Transcript
Speaker: Start digging in your butt, twin, because you're listening to the Lost in the Frame podcast. I'm your host, Tachi. I'm your host, Malik. And I am your host, Alex. He has returned. I don't know how much I needed an applause button.
Speaker: let's Let's hit a random one.
Speaker: right, sure. That works. Welcome back, Alex. Oh, it's good to be back, guys. I am... Yeah, I had the planned vacation and then I died. That was crazy. So ah it definitely was not a two-week hiatus. It was not supposed to be that.
Speaker: yeah um Dear listener, I had the flu. I don't know if this was addressed in the pod, but I literally had the the flu. And um that was the sickest I've been in in probably five years, six years. Man.
Speaker: It was bad. I still, i finally, finally, the muscle ache in my right leg is gone. It went, was like full body aches, back, chest, arms, legs, and it like slowly all went away.
Speaker: and and yesterday kind of was the last day of my right leg hurting. That was the final holdout. um It was excruciating. Go get your flu shot. i i um i really probably should have done that before I flew to Europe.
Speaker: oh But, you know, not to to completely derail this the start of this episode, it was really funny that, ah so last year I went to a wedding abroad as well in Mexico. And the amount of like health advice that I got from concerned people was hilarious, considering Mexico is some of the best I've ever felt.
Speaker: um the fresh air the fresh food um in fact I didn't really even feel sick until I came home and was driving back from Houston airport to Austin and I had a Bucky sandwich and that hit my stomach like an atomic bomb yeah um but Mexico is fine but then UK no one no one gives me any of that and I come back and I get the flu so that's insane you sound a lot better even from yesterday yeah Yeah, like it's like it's night and day.
Speaker: um I don't remember when the last time I got a flu shot was.
Speaker: i don't know if I've ever had one. That's probably not true. Maybe when I was a kid. But I don't know the last time I had the flu. They're not very memorable. like you can also There was also the spray as a kid.
Speaker: You could get the nasal spray. Yeah. I'm a nasal spray guy. Yeah, but the the flu shot doesn't hurt. Like, that one's really easy. It's not like tetanus or meningitis where it's like, we got to scrape your bone on your arm. Gross.
Speaker: Those ones hurt. All right, I don't want talk about the shots anymore. want to talk about some freaking movies. um Rapid reviews.
Speaker: What have you guys been watching? Not movies. i've Well, I've been watching a lot of movies. This is like the 10th movie this week. um I've been watching a show on Netflix called Never Have I Ever.
Speaker: It's pretty good. don't know if you guys have heard of it. I have not heard of that. What is that about? It's like a teen high school show, but it's surprisingly pretty gripping, pretty funny.
Speaker: I'd recommend it. It's good see how this looks, right? Is it the one with... All right, let's... I think I have heard of this one.
Speaker: Yeah, it's good. All right, you guys I recently watched um Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother, the new Bassam Tariq film with Mahershala Ali.
Speaker: ah this is This is the movie that was birthed after the failure that is Blade. um as It slipped away from Marvel's hands. They... ah As you may be aware, listener, Blade was in production for years at this point. And it was like four or five years ago that Mahershala Ali was announced to play Blade.
Speaker: And after roadblock after roadblock and... rewrites And new writing teams just, Blade just kept getting delayed indefinitely, indefinitely, indefinitely until they finally scrapped it.
Speaker: um But the entire time Mahershala Ali was getting training, he was getting sore training, um physical training, getting ready for the role, um as well as the director, Bassem Tariq.
Speaker: They were just waiting for the... final green light from Marvel and it never came. And so in the wake of the, their movie being canceled, they went ahead and utilize some of that sword training and shot a small intimate film in Houston, Texas, um, with some of the team from blade and Thank God, because this is one of my favorite movies of the year.
Speaker: It was absolutely breathtaking. like It's beautiful to look at. The cinematography was amazing. The score I put in my Letterboxd review is probably the my favorite score of the year. And the way it's just integrated and woven into the story, I was like...
Speaker: Like, I haven't had my breath taken away when the credits rolled once this year. And that was the time. And I was walking out of the theater, and I was literally, like, holding back tears as I was, like, trying to walk to my car. I can't I'm so excited for this one.
Speaker: Yeah, it's a it is a wonderful movie. I don't want to say much about about the plot. I would just highly recommend anyone listening to to go check it out. It's limited release right now. I think it's going to be in more screens starting next week or this week um when this episode is out. So keep an eye out for it. Check it out if you can.
Speaker: Highly, highly recommend.
Speaker: I also have been watching a lot of movies, ah including, well, while I was sick, I watched one, two, three, four, five, six movies.
Speaker: But... But what I want to talk about in my rapid review is the marathon I did ah flying back from London Heathrow to Boston International Airport. That's 10-hour flight.
Speaker: And so walllight i I told myself I wanted to just watch movies the entire time. How many could I get done? The answer is six. That's crazy. I got six movies done. i In the fourth movie, I think I started is when I started to come down with the flu.
Speaker: um I really, i couldn't really watch six movies because at the end of the fifth one, my eyes started to fall out of my head.
Speaker: um It was awful. No, like legitimately, like I could not look at the screen. I had to put on sunglasses to even think about looking at it. I don't know if that's because I was sick or if it was just like I've been on this plane watching movies for 10 hours straight.
Speaker: It was it was brutal. um So here's what I watched in order. Wasteman, Easy A, Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, The Edge of 17, The Big Short and Step Brothers.
Speaker: Okay. Good lineup. i have I had already seen the big shorts, so i kind of won't include that in the rapid review. Of the ones that I watched, Me Earl and the Dying Girl was my favorite.
Speaker: And I gave that an 8 out 10, 4 out of 5.
Speaker: Wasteman starred our good friend David Johnson from Long Walk. It's like a British okay prison movie. They're in jail. Who's he acting alongside in that in that movie?
Speaker: m who's he Who's he acting alongside in that movie in Wasteman? That one also sounds familiar. Tom Blythe. Tom Blythe. Okay. it was I really liked it. I think it's worth a watch.
Speaker: um Definitely not a bad movie in that lineup. I liked Easy I liked Edge 17. It was really fun um seeing like a young Haley Steinfeld just be a dramatic teenager, um but for for kind of good reason. um There's also something I couldn't get out of my head, and maybe this was just the flu cooking my brain, but there's like this guy character that she's really into in that movie, and I thought he looked a lot like Joe Burrow.
Speaker: And so i wonder if Josh Allen watched Edge of 17 was like, Joe Burrow's trying to steal my girl, man. Because he kind of looks like Joe Burrow. This dude. Edge 17.
Speaker: Yeah. This one looks familiar. I feel like I've seen this in a past life, but I i couldn't recall what happens. You hadn't seen Easy A before? No, I hadn't. Wow. That's surprising.
Speaker: That is surprising. I had to watch it for my girl Emma though. She was really good in it. She was really good in it. Go Wood Sharks. ah yeah yeah
Speaker: Yeah, great it's sad to see how far Will Cluck has fallen from easy A to one night only. Yeah.
Speaker: He's our or he's our ah our modern rom-com Icarus. Yeah.
Speaker: That's a really good way to put it. And then Step Brothers, that was the one where you were pretty much shut down, but i you've seen Step Brothers, right? so Yeah. Okay. I think you were fine a to kind of log off mentally with that one.
Speaker: It was pretty brutal. I mean, there were... it was There's a lot of points in that movie that were not comfortable to watch with the state of my mind and body.
Speaker: They were being really annoying, and I was like, i need to get off this plane right now. One of my favorite bits in that movie is when they're trying to ah sabotage his brother from selling the house. Yes. so they keep doing, and then he's, ah the people walk in and he's holding Will Ferrell's, like, dead body, and he's kind of, like, painted blue. He's like, he just died last night. I've been holding him. And Will Ferrell's just, like, laying there, but he's just clearly just blinking the entire time, like, while John C. Reilly's just crying over his body.
Speaker: That's one of my favorite bits of the movie. Yeah. And then they're like, that was actually pretty good one. It's like, yeah. All right. Two quick pieces of movie news before we get into the movie today.
