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226 - Versus (2001)
39 Plays26 days ago
“Hey, this is getting complicated!”
It’s our third consecutive theme month and this one is (in so many ways) even bigger! That’s right, it’s Big in Japan 2: Even Bigger! And as we discuss this early genre mismatch from Midnight Meat Train director Ryuhei Kitamura, we find the time to discuss the importance of film editing as an art form, They Cloned Tyrone, Tucker’s thoughts on Kyle Mooney’s latest directorial offering, and who should direct the American remake of this film. Tune in - but stay out of Forest of Resurrection!
There are 666 portals that connect our world to the other side. Most of them are buried somewhere on social media. Here are ours:
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- Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
- Find Stephen at @ChewyWalrus on Bluesky and Letterboxd.
- Check out Stephen’s first novel - Check In, Check Out - on Amazon, now available in paperback or ebook: https://amzn.to/44idk8y
- Find Brett at @sus_warlock on Letterboxd.
- Find Tucker at @icenine09 on YouTube and Instagram and @tuck_mugs on Instagram.
- Join our Patreon for exclusive bonus content, including bi-weekly episodes of What Are We Watching? at https://patreon.com/Disenfranchpod
- Watch our big screen debut in Circle City Supernatural from our buddy J.P. Leck! You can either buy it on BluRay through his website, buy/rent it through Amazon Prime, or watch it free with ads on Tubi!
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Transcript
Introduction to Disenfranchise Podcast
00:00:16
Speaker
you
00:00:22
Speaker
The franchise rights alone will make us rich beyond our wildest dreams. I am immortal. I have inside me blood of kings. Take me to the future of your world.
00:00:33
Speaker
This is Disenfranchise Podcast, the podcast all about those franchises of one, those films that fancy themselves full-fledged franchises before falling flat on their face after the first film. I'm your host, Stephen Foxworthy, joining me, as always, the kind of feminist who has no compulsions about telling women to shut up or knocking them out if the plot calls for it.
00:00:52
Speaker
It's Tucker. Hey, Tucker. Hello, Steven. How we doing? Okay. Okay, I guess. It's been a while. It's been a few weeks since it's been, you know, you and me in the hosting chairs.
00:01:06
Speaker
Yeah, I know. You were gone, and then i was gone, which, like, never happens. You know who wasn't gone, though? The Brett. The Brett. That's the wildest part is that you missed an episode and I missed an episode, but you know who didn't miss an episode last month?
00:01:24
Speaker
Brett. Oh, Steven, I'm just noticing. I was like, I just looked behind you and I was like, oh, look, there's a Charlie Chaplin there. And then i saw a big shelf of of physical media and I was like, oh, yeah, Steven have moved.
00:01:38
Speaker
Yeah, I moved. This is the first time you and I have recorded since my move. Steve hadn't moved. I like that trim around that door, Steven. when was your When was your place made? Like around in probably 70s or 80s? Late 70s or Yeah.
00:01:50
Speaker
yeah Or at least when they remodeled it? Right. Love that old door trim. murder yeah it's a nice nice little place definitely been renovated since my last place was that's for sure nice and you've got heating and air conditioning this time hopefully correct yep central central heating and air oh air yeah well i never none of this fancy part of town now none of this uh radiator that works on occasion shit but when it feels like it right And i'm in ah I'm in a basement unit, nowhere near a body of water. So it keeps cool without, you know, the risk of flooding. So that's great.
00:02:27
Speaker
That's fantastic. I love that. i love that. Yeah. um But we
Focus on Failed Japanese Films
00:02:32
Speaker
are here. Brett, of course, is that he's wandered off into ah into a forest looking for the 444th portal or something, question mark, question mark, question mark.
00:02:42
Speaker
um But this is the kickoff for a brand new theme month. It's our second ever sequel theme month. ah Last April, we did Arnie April 2, Austrian Boogaloo.
00:02:54
Speaker
ah This April, we're doing Big in Japan 2, colon, Even Bigger. where we're talking about films from Japan that failed to get those sweet, sweet franchise dollars.
00:03:06
Speaker
And we're starting with a little film from the year 2000 called Versus.
00:03:12
Speaker
called verses That's what it's called. It's called Versus.
Discussion on "Versus" Film
00:03:18
Speaker
Written and directed Ryuhei Kitamura.
00:03:23
Speaker
Also written by Yudai Yamaguchi. ah Written. I feel like you need to emphasize the air quotes when you say written by anyone. this This has a script.
00:03:35
Speaker
This film died in the edit. I will get into it. um And starring Tak Sakaguchi, Hideo Sakaki, Chieko Misaka...
00:03:48
Speaker
Kenji Matsuda, Yuichiro Arai. ah Look, none of these characters have names. The actors do, but I'm going to be really bad at pronouncing them. Pronouncing them? You're going to be really bad at pronouncing them, Steven. Pronounce.
00:04:05
Speaker
panun Um, channeling my inner Billy Connolly. Um, yeah. Um, and of course, if you are familiar with the last time we did a series of Japanese films, you'll remember how awful I am at pronouncing anything.
00:04:21
Speaker
Um, there's a, there's a girl in this movie and her name, her character's name is get this, the girl. Yeah. Um, there are a lot of men, a lot of men in this movie, but only one of them is called the man. Um,
00:04:37
Speaker
Yeah. Who are the other guys? Doesn't matter. Is that the guy who's keeping us down? i You know what? he He does a good job of keeping most of the other characters in this movie down. So I'm willing to place the blame on him as well.
00:04:52
Speaker
All alert undercover brother.
00:04:56
Speaker
In the entire brotherhood. Which one? Eddie Griffin or Michael J. White? Nope. Nope. There is no sequel. there There is, though, which is why we never cover it on this podcast.
00:05:08
Speaker
We can cover this. team We can cover Undercover Brother 2 on ah was Unenfranchised.
Actor Performances and Career Insights
00:05:15
Speaker
Is that the name of that show that we do? But I don't want to watch that movie. Hey, Stephen, speaking of Undercover Brother, have you seen Clone Tyrone?
00:05:23
Speaker
Not yet. It's on my list. well i You need to look at it. You need to look at it. i It's on my list. I've got so many things to look at right now, dude. i'm just i'm dead it I looked at it, Steven. I looked at that movie.
00:05:35
Speaker
I'm overwhelmed by the stuff I have to look at. but it like scratches that It scratches that itch of like the the playful homage to Blaxploitation that is like Booty Tang and Undercover Brother.
00:05:47
Speaker
Right. But then it's also like seriously fucked up, like like a Jordan Peele sort of deal. Like ah I was sorry for bothering you. ah kind Kind of.
00:05:59
Speaker
Kind of. um It's it's less of a comedy. It has comedic characters and comedic moments. But it's not so much a comedy. And this this movie sold me on um John Boyega? Boyega? How do you say his name?
00:06:18
Speaker
Boyega. There you go. um It sold me on him because I didn't really like him that much in that Star War. And I haven't. And I think that was just because the character sucked. Because he's i liked him in Attack the Block, which is the first typee thing I saw him in.
00:06:34
Speaker
hu And then he's really good in this. Like, he's... He's a lot like Mahershala Ali in um the third season of True Detective. Like, his entire physicality is different.
00:06:50
Speaker
Like, the man the man is a craftsman. And after seeing they clone Tyrone, I'm probably going to pay more attention to stuff that he's in.
00:07:01
Speaker
Yeah, yeah i I like John Boyega. I think he's really good. he's he's good And Jamie Foxx is ah hilarious. ah Jamie Foxx is one of those actors like Tom Hanks where I wish he'd do more comedies. And Tom Hanks, in this case, I wish he'd just do a comedy.
00:07:17
Speaker
Right. ah Well, you can't win actors doing comedy as Tucker. I mean, who does he think he is? Kevin Klein? He's got enough of those. And the worst thing is that when he decided to go back into comedy, it was the Lady Killers and it bombed. And I love him in that movie.
00:07:34
Speaker
He is you so hilarious in that movie. Everybody's great in that movie. Such a funny movie. And then I think because of that, he was like, okay, maybe it's just comedy. It's just not for me anymore.
00:07:46
Speaker
ah Ugh. One of the best comedic actors of our time. Tom Hanks. And Jamie Foxx. Like, used to love that motherfucker on In Living Color. And he used to do a lot of comedies. Now, few and far between.
