Excuse the Intermission
Alex and Max take you on a journey through film with this discussion podcast about movies.
Excuse the Intermission
The ETI Movie Swap
Remember the thrill of neighborhood trick-or-treating and the spooky adventures that came with it? Join us as we reflect on the evolving landscape of Halloween celebrations, reminiscing about the community spirit and excitement that defined our childhoods. Have modern adaptations like trunk-or-treat events stolen Halloween's edge, or are they simply the new norm? We'll explore these thoughts and share our nostalgia for the days when candy hunts were the highlight of the season.
Our discussion takes a cinematic turn as we dive into our favorite films and TV shows, including the enthralling series "Lioness" on Paramount Plus. We've crafted a new way to share movie recommendations, likening it to a book club experience, and we reflect on what compels us to move certain films to the top of our watchlists. Whether you're a fan of indie films like "Down by Law" or documentaries such as "American Movie," you'll find plenty to feed your love of cinema here. Personal stories, humorous anecdotes, and the influence of family and online communities on our viewing habits all make an appearance.
From parody rom-coms like "They Came Together" to the award-season buzz surrounding films like "Anora" and "Conclave," our conversation rounds out with a look at the passion and creativity that define today's filmmaking landscape. We celebrate the power of recommendations, the joy of revisiting favorite comedies, and the excitement of anticipating upcoming releases. Get ready for engaging discussions that blend humor, nostalgia, and a sincere appreciation for the art of storytelling in film.
how's it? I'm alex macaulay.
Speaker 1:I'm max fosberg and I'm erica kraus and this is excuse the intermission a discussion show surrounding movies ahead on this episode, the three of us will partake in another movie swap, an exercise that max and I have done before on the pod, but now, with erica joining us more frequently, we figured it was time for the movie swap to make its return, where we will review three films that we shared with each other over this past week. That conversation up next on the other side of this break. Okay, we're back and we are fresh off of a little post-Halloween break. The calendar reads November. This might be one of the last episodes of the year that doesn't include Oscar bait material. So we're cruising, we're having fun with this. You never forget your first time Episode format again. How are you guys doing today, as well as?
Speaker 3:we can right. It's the day before the US election, which is always a turbulent time.
Speaker 1:I feel like You've been on the campaign trail hard.
Speaker 3:Hard. Unfortunately, they didn't even put my name on the ballot no.
Speaker 1:So make sure you're right. Yeah, you got to write in a Fosberg Dowling this year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, dowling's my, he's my, exactly Exactly.
Speaker 1:Um, but yeah, I mean we took that will be very interesting. Um, we will abstain, I guess. Guess for making any further comment until we see where those chips lie. You can find all my policies on letterboxdcom we we do have um an interesting halloween season to reflect upon, though, I think before before we dive into today's episode, how was your guys's halloween? We took last week off um seen a lot of chatter online. I've certainly been having some colorful conversations with people in my life. Is is halloween dead the halloween?
Speaker 1:that we grew up with is what's what's happened to trick-or-treating this year? Do we have thoughts on this?
Speaker 2:fuck the trunk or tree like dude, like get away. Like make the kids walk up to the door and ring the doorbell again. You know what I mean, but I did see. I just, you know, I didn't really do a whole lot for Halloween, so I was kind of living vicariously through the internet and just watching. There are some places that are really doing it big and like, but I just am noticing it's these big neighborhoods that will have the big gathering happening and then, the smaller neighborhoods get kind of overlooked and when I was growing up I was hitting every fucking neighborhood as late as possible.
Speaker 1:That you could get to that your legs would take you to yes absolutely.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it is kind of a lost, a lost artifact of of time. Uh, the, the, you know, you get dressed up, you meet up with some friends, you get dropped off somewhere, right, your parents go home, it's a night for them, really. Uh, yeah. And then, yeah, you run around and it's like, oh, who are we going to run into? You know, is there a scary house in this neighborhood? Is there a house with a that's given out huge candy bars? Like you know, all that Intel was going on, like all that chatter on the streets Um, grassroot networking.
Speaker 1:Honestly, you would be like that house over there is giving out king size.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Now kids know that I had so many students you know at the school that I work at.
Speaker 1:They're like oh yeah, we're going to this one neighborhood because we know they give out the king size bars at least they were going door to door.
Speaker 1:But so many kids and families who I spoke to were like oh yep, we have a trunk or treat at our church or we're going downtown, we're going to an uptown shopping center, we're going somewhere where we can consolidate the trick or treating experience and take it out of the neighborhoods, take it away from folks like us who love Halloween.
Speaker 1:And whether or not we have the means or the opportunity to decorate our own house, it doesn't even really matter anymore, because I'm here in a neighborhood that is very, and whether or not we have the means or the opportunity to decorate our own house, it doesn't even really matter anymore because I'm here in a neighborhood that is very grid-like, really conducive for walking and walking and walking. There's no hills, there's nothing like that. There's a bunch of houses packed together and I got a decent amount. But there are people in my neighborhood who I know spent probably close to a thousand dollars on decorations and for them to get like 20 to 30 trick-or-treaters this year super disappointing and I know that's because so many people were going to these, just quite frankly, like real soft functions where I there's no bite to it, there's no edge, there's no like danger around.
Speaker 1:Trick-or-treating for a seven-year-old needs to be dangerous, however, when you know no, no, I remember bill's character little kids running around in this, and by little kids I mean, you know, like middle schoolers or some you know, young high schoolers, them running around in the same neighborhood, maybe around like seven o'clock, where families are also walking their little kids around. And then that's like I remember that's how I saw a lot of these iconic horror villains at an early age was older kids dressing up as Michael Myers and ghost face and Jason and thinking like that's so cool, what the hell am I doing out here? And like a alien costume or something like I want to look like that. I want to be like those kids running around with their friends when I'm older. Alien costume or something like I want to look like that. I want to be like those kids running around with their friends when I'm older.
Speaker 3:That's gone. That's gone. Yeah, that does suck. And like also, you know, you could get into some trouble too. On halloween night, right like, go around you smash some pumpkins, maybe you could fall in love on halloween. You could fall in love doesn't happen anymore doesn't happen and what you know also like trunk trunk or treats like so. This is just a parking lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, with cars have you ever done a trunk or treat?
Speaker 3:no one in operation no, I don't, I don't hang out with listen, I don't know how we've gotten okay I don't know how we've gotten.
Speaker 1:You have a nephew, okay, he lives he lives in timbuktu, all right there is something.
Speaker 1:There is something equally, if not more, weird about a bunch of families opening the trunk of their car and inviting young children over to that area than there is this decade and decade and decade long tradition of going up to someone's front door, which is very visible not that, you know, a well-lit parking lot isn't, and most of these things happen during the day now, and they are geared towards, like you know, they're like church, church events or preschools in schools in general, I think, are a popular place for trunk retreats, but it is just. It's not the experience I would want my kids growing up to have when it comes to halloween, make it scary again, make it dangerous again.
Speaker 1:Make halloween a little bit dangerous again, just a little bit yeah, that is.
Speaker 3:That's disappointing and you know you have the finger on the pulse, uh, being a teacher, and also that's too bad if, uh, that's the status quo these days.
Speaker 1:Yeah I, I. This is the last thing I'll say about this. I had a teacher today tell me that a parent in their class reached out to them asking advice on how they should approach their little homeowners association neighborhood committee because they have a stupid fucking facebook page, of course and how to organize like a halloween redux, like how to do it again because the kids and the families aren't happy with the amount of like action that their kids got on Halloween night so they want to do it again to give their kids another opportunity. I was like, so not only now did you probably waste the night going to like a downtown or a shopping center type event, but now you want to redo Halloween and give it this like participation trophy feel where, like, my kid didn't get enough, my kid didn't get to do it.
Speaker 1:That's on the parents 100%.
Speaker 3:That is ridiculous, yeah.
Speaker 2:I just want to put it out there for people that are listening that just think, on Halloween night when you take your kids out there, there are people waiting in their homes who you're going to make their night by ringing that doorbell. My dad is one of those people because he every year just sits there and waits and like looks out the window and they buy. My parents had full size candy bars this year. I have an elderly couple that's my clients and I was at their house yesterday and they had this huge bowl of full-size candy and I was like, oh, did you guys get trick-or-treaters? And they're like, no, we didn't really get a whole lot, but they're like I know that that would have just made their night to have people ring their doorbell.
Speaker 1:And like I know it know it's like kind of maybe that sounds a little weird but like no, these are the purest.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's just like that's what they grew up doing. It's just so classic. Why take that? Like god, you're really just missing out, like I don't know.