Speaker: These are Marvel themed. Um, Spider-Man brand new day has now become the third film in history to pass two and a half billion worldwide. I've talked about this movie at nauseam.
Speaker: I can't believe it. It's crazy. It's a good movie. I just didn't expect that. Remember when you guys thought it might not pass a Billy?
Speaker: Yeah. I thought that was realistic. I did too. $900 billion would have been great. Yeah. like That's a really good run. it was the third highest grossing movie of all time. um And now I think this is because of Endgame Encore.
Speaker: Avengers Endgame has now become the highest grossing movie of all time, passing Avatar. What have you heard about the encore? Because I haven't heard anything great. haven't heard anything at all.
Speaker: Yeah, I watched like cam rips of the that it' seen the added scenes. I asked Tachi on the last episode if he wanted me to talk about it, but he said no.
Speaker: i was like, all right, I'll talk about it with Alex at some point. but All right, Tachi, take off those headphones. All right. So the first one kind of undoes some of the ending of game with Steven Peggy with Steve going back in time and, and dancing with Peggy.
Speaker: It was a really nice, awesome ending. it it It is. And now it's completely undone. They're dancing in the living room and then there's a knock on the door and then Peggy opens the door and she goes, can I help you?
Speaker: And then in walks Loki. Oh my God. and Yeah. So that's the first one.
Speaker: ah um The second one had to do with Bruce Banner. He has locked himself in some type of underground system. I think this is following the events of Brand New Day since he went Hulk for the first time in years. So he...
Speaker: Bunkering himself down somewhere deep down and he's talking. I don't know what he what the fuck he's talking about, but the room starts shaking. And then I think it the lights kind of go out and he's ah what are you doing here? And I think it's doom.
Speaker: And he's like, I'm here for you or something like that. And then makes the whole come out like, brah like that. It, it felt, I saw someone compare it to like the intro videos you get at like universal studios.
Speaker: And I was like, Oh, that's exactly how it felt. That was really bad. oh my gosh. Yeah. And then the third one, i don't know if there's a fourth one. Oh, there's more. Ew. Yeah. i don't know if there's a fourth. I only know the third.
Speaker: these just all stuck on to the end? Yeah. Yeah. So nothing changed with the movie. This is all just stuck on on the end. And then the third one is the TVA. So you see Owen Wilson's character like in in the TVA. And they're looking at the TVs. And then it looks like universes are just like exploding. Like they're being destroyed like constantly. And they're like oh, my God. That's three universes. That's seven universes. That's 100 universes. 3,000 universes. What's happened? And someone goes, my God.
Speaker: The multiverse is collapsing.
Speaker: Which I think that's when we'll get Peter Parker's universe exploding. So it's bad. It's lining up. This is really bad. Yeah. um Wow. i that might but That sounds worse than like the a New Hope edits.
Speaker: I think Avengers Endgame Encore will be available on Disney Plus sometime this month. So we can we can watch fast forward to the end. Yeah, just fast forward to the whole thing. Okay. Because I mean, I don't really want to sit down and watch like the whole thing yet.
Speaker: Yeah. Like the last thing I said, Tachi, is I think Endgame Encore will be available on Disney Plus later this month. So we could we could watch it. OK, sweet. Our Doomsday episode is going to be ridiculous. I'm actually so excited for it.
Speaker: Me too. Can you believe we're only we're like two months away already? know. know. I can't believe it's October. We are less than a month away from Godzilla minus zero. Oh my God. Dude, the reviews for it have been. They're cooking.
Speaker: They're cooking. Someone compared it to the Godfather 2 and the Dark Knight. Like, I hope people aren't being dramatic and our like our expectations are just soaring through the roof. I don't think people play about Godzilla.
Speaker: I don't think so either. I don't play about Godzilla. Yeah, we'll have our Godzilla episode, but today, let's get into our digscussion. it's All right. Digger, the new Alejandra Inu Ritsu film starring Tom Cruise.
Speaker: Synopsis reads this. The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior before the disaster or he's unleashed destroys everything. And again, this is starring Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hewler, and Jesse Plemons.
Speaker: We'll do our Letterboxd Love-like load, but I'm going to put a spoiler warning front and center. i don't want to dance ah I don't think I want to dance around yeah the spoilers of this movie. so We need to talk about this movie.
Speaker: Yeah, spoilers ahead for Digger. You've been warned. Alex has our five-star. taught you with the three, and I'll read our one. Our five-star review today comes from Frames of Nick.
Speaker: Five stars and a heart. It's like getting a Sunday Funnies comic strip tattooed across your frontal lobe while listening to AM radio early morning on the way to school. Really apt, I think.
Speaker: Yep. That one's interesting. I've got i picked it i've got two of reviews today, one in a similar vein. So this three star three star comes in from Gloria.
Speaker: Too loud.
Speaker: That's it. Yeah. Next one comes in from Molina Krunek. The best thing about Digger is also the worst thing about it, in my opinion. It's so full of ideas that it sometimes can't resist reminding you how clever it is.
Speaker: There are definitely things I liked about it, but by the end, I was more impressed by what it was trying to do than what it actually did. That said, the visuals were insane, and I love to see Tom Cruise outside of his comfort zone.
Speaker: Hmm. Okay. Our half star comes in from Drew. I want to blow my brains out in front of Tom Cruise and Inaritu to permanently alter their lives forever. Bang, bang, bang is what they're going to hear before my brain matter is splattered on the floor.
Speaker: Awful. How far away are you holding the gun that you can fire it three times? Or is it like ah like a burst auto? i think it's like a burst auto. That's kind of the the visual that I got. yeah Okay, all right. that you simple I see the vision.
Speaker: yeah ah All right. Excitement level leading up to Digger. We've talked about before. I was excited. I was so excited for Digger.
Speaker: I was too. i like the The trailer was giving absolutely nothing. And I think this movie was just causing controversy like before. We did, yes. With Tom Cruise in our Oscars episode.
Speaker: Yeah. did we um Did we put him down for Best Actor? I believe we did. I think I... I think I made some sort of like bold declaration. We'll come back to if our minds have changed or not towards the end of the review.
Speaker: But I want to ask about your guys' theatrical experience. How was it? How was your crowd? Alex, I'll start with you. um So I saw it. Granted, I saw it on a like Friday right after work, you know, showing ah matinee.
Speaker: There was probably 10 people in a very large theater at Alamo Lakeline. um And they were all like quiet. um No Gaffars. In fact, I was probably the biggest Gaffar. Because I did let out like one like, huh. um So it was I was the Gaffar in this one. Yeah. I'm someone's Gaffar.
Speaker: but there was nothing really to report. There's like no one there. So. Okay. Tachi, how about you? Mine was surprisingly filled for 10 o'clock showing on a Friday, but, um,
Speaker: I did have not the best seat neighbors. I don't know if they were French, but they were speaking French. These two guys, probably my age.
Speaker: And um my God, they just have no theater etiquette at all. They were just on their ras undimmed phones. They were having full on conversations sometimes.
Speaker: And by a certain point, I was like, right, next time there's something happening, I'm going to say something. And thankfully, it didn't happen. But um super aggravating people to be next to.
Speaker: So not great. But outside of that, everyone else was pretty chill. I think they they laughed when they were supposed to. um Yeah, that was about it.
Speaker: Yeah, my theater was was pretty tame. i was talking about it a little bit before we started recording that... it's ah It's a bad omen to me for how a movie will do.
Speaker: So I saw this movie opening night Thursday. It was like an 8 p.m. showing, so that's like ah that's like a primetime spot. Both seats next to me, one to my left, one to my right, was empty. So it was not a full theater.
Speaker: And for a non-full l L.A. theater on an opening night of a movie, I think that's just a bad omen. And historically, since I've been here, it shakes out to be true. So not a full theater.
Speaker: I think I saw four people get up and leave. That's incredible. And I've seen a lot of stories of people getting up and leaving, which we'll get into. I know they left because they left as a pair. Was there a specific spot that you're seeing all these people get up and leave during?
