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Top 10 Movies of 2024

These Guys Got Juice
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Today on These Guys Got Juice, the guys are closing the book on 2024 (for now) by bringing you their Top 10 Movies of 2024!

Listen to the guys reminisce about this great year of movies, celebrate the ones they loved, and maybe even toss some shade at ones they don't favor!

Nick's Top 10:

  1. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
  2. Strange Darling
  3. Wicked
  4. Ghostlight
  5. Anora
  6. Babygirl
  7. The Substance
  8. Challengers
  9. KNEECAP
  10. The Bikeriders

Doug's Top 10:

  1. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
  2. A Different Man
  3. Red Rooms
  4. I Saw The TV Glow
  5. The Beast
  6. Evil Does Not Exist
  7. The Order
  8. Conclave
  9. Longlegs
  10. Problemista

See you in 2025 with reviews of Nosferatu, The Brutalist and The Damned! As well as commentaries on Jingle All The Way, No Country For Old Men, and Malignant!

Transcript

Introduction & Theme Announcement

00:00:18
Speaker
I'm Doug Davenport. I'm Nick Ewers. And we're the status attitudes. This is our top 10 movies of 2024.

Humorous Time Travel Discussion

00:00:29
Speaker
but gra ray ah We didn't have a song prepared. What's a New Year's song? It's 2025 right now, guys. It's New Year's Day. Crazy that the numbers keep going up. like What's next, 2026? Yeah, I wish they went backwards. Oh, damn it. Didn't they used to go backwards? Wasn't that the deal in BC times? ah They went backwards. and and then i think Let's go back to those times. Let's go backwards. Let's anticipate the end.
00:00:57
Speaker
Entropy was ah inverted for them too. So they literally went backwards. It was like a Tenet full-on situation. and Hell yeah. Ooh, man. But I'm excited. Oh, right. Tenet didn't come out this year. Hold on. I got to change my top tenet. No, I'm kidding. Yeah. I didn't. I read i can distinctly know what's ah not this from this year watch and what's I mean, that would be an interesting episode if we just talked like favorite first watches of the year and because i feel like i was debating i wanted to bring that up but i forgot because there's a lot of very like interesting movies i saw this year like sorcerer and yeah and yeah i mean if we want to dedicate like a

Future Episode Ideas & Guest Appearance

00:01:39
Speaker
segment or a thing to that because like i i think i think we we should i mean this this year 2020 or 2024 right it's not this year anymore maybe 2025 will fucking suck for movies
00:01:50
Speaker
No, but 2024 was fucking ruled. Uh, so we want do want to give it it's, it's, it's due and, but and go through, but like, I would like to talk about like, just like first walk. Cause like, yeah, I feel like was sorcerer, just also the starting point of view, like.
00:02:05
Speaker
You like got into freaking and that was like getting into like more seventies movies. It was. Yeah. And that kind of defined a good chunk of, uh, my year. Actually I looked at my, uh, all time, um, section on letterbox and, uh, the seventies jumped up to my second highest rated year, like because of this year, actually. So it's pretty sweet. We should put that like on the list, like coming up with a top 10 first time watches of 2024.
00:02:35
Speaker
I would I would enjoy doing that in maybe sometime this week sometime this week. ah I mean, maybe inside baseball, figuring this out on mic, but if there's a guest we could get who a lot of my first time watches were with her, you know, like was was with Zoe, you know, like we wanted to have Zoe on to talk for top first watches. Let's do it. I'm done. I'm done for that. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. So we'll get that on the books. So if you're listening and we know that you are.
00:03:06
Speaker
Yeah, you're committed to ah another podcast appearance on these guys got juice. It's it's legally binding. So yeah, what you doing and you owe us money now. That's how are you owe us money. Yeah, for every podcast appearance. It's just it's racking up. but You got to get pain.
00:03:24
Speaker
Yeah, please pay your overdue bill. Yeah. But you were saying like this has been a great year for fucking movies that I was trying to remember back, maybe Tom Cruise brought him back. He did it. He didn't even have one this year. We did it. I know. Top Gun. wo It just it just feels like Top Gun's legacy looms so large that even years, two years afterwards that we're still feeling the victory lap of him bringing

Theater Attendance Post-COVID

00:03:51
Speaker
movies back.
00:03:51
Speaker
I will say I was talking about this with my friend Megan. Shout out to Megan if you're listening. um And she was crediting um the success of like this year, like how great it felt going back to the movies as like I said, going back like I just, she credited this year and how good it felt going to the movies ah to Barbenheimer.
00:04:14
Speaker
Oh. And the hype that built. And I hadn't thought about that, but I was like, is there some lingering like Barbenheimer? like I mean, popcorn buckets might have been it. That was the new Barbenheimer. Yeah, because Barbenheimer was interesting in that people who didn't normally come out to the theaters for, because I feel like especially post COVID,
00:04:35
Speaker
There's, yeah, there's the freaks like you and me who are rushing to get back into the theaters. But then there's like the the stages of of other people, like maybe the people who see like a couple of Marvel movies a year, they showed up for those movies. Barely, though. Sometimes not even. I saw Shang-Chi opening Friday. It was me and one other person in that theater.
00:04:56
Speaker
Yeah, like Spider-Man made money because it's Spider-Man, but like other stuff that was coming out around that time, even when things were opening back up, it wasn't guaranteed that people were gonna come. And I feel like even now to this year, some people really haven't gone back to the theaters and maybe just more like, they're like, when's it gonna be at home? Cause it's gonna be available to watch at home pretty soon. But like more people were brought out by Barbenheimer And and i was there a movie this year that like the people who don't normally go to the movies like came out for? I feel like Wicked maybe. Wicked wicked was like a cultural moment. Yeah. ah Joker 2 was a cultural moment. Joker 2. I'm looking at the list of movies that came out this year. I think Wicked would have really been the one Dune I think might have got some people out. Dune Part 2. I think so. That was pretty big. Because in that that had the momentum of like
00:05:53
Speaker
It has this cultural legacy, but now also people who are just fans of Villeneuve's Dune, you know, like, like they saw part one in their like, let's fucking go. Yeah. Godzilla, X-Kong, Inside Out 2, Deadpool and Wolverine. Those were all pretty successful. Honestly, Deadpool, Wolverine, people who have maybe not been to a theater in five years. I'm sure you got a couple of people from that. They're like, oh, you huge, huge.
00:06:20
Speaker
Huge, jacked man is back. People were like, I haven't been to the movies since Rise of Skywalker, you know? Which might be some people, because COVID was like not too long after the Star Wars caused COVID. Rise of Skywalker caused COVID. Thanks, JJ.
00:06:39
Speaker
changing but uh what's it called yeah this has been i've been saying it like all year which is weird because i don't think this year started off too strong it took us a little while to get to do in part two like a big heavy hitter that was like and then after last thing and people at people's like number one like spot right but like it It

Movie Diversity & Industry Trends

00:07:01
Speaker
took a little while but even then like I wasn't still feeling like it was too great but once we hit the summer maybe a little bit before summer it like took off and I've been saying like it does feel like the first year. Like of normalcy at the movies since covid happens since two thousand nineteen.
00:07:21
Speaker
And it feels like the most like people are diversity of kind. I don't mean like the actual like, oh, there's women or or black people aid in the movie movies. I mean like diversity of like genres and kind of movies because I feel like directors too. Yeah. Yeah. that It's just like, which I want. I want there to be like a healthy ecosystem of like you can still have the blockbusters, but then I want movies of all sizes made by all the different kinds of filmmakers to be coming out and be able to be seen. I feel like we had more of that this year than we had for a while. Like that the the that was kind of back in a way. I mean, I'm not saying like all Hollywood and dressing Mr. Hollywood right now,
00:08:11
Speaker
get get get your house in order. No, I mean, there's obviously still some industry things that I would wag my finger at. I'm still waiting for mid budget comedies to actually come back. I mean,
00:08:23
Speaker
They didn't even give fucking Hitman a theatrical release, but that's more of a Netflix thing. That's a Netflix issue. And it keeps getting worse. Netflix just buying up from these festivals and like kind of just dumping them. I get actively sad when Netflix buys something because I'm like, okay, I'll be able to see it, but at what cost?
00:08:44
Speaker
One thing I i was like thinking about, too, is this was a pretty good year for ah women leads. I kind of was noticing that putting together my top 10. Eight of my 10 are all like female-led movies, which is pretty... like Different like a nice like change of pace ah and it's not something i like intended on but i mean we got movies like long legs cuckoo furiosa strange darling anora baby girl challengers my old ass i saw the tv glow.
00:09:17
Speaker
Yeah, and I would say not exclusively because of but 2024 is also a strong year for like, there's so much horror on my female at home. I was like for my top basically top 40 or like the first half of my top list of the ah movies of the year, it's, it's kind of like half horror almost. It's like a lot of really solid horror movies and horror often, you know, that's where Final Girl comes from, you know, like that did they have female leads. So i I know there were movies that weren't horror that had female leads outside of that, but like that, I mean, I just wanted to shout out that like Good Year for Horror.

Original Stories vs. Sequels

00:10:00
Speaker
Yeah. And even yeah, I must just went straight to like horror for more female leads, but like love lies bleeding. That's another one. sound yeah ah The front room that's more horror, but you got any more 2024 takes outside of um ah being a good year for multiple reasons. I mean, we'll go through and we get to the individual ones like about the year.
00:10:24
Speaker
Oh, fucking too many women. That's actually your thing. Yeah, it was like i I brought up the diversity to decry it. I'm like, why is there this much? No, I mean, my main complaints would just be aren't even specific to this year, just more.
00:10:40
Speaker
like I want more original stories in original movies and I feel like that we don't know how good we have it sometimes that when we have like I saw people even for something like Longlegs which has like clear inspirations be like oh well they just did like Sansa Lambs and X-Files and some Twin Peaks or something but it's like okay but it's still an original story like that that's ah So it's the difference between something being inspired by something and then it just being another iteration of this franchise or like this IP. And I feel like they not that there weren't good, I can't, oh, again, no, there was actually one great example of like a good, good sequel or continuation of a franchise, but like a lot of not great, uh,
00:11:35
Speaker
A couple of them at least were Legacy sequels and I didn't love those. Yeah, I don't think I have any sequels at all really like too close to my top 10 even. Yeah, and I even. Aside from like Dune, spoilers for right now, Dune part two is in my top 10.
00:11:54
Speaker
it's It's not in mine either, ah but I still really enjoyed it. That was a theatrical experience this year that I'm going to treasure. and i like pretty much will always rebo like If I'm flipping through HBO on my parents' place and it's on, I'm like, okay, I'm watching Dune 2 now because it's it's a very watchable, great of blockbuster. but like i yeah It just didn't make the 10 just because this is a stacked year. so like such a strong yeah i was like I looked at my top 10, not to cut you off, but I was like, it I'm just so confident in my 10. I didn't struggle like at all. Did you struggle? I struggled just because of how much I liked almost every, not everything, but like my top ah half of my, you know, the movies I've seen this year, I was saying up Mike are like a lot of four and a half to five stars. Like really until you get to,
00:12:54
Speaker
like maybe 33 or of maybe 30 is when you get to four stars and then you have like a couple rows of that and then we start getting lower to like the threes and the 3.5s and stuff like that but there were so many just like for me which were like instant classics and like yeah movies I love and will continue to cherish I think that's my whole top 10 right there where you just said like instant classics for me. That's why I don't think I struggled. I was like, I've just never felt more sure of like a top 10. Like there are some that are left off where I'm like, fuck, they deserve a spot. But I've got, there's nothing on there where I'm like, it, I wish there was something else, you know, I wish I saw more to fill up like this spot. Like, I mean, there's still stuff I want to see that I didn't get to. And also we just.
00:13:48
Speaker
have the disadvantage of, you know, we're not New York or l LA, so we don't get, like, brutalists. I'm still waiting. Yes. Also, last show, girl. There's a there's a couple things are still, I don't know if, when or

Challenges in Movie Distribution

00:14:01
Speaker
if Nickel Boys is going to be playing. Yeah. I saw a trailer for Nickel Boys yesterday. So I was like,
00:14:07
Speaker
Nickel Boys, The Brutalist, The Last Showgirl. Are those all A24? I'm not too sure. A24 is Brutalist for sure. I don't know if Last Showgirl. I just feel like A24, I like the kind of movies they put out, but like sometimes they're really weird about distribution for theatrical releases. And then I know from friends and listeners in other countries that they're like,
00:14:38
Speaker
Like by the time something's coming out on demand from a 24 it might not have come out in the UK or Ireland yet like theatrically like like that's like how weird the release cycle is and it's like especially in an internet age like you're fucking yourself over because then people are just gonna pirate the one if it's already out they're online they're just gonna watch it if you don't put like put it in the theaters like let them see it like i don't i don't really get why you would make it less accessible
00:15:12
Speaker
Yeah, everything. The release schedule towards the end of the year for like neon was pretty weird too, but I don't know. Is that movies trying to like ah inflate their like prestige of like, and I'm not even saying that like as a stains against the movies themselves, but more like the distributors and marketers are trying to like kind of announce, be like, this is an important movie. and like Look how hard it is to see. you know like like I heard recently that it's it's all a money thing and these movies not making as much money as they used to. The big prestige movies kind of losing money by getting wider releases. I think it's a way to just stop any kind of like money loss from happening.
00:15:59
Speaker
the only of like the shortlist I've seen for like what's gonna maybe be nominated just based on like other not you know we've the globes have been announced of what they are never nominated other awards things but the main like prestige movie of the season that actually was the most accessible and actually did fairly well for that kind of movie, I feel like was Conclave, right? Like Conclave was like performing like, like people were talking about it who are aren't even on the bandwidth of the those kind of movies of like, have you heard about Conclave? Like, I kind of want to see what's up with those. What's up with that Pope? Like, Yeah, Conclave ah I would put in that category and then I don't know if you could put we live in time. I wouldn't say it's prestige, but I feel like it was released around awards time. yeah Like, you know, there it felt like there was an awards attempt behind that. And I think that made money.
00:16:57
Speaker
I think there was an energy of like, well, these, they both have been nominated, right? Separately. Yeah. I think they have. And it was like, well, now we have them together in a movie and it's going to be powerful and moving and you're going to cry. They're going to cry. Yeah. We'll have a cry about it. And then once the tears are dried, there'll be nominations. Right. You know, so I pen out that way. Yeah. where I feel like kind of ate its award spotlight a little bit.
00:17:26
Speaker
And like, were people not counting on Inora? Cause it's, I mean, Sean Baker stuff has been nominated before. Yeah. Again, I heard from what I heard, I think it's just a money thing. These studios are afraid to invest. Yeah. I mean, I feel like.
00:17:44
Speaker
They should just understand that there are audiences for those movies of other sizes that they just have. Especially in Chicago. Put it out here in Chicago. Why? Why not? We're not even saying like in every theater in the suburb, we'll go to the city. Put it in one theater and we'll we'll make it happen. We'll go see it and we'll review it.
00:18:06
Speaker
i't I don't even