Speaker 3:It's just I've I've been going through a lot of old home videos recently and you know, halloween was a night that my parents always brought out the camcorder, and you know, another thing is that like it's a great way to to get to know the neighborhood that you're in, right, like there's footage of of me and my dad. You know I'm probably like three years old, uh, dressed in this amazing wolf costume that my mom sewed. Uh, so shout out, mary. But uh, you know pops sitting down on the couch and he's like kind of telling the the the neighborhood gossip.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was exciting, but also like there's also footage of them having, like a Halloween party at their house and then like kids are coming to the door and and everyone's dressed up, everyone's having a good time. It's just, you know, it's weird, it's, it is weird and I think honestly. I mean, everyone's lives are online now. You know, you don't, you don't have to go around and meet people at their door anymore, and it's, it's a sad state of affairs, Neighborhood community thing.
Speaker 1:This is bringing back so many memories because I, like most folks I feel like in suburban america grew up with that one neighbor whose yard you were afraid to go on basketball like rolled across the street and they're there and you're just like you gotta run across real fast and then hope that you know someone, like someone's gonna come out and yell at you or whatever, but I don't really. But this is the kind of house where, like a lot of different cars, older, older kids, older than like myself, and so you know boyfriends, girlfriends, whoever people always leave in the house at different hours and stuff like people smoking cigarettes Just a house that you're kind of like whoa. Like that is not how my house functions. However, on Halloween, these people went all out out and so it was so interesting to go over. I remember kurt and laurie. Shout out. I know they both passed away, so shout out, kurt and laurie. In the afterlife. I hope you guys are rocking because they were the best.
Speaker 1:Yeah, on halloween, where that like weird again kind of dangerous like edge came off in such a fun way and they were always so excited to see everybody in the neighborhood's costume. So you're absolutely right. It takes away from the neighborhood um kind of community feel too. So I don't know, Big, big Halloween is not. I'm not a fan of big Halloween. Bring it back to the neighborhoods.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree bring you back to the neighborhoods. Yeah, I agree. I agree um anything else going on before we get into our um our film discussion I'm really just at you to talk about lioness, which I can save for I don't know like my twitter feed.
Speaker 3:Well, when's your tv pod start?
Speaker 1:um I don't know, you know post election just in the midst of it all we're talking about no, you do it.
Speaker 1:Do it election night, you start with election coverage as your first episode and I'm like, listen, lioness plays really well in pennsylvania. Um, lioness is amazing. If you're a fan of taylor sheridan um, and especially the early taylor sheridan stuff like sicario, go watch lioness. Lioness is the it's on paramount plus. It is so freaking cool. I love the show. Zoe saldania probably going to get nominated this year for best supporting actress. Um for amelia perez and I believe that's the name of that film. Um, so a big year for her. Nicole kidman is actually really good in this, in this series as well. It's just like great she's a lioness too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, jennifer ely morgan freeman like the talent is the talent is there, it's an awesome show what, what, what is that on?
Speaker 1:paramount plus, paramount plus okay, yeah, it's amazing. Um, okay, anything else, all right, here we go. So I feel like we all much like when I stumbled upon lioness we all have an affinity for finding something new that's great and exciting in our lives. Um, and the reason why we do this podcast is a lot of times that's a movie, um, and so we've done this episode format before max. Now we've never done it with erica before.
Speaker 1:Some of the past films that we've discussed um during this like format have been kind of some of the classics, and so I feel like this is really good for a bunch of different reasons. Like we've talked about the Shawshank Redemption before when we've done this, a film that has just kind of always maybe been on your watch list. This is a really fun exercise to bring one of those films in. For we've talked about revenge, the Coralie Fargette film, which is all of a sudden like really relevant again, and so doing this film when you buy in early to a director and you want to like share it to your friends or whatever a really good reason. And then, like max, I was looking back at some of the films that you've nominated for this before black rain, a film that like as for as long as ridley scott's gonna keep making movies.
Speaker 1:It's gonna be one of those where you go through their cv and you're just like, yep, seen this one, seen that one, what is this one? And so it's a really not. It's to so discover like a director's blind spot. I think this is a really fun way to do this exercise. So my, I want to have a few like kind of discussion point questions here before we get to this, because this is a really good way and we've talked about this before at the end of certain episodes like to do this exercise with your friends.
Speaker 1:You know, almost everybody just recommend a movie. It's kind of like a book club, right, and we're, like you, all agree to swap movies or whatever. But when it comes to recommendations, I feel like it's such a hard thing to either get somebody to actually take your recommendation serious. And then I, I also want to know, like as people who are always talking about movies outside of this podcast when we're away from each other, like how does a recommendation best stick with you? And so my first question is kind of like when do you find yourself immediately firing something up that has either been mentioned or recommended to you, like in your everyday life? Like when is it Cause I feel like we you know we all use letterbox and there's the great watch list feature on there, but when does something almost like circumvent going on a watch list and you're just like, oh, wow, that the way that person said something to me or the way I hear this being talked about on a podcast or whatever when do you just immediately fire something up when it's recommended to you?
Speaker 3:I think for me it uh, it kind of really depends a who's who it's coming from and and also kind of where where I'm at in my watching. Uh schedule for the week, Right, Like um, you know. Know, the watch list is really interesting on letterbox because I add stuff to the watch list all the time and especially when people recommend me stuff. You know I'm at letterbox makes it easy to like. Oh yeah, I'll just add that to my watch list, you know, and I click the button. But like I very rarely ever go to like my watch list, that's a good little piece of like self credibility right there.
Speaker 1:When you can like, you pull out your phone in front of the person, as they're recommending something like look, I'm doing it. Yeah, maybe you have no intention of actually ever watching the movie, but then someone's like oh wow, look at you. Yeah, that's like the. That's what I want to be talking about, though where does that? When does that sincerity really like come through, though? Right?
Speaker 3:well, to be honest, I don't think I'm sincere at all because I, a friend of mine at film school, keeps growing are?
Speaker 1:you about to talk about marxist 3000 films on his watch list no. No, marcus if you're listening, you have a problem and you need to start combing through that it's hard, uh.
Speaker 3:But a friend, a friend from film school, like told me to watch a movie that he really loves and then the next day brought me his DVD of it. And I have had that DVD sitting in my office for a year now A year, a year. And now it's become a joke where he'll ask me once a week, like did you watch it?
Speaker 1:yet. Oh, he needs this Now. He needs to start like charging interest. I know it's so bad too.
Speaker 3:Cause he's come over and and perused my collection as well and he's borrowed stuff and then, like he gets it back to me and, like you know, maybe two weeks at the most. So I'm terrible. He respects a library, he does, and I am a terrible, terrible person to recommend something to. Yeah, I don't know, it's hard, it's hard. I watch a lot of movies, but, yeah, so I'm pretty bad at it. I'm not sincere at all and if you tell me to watch something, I will pull out my phone, I will add it to my letterbox watch list or I will take your DVD and I will store it to your collection Erica, what about you when?
Speaker 1:when do you kind of skip the line and just fire something up?
Speaker 2:I have a hard time with that too. I think that I'm more inclined to take someone's recommendation if the movie's in theaters because it encourages me to go. If someone's talking about a movie that's out right now and they're like I really recommend seeing this, I loved it, it was so good, I most likely will go see it at the theater because I love any excuse to go. But as far as like a movie that is, you know, available on streaming or something it really kind of, I do add it to my watch list if it's something that sounds intriguing, because the minute someone's telling me about it I'm Googling it already because I'm like, okay, well, what is this? And I will definitely. If it's, if it has my attention enough, it will go on that watch list and I and I do have that intention of watching it. But it just depends Like it's like like kind of, like Max said, it's all about like where I'm at in my film watching journey at the moment, or it's like based on my mood.
Speaker 2:You know, my friend recommended another like a really apparently a really good action flick on netflix. Right now I can't remember what it's called, but it's getting some really good feedback and I have every intention of watching it, but I just haven't gotten around to it. And that makes me feel awful because, like I love recommending movies to other people- well, that's the double-edged sword, right.
Speaker 2:Like I am always telling people what to watch, yeah, and I want to be that person, to be like oh my gosh, like I think you'd really like this.
Speaker 2:And when, when someone takes the time to to say to me like I think you'd really like this, like to be to be known as, to be loved, or something like that's so cute, you know it's like, I'm like that's so sweet, you think I would like that, and um, yeah, but it's just, it's all about like where I'm at in the moment, I guess, but if it's in theaters I'll go watch it.
Speaker 3:I don't know that's a that's a great practice. I mean, yeah, I wish I had more people that would recommend me things to see in theaters. I feel like I'm constantly getting recommendations for either streaming or literally bringing me a DVD.
