020: Babel (2006)

IT'S ALL CONNECTED! For April, the boys split up an travel to Morrocco, Japan, Mexico, and the United States to explore Alejandro González Iñárritu's 2006 film Babel! The Auteur recruits the talets of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett for a best picture nominee that connects us all through small actions and a rifle! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:24

So I can watch Degrassi.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

Are you doing a Degrassy rewatch or first watch?

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Uh, sort of both.

unknown 0:33

Nice.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Like, yeah, basically, like some number of years ago, I was like, I should just watch Degrassi. And I like watched all of the original series from like the 80s. Um, and then I started The Next Generation and from the 2000s, and then I moved here, and then I fell upon fell away from it. And then I came back and I got to like season six, but that had like characters who were finally aged into college, and that felt too real. Because it was all like, it's so stressful doing things. And I'm like, it is stressful doing things. I can't deal with that right now. Um, and uh but then I like went back to it, and I've just been it's just a thing to throw on when I have like nothing to do, you know, because they're like short episodes, right? So now I'm on like they're meant to be like 30 minutes of television, so it's actually like 20 minutes an episode, you know. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Um yeah, you can just like throw it on, and so now I'm on like season nine of the next generation.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Nice. Yeah. Um cool, cool. Welcome to Eyes Wide Watch Club, everyone.

SPEAKER_05 1:50

It is April.

SPEAKER_06 1:52

Yeah, sorry. It is April? Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

It is April. Everything is going great in the world, you know. Uh everything's great in the Middle East. We've had peace. Uh, you know, everything's good. And America, meanwhile, is just being run by Illumination and the Super Mario Brothers movie. Uh, did you know? Did you know Yoshi is played by childish Gambino? Uh yeah. Which I'm sure everyone Did you take Maya to see that yet?

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Okay. We asked her if she wanted to go and she said no. And we were like, and she said no. And I said, Okay. And then Merriam and I had uh you know, we went to the city and we went to like a show, and so my sister had her. She comes back and she's like, Oh yeah, I saw the Mario movie. And I'm like, You what? And I'm like, I think you don't want to go. And she's like, Oh, I saw it with with with with my with my with my aunt. And I'm like, Oh, okay. F us then.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

Did you like did Miriam like did you like call Miriam's sister and be like, hey, what the hell?

SPEAKER_02 3:05

Like, we're gonna we're gonna my sister.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

Oh, your sister. Did you call your sister? And was like, what the hell?

SPEAKER_02 3:15

No, because she took she took us, she took it for the whole weekend so we could go to uh Jason's uh hibachi dinner party, and then we were at Dan's until like three in the morning. Uh as as we do. And Dan got very drunk, and his brothers got very well, not his brother got real drunk, and then Andy got real drunk as has as happens, and then I went home and passed out. You'll be like that. And then Miriam and I went to see Haley Williams the day after it was fun.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

I was I was gonna not to get I was gonna ask you. I remember I I you know I I was cleaning up the next morning and I thought to myself, oh my god, like Gene's in the city today. How is he doing this? But I rem but yeah, so anyway, but yeah, everyone else got drunk.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

Gene was in a 1032. I thought it's like 30, 10 30 in the morning, so it was great.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

No, yeah, but no, that sounds cool.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Which is like three, four hours later than my usual wake-up time, so yeah. Uh uh, so yeah, uh Jason uh Remington, you gotta join us for hibachi. We we did it for we did it for Josh's birthday, and we loved it. We really enjoyed it. So now we we've now we did it for Jason's birthday. So now this might be what we do for birthdays now. Yeah, I think hibachi's great. I feel like that might be our new birthday thing, and it's really fun every time.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

The guy the guy that we had uh for Jason's birthday was very good. He was so good. The guy we had for Josh's birthday was good. No, they were both good, but this guy had more like this guy was like carrot top. He was pulling out props and stuff.

SPEAKER_02 4:45

Um we all got free drinks that night. Or I was in the original catching up, we're gonna talk about the movie. We all hey before we talk about okay. There was this man, this older, this older white man in a USMC t-shirt. I guess he was in the Marines.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Oh, yeah. I still don't know who he was.

SPEAKER_02 5:02

Well, we do we don't know his name, but apparently, like he's at Saki often, and Jason does is at Saki all the time, so Jason just like befriended him and he just paid for all our drinks, like everybody's drinks.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

Oh, is that what happened?

SPEAKER_02 5:15

Like most yes. Did you not notice your check didn't have a single drink of alcohol on it?

SPEAKER_00 5:19

I did not notice.