Top 10 Movies of 2024 Teaser

00:18:07
Speaker
go to the Alamo draft house. i'll go everybody i can't see it I'll go there for whatever, you know, I don't care. Should we hop into our top 10 though? Yeah. So do, should we just go like one by one and kind of and just like say, say a little thing about, uh,
00:18:23
Speaker
the movie and what it means to us? Yeah, we'll start with 10 and work our way to 10. Oh, okay. We're going to start 10. Okay. Start at 10, work our way to one. Okay, I like that. Doug and I don't know each other's list, but yeah, I feel like we'll find some surprises, but yeah, whatever conversation comes up about it, whatever we want to say, we'll get it out there. We might sprinkle some clips from some friends of the podcast throughout this episode too of movies they really want to talk about.
00:18:54
Speaker
And we'll try to keep it spoiler light, I guess, if you haven't seen any of these movies. I'm not going to like straight up just spoil things from the end of the movie. But for some of these, at least in the top 10, I will be talking about the premise of the movie. So like if that's like you want to go completely blind, I'll I'll maybe, you know, for certain ones, like give a a ah ah Heads up, but like yeah if it's on the poster and like is the known premise of the movie like in trailers like that's I'll refer to things in reference to that But I'm not gonna like be intentionally but like man that ending where everyone died. That was crazy. Yeah, I Know I'm of you're talking about too, by the way, I mean Nora
00:19:45
Speaker
who's aorra but Shit, that wasn't- You know, when everybody died, it was a bloodbath. Spoilers for Inora. I can't believe she killed them all. Yeah. But yeah, aside from premise, if we do spoil anything, we'll probably prompt it with spoilers. and But um yeah, if you don't want to know the premise, just skip like a minute or two once you hear the title of the movie. But um you want to start with your

Review: Problemista

00:20:11
Speaker
number 10?
00:20:11
Speaker
okay i'll start it off um this was kind of a late edition i had heard of it um i haven't i'm not really a follower of like Julio Torres's like comedy or like his other like i know he has a show on hbo los spookies which i've heard is is is pretty good i might have to check it out but like i had just heard Uh, from, from certain people heard good things about this movie, specifically one performance in it. Uh, and it's, it's probably the movie's problem. Meast, uh, it's, it's, uh, it's available to stream on max. Uh, when did you see this? Like last night. Okay. I've like almost watched this. My cousin Eli, I think, uh, had really enjoyed it.
00:21:01
Speaker
i've I was like instantly like, I think it's in this top five, maybe this, this, this really spoke to me. And, you know, I tried to keep things more on the positive side of critique, but this is almost like what I wanted something like megalopolis to be in terms of like, there's just limit unbridled creativity.
00:21:23
Speaker
and like creativity in a way where it's like even if you can see there are budgetary restraints that that's not like holding the movie back whereas Megalopolis feels like OK, envision the future and and what the this pre-collapse society is like. And it's like, I don't know, they have some togas. you know like like that that That's the extent of your visual like idea for what's the city of a future? I don't know, some likes walkways that move on their own. Yeah, airport walkways. Whereas problemista is so visually written visually and
00:21:59
Speaker
ah Auraly rich because the soundtrack is great. There's honestly like moments in it that reminded me of us or like horror movies because there's moments where it's not a horror movie but like where the character is freaked out by a Situation and the music ranches even has like that kind of chanting that's in horror movies. It's like
00:22:22
Speaker
like an us Yeah, like like that kind of thing, but it's played for a scene for when Tilda Swenton is asking Julio Torres if he knows how to use FileMaker Pro, which he doesn't know how to use. And there's a continuing joke that's like that that's supposed to be like like the only difference between FileMaker Pro and Google Sheets is that FileMaker Pro costs money.
00:22:44
Speaker
and is like harder to use. like He's like, I know how to use Google Sheets, but I i don't know FileMaker Pro. And then anytime FileMaker Pro comes up, like because it's like, this haunting thing that he lied and said he knew how to do. And it's just a moving story. ah you know he's He's playing a character whose work visa is like his ah ability to to stay in this country is directly tied to him being employed and like him being sponsored by an employer and in order to pursue his dream, which is, I mean, this isn't a spoiler because it's like the beginning prologue. He wants to design toys, but they're like really specific toys that it'll be like a Furby or some kind of or like a brat style that's like taking a selfie, but it's like
00:23:37
Speaker
an awkward it's like a selfie of like a wart on themselves that's like like it's like really specific things or or a snake a snake in a can but the snake feels bad that it scared you but it was the only way it could escape like like toys that are just doing the normal toy thing, but now have this like weird emotional context to it. He wants to make toys like that. And so he's like trying to maintain a job so he can stay in the US. But because of like the visual style of this movie, they realized that through like he makes the now at first, you think it's an analogy where he's like,
00:24:13
Speaker
Yeah, there's like a ticking clock if you're unemployed in America until you like have to go back. But then they literalize that so ah for like you see that there's a room with all these hourglasses with a clock on them. And then when the moment that when he's in between jobs and hasn't been sponsored yet, the we keep cutting back to the clock is ticking and the sand is like running out. It's like a visual representation. But visual representation but then also, I think we're meant to take literal within the world of the story because he sees other like ah people here in the country on work visas and when their thing is up and they they have to leave, they literally just vanish, like like that they've been teleported back to wherever they came from. It's like that they just instantly vanish when when the clock runs out. And I thought that's like so cool and creative to like visualize these ideas. these I mean, not ideas, because it's stuff that real people have to have to deal with, but like it's not something that
00:25:11
Speaker
some people like even even me who's sympathetic to the plight of like immigration and ah how hard it is to even like yeah make it it's so hard to make it here even if you were born here like imagine doing that without that advantage but like uh even even someone like me who's sympathetic to that i'm not thinking about the ins and outs and logistics of like a work visa and like what that even means to like someone someone's security of like where they live is like based on just employment and how crazy that that having a system working like that is. And like, so being able to visually represent a visually represented in these like creative ways, I thought was really cool. And it's, it's like a pretty moving story in parts. Oh, and the one last thing, till the Swenon till Swenon is fucking knocks it out of the park. Like I thought,
00:26:05
Speaker
that it was maybe gonna be more of a cameo role, but she's like in the movie, like that there, it's like a two-hander almost that like, she's in so much of the movie with him and her character is, I mean, I'm not gonna spoil it, but she's ah she's like a grating person in real life if like,
00:26:25
Speaker
almost like the representation of I want to talk to the manager ah but then the movie portrays that as like okay well actually what if you know they are being annoying but like they're actually like really this this is like a sad person you know like they're like fully round out the like they're not just doing stock characters for like we know this stereotype um but Yeah, i've I've gone on for so long just because I just watched it and I was like just struck by how great and creative it was. I know you're like setting me up for it. I'm like, I don't know if I have that much to say about my 10. I'm not going to talk this much about all my 10. Some of them, i the ones that I guess- I was like, should I have prepared more for this episode? oh I was like getting stressed out. No, I didn't prepare shit. so
00:27:17
Speaker
no like damn dog really thought how and he was again is said I did not that that's just because it's just fright the the emotional impact is just fresh in my mind so i'm I'm just translating that I'm just offloading it from my brain yeah I think I have more fresh movies I'll probably have more to say about as we get through the list the ones that are newer on the list. Yeah, definitely. Because there is another one on here that I will will not go on forever, but about but like, I that mean, probably the just because I saw it recently, and there was such ah an emotional impact that I'm like, okay, well, I have to say something about this one. Yeah, I have i have a more recent watch to that I think I'll have more to say about. um But do you have anything else to say about ah your number 10?
00:28:04
Speaker
It's on max, problemista. Yeah, problemista. That's cool. That caught me off guard. That's a good start. I like it. Hell yeah. Setting the bar high. It's only downhill from here. No, this is, i' I'm excited to to go through this. What's your 10?

Review: The Bike Riders

00:28:20
Speaker
My number 10 is the bike riders. Hell yeah.
00:28:25
Speaker
Yeah, this is a movie where I just rewatched it recently and I wasn't even like fully like paying attention to it because I was kind of sick a little bit and I was working on something else and but just having it on in the background even I was just like I kept having to stop what I was doing occasionally to just pay attention to it. um I have bike riders at 18 for me, and but again, that's not for like dislike of it. It's just because this year is so fucking sad. Yeah, I know an 18 for you, especially in this year is like probably like at least like minimum four stars, I'd assume.
00:29:00
Speaker
I honestly, I was four and a half initially, but i I I should show it to my parents. I feel like there's nothing. should yeah There's nothing like offensive. There's one kind of intense scene. Yes. But that's like, you know, you build up to that and that's later in the movie. Yeah. But this is like it's directed by Jeff Nichols, a director who dont I think I've been OK with before he did Take Shelter, but starring Jodie Comer and like Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer and Austin Butler are playing just this like lovable couple where you get to watch them but just just basically their story unfold. You know, I know it's like told through the perspective of um
00:29:46
Speaker
This bike riding club in the Midwest and like it has the storyteller, like ah and this guy's writing a book element too. But at the end of the day, it's about Jody Comer and it's about Austin Butler and just how lovely they are together, how much you just enjoy hanging out with these people. The whole cast is great. like yeah I mean, Hardy, um but like everyone in the club is pretty much, even if it's not an actor that i I'm like a fan of, it's like someone I recognize. They're like a character actor of like, oh, this guy, he's been in shows. and like Mr. Walking Dead, Dean Norris, is that his name?
00:30:24
Speaker
No, I know who you're talking about, but it's not Dean Norris that also got his name. I'm not too sure I know who Dean Norris is now that I say the name. Dean Norris is Hank from Breaking Bad. Okay. Yeah. I don't remember who fucking he's Hank or the guy who famously posted yeah sex gifts on his Twitter when he was searching for sex. Jesus.
00:30:46
Speaker
Yeah, Daryl from The Walking Dead, basically. He's in it, though. Oh, I completely forgot when he pops up in it. I think i think he just heard him. Should I cut that out? Is that a spoiler? i People probably know by now. Yeah. It's not even like it's a plot point. Sorry for the listeners, but this is a movie that like just welcomes you in and pretty easily. it's like I like to throw this around, but it's like just a nice warm bowl of soup. oh yeah' just It's a lovely movie. I think was my number one for a pretty long time at the beginning of the year. It was just one right when I saw it. It really worked for me. I was expecting to hate it. I thought the trailer looked bad. kind of I know people who really like don't love this movie. i think
00:31:32
Speaker
my love for it is a bit stronger than most. I think some people wanted the movie in the trailer because it doesn't, from what I remember the trailer, the trailer is playing like the Rolling Stones and it's kind of edited to almost look like a Scorsese move. It's like. heart bright woman It just seemed kind of cheesy and like lame. It seemed kind of try hard a little bit from the trailer, but watching it, I was like, it just. ah a lovely little movie that I find really comforting and it worked for me in the theater, it worked for me on rewatch. I really enjoy our review that we did of it and I encourage anyone if you haven't checked it out like go see this if you're looking for just a nice a nice movie and like a nice comfort movie. Here's how I would have marketed because for people like me who enjoy, I mean, I enjoy like good performances of any kind, but I specifically love when an actor commits to a voice and is like doing a like just like good fun accent work, which is like, even though these these characters are all theoretically from the same place or the same area that like no, none of their voices like sound the same, yeah which is great. Great, though. the Kind of the nature of the Midwest, I feel like. Yeah, you kind of just you kind of just glom to the center. And then, yeah. Dumb question. Ohio, a part of the Midwest, right? I would say so. yeah Yeah. I went to Cleveland one time. Just I had a different accent than the people there. Then people there were like, you're from Chicago. I was like, I didn't realize I have some type of accent up until this point. I've had people yeah tell me that there is like a specific
00:33:15
Speaker
I don't even know what words it is I say in in what way. I'm like, I talk correctly. This is like, this is what people are, how we're talking and this is how you're supposed to sound. Yeah. This is how people in movies talk. Your accent should be closer to ours. Yeah, exactly. We have the right accent. Um, but there's, there's great accents in this movie. I mean, it's all over the place, but yeah, in awesome ways. Yeah. Yeah. The great performances. Yeah. Watch it.
00:33:45
Speaker
Yeah, this is a movie that, you know, brought me to the point of tears multiple times on first viewing. So yeah, if you get the chance, ah check out the bike riders. Um, and that's my number 10.
00:33:57
Speaker
Hell yeah. Okay. Well, my number nine is