00:07:59
Speaker
But he's really, really funny. He's a pimp. He got i an Oscar. He got an Oscar. And you can't win an Oscar doing comedy. Again, who do you think you are? Kevin Kline? Yeah, but you straight up already got one.
00:08:11
Speaker
Yeah, but here's the thing. You need more. No. I mean, look look at the people who have done comedies after winning an Oscar. Cuba Gooding Jr. did fucking Snow Dogs.
00:08:24
Speaker
Yeah, well... I mean... Cuba Gooding Jr., no offense to him, but he was in the right place at the right time. Yes. And that's how he got that Oscar. Is he ah good actor?
00:08:37
Speaker
Yes, but he was very much propelled by a script and a director that knew exactly what to do with that man. ah Because everything else I've seen him in, he's not great.
00:08:51
Speaker
He's not bad. He's been good in a few things. few things i've seen Like I said, he's one of those where you really have to catch him at the right moment. Mm-hmm. ah Well, still love you, Cuba Gooding Jr. Wish your career were doing better.
00:09:06
Speaker
I remember his brother, Omar, from a little show called Wild and Crazy Kids when I was a wild and crazy kid. what Wild and Crazy Kids. That's the one. the the The same. Yeah. they The very same.
00:09:20
Speaker
um But yeah, so ah versus we're kicking off our... Now, now, Tucker. Boo! Boo!
00:09:32
Speaker
Straight up bo Tucker doesn't like movies where he has to read subtitles. um Hey! i i own I own many foreign films, okay? Many. Alright.
00:09:45
Speaker
ah Your apartment smells of rich mahogany. You also own many leather-bound books. No, it smells like the plastic of my Blu-ray cases. Touche. There it is, yes.
00:09:57
Speaker
ah I've got mine is the the the cold metal of my steelbooks
00:10:05
Speaker
I still only have two steelbooks Steven because I just don't care about steelbooks so if like it's the only option or if it's the on sale option that's what happened with Popstar it was the steelbook was on sale it was like five bucks cheaper than the regular edition so i was like that's five bucks I spend on some other shit Right. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil was the same thing.
00:10:25
Speaker
It is a really good Steelbook cover, though, because it is a parody of and ah the original Steelbook art for the ah the Shout Factory release of The Blob.
00:10:39
Speaker
But instead of them shooting, like trying to shoot the blob, it's Andy Samberg with a flamethrower and there's giant bees everywhere. Because there's that one scene in the movie where the camera gets dropped and you can only hear it.
00:10:51
Speaker
And it's like the giant bees attacking them. Right. and so it's it's on the cover, but it's also a parody of the blob cover from the Shout Factory release of the blob. Nice. It's kind of brilliant.
00:11:02
Speaker
It's kind of brilliant. Commentary is good too. Well, there you go. Yeah. yeah Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:11:15
Speaker
We should do a commentary for this movie. Versus. um It might help us understand it better,
Critique of "Versus" Film
00:11:20
Speaker
honestly. But then I'd have to watch it again. You would. Here's the thing. There are... This... Okay, so it is a... this So to try to explain what this movie is, it is a samurai gangster zombie fantasy...
00:11:38
Speaker
epic i I think is kind of what we're what what what they're going for here like there's this notion that there are these portals that are everywhere and that one of them is in this place called the Forest of Resurrection which is where guess what happens there who takes place and whenever you die in the Forest of Resurrection you turn into a zombie Yes, but, yes, but, so this movie establishes, um while it's making zombies, um that as soon as you die, like, ten seconds, maybe ten seconds after you die, you're right back up, right?
00:12:21
Speaker
So why does it take them realizing that all the people they killed are buried there for those people to rise? They've supposedly been there for months?
00:12:32
Speaker
some years because there's there's a lot of dialogue where it's like you know all the we come out here and kill people and we bury them so why weren't they coming back then and why are they coming back now after they've been dead for so long my guess is it has something to do with the three main characters of this movie who are these like reincarnated like this like reincarnated triad A tale as old as time.
00:13:00
Speaker
Carries throughout history. The man, the prisoner, and the girl. ah You know, the the three archetypes, I guess. I guess. Shrug.
00:13:11
Speaker
If you're like a 13-year-old boy who's into Hong Kong flicks. and but I mean, this this movie is really indebted just in terms of filmmaking to like Quentin Tarantino and stylistically very Quentin, very Matrix. A little Sam Raimi in there and a little Michael Bay too. You can't deny Michael Bay because there's there's like probably six or seven Bad Boys 2 shit just got real shots that happen in a matter of like three minutes.
00:13:42
Speaker
Mm-hmm. I almost got dizzy. Like I was like, I do not want to get motion sickness from this fucking movie because you do it once. That's cool. You keep doing it and I'm old and my brain thinks I've been poisoned.
00:13:56
Speaker
And then like in those moments, the editing is really rapid fire. It's like quick succession. And then in these other moments, the everything just slows to a crawl for these shots that quote unquote look cool.
00:14:10
Speaker
Do they, though? Which is, well, and but again, it's 2000, Tucker.
00:14:17
Speaker
I could see where they're trying, what they're going for, why they think it's cool. I get that. But no, it's all cringe. It's all cringe as fuck. Right. Like this is the same filmmaker who would go on to do a midnight meat train, which I've always seen the cover for, but I've never watched. And I like what's his nuts. Cause he's in, um he's in those first couple Guy Ritchie movies, the guy that's in that meat train movie.
00:14:42
Speaker
Vinnie Jones. Yeah. um But like, so he's, I mean, he, but this is, I think one of his first, if not his first, uh, feature film no it's not it's his third but like it feels like an early feature like it feels like you're trying to figure like a director figuring stuff out like what works and what doesn't like it there's this almost this feeling of I grabbed a bunch of my friends and we went into the woods and we shot an action kind of it's like someone wrote a micro budget film but got a low budget instead yes
00:15:20
Speaker
is is really kind of what it feels like. I mean, the ah all the effects budget really just went to the gore. Like the gore effects, which are... Okay.
00:15:31
Speaker
You know, again, for time and place and i budget your considerations. Yeah. that It's, it's, it's fine for what it is, which I think is kind of where I come down on this movie. It it's fine. Like it's not offensively bad.
00:15:43
Speaker
Like it's not the worst thing I've ever seen, but is it like, I could see this being remade with a budget and, and actually, and maybe, you know, like someone who knows how to edit and,
00:15:56
Speaker
someone figuring out the story and how to piece it together. It feels very unwieldy. Like someone's trying to just put every good idea they had, they were what they consider a good idea that they have for a movie just up on the screen. Like we can't, you know, save anything. We're putting it all up there, but then we also don't know how to kill our darling. So we're putting it all up there.
00:16:18
Speaker
I, I kind of feel the same. I think this movie is... It's it's too much. Yes. It's too much. This movie does not need to be two hours long. like It is nauseatingly two hours long.
00:16:34
Speaker
Yes. like This movie could be... Puditang length. This could be... An hour and 15 minutes. But everything has to go... So far...
00:16:50
Speaker
And it doesn't serve the story. It doesn't serve the film. This movie makes the bold choice of not letting its audience in on anything that's actually going on. No, the main villain of the story doesn't even enter the movie until like 30 to 45 minutes in.
00:17:07
Speaker
And let me tell you, at the beginning of this movie, I was on board. Like that opening sequence. And even then I was like, yes, this movie does make the bold choice of not giving me any fucking clue as to what's happening. But that could be interesting.
00:17:20
Speaker
But no, soon soon after the cold open, i was like, yeah, this is just too much of everything. It's it's it's everything's dialed up to 11. need to take it down to about seven.
00:17:36
Speaker
Yeah. The yeah everything the character played by i think this is the actor that's playing this character. Kenji Matsuda, who plays a character called Yakuza Leader with Butterfly Knife.
00:17:48
Speaker
The silly guy. The really silly guy. He's so, so over the top. It works for about 30 seconds. And then after that, you're like, yeah, no, too much, bud.
00:18:00
Speaker
And then by the end of it, when he's crawling around and just making a gut, making a fool of himself. I almost blasphemed in front of you, Steven. I'm sorry. You did. That's amazing.
00:18:12
Speaker
I haven't been around you in a while, you know, though I have been around Joe, so I should be on alert. was going to say, you should be beyond even even more than your best behavior, honestly. And I just want to let everyone know that I don't normally bow to the preferences of people with my words, but both Steven and Joe I respect quite a bit.