SPEAKER_02 5:21

I your check was only dinner, if it was like my check. He covered everyone's drinks. Well, that's interesting. Really, we don't know who this man is. He just befriended Jason that worked on our favor. He got that marine money, he got that he oh yeah, yeah, because he left in like a souped up like muscle car, like a like a new one, you know, driving real fast down the parking lot. And I'm like, who is this man? I'm like, I I'm convinced he's like a senator because he's an old white man. So you know, he checks all the boxes. Um so my point is if you just join us at Saki, you'll just get free alcohol of good amount of it's pretty it it happens like more often than not.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Yeah, I'm I actually love hibachi, so yeah, man.

SPEAKER_02 6:05

Emily comps one drink for us usually anyway, right, Dan? Our bartender, yes. Our bartender will usually comp one drink for it's really good. She's great. Yeah, we'll bring you to Saki, it's fun. Uh anyways, let's talk about this podcast and we'll talk about it next time Remy can visit us.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

All right. Uh anyway, but so that's right. We're in April. Uh it's very hot in New York. It's supposed to be supposed to be cold next week.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

It's so hot. But anyway, I'm not in my trademark blazer tonight.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

I know, I did notice that. Uh, I always notice that when I go back to edit. Uh, I'm like, oh my god, Remington's really playing the bit. Like, I notice. I notice.

SPEAKER_02 6:46

Uh yes, I yeah. Well, I think to Miriam, like, we didn't even ease into the heat like we're supposed to. We just jumped until like July, and I'm like, I need to ease into this.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

Yeah, yeah, it's yeah.

SPEAKER_05 6:58

It'll be cooler tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

I was um not to not to but I was I was telling uh Gene earlier, Remington, uh, that I I have such a bad sweat problem, like my pits. Like, even even when it's not summer, I'll put on a shirt and I'll just immediately start sweating like my pits, like through my shirt. And especially in the summer, my my AC doesn't work well in my car, and I wear like button-down, like I I dress like a like a functioning adult for work, um, and like a button-down shirt, all nice. And I'll get into my office and my like my pits are just uh the shirt is just destroyed. Like it the I I relate so hard with within like the first 20 minutes of me putting the shirt on, mind you, like this has always been, and I don't even really wear like tight shirts or anything, but same thing with t-shirts, but so I literally had to, I bought um like a sweat blocking wipe on Amazon for your pits. Surprisingly, and it's supposed to last seven days, um, because only there's only like a pack of ten for like 20 bucks. I gotta say, so far, so good. It's worked good. I still get sweat stains, but not like but not like if I wear a light colored dress shirt at work, dude, game over. Game over. Like it's just it just my pits are just it just like like down my my whole sides are like just I don't know what like I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 8:32

So like as a as a also as a as a working adult, like who it lives in a major city so as to like walk everywhere and then also catch like a train or two, like you just get so sweaty this time of year. Yeah, it's a joke. Even during winter, because like you'll be like in your winter clothes, right outside, and then you get on the train, which is warm, and you're but you're like heart's racing because you had to run to catch the train, you know.

SPEAKER_00 8:57

So thank you. It could happen in the winter too.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Yes. Um, so like I'll just be I'll just like look down and I'll see like random sweat stains all over my shirt, and I'll just like oh motherfucker.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Like, yeah, it's it can get me so happy.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

I'm like, how do you people do it? I look around on the train, like you guys have been doing this. Some people carry like little fans with them to like try to like stay cool, you know, like um to try to like mitigate. Other people are wealthy enough just to like Uber every day. I don't I don't fucking understand I don't understand. Like, yeah, it's rough out here on these streets, is what I'm saying. Like, I was cool doing it every day, you have money. Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

Like I was saying, I was telling Gene, I bought, like, I just looked up like sweat block, like wipe, uh, and I and it's like twenty dollars for a 10-pack, but apparently the one pack is supposed to last you the entire week, and it and so far it works. Like right now, I have no sweat stains on this shirt, dude. My fucking shirt right now would be drenched if I like anyway. Um but uh so thank you, Jeff Bezos, my overlord, uh, my billionaire overlord. Um anyway, uh Gene. Yep, you had a movie this month, buddy, that we all watched. Tell us about it. Yeah. Introduce it.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Oh, the the the Fantastic Four. Uh okay. Yeah, so we watched Babbel, the 2006, right? Yep. Release by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu. Um it stars. Okay, technically, I was thinking about like like the order of the cast, which is really funny. Um, so Brad Pitt, right? First, Kate Blanchett, uh, and then you have Mohammed Um Akam, Peter Wright, Harriet Walter, Michael Maloney, Driss Rook, and then other people, right? Um Naomi Watts. Yes, Naomi Watts, El Fanning, Gaz Garcia Bernal, Michael Pena, too, in like a brief. Yeah. In the end. I know. I was yeah, I I was surprised by that. Um it's it's an ensemble uh, you know, cast, which is really fun. And um, yeah. Uh I have a lot of love for the director. Um, did he write it? No, he didn't write it. Okay. Um, I've talked about he usually doesn't write his movies. He wrote Bardo, and I think that might be it, but I'm not I'm not confident on that. I think so too, yeah. Um, but you know, he did Birdman. I really like Birdman. Um he and this is this is technically the third movie in uh a trilogy as it's known. Um basically like uh it's called he calls it Death Trilogy, with the first being um Amores Pedros, and the second being 21 Grams, and this is the third one, right?

