting in it like is this some cinemark employee who screens the movie early There's probably a chair. one of There's probably a chair of chairs. You think they have a chair guy there? There was a chairman. There's a chair chairman. Chairman making these chairman of the chairs.
00:12:18
Speaker
But um here's what I want to say about the movie. this is a This is like a muscular movie to me. And what I mean by that, it's got more brawn than brains, in my opinion.
00:12:31
Speaker
And that's a compliment. I'm not i'm not saying that as ah as a slight. If anything, it's a problem with me. because And Trav, I want to thank you for this because sometimes I think I have a tendency to to maybe over-intellectualize movies that you shouldn't be.
00:12:46
Speaker
And you are good about sometimes you know taking them at face value and like understanding that... we don't need that societal undertone or ah you don't have to squeeze meaning out of something that's not there. And I think elevated horror has kind of broken our brains a bit because there was so many imitators that,
00:13:08
Speaker
And I think 824 is a bit to blame for this, but like it just self compounded into this like tropey trauma filled thing where there's an allegory for fucking everything.
00:13:20
Speaker
And I was looking for that here. And I think I loved the experience. It was visceral. It was a thrill ride, but similar with barbarian. my second or third watch, it's like this great hook, a great premise that then has a very bizarre ending, which I won't spoil, but that is, is a might leave some people wanting.
00:13:41
Speaker
And I'll have to talk about that then. Yeah. What I'm saying here, Trav is like, especially listening to Craig or his interviews about what inspired him to write this. um Sometimes a movie is just a movie and he made an original, a lot of influences, will which we'll get into.
00:13:58
Speaker
But there's no allegory here. This is a guy going through a therapeutic process after his friend died, Trevor Moore, which is what this whole movie's inspiration is. Which is we talked about, again, for some context, and we cover this in our Barbarian pod.
00:14:14
Speaker
But Trevor Moore passed away during production, think during the tail end of production for Barbarian. So that happened yeah very much while they were making that movie. then he started writing. And that's when he started, since that one was wrapping up, that's when he started writing weapons. And he attributed a lot of his inspiration for this movie.
00:14:30
Speaker
um ah Maybe inspiration is not... right word, but this was part of his grieving process. was there Yeah, he's very honest. I mean, very honest about how like he writes in seclusion. and i know I know we've read and listened to the same thing, so you know what I'm talking about. But yeah, man, I a i think I've come... I really like this film. I think it's a great movie.
00:14:49
Speaker
um I think that... what it, what it might lack in like thematically rich components. It makes up for in like real amazing craftsmanship, uh, strong performances.
00:15:03
Speaker
And it's like unfettered raw, like just, just little like pockets of things that were in his head that he just puts in here because he just likes it. He just thinks it's cool. I want to see this imagery and it's,
00:15:17
Speaker
Some people want this like big sweeping arc and it all makes sense. And it ties up in a little bow. Well, that's not what Craig wants to do. He just, he's like, this looks cool. so I'm going to do this. And so, yeah, I think it's a pretty, ah pretty yeah piece of work to juxtapose a bit with what you said.
00:15:33
Speaker
I don't need to leave every movie I see. feeling like this was some, you know, allegory for something more than just the film it was.
00:15:46
Speaker
And I think this movie really delivers that. I think he made an amazing movie. um When you go to like, well, what does this mean? Or what should i take away from this? A good comparison of sinners. That was truly a cultural moment this year.
00:15:59
Speaker
It has so much to say about, you know, the Jim Crow South, about music. Black ownership. back but Yeah, black ownership. And it's incredible for that. But I love that in centers, but I don't always need that in a film. And so I really like the variety really of just getting a good horror movie, like well-made.
00:16:18
Speaker
i I never going to hold it against a movie if it says, Hey, I don't want to try to be more profound than I need to be. Because honestly, when you have people pushing that into their movie where the movie doesn't need it, I think that's where you get ah bad movie is if you try to layer something like that on, it doesn't really land. A few things I want to riff on quickly.
00:16:36
Speaker
It's very commonplace, and I like it, honestly, to have a cold open in a horror film with your first kill or really high tension. You you jump right into it.
00:16:48
Speaker
This film instead does this voiceover narration, which is just straight out of the trailer. And it's great. It's all the context you need. And you realize really quickly, like, holy cow, like, I...
00:16:59
Speaker
It's not the event itself that the film is going to focus on, but all the fallout from that event. and I think that's really cool to shift the focus to, you know, they could spent a lot of time teeing up the night the kids went missing and make that a 30 minute set piece. Instead, you get through it in just a few minutes and it fast forwards you through where all sudden you you're immersed right into the film and going ah different way there with a non-kill cold open thought it was great especially because it then teed up you'd mentioned this briefly think this is one of the best endings in a horror film I've ever seen and I think so many horror films failed to stick the landing so so many do this one like I think just threw a strike with it elicited new type of emotion from me I think watching movie so I don't want to spoil too much now but I thought it crushed end it was fun was very fun it was very fun
00:17:52
Speaker
I think that's where it, and again, no spoilers, but it bucks the trend of something profound and quote elevated to just something visceral. And I think that is, that is where Craig or strengths lie.
00:18:04
Speaker
It's just doing something that's a thrill ride that is not trying to say more than it is. And I agree your point about ah it just getting right into this town. Okay. Okay.
00:18:17
Speaker
Trav, one of the things I think you and I both love about Barbarian is the meet cute between Georgina Campbell's character and Skarsgรฅrd. And it's two people who don't know each other flirting under this like uneasy tension.
00:18:29
Speaker
And it's really charming and a little, you know, worrisome. What's going to happen? Is he a threat? But by the, you know, few minutes go by and they're flirting and it's great.
00:18:40
Speaker
So we already know he has a knack for meet cubes. Well, here it's the opposite. These are people who really know each other and the way they interact is so lived in. It felt like Twin Peaks, honestly, to me, that you go into this small town where something horrible happened and the way they deal with these emotions, I honestly, what I felt like was, Kregger, and you can see this in his dialogue, really, I feel like Kregger is really interested in people being interested in other people. like
00:19:13
Speaker
Rather than focus on the monster and focus on the loss, which is there, obviously, he focuses on how these people react to it with each other. It's like a very lateral communicative network of conversations and frustrations and resentment and trust and lack of trust. and like I mean, especially the bar scene. So that this is the scene I'm talking about. When when i drove home tonight or on the way home, stopped to go to catch 20 minutes of it, I stopped in right as Aiden or Paul, ah played by Aiden Eckenreich. I always can't pronounce his name.
00:19:48
Speaker
Yeah, it's Han Solo, Aiden Eckenreich. Yeah. ah And I just like... there the The dialogue is so lived in. He's saying things like, you know, you have a tendency to do this. And as somebody who really knows you, and it it's it's revealing, it's funny. I mean, d that's one of my favorite scenes. And it's one of the reasons it makes this movie so great is that he really takes his time.
00:20:14
Speaker
i don't think we get a sense of the whole community by any means, but for the people that matter, we got their motivations and we got their hangups and their anxieties. I thought it was great.
00:20:25
Speaker
to that point, We've seen two of Craigor's horror films now. So here's my kind of Craigorisms, which are things I like that I've seen in like both his films today. Because I'm agreeing with you. I'm alive using that as one of them.
00:20:37
Speaker
Okay. so let's start with that one. I think he he's written both these past two films himself. I think he does great dialogue where you always get the exposition you need without having it too heavy handed, right? yeah Like you said, it feels lived in. It feels very natural.
00:20:53
Speaker
um He does, you know, the biggest one for me is... Can I can i add to that real fast, Trav? yeah you're And it's not a long winded thing. You said it feels lived in a natural for a comedy writer, not to force in humor where it doesn't need to be the restraint or just intelligence from Craig is really impressive because ah he's a professional comedian.
00:21:14
Speaker
And I never felt like that's my next one is he can find that perfect balance of horror and comedy. And I think it's hard to not go too far into one camp where it becomes campy very literally.
00:21:27
Speaker
or Or the other side, which again, i like horror films that are their only intent is to just be scary. But I love that his brand is no, I'm going to make you laugh as well. You are going to enjoy the experience. Yeah. Again, where like bring her back.
00:21:40
Speaker
That was probably the the most down I felt after a scary movie this year. Fantastic film, but not a lot of jokes to be had in that one. I mean, it's to the point where I i think, i don't know if I call it satire, but I don't think Kreger is, and this is, like again, a compliment. He's not taking a lot of this seriously.
