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Lost In The Summer
22 Plays27 days ago
This week, we’re dipping our toes in some fun summer movies. Kings of Summer, Snack Shack, and Wet Hot American Summer. What’s your favorite summer movie? Let us know on IG or Spotify!
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Transcript
Welcome to Camp Lost in the Frame
00:00:13
Speaker
Hello campers and welcome back to camp lost in the frame. I'm camp counselor Malik. I'm camp counselor Tachi. And I'm camp counselor Alex. And it's summer camp.
00:00:30
Speaker
hi guys, how's it going? Going good. i love saying hi to you guys like we haven't been talking for the last 15 minutes. Ask how things are. Things are really bad.
00:00:43
Speaker
You were just lying. ah For real, how are you guys doing?
Summer Movie Excitement
00:00:47
Speaker
Doing good. I'm excited to ah talk about our slate of movies today. We've got a fun slate of summer-loving movies.
00:00:56
Speaker
Not Grease, but I think that would have been a good summer movie. We're go to be discussing Kings of Summer... Snack Shack and Wet Hot American Summer. But first, we're going to dive into some movie news.
00:01:09
Speaker
Or should we dive into our fan mail first? I believe we're actually going to dive into our fan
Fan Mail and Listener Questions
00:01:14
Speaker
mail first. We have um two bits of fan mail that ah came in this week for our last two episodes, respectively. So the first one ah comes from Brittany in Austin. And Brittany asked...
00:01:30
Speaker
um Was Alex's omission of hell or high water in his listing of good modern Westerns because he didn't care for it or did he just forget about it? ah This was in our Eddington episode where I talked about um if Eddington is the best modern Western.
00:01:45
Speaker
um I omitted hell or high water because I thought it took place in like the 80s or 90s. I'm not sure if that's true or not. But I love that movie.
00:01:57
Speaker
I think it's a great movie. And I think it's... If it is yeah like contemporary, then yeah, it's a really good modern Western. There we go. I could be mistaken. But... um Yeah, so then the second bit actually comes from my mom in Rhode Island. And she asked ah is if she asked is she asked if it's clobbering time is some sort of innuendo, and that's why we thought it was so funny.
00:02:25
Speaker
And um it's not an innuendo. It could be. Exactly. It could be an innuendo. Depends on your household and what you're into.
00:02:37
Speaker
Yep. And we don't shame. We don't kink shame.
00:02:42
Speaker
This is my mom we're talking about.
00:02:46
Speaker
I need a
Cinema Etiquette and Social Media Critique
00:02:47
Speaker
vent real quick. I don't know if I brought this up last episode. um But if you're listening to this and you are one of the people that likes to take off their shoes in a movie theater, stop.
00:02:58
Speaker
Did why I talk about this? No. In my showings for Superman and Jurassic World, I was sat next to someone who just had their dogs out the entire movie.
00:03:11
Speaker
All of them? All of them. No socks. Ten toes down standing on business. Straight up. That's so gross. I get that you're comfortable. We love the reclining seats.
00:03:24
Speaker
Put them away. It felt so bad specifically for the Superman the superman showing. The Alamo waiter comes up and he's taking everybody's order.
00:03:35
Speaker
And this guy's already reclined with his ten toes spread. And the guy is leaning. like The lights already came down. The waiter is leaning down to try to get his little pen and paper into the light.
00:03:46
Speaker
And he's like, the guy's foot is basically touching his shoulder. And I'm looking over and I'm just like, oh. Jail. Jail. Put your shoes on.
00:03:58
Speaker
least sock. if If you go to an Alamo in the near future and you see you know no texting, no talking, and no feet, you'll ah you'll know why. I'm going to send strongly worded email to Mr. Alamo.
00:04:14
Speaker
Kill these people if they take out their shoes immediately. um Tachi, you were catching some strays on our TikTok. Did you see? I saw one.
00:04:27
Speaker
Here's the first comment aimed towards you. Okay. The Polar Express is not overrated. It is.
00:04:36
Speaker
It's really ugly to look at. It's nonsensical. And i kind of didn't enjoy it um I'm going to agree with Tachi on the ah ugly to look at bit. it I don't think the animation has aged particularly well.
00:04:53
Speaker
It has not. I've never seen it. Whoa. I'm waiting until Christmas. We're going to get way more hate comments. You should wait another 60 years.
00:05:07
Speaker
It sounds like it's going to be. It shouldn't be in a rush. Age out by that time. Yeah. Here's your second one. Hating Paddington is a death sentence. With multiple likes on this comment.
00:05:21
Speaker
Okay, to be fair. I get it for the second movie. But Paddington 1. That bear does nothing but make that family's life worse and more difficult.
00:05:36
Speaker
Like it's not contributing anything positively. And I stand by that. 10 toes down. 10 toes down. we yeah We actually got a collective hate comment too, which was, i was tickled pink by it.
00:05:50
Speaker
That's the one I was thinking of. Which one? The one that it was. Yeah, the collective one. Is it the one that says, yeah, with these picks, those log numbers def aren't real? Yeah.
00:06:01
Speaker
What does that mean? And you what I have to say to that? Because they're insinuating that, you know, we, that we're lying about our letterbox log stats. because of the movies and characters we picked. And, you know what I have to say to that?
00:06:17
Speaker
Just because I've seen a bunch of French new wave movies
Film Industry Insights and Critiques
00:06:21
Speaker
doesn't mean I think it's that they're better than the empire strikes back. Okay. You can, Oh, well, you know,
00:06:28
Speaker
ah you know jean claude whatever like shut up dude the empire strikes back his peak and i don't care if it's mainstream if something is good because it's gonna be good no matter how many people have seen it agreed yeah like ah i'm sorry you know no country for old men super super watched movie a lot of people have seen them we want to it's super mainstream It's a great movie.
00:06:56
Speaker
I'm not going to pretend like, oh, well, you know, I only like, um you know, Hiroshima Mon Amour because it's, you know, French and it makes me look interesting. Like, no. No, I'm OK with admitting that I find arthouse movies a lot of the times kind of mid.
00:07:13
Speaker
Wow. and Shots fired. Like, um ill I'll never apologize for liking basic things. And that's OK. like a lot of weird stuff. Yeah. But sometimes I'm basic and that's okay.
00:07:27
Speaker
And also these are our favorites. We're not saying what's the best or definitive. Yeah. Yeah. And, and like, I don't think you understand how hard it was to pick the, uh, the favorite movie bit.
00:07:41
Speaker
Um, that one was hard. Like the only reason I even put empire was cause I'm like, well, it's my favorite movie for my favorite franchise. So like that, I guess makes it easy. I wouldn't say it's my favorite movie ever, but
Spider-Man and MCU Discussions
00:07:55
Speaker
it's up there.
00:07:57
Speaker
Mine is the rise of Skywalker. True. Get off. I also like these two. How was World's Fair overrated? Audiences hated it. And then how was Tusk overrated? Everyone hated it.
00:08:12
Speaker
In my mind, I was just like. We're in different circles. This kind of goes against the the other comment of saying with these log numbers, like these death aren't real or whatever.
00:08:23
Speaker
I think that's like the exact opposite. I know plenty of people that love Tusk. I feel like Tusk has almost gotten a resurgence in the last few years, and I don't know why. And I'll respond to the World's Fair criticism as well. Yes, audiences didn't like it, and I still think that's overrating that movie.
00:08:41
Speaker
Well, I disagree with you because I love that movie. I love that comic. We're fighting. Yeah. Stupid. let's ah Let's go over to the movie news because we can't we can't spin our tires on this for an hour. We could. a little funny. Yeah, we could. Easily.
