Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Lost In The Walk - The Long Walk Review
24 Plays2 months ago
Get those New Balances ready, we're going on a Long Walk! Did you already see the new Stephen King adaptation? Do you prefer the book or the movie? Let us know your thoughts!
Follow us on our socials:
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Hiking Memories
00:00:14
Speaker
Oh man, I'm tired. How much farther do we have to go? My legs hurt. A real quote from the first and only time Malik and I have gone on a hike together, which was two years ago.
00:00:28
Speaker
That's not fair. Welcome back to Lost in the Frame. I'm your host, Alex. I'm your host, Malik. I'm host, Tachi. And ah we are so happy to be back. How is everybody doing today?
00:00:41
Speaker
I was doing good until I got called out in our intro for some reason.
Challenges of Hiking in River Place Canyon
00:00:49
Speaker
Well, I mean, did it boil down to a skill issue?
00:00:56
Speaker
sure You know what? That was a very tiring walk. We started, it was supposed to be like a circle, I think. Like we were supposed to like be in and out of the forest or the wooded area.
00:01:09
Speaker
And then we get out and the walk back was atrocious. And I swear to God, there was like a mile stretch of going uphill and then followed by another mile stretch of going downhill.
00:01:23
Speaker
And like something in my left knee, like on the outside of my knee was just like pinching. And like just like poking and prodding and it hurts so bad. I was like, we need to get to this car immediately.
00:01:40
Speaker
So um I'm doing good.
00:01:44
Speaker
Sounds like it was kind of a long walk there. a mo leak I would say it was a long walk. How are you doing? Touching. Don't swell.
Movie Review: "The Long Walk"
00:01:54
Speaker
where was Where was the long walk at?
00:01:56
Speaker
Um, it was in, uh, I forget the name of it. Um, River Place, the River Place Canyon loop. No, it's in like, uh, it's near Lake Travis. Yeah. Like near the three 60 bridge kind of It's near where the, where our office used to be our, you know, yeah the place where Malik and I once worked together. So that hike was like three years ago.
00:02:25
Speaker
Yeah. Maybe. The first time I went to that trail, I ran i ran the trail. and it was like a back and forth. And I was okay.
00:02:36
Speaker
Yeah, I don't understand. like I don't remember why we ended up going back the way we did instead of just following the trail back. Don't know. Because it's supposed to be like a down and back, not a loop. Yeah.
Skepticism for Super Mario Brothers 2
00:02:48
Speaker
Let's go in the neighborhood. Yeah. I just want to say the loop is what killed me. it was the Hills. It was, I think I was fine. for But I mean, I'm sure we'll ask the question on how we think we would do on a long walk.
00:03:01
Speaker
If you haven't figured it out by now, um, today's episode, we are reviewing the new movie, uh, the long walk. Um, We just saw it like four hours ago.
00:03:13
Speaker
um So this is about as fresh as we're going to get in terms of ah our thoughts and opinions. So I'm excited to ah kind of go off the dome here.
00:03:25
Speaker
i am too. am too. Before we get into it, there's a few pieces of movie news that we'll read out here to kick us off. Super Mario Brothers 2 is officially titled a Super Mario Galaxy movie, releasing April 3rd, 2026.
00:03:38
Speaker
No. Are y'all excited?
Favorite Mario Games and Scary Gaming
00:03:41
Speaker
No. The first movie was bad and Super Mario Galaxy was like my favorite game as a kid. They're just going to ruin it. My favorite was Mario Sunshine.
00:03:51
Speaker
That's a classic as well. That's a good one. Delphino Island. It's like the highest rated ones. Yeah. Other than that, I don't think I was like huge on Mario. Did you guys ever play Luigi's Mansion? No.
00:04:02
Speaker
I watched my brother play it. Were you scared? Yes, of course. Bro, it used to be scary. Like, Nathan and I would take turns playing it. Like, we would play it at night. to be like, alright. The sun's down. It's time. We're just there in our room with our GameCube just, like, like shaking.
00:04:19
Speaker
I remember there was an episode of Teen Titans in like the first season that I was terrified to watch when I was really little. Which one? It's the ah the one where they watch the horror movie and then like all the horror movie monsters start coming to life because Raven's powers are acting weird. Oh, yeah. Dude, it's terrifying.
00:04:38
Speaker
That would be a nightmare to live through.
Demon Slayer's Box Office Success
00:04:41
Speaker
For sure. My God. I'm surprised they went straight to Galaxy. feel like they should have started with World. They're going to do a s sequel? Maybe feels like a big of a jump.
00:04:51
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I feel like they've they've got so much to adapt with this. So whatever makes them whatever makes the money, I feel. I wonder if it's going to be like the Minecraft movie where it's just another actually even just the the first Super Mario movie where it's just like two hours of them naming things.
00:05:07
Speaker
That pretty much was the first movie. Yeah, that and the Minecraft movie. It's just this is Koopa like, Jack Blackson both. um I don't know anything about this, so but I'll say it.
00:05:21
Speaker
Demon Slayer opening weekend box office. Yeah, it had the biggest opening weekend for an international film in the US ever with $70 million. It is also the biggest opening ever for an R-rated animated film.
00:05:33
Speaker
Nice. Tachi and I both contributed to those numbers. I'm happy to say i'm glad I'm glad that we did, but real quick, how'd you feel about the movie, Tachi? um It certainly has its pacing issues, but i think just as it is um with the animation, the voice acting, the design of everything, the sound, the score, everything else is really great.
00:06:00
Speaker
It just it suffers from being forced into this movie format. Yeah, being part one of three. Yeah.
Sean Astin's SAG-AFTRA Presidency
00:06:07
Speaker
Yeah, I definitely agree with you. So I had been pretty behind. Wait, first part of like a trilogy? Yeah.
00:06:12
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And then the whole thing ends. They're adapting like basically half the story into three movies. All right. Yeah. That's ambitious. It is. It's pretty ambitious. Like I was telling Tachi, I was like, I feel like this could have been just another season of TV, but like,
00:06:29
Speaker
the design of like the castle that they're in is so intricate. And I was like, maybe this was like oh like like a budget thing. Like they had to make a feature to get a bigger budget to get the scale correct or what they for what they wanted to portray. So I really enjoyed it. I do think it's going to work better as a unit once we have all three parts out, but Besides that, just being able to see like these fights on the big screen was sick. yeah if anything If anything, the fights and the animation is is enough to to have a great time. Let's see. Sean Astin has been elected the president of SAG-AFTRA.