00:21:59
Speaker
Yeah. Well, like yes, I don't think it's morose and I don't think it's like self-important. You hear him on interviews and he's just like, I just did it because it's fun. Like ah i was dealing with something really serious, but what comes out is just like a good movie I want to see. And I think when we get to the ending, that says all you need to say about like, this isn't some tragedy or something heavy. It's just a fucking fun film. Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:26
Speaker
so What are some of more of your creators? I think, again, we've seen this in Barbarian. In fact, Barbarian is famous, probably most famous, for this huge smash cut when you're about a third of the way through the movie, going from the first to the second act.
00:22:39
Speaker
And I think he really elaborated on that where this movie... He really shines, i I think so, I know you're saying you don't like it as much, with his non-linear style in smash cuts, where he finds the perfect spot, I believe, where you have just had a big reveal or a big scare, a big moment of dread.
00:22:59
Speaker
and and I do agree with that. chapter Again, this is a film in multiple chapters from different Different, I don't think we've mentioned it yet. This is coming from different points of view of different characters. So he takes us from one character the next.
00:23:13
Speaker
um I think we go through six different chapters to the film. And I think he always finds the perfect ending point before starting us at the next one. So that that rhythmic musicality of finding the right moment to switch to a different character focus to focus on,
00:23:31
Speaker
maybe not as thematically ah resonant, but superficially and like how the movie moves, that is the biggest debt it owes Magnolia. So I know you haven't seen it, but it's like a mosaic of like seven different people dealing with a really weird day.
00:23:47
Speaker
And we see it from their perspective. it's It's such a nod that even Paul's character in this movie the only reason he's a cop and has a mustache is because of John C. Reilly's character.
00:23:57
Speaker
Yeah. Trigger's on the record saying Magnolia was a huge inspiration for this film. And I know there's been nonlinear films like this before, you know, and you think of, like you saying, like Pulp Fiction. um But I just think he does it really well with especially choosing the jumping off points.
00:24:12
Speaker
Really a smash cut that he did in Barbarian. Two others, get more technical. I know this is more your area. Love his sound editing. I think he's only gotten better since Barbarian. Specifically, he has a lot of moments in the film with a lack of background sound. He immersed us in silence a want to ask you about this. I thought there was something wrong with my theater because there was like eight moments...
00:24:33
Speaker
where you hear ambient noise and room tone and then something happens and it everything just drops out completely until somebody speaks and then like the room tone and ambient noise comes back.
00:24:46
Speaker
Was that just my experience or did you have that too? No, that is 100% with the film. So that's intentional. Listening to another background podcast on this, Craig again is saying he he loves sound editing and he really wanted to dial it up for this film because I agree that I think a lot of horror films don't use this to its fullest potential.
00:25:07
Speaker
And he's in silence there a scary movie. Yeah. Whether it's silence, whether it's like fully artists for, you know, very distinct sounds. when sort of You don't think horror films use sound editing to their full potential.
00:25:17
Speaker
I feel like some of the best sound editings in horror movies. Yeah. No, no, no. I agree some of the best is in horror movies. I'm just saying I think Krager is doing it better than what I've seen a lot of directors. I was thrown off by the complete silence.
00:25:29
Speaker
I actually thought something was wrong in my theater, so I need to rewatch it and see if I feel differently. I think those... moments with an absence of sound really dials up the tension or at least for me it was very i it's hard to breathe you could hear yourself breathing in the theater that is true right there was there was a lot of really quiet moments where you just get allow yourself to get scared um and then last one i think he really leveled up his cinematography coming from the barbarian to this film he has the cameras almost always moving i don't want to be too redundant with i know we both just listened to the big picture pod where i think they touched on this today came out right before you know
00:26:06
Speaker
They get early screenings. They get invited to press screenings. I was thinking this even before I listened to it. The camera is never stationary for too long. It's these slow zoom-ins at moments where it's trying to draw your focus to one item. It's tracking with the characters. They're walking somewhere.
00:26:22
Speaker
And I loved... I felt like I was always just being brought into where I needed to be. yeah And because of that, it it held my attention longer where like some longer stationary shots, you you can get distracted, you can get bored. And so ah he's really leveled that up as well.
00:26:39
Speaker
I'll add to that. And it's a cousin to your earlier point about just the right amount of natural exposition when characters are talking. I think the camera does a fucking phenomenal job of communicating things to us without having to utter a word, whether it's James looking up at the 50,000 reward or yeah ah or a slow movement over to the red paint in Archer's um pickup truck or just a glance at things.
00:27:05
Speaker
You know what i mean? Like it's very Hitchcockian. Some of Hitchcock's best work is voyeuristic when you're watching characters watch other characters and just training on what they see is a simple, a simple, but very effective, um, you know, tool. Yeah. So, um, I'll add to some of the, in addition to everything you said, and think he's really interested in the decay of a neighborhood and a community.
00:27:32
Speaker
in Barbarian, you have Brightmoor, which is, you know, not just a dilapidated, abandoned, uh, community, a real life community outside of Detroit or in Detroit.
00:27:43
Speaker
Um, but he goes to great, ah pains to even excavate its history. We see it before people left, right? Well, here we have a fully lived in small town community, but its decay is a little different. Its decay is coming from within.
00:27:59
Speaker
it's It's souring because of this loss. And i saw it as like the death of suburbia where ring cams are being put up and people don't want to let you inside their house anymore and there's accusations because you can't explain some phenomena of 17 kids going away and it starts to eat the community inside and out and so that was a very twin peaks kind of illusion i thought i had two others uh one is very easy but it's it's dark secrets and subterranean areas so aka basements
00:28:31
Speaker
There was that wonderful shot of somebody about to go down to basement that was like basically the barbarian poster you know I'm talking about. um And then lastly it looked like the same staircase honestly. Yeah it did. And lastly and help me put words to this because I don't know what ah how to say this but it's like there's this idea that either something scary or ah inexplicable happens and it's people saying to each other, come, come look at this, like, check this out with me. Like, can we investigate this? You see that in both movies where,
00:29:08
Speaker
it's it's people kind of warily or nervously unpacking what this mystery and that there's a lot of like, come here, look at this. And that either leads to peril or yeah connection or trust.
00:29:19
Speaker
And yeah, maybe the larger point, I agree with you. And I think both those films have a decent mystery in them, maybe as the larger point, because that's what we're seeing. Like both these films are really centered around you You as the viewer don't really know what you're going to get going in for both films to today. And Barbarian has a really large tonal shift that changes the dynamic.
00:29:40
Speaker
think this was more of a slow drip of information that kind of opens your eyes through it. But both of them, you're you're really trying to solve the mystery with the characters. I agree. And we don't get enough mysteries. I mean, we have the knives out of the world, but like there was a time when we were...
00:29:53
Speaker
living large with mystery horror films you know seven and cure and science of the lambs and it's like or even all the good slashers where it's just a good old whodunit yeah um we don't get those anymore and i think you know i personally enjoy this movie more than barbarian one of the reasons being that with barbarian it's like well i already know the score i know what's to happen i know the beats I kind of would just want to watch the first half of Barbarian and then turn it off after three times of watching it. And I still like the movie, but with weapons, it's more ambitious. It's a bigger budget.
00:30:25
Speaker
And I just think I could swim in this movie. And that's, yeah that's one of my favorite things to do with a movie is like swim in its lore and it's weird little pockets. Mm-hmm. I think Barbarian grabbed our attention for kind of an out of nowhere film and shocked us with how good it was.
00:30:40
Speaker
But I do think he is leveled up and I think weapons is better, which brings me to my next point. I want to quickly talk about before production notes. He's had two hits. um I would put him on my short list of directors in the last 10 years or who have at least had their debut.
00:30:56
Speaker
horror film, kind know you like to keep going back to Miss March for a year, but I don't count that one. Their debut horror film in the last 10 years will have made now multiple films. like I think he joins Peel, Aster, and Eggers as is like maybe the Philippo brothers too, to a lesser extent, but like maybe those five as the hottest horror directors now in Hollywood. I can't think of that more.
00:31:21
Speaker
I think this solidifies it. yeah like I do think as a as a artist that those other directors are still, uh, in a, I'm not going say a different league, but like, I don't think he surpasses any of the people you just mentioned. Like, I think peel is the most important horror filmmaker of our time right now.