Review: Long Legs

00:34:01
Speaker
Long Legs. o I mean, this was a movie. Those, they they definitely were. ah It lived up to the, I mean, he he says Long Legs like in the opening scene. So I was like, good, we got it out of the way. I was like, we don't have to hold off the movie waiting for the Long Legs. There were people who I've talked to where like they don't even say why it's called long legs And I'm just like first things he said i feel like you walked into the movie late like that only explanation I have for why you don't know why the movies called long legs
00:34:37
Speaker
Yeah, and this movie I would say is a product of there was so much hype around just like the marketing of it we've talked about in our review but like sometimes and I don't hold that against or at least I try not to hold it against the movie when like it doesn't match up with like the expectation I had in in my mind. This is a movie that not only met that expectation, but actually like, went I was like, Oh, this is going to be a great ah horror movie just from how they're advertising. I didn't think like, Oh, it's just going to become like, one of my favorite horror movies, like that I just, I'm just in, in love with this movie's whole vibe. And it's one that I find myself thinking about, even though like much like the bike riders, I've had a number 15 on my list, but that's a strong 15. That's like an honorable mention could be top 10 any other year, 15.
00:35:29
Speaker
It lingers with you. It's so haunting. I think it is more haunting and does haunting and bleak better than Nosferatu. I would say so because when I- What was our Nosferatu review?
00:35:44
Speaker
When I was thinking of where to rank this, I mean, I guess I can say, cause it's not in my top 10 Nosferatu is like a 12. I really liked it, but it didn't make the the top 10, but I, when it was 26, when it was inching 26.
00:36:01
Speaker
Yeah, and when it was inching closer to long legs, I started thinking about the movies relative to each other because I'm like, well, they are like brooding like dread. There's a lot of dread like that builds up in in both movies that you just feel this overwhelming sense of like doom. But I would say long legs, like you said, is more haunting and just doesn't feel safe. Maybe it's because I've seen multiple versions of Nosferatu. So I have like an idea of like Okay, I think these characters are going to die and these ones will be okay. And the movie will probably be like this because it's no Svaratu. Dracula has been told like a lot a lot of lot of different times, so Longlings had the benefit of, i this is not based on anything, so anything could go. And it felt it felt unsafe. i'm like
00:36:49
Speaker
I don't know. The main character could even be get God. There's like times where she's at ah her cabin alone where I was like, is she about to get killed? like This is feels like so dangerous and ominous right now. It doesn't help that she lives in the spookiest place ever. If you haven't, go back and listen to our long legs review. I think that's one of our best episodes.
00:37:11
Speaker
That one and then the follow up we did with Lexi, where we like drill down on some of some of the themes and ideas in in the movie, I think was really cool to get her perspective on it. Like, those those are great episodes. And it's it's a great movie. It lived up to the hype for me. There's great performances. Micah Monroe, I think might just be the scream queen of our ah generation. Like, what do you think her or Jenna Ortega?
00:37:38
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Well, I'll duck Jenna points for Wednesday, but, you know, and, and Beetlejuice too. So she, she, she has more marks against her where Micah I think is like just been in all bangers or even the ones that aren't my favorite. I'm like, this is still solid and she's like great in it. So it follows to coming up.
00:38:01
Speaker
I keep forgetting that we're going to keep following. Me too. Yeah. I like that. We're going to keep following. The story continues. What if the one following her is us, the viewer? Whoa. It's like a first, but they just rip off nickel boy completely. Just a POV.
00:38:19
Speaker
Is that what Nickelboy is? I know nothing. Yeah, I just saw the trailer yesterday and sorry spoilers for Nickelboy. Yeah, I only know that like friends who've been putting it in their like top tens. I'm like, oh, this must be a good, important movie or something. Yeah, I heard it's super good. The first person POV never seems to work for me, but Nickelboy might be the exception.
00:38:38
Speaker
Sure Watch Peep Show, the British com. It's a sitcom that does that for the whole show. So it's like multiple seasons. oh it's So frustrating. back and Once you adjust to it, it feels fine. But it took my brain like.
00:38:54
Speaker
and an episode maybe even two before I was fully like, and so it was like kind of jarring still of like, okay, whoa, this is close ups and close ups. Like ah get that person's face out of there.
00:39:09
Speaker
This is crazy. Um, but yeah, I do want to, I do want to see nickel boy. Nice. Uh, but yeah, that's, that's, that's, that's long legs, my number nine. Oh yeah. Fuck yeah. That's awesome. Now that since you got that out so early, I have no idea what, how your list is going to shape out to be. I feel like mine's a bit more predictable. Uh, my number nine though is kneecap.

Review: Kneecap

00:39:32
Speaker
Oh, I need to see kneecap. Yeah. I'm hoping you dig it. I really am. It's one that it's got a pretty good light rating on letterbox, but I don't know if it's really connecting with, it's not connecting with people that I know on the level that it's connecting with me, but this is a movie that I fucking loved. I like listen to the, some of kneecap songs. Now they've been in rotation. My like replay on Apple music had some kneecap in there, but, um,
00:39:58
Speaker
This movie really worked for me. ah If you're a fan of like Trainspotting, which I actually like this more than Trainspotting, but it kind of has that vibe a little bit. If you like Danny Boyle thrown off a cliff, he's been found dead in a ditch. Yeah. RIP Danny Boyle this year with 28 years later, you better not fuck up. yeah You're on watch, Danny. Yeah, he he is on suicide watch now after I said that, though I feel bad.
00:40:27
Speaker
He was already pretty down about the reception to yesterday. Yeah. But then he heard that and he was like, fuck, Nick, this is better than one of my most beloved movies. I don't know. It is crazy because I just put 28 days later in my like top 16 movies the other day. I mean, it's like the best zombie movie ever. So crazy. Yeah. But, um,
00:40:50
Speaker
Yeah, if you're a fan of just ah movies that feature good music predominantly, like hip-hop, it's, you know, some of it, some of the music is a little bit like goofy at times, but I don't know, some of it just really worked for me. This is a movie that ah I just had a great time with. I saw it in theaters twice, I think, two days in a row, because the first time I saw it, I just had the worst headache, but I still fucking like really enjoyed it. And I was like, okay,
00:41:19
Speaker
now that I'm feeling better, I gotta go back and see how, you know, it works for me now. Yeah, it's just a movie. It's so much fun. Um, if you get the chance, uh, let me see where it's streaming. I know it's up for awards consideration. Oh, it's actually on Netflix now. Oh shit. I didn't know that. I didn't know that either. So I'm, I want to check that out. Cause it's, that's been someone I've been meaning to see for awhile.
00:41:42
Speaker
Yeah. I don't know if, if it'll win best foreign film or best international film, whatever that Ireland submission. Yeah. And they like re-released it in theaters when they submitted it. And I think it's doing pretty good on the smaller, like indie type of circuit, but I don't know if it'll really get there when it hits the Oscars. I'm not too sure what else is up for consideration, but you should consider watching kneecap and fucking rules. And I had a really good and fun time with it. Hell yeah.
00:42:11
Speaker
Yeah. And that's my number nine. Okay. So that brings me to eight.

Review: Conclave

00:42:17
Speaker
Eight is my number eight. Conclave. Conclave. Up until, um, a couple of days ago, actually.
00:42:28
Speaker
Yeah, um for me, this movie kind of came out of nowhere because it fucks hard. it fuck No, it fucks. I have never seen a film by this director because I didn't see the latest All Quiet on the Western Front. I saw that i was like too quiet. I kind of prefer like lots of sound in my war movies.
00:42:50
Speaker
It's just so quiet. I'm like, OK, can you speak up? There's there's like a war happening. Come on. oh The Western Front. So that's like an ASMR voice. oh But i've I haven't seen I think he's directed some TV that I liked, but like I had no ah hard opinions on on this guy and I didn't know about his papal election.
00:43:19
Speaker
thriller. I mean, like, I don't even know what to describe the genre. I mean, listen to our review, because it's a great movie. um But I heard so many things going into this movie, like, oh, it's Mean Girls, but with popes from to It's kind of like an Agatha Christie mystery, but Ray Fiennes is like Perot and he's like snooping about in the Vatican. And it's kind of all those things. Like it is a, so the movie takes itself seriously. Like it's not like it's camp, but there's also like, Like if you think about it for too long, silly things and like visuals that I think are in meant to almost contrast with how self, so because it's about the Catholic Church, a very self serious, long running organization. And that's almost that should just be their motto, the Catholic Church, we're very serious. So it's almost like, ah it's like plays
00:44:22
Speaker
funny to see within this like very important thing happening within the church that then you cut to like the evil cardinal they don't want to win the election is like vaping and he's like doing it like like a sneering way they like cut you cut to him vaping sinisterly and it's like a funny visual and he's just like a catty bitch too he's just like spilling tea and serving con I don't know he's brat ah whatever other cringe things I can say about ah that that Cardinal and and Conclave but it's I think to me I
00:45:01
Speaker
assume without even knowing this director's deal that that's an intentional like almost misdirection of tone like not that the the movie then derails and becomes comedic or comical, but it'll just pepper moments like that in there. And that that for me, ah really, ah it it can elevate a movie that like, oh, this is ah a good drama that I already was enjoying. But it's knowing it little certain moments to not take itself too seriously at certain points. But then it is is it's a movie with things to say and is is is about stuff. So like, they really, they really do a good job of like grounding it to
00:45:44
Speaker
Yeah, if I have no idea like what the actual Pope election probably like how close is maybe those like papal scholars are like, oh my lord, this is who What a travesty the history in the church. and Yeah, if this is all speculation. It feels pretty believable Yeah, because I mean, some of it was would probably not be known to the public, right? Because like that's also why you were in the bathroom and said the church's motto should be, we're very serious. But their autoto other motto should be like, shh, we have secrets. yeah like They're very secretive. Did you talk about how hard the score goes?
00:46:22
Speaker
Uh, no, I feel like almost that should be its own top, like best scores of the, I mean, we'll do it in our GCs. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We can, we can, them them um vo to So there's there's a lot of good ones this year. and And when Conclave, there'll be quiet moments, like interpersonal character moments. Like, you know, I said, Ray finds us snooping around, finding out secrets. He confronts someone about and it's like almost in like a hush tone conversation. And then the score is like epic. It's like big. and Like if it would wouldn't feel out of place in like a.
00:46:56
Speaker
I don't know like a historical epic like if you're watching like ah a gladiator type movie and that movie and that music started playing it would it wouldn't of be completely out of place so like there's something really compelling to me about doing that of but with a moment that's just like oh these characters just had like an intimate conversation.
00:47:18
Speaker
So yeah, Conclave. Hell yeah. Conclave. That was Doug's number eight. Um, let me see if it's streaming anymore.

Review: Challengers

00:47:25
Speaker
It's on Peacock. Oh, right. Peacock is a service that is real and exists. So my number eight is challengers. Hell yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Challengers. Again, this is a movie. Well, I said again, I don't know if I said this a movie that fucks. This movie rips it. You know, I mean, it comes really at times. Yeah, it is fucking.
00:47:49
Speaker
Yeah, this movie. ah I dig it. It's, again, kind of like kneecap, like a lot of fun at the movies. You got some great performances from let me look up the names from Zendaya, Mike, Faust face. I don't know. I actually have never heard it said out loud, but And Josh O'Connor. I mean, they're just all great. Directed by Luca Guadagnino. This is probably my favorite Guadagnino movie. This is probably my favorite Zendaya movie. Favorite Zendaya performance. I would, I would. Thank you for working this little tune out of the water.
00:48:25
Speaker
I would agree with both in terms of, I haven't even seen all of Guadagnino's stuff. It's really just this and the cannibal one, ah right? I think Bones and all and this are the only ones I've seen. Challengers is is my favorite. I would say this is Zendaya's, but I mean, I don't even think she's like bad in Dune. It's just like not a performance that I would be giving like major accolades to. Whereas like if she was,
00:48:53
Speaker
I feel like this would be a weird movie to categorize because they have to do like basically category Kung Fu to fit, to like bit change someone who's like a co-lead into supporting just so they have a chance. And it's like, so how, how do you divide? I mean, I would just say that she's the female lead. She's the lead. i She's on like all of the posters. She's the face of this movie. So I feel like it would be harder to put her in supporting.
00:49:21
Speaker
And I do want to say this about Dune Part 2 a little bit. I think she is bad at times in that movie. um It's just not a super strong performance. i I don't know what it is exactly about that. But challengers, I think it's like to get them both in the same year where it's like, fuck, like, yeah, she does maybe deserve like awards attention for challengers. And do you think so? You think it's at the level of awards attention? I think it is. This is a movie we got to review. It came out earlier in the year.
00:49:50
Speaker
I think it should get awards attention. Also for the score, it should begin awards attention. The score fucks. But I feel like if anything, the other Luca that just came out, Queers may be in a better position just because of when it came out that like earlier in the year, stuff has a harder time and not impossible. Those movies still talking about challengers. And I feel like Queer is getting more attention because of challengers, though.
00:50:19
Speaker
Yes, because it's almost like, can you believe he did both of these? Like that, that's the narrative in terms, in terms of like, well, he already gave us one banger and now he's giving us this. Oh, wow. We're kind of like came out of nowhere and it has Daniel Craig in it too. So that's like a little bit like odd, like the press store was Zendaya felt so much bigger than the Daniel Craig press store where he's just saying that challengers didn't go hard enough.
00:50:45
Speaker
That's what he said. He was saying like the, like three, the quote unquote three way scene could have been more of a three way scene. Stuff like that. I mean, I think he used the words weak sauce. No. Three way, like he wanted more interaction between the three of them, like at the same time. He wanted a bit more explicit.
00:51:07
Speaker
See here's the thing like and I'm I'm almost always gonna be on the side of make your movie hornier or more sexual but like I the movie is so horny as is to me like is this is this is almost an erotic thriller in ah the way I mean it's not a thriller but like it it it the The dynamics of this relationship is the propelling force through the movie and that maybe adds this element of sexiness to the encounters and and like even just things when they're just the the two guys hanging out and one of them bites the other's churro has like sexually charged energy. So it's like I didn't even
00:51:54
Speaker
You could make it more ah explicit or graphic. i i I probably wouldn't be like, no bad movie that it did that. But like, I feel like it's conveying everything it needs to and.
00:52:07
Speaker
ah almost to the point of like in that scene when they are all getting together that it's like once they the two of them start kissing it's almost like she's not there it's like this like oh okay this is what this is this is what they're really about I do feel like too, like when challengers came out, people were like, man, challengers is pretty horny. And the movies have just continued to get hornier and out like horny challengers since then. Good. I mean, I think and not think that is a negative, but it's like it is kind of funny that it's like now now that seems tame. Yeah, it is pretty tame.
00:52:45
Speaker
I mean, to me, I'd still like if we're top 10 horny movies of the year, a challenge is probably still one for me. What do I have on here that might be hornier?
00:52:59
Speaker
Wicked. no Should have been hornier and gayer. That's honestly the greatest sin of of Wicked is that it wasn't horny enough.
00:53:11
Speaker
um yeah i that still hit We'll hit some hornier movies on as we go through. I mean, I guess maybe the hornier ones are lower for me. I was like too horny, and I had to rate it lower. Yeah, you were scared. I was like, ah! I was like Tom Cruise in- What do my parents think? It's like Tom Cruise in Eyes Wide Shut. I'm just threatened by any sexuality. Whoa! Don't scare me. No, yeah, I think Challengers is pretty horny, pretty sexy. It's a good time at the movies. Yeah.
00:53:48
Speaker
I'm pretty sure you've seen it if you're listening to this. I don't even need to and say anymore. But uh, yeah, challengers. That's my number eight. Hell yeah. Dig it. Okay. My number seven is the order.