Speaker 1:Me too. I feel like, for me, when I know something is I don't know it's tough is, and when I I don't know it's tough, because I feel like we were raised by our parents in this era that obviously didn't include the internet. You didn't just have access to what everyone else around the world thinks is cool and so certain things just kind of got funneled down to us and then, because that comes from your parents, it impacts you differently and we've had this conversation about a bunch of different things. But I think about and I'm going to bring this up later with um, the film that I brought to the table here today but like, if my like my mom loves the beatles and listened to the beatles all the time and told my sister and I growing up that like the beatles are the best thing ever, I've never like clicked with the Beatles necessarily. That's not to say I don't enjoy their music, but it's one of those things that like when it just gets pressed on you, it feels less organic than you, just kind of like coming to it on your own.
Speaker 1:And so I feel like if I am just cruising like a Reddit page on the horror Reddit or movie Reddit page and there's a thread talking about either a genre or influences to another film that I like or whatever, and then I read the top comment and it's just like oh well, if you like this movie, then you got to watch this movie.
Speaker 1:That's how something comes up to my watch list and maybe I fire it up that night and so kind of trusting this like new sense of community I think that we have using the internet is really helpful. And then also, too, when you just kind of start to do your homework, like I was thinking about, okay, well, when was the last time that this actually happened for me? And it was when alan delon passed away earlier this year and criterion put up a post on their instagram page of like all their films that he starred in, and purple noon was one that happened to, I know, be streaming on the criterion channel at the time during like this noir collection that they had, or whatever. And I'm reading the description of it and I'm like, how did I never know that this film, purple noon, is the first adaptation of the thomas ripley story and that the talented mr ripley is a remake of purple noon.
Speaker 1:So immediately that was like on a saturday stopped what I was doing and I watched purple noon and so like, just kind of one of those like perfect storm kind of moments, I think, is when a film you know because I did that instead of watching any number of the 300 films that are on my watch list on letterbox, because it just felt like the right thing to do- in that moment.
Speaker 3:Did you add it to your watch list and then fire it up? No, so then it comes off your watch list no, I've done that before, I just jumped it I'm just like trying to get the numbers up yeah, the little like pre-game.
Speaker 1:The pre-game uh post post or uh press conference yeah, yeah um, we're really excited about the opportunity this week to uh to watch this movie.
Speaker 1:So okay. So then how do you know it is when do you know? It's kind of time, because sooner or later, right, we all do crossings off our watch list, and so maybe it is like I have written down here, like when someone's, when someone passes away, and you see some sort of like in memory post or whatever and like, oh you know what, like I never did go back and watch, or like I need to finally go and watch one of these classics or something, what is it that finally will get you to like scratch that itch.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think. I think influences on other films is a great, a great road in Right, like, if you're watching something like the substance and you hear that it was influenced by video drum and you've never seen video drum, that's a great reason to go and now watch that film.
Speaker 1:Uh, jordan Peele's great at that, I love when directors are like. Here are the 10 films I showed the cast of.
Speaker 3:I love that too.
Speaker 1:those lists are great us right before we started filming yeah, totally.
Speaker 3:Um, yeah, I think I, I think that's or like, or again like, if we're going through filmography of somebody's, like okay, it's time to finally cross this one off. Or or even like a genre. You know, honestly, this podcast has helped a lot with getting through the watch list right, like I mean, erica, you just had a great example how you had never seen the Godfather and then you know you're on the Francis Ford Coppola episode. It's time to fire that up. I think having a mission is a really good way to get something watched.
Speaker 2:So true, I think I agree with what you said, kind of like seeing a movie come out and then seeing what was. Maybe it was inspired by, um, I can't remember like something just recently came out, um, maybe it was. I heard of this movie like talk of like with the substance almost, but maybe not.
Speaker 2:But I but I just recently watched Death Becomes Her for the first time and I had just never seen that and you know I just see it all over the place, like if you liked this movie, then you definitely watch this, and or the season. You know, halloween just happened and I really wanted to kind of cycle through some movies that I don't normally reach for. That didn't happen like a whole lot, but I mean I watched death becomes her Cause it. Somebody was like Ooh, it's witchy vibes. You know, like I don't know, I, I, I think like the movie like the inspired by is a good way. But also I was going to say join, join a podcast.
Speaker 1:That talks about movies that will really give you some homework. Yeah, then the time, kind of the time. The time tells you when it's, you know, time to fire up the movie.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean. Here's another example of what a terrible person I am, Alex, the movie you brought to this game today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I gifted to you, gifted to me, high school graduation.
Speaker 3:no, I wasn't for the high school it was like a year ago or two years ago maybe, but like it literally had been shitting on my shelf, sitting on my shelf, uh, until this week. Yeah. So thank you very much, you're welcome I hope you're glad you own it now um okay.
Speaker 1:So, um, aside from, you know, potentially gifting someone a piece of physical media and running the risk of them never watching it, what do you think the best way is to suggest something to a person? Um, obviously, maybe not trying to force their hand, but I do. I do think what I have written down here is like you just got to make it easy for him. You know, like you have to. We, we talk about this all the time when it comes to like trying to get you know clicks on, clicks on the pod on an episode, like you got to almost download the link type in.
Speaker 3:Excuse the intermission into spotify for the person.
Speaker 1:Like if you can just make it super simple and tell this person like oh yeah, it's on Netflix or oh yeah, it's free on Tubi, like you don't like, trust me, whatever device you have to stream on Tubi comes with that device and you can watch it on that platform. So like that's. I think that accessibility, ease of access is, I think maybe the that's kind of the foot in the door, I feel like for getting somebody to actually take one of your recommendations serious, because sometimes even having a movie podcast isn't enough, because you tell people hey, fire this thing up or whatever, and you know a lot of it.
Speaker 1:Sometimes I'm not trying to take away from like the fun of just having a conversation, but you, you know, sometimes you're talking to somebody like no listen, you really got to watch this movie, but you also don't want to come across as like desperate, like please go watch it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I made a recommendation tonight on my way over here. Uh stopped by uh gig harbor brewing and sat down with a friend, and now they they asked me they said what have you seen lately? What, what do you like lately? And then I've got three or four picks of what I've seen and what I think they'll like.
Speaker 1:That's a good thing too, like identifying interest.
Speaker 3:Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1:Knowing your audience, I think helps a lot, because if anybody just came up to me at the grand or someplace now, maybe you could start to delineate from the fact that they're at the grand what kind of movie they might be into. But like I'm not just going to say well, what do you know about Lars von Trier?
Speaker 2:You got to watch Antichrist or something like that.
Speaker 1:You know, like you got to kind of know your audience.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. So I think knowing your audience is really good, but also like again, like if, if they ask for it yeah, give it, give it to them and uh, but then you know, let it, let it go don't, can't be attached, don't ever bring it up again. You, you let you let them, you let them bring it back to you, um, and if they don't, uh, that's either they didn't watch it or they really hated it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel like I don't know with me. I just kind of wait for somebody to ask me at this point. But I'm really taking into consideration the person too, because I feel like I spend a good deal of time trying to understand people and understand the ones closest to me. Understand people and understand my like the ones closest to me. So, um, if there's something I watch that maybe like I like reminded me of them or I'm like, oh my gosh, so and so would love this, then sure I'll reach out and say something, but at this point I will, if I see, if I've seen something kind of cool. I I used to be really good about just kind of throwing stuff up on my instagram stories a lot and sparking conversation, which is how you and I all reconnected.
Speaker 2:But you know, I just kind of put it out there and whoever is kind of it's almost like you know, I'm just throwing out the bait and whoever's kind of taking a bite at it and wants to talk about it, then I love that. Or like, oh man, I've been wondering about this. Like what did you think of it?
Speaker 3:And that's that's a great avenue to go to. Right like, we all have these social media platforms. You know, if you, if you're excited about a movie that you just watch, post, post something on on there, yeah, yeah, that's a, that's a great idea.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you. Okay, now this gets a little bit more macro. Do you take television recommendations any differently than you do movie recommendations.
Speaker 2:If people are trying to tell you to watch a show, I almost I just tell people I don't watch tv I was gonna say I almost take tv recommendations a little bit more seriously, because I feel like, especially with a series, and people are invested in it and they're like hey, I've been watching this consistently. You know and it's usually much longer than a movie, and time commitment wise.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can kind of work in your favor where, like, if you're trying to get them to watch something, you're like it's like two hours of a show that you like watch a movie.
Speaker 2:I really do love a good show and, um, I think that, um, I'm getting tv recommendations thrown at me left and right and so, um, I almost will be more inclined to watch that rather than a movie recommendation right off the bat, because I'll be like, okay, cool, I'll throw on the first episode, you know, and it's maybe like 45 minutes an hour depending, and it's almost like you said, a little bit less of time commitment and just kind of get a vibe. And although I will say I've been recommended Yellowstone like a million times and I've, I can't, I don't know, I do like like the concept of it. I'm curious, I'm going to watch it all someday, but I've been trying to watch that show for like the past of it. I'm curious, I'm gonna watch it all someday, but I've been trying to watch that show for like the past two years I'm, I'm right there with you.