00:18:31
Speaker
Aw. That's funny. Two of only three people I will censor myself for, because I respect them, so...
00:18:40
Speaker
but say Thank you. Okay. Well, appreciate it. It doesn't seem like bucks, but I don't know. no No, but no, you're right. Like he, it's too much and it's too much too fast.
00:18:53
Speaker
Like he comes out at 11 and you're like, buddy, give yourself somewhere to go. You've got to start it If you want to end it in 11, you've got to start at a one. Or maybe a two or three.
00:19:06
Speaker
Like that's one of the first rules that I learned as an actor is give yourself somewhere to go. If you know you need to be huge by the end, start small so that there's a progression, there's a build, there's a rise to it.
00:19:20
Speaker
This guy just starts at 11 and just stays there. And it's it's ah you're right. It's just too much, man. It's way too much. There's the now the dumb guy is I don't want to say he's funny, but that actor, he understands comedic timing.
00:19:38
Speaker
Yeah, it's just all of the jokes suck. But I would love to see that I guess he's the dumb guy. He's the guy that first gets held. He's the guy that other guy makes shoot the one guy He's the dumb guy.
00:19:55
Speaker
Yeah. The guy that's dumb. I think and he is. He's got that guy's talented. With amulet. Is that who that guy is? I honestly. but no he's the guy that meets the police guys.
00:20:06
Speaker
and motorcycle riding Yakuza with revolver no that's the handsome guy he dies way too soon the dumb guy the guy that's just an idiot like the idiot of the group yeah i Okay, let me read you these characters. The guy with the teeth, and he has like full blood on his face.
00:20:27
Speaker
i I know exactly who you're talking about. I'm just to figure out the name of the character. Good luck. The main character The Man. good luck the characters are the main character is prisoner k s c two dash three oh three now the the main villain is the man the The only female is the girl.
00:20:47
Speaker
I'm sorry. There actually is female. There's like three or four lady fighters. There is long haired female assassin and short haired female assassin as well. And then there's the one with the makeup that gets sexually assaulted for like three minutes and we can't like, we're just like, is this over yet?
00:21:03
Speaker
Is he done licking and kissing her while offering her eternal life where she's obviously not into any of it? That's makeup girl. You have short haired girl, long haired girl, makeup girl and non fighter girl.
00:21:16
Speaker
I don't have makeup girl anywhere on here. What I do have is Yakuza leader with butterfly knife, motorcycle riding Yakuza with revolver, crazy Yakuza with amulet, Yakuza with glasses, red haired assassin, long haired female assassin, one handed cop, samurai warrior, cop with barrette,
00:21:38
Speaker
ah short-haired female assassin, Yakuza zombie and alligator skin coat, and other prisoner. Those are the characters I have in this movie. It's got to be amulet guy then. I don't remember him having an amulet though.
00:21:52
Speaker
I mean, the fact that he is crazy. remember and it tells me that it's probably him. I'm going to click on his IMDB profile. Okay. And to see if there are any pictures of him. Of course there are not. Great. Lovely. Wonderful. You love to see it.
00:22:10
Speaker
But what if you go to the IMDB pictures and it's a picture of him and then on the caption it should say like who the actor is. Right. Isn't that something that's something that happens on IMDB when you look at photos.
00:22:21
Speaker
It's a hundred photos of the poster. Yeah. Fantastic. Where's crazy guy. And I don't even see crazy guy. He's not even in any of these photos.
00:22:32
Speaker
Oh, that is, that it is crazy. Yakuza with amulet. His, the actor's name is Minoru Matsumoto. That guy, that guy he he was doing something, and it didn't work.
00:22:46
Speaker
It didn't work, but I could see that he understood comedic timing. Right. You could tell. You could be like, man, if these jokes were good, this guy, who boy.
00:22:56
Speaker
You're only as good as the material you're given, right? And so this guy he there's only so much you can do, but he at least, I think... his humor worked better than, a Yakuza leader with butterfly knives did. Yeah. That guy. I called him green shirt through the entire movie.
00:23:18
Speaker
Doughy faced guy. yeah I mean, that guy and that guy comes out and you're like, oh, this guy's going to be fucking awesome. And then soon like five minutes in and you're like, OK, I want him to die spectacularly.
00:23:31
Speaker
As soon as possible. And then he just keeps these at the last one to die, too. like they just Well, they kill him a couple of times, but he just keeps coming back, you know, as is the nature of this forest. Forest of resurrection. Resurrection. Yep. Yep.
00:23:45
Speaker
And they don't really apply, like, the the standard zombie rules don't really apply. Like, I kind of wish Brett were here so, A, he could tell us why this is good, and B, so that he can explain to us whether or not these are actual zombies.
00:24:00
Speaker
I don't know if you know this, Stephen, um but... I may be slightly more. Don't tell Brett, but I may be slightly more of a zombie expert than he is. so Okay. throw Throw some questions at me here. We'll keep this between us. Nobody needs to know.
00:24:18
Speaker
we i mean, I'm sure our listeners won't message him on. Oh, he's not on social media, so perfect. ha We win! I respect Brett, but like I'm Ron Swanson in the Home Depot in this situation.
00:24:36
Speaker
I know exactly what reference you're talking about because that is what I reference every time i i go to church these days. if i'm like If I'm in church and I'm listening to like a pastor preach, I'm just sitting there like Ron Swanson going, I know more than you. Yeah.
00:24:51
Speaker
i Have I told the the story about the time I went to church for like my nephew's dedication? no but gosh, I wish you would. i So my my ex and I drove up to my my sister and brother-in-law lived in northern Indiana.
00:25:06
Speaker
And it was my my first nephew. was his dedication. Up there in Kokomo. Further. it was like Angola. Like way up north. Like way up there. like Like practically like Canada.
00:25:18
Speaker
Karma records. Some crackheads. Oh, I was saying Kokomo, Indiana, not Kokomo. Not the made up Caribbean island Kokomo.
00:25:29
Speaker
I lived in Kokomo for a while. Of course you did. More on that later. We drove up there to see his dedication. And so, of course, my my brother in law is leading worship at this church. So, yeah you know we're you know, it's fine. It's what it is. It's you know, it's it's, you know, acoustic guitar driven worship.
00:25:47
Speaker
And then afterwards, it's like the associate pastors day to preach. And he's, he's up there and he's preaching. And he says, like, he's talking about the early church and the roles of the apostles post the ascension of Jesus.
00:26:03
Speaker
And he goes, and Peter, Peter's like, he's the leader of the apostles. And I can't help myself. I just out loud say, nope. Nope. Just sitting there and i'm like, because he's not. James, the brother of Jesus, is the leader the apostles. I mean, even I know that. couple There are multiple, multiple scriptural accounts that indicate this.
00:26:24
Speaker
But no, let's say Peter is the leader of the ah of the apostles. And literally, just out loud, I go, nope. My ex elbows me so hard in the side. And just, I get the, shut up.
00:26:35
Speaker
the
00:26:38
Speaker
So, yeah. it And I i just, i it just came out. Like, I didn't, i don't even think I realized I said it out loud. I just went, nope. And I don't know how many people, if any, actually heard me. She heard me.
00:26:52
Speaker
But was just like, nope. That's not right. Like... Yeah, well Because again, I know more than you Like, look, dude, you've you've apparently Dedicated your entire life to this You might want to know something about it But, you know, look at the state of the church right now i was going to say, yeah Like, you don't really have to know about it You just know how to have to know how to give it to people Ayo You know what I mean That's what she said that Well, that I was not I was not shooting for an innuendo But I'll take it, I suppose
00:27:26
Speaker
Yeah, damn straight you will. That's what she said. I'll take it. That's what she said. I suppose. I suppose she said that. She did. that's among Among the things that were uttered by this lady. Among other things.
00:27:40
Speaker
That was part of it, yeah. that was That was part of the things that she said, yeah. So how these compare to the one true zombies, a.k.a. Romero zombies, that were... The standard by which all zombies are measured and found wanting. ah The foundation of which was set in the original Night of Living Dead in 1968. As we know, before that, ah zombies were more of a voodoo thing.
00:28:04
Speaker
Yes. um Speaking of zombies as a voodoo thing, please check out a Serpent in the Rainbow. Everyone. With Craven. Yeah. and Bill Pullman. Holy shit. That movie is so grounded and so good.
00:28:17
Speaker
But anyway, these zombies don't seem to be compelled...