Review: The Order

00:54:02
Speaker
yeah bra Hell yeah. I'm all glad this cracked your list. I knew you were going to love it when I saw it in.
00:54:08
Speaker
i I was just really like so much of my top 10. A good chunk is like stuff that I saw in the last two months, like of like end of the year. I mean, that's I guess normal that end of the year. The order the order in Conclave were two like I had seen before you and they were two where I'm like, I feel like Doug is gonna love these. So it's good to like see that they're on your top 10. That you're actually right on the money and that the order fucks. It's a movie that ah unfortunately will probably only become more relevant over time and cause even though it's depicting events from the 80s, it still feels super resonant now and I think an important key in the
00:54:51
Speaker
I don't know if it's a Holt Renaissance, but more like we're entering the era of Holt, that he's just like conquering the world, seemingly, that he's like a Holt for president. I don't even think he was born here. He's just, uh, but I'm going to make an exception. They made an exception because of Schwarzenegger. No, but Nicholas Holt, maybe. Yeah. um Of the three halts we got this year, because it's this juror number two and then Nosferatu. Great in all of them, but I'd give it to the he's he's scary in a way that's like
00:55:29
Speaker
you but This is like a real guy. like I mean, these are real people because this is a real thing that that that happened, but like I buy him as a person that I would could see at a gas station. This is like a person that exists out in the world. There's definitely people like this. and The idea of this guy gaining a following and maybe the resources to enact a plan on any kind of scale is very scary and chilling. And so he he sells that man. He has this quality that like, even when he's not villainous, where he's like, so he has this vulnerability in his eyes that he like, is he's almost like a puppy dog that like once assurance or validation. But in this, it's like that now that is
00:56:17
Speaker
been made like he's evil now because of that like he's he's he's made it your problem that he needs validation and now he started a white power movement about it so uh like his his his performance in this is is really chilling and that's not just the other performances in the movie uh Jude Law uh rocking a uh I would say very Gene Hackman from the 70s-esque look. He looks incredible in that movie. Him and Nicholas Holt, like, ah ah great looks all around. Great, great looks. i'm I'm maybe, and I'm not... Pretty boy, fucking. He's like a maniac. I know. ah And i this movie's so good that it, I won't say made me a believer, because, I mean, he was in a good movie in the card counter, but like,
00:57:12
Speaker
ah I'm like, Ty Sheridan, do I need to reevaluate? like he his All the characters feel grounded and in real in a way that I feel like really drives the story home. And I had just written this guy off, maybe just because he's in several movies that I loathe. So it's not his fault, though. So I shouldn't judge an actor by the worst movie. I don't think the player one's a masterpiece.
00:57:38
Speaker
Anyway, I i was like want to choose my words carefully because I feel like in real life we know people who like that movie and I definitely know Steven Spielberg personally.
00:57:52
Speaker
Yeah, he listens to the show. And so I don't want to like, I know that movie was important to him. is how We just finish each other's sentences.
00:58:02
Speaker
Uh, but the order, uh, I don't know if I said it on this episode, but the score at Fox, you can listen to it now. It's finally available. Like, um, is it my number one score of the year?
00:58:18
Speaker
Maybe. maybe we'll put Conclave we've got challengers. The past three movies we've talked about, you've actually shot shouted out the score, too. And then even Problemista. Those are like in the top five scores for me, I think, like all the those ones we just listed. um But the order may be number one. ah Yeah, I kind of want to go back through ah It's Justin Kurzel is the director. because i'm getting it Yeah, Justin Kurzel is the director and then he has a brother that does this the score. And so his brother ah stuff is he's been on movies that like weren't um
00:59:02
Speaker
Kurzel, you know, films like he did the score for Alien Covenant. And now I want to revisit you movies like that and be like, yeah, what is it? Was the Alien Covenant score good? Because it's not like jumping out. I remember the Prometheus score because that movie is like has such evocative visuals and audio in in it. And that's ah I'm not denigrating covenant. I just don't remember the score. And now I want to like go back through his other movies. So anyway, that's number seven. and Hell yeah. Man, we're about to be on our eighth movie and we don't have a single overlap. and That's pretty sweet. I love that. my Number seven is The Substance.

Review: The Substance

00:59:40
Speaker
Hell yes!
00:59:42
Speaker
I feel like I expect this on your list at some point. I mean, yes we'll have to see we'll see. The substance is the movie that shouldn't have worked for me this year. I like actually my first time watching it, I was like unsure, like in the first like half hour, I was like, do I hate this movie? Is this for me? And then at a certain point, I don't know what it is about it, but it just fucking like won me over. It's so chaotic in a delightful way. It's So like gross, but it doesn't take it like too far in like a punishing way for the audience and it gives you like something to really latch on to in like a horror premise like this idea of just youth and like you feel for Demi Moore this whole time and you understand all the decision she's making and you're like I would maybe do this too. Especially like yeah, I feel like it does a good job of putting you in her shoes because I've seen critiques of the movie where it's like are we meant to empathize with or laugh at her and I mean both like I think you can the movie because the movie is darkly comedic in terms of like I'm I'm near the end I'm cackling at how fucked up some of this stuff is it's that's happening but like I've still feel for her like I don't think the movie ever is like doesn't want you to like
01:01:05
Speaker
She's a ultimately a victim of a culture that, you know, prioritizes looks and and the new youthful thing and that the doesn't care about substance, if you will. um But yeah, and the performances are just fucking.
01:01:24
Speaker
great from everybody in the movie, but specifically Demi Moore and ah Margaret Qualley, I think that's how you pronounce her name. yeah It's a very specific tone too, so that makes me appreciate the quality of the, especially Demi, well and and Margaret too, because they're the same character, spoilers, that's in the trailer I assume for the substance, but that ah Even at this heightened like bananas level that the movie is operating at that you still can Emotionally like there's an emotional realism to her character at least that I like understand her like you said I understand her and why she's doing what what she's doing even if she is and like I've also seen the complete like is she
01:02:12
Speaker
Like, ah why are we sympathetic to her? She seems like she's kind of a superficial, not good person, but like, I don't, I don't go to watch art and be like, okay, let me have my check mark ready. Are they a good person? You don't do that? I did. I do that all the time. I'm like, okay, this, this character's getting into heaven. Check, not going to hell. Limbo question mark for some character. You could probably ask that for almost every character in my top 10. Like, are they a good person?
01:02:42
Speaker
ah To me, that's a compelling character and movie that still has you, if not rooting for, at least following and understanding the character, even if you're like, are they kind of shitty? You know, but you're still like, you're like, I get it.
01:02:59
Speaker
Yeah, and I do want to say like between kinds of kindness in this movie, Margaret Qualley is like, and other work that she's done but she's had a great year but ah between those two movies and she's just really set her up up herself up to be one of my favorite like modern actresses we have right now and like this maybe like newer wave of actress ah actors and actresses we've gotten and then Demi Moore. I know like Mikey Madsen is up for awards consideration with Inora. It's such a... I'm so torn between who I would want to see win. Because I've just watched Inora rewatch it last night and I'm like, man, her performance is just... captures she's like Unbelievably good in that movie especially for how young she is and I don't think I'm kind of against like Holding off on these awards until someone's like later and you gotta learn it lady how annoying You know, but it's like goddamn it Demi Moore did fucking earn like an Oscar with this movie. I want to see this movie get her an Oscar. I want that to be i say this I'm a huge follower of her career or something, but it feels like the culmination of her life's work. like that there's Oddly enough, yeah, in a horror movie, that's what makes it so cool.
01:04:20
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. I think is one cool that she took a role like this and then what then also fucking nailed it so hard. So like, yeah, I mean, she's definitely I mean, see when we do the juicies like I don't see her not being ah up for best actress because she's she fucking. Yeah. Crush it.
01:04:41
Speaker
Yeah, I hope she at least gets a nom though. But yeah, the substance, it was the movie that I shouldn't have loved. And I walked out just really loving it. A type of horror that usually isn't for me ended up completely working for me. And I love it ever more because of that. And I also saw it when I had just went through like a Kubrick marathon and there's so much Kubrick inspiration in this movie. But I was just like, great timing, perfect time for me to see this movie. so the substance. If you haven't seen it, it's on MUBI right now, or I think you can purchase it anywhere, but yeah, check it out.
01:05:17
Speaker
Yeah, and and if you're not a, I'm pretty sure we said this in our review, even if you're not like a body horror person, I mean, Nick's a great test subject right here. He's someone who's, like he said, should not like this movie, but but even Nick loves it. So like, may pen yeah, you gotta watch it. yeah So that's my number seven, the substance. My number six is evil does not exist.
01:05:45
Speaker
statement I don't even know if I agree with it, that and like sing-sing were too we didn't get a chance to see
01:06:19
Speaker
Yeah, i i I don't know how this would have hit in theaters because it has I've never seen a Hamaguchi film before. I and want to watch Drive My Car. I really like Drive My Car. um it's like nice Drive My Car is a very nice like movie to just take in.
01:06:36
Speaker
Yeah, well, I felt like I was just taking an evil does not exist. I mean, you know, I'm not getting the spoilers. It becomes unchill after at a certain point, but like it is a very you can kind of just vibe out with this movie. It's not plot heavy. There is a but I mean, there are ideas in things being conveyed through the story. Like there is there is a story, but like you are just watching wilderness and like a guy chop wood in the wilderness to like this at a certain point the dialogue becomes so riveting though and you don't even realize it like during that town hall i'm like this is the and then from that point going forward you're just wrapped with every word that everybody's saying the whole rest of the movie and you don't even realize that yeah i just watched this like a week ago it's a really solid choice
01:07:27
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, this one snuck up on me. I mean, i I had heard good things about it and Hamaguchi's other stuff, but like it it really odd struck a chord with me. I feel like Drive My Car more though. I'm curious to see what you think. Drive My Car is just such a lovely movie. I think you'll really, I think youll you might like Drive My Car more. I think i mean it's a subject matter that'll really ah It has like ah a title drop, like an hour in. I love a late title drop. So that might automatically make it better. There's a lot of like, um, reading a play and like working out like the logistics of a play. And I think you'll find that really interesting. That does sound like my kind of thing. Um, yeah, that's, that's my number. Score is really good too, in that movie. Enjoy my car.
01:08:20
Speaker
devil in uh evil does not exist here oh oh yeah yes yes it is uh but i also did hear in this it's so beautiful yeah it it almost ah i mean the movie is saying that we should respect the balance of nature but when i'm watching the movie i'm like man i want a vacation here they this is this place looks this place looks really nice like even even though i don't think the movie is saying come here i want to go like Camping, but not quite camping, like glamorous camping. Yeah, like some kind of gla- I don't know, glamping? Glamping. Write that down. That's a good idea. An idea we just came up with. Yeah, that's my number six. Number six. That is also on movie, I think. It's on movie or... No, it's movie. I was mixing up my... Or is it my car movie? Or is both movie?
01:09:15
Speaker
I know it's on one of the, I don't know what you'd call it, boutique streaming services, you know, like it's on, you know, like Criterion. It's it's one of the la-di-da. I mean, i made I raised my pinky. when i Drive my car also on Criterion. Yeah.
01:09:30
Speaker
um It might be on criterion. I think it's criterion actually because I was like looking for a different Japanese. Oh, yeah, that was the context. I watched this with my dad who doesn't see a lot of like recent films like we're watching some bad old Marlon Brando movie where he's in yellow face. And I was like, I need to watch something with real Asian people made by real Asian people. It's just watched. So I was like, went on criteria because I knew they had some good Japanese films. And then I was like, oh, drive my, I'm not driving my, uh, evil does not exist. I've been wanting to see this. And then I just threw it on. So that was,
01:10:06
Speaker
Hell yeah. Kind of the best circumstance to see it in. I was like, yes, victory for Japan. Hell yeah. I actually, I plan to participate in this thing on Letterbox called Japanuary, where you watch, a I think it's like at least 10 Japanese movies. So I already have a list on Letterbox, and I'm going to try and track some of these down. That sounds fun, because there's- A lot of them I found that seem really interesting don't seem like they're that easy to come by, but I'm going to go on a journey trying to find some of them and watch them. can I can help you try and find some hell yeah let's do it let's let's do japanuary and check in on the podcast maybe yeah yeah we can roundup we can do we can do some some some bonus japanuary episode because there's I it's a thing that I want to get more into and whenever I go to
01:10:53
Speaker
Even in different eras, like I watched a 60s Japanese like noir this year, and I was like, this is fucking rad. so like i want to I want to delve more into it, so I would definitely be down to do that.
01:11:09
Speaker
Oh, yeah. All right. So my number six movie is Baby Girl. Oh, OK.

Review: Baby Girl

01:11:15
Speaker
night I still have to see Baby Girl. So I I didn't know if you I hadn't been tracking your letterbox. So I didn't even know. Yeah, I was glad I wanted to kind of give you a curveball. Like I was hoping you didn't check anything I had reviewed. I'd seen a lot of movies since Baby Girl, though, ah too. So I was like, hopefully it just got buried. And Doug might have missed it.
01:11:36
Speaker
um But yeah, baby girl, man, I fucking... I didn't expect to really like this movie. I thought the trailer was pretty bad. I didn't really like it. um And I could tell other people probably don't really like this movie. I saw it, it was me, another dude who took a phone call at a pretty pivotal point in the movie.
01:11:56
Speaker
and like He left the theater, right? No, he sat there just in the theater and just talked like we weren't in the middle of a movie, just like at a pivotal point and it was super distracting. You should be shy. I missed some of the dialogue. yeah it was really I was close to saying something. and Then he got another phone call and I like turned and just stared at him. and If he answered it, I was going to say something. There was an older couple because I saw it at 10 o'clock or 10.30.
01:12:24
Speaker
And there was an older couple behind me and they got up and walked out at like a really like emotionally intense moment ah where like a character was naked and it was just like they were very vulnerable. Did you think they were almost by the sexuality? I think so. It was a moment that seemed borderline abusive that ended up turning into like a very like sweet and like intimate moment. And it just, yeah, but they left before it turned sweet. So it was like, I mean, they should have written it out. Sometimes those those lines get blurred and good movies. I don't know. I do like movies about relationships like that, where you're like, this might be really bad. are This is really bad. They're together. But I maybe I'm into it.
01:13:09
Speaker
Yeah, man, I keep hearing the Eyes Wide Shut comparison. I feel like, I don't know. It's just i because it's Nicole Kidman in erotic movie around Christmas. It's not that, it's it's not Eyes Wide Shut with Nicole Kidman, guys. Well, in Eyes Wide Shut, I...
01:13:30
Speaker
This it's ah is a movie I love, but I wouldn't say it's like a sexy movie, even though they're alien now sex sex is like a part of the, I mean, that's what the movie is about. I like dehumanize the sex in a way. Cause you're, you're falling through Tom Cruise's perspective and he's like scared of all that shit. He's like, so, so you, you, you, it's almost portrayed in like such, such a, uh, a threatening manner, you know, that it, uh, it's ghost no Get it away. that that's what the ah Don't let it touch me. Was Tom Cruise in your audience? Is that why like he got up and left? yeah He's like, I can't watch Nicole do this. Yeah, it was Tom Cruise and Elizabeth Moss.
01:14:14
Speaker
And their field trip out hot of the co yeah is why they ended up here. They got really far. They're like, just keep driving. yeah Keep going. down um have cars They walked.
01:14:30
Speaker
Tom Cruise had her on her back and ran her all the way here. Mission Impossible style. um Yeah, this... Tom Cruise's ex-wife. She's on this one. She's the the baby girl. but ah Oh, she's the titular and baby girl.
01:14:50
Speaker
But yeah, this movie, I mean, her performance is great. Antonio Banderas has a moment where it's like, I'm like, this is why you cast him. It's like he gets ah his time to shine. I was like so happy. I'm i'm glad to hear that because the past couple of things he's popped up in was like uncharted or like.
01:15:09
Speaker
the last Indiana Jones movie, which I will often forget he was even in. It's like you're wasting Antonio Banderas. Do you know who you have right here? So yeah, it makes me excited to hear to see his scene where he pops.
01:15:25
Speaker
yeah this movie like it hit a lot of buttons for me i've kind of like been in a somewhat like relatable situation not fully fully but it's like it just hit a lot of buttons for me and i i felt like i i could i could really relate to to baby girl in a little bit ah in a couple of ways and it's one that uh I found moving I found touching by the end of it and it just it caught me off guard how hard this movie fucking worked for me like the first couple of scenes I was like not too sure like is this was this a mistake seeing this should I've seen a different movie instead should I've seen the fire inside but
01:16:10
Speaker
I think maybe like 10, 15 minutes in, I was just like, fuck, this movie has me hooked. And there are some things that don't fully work for me, some choices that are made that I am at the point where I'm like, I have to forgive it because of how much everything around that works for me. Oh, I have plenty of favorites where I'm like, this is working for me on a level so hard that like, even if I can recognize or acknowledge like some flaws or like things that like don't work, I'm like that,
01:16:37
Speaker
kind of doesn't matter. This is this is still like a five bagger for me. or yeah yeah So I'm ah yeah, that's that's cool that the movie works for you that well. I'm really excited to to see it.
01:16:50
Speaker
Yeah, I can't recommend it to everybody. It's one that I don't even know if I can... I felt fuck i feel like I'll have to mostly talk about this movie off mic with you. um There's just stuff I don't want to like share about my life on the mic.
01:17:07
Speaker
it's ah This movie really worked for me, though. um It's a kind of like, oddly enough, a very like special, special movie to come out around this time of year. ah I don't know what else to say. So you do have horny movies on you. You got this, you got The Challengers. Yeah, i I was like, there are going to be movies we mentioned that get hornier than Challengers. OK. Yeah. So we're learning a lot about Nick. I've learned a lot about myself this year.
01:17:37
Speaker
no I really have. I mean, you know, that's life. We're growing and learning. Yeah. Part of it's sobriety. Part of it's just how great of a year for movies this has been. But I mean, that's what good film or just good art should do is lead you to some kind of self discovery or self. Yeah. Like just learning something about yourself. Hell yeah. So that was my number six. That was Baby Girl. You can see it in theaters now. I'm hoping you get a chance to see it, Doug.
01:18:06
Speaker
I would I would really like to see it. My number five is The Beast.