Speaker 1:It's that it's mad men. It's breaking bad. I've never watched a single episode of these shows breaking bad but it's because, I've never watched that either it's because the kindergartners at work are telling me to watch breaking bad I mean literally every single person aside from me has seen this show and I'm like I just can't at this point for fear of one maybe loving it and having no one to talk to about it, because I'm 10 years late I don't know, it's so strange.
Speaker 1:I will say this, however, though, to circle back to taylor sheridan, who's obviously the show runner for yellowstone yeah new series coming out on paramount, plus that I've been seeing a lot of previews for called land man land man, land man is all about the oil trade in texas oh god, and guess who's the the oil man. Guess who's the oil man billy bob Billy Bob Thornton. Oh man, and he's clashing with Jon Hamm and Demi Moore is the female lead.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:So you know what that might be. My Yellowstone is Landman.
Speaker 2:Landman. Yeah, texas too, just the lioness.
Speaker 3:Landman.
Speaker 1:Taylor Sheridan. Double feature on a Sunday night.
Speaker 3:Dude.
Speaker 2:Taylor Sheridan Prolific night dude taylor sheridan prolific unbelievable that man is booked and busy, yeah yeah, uh, tv max.
Speaker 1:You don't watch a lot of it, do you?
Speaker 3:uh, you know.
Speaker 1:So again this this episode is opportunist over here for erica. Good for you.
Speaker 3:This episode is really making me look in the mirror. Uh, I, I, yeah, I don't talk terrible friend I don't talk discovery. I don't talk tv a lot, uh, because I keep my tv to myself. I don't want to share my thoughts on tv shows. I I watch tv shows in in seclusion in the private uh confines of my home.
Speaker 1:Um, is there a television equivalent to letterbox where you're just like crushing seasons of the great british breaking show? Let me tell you something.
Speaker 3:I love it I love that show and I'm watching the new episode tonight okay and and I'm afraid to say that but, um, but yeah, no, I don't really, I don't really ever get. Well, it kind of similar to you when someone recommends me a TV show. I'm just like I don't have time to watch TV. But but there are certain. I mean, I did just go through presumed innocent on Apple TV is that okay, that's television television split hairs, prestige TV yeah series I do.
Speaker 3:I do like the like one season miniseries a lot more than a than a feels like a really long movie yeah than a multiple little eyes or something like that
Speaker 3:amazing amazing multiple seasons. Um, I also think it really helps, at least for me. I watch more tv, uh, when I have, uh, when I have someone to watch it with right. Tv like movies are very easy for me to watch by myself, but tv, for some reason, like they're fun to share with someone. Yeah so, uh, being in a relationship, I think, is a great reason, or a great uh avenue, to watch more tv as well, which I definitely happens when I am in a relationship I think, think that tracks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, shows are so nostalgic. For me too, like watching a show like obviously most shows are coming out like episodes at a time these days, but you know Seasons at a time, yeah, seasons Like they just get dumped, yeah exactly. But you know, like when I was growing up, I feel like I had those shows that I watched when I was a kid with my parents and we looked forward to, and then, of course, like you know, there's that Game of Thrones era or just just those big seasons that are happening right now you know, and everyone.
Speaker 2:it just feels like a universal experience and it just feels really like, you know, with with a movie it's really over and done with. And obviously you know I, I love movies but, I do love a good show where, like, it just keeps going and, honestly, breaking Bad is one of the best pieces of media. I've ever watched in my life. It's insane.
Speaker 3:I think Game of Thrones is kind of the last thing, that like we used to get together and like with people and watch Game of Thrones each, each week, right, like that's kind of like the last big TV show, that really water cooler.
Speaker 3:Yeah, had to be appointment watching and, like you, did it with a group. You know, I think that's the other problem with TV is there's so much, there's so much TV and there's so many movies too. Right, but like at least with movies I don't know, there's I don't know, it seems a little bit more doable.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, especially, like you were saying on a personal level, when you can all of a sudden realize hey, I have nothing to do after work on a Thursday.
Speaker 1:I'm going to spend 90 minutes watching this movie that someone told me about, which is what we did this last week. So we'll get to our recommendations here now. We're going to go chronological by release date. That's what we've done in the past on these episodes, which means my film is up first.
Speaker 1:The movie that I brought to the table here today is Down by Law. Down by Law came out in 1986. It's written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. The cinematography is by the Dutch director of photography, robbie Mueller. Robbie Mueller collaborated with Jim Jarmusch on a bunch of films Mystery Train, dead man, another film that I got from Max and he let collect dust for a few years before firing it up. Great film, great movie, ghost Dog Way, the Samurai, coffee Cigarettes. But he's probably most known for Paris Texas. Robbie Mueller is, and so you watch a movie like Paris Texas and then you look back and you see these collaborations between Jim Jarmusch there in the 80s and the early 90s. A lot of similarities. So it just looks really cool. It's one of the reasons, one of the first things that really drew me to this film.
Speaker 1:The movie quick synopsis. It just follows three men as their lives intersect once they wind up in jail and are sharing a cell. The three men are played by Tom Waits, john Lurie and Roberto Benigni. This is kind of. The second reason why I fell in love with this movie is the casting of these three guys. And this goes back to sort of that Beatles conversation that I was having earlier, where, growing up, like I knew my parents, they liked jazz and so they were all like John Lurie, that music I know they were a fan of his. Tom Waits, another recording artist that I know they grew up in my or my parents. They lived in Memphis, tennessee, for a little while and so so I know that that that music scene they were very fond of. And then Roberto Benini, this guy who I and a lot of people I think our age, the relationship we had with him is.
Speaker 1:He's the man who climbed over the chairs at the Oscars when he won Best Actor for Life is Beautiful, like that's who we know Roberto Benigni for, and so without really having my own relationship with any of these guys, but knowing their place kind of, in pop culture, it was so fun to stumble upon this movie and be able to sort of forge my own first relationship with them without really having them like pushed on me in any other way other than just like knowing of their, their existence in the cultural space, and so I really really like that about it. But found this movie when we were doing our top five louisiana films back in um the may road trip series that we used to do back in 2022.
Speaker 1:So watched it for the first time then, as we were highlighting those movies and I was it on your list it was number two on my list and I went back and listened to what I said about the film. I was kind of flabbergasted at the time and just sounded like an idiot. And I may sound like an idiot now talking about it, because it's hard to tell somebody how cool your one of your favorite you know movies are here to say how cool your kid is. You know like it's just, it's really. It's really a funny thing when I when I talk about this movie because it's one that I don't really think you can spoil. However, I would never really want to tell somebody and you know we'll put a disclaimer out there for all of our films that we're going to end up talking about. But like 10 times out of 10 when watching a movie like this, you would expect a certain thing to happen in the third act to one of these characters. That just doesn't end up happening and it's such a vibes movie and it's got a really happy ending, which, again, you would not expect. You've seen so many different movies where, in the third act, something would have happened to one of these characters that that would then really change the trajectory and the mood of the film. But it would also it would work because it would play on this relationship that you've already formulated with these characters. That doesn't happen and I love it for that.
Speaker 1:The entire movie, even though it's only about an hour and 35 minutes, has such a patient feel to it. I feel like in a lot of that is the cinematography, like the movie kind of takes place in these 30 minute different intervals. One of them takes place like downtown new orleans, off bourbon street, then the next 30 minutes is in jail and then the final 30 minutes is after our three main characters have escaped and they're in the swamp, and so it has these different like kind of signature moments to it, but they all feel very much the same where, like a scene will start, and the scene will start without a lot of dialogue and the camera will either be panning to its focal point and then it'll finally rest on that, or it'll just open and you have one of these three men, if not a combination of them, and they're doing something, and then the dialogue comes a little bit later, and so I just love the way that Jarmusch directs it and Robbie holds the camera on certain moments. That's really what I was focusing on on this rewatch. It's got a great sense of humor.
Speaker 1:Everything I think that Roberto Benigni says is hilarious in this film, Like he's got his little pocketbook of these American sayings. He's like just learning English and so for him to wind up in prison and you find out why later and it's actually like that's maybe like one of the more kind of serious moments of the film. But he is just, I think, electric in this performance. And then not only does it really hold up, I think is a good movie set in Louisiana and in the American South, but I also and rewatching it, really found that it's got a profound sense of like new beginning to it, where it's really a film about guys who are kind of stuck in a place and they have this really shitty thing happen to them, but it's kind of you know, it's not like a pressure makes diamonds or a phoenix rises from the ashes or anything like that, but it's just like it's just about starting again and and so I love that and I love the note that it ends on really happy to talk about down by law with you guys.
