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Coraline
50 Plays9 days ago
Join Nicholas and Mercedes as they return to the roots of the podcast with a classic HOST PICK! Mercedes has chosen Coraline for your morbid hosts to watch and discuss for your enjoyment. They talk their love for stop motion animation, seeing Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in 4DX, Henry Selick/the team at LAIKA and the work they put into their movies, and much more.
Stay tuned for the rest of the month! They'll be bringing you episodes on Black Phone, Black Phone 2, Bring Her Back, and Trick 'r Treat. Happy Spooky Seaon!
Remember to follow us on Instagram @morbid_curiosities_pod
Email us at morbidcuriosities10@gmail.com with comments/questions/concerns/recommendations
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Transcript
Introduction and Banter
00:00:58
Speaker
you
00:01:12
Speaker
What's up, guys? We're Morbid Curiosities, your favorite horror movie podcast, and we're back with another episode. I'm one of your hosts, Nicholas Ewers, and with me is... Making up a song about my other the host.
00:01:26
Speaker
She's a peach, she's a doll, she's a pal of mine. And that's all I got.
00:01:34
Speaker
The Morbid Mistress of Mayhem, Lightweight Champion of the World... Mercedes Martinez. Mercedes Martinez. Oh my god.
00:01:45
Speaker
i I tried to do more, but I was like, oh I'm not going to be able to pull this off. It's very so wordy. they No, it really is like I, since I've watched this movie before, like I kind of heard bits and pieces of that song and then watching it for this, I'm like, let me hear and actually read along with these lyrics because I heard so much about like how there was like foreshadowing in it.
00:02:12
Speaker
But yeah, it's it's hard to get out. But thank you. i appreciate that. That was a good way to make my day. Thank you so much. Yeah, you got your own personalized version of a Coraline song.
00:02:26
Speaker
I am honored. There was actually supposed to be a musical about Coraline that was being produced alongside this movie. And i think that song was from the musical. It's actually, i think the band is called They Might Be Giants.
00:02:45
Speaker
something like that the singer from that sang that song and he actually wrote a bunch of music for the coralline musical and it hasn't been released because i don't think the musical happened damn yeah i heard there were 10 songs or so that were supposed to be in the film and it was like cut down to two or something and don't know how i'd feel about it being a musical but i mean i'd still go see it because you know it's coralline Yeah, the song is sung by John Linnell of They Might Be
Exploration of Coraline's Themes
00:03:15
Speaker
Giants.
00:03:15
Speaker
So good for him. he actually He got one song, at least in this wonderful, wonderful movie that that we'll be covering today. I just wanted to like, you know, if the listeners don't know, we're covering Coraline today. It's a little bit of a change of pace.
00:03:32
Speaker
This was a Mercedes pick. She brought this one to the table and I'm super grateful for it. It's directed by a filmmaker named Henry Salick. You might know him as the director of Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach. He did Monkeybone. And most recently he has Wendell and Wilde on Netflix.
00:03:53
Speaker
He's just a very profound filmmaker. He's one of the most beautiful artists I think that's been able to work in this medium. And I'm So happy that Mercedes brought this to the table. I mean, Coraline is just like Night Before Christmas and Coraline. I mean, two movies that are just in the public. Like everybody knows these movies. But I mean, Mercedes, I want you to kick us off with your thoughts on this movie since this was your pick.
00:04:24
Speaker
The first time I watched it, it was when it came out in theaters and I was like, damn, this is such a good movie. I love it. And then ever since then, everyone that I would ask, oh, have you seen Coraline? They're like, no, man, that shit is scary. that was such a creepy movie. i'm like, what are you talking about? It's not a creepy movie. It's a cute movie.
00:04:44
Speaker
Like Coraline's adorable. But they're like, no, I don't want buttons sewn in my eyes. I'm like, oh my God, whatever. And then I hadn't watched it in a while. And then re-watching it a couple times for the episode today, i was like, damn, it is kind of dark.
00:05:01
Speaker
And then watching a lot of YouTubers just kind of like, how is this a kid's film? How is this for kids? Like, nah, it's for everybody, everybody to enjoy.
00:05:13
Speaker
But it has like... the you know the dark feel of you know what the theme should be but it has a bright aesthetic along with it so it kind of confuses you but it's just crazy how much like how uneasy you do start to feel as the movie is going. But it has like cute little score. It has all these little a lot of little details in there that foreshadow things or just reference other movies.
00:05:49
Speaker
Psycho is one of them. So it there's a lot packed into this one film, and I thoroughly enjoy it Yeah, you mentioned this movie being scary or dark. We should mention that this, as most people probably know, is based on a novel, I want to say, by Neil Gaiman. And he's known for writing pretty dark material.
00:06:12
Speaker
I've heard some stuff about Sandman, and that sounds pretty upsetting, especially like one thing in particular that I heard. So Henry Selleck taking Neil Gaiman's writing, and he was inspired by art by Tadahiro Yusigi. I think that's how you pronounce it. He's a Japanese artist who had these very like simplistic art styles. Mercedes and like the listeners, if you Google this guy, his artwork will come up.
00:06:39
Speaker
It looks like... Coraline looks and like how she dresses. So it's just like the work of all of these great artists come together and create something so like beautiful in the end of it. And like stop motion animation is something I've grown to have such an appreciation for in my adulthood. Animation doesn't fully get me anymore, but stop motion, something I didn't even like as a kid or want to engage with. I watch it now and I think about how difficult and how... It's just one of the most, in my opinion, like...
00:07:16
Speaker
artistic forms of like movie and television that that's just out. I know that can probably be disputed, but at least for me, it's just the beauty seeps off the screen and you see like the blood, sweat, and tears almost. And,
00:07:33
Speaker
all of that is in Coraline. And I'm going to just be real brief with my relationship to this movie. I've had this movie in my life for a very long time. I dated somebody for years who this was like one of her favorite movies.
00:07:49
Speaker
She liked a lot of bad movies, but occasionally she would nail a good one like Coraline or Dazed and Confused. But a that's no shade to her. but Yeah, so I had been exposed to Coraline, and it was a movie that I never really got.
00:08:06
Speaker
And in my defense, it's pretty loaded for how short the runtime is. A lot of stuff happens in this movie. But it was a movie that I never really got. And last year, they re-released it in 3D.
00:08:19
Speaker
And that was just such an incredible experience. Guys, if you get a chance, see this in 3D. See Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. The stop motion... I mean, this movie was made for 3D. Nightmare Before Christmas was, like, redone to be 3D.
00:08:34
Speaker
Both of them are incredible. Coraline, though, it's like the format that it shines in. Give it a shot. Rush out to see it when it comes out eventually again That's when it really won me over and I've had a hard time really paying attention to the story of this movie because I get so caught up in the visuals. I've rewatched it like five times since I saw it in 3D and just noticed something new on screen every time I watch it and It in some ways has inhibited me from paying attention to the story a lot of the times I watch them.
00:09:11
Speaker
But this time around, I really like discipline myself. I'm like, I'm going to crack down and really lock into this thing. And I think for the most part, I successfully did. But... All of that to say, this movie is basically a home run for me. It's like a modern fairy tale masterpiece, a masterpiece of animation.
00:09:30
Speaker
it is just beautiful from top to bottom and truly one of my favorite animated movies, I'd say. Yeah, there's just so much to unpack here, and i agree with you.
00:09:44
Speaker
Just times that I've watched it in the past and even re-watching it now, I was just taking in like the whole scenery that they would show every like a little...
00:09:56
Speaker
detail in the background that I wouldn't really pay attention to the dialogue when I started watching reviews on it. That's when I started hearing more details and, you know, pieces of conversations that I missed and and just thinking, damn, how did I miss all that? I've watched this so many times.
00:10:16
Speaker
And the last time I watched it earlier, i was still unpacking so much. Like, yeah, so there's there's a lot to uncover, but it's such a good time with this film. Like, I i love it. I love just like learning more about it and all the fucking conspiracy theories that it has reputation for because there was a lot and i started going down rabbit holes with those.
00:10:46
Speaker
Not that I was believing them, but it was just interesting to hear. And, yeah I'm just ready to, like, unload some of them here tonight for Coraline. I'm excited to hear these conspiracy theories. I actually didn't know there were any conspiracy theories surrounding this. There are so many, apparently. so yeah, I think you'll enjoy some of them. This will be news to me.
00:11:11
Speaker
Yeah, I've got to say, you and I talked about this a little bit off mic. For me, it's probably better to like hit this up top, but Coraline is in my top five movies, or not top five movies, my top five animated movies of all time, I'd say.