00:07:05
Speaker
What is what is that? The Screen Actors Guild. ah Good for him. I don't know what that means, but... yeah I think he just represents them in things.
00:07:16
Speaker
i don't know who no yeah I don't know who the last president was, but I'm assuming it's good that it's an actor that's now president. Do they
A24 and Texas Chainsaw Massacre Franchise
00:07:22
Speaker
operate as like a union? or yeah it's Yeah, it's a union. Okay. Cool. so So now he's their lord.
00:07:28
Speaker
um ah twenty four is set to buy the film and TV rights for Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And our good friend Glenn Powell... ah is set to be pretty involved.
00:07:40
Speaker
I don't know if he'll be as an actor, um but I think he'll definitely be a big hand in producing. That sounds awesome. How do you guys feel about that? I'm indifferent. I feel like the last two or three Texas Chainsaw projects have been, i haven't even seen them, but I've just heard they've been completely atrocious. Yeah.
00:08:00
Speaker
I mean, I think it can only go up. Right. Like, worst case, it continues the train of being bad. Best case, it gets better.
Marketing Stunt for "The Long Walk"
00:08:10
Speaker
Alex has a furry friend on his shoulder.
00:08:15
Speaker
trying to keep it together yeah seemingly latched onto his shoulder she's digging into me
00:08:23
Speaker
um i'm a i'm a cat sitting this weekend so there's there's a very needy cat who doesn't like the fact that i closed the door to film this and she was meowing i was hoping she'd just come sit on my lap but that was the first time she'd ever done the ah shoulder thing so yeah that's not how it ever works no not at all but she's still adorable and we still love her very much i agree with mawik there i think if anything it's exciting for that franchise because the the moves have not been great yeah i think i've seen like half of the first one is fine but it could be great 24 at least 50 percent rate
00:09:03
Speaker
hits at least fifty percent rate I was going to say they're they're not as as much of a sure thing as I think they were. i think Neon is king now. I think Neon is king. Still, i gamble I'd gamble that it that it could be positive.
00:09:16
Speaker
Our next bit of news
Dystopian Setting in "The Long Walk"
00:09:18
Speaker
is the ah long walk showings with treadmills. Where if you go on the treadmill and you go on the long walk with them um as the movie progresses and you can't drop below.
00:09:33
Speaker
ah is it three miles per hour? Yeah. Or else you get kicked out of the theater.
00:09:41
Speaker
I think that is such a fun marketing stunt. it is i I actually do like that a lot. It's better than the 4D thing for Twister where like some guy missed you in the face. oh
00:09:56
Speaker
i don't know I don't know where they did this, but if they if they ever do one close to us, I would do it. It reminds me, like at some gyms, they've got the ah ah cardio cinemas.
00:10:07
Speaker
So I'm sure people that do that, they're just like, oh cakewalk. Like I do this for fun, but I'd love to see someone get kicked out of that. um But I think that brings us nicely into talking about the new movie, The Long Walk. And I'll start off with reading the synopsis.
00:10:22
Speaker
In a dystopian alternate America ruled by a... Dude.
00:10:30
Speaker
It's okay. Try again.
00:10:34
Speaker
In a dystopian alternate America ruled by a total...
00:10:40
Speaker
Third time's the charm. You've got it in you. Hold on, let me practice. Yeah. Got it. Okay. Here we go. In a dystopian alternate America ruled by a totalitarian regime, 50 teenage boys take part in a deadly annual walking contest for us to maintain a minimum pace or be executed until only one survivor remains.
00:11:03
Speaker
And this is starring Cooper Hoffman, David Johnson, Garrett Waring, Charlie Plummer, Mark Hamill, and Judy Greer, and others. And others indeed. What are your guys' expectations going into this?
00:11:15
Speaker
I don't know. I guess I was just interested to see how I could be entertained by people walking for hour and a half to two hours. I feel like Stephen King adaptations are always like hit or miss. Yeah.
00:11:29
Speaker
It's either just like garbage, like the monkey, or it's one of the greatest movies of all time, like the Shawshank Redemption and then anything um in in between. So it's just, i he has such a wide variety of stories that range in quality. It's like, it's so hard to predict.
00:11:49
Speaker
Um, it's very hit miss. I feel like his like non horror stories are usually a safer bet. I mean, the two off my head I can think of are Shawshank and stand by me. And those are both, I thought very good movies, but are familiar with this book?
00:12:08
Speaker
No, I wasn't actually. Okay. I had never read it. This is me learning that Shawshank Redemption is a Stephen King adaptation. Yeah. It's, it's a short story. Huh?
00:12:20
Speaker
Had no idea. Stephen King adaptations are always around us. They're always there. ah This director, Francis Lawrence, director of the Hunger Games movies and I Am Legend.
00:12:31
Speaker
Ooh, Constantine. And Constantine. Do you guys think that's fitting type of movie? Don't forget Water for Elephants. And Water for Elephants? And Water for Elephants, sure. Is that good? I don't remember it.
00:12:42
Speaker
I have no idea what it is. I just saw it. It's like a circus movie with Robert Pattinson. Reese Witherspoon, Christopher Waltz, or Christoph Waltz. It's got a cast.
00:12:54
Speaker
Couldn't tell you if it was good. This came out in 2011. He might be directing the Bioshock movie. ah that's interesting. Now there's a movie that could potentially be really bad or really good. Yeah, for sure.
00:13:05
Speaker
And a Battlestar Galactica movie. And Constantine
Initial Reactions to "The Long Walk"
00:13:09
Speaker
2. Constantine 1 is... That movie rips. Or did when I was 10. So he's he's got some things coming up. He's got some things coming up. But to kick off our discussion for this movie, we're going to do our letterbox love like loathe, where we read a five star, a three star and a one star review.
00:13:26
Speaker
And think Alex has today's five star. I ended up between two, so I'll read both of them. um Five stars from Johnny93S. Just great acting from everyone involved. Played their roles exceptionally well. Message hit really hits hard, especially after this last week. um Well worth watch for everyone, in my opinion.