00:31:44
Speaker
I just think, I think his movies, I think our S tier, at least for me is probably peel, but I'd put Aster and Eggers up there with them right now too. I think, I think what's cool, Travis is what we're seeing is like, you know,
00:31:56
Speaker
for film fans, it's really hard not to look back because given the tractory trajectory of the medium, one could say we peaked in terms of box office ticket sales and critical appreciation of movies. And as content slides over to your computers and your tablets, it's just different. And we have to cherish what we have.
00:32:17
Speaker
but I would say hearing you say all this and like makes me think when I look at Eggers and Peel um and Astor and now uh, Craig, or it makes me think of like the heyday of, you know, Wes Craven and John Carpenter. That's what I was going to say. Carpenter, Craven, Ramey, like those guys ran. Yeah. Those guys ran the late seventies and the eighties.
00:32:40
Speaker
And I think this is, we're now getting to a point of time where I think this is the next. were, we were right you were in a, we were in a drought. We weren't in a drought of good horror movies, but we were in a drought of having like a solid class of A-list filmmakers who we can trust with original IP.
00:32:57
Speaker
I feel like the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s, it was just Shyamalan movie after James Wan movie. And they're good. And there's some good hits there, but like... they weren't that differentiated of a class. I didn't feel like they were seeing every new things.
00:33:11
Speaker
And Juan kind of gets, you know, Juan's a businessman, dude. He's franchisification of everything Juan touches. But yeah. Um, I agree. Uh, production stuff. And I guess we should try it out. Yeah.
00:33:24
Speaker
I don't know about you. trav I think I do. I don't read anything about a movie until I see it, which yeah gives me a very small window to do my research after I see it before we record. So I have a short list.
00:33:35
Speaker
So very, very heated bidding war. um right after Barbarian ah surprise hit, ah this script was like, it was one of those scripts where you have every Hollywood executive who means anything looking at this thing. And it's sold to New Line Cinema, which in collaboration with Warner Brothers and our boys at Vertigo, Travis. Yeah.
00:34:02
Speaker
Well, that's because they repped him for his first go around. There has to be some loyalty there, right? After they worked with him on Barbarian? It sold for a insane... Like, $38 million dollars for a script is a lot, especially for horror.
00:34:18
Speaker
um And reportedly, it was $7 million more than Universal and Monkeypaw, Jordan Peele's company, were willing to put in. Now, there's a lot of speculation about how... ah There's been some reports that said that Peele and his team were told, hey, if you put in seven more, it's yours.
00:34:36
Speaker
Science Hill delivered. Others have said that that's not the case, that even if he had gotten seven up. And I mean, when Peele lost this film and monkey paw lost this film, he fired some people like from his production staff. No, he fired his two managers. Oh, he fired his managers. key Which is kind of sad because and get it it's a kind of it's so they they were from artists first as two managers. And it's kind of a cool story, but it obviously came to an end. But those were his managers like that got him the mad TV gig.
00:35:04
Speaker
So like he hung around the same two managers that. Most people would have let them go once he made get out. Like, see, I don't need you anymore. I think they appreciated the run, but yeah, it's a miss. I mean, this is a very, but this is a peel coated movie that would have been a great. Craig is another guy who made the leap from comedy to horror and now, now a big director.
00:35:26
Speaker
It would have been a nice package deal. Yeah. So sells for 38 mil, which is a lot. Um, Some of that came because of there's a bunch strikes going Writer's strike, actor's strike.
00:35:39
Speaker
um Pedro Pascal and a lot of other actors were attached initially, but because of all the delays, given the state of the industry, he drops out. Other folks. They churn the entire original cast, lots of replacements. And then is secluding himself. He's trying to work through his feelings about his friend passing away. And then even though I didn't watch any trailers, I could tell that the buzz and marketing for this film was, and you already mentioned it, it was amazing. And now let's get to, let's get the box office and and critical reviews. And yeah. So it's very early stages.
00:36:09
Speaker
but look at reviews. i think sinners is a really good benchmark care. If you look at all the aggregators, because, Right now, Weapon Stands at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sinners is at 97%.
00:36:21
Speaker
It's a 3.9 on Letterboxd. Sinners is a 4.1. That's really high. That puts in the top 200 horror films of all time um on Letterboxd right now. On Metacritic, it's an 81 right now. Sinners is 84. Wow. Last time I checked, it was 79, so it went up I checked like three hours ago. I don't know. Okay. Wow. I checked like a few days ago. Oh yeah. yeah, it was 81 as of today.
00:36:47
Speaker
Um, so it is like tracking neck and neck with the other horror film, which was, you know, a huge success, not just, um, financially, but, but critically, like people really love this movie. know, i know you're not yet a box office hound drive and I know you will be with your, that analytical, uh,
00:37:04
Speaker
ah protruding, what do you call it? A protruding brow brain. Which you said on a pod on the record that it gives you more space for a bigger brain. You didn't say you had a bigger brain, but I think there was an illusion there.
00:37:18
Speaker
okay ah You alluded to it. I'm still going to throw this question to you because I think it's fun and it it'll be fun if you're wrong too. Here's the opening weekend domestic totals for horror films of this year.
00:37:32
Speaker
And I want you to tell me where you think um Weapons is gonna land. And then I'm gonna give you the domestic totals all in. I'll just do the top five, okay? So opening weekend, number five is I Know What You Did Last Summer at 12 million.
00:37:47
Speaker
Number four is the monkey at 14 million. And then it jumps up. Like it's different league. The top three is differently. Number three is 20 years later at 30 million. Sinners is number two at 48 million.
00:37:59
Speaker
Number one is Final Destination Bloodlines at 52. Wow. Final Destination Bloodlines had the biggest opening weekend. It did. I did not know that. It's also the, it has a larger international total than Sinners, but because of Sinners doing,
00:38:14
Speaker
just amazing domestically. That's what kicks it up to be the number one grosser of the year. But where do you think weapons lands opening weekend? Within within that list?
00:38:26
Speaker
I mean, it sounds like it'll crack likely the top three that it will surpass 28 later. I agree. um whether it surpasses centers or not, I think will be pretty damn close. I think all eyes are on that.
00:38:38
Speaker
I think the early projections are 38. People are smarter than me, that's what they say. But we've also seen that very smart people can be very wrong, both in presidential polls and box office projections.
00:38:50
Speaker
ah Domestic totals. Number five is your beloved hard eyes, $30 million. um Number four, the monkey at 39. And then again, we make that jump.
00:39:01
Speaker
ah Number three is 20 years later at 70 million. And then a bigger jump. Number two is final destination bloodlines, 138. And then the behemoth of the year centers at 279.
00:39:12
Speaker
All in domestic. And again, I'm not going to hold you to it because I know, you know, there's a lot of math that goes into this, but. what do you Where do you think, what does your heart say that Weapons ends up?
00:39:23
Speaker
I don't know enough about this yet. So I usually rely on just like a two and a half times opening weekend. So I'd say around 120 million, which would crack you a hundred million for this film would be incredible. I would but i would say don' now two and a half of...
00:39:40
Speaker
you you're so You're using... I'm sorry. My math is horrible there. That'd put it closer to 100 million even. But let's let's bump it up even to three times. So you so what you're talking about is the multiplier. Yes.
00:39:51
Speaker
The multiplier for weapons you're seeing to be like a 3x, which would be good. 3.5 would be amazing. 4x is like, hell yeah. So 3x times 40 is 120?
00:40:01
Speaker
Exactly. So you think it's going land at number three? I think I kind of agree with you. I don't think it'll beat Final Destination with the IP powerhouse there, but... I think it'll, I think it'll be 28 years later. Yeah, it'll definitely be 20. It's already half.
00:40:15
Speaker
It's more than half of 20 years later gross. So I think, I think it's a surefire number three for the year. That's pretty amazing. Yeah. I think that's awesome. um Only other production notes I want to talk about with some of the, you touched on casting briefly. I just think it was really cool getting Julia Garner in this film.
00:40:30
Speaker
She starred in a another horror movie, Wolfman, earlier this year. Was not received that well. So to see her rebound, guy I think she is a fantastic actress. Did you ever watch Ozark?
00:40:41
Speaker
the I watched the first two episodes and then I remember that I don't know watch shows. It's so good. She carried that show. i mean, Bateman's great, but i think she was the best person cast on that show.
00:40:52
Speaker
And then Alden Ehrenreich, who... He was in solo. He, like, single-handedly... Well, it wasn't him. But that movie might have killed the Star Wars might have feature film experience for Disney.
00:41:06
Speaker
We haven't seen anything going into production here for a while. They're trying to reboot it. Like it did that bad where I love to see him get a win. I thought he was great in this movie. ah Yeah, a lot of people say that the number one villain of Star Wars is the Emperor. I would say it's the solo movie.
