Excuse the Intermission
Alex and Max take you on a journey through film with this discussion podcast about movies.
Excuse the Intermission
The Jack Black Hall of Fame
Jack Black sits at the rare intersection of comedy genius, musical talent, and heartfelt authenticity that few performers ever discover. His journey from bit player in 90s action films to beloved family-friendly superstar reveals one of Hollywood's most unexpected and treasured success stories.
What makes Black's career so remarkable is his chameleon-like ability to excel across genres while remaining unmistakably himself. When examining his Hall of Fame filmography—from the rock-fueled inspiration of School of Rock to the surprising dramatic depth of Bernie, from the scene-stealing brilliance of Tropic Thunder to the franchise-carrying charisma of Jumanji—we witness an actor who refuses to be typecast yet brings his singular energy to every role.
The heart of Black's appeal lies in his fundamental authenticity. Unlike many Hollywood stars who carefully cultivate a persona, Black's on-screen presence feels like a natural extension of himself. This quality shines especially bright in his work with children, where his infectious enthusiasm and lack of cynicism have made him the center of beloved franchises like Kung Fu Panda and Goosebumps. His recent successes with Super Mario Bros and Minecraft further cement his status as cinema's favorite fun dad—the rare actor who appeals equally to children and their nostalgic parents.
Beyond his acting, Black's musical background with Tenacious D adds another dimension to his artistry. This rock sensibility infuses his performances with an energy and physicality unusual for comedy actors, creating memorable moments that transcend traditional acting and become pure entertainment. Whether he's performing high-energy physical comedy or capturing subtle emotional beats, Black brings a musician's sense of timing and presence that elevates every project he touches. His career reminds us that true staying power comes not from following trends but from embracing what makes you unique—a lesson Jack Black has mastered with tenacious dedication and undeniable joy.
how's it? I'm alex mccauley I'm max fosberg and I'm erica kraus and this is excuse the intermission a discussion show surrounding jack black. Jack black is the star of the latest number one box office smashed minecraft movie and so today, on this episode, we will be ranking all of his films in a hall of fame episode. That conversation up next on the other side of this break. Hey guys, how are we doing today? Happy Jack Black Week here on ETI Happy.
Speaker 1:Minecraft Week Big movie. Lots to talk about with Jack and also what this movie is doing. But first, how are you guys doing what's new in your life?
Speaker 2:Good.
Speaker 1:Big post-grad over here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just packing stuff up getting ready for the move here in about three weeks, which is kind of crazy, but yeah, just trying to survive this spring weather, huh.
Speaker 1:Bit of a monsoon out there right now it's on, it's off.
Speaker 3:you know, we're back, we're gone, you know it's funny how I like I like the rain when it's convenient for me. But, like on Sunday, it rained all day and it was so nice cause I was out late on Saturday, so I was like having a nice lazy day, and then today rolls around and I'm like fuck this rain, I'm done, I'm trying to do shit you know, just but yeah, dumping today crazy the weather.
Speaker 1:The weather has, uh, um too much control over my weekly schedule, right now now that I have decided that it's you know, assistant coaching a little league team is something that my schedule could handle yeah. So so I'm, I'm, I feel you, erica, and I'll be honest that at times when a six, 30 to eight o'clock practice on a Wednesday just doesn't sound great, I'm like let's check the Doppler and see what the weather has in store for us tonight. Oh, it's raining, it's going to rain. That's unfortunate.
Speaker 3:So do you guys cancel when it does rain?
Speaker 1:We cancel. Practices are different. Those are a little bit at the coach's discretion. Games, however, are decided by the little league organization, and so those notifications usually go out at about 2 pm and, unfortunately, games are different. Like, I always want to have the games, but you know you're not going to play as well when you've had practices rained out week after week. And I mean, we're doing, we're doing well, um.
Speaker 2:You know, maybe in lieu of we're doing, we're doing well, um you know, maybe in lieu of max max's school corner, we can turn it into the the little league, uh, the the dugout with the dugout.
Speaker 1:Yeah, coach mccauley, top, top five baseball movies coming soon, but but no um, season's off to a great start, and it's. It is a really fun experience, something that I've been wanting to do for a couple of years now. So shout out to the the triple a pilots over in a at gig Harbor little league where we're rocking and rolling.
Speaker 1:Go pilots go, pilots making a difference, um, but okay, jack black, someone else who you know, I feel like in the in the more recent years of their career, really doing it for the kids is out here and found he's found a lane yeah and he has been extremely successful in it.
Speaker 1:So most recently here that's exemplified through his work in the minecraft movie. Um, a video game series and an adaptation that, quite frankly, I'm surprised took this long to get off the ground. Um, I can say, however, firsthand experience working in the schools, that minecraft is alive and well and is it is, as popular as ever. So certainly not like the studio has missed the train here. This is still a very popular uh franchise, or or I should say ip with with young people, and that's evident in the film's box office success.
Speaker 1:My school, I know and I'm sure we're not alone in this has like a movie theater takeover planned for later in the month here of April, where two theaters are already sold out for like a family event screening. That being said, I know a ton of students have already gone out to see the movie opening weekend, because I've sort of been pulling the hallways and my different small groups that I host, and so I'm like, oh, did anybody go see the Minecraft movie? And if, uh, if one of my small groups has, say, eight students in it, like three of them were already just like, oh, yeah, I've, I've seen it, and so I would say safe to assume that probably 30 to 40 percent of any you know young adult, child, family, demographic population that you want to pull from like 30 to 40 percent of them have probably gone out to see this movie, if not more yeah it's, it's a huge movie, uh and, and you know, I think it's a it's kind of the Super Mario Brothers of this year, right.
Speaker 2:I think that's a good thing too, that we're getting kids into the theaters. You know Minecraft? I don't know, I've never played the game. More importantly, jack Black, such an interesting guy who, like when you look at his filmography, look at his filmography has like grown from from. He. He was kind of like the, you know, he was kind of like a role player for a long time and then he, and then he becomes a starter, right, like he. He's like a glue guy in a lot of early movies or like a guy on a computer, and then all of a sudden, like in the early two thousands, he starts getting leading roles and has never really stopped.
Speaker 1:This will be really interesting to talk about later when we get to his films and his Hall of Fame inductee ceremony, because I'm going to compare him to someone else who I don't think this will be as popular of a take as it is in my own estimation. Take as it is in my own estimation. But some could argue that he's almost better in those role-playing situations and in those role-playing um, when he's cast as a role player. But, erica, I mean, you have a young nephew. How do you feel about minecraft? Where's minecraft in your life? And how do you feel jack black is suited to usher in this, this franchise, that is, you know, unlike maybe Super Mario Brothers, where Jack Black was also involved, he's not just doing voice work, he is in this hybrid movie.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't know. I don't know, I know Hello. I know nothing about Minecraft. My brother plays it and I know my nephew tanner plays it too with him or like, just kind of like sits and watches his dad play um, and yeah, tanner's four. So he's like he just went to his first movie at the movie theaters um, like a couple months ago.
Speaker 1:So hearing that for me, I'm like was he trying to get in the brutalist before the Oscars or something? What did you go see?
Speaker 3:He went and saw dog man.
Speaker 1:Oh nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and he, he did really well, I guess, at the theater and um. So having heard that, of course I'm like game on, let's go.
Speaker 3:So, gotten the green light from mom and dad for me to take him to movies now. But he's more interested in lilo and stitch coming out soon, nice. But he has talked about minecraft and this past weekend when I was with him I was like, hey, do you want to go see minecraft this weekend? And he's like no, no, I don't, I don't want to see it, I don't want to see it.
Speaker 3:So he I don't think he really even knows what I'm talking about kids got taste, yeah, but um, it's funny because I've seen so many videos of, like the crowds at the minecraft screenings and people were getting hyped over this movie, like yeah, like freaking out. And then like when steve I I know steve is played by Black, but I don't know who that like what that even means, like I don't know who Steve is in this world.
Speaker 1:Steve is the guy OK.
Speaker 3:He's the guy. It makes sense, I mean, I get that.
Speaker 1:There's also an Alex featured prominently in the Minecraft storyline.
Speaker 3:OK.
Speaker 1:Just a big win for Alex's OK.
Speaker 3:Cool, unique name. I've never heard that name before until you. Yeah, um, but yeah anyway. I've just seen some clips from people, like when steve shows up and people are like fuck yeah, like just screaming in the theaters and I think it did pretty well this weekend, right best, best box office of the year so far. That's crazy good I mean that honestly kind of makes me happy. I, I like low-key, want to see it like I don't know why, but I'm just in that mood right now, like just we.