00:08:57
Speaker
But it wass ah it's all it's all fun and games. Spider-Man brand new day teaser. We got first look pics and some behind the scenes action of Spidey swinging through, i think somewhere on the other side of the world meant to look like New York.
00:09:12
Speaker
You guys see the suit? Well, I did see the suit. I saw the suit, did not see the swinging. What do you guys think of the suit so far? I like it. I really like it. Yeah. Where would you rank it for live action Spider-Man suits?
00:09:27
Speaker
I feel like I need to see it in more action. I just... I haven't been super wowed by... um like more Another thing Marvel's put out has put it above like Spider-Man 2 for me, but... Yeah. Do you know what your favorite Spider-Man suit is?
00:09:49
Speaker
like Do you do guys have a favorite? I feel like it's Spider-Man 2. It just reeks of nostalgia. That's a really good suit. Yeah. Probably Spider-Man 1.
00:10:02
Speaker
I didn't even see the second Andrew Garfield Spider-Man. You know, I haven't seen the first Andrew Garfield one. It's not bad. well I've seen the second like three times for some reason.
00:10:15
Speaker
Oh, ah Toby's Venom suit was kind of cool. Toby's Venom suit was cool. Another discussion for another time, so I'm going leave this hanging. Spider-Man 3, overhated.
00:10:27
Speaker
Yes. Agreed. it's um It's kind of crazy to watch it now and be like, this this was what people hated compared to some of the slop that we get today. Like, look at Spider-Man 3 and Ant-Man Quantumania.
00:10:43
Speaker
And then tell me Spider-Man 3 is bad. There's only one I want to look at.
00:10:48
Speaker
I mean, Ant-Man Quantumania doesn't have Eddie Brock praying to the Christian God to kill Peter Parker. He didn't even know that he was Spider-Man. That was just like generational hater energy coming from him.
00:11:03
Speaker
Like, he had... he was just some He was just a co-worker. He was like, dear God, That actually segues perfectly into our next bit of news.
00:11:21
Speaker
ah The Quantumania Spider-Man 3 comparison. Because recently Quentin Tarantino went on a podcast and said that we are in an absolute recession of Quality of movies. And he said it's probably the worst since the 1950s.
00:11:40
Speaker
um I actually, I, for the most part,
Film Critiques: 'War of the Worlds' and 'Snack Shack'
00:11:44
Speaker
agree with him. I think what's coming out that's good is really good. But the overall quality, I think, is going down.
00:11:54
Speaker
um Especially what a lot of mainstream studios are putting out. And... I think there's a movie that came out recently that really exemplifies this.
00:12:05
Speaker
um But I want to hear your guys' thoughts on his statement first. um I mean, I kind of... Sure. Like i kind of see what he's saying. I do feel like just with the advancement of technology and access to filmmaking gear and just filmmaking in general, like we're going to get more quantity over quality. And like, that's what's been happening. Like it was a lot harder for some teenagers in the eighties to go around and make like something kind of decent on not a lot of money. Like kids did it. Like that's how people like got into it.
00:12:39
Speaker
But I think it was a lot harder. Whereas today, a kid could go out and just like film something on their phone, something that's like in their pockets every day. So I just think with the advancement with technology, we've gotten a lot more and things are a lot more accessible, especially in the streaming era. So I agree and I disagree.
00:12:59
Speaker
But on the other hand, there is more access to more, I guess, content to I guess, learn from. So maybe there shouldn't be more slop despite the physical access to making it.
00:13:17
Speaker
Like you think we've got all the knowledge that we've had since filmmaking started and it should be. Should be better, but it's not. Well, I think that's where corporate America kind of ties in. Yeah.
00:13:29
Speaker
Just like late stage capitalism. Yeah. but Malik, is there a movie that comes to mind recently that just, I feel like exemplifies this point? I mean, everything I've seen this year really good. did just watch War of the Worlds, which, I mean, I guess on second thought, that was terrible movie.
00:13:54
Speaker
You know, I actually, ah what a coincidence. I also watched the 2025 War of the Worlds recently with with Ice Cube. um And I thought it was, you know, really after sitting and digesting with it, I thought it was just absolute garbage.
00:14:13
Speaker
if um I was reflecting on it the night after and then I'm just... it had just been on the mind and kind of just like what I was saying with the themes of aliens and Amazon.
00:14:24
Speaker
And i don't know. It just really struck a chord with me. And I was like, this sucked.
00:14:32
Speaker
Um, this was my letterbox review. So if you follow me, sorry for the unoriginal choke, but, um, couple years back, I saw Ice Cube at Austin City Limits, and he um he made a big point like 10 minutes into the set to be like, you think your boy Ice Cube went soft.
00:14:53
Speaker
You think your boy Ice Cube is washed up and old, and he don't got it no more. And then he played straight out of Compton. It was really had a great time.
00:15:05
Speaker
That was a fun show. show But I can confidently say that Ice Cube is soft and washed up after watching War of the Worlds. So this movie was supposed to come out five years ago or was at least filmed five years ago. was filmed during COVID.
00:15:22
Speaker
This entire thing was an Amazon ad.
00:15:26
Speaker
The whole thing. This entire thing was also filmed on a combination of Microsoft Teams, FaceTime, and Zoom. Dude, this movie is so That's nightmare.
00:15:39
Speaker
Tachi, cannot wait for you to watch it on the plane. I can wait. I can wait to watch it. promise you'll have a good time. it's If you're listening and you're debating on whether or not, like, oh, it sounds bad, like I shouldn't watch it.
00:15:53
Speaker
please watch it. Please watch. This is so bad that you, it is your civic duty to watch this movie.
00:16:02
Speaker
But isn't it my civic duty to not support something so horrible? So go pirate it. 123movies.xyz.
00:16:13
Speaker
You have Amazon. I think you you've got Amazon, right? I used to. I'll give you mine. It's free. don't have to go through all that effort.
00:16:24
Speaker
We were saying the worst thing a movie can be is boring. This movie is anything but. okay Is it one of the worst movies I've ever seen? Yes. Is it the worst movie I've ever seen?
00:16:36
Speaker
Yes. Is it one of the best movies I've ever seen? Also, yes. And that that is like 100% the truth.
00:16:47
Speaker
Okay. I'll give it a shot. Just for you guys. Something other you...
New Releases and Industry Challenges
00:16:53
Speaker
i'll go Something else you guys should go watch um or don't is ah the Shelby Oaks trailer. um Did you guys watch it?
00:17:03
Speaker
I'll say watch it. Yeah, I watched it. I watched the first 10 seconds of it, decided i don't want to see the marketing for this movie. Dang it. I did it again. Guys, I can't do it.
00:17:15
Speaker
I don't think I can do it. I don't think I can be one of those guys who doesn't watch the trailers.
00:17:23
Speaker
You're a trailer fiend. i i love, like, I've always loved trailers. Like, they just get me so hype. I forget. I'll say it one day and I'm like, I don't want to watch trailers.
00:17:33
Speaker
And then the next day I see a tweet, new trailer dropped. I go, ooh.
00:17:39
Speaker
No second thoughts. um Yeah, this is Chris Duckman's directorial debut. And if you're not familiar with Chris Duckman, he has been one of the main faces on YouTube movie reviews for years now. I've been watching him for a long time, but I think it's super cool that he's, I mean, he's been planning this for a very long time.
00:17:59
Speaker
I remember, I think he even made like a short about it a few years ago and was trying to get funding for a feature film. And so it's been really cool to see it all happen for him. And for this to come out. It was picked up by neon not that long ago.
00:18:13
Speaker
Um, I'm super excited for him and I think it's going I hope it's going to be really good. That's really cool. Yeah. He did it. He's very near and dear. He did it, Joe. He's also an avid listener of the pod. So shout out Chris, shout out Stuckman.