Review: The Beast

01:18:12
Speaker
The Beast. I'm waiting for an overlap. I'm like, maybe we can knock out two movies in one. Right. So it's not taking as long. I have seen nothing and know nothing about this director, Bertrand Beniello. Apologies if I'm saying it wrong. It's it's a French film. So Pinky's back up, la di da.
01:18:33
Speaker
um I got about halfway through. I was like, man, the real beast is this fucking runtime and pacing. No, it does have a the pace and the pacing like changes because there's different segments to the movie and some some you like more. I was like, I wonder if this is what people feel like watching Cloud Atlas when they're like, it doesn't work. The beast does work, but like half of it was working for me.
01:18:57
Speaker
I really like the 2044 stuff for whatever year that was. the The whatever the present year that we're flashing back to these to other times from. Yeah. Yeah. That stuff is really interesting. ah And it's like a weird vision of the future because you're really getting such out of context. There's not really any expert. You get like an explanation of why she's doing this to like so do go through this process. But like the movie's not really explaining how the world got like this. or You'll just see things when she's when she's out that like people are wearing like gas masks and you're like, oh, so is the Earth like polluted? like They can't breathe the air or something.
01:19:40
Speaker
Like, and that's just like in the back, like that's not even important to the story. That's just like a background thing. So yeah, I do like all of that stuff. I think the other, it doesn't even have as many timelines as cloud Atlas. It's like, it's three basically. Yeah. I didn't fully buy the cloud Atlas comparisons I've heard.
01:20:00
Speaker
I mainly use that as a reference point because of like the idea of like love moving through different time eras and like different souls or whatever, but like... Reminds me more of the fountain. Oh, okay. i have i haven't I haven't seen the fountain. It's not years ago. um But yeah, this movie really worked for me and then the thing that brings it ah home and like makes it work even the like slower parts which are like Not even Victorian era because like there's an event that happens that I had to look up I was like, oh that really did happen the the flooding when Paris flooded Okay, I was like looking at the pictures. I was like is this real that happened in early like that was kind of recent like that period like it did look and feel like Victorian era <unk> we talking about that More
01:20:56
Speaker
That's just how fancy Victor, I mean, fancy, uh, Europeans. I know. I was like, this could be more recent than I'm realizing right now. And I think it actually is a lot more recent. It's late 1800s. I don't think it was 1900, but like whenever Paris got flooded, that once I'm like, I'm saying one time and then find out, I was like, it's actually, it gets flooded pretty regularly. Doug, like every hundred years flood last week. Yeah. French listeners, right, and how often do you experience flooding in Paris? Like, to a major day, because it looks like apocalyptic. Biblical-level flooding. Does God hate you? France, chime in. Does God frown upon France?
01:21:37
Speaker
jury's still out. ah But there is, there's just a large part of it is the performances, the main two performances. And so, you know, there's three different time periods, you have characters giving three pretty different performances, I'd say from Laius, Ado, and George.
01:21:59
Speaker
McKay or Mackey? He's the 1917 1917. Lace ado. Fucking. I'm just a sucker for her. She rules. She's incredible. He's enough for me to want to finish the beast. it It's worth it because her final scene is like makes me want to put her in my favorite, like the best odd female performances of of the year, because I I she's Yeah, I don't even say what emotions I felt at the end because I feel like that's giving too much away. But she she makes you feel some shit, man. and And I think that's a testament to good acting. And you get to see some some good acting in weird contexts. Like, this is a weird
01:22:41
Speaker
like just narratively and structurally, it's it's got a bizarre rhythm to it. But for me, it paid off. And ah ah yeah, it definitely had an effect on me. So that's my number five, The Beast. Nice. I'm glad this cracked your top 10. Well, because you talked about it a little bit on ah one of our bonus episodes. I think it was our Time Crimes one, which Time Crimes and Horizon. and Go check that out, guys, if you haven't. But um yeah, I'm fucking I'm glad to hear you talk about that one.
01:23:08
Speaker
ah

Review: Anora

01:23:09
Speaker
I think it primes me to go in and finish it. Yeah, I hope you get something out of it, especially the ending. I was digging part of it. i just had I've had a lot going on lately. you know No, I get it. A lot of movies i had to I wanted to see in theaters that I kind of put before um finishing The Beast. And I also didn't finish Hundreds of Beavers. And Sasquatch Sunset was really calling my name, even though that didn't make my top 10. I wanted to see both of those, especially Hundreds of ah Beavers, I thought,
01:23:41
Speaker
could even make the t- I was like that seems like the kind of like fairly really specific thing that could like speak to my interest specifically but I just didn't wasn't able to fit it in but I'm definitely gonna see it soon. I wasn't in the mood I was kind of in a more like artsy fartsy prestige kind of mood I think just not seeing the brutalist um has kind of gotten me there but um I'll go to my number five. My number five is Anora. I just rewatched last night. This movie fucks so hard. So this is the point in the list where any of these movies could reasonably be my number one.
01:24:21
Speaker
It was pretty hard to, like, really shift this around. And Nora did kind of stick in my four and five spot, though, since I saw it. This is one we got to see at the Music Box in Chicago, so that was a little bit more special. But seeing it last night, being able to watch it with subtitles, hear everything, be up close, and kind of, like, see everything on the actors' faces, just every the work that everybody's doing It's incredible that this thing fucking works and that this thing came together. The fact that the middle just gets hijacked. We lose one of our main characters. He gets replaced by three other characters. Three of the best characters. It comes a full, like, it goes from, like, romance, like, lovey, everything. It comes almost like a Safdie Brothers movie, like, funnier.
01:25:09
Speaker
yeah basically and it's like yeah full-on comedy like it's so charming so lovely i'm getting chills talking about it it's god i almost want to put this at my number one now that i'm talking about it out loud but i feel like that's gonna be the case for all of these i'm getting excited looking at my five right now but um Yeah. And Nora, i I hope this one's best picture. I really do. I think it deserves it. It's a miracle. This works. I think it has a shot. I think we could really put together like this is ah I feel like Magnolia level. Like, oh, my God, this is crazy that this dude made this work like an indie movie. That's so fucking right. It's like parasite to me. It works so hard on a jinx. it But I feel like
01:26:01
Speaker
Her getting nominated is for sure a lock and then the brutalist it's a very like 1917 parasite type of thing like is it gonna be the brutalist or is it gonna be a Nora and I wonder if it's gonna be very close or if it's gonna be like Parasite and just one is gonna sweep Right, but i'm I'm saying at least get in and get nominated, which I feel like it it's pretty much guaranteed getting nominated. Yeah. I want to see it get that best picture win. Let's give it to the small one this year. I think I don't remember what what's won recently besides CODA because I was just so mad that CODA won. Best picture winners have been disappointing me more than satisfying me, I think, because CODA winning and then Black Clan has been not beating Green Book.
01:26:51
Speaker
And then even ones that are, got best picture yeah, I think so. Uh, even ones that are cool. Like I, I open Heimer is a movie I love, but it almost was like obvious. I was like, Oh oh yeah. oppenheimer Yeah. So it was a bigger movie. Yeah. It was like, the Oh, the biggest movie of the year makes that even though I love it. I'm saying like dismissive, like, Oh yeah. Give it Oppenheimer. But yeah, it's, it's like a perfect movie. So like yeah I get, I get giving it all the awards. Hell yeah.
01:27:20
Speaker
Anora Rules, go see it if you haven't, prioritizing this movie. It's so good. Is it ah just renting or buying now? It's buying. It's still in theaters too. I bought it. I honestly was close to just seeing it in theaters again, but I took my mom to see The Fire Inside, which, lovely movie, had issues with the dialogue, super cheesy at points.
01:27:41
Speaker
kind of dragged at the end. Great movie to see with a family or something. um So I'm glad I saw that in theaters, but if I didn't see that, I was going to see Inora again, even though i it was I could watch it at home. I was like, i fuck, I might see it a third time while it's still in theaters. This movie is so good, and I've seen almost everything else on my top 10, two to three times in theaters, except for my number four, which I'll get to in a little bit.
01:28:10
Speaker
Yeah, I definitely, I'm looking forward to rewatching it. Great, great movie. You want to get to your number four? I feel like we're starting to fly through these. Yeah, I think i think we are. Okay, number

Personal Reactions & Emotional Impact

01:28:21
Speaker
four.
01:28:23
Speaker
bleaching your teeth smiling fast talking trash under your breath bleaching your teeth smiling fast talking trash under your breath bleaching your teeth smiling and fast talking trash under my window No, that's a song from, I Saw the TV Glow, my number four. I sort of almost felt like it needed like a drum roll, because like now we're definitely. You should have told me to give you a drum roll.
01:28:54
Speaker
oh but but but I don't know. No, no, but I just, a big part of why this movie works for me so hard emotionally is the music. So I was like, what song from, it and I totally butchered Anthem for a 17 year old.
01:29:11
Speaker
girl which is a great song but uh the the yeah this movie this movie fucks man um jane sho shoeburn shoeburn um i i liked and was intrigued by world growing to the world's fair like it's it's a movie that makes me be like oh i want to see what else they're gonna do because this is like an intro this is like a such a unique calling card of like, I don't know anyone else who's making shit like this. But I saw the TV glow almost feels like a refined not that they're doing the same thing. In fact, I saw TV glows going for very specific, specific, you know, like trans story, trans allegories. ah But like, I feel like there is some overlap in in terms of like, that those ideas of like,
01:30:04
Speaker
Uh, a youthful person who's like lost and aimless and they're like trying to discover themselves through media, through their, the way they're interacting with, uh, and we're going to world's fair. It was like through an online game, but in this, it's, uh, through this TV show and like, yeah, I don't know. This, this movie has ah had a great effect on me. It's, it's, uh, justice Smith. I would.
01:30:32
Speaker
say in my easily in my top ah performances of of the year. He's it's really a truly incredible. And it sucks how hard he's going to get ignored at anything like independent spirits. Yeah. Other than the spirit awards. This is not a movie that's going to get nominations with which sucks because it is is such a special movie. And it's just so cool that something like this exists. And that means so much. I could see like the way all my trans friends have like the the the response that they've had to the the the movie. And it's like to a movie that can touch so many people like that, I feel like is is really special. And yeah, I just, again, shout out the performances because Justice Smith, but then also Bridget Lundy, Payne, the other lead, they're great. Fred Durst, dude. the one The one line he says. Rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling.
01:31:27
Speaker
It was weird when he did like a full music video in the middle of the movie, but I was like, I'll allow it. Um, yeah, it's, it's on paper. It might be like, that sounds like a weird cast. What's Fred Durst doing here? I just watch it. i Two