00:28:24
Speaker
Yeah.
00:28:28
Speaker
slower much slower because like i noticed that in the cold open they're just standing there like moving centimeters and i don't normally measure by the metric system but centimeters are so much smaller ten inches like i have to say centimeters Because they're barely moving until the plot needs them to.
00:28:50
Speaker
They don't seem to be driven by a hunger for flesh. I don't see them eat any anyone. The only biting that I saw in this movie was a rather vampiric bite by ah one dude after he just completely sexually assaulted that one lady.
00:29:05
Speaker
Makeup lady. Makeup Yakuza lady. about Was that long-haired assassin? I think that may have been long-haired assassin. Yeah, was so was he a... Why did he... And he was like eternal life, and he bit her, and then that didn't really go anywhere, like...
00:29:20
Speaker
And again, i because the the the thing that gives the eternal life is the forest of resurrection, but apparently then also combined with like the blood of the girl... Of the gal.
00:29:32
Speaker
Unless she uses it to resurrect someone else, then it's that person's play Because it can only be... So can she only resurrect? So like how – but then like why did the guy bite that girl and like talk about eternal life? I think he was just – I think that was just like one of his like fetishes, like sick, sick fetishes.
00:29:52
Speaker
I see. What I'm saying is these zombies are more – That's how know he's a bad guy in the year 2000, Tucker. These zombies are more akin to Italian zombies from the 60s and 70s.
00:30:03
Speaker
Stuff like Tomb of the Blind Dead, that whole series. They're just um shuffling corpses with no no clear goal. They only want to eat. They might kill somebody like just for fun.
00:30:14
Speaker
Like the video dead type of zombies. They're just there to cause some ruckus. And luckily, they were all buried with their guns. Right. Because otherwise they'd just be zombies.
00:30:27
Speaker
um But these are gangster zombies, so they all have guns and knives. The... um
00:30:38
Speaker
I forget where I was going with that, but yes. Something about knives and guns with zombies. Knives and guns and zombies. Like, i you you mentioned that they're just moving like so slowly, which is so such a a weird fucking choice, because everyone else in this movie is moving like faster than the speed of sound, it seems like.
00:30:57
Speaker
I had to check a few times to see if I wasn't watching this movie at double speed. I mean, they're just like – one of my favorite ridiculous scenes in this movie, of which there are several, is when the short-haired assassin, the short-haired female assassin, shows up out of nowhere, apropos of nothing, and just starts fighting our prisoner main character guy.
00:31:22
Speaker
And he will like – She'll dodge him and then he'll punch like the air, like 10 times where she was standing. And then she'll move again. And then he'll punch the air where she was standing like 10 more times.
00:31:34
Speaker
And I'm like, dude, you can see her moving. Like, why don't you just like throw a punch the other way? Come on. I did appreciate the choreography at the beginning of that fight because she seemingly comes out of nowhere. And i don't even know where he was going.
00:31:48
Speaker
And they just kind of they kind of size each other up. They don't really talk. They're like, they're not sure if they're going to fight, but they might fight. And like the first five or six attacks that she she makes towards him...
00:32:03
Speaker
He just kind of dodges them like, oh, wait, are we fighting? Are we fighting are we actually fighting? And then he starts hitting her. And like that was just like a tiny little nugget of the movie where i was like, wow, there was like some unsaid shit there. that i And it was the bar is so low at this point.
00:32:18
Speaker
like I was like, oh they're communicating something you know without being completely right in my face with it. It's a very subtle thing. And I appreciated that. That was a point in the movie where i was like, I think this is probably going to be ah part that I talk about for a minute on the podcast because like it's ah it it was a nice little subtle thing.
00:32:41
Speaker
And I appreciated this movie for about 15 seconds. the The way that characters are introduced and dispatched of and reintroduced and re-dispatched of is...
00:32:56
Speaker
Almost whiplash inducing like characters will show up and they'll just like start in your life. Who are you? Where did you come from? We have no explanation for who you are whatsoever.
00:33:08
Speaker
ah But here you are and we're fighting. Why? Because this is an action movie and that's apparently what we do in action movies like. But there's no like background as to who these people are.
00:33:19
Speaker
There's assassins, but who are they with? What are they doing? Why are they after this guy? that my my favorite My favorite side story in this are the cops.
00:33:30
Speaker
Because they are ridiculous. And I found particularly the straight-laced cop who like tries to do the bullet time thing at the end. The master of all martial arts.
00:33:42
Speaker
Yes, I found him hilarious. hilarious Like I thought that was maybe my favorite, like I even better than crazy Yakuza with amulet. I thought that guy was hilarious.
00:33:56
Speaker
I also liked the guy with one hand, how he kept stabbing amulet guy. There he is. That's the guy I'm talking about. That's the guy he was stabbing with his stump. Yeah. He kept doing that. And like, they were just both so surprised.
00:34:09
Speaker
Yeah. And like also filled with glee. Like they were both surprised and astonished. Yeah. And amazed. And another little tiny moment of maybe what this movie could have been if someone had just showed a little restraint.
00:34:25
Speaker
It wouldn't have taken much. that this A little restraint. Shave off 45 minutes. We're good. This movie needed a serious editor. This movie needed a very serious editor to come in and kind of just clean this shit up.
00:34:39
Speaker
Instead, they got Paul Feig.
00:34:43
Speaker
Who just leaves everything in his movies. include every take feed, yes. every Everything that we shot is getting included. Yes. I mean, and if not in the theatrical release, then definitely in the director's cut. The editing room floor is clean. You can eat off of it.
00:35:01
Speaker
Eat off that motherfucker, because nothing is there. Nothing. And that is this movie. Like there are, again, there are things that I think worked really, like the, the, the last showdown with the cop where he's like, your slow bullets won't work on me. And he takes off his tie.
00:35:18
Speaker
And then he like tries to do the bullet thing time thing and trips and ends up getting blown up. Like, I thought he was, I thought he was too fast. Yeah. Because like he does the thing, but then he bounces back up. I thought he was just too fast, and that's even funnier to me.
00:35:34
Speaker
No, I think you might have the right read. He's so fast. He's such a master of all martial arts that he overshot it. That's funny. That your funnier. was too good and bounced back up too quickly and actually got hit by the big bullets.
00:35:50
Speaker
And just get like explodes into millions of pieces. There are gems here. are gems here. Oops. That's right. You're right. No, you're right. Cause he pops up he's like, oops. And boom. Yeah.
00:36:01
Speaker
No, you're right. There are gems here, but they are not worth the price of admission. but And that's it. I think if this movie had been tighter, if it had been cleaned up a little bit, there would really be something here. like i I think the action scenes are really well shot in places.
00:36:18
Speaker
And in some places, like the last scene between the man and the prisoner, I'm just like, that thing dragged... That was like the last half hour of the movie, is that one fight. And I'm just like, we can clean this up. like They're doing these long... like like slow dolly shots or like try it again, trying to emulate the bullet time thing where they're going like around. And I'm just like this, it we're, we're staying on this for like two minutes. Like let's get moving, tighten this shit up and let's go. Let's go. Like, I don't need all that shit. Like let's, let's just book it and move, but no.
00:36:56
Speaker
We're not doing that. Yeah. and And another, speaking of bad writing, um another example of the old trope of you're not powerful enough to beat me until you are.
00:37:08
Speaker
Right. Until you try just a little bit harder. And then I'm not so indestructible. Right. The whole movie I've been saying, you can't, can't get me.
00:37:19
Speaker
Yeah. And then all of a sudden you just try real hard and you got me. Mm-hmm. I mean, in fairness, that's most action movies that's on one level or another. Especially if there's some sort of fantasy element where it's like, a I'm indestructible. Your weapons have no effect on me.
00:37:35
Speaker
Until they do. Because you're a good guy and you tried a little harder. so Until you believe just the right way. You believed in yourself. Just enough.
00:37:47
Speaker
Just enough. I mean, and there you know there's a lot of Highlander in this movie, like the two immortals like across history. Shit, that's very Highlander. There's a lot of Matrix in this movie.
00:38:00
Speaker
Just, you know, without the really effects budget, honestly. and Did I miss something? Philosophical storytelling. Do you remember that when that one guy... Just comes out of nowhere. They're by the water.
00:38:13
Speaker
Guy with sunglasses and like the pink hair. Yeah. It's like he's out of an anime, like a Dragon Ball or red hair. He looks like, yeah, he looks like he's just gone super saying. So they fight and homeboy gets him.