00:13:45
Speaker
um This one, I actually think, I think gets its point a little bit more home. BrieL4232. the end... brie l four two three two ah in the end Ray got his wish by someone who didn't, who said he shouldn't do it.
00:14:05
Speaker
The second time you read it, yeah, the second time you read it, it made a lot more sense. ah i I still don't see it.
00:14:13
Speaker
I really, i still don't. In the end, Ray got his wish by someone who didn't, who said he shouldn't do it. Ray got his wish by someone who didn't, finish it who said he shouldn't do it so ray got his wish by someone who didn't get their wish or someone who didn't moving on you yeah we can we can break it because it's that's leading into spoiler territory so before we're gonna we can break it can bring that review down once we get to spoiler territory uh taught you what you got for our three star
00:14:47
Speaker
I've also got two ones a little unserious. The one is little more poignant. First one is by underscore Medino. Three stars.
00:14:59
Speaker
You'll never guess what they do in the film.
00:15:03
Speaker
Next review by Marmar. Three and a half stars. David Johnson and Cooper Hoffman, who played the two leads, were pulling off Shawshank Redemption levels of friendship I haven't seen in quite some time. Those two gave performances of a lifetime.
00:15:17
Speaker
Nice. And our one star comes from Slam 101. A few words to describe the long walk. Insipid, insufferable, intolerable, unbearable. My mind is too analytical for this film.
00:15:28
Speaker
The things I had issues with and in this film are, if you're endlessly walking, why are you carrying backpacks? Why are you wearing heavy fabrics that can chafe your skin? Why is no one wearing walking or running shoes? Why are you constantly talking and eating and expending energy?
00:15:41
Speaker
Why, why, why? Yeah, this was awful and pointless and no one needs to revisit this film. uh too analytical for their brain he's just too smart you just gotta to learn you just gotta relax a little bit you're at the movies you don't have to think you need to suspend your disbelief for a little bit yeah just for a little bit comes to uh some of the clothing to kick off our review what was your guys's initial reactions walking out of the theater i liked it i liked it as well but
00:16:13
Speaker
I personally had an issue with the ending. we will get it We will get into into the ending. um Yeah, Walking Out, I also liked it. I think coming into it, like I said, Alex, a lot of Stephen King out of but adaptations can be very hit or miss.
00:16:28
Speaker
This one looked promising. I think I'd only seen the one trailer for this, and and that's about all I wanted to see. i don't know if they released any other ones, just because it's like... how much could be going on right during like with it with this kind of plot included i was interested to see like if they were going to be walking for the entire runtime or we were going to get like a lot of cuts to flashbacks or or what have you but i was very happy i'm very happy to report that like
Filming Process and Cast Efforts
00:16:57
Speaker
98 of this is literally just them walking which i think is
00:17:01
Speaker
That's what I wanted. Yeah, that's that's exactly what I wanted. And I can only imagine like the work that went in to pull this off. um I was ah watching some behind the scenes before we started recording the podcast.
00:17:13
Speaker
They walked. They were walking. this like And it's not only them. They're showing um some behind-the-scenes footage of the cast and crew that is walking like right alongside them. So like you've got sound department. You've got makeup. And everyone's just going in a straight line. They call cut. Everyone kind of runs back into the frame where the actors are in.
00:17:35
Speaker
Retouches them up with makeup, resets the cameras, does all that. The director's doing the same exact thing. And so um there's just a lot of like praise and kudos going around from both the cast and crew for how much work was put into it. But they shot this chronologically, meaning...
Standout Performances in "The Long Walk"
00:17:50
Speaker
They shot it in order in the events that we see the film, and they think that lent a very a heavy helping hand in developing the relationships to these characters. And I think that really um shows on screen.
00:18:02
Speaker
I think so, too. And I really like the way this was shot. thought was really pretty film. Yeah. Yeah. That's a, that's a, that's a really good shout out. Cause at the same time, it's like, I'm happy that this was just 98% of them walking.
00:18:16
Speaker
And then on the flip side of before we came into watching this movie, I'm like, how, like, how are they shooting this? I, how do they make it interesting? But I think it paid off. I think so too. Uh, let's get talking to some character performances.
00:18:30
Speaker
I mean, I think we're all going to shout out our main two boys, Hoffman and David Johnson. How did you guys feel about their performances overall? Yep. That's how I felt. mean, just dogs, uh, David Johnson more so than Cooper Hoffman.
00:18:45
Speaker
Yeah. And that's not to disparage Cooper Hoffman in any way, shape or form. Cause I thought he was great, but David Johnson stole the show for me. Yeah. don't want to pay two Queens against each other, but yeah, David Johnson stole the show for me.
00:18:57
Speaker
This kid is good. He's got that dog in him. I haven't seen these guys before, but, um, I would like to see the, they've done some recent movies. Um, that I really need to see like licorice pizza and licorice pizza.
00:19:13
Speaker
Riley give it a watch, but it was kind of weird. Yeah, I think some people like, i mean, people thought it was weird when it came out and like it's got its shooters for sure, but I think it's just what the movie is about is a little like, oh, all right. I wouldn't put it in like top three PTA for sure.
00:19:33
Speaker
It's a good looking movie. It's a great looking movie, but. And Cooper Hoppin is really good. He's really good in it, but. You know, he gets, you know, i don't I don't know, but I'll find out.
00:19:48
Speaker
It's a weird little movie. and The only other thing I think I'd seen David Johnson in was Rylane, which like came out insanely under the radar last year. I really liked Rylane.
00:20:00
Speaker
I remember it being solid. He hasn't done much. So the most three notable would be the long walk. Now, Ryle Lane, and then alien Romulus. And in my opinion, he was one of the greatest parts of alien Romulus.
00:20:15
Speaker
It's still my watch West. Yeah. The one I need to see is pray from that franchise. Oh my God. Praise great. Yeah. I think we've brought that up so many
Spoilers and Emotional Impact
00:20:24
Speaker
times. You do need to watch pray. mean, it's almost spooked over. So yeah.
00:20:29
Speaker
Charlie Plummer. He played Barkovich Walker number five. Does he look familiar to you guys? Yes, he does. And I know the name and what was he in?