Speaker 2:I mean something like that it's a kid's movie and we need these big kids movies to get stuff like paul thomas anderson's film right in august, right same studio. We need this to to bring in a lot of money so it can fund that Just to keep theaters open in general.
Speaker 1:I mean we heard this firsthand, max, when it was the Barbenheimer summer and we bring this up all the time when these big family movies come out.
Speaker 1:And I think it's an important time for smaller independent art house movie theaters to put their ego aside a little bit and if you only have two screens or three screens or maybe even one screen set aside a matinee showing on a saturday or block out a wednesday, um you know, evening screening to do something like show the minecraft movie, to show the super mario brothers, like when a film like this is released it I I understand the integrity of of running a an independent art house movie theater, but you also need to stay in business so that again you can show exciting independent films, international films, when they come out and not worry about selling out the theater because you just showed barbie for a month or you just showed, you know, oppenheimer kind of toes the line in the middle, but like it's, it's important to to do both, I think, in and to pounce on an opportunity when it presents itself, like the minecraft movie has here this month and really this year, like you said.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I totally agree. And uh, and yeah, jack, jack Black seems to be evergreen with kids. Kids love Jack Black. I mean, I love Jack Black. How could you not? Uh, when I was a kid, I, and it's just crazy that he's been able to keep it, keep it going. I mean keep it, keep it going. I mean, like looking at the, I mean goosebumps, kung fu, panda, shark tale, jumanji, like he is the king of brothers, super mario brothers.
Speaker 3:He's the king of kids movies he's like the dad actor too, because he is the father of two young boys and he really is just like the ultimate dad, like for not only, I'm sure, his own kids. I can't speak on his own personal life, but he is like a dad, like the fun dad in hollywood, you know. He shows up to these events and he's just so unapologetically himself he's so fun.
Speaker 3:He's cool. I'm like I a big thing that's happening right, like over the past weekend or whenever this happened. Um, there's a show on netflix called love on the spectrum. It's about it's like a dating show for um, you know, people on the spectrum and the most wholesome show ever. Well, there's a one of the guys on there, his name's tanner. Um, he is a huge jack black fan, was stoked about Minecraft and they had him and his mom on the Kelly Clarkson talk show that she has and Jack Black like surprised him and showed up and it was just the most wholesome moment. I highly recommend just watching it because it just speaks volumes to who this guy really is and he's a cool guy. I mean, I'd love supporting him in anything I see him in and he just seems like a Hollywood favorite. I don't think that a lot of people dislike this man.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's a great point and a good segue sort of into this conversation that we're going to have about his career in general, because he is he is someone that's never had bad press, he is someone that I love how you said unapologetically himself, and I think like has just sort of a heart of gold and is evident in moments like the one you just outlined, because that seems like something that he would just want to do. It's not like some publicist probably had to convince him to do something like that.
Speaker 1:He's. He's a musician in his own right, with tenacious D, just like someone who found his interest and just and and made it cool to be kind of punk, kind of goofy. He's never been like a classically handsome leading man in movies, but that's never stopped him from, I think, from playing someone that you could see as like a romantic lead in different films, which is evident in a few of, I think, of his Hall of fame movies that we will soon get to, and, and so I think that he is just such a unique actor, um, sort of in this space right now, where he's not tied to anyone. He's never been tied to one genre of film, even though you think of him, as you know, such a comedic actor.
Speaker 1:But he has somebody that has been nominated for his act, uh, or for his acting before in in different dramatic roles, and who has really ushered in this like post, I don't know like sort of what kind of like disney ip, but not really disney ip, because it's like there's jumanji, but that like is not disney and there's there's um the, the other one that I'm thinking of here well, yeah right, Goosebumps is the other one Right, thank you when it's like he, he hasn't tied himself really to a franchise other than maybe Kung Fu Panda, but has been somebody that's like this was important to me as a kid or I want it to be important to my, my children now, and so this is the direction that I'm just going to kind of take my career and maybe I'll do a one for me every now and then, like his um, bad satan or santa bad santa movie where he plays satan where he played dear santa, where he plays satan though yeah because that's it, he.
Speaker 1:You know that he made last year, so again like kind of a family friendly one, but one where he can maybe, you know, loosen the belts a little bit and so I don't know a really a really interesting guy that I feel like is is like a one of one right now interesting too, because he he also has like relationships with different directors too, right, like richard linklater he's worked with like a couple times.
Speaker 2:Uh, which is someone you wouldn't think like he. Where does he fit in a Richard Linklater like universe? But when you watch the movies, they they work Agreed, okay.
Speaker 1:So in front of us we have we have his complete filmography. I have gone through this spreadsheet and I've eliminated. There are a few cameo roles in here just because I think they're worth noting, but all short films, um, and no television roles are are on here. However, I do have tenacity and the pick of destiny listed, because I think that that will be a conversation to have when we get to it for his contributions to music and Max's karaoke career. We get to it for his contributions to music and max's karaoke career, um, and, and. So we start um in 1992, and, and the first couple of films here. You know, I think it's worth mentioning I don't have anything, even yellow, until we get a little bit later on in his career, but shout out to um his roles in the film bob roberts, airborne demol, demolition man, the Never Ending Story 3,.
Speaker 2:Escape from Fantasia. I didn't even know there was.
Speaker 1:And I know there was a two, yeah right, I got to look those up. Yeah, bye, bye, love. He's the pilot in Waterworld. Did not know that.
Speaker 1:I remember clocking that when we did that rewatch for the costner episode yeah, um dead man walking, which is a great film with um susan sarandon and sean penn, that I also did not know that he was in biodome. And then here's when I think the public conscious finally started to recognize um jack black as far as showing up as a supporting role, maybe the fifth, sixth, seventh casted actor in a movie. So in 1996 he's in biodome the cable guy, the fan, mars attacks and cross worlds, cross worlds being the only one of those that I think hasn't sort of become a cult classic or was a big hit in its own right. And then in 1997 he's in the jackal. And that is when, like this jack black, as sort of like a man in a van on a computer, totally really starts to like gain some traction. And I think that you know, probably he himself, his agent, everyone else was trying to figure out what kind of actor is this guy going to be, because there's another one here and I think it'd kind of be great if we sort of, as we flip through these pages, you know, kind of alternate talking about the different movies. But so that's, that's just kind of I'll do that.
Speaker 1:The intro there to his career, 92 to 97. But the Jackal is sort of an interesting one. I think there's a much better example of this, though, on the next page. And is sort of an interesting one. I think there's a much better example of this, though, on the next page.
Speaker 2:Um, and I don't know, max or Erica, if you guys want to go, in 1998. Yeah, yeah, in 1998. And again, like, if Jack continues to seek out these sort of movies, like does he become the Simon Pegg role in the mission impossible? That's a great call Right. Like I mean Great call Right Because that's where Simon Pegg started in those movies was the guy on the computer back at base and it would have been prime for Jack to be in that role.
Speaker 1:Or is he quartermaster in new James Bond movies?
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Could he be a Ben Winshaw kind of guy in the Craig James Bond movies perhaps? Yeah?
Speaker 2:So it's always really interesting, especially in these nineties movies, to see him do something like Mars attacks or the Jackal, or enemy of the state. I don't think any of them deserve to be in the hall of fame per se. But again, just like you know, I was just thinking of, like Chris Collinsworth, just being like ah, mike, this guy put in so much time, you know, first in the building, last out. Now he's getting a shot out here in the starting lineup. He is like the ultimate, like started from the bottom, worked your way up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's really interesting and in a genre that we never really see him return to after he falls out of that. So it's like he he did escape that type casting, which is interesting also. In 1998 I went back and I just watched. I just typed in jack black I still know what you did last summer on youtube and watched like the eight minute compilation of his scenes as a white rastafarian dreadlock wearing brother weed dealer that is at the uh resort, that of course, jennifer love hewitt and um mckay, pfeiffer and brandy is in there, and then freddie prince jr shows up. They all are at this resort and he's the one trying to like hook him up with some weed and I highly encourage people to to just like have a laugh on youtube, spend five or eight minutes watching his like who's better?
Speaker 2:who's better at him or gary oldman?
Speaker 1:I would have. I would have liked to have seen oldman. Oldman is doing something are you referring to like true?
Speaker 1:romance gary oldman he's doing something a little bit more earnest, a little scarier, where, yeah, whereas like jack, this is definitely a it's a prisoner of the moment kind of thing. Like this is 1998, weed is still really edgy. Um, to have like someone trying to like deal some dope in a movie, you are definitely playing to an archetype and a stereotype and and they lean into that and he leans into that he's wearing these glasses, of these sunglasses that are hilarious.