00:38:26
Speaker
Right. And then i seem to remember he took his sunglasses because they made a point of showing him, put them on and adjust them. And then in the very next scene, that guy gets back up.
00:38:42
Speaker
And he ah he has his sunglasses on and he pushes them he pushed him up in the same way that the guy who just killed him and took his sunglasses did. And the other guy, you'd never see him with those sunglasses again. Correct. There's just so many things in this movie that – Well, that like that one's in the film. You might have like looked away for a second or blinked because – I must have. He puts on the glasses and he looks at the girl and she just like shakes her head.
00:39:04
Speaker
And so he takes them off and puts them back on the body. So we're obviously doing the Matrix, but we want to also let you know that we know we're doing that and we're not going to go too far into it. Got it.
00:39:15
Speaker
Because by that point, he is literally wearing exactly what Neo is wearing. He's got the long leather duster. He's got the black shirt, the jean. like He's wearing exactly he is dressed exactly like Neo at that point. So, yeah, that's it's very much like a winky winky. We saw the Matrix 2 winky winky kind of thing.
00:39:33
Speaker
like we already We know you saw The Matrix. yeah We know that you know that we're doing The Matrix. You don't have to, yeah. Yeah. and And because we're putting a button on it, you you know that we know and we're being, this is this is what counts as clever.
00:39:50
Speaker
Steven, this movie is so over the top. It is. That it's like Sylvester Stallone with a stack of backwards hats so high that you can't see the top of it.
00:40:05
Speaker
yeah Yeah, is the hats on hats on hats. Nobody likes a hat on a hat. This is like a mole's worth of hats on a hat. ah You can't even see the top of it. You're like, where does it end?
00:40:16
Speaker
not It stretches all the way to the moon, man. And Stallone's like, hey, I've got to arm wrestle this guy, you know? That's a lot of hats. It's a lot of hats to turn backwards when I go over the top.
00:40:27
Speaker
I've got to drive my son in my truck to a place, teach him to beat that pinball kid.
00:40:34
Speaker
Meet me halfway. oh my God. the sky And over the top reference in our versus episode. I love over the top like that.
00:40:47
Speaker
That movie knows how to be cheesy and silly and over sentimental and do it right. Hmm. the The thing in this movie that made me laugh so hard is that one of the first things that we learn about our main character is that when the the woman is like being held captive by these gangsters, um he says to them, here's the thing, I'm a feminist. And then like kills them to set her free, basically.
00:41:14
Speaker
And then... proceeds to scream at her, tell her to shut up, demand answers, and then whenever she's inconvenient or in the way, knock her out with a single punch.
00:41:26
Speaker
Just just ben from Night of the Living Dead style. Barbara's just like, Barbara's too much. to Bitch, you gotta sleep. Yeah. And he does that to her multiple times in this movie. He does it so many times that she has, it started to resonate and she starts to dodge it.
00:41:45
Speaker
She starts to see it coming. She starts to telegraph it because she does it. He does it so much. There's so much time in the first half of this movie that she just cannot account for because she was like, what about the?
00:41:58
Speaker
Yep. And she's on the ground, on the ground, sleep. Good night. Literally. another And then it walks into the scene. And considering this film, um it's probably, there's probably, I imagine a little bubble coming in and out of her nose because she's asleep.
00:42:15
Speaker
hmm.
00:42:17
Speaker
Like, this is what counts this is what counts for feminism in 2000. Well, to be fair, like, part of... oh man, I'm gonna get myself in trouble.
00:42:27
Speaker
Part of my um feminism that I practice is the fact that, like, I will fight a bitch. Because... Because, but I'm not going to, not, not I mean, i'm look, it's because of equality though. I'm not going to like, be like, oh, this woman's inferior. So I'm going to knock her out. Like that's different kind of, film I'm the kind of feminist where it's like, if you, if, if you're trying to fight, we could fight.
00:42:54
Speaker
Like, I'm not going to not fight you because you're a girl because I'm a feminist.
00:43:00
Speaker
I don't go out knocking. I don't go around knocking bitches out willy nilly though.
00:43:07
Speaker
You're also the kind of feminist that's totally okay with calling women bitches. Oh, but like, I would call a dude a bitch though. I would call a dude a bitch though. it Indeed. Equality.
00:43:19
Speaker
Here is one thing. We might do call each other bitch with some regularity. That's true. That is true. That's true. Yeah. I'm taking it back, guys. I'm taking bitch back.
00:43:31
Speaker
Taking it back. Yeah. but much Much like dude, I'm declaring it non-gendered
00:43:43
Speaker
nomenclature, dude. All right. Well, I bet Bitch. Bitch. You said it, though.
00:43:53
Speaker
i You said bitch, though? i say I said bitch.
00:44:00
Speaker
Oh, Key and Peele. Love those guys. Yeah. Yeah. You know who I think could probably do a decent remake of this movie? Jordan Peele. no no one needs No one needs to remake this movie. This movie needs to stand as... It's a pillar.
00:44:21
Speaker
And there are people walking away from it. And there are people walking towards it. And the people that are walking towards it, I respect...
00:44:33
Speaker
But we're we're probably going to not watch movies together.
00:44:40
Speaker
Probably. They're too far gone. Around about the time when the ah Midnight Meat Train was coming out, the directorial American directorial debut of this film's director, Ryuhei Kitamura, he began talking about an American remake of Versus.
00:44:59
Speaker
um well least then he'd have like like the studio execs like being like in this instance like bring in some execs to be like hey man come on come on man just i mean that's a cool idea but what if you you know you know what would be cooler fader down take the faders a little bit there you go say less spin spin the pot to the left There you go.
00:45:28
Speaker
he He said in 2010, this year, 2010, will be the 10th anniversary of Versus. So I'm thinking of doing something special. The original film means a lot to me and has huge fans all over the world.
00:45:42
Speaker
so i can't think So I can't do anything easy or cheap. I can't guarantee anything in the long run. It's a definite that I'll do a new Versus in the future for sure. That was 2010. That was 15 years fifteen years ago and Okay, so... Go ahead. Yeah.
00:45:59
Speaker
No, I was going to say, he he has been talking about a sequel pretty much since the DVD commentary for this movie, where he said that a sequel would pick up right where the first film ended, which is to say 99 years after the events of this movie.
00:46:15
Speaker
Tail end of the apocalypse. Correct. Yeah. Yeah. ah Very, you know, George Miller-esque kind of thing. um Yeah. And he did say that he had a sequel in development as of May 2013.
00:46:30
Speaker
Again, that's 12 years ago. And it hoped to have it released by 2014. And 11 years after that, nothing so far. Who directs the American remake of this, Stephen? May I suggest Edgar Wright, even though he's not American?
00:46:46
Speaker
Edgar Wright could do this movie. I think he could pull it off. He's got this movie for sure. The similar background and probably the respect for the original to really pull it off.
00:47:00
Speaker
And, you know, despite my people walking towards it, people walking away at come comment from earlier, i could see some people that I respect enjoying this.
00:47:14
Speaker
Hmm.
00:47:17
Speaker
For sure. For sure. For sure. ah There is an ultimate director's cut of this movie that is 10 minutes longer. Give me a director's cut that's shorter. i was going to say, Michael Mann has a couple of those.
00:47:31
Speaker
And that's that's a that's a guy who knows what's up. He sees it and he's like, you know what? Gotta do it my way, even if it's shorter. Speaking of of the Heat 2 script...
00:47:45
Speaker
It's done, dude. It's Read those articles? There's been articles coming out, Steven. No, I haven't. Read articles? um They've not been hitting my feed. um I'm cautiously optimistic for Heat 2, not gonna lie.
00:48:00
Speaker
getting some Adam Driver in that motherfucker? I've heard that i've heard the the novels pretty good. yeah you know I mean, I haven't read it either, but... We got some Michael Mann says he's handed in his Heat 2 script to Warner Brothers.
00:48:15
Speaker
And that is March 30th. So that's yesterday. Yesterday as of the recording of this episode. So I i will go see Heat 2 in theaters for sure. Oh, rob for sure.
00:48:25
Speaker
By myself, but I would be there to see that. I'll go with you, Steven. Hell yeah. So ah Heat, it's not like one of my top anything movies. Oh, Heat in my top five. yeah You can't deny that it is a master class in filmmaking. Like everybody, actors, everybody's on their A-game. Everybody's putting in the work and it comes together beautifully. So I would love...