00:41:23
Speaker
Yeah. Of what it did financially that. Yeah, and that obviously he was, you know, he was playing solo. He was playing the trailer. He's having a comeback, dude. I mean, being an Oppenheimer and now this is not a bad deal. So the, you know, the part with Justine where she's talking to the cop and about the paint on her car. I'm going to tell you a little story.
00:41:43
Speaker
I used to live in l L.A., as you know. And had a roommate who was an actor and his name was Eric. We lived together for maybe like a year and a half, years, parted ways.
00:41:53
Speaker
Fast forward to last night, I'm sitting there watching this movie and I'm looking at that cop, I'm like, is that fucking Eric Jepsen? And that was my old roommate talking to, talking to a Justine. And I was so, I was so proud of him because like, I know when we lived together, he was bummed about not getting a lot of speaking roles ah or he would get a speaking role and they would cut it out.
00:42:16
Speaker
and i don't know if you remember his line reading, but it is so funny and it's not ham fisted. And he's like, well, you know, you can, know we can always find another car. i don't, he said something along line. And I just,
00:42:27
Speaker
he was such a hard worker. and I was very proud of Eric Jepsen. I turned to the stranger next to me. I'm that was my roommate in LA. And he's like, what? And was like, I'll tell you later. That's amazing.
00:42:40
Speaker
Um, rest of the cast is great as well, but to talk about some of them, I think we have to get to spoiler territory here. So unless you have anything else production, I think we need to, uh, Starts pulling with some of this stuff. um Okay, so the casting person who I didn't mention, because she was not in any of the promotional materials for this, our elderly great aunt here, Amy Madigan, playing Aunt Gladys, was absolutely terrifying, I thought, in this movie as well. Like a really, really well-cast villain. Before we go into specifics, horror rating, our scarometer, where are you landing for this film?
00:43:16
Speaker
Dude, let's just say...
00:43:21
Speaker
the D box gives this like an extra rating up. I was so fucking freaked out, dude. I'm watching this movie and I'm already scared enough because it's dark and it's really quiet.
00:43:33
Speaker
And I took a gummy and I'm kind of like, what's going to happen. And then like, right before i jump scare, my whole seat vibrates, like almost like had a heart attack. Um, This is a seven.
00:43:45
Speaker
Yeah. I had a seven. So right up there with bring her back. So one of the scariest movies the year, this and bring i think bringing her back is more disturbing without a doubt, but I think this is scarier actually. Yeah. There's more scary tense scenes.
00:43:58
Speaker
Yes. Yes. Again, going back to how he does the sound editing, a few jump scares in here. Um, especially because this is movie too, bring her back. You kind of know where it's going. There was, especially in the early stages of this film, which is probably the scariest parts of the film, actually for me, where it was in the first act.
00:44:16
Speaker
I have no idea where this is going. So a lot of the scary moments were truly like, I don't know what's going on. Okay. Now just add a, now just add a vibrating rocket ship seat to all that. And then, then talk to me.
00:44:29
Speaker
Oh yes. Very scary film, which I'll, I'll let you start, but let's move to our words with highlights. What, what was your highlight of the film? Looking through my notes, one highlight, and it's not a scene, it's just an element of the movie that I really like that maybe you can help tie to a scene, Trav, is that I think Craig did such a great, he did a very economic job of painting Justine as a troubled person, ah but also a really good teacher.
00:45:02
Speaker
You can just tell she cares about her kids. You can tell that she wants to reach out. You can tell that she's not just doing this for the money, despite her drinking habits and her...
00:45:15
Speaker
overzealous investigations. I just loved her character. Loved her character. You could see the heart. You could see the pain at all of it. So I agree with you that Craigor doesn't go very deep on his films, but the one theme that I thought did ring true here is we do have a troubled relationship in the U S right now between the role that a teacher plays relative to that of a parent, especially when there is some conflict where the two sides stand opposite, where there used to be maybe a mentality and and maybe this is a,
00:45:44
Speaker
looking through with rose colored glasses of parents standing beside the teacher. And when the teacher disciplines the kid or makes a decision saying, yes, that's right. And we're not in that universe anymore. I'd say in the US and in this movie draws that stark divide with this very traumatic experience of all these children from her class specifically disappearing.
00:46:05
Speaker
And I think they cast her really well where, you know, right off the bat, like she does I guess there was never too much suspicion. You know, there could always be twists, but you could tell pretty early on, like this is someone who like also love those kids. She's not their parent, but she was emotionally invested in her kids as well.
00:46:22
Speaker
Yeah. My highlight. So I'm going into heavy spoilers here. I have to jump right to, thought this movie nailed the ending. um i I was absolutely blown away where this is a movie about kids getting abducted. That's really the premise of the movie.
00:46:39
Speaker
And when you find out kind of what's going on and it's this crazy Aunt Gladys or a witch essentially who has abducted them at the very end of the movie when Alex is able to possess the kids to chase after her was, it was really like a new emotional experience in a movie where i had a similar feeling.
00:46:59
Speaker
ah The kids were possessed, but I was rooting for Alex. I was rooting for him possessing them. I was almost cheering these kids on. Running with the music. i was levitating. A hundred percent. Like they are freaking blasting through walls and glass and screen doors. And this is the thing, Trav, and it doesn't mean anything.
00:47:17
Speaker
And it doesn't mean anything. It's just an emotion. Exactly. Which all you need sometimes. Exactly. This is no greater allegory. It's just... it's The text is the text. We don't need subtext. It's like, these kids were possessed one way, now another way.
00:47:31
Speaker
and I agree. It is cathartic as hell. And it's just fun to watch. It's fucking crazy. was such an exclamation point. Naruto running all over the place. Actually, no, they were Naruto running... Were they Naruto running after her? no Yeah. They, they sell the arms out.
00:47:44
Speaker
They were doing a run. Yes. But um yeah, that, that was an incredible scene. And so I've never like cheered as someone got like dismembered and ripped apart, maybe lightly cannibalized, I think.
00:47:56
Speaker
But um yeah, there was some, there was some eating going on. I think I saw somebody eat a liver. Like it was wild. And I love that he let that scene stretch out for like a few minutes. Like they're going through multiple people's homes. yards It's like Ferris Bueller's day off.
00:48:07
Speaker
when he's trying to make it home before his parents get home, if 17 third graders were chasing him during that whole chase scene. Right before that scene, did you, did you see the fairly overt nod to the shining?
00:48:21
Speaker
The head, the head the door. Oh yes. Oh yes. I love that as well. Yeah. His mom. So there's her head through the door while he's kind of barricaded himself in the bathroom. There's three moments that I felt called The Shining. One is when, and this, I'll use this as a springboard for one my highlights. stra One of my highlights is the extended sequence where the where Justine is falling asleep in front of the house she's watching, trying to look for Alex.
00:48:47
Speaker
It's dark. She's passed out drunk in her car. And in the distance, a door opens. It's black. And then Alex's mom, who's not herself stumbles out and across the board, the film does this a lot.
00:49:06
Speaker
They stay, these are long takes and it's great for horror. It's great for strong performances. And we talk a lot about jump scares, but this was such an eerie, unsettling feeling watching her stumble out with that those scissors and the silhouette of her hair.
00:49:23
Speaker
I don't know if you could tell Trav, but um it uses the same percussion instrument that the shining does like the, like these rolling kind of dada da da da So there's that.
00:49:36
Speaker
Then you have the moment where the child protects the services. Wait. So on that scene too, I think that's like case in point of what I was talking to with Krager. where the cinematography and sound editing was top notch because he holds that one shot of Ruth in the car. She's in the foreground or sorry, Ruth was her name in Ozark, Justine in the car passed out way in the background. You see someone from way far away, yeah start coming closer and closer. They, they hold that shot. So when she eventually gets to the car, you don't see her. She's now gone off screen, but in the sound editing, just to hear the door latch open, like that was, that was scary as hell. And that was actually my, um,
00:50:13
Speaker
like covering my eyes, watch the gaps in my finger, cantaloupe award as well. So I'll i'll just get it out of the way. That scene scared the hell out of me um where I was, I was really struggling and i in in my, in my little rendezvous tonight, going to see 20 minutes of the movie again.
00:50:29
Speaker
And it was a packed theater. It was so great to hear the collective, like once they hear the door open, everyone goes, over a roll like everyone just mumbling and scared.