Speaker 1:I can't wait to hear.
Speaker 1:I love what we all did this week, where we all just logged each other's films without liking them, without assigning a star rating, and so everything's been close, kept close to the chest here. We don't know what each other think about this, so I don't want to ask either one of you to go first. That's up to you guys to decide. But I love down by law. I was really happy to revisit it this week and to share with you guys down by law.
Speaker 3:Uh was, I thought, pretty astounding to watch like it was. It is um the. The cinematography in it is unbelievable. Some of the uh compositions, especially like right in the beginning, with ellen barkin's character in the hotel or in the motel or hotel or apartment, wherever they're in, uh, her big performance, even though she's in five minutes of the film. And then when tom waits is out there like looking at all this shit on the on the street, just amazing, amazing shots and like just set, like they're not on sets, they're in bourbon, you know they're on bourbon street and just like just great compositions. I think Roberto Bellini how was he not like in everything in the 90s, like he is, and it's so funny because he shows up, you know, uh in the first half of the film yeah, he and waits do have an interaction.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they have an interact.
Speaker 2:Buzz off you know, with that buzz off.
Speaker 3:Oh, thank you, buzz off uh yeah, and it I yeah, and I thought it was just, it was amazing. Uh, and then also to learn John Laurie is is the composer, uh, behind the film as well, and it's funny, you know this great uh criterion, uh edition you got for me. I was able to go into the supplements and, and you know I listened to a Q and a with Jim Jarmusch and, uh, and you know I listened to a Q&A with Jim Jarmusch and a interview with Laurie and some of the backstories of them making the film and how Jim really thinks when he like does a film Pretty, pretty amazing that he's able to. He tells such a hopeful story with such scuzzy characters, um, and the fact that yeah, we're talking about like an alcoholic dj an alcoholic, a pimp, and then but nini has like anger issues.
Speaker 3:He's pretty wholesome yeah, he's, he's kind of. He's kind of like the angel that finds these two guys and then really takes them and changes them as men just from being around him. It's not like he's there preaching at them or anything because he's a child, I mean, he's like an innocent child. Yeah, the it's funny because, as I'm watching it, you know, once they get out of the prison and it turns into oh brother, we're out, thou a little bit, while they're running through the swamp, I'm constantly going this this has to be a dream sequence, right, like this. This is not like something's going to happen, but really it's just. It's just that they were, they were framed men, right, and who have now gone through a change, uh, over the course of this film and and yeah, at the end is very hopeful and uplifting message.
Speaker 3:Um, and even though, like, they still don't really especially the two, you know, jack and Zach still don't really, especially the two, you know, jack and zach still don't really like each other, right, they go separate ways. Um, yeah, I thought, I thought it was, I thought it was really, really amazing and and I love how indie it is too, right, like I think, obviously, that I was trying to, you know, point out like oh well, this, the, the jail scene is, is a built set, right. That's why they don't show the, the escape, right. You just see like a rope dangling. I'm like that's great, that's a great choice yeah like.
Speaker 3:You don't need to show it. It's a rope dangling into a sewer and they're running away um, or like same with benini's crime.
Speaker 1:Like benini's crime, we don't have to see that right such a colorful way yeah, we didn't.
Speaker 3:You know, they didn't have the money to make that right, um. So, yeah, I thought it was really amazing. Writing, uh, and and the character development is really really what swept me up and kept me engaged the whole time. I thank you so much for getting this for me for two.
Speaker 3:on the black and white Jarmusch Robbie Mueller Jarmusch is Jarmusch is just he is, yeah, and again, he's a filmmaker that, like I don't know a lot of his filmography Um, you know Kaylee was talking about stranger than paradise is like one of her favorites uh of all time. So here we go, and then I'll go down the Jarmusch uh uh road and maybe I'll recommend some of these to people.
Speaker 1:Well, I think the next one that I would love to recommend to you, if you were a fan of this, is mystery train. Mystery train, I think, is the next progression.
Speaker 3:Oh, maybe that's the one she was talking about Mystery train Memphis. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay by law. Well, it was not my. I just gonna, I'll be honest, it wasn't my cup of tea, but I didn't really I wasn't too surprised by that, but kind of like what max was saying. Like I think I really enjoyed it visually and I really loved some of the shots and I just loved the black and white. Um, I really liked the music in it too, but I think just the story was just a little slow for me, dialogue heavy, but yeah, I, I don't know, I think just it's not something I'm normally going to reach for. I don't think when I feel bad.
Speaker 3:No, when they're in the jail cell, it is painstakingly slow, and I think it's, I think it's meant to feel that way. Yeah, um, because I was like this. This cannot, please don't tell me we're just gonna be in this jail cell.
Speaker 1:The rest of the rest of the film, um as you're watching, tom waits like add the tally marks right, they've been there 30 days now they've been there 70 days. Right now it's like half a year they've been there, yeah um, now they've been there 70 days now. It's like half a year they've been there.
Speaker 3:Yeah um other than the. The I screamer, you screamer, we all screamer, I screamer. Amazing again, just like it's weird. It's just like it's simple. It's kind of simple writing almost, but like it, it was really profound. Yeah, it was. It was such a strange and jarmusch is like that, though that's what he I mean. He is like oddly simple.
Speaker 1:It's like a hyper real sense to his dialogue where, like if you and I were sharing a jail cell, or even you know somebody that you get stuck working with that you don't really know, or something. The conversation that I think tom waits and john lorry have about like and this is weeks after they've been in this cell together, but also they're just kind of like they're pissed off, they're in jail, they've both been framed, they don't know they're not in here looking for a friend or whatever. But that first conversation where they have where they, you know, john lorry finds out that he was the d DJ that he used to listen to and he's like do the weather, do the weather, do the weather, do the voice.
Speaker 1:And I love that scene because, again, it rewards your patience, I think if you, if you stick with it because it's really real in the way that I think Tom waits to be like no no no, no, no. And then like all right, you holiday shoppers out there, like really starts going into it.
Speaker 3:I just, I don't know. I I clearly love the movie, but yeah, I I think I think it's a great example of of of indie filmmaking and like how important writing is, uh, because, again, like shoestring budget, you know, I think I I think in the q a he was saying that Jim was saying he had like I think what would be equivalent to now like a million dollars uh for the, for the budget equivalent now equivalent now.
Speaker 3:So you know, I, what is that? Like maybe 200,000, 300,000, maybe, um, and they were all living in newleans during the filming in the same motel. Um, you know they would like he told stories about them. The, the cast and crew, after each day of shooting would just go on a bender until like 4 am in the morning, uh, and then, and then get right back to set and he's like yeah, you know, I don't think I could ever do that again on on any other movie, but you know we were in new Orleans and it was fun and he's with two musicians.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and no, no one, ever, no one ever hated themselves the next day Right Like everyone was ready to work, Cause I don't allow that on my sets. But but yeah, just a really really interesting guy and a really interesting filmmaker. But yeah, this and Dead man are great films and they're beautiful black and white.
Speaker 1:I love that. Okay. So if you want to check out Down by Law, it's available on HBO Max right now. It's also on the Criterion channel, so highly recommend. Barnes and Nobles is also running their 50% off Cr off criterion sale right now. Um great little avenue for gift giving, um okay.
Speaker 3:Next is your film max yeah, uh, the film I brought to the game is, uh, of course it's going to be a documentary uh from 1999, directed by chris smith, uh, who's a great documentary uh, document documentary terrian. Oh boy documentarian thank you.
Speaker 3:Um, who's gone on to do other great docs like uh, jim and andy. Um, yeah, he also did the fire, uh documentary, uh that I think we talked about, senior. He did the Vince McMahon that's big on Netflix right now Great doc guy and American Movie is about kind of about again, scuzzy characters, scuzzy subjects. In either I believe it's Wisconsinisconsin, somewhere in the midwest uh, about uh mark, uh burchette, who is a uh, an alcoholic, problematic, smooth talking, you know, really wants to be a filmmaker, movie lover, cinephile, hardcore cinephile, and it follows him, I think, for a couple of years, as he tries to complete a short film that he has written and is directing called Coven or Coven.
Speaker 1:Depending on how much school you've had.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but yeah, you know him, being a filmmaker is his mission, it's his dream, uh, and he is. You know, he is uh quite the character, I think all the people in this film. It's funny because you can watch this like it's a mockumentary, um because to google if it was at the very beginning.