00:48:50
Speaker
love to see a sequel and that's a movie that is long as fuck but it there's no there's no meat left on the bone at the end no like it's there's no fat on that thing like it is it is a lean fucking film whereas this is it's real fucking tight it couldn't be 20 minutes longer and it would still be tight yes that's that it is a precision piece of clockwork here whereas versus is kind of it's it's long it's overwrought it's sloppy it's doesn't sloppy dude fucking work fuck yeah one of the sloppiest movies i've ever seen in my life sloppy sloppy just nice and sloppy like a sloppy joe yeah dude
00:49:38
Speaker
Like, it yeah, it just, I don't know. It doesn't, it doesn't really work for me. um I, again, i think it's fine. Like, I'm not gonna like give it like a, like a one and a half star or anything like that. Like it's, it's a functional piece of cinema, but it just, it could be so much better.
00:49:57
Speaker
Like, I don't know how you just predicted my rating for this movie, Stephen. But no, i I hate this movie. Not a fan. Totally hate it But also, I get it.
00:50:11
Speaker
i get it. I was 13 once. I get it. I fucking get
Reflections on Film Appreciation Over Time
00:50:15
Speaker
it. I mean, if had I seen this movie the year it came out, I might feel very differently about it. I think that I would appreciate it slightly more.
00:50:27
Speaker
But I still can't see it getting above it two stars. even Even in 2000, I was 18. Yeah, so even at 18, I would have been like, this is cool, but like maybe a little too cool.
00:50:42
Speaker
you know... Too cool for Tukey, maybe. Yeah, like, it's a little much. It's a little much. Yeah, and again, it's it is a picture of excess. it's It's just a young filmmaker just putting it all out there but not knowing enough about filmmaking to know when to call it.
00:51:01
Speaker
Steven, it's like if detention sucked. I was going to say, based on just the number of like genres this movie seemed to operate in, i was i was thinking before I saw it, like I wonder if this is going to be a Japanese detention.
00:51:16
Speaker
And I started watching it i'm like, oh no, it's not at all. This is the movie, Joseph Kahn sees this movie. This is all, I don't know this for real, this is just all my speculation. Joseph Kahn sees this movie, and he's like, oh hell no.
00:51:30
Speaker
Like, I can do that, but make it not suck. Right. That's been basically all of his movies. Have been, like, this kind of gusto, but with just enough restraint and just enough editing skills to make it work.
00:51:48
Speaker
Like, this film makes me appreciate the art form that is film editing. That's who remakes this movie, Steven. That's who directs the remake. versus Joseph Kahn's versus. Oh, there you go. That'd be fun. Coming 2028. watch the fuck out of the absolute fuck out of that season you would you would oh you well of course you're you're gonna be there day one front row for any and all joseph khan give me some ick enough with the festival circuit i can't make it to any of these festivals look they're in their final vfx phase on this version of the film so hopefully that means you know we get a distributor maybe we'll see it before next year
00:52:28
Speaker
Fingers crossed, man. I just really want to see it. I just love Joseph Kahn. I never did ask you, how did you feel about your boy Kyle Mooney's Y2K?
00:52:38
Speaker
Y2K was alright. It was okay. I need to see it again. Because i watched it and the only...
00:52:49
Speaker
Theatrical output that Kyle Mooney has had any big creative hand in was Brigsby Bear, which we're going to do for straight up. And I cannot fucking wait because that movie. Future episode of straight up. breaks Holy shit. That movie is so good.
00:53:02
Speaker
But it's, it's such a different beast than Y2K is. And I think Y2K, as far as creative output by Kyle Mooney goes theatrically, you should have done Y2K first.
00:53:18
Speaker
Okay. Because Brigsby Bear really, like Y2K is a, it's a step down, not because it's bad, but just because it's, it.
00:53:30
Speaker
Like, Brigsby Bear is a movie that really hits every single mark. Like, anybody could watch Brigsby Bear, and as weird and silly and as cringe as it is, you're going to cry at the end.
00:53:44
Speaker
Probably multiple times during the film. um But then Y2K is just kind of a silly throwback horror movie. LOL, we're all having a good time. Which is great. Sure.
00:53:55
Speaker
But to come off Brigsby Bear... Which is a powerful fucking movie. It's the Michael Mann thing where your first movie is Thief. And it's like such a like really well-crafted film that for your next movie to be The Keep feels like kind of a step. Yeah.
00:54:12
Speaker
And The Keep is great. It is great, but in that context, fuck right off. right And it's the same with Y2K. I need to watch it again, so when I saw it in the movie theater, I did like it. like i I appreciated it, but I will appreciate it a lot more once I remove myself from the expectations that Brigsby Bear set.
00:54:34
Speaker
That's fair. So I'm waiting. I was too late to get the VHS version that was putting out. putting out Hmm. That's a bummer. And that seems to be the only physical media version available.
00:54:48
Speaker
Oh, that extra sucks. I'm sorry to hear that. um I'll wait until there's like, I'll wait until collectors realize there's no demand and I can buy one really cheap on eBay.
00:55:02
Speaker
Because right now they're sitting at like 100, 150 bucks. Dude, nobody wants that shit. Like you got that because you thought you were slick. Yeah, I do. But I'm a small, small minority. And it's so weird because that gal that stars in it is so big now.
00:55:17
Speaker
And for the flop so hard. Well, i I don't think there was a... The marketing push on it was fairly small, which I think is a big part of that.
00:55:28
Speaker
And it really depends, though. It was big for me because in social media, my algorithm is tuned in to Kyle Mooney. So I got a lot of shit, and not just from him, but like ads and stuff all over the place.
00:55:45
Speaker
Yeah, well, in fairness, you are the target audience for that movie. I'm the audience. And the more I think about that movie, the more I want to watch it because I am thinking of like how rad some of that shit was. But I was just not able to enjoy it as much because I was like, no, there's like, it's not.
00:56:04
Speaker
Oh, this other movie was like a ah deep, insightful, existential thing. And this is just silly fluff. And like, it's really good, but it's silly fluff. And like, ah. Right. So now I think I think I might watch it soon. I think it's on Mac's.
00:56:19
Speaker
Is it okay? Well, then I'll definitely put it on my list of... Or some such mini streaming. I'll check my app real quick. But yeah, Y2K, it's good, but I have not been able to appreciate it as much as I would like to.
00:56:34
Speaker
I'll tell you, I'm immediately reminded of a movie that I stopped midway this last week, Venom, The Last Dance. Oh, yeah, you were talking about that in the group chat. I can't believe I didn't finish that movie. It's just not...
00:56:49
Speaker
It's not good at all. Not even Tom Hardy. Not even Tom Hardy. If you can believe it. Up to this point, my motto was... doesn't matter how bad it is. If Tom Hardy's there...
00:57:03
Speaker
We're going to be fine. It's going to be okay. But no. Venom Last Dance? o Much like this film, to bring it all back, i was much like this film, it does too much of the thing that worked.
00:57:17
Speaker
that and that two yeah It does too much of the big thing that worked. And not enough of the little things that stitched that all together. Like Michelle Williams.
00:57:28
Speaker
Yes, well, um obviously yes. Obviously. But... So there are a couple of release dates here. I'm going to go with the Japanese release date because the American release date is not until like
00:57:42
Speaker
the movie itself, uh, comes out at the Toronto international fantastic film festival in October of 2000. I'm going to go with the, uh, it opens in Tokyo on September 8th, 2001.
00:57:55
Speaker
So that's the date I'm going with. It does not really get any kind of American box office whatsoever, ah but was released, uh, internationally. and,
00:58:06
Speaker
So I'm going with the the weekend of September 7th, 2001 in the United States. It looks very different, I'm sure, than it does in Japan. In first place, a movie that we will be covering on this podcast one day, The Musketeer.
00:58:23
Speaker
what if Just the one. yeah just Just the one. Normally, we're talking about Musketeers, let's be real here, normally there's two more. But this... Sometimes, sometimes, even three.
00:58:36
Speaker
more And one of them might even be a lady at some times. It depends. But this one? Just the one. Just the one. We'll figure out why one of these days. Maybe. um I've never seen it. Had no desire. But I guess one day I will.
00:58:50
Speaker
You will. yo know I'm not going to give you a choice. um And then in second place, something called Two Can Play It That Game. Y'all know what the fuck that is. And for it to be in second place at any point in cinematic history...