00:50:41
Speaker
ah But anyways, it was ah so that the the drums, then you have the the the shot of ah yeah little Alex in between his aunt and his quote stroke ridden father. That scene just reminded me of the ah moment in The Shining when some advisor or counselor visits Danny when he's at the house.
00:51:04
Speaker
Oh, very early on in the film. Yeah. Yeah. And then third is like head through the through the door. Yes. Dude. dude ah archer's sequence josh brolin justice for mad max fury road i think this is the first time in a movie where we reference the probably maybe best movie of the to of of the 21st century action movie at least yeah i love fury road and he's good and alex has got a poster or not alex sorry it's it's brolin's son
00:51:36
Speaker
You see that? I did not see that. Matthew, I think his name. Yeah. Dude, he's got a full on Mad Max Fury Road poster. I was like, Kino, baby. i love that. Love it. You're like eight years old watching people goat go to Valhalla, shiny and chrome. I also love when you learn that Brolin's son, his character, Archer's son, Matthew, is the one who was really bullying Alex.
00:51:58
Speaker
Oh, I didn't catch that. i didn't catch that. He was the chief kid just picking on Alex. Um... So I know I've said a lot about Kregger got to be more of an athletic filmmaker.
00:52:12
Speaker
And in some cases being pretty rigid with his formal technique. Like he doesn't get a lot of room for interpretation mostly. Like he's going to put you on these train tracks and you're going to experience it the way he wants you experience it. Whereas 28 years later, we could sit here and talk forever about what things mean. And there's a lot of symbolism and a lot of ambiguity that Alex Garland you know peppers throughout the film. Whereas this is more straightforward. and But there's one moment that he has not explained.
00:52:40
Speaker
And I don't know why it's there. And I fucking love it. And it's the assault rifle yeah floating above the house. Trav, I don't know what it is about that image. But when I first saw that, I thought that this was a tease that like maybe the big reveal of this movie, the Shyamalan twist, if you will, is that they're all living in like a Fortnite game. And that was like a weapon above the house that they're trying to get or something like that's where my brain went.
00:53:03
Speaker
And even though it wasn't that, I just loved that he did something so outlandish that it made me think it was one of the few moments where I was like, Craig, it's like a non Craig or thing. Like that's not Craig or for him to put in a Lynchian. oh yeah.
00:53:17
Speaker
He's very little supernatural going on. Like everything you, you get it at face value in his movie. And that was the one piece where it's during a dream sequence, but I'm like, what the hell is going on? Like Archer here is just seeing a gigantic assault rifle with the time 217, like stamped. Well, I thought that was the, i thought that was the ammo, like how much bullets are left. Oh yeah.
00:53:37
Speaker
Two out of 17 bullets. i don't know if that'd be a normal clip or magazine. I don't know. um So yeah, that's that's one of my highlights. Yeah, I love that too. Well, let's go to our Ben Gardner jump scare award.
00:53:51
Speaker
This movie had some good jump scares. Had a lot. Mine was Justine's dream sequence in her home. And you're at the point where you thought she's woken up. She's out of the nightmare, so to speak. And she looks up.
00:54:07
Speaker
And it's such a quick cut. I'm not 100% sure who it is. Although, learning the character later, I think it was Aunt Gladys is on her ceiling above her. Dude.
00:54:18
Speaker
And it was terrifying because it's, i mean, it's just one of those. so you were not expecting it at all. And it, it does look, the imagery is horrifying. and I, at this point, Trav, there had already been one jump scare and my seat vibrated and it like shook me up. Right. Then I went in full recline mode and for about 20 or 30 minutes, there was no vibrations during moments that I actually thought there would be. So I figured my seat was like, didn't work, didn't vibrate when I was in full recline mode. So I was like totally at ease, sipping my Celsius, having a good time.
00:54:52
Speaker
And then all of a sudden she looks up that fucking seat jolted me into next week. I spilled my Celsius everywhere. It got sticky all over my belly. Mm-hmm.
00:55:04
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Yeah. I got Celsius on my belly. Yeah. yeah I don't know what Celsius is. so I'm going to be honest with you. So then ask. okay okay It's a drink of some sort. Ask me. or Or is it like a lotion that you intentionally try to rub? Jesus Christ. No, i didn't bring lotion into the theater. I'm not Pee Wee Herman.
00:55:26
Speaker
It's a it's a ah eight energy drink that is marketed towards people who are into wellness, even though it's just as unhealthy as Red Bull. Oh, okay. but I needed it to stay awake, and I spilt it, and my shirt was kind of riding up a little bit, and it like I got ah got sticky Celsius on my...
00:55:45
Speaker
my tummy. Did you did you faint for a few seconds to reach the ring caliber there? I didn't. I didn't faint like our friend will. okay But ah I did like utter a shriek and the guy next to me who I had already said that's my friend up there, as the cop. I think and he's just seeing me. like i've just I'm disheveled. i' I have my backpack with me. I'm talking about people I know in the movie, and I'm spilling drinks all over myself. He probably never wants to do D-Box again. oh One of the perks of seeing the 9.15 a.m. showing.
00:56:14
Speaker
You had to be alone, right? There was about five or six other people in my theater with me, but it was so few where you did hear people yell. It's a way different experience where you're in an entire theater yell. You just hear one or two people would be like, oh, shit.
00:56:26
Speaker
That's it. love the few reactions from the the few other 9.15 a.m. horror movies. but i But yeah, i agree. this This was the easy Ben Gardner Award winner for me.
00:56:38
Speaker
Awesome. Let's go to our bring her back cantaloupe. Watch to the gaps in your finger scene again. my winner, like I said, was Justine falling asleep in front of Alex's house. That scene we covered in depth. work I have a different one. Oh, okay.
00:56:53
Speaker
Yeah. I actually did put my face or or put my hands above my face. pass your finger Dude, it was the potato peeler on the cheek. Holy shit. Oh yeah.
00:57:04
Speaker
ah That dude. Okay. There was a lot, there was some conjecture, and about, ah so evil, evil dead rise, which probably my favorite horror movie of 2023. I love that movie.
00:57:18
Speaker
I guess they heavily marketed the, cheese grater ahead of the movie so everybody thought there'd be this gnarly cheese grater scene and it it's kind of gnarly i mean but it's really quick like she just uses it or somebody uses it but it's not belabored i feel like crager read that criticism and is like okay do you want me to you want to see peeling skin grow the household item let me just peel aiden's cheek i it looked like a cursed orange, a blood orange.
00:57:48
Speaker
he gives her He gives her a second peel. Like one wasn't enough. She goes back and gets a whole second second pallet of skin there. yeah i was That was a good one.
00:57:58
Speaker
um So that actually leads to the other one where it was not watched to your favorite. In fact, i I think this one was in the trailer, of the few scenes from later in the movie, where the parents are stabbing themselves with a fork.
00:58:10
Speaker
not too scary, but it did remind me that they're picking up their own forks. It's just standing in the face. No, it actually reminded me of the namesake of our award where again, little Ollie and bring her back decides to chew down on the knife. um So it's, it's self-inflicted pain by a utensil.
00:58:29
Speaker
I think is that's the new name of the award. The self-inflicted pain by utensil award. ah Did you know a lot of facial trauma in this movie is, You have the peel of the cheek.
00:58:40
Speaker
You have the stabbing of the forks. You have the needles in the cheek. You have the face smash of the boyfriend. yeah It's like every, and then you have the ending where they,
00:58:51
Speaker
rip her jaw off a lot of i feel like facial trauma is usually the hardest to watch like if you're going for shock reactions so i'll still one of the hardest scenes for me to watch in any movie is uh drive with ryan gosling when he bashes that dude's face into the elevator I get such a weird, queasy feeling. I don't know why. Because it's over. It's over for that guy.
00:59:18
Speaker
He doesn't have a face. now Do you know what it's like not to have a face? it's i mean I've seen the face bashed in in many movies now. I think as many times as you see it's still very effective being Have you seen Naked Gun?
00:59:31
Speaker
Half. The new one? Or the new one? Yes, both. When they slam his face on the bar and it keeps changing. Yeah. oh it's like a pick up for your I didn't know where you were going with that. Yes. I love that scene. as Um, all right. of Cannon fodder. Cannon fodder. Okay.
00:59:48
Speaker
I want to can I say mine? Yeah. Well, I'm assuming it's the same. There can't be too many to pick from here. All right. My cannon fodder is Andrew Marcus getting absolutely rocked by that sedan. Yes. Just grand theft auto physics.