Speaker 3:It's ridiculous. Yeah, it is, it really is. And uh, you know, there there are hard, there are hard times in the film, there are big laughs, but I just think I think this is a really important movie, especially for aspiring filmmakers to watch and like intake and but, again, just like you, much like the gym, much, much like down by law. You know, I think if they're, if you have good writing and in this case, in a documentary case, if you have good subjects, you can make a movie about it. So I'm excited to hear what both of you have to say.
Speaker 1:You can go up to bat first on this one.
Speaker 2:I really enjoyed this movie.
Speaker 2:It was honestly I don't want to like discredit it by saying like it was hilarious, because I do think there was some real heart to it as well and like watching these, this guy like I mean, mean he really is trying to like like accomplish his american dream and he will do whatever it takes to get there and there just was so much passion, obviously from him, but I I also just had so much fun with all of the people, like they really did feel like characters to me, um, and mike, mike shank, his best friend, like with the curly hair and the mustache. That's who had that guy yeah, and his, his uncle oh yeah uncle bill was honestly like my spirit animal through the whole thing.
Speaker 2:Um, I just felt like I mean his friend was really what made me have to be like is wait, is? Is this like this is a, this is a real documentary, right? Because, like he felt so, like there's there's no way this guy's a real person. But I mean it just Mark's like just his integrity and his dedication to this project Coven was honestly so admirable and wholesome and I mean it had me like looking him up, like where is this guy now?
Speaker 3:I need to like.
Speaker 2:I just hope he's doing well.
Speaker 3:He's selling Coven merch. He's selling Coven merch.
Speaker 2:It was just very entertaining but also like I think, as someone who also kind of fantasizes about working in film, watching it I just was like I can really relate to that like just big dream and just respect, that's all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I found this really interesting. Super, super interesting um I, you know, and so again, this kind of goes back to like the recommendations and how do you interact with movies and how, how much of especially during a first time watch, do you want to take the film in? How much do you want to know about its reputation online, like when you don't have a relationship, your own relationship with a film.
Speaker 1:It's a great feeling because you can just like you can just take it at face value and and see what you think about it, and then you can do everything else and be like, hmm, was I thinking about that during my watch or whatever. I had a little bit of this like, are we exploiting these poor people to make this documentary? And then you read a little bit about it and most people are like, listen, is it a little bit exploitive? Sure, however, you understand that Chris himself at the time was a very like desperate filmmaker in his own right who had tried to bring movies to Sundance who has been, or it was either Sundance or TIFF, I think. I think it was Toronto and he got rejected and so and then that's where he just happened to meet Mark, I think, and that's where their friendship came from.
Speaker 1:So when you hear about it, in that sense it doesn't really feel exploitive. It feels like you know, chris the director is almost like this is more interesting than any story I could possibly tell is again having this incredible subject and the people around him, and he could never, ever have known how deep and how good of stuff he was gonna get from mark. No way they started it. So the whole thing just feels like I'm so happy it's captured, I'm so happy that it is literally a document, yeah, of this time in mark's life and in everybody else's life. Bill um what's his friend's name, uh mike, mike, shank listen I was at the gas station the other day.
Speaker 1:I never go in to pay for gas, but I wanted to get a drink too. So I go in and the guy in front of me, I shit you not. And this goes back to something I was talking about at the beginning, and now this is more like this would be the kind of thing that would make me want to go back and re-watch american movie. Um, but something else that I forgot to mention in the front is, like you know, when I'm like, when something just feels like it's kind of like floating around in the cosmos and you hear somebody talk about a movie maybe twice in the same week and it's been on your watch, okay, this is the universe telling me it's time to watch this movie. Yeah, what happened when I was at the gas station the other day was this guy in front of me was like I need six of those scratch tickets and I need eight of those scratch tickets.
Speaker 3:And I was like you're like the guy from your mic, you are addicted to the scratch offs oh, I don't party anymore if you watch it with the subtitles on, like you catch all the heads and and then, oh my gosh, but then you know, you know, you know, oh you know they don't even put those in the captions, because mark says it so much you could so he's.
Speaker 1:You know all of that stuff is. I have a bunch of different scenes down here. It was a great watch, it was a great recommendation, so I thank you for that. But there were so many like what Erica was saying. There were so many different ways to watch this movie, because I think you can watch it as this, this behind the scenes look at what it takes to make a movie, not a documentary. Like there's that kitchen scene that they're filming for covid, yeah, where he is trying to slam the guy's head through the cabinet, and this cabinet is made out of concrete and this poor guy is probably in the cte program now in rural wisconsin for concussions because mark even then tries to like punch through it and he's like oh, I'm so sorry, man, you're not gonna get through this.
Speaker 1:And then the next scene is them taking like a bandsaw to it to score it enough. Um, just remarkable stuff. But but things that you're like holy shit, man, before you could just look up on YouTube how to make a breakable whatever, take a seminar or a class or something. They're just figuring it out on the fly. Oh yeah, I love at the beginning it opens up with Mark's bookshelf and he's got the Stanley Kubrick books. He's got all the things. He's read all the books. Like you said, huge cinephile, but still you're like how you apply this and you know it could be any filmmaker in any part of the country in any time period. But like how you take what you've read and how you apply it and how max. I'm sure you know this, not only yourself, but working on so many different film sets now and seeing different directors. But like how you lead a group of people, because there are so many times too in this film where he is just all of a sudden asking his mom to put on a cloak.
Speaker 3:He's asking whoever to be an extra in his film because people have just not shown up, people have dropped the ball, they, they've uncommitted from the project or he's lost money and so he's taking Also it's taken him eight years or six years, however many years to to make a 30-minute movie too right, and you know, yeah, he is like the, he is a very interesting person and you're right, it is a little exploitive of him and his situation but like, at the same time, I can only imagine that he was so jazzed up.
Speaker 1:Oh, of course, and that's what I keep thinking it's very meta because I don't really understand. I could never know if he understands this or understood it at the time, but he's part in making and being the subject of this documentary. He is becoming a part of a film that will live on and have this legacy. Now, of course, he wants it from one of his own films that he's directed, but it was just the meta context of it was also fascinating to kind of pay attention to.
Speaker 1:And then I thought that, like some of it, he himself had a couple of, you know, very, um, kind of existential. Like there were some huge moments in the film where he's talking about he gets this, this part-time job at a cemetery, and he's talking about how he's like 30 years old and he gets called to the bathroom and he's got to clean the shit off of the toilet because someone just completely missed the can and he says you, you know, before I went in and did that, I had this 10 second moment where I just stopped and thought about how I'm 30 years old and I'm about to clean up another person's shit, like what am I doing with my life, or whatever. And it's moments like that where you're just like holy shit, man, like that should be in a harvard philosophy book or something like it's. It's really really good. Um, and then same with, like you know, they interview his family members and his dad's a little bit more cynical mom, very supportive, but his brothers, I thought, were really interesting in their, in their segments, because while while supporting him, of course and this is back like in the 90s, you know, of course, and sundance and these different festivals are blowing up the independent jarmusch.
Speaker 1:You know like the independent scene is really happening. But they're, you know they're asking these questions like we don't know what Mark thinks he's bringing to the table that will make his movies stand the test of time, like what we don't know. I think it was. Like what makes a movie special and can Mark do that? And then you listen to Mark talk and you're just like this guy, for all the things that he doesn't know, he really has his finger on the pulse of like how to get shit done and like it's just and that's what all his casting crew members said. You know these different actors who they bring in. They're like you know, listen like we're.
Speaker 3:I'm here after my time and I usually have like a hard out and I'm very firm with that.
Speaker 3:But like I see the way that Mark believes in this project and I see him on set and I want to stay, and so just, it's like oddly inspiring as well, right, like I mean, the passion that this guy brings to failing is amazing and gosh. Yeah, and I don't even know if he's trying to make something that is successful. I think he's just trying to make, and so I think there's also a conversation there, too about, like what, what's it going to cost to be a, to do what you love the most and and be like the, the art, right, the art of filmmaking? Like, if you have that drive, like what, at what cost are you willing to go?
Speaker 1:I'll tell you what it is. It's uncle bill in the car for 30 takes. Telling you that jesus said it. Yeah, jesus said it and it just comes out.
Speaker 1:Jesus told me so and then it's just like jesus told me something like. By the end of it it's oh my god, that scene was remarkable. Um so just a bunch of a bunch of really good stuff in american movie, the, and I think that my favorite part of the entire film that I couldn't help but just be nostalgic for, because I saw people older than me, I saw my parents. Maybe I had like some version of of these shirts in the wardrobe that everybody was wearing, but I started making a list of mark's t-shirts specifically. He's got the one I love the film editing stuff when they go to the university of wisconsin and they're in the room.