Audience Reactions & Societal Perceptions

01:31:43
Speaker
movies this year.
01:31:45
Speaker
I'm going to go on a limb and say this one is better than Y2K. I haven't seen Y2K. Oh, I saw the TV glow is significantly better than Y2K. Okay. Cause I wasn't sure. I know you're like a big Y2K fan. No, don't start telling people that. I've told everyone that I'm just, I already have someone i going to do with these business cards that say Nick's favorite movie. has a fan Yeah.
01:32:12
Speaker
Give that to people when I meet them. Hi, I'm Nick. I'm a Y2J fan. They're like, what, the event that didn't happen or the movie? Yeah, they're not going to have heard of the movie. So they're going to be like, you're just a fan of that thing we thought was going to happen, but didn't. People were super hyped in the theater when I saw it. I was like, God, I'm seeing it with some really dumb people.
01:32:38
Speaker
I remember when I saw Venom 3 and people were laughing at the not jokes being said, I was like, God, what is wrong with people? It used to be a society or it used to be a country. They used to actually have to work for our laughter. Now you got your fucking Deadpools coming in and just getting the laugh out of any little thing. Yeah. He dances to bye, bye, bye. And everyone's like, Oh my God, it's the funniest thing. It's like,
01:33:07
Speaker
would have been funnier if it was actually him doing the dance. So then it wasn't perfectly choreographed. So it was like kind of clums. It was like, Brian Reynolds, like having trouble learning the moves to do bye, bye, bye. And that would be funny, I think, other than then just get a professional expert choreographer who can do it no sweat and makes it look easy. Clean up the suit so much that it just looks like a CGI person is doing it anyway. Yeah, it's like, oh, so you just animated it? It's like, no, that was a real guy. Like, oh, okay. Shout out to Deadpool 3. I think it's somewhere in Doug's top 10. Well, stay tuned. What if it was? What if it was number one in the best movie of all time? Deadpool and Wolverine. The number one movie of all time.
01:34:00
Speaker
Like, I just really want to shine a spotlight on movies that not too many people have seen. Yeah. No, a lot of people are talking about Deadpool and Wolverine. You were talking about a good movie? Oh, yeah. I saw a TV glow. Yeah. Doesn't have Deadpool in it, but- I can't remember what movie it was. I just knew it was better than what we were talking about.
01:34:23
Speaker
No, yeah, i I love this movie. Yeah, I'm now at the point where like and any these hello any of these could be number one ah going forward. it's It's a really special movie. Check it out. Hell yeah. That was Doug's number four.
01:34:39
Speaker
My number four is a movie that I had at number one for a pretty long time, but I did some rearranging just because I like the way my list shaped out better this way. But my number four is Ghost Light. This is a movie that devastated me unlike any other movie I think I've ever experienced in theaters.
01:35:00
Speaker
The reason I didn't put it as number one, because I don't know if I'll really end up rewatching it. And I think it'll be much like the like of Room, the Brie Larson movie, where I don't think it'll ever quite hit me the way that it did the first movie, where I'm just sobbing throughout. um But that doesn't mean that it doesn't deserve the spot for the moment that I got to experience it for the first time.
01:35:26
Speaker
um this movie and I don't even remember why I like saw it on like a really good day I like got off of work immediately went to see it or I don't even know what time it I like drove super far to see it because it wasn't playing at any anywhere con convenient it was like 1 p.m. just at like anything I think I actually had to come up with a well I won't say this on mic and i Had to like leave work early, but I will say it on my I guess yeah in order to to see it um But uh yeah, and I drove super far to see it and I remember it was just me and this older couple and a couple rows in front of me and I just had to Keep quiet because of how much I was crying I cried from I think beginning to end of this movie it just
01:36:15
Speaker
Again, I don't even really know why. It just moved me on such a deep level. I feel bad recommending it to people because like my cousin watched it because of my review. I didn't even recommend it to him and he was like, yeah, I didn't get that out of it. I didn't get what you got out of it. So listener, you might not experience the same thing, but this movie just wrecked me. I still watch it.
01:36:38
Speaker
Yeah, go watch it. just ah Don't expect to be emotionally devastated like I was. I don't know what happened to me, but it just it's a movie that I cried throughout and I walked out of the theater and I had to reacclimate into the world. like Light bothered me and I like didn't know what direction I was facing. I was like, where is the bathroom? what Where am I?
01:37:01
Speaker
And I like just sat in my car and was like, I feel like I should just end my day here. I really don't know what else to do with my day. That's actually what happened when I saw a baby girl too. I had a bunch of stuff to do afterwards. And I was like, I kind of want to cancel everything and just think about this movie. But that's the effect that Ghostlight had on me. It's about a family. It's about a dad finding a connection to Shakespeare and really like being able to handle and tackle some pretty heavy stuff that he was pushing down and uh really face certain aspects of life and it really moved me and worked for me so ghost light if you get the chance check it out i really want to see this one i i i didn't get around to it before the end It was like almost impossible to see. I'm just glad that it didn't get like the sing-sing treatment where it barely got on streaming and all this I know sing-sing it's cool it's getting into theaters in like a couple of days but I mean this movie was like almost impossible to see and like nobody heard of it and like I feel like nobody's gonna check it out but if if this movie if this list gets you to check out
01:38:18
Speaker
Anything Ghostlight is the one that I hope it gets you to check on. I hope it affects you, Doug, and you, the listeners in the way that it really affected me, because it to just destroyed me. Hell yeah. Yeah, in a good and a bad way. Not in a bad way, but like...
01:38:35
Speaker
There were like good and bad things happening in them. They were positive. and you know No, it doesn't sound like it's it's it's a ah breezy watch, but sometimes you need a good cry movie, you know? Yeah, but that's Ghostlight. I really hope ah people um check that out.
01:38:54
Speaker
Hell yeah. In kneecap too. Check out all of these. Yeah. Just listen to us. Just watch what we tell you to do and you'll be fine. Yeah. Text me if you're thinking about watching a movie or message me on Instagram um at Nicki Minaj 93. And yeah, just um ask me what you should be watching.
01:39:12
Speaker
He'll tell you. He'll sell you straight. i tell yeah Yeah. All right. So my number three is red room. and We have had no overlap yet. i i I wasn't even trying to like throw you off or like go for I just.
01:39:28
Speaker
things things shifted as like this was- No, I expected it. I mean, and none of your choices are surprising me, but I was like, I'm just like, it is crazy how many, just the variety of movies that came out this year that I'm like, I know like there are movies on here that you think very highly, like movies on my list, you think very highly of, but then I forget like,
01:39:53
Speaker
There's like fucking 20 movies also on top of that, that you also think very highly of too. Yeah, like and a Nora and Challengers spoilers are not in my top 10, but I love those films, you know? So it's like... Damn, I'm surprised Challengers isn't in your top 10.
01:40:09
Speaker
It could very well will likely rise on review. I mean it's already really high. I mean like pretty much and top 24. If you're like in the top 24 of this year, you're in pretty good shape. I can usually judge by our reviews to what movies are gonna probably make it in your top 10, but we are you are covering a lot of movies we didn't review.
01:40:32
Speaker
Mm-hmm, and I'm covering a lot of movies we didn't review too. Yeah, so I guess so I didn't really get a chance to gauge most of the ones we're talking about This is cool. I like the way this is shaping out though. It's like so not cliche or like yeah I like it. I dig it. Yeah, we're we're cool. yeah and We are cool. No, but and no matter what they say about you, Doug, you are cool. And they are saying things, but. ah yeah Red rooms, we did do a review of this one. Check that one out. a You know, I think feel like I
01:41:10
Speaker
breeze over the debate of like what thriller movies are horror movies. I do count this as a horror movie just because of how disturbing this is such a dog movie too. Yeah, it's like this filled with your list is just filled with dog movies. The August movies ever made enclave the order. Yeah, this so Doug core. I love it. I mean,
01:41:33
Speaker
Well, what I already said a lot and in in our review, but I mean, I don't know, you know, it's it really freaks with you on a on a really psychological level, because like, you're not seeing anything in this movie. ah And it's just so unnerving, you're falling in care. This performance definitely would be in my five favorite lead actress ah performance. She's so compelling. And yet,
01:42:03
Speaker
an enigma kinda cuz like even at the end of the movie i'm like i don't know why you did anything you just did like you're you're really confounding me right now lady i don't know is going over that from what i've heard, yeah on then i'm being serious like i said that is like some people are really trying to get to the bottom of her motives,
01:42:23
Speaker
Well, because in you can you can try and parse it out. I feel like the movie is maybe its its statement in what it's trying to explore work, regardless of if you do because I think some of the difficulty in navigating like her mindset is.
01:42:40
Speaker
very intentional and and yeah that she's like a character she's a person that's like been molded by this obsessive crime obsessed age and like where we have every single detail of these like grisly cases available at her fingertips and then if you're like technically skilled you can get even more shit like a fucking snuff film of the killer that recorded so it's like that we live in a time that facilitates you to get as into the most fucked up things that you want to kind of. that And it's almost like encouraging it. So she's almost just like, almost symbolic of a time and a play. Like, I don't know if culture, when we look back on this, we're gonna be like,
01:43:27
Speaker
be so obsessed with sugar movie like people are gonna be confused like so what was going on with that like you guys were like into murder or something and I as ah someone living through there I'm just I'm struggling like I don't know tell you man some and And I say this to someone like I'm not like a true crime obsessive. I'll watch a well made thing like Zodiac's one of my favorite movies, but that's just because that's like my favorite David Fincher movie and he's David Finchering all over it. So ah it just happens to be about a real serial killer. I got to the I was like, this is a real guy. Oh, no, I knew I knew Zodiac. I'd heard of the alphabet killer, but the Zodiac.
01:44:12
Speaker
Um, yeah, I don't know. it It makes you, raises some questions about not just the character, but just our time and culture in general of like Canadians and ain Canadians. What's going on up there? Yeah. You're like America's hat.
01:44:30
Speaker
But you guys are like kind of French, but also not like go to France. Then if you're in France, you're going to speak, you're going to speak the language. Yeah. Get out of our country. We own you. This is North America, not North Canada.
01:44:53
Speaker
It's, it's in the name. I'm not even making up rules. kind to make We own them too. Yeah, we do. We own both. its yeah So why we're called one of the greatest empires, you know, and Everyone calls us that. Anyway, i've i've so I've said enough. You can listen to our review for ah more on it. I don't know that it's streaming free, but you can rent it. um it's It's more, you know, it wasn't, it kind of like wasn't available here until it was, but now now you can, you know, you can buy it, rent it. So ah yeah, check out Red Rooms. It's really fucked up. Hell yeah. All right. My number three is popular.
01:45:39
Speaker
You're gonna be popular. and and right now Wicked. Oh, I didn't expect to love this movie. I have, I think talked shit about the trailer multiple times on Mike. it so It was a bad trailer. I think this movie, I feel like we've covered a lot of movies on the pod, but in just our list of like, where we're like, that's going to blow.
01:46:06
Speaker
It just wasn't marketed well, or wasn't didn't announce itself in a way that seemed appetizing. Yeah, Baby Girl, The Bike Riders, and Wicked are three movies where I was like, these trailers suck. I don't have any interest in really seeing these. But um yeah, Wicked, fucking I saw The Tomato Meter. I was like, I i got to see it for myself. And I had seen it twice. our so My second time was kind of a rough experience. you can Here, listen to our three-hour nine-minute episode on it, so I won't go. Did we miss the sing-along screening? There's still some showings. They're like super early in the day, though. Are we just going to make it a sing-along? I'm pretty sure... What are they going to do, pick us out? They can kick out people who are actually being disruptive. I think Cynthia said... No, no singing.
01:46:56
Speaker
And we're on a first name basis, mean cynthia mean me Me, me and all since. Yeah. ah She said in an interview, I think she's like, yeah, I love people are singing and in the theater. So she said, do it. So and that's what I'm going to say when the usher is is courting me out. It was like, she said, my personal friend, Cynthia Ervo. Yeah. What are you saying? We shouldn't listen to powerful black women?
01:47:20
Speaker
Yeah. Is that what you're saying? Wow. Marcus theater. Yeah. Mark. Mr. Marcus Greg. I can call you that. Oh, right. That is his name. Yeah. Greg. Yeah. So oh I forgot what we were talking about. My movie.
01:47:37
Speaker
ah who Wicked. I won't say a whole lot about it. It's America's favorite movie. Everybody loves it. Ariana Grande is going to be elected president. um It's just Yeah, this movie really worked for me. I listen to the music regularly, and I like saw it a month ago. I'm debating on... I've been a couple times a week since it's come out. I've like thought about seeing Wicked a third time. I've debated on the sing-along thing, but they're so early in the day. I'm like, I don't want to be with like kids. like Put it at like midnight. like like Let's do Rocky Horror Wicked or something.
01:48:14
Speaker
you know I want to see that, but, uh, so I don't want to do, I don't know if I want to do a matinee sing along with a bunch of kids, but yeah I am right really hoping it sticks around in theaters so I can hit like a shit week of releases and, uh, see wicked a third time, even though it's on VOD now, but.
01:48:34
Speaker
Yeah, this movie really worked on me. I fucking am singing to the songs what whether they're playing or not to myself and it it fucking rules. I don't know what else to say. I'm so excited for part two. I'm like,
01:48:50
Speaker
just as excited as I am for Mission Impossible Final Reckoning. I want to see how it recontextualizes the Wizard of Oz. I heard the second part is where it all really happens and I'm, I'm, I'm bored with it. I've accidentally, not even just like just scrolling in my feed, seeing spoilers of like what happens to certain characters. I'm not saying anything here, but like I, I was like, Damn, I wish I learned that for the first time watching the part two. So like I am going to hold off on listening to the Broadway score or learning anything about part two until I see it in theaters, unless, um, in August, Wicked is coming to Chicago. So if I can see it, um, on the stage performed as an actual musical, that'll be my exception to spoiling the rest of the movie for me. that's
01:49:41
Speaker
like i'll i'll I'll allow it on Mike. I just granted Nick Clements. he he's as he has he's ah of He can do it. It's allowed. Thanks, Doug. I don't know. If anyone has a problem, like see me about it. Yeah.
01:49:59
Speaker
Um, this movie's a delight though. I'm glad that this was adapted to the big screen. So, I mean, most of the music I've been listening to has been from the Broadway musical because the um movie music wasn't out by the time I had seen the movie in theaters, but fucking it. I don't know. I'm just, I love when a musical really works for me. I love when I just can't stop listening to the music after seeing a musical.
01:50:27
Speaker
That happened here. I don't think it's happened theatrically, maybe since La La Land. And I have been seeking out musicals since. We need a full rent. Like we get good musicals like every few years, but I want it. I wanted to be like fucking old Hollywood where they're just like, we got to release a big one of these like a year. Bangers. Bangers. Like like a good songs. Yeah. Movies. You can even make some of them jukebox musicals if they're if they're You know, if there's enough of them around, I'm not going to complain about that. Yeah, I've been listening to some Moulin Rouge since I watched Wicked. I mean, let's go for it. Let's get more musicals in our theaters. Like, I fucking loved seeing this. There's a kid dancing in his seat. And like, I'm glomming on to the positive aspects of our viewing experience. You did tell them to shut the fuck up, though. Then I threatened. I pulled out like, go. Stop dancing.
01:51:25
Speaker
Then I threw something at him, yeah threw a hammer at him or something. But even though I had that reaction, I was really moved by by that kid's spontaneous joy. at at the The music was making him move. and it's like ah when When's the last time that you've seen the audience be moved by something where involuntarily their body like had a the reaction in that way? like Yeah, I saw it with The Greatest Showman. ah La La Land, I think, came out just, it was that Christmas time, like musical. It was always packed and people were fucking loving it. Hell yeah. Wicked was that again. It was something I haven't experienced in eight years in a movie theater. and i