01:00:04
Speaker
And then like a smile to ask slow reveal of the chunks of organs and flesh and blood. ah I just, I don't, we didn't need it, but we wanted it.
01:00:16
Speaker
And it was, it was very bring her back ask as well. was about to say 2025 has been a good year for quick cuts of people just getting absolutely obliterated by automobiles.
01:00:27
Speaker
Uh, yeah, it's a, that one came out nowhere. I liked that one. Um, I had ah Marcus's husband, boyfriend, significant other, just getting his head bashed in like we're just talking about.
01:00:38
Speaker
I think partner is the right term there, Travis. Yes, his life partner getting his head bashed in. We don't know for life, but it's his current partner. Yeah, well, his life's over. So at least from the perspective partner, it was for life. That's true. They were together for the rest of his life. They both died shortly thereafter. Oh, yeah, they both? Yeah, yeah.
01:00:57
Speaker
uh that's death we already know what this is yeah it's the kids just completely dismembering and then devouring gladys that was very very satisfying it's so weird to say mean i hear i was thinking about what you said earlier you're like i don't remember i don't remember rooting on somebody ah a mob of people viciously tearing somebody apart and like victoriously holding up their limbs Yeah. Like, it just, it was very, was like good. Like, fuck. Yeah. Yeah. Like be a little extra gory. You know, you don't have to just like put her out of her misery, like make it hurt a little bit. This is, this is what I'm talking about. This is, this is like the middle finger to quote elevated horror.
01:01:39
Speaker
When this happens, this leans into camp. This leans into extreme, extreme scenarios. Like, This is where I'm like, this is the comedian side of him. Yes. That he could have ended this with some like, you know, we're we're facing real grief. And like the the real enemy was the corruption within the neighborhood and like gossiping in between parents and, and, and, you know, being subservient to capitalism and money. It's like, no, it.
01:02:04
Speaker
This woman was a bitch and she fucked with people. And now these kids are like, we're going to eat you. Yeah. and That's all we need. Kind of like barbarian, but waiting to the very, very last few minutes of the film.
01:02:16
Speaker
Craig does this big tonal shift again. We're right. Right. Right. When Alex though, possesses those kids, like it cuts to Gladys first. Cause she hears like the, whatever the one snap or whatever allows him to possess them. And she goes like,
01:02:31
Speaker
oh shit and all of a sudden the tone of the movie goes from like batshit crazy and horrifying to like oh she better run like she's in big trouble now and i just love the I love the POV of like the neighbors like they Yes. Imagine what they think.
01:02:45
Speaker
They're just seeing this a like elderly woman. So um I don't know when we could cover it, but it's a good point. One of the neighbors was um our boy, Andre from Barbarian, the displaced homeless man. Oh, really? Yeah, he was one of the neighbors in the house.
01:02:59
Speaker
The displaced homeless man. Yeah, I forget the full displaced term. It's houseless. andvarian houseless of shit um And so I guess while we're at it and it's completely out of the categories, but hell yeah, we got a Justin Long cameo that I had no idea was in here. I love that.
01:03:16
Speaker
I love that. I love the right amount of screen time and it was suppressed enough where I had no idea. he was going to pop up in this film. So that's one of the, that's one of the scenes that I think on rewatch will be a lot funnier because you're still thrown off by what happened because Brolin tries to look at the surveillance footage and the the wife is like, I don't feel comfortable with that.
01:03:37
Speaker
And then before you know it, he cozies up to the husband yeah and then there's that shot of them in the foreground looking at it. And she's just so pissed in the background watching them do the things she didn't want him to do. was like very, very,
01:03:48
Speaker
gendered marital ah unease and tension and like you know Justin Long is gonna get it after he leaves it's so funny yeah I thought he played his role as like a straight man as the husband they're great for the you know one minute he was in the film um a mistake on my part I I was about to be on here to say did you check out the Kregor cameo but then I learned shortly before our podcast because I thought he was a lawnmower guy I thought he was the dude with the mustache that sees them running yes it did zoom in on the mustache you heard the same story I did but it's the story behind that was pretty funny you heard it right I have not oh so he shot that part with some actor and it like didn't work he was like and so he's
01:04:32
Speaker
He bet you didn't beg. He's just like, guys, can we do this again? and they're like, okay, sure. And he used his boom operator. He's like, I just i saw my boom operator, Marty. That looks like a lawnmower guy. Yeah, he's like, he's got tattoos and everything. But like, if you just throw a polo on him and a mustache, I feel like he'd look great for this part. So it's it's his boom operator. That was pretty nice.
01:04:52
Speaker
That's awesome. All right, so new category we're going to introduce here. New award. New award that we want to introduce here going forward. We're going to have our Shyamalan twist, you know, Scooby, Scooby-Doo, mask reveal.
01:05:06
Speaker
What was the big reveal, big twist in the movie, if any? This one, not a huge twist by any means, but to start it off with this award, I loved when ah James, the drug addict, retreats to his tent. He's just in Gladys. He's running through the woods nervously.
01:05:21
Speaker
He zips his tent down and you see the zipper start slowly getting zipped up. But instead of Gladys, it's again the cop, Paul, who he did. Oh, did you really think he was going to be Gladys?
01:05:32
Speaker
I knew it probably wasn't. Hook, line, and sinker. That's a good twist, especially because he greets him by stabbing three more needles into his face. So the second time Paul got injected. Mine is also Paul related and it's a lot more subtle, but it's, I loved how they introduced who his father-in-law was.
01:05:51
Speaker
Oh, yes, as the chief of police. we Yeah, ask him for the dude their interaction. Yes. and He's he's trying to, you know, ingratiate himself and cozy up to him. And the dad's just not having it. And then once you really once he finds out that he's been cheating on her, that look he gives to the glass. yeah But anyways, the I guess the reveal I'm talking about is when.
01:06:13
Speaker
you know she's like hey ask my dad if he's free and you think he's gonna go make a phone call but he just goes to like two offices down and yeah yeah i love that again craig or just for the sake of comedy putting the chief of police in there just you can get that last shot of him when it's been discovered that uh paul's been cheating on his wife just to see that glare from him from the office is what's your payoff what's your best line James had all the best lines, I feel like, or was involved at least in all of them.
01:06:42
Speaker
I love when he's calling the police station to try and collect on the $50,000 reward for any information. And I asked him to come into the station and he just goes, I really don't like police stations. They freak me out.
01:06:53
Speaker
I'm phobic. Which it was kind of like, he didn't want to go back to see Paul. I just love how he's trying to rationalize through that, like all his time on the phone when he was asking him for money, i think for his sibling as well.
01:07:05
Speaker
Love love ah when when James is sifting through the house and he picks up the DVD of Willow. Oh, yeah. best line man that that might have been my favorite line in the whole movie where he just goes oh fuck willow just so excited which i thought willow's a great movie and i love that james even for being crackhead has that depth where it's you know not a mainstream film it's not a film bro film and still that's just the one where he sees he's like yeah oh fuck willow put another way i don't know anyone else who would be that excited they found the film yeah
01:07:39
Speaker
I think the phrase of the whole movie is what the fuck. Everybody says what the fuck like 100 times, which I just thought was a great like it connected all the characters. Like everybody's just like, what is going on? Again, it's a movie. The audience says the same thing. You know, it's he's putting that in there so they can be the voice for us.
01:07:56
Speaker
There is so much mystery. Just like what the hell is going on? Where? I also like Paul saying after you get stuck with the needle, do you have AIDS? yes Yeah, they're in the car driving to where they the the abducted kids location and just turns to James like, you have AIDS?
01:08:14
Speaker
ah That's great. that That was it for me you You covered all mine. You have any others? All right. Dual knives. I add a few. They're small, but a few of that are worth unsheathing, so to speak.
01:08:30
Speaker
Go for it. On my end, I just find it hard to believe that 17 third graders go missing. They launched an investigation and they obviously talked to the only remaining kid and they just accept it face value.
01:08:44
Speaker
When an aunt shows up, says the dad's recently had a stroke, so he can't communicate at all. And then everyone's asked like, where's the mom? And I guess they just left it at that. Like they came to the house once and they're just like, yeah, this all checks out. Like,
01:08:58
Speaker
it's it's a bit of a stress i think that falls on benedict wong's character he he seemed to have misplaced priorities not very much more of a peacekeeper and just wants to get back to that saturday double double lounger eight hot dogs shirt wearing eight dog hot dog that's what he lives for dude that is like his paradise it's a small town that those are the highs of life there uh i think they try to paint um that's one of them what about you Alright, where the fuck were the dogs?