Speaker: So the first two were in the row in front of me, maybe about an hour in. And then the second couple to get up was maybe 25 minutes after that. So like 40 minutes left in the movie.
Speaker: The exact points I think I do remember we'll get to. likell i'll I'll bring it back up. um But I've seen a lot of stories of people walking out and leaving.
Speaker: and I do have thoughts on that specifically. um howard That's my thought. Especially if you're leaving with 40 minutes to go. like You've sunken enough into this movie. he See it through.
Speaker: like You're almost there. You're almost there. ah Alejandro and Uri too. How are you guys feeling? How do you guys feel about him as a director? Have what of his movies have you seen?
Speaker: do you like him?
Speaker: I like him a lot. I mean, i think the only one I can think of that I've seen of his is The Revenant, which I love deeply.
Speaker: But um yes, don't know. Let me take a look at his filmography. He's got a lot of stuff that I want to watch. Like, I never saw Birdman. i really want to see Birdman. i really want to see ah Beautiful with Javier Bardem.
Speaker: m um Haven't seen that one. And I guess Babel looks interesting. But yeah, The Revenant was the first movie I've seen by Alejandro Inarritu.
Speaker: um Interesting. and Yeah, I've only seen i've only seen The Revenant and Birdman. I saw Birdman when it came out. I really enjoyed it um when I watched it. I've only seen it at once, so I haven't gone back to it. I also want to watch Bardo and Babel. I haven't seen those.
Speaker: But yeah, similar to you guys with The Revenant. We have an episode on The Revenant out um that we did a few months ago, so I would encourage you, listener, to go listen to that one. um I absolutely fucking loved The Revenant, so...
Speaker: That was the last movie I'd seen from him, so I was excited for this. This was, from the marketing, a very different direction, not only for... I mean, not too different for Alejandro, but at least for Tom Cruise.
Speaker: this was This is the first non-franchise role Tom Cruise has been in in like a decade. It's been long time. Yeah, it's been a very long time since we've seen him.
Speaker: What was the last one? Was it... It wasn't Tropic Thunder, was it? It's not Tropic Thunder. It's something from 2016. I'm going to go ahead and just sort by... it's American Made.
Speaker: Yeah, that sounds familiar. That sounds familiar. ah yeah Yeah, you're right. So it's been a long time because he's also been stuck in Ethan Hunt mode. So I was also just purely excited for this movie because of that. Because I was like, I need to see what he's doing. He's in the prosthetics. He's doing a voice. He's doing this whole big thing. So like, what is this movie about?
Speaker: and with the days leading up to the movie and it had its premiere people were theorizing that they think the movie may be a musical and then it was confirmed it wasn't a musical but there that there was some type of twist and people were doing a really good job those that saw like early screenings at hiding that and they think people have done a good job still just not revealing that to the public which is why we're giving the spoiler warning um But before we get into the actual spoiler, what are you guys' as overall thoughts and feelings once the credits rolled? How did you feel?
Speaker: Ultimately, i liked it. Okay. I didn't ever want to walk out. I can say that with full confidence. Yeah.
Speaker: Alex, how'd you feel when the credits rolled? Two words. blown away. wow Wow. I loved this movie.
Speaker: Wow. All right. Okay. Here's how I felt.
Speaker: I was very annoyed. I knew it. I knew it. I knew you didn't like it. I knew you did not like this movie. i I said ah in my head, wow.
Speaker: And then I sent a couple memes and around guns regarding this. So was I was dropping little hints, but yeah, I, here's the thing going back to the stories of people walking out and the people walking out in my theater. I don't see why anyone would walk out of this movie. I really don't.
Speaker: I think that's dramatic. I see a lot of people really, really, really hating this movie. And I also think that's pretty dramatic because i was really expecting something outlandish and offensive that would warrant all these stories I'd heard leading up to the movie of people walking out and hating it that much.
Speaker: And so it ended, i kind of went like, okay. was like, I know how I feel about it, but I don't see why people are in such a tizzy. I have a theory.
Speaker: What is your theory? I also have a theory. Well, I mean, we'll get to it. We'll get to it. Okay. All right. Let's talk about the first 30 minutes before before the twist. So, yeah, the the twist does happen pretty early on.
Speaker: ah We're following Digger Rockwell, who is this crazy, rich, powerful oil tycoon. And his family has comes from oil. And there is a climate disaster happening that he's obviously been made aware of and continues to ignore and just doesn't care up to the point where there is massive explosion at their plant that...
Speaker: triggers a large block of ice, the largest block of ice anyone's ever seen to shift away from Greenland from its originals free out from it from and head towards England and it will destroy and kill and displace millions of people. And this is all due to his constant drill, drill, drill.
Speaker: you And at this point in the movie, I'm like, okay, I'm liking Tom Cruise. There are some performances around him where I'm like, what's going on here?
Speaker: Like, it just feels like, like there's something sinister underneath it all. I'm like, what's happening? But what are you, are you guys' the thoughts of the like first 30 minutes? Like, what are you thinking? What are you feeling? I was hooked as soon as he's on the phone with the guy in Alaska about like drilling and hustling.
Speaker: And when he goes like, you know, when i my grandpappy came to a baseball game of mine, i hit a home run. it was only time I hit a home run. And my grandpappy said, that's pathetic. You got to hit a triple. Cause triple shows you hustle. I was so locked in from that point on because like a triple harder than a home run. You know, I've like rarely see triples. and I've been going to UT baseball games for like a decade.
Speaker: um you just, you never see them. It's the hardest thing I think to do in baseball. um And it really does require hustle. But to i mean to to use that analogy, it's like such an American thing.
Speaker: It's like such like a boomerism. I was just like, this is peak. This is unbelievable. um And then to immediately be like, hustle, hustle, hustle.
Speaker: you know and then all of a sudden, like people are barging in the room being like, Greenland blew up. i was like... i I just need to see like I'm I'm I'm locked on the roller coaster and I cannot get off I am laughing like at parts of this because everything is just so elevated and ridiculous um how are you feeling Tachi I was really enjoying myself. I really liked Riz Ahmed's character.
Speaker: Like the the part where he almost gets smashed by the door. um the The little bit with the shovel. i guess I didn't mind. I didn't love it, but was fine. But Tom Cruise, I was so...
Speaker: elated to see him like as an actual character because Ethan Hunt's not really a character. it just kind of seems like an extension of Tom. And um I was having a blast, honestly. Yeah.
Speaker: At the end of the day. go ahead. ah At some point in this movie, i can't remember if was in the first three minutes. I actually think it's towards the end. um Someone says to Tom Cruise, I need you to trust me.
Speaker: And i was like, ah Yeah. Yeah. Mission impossible. I see what we're doing here. We got to trust him one last time. i think like at the end of the day, like I am very happy with the Tom Cruise performance.
Speaker: I think it's the best part of this. um i'm laughing like I'm laughing in the first 30 minutes, and then I'm also starting to be like, I don't know. It just... I felt i felt off. And i was like, all right, I want to see like what this but this twist is, what's happening.
Speaker: um John Goodman as the president. So, like, Rockwell is insanely powerful. Like, powerful enough that he's able to call meetings in his own home with with world leaders. this bit i actually thought It was the entire, like, U.S. cabinet.
Speaker: Yeah. This scene, I thought, was... This scene I thought was really great and also very funny, specifically when they go, someone says like, like bitch or or something like that. And someone goes, whoa, there's women in the room.
Speaker: And the camera just zooms down and they're all looking around, just like a bunch of men around. They just all start laughing together. I thought that was really funny, yeah. I laughed out loud at that one. Where I guffawed was in the, it was during this first 30 minutes in that like cabinet plus Digger Rockwell meeting when they start praying over the president.
Speaker: That was really good. One of the funniest things I've ever seen on movie screen. I was crying laughing. It was so funny. like dear god like you know pray over this great man and let him it's just complete nonsense like yeah just a borderline offensive prayer yeah and i was having the time of my life i just shoveling popcorn into my mouth and i'm like this this is this is the movie i was mainly annoyed with john goodman's character like as a president like whatever he was doing
Speaker: I will talk about why certain actors are giving certain performances, but I'm just like, he's the first person that I'm just annoyed with that. I'm like, this is not working for me. Like his humor specifically.