00:59:04
Speaker
It is. It is. um wait It's a romantic comedy. It's a romantic comedy and it is aimed towards African-Americans. Bobby Brown is the second lead of the movie. Just by the title.
00:59:18
Speaker
Oh, I'm good at this. i You've also got Vivica Fox, Kelvin Brown, Zetella Beatty. I do love Vivica Fox though. Oh, absolutely. Anthony Anderson, Gabrielle Union.
00:59:30
Speaker
okay ah Morris, my man, Morris Chestnut. Love that guy. Yeah. um Tamala Jones, like Monique. Speaking of. You know what? there's a white There's a white man in this cast and you know his name, Tucker?
00:59:44
Speaker
Neil Patrick Harris? Ray Wise. Hey, that's even better. Right? I was at... ah So I stay at my sister's house when i I'm in Indy, usually. 99% of the time.
00:59:56
Speaker
And ah my nephew is watching Twin Peaks with my sister and my brother-in-law. Hell yeah. And... um I'm, I mean, I've seen Twin Peaks recently, and honestly, it's, its in the last probably ten years or so, Twin Peaks has very much spiked in popularity to the point to where, like, I'm into it, but I'm not that into it anymore, because it's just everywhere. I don't have to be into it, it's just fucking everywhere.
01:00:24
Speaker
Right. And so I was not participating in this watch-through, but it was the scene where Ray Wise um is mourning his daughter.
01:00:34
Speaker
oh God. You know that fucking scene. I do. It's such a fucking great scene. And within the context of that show, it's fantastic. But when you're in the other room trying to play a video game on your Switch, and that man is wailing...
01:00:51
Speaker
yeah and like It's like, oh my god, is this over? Is it done yet? It is an exercise in the importance of context. is And patience. Twin Peaks as a whole is an exercise in the importance of context. You can't look away. If you look away, it ruins the entire series. You look away for one second, you fucked yourself.
01:01:11
Speaker
Same with this a show. This is why I've never made my... why he puts the glasses back on the dude. This is why I've never recommended Twin Peaks to my roommate because she cannot watch anything without like also being on her foot. She's second screening.
01:01:27
Speaker
Yeah. Which I am very against. That does not support Unless it's like the news, which I hate that fucking show. It's the worst show, and and it keeps getting worse. Right. And if you're like me, which I know I am...
01:01:41
Speaker
It's never, like, outside of the weather,
01:01:46
Speaker
it's not. Right. It's all on the internet. Even the weather's on the internet, man. Like, the news is like, somebody read the internet for, like, five minutes and then, like, expanded that into a half hour of people talking.
01:01:59
Speaker
the The whole Nazi takeover subplot that we've got going on over the past couple seasons, I'm not a fan. Like, I'm not a fan. Not either. Yeah. No. Anyway, what was number three, Stephen?
01:02:10
Speaker
A movie by a very canceled individual. Jeepers Creepers. Less said about that, the better. Moving on. i never I never saw the third one. I heard it wasn't that good.
01:02:21
Speaker
I never saw any of them. And i now I don't. I have a reason not to. i will say, as someone who saw those films before... um you know, the ick.
01:02:32
Speaker
Not Joseph Kahn's the ick, but the IRL ick came out about that person. ah The first one's pretty alright. Justin Long. Pretty alright. It's very original for its time, but still fuck that guy anyway. Number four?
01:02:45
Speaker
Yeah. Mark Wahlberg's rock star? What? No.
01:02:53
Speaker
I worked at the video store when that came out. I worked at Hollywood Video in Carmel when that came out, and I had to watch it. This is why i loved working at Hollywood Video is we were required to watch at least four new releases between when we got them on Wednesday and when they were available to the public on Friday. Yeah.
01:03:16
Speaker
And so, yeah, I've seen motherfucking Rockstar and Jennifer Aniston's in it, and it's not good. It's not good. Yeah. um In in fifth fifth place, a movie that I just purchased on Criterion 4K, it's The Others, ah the Alejandro Amedabar film The Others.
01:03:35
Speaker
Hey, hey, Nicole Kidman. Say hi to your mother for me. Hey. Hey, ghost kids. Wait, no, I'm thinking of the other one.
01:03:47
Speaker
right Is the others the one where she has ghost kids? Or she's the ghost? They're all ghosts. Ah, there it is. Fuck. I saw it when it came out. She's a ghost, the kids are ghosts, everyone's a fucking ghost. The only people that aren't ghosts are the people they think are the ghosts.
01:04:03
Speaker
I was like, what a twist!
01:04:06
Speaker
I was very M. Night Shyamalan-y about that. What a twist! ah Rounding out the top 10, we've got Rush Hour 2 in 6th, American Pie 2 in 7th. Okay. ah Rat Race in 8th.
01:04:18
Speaker
Oh, I remember John Cleese was in that motherfucker. I had to watch that too because I worked at Hollywood. This whole top 10 is that I worked Hollywood Video and had to watch these motherfucking movies for my job. and but They didn't pay me. I didn't get to clock in while I was watching the movies.
01:04:30
Speaker
Then again, I didn't mind watching the movies. Yeah, yeah I didn't figure you would. ah In 9th place. The Video was the shit. Anyway, 9th place, go ahead. The Princess Diaries. yep Oh, fucking Mary Poppins in that motherfucker. Mary Poppins and Fontaine. Yeah. andenstone Sure, sure.
01:04:49
Speaker
yeah with You with the tattoo. i In 10th place, oh O. Oh, Othello. That was the Othello with Julia Stiles and fucking Mekhi Pfeiffer.
01:05:02
Speaker
Yeah. And then I usually don't go to a reference. But I'm going to 11 because 11 is Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Hey, that's I'll tell you, that's look, there are Kevin Smith movies that are watchable and even enjoyable since then and before.
01:05:21
Speaker
But to me, like that and Dogma share the plateau of the Kevin Smith Mountain. Interesting. Yes. i would I would put, see, I'd put Chasing Amy and Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma. That's the trifecta for me. Really? Really? Okay.
01:05:38
Speaker
For me, it's Jay and Silent Bob and Dogma. And then probably Mallrats would come after that. After that, kind of all the Views Universe movies are kind of. Have I ever showed you my autographed Clerks DVD?
01:05:52
Speaker
No, dude. Can you straight up show it to me now? Yes, I can. Hold on. Oh, he has to take all his headphones. I have, you know, I wish that they had put out, there was a big Clerks 10th anniversary DVD a box set that came out. Oh, Steven's coming back.
01:06:07
Speaker
Anyway, it was called Clerks X. Clerks X, I remember that. I wish they'd put that on like 4K because I have the DVD and it's fantastic. I love that it has all the things. it has like new commentaries, has the original ending, which is not great, but it's nice to be able to see that.
01:06:24
Speaker
It has the lost scene that they animated with the Clerks animated series animators. It has the fucking flying car. One of the best. It is the best in universe short.
01:06:35
Speaker
The flying car is fantastic. Yeah, all for the fly card. You wouldn't throw your head over the wall. so When the year Clerks 2 came out, and I forget the year, um it came out in the summer. My birthday is in the summer. 2004? 2005, I'm going to say, for Clerks 2.
01:06:55
Speaker
I was working at Barnes & Noble at the time, and I had the morning off, and the Downtown Comics in downtown Indianapolis had Brian Aholaran and Jeff Anderson promoting Clerks 2 in form. 2006. I mimby when that happened, because I lived in Indianapolis at that time, and I mimbyed.
01:07:14
Speaker
I drove my ass down there before work – before we even knew each other. That would have been wild. and To get my my DVD autographed. So there it is.
01:07:27
Speaker
Jeff Anderson wrote, Jeff Anderson is above Screamingly Funny. But yeah, Jeff Anderson, Brian Aholloran. Jeff Anderson. This is the reason I still have a Clerks DVD. I probably would have sold this a while ago had I not gotten it sold.
01:07:40
Speaker
I never met Jeff Anderson. and That makes me sad. i always loved Jeff Anderson. um ah Dante, though. Brian O'Halloran.
01:07:52
Speaker
I was on a lazy river with him once. Oh, yeah? ah We were in Louisville. I have a picture with him. I used to have an autographed photo, but 99% of my autographed photos outside of the four that exist here, three that exist here on my wall of Alex Winter, William Atherton, and Michael Rooker, um there were dozens.