00:18:29
Speaker
We're to get Stuckmanized. hu
00:18:34
Speaker
um What else do we have in the ah the movie news? ah The Fantastic Four earns $40 million in the film's second domestic weekend, a 66% drop.
00:18:46
Speaker
Fantastic $40 million? People are saying this movie's kind of flopping.
00:18:51
Speaker
Not really. It's just not succeeding. Yeah. i accept I kind of was expecting it to do a lot better, but Superman's kind of... Paving the way.
00:19:03
Speaker
Is the MCU Jover?
00:19:07
Speaker
Because i don't think Thunderbolts broke even. It didn't. No. No.
00:19:16
Speaker
I think we kind of covered this in the last episode, but there's so much riding on doomsday and it still doesn't feel great. And I'm a really avid fan of the MCU and I feel very cautious.
00:19:30
Speaker
Bad cautious, not even optimistic. It's yeah like I'm scared.
00:19:36
Speaker
So they are doing a reboot of the MCU post Secret Wars, I believe. What? yeah Yeah, I saw Kevin Feige in an interview a couple weeks ago talking about that.
00:19:48
Speaker
That is the last thing they should have ever put out. I agree. That's like, that's the MCU's doomsday.
00:20:00
Speaker
Because why does anyone have incentive to watch any of the next movies for the next couple years? so What's the point? i don't think there I don't think there is incentive. I think and think we've been inundated with too much content from Marvel.
00:20:14
Speaker
And I don't think the general audience wants to do the homework. Yeah. So so the legs are just the legs on these releases are just gone. Might be time to hang the cape.
00:20:26
Speaker
Might be. The worst news you've ever heard... Michael Mann's Heat 2 is facing pushback from Warner Brothers over its $170 million dollars budget. They're now exploring a co-financial deal with Apple.
00:20:40
Speaker
Leonardo DiCaprio has spoken to Mann about starring. If he signs on, the project will likely move forward. I want Heat 2 so badly. I do need to read the book that Michael Mann wrote that is the sequel to Heat, and I do wonder how it's going to work with now that Val Kilmer has passed.
00:20:59
Speaker
Yeah, they should give the funding for Heat 2 because Michael Mann deserves it. And that that's all I have to say. Has there been any word of a Heat re-release in theaters? No.
00:21:10
Speaker
Should I just watch it? If you watch it, I want you to come over and we can throw it on the ah the OLED. I just checked it on Letterboxd and Alex has rated it quite highly. Yeah, I've been waiting for a re-release, but I haven't heard anything.
00:21:29
Speaker
I feel like it might get one. And I do think they show it. They do show it in Alamo like randomly. I could look on the app right now as we. Maybe we should do the next news bit while I search this so you guys aren't listening to me typing like an old person.
00:21:43
Speaker
Sure. ah Alien Earth, which or if you're not aware, there is an alien show coming to Hulu. Not sure where it's going to be releasing or when, but it's coming soon.
00:21:55
Speaker
Alien Earth debuts with an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. One, I'm stoked for this. Two, I wanted to read one of the replies under this tweet.
00:22:06
Speaker
At Grok, does Alien Earth prove that horror franchises should embrace legacy instead of reinventing?
00:22:16
Speaker
At Grok, can you shut up?
00:22:20
Speaker
What is this?
00:22:23
Speaker
Grok, what is Alien?
00:22:26
Speaker
It is on Hulu and it airs Tuesday, August 12th. I saw the trailer and looks sick. Grok, what is Hulu? Croc, what's a movie?
00:22:40
Speaker
Oh, I also saw that um Disney or Hulu will be going away and will be completely dissolved into Disney next year. And the standalone Hulu app will be gone. Next up is Cable.
00:22:55
Speaker
We're back. And pirating. we went so bad We went so far back that we're just circling around. I miss the TV guy channel. Oh, yeah. I'll say it. Did you guys know that Pedro Pascal was supposed to be in weapons?
00:23:10
Speaker
Oh, God. Is or was? Was. Okay. Zach Crager says when Pedro Pascal dropped out of weapons, he had to recast the entire movie. Whoa.
00:23:21
Speaker
I couldn't handle Pedro Pascal in weapons. I couldn't either. like Stop, dude. you want to see He's like the MCU of people.
00:23:34
Speaker
He's innocent. We like him. yeah The MCU was innocent until they started shoving 70 movies a year and shows down my throat. Pause.
00:23:45
Speaker
oh Hit play again. I'm clobbering you with content. yeah I'm getting clobbered.
00:23:53
Speaker
ah All right. Shall we? We shall. When is summer over? Is it over in August? ah Technically, it's September. It's like the 20th or the 21st.
00:24:05
Speaker
Grok, when is summer over?
Summer Movies and Nostalgia
00:24:08
Speaker
Beep beep beep. Look it up. Okay, cool. So we picked three movies that we think in a way kind of encapsulate summer. There are plenty of summer movies out there that we all know and love. And so we wanted to choose a specific three and ask the question, are any of these a perfect summer movie?
00:24:27
Speaker
And what does make a perfect summer movie? I'm going to throw that question to you guys. What do you guys think makes a perfect summer movie? Freedom. Hell yeah. I think freedom is a great word. um i think the i think what I think when I think of like a perfect summer movie is is a combination of a couple of things.
00:24:49
Speaker
Um, one, I think like the vibe is very important. So like I think, uh, you know, a movie like a talented Mr. Ripley or purple noon, which is just the talented Mr. Ripley, but French and in the sixties are both really good summer movies because the settings and the vibes that they give.
00:25:09
Speaker
But for like a true summer, summer movie, think Tachi kind of hit the nail on the head with freedom. I mean, what made summer so good when we were growing up was like, you know, you got nothing going on.
00:25:22
Speaker
Okay? You can do anything you want with your friends. There's no school. There's no obligations. It's just like the time to go explore the world and enjoy the heat.
00:25:35
Speaker
Um, you know, growing up for me, that involved like going to the beach a ton. Um, you know, we got older with cars, then it became like, you know, we're driving all over the the state.
00:25:46
Speaker
Um, and you know, When I watch a summer movie, the ones that really resonate with me are the ones that kind of encapsulate this wanderlust feeling and you know kind of strike that chord. It almost made me feel a little bit nostalgic for you know summer when i was a kid because I spent my summer working and...
00:26:11
Speaker
That's about it. So, um, yeah, that was kind of the vibe that I got after watching these three movies. I was like, I'm kind of sad. Like I miss having summer are vacations and having that free time and that, that freedom.
00:26:26
Speaker
I'm wondering, are there are there any summer movies of a group of people in their thirty s that capture that same feeling? Or does that just not exist?
00:26:38
Speaker
Because for one of the movies we have, the cast, they are adults. But they're playing like older teenagers, I think. I'm not sure how old they're supposed counselors supposed to be in Wet Hot American Summer.
00:26:53
Speaker
But are there any like. They were like college age I think. Or age. They referenced it at one point. Any 30 plus year old summer movies. can't think That capture that same feeling.
00:27:03
Speaker
The Hangover? i don't know. We're cooked. Being old sucks. That's what we have to do. Even the name itself is like. Oh. Yeah.
00:27:17
Speaker
Come on.
00:27:21
Speaker
We should make one. I'm down. Tachi, how did you spend your summers when you were a young boy? ah Same way I spent um my my every weekend, which is like gaming.
00:27:34
Speaker
So, I mean, there would be the occasional summer trip, but for the most part, well, I would go outside a lot, actually. When I was young, young, like pre-middle school, I was outside all the time.