01:09:29
Speaker
This is a whole movie that takes place in suburbia.
01:09:34
Speaker
It's neighborhoods, it's yards. Where were the dogs? There was not one dog in this movie. Were there any dogs in Barbarian?
01:09:45
Speaker
Maybe. Maybe Crager's just like an anti-dog kind of dude. I don't remember any pets in that movie either. You need dogs. Dogs make a give they give a neighborhood character.
01:09:58
Speaker
um Another one. Okay. The tagline that's covered in all the posters and it's the one of the opening lines in the movie is this. Last night.
01:10:10
Speaker
At 2.17 a.m., every child from Miss Gandy's class woke up, got out of bed, went downstairs, opened the front door, walked into the dark, and they never came back.
01:10:22
Speaker
okay, but they did. They did come back. And he's telling this story from like, it's way far along ago. Mentally, they never came back. Cause like at the end, she does say like, Oh, again, but yes, I'm i'm with you. It set it up as if like, it was completely unsolved and the mystery does. so's I realized it's like the opposite problem that we had with bring her back.
01:10:45
Speaker
Because in that case, They didn't bring her back when they said they would bring her back in the title. So it's a theme of not keeping promises here. You say the kids are, they never came back. Then they come back, bring her back says we're going to bring her back and they don't even bring her fucking back.
01:11:01
Speaker
So I don't know what's going on here with these horror movies of today. would you my so box Would you have liked the movie more if the initial voiceover was like, but don't worry, they all came back safe and everyone ends up really well in the end. And they'll eat the grandma's lower lip.
01:11:17
Speaker
ah Yeah, I feel you. It was misleading for sure. um yeah My only other one I had is, are we really supposed to buy that? Gladys is Alex's mom's sister? like No, no. no Great aunt.
01:11:35
Speaker
No, they said she was Alex's aunt. They very explicitly say is his mom's sister. Yeah, but don't you say that Oh, they do. They say it's her sister. It's her sister.
01:11:46
Speaker
And Amy Madigan, who is fantastic again, her performance. She is 75. I don't know how old i was looking up this actress. She's relatively unknown is Alex's mom. Callie Chatera, I believe I'm pronouncing it right.
01:11:58
Speaker
But look at her. She can't be any older than 45 at oldest, if not younger. So we're talking about a 30 plus year. age gap between the siblings you know trav not all of us uh you know have a white picket fence and 2.5 kids like you and anna okay some people are uh not like you and have to be like second marriage right like who knows in vitro or maybe froze the eggs maybe like stepsisters I don't know. That was a tough pill for me to swallow when they're like, oh, here's my sister. I was like, what of a one of them got the better looking genetics. Yeah, that's why she's so mad.
01:12:37
Speaker
um oh and ah she alludes to it, but we're supposed to assume that this Pied Piper character of Gladys, she's using the children to cure her illness.
01:12:50
Speaker
ah Yeah. She gets stronger. Well, adults only help a little bit. If you want that sweet, sweet goodness, you gotta to get the kids. It's like the old. She, she does look a lot healthier after she brought the 17 kids in.
01:13:01
Speaker
Okay. Her hair starting to grow back. Like she's, you know, just more confident in her look, a lot more body positivity. Sex appeal goes up. yeah Um, one, one, one more thing.
01:13:14
Speaker
No, not a huge deal knife. I just didn't really understand. So they go to great pains to explain how she, the process of how you get people to do what you want. And like the main thing is how to become a weapon and kill people.
01:13:27
Speaker
Yeah. She was weaponizing them. Is that why the. Yeah. Josh Brolin says that at one point in the movie, and that's probably why he saw the gun. you know I feel like an idiot. idiot Well, that's your that's your problem. I'm mine.
01:13:40
Speaker
um There was a few unexplained rules. There's like salt lines like don't cross this one, but then people like cross back and apparently no longer has an effect. she She had the parents standing stationary outside her door to guard her. So she she must have a pretty deep playbook.
01:13:55
Speaker
But we're just good. I guess you got it. I guess you got to take with a grain of salt.
01:14:01
Speaker
ah You got a pity laugh, but yes, thanks yes.
01:14:05
Speaker
Winners losers. Yeah, you start this one. Hey, big winner. Campbell's soup. Prominently displayed. Everyone, when you're catatonic, the only thing they're willing to accept, apparently, is a good warmed up can of Campbell's soup.
01:14:21
Speaker
I wanted either chicken noodle or or tomato basil so bad after watching this. Just watching it dribble over their lifeless lips. Yep. So, way to go. And even when... um Was it cold, though? i think it was cold. It might have been. But even when James breaks into their house...
01:14:35
Speaker
Like he even picks up a can of Campbell's soup. Like he was interested in it. Like, I don't know if they're paying for the product placement. Like, When some guy comes to burglarize you or or steal from you, like even he will stop in his tracks if he sees a can of Campbell's.
01:14:47
Speaker
No free ads here, Trav. We're not sponsored by D-Box or Campbell's. I got a lot of winners and losers, so give me some of yours before I... well'll just go we'll just Let's just alternate. ah yeah um Matching t-shirts. yeah I had that for the Mickey and Minnie mouse. I think Mickey and Minnie helps us decipher which one's at the bottom, which one's at the top, so that answers that question.
01:15:09
Speaker
ah And then other observation. What did you make of Andrew Marcus and his boyfriend's seating setup? Oh, man.
01:15:21
Speaker
They're wearing matching Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse t-shirts. They have a tray full of hot dogs that they bring so they can go sit in front of the TV and go through looked like eight hot dogs for two grown men to share. And were they watching Love Island?
01:15:37
Speaker
No, they were watching something with, I thought it was covering how ants have um the ah cordyceps. It's like the fun guys taking over them and essentially controlling them, which that was very symbolic for the rest of the movie.
01:15:52
Speaker
very Yeah, a little on the nose, but yeah but yes I just want to say, i I don't know about the double chair move. Like why why not why not put a couch there? Well, then where would they house the platter full of hot dogs between them? You need the end table to put the food on between the two of you. How else are you going to do TV dinner? Now I'm glad I didn't bring this up as a dull knife because you just thwarted it for um me. But more specifically, matching t-shirts on a lazy Saturday watching your favorite program.
01:16:26
Speaker
yeah i have I don't think I've ever done that. and And now I want that, whatever that is. So that's a winner for me. Yeah, the chaos of kids. i I think those days are removed, but maybe a few years from now when they grow older. Then I will simply just not have children then. That's a good solution.
01:16:44
Speaker
um One of my winners, Jack and Jill bathrooms. I don't know if you ever had one of these growing up, but with me having multiple siblings, this is where two bedrooms share up. I know what it is.
01:16:54
Speaker
i never had the misfortune having asshole. Alex locks himself in there when his parents are after him at the end. And that's the only way he's able to escape is going out the other door. It's huge win. Jack and Jill. The only child.
01:17:05
Speaker
Don't know why he had a Jack and Jill bathroom. Just realizing that now. but ah Another winner. New form of public embarrassment. Dousing somebody in shame.
01:17:16
Speaker
In this case, alcohol. Yeah, it hurts to pour alcohol. I'm an alcoholic. It's really rubbing salt in the moon there. Yeah, that's not nice. I had one more winner, and then, yes, let's fully transition to losers, but, well, small shout-out to 2.17am, goaded time, going to go down in forever as, like, top three time.
01:17:36
Speaker
I think my favorite time, ah well, second favorite is 11.11, very cute, make a wish, but third will be 2.17, but my favorite time of all time is the time to go to the dentist, which is... Now?
01:17:56
Speaker
but I don't know what this reference is. 2.30. Uh-oh. oh Tooth... Oh, no....herty. Tooth hurty. Okay. Because your tooth hurties. Your tooth hurts. Yes, I understand.
01:18:09
Speaker
That is the best time, think. Very punny. Very punny. Um, and then last winter, small towns. So two of my favorite pieces of media in all of the worlds, uh, twin peaks, goaded show forever. Love it.
01:18:24
Speaker
And then one of my favorite, favorite, favorite movies, Travis, and i highly recommend if you haven't seen it, but it's Peter Bogdanovich is 1971. The last picture show. It's a quiet contemplative kind of bleak look at a small town in Texas starring Jeff Bridges.
01:18:41
Speaker
ah Phenomenal film. One of the best small town movies, if not the best. I've heard of it. I've not seen it. So I'll add it to my watch list. All right. i had a loser.