00:11:29
Speaker
like For me, it goes... Lion King, this anime movie, Your Name, beautiful, makes me cry endlessly. It's awesome. Then Coraline at number three, The Iron Giant, and WALL-E at five. Mercedes, I thought this would be interesting for the listeners. Do you have a top five animated movies list?
00:11:47
Speaker
Yeah, and ironically, Coraline is number three in my list too. Oh, nice. Hell yeah, synergy. i know. We don't butt heads all the time like you say we do with what we like and dislike. so What if it was like all opposites? You're like, and then it's line King 2. I don't
00:12:07
Speaker
None of the other movies I've had sequels. That would have been funny. Yeah, going from like five to one, i would say my top five are Beauty and the Beast, Hotel Transylvania, Coraline, Corpse Bride, and of course, The Nightmare Before Christmas. That one will forever be my all-time favorite.
00:12:29
Speaker
So you're a fan of the stop-motion animation, it seems. Yeah. Yeah, for stop motion, I am a fan of it. and whenever I was watching like behind the scenes type of deal for The Nightmare Before Christmas, learning about it and all the wear and tear that it takes to produce a film like that.
00:12:49
Speaker
My God, i was just like, how are these people not pulling their hair out of their skulls or their scalps whatever? Yeah. with all the shit that they have to do for it, like any movement or expression that Jack Skellington had to make, like it was all over the place for me. So I was like, damn, this film in my eyes is a masterpiece.
00:13:10
Speaker
So God only knows how much it took to, you know, make that film.
Technical Aspects of Stop-Motion Animation
00:13:15
Speaker
Obviously, the people who worked on it do. But yeah, so whenever I do see a film like this, I'm just like in awe of everything that goes into it.
00:13:24
Speaker
Yeah, you mentioned people like pulling their hair out working on this stuff. Coraline, her hair, and I think the hair of like all these other characters, they actually used like synthetic hair, and they lined it with like this wire that was the size of hair. And then the they had to use like super, super thin needles to thread all of the clothes. It just...
00:13:51
Speaker
It looks wild, but that's why Coraline's able to move her hair in like such wild and like wacky ways in this movie. But you're like big fan of the nightmare before Christmas. It's October now, October 2nd for the listeners when we're recording this.
00:14:08
Speaker
If you, you Mercedes and listeners, if you get a chance, check your local theaters that have 4DX. For us over here in the Chicagoland area, it's the Regal Theater in Chicago. i don't remember the exact street, but you can look it up. Regal 4DX.
00:14:25
Speaker
Nightmare Before Christmas. Hopefully we'll be playing this October and you should definitely go check it out in 4DX. It's a very nice experience and i Don't bother spending money on food or drink when you go in.
00:14:41
Speaker
the The chairs will make it difficult to to consume anything. Oh, seriously? are they like the old movie theater chairs? No. So 4DX, the chairs will move kind of like a roller coaster almost.
00:14:55
Speaker
But for Nightmare Before Christmas, it's a bit more tame since it's more of like a musical. But it's really fun with Nightmare Before Christmas. I highly recommend it. I'm going to have to check that out. Thank you, sir.
00:15:08
Speaker
Yeah. So, but I mean, without further ado, we might as well just jump into the meat and bones of this thing. Spoiler alert for Coraline. If you haven't seen it, guys, go check it out.
00:15:21
Speaker
I don't know how you watched it, Mercedes. I've seen it in a whole bunch of different formats. I've seen in DVD, Blu-ray, 3D, re-release in theaters. Today watched it on like, or not today, but for the podcast, I watched it on my 4K steelbook. Guys, if you have 4K player, go buy this thing.
00:15:42
Speaker
It's so cool. It's one of my favorite steelbooks I own. And we're not endorsed by Leica or Focus Features, whoever distributed it, or Walmart who sells the steelbooks.
00:15:57
Speaker
I mean, if you guys were want to sponsor us, go ahead. We'll take your cash. but it's it's such a great steelbook and this movie looks beautiful in 4k but yeah go watch this thing if you haven't it's so worth it and yeah spoilers ahead for this thing mercedes what do you want to get into first I want to start with the intro simply because how little i paid attention to it when I first watched it. Because you hear these children singing and then you see a doll come in through this window. And it has its little button eyes and it starts getting like...
00:16:44
Speaker
and want to say torn apart, but like undone essentially. So the buttons I remove, the hair is getting weaved off and all the stuffing on the inside is removed. And even the material of the doll itself is just pulled inside out.
00:17:01
Speaker
And I'm like, what the fuck are we doing here? But after watching all of that and then watching it a few other times, that's when I finally realized there's some fucking needle hands doing all this shit. like It's not just someone's actual physical hands. These are a bunch of needles, so it's like Edward Scissorhands, but with needles.
00:17:24
Speaker
and I thought that was a cool thing to see. What did you think of that? I thought the intro was great. it We're famous at this point for talking about intros and opening credits. Yeah, I thought this was super strong. going to try to just refrain from saying everything looks beautiful in this movie.
00:17:43
Speaker
So you guys, going forward, you can just assume i think every shot looks fucking gorgeous in this thing because it does. but it this intro is no exception it i watch it and i wonder how they did it it's kind of gross a little bit watching the stuffing get taken out of the doll but i'm assuming that's like so the grandma's sister like not to jump like straight into the movie but the grandma's sister went missing and we assume is one of the ghost kids
00:18:16
Speaker
My assumption is that doll that's being de-stuffed is the doll of the grandma's sister now being made into the Coraline doll. Mercedes is shaking her head. She's giving me a thumbs up.
00:18:27
Speaker
She's now planting a flag with my face on it. I think I'm onto something. You are onto something because even with that, I didn't pay attention to how the doll looked in the beginning.
00:18:38
Speaker
But then rewatching it a million times, i'm like, oh, that's YB's grandmother's sister. oh okay. Oh, yeah, it's all making sense. Like, I'm really bad at picking up details. i believe the podcast has helped me with that more.
00:18:54
Speaker
But yeah, so... You write, you write. Well, I've said before, or I said earlier, it's so easy to get lost in the imagery of this movie and not really pick up on what the movie is showing you. And this movie is filled with, they tell you a lot of what's happening, but it also does a lot of like showing you things instead of verbalizing every single thought process of the character.
00:19:22
Speaker
Because, I mean, this the novel originally was a very internal novel. Like, YB wasn't in there. Coraline originally didn't have a friend to talk to in the novel.
00:19:33
Speaker
It was all interior thoughts from from what I've heard. I've done a little bit of research on Coraline for this episode, not a whole lot. I know this is a very discussed movie, but... yeah from what i've heard the monologue there was no yb that was a henry sellick creation and you you hated yb i think you slandered him on our sinister episode maybe i did not hate yb i don't hate yb i actually like yb and i feel bad because soon as coralline meets him like
00:20:08
Speaker
Yeah, he kind of like almost ran into her on his bike and it freaked her out. But she was just being a dick to him the entire time. Even the cat when she's just like looking for the little well and she heard something or a rock fell, I think.
00:20:24
Speaker
And her dumbass throws the rock up and hits the cat. You don't see it on screen, but you hear him. And you're just like, damn, what did these two creatures do to you? Like, YB is another kid. So you would think because you just moved into a new place in an area that you don't have friends right now.
00:20:45
Speaker
The first kid that you see, you're going to want to latch on to and be friends with. But no, this girl was just like fucking making fun of his name, too, saying, why were you born? Like, don't be a bitch.
00:20:56
Speaker
Why were you born is a pretty mean insult. It's one of those that only a kid could come up with. A kid who... You know, because kids aren't developed yet. They don't understand that their words have power. And it just feels so accurate.
00:21:13
Speaker
the The people in general... YB is maybe the most fantastical of all of the people. He's almost like kind of. kind of but All of the people in this, like Coraline, not all of them actually, because mr Babinski is pretty wild and then the two burlesque women are pretty wild.
00:21:31
Speaker
Coraline and her parents seem like very believable people in this movie. And i I like buy them and I enjoy them. And without the movie really getting into their backstory, it paints enough for you to really yeah who they are as people, why they are the way they are. Like, you know, Coraline straight up says that she's missing Michigan and her friends. That's why she's mean to YB.
00:22:02
Speaker
But I mean, really, it's just like she's put blinders on to all of these interesting people that are surrounding her because she is just so focused on like where she came from and what she's missing, which is,
00:22:17
Speaker
totally understandable she doesn't have to be an asshole like she is but kids don't know how to properly you know verbalize things and and deal with their emotions and their problems and then the parents played by terry hatcher of desperate housewives fame and many more but me and my girlfriend are doing a desperate housewives rewatch right now so Yeah, I've always been a fan of Terry Hatcher, and I love that she's in Coraline. She does fantastic work.