Speaker 1:A man of many voices very much so does so many different accents throughout these films and and his facial expressions, the way that he checks out jennifer love he would when he first sees her and he just kind of pops the sunglasses off and pops them back down, like it's just really really good stuff um, like, and then his death scene is incredible as well, like he has a great death scene and I still know what she did last summer.
Speaker 1:so I'm almost tempted to put that yellow, because I can. That is certainly the first time I ever saw and could remember like, oh, that actor's like kind of funny, like who is this guy? And then when I see him in something you know a little bit later here in the two thousands, I'm like that was a guy who, who was like smoking weed and died very early on and I still know what she did last summer.
Speaker 2:So he's actually uncredited in the role, though I wonder if titus telesco, I wonder if he'll show up he'll show up in the remake coming out, that'd be amazing if he did actually um.
Speaker 1:All of these movies um are ultimately, I think, going to be read, but shout out to the early work, the rookie season um for for jack black and a bunch of different weird movies, 1990. You can do 1999 here as well. It's kind of a lost year for him, I think.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the love letter Cradle Will Rock Jesus' Son. And then the first time I remember interacting with Jack Black, or understanding kind of who he was or noticing him in a role, was High Fidelity. And he plays, you know, john Cusack's best friend, who like hangs out in this record store, and you know, that's when we kind of get kind of a first glimpse Something really clicks here Of like you know, angry, like rocker legend Jack Black doing the ba-do, ba-do, ba-do, ba-do and yeah, he's like one of the bright spots of that film.
Speaker 2:Um, and obviously, because after that film then his roles only grow.
Speaker 3:Uh, following that, I just watched this for the first time really yeah, I've never seen high fidelity.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's so good. I didn't realize that, because they made a show the show is really good too, with zoe kravitz yeah um, yeah, but I.
Speaker 3:But when you're doing your little guitar, viewers could have seen your little like air guitar. But there's like that scene like very early on, when he shows up and he's like doing his little, like I'm not even gonna do it but I think you know what I'm talking about. But I've I see that like little meme of him dancing like constantly and it was nice to finally understand where it came from. But yeah, it was funny, it was I. He got a good chuckle out of me throughout the movie.
Speaker 2:But yeah, and, and following that then I think is a sleeper hit with Saving Silverman.
Speaker 1:Let's assign a color to High Fidelity, because to me, I want to put High Fidelity green actually.
Speaker 2:See, I think both of these are definitely orange. Is orange or new medium?
Speaker 1:Or yellow, is it yellow? I think they're both yellow and if there's room at the end, then yes, I think one of these two because they're both yellow.
Speaker 2:Okay, and if there's room at the end, then yes, I think one of these two because they're both supporting roles, right. Ultimately, the movie's not built around him, but they are the two films that, I think, kind of announces Jack Black and who Jack Black is today. This is where it starts so.
Speaker 1:So my case for high fidelity being green is that I think that because this is the movie where it clicks, where it really makes sense to have him in your comedy is not necessarily the focal point, but, as comic relief is, is really significant, and in high fidelity it's a little bit more by the book. And then in saving silverman it's a completely different pitch.
Speaker 1:It is like such slapstick post, the way I put it because this was the one I revisited, because I was like this was one of, this was one of like I loved movies for me growing up and I'm like I really hope it holds up and I'm a victim to my own nostalgic feelings for the film um, but I think that it is a perfect turn of the decade, early 2000s. The way I put it in my letterbox was like it is. We are completely post national lampoon at this point, but still you know that so many of these guys steve zahn jack black. They grew up with the chevy chases of the world watching that generation of comedic actors, even like there's a lot of rodney dangerfield, I think, in jack black as well, and that's evident in in something like saving silverman. But we are still very much.
Speaker 1:We are like six, seven years prior to really the big apatow boom and so this is still like pg-13 humor that you can, that you could have watched as an 11 or 12 year old and and thought was the funniest thing in the world when it was released and that you could also still watch, like with your parents in the next room, and not feel bad about like it.
Speaker 1:You know, and it's funny to make this comparison because there's jason biggs is kind of the common denominator, but watching something like saving silverman wasn't like watching american pie, right, right and listen, like jd mcnugent and saving silverman and all of his and to me again, I'm like are they coming yeah and when he's like talking to our or, uh, arlie ermy, and he's like coach jd mcnugget remember me eating the nacho picking up like the whole place, like if you get one chip or you know that's, that's one nacho um, trying to fix amanda peach chair, and he's like, yep, is the lug nut, the lug nut.
Speaker 1:And then also like just shout out to the script and him for being so down for it too. But by the end of the film when he's just like like nah, dude, I'm gay, like I'm pretty sure, um, really funny stuff, like somewhat problematic, but so fucking funny. And here's, I guess, where I will like roll out my hot take of I think that jack black, much like will ferrell, is the best at their. Their best comedic prowess is in a supporting role. And so, like when I think about if I was going to do a Will Ferrell hall of fame, like of course I'm going to put in something like step brothers, because I don't really want to go against the grain. However, I think that, like Will Ferrell, as mugatu and zoolander or as frank the tank in old school are, like those are bright green to me because that is where I laugh the hardest, and so that would be my case for something like saving silverman to at least start out as green I think.
Speaker 2:I think, out of the two, saving Silverman deserves more, because just by the screen time, sure, right, yeah, I think there's just more. There's more Jack Black.
Speaker 1:I mean Saving Silverman, even though it is Jason Biggs, like in the quote unquote leading role, I always view that as like a Steve Zahn Jack Black movie. You don't need to do the sound's, just like the best stuff, dude, yeah, um and and and also like.
Speaker 2:Also kind of introduces us, even though he's working in a record store in high fidelity they are a neil diamond cover band, yes, and introduces kind of like his musical background as well, uh, for one of the first times agreed, man listen I'm okay putting saving silverman is green okay, I think.
Speaker 1:I think we then put high fidelity as yellow, and saving silverman is green here to start out okay, okay, and then next is shallow hell.
Speaker 2:So this is his first like leading role where the movie is built around jack black. He's co-starring with gwyneth boucher, who has won an oscar very recently coming off winning an oscar yep, we've got jason alexander in here, who has just ended seinfeld and is looking, feels like shepherding in black.
Speaker 2:Totally Cause they are. They do play archetypes that talk to each other, right? Um, I personally just don't really like shallow how. I don't. The Farley brothers are always like. It's always hit and miss with me. With with them, you know, something like dumb and dumber is a bonafide classic. Something about Maryary, something about mary's amazing, but shallow how, and then like kind of like, once they get out of the 90s it gets a little like routiney. Um, I don't know how you guys feel about it. I I do remember I didn't revisit this one, but I do remember like jason alexander having a tail was like one of the craziest and funniest things ever as a 13 year old.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:But the little scene of the prosthetic when they show it is really disturbing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I really, you know it's funny because I like this. I mean, I remember liking this movie when I was younger and like it just hasn't aged. Well, you know, as you know, and I know that people talk about that nowadays, where like this movie is not.
Speaker 1:I think it's well intended, which most things that don't age well probably started out as it's this whole. You know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder concept that just I think we've learned. That like that doesn't need to be the crux of your movie message. Like that anymore. It's not a bad movie but it's not a bad movie at all.
Speaker 3:It's definitely like. I mean, I think the younger generations would watch this and cancel it immediately, but I think us, being millennials, are like you know, we were there it okay, like we're fine, but I'm wondering like does this movie matter to anybody under the age of 20?
Speaker 1:probably not probably not, no, no, probably not. Whereas like not to say that something like saving silverman does. But I think you could show this. You could show saving silverman to a group of high school seniors right now and they'd like how did I not know about this? Like, this is a great one. Like I totally pack another bowl and let's watch it again, or whatever, where he's like shallow, how this movie isn't really that funny, you know.
Speaker 3:I mean it's like it had some like little moments. But looking back on it, like I can remember I've seen this movie a thousand times and it really is more of like him trying to be like do like a rom-com, you know, and sure, there's like some comedy bits in it, but it's really not that funny compared to some of his other stuff.
Speaker 3:Well, that's because all the funny is like based around the fact that this woman that he is dating is very big, very large yeah, I mean, I don't know it, I it's definitely, I think it's yellow, I think it's yellow is yellow.
Speaker 1:Um yeah, erica, you want to keep going with the next couple here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so the next few. I don't really know a whole lot about other than one of them. So in 2002, we have Orange County and we have Run, ronnie Run. I've never seen either one of these, but then he's in Ice Age. He does the voice of Zeke. I don't know why I'm having a hard time of remembering who Zeke is in Ice Age, but I love Ice Age. Who's Zeke?
Speaker 2:I can't remember because it's Dennis. Leary, it's Ray Romano.
Speaker 3:He's definitely not one of the main, and it's not Sid the Sloth. No.