00:20:41
Speaker
I was looking at his filmography. There's not a single thing here that I have heard of or seen, but his face looks so familiar. What do you mean? We watched spontaneous.
00:20:53
Speaker
We did. we did. I've seen national anthem and I rated it four stars.
00:21:03
Speaker
I don't know. The scene cannot be said for my rating of national anthem. Was it good? Oh, nevermind. He's got two and a half there. Look nice. Oh, moonfall. He was in moonfall. That looks horrible.
00:21:16
Speaker
That one did look bad. Um, who else do you guys want to shout out here? Any other standout performances? I like, uh, Judy Greer and, uh, Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill was, uh, he was the guy. He was scary.
00:21:28
Speaker
He was scary. I didn't like it. Didn't take off his glasses once. Mm. Mm. He had aura. He did. had drip. He had the kind of aura that I would not want to ah come across at all. Major dick aura.
00:21:42
Speaker
Kind of. He's giving me I'd crap on the street aura. He would litter for sure. He would. um I wanted to shout out. Yeah. I wanted to shout out Ben Wang.
00:21:54
Speaker
Who played Olsen Walker number 46. That was... that one was a hard one. Are we going to get into spoilers? Yeah, we might as well.
00:22:06
Speaker
Yeah.
Cultural Context of "The Long Walk"
00:22:07
Speaker
All right, this episode will be riddled with spoilers, so listen at your own risk. um All these boys die. Well... Not all of them. Maybe.
00:22:18
Speaker
i don't know. that's that's That's up for discussion. But um what I wanted to say, Ben Wing, I thought he put on a really good performance too. Our main cast, our main like musketeers, really did it for me. Like this movie is fantastic.
00:22:32
Speaker
fully carried by the performances and the relationship of these boys. I think it does a really great job in building tension and establishing these characters and making them care about them very early on and building these relationships to the point where it's just dread. It's like dreadful to sit through because we,
00:22:54
Speaker
The whole premise of the movie is these boys are walking for a chance to win a gazillion dollars, but only one can be the winner. Instead of being out, they're shot.
00:23:05
Speaker
And this event is televised for the nation to watch. So you're sitting through this just knowing every single person that you're getting attached to in this movie is going to just end up dying in some way.
00:23:20
Speaker
Maybe.
00:23:26
Speaker
almost you could pick the winner i mean it's like the kentucky derby you can pick the winner here your horse can win do you think there's a i wonder if in the book um and we'll talk about some of the i think specifically the ending the book versus the movie none of us have read it i was just trying to read some quick um key points of the book and the moving kind of what are some of the key differences but i wonder if in the book if there's ever like a uh like a gambling side of it. Like who is watching this? is I wonder if there's people like out in Vegas watching this gambling and betting. certain.
00:24:03
Speaker
There has to be. if If anything, it's under the table. um I'm taking the under on that. the 12 year old kid somehow immediately early i'll make some money pretty quick
00:24:17
Speaker
the the speaking of like overs and betting and like how long people would last um not to diverge our discussion but the kid harkness i think it was harkness walking with the rolled ankle Oh, yeah. Lasted way longer than he should have. yeah Agreed.
00:24:38
Speaker
We got the shot of him breaking his ankle. Something. Yeah. And then like five minutes later, I still saw him in the background and I was like, there's no way he's still walking. He was like limping. Yeah. You tell that he was doing doing good. Something and I think this movie actually did a really good job at was like showing how miserable like everyone behind the...
00:24:59
Speaker
sort of main focus was. i think all the actors did a really good job at like showing the stage their specific character was in. Yeah. Because there were some times you were absolutely hurting and you could tell they were going to go soon and it for the most part I think lined up with oh yeah like he's done.
00:25:17
Speaker
It felt pretty realistic. Yeah.
Surviving the Long Walk: Strategies
00:25:19
Speaker
ah Going back to Ben Wang for a second um that scene with the gum when he was staring at it was that made me really sad. and You knew he was cooked. You knew he was done.
00:25:32
Speaker
Yeah. And I did like the analogy right like leading up to his death that I can't remember now. What was it that Stebbins was saying?
00:25:42
Speaker
About the 10 naked ladies? Oh no, it was about the like the donkeys the Oh, the carrot and the stick Yeah, the carrot and the And he's lost sight of the carrot. Yeah. Yeah, it was heartbreaking seeing him like limping like that.
00:25:55
Speaker
Yeah, just pushing through it. How long do you think do you guys think realistically could you walk? So total, I think at the end of this movie, I think they ended around like 320 miles.
00:26:10
Speaker
I could make it 24 hours, I think, but there's no shot. What's the longest you've ever walked? Probably. That'd be 72 miles.
00:26:22
Speaker
Probably six hours, six or seven hours. How long did you stop?
00:26:28
Speaker
Did you stop? Did you go under three miles? I did. I did stop. Yeah. Well, it's hard to tell because it was a hike in um Zion National Park. But I think the stop was like, it was pretty significant, probably like 30 minutes.
00:26:42
Speaker
But it was like super inclined the whole way. So it's not really the same. The hill would have cooked me. yeah I don't know. The longest thing I've ever walked is like eight or nine miles on a hike. And I'm not sure it, it guess it depends on the terrain.
00:26:58
Speaker
They filmed this in Winnipeg, like Manitoba, that area, um, which is pretty flat. And you could tell in the movie things were pretty flat. I mean, there was like a scene. It was just like this Hill and they're all getting cooked by it.
00:27:11
Speaker
Um, it, it would really depend. Cause like walking around Austin, like, I don't think I could walk, to meet you guys downtown without seriously shredding my legs. I mean, I'm just thinking about the 2222 Hill.
00:27:29
Speaker
Oh my God. Walking up the let Let's imagine the scene of the hill that being that hill. Oh, there's just no way it. That is the one thing that kind of like broke my immersion because there's just no way you could like those people could walk for that long.
00:27:48
Speaker
But there's your you got to be really trained to do as long as they did. Yeah, with a gun to your head. It's different. There's the threat of death. I think it's helpful to kind of look at. So we don't get a full picture of what um America looks like on the outside.