01:52:12
Speaker
I fucking dig it. The music in Wicked is also better than the music in La La Land. i think like In terms of La La Land has two very strong songs for me, and Wicked has like six very strong songs for me.
01:52:30
Speaker
Shots fired, Mr. Whiplash. Yeah, Chazelle. I forgot, I forgot his name, Chris, so I called him Mr. Whiplash. Yeah, I guess I won't be watching Babylon. Dave Chappelle. chapele like every movie he's done. and I don't see why I have any reason to not love Babylon.
01:52:51
Speaker
But that's it's a pretty compelling movie. Yeah, maybe I was telling me it's a masterpiece. It's his favorite movie of the year came out. He was like, people just weren't ready for it.
01:53:03
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. Maybe there is some truth to that. Like, I'm not fully in the it's a master. but Like, I think it has flaws, but I'm I'm almost of the mind is like, is it my favorite result? Because like it's just the stuff that does work works really hard for me. And it's it's a very compelling film. So he's just got a good run so far. um So don't fuck it up. Yeah, that was my number two or not. Number two, my number three. Yeah. Wicked. Now, my number two.
01:53:32
Speaker
is a different man. Oh, feeling this was going to make it up there. I saw your review and I was like, I feel like this hit you on a personal level. It did. I mean, ah you know, I'm not going to go into too long of a thing, but I've had a ah quite the 2024 in regards to health stuff and even the kind of years leading up to that, having a sense of I guess I'd describe it as kind of like ah of a body dysmorphia where it like almost feels like it was like, well, this isn't my body. And I don't even have the condition that Sebastian Stan starts the movie with sounds awful. Like I don't have anything disfiguring, but like I just really was touched by that scent feeling of like,
01:54:21
Speaker
you can't even be comfortable in your own body and because of that like it's like how can you even be confident you know or talk to a woman or like get the things that you want because like you can't it it it fucks up your whole sense of of of self and i guess this is ah spoilers for stuff that's on the poster and in the trailer like he goes through a procedure that It makes him look like Sebastian Stan. It's basically like his disfigured skin falls off and then he's just Sebastian Stan. So I don't even... Okay. I had no idea. I actually didn't know the plot. ah That's interesting. Okay. Yeah. So there's almost like ah the substance element to this of like, of of like, what if you could become your i idealized self? I was worried it was going to be like the whale and just be unpleasant and mean-spirited, kind of. I really didn't know what to make of it. No, it's not mean-spirited at all, because even the character, there's and another character shows up and the actor in real life has, I want to make sure I get this, neurofibromatosis, like ah Adam Pearson in real life. I think he wanted some like other film, was it the Gotham award or Spirit didn't have their awards yet but you he won some some some kind of acting award for it and he's great in it and but it represents the ultimate kind of almost like FU to Sebastian Stan because he went through all of this
01:55:55
Speaker
to again, this is this is just like the premise of of of the movie, but you know skip skip ahead if you don't want to know any of this. He became his idealized self. But there's a play being made about him now from when he was disfigured. And then through that, he meets this this guy Oswald who has his condition. But Oswald's confident the girls like him. People are like,
01:56:23
Speaker
hanging on on his word and in crowds love love him like he doesn't seem we're special chance watching him sing karaoke and it's like heartbreaking because he's like What the fuck? This guy, hey he didn't even have to have an experimental procedure done and he has still disfigured and he has the confidence and like all this good stuff in his life. Like, why the fuck can't I be happy? You know, like that he's, it's just like, it's it's ah my review is a quote from the movie that someone tells him at the beginning that says like, all unhappiness comes from not accepting life is as it is. And it's it's like, if
01:57:04
Speaker
That's the a big a big part of the movie and a thing that I'm still grappling with in my own life of trying to be able to, you know, be not happy, but like be able to accept the reality of, of you know, maybe my health or physical condition isn't isn't ideal, but that doesn't mean that I still can't do the things that I want to do or or or be happy or like, you know,
01:57:31
Speaker
Uh, you know, yeah, I can, I can still be a fulfilled person, even, even with disabling things in, in my life. So that, yeah, this movie just really spoke to me on, on that level. Um, I loved it. That's, that's a different man. Oh yeah. I'm glad that you got to experience and get this movie on your list. That was very beautiful. I don't know. I.
01:57:56
Speaker
I'll have to give it a shot then. It seemed like it might be a bit too heavy for me, but after hearing you say all that, I feel like if it means that much to you, I've probably got to watch it. I mean, there's parts that are sad, but it's not definitely not of the whale or even, I say as if someone has never even seen the Elephant Man. That movie seems heavy, you know, like that it's just about, wow, this is fucked up. yeah Isn't this fucked up? This guy a guy has to live like this. Yeah, I was worried about the Elephant Man 2. That's one I've been hesitant to watch. I didn't like The Whale. um and i I still haven't seen it. Oh, yeah, I wasn't a fan.
01:58:33
Speaker
um Sorry, I had to burp on Mike. And that burp is Nick's number two. Yeah. No, so my number two movie is Strange Darling. Oh, shit. Yeah, so.
01:58:50
Speaker
We have a whole episode where we basically break down this whole movie's plot. I really encourage you to listen to that. um We accidentally ended up just like putting a lot of work into that episode ah because, I don't know, it's a movie I've seen three times in theaters. It's a movie that Again, the trailer didn't do anything for me. I was like, this trailer like kind of sucks. It doesn't look like there's anything to this movie. and i It makes it look much more conventional, there but there were there was something about the trailer. I'm not saying the trailer is good, but there was something that just made me go, so what is this? It looks stylish.
01:59:31
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, there there was some kind of- Your style to the way it was shot. Then it said shot by Giovanni Ribisi, and I was like, okay, so when can I buy tickets? and so You knew there was going to be more than what the trailer was giving off, but it- It was going to be more than meets the eye. Yeah, exactly.
01:59:50
Speaker
But the trailer wasn't you know moving the needle too much for me. But I had just seen it again. It was like wicked, except it was a week or two before the movie came out. I had seen an early like preview thing of it. And I just went in, aside from the trailer, like you can watch the trailer and still go in like pretty blind. But I went in blind and was just thrown through one of the wildest rides that I've been thrown through in the theater in a long time with like an audience that I felt was like,
02:00:19
Speaker
right there along with the ride for me i with me. I love seeing this with a crowd. I mean, obviously, still watch the movies. We'll we'll just work on regardless of how you're watching it. But I almost I almost feel sorry if you can't see it in the theater because it's the the it but it truly was there. I feel like there's so few times where the whole audience is on the same wavelength as me. Some like sometimes I'm super keyed into a movie. I feel like and Are you guys feeling this at all? But I felt like we were all simultaneously It's almost like we were the whole link to holding hands. We're like, we're we're fucking in this man Yeah, where is this going? What? Oh, this is what's happening Yeah, every like new like step of the story like
02:01:08
Speaker
every bit of information you can just everything that happens along the way just it's additive the movie never stops adding to your experience and i can't think of many movies at least in recent years that have like Felt like they were consciously doing that consciously trying to do more making you think every time making you feel certain ways just constantly like recontextualizing certain things it really is one of the best journeys I've been on in a movie theater in a long time and
02:01:44
Speaker
After the movie there was supposed to be a Q and&A and the Q and&A like didn't work. oh So about that yeah, so people just started talking amongst themselves about like what they thought of the movie and I can't think of a time when that's like ever happened where just like strangers were talking. Genuine spontaneous like conversation. And it was just like really nice and awesome and I I don't know like I've talked about in like recent years like what movies are really going to stick with me as the years go on like I know like oh what was my number one might fall to eight and my number seven you know
02:02:26
Speaker
Surprisingly like but i found like this meaning in it and it like is something i carry with me now for some reason like talk to me was lower on my list last year and now it's like no i would put it at like number two because of how much it means to me.
02:02:41
Speaker
strange darling i don't really know if it has that longevity again it's like a ghost light where it's so like in that moment i first saw it so i really can't tell like what my opinion will be of the movie going forward or like how it'll change but right now it deserves this number two spot because i haven't been I haven't had an experience like this movie in a very long time or or ever maybe in a movie theater. It like was such a wild ride with um that just keeps going and keeps going and it's relentlessly entertaining. like like a rollerco Like Scorsese saw it and he said it it was like a theme park but in a good way.
02:03:26
Speaker
Exactly. He was like, the good kind, not like that Marvel track. Yeah. Yeah. See see this on a date night. And also, like, this is something I wanted to say. Like, she has a great day movie. Yeah. This is something I want to i wanted to say about Baby Girl and, like, I mean, Challengers maybe be a little bit, but it's like a genre of movie and, like, maybe just a personal life thing that I'm kind of, like, really latching onto and something that is kind of in strange is something that you brought up on our in our review, but like exploring a kink with somebody or like discovering like something like that with somebody that's like something I've experienced in my life like yeah, you know Exploring something with somebody in an intimate way whether it's your first time or their first time doing it But you're doing it together that happens in baby girl that happens in strange darling like there's like
02:04:24
Speaker
like it's lightly in challenge or not really, but there is a discovery, I guess for them. Yeah. When they're 18. Yeah. It's like something that like, you know, I've like it.
02:04:38
Speaker
It's like really hit a button with me in movies this year, and Strange Darling is a bit more light on it than Baby Girl. This, again, this is something I meant to bring up in Baby Girl, but it it's got a little bit of that, and so, I don't know. This movie just, it really, uh, it's something special at this point in my life right now.
02:04:56
Speaker
Hell yeah. Really, I dig it. It's it's pretty hot. go Oh, I was saying all that to kind of say, um, it's a good date night movie, you know? Uh, if you are in a relationship or you got someone coming over and you're going to watch a movie together, but throw in Strange Darling. I think you guys will, uh, be along for a wild ride. Hell yeah. It's pretty hot at times. Kyle Galner's in it. Come on, guys. Yeah.
02:05:23
Speaker
and not I'm blanking on her name but she she's great too like the world she's fantastic I know she won't get any awards attention but she'll probably get a juicy numb from me I almost feel like we need a juice he's just for horror and yes I could I've seen some people like well this is just like a thriller it's not Like, just shut up, it's horror, I don't know. It's horror. Yeah, there's some pretty bloody deaths in it. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty twisted. So that's my number two is Strange Darling. And now, hell yeah. We're in it for number one. Number one. Dogs number one. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines or or whatever Chris Hemsworth says in Furiosa.
02:06:08
Speaker
Furiosa, that's your number one. Yeah. Mine number one is also Furiosa. We finally, that's actually a good arc of like, we didn't go left until the very end. I just changed mine to Furiosa yesterday too. It was strange. dark So it was ghost light. Well, for the longest it was bike riders, then ghost light, then strange darling. Well, no.
02:06:33
Speaker
I forget, it was bike riders, Furiosa, Furiosa for the longest time, then Ghost Light, Strange Darling, then I was like, it has to be Furiosa. In that movie, four times in theaters, that movie's made me watch Mad Max three times at home, but damn, it all worked out. and it's a It's an astounding movie in terms of, like you can look at it from like a visual perspective in terms of the storytelling of how it's like this, like like biblical epic, but in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but it's also kind of a Western in like the ways it's exploring revenge and stuff. But like, I just, my most recent rewatch when I rewatched this and then Fury Road afterwards, I cried for both movies. Like I was, and not that I wasn't initially emotionally in of
02:07:27
Speaker
Affected by the the film because it was it's been hovering around the top basically the top three ever since I saw it but this movie gives fury road an emotional arc that it didn't have fully originally and there's like an implied arc in you know before but now it's harder.
02:07:47
Speaker
You go on such a journey with this character that, like, it it's it's one of the best cinematic journeys I think I've seen within, like, a one movie, like, span. It's told economically, too. It's like they make such good use of the runtime. It's filled with spectacle. It's filled with heart. It, like, you... Ah, man. It makes Very Road a better movie, I think. I disagree with people saying this movie doesn't need to exist.
02:08:16
Speaker
yeah i just i disagree with that i yeah i think i agree i agree wholeheartedly that it improves true night and that was a movie that i would have previously thought didn't need and any improving because i would be like oh pretty pretty perfect in in every way but now this it just hits even harder and then i don't know maybe i'm a fucking weenie but something about movies that are about like, how do we decide to live in a world without hope? Because both movies are basically about that's like a core theme. And I i know we said at the top weren't going to spoil them, but but I do want to talk about the end of Furiosos. So I don't know the
02:09:00
Speaker
ah a spoil a spoiler warning for Furiosa. I do want to say too, in terms of like theme right before you spoil, I do really like about how it is kind of, there's a theme I think with certain movies this year, but like Furiosa, I think a big one is kind of just like about like ah letting go, like this character holds on to so much throughout the movie. But then like when you get to Fury Road, that's the point where it's like,
02:09:27
Speaker
Yeah, well, yeah, you are kind of, and well, spoilers for Fury Road, I guess. you have You are kind of forced to like let go. it It is hard to not think about it as one arc. I guess it is the Fury Road arc I'm talking about more, but fuck no. So what were you going to say? No, but I, yes, she has to let it go. Uh, cause like that, that the whole thing where she's saying I wanted back, it's, which is so, so like heartbreaking.
02:09:51
Speaker
But like, in in the context of her full arc, but I wanted to say about, specifically about the end, she says, I forgot if I had it written down in my most recent letterbox, but she says something about the, when you start hearing the history man ah go over the different tales, you know, because like a lot of the Man-Max movies, these are like Wasteland fables and, you know. I think that's a quote. Do you want me to read it?
02:10:19
Speaker
uh yeah as the world falls around us that one as the world falls around us how must we brave its cruelties this is our first fruit but it's not for you and me yes each of us in our own way will vanish from this earth wait so this is our first fruit but it's not for you and me each of us in our own way will vanish from this earth and then perhaps some uncorrupted life will rise and will rise to ad doorn ah To me, that really struck me at the at the end ah of this watch because, you know, you're seeing it play over these parts of like, oh, how did she get her revenge on on Dement? is what is what was What's the brutal thing she did to him? And then we're told that this is, no, this is the truth from Furios herself, that she grew, this is a ah ah seed from her homeland that she's been carrying with her since
02:11:12
Speaker
and she was stolen away and and as a child from from her homeland that she planted a tree in Dementis and i she says it's not for you or like it's not for her or Dementis what's going to grow from this tree but the idea of like want to put hope, build hope that might not even be in my lifetime that I'm going to see it. Is someone down the line, maybe the next generation or maybe the generation after the next generation won't even see the fruits of of this tree. But while you're seeing the tree, you see the you know the wives leading into the Fury Road that she's going to help them escape. And that's just like so moving to me of like,
02:11:52
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. The world seems sometimes pretty bleak and it's nice to think of an idea of even in such ah an awful like, like if you stop and think about what the living conditions of the world of Man-Max, it's fucking terrible. It's like, it's like yeah it's like a nightmare world. I couldn't survive in it at all. Especially for like a woman. Oh my God. That's like the fucking a nightmare of world. But like,