Speaker 2:Zeke must have been like. Is Zeke like one of the rodents or something, or is he like the squirrel or somebody?
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's just doing the noises I don't really know.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think that there's so much. There's so many animated contributions still to come.
Speaker 3:Sure he, there's so many animated contributions still to come to where, even though ice age is a huge ip extremely successful I think they're not as tied to to jack black no, and the fact that we can't even remember his, I don't think he I mean he doesn't come back for any of the sequels either in ice age or orange county has to jump to the top of your watch list does it I.
Speaker 3:I can like see the the dvd case in my head, but I've never seen it orange county is like a stoner text yes, yeah, yeah, I do especially if you were.
Speaker 2:You know when did that come out?
Speaker 1:2002, so I'm 12 yeah, and definitely watching this upon its release, but then revisiting it when I'm like 16 and thinking, oh, this is the age I'm supposed to be when I watch a movie like this. Um, a hilarious movie where, once again, I think that in the short doses that we get Jack black in this, he is hilarious.
Speaker 1:Like the batting average, the shooting percentage, like my guy goes eight for 10 from the field and it's three, threes and he's just like grabbing a couple of rebounds. He's doing the absolute most with his screen time. I've always seen it as a prequel to school of rock, yeah yeah um like when he breaks into.
Speaker 1:I don't want to spoil too much for you, but there's a scene where he breaks into um, like a college administration's building and it ends up burning down. And it's some of his best stuff, like some of his best early comedic stuff is in Orange County. But then again I'm just like is it enough?
Speaker 3:I know, yeah, I'm looking it up right now and I do know of this movie and, ok, yeah, it'll go on my watch list for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. It was also a time when we thought maybe Colin Hanks was going to be the next Tom Hanks.
Speaker 1:Yes, also a time when we thought maybe colin hanks was going to be the next tom hanks, yes, um, he's great in this movie.
Speaker 3:He is. He really is well worth acknowledging. I don't think that.
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't know I'm gonna put it yellow yellow okay, never saw ron run, ronnie run I wonder if that's a.
Speaker 1:Is it a parody of run lola run? Sounds like it yeah um, also could be a musical just based by his character name of lead, chimney sweep.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna make it red so after those three um in 2003 is when we start really heating up. But he does play a mental patient in melvin goes to dinner. Um, never heard of this movie but I am almost curious, just because I'd love to see jack black play a mental patient. Um, but the real star is school of rock. I mean honestly him in this movie. This like let's talk about school of rock yeah, I mean this is like the first.
Speaker 2:This is the greenest of greens.
Speaker 3:This is like the movie. I've looked up so many um so many lists just to kind of see like, let's you know, let's rank his movies, let's see what people think. And school of rock is number one on every single list it's. It's got a really high, it's got like 93 on rotten tomatoes. I mean pretty much it's a very iconic early 2000s movie and it's hilarious, but it also is extremely heartfelt. I mean yeah.
Speaker 2:I was tearing up. I was tearing up watching it the other day.
Speaker 3:I, yeah, I just this is like my brother and I's. This is our movie. This is the movie we quote the most constantly, and I'll never grow tired of it.
Speaker 2:It is literally his best work, in my opinion they took dead poets society and infused it with rock and roll. Yeah, I mean that that that is kind of what we're doing here and it's it's totally brilliant. And the fact that it's a richard linklater which also might be his most like mainstream, biggest like wholesome film that he's ever done and that you know it's his first time working with Jack, which you know we'll he will return a couple of times, um, but also, yeah, jack Black is just like. When I think of Jack Black, like this is the Jack Black I I picture right black. Like this is the jack black I I picture, right like he is.
Speaker 2:He's got the the hair, uh, at a perfect yeah, he's goofy, he's a loser, but he's also like passionate and he's again.
Speaker 1:He's doing a lot of the and and yeah, man, he's like, yeah, he's like a bobble head. He's just like yeah, you over here, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:But he's teaching lessons too.
Speaker 1:Exactly. It's amazing. I think it's the best version of a movie, much like Dead Poets Society, but there's nothing exploitive about this film, the way that poetic justice might be. Or, around the same time, antonio Banderas did a movie, the last, the last dance, maybe, is what it was called. I forget really, but it's this whole, you know trope of a teacher coming in.
Speaker 2:Coach Carter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, coach Carter, a coach or a teacher, some sort of you know educator, coming into either like a private school and a school in the inner city and being, you know, it's that white savior complex. Not that that's evident in all the movies that we just listed, but this is the best version of a movie like that, along with maybe something like Dead Poets Society, and so, yeah, I mean, what more can you say about School of Rock? Got to shout out Mike White.
Speaker 3:I was just about to say we got to shout out Mike White.
Speaker 2:Ned Schneidle helped write it too. Right, he's a co-writer, yeah.
Speaker 1:So just an extremely important film in so many different people's career. Shout out Miranda Cosgrove Like everybody's eaten in this movie Joan Cusack, yeah, all the kids. Yeah, miranda Cosgrove. Yeah, and I know there's a couple others, but yeah.
Speaker 3:One of my favorite facts about this movie is that they did they often the kids do these reunions like, and recently did one, and they met on set and then reconnected at one of their reunions like years and years later.
Speaker 2:They just got married last year also just like a banner of a fucking song oh my god, this the soundtrack had like I listened to.
Speaker 3:Yeah yeah, baby, we were making straight A's yeah, so great. Um, and then 2004, we have the movie envy never saw this, ben stiller, right yeah um, and then he does make a cameo in anchorman, which I do very vividly remember.
Speaker 2:He is on the motorcycle.
Speaker 3:No, no, he kicks the dog off the bridge, the one who punts him over the bridge and he's like, could you just throw a burrito out your window? And he's like I believe I did. And he's like, were you high or something?
Speaker 2:yeah and then that's like a hell's angel.
Speaker 3:Yes, fucking kicks baxter off of the bridge. Shout out to that scene right there because anchorman is great. Um, and then also same year we have, um he does. The voice of Lenny in Shark Tale.
Speaker 2:Never seen Shark Tale. Is that the main character? Which?
Speaker 1:blows my mind. No, will Smith is the main voice actor in Shark Tale and he plays opposite Angelina Jolie. Also featured in this film is Martin Scorsese, I guess as a mob boss shark figure.
Speaker 3:Same with Robert De Niro and same with Bobby De Niro.
Speaker 1:The voice work in this film is incredible. And it's actually a pretty solid movie.
Speaker 3:It is, it's funny.
Speaker 1:I forget who they are. I think it's some hip hop stars that were real big at the time. Some hip hop stars that were real big at the time, um, play like some jellyfish that are again Rastafarian Marley, thank you, and run a car wash. Um, really funny stuff.
Speaker 3:And they sing car wash they do, and it's iconic.
Speaker 1:Sharktail is solid and I think begins the partnership with Jack black and dream works which is almost the most important part of this. Um, I don't think shark tale is going in just because, again, it's not really his movie, but an important movie nonetheless I agree, yeah, um, so then in 2005 we have king kong.
Speaker 3:I have not seen.
Speaker 1:I mean I just just ISO at the top of the key for Max here.
Speaker 2:I'm here with you if you need me in the corner to get one up, but I fucking love this movie and you know a crazy cast, peter Jackson, coming off the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This is the movie he always wanted to do. This is why he started filmmaking King Kong. I think at the time when it came out was very like middling and like, uh, you know, it's just kind of a remake.
Speaker 2:But going back and like I you know I think I've talked about this before but like during the 20 episodes during the pandemic, like I went through I re-watched the movie and then I went and watched like eight hours of behind the scenes footage and just an incredible piece of filmmaking. Um, when, when you, when you dive in deep to it, andy circus, of course, playing, uh, king Kong. Now Jack black comes in and plays Carl Denham, who is like the movie director, uh, on this ship that is going to Skull Island, because he's kind of a loser director who's trying to make a documentary about the tribes people on this island. Turns out there's a giant monkey and he kind of becomes the foil of the film.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's a real slimy money-grubbing kind of guy.
Speaker 2:And you know, even though, like in the 90s, we see Jack Black in serious action movies as a side character, he's much more of a co-lead here and again kind of showing us, yes, he can do School of Rock, he can do Goofy, he can do Wholesome, but he can also. He's kind of theiss army knife. He can. He can play a bad guy, he can play in a serious like science fiction, fantasy, film, um, which is something that you know probably wasn't, uh, wasn't known at the time well, I think that's.
Speaker 1:The real key here is that this is coming off of a really successful two or three four-year comedy run, and so now this is him playing against type and I think the casting director and peter jackson and everyone else that went into putting jack black in this role.
Speaker 2:Kudos to them because it works so well yeah, it really does, and he's he's really pretty awesome in this film again, kind of a co-lead, not built around him.