00:27:48
Speaker
And then I discovered Halo and my life changed, but that's the point. um But I guess when I do think of summer, I do think of swinging a stick around I don't know, just doing whatever I want in the yard.
00:28:03
Speaker
think of like ding dong ditch. Yeah. Hear the cicadas running around in neighborhoods, scratching your knees. the Ice cream. ice cream Hot dogs. Ice cream trucks, specifically.
00:28:18
Speaker
Running after ice cream trucks after you missed it. Baseball. You guys never did that? Didn't have ice cream trucks. Oh, really? Yeah. I live too far out in the woods.
00:28:29
Speaker
Hmm.
00:28:34
Speaker
We're going to get to our first movie, Kings of Summer. Speaking of woods. Speaking of woods, this movie came out in 2013 and is directed by Jordan Vacht Roberts. The synopsis reads, three teenage friends in the ultimate act of independence decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land.
00:28:53
Speaker
Starring Nick Robinson as Joe, Gabriel Basso as Patrick, Moises Arias as Biagio, Nick Offerman as Frank, and Aaron Moriarty as Kelly. Yeah. This movie was the absolute like embodiment of people showing up on screen. You go, oh my God, that guy.
00:29:14
Speaker
There's a lot of them. Like Alison Brie was in this movie. Yeah. We classify them as club shittos or these just, this is just what they did. i i think this is joe was just what they did. Cause like none of them were big. I think when this movie came out, like none of them were huge actors slash actresses.
00:29:34
Speaker
and We had Alison Brie, Ben, Ben Middleditch. Is that his name? The comedian? Yeah. Lily Reinhart, who had no lines in this. She was just a friend on the site. Thomas Middleditch is his name.
00:29:47
Speaker
um Mark Evan Jackson, Gillian Vigman. Tony. There's also, yeah, there are two actors in this movie that are going to be in our next short review as well, which I didn't realize that our main guy was also in snack shack, snack shack.
'Kings of Summer' Review
00:30:04
Speaker
I was like that guy looks cool guy Hannibal Buress was in this movie oh my god he was the bus driver so was um Buster from Arrested Development yeah Tony Hale and Camille Nanjiani oh my god yeah fun cameos fun cameos um what did you guys think of this movie was this the first time you guys had seen it yes yep this was the first time I'd saw it
00:30:35
Speaker
What do you think, Alex? I liked it. I definitely didn't not like it, but I just kind of liked it. I think that's kind of how I feel, too.
00:30:47
Speaker
I don't remember the first time I had seen it. um I think I liked it a lot more the first time I watched it. This time around was, I mean, it's good and it's pretty funny. Like they've got they've got some pretty good performances all around.
00:30:59
Speaker
Yeah. I don't know. For a coming of age movie, it doesn't really do it for me. And I think coming of age one of my favorite, one of my favorite genres. But I mean, I do like the performances. It is really funny.
00:31:12
Speaker
It's just, it's just a good movie though. What do you think Tachi? I think it's just good as well. And thinking back on it, I'm not really sure if I could really articulate what it's missing.
00:31:25
Speaker
But yeah, it's just good. I think one of the other movies going to talk about, I enjoyed far more. But Kings of Summer, I think, is still definitely something that people should watch.
00:31:37
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, if if if like summer coming-of-age movies are a genre that interests you, this is definitely one to watch. I think to try and articulate what it was missing, I think it was.
00:31:49
Speaker
i hate to bring this up again because I'm um sounding like a broken record on the pod, but I feel like it was kind of missing the sauce. Like it had all of the hallmarks of a great summer movie.
00:32:02
Speaker
You had the, you know, the the three friends, the three amigos. um You had this kind of like, we're going to do our own thing. We're going to on our own way and we're going to make it ourselves.
00:32:15
Speaker
And you have that as like the main plot. You had the girl, you know, the like, I have a crush on her. Can I get with her? You know, how is that going to work?
00:32:26
Speaker
um It had all of it and it had like a great setting, honestly. um I mean, when I was really young, like the woods was place where only imagination ran.
00:32:40
Speaker
Um, you know, there were no like set rules in the woods. yeah It was just my own personal domain, my own little kingdom. And so for this movie, I mean, the woods kind of takes that as its sort of main theme. It's like, you know,
00:32:57
Speaker
The town they all grow up in is that's the town where their parents live. But the woods, that's where they live. That's where they can thrive and they can make their own way. And all of that put together, it just felt like it was.
00:33:12
Speaker
I don't know. i think it like. One thing i that I will say, and it might be a hot take for this one, was I think. Well, I did think that the humor was good. I think that they tried a little too hard to make it like, oh, this is like a funny summer movie. um Like not all of the jokes really landed with me.
00:33:36
Speaker
And I thought like some of the plot points were a little too forced in how they went about it. It just it didn't feel like it had like a natural flow to it. Which is where it kind of lost me.
00:33:49
Speaker
I could agree there. Yeah. i would Yeah. I would say that not every, not every joke really lands. And it's like, it, it does feel like this movie couldn't decide between like having that, that like that childlike wonder wanting to be a comedy and also wanting to be a drama as well. It kind of,
00:34:06
Speaker
just smushed all three together but didn't really flesh any of them out like it felt like the quote-unquote like funniest parts were just like a couple interactions between one of our main characters and a side character like nick offerman's character with with uh with the delivery driver talking about like the wontons or whatever like that's a funny scene but at the end of the day it's like it's not it's not doing it's not doing too much and the movie's not elevating the experience yeah and the movie's kind of comprised of a lot of those moments because i mean the funniest parts of the movie don't add to the experience for me.
00:34:39
Speaker
It kind of just feels like its own, like its own little side thing. While you're talking, Alex, I'm thinking of a similar movie that kind of tackles these themes of wanting to have an escape and like have that wonder and everything like that. And the first movie that came to my mind that I think does deliver on these things that we think this movie are missing is the live action version of where the wild things are.
00:35:04
Speaker
I haven't seen that one. that's i I really enjoy that movie. It's got a great soundtrack. It's got so much heart to it. It kind of feels like this is what that wants to be in a way, like you said, without that sauce.
00:35:18
Speaker
So it's missing the magic. It's missing the magic because... I don't believe our main character's issues of wanting to escape.
00:35:29
Speaker
We kind of see that his relationship with his dad is maybe a little rocky. We later find out that his mom had passed away. We're not sure how much time has passed since that, but obviously since that event happened, him and his dad don't really see eye to eye.
00:35:44
Speaker
But we don't get... A lot of those. We don't get that kind of build up. Into him wanting to to make this escape. And then. With the other friend. The one. ah What is his name? Patrick.
00:35:57
Speaker
His parents are just kind of. kooky nothing nothing's like they're just like funny weird yeah they're just like parent humor and he's like i fucking hate them dude i can't i mean i get it like you're young you're like you know my parents are cheesy they're lame they're losers i'm gonna i'm better than them you know i understood that bit the character that really just didn't strike a chord with me was was biagio it just i wasn't vibing with the humor like it was kind of funny sometimes but not always i can kind of see where you're coming from but i think well i don't know at least for me i guess because i grew up watching him like on hannah montana or something as rico i was just used to him as like a person
00:36:46
Speaker
like I guess to look at an experience and I don't know. I actually, Biagio is like my favorite part of the movie, but I think that's only because of my, uh, my preexisting bias.
00:37:02
Speaker
See, I wasn't really a Disney channel kid growing up, so I didn't really have so much exposure to him. That's fair. What was your guys' channel real quick? Your main channel.
00:37:13
Speaker
I feel like it's 50, 50 between Cartoon Network and Nick.
00:37:17
Speaker
I was like 50-50 Disney and Cartoon Network. would say I was like 60% Cartoon Network, 35%. thirty five percent No, I'm doing that all wrong.