00:22:50
Speaker
And John Hodgman, another person I'm a big fan of, he's on the Blank Check podcast all the time. But he is great as the dad. Both of them feel like very believable people. The dad is like, he always looks kind of sickly, and he's very, like,
00:23:08
Speaker
passive, I'd say.
Character Analysis of Coraline
00:23:10
Speaker
And I've had friends like that where it's like they have a very passive dad and a very strong mom who kind of takes like the dominant role. And they seem they don't seem like bad parents, but they seem like they're busy or just distracted. And i don't know. I just I really like the character work for an animated movie. It feels so lived in.
00:23:36
Speaker
Yeah, the parents in here, i was I'm to lie, I hated them because I was just like, damn, why do they got to be douchebags? They have no patience for Coraline.
00:23:48
Speaker
i get it. They just moved and they're trying to, you know, get their gardening catalog out. So they're just like swamping themselves with work.
00:23:58
Speaker
But every single thing, every single time Coraline tries to tell them, They're just like, yeah, ha hu sure. You know, they just brush her off. And it's like, dude, pay attention to your daughter for a few minutes, something. And it seems like if they do, they get frustrated super easily. Mainly the mom, the dad, he he had like one scene where he got frustrated with her because he was just typing away.
00:24:24
Speaker
But yeah, I do like how they characterize the dad as being more passive. He looked drained of any type of sleep that he could have had Definitely looked sickly. And the mom, I didn't know this until I watched it yesterday that the mom was in an accident and had a neck brace on.
00:24:45
Speaker
Yeah. time Yeah, I thought that was just a turtleneck. So that another detail that I missed. But, yeah, it just made me laugh. Like, that whole house is essentially empty. There are boxes everywhere. The dad's office has towering boxes. The kitchen is empty and it looks filthy.
00:25:06
Speaker
And the mom has the nerve to tell Coraline, you have a lot of unpacking to do. Like, I get you're trying to get rid of her, but don't fucking lie about that. Yeah, I mean, they had to get Coraline out of there. eye I totally get where the parents are coming from. This feels like a regular like weekday. like It could be a Monday or a Tuesday or something like that.
00:25:30
Speaker
It's rainy outside. It feels like it could be spring break. School is out. Maybe like Coraline hasn't enrolled in school. So the parents, I mean, work, life doesn't stop. So the parents have to keep working. And I like the idea that it's I mean, Coraline, she's a lot.
00:25:48
Speaker
She needs to like kind of peel back a little bit. And when she gets an opportunity to be with someone who actually indulges in her, she is an asshole to them. So it's like this this is a kid they have to deal with every day. We're just getting her for an hour 40 hours.
00:26:07
Speaker
right now so good point i kind of get why the parents are at a point where it's like coralline like we love you but can you just go in the other room for like and let us get a like clock out for the day like we we left michigan to give us a break we're in this weird apartment with this russian guy i think the mom accuses him of being a drunk at one point yeah yeah So it's like, I totally and sympathize with the parents. Like, they kind of struck me as like, maybe parents that didn't even plan to have a kid. Like, they're a little older, it seems.
00:26:48
Speaker
Like, maybe they accidentally had a kid later in life, and they're like, okay, like, we're gonna do our best as parents, but also, like, we're gonna keep our professional lives intact as well. I can...
00:27:02
Speaker
I see where the parents are coming from, I feel like. Yeah, true. But what is it? I think it's for me, it's more so like she's an only child. I'm not. I'm the youngest. But it's like, damn, I remember having that, you know, whole mentality of like, why doesn't anyone want to play with me? Why doesn't anyone want to talk to me?
00:27:24
Speaker
i probably bugged the shit out of my mom so much because I just like wanted to do everything with her. And as I got older, you know, she appreciated that. But as a kid, like, I was probably a nightmare. And, like, the only time she would have some type of peace away from the entire family was if, you know, she would just, like, smoke a cigarette in the bathroom.
00:27:48
Speaker
and I'd just be like, why are you taking so long in there? But I would always smell smoke. and once I got older and I started hearing other people, like, yeah, you know, I just escaped from my kids so I can go, like...
00:28:01
Speaker
get high in the bathroom or whatever i'm like oh my god that's what my mom did like i i get what you're saying you make some good points i just still feel bad for coralline even though yes she is an asshole to the first kid that she meets and even a cat for no reason Yeah, and that cat turns out to be one of the most helpful people in this whole journey. but And you do have a good point, too, because you need to be on Coraline's side for her to understand her wanting to go away to this world, just to...
00:28:37
Speaker
You know, it's not even to have parents that love her because I believe her parents love her. It's more so to have parents that are on her wavelength. Like there's a point where she's having, I think, dinner with other mom and other dad.
00:28:54
Speaker
And other mom is like, do you want to go play tag in the rain or something like that? And it's them getting to her level building like the mom built other mom builds like a world to indulge Coraline things that she would be interested in replicating her home, replicating YB.
00:29:15
Speaker
They're really catering to her as opposed to her going to a home that's like filled with love, you know? And I mean, they do a bang up job of, you know, creating this whole life and home for her to be so attracted to. Like, yeah, she just wanted like a home cooked meal, like a good home cooked meal, and not like the porridge looking shit that her actual dad made.
00:29:46
Speaker
and she even wanted her mom to cook. So it's like, okay, maybe the mom is the better cook compared to the dad. I don't know. But, yeah, the whole, food, it's like, okay, well, yeah, this girl's probably starving and gets to, of course, only eat a few bites of food before they take her food away.
00:30:07
Speaker
but she seemed pretty content with it all. But yeah, the whole scene itself with her just like being in there, seeing how, you know, more bright and lively everyone and everything looks in the other world. Like who wouldn't be like, you know,
00:30:25
Speaker
like lured into that type of world. Like I'd be a little intrigued to stay as well. Yeah, it feels like a more modern take on a classic fairy tale. It reminds me a little bit of Hansel and Gretel or something, like children being lured.
00:30:42
Speaker
In this case, it's a spider. In Hansel and Gretel, it was a witch, but... Children being lured to a place like in Hansel and Gretel, it's a house made of candy and gingerbread or whatever it is.
00:30:55
Speaker
And in this, it's Coraline's ideal living situation. Her ideal parents, things being Coraline's way. And I mean, you know, sometimes she, not sometimes, but she has this need, like, why can't things be my way? Why can't,
00:31:13
Speaker
people be doing what I want them to be doing instead of kind of like I'd said before looking in front of her seeing all the people that are around her and being happy with what's in front of her it all feels yeah very fairy tale-esque that they're even being a lesson to be learned at the end of this and even like When you're going through that tunnel to the other world, it feels like you're going through some type of witch tunnel into a fairy tale or whatever. I love the colors. it looks so gorgeous, especially in 3D. It looked great.
00:31:48
Speaker
It reminds me of like one of those colorful tunnels you would crawl through as a kid. It seemed like... I can't imagine how they animated that, but I would love to see
The Other Mother's World
00:31:58
Speaker
that. I didn't see that exact scene on the bonus features, but it's got to be somewhere out there.
00:32:05
Speaker
Another thing, too, is just, like, seeing all the food in there. at first, I was thinking, like, what if it's, like, fake food or poisoned food?
00:32:16
Speaker
Because this is where one of the conspiracy theories comes up. So... so We do know that the mother, the other mother is also referred to as the Beldam.
00:32:28
Speaker
and you never see her eating. Like when Coraline eats, you know, she's stuffing her face. Even the other dad, he has his plate full of food.
00:32:40
Speaker
When they're first eating at the dinner table, he was eating cotton candy later. You know, he was always trying to eat. And they're saying, OK, well, the other mother, you know, she is only feeding on the little kid's souls or she only eats bugs so that's why she's not eating and since everyone is basically like a creation of hers in this other world the father is probably only or like brought out whenever she needs him
00:33:10
Speaker
So maybe he's eating so much every time he comes out because he never knows when his next meal will be. That's a good point. I didn't know what to make of him gaining weight because there's just by the end of it when he like can't talk and he's just a henchman basically of other mom.
00:33:30
Speaker
He's like mashed potato man or like a pile of melted ice cream. Your take is that he comes out and like stuffs his face. He gorges basically when he's allowed out.
00:33:42
Speaker
Yeah, because he doesn't know when he's going to be able to eat next or when she's going to need him next. And probably it does take a while because, you know, YB's grandmother's sister was...