Speaker 1:Also one of the more impressive films that he gets to be a part of throughout his career.
Speaker 2:And also a shout out I think a couple of years before this, I believe, he hosts the MTV Awards and he does the Lord of the Rings parody, where he's like an elf at the fellowship in the elf city where they're talking about what to do with the ring and he reveals that he had got it pierced onto his penis the night before which is just some just awesome, awesome stuff to go look up on YouTube.
Speaker 2:if you've never seen that, or if you're too young to remember what the VMAs were yeah, remember what the VMAs were.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what the.
Speaker 2:VMAs were yeah and you know, again kind of like I wonder if Peter Jackson had seen that and then was like, oh, maybe I will put this guy in King Kong.
Speaker 1:So all this to say what? What colors can come? I think it's yellow.
Speaker 2:OK, yeah, that's fair I think, I think there's a treasure trove of green coming soon I agree so.
Speaker 1:So next, here is one of these examples of why I think he works better as a supporting character. That is really well written. In a comedy film that is maybe more thought out and and more um, I don't know, just maybe not as one note, whereas and much, much like.
Speaker 1:Will Ferrell. I think um not to say that there aren't examples in both Will Ferrell and Jack Black's career of of them being great Like I can think of, you know, ricky Bobby, talladega Nights. That's an amazing leading role for Will Ferrell and I think he's great in that there's other great leading roles for Jack Black coming up this next film in 2006, which I think for so many people is also going to be bright green.
Speaker 3:And I think that the right thing for us to do is probably to put a green here, at least to start. Nacho libre has just never been my movie same. It's not my cup of tea either, but it is a cult classic for a lot.
Speaker 2:Of people watched it for the first time me too uh this week and I will say that the first, like 45 minutes to an hour, are fucking awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then it kind of falls apart. Yeah, but like and there are plenty of memes from this movie that go around, you know the whole like I'm going to make soup all day. It's fantastic. Again, this is Jared Hess, who directed Minecraft, also known for Napoleon Dynamite and it's writing, gentlemen Broncos, writing the coattails of Napoleon Dynamite.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so hard. Oh yeah, jared Hess is a very like certain kind of filmmaker. All of his films. I haven't seen the Minecraft movie, but I've also read that like the first cut of it was very much more like natural Libre, napoleon, diamond, gentlemen, broncos. And then, you know, the studio came in and was like we're not doing that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we need pixelated. Yeah, we need this to be a kid's movie.
Speaker 2:Um, I don't know, natural Libre I I found somewhat enjoyable but, like I said, I think it does fall apart. I gave it, I think, three and a half stars, uh, so I don't know if it's green for me, but man, uh, just some, a movie like that shouldn't look that good. Jack black, you know, playing uh lucha libre again kind of like doesn't age Well, uh, not kind of doesn't age well, uh, and, but there are some funny bits in it. Uh, I will say uh from watching it for the first time. But uh, yeah, I'm not, I'm not, I don't have a, I don't have a history with it, so I'm not tied to it being green.
Speaker 1:I mean I think we put it green and if we're over 10 at the end of this, then we understand that some films have to get cut. But for jack black's hall of fame career, I I think nacho libre starts out as green.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay next is tenacious D.
Speaker 3:Same with this movie, I mean.
Speaker 2:Not a great movie.
Speaker 3:No, not but.
Speaker 2:But, Iconic. Is iconic and important to the legend of Jack Black. Like recognizes.
Speaker 3:Particularly the pick of Destiny 2. Yeah, you know like cause there's several Tenacious D's out there and it. Yeah, it's not a good movie at all, but considering that this is literally his actual band, him in um what's his name?
Speaker 2:kyle kyle.
Speaker 3:Um, I think it's definitely it needs to be it's part of the lore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is yeah of jack black absolutely and I think that's also really interesting about jack black is that, like, even though he has been a movie star for since the early two thousands, doesn't, doesn't hit all the time, but he keeps coming back, he keeps, he keeps. You know like again, I haven't seen the Minecraft movie. I'm sure I would hate it if I did see it, but guess what? He's going to be in another big movie in fucking eight months because the guy just resurrects. Um.
Speaker 1:So I think again, tenacious, much like natural libre, starts out green and we'll see where we're at I agree, pretty green year then for him in 2006, because the next one, the holiday yeah, automatic green yeah, you think so I do yeah, okay, I think this is like some of his best acting Like straight up.
Speaker 3:It does show him in a different light than we're normally used to seeing him in, and I mean, obviously I'm a huge holiday fan. That's like my Christmas movie. But yeah, it's like interesting to see him in this role because it's like he really. This is where like I started to kind of like do I have like a little crush on Jack Black Like I. He became like this, really like this sweet guy you know, Kind of boy next door, yeah.
Speaker 3:And you're like oh, I, because in Shallow Howl, like he's not sweet. You know, like I mean at I because in Shallow Howl, like he is not sweet. You know, like I mean, at least I don't see him as that, like I mean he has like his moments, I guess.
Speaker 2:But his arc is to get sweet Right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but the holiday is just like he's just that. He's just such a good guy in the holiday. You know we love him. He is the boy next door.
Speaker 2:Kaylee told me this week. She said if it wasn't for the holiday, I don't know if I, you know we'd be together.
Speaker 3:I said why is that?
Speaker 2:Because, if I'm your Jack Black, then that's good.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's funny, I love that I can kind of see it. That's kind of funny.
Speaker 2:I mean kind of see it, that's kind of funny. I mean yeah, I okay, I mean I love, I love to see it green. Sure uh, margo at the wedding.
Speaker 1:I've never seen it, nope neither have I, and it's always one I've wanted to check out because it has a really good reputation. Um, how important is he to the film's overall success, which there's a lot of unsure. So that's on us. Yep red for now sorry, jack red for now.
Speaker 3:I like that uh, walk hard.
Speaker 2:The dewey cox story again. Just like showing up and doing a crazy awesome cameo. Uh, he's one of the beatles, right yeah, paul mccartney yeah, uh, really funny stuff, but much like anchorman, just not enough meat on the bone um.
Speaker 3:Next is be kind, rewind um from 2008. Fun movie.
Speaker 2:I've never seen this such a strange movie I remember I had seen it before and re-watched it this week. Michelle gondry film, uh, most most death, the first thing I said when it started. I was like where the fuck is most death and rewatched it this week, michelle Gondry film Most Death. The first thing I said when it started I was like where the fuck is Most Death?
Speaker 1:What happened to Most Death? He's chilling man. He's gone the same route as you know, the Erykah Badu's of the world and they just they limit their public appearances, and I think intentionally. You know I don't want to tie anything to like the political climate, but much of like how we saw dave chappelle kind of disappear. Yeah, when he felt that things in hollywood and um, just like in the entertainment industry, were really becoming like morally bankrupt, um decided to just sort of remove themselves. You know, most staff was somebody that was really tied to the Kanye West of the world and the Dave Chappelle's of the world and when, when I think the public spotlight around people that that someone like most staff was really close with began to get too much, he saw that as a sign to I'm going to sort of well, I love most stuff and I miss him the mighty most.
Speaker 2:Baby, yeah, um, yeah, this movie is fun, really fun, I mean it's. It's kind of a movie about making movies uh in the most like dirt. Like uh dirt budget way Uh, and has like Mia Farrow and Danny Glover um in this film and like just kind of like I don't know, just a weird original film.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, it's at best yellow, but it's a really, it's a solid movie. Um, following that is Kung Fu Panda. Now, unlike something like Ice age or shark tale, this is now a movie that will forever be in children's pop cult, in the, in the zeitgeist of child's pop culture, um, and you know whether or not he continues to shepherd this film into the 2020s. I'm not sure have we had a Kung Fu Panda yet in the 2020s?
Speaker 2:Kung Fu Panda 4 came out, came out last year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow, so this train is still moving full steam ahead. This is green.
Speaker 2:Yes, I think you could package all four of the movies together I think we just put in kung fu panda, but yeah, I think the first one is is the most important. I haven't seen all four, but no, I think I've seen two, maybe, but uh yeah, kung fu panda is an awesome film this has like one of those, um, like a fan base kind, kind of like Shrek does. Yes, you know Totally.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So definitely green Next is Tropic Thunder, which I could do a whole episode on this movie.
Speaker 1:You were lying about a lot of green coming up. No, you don't like Tropic Thunder. No, I'm saying you weren't lying, oh, weren't.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:About. A lot of green said were too. I was like, hey, we're gonna fight right now again just like, so green like he is, and you're right, your your theory about him being better as a supporting actor in these films and in the big comedies in the big comedies.