00:28:03
Speaker
But I think there's some pretty safe assumptions that we can make. Things are not good. Everyone's in like District 12. Yeah. Living conditions. Yeah. It's it's all giving district 12. That's just what like the Dakotas look like.
00:28:19
Speaker
I'm not even meaning like that's what half of the Midwest looks like. We could do it. um But there's things are so dire and so shitty that this one opportunity to come out of this hole is basically life or death.
00:28:34
Speaker
And so I think knowing that, yeah, they're dangling the carrot like, like over them. And so I think just like knowing that and having that part of your brain kind of take over would push somebody to be able to walk, to walk that far.
00:28:49
Speaker
Me, I could just do it. I don't know about it. I'm just built different. you're haing Well, I mean, 19, I mean, i guess that means you're a real George Holtzier. Yeah.
00:29:02
Speaker
Because in 1986, he walked virtually nonstop for 418.4 miles in six days, 10 hours, 58 minutes. Oh my God. Why? He never stopped longer than two minutes every several hours, though he did average about 2.7 miles per hour rather than never dropping below like three and a half. Okay. So he would have been cooked. This guy is a fraud.
00:29:25
Speaker
Yeah, just throw the record out the window. Why did he do it? Just because he's him. Just for the love of the game. Love of the game. Big walk guy.
00:29:37
Speaker
um So one difference from the book that I wanted to shout out right now, that was kind of the first thing that you see when you look up ah book versus movie adaptation for the long walk. In the book, they had the speed at four miles per hour.
00:29:51
Speaker
but changed it in the movie to three miles per hour. Four is fast. Four is fast. Yeah, and that change came directly from Stephen King, who was working with both the writer and the director. And they were like, all right, four, yeah, that's basically what he said. like, four is fast. Like, four a light jog. Yeah, it's almost march. I mean, it makes sense why he originally wrote it four, though. I mean, just thinking of, like, the context when the book was written, was doing a lot of coke, so walking at four miles per hour was probably, like, really slow for him.
00:30:20
Speaker
Probably. Once he got off of it, he's like, you know what? Not everybody's me. He's like, oh man, my legs really hurt. People can't do this. Yeah, four miles would be absolutely impossible.
Realism and Wardrobe Choices
00:30:34
Speaker
I'm curious to know how many steps this entire production took. There was one review that said, i wonder I wonder why none of them wore their Apple Watch so they could track their calories and steps.
00:30:46
Speaker
The fact that all of them were wearing like Vans and Converses. That boots. Psychotic. Yeah. yeah Imagine wearing like Doc Martens doing that. Well, oh my God, I'd be bleeding. Like I've had my pinky bleed from my docs from like walking for like an hour. Single pair New Balances though. That's crazy.
00:31:06
Speaker
This is a bad America. This is America we don't want to live in. I need my New Balance dad shoes. Let me roll up my, in my Merrill hiking shoes. you guys are done. Yeah. um One of the things on a lighter side, on a funnier side that we wanted to discuss about this movie was defecation.
00:31:27
Speaker
We just spent like the last 30 minutes like making jokes, making fun of it. And now we're going to the lighter conversation. Now this is the lighter conversation. ah Going poopoo. therere If you're going to watch this movie and you're like sensitive to bodily fluids there's some crazy defecation scenes in this movie i think this movie is pretty brutal overall so like there's the defecation and then there's the deaths imagine being the kid who gets cast to be the ah i was just or i was seeing it when then when the film was unraveling in front of us and was like i would i would be excited to get a role but that one come on mom this to where i drop pants and have diarrhea
00:32:09
Speaker
It's going to be sick. And then I get shot in the head. Worth it. It's my big break mom. Like he really couldn't stop stopping. He can't just walk a little bit with some poop down his leg.
00:32:22
Speaker
Oh, dude. You clearly never been in the trenches. Is it hard to poop in your pants? No, I'm saying like the stopping thing where it's like like a stomach cramp will stop you in your tracks.
00:32:34
Speaker
You have to catch your breath. that's fair. I've, I've had my share of rough, rough bathroom breaks, but, um, I don't know. I wouldn't want to take a bullet to the head and for it though.
00:32:49
Speaker
I think the most unbelievable thing about this movie was the fact that it was a Stebbins like three days in is making fun of the one guy. He's like, your buddy crapped his pants. Like, and you didn't do like, what are we doing here?
00:33:01
Speaker
Like you have poop in your pants while you're trying to make fun of somebody else for the same exact thing. There's no way you can hold it that long. i mean, every time I go for like a long run, I have to go to the bathroom afterwards.
00:33:13
Speaker
I can't imagine walking for three days. Be like, I'm good to go, baby. Like I got another day in
Film's Pacing and Emotional Impact
00:33:18
Speaker
me. You know, one of the scenes, one of the guys was talking. He's like, yeah, most guys are like weekly poopers. I do it every day. I'm like, I'm twice a day at least minimum.
00:33:30
Speaker
Yeah. We got healthy bowels here. We eat a lot of greens. Yeah.
00:33:36
Speaker
Sorry, listeners. um it's It's all part of the conversation. it It's valid once you watch this movie. It's valid. These are the questions you will walk out also wondering. One, can I do this?
00:33:47
Speaker
Two, can I poop my pants? Three, will I poop my pants?
00:33:53
Speaker
What would be your strategy to do this? like if you were in it knowing, so there is a rule. If you're not going to watch this movie, um, one of the rules, and if you are, I guess you're out of luck. Cause I'm explaining it anyway.
00:34:07
Speaker
One of the rules is it's like you, if you go below the the limit, you, you get a warning and it's like 30 seconds later, you'll get a second warning.
00:34:18
Speaker
And then like 30 seconds later, you' you'll get your third and final. And then like, you get, you know, killed if ah nothing becomes of it. would Would you stop for 30 seconds like every hour? Because the after an hour, like you... it resets. It resets. Like you'll you'll erase one warning for every hour you go.
00:34:39
Speaker
So if at like the top or bottom of every hour, you just do it. Like and stop for 30 seconds to catch your breath. I mean... Would that be better? Would it just be better to like raw dog it?
00:34:52
Speaker
Just go.