00:37:30
Speaker
45 Cartoon Network, 45 Nick, and then 15 Disney. Does that add up? probably sure probably no it doesn't 45 45 45 10 anyway saying right now i think it was shot better i don't remember being like pleasantly pleased like like the there just wasn't something that was like oh that's really nice know what mean yeah i agree with you even like this like the scene where they're near with like
00:38:02
Speaker
on like the edge of the reservoir, like jumping in like the cover, the cover of this movie is them jumping into the reservoir. And I thought like, Oh, like the scene where that happens is going to be great.
00:38:14
Speaker
And it was literally just the cover. Like when it, when it finally came around, it was like, Oh, like that was just a screen cap from the movie. Okay.
00:38:25
Speaker
um All right. Moving on to the next scene. I, it just feel like it was a little, like a bit of a wasted scenery. Like I'm like, Oh, like, come on, man. Like that was it then. Yeah. How would you guys, um in terms of the summer movie for the criteria that we had put it at all, even if this movie is missing the sauce, I mean, like we were saying, I think this movie does have all of the right ingredients to make a good summer flick, to make a really good coming of age movie.
00:38:54
Speaker
It's just missing that certain something. Just little zhuzh of something. Which is a shame because this has a great cast. I think they all have really good chemistry.
00:39:05
Speaker
It was just almost great. Agreed. The summer that almost was. They're like the the princes of summer, if you will. I will.
'Snack Shack' Review
00:39:16
Speaker
No kings here.
00:39:17
Speaker
Maybe we'll find some kings in our next movie. Perhaps. Perhaps. Alex. Our next movie is 2024 snack shack directed by Adam Riemeyer.
00:39:28
Speaker
If I'm pronouncing that wrong, sorry, Adam. Uh, one summer can change everything. And several the best friends, AJ and Moose decided to run the local pool snack shack after their plan to sell home brewed beer goes down the drain.
00:39:41
Speaker
Things take a turn when they meet Brooke and efforts and effortlessly cool lifeguard who puts their big plans and friendship at risk. Starring, Connor Sherry, Gabriel LaBelle, Mika Abdallah, Nick Robinson ah from Kings of Summer, ah David Costa Beale, and um Jillian Vigman.
00:40:00
Speaker
Also from Kings of Summer. Also from Kings of Summer. I didn't make that connection at all. time Yeah, this movie is a a little bit...
00:40:13
Speaker
I would say it's actually extremely similar to Kings of Summer, except ah there's there's a couple key differences. This one is a bit of a 90s throwback. um And when I say a bit of a 90s throwback, it is a 90s throwback. It takes place in the And...
00:40:28
Speaker
and um it was, this one is super low budget. Doesn't really star anyone you really know or have ever seen in anything with the exception of, uh, Nick and Jillian.
00:40:44
Speaker
Um, and the director has only directed, I believe three feature films up to this point.
00:40:54
Speaker
Uh, the other two being the bunny game, which looks atrocious and dinner in America. um
00:41:03
Speaker
This one was shot, like I said, but it came out in 2004. It was takes place in the 90s in Nebraska City. shot twenty four Shot on location in Nebraska City, Nebraska, because that is the director's hometown.
00:41:20
Speaker
And this film, the whole premise of it was based on his boyhood experience of operating the Steinhardt Park pool snack shack. pool snackshack um in nebraska city and if i'm not mistaken the uh steinhardt pool or steinhardt park pool is the uh pool where they do all the principal filming for the snack shack that's so cool let me double check that's awesome steinhardt park um past you guys what was your thoughts on this movie
00:41:59
Speaker
This movie came out last year. i don't remember where it came from, where the buzz was coming from, if it was maybe just like a suggestion I saw on TikTok or on Twitter or anything like that, but I rewatched it today.
00:42:13
Speaker
watched it for the first time last year. Everything that we said the quote-unquote issue was with Kings of Summer, Snack Shack excels at it. The movie's beautifully shot, the cast has great chemistry, it's got a tight script, it's funny, it's heartfelt, you feel the emotions and you you care about these characters so early into into the film.
00:42:38
Speaker
Right off the first scene, we understand the dynamic between AJ and Moose. They're not really your average 14, 15-year-olds. they've got They've got this drive to them, whether that be a positive or a negative, and it depends on who you ask, whether you're asking them or you're asking their parents.
00:42:57
Speaker
But you get their relationship. You feel like these two have been lifelong friends, and you care about what they' what they're up to. Because at the end of the day, like a lot of these...
00:43:08
Speaker
summer movies and coming of age movies like they're they're what i would classify as like hangout movies there's not a whole lot going on the plot's not complicated we basically are just seeing these two have their summer vacation and the hijinks that they get into and it's honestly probably a lot harder to get an audience to care about something like that that's so simple but for this like entire runtime I just like I'm so invested in these characters and this story I love this movie this movie's great Tachi for sure i think just to bounce off of what you were saying
00:43:46
Speaker
about I guess how things are established like the character motivations are so clear and they you just buy into it so easily so that that's really nice because yeah like I wasn't getting that feeling when I was watching Kings of Summer so I don't know just I guess the beginning of a movie can guess establish how the rest of it will feel and it was pretty consistent and that goes a long way for me this movie is very very consistent like yeah like you're saying like off the jump like we like we get it we're in it and like we're locked into it
00:44:26
Speaker
And during while all of this is happening, we're getting to know some of these other characters like coming in. And I think we'll get to it a little bit later, but like for the emotional stakes that this movie sets up, that kind of just comes out of nowhere. Like it really hits you and you really feel it because like, like I feel like, I feel like I'm the third friend almost with a, like with a Jane Moose.
00:44:48
Speaker
And so when these things happen, The payoff is is very much there, which I think is a very hard thing to do. This movie is very cliche.
00:45:01
Speaker
You have seen almost every single plot point in this movie at least 10 times. You can probably predict the movie as you go through it. Like, I mean, it's it's kind of that cliche.
00:45:16
Speaker
This movie has no right being as good as it is.
00:45:23
Speaker
Like you said, literally from the opening scene when they're at like the racetrack, I'm bought in. I'm locked in. I am watching them end their school year and just like go off and be their own person in the summer in Nebraska City, Nebraska.
00:45:44
Speaker
um It was the actual pool, by the way. like Before I go do my thing, before I go on this rant, I they did shoot it at like the real pool that this guy worked at.
00:45:56
Speaker
So, very um, very cool. They just go live their life in the summer and in this, you know, small middle American town that just feels like it it feels so real.
00:46:10
Speaker
So lived in, um, um, you know it's It's a movie that you want to live in, too. That's, I think, the best way that I can describe it. like This movie feels like eating hot dogs at a cookout on the 4th of July, and you know maybe your dad or mom lets you have a sip of beer for like the first time like real quick, no one notices. That's what this movie's like, okay?
00:46:36
Speaker
um If you're listening and you think you should watch Snack Shack, you should, because Snack Shack... is the definition of what America should be, okay?
00:46:47
Speaker
This movie makes me feel robbed of a life that I am not allowed to live, and I actually think it radicalized
00:46:59
Speaker
Wow.
00:47:02
Speaker
So I like the movie. You've given all my thoughts. This movie does, it makes me feel nostalgic for a life I did not have. This is my number five movie from 2024. It was in my top 10 for sure.
00:47:15
Speaker
I don't know where it sits. Same. Gabriel LaBelle. I love this dude. I loved all of them. i loved I loved all of them. i the Nick Robinson in this movie was the standout for me, though.
00:47:30
Speaker
he Every time he is on the screen, he absolutely kills it. I wanted to be his friend. I wanted to be him. He's so cool.