Speaker 2:Yeah for him. I mean, he's second build, right, uh, behind ben stiller, um and in front of robert downey jr, which is crazy, but the fact that this movie even exists. Like re-watching this, I was just like, oh my god, this is like one of the funniest movies ever drop it.
Speaker 1:It is tropic thunder and you cannot say this about very about too many other films, like maybe one or two of the yaptow films, like I think super bad is a little bit like this. Tropic thunder is like this, but they exist in the same universe as like the best episode of a of south park where you could just never go back and cancel it because everyone's catching strays Like there's.
Speaker 1:You know there's an incredible cast, an amazing cast that is so well executed in, in being a parody and being a satire and being all these different things to where like you would just sound like an idiot if you tried to go back and and cancel Like you've never. You always hear this. Like you never hear somebody go back and say like we got to cancel South Park. It's just like no man. South Park takes shots at everybody. Tropic Thunder, same energy.
Speaker 2:Just insane. I remember in the theater watching this and then like, and the first thing that you see are these fake, like trailers, you know. Know, like big ass booties or booty sweat, and like the toby mcguire, kirk lazarus fucking, uh, uh, what is it? They're like monks or something. Uh, just insane. Or scorcher six, you know. Oh, my god, it's so funny. And then simple jack, simple jack.
Speaker 2:Tom cruise in here, bill haters, in here, steven coogan, danny mcbride kind of announces danny mcbride to everybody, um, but jack black, as the also he's doing. He's, you know, poking fun at fucking eddie murphy for the the clumps parody, the fats or whatever. It's just like this drug addict, fucking psychopath. He's amazing. He's amazing in this.
Speaker 3:I think this is one of the funniest movies of our generation.
Speaker 2:I'm not even kidding.
Speaker 3:Like I rewatched this a few months ago and I just sat there with my jaw dropped the whole time Just thinking like I don't know how many other movies I've seen that are like as, because this is funny, like on a big scale, you know. Like, whereas like I have a really niche sense of humor Sometimes, this is so like much bigger than that you're, you're so.
Speaker 1:You're absolutely right because like it's minute by minute, scene by scene, laugh out loud, funny, but then big picture wise. You're like you're just this is so smart and really funny and really well thought out. Yeah, we're like they had to have just been in the writer's room going like crazy, having so much fun well, I don't know if we'll ever have anything ever like this again.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, definitely green. Yeah, speaking of niche humor, the next movie is definitely one of my niche really loves interesting have you guys ever seen? Yeah, I saw it in the theater really okay so 2009, the movie year one, came out, and he plays Zed alongside Michael Cera, and this is definitely like a very like not everyone's cup of tea, but it's my cup of tea.
Speaker 1:Interesting. I've never seen that, not mine.
Speaker 3:It is. That's OK. I don't know a lot of people who like this, other than me and my best friend and I did have, like some of my friends in high school, we quoted this movie.
Speaker 3:This was like your junior or senior year, so yeah and it was like me and a couple friends of mine were obsessed with this movie, would quote it all the time and it is so fucking weird and random. But it is absolutely like. In my eyes, this movie kills me. It is so quotable and just weird and it the movie is about like what like they're in what like?
Speaker 2:this caveman.
Speaker 3:They're like cave yeah, kind of like, like, and they're like basically um jack black and michael sarah like, leave their little tribe in the woods to go out and explore and then they come across like I don't even know what you would call the group that they stumble upon nomads nomads yeah and um, it's just there's a lot of cameos in this movie too.
Speaker 3:We have, like we have paul rudd, bill haters in this. Yeah, I, I love this movie. Is I don't it would be green in my eyes just because, like me personally, but I can recognize that this is not green let's put yellow.
Speaker 2:I've never seen it yellow's fine that's okay uh, gulliver's travels. The only thing I know about this movie is that emily blunt decided to do this over iron man 2 yeah, it's too bad.
Speaker 1:Is this supposed to be? Yeah, I don't know. I'm I'm not going to comment on this film. I've never seen it. Um, I I know it's adapted from a really popular book, book yeah, children's book um, it's an old story yeah, I don't again. I don't really think it has much importance. I think at the time I was trying to do something and got a lot of press around it.
Speaker 2:It's got a 4.9 out of 10 on imdb, so that's a no um.
Speaker 1:Kung fu panda 2 follows that. We have already discussed that. Kung fu panda is in as a as an entire franchise. Following that, he does bernie. Now, bernie's a really interesting movie because you could also make the case that this is some of his best serious, dramatic, while also being the jack black who we know and love by the time we get to 2011, like comedic acting but bernie really successful film that he is the star of and again link later working with link later.
Speaker 2:Uh, matthew mcconaughey, shirley um mclean, mclean. Yeah, such an interesting movie I. I've seen it multiple times. I went back and re-watched it this week. I, he's amazing, he's really amazing. He gets the scene in it, of course, because he's jack black.
Speaker 1:Uh, he is like he gets to do, kind of like the costume thing he gets.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he gets to dress up, he puts on a funny voice, he is like charming and funny, but then also like demented and scary. Um, yeah, this is kind of like robin williams doing uh, you know, one hour photo or something like that. Um, and the way this movie is also made, like link later interviewed. It's like documentary but then a retelling of what happened with with actors as well, but he like interviewed actual people from the town carthage in texas, which is really interesting, and those people are like characters upon themselves. Um, I, I really like this performance.
Speaker 1:Yeah I think it's green. Yeah, when I took a first pass at all the movies I was like, well, okay, Bernie's green.
Speaker 2:The Big Year, Him and Steve Martin, Owen Wilson Birdwatching. I'm familiar with this. I feel like I've started this movie seven times and never gotten past about 30 minutes. So I'm going to say red.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a couple of uncredited roles. Um, there was a Muppets film in 2011. I'm unfamiliar if that was a big success or not.
Speaker 2:Jason Segel Amy.
Speaker 1:Adams, yeah, okay, wow.
Speaker 2:He shows up for a cup of coffee.
Speaker 1:Um then sex tape and the D train, I would say, are both red. But then that takes us to Goosebumps. Now Goosebumps is really interesting because this completely revitalizes a beloved children's series, young adult book series that we all grew up with. We all grew up with and that has now because of the work that jack black, rl stein and everyone else did by bringing you know kind of the four or five classic stories to the big screen. In this film adaptation these books are completely back now, like we just had this classic book fair, and there are new iterations of goosebump stories. A lot of the original series have been reissued now and so you know, like Werewolf of Fever Swamp and Slappy the Dummy, like kids nowadays still know about these iconic books and stories that we all grew up with because of this film.
Speaker 1:So I think it's less successful ultimately than his work in like kung fu panda or probably what the minecraft legacy is going to be. How much is he really going to be tied to the success of something like super mario brothers and that movie was huge and we'll see what happens with that franchise. But like again, this is that hybrid storytelling of like there's a ton of computer graphics in this movie, but so many kids watched Goosebumps and were introduced to the real Jack Black not the voice of Jack Black, but Jack Black as RL Stein. So I think this movie is really important. I don't know where you guys stand with it.
Speaker 2:To be honest, I've never seen it.
Speaker 3:I've never seen it either, but you know I can understand why, like what you're saying. But you know I can understand why, like what you're saying, I think that there's other movies to come though that are more important to be recognized, like I think this is definitely yellow because I don't know how successful Goosebumps was, but I can, like I don't know. Yeah, I mean, I think that it is nice to like kind of reopen this can of worms of goosebumps and kind of give this younger generation a chance to, like you know, explore these movies, because he has another one that comes out a few years later, but I don't know that it's like as important as some of the other movies. But I don't know. What do you guys think?
Speaker 2:I think it kind of comes down to like how do you compare it up against something like Jumanji?
Speaker 1:Well, so to me it's goosebumps is Jack, black is Jack steering the ship. Whereas Jumanji is the rock and it's Kevin Hart right it's more of an ensemble that he is a huge part of and maybe the Jumanji movies ultimately have a better box office. But I can guarantee that a lot of kids probably went to go see Jumanji and were like, oh, that's the guy I saw in goosebumps. And now he's here with Kevin Hart. Right he must be cool.
Speaker 2:Like he must be really cool. Yeah, um, I, I'm. I'm fine with putting it green, I love it.
Speaker 1:That doesn't mean it has to stay, but I think goosebumps is green Okay.
Speaker 2:Uh is green. Okay, I can tell you right now, the polka keen is is a big fat red okay thanks for doing the work horrendous. Yeah, I thought maybe you know a stealth netflix hidden gem hidden gem. No, it's bad, he's bad in it. The accent is bad, the premise is dumb like even though it's based on a true story. The music sucks.
Speaker 1:Is he trying to be the john candy character, the polka king from?