00:34:55
Speaker
The problem is if you stopped, can you start again? Yeah. Yeah. And like, are you going to exert more energy trying to get back up to speed from stopping? Because like I'm imagining stopping at maybe like the top of the hour and just getting like a quick stretch in But I fear that the stretch would create a cramp.
00:35:14
Speaker
None of them stretched. I don't know how they did it. Well, lot of them died for it. 49 of them. Maybe 50. I don't know.
00:35:26
Speaker
Who knows? Technically, it'd be we'd be at 50. think the total kill count of the movie is 51, 52. Counting...
00:35:39
Speaker
counting Counting the major and then the soldier who gets murked. And the dad. 53. Oh, yeah I forgot about the day we cut We'll the duration of the long walk Pacing. Here's a question. Pacing wise, how did this work for you guys? So this movie a little over an hour and a half. Like we said, 98% of this is walking.
00:36:04
Speaker
Do you feel like it flowed pretty well? Do you think it may be i think all at some point? It did. Like it was, it was paced really well. Yeah. Yeah. I think any longer it would have really felt that way.
00:36:16
Speaker
Like you would have felt the extension, but I was fully engaged like the entire time. Yeah. Yeah. I agree. Yeah. They were at like a steady 3.3 miles per hour the whole time. That's what it felt like.
00:36:30
Speaker
Malik is done with me. Could you guys guys do the walk if like on the treadmill and watching this for the run time? Yeah. okay yeah i feel I feel like I could do it. I'd be pissed because I wouldn't be able to eat like fries or something.
00:36:44
Speaker
At one point I was using a like a walking pad under my desk. And I would use that for like four hours at a time. Imagine you get some like marathon trainer comes in and like runs on the treadmill during the whole thing.
00:36:57
Speaker
David Goggins type. Who was like the saddest or like, or the worst death on screen for you guys? Like, who did you, who did you feel the most for? And then which one do you think was like the most brutal?
00:37:11
Speaker
I thought Arthur was my saddest one. Yeah. Arthur was rough. a Tank boy was rough. oh yeah that was gnarly yeah who's tank i was like who's the tank boy but the boy who got run over by the tank yeah
Role of Soldiers in the Dystopian Setting
00:37:28
Speaker
and i don't think they um think they shot him to relieve him of his pain think they just let him bleed out no they eventually shot him but they definitely took their time with it like i think they gave him like 15 seconds i'm like bro just evil that's insane
00:37:43
Speaker
I wonder what it's like being one of those soldiers, not only supporting this concept, but actively participating in murdering these, these kids.
00:37:55
Speaker
Yeah, i'm honestly, like that's what makes this movie so interesting to me is like, I'm so curious of the outside world, but I'm also so happy that it's so vague what we get. We just see the conditions to put these boys through this on a yearly basis, like an event.
00:38:13
Speaker
But I really appreciated that aspect of the movie that it's all kind of just up to the imagination. Right. Just what the outside world could look like. I hate to say it. There was one death that kind of made me chuckle.
00:38:27
Speaker
Which one? me think. wait, wait. Yeah. Death that made you chuckle. All right. Which one? Where he strips naked and sprints off into the sunset.
00:38:39
Speaker
Oh, he was, he was ah the radio guy. Yeah. He felt free. He had no line. Was the radio guy the same guy that was like, oh, like you have a fan, Ray.
00:38:51
Speaker
And he tried and they kept telling him to go away. Was it the same guy? i think so. What happened? Like, cause if it wasn't, then what happened to the, that guy? don't think they showed him. think he had an offscreen death.
00:39:04
Speaker
Cause it was like a a short kid with glasses. I think. Yeah. i don't remember him explicitly being killed. Radio guy had just, he just got funky there at the end. Yeah.
00:39:15
Speaker
He lost his mind. Yeah. Go out with a bang. Arthur, to me, I think was the saddest death because I feel like you he was such a positive character and even at the bitter end, like he still was... ah he He didn't seem like... He still seemed to get a smile on his face. He was just like, I'm done, boys. like Yeah.
Film's Ending: Book vs. Movie
00:39:35
Speaker
Arthur was like the like the fifth... Like the the fifth boy to go. Not the fifth in the sequence, but one of the last ones with the necklace. Yeah. He's one who gave him the necklace. girl Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Rosary. Yeah. That one was, that one was really sad.
00:39:51
Speaker
I noticed when he, he made that promise with the the two main guys, but Stebbins didn't make the promise. So he looked back and watched him die. Oh, that's right. Yeah.
00:40:04
Speaker
That's right. Stebbins was a really interesting character. He was an interesting character. he He was, but then I read the synopsis of the book and I'm a little disappointed they didn't go with that version of Stebbins.
00:40:16
Speaker
What was it? So, yeah go ahead. He, Stebbins is like the, what is it? The rabbit? Yeah. But he doesn't go, like he's, he's this one of the final two.
00:40:30
Speaker
Like he is fighting for, actively fighting for it. Oh. He doesn't just kind of give up. I didn't think the ending would be that different. The ending is very different. The ending is very different. Okay.
Philosophical Themes in "The Long Walk"
00:40:41
Speaker
Should we go through that right now? I think we should. I think, yeah, I think so. Okay. So in the movie, the last two guys are the two leads throughout the entire movie.
00:40:52
Speaker
They become the best of friends. And then Peter. Yeah. There's a, a mild twist where one sacrifices um his himself for the other, but I don't know how it ends in the book.
00:41:03
Speaker
The, uh, and that's, I mean, the biggest one is, is Gary wins in the book. Oh, Yeah. Yeah. It's Stebbins and Garrity are the final two. Like, interesting Pete McVreeze actually just, he does sit down and die like he said he would.
00:41:18
Speaker
Okay. I've got a few paragraphs here to read, so bear with me, but I think this will give us some good context. King's version of the story brings the competition down to three of the boys. Two of them have forged a connection over the course of four straight days of unbroken walking.
00:41:31
Speaker
Ray, Peter, and then the third is only identified as Stebbins. ah Stebbins holds himself at a distance from the rest of the competitors until the very end of the walk, but eventually opens up to Garrity and McVries.
00:41:43
Speaker
For McFreeze, a wise, kind presence who looks after Garrity and saves his life during the walk, the end comes quickly. He reaches his breaking point and quietly sits down, accepting his execution at the hands of the men overseeing the walk.