01:18:52
Speaker
Voodoo. Totally getting upstaged by witchcraft here. Mm-hmm. I mean, yeah that is a... gar all You don't need the doll. you just need a personal belonging, right? That's the difference here. And a thorn?
01:19:04
Speaker
Thorny twig? Yeah, it was like a Harry Potter wand, but maybe the stem of a rosewood. I'm just saying, like it that that seems like, that seems like it was a... It seems like voodoo is getting market corrected by witchcraft here. Witchcraft's the scarier.
01:19:20
Speaker
A witch has a bigger bag of tricks than somebody who does voodoo can do, so it really opens the possibilities. You have any other losers have one other. ah I have I have three.
01:19:33
Speaker
One is great ants not being that great. Did you have any great? He's not a great. aunt Oh, shit. this is it Well, then I'm the loser. I did have a great aunt Violet who no other. We weren't even blood relatives with her. She damn many people are like, so we let them sound that great. i yeah there yeah um Tell me if I'm wrong here. I I might have the sequencing wrong.
01:19:58
Speaker
But did, did Aiden, sorry, did Paul's character get stuck with a needle and then sleep with Julia or then sleep with?
01:20:08
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. So loser here when youre is sleeping with somebody not knowing for sure if you have AIDS or not. Yeah. That's a good point. He got stuck with a, a used needle of heroin from somebody off the streets and doesn't know if he has AIDS or not, doesn't get checked, and then goes and has a one-night tryst with Justine.
01:20:31
Speaker
Not very fair to Justine. that's That's a great point. I think Paul was making some other questionable decisions in his life, so it makes sense that he would also overlook that. It does you duy sounds like you're defending Paul here.
01:20:44
Speaker
No, I'm saying I think it's within his character where he fucked up yet again. just want to make sure you weren't pro-AIDS. It's weird position to take. Are you anti-AIDS? I am anti AIDS.
01:20:56
Speaker
So, so the entire movement, like when I think of like the entire eighties and this being such a big epidemic, you're saying like, now we should just whitewash that and not think about it at all.
01:21:08
Speaker
Look, I'm and no, I'm saying the disease itself. I am anti. Oh, it sounded like you were pushing against AIDS awareness there. No, i'm I'm pro AIDS awareness. I'm anti AIDS.
01:21:20
Speaker
And I'm not anti aid in the same way that ah Netanyahu of Israel is anti getting aid to the Gaza citizens. That's a different kind of aid. ah Last one.
01:21:32
Speaker
Salt.
01:21:35
Speaker
You don't think the salt was working? or you just think salt just being involved in witchcraft is just a negative association? In the same way some people say i don't want to mix art and politics, which I disagree with. I think art is politics.
01:21:47
Speaker
But I will say i don't want to mix salt with witchcraft. Leave the salt on my fries. Leave the salt on my fettuccine. Leave the salt on my baked potato. Don't put it in this witchcraft hullabaloo.
01:22:00
Speaker
I feel like that's pretty commonplace. Like even bring her back. They use salt lines around the house to make sure people aren't, you know, but was that salt? i thought it was just paint. When they, there was a white paint dude.
01:22:11
Speaker
Was it paint? She's like paint. Remember she's like painting the pool. Yeah, you're right. Are you anti-salt? It sounds like you're anti-salt. I think salt is pretty commonplace with witchcraft.
01:22:22
Speaker
Let me tell you this. what's with What's with Starbucks not carrying salt for their salted caramel macchiatos? You can only get those during like maybe two months out of the year.
01:22:34
Speaker
Why don't they just have salt on hand? There's no salt on Starbucks? No. Huh. This is revealing. i only drink black coffee, so this is... I don't brag much? Yeah.
01:22:46
Speaker
Oh, okay. My only other loser. Really, Gladys? You can't outrun third graders. Like, if your life depends on it. Dude, she is elderly and sick.
01:22:58
Speaker
she She was getting better. She was getting a whole lot healthier. And, I mean, these are eight and nine-year-old kids. They are spry. So, Wesley my oldest daughter. She's in, you know, pre-K age. So, these are all four and five-year-olds.
01:23:12
Speaker
And she loves to tell me about her best friend every day, Miles. Shout out to Miles, the five-year-old. And she tells me Miles is the fastest kid in the hope Miles does not listen this podcast. That is adorable. I love that.
01:23:24
Speaker
But then she takes this up further she goes, Dad, Miles is faster than you. I'm like, there's no fucking way Miles can up with me. I would...
01:23:35
Speaker
i would You need to do word triple threat. You need to do a burger competition. out of them You need to do a race and you do arm wrestling just to completely dominate, just to control the narrative. Crush your idols there.
01:23:46
Speaker
As someone with kids, I'll tell you, third graders ain't that fast. Like I know Gladys maybe isn't a spry young chicken anymore either, but if your life depended on it, and Well, maybe they're are error maybe they're more aerodynamic because the Naruto positioning. That's true. And they were running through a lot of obstacles, i guess, instead of her trying to do problem. I want you to Naruto race, Miles.
01:24:08
Speaker
You have to put your arms out. So we haven't talked about this. But yes, clearly, the scary run, and it is effective, but it looks like the Naruto run. Do remember during the pandemic? When there's a lot of social media about everyone going to Area 51 and the public amassing the storm to see what was going on there.
01:24:26
Speaker
And when the criticism was the military is going to prevent this, they said, not if we do a Naruto run, they will not be able to stop us or harm us. It shows what like insane times we were in when i didn't even bat an eye at that.
01:24:42
Speaker
like Not only are we talking about Area 51, not only are we talking about ah a bunch of incels going to check it out, but they're also going to do an anime run. It was like, I've ever seen that headline and i just like kept eating my mac and cheese and then like put on, you know, violent.
01:25:00
Speaker
I wonder if that had any part in what made it top of mind for Craig. He hasn't, he has not mentioned it. I've noticed very strategically. Maybe he doesn't get a lawsuit. Anyways, that's it for me.
01:25:12
Speaker
You have any others scream King scream queen. This is easy. This is easy. We gave it to Justin Long for Barbarian. A slight win to Long, but we were very close to giving it to who we are giving it to now, and that is Mr. Kreger.
01:25:28
Speaker
I don't think there's any competition. It was a fully formed idea, whether you like it or not. Like you said, purely original, with a lot of influence of things that he likes.
01:25:38
Speaker
But if the ratings say anything, if the reviews say anything, if Box Office says anything, if How Much We Love It says anything... It's a complete win. The dude is in his game.
01:25:50
Speaker
He's got a blank check for the next thing. He's going to be doing Resident Evil, which is cool. ah It's Kregor. Kregor's the king. King Kregor. Yeah, 100%. Honorable mention. Shout out. I'm with you.
01:26:01
Speaker
I did love Amy Madigan's portrayal of Gladys. yeah yeah I thought she was really good. But yeah, can't hold a candle to Kregor really made this movie. We call him King Kregor, but in my Letterboxd review, I also call him the Prince of Premise because I think both in barbarian and this leads with a really good premises. Yeah. that That's the hook that gets you in there. I think you're absolutely right. It's like when the premise is that good, again, goes back to why they don't have to spoil too much in the trailer.
01:26:28
Speaker
Cause they know that alone is going be good enough to get people to come out. right You can save the twist. if Even though there wasn't really a twist here, but you can, you can save the scares. I feel like we're missing something.
01:26:43
Speaker
Do we need to do our social media shout out? something cooler than that social media is instagram the sundayscaries.pod ah yeah just go follow that we post we post things like uh out uh pictures of movies with the words episode and then the number of the episode of the episode we're doing and memes.
01:27:08
Speaker
We post memes. We got memes now. They are fresh memes too. So shout out to you, Rick, for putting those together. oh this Yeah. Thank you guys for listening. Going into next week. we Oh yeah, baby. We're going be trying to cover an entire franchise from start to finish. Well, hold on. it ready for That's not technically true because the conjurer universe is much bigger than just the main line.
01:27:29
Speaker
The direct line. Conjuring one, conjuring two, conjuring the devil made me do it. And then, it's going to lead into conjuring last rights.
01:27:41
Speaker
It'll be the first time that we've done four movies. So we did two movies leading up to 28 years later this time, instead of three, we're doing all four, right?
01:27:55
Speaker
yeah Yeah. We will be covering the conjuring movies as we get ready for conjuring last, right? Thank you guys for listening. We will see you next Sunday.
01:28:07
Speaker
Bye.