00:47:40
Speaker
He is so cool. He was a really cool guy. I'm not going to lie. Coming back from desert storm, drive it around small town USA your old brick nose truck. Just live in life like you're the absolute king. mean, come on.
00:48:01
Speaker
And it was so believable. his His confidence, his charisma was really, really great. All of it. Yeah. His like relationship with AJ too is just oh like so real.
00:48:13
Speaker
The like between the scenes with, with Shane and AJ, like I almost felt like, like I was AJ gaining, gaining this wisdom from this, from this older guy. He's, I mean, he's probably, that's only like a five year difference between them. But like when you're at that, like impressionable age that AJ is at, like Shane is like God to you.
00:48:36
Speaker
And like he's who you're looking, who's he's who you're looking up to. Like AJ looks at his dad and he just rolls his eyes kind of like how we're singing kings Kings of Summer. Like you're not really look at that age, like youre not looking to your parents like that. But like Shane is just the neighborhood kid who did all this awesome stuff and is just like so wise beyond his years and such like a role model that you just like aspire to be him.
00:49:00
Speaker
Great chemistry between the cast. Incredible chemistry. Have you seen um the director's dinner in America? haven't. Have you?
00:49:11
Speaker
i have. Oh, what? Yeah, is that? Um, it's the movie he made before snack shack. It's, it actually also blew up on tech talk a little bit, like both of his like real movies because the, the other one, the, the, the bunny game, I just, I, I can't even think what that would be.
00:49:33
Speaker
Um, but did, um, but Dinner America also blew up as well. And I think that's what this guy's style is going to be because Dinner America, I think, was very similar to Snack Shack thematically.
00:49:49
Speaker
I personally didn't think it pulled it off quite as well. um i like Snack Shack more because I didn't really think either of the main performances were great. i might get hate for that because people love this movie.
00:50:03
Speaker
I think it's worth the watch. but What makes me think that this could be kind of ah Adam Riemire's kind of fastball is ah the next movie that at least that Letterboxd has him making is called um Elegy for an American Dream.
00:50:26
Speaker
Is there a synopsis? No, there's absolutely nothing other than it's directed by Mr. Adam Riemire. Do we think this will be quote-unquote period piece set back in the day? Because kind of sounds like, I don't know how Dinner in America was, but like he can really, at least from Snack Shack, like he can really capture he captures nostalgia very well.
00:50:47
Speaker
Dinner in America, I think, was a little more contemporary, if I remember it right. I also watched it when I was sick one day, so You know dont know how it would be.
00:50:59
Speaker
But I mean, if Snack Shack is anything, I think, or if Snack Shack is anything to go by, i think that yeah know Adam really understands at least the vibes aspect we were talking about, or what what makes a summer movie like a summer movie, because ultimately...
00:51:16
Speaker
like Before I went into my snack shack psychosis, I had said, um you know this movie has done absolutely nothing that you haven't seen before. and like It's true. It really is.
00:51:27
Speaker
But the way that it's put all together, it almost feels fresh. like Even though you kind of know like what's about to happen, you still get like excited when it happens.
00:51:39
Speaker
And that's... And
00:51:43
Speaker
and i think that's a... that's a real testament to like this script. Um, something else that I wanted to bring up was there's a trope in this movie that I actually hate. And it's like the best friends, you know, kind of butting heads at each other.
00:51:57
Speaker
Over a girl? but Yeah, and and and then, but, well, I mean, not necessarily like over a girl, but then it's like, you know, like, we're not friends anymore. And then it's like, okay, fine, we'll start talking again. i think this movie does it, like, they mend that gap very naturally.
00:52:13
Speaker
And I think it's just done so well. Yeah, probably one of the best I've ever seen in a movie with this trope, because I hate that trope. We can get into the scene and kind of what leads leads up to that um to give some additional context. No? We should not. No, I don't think we should.
00:52:31
Speaker
No spoiler conversation if someone has seen it. Yeah, because I think there's a lot of people listening who may have not seen this movie, and I want them to watch this movie without context of I'm talking about.
00:52:43
Speaker
I'll try to say the moment that I think that tropes bridge connects and works without spoiling it, but it is a look on Gabriel LeBelle's face.
00:52:55
Speaker
Yep, that's the one. That's That destroys me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's the one. It is even on a rewatch.
00:53:08
Speaker
It got me again. It got me. i could i I could watch this movie every summer and it will still probably get me. And you know what I'm probably going to watch this movie every summer. This is the holdover summer equivalent. Literally. literally this is yeah This is my summer holdovers. I think that's a perfect way to put it.
00:53:26
Speaker
I also want to shout out. I love a late title drop in a movie. And we don't get the title drop for this until 15, 20 minutes in. Love it. same love it the the soundtrack for this movie is really well done too yeah i think the needle drops are all really well done very tasteful very tasteful even the uh the knockoff cover for um age of consent by new order it still worked perfect like sure you couldn't get the licensing to the real song but you made it work and i was stoked in
00:54:02
Speaker
This is for Connor Sherry and Gabriel LaBelle's agent. Get them booked and busy, please. Yes. Gabriel LaBelle has only been in a like a handful of movies. I've seen him in this, The Fablemans, and Saturday Night.
00:54:18
Speaker
He is excellent in this. He is stellar in The Fablemans. And he's really good in Saturday Night.
00:54:27
Speaker
Connor Sherry's been in nothing. No, I haven't. This is all I've seen him in. He was in Happy Gilmore 2, which I guess I need to watch. Sick. Gabriel was my favorite.
00:54:39
Speaker
Favorite star of the show. The only thing that's a little unbelievable. These kids are 14. Gabriel Bell's ripped.
00:54:48
Speaker
Like absolutely. Yolked for sure. It made me feel bad. I did look like that at 14, though, so I could relate. Oh, you did? Shut up. For sure.
00:55:00
Speaker
Yeah.
00:55:02
Speaker
It also kind of makes me want to not go back in time, but maybe just have like this passion project to work towards and and really want to thrive and succeed. and I don't know.
00:55:17
Speaker
I think just having like a little snack shop type of thing is so alluring. I get what you mean.
00:55:28
Speaker
I had one summer where... the culmination of something that I had been going for for quite some time came to fruition. If you guys know me, like, I mean, you'll, well, you actually, you didn't know me when it happened. So, um, but it was this, this trip I went on and I'm sure you've heard me talk about it before, but I mean, that's what this movie made me think of that, that summer. because that was the best summer of my life, even though it was 2020.
00:55:57
Speaker
Um, it was just, I accomplished something that I had thought about for, for quite some time. And, Like it is it's still a happy place that I go to when things aren't great.
00:56:09
Speaker
Yeah. I still think about that summer and the feeling it gave me. And then I think about this movie because it gave me a similar feeling. Well, it made me nostalgic for that feeling. Yeah.
00:56:20
Speaker
Yeah, I think like like walking like walking out of this movie, you do leave feeling hopeful. like i feel like it Billions must hope. I just feel like I've got like a better like outlook on life and just seize the day, you know?
00:56:38
Speaker
the The American dream is still out there. That's what this movie makes me feel like. This is it. it It unironically is like if America felt like Snack Shack, it would be just perfect.
00:56:51
Speaker
god I wish probably did in the fifties for white people.
00:56:58
Speaker
That's why they're pissed at me. all makes sense. It all makes sense.
00:57:07
Speaker
I, I do wonder though, if we're going to see, um, a larger glut of like nineties nostalgia movies starting to come out. I think so. I'm okay with it.
00:57:17
Speaker
If they all feel like snack shack, I'm okay with it. There's one that's been on my list that I need to watch. Didi. I liked Didi. Yeah. I liked it a lot. Didi was, I think also in my 2024 top 10. Yeah.