Speaker 2:no home alone movies. No, not even that maybe would have been more exciting, probably. And then we get to jumanji um, which, again like a huge franchise. Now I believe a third one is on the way. Uh, jack black is, you know what? He's part of this ensemble cast, probably third fiddle. Uh, to the rock, kevin hart, um, and however I, I do always, I mean again lots of memes, right, like lots of lots of talk of you know he is, he's embodied, his character in the game is embodied by a teenage girl, right, is that correct in this story? Yeah, so then, he is extremely goofy. This movie is fucking hilarious. Yeah, I'm unfamiliar.
Speaker 3:I loved this movie. I've not seen the haven't, I haven't seen the second one and I I don't really have a need to, but I went into. I remember seeing this movie in theaters when I lived in california and thinking like this is gonna blow, like this is so stupid, like the concept, and it was fucking hilarious. And jack black made this movie funny.
Speaker 3:He is, I mean, kevin hart and the rock are funny together, but they're kind of like it's like expected like it's like I, they're not really my type of humor, but because, like, I mean, that is kind of the spoiler alert that, like, jack black's character shows up as, like, when they show up in the game, he is the girl which in the group and so, um, or, the hot girl there's two girls and so, um, you don't really expect that to happen and I just that moment was absolutely fucking hilarious and and it was, it was just like I, I don't know, I I loved this movie. I it surprisingly like really worked for me and I've watched, re-watched it and um, it's just like one of those it's, it's, it's really not like the greatest comedy ever, but it worked, I mean.
Speaker 2:And sounds like a pg of Tropic Thunder. Yeah, right, where he is, he's kind of the third, the third guy and like kind of steals the show.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and there's some funny like just there's some really good comedic moments throughout with everybody. But I think that he is why this movie is so funny.
Speaker 2:Let's, let's put it green. Yeah, don't worry, he won't get far on foot. A movie that's been on my watch list for a long time Joaquin Phoenix, jonah Hill, jack Black never seen it, I didn't get to it this week.
Speaker 1:Prioritize the Polka King over it, I chose. Rome. Kind of a rough 2018, then, because he follows it up with the unexpected race. Playing sheriff, I'm familiar with that the house with a clock in its walls, which I thought was a goosebumps two movie. Um, he plays jonathan barvinelt and I'm also unfamiliar with that film and then an uncredited role in the sequel to goosebumps 2 we've already put goosebumps as green so uncredited, so like he's not even that you know.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's just like an intro like a crypt keeper kind of like hey, I'm gonna welcome you to the next stories or whatever. And then he's out.
Speaker 3:Interesting.
Speaker 1:Probably busy filming Jumanji.
Speaker 3:The Next.
Speaker 1:Level which comes out in 2019, which we've already inducted that as well. Then we return to another Linklater film in 2022, there Apollo 10 and a half.
Speaker 3:Have you guys seen this?
Speaker 1:Yes, when it came out. But, as you know, I don't think it's really one that he's tied to necessarily.
Speaker 3:That's Link later.
Speaker 1:That's the animation, the main character of Stanley. He does the voice work once the story kind of takes a shift out of being fascinated with NASA and space exploration and stuff, but again one that like when I watched the movie it wasn't like, oh awesome. The voice work of jack black is like taking this to the next level. You know, link later's animation, that that rotoscope style, um, and everything that he does when, when he makes an animated movie. That's what you're focused on.
Speaker 3:It's funny because when I looked I I watched this for the first time today and and when I was looking at all those lists ranking movies, this was at the very top, because it's highly. I mean people love the movie, yeah it is a good movie, but yeah, he just does the voice and narrates the whole movie pretty much.
Speaker 1:And then one I'd never his other work there in 2022. The weird al yankovic story. Um, I'm familiar with this movie, never seen awesome movie.
Speaker 2:Very weird al he shows up as like a cameo gotcha much like dewey cox or something gotcha um, and now we've made it to the last couple of years here super mario bros he plays bowser.
Speaker 1:This stuff I never. I have not seen this movie I don't like this movie.
Speaker 2:It's a kid's movie. It's made for kids. Uh, it's huge. He was, I believe, wasn't the song nominated that he sings peaches, peaches, yeah for a fucking academy award I'm not sure about that.
Speaker 2:I don't know or maybe there was a push to nominate it, um, but that was a huge. I mean he's, I don't know I. Is it because he's the voice of bowser that this movie was so huge? Or is it because of the ip of mario right? Like I don't I, I don't know. I just remember hating this movie. I remember hating it. He's probably the best part of it. Um, it's not, chris.
Speaker 1:Pratt is Mario. I mean, like I'm trying to, yeah, Chris.
Speaker 2:Pratt is Mario, charlie day is Luigi, uh uh, keegan. Michael key is toad. On your Taylor Joy is princess peach. I mean on your taylor joy as princess peach. I mean it's a. It's a huge movie with a huge cast and once again, like he is, he is at the center of this and does huge box office.
Speaker 1:Uh, in the same I think it came out in march or april or something kind of the same as minecraft here, um, but I I don't think it's, I don't think it's hall of fame worthy interesting just I mean he plays the villain right and I'm sure he will be in the multiple sequels and spinoffs and whatnot as bowser going forward but which, like you know what, like if I'm jack black, I'm going to nintendo and whoever else and I'm just like, run me my money. Yeah, like cash, that check, keep it going, yeah but yeah, it's red for me okay, I mean I'll defer to you on this.
Speaker 1:I think that we've done a pretty good job of of highlighting his contributions to the world of animation, family and child's entertainment and animation at the theater. It's not kung fu panda, but it's not kung Fu Panda.
Speaker 2:I think that needs to be the level the bar for any sort of animated film. Then Kung Fu Panda 4, which we've already got, the first one in Borderlands. It's like one of the worst movies of the decade. Apparently, still haven't seen it. Eli Roth film Again, teams with Kate. Eli Roth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, kate Blanchett is also in this film Kevin Hart, kevin Hart, they must have a great relationship, yeah just all his buddies.
Speaker 2:But he is doing voice work in this. He's not actually. He's like a robot or something.
Speaker 1:Nominated for the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor. Can't be putting that in.
Speaker 3:Nope, that's a red 2024 also featured the film free lsd, which uh great title.
Speaker 2:He plays the crazed scientist might need to youtube.
Speaker 1:That combination probably pretty funny.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I need to uh look up some highlight reel moments sounds like some bill hater, pineapple express cameo stuff going on there that's great.
Speaker 1:And then, dear santa, you know my beloved paramount plus released this at the end of last year, did not fire it up, you know I was going to and then we decided to do. You know it didn't quite fit basically into our like christmas cringe, because I was right when I was cranking through all those streamers, um and for stuff, saw it there was featured on the homepage for a couple of weeks, but you know more, more of that kind of like the Eddie Murphy one that we talked about. We were like this is not Christmas cringe, because it's like the, the Christmas family adventure kind of movie.
Speaker 1:I feel like it was more of that than what we were focusing on. So no, didn't get to it.
Speaker 2:Well, it's, it's. It's a great piece of casting, because if you've seen Jack black lately, I mean he looks like real life Santa.
Speaker 1:So uh, and also kind of, and he can look like.
Speaker 2:Satan with those eyebrows? Yeah, and he can make them. He can make them into horns.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. Um, and then that brings 2025 and a Minecraft movie, of course, as, as Steve the lead character, um, I think probably too early to tell the verdicts out, and also to if super Mario brothers the movie is not making it in, I don't know if a Minecraft movie needs to make it in either.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Gave us the opportunity to celebrate him with this episode. Um his other listed feature, though, though for 2025,.
Speaker 2:Max.
Speaker 1:I got to pull you in here and tell us how you feel because you had just mentioned the original Anaconda on last week's episode is like a guilty pleasure. Animal attack movie.
Speaker 2:Well, guess what? It's going to have its moment because people are going to return to it now, with Jack Black and Paul Rudd rebooting this anaconda series that's fucking sick I think it is really sick, it's very exciting, uh, and we are. People are definitely going to go back and revisit that first film and they're going to realize what we had in the 90s damn john Voight in a ponytail.
Speaker 1:Jon Voight.
Speaker 2:Just checking out J-Lo constantly.
Speaker 1:You put that much more diplomatically than I would. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I cannot wait for this. I've read that it's going to be much more comedic and more like parody style. But I mean Paul Rud and jack black I in the amazon hunting snakes I'm in. I'm in yeah, I'll be in the theater okay, do you have a digital?
Speaker 1:uh, have you been running this?