Speaker: i was like, I don't want to see this. And I hope he's not. i hope he's not in this a lot. There were like two or three actors that just dialed it up to 11 or, or maybe even 12 that I'm not sure the movie needed that.
Speaker: The thing is like, I know why they are doing this. Right. Once we get to the plot twist and once we get to the end of the movie, it all recontextualizes itself and it makes sense.
Speaker: But I still didn't like it.
Speaker: think that's valid. And I don't know. i don't know if that would be fixed on a rewatch. Listen. I went into this, I wanted to be a contrarian. I wanted to love this movie because so many people are hating it. And I was like, I hope to God, I love this movie.
Speaker: I want to be a shooter for it. I really do. I want to smoke crack with this movie under a bridge. Exactly. I was ready to do it. I'm ready. I'm lighting up a bulb right now.
Speaker: I'm going home. I'm calling the police on them, actually. that's That's where I'm at. But let's get to the twist. So i actually i want to walk the the listener through this. Okay.
Speaker: Because to me, this was when i went from being like, okay, like I'm on the roller coaster to they cannot get me off the roller coaster.
Speaker: Tom Cruise is in his house, and he's looking out over the um his backyard. This beautiful nature, and The tree falls over. There's a tree in his backyard and it falls over.
Speaker: And all of a sudden you hear like, cut. And John Goodman pulls out a vape. You know, he's just been talking about how he's dying. the president is dying because he has a tumor in his butt and he can't sit down and it's awful.
Speaker: And then it's like cut. And then... um The tree falls over and this guy, this giant giant comes in and is like messing with the tree and it's John Goodman's ripping a vape. And I'm like, what what is happening here? And then like the set starts to come down and you're like, wait a minute.
Speaker: I'm watching a dude playing a dude playing another dude.
Speaker: And you realize that they're rehearsing a play. Yeah. They are rehearsing like a production. I didn't realize it was a play at first, but they're rehearsing some kind of production and that like Digger Rockwell is a character.
Speaker: within this movie and like tom cruise is playing um oh what's his name curtis markson curtis yeah tom cruise is actually playing a guy named curtis who's playing digger rockwell and from that point on i had no idea what was going to happen in this movie none what were you thinking when that happened
Speaker: I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. I loved the reveal. I thought it was incredible. Wow. i um ah was skeptical, but i was my interest was piqued.
Speaker: i was like, okay, let's let's see where this goes. And immediately, like, we're having conversations with Curtis and the director, and you're seeing some, ah like, headbutting going on between, like, decisions that the director wants Curtis to make to Digger as a character. And Curtis, obviously, we start seeing his own, like, internal insecurities, both with his performance and then i think just, like, him as an actor.
Speaker: And, like, we... it's, it's, it's Tom Cruise, like, like being an actor, like, and it felt, it felt like elevated, but then like, so like toned down, but just, it, ah it all just blends together in this way that i was like, okay,
Speaker: Okay, so this is this is what's happening. Maybe we'll get some more. And then ah Curtis has his own kind of side plot happening between his wife and and his daughter. His daughter's on his way on on her way to, i guess, see the play. Yeah.
Speaker: as well they're They're doing the final tech rehearsal and the yeah the premiere is like that night. Like that night. Yeah, this is like like the final. Like, all right, we got to nail this down. And then the people are coming tonight. We got to do this.
Speaker: And she's in Jamaica. Yeah, his daughter's gone back from a trip in Jamaica. Yeah. And there's and then i storm in the Caribbean. Yeah. There's a storm in the Caribbean, which is like our first hints at what is happening in the real world because we see that the storm is like a huge category four hurricane that eventually gets upgraded to like a category six. and you're like, oh, shit, a category six.
Speaker: That doesn't even exist. like do we I was like, yeah I don't think that we have that right now. And so it caught me for a second. I was like, cat six. Yeah, me too. Yeah. I was like, is that real? They only go up to five. And I'm like.
Speaker: And so there's little nuggets being left at this point. um And we go back to the play, like the movie, the movie, the play resumes.
Speaker: And we as the audience were just like, okay, we're just, now we are the audience, not just watching the movie, but watching the play. And so I'm like, what world am I in currently? And what world is like this in? Those are kind of like my overall thoughts, but I'm in my, if we're if we're talking about a rollercoaster, my hands aren't up. I'm kind of holding, holding the seat, the seat in front of me, but I'm on the rollercoaster.
Speaker: One more nugget. about that break into play is that we see some interesting technology with the mirror and how it can like show or show a video call just in the the back of the the back of the theater i guess where they do that was so sick there are really good touches of hints of I guess where we're at technology wise that kind of gives you a hint um I will say not just the production design like for the actual play but just the production design for the movie as a whole is really really good yes it's like stellar I think in my opinion
Speaker: Do you guys like how this movie looks? People criticize the flatness of it, that it lacks color. yeah You like it? It works for me. how like I loved it. i think it works for me. is It works for me as well. um Back to the actual play.
Speaker: We get to a sequence of of Digger in the cabinet and the president now watching the ice shelf collide with Europe. There's a whole there's many conversations that are happening throughout this.
Speaker: But we see what to do and like how they're to it. and They ultimately decide to do nothing and then put up the firewall and, you know, delete any combo like like topic about it, you know.
Speaker: You think something like that exists, like something that just like filter all keywords from. yeah there's there's. There's things in our world that I think would break us if we learned about how it was being used.
Speaker: Yeah. I mean, like look at what we like is in the news right now. you got Flock cameras. You got Palantir doing whatever they do. You know you got the group the heinous data violations that these you know LLMs are committing.
Speaker: i mean, that's just what what's being reported on. you know We don't know what DARPA's cooked up in terms of technology that's being used by the government in a secret capacity. So, yeah, I think something like the firewall is very plausible. Yeah. it's very like It's very sad like watching it because you're just like, fuck yeah, yeah like I know like stuff like that exists. But they don't warn Europe, and now they're watching like the tragedy unfold.
Speaker: um This may be my least favorite scene in in the movie. the Their reactions and the comedies, it's very like boisterous. It's very like loud. And it's very annoying. I thought it was just very annoying. i I would classify this part as maybe my least favorite scene.
Speaker: and I was having a good time when the guy throws up the vice president. He's like... and i'm like just That's the one part that got me. Yeah. I think at that point I'm starting to get like, I'm starting to to turn away from the movie because it's at at this point, you know, you kind of know what you're in for.
Speaker: And maybe at that point, I think shortly after this is when I saw the first people walk out. Really? That was it? Yeah. I think if we're you're like 45 minutes into the movie at this at this part.
Speaker: And so you kind of know what you're in for. And so if it's that grating to you, which I assume it was to this couple, they were like, all right. Let's leave. But then they miss peak.
Speaker: They miss Everest. Talk to us about Everest. So the movie shifts and um we get our first. Oh, we we haven't even talked about Jesse Plemons yet.
Speaker: He's yeah, he's introduced in the first real world scene as just a guy. Just looks like a worker. Yeah, just a guy. he's He's got like a weird like hunch to him, real funny haircut.
Speaker: And he ah he gives the Tom Cruise character like a gift or something. So he it just seems like he's a fan, um but he'll come to play. But he is like a producer of the show. Yeah, ends up being a producer like or like he gave a little bit of money is how it's it's.
Speaker: hmm. um But so now that this iceberg, what do they call it? Jane, Judy, Judy has hit Europe.
Speaker: And there's also a second iceberg that does break from the ice shelf that's headed towards Alaska. Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. yet OK. God, it's like you didn't even watch the movie, dude.
Speaker: I'm on the fucking wiki right now. It said it. um So Judy has hit Europe. Europe is in shambles. And so Digger Rockwell is on his private plane with Riz Ahmed's character, who is this like scientist, this climate scientist that works for him and he's ignored like the entire time. um And they're talking about how they're going to address the the European Union.