00:41:55
Speaker
So that just leaves Stebbins and Garrity. They keep going in silence for a long, unclear period of time until Garrity catches up to Stebbins to admit defeat. Stebbins promptly drops dead by that time, so he just drops dead from exhaustion.
00:42:08
Speaker
By that time, Garrity is so physically and mentally broken by the ordeal that he can't even register that he's won the competition. He's hallucinating shadows in the distance and thinking they're contestants he still has to beat. He shrugs off the people trying to congratulate him and just keeps going.
00:42:21
Speaker
It's a haunting ending and in a small way forerunned through Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games books and the idea that no one really wins a battle royale style elimination game even if they survive. or even if they survive It's oddly abrupt and anticlimactic after all the buildup, all the mesmerizing dread, and horror for the rest of the book.
00:42:39
Speaker
So... Garrity wins. He starts seeing shadows and just keeps walking after them. versus the ending that we did get where Garrity sacrificed himself and McFreeze takes Garrity's dream of, so Garrity's purpose in this movie is reason for doing the long walk.
00:43:01
Speaker
He has a bit of a backstory with the major. The major gunned down his father in front of him and his mother for showing his son. media.
00:43:12
Speaker
Yeah, just any type
Moral Interpretations of the Ending
00:43:13
Speaker
of media. So like anti-government who's showing him, music he was showing him books just showing him art that's illegal in this America so they gunned down his father so this is Garrity's reason for wanting to go on the walk to win it kill the major The issue that I think I have that I think all of us have, i don't know about you, Dutch, but it sounds maybe like Alex does, is while we're watching the movie and Garrity is explaining his reasons for doing the walk to McReason, they are having many conversations throughout the movie. we see very two We see two very different views of the world.
00:43:50
Speaker
in both how they grew up and how they currently view the world. And it seems like McRee's really takes a hold of Garrity and kind of opens his mind and his eyes to wanting to look at things a little bit differently, like wanting to see the beauty of the world kind of the way he does, despite his upbringing.
00:44:07
Speaker
And it seems like Garrity would end up winning this thing and maybe take the high road, but that's not what happens. But how do you guys feel about the ending? Do you feel like it kind of undoes a lot of the conversations that were taking place in building this relationship?
00:44:23
Speaker
i I think it does because we have a you know, a society presented in this book and movie that is, know, oppressive totalitarian,
00:44:34
Speaker
Um, and it's just beating these people down. Um, in the message that it was going for was like, almost like you can break the cycle. You know, Cooper's mess or um Cooper because Cooper Hoffman Ray Garrity's his original mission. i felt was like a, you know, violence begets violence, suffering begets suffering, an endless loop that you get stuck into. And he wants to keep perpetuating.
00:45:02
Speaker
Whereas I saw Peter's character as ah as like a break from that, like, you know, start of like. Like, how do I be changed? You Peter's talking about like doing stuff for kids like him and, you know, trying to actually like, you know, make a positive difference and break that cycle and, um you know, try and start like a cultural shift. Because, I mean, to get out of like a regime like that, you need like a cultural shift. Yeah.
00:45:27
Speaker
To me, what the the movie
Cultural Relevance and Modern Allegories
00:45:29
Speaker
ended with, I think throwing that away and going down the route of the violence begets violence, suffering begets suffering.
00:45:39
Speaker
And then we just see we just see Peter kind of walk off into the shadows like at the end of the book. But without the like it just. You know, I see what they were going for, but especially like, you know, now I don't particularly like that ending.
00:45:57
Speaker
Um, though I will say, ah before Tachi, I throw it to you, I did get one of our listeners perspectives on it and they said, i liked it.
00:46:08
Speaker
Uh, Peter witnessed, uh, Ray making, making a sacrifice for something bigger than himself and chose to do the same. So I guess the way that I'm looking at it right now, as I'm trying to process, you know, your guys' thoughts, um,
00:46:24
Speaker
how I took away the message. It seems like there are two options for for two different things. So... I guess in order for revolution to begin, there's the, either like you said, Alex, the cultural shift or there's violence.
00:46:40
Speaker
And I think even right now, there are examples we could point to today. i think there are pushes for both of those, guess, strategies in terms of making a change.
00:46:52
Speaker
But now going back to the character, either the the character changes Or the characters stay strong with their convictions as things around them change. Like um Captain America never changes his convictions.
00:47:06
Speaker
He just adapts to what's happening around. um Or like Tony or Iron Man, he changes as things change. So for Peter to change in the movie and not in the book, for me, I so i still liked the ending.
00:47:24
Speaker
i don't mind that Peter changes. but I definitely see the argument for him just staying true to himself and his original conviction and, and just trying to build change through love instead of violence.
00:47:38
Speaker
Yeah. And I think, I think whether the ending works for you or not kind of just depends on it Yeah. It's full. It's fully personal. It just depends on how, how you would want this kind of story to end.
Ambiguous Ending and Narrative Implications
00:47:51
Speaker
Because i mean, like we were saying this America is distraught.
00:47:56
Speaker
It's bleak. Nothing is going well. So does continuing the cycle of violence, is that necessary?
00:48:08
Speaker
if we did get the original ending of McCree's kind of with his hopeful outlook on life, would that change things? I'm not sure. I think for me, when I'm looking at the two potential endings of more of a hopeful ending or more of a bleak one, I don't know if I have a preference.
00:48:28
Speaker
Since we got the bleak ending, I do think I prefer the book's ending from from what I can see. just because i think that i think there's more conviction in having garrity not repeat the cycle of violence because there's there's two different cycles in here that i that i see there's the cycle of violence and then there's the cycle of just staying stuck in this position because of some higher powers that be So I wouldn't want to see him continue the cycle of violence. So I think that's why I lean more towards the book and him seeing these these shadowy figures.
00:49:05
Speaker
And it feels a lot more like open to interpretation at that point on why he keeps walking and exactly what he's seeing. And I think that kind of ending would have really, really stuck it for me.
00:49:17
Speaker
But yeah, having McFreeze kind of be the one to walk off. And it's also kind of like in the dark on whether he actually did kill the Major, whether they shot him or not, or if he actually did keep walking. Like, I do think that's up for interpretation because we see...