01:08:17
Speaker
And um I got his autograph and shit, but then, like, it was at a convention in Louisville, And the hotel was one of those hotels that had a water park.
01:08:29
Speaker
And so after the convention, the VIP party was in the water park. And in those days, I was at the VIP parties because I was going to say you were you were hobnobbing with the rich and the famous in those days.
01:08:41
Speaker
I knew people. That's why you're friends with all these famous people that will never be on our podcast. No, because I haven't spoken to them in years. Right. Yeah. Over a decade for most of them.
01:08:54
Speaker
And the only one that I've spoken to within the decade has since passed. Right. So, but anyway, i was at this water park and I was on the lazy river and Brian O'Hallon was there and i straight up but sprayed them with the thingy. There's the thing that you can spray people with on the lazy river, little trap so you can push the button.
01:09:15
Speaker
Yeah. We had a laugh, brief interaction. feel like we really connected. Yeah. no really At one point, I actually did have a picture with Brian Halloran and Jeff Anderson.
01:09:27
Speaker
Oh, where is it? it It was on a digital camera that I cannot find. no ah But they were they both decided to flip off the camera, um which this was back in my when I was a youth pastor days. Cancel that to your parents and or students.
01:09:42
Speaker
Yeah, I can't post that one on Facebook. so So I never ended up posting it anywhere. And then now where I'm at a point where I don't care, i i don't have it anymore. I also at one point had a Clerks 2 poster that they both signed, but I don't know where that is either.
01:09:57
Speaker
What I do have, though, is my autographed Clerks DVD. So hanging on to that. I was simultaneously choked by both Bill Moseley and Kane Hodder.
01:10:10
Speaker
ah sounds like and That sounds like a fun time. That is captured on... There's a picture of that. In fact, Steven, I wonder if we could link to that somehow. Maybe I'll post it on my Instagram.
01:10:23
Speaker
Okay. And then we can link to it in the show notes. I was going to say, if you if you want to just like send it to me, I can post it on the Blue Sky account. And on the Patreon? Yeah.
01:10:35
Speaker
We can make it a Patreon exclusive if you want. No, i don't want it be an exclusive, man. Like those, just the people that are still left that $33 we get a month, like bless those people.
01:10:46
Speaker
God, like I can't imagine like love you making anything exclusive at this point, unless it's like actual, um, Patreon episodes. Uh, but yeah, um, job we did it. We fucking did it, dude. Versus, uh, has a 75% Tomatometer score.
01:11:05
Speaker
ah The critics consensus. Is there a critics consensus for this one? There is not. be Straight up. No, straight up. No, there is not. No. um There is no critics consensus, so we'll move on to the Metacritic score. Oh, wait, there isn't one, so we'll move on to the Letterboxd score.
01:11:21
Speaker
Letterboxd, because I know Letterboxd, and there are some people who really, really like this movie, but then the people who don't, I imagine, are probably going to have some ah LOLs about it. So I'm going to say on Letterboxd, this is going to be in between 3.2 and on money.
01:11:41
Speaker
to three point four right on the money fucking I'm back, baby. I'm back. Took you long enough. Bitch, I'm back. um Bitch. You said bitch, though? I did.
01:11:52
Speaker
you You said it? You said bitch? So i think I think you've already revealed your your score, but out of five stars, Tucker, what are you giving versus...
01:12:05
Speaker
Oh, 1.5. It's a 2.5 for me. So. Really? Yeah. I told you it was fine. It was fine. Yeah. I mean, the good and the bad kind of just kind of go hand in hand. So I can't really, I can't give it more than that. And I don't want to give it less than that. So that's kind of where I am.
01:12:24
Speaker
That's fair. um So, yeah, it's, i i mean, that averages out to a two star rating between the two of us. So there it is. That is it. Friends. friends We did it. We straight up fucking did it. That is the first episode of are Big in Japan 2 colon even bigger theme month. Hopefully we've got a guest next week.
01:12:46
Speaker
I've been trying to get a hold of him and he hasn't gotten back to me. want me to call him? like I'll call that motherfucker. I know you will. I don't know that we need to do that right now. He has a a small child who is probably asleep.
01:12:57
Speaker
I know you don't. got a shit on silent and I'll call him right now.
01:13:02
Speaker
Anyway, um this has been the distant franchise podcast. You can find us on blue sky, YouTube and letterboxd at disenfranch pod.
Listener Engagement and Patreon Updates
01:13:15
Speaker
ah Shoot us an email disenfranch pod at gmail.com. Let us know how we're doing. ah Sign up for the official conversation of the disenfranchised podcast, patreon.com slash disenfranch pod at the free level. You get episodes and get to talk to Tucker and I pretty much on a regular basis. For $5 a month, you get access to tons of behind the scenes footage and episodes and goodness. And maybe even that picture of Tucker.
01:13:39
Speaker
And we, yeah we haven't done anything in a while. um i'm I'm working on that. I have an idea. I'll talk to you about that later, Steven, but um there's still, it's been, i mean, it's been a good year since we've really done anything on the Patreon, but he, despite that,
01:13:56
Speaker
There's still like weeks. Like you could listen to the shit on there for probably a month and you wouldn't run out of shit. No, there' there's shit to be There's shit there.
01:14:07
Speaker
People be shitting. People be shitting. um And mostly us. um You can find us on i did the social media thing already. So. Oh, that's rad.
01:14:20
Speaker
that That is Bill Mosley. That is Kane Hodder. And look there, there in the middle, that is you. was just hanging out with Bill Mosley. Like we were having a chat and Kane Hodder came over and they both choked me. And I don't remember why, you decided to record it for posterity.
01:14:35
Speaker
Well, yeah, we got a photo of it,
Autograph Collecting and Social Media Plugs
01:14:37
Speaker
that's for sure. back and The first Bill Moseley movie I ever saw was Repo the Genetic Opera, which feels like a first Bill Moseley movie to see. You know you know who loves that movie, surprisingly?
01:14:47
Speaker
Who's that? Who doesn't like horror or gore, like completely sensitive to that shit, not a fan? Julie. Julie showed me Repo. Interesting. If you could, but out of all the people to show me all the things, Julie showed me Repo.
01:15:03
Speaker
I've seen Repo one time in theaters. I took an ex-girlfriend of mine. The two of us went to go see Repo. And then afterwards we got like the autographs of like the two guys that wrote the damn thing. The guy that played Grave Robber.
01:15:17
Speaker
And then again, another autograph that I have no idea where the fuck I put it. um But it's around here somewhere. probably in a box. Um, but yeah. And, uh, and the guy who plays the conductor of the opera at the end. Um, but yeah, the, uh, yeah, that's it.
01:15:32
Speaker
Um, oh, I'm Steven Foxworthy. You can find me on a blue sky and letterbox at chewy walrus. Uh, you can find Brett, I think on letterbox at sus underscore warlock. If you should choose to do so, Tucker, where can we find you these days?
01:15:48
Speaker
I'm still kicking around Instagram for the time being. um At Ice909. Also on YouTube at the same handle. That's I-C-E-N-I-N-E, the number zero and the number nine.
01:16:00
Speaker
ah Tuck Mugs is still around. I'm not adding anything to it. I'm trying to move it. It's... Look, realistically, got a lot of life shit going on right now, and that's not going to stop probably until the end of the year.
01:16:12
Speaker
so hopefully sometime this fall and or winter, I'd like to migrate that and start adding to it. So if you haven't, I mean, there's still just like our Patreon, there's a lot of stuff on Tuckbugs. So if you are not following Tuckmuts on Instagram and you're still on Instagram, go and check it out. And then we'll let you know when it has been migrated and where it has migrated to.
01:16:31
Speaker
I might buy a fucking domain. I don't give shit. don't know. I don't know. um i I might buy a domain. Who knows? Who knows? I got savings. Yeah. I haven't paid rent in years.
01:16:42
Speaker
Yeah. Savings. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway. Yeah. Tuck underscore mugs. Instagram. Ice 909 on Instagram and also YouTube. too All right.
01:16:54
Speaker
Sounds
Closing Anecdote
01:16:55
Speaker
good. And that is our episode on 2000s versus. So until next time for my absent co-host, Brett Wright and the very present co-host Tucker, I have been Steven Foxworthy. So until next time, i have the reflexes of a thousand Mike Tysons.
01:17:13
Speaker
Don't mess with me. What dumb fucking thing to say. Oops.
01:17:25
Speaker
Thank