Speaker: um We know that John Goodman's character is skipping out on this because he's hiding out in Walter Reed Medical Center, getting operated on. um but the vice president who is this absolute putz is going to, to handle the speech.
Speaker: But then Digger is going to speak, uh, right after, Riz Ahmed's character does. Um, so they're flying to Europe and they're talking about like what he's going to say. And Digger's like, I want you to be honest. I want you to, to tell, you know, exactly what happened.
Speaker: Um, he tells this whole story about, um, tuna fish. We learn that like tuna is 97% extinct, but Digger's sitting there eating it. He tells this whole big story about how this tuna's farmed in Japan. Then you know then ah Riz Ahmed eats the tuna when he's not supposed to.
Speaker: He said, I try not to eat it, but it's like, oh, well you know try means you do. and so He does eat the tuna by the end. and He thinks it's incredible. He thinks it's delicious. Maybe you want to go try some sushi. and Then Tom Cruise, Digger Rockwell is like,
Speaker: yeah I don't know where the tuna came from, but it tastes good. um Yeah. so we We go to the European Union and we, we the vice president, go ahead, Malik. That scene specifically on the plane,
Speaker: is actually one of my favorite scenes. It's so good. in In the movie, just because of the ah like confidence. and Yeah, yeah. like The way like Digger like tells a story and tricks Riz Ahmed's character, Ganesh, into...
Speaker: Virtually eating it. Like, it's just the the movie is a satire and is, like, pointing the finger at us. And it's saying, like, we want to, like, as, like, us as people, it's like, we want to save the world, but we don't want, we just, we just virtual so virtue signal.
Speaker: That's, like, all we do. This is, like, virtue signaling the movie, the call out, like, all of that. It's like how you said, Ganesh, it's like, Oh, I try not to eat it. Like he wants to be like high and mighty.
Speaker: like, all right, but you do. And then the way he gets him to eat it, like you said, is make like telling him that the, that it's more ethical because he's, they're aware of how they got the fish and, and they're thinking about it and they have all this in mind. And he's like, okay, well that makes it okay.
Speaker: But at the end of the day, it's still consumption. Like consumption is consumption and we are hypocrites. So because of that, that is my favorite scene of the movie. i was like, that encapsulates all of it for me.
Speaker: And I'll call it my second favorite scene. We're getting to my first. So we get to what many people are calling the Everest of this movie.
Speaker: And it's the European Union. And we see the Vice President of the United States get absolutely booed off the stage. He gives some some soppy, you know...
Speaker: politics speech about how, you know, we've stood by Europe through the worst and we'll be damn i'm sure to stick by them now. And then Dr. Ganesh goes and he speaks.
Speaker: And he he is completely honest about everything that happened. yeah He throws Rockwell under the bus. And And then it's Digger's turn, and he goes out to just the lion's den, the politician screaming and calling for his head, and you know and then he gets into it.
Speaker: He gets into his speech about how you know he heard what Dr. Ganesh said, and he 100% categorically affirms that it is true. And from that point on, we get just...
Speaker: One of the crown jewels, I think, of Tom Cruise's acting career, because this thing was just a behemoth of a performance. um Theatrical in every sense of the word, as prances and postures around this room, delivering one of the best speeches to screen I think we've seen in ah quite a long time.
Speaker: um And it is, I mean, i don't really know how else to describe it. ah it's It's mesmerizing.
Speaker: Yeah. Like the camera work as we're like getting up close and personal and then we're seeing like the shots of the crowd and and the spinning podium, like just yeah the way that like comes in a frame. I'm like, man, this is, this dude's fucking cooking.
Speaker: How are you feeling it during Tachi? Like, what are your thoughts doing during this? I mean, I was speechless during his speech. It it was so, so cool. And those French people weren't.
Speaker: Yeah, they weren't too happy. But it was presented in such like a an epic and like bombastic way. So over the top, like very diggerish and, um,
Speaker: I was really impressed. But if you don't like Tom Cruise and if you don't like his character in the movie, then you're really not going to like the scene because it's like all him. um But I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was super impressed.
Speaker: And does he call a lot of people out in this one? Yeah. Yeah. He points the finger at himself and at the rest of the world. And it is. Brutal.
Speaker: I mean, he references like even like references like TikTok and like two day shipping. Like at that point, he's like, you guys love oil. Yeah. AI. He's like, he's like, you're mad at me, but like you love it.
Speaker: Like you can't you can't live without an end. You want it and oil. Well, I mean, you know, it is important to remember, like we don't really have a choice where our energy energy comes from. Right. Yeah. i was having this conversation with a dear friend of the pod um and it's like I when I plug my phone into the wall, I can't choose where that energy comes from. There's a dam down the street from me.
Speaker: Just dox myself. um OK. Uh, there's damn down the street for me. yeah it generates ah electricity for Austin, but I can't choose whether it comes from there or like a coal fired plant. Like I really have no choice. Right. Um, there is a you know certain degree to he, like a trip truth to what he's saying. I think to me, that the part that resonated the most was, uh, when he pointed the finger at the politicians who claim, you know, that they're against this and they want this change, but then he pulls out the list of shareholders.
Speaker: of uh rockwell you know with rockwell united just a company yeah um and it's you know the you clamor for change and you want all this but you're not willing to actually like go for it and do it because it harms you it's not easy and you want the easy way out and you want to benefit from that um And to me, right, I mean, it's just a lot of pent-up energy from the writer.
Speaker: Yeah. ah so A lot of pent-up rage and emotion, i think, was was flowing through Digger Rockwell in that moment. And Tom Cruise was as the conduit was just incredible.
Speaker: like the the meme of the worst person you know just made a great point or something. Yeah. That's kind of how it felt. Yeah. And the crowd. So I did see that this movie previously before they landed on the name Digger was named blah, blah, blah.
Speaker: And you get that from the scene, like the whole... The whole like union just start like kind of chanting at some point. like it almost sounds like it blow yeah It almost sounds like he's going to break out into a musical. So I could see why people maybe thought it was a musical.
Speaker: And I think there are rumors that like maybe at one point it almost was. And you can kind of see that, but it's also just like the theatrical play. Release the musical cut. I know it's in there somewhere. The cruisical. The with...
Speaker: Was it Joker 2? And they're like, maybe we should. Yeah. They saw that. They're like, all right, we got to change some things.
Speaker: I saw that there are four writers on this when the credits rolled. So Alejandro, someone named Alexander Dinaris, Nicholas Giacobone, and Sabina Berman. I don't know the last time I saw a movie. 50% of this movie is crazy. Yeah.
Speaker: I don't remember the last time I saw a movie that had four writers. That's... Kind of a lot. No, you think is that common? I feel like it is a lot, but I never really felt like it was not a continuous vision saying.
Speaker: They did a really good job of hiding that there were four writers of this. Yeah.
Speaker: And then so as we get to the final act, um Let me know if I'm like missing anything. But Curtis starts having like a meltdown with the director. Like they kind of come to a head at this point.
Speaker: And and well we skipped over the bit. Now there's a second iceberg. Now there's a second iceberg headed towards. After he gets out of the EU, Dr. Ganesh, who is extremely drunk, tells him that there is a second iceberg on the way to destroy Alaska.
Speaker: Great drunk performance, by the way. Riz Ahmed is really good in this movie. He may have been actually just drunk in it. he was He was sloppy. yeah Yeah, very much so.
Speaker: um And then it pulls away, and Tom Cruise is... We find out his daughter did not make it to the airport. Did not land. We have no idea where she is.
Speaker: He's freaking out. And this is where we get a little bit more Jesse Plemons, because at this point, he's like barely in this movie. And you're like, who is that? Why did this guy sign on to this? Yeah, I didn't realize Jesse Plemons was in this.
Speaker: Me neither. But i was always I'm always happy to see him. But then we we learn a little bit more about his character, Kenny. Kenny has a security startup.
Speaker: He said he can help find Tom Cruise's daughter, he'd or diggger ra or Curtis's daughter. all convoluted. All he needs is a phone call.