00:57:31
Speaker
yeah I missed that one, but I do, I do still want to watch it. Um, you guys want to rate this one? Did we rate Kings summer? No, no. Okay. Let's retroactively rate Kings of summer.
00:57:44
Speaker
Sure. Three out of five. Three out of five. What did I give it? i don't even remember. i want to say I gave it a three and half out of five.
00:57:59
Speaker
I actually did give it a three and a half, but, and I felt that, but then I watched snack again and it just, it gave me that feeling. It like filled the gap.
00:58:10
Speaker
So sorry to say ah Kings of you got knocked down. I feel like I might have to give things of summer a three out of five. Yeah. Six out of ten. Snack check just makes you realize what kings of summer was missing.
00:58:23
Speaker
Yeah. Like if you watch kings of summer and then that's it, you're gonna be like, okay, yeah, cool. So he didn't know what this but the potential was. Yeah. Double featuring these will alter that viewpoint.
00:58:35
Speaker
I think it did.
00:58:39
Speaker
What do we give snack check? I'm in between a four and a 4.5 because like you said, we've seen, like you have seen this movie before.
00:58:50
Speaker
It is predictable. This movie is not reinventing the wheel by any means, but the way it executes on it just gives you that feeling of nostalgia, hope.
00:59:06
Speaker
And childlike whimsy. Well said. I think I will give Snack Shack 4 out of 5. Because 4 out of 4.5 is like basically a perfect movie.
00:59:20
Speaker
Yeah. I don't think it's quite there. But it's so rewatchable. And it's such a fun time. I'll think like that's like the most solid 4. Yeah.
00:59:31
Speaker
i I think I'm leaning that too. Because as much as like I love this movie like It doesn't, it hasn't, like, yeah, it's just, i don't know, it has it hasn't quite gone into four and a half, nine out of ten territory.
00:59:45
Speaker
I think next year when I watch it, it will. Like, I will slowly just MKUltra myself into giving this movie a ten out of ten. Love it. Let's move on to our final summer movie, Wet Hot American Summer.
00:59:59
Speaker
Tachi, did you watch it?
'Wet Hot American Summer' Review
01:00:00
Speaker
Nope. Bye.
01:00:17
Speaker
He just logged off. Oh, that's so good. um For those of you unaware of our ever moving schedule. We had originally scheduled to do this episode like three weeks ago yeah and ended up kicking it for Eddington.
01:00:35
Speaker
um So I had watched all of these movies like three weeks ago. Oh, you did? at At least. I actually saw Kings of Summer in June. damn. So I'm going off the dome for all my notes.
01:00:47
Speaker
um But I watched Snack Shack and I watched Wet Hot like three weeks ago. Okay. um We've...
01:00:57
Speaker
We had like three weeks to plan this one. It was our most disorganized episode ever. It was. It was a little a little messy. Tachi's getting ready to go on a trip to Chicago, and so he had to and some errands to run. So this was planned.
01:01:14
Speaker
Oh, I think we executed it pretty well. Wet, hot, American summer This movie came out in 2001, directed by David Wayne. ah There's a sponsored ad in my way of the synopsis.
01:01:28
Speaker
set on the Set on the last day of camp in the hot summer of 1981, a group of counselors try to complete their unfinished business before the day ends.
01:01:39
Speaker
And this is starring... Everybody. Everybody. A plethora of comedians. um Was this the first time you had seen it? Yes, it was. Okay. I don't know how deep we can get into this movie because it's really not.
01:01:55
Speaker
But I'm curious, what what did you think? um so I liked it. I made a mistake, though, with watching this movie. okay I wasn't in the right mindset for it. and I'm going freely admit this because I was completely expecting it to be like a Snack Shack type movie.
01:02:12
Speaker
ah It was not that. And so I was disappointed. But I still like if we were to watch this movie like together and like have a couple of drinks or something and like maybe cuddle on the couch a little bit. Oh, I would think this movie is probably way better than my initial impression.
01:02:30
Speaker
That's totally fair. I think, yeah, if you come into this really not knowing, then you might be in for a surprise. So if you haven't seen this and you're planning to watch it, just expect this movie is kind of.
01:02:43
Speaker
The love child of like SNL and I think you should leave. This movie is stupid. It's so dumb. this is This is a movie of bits.
01:02:54
Speaker
It is one long bit with 47 bits sprinkled throughout the entire thing. Making fun of um like almost, I would say, like a scared like a scary movie the way scary movie parodies horror movies. This is almost parodying the summer genre.
01:03:10
Speaker
Talking about all those familiar tropes that we have and more. and so Just be prepared for the dumbest movie we've ever seen. But I think it is really funny. gen Yeah, it's not not here not good the way War of the World is good, but like a good funny movie.
01:03:27
Speaker
There are a lot of moments in this movie that just flat out like caught me off guard. And I won't I won't say exactly what they were. I don't want to like spoil the joke for you guys. But there's just like a few scenes that just go way beyond like what you would expect to happen.
01:03:44
Speaker
um And it is it is absolutely like it's it's just like. it's I gotta watch it with people, man. I gotta watch it again. i agree.
01:03:56
Speaker
This movie flopped. Did it? Hard. The estimated budget is $5 million. want you to guess what the gross worldwide was. $800,000. $295,000. made $17,000 opening weekend in 2001.
01:04:10
Speaker
two hundred and ninety five thousand dollars it made seventeen thousand dollars opening weekend in two thousand one How? I feel like 2001, this movie would do numbers.
01:04:22
Speaker
You would think, right? Like it it, I mean, maybe because I'm looking at it like retroactively, like look at all these stars, like these SNL alumni. Yes. Like it, but I don't know like if any of those people were draws in 2001 because I was like three.
01:04:39
Speaker
um I don't think they were. And also 9-11 it happened. that's all I was thinking about. No, this came out in July. It was a couple months before. oh So I think around that time, like our SNL alumni were more in the terms of like Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, like that gang, Tina Fey and all of them.
01:04:57
Speaker
There are some SNL cast members in this one that came a little bit later, maybe shortly after this time. But like, yeah, I would agree with you. I don't think these comedians maybe had the pull that they do now. I mean, this has Paul Rudd.
01:05:11
Speaker
Bradley Cooper. This was Bradley Cooper's film debut. Really? Mm-hmm. There's a couple other people whose film debut this was. Michael Ian Black. I've seen him in a couple things. Bradley Cooper's hilarious in this movie. Bradley Cooper's really good. Elizabeth Banks is in here.
01:05:26
Speaker
love Elizabeth Banks. Joe Latruglio, who's from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Amy Poehler. So, like, you've got some stars here, but maybe, yeah, maybe they just didn't have... that pulled maybe this movie was too early they weren't we weren't ready for it yet because i feel like i mean if you look back at like similar comedies to this like bill murray meatballs um rodney dangerfield like back to school like very kind of similar vibing movies that all were like pretty popular in their time i i actually can't speak for meatballs i'm just assuming it was popular because bill murray was like the guy yeah um
01:05:59
Speaker
But like I know back to school with Rodney Dangerfield was popular. Rodney Dangerfield was also a way bigger pull at the time than anyone in the cast was um at the point of this debut. But like to me, I feel like the early 2000s was kind of the the great resurgence of like the comedy movie.
01:06:17
Speaker
Yeah. I feel like if you look back at, you know, the best comedies, a lot of them were maybe like 80s, 90s, like 2000s. I think really 2010 was about when it started to fall off a little bit.
01:06:31
Speaker
And so I'm really surprised to hear this movie did that bad. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, i think, and this is why I'll say it. So there is a Netflix show for Wet Hot American Summer. I'm not sure if you're aware.