00:33:57
Speaker
assumably the last person that the Beldam took. So it was probably a long while until this guy got to eat again. So maybe he was just overindulging himself.
00:34:10
Speaker
Now, do you think the Beldam is dead now? it Because they're at the end, she's screaming like, screaming like don't leave me don't leave me it sounds like horrifying i almost start to feel sympathy for her and she says i'll die without you my first takeaway of that was oh she'll die of like loneliness this is just a deeply lonely person looking for a child but like that she meant she will literally die she won't have food and she'll starve to death
00:34:43
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. Because that part, i didn't feel sympathy for her. I actually got scared. That part always scares me whenever I watch it, just because you hear her banging on the door, like yelling for Coraline, you know, don't leave me, I'll die without you.
00:35:01
Speaker
But every time she bangs, the tunnel that separates the other world with her world is just, like, condensing. And it's, yeah, just getting smaller and smaller. It's like, fuck, this girl needs to get out of there if she wants to live. And even at that point, like, the Beldam's whole appearance looks different. At this point, she's just, like...
00:35:24
Speaker
basically spider and you know her hands are in like her true form of the needles and even her face looks like it's scaly or like it just has like a weird texture so yeah when when the uh Fucking Coraline being a dick again, throwing the cat at the Beldam just like out of instinct so she could try to escape.
00:35:51
Speaker
He rips out the Beldam's eyes, her button eyes. And it's just like, fuck, that made her even more terrifying to look at. Like her face is all jacked up. Now she has no eyeballs and she's just screaming like...
00:36:05
Speaker
I felt no sympathy for her whatsoever. She needed to die. But I don't think she did die. Because leading up to that whole scene, when Coraline was able to get all the little eyeballs for the lost souls,
00:36:19
Speaker
She enters like the lair of the Beldam, and in the darkness behind Coraline, you see her just kind of sitting like in a dormant state, like just not moving at all, just in the darkness. So I'm like...
00:36:36
Speaker
She probably that's probably, you know, her entire being when she's waiting for another soul to kidnap, essentially. Unless she does starve to death, you know, I mean, that would be definitive event ending. I guess there is no answer.
00:36:53
Speaker
Coraline isn't something I'm clamoring for a sequel to unless, you know, the original creator, Neil Gaiman, if the ending of the novel ended similar to this movie and he had more ideas or Henry Selick.
00:37:08
Speaker
i would I wouldn't mind seeing, not maybe not maybe not necessarily Coraline's story continue, but the Baldan's story continue. I'd like to see what happens with her after all this is over.
00:37:21
Speaker
But I do agree with you on that scene being pretty scary when they're cutting through the tunnel and every time she's banging it like there's like a cut. I want to say it like keeps zooming in on the door. Right. Is that what's happening?
00:37:36
Speaker
It's so well edited. Yeah. It's yeah very well edited and directed. It's just terrifying and then even more terrifying, every time Coraline gets out of the tunnel, she is covered in spider webs. Oh, yes.
00:37:54
Speaker
The main takeaway of this film is spiders fucking suck. Well, another thing that I found genuinely like kind of creepy and haunting about this movie were the little button-eyed ghost kids.
The Ghost Kids and Tension in Coraline
00:38:08
Speaker
I think that's the only CGI element of the movie. I could be wrong. The ending, when it's all white, looked like it might have had some CGI in there, too. But those ghost kids looked pretty.
00:38:20
Speaker
They were creepy. They genuinely creeped me out. I didn't care for them too much when they were gold by the end of it, but or bronze, whatever. I think it was gold. I actually thought they were supposed to be like the characters lock, shock, and barrel because you got one of the girls, one of the ghost kids like looking like the witch from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
00:38:41
Speaker
and Then whole... in the whole movie where they do show her as a ghost you know her face is like in a frowny face or that scared face so yeah they looked fucking creepy and it was just sad seeing it like that because it's like you know unfortunately we do live in a world where kids don't get to live their entire lives but when it's something like this and then seeing like that aspect of it it's like damn all three of these kids were abducted and they all fell for the you know the whole scenery that the beldam was trying to offer them because of how sad they were in their reality and now they're you know
00:39:28
Speaker
They're dead. They got their buttons their eyes. now can't even at rest because... and you know now they can't even be at rest because the way they died. So it was pretty sad to watch that part. This movie has a lot of tear jerking moments. I will say that.
00:39:45
Speaker
But Coraline saves them, you know, she gets their eyes back and probably my least favorite part of the movie. I didn't fully, I liked the little charm that those women make her out of candy.
00:39:59
Speaker
and thought that was kind of funny. But when she's searching for the eyes, that's kind of the part where i'm like, okay, let's, let's get through it because Having seen the movie already, I know that that's like the fake ending because there's another ending that's going to come. And I'm like, OK, well, let's just get through this because the i already know the other shit that's going to come.
00:40:21
Speaker
Even when they were throwing the fake ending in there, I freaked out because, yeah, the part where the ghost kids, they're like gold and they're talking Coraline, thanking her.
00:40:33
Speaker
i did like the, how her ceiling behind them was like replicating Starry Night. That looked pretty. But when the kids were just like, no, you're so you're in danger. I'm like, what the fuck do you mean you're in danger? Like,
00:40:49
Speaker
it's supposed to be a happy ending now like what are you talking about and then they're saying oh it's because the one key for that door the bell then we'll find i'm like fuck now how is she gonna get rid of that what is she gonna do like it was a good ending like having to have her throw the the key in that well and having yb be the one to help her after he didn't want anything to do with her for a minute because he thought she was crazy when she was trying to explain everything to him that was a good way to seal that whole ending in but yeah when they have like the little twists and turns for the plot in this film I'm just like fuck how can this get any worse I know how it could get worse but like how can it get any worse like this movie it's it's fun to watch but there are some hard parts to you know take in
00:41:39
Speaker
and When I was watching this last year in theaters and those little, I think they're angels now instead of being ghosts when they get their eyes returned to them.
00:41:49
Speaker
So those like angel kids are talking to Coraline when she's like, no, you're in serious danger. She's going to keep coming for the key as long as it exists. Part of me was like, oh you know, I knew they weren't they probably weren't going to go for an ambiguous ending because at the end of the day, kids are watching this and they weren't setting it up for a sequel.
00:42:11
Speaker
Because, I mean, this movie, they didn't even know if this was going to be a hit. This could have ended a studio and now it's basically keeping the lights on over at Leica. All the fucking Coraline merch that they're selling.
00:42:24
Speaker
Yeah. But they... I was imagining a more ambiguous ending where it becomes a thing where now she has to like live the rest of her days and protect this key and the monster, the other mom will always be in the back of her mind. And she's always going to have to be thinking about protecting this key.
00:42:48
Speaker
it's kind of like, don't know, a little bit of the, it follows ending, even though now they're making a, it follows too. They are? Yeah, they an announced that a while ago. I'm pretty sure it's still in production, but I don't know where that's at.
00:43:03
Speaker
But, you know, I knew they weren't going to go for ambiguous, and I kind of like them having a definitive ending. But I could have seen, this this being a fairy tale movie, I could have seen them having a fairy tale ending where it's like, and for the rest of her day, she guarded this key or something like that.
00:43:21
Speaker
You explaining it like that because yeah even today is the first time that I saw she had the key around her neck. That kind of reminds me of Supernatural spoilers for this episode of Supernatural or this story bit from it, guys. it's winner Have you seen up to the part where like Sam basically gets possessed by the devil?
00:43:46
Speaker
i haven't seen any Supernatural. Really? Not one episode? and Not one episode, no. Oh, shit. Okay, I'm sorry. yeah I know people who have watched it i just have never It's just never come on.
00:43:59
Speaker
It's not that I've avoided it, but my eyes have never met a screen playing Supernatural that wasn't like an ad or a trailer. Oh, okay. Well, you know that there are two brothers and they're just hunting ghosts, demons, all of the supernatural.