00:49:33
Speaker
Once he shoots the major, like there's no reason to believe that the majors lieutenants wouldn't gun down McFreeze either right before he shoots them or immediately after they've been gunning down these kids for the last four days. There's absolutely no reason to believe that, but there's a crowd in the shot.
00:49:48
Speaker
once he takes the shot or once he has the gun to the major, the crowd is gone. Things are silent. We don't really see anything. So things kind of look like they're like in a dreamlike state, especially once McGree starts walking off into the distance. There's just like no sound.
00:50:02
Speaker
The crowd's gone. Like nothing's happening. So I
Character Relationships and Performances
00:50:04
Speaker
don't know. I think that's kind of up for interpretation too. And like whether he... did get done gunned down in that moment or whether he did continue. But, um, that's just, the yeah, that's, I think that that's my stance on, on where for the ending should have gone to work a little bit better for me. I would have really liked to see the book ending with more of this like poetic route that Stephen King took in the novel.
00:50:26
Speaker
I, cause I think they tried to make it like a little too, um, like pointed at modern times. Cause the original book is like an allegory for the Vietnam draft. Yeah. You know, do you really know anyone who hasn't signed up for it? It's like, it's cause we have to, you know?
00:50:42
Speaker
Um, and so then, you know, for that to end in the book, the way it does, it really makes sense in terms of the context of, you know, going off to Vietnam and coming back and the effect that that had on you. But like here, I think they were trying to update and modernize And while I did think,
00:51:02
Speaker
they did i don't agree with the route that they took with trying to modernize that you know yeah just because i feel like they tried to stick something in between like parts of the original ending and it just i just didn't think it quite worked yeah no i'm with you there still like the movie though yeah yeah yeah i was just about to ask if it's enough to ruin the overall experience No, but it dropped it down from a loved to a liked. I would i would say the same. like The heart of this movie are these characters and the relationships that are built, and all of that is still there.
00:51:40
Speaker
And all of that works very well for me. But yeah, it does drop it from like a loved to a liked for me. Highs and lows. We could talk about our least favorite and our favorite scenes. Which is your guys' least favorite scene or moment from this?
00:51:53
Speaker
Just kind of the back half of the movie once... there are these beloved, you know, kids and their, their friendships with each other and just seeing them get picked off one by one. It's, it's just hard to watch.
00:52:07
Speaker
And on the opposite side of the coin, the brotherhood between them, um especially obviously rain Peter really, really sweet. Yep. I think my favorite, my least favorite scene is probably like the last two minutes.
00:52:22
Speaker
because of everything we've said. And I think some of my favorites were the moments of brotherhood we saw, even with the ones who, you know, weren't particularly like into it, the brotherhood fashion when they kind of broke down and joined him with them.
00:52:38
Speaker
And again, I think that goes back to like the, the culture change, you know, billions must hope, aspect that I thought the movie was going for. And just, I really liked that a lot. Cause it was like, you know in times of trouble and strife, like if you have good people to lean on, like you can get through it.
00:52:57
Speaker
I really liked that. And I also liked a lot of like the, the landscape shots a lot. I love that part of the country. So it just, yeah, Lord of the Rings-esque. Yeah. Yeah.
00:53:09
Speaker
um Yeah, I agree with you, Alex. I think my least favorite scene would have to be the last two minutes, and then echoing the same thing, favorite scenes is just all... Just the relationships forming. Specifically, this scene...
00:53:21
Speaker
um of cooper and david johnson's characters walking when they see the when they see the rainbow oh yeah i and i wish i i was trying to see online if someone had like the exact piece of dialogue that david johnson's character was was talking to cooper about but he was just talking about like, I've never had a brother or something like that. And was just trying to get him to see like the beauty of the world. It's like, yes, things are dark and things are bleak, but there's another way. There's another route to look at life. Like look at this family watching, like you can criticize this family for watching these kids be gunned down.
00:54:02
Speaker
But what I see is, is togetherness and a family and seeing the rainbow at the end of the, at the end of the road. I thought that was a really, I thought that was a really beautiful scene.
Final Verdict and Ratings
00:54:12
Speaker
sure I also really liked before, what is his name? Barkovic.
00:54:18
Speaker
Before he passes on. he twice Yeah, before his demise. He takes his own life. But his pleas to the group of guys... That he just wants to be like included. Like he's been a bully for this entire time.
00:54:32
Speaker
We see him basically drive one of the people to their own death by antagonizing him. And it's just slowly eating at him throughout the entire runtime of the movie. And seeing him kind of come to terms with all that and getting a glimpse to like the trauma that he's had more more than likely from his father because he brings up his father and wanting to like...
00:54:52
Speaker
just be included and have that sense of community and have friends. Like he didn't have that. Like it's really sad. It was really sad to see. And he put on a really good performance for that scene. Yeah. I'm really glad they included that dialogue in that piece of characterization for him. Cause I don't know.
00:55:10
Speaker
makes him so much more well-rounded. Yeah. Final verdict. You should go see it in, let us know about your interpretation of it. have the uh 4d experience and walk it let us know how it goes you guys ready for your rating think i'm ready yeah i'm ready i'm ready i'm gonna give this a 3.5 i will as well ditto one day we will disagree but it is not this day it this could have been of a strong four if not for the ending
00:55:47
Speaker
But it doesn't it doesn't ruin it. But knowing how the book ends and seeing how this ends in the context of things would have liked to see it go just a little like just a little bit different.
00:56:00
Speaker
Makes sense. But other than that, Highly recommend this movie.
Conclusion: Fitness and Resilience
00:56:05
Speaker
Great performances. Great performances. If you're queasy, be careful. Don't order some loaded fries if you're watching this out in Alamo or eating food.
00:56:17
Speaker
Or chocolate. Or chocolate. Anything brown related, do not consume while watching this movie. You have been warned. All right, fellas. All right.
00:56:28
Speaker
I think that just about wraps it. Get your steps in is the moral lesson of this. Because if we ever end up in similar situations, at least you'll be ready. So bust out those Apple watches and put on the new balances and get outside to go walking.
00:56:43
Speaker
Thank you guys so much for listening. We'll see you in the next one. Have a great night. Bye. Thanks, everybody. See you.