Speaker: You're like, okay, who is this guy? Who is this producer who has this security company that all he needs is a cell phone? He can track her down. This plane that's lost in this Category 6 storm.
Speaker: What? And then he starts arguing with the director. And I think actually it's this point where we get the, I just need you to trust me. Yeah. I just need you to get through this. Then we can talk about it. um
Speaker: And what are you thinking at this point?
Speaker: Because I'm just still sucked into this thing. Yeah, I'm... I'm still in it because of the scene that we just witnessed. Really wanted to see how things shake out.
Speaker: I am concerned about Kenny's security organization and its power with surveillance.
Speaker: It's really scary, ah but probably entirely realistic at this point um with where technology is headed. And um really enjoying Jesse Plemons. I do want to go back really quick to the Riz Ahmed scene.
Speaker: But I think it's right before Digger goes on. And he's like grieving his cat. He's got his his cat's ashes and a little urn in his jacket. And he's, i guess, trying to grapple with the death of a cat that he had for 30 years, I think.
Speaker: It was a long time. long time. Yeah. And the cat's actually like a bit throughout the whole movie because it's kind of the silly animatronic thing. Dying. Clearly just like its dying. It's like falling apart.
Speaker: Yeah. And there's this delivery from Riz Ahmed and he's like. Or no, no, no. Digger asked him.
Speaker: do you think like, cause the, the cat wounded his, his finger. And he's like, do you think, um, know, my, my cat, the, the, the last time that we spent together, he he attacked me.
Speaker: Do you think he hated me the entire time? And Riz says, maybe he was just trying to hold on. And there was like such deep sincerity from him.
Speaker: And i was like, maybe he doesn't hate digger. Um, why is he like pitting him? i don't know. I was blown away by like that, that three seconds of that conversation.
Speaker: That's probably my favorite thing outside of the speech. And then he was like, just kidding. i fucking hate you. go die But your cat hated you. Yeah. I really liked that.
Speaker: And then to the Jesse Plyman scene. Oh, right. um I really like Jesse Plemons. I want to see more about why he's so invested in the play and the the through line between him and and Digger and or Curtis and maybe why he's just continually bumping into Curtis. and is this the reveal Is this the reveal where we find out or Kenny?
Speaker: no Like who he is and like... No. So we have yeah one more scene between that of the play. And it's this scene where they've decided... Well, it's the the John Goodman scene with the the bedroom.
Speaker: And then the scene where they decide how they're going to take action against the second iceberg. ah The scene in the bedroom, I think, is hilarious. We're going to nuke China!
Speaker: her con so ridiculous This is so ridiculous. It's not out of the realm of ah realism, though. Yeah.
Speaker: I have to read. ah thought Nuclear football is just a rumor. i You have to read these three books. um it i love so many i've I have so many like conflicting feelings with like literally every single scene in this movie.
Speaker: It's like underneath underneath the surface, it's like i I like what it's doing, but then like as I'm watching it, I'm like, I am just like not having a great time for a lot of it.
Speaker: Is it because of how it's being portrayed, or is it the messaging? Like like you said before, like the movie's basically holding a mirror to... oh Yeah. In real life. it's It's just, it's just how it's being portrayed. I'm like, it's, it's very, it's very on the nose and it's on the nose on purpose. And it's really annoying.
Speaker: And it's really annoying on purpose because they tell you like, they are consistently telling you throughout the dialogue, like how ridiculous it is and how annoying everything is supposed to be both the play like, and the movie.
Speaker: And i just think this movie hinges on that where if that works for you, then then it works for you. But like if it doesn't, then I think it's really hard to get you on board.
Speaker: And it's like it's it's two sides of the same coin where the movie's just so self-aware. But I think it's just so...
Speaker: frustrating at the same time but I know it knows that and because it knows it it also annoys me because because it does does that make sense yeah you're making the same point as like the the three-star review that I had where it's like the movie knows what it is but it's just like oh you know yeah I
Speaker: I'm with that three-star like 100 makes sense get it that makes sense i get it
Speaker: So now the nuke. And then I think the next scene... they They blow up the iceberg and it's like... Exactly what they said was going to happen happened.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And... It's just... But then Tom Cruise is like, this is stupid. And literally he like refuses to do the scene. And that's where he comes out and there's this big argument between him and the director.
Speaker: And that's when you find out that this play, Fossil Fools and Digger Rockwell and you know President Compson were all real people. Mm-hmm. Really good name, by the way, for the play. I didn't think that was funny. Like fossil fools. Judy and the other iceberg were real. These were real events.
Speaker: And millions of people died from this. And this is a satire of a real thing that happened 25 years ago in universe. And Tom Cruise is arguing because he thinks that this play makes light of it.
Speaker: ah that he makes light of all these really smart, cunning, and devious characters. And the director is arguing that no like you need to be able to laugh at it because that's all you can do at this point, right?
Speaker: But then Kenny, Jesse Plemons' character, says, you're both right.
Speaker: And it turns out his name is Kenny Rockwell, and his uncle is Digger Rockwell. And he is funding this play and putting it for all the world to see at this beautiful big stage. A play that was like kind of like an indie underground thing.
Speaker: Yeah, something that he had seen child. He thinks it's important. He wants it to be seen by everybody, and he wants to be able to laugh and, you know, look at how ridiculous my family was.
Speaker: Do you feel any, like, ulterior motive... behind the Kenny character reveal. think he's one of the most insidious people in this movie. Yeah, I do too. I mean, he the the Rockwell family is controlling this narrative now.
Speaker: And they're telling you how like Digger is this fool, this bumbling idiot, but the way that Curtis describes Digger Rockwell in real life is almost exactly how Kenny is acting.
Speaker: like cool, calm, you know, and just kind of in control of everything. And that's what Kenny is smart, calm, controlled. And, you know, just happens to have this security company that can track down anybody anywhere.
Speaker: What's up with that? Right. Yeah. Clearly Kenny Rockwell isn't just a patron of the arts. He's got something else going on behind the scenes. So, you know, At the end of the day, like, who is this play really for?
Speaker: Just like a puppet master. Right. It's controlling, controlling it all.
Speaker: And it's a, it's a really good monologue that Jesse Plemons has. I think it's this was my favorite scene in the movie. it's ah it's It's up there. it It really is up there.
Speaker: And it's like, it's ah it's like horrifying. And then you also can't take your eyes off the screen. You're right. like he is He is a Rockwell. This is like in their blood. like He's also really good at doing this.
Speaker: Where like I caught myself, i was just like, oh shit, wait, no. Like, it's he's he's not a good guy. he's Like he's said, like, he's not 100% for the yards, but, like, at the same time, like, he's...
Speaker: posing if you can say that like as this like every man and showing people like oh this is what I'm doing because people do there is there is like there is quality to it there is ah value to it to this play that people are watching that has become a cult classic like in their modern lexicon and like there is there is value to it so he is helping in that sense. But, but is he helping? And I think that's ultimately the point of this movie is, you know, people like, Oh, this hates art.
Speaker: Like, no, I don't think it hates art, but it's telling the people. And this is where I think it really holds up the mirror. And this is why I think a lot of people hate it is because I think a lot of people see themselves in the mirror of this movie that, you know,
Speaker: look at all I've done, look at all the activism that I've done, all the Instagram art things that I've put up, ah you've done nothing. yeah You can like make all the art you want about how oppressed we are, but at the end of the day, like if you don't actually take action and do something, like you've done nothing.
Speaker: You've done absolutely nothing. your your Your call to action has been just a self or an exercise of self masturbation.
Speaker: You do it because you want to feel good about yourself and think that you accomplish something. But at the end of the day, what what did your slide show to your friends who agree with you actually accomplish it accomplish nothing? Like you're still going to eat the tuna. That's almost you're still going eat the tuna.
Speaker: Yeah. And I know i mean, we're all guilty of it i'm not going to sit here and be like, oh I'm so much better than these people because like we're all guilty We all are guilty of you know lip service to to an issue and then absolutely doing nothing about it.
Speaker: But i think a lot of people don't have the capability of the self-introspection that this movie is asking you to do. And you're getting played by Kenny Rockwell.