00:44:13
Speaker
yeah Whoa, supernatural? so Spoilers. no Yeah, exactly. i'm They are hunting the supernatural. But yeah, there is a part way like in the middle of the series where the younger brother, Sam, he gets possessed by the devil and his brother, Dean, makes a deal with death to get Sam back and to like, I don't think the devil was in him anymore, but like,
00:44:45
Speaker
Sam was able to like know all the shit that was going on I hope I'm describing this right because I haven't seen it in a long time but Dean wanted Sam to not remember anything that happened so you know death was saying like I can pretty much like you know bury it bury it behind a wall in Sam's mind but if he gets it's gonna be like you know that itch you can't scratch and if he starts scratching at it it'll overflow and it'll take over him and probably kill him sorry fans if I fuck that up but yeah so that kind of reminded me of that like a imagine how this girl she's trying to just like push all that shit aside and you know the bell dam is probably always whispering in the back of her head like you know you know come back like i'm dying without you or whatever so yeah that'd be a fucked up way to live that would be pretty fucked up but gotta do what you gotta do am i right yeah you're right you're right do you want to hear another conspiracy theory i heard
Companion Film Recommendations
00:45:49
Speaker
Yes. Real quick, I have a recommendation for you before I lose it. Have you seen Spirited Away? Mm-mm. I feel like in a way, this can kind of be like a companion piece to Coraline, and maybe we'll cover Spirited Away one of these days.
00:46:06
Speaker
can get it's got some scary stuff in there but i'd recommend checking it out you know if coralline's your jam you might vibe a spirited away a good uh entry point into miyazaki's filmography if you haven't seen like kiki's delivery service or uh my neighbor totoro before all right all right i will check that out remind me of what the title is later on too I will.
00:46:28
Speaker
So conspiracy theory. What is it? So I was watching CZ's World and i love this dude. he was going hard on this one Coraline theorist, whatever,
00:46:43
Speaker
And he was like, just ripping her to shreds. it made me laugh because even in the beginning, this girl, she was just like, it's so late.
00:46:54
Speaker
I look like a mess. Don't judge me or whatever. And he's like, yeah, you really got your hair in like that natural DNA strand and you got a full face of makeup on at like whatever time in the morning. Okay.
00:47:08
Speaker
So I'm like, all right, you know, this should be a fun video because he is like poking fun at everything. But she was really like intense with a bunch of stuff and was trying to say that Coraline was like,
00:47:26
Speaker
basically hallucinating everything because she's not sleeping a lot. She's like, do you guys notice that she doesn't sleep at all in this film? And if she does, it's only for a few minutes.
00:47:39
Speaker
And he was like, yeah, that's called editing where you edit out like all the stuff you don't need to see all the necessary, like how you say an unnecessary fat in the films. Yeah.
00:47:53
Speaker
and another one was her trying to say the the cat was basically an enemy to Coraline kind of setting her up like he wasn't even helping her or whatever and like why hasn't he tried to do this why won't he like go kill off the other mother or something and it's like well because he's a fucking cat he can't do anything but he was helping coralline throughout all of this shit even though she was a straight up asshole to him and a cool thing about the cat too i didn't know that keith david was the one to voice him until today so that just makes me look at it like so differently i'm like that's cool as fuck i i like that he was the one to be the voice for him
00:48:43
Speaker
Yeah, Keith David of The Thing, which we'll be covering eventually on this podcast. But that first theory you tossed out actually kind of falls in line with one of my theories right here. that So you never see Coraline poop in the movie, right?
00:49:03
Speaker
So I think all of this is just like a fever dream caused by constipation. Sure, let's go with that. You're on to something, Nick. You solved the case here. Yeah, so, I mean, there's no wrong theories? i don't know. like No, it's funny. there was i forgot what other thing they were talking about, but it was another goofy scene where he was like, yeah, you know it was about... like
00:49:37
Speaker
I don't know what it was, but he was starting to reference like Blink-182 and then had had that song playing. He was like every like, I can joke about theories, but it's like I'm not going in on them and like being like a diehard, like, no, this is what happened.
00:49:54
Speaker
So, I mean, it's cool that you know we could joke about it, but like some of the shit that people were saying, really, really out there. But there is one that I wanted to mention before I forgot.
00:50:05
Speaker
It was... the double O that was on the welcome home cake. Do you remember that scene when the other mother gave Coraline the cake in the beginning? Well, kind of in the beginning.
00:50:16
Speaker
I remember the cake. I don't remember the double O. Okay, yeah, so a few people mentioned this. So it's written in cursive, welcome home on there.
00:50:26
Speaker
And they like people have said, you know, the welcome home cake features a double loop on the o and According to Graphology, the double loop on a lowercase o means that the person who wrote it is lying.
00:50:44
Speaker
so There is only one double loop, meaning that she is welcome, but she's not home. so In the word welcome, There's one little loop on the O, but in the word home, there's that double loop on it. So that was like a little foreshadowing from the Beldam, like unintentionally, obviously.
00:51:07
Speaker
So I don't know if that was intentional from the filmmakers. That could have just been a nice touch, but that's something that I would buy into. I like the idea of that.
00:51:18
Speaker
That interests me, I'd say. In regard to the first theory that this lady had come up with, this nameless lady, I don't know if the theory if it's sleeplessness, but I would buy if someone told me that this movie was all just in her imagination.
00:51:37
Speaker
It's just all a child's imagination. It's all just what happens when she, when a kid is left alone, when they don't have anyone to socialize and they're left with their imagination to run wild. I'll buy a take like that. That's not the take I choose because,
00:51:55
Speaker
It's not that interesting, but I could see that being an explanation. And in regard to the cat, I don't think she was actively working against Coraline, but him being played by Keith David, it's hard to not think maybe there is some malicious intent, maybe not that he's trying to sabotage Coraline.
00:52:17
Speaker
But there are times when I'm watching it thinking, is he playing David? both sides of the field right now? Is he just, like, doing whatever is mutually beneficial for him in the moment?
00:52:28
Speaker
I mean, it doesn't seem like it helps him to help Coraline at all. He almost seems like an agent of chaos, kind of. Like, oh, fuck around in here, see what have. Let me help this little girl fuck up this spider lady's plan. It just seems like he wants to just, like, cause mischief. He doesn't really...
00:52:44
Speaker
I mean, do you know of a reason for him to having to help Coraline aside from just wanting to fuck shit up with Babylon or the whatever it's called? The Balduck.
00:52:55
Speaker
The Babadook? Yes, the Babadook. No, yeah he doesn't really have a reason. And You know, I kind of thought the same thing. Like, okay, well, he's just there. Obviously, we're meeting him for a reason.
00:53:11
Speaker
But I'm like, well, she was kind of a dick to him at first. So maybe he'll be like, all right, well, bitch, go fuck her on and find out. See if I care.
00:53:22
Speaker
But then when he's over there in the other world, he starts talking to her. kind like... kind of see like He's trying to hint things towards her, I guess, maybe.
00:53:37
Speaker
But then, yeah, towards the end, he does start to help her a little bit. And then at the very end, you see him walking on the pink palace sign and he disappears after he walks past like one piece of it. So it's like, yeah, what was the purpose of you?
00:53:57
Speaker
Why doesn't he tell her there's a portal right there when she needs to get back and save her parents or whatever? Yeah, so it's like, I don't know. Maybe he felt like it wasn't his place. Maybe he just didn't care.
00:54:11
Speaker
Maybe he was on his last life out of his nine lives and just didn't want to die himself and almost did die. Who knows? Also, is he traveling back into nothingness? What is he traveling back into?
00:54:26
Speaker
Why is he traveling back there? it feels like there's a little bit more going on behind this cat than he's telling us. And the him disappearing kind of...
00:54:39
Speaker
I know it's probably just a fun thing to put at the end to really keep the audience guessing, but it makes you want to live in this world a little bit longer. It just having that little question mark like, oh there's a portal there and the cat is just walking through it. Like, let's spend a little more time here. I don't feel like I'm done in this world yet.
00:55:03
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. I kind of like the cat. I think I like him more now because I know who voices him. But yeah, I don't know. I think it would have been okay if the film didn't have his character, but I know they just needed like an extra little helper for Coraline. You needed Keith, David. When you hear his voice, you're like, oh, that's my friend. he He's here. He's in this movie. Yeah.
00:55:30
Speaker
You know, i forgot he was in the thing. my weird mind always circles back to fucking, what's called? They Live.
00:55:43
Speaker
No, correct I always say this name wrong or word wrong. Requiem? Is it Requiem? Requiem for a Dream. Yes. He's at like the end of that movie.
00:55:57
Speaker
yeah he Yeah, he freaked me out in there. And then he was also in this cute ass movie, Where the Heart Is.
00:56:08
Speaker
i fucking love that movie. So cute. So adorable. Guys, watch that if you haven't watched it before. But yeah, that's those are the only two that like i I know he's in plenty of other films that I've seen, but those two are what I think of. So I'm like,
00:56:24
Speaker
Okay, and I think he was in one of the Tales from the Hood movies. He plays the devil, but i haven't watched them. I only watched the first one because it's iconic. He's also in just incredible movies. The Nice Guy, he does voices in Hercules and Princess and the Frog, American Fiction, which came out last year, Cloud Atlas, and then there's a movie coming out this year called... Shelby Oaks. It's directed by Mike Flanagan, and it's or it's produced by Mike Flanagan, directed by Chris Stuckman. He's like a YouTube movie reviewer or whatever. This is like a directorial debut that he's got coming out.