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, let me. Let me count them up real quick, if you want to please and thank you.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, I don't know. Is there, erica? Is there any role that you would like to see Jack Black do that he hasn't done yet? Like you know, I'm I'm trying to picture not that there is like room for for him and maybe something like an action, sort of historical epic, but I'm like that's something that we haven't really seen him in sort of historical epic, but I'm like that's something that we haven't really seen him in. Like, could you dress him up and put him in, like whether it's TV or movie, but like a Ridley Scott film, something like a game of Thrones movie? I'm like somewhere where he could be like a court gesture kind of person. Like, could he have maybe a run in his fifties and sixties and maybe even into his seventies, where he, like he becomes a Willem Dafoe in some of these genre pictures? Do you see him going that route?
Speaker 3:Unfortunately no, and I hate to even like I love this man so much and I just would love to see him get that kind of success or like a more serious role, but I just don't role um, but I just don't. I think it's his career is too established that it would take you out of like a movie like that, where, like then, we wouldn't really be taking him seriously. You know, what I was thinking of is seeing him maybe in, like in horror. You know, like I'm curious, like what that would feel like in, and maybe not something like you know, like what you and I are into, like I'm curious like what that would feel like in, and maybe not something like you know, like what you and I are into, like the kind of like like really dark horror and stuff, but maybe something a little bit more like light-hearted or at least just kind of um like maybe campy, like I don't know. I I'd like to see him in something like that you know what I could have seen him in?
Speaker 1:like think of ethan hawke in the original purge. Yeah, I could see him in something like that. You know what I could have seen him in? Think of Ethan Hawke in the original Purge. Yeah, I could see him doing something like that.
Speaker 3:That's kind of what I'm thinking, but I think that where he's at right now just really suits him oh yeah.
Speaker 3:He really has made this little nest for himself in Hollywood and it just works for who he is in hollywood and it just works for who he is, you know, and he's grown out of that like kind of that like, maybe like stoner humor, like, and because I even see like him in school of rock, kind of like that. You know he's still this, like you know, deadbeat, like hungover dude coming to work and shit, but um, and you know he's, he's grown, he's like really made a name for himself in these family movies, which is fine. I don't want to like ever put actors like in a box and like just say that you can't ever leave that, but it just really works for who he is. Because, like I see so many people talk about how Jack is really just playing himself in a lot of movies and a lot of roles these days where he's just he shows up to these events, just as as that and like, and then you see that translated in his roles. So similarly, you know, and so he, he, like he fits really well with what he's doing.
Speaker 3:But that's not to say that, like you know, I would love to see him in another role, like the holiday, you know, like he he was. He's a very like endearing soul, so to see him in something more emotional would be nice too and just sweet. So I don't know. But I just found out about this anaconda remake today when I was looking and I got so fucking hyped like I loved the original. Um, that was a movie I would rent at the, the hollywood video often it's gonna be a big uh paul rudd year.
Speaker 2:Uh he's. He's already come out in death of a unicorn, he's doing anaconda and he's also got this movie called friendship, which is yes supposed to be just fucking hilarious like one of the funniest movies with uh tim tim, what's his name? Yeah, I think I, I think we, you should leave now, or whatever.
Speaker 3:I think you should leave Tim Robinson. Yeah, tim Robinson, yeah, yeah, yeah, that'll be good.
Speaker 2:Uh well, team, listen I. I know we're professionals here, because do we we? Got 10 on the head, no way 10 greens, 10 greens. The 10 are saving Silverman school of rock. Saving Silverman School of Rock, natural Libre, Tenacious D, the Holiday, kung Fu Panda, tropic Thunder, bernie, goosebumps, jumanji. Okay, we've got six yellows and those are year one Be Kind Rewind.
Speaker 1:King Kong, orange County, shallow Howl. High Fidelity Okay Well, I feel great about hitting 10 on the nose, but I am wondering now, is there room to? Is there a conversation to be had around moving something like maybe the pick?
Speaker 2:of destiny out? You don't think so I think. If anything moves out, I think it's Nacho Libre. Really no, I think.
Speaker 3:If anything moves out, it's either Goosebumps or Jumanji, because they're so similar.
Speaker 1:I think respectfully that you cannot leave out Tenacious D just considering, like the impact, the impact of of what tenacious d is, and then argue with that and then say I do like the similarity conversation to be had between goosebumps and jumanji yeah, and then um the thing is what do we want to move in, if, if we move something, I I mean, for me it would be High Fidelity or King Kong or Orange County.
Speaker 3:Right, and I would agree with that too. I'm almost thinking like well, I've seen, I've never. It's, it's too bad. I didn't get around to watching. I watched High Fidelity. I didn't get around to watching I watched High Fidelity. I didn't love it. I mean it was good, but I didn't see Be Kind Rewind that's kind of my problem. Or Orange County, so I don't know.
Speaker 1:You guys take the lead on that, be Kind. Rewind is not Hall of Fame worthy.
Speaker 3:But what about Orange County?
Speaker 1:If someone out there who is a huge Orange County fan and has that in their letterbox top four.
Speaker 2:I'm sure can make a great case for it, and I would be left saying sure, okay, but I feel like Orange County touches some of the same things that he does in Saving.
Speaker 1:Silverman and School of Rock Agreed, that's fair.
Speaker 3:Agreed King.
Speaker 1:Kong's the most unique king.
Speaker 2:Kong's the most unique king kong's most unique, but we have bernie and the holiday in there. King kong, you know, kind of is in that realm as far as like, just like a straight actor, straight man uh, which one would you move out max jumanji or goosebumps, to get something like king kong in I don't know, probably jumanji, um, because even though I, I mean to be honest, I haven't seen either goosebumps or jumanji.
Speaker 2:However, goosebumps, as you said, was driven by jack black, whereas jumanji, however, goosebumps, as you said, was driven by Jack Black, whereas Jumanji he is doing the Tropic Thunder thing or the again Saving Silverman thing, where he's part of a group and makes the movie funny and, without him, probably falls flat. Maybe we just leave it how we have it. Yeah, I mean I, yeah, I, I don't know. When you fire up king kong, it's not like you just wait till you see jack black in this no, I'm like just wait till you see.
Speaker 3:Kyle chandler, that's what I'm saying I think, that like, come you know, making this list. Really like, when I think about making like a top 10 of somebody's work, I'm thinking that I'm going to present this to someone who doesn't know who Jack Black is Right. You know, and some of it, and just be like this these are the movies that like really not only embody his like him as an actor, but also just some of his greatest roles, and if some of them are similar then I guess you know, so be it.
Speaker 2:You know that's, that's okay, like well, and also we always like to have that one film on the side. That's just like it's not in, but it's for the real heads and maybe king kong or orange county or year one or year one is is kind of that like get through these 10 and then, like you can really dig into some gems.
Speaker 1:I agree with that.
Speaker 2:Okay, we leave it as is. I can't believe we nailed it. 10 on that, that's pretty amazing.
Speaker 1:I love that. Okay, any final thoughts on Jack Black Max? Any role you would love to see him in?
Speaker 2:I'm ready for his Good Will Hunting turn, going for the Oscar Robin Williams style. I want to see him do something serious. I want to see him calm down. I want to see his beard groomed. I want to see him maybe work out a little bit. Yeah, I'd love to see him do something opposite of what he's been doing for probably since King Kong or the holiday.
Speaker 1:There's room for it right. I think there's room for all three of the things that we've mentioned.
Speaker 2:And again, much like Robin Williams, he has built up such a familiar like. We are familiar with him, we like him's. He's charming. I I think if he did go for something like that, like we would go along with the ride, yeah, and we would probably love him, and not that he needs to star as somebody, but like again, as like a, a supporting actor in something serious, maybe sentimental, because we know he can do that, he can touch hearts and I'm ready for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm thinking of like Adam Sandler as well. Right, yeah. Where's the punch drunk love for for Jack Black? That would be really cool. I think you could pull that off as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but you know, until then he's just going to keep cashing checks checks, I mean for kids.
Speaker 1:Yeah, his net worth has got to be insane after all this work. Unbelievable. That's crazy stuff. Okay, so that does it for our conversation on Jack Black, the Minecraft movie or a Minecraft movie and his Hall of Fame discussion. Next week on the show we have Sinners.
Speaker 1:The movie calendar is finally starting to pick up a little bit, so I'm not sure exactly how we want to fashion this discussion. Ryan coogler, extremely interesting filmmaker. We can talk about vampires. We can do it all next week. Michael b jordan a little bit as well. Um, so really looking forward to that that. That was definitely one of our most anticipated films of the year when we had that discussion earlier, so really looking forward to that. That. That was definitely one of our most anticipated films of the year when we had that discussion earlier, so really looking forward to that. In the meantime, please follow the three of us on letterboxd track. We're watching between shows and we'll talk to you next time on excuse the intermission where movies still matter. Thank you.