Speaker: What are you go to do about it? Because this is your reality if you don't do something about
Speaker: It asks a lot of the audience. I i will i will give you that.
Speaker: think that... After this... oh Go ahead. Because I was going to say my theory that was going to bring up earlier, which is kind of negated by Alex's point here, but in jest, I was like, is Digger being...
Speaker: you know
Speaker: represented as a bad movie in in terms of all the or early reactions is it like a ploy or a psyop by big oil which probably isn't true but you know could be yeah like like big oil is is funding these bad reviews for this movie i haven't seen any of the big oil money if they want me to talk shit on it ah Like doing it for free. Yeah. Just for the love of the game.
Speaker: I think you get to probably my least favorite scene. Yeah, that like the offshore platform kind of the the kitchen scene like the like they're on a boat or something.
Speaker: Yeah, so it's like some time has passed, and the world is in disarray, and Digger and family are in just like a... Yeah, they're like in the middle of the ocean, almost like on an oil rig, um like house-like type thing.
Speaker: We see it's like, it's really hot. There's like no ac AC. They're running out of food, and everyone's kind of just going crazy and losing their minds. um And yeah, we get to the fridge scene. Yeah, this is also probably...
Speaker: like not my favorite. I don't really understand how like, i mean, I get how we get here, but it just, I'm almost just like waiting for the end, like at this point. And I just want to see like what's happening in the real world. Yeah. Lost it all.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. I thought it was to me, like, I thought it dragged a little bit. This is probably like my least favorite bit of the movie as well. Yep. Until he gets outside.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: He gets outside and then starts having a conversation with Kenny as ah as a child. And we're getting shots of, like, the audience. Now we're now now we're in the final, like, the the actual play.
Speaker: Yeah, we're in the play. Because now we're getting, like, shots of the audience as like, sweating and everything like that. um Digger Curtis gets a call in the middle of himself, like, talking to Kenny and answers it. And that's when we get the the reveal that, like, oh, this is live. Like, this is the performance.
Speaker: And he answers it. And he reacts. We assume it's about his daughter, but we don't know the the status of the daughter. Whether her plane went down or if they found her, we just see his a reaction and we're kind of left in the dark.
Speaker: He finishes the scene and then ends up jumping off, which is what happens in in reality. And the audience is cheering. This is like the culmination of the play. um everyone's like hot and sweating but laughing and cheering at the death of of digger rockwell
Speaker: and it's some really nice shots too of him like falling to the ocean floor laying amongst the broken gas pipes of the floor i see as he lays there dying i really liked how how that looked and how they even like integrated it into like the final curtains to give it like that wavy look i thought that was really cool Yeah, was cool and and a good callback to how the movie opens, which is just the bubbles of the the methane and you know whatever else is Yeah, the movie opens with like the curtains opening like in in his bedroom like as if you're you're watching a play.
Speaker: That's a good good call out. Oh, that's pretty good. They got me there. And then it ends and and he goes into the tunnel with the rest of the cast, the play's being over and he finds out that his daughter was located...
Speaker: He thanks Kenny, and he's like, just, Kenny, you're the best. And then they get up there, and they get you know thundering applause. It's the final bow of the actors.
Speaker: Everyone's happy, and it's like all the problems of the production, all the arguments, all culminated into this moment of joy. And then the audience, they're clapping, they're going nuts, and then something comes over the intercom, it says, level four Everyone takes out their branded, differently branded gas masks and puts them on and and goes outside into this absolute hellscape.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: And then it ends. yeah And that's how the movie ends. Until you're scrolling through the credits and you're seeing this play out and...
Speaker: The credits, all of a sudden the sound dims and level four comes over the cinema speakers in like a really like PA announcement kind of sound. Does it? i I left. Yeah, I left. I heard there was more. What happens? There is more. it's Are you kidding me? You left?
Speaker: Yeah, I thought it was over. That's why you go Oh, my God. Yeah. the It pans up to the sky. ah huh And the credits are rolling and it goes, the sound turns off and it just goes over what it sounds like the theater PA.
Speaker: It goes level four.
Speaker: And then like the theater lights came on and everyone got up and left.
Speaker: And you're just sitting there. I'm sitting there. I'm like jaw on the floor. Cause it's like, Oh man. like I haven't seen that ever, where it breaks a fourth wall like that.
Speaker: Interesting.
Speaker: You left. You left. that wasn't It wasn't like... I didn't immediately stand up either, so that had to have been at least a minute or two. I probably sat there for 30 seconds. There was still something on the screen. The credits hadn't gone black. There was still a movie on the screen. That's true. But it was a static shot, and so I just thought that that was... Right. I was just watching the audience leave the building.
Speaker: yeah if i saw the camera start to move i would have stopped but it was literally just like the static shot of people walking around it did last a while and so like i waited like 30 seconds and then i got up like i wasn't the first one to get up and then i was and then i was gone but i can't believe you missed that that to me was just the cherry on top of the sundae i was just jaw on the floor again that does that does sound interesting yeah um
Speaker: Ah, yeah, man. I i i i get it. It's a lot. this this This is a lot of movie, for sure. Kind of like Brimetime. There's a lot to chew on.
Speaker: Yeah. I swallowed it whole. Pause. Like a snake. My mouth like... All all right. so Let's talk.
Speaker: Okay. I want to talk a couple things ah before we before we do our rating.
Speaker: This movie opened with $8 million dollars on a projected million to million dollars budget. This is like one of the biggest bombs of all time. This is also the last movie of Warner Brothers ever.
Speaker: It is. It was the last movie released by Warner Brothers post acquisition or yeah, I guess pre acquisition. That thing has closed. I actually know. I actually think it closes on Tuesday, October 6th.
Speaker: um But nothing else is releasing. So. That's so sad. it's It's atrocious. It's it's a catastrophe.
Speaker: I don't think you could have done something better to ring the bell. on you can't You can't write this stuff. It's crazy. That movie being that big of a bomb and that's how it ends.
Speaker: yeah This century-old icon, Titan in cinema, just a giant middle finger to the people acquiring it.
Speaker: And I, I, I think it's perfect. I think it's, I think it's an art statement within itself. Um, it's incredible. Um, but we, as the, the enlightened individuals that we are who made a couple of predictions around this movie, uh, come award season and we put it down for best directing, writing lead actor and best picture.
Speaker: what ah What do we think about that? What do we think about how that's aged? Okay, let's go one category at a time. Directing. Yes. No, I think this should still, I think this should be nominated for best directing.
Speaker: I don't think it will be. I think it should. I think it's, I'm not saying um'm I'm not saying it shouldn't. This isn't my opinion. It's just what I think will happen. I don't think it will though. I think it should as well.
Speaker: Okay. We did writing as well. yeah I don't think it gets nominated for best screenplay, even though it probably should, but I don't think it does. I think it also should, but I don't think it will.
Speaker: Same. Cool. Lead actor. I think Tom Cruise is far and away the best, like the front runner for lead actor. Wow.
Speaker: I don't even think anyone else comes close this year. And I did watch primetime last night. Hmm. Like Matt Damon, no sorry, dude. yeah you You got shoved into a locker think we're in agreeance that, like, I think Matt Damon needs to get out of there. Like, I hate that he's probably just a shoe-in for the Odyssey, but I think that spot could go to someone much more interesting. And I would actually, if it was up to me and someone was like, you had to choose Matt Damon or Tom Cruise for Digger, and I had the final say, I would choose Tom Cruise.
Speaker: Tom Cruise, don't even I don't even think it's close. Same. What did Matt Damon do in the Odyssey? Tom Cruise played two characters in this movie. Two but extremely convincing different characters in this movie.
Speaker: Yeah. this is This is why, this was the argument as to why Michael B. Jordan had to win. Now we have it again. And it's way better in every movie. Tom Cruise yelling as Curtis in frustration.
Speaker: I like I did the the sitting up in my seat. me The locking in. Yeah, yeah. The the other lock in position. Yeah, so I would like to I would like to see him in best actor. I hope that rings true and we are.