00:57:10
Speaker
Keith David, man, just always keeping it classy. He's just got... Look at his credits, guys, if you haven't. Just all good shit. The dude's a legend. He'll pop up and just kill it in any genre.
Voice Acting and Performances
00:57:25
Speaker
Just his voice, his face, whatever you need him to do. I mean, I'm considering hiring him to take over my voice on the podcast. Yeah.
00:57:36
Speaker
Just giving him the recording of this and having him record over me. Then who will I have to record over my voice? Because we can't have a celebrity voice for you. and Dakota Fanning.
00:57:49
Speaker
Can I have someone else, please? oh you got someone against Dakota Fanning now? She was in favorite movie, Coraline, two seconds ago. She was, but i would rather it be someone else.
00:58:01
Speaker
Maybe someone with a... a stronger voice. like I like her voice in here. It doesn't even remind it doesn't even sound like it's her. na Give me another option. Charlize Theron. theron She's got a deeper voice.
00:58:16
Speaker
Pretty strong. Furiosa herself.
00:58:22
Speaker
Let me see. I can't think of her. nah Not even. we'll We'll think about that and come back to that. I don't know. Keanu Reeves. You get Keanu Reeves then. he's He's doing voice actors acting now. He was in Toy Story 4.
00:58:37
Speaker
True, true. Speaking of that too, John Wick himself, I didn't know that Ian McShane fucking voiced Bobinsky. And i was eway yeah right I was like, yo, he's doing this? Okay. And then seeing like some of the bonus features, like you see Dakota Fanning doing her voiceover. You see pop in.
00:59:01
Speaker
was like, wait, you see him pop in i was like wait Okay, so I got like all excited. That man, he's been in like the fucking John Wick movies, Hot Rod, fucking Pirates of the Caribbean 2.
00:59:16
Speaker
he He does good shit as well. Shrek the Third. Yeah, Kung Fu Panda. you know He you got some good stuff. like this cast has or This movie has a really good cast. like I'm not going to lie. They do. and We've talked about everybody a bit more than Dakota Fanning, but I do want to shout her out. she I think she does fantastic work in this. and She is in My Neighbor Totoro with her sister Al Fanning.
00:59:46
Speaker
I'm a big fan of the Fanning sisters. They're... they can basically do little to no wrong in my book unless they commit like an act of terrorism by the time this episode comes out, then I take it back.
01:00:00
Speaker
I don't like them, but like I've watched a little bit of the behind the scenes and Dakota Fanning was talking about doing voice work being directed by Henry Selleck. And it was very fun watching them on the DVD.
01:00:13
Speaker
Dakota Fanning would deliver a line like, ha and and na andna and then Henry Selleck be like, Okay, can you deliver it a little faster? That was very good. And she'd be like, hi, man, and I'm in But she would leave one word the same length and then speed up the next three words. And I was just like, man, the...
01:00:34
Speaker
precision and she like kept her voice like so perfect I was like this is someone that knows how to A take a note but B like really work with their voice and interesting and like cool way like do things that I wouldn't think to do if someone told me to do it fast I would do what I just did now and speed up the whole thing but she was like well I'm going to keep this word long and speed up these other words and it's just like okay that's very thoughtful and Same with like Terry Hatcher too. She was talking about how Henry Selick is very, he seems like he's a pretty, not strict, but very like, I have a vision. Let's really work at it till we nail this thing type of filmmaker.
01:01:21
Speaker
And Terry Hatcher was talking about that. she was like, it's a little bit different. You know, she's done voice work for a while now. And but she was saying how he was still somebody who she could bounce ideas off of. And she was like talking about how when she was doing voice work for other mother, she was talking delivering a line like, oh, you're going to go see Mr. Bobinsky. And she was like, what if I deliver it? Like and then she did the one part of the line with a Russian accent.
01:01:54
Speaker
And I was just like, that's very like cool. I wouldn't think about that. These are like very thoughtful voice actors. So I, I appreciated that side of the DVD. That's why it's worth owning physical media folks.
01:02:10
Speaker
But I mean, these, these are just professionals and it's great to see professionals work and achieve something so wonderful. Hell, if I'm not the greatest at like constructive criticism, but I also feel like when I'm given constructive criticism, it's more criticism than constructive.
01:02:29
Speaker
But I mean, I would have done the same exact thing you did if someone told me, yeah, just say this faster. Yeah. Okay, I'm just going to say the entire thing faster and not really know like what to put like more emphasis on like for a singular word.
01:02:46
Speaker
So, yeah, and for everyone to anyone who does acting or like voice acting, that that's a lot to do. And just seeing the voice actors like really get into character...
01:03:01
Speaker
and act out everything. it's so enjoyable to watch just seeing like, okay, if they're like bashful or their character is kind of like, you know, doing that thing like Wybie does, he rubs the back of his neck.
01:03:15
Speaker
The actor who voiced him was doing, you know, same exact thing. And, you know, if they're mad at someone, they're like,
01:03:25
Speaker
they literally look like they're mad if they're like in the same, like, or if they're in like booths where they can like stare at each other, like Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly for Bride of Chucky. You can see them actually like making eye contact and having their full on conversation. Like that's so cool to see. And it just brings the films together.
01:03:48
Speaker
Yeah, one of my favorite behind-the-scenes type of footage is getting to see voice actors at work. Another one, like Shrek, I'd imagine would be pretty funny, getting to see Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy. I've brought up Shrek a lot today, on and off Mike. it's I've noticed that It's kind of weird. I haven't even seen those movies in a while.
01:04:11
Speaker
And if anyone wants to see something that's super entertaining, go check out the voice work from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. I think it's more specifically the first one.
01:04:22
Speaker
s Seeing Bradley Cooper in the studio's Rocket Raccoon. Mercedes, you're talking about like actors really getting into Bradley Cooper... was like super physical and getting pretty wild and vin diesel i don't know if this was true and this might be a rumor so forgive me if i'm spreading bullshit right now folks but the i heard that he did the groot dialogue for the first movie on stilts so he could feel what it would be like to be groot's size
01:04:53
Speaker
And then this part I know to be true. He did the I am Groot in a bunch of different languages, maybe all the different languages for the other markets the movie would be seen in.
01:05:06
Speaker
Like, you could see him being like, yo soy Groot, you know, for Spanish or whatever. You know, it's pretty and fun. it's pretty fun i find it entertaining. My Neighbor Totoro, you can see the Fanning sisters talk about their experience working on that. I'm sure all of the English dubs for Miyazaki probably have some very interesting behind the scenes since those have like star-studded cast voicing the American versions.
01:05:35
Speaker
And it's not that like I don't like Dakota Fanning since you brought up the Fanning sisters. I've just noticed that majority of the films that I have watched her in, she's a little meanie. You're just like Elle Fanning more. I get it. You're you're an Elle fan.
01:05:53
Speaker
What has she played in? I know I've seen her in something. I can't remember right now. The one I go to just because it's my favorite movie from her is 20th Century Women. i love that movie so much.
01:06:05
Speaker
I am really spacing on other movies she's been in. So guys, check out 20th Century Women. She's had more of an indie career, i think, than Dakota. Because Dakota pops up in like your Equalizer and your Man on Fire, your Denzel Washington blockbusters every now and then. But Elle sticks to pretty indie movies, I'd say.
01:06:27
Speaker
It seems. She was in Maleficent. And like I just watched that like not too long ago. so i have not seen Maleficent. Or Maleficent 2, Mistress of Evil.
01:06:40
Speaker
They're decent. I didn't want to watch them, but they're pretty decent. I just hate her character in there too. So you hate the Fannings then? I don't hate them. I hate their characters. An axe to grind. You're going to chop down the whole tree, the whole family tree. No.
01:06:58
Speaker
But with like Dakota Fanning, I saw her in... I think the first movie I saw her in was Hide and Seek. And no, it was Uptown Girls. And, you know, she was being a little brat because i she was Twilight Breaking Dawn Part One. Yeah, she was also in there too. But like Uptown Girl, she's like a brat in that film, but I get why she wants to be with her parents.
01:07:22
Speaker
She was in Hide and Seek, and that's like more of a like suspenseful film. And she's a little dick to Robert De Niro. Then, yeah, she was in Twilight, and you know she was one of the Volturi. So she, well, part of their like little crew,
01:07:42
Speaker
So obviously she was like and a mean character in there as well. So I'm like, damn, there's not one film that I like the character she portrays. Because even in here she was a dick to the cat and to YB. And yeah, so I don't know.