Speaker 1:I'm sure you were just like, yeah, that's cool. Yeah, that was like really really cutting and splicing. Yeah, that's like rock hard, probably, yeah, um, but that was really cool. And he's wearing this shirt that has the arrow going up to his head and it says splice here. Um, I thought that was great. He's got the just the white t with, like, the marlboro logo on the pockets. You were just burning heaters. This entire film thought that was pretty remarkable as well. All the beer that was getting drank you know.
Speaker 1:Oh my god keeping pbrs in the fridge or in the freezer, actually like during the super bowl. Um, just really a really funny look into how people still live today.
Speaker 1:To be quite honest, he's also he had, like the packers, cowboys nfc championship shirt or something like that, whereas, like now, a shirt like that would cost 40 to have somebody remake and he probably got it at a gas station for you know like three dollars or something. Um, he had a really cool return of the living dead part two shirt, just like I could go on and on. He was rocking a sick milwaukee bucks hat at one time, so I was like dude for everything that Mark didn't have.
Speaker 2:He had an incredible fashion, really good stuff from Mark's great hair to he.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and the mustache, he wore the glasses. Well, like Mark had it going on.
Speaker 2:He really was a whole vibe.
Speaker 3:He was. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was fun.
Speaker 1:And we all watched out on Amazon Prime Amazon.
Speaker 3:Prime, please go fire it up Again.
Speaker 1:just incredibly entertaining at times and a 1999 film. 1999, right Adds to the cashier of that year. Totally Unbelievable. All right, Erica, your film.
Speaker 2:All right. So my film that I chose was they Came Together by David Wayne, just one of the greatest this movie is. I really chose this movie first of all because I just wanted, like when we, when you guys brought up this whole format, I wanted to choose something that felt like really true to myself for you guys, because I feel like I talk about horror so much, that like comedy is also so near and dear to my heart and I just don't really get a whole lot of that these days. But I just I thought this was a good one to kind of throw out there because not a lot of people have seen it. But it's basically like complete satire and it is, it's. It's great if you have like a knowing and like an appreciation for rom-coms, because the entire movie is a play on that and, um, it stars amy puller, paul rudd, so many other people that you're gonna see in, you know, in other, david wayne, especially like wet, hot american summer I mean, it's really just a big wet hot uh reunion, um, and what it came out in like 2014 2014, yeah
Speaker 2:and kind of my backstory with this movie is like I was introduced by one of my best friends to wet hot american summer, probably in like 2013 or something, so I was kind of late to that one, but again it kind of just slips through the cracks instantly became a huge fan because it's just I felt like watching my own like sense of humor just play it out in a film. Obviously I wanted to choose Wet Hot for this project but I I knew I was like there's no way they haven't seen it. But um yeah. So my friend and I, I guess during that time, saw this and I'm pretty sure it went straight to streaming. I don't think it was in theaters, but we threw it on really randomly one night and I just had my mouth dropped the majority of the time.
Speaker 2:Again, it just kind of nailed my sense of humor. The whole plot of it is just truly satire and it's just a whole bunch of different little bits and pieces of rom-coms and there's so many references in it so many you can really like I was. Every time I watch this I feel like I go and open up an article about it and see how many references I can pull from it and I feel like I notice something new every time. But yeah, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler meet one fateful night at a Halloween party and it's kind of an enemies to lovers situation which, very like when Harry met Sally, and their relationship just kind of begins that way and we just follow them along on this ridiculous journey. So I'm really excited to hear what you guys had to think about this.
Speaker 3:This movie is absolutely hilarious. I mean, if, if going in right, you know david wayne going in, you know like, okay, this is going to be ridiculous well, and especially michael showalter on the script when I saw michael showalter, the two of them together on the script is when I was like okay it's got an incredibly stacked cast, uh, even for 2014.
Speaker 3:Uh, as you said, kind of a reunion of of all those players from past movies. Uh, and you know, if anyone ever wants to uh argue or uh be disgruntled about how rom-coms have been killed, this is the movie. Because when, when you get parodied, that's kind of when you know like, okay, we have gone so far and uh, I just thought it was a pretty brilliant parody. Uh, you know, you said, uh, when Harry met Sally, you've got mail. Uh, I think there's like like even like a little bit of like a wedding planner in there or any of those mid-2000s um rom-coms that you saw. But uh, yeah, I mean it's, it's got funny, it's got really funny, funny bits. You know you're not gonna laugh every single thing, but like the halloween party with, is it? Chris maloney?
Speaker 3:christopher maloney, christopher maloney, he makes me cry, laughing anytime he he shows up, which is weird because he is like mr suv svu svu I mean suv.
Speaker 1:He was all that like NYPD Blue.
Speaker 3:Yeah, all those cops he was like yeah, mr Cop Show, but then he shows up in these incredible sense of humor in these David Wayne movies and the bit about him shitting his pants, which is like so random and unneeded like, and then he's like no, I just changed costumes into shower cap.
Speaker 2:Man, who, who, shit in my shower, guy yeah and uh, it was just fucking ridiculous.
Speaker 3:Great to see, uh, ian michael black, who, like I've only ever seen in david wayne movies, or I love the 80s. Yeah, yeah um, and playing just a scumbag as as, as good as he he does, uh, but yeah, man, uh, just amazing, a great little like. Just like, who's gonna pop up next movie?
Speaker 1:um, just four great bits, because it's really good, because it's not just you can tell that it was. However, the script got floated around. You could tell that people.
Speaker 3:You know guys like ed helms and, I bet, bill hater bill hater is probably one of the funniest characters too, and he's not even on screen right for most of the time, but some of the, some of the shit he says to ellie kemper, to ellie kemper is so out of pocket.
Speaker 1:So out of pocket. Um, yeah, I, I really enjoyed this too. Um, I, you know I should have looked up the release information. I didn't. But I do feel, like in in almost like oddly I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but like in almost like an, it's almost like a deeper level of parody, that I think the movie looks pretty bad at times. But I'm like that's because a lot of rom-coms, I think like just aren't shot really well. But I was like this, like oh, the lighting and this is so bad. But then I'm just like is that?
Speaker 3:that's intense.
Speaker 1:It's gotta be intentional because it's so bad it's I think it really is intentional because, like you can even even tell.
Speaker 2:a lot of the furniture in her apartment is all Ikea. Her bedspread, I can confirm, is Ikea. I mean just their whole thing. It's all just so cheap and I really do think that that was an intentional detail.
Speaker 3:There's also a scene where she answers the phone in her candy shop and the candy shop is just destroyed around her. It is completely destroyed and then, like the, it cuts to like a wide shot and it's perfect, right? I?
Speaker 1:love the conversation, and now this is more of like a set design as opposed to like the cameras or how they shot it or the lighting or whatever. But when Paul Rudd and his brother played by the guy from new new girl, I don't know his name but when they're having a conversation, um, and it's like, is this about rent or whatever, blah, blah, and they're in this tight little kitchen and then he walks to the living room and it's this giant like loft apartment with like all these couches and video games and a foosball table or whatever.
Speaker 1:Just like there's like three dartboards on one wall or whatever. I was just just like. This is so funny, um. So I I loved it for all of that because I think the first time when I mean other than during this intro, um, this dinner scene that we get when Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler like, but there was really a third character in this story, new York city and I'm like okay this is what this script is gonna be like, um.
Speaker 1:But then when they get to the basketball scene and they're parodying along came Pauly, yeah, yeah, um, and like Kenan Thompson's in this scene, like a bunch of really funny guys, and at the end they're like okay. So now that you've heard from us, who are all extensions of your personality, and you can take the different things that we've said and turn it into your own story, what are you gonna do? And he's like I'm gonna go propose.
Speaker 1:And I'm just like okay, this movie's way too smart for this much like wet, hot american summer, where it's just a perfect parody of all the camp kind of coming of age stories. This is the perfect parody of of the rom-com genre and it was just. It was a delight to see certain scenes play out where you know, I'm so happy that they went like full tilt because I think that I've always wanted to see certain interactions between different characters in films happen this way. But you could never just do it as like a one-off joke in a movie that otherwise is trying to take itself quote-unquote serious. But like when amy pollard's first talking to ed helms and he's like, well, you would have to ask my brother, and then there's that pause yeah, is he here?
Speaker 2:can I ask?
Speaker 1:yeah, he's right there, it's david wayne and yeah, and it's just so funny because it reminded me so much of airplane, right, yeah?
Speaker 1:yeah, it was kind of like the goat of all parody movies, where someone would say something to liam neeson like oh no, we're on a. You know, we're on a flight path, right, we're gonna crash into the sun. And then, you know, someone's asking like what's wrong with the plane when he's like, and they're like oh, my god, the sun, like what is it? He's like well, it's this great big ball of gas in the sky. There were just so many things like that or whatever, where, like I wrote down here, there's another one where someone says and they're like oh, guess who was there? And then they're like, and they're like no, guess who was there? And they're like oh, um, or, or he goes to the bar and he's just like oh, they do that scene over and over again.