02:12:17
Speaker
But then the idea of just like, yeah, this is all terrible, but what if we chose another way, you know, like what we doesn't have to be like this and we can imagine something better and we can still build that hope. And yeah, that's very beautifully like put and I feel like all of that too is like baked into the character in Fury Road, but it just It's such a different an incredible journey that we're getting with Furiosa that I honestly don't know if we'll get a
02:12:52
Speaker
like when the next time we'll get an epic that like works this well within one movie that doesn't need to be spread across like a whole trilogy or something you know i don't know when we'll get ah another like contains story that works this well on this scale you know yeah i don't and to see that done is just incredible like to see this he did with this in fury road and to see all that done in like this is a blockbuster you know it didn't perform like one unfortunately because we're world sucks and we don't deserve periods but uh
02:13:29
Speaker
You know, to have that kind of storytelling on the scale of a blockbuster, I think is just like a feat that we should be applauding. I know the people who make these decisions only measure things on how much money it makes, but I'm saying is this is a success on the scale of like what you said of like that, doing that kind of storytelling on this scale. and it like it It feels epic and large.
02:13:55
Speaker
but also intimate at the same time. like This is a movie where, I think if you were to break down the script, that like for most of the runtime, characters aren't really saying it. George Miller very much has said like he like wants to do like a kind of like silent film almost. The Dementist does most of the talking. Right.
02:14:18
Speaker
Dementis is like almost unique for a Mad Max character because even previous villains did not monologue or gap their mouths like he does. like he's He's doing all the all the talking and then most of the dialogue is like, and I'm Shakespearean. yeah i've I've read books yeah and I'm going to let you all know that.
02:14:36
Speaker
Yeah, he was like, I know how leaders behave. He was like, turn against a Martin Joe. He was like, you know, trying and everyone's just like not enthusiastic. Immediately fails. I love that. Yeah. ah Such a that's a great performance that also will not I mean, Anya Taylor Joy isn't fucking incredible. Like, I wish we did live in a world where that and it sucks because Fury Road did Get nominations and I don't know if you felt this during that Oscars when when it started winning all the technical awards I started for a moment was like it's very road about to fucking sweep this like it felt for like a second I had the memory of fury fairy road winning best picture for some reason I don't know why like because it didn't I actually, I didn't like Fury Road when I first saw it in theaters. I wasn't on board with it. It took a couple of years for me to really turn around on that movie. It was when Blank Check did their George Miller miniseries actually and I rewatched it. um It was specifically like the night scene when they were in the desert. I was like so locked in. i was like
02:15:43
Speaker
Should I be paying more attention to this movie? And then since then, I've like, but I put in an effort to actually watch it. And I was like, God, this movie is working on a level that I really wasn't able to fully appreciate when I first saw it in theaters. I just got chills singing about that scene. It looks like a painting like that. My mom literally said, oh, my God, when she there's just the moment at night when you see the And we don't know what they are, the guy, the still people walking through, because it just looks like a it's like beautiful imagery. And you're just like, this is incredible that I'm even seeing this. It is crazy. So people people give movies a second chance. You know, I, ah yeah.
02:16:28
Speaker
I didn't like Fury Road for the longest time. I would get like actively mad when people would talk about how great it was and be like, it's not that good. like what It wasn't that special. Yeah, it's spectacle. Who cares? And then, yeah, I just had to grow up a little bit. Yeah. Sometimes you just got to grow up.
02:16:46
Speaker
grow up listeners. That should be, I feel like that's a through line on, on, on all our episodes. where like thing to grow up Yeah. You got, we did the growing up yeah and we're already have the fully formed correct opinions now about film. So you need to grow up to get to our level. Exactly. And then we're going to grow up a little bit more and rethink our opinions on these movies and be like, they're actually, long legs is actually number one.
02:17:15
Speaker
I wouldn't be mad if if someone told me along like this is their favorite year I'd be like, yeah, I you see. I think it'll be some people's I think we'll find that out. But yeah, Furiosa just fucking rules. I wish more people saw I really do. It's they need to do a re-release and they need to do a re-release where it's that and we can do the double feature because it really they really do benefit from even if you're just seeing them like within a day of each other or directly after one another. it It just hits on a whole different level, especially by the time you get to Fury Road and like she's she's getting to
02:17:52
Speaker
the green place and doing air quotes. But like when, when she gets there in Fury Road and you've watched them both back to back, you've been with this woman her whole life and you're this like, Oh my God, she spent her whole life trying to get back here. The holy shit. I'm like tearing up now. I know. It is such like a defeating moment with the context of Furiosa. It just, it's maybe goes so hard. I can't understand not thinking it should exist.
02:18:20
Speaker
Yeah, shame shame on you if you think that. go grow Grow up. think Think about your life. Grow up. And if you haven't watched it, fucking watch Furiosa. I know some people who haven't. You don't need to have seen the other mad any other Mad Max movie. You're going with Furiosa. I think i i don think it read yeah i think they were starting with firiioa as i mean i basically accidentally did that experiment with my mom. And I think that does, it really hits that way. So I would say if you haven't watched either, try it that way. Cause it might, it might unlock something for you. Oh yeah. Fuck. That's so cool that we landed on the same number one. What a, what an arc. Oh yeah.
02:19:17
Speaker
What a journey. What a fucking good year. This has been a really good year for movies. I'm super, super satisfied. This has been a good year for the podcast too. I know we didn't start off at the beginning of the year, but it's nice we got to come around and talk about movies like Challengers. Yeah. And I guess like Dune didn't really make our list. Not a whole lot of earlier movies made our list actually.
02:19:42
Speaker
you know if we we're talking about blockbusters that go above and beyond the the mark like dune definitely fucking delivers and i've ah loved my theatrical experience it's just yeah it didn't i mean that's like closer to like 20 something on my list movies we liked more but I like the more in that the movies that were lower are bad and I hate them. Yeah, exactly. If it's not in the top 10, then it's it sucks. There are people in my life who we have if I don't put a movie in like my top 10 after we see it, they almost seem like offended. like
02:20:21
Speaker
Or I'll tell them like, yeah, I gave it three and a half stars. It'll be like, which is, which is good. That to me is like, yeah I liked this. They'll be like, oh so what, it's not five. What are you talking about? And that's not a perfect movie. movie And then I'll bring up like reasonable issues. Like, yeah, I had issues with like dialogue and stuff like that. And they'll like scoff at me. You and your opinions, you know, it's like, okay, well, that's, I can't, that was my reaction yeah i want if to go podcasts about it. Nick.
02:20:49
Speaker
And then he did, showed you whoever you are, listener who doubted him. He started podcasting about movies and people want to know my movie's opinions more. And I'm just like, we recorded three hours on Wicked. You can listen to that. I'm kidding. I talk to people about movies still. But yeah, this was a fucking- I don't. I walk away, I start talking to them, I'm like, nope, go listen to Bob. I love this.
02:21:17
Speaker
I have a podcast, I'm better than you, and then I walk away after I announce that. yeah Here's my card to Nick's favorite movies, Y2K. Yeah, we'll flip it over. It's still this time. Yeah. and um do you want to So do you want to wrap up ah this episode? or yeah If we have more we want to talk about, let's take a break.
02:21:39
Speaker
I we could wrap up this episode if we want to do like a spin off like first. Oh, we are going to do that anyway. We already said that. And I have other things I want to talk about, but I know we've been going a long time and I'm pretty hungry. I don't know. But yeah, I didn't finish all my food from earlier, but I've got like.
02:21:59
Speaker
Um, most disappointing movies, biggest surprise movies I didn't get, some other podcasts have covered. Then I have like a movies that made me cry list, uh, throughout the year. And then, uh, most anticipated movies of 2025 thing. I think it'd be cool to cover or all ah do all of those. do Would you want to just do that? Is it like its own bonus offshoot? Yeah, we'll do our own bonus one because we still gotta do Nosferatu. That one will be pretty short too so we can do Nosferatu like tomorrow or well we'll plan it all out. like Listeners, calm down. yeah You'll get our episodes. Chill. You're being hysterical right now. You're making a scene. Schedule on mic.
02:22:44
Speaker
I, I, if you would just stop yelling at us, then maybe we could like, you know, think and figure out what we're doing for a second. So just like, give, give us a second here. Oh yeah. All right. So let's do our, you know, wrap up and everything and we'll, we'll get the other one on the books. We'll get our future episodes down. And we're giving these, these animals two and a half hours on the year 2024.
02:23:07
Speaker
Fucking greedy bastards. Now we're longer than better podcasts that I listen to. um I have better podcasts? Is that a thing? Yeah, there are some times I'm like, you have three hosts and you're bringing in your top 10 in under two hours. That seems impossible. It's almost like you didn't even love the movies. You didn't have enough to say about them. Yeah, it's almost like and you're using AI to edit out most of what you're saying. Who shots fired? Bra bra. Nameless podcast. Anyway, yeah, 2024 fucking great year. I honestly am going into 2025 with a dread. I'm not looking forward to it. As I get older, the ending of each year starts to feel more existential and
02:23:58
Speaker
You know, the beginning, I'm glad the damned is coming out pretty early. So we're, and like, we have some leftover movies from last year that are going to be humping out. in two weeks So, you got a Marvel movie in February.
02:24:14
Speaker
Yeah, we got we got stuff coming out. So I guess I shouldn't feel so hopeless about twenty twenty five. It's just the winter is rough when you're not looking forward to Christmas, but I'm trying to keep in good spirits. And I'm glad we got some good releases to kind of help me out with that because ah twenty twenty four definitely delivered on the release. It set the bar high. I'm just going to try and keep my ex. I'm like, we're we're not going to get to twenty twenty four is back to back.
02:24:40
Speaker
and So it's just not how numbers work, so. Yeah, yeah exactly. Good point, Doug. You just did 2024, and then the next year I was like, 2024? Wait a minute. It's like some kind of Twilight Zone loop. We already talked about that they don't go backwards anymore. Yeah. You just stay in the same. It's like Groundhog Day, but for a year. it's that the whole you The whole year finishes, and then you do it over again.
02:25:08
Speaker
ah Exactly. Shit, write that down. I will. um But yeah, 2025, hopefully we get some good shit. You know, just it's going to just be endless Marvel news until the Avengers movies come out in 2026. Batman got delayed. yeah So I don't know. Mission Impossible is coming out. Wicked part two. OK. That that that. Yeah, it's something to look forward to.
02:25:38
Speaker
Well, I'm glad we walked away with some good movies. You know, we got the podcasts started and in the books. I mean, I'm happy we started this. It's one of the best things I've done all year is start this podcast. I mean, not to be dramatic or sappy. This is just one of the best years. I've one of the best things I've done, you know, just as ah as a work.
02:26:00
Speaker
Uh, you know, not that I've, you know, I've, I've created or or been a part of stuff that I'm, I am proud of, but like this podcast, I feel like is on its own tier of just, I, I think we have something really special here, man. And I'm glad that we started this journey together. And yeah, it's, I'm, I'm looking forward to, to continuing. Hell yeah. I'm looking forward to a strong 2025. I think no matter how it goes.
02:26:27
Speaker
You know, no matter what the world is like, no matter what my life is like, I think this podcast being a constant is going to be a positive. And I am really glad I have this outlet and I'm glad that I have you as my best friend, Doug. I of agree on both parts. I'm glad to have this this podcast and glad to have you as my best friend. And yeah, we just we just got to there could be some dark times ahead. We just got to plant that tree of hope.
02:26:55
Speaker
But not wait for the the fruit. I'm taking the fruit, right? As so soon as something starts growing, I'm snagging. I don't even care if it's ripe or fully formed fruit. I'm eating it immediately. Those are a couple of our plugs. We plugged each other. We plugged dark times. Doug just plugged fruit.
02:27:11
Speaker
trees plant a tree yeah the environment plant a tree out of your mortal enemy i've heard that's pretty good like if you have someone who's like killed your family or you're like leave that behavior behind in 2024 though leave it in 2024 planting seeds in your enemies genitals no i think we the we should keep doing that i think we should do it more That's my takeaway, my hot take. I don't know if I subscribed to that belief. Plant more seeds into the genitals of your enemies. Sounds wrong. Sounds like we shouldn't be doing that. In this audio medium, if you just say it like that, yeah, sure it was. But when you see it... It's beautiful. Yeah. It really is a tree growing out of his day. Yeah, Chris Hemsworth does have a tree growing out of his genitals. Um, so that's our plug for genital trees. So for Chris Hemsworth, you could check out, uh, black hat. I think there's a director's cut officially available for that now. Finally. Oh, so rate and review is five stars. If you hadn't haven't let's enter the year with some good five star ratings. Uh, we'll read your review online. We just. We don't really, you know, we got the downloads. We're not getting the reviews listeners. I feel like people are cutting it off the moment we even mentioned a plug or anything though. We got to start sprinkling these plugs throughout the app. I am occasionally guilty of even my favorite podcast. I'm like, okay, so it's over. You know, when it gets to the plug section, I'm like, the episode has finished. I'm thinking we're getting a lot of that.
02:28:55
Speaker
Well, I don't know. It's our fault. We can't, correct we can't correct it from here. It's too late. do next check or year New Year's resolution. I've been avoiding the gym today because I'm just like, fuck, it's probably packed, but I'm probably going to go there after we record. Speaking of New Year's resolution, even though I've been going since last year. but So you're ahead of the curve. ma It's these fucking new assholes that are throwing me off. Fakers.
02:29:21
Speaker
Yeah. Stop being a phony and hogging up Nick's gym. Exactly. But yeah, Raiden review is five stars if you're not going to the gym. Yeah. Um, and if you are going to the gym and it's not the one I go to also Raiden review is five stars. You see, if you see me at the gym, don't talk to me. yeah He's at the gym. What do you think this is? This is like a party. No listeners have talked to me, but other people have, and it's very disruptive.
02:29:48
Speaker
You're in the middle of a workout. That's like not a and a good time. Yeah. Just do your own thing. Talk to me later. All right. Well, you got any plugs? Uh, yeah. You eases you can, uh, follow me at Doug or not underscore two on Twitter. And then also the shows, Twitter at guys got juice. you Follow me at Doug or not underscore one on Twitter as well.
02:30:16
Speaker
Damn it. You're the one who has that. Uh, also my letterbox, uh, the Doug or not, I am somewhat logging more frequently, even stuff that like, I wasn't even serious about watching that. I still have like, Oh, I actually have thoughts about this. So like, you know, we, we can't get to every movie here on on the pod. Uh, don't be greedy, but you know, we, yeah Just go to my letterbox. Maybe I logged it there. Okay. Fucking greed pig. Yeah, get off Doug's case, guys. Just stop pig stop yelling at me. Greed pig sounded mean.
02:30:56
Speaker
um Yeah, you can ah follow me on Letterboxd at Nicholas Ewers. Subscribe to my YouTube channel, Nicholas Ewers. I ah said I was going to be uploading more music there, but actually I'm having music. I'm working on music with a producer right now, two to three songs. um I'll keep the listeners up to date on how that's going. It's in the pre-production phase. I'm doing a rewrite of two songs I was working on.
02:31:25
Speaker
and Yeah, it's going to be piano driven, like orchestra, almost like play style music, kind of inspired by this musical thing I've been going through a little bit. But, uh, so yeah, keep your eyes out for that, uh, or keep your ears out for that. Yeah. On the two. I don't know anymore, but, um, yeah. years same thing Keep you guys posted on that. And I'm Nicholas Evers. I'm Doug Danport. Have a good year.
02:31:56
Speaker
And a Happy New Year!