01:07:59
Speaker
But she understands the assignment because these are characters you don't want to like aside from Coraline. And I don't like her in those films. You know what she's fantastic in? Cat in the Hat.
01:08:11
Speaker
No, I'm kidding. She's fantastic in the Steven Spielberg War of the Worlds movie. She was younger. Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. think she's great in that. I love that movie. That movie was rough to watch too, man, just to think about shit like that. I love watching movies like that, but it's hard to watch.
01:08:30
Speaker
It's dark. Like the clothes or whatever are floating through the but the water from the airplane crash. I might be conflating two separate things in that movie. It's been a while. But man, like the fucking gun being tracked and people taking over Tom Cruise's car. And he's like, I just want my daughter. I just want my daughter.
01:08:50
Speaker
It's fucking great. i Yeah, I will go to the mat for Spielberg's War the Worlds. I would rather watch Signs instead of War of the Worlds. They're both good movies, but I like Signs more if we're getting into alien stuff.
Comparisons with Other Films
01:09:07
Speaker
I'd probably put Signs a little bit below war of the Worlds just because I've watched War of the Worlds more than Signs.
01:09:16
Speaker
i have to be in a specific mood for Signs just because... It's such a very stilted type of world. Everything feels like it's tilted like slightly to the left.
01:09:27
Speaker
Joaquin Phoenix is very off. Mel Gibson is off. Rory Culkin and the his sister have weird vibes. It's a very like strange and specific movie. That's not a criticism at thrown at it, but War of the Worlds just more like popcorn fun. Yeah, I'll watch Tom Cruise be a bad dad.
01:09:48
Speaker
I'll watch this. you know Signs, it's like, oh man, I got to like take this in right now. I get you on that. I could see that. like I do enjoy world that War of the Worlds, but i think it was just like a little too catastrophic for me to watch. and It reminded you too much of 9-11.
01:10:09
Speaker
and it's just It was just hard to watch. Just like, damn. If that happens, i am so fucked. And at least like with signs, you get like their somewhat happy ending at the end.
01:10:22
Speaker
But no, I just like watching that movie a lot with my mom. And i would watch all the behind-the-scenes stuff. And me and her always got a kick out of like when Joaquin Phoenix, like yes, he was a little awkward in that film.
01:10:37
Speaker
But the scene where he sees the alien at that little birthday party... M. Night Shyamalan wanted him to like get up and like like fall back in the closet like go hide in the clothes or whatever to show how freaked out you are and then just come back and watch the the news clip again.
01:10:58
Speaker
I don't know why. i just really like that scene. It's funny to watch. He tries to like tell the kids in Spanish to move and get out of the way. But yeah it's like it's just it has a a little charm to me. Plus, I like a lot of M. Night Shyamalan films.
01:11:15
Speaker
No, I agree. There's only, I'd say, everything, if you don't count his first two movies, everything from The Sixth Sense all the way up to Trap, his most current movie, and he's working with Jake Gyllenhaal right now, so I'm so excited to see whatever the fuck they're doing together. that excites the shit out of me.
01:11:35
Speaker
But there's maybe only like three or four Shyamalan movies that I'm not crazy about, and two of them are ones where I'm like, I won't watch those again. But aside from that, I'm always rooting for Shyamalan.
01:11:47
Speaker
Joaquin Phoenix's awkwardness in that movie, I would say is definitely intentional. And i it's a feature for me, not a bug. I know people don't like love the performances in that.
01:11:59
Speaker
I feel like that's those those kind of performances are the ones that Shyamalan is directing actors to give nowadays. And I think that's the right approach. It reminds me of Yorgos Lanthimos, that filmmaker,
01:12:13
Speaker
a little bit, just very stilted. Everything, it feels like we're in a world where everything is like slightly to the left. Like everything's a little, it's like a crooked painting almost in what we're watching and the way people are behaving. And for that, I like have a great appreciation for signs. It just, it's not a movie I throw on a lot, even though I do love it. And it's like from an era, like those trailers, I remember distinctly, like people were talking about that when I was in like,
01:12:42
Speaker
fourth or fifth grade and that movie came out yeah with those films i well i like joaquin phoenix in there i feel like he needed to play more like he was like directed to play like an awkward person in the movie the village and in that one i don't think it It worked so well for him in there.
01:13:09
Speaker
i love The Village too. That movie is... I memorized that whole fucking script. like I really did. It's embarrassing, but it's not. But his character in there, i wish he was a little... like There was more meat to him.
01:13:25
Speaker
you see him... like Quick spoilers for The Village. He wants to you know go get medicine from the towns to help people who are sick in their little village, but he you see he's just more of like,
01:13:43
Speaker
I guess maybe the, o I'll say the submissive one once he really talks to his love interest in there, but it's because of how shy and how quiet he is.
01:13:55
Speaker
But I don't think it works for him in that film. i know that's what they're aiming for, but yeah, I really like him in Signs. i like him in The Village, even though I have my little critiques of it, and I love him in Walk the Line.
01:14:10
Speaker
That, a masterpiece. I forgot he was in The Village. That movie isn't one that fully works for me, but it's one that's also long overdue for rewatch. I was thinking about throwing on a movie tonight, so maybe I'll throw on The Village.
01:14:25
Speaker
Do I? Yeah, I might. And we've also talked about covering Shyamalan, not his whole filmography, but the ones that lean more horror.
01:14:38
Speaker
And that seems like something we might reasonably do next year just because of how much we both like Shyamalan and he's going to have a new movie coming out. So that would be very sweet. I'll do some.
01:14:51
Speaker
but Give us a reason to talk Gyllenhaal. I mean, I'll talk Jake Gyllenhaal on the pod. Why not? For reals. Yeah, he's a cutie patootie. You know, there's so many guys that talk shit about him. why Well, those guys are insecure. Have they fucking seen Nightcrawler? mean, if you want to go film bro, it's like guys. like Jake Gyllenhaal can be a bro too. But even that aside, he's made some fantastic movies. He...
01:15:19
Speaker
He's been on in a little bit of a slump lately. i think it's because he's been doing action to pay the bills while he's acting on Broadway with Denzel Washington. But it's like Jake Gyllenhaal is a great actor. like Check out Prisoners or Enemy, anything he's done with Villeneuve.
01:15:37
Speaker
Who are these people? call them out i don't remember who i know one of them was uh my ex and then another one i for i forgot but everyone was saying like he plays like a bitch in all these and all his films i'm like no he doesn't i haven't seen him in a lot of films but i'm like okay well I liked him in The Day After Tomorrow. I know he was in Bubble Boy, which I liked. Donnie Darko, he plays a good actor. I don't know why everyone's saying this shit about him. So i was like, well,
01:16:16
Speaker
whatever i like him so fuck you guys yeah i mean october sky that's a movie from when he was young that i absolutely adore i mean i just point everybody in the direction of prisoners go watch that movie jake gyllenhaal and hugh jackman going toe for toe as great actors in a fucking missing kid like detective movie it's fantastic i've recommended that this movie to you before mercedes but If you want to see some good Jake Gyllenhaal, check out Prisoners.
01:16:50
Speaker
I want him to work with Denis Villeneuve again. yeah He was, his two movies with him, Prisoners and Enemy, are incredible. But then also, it's like,
01:17:02
Speaker
I don't know. He was in Jarhead too. It's like the dude has range. Like, I mean, if you want to see him play like a fucking meathead, check out Southpaw. That's like a great boxing movie where it just, he gets the shit beat out of him. He's beating the shit out of people. He delivers, in my opinion, a great performance. Uh,
01:17:25
Speaker
Yeah, Gyllenhaal is one of my favorite working actors right now. He delivers interesting work. He's like a theater kid at heart. Yeah, so with more movies with him in it, it'll be a good time. So yeah, didn't know he was working with M. Night Shyamalan right now. So that's pretty cool.
01:17:43
Speaker
Yeah, I saw that they were working together on Instagram and I was like, yes, this is what the world needs. This will bring the country together. Shyamalan and Gyllenhaal working together.
01:17:53
Speaker
Hell yeah. This is what we need. But any final thoughts on Coraline? Anything else you want to say about this this masterpiece? It's like there's so much packed into it, but at the same time, it's like, it's just like very, it's a cool fairy tale to watch unfold.
01:18:15
Speaker
a girl is unhappy with her life. She wishes that this other world, other dimension that she's entered in was her reality. You find out it's not all that it seems to be.