Speaker: Yeah. Best picture. i think it's just there's no way, but it should. this This movie, not getting nominated for Best Picture would be an absolute travesty. I do think that Inaritu, or Inaratu, think he is loved by the Academy, but this also puts a mirror in front of the Academy.
Speaker: mean, they nominated Don't Look Up. This movie exists to steal Don't Look Up's lunch money. It's just such a massive bomb, too.
Speaker: Yeah, money not like it's money not included. That's the kind of bomb that it is. A truth nuke. yeah I've seen the comparisons with Don't Look Up, and like I've been going back and forth like between the two. because they're saying watch it i need to watch it. and Yeah, they're saying similar things. I watched Don't Look Up not that long ago, so it is fresh on my mind.
Speaker: What'd you rate it? Let me let me and let me don double check for you. Sure. um i do like don't look up i know people don't people really don't like that movie have you seen it alex no are you you haven't seen it at well i didn't know if you had so i didn't know if you had seen it like when it came out and need to like re-watch it or anything like that i i never got around to see it because i'd never really heard good things about it other than that it got nominated it seems like a green book uh keep answering while i look up the uh my rating for it
Speaker: Because type, okay, yeah, or or just don't. That's okay, too. Don't look up. I gave a three and a half out of five. Okay, that's good. Yeah. So I did like it.
Speaker: That being said, here we go. Should we move to our ratings and then talk about it? I think we should move and then talk about it. Okay. Who wants to go first?
Speaker: think you should go first, Malik.
Speaker: I, Malik, of Lost in the Frame, I have seen Digger, and had some popcorn and a soda pop, and I love going to the movies.
Speaker: There are a lot of interesting things this movie, and a lot of scenes that I do really enjoy. and a lot of scenes that i do really enjoy But a lot of it also just does not work for me.
Speaker: it's the i am I feel split down the middle. I feel straight up split down the middle with this movie. I came in at a two and a half.
Speaker: are jesus I came in at a two and a half, but I think I'm going to give it a three. Because I got to give it credit where credit is due. And there are aspects of it that does work for me. But there's a good handful that doesn't that I find just just annoying in it's ah and it in in the way that it presents itself.
Speaker: So I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I like this movie.
Speaker: Turn around. Okay. I'm so scared for Alex's. i'll go I'll go next. um I think the conversation today helps me talk myself out of a 3.5 as even an option.
Speaker: And i'm I'm very comfortable giving this a four. Wow.
Speaker: had a good time. It was extremely ambitious. And I think it I think it did nail what it was trying to do. So. I'm actually kind of surprised. Something that I want to call out before I give my rating, because I didn't get a chance to talk about it earlier in the pod. um RE, like the performances and like it being grading, ah there is a difference in like theater and perform cinema in terms of medium.
Speaker: yeah I have been to a couple of plays, ah you know random plays or the classics or whatnot. um Providence actually has like a really, really good like theater company. ah I've really enjoyed everything I've seen there. So thea like stage acting is is a lot different and it is more in your face and is more over the top and, you know, it could be construed as grading.
Speaker: And so I think the dichotomy of that is is really important to remember in terms of like what you're actually like witnessing on screen here. um This movie, i was I was floored like three times by it.
Speaker: I think that um this is probably the the movie of the year so far for me, and I'm going give this a five stars. Wow.
Speaker: Hell yeah, Alex. Ten toes down. You know what? Yeah, I'm so happy for you. that I walked out saying this this. Finally, something beat Obsession, and it it beat the crap out of Obsession. Obsession was spat upon and shoved into a locker by David. I mean, this movie, I cannot speak highly enough of this movie.
Speaker: There are like three different scenes that I've thought about like all day, every day, and the way that it ends with the level four was just was just something weird. It was the cherry on top, and I cannot believe you missed that because to me that was like the the final nail in the coffin that this was the movie of the year so far. And I don't think anything is, I think we have one that is going to come close to beating it, and it's Dune.
Speaker: I don't know if anything else is going to make me feel the way that I felt leaving the theater. So this is your first five star of the year? This is the first five star of the year. Wow. Well, you know what? I am happy for you. Congratulations. I hope that this next sound that I play is applause.
Speaker: Yeah. Oh, you're good. Let's go. was like, i think it's the orange one. Wow.
Speaker: We did it. Digger. What a movie. This is a movie's movie this is your movie. This is your favorite movie's favorite movie. ah How soon do you think I should rewatch this?
Speaker: I think you should think should get your ass in the car right now and go to the theater. Because I do. And I don't want to, like, obviously trick myself into it. But now knowing what it is, and think a rewatch is ah is needed and could potentially help. Because like I said, I really did want to love this movie. I wanted to be the contrarian.
Speaker: But now I'm the contrarian of the podcast who liked it the least. A bit surprising. um One more thing I wanted to call out that, like, a look that I really liked in one of the last scenes in digger is when they do go back into like the tonal once the play has ended and the audience is cheering and then he uh curtis sees kenny and kenny is clapping too and they kind of hug each other jesse plemmons has this like look on his face as they're like hugging that feels like the love he didn't get from his real life uncle but now is kind of putting that on curtis playing his uncle
Speaker: Something that I thought was interesting that also added some depth to to the Kenny character. So I wanted to call that out before before we wrap. Do you think any any potential here for supporting nomination?
Speaker: No. i think if this is awards competitive, I think it's it's going to be our boy Tom. I think it's going to be the CEO of movies. This is such a big swing by him. And I mean, performance wise, I don't think he hit it. He hit, he hit for the cycle. if We're going to go back to the baseball analogy about hustle. He hit the cycle on this one home run, triple, double single.
Speaker: He did it all. It's just monumental. um And it's one of those, it's like, again, if Tom Cruise was not in Scientology, he would be like the greatest American.
Speaker: yeah Dude's named Tom just be great. i mean, you got Tom Brady. You got Tom Cruise. I don't I think I might have to have a Tom Hanks. tom tom hol i like kid need to be named tom Tom Holland. He's like the most profitable actor of all time or something. Yeah. just correct Is it him now? Because it was Scarlett Johansson for it's a bit. I think he i think he beat Scarlett. Yeah. If I'm not mistaken, I think you're right. I mean, he it it makes sense considering the absolute tank that brand new day has been.
Speaker: Zendaya has got to be up there, too. I'm sure she is. Tom. I mean, Tom Holland has had like a three billion dollar year. I want one of those. know three Maybe four. Was it 2.35 or for Spider-Man?
Speaker: And what did Odyssey? Did Tom Holland have a $4 billion dollar year? And Zendaya would have a $4 billion dollar year too. What a couple. And then Zendaya also has Dune. So Zendaya may be... Zendaya...
Speaker: God, I hope she has a $5 billion dollar year. Oh, I don't know. I don't know if i told you guys this. um I did see the Dune trailer before Digger for the first time. I did say it?
Speaker: Well, you told us, but you didn't tell the pod. Okay, I'm telling the pod now. I saw the Dune trailer. um i was It was revealed to me, and I sat there with goosebumps on my arms, ready to ready to fight for Paul Atreides.
Speaker: Yep. I'm ready. If Paul Atreides was a firetruck, he'd be the biggest in the world. You've never seen that joke about Mad Men where it's like, you know, I think ah Don Draper is, you know, one of the more complex, disgusting wife leaves the room. If Don Draper was a firetruck, he'd be the biggest in the world. Wife leaves the room.
Speaker: That's hilarious. All right. Well, any closing thoughts on on on Digger or Tom Cruise? Do your patriotic duty and look in the mirror of Digger. ah And and it whatever stares back at you, you need to learn to live with it.
Speaker: Or change. follow us on yep Follow us on YouTube, ah Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Letterboxd. Most importantly, we'll be back next week with The Social Reckoning. In a couple of days, we'll also have our Fantastic Fest episode come out um on Thursday the 9th, I believe. And then the following week will be The Social Reckoning. But we'll be here.
Speaker: We'll be ready. Thank you so much for listening, we'll see you guys in the next one. Thanks. Bye. Peace.