Speaker 1:You look like you've had a long day or whatever he's's like.
Speaker 2:you could say that again, or?
Speaker 1:what makes you say that. And he's like well, you came in here, you sat down and you know you looked like you had a tough day. You could say that again.
Speaker 3:Well, you came in here, you sat down.
Speaker 1:It's the same thing over and over, and over, just like so funny All the stupid little things to try to think that they're perfect for each other. That are just you like fiction, fiction books, yeah, so funny.
Speaker 2:When Ed Helms goes off why he doesn't like. Fiction is one of my favorite parts.
Speaker 3:It's not real.
Speaker 1:He made us read the Great Gatsby and then I asked did this?
Speaker 2:happen? No, then why are we reading it? Why are we reading it?
Speaker 1:It's so funny, actually, like really really funny why are we reading?
Speaker 2:it so funny, actually like really really funny um meeting tucker, the little kid who's just like dad. Are you my new dad? A cheeseburger?
Speaker 1:wow, go eat that in bed the sister who is just like playing, you know, the jerry mcguire yeah, totally whatever, she's just like so funny. She's like I don't know what she's doing. She has like a plunger in her hand or she's doing something ridiculous in the kitchen, like when she comes home. Like she's just so funny. She's like I don't know what she's doing, she has a plunger in her hand or she's doing something ridiculous in the kitchen. When she comes home she's totally the older sister, like you would see in any rom-com movie.
Speaker 3:But then also when he goes to meet her parents and their white supremacist. When he first says my beautiful white daughter or whatever he's like, what? No, she's a beautiful aryan girl.
Speaker 2:I love paul rudd's, all of his like little expressions during that scene. He's just like what he goes, what, what the fuck it's.
Speaker 1:It's one of these movies that I'm so happy that you brought it to us because it's just, it makes me happy knowing that things like this exist and that there are people in Hollywood that understand, like, how ridiculous and how far gone certain genres and you're right, max, like this is. It's one of two things, and I think it can maybe be both honestly when, like it, you know, parody is the highest form of like, of giving a compliment. Where, like, it's gotten to the point, rom-coms got to the point. Where, like in scary movies, scary movie, roast all the halloween or you know, scary movies, quite literally, um, airplane was a total take on all the 70s and 80s disaster films, right, um, and so it's.
Speaker 1:It's a great thing for the rom-coms who have gotten to that point. But then it also is like kind of the final nail in the coffin of, like you are completely out of all originality and you can't come up with any idea that we haven't seen before. And so now the next logical step is, just like you know and I love this, it's like an 80 minute long movie. So, just like you know, an hour and 25 minute roast of the entire genre. So I thought it was fantastic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm so glad you guys liked it and I also really like what you said back.
Speaker 1:What you said back at the top there. I really like because I think what we all did here, you like talking about how it's always horror with you or whatever, and I usually also am just like, if I have the time to recommend something to somebody, I want it to be like. If I have the time to recommend something to somebody, I want it to be like a hard genre movie where I'm like, oh, this thriller or like this body horror, you're gonna love it. It's, it's grotesque, it's exhilarating it. Like it feels a little naughty or whatever. Like something you shouldn't be watching, whatever. But like I also love, like the slower independent movies from the 80s and 90s and so I think that it's so funny. I didn't even really think about that, but like I feel like we all kind of brought our passion to all.
Speaker 1:These movies are so us like each of us max coded documentaries about filmmaking erica, just like the hard parody of rom-coms me with the, the indie film. Yeah, like it's. I think it's so great that that we kind of we just like tapped into our, to our real passions here, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I love that about this experiment, yeah, cool anything else.
Speaker 1:On, on. They came together before we wrap it up.
Speaker 3:There's so many jokes, literally yeah you can go on and on, but uh, definitely go watch it. It's on tubi tubi, uh pluto pluto plex, plex it's all out there. It's no one's really funny. Actually, though, someone a friend of ours, yeah recommended me this movie years ago. Okay, years ago. Never watched it, never watched it so thank you again. Didn't sell it good enough for bringing it to the table. It was. It was really fun, and also too.
Speaker 1:I mean, I, we could have done that. I I don't think we've ever really talked about what hot american summer uh, not really, no, but. But I mean, if you're, this is the literally the best, next easiest, most logical step as far as like a recommendation goes. We're like, if you're a fan of Wet Hot American Summer and I feel like that was reran on Comedy Central all the time growing up so a lot of people I'm sure are familiar with that film. I think Showalter, to varying degrees of success, has kind of worked his way into mainstream movie culture. This one, though, however, is like this would be a perfect double feature with wet hot american summer. If you really want that like r-rated comedy. That is just nothing but parody it makes me want to go.
Speaker 3:I mean, and you know, I never really realized david wayne role models. Yeah, one of the one of the great 2000s comedies. I I've never seen Wanderlust or a futile and stupid gesture. Yeah. So yeah, could lead to some more movies, some more discoveries.
Speaker 2:Wanderlust is a good one too, like it's not nearly as good as his other ones because it's not nearly as ridiculous out there, but it still has that, that humor to it. It has the same kind of energy where it's just ridiculous humor and I just I want to meet this man.
Speaker 2:So much so bad, because I just feel like I've never watched a movie ever in my life where I just felt like this was so me coded and like I no idea what that says about me and my humor. But I just it's so funny and I watch his movies and I love them more and more every single time who were the guys in the coffee shop when they're talking and then like there's two guys sitting behind them sitting watching him Is one of them.
Speaker 3:Michael Showalter no, no, I don't know, I don't know they like really focus on and they're both just kind of like staring at at our at. Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler yeah, I polar.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I didn't know if those actors had any significance or if it was another one of those things where it'd be like how funny if there was just these two people who were watching. These two other people have this like what's supposed to be like four hour long interaction of them on this, like first date people watching and saying all these silly things or whatever.
Speaker 3:So so funny. I didn't know that was david wayne. Uh, the brother, so brother.
Speaker 1:So that's a great little tidbit okay, so, erica, what are your thoughts on this format?
Speaker 2:I loved it. It was so fun.
Speaker 3:I love doing this. We should try and do it at least once a year.
Speaker 1:I think it could be like a good quarterly experiment once again, it helps us knock some movies off our watch list, maybe movies we didn't even know needed to be on our watch list.
Speaker 1:But I think that would be a good way, because what we kind of did for this one is, I mean, like I went through, I had, you know, down by Law in my top 100. It's been ever since I watched it back in 2022, even though it's not, you know, in my top four, but it's been on my letterboxd for favorites in that number one spot for a really long time. You know, went through your top 100 to find one that Eric and I hadn't watched. You had they came together ready to roll, but I would assume that it's probably in your top 50 top 100 all time films.
Speaker 2:I would say so. I knew I wanted to bring a comedy, so I went to my favorite comedy section. And I just was. I knew the david wayne pick would be. I'm like I gotta put more people onto this yeah, absolutely so.
Speaker 1:Okay, so other david wayne films. I mean, there's more jar moosh that I could especially share with you, max, but, like, is there any other film that is that you're thinking about already, for the next one perhaps?
Speaker 3:well, I, I loved that you kind of went through my top next one perhaps. Well, I loved that. You kind of went through my top 100 and you were like, hey, here are some of the films I haven't seen. Uh, that you know it could be, it could be up and there was a close second that I think I'll probably throw out there next time.
Speaker 2:I could probably throw another comedy your guys's way yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we all could use.
Speaker 1:Well, Annie especially, we could use a good laugh. All the laughs, All the laughs. Yeah, Right now. Okay, so that's going to do it for us today. As for what's next on ETI, we will be back soon, as we do an early November Oscar power rankings episode next week, discussing the recent award contenders that have been released, including we Live in Time, Conclave and Anora, so that's going to be a lot of fun. We also, too, we can't forget like I can't wait to hear what you guys think about the Oscar power rankings, because this happens every year now where, like you know, I just got the Challengers vinyl and I'm like I need to rewatch Challengers and not forget about how much I loved that movie.
Speaker 3:It's rewatching season for sure. Yeah, it's. It's time to to review, even though there are still new stuff coming out. Right, like got to see a Nora. Uh, gotta go see conclave, but uh yeah, like dune.
Speaker 1:Can't forget about dune. Yeah, right, about five, six months ago now, so I'll be a great conversation. It's it's legit award season now, with all this stuff coming out, so that'll be cool. Until next time, please follow Excuse the intermission on Instagram and the three of us on Letterboxd to track what we are watching between shows, and we'll talk to you next time on ETI, where movies still matter you, thank you.