01:18:29
Speaker
and you know, she has to figure out how to escape and get back to her reality, then has to figure out how to get her parents back. You know, it's, it's a very thoughtful film. It does have, you know, the dark aesthetic to it as well, while being super, super bright and have all the vivid colors in it, which I appreciate.
01:18:52
Speaker
Even her hair is a good thing to appreciate. But yeah, it's just it's such a cute movie to watch. Yeah, it has its creepy moments and its heartbreaking moments, but it's a good film. If you guys haven't watched it, it is definitely worth watching.
01:19:09
Speaker
Yeah, I echo everything Mercedes said right there. i already called this movie a masterpiece. I don't really know what else to say. i and This is one of the best movies we've covered for the podcast, definitely. It's one of the few movies that was already on my all-time favorite movies list on Letterboxd.
01:19:28
Speaker
Guys, go follow me at Nicholas Ewer's. Yeah, this movie is just a delight. I wish I could frame this whole movie on my wall. and like Just take every shot. Every single shot is gorgeous. and even like i had already shouted out Coraline going through the tunnel.
01:19:48
Speaker
I forgot to mention like how James and the giant peach that is Henry Selick is... Yeah, Henry Selick is just an incredible, incredible filmmaker.
01:20:01
Speaker
I hope he gets to make more movies. Wendell and Wilde. I actually think we might end up covering good amount of his movies. We could reasonably do a Selick season on this podcast. We have Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Wendell and Wilde, and Monkeybone, movie that disturbed me so much as a child starring Brendan Fraser.
01:20:24
Speaker
it I would hate to watch that movie again, but I would watch it for the podcast just for the sole reason that it scared the shit out of me as a kid, so we can put it in the scary movie category.
01:20:37
Speaker
Dope. Right now it says Selick has this movie called The Ocean at the End of the Lane coming out. Sounds like an absolutely beautiful movie. It's based on another Neil Gaiman movie.
01:20:50
Speaker
It's based on another Neil Gaiman novel. and want to say it's about an older man who goes back to his old town, and there's like a lake there that this little girl that he knew back in this town used to call an ocean.
01:21:03
Speaker
and when he goes there, he ends up taking this trip, almost like a little trip down memory lane, revisiting like difficult memories, strong memories. And it's suppose these memories are supposed to be play played in like a fairy tale type of way.
01:21:20
Speaker
It sounds right up his alley. It sounds beautiful. I really hope that he gets to make this movie. I think it would be wonderful to see it get made.
01:21:30
Speaker
With all of that being said, it's just you can't go wrong with watching like Henry Selick films. You can't go wrong with watching this film. And yeah there's just I feel like every time I watch this film going forward, there's just going to be something new that I haven't like paid attention to before.
01:21:50
Speaker
And we'll be able to latch on to that too. So it's always a good time to watch this film. I think those are the best kind of movies. I know this is completely different, but No Country for Old Men, the reason it's my favorite movie or one of the reasons is because every time I watch it, I notice
Rewatchability and Layered Films
01:22:06
Speaker
something new. I have a new takeaway. There's something in the frame that the Coens are doing that I didn't pick up on before or something in the dialogue that connects with me in a different way.
01:22:19
Speaker
And Coraline falls into that category. And I'm of the mindset that some of the best movies you could watch are the movies that but every watch is an additive experience.
01:22:33
Speaker
And Coraline is one of those movies where every watch is an addited additive experience. Yeah, guys, just watch this film and then stay tuned for what we have going for the rest of October. Next week, we'll be covering Black Phone in preparation for the release of Black Phone 2 this month.
01:22:59
Speaker
Are you going to answer the phone, guys? Are you going answer the call? Oh, wait, that's Ghostbusters. Damn it. Yeah. who's gonna pick up the ring ring the black phone's calling wait no it's it's ringing damn it i mean you were thinking ghostbusters and i was thinking scream like no man remember what happened in scream they answered the phone and they all died but that was a white phone that uh what's her face picks up i think That's true. But the rest of them have cell phones and they're black or silver, whatever.
01:23:33
Speaker
But true, true. We'll have to see. Well, let's pay attention. Is Black Phone the first movie to feature a black colored phone in it?
01:23:43
Speaker
Listeners, write in. I mean, that's our theory right now. We'll go back and rewatch all the movies we've covered for the podcast before. But as far as we know, no movie has had a black phone featured in it since 2022's black phone, 2021's black phone, whatever year that one came out.
01:24:05
Speaker
and one came out We'll get the year right by the time we cover the movie, folks. Don't worry. Yeah, so make sure you write us in. Check out our Instagram page, morbid underscore curiosities underscore POD.
01:24:18
Speaker
Also, don't forget to rate us five stars on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, wherever you guys listen to your favorite horror movie podcasts. Or just stop on in and say hi. You know, we'd love to hear back more feedback from you guys. But yeah, and just finish off the rest of the month of October and what we got planned for them again.
01:24:38
Speaker
After Black Phone 2, we'll be covering Bring Her Back. And then and Halloween, I almost forgot, we'll be dropping a commentary on Trick our treat or trick or Treat, as people probably know it as. but Woo!
01:24:53
Speaker
Trick or Treat. ever Sammy, he's coming. He's going to be knocking on everyone's doors saying, Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat.
01:25:04
Speaker
If you don't, I don't care. I'll pull down your... Well, that's inappropriate and possibly assault. So we may not... I don't think we'll be pulling down any underwear on this podcast.
01:25:19
Speaker
Not this year. Way to make me sound like a fucking creep. and wow You sang
Humor, Censorship, and Boundaries
01:25:25
Speaker
it. I didn't sing the song. I stopped where I stopped. But you can't tell me you've never heard that ending.
01:25:34
Speaker
Oh, I did. That's why I didn't sing it. I knew. I was like, this is 2025. We will be canceled if we finish these lyrics. But Mercedes dared to do it. She is a habitual line stepper, this Mercedes, if you guys are familiar with Walk Hard.
01:25:53
Speaker
yes I am definitely am so I mean if anything you can always bleep that one word out and we'll be good everyone else can fill in the listeners need to hear what what goes on you'll bleep out everything else but you won't bleep out that that could get us cancelled how dare you but exactly exactly don't be trying to fight me on this shit Nick Okay, I'll bleep it.
01:26:20
Speaker
Okay. You win Censorship wins to get UC listeners. Mercedes just is with the FCC. She was happy when they canceled Jimmy Kimmel Mercedes. She was like, censorship, you know, let's censor everybody.
01:26:36
Speaker
No, I'm kidding. You know, it's okay. just Just talk shit. Talk your shit. It's all good. I'll get my payback one day. I don't know when, but I'll get my payback.
Upcoming Dark Films and Recommendations
01:26:46
Speaker
It's going to come at the end of the Bring Her Back episode. The movie I picked, you're going to... Probably. Yeah, that'll be the movie to really stick my nose in it. A lot of fucked up shit happens in that thing.
01:26:58
Speaker
I can't wait for you to see it. i am I'm actually afraid for you to see it, kind of. Am I going to be afraid to go to sleep after? like is it one of those movies I need to put a cartoon on after?
01:27:09
Speaker
Possibly, yeah. It's got some deeply upsetting things in it, I'd say. How would you rate that next to Talk To Me? It's more upsetting than Talk To Me. I'd say far more upsetting. Yeah, Talk To Me has some intense violence in it but i and some like fucked up like imagery, but I would say Bring Her Back is a tougher sit to get through.
01:27:31
Speaker
There's nothing like sexual assault or anything in it like that. as far I don't remember, at least. It's just an upsetting movie in all the appropriate ways.
01:27:44
Speaker
I don't think we've... Because Terrifier is upsetting in a different way. It's almost cartoonish. This might be the most like dark movie we've covered so far. Fuck. Okay, well, thank you for the heads up because I'll just make sure when I watch it just to be in a good headspace. That way i won't be like so out of it once I do watch it and then I'll just make sure i have plenty of time to watch a cartoon after.
01:28:09
Speaker
Yeah, don't watch it on a bad day. Don't watch it on one of those days where you're like, fuck, I just need a break. You know, watch it where you're like, yeah, I went out for breakfast today and had pancakes and, you know, gotten a good walk or something. And now I'm feeling good. All right, cool. I will make sure i have good food, good coffee, good times coming in with that.
01:28:34
Speaker
Oh, man, I'm a little scared now. But okay, let's focus on the priority at hand, Black Phone. That'll be released next week, guys. So just stay tuned and just make sure you're caught up on all of our other episodes.
01:28:47
Speaker
Weeping morbid curiosities. Let's go.