01:06:46
Speaker
I am. Yeah. it came Okay. It came out in 2020. So this just has me thinking like this movie must have had some type of like cult resurgence to get Netflix's attention to make a season of a show. And so what the show is...
01:06:59
Speaker
They brought a lot of the main cast back, and the show is actually a prequel to Wet Hot American Summer. So the actors are older, and they're playing even younger versions of themselves. I haven't seen the show since 2020 when it came out, and I had never heard of Wet Hot American Summer.
01:07:14
Speaker
I remember just seeing the trailer for the new Netflix show, watch that, and then watch the movie. I remember really liking the show, and it's very similar humor. it It definitely had a cult following because i think partly as these names started to blow up, people started finding it.
01:07:30
Speaker
Yeah. and they're like, oh, this is actually like a pretty good movie because i had known about this movie before first day of camp came out. I don't remember where or how, but I did. Like, I think I'm pretty sure Wet Hot American Summer has been buried on my IMD or had been buried on my IMDb watch list for like.
01:07:50
Speaker
Like since I made the thing. It's like, ah oh, this is a comedy that I should watch. Yeah. Because it was on like some... It was probably on some list somewhere on some like, you know, IGN or something.
01:08:03
Speaker
That's the only thing I can think of because I i had known of this movie. This wasn't... this I'm really surprised to hear that because when I...
01:08:12
Speaker
whichever one of us suggested to throw it on the the docket for this episode, I was like, oh yeah, like finally get around to watching that. I feel like everybody's seen it. Yeah. You know, but like I guess not. One of my favorite performances is Christopher Maloney.
01:08:26
Speaker
He was from and Order, right? Something like that. Yeah. Yeah. One of those those shows. Yeah. One of those shows. I'm sure this is pre those days, but he his character's name is Gene. He's the cafeteria cook.
01:08:38
Speaker
yeah He was so um funny. One of my favorite scenes that I want to shout out is ah Victor Camarino, the guy with the afro. When he's just driving in the van and singing.
01:08:52
Speaker
i don't know. It's just the way that the movie is edited. like a lot of like I would say 90% of these jokes like really land for me, but he's just singing. He's not a care for in the world. it's just, oh, fuck. And then he crashes into a tree.
01:09:03
Speaker
like It came out of nowhere, and then we move on.
01:09:08
Speaker
There are so many of those. like this is like This is my kind of humor. The yeah yeah, it really was because like the there were so many scenes where it's like when when you realize what's happening, you're like, oh, my God, like stop.
01:09:24
Speaker
Like the right at the start of the movie where ah Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks are making out and the kid drowns.
01:09:32
Speaker
I wanted to read a couple of the trivia facts here. In 2011, Paul Rudd told Entertainment Weekly that he was literally not sure he ever got paid for this movie. He thinks that because the budget and the production staff were both so incredibly small, they may have just overlooked making a checkout for his salary.
01:09:50
Speaker
Here's another fun one. The owners of Camp Tawanda, where the movie was filmed, were told that this was going to be a family comedy. They were mortified when they saw the final cut of the film. That's incredible.
01:10:02
Speaker
to To go back to Paul Rudd, though, I mean, let's be real. Getting to hang out with Elizabeth Banks is payment enough. I think he had a good time. he I think he was perfectly fine with what happened. i There are so many stories of, like, pulling the wool over someone's eyes with, like, a ah comedy movie.
01:10:25
Speaker
It is one of my favorite tropes for, like, movie trivia. Yeah. It's like this person didn't know would be portrayed like this. It's like, yeah, what'd you expect, dude? Like, like it's in the writing.
01:10:38
Speaker
It's right there. um This one I thought was interesting. The shooting script included a dark comedy scene where careless counselor Andy murders a camper in order to cover up the many drowning or other deaths that occurred due to his negligence.
01:10:55
Speaker
i thought I thought it was pretty much implied that he like murdered a kid anyway. Yeah. i saw a letterboxd review for this. That was just Paul Rudd kill count three.
01:11:11
Speaker
Literally me. um To close this one off, I've got some alternate or rejected titles for the movie from the director and co-writer Michael Showalter and David Wayne. You want hear some of these rejected titles?
01:11:25
Speaker
Oh, absolutely. um Let's see here. There are like 50 here, so I'm just going to pick and choose some. American Love Bunk.
01:11:35
Speaker
That was terrible. Ankle Bites, the movie. Don't know what that means. Boner Camp.
01:11:44
Speaker
Boners and Clits. Josh Boner Camp. ah Camp Home Sucks. Oh, this one's bad. Camp Masturbate Each Other.
01:11:58
Speaker
Doodoo. yeah
01:12:09
Speaker
morning wood slow dance boner like d double oh yeah and taco meat drips on nipples too
01:12:35
Speaker
Repeat that, please. Taco meat drips on nipples, too.
01:12:43
Speaker
We skipped the first one.
01:12:55
Speaker
You've got get me.
01:13:00
Speaker
There are so many more. I'm glad none of these worked. You gotta keep reading. What's another one? Hot kids in shorts? That's just awful.
01:13:13
Speaker
S'more, don't stop. That one's actually not bad. Wet hot beds. Wet hot beds. Wet hot beds. And then, leave this as the last one, butt camp.
01:13:31
Speaker
Ugh.
01:13:34
Speaker
Maturing is um realizing that toilet humor isn't funny and then maturing into an actual mature adult is realizing that toilet humor absolutely rocks. What is I've seen so many memes. It's like the like the graph. It goes like the cur the bell the bell curve.
01:13:49
Speaker
It really is. Things always just come back around to what we originally thought was cool. What we thought was funny. Hey, babe, do you want to go on a date to Taco Me trips on nipples to? Yeah.
01:14:01
Speaker
I think if that was the title, this movie might have cleared 50,000 globally.
01:14:09
Speaker
i think if that was the title, this movie wouldn't have ever been released. That would have been it. This would have been lost media. there's ah There's a universe where it gets released as taco meat drips on nipples too, and then 9-11 doesn't happen.
01:14:24
Speaker
Oh my God. I think they need to re-release this movie to a wider audience. Yeah. People need to know. I recommend this movie. If you go into it, know that it's stupid.
01:14:34
Speaker
Watch it with some friends. Have a couple drinks. Turn off your brain and just have a chuckle or two. I agree. Would you classify this a good summer movie?
01:14:46
Speaker
No. I wouldn't. Because it's... it's it like I almost think the antithesis of what we were going for in this challenge. I think so, too. It took what we know and just smacked it.
01:15:02
Speaker
I watched Kings of Summer and I was like, that's good. That was fun. I watched Snack Check. you know Mind was blown, was radicalized. you know We're back, but we need to actually get back.
01:15:13
Speaker
Then I watched this and I was like... like on my knees crying and throwing up because i didn't get my third like summer movie. I guess I might just have to rewatch everybody wants some or something like if that is a great end of summer movie.
01:15:30
Speaker
There we go. Thank you so much for
Episode Wrap-Up and Tease for Next Episode
01:15:33
Speaker
listening. um This was a disorganized mess, but we had a lot of fun filming this one. I did have fun with this episode. If you're still here, next week's episode is going to be a double feature. But we won't tell you what. Oh, I was literally about to say it.
01:15:51
Speaker
No, we won't tell you what. um You're going have to go in blind to that one. so Maybe we'll tease it on our Instagram. Follow us there and on TikTok, Lost in the Frame, on all your socials.
01:16:03
Speaker
we're We're actually starting to like post things now. So um hopefully we're going to get big time. That would be fun. Big time rush. ah ah ah oh Thank you so much for listening. Have a great night, day, week, weekend.
01:16:19
Speaker
you in the next one. Bye. Bye.