SPEAKER_01 11:48

I watched the full trilogy for this, just so you know.

SPEAKER_02 11:50

Oh, you did. Nice.

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Um of his movies now. Is A Modus Petros all in Spanish? Uh yeah, yeah. It's like it's very Mexican.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Yeah. Yeah. I think that's uh I don't think 21 grams is, but modus pedos is very Mexican.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

No, 21 grams is mostly in English. There's a couple scenes in Spanish because like uh Benicio del Toro's uh character uh is Spanish speaking, so he has like some stuff like that, but like yeah, it's mostly in English.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

Yeah, but yeah, I I know Modus Pedos is a good Mexican movie. Um anyway, so yeah, um, this has been on my list for a while, and I figured now is a good time as any to watch it. So uh yeah. Uh let's hear some thoughts from the boys. Remington, you want to go first?

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Yeah, I did like this. Movie was good. Um no, it's it's uh yeah, like I said, I I did I did watch the full trilogy um for the for for the for this episode um because I had not seen the trilogy of death. It had been on my list for I have like a separate list for like film trilogies, because like the idea of like thematic trilogies is like a big thing for like O'Tor filmmakers, you know, just like a common idea that repeats across their filmography, but specifically maybe concentrated into like a a group of films, you know. Um so on that list, the the tril his trilogy of death um has has been there for a while. So I was like perfect opportunity. I will knock these out. Um, so it was interesting to see um play with this. I mean, like all of his films are very concerned with death, also very concerned with like masculinity, too, you know. Um so so these three are those three are no different. Babel is no different um in that respect. Uh but no, I I I did I did I did I did like the movie. Um I kind of feel similarly about all three of them, which is kind of like, yeah, this this is like there's some good performances here. Um there's definitely a lot going on. I don't know if like the nonlinear storytelling is like helping this or not, or it if it feels a little indulgent. Like it's less so in Babel. Um, but like the fact that like it's all it's all over the place, like, yeah, that that's interesting, but I don't I don't know if it needed to be like that. Um but no, I I I did I did I did I did like I did like I did I did like it. I I I am glad that you picked it.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

Yeah, so um I I have a a really interesting relationship with Inuritu. I it's funny, I I feel like he's one of the most acclaimed uh autore directors that we have, like in our time. And I I never really noticed how much of his movies I haven't seen, and he doesn't really have a large filmography. Uh The Revenant is on my top 50 of all time. Birdman, I absolutely think is a masterpiece. I'm so excited for Digger. Um, that is I I the the Tom Cruise uh return to indie film, every fucking trailer I see for for Digger, I am just head over heels. But it's funny how much I haven't seen of his work. Um, so I I'm really happy that you actually picked this Gene. Um and uh I remember I saw when I was really first getting into movies, um I think it was like YMS when I was watching like his top ten videos, like his big documentaries about the best movies of the year. He had Beautiful um in in one of his videos. Um, and I remember I was like when I first it was uh Javier Bardam starring, and it and it was like one of the first like indie movies. And I remember at the time I watched it and I thought, this is fucking stupid. Like, what is this? And uh I had no concept of like what an abstract movie was, and uh I I would need to re-watch it again today, but I I remember like thinking it sucked so hard.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

Um it's okay, it's not one of my favorites.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

I would I would love to, but yeah, and then I read up on um that this is the the uh uh Babble is the conclusion of his death trilogy. And um and uh I want to go back and watch the other ones because yeah, I've I've heard all the titles, like 21 Grams and Bardo, but anyway, so I was really excited because I thought, oh, okay, in Yuritu and Brad Pitt, right? And um I really like this movie. I I had a real it was really interesting watching it. Um however I struggled with it a little bit um in regards to how all of the storylines converge. Um it's kind of like one of those cases of like if this was made today, if this movie was made today, it would have just been a mini-series. And I kept thinking I thought about this movie a lot after I watched it, about how like, okay, if every storyline was broken up into an episode from start to finish in a miri in a miniseries, would the story really change that much? And I don't think it would. Um I think the movie looks amazing. I think it uh has great performances, like amazing performances, but the material at hand, I just don't know if it I I I there there's aspects of it that don't work as well as I think the movie thinks it's working, um, if that makes sense. Okay. Um but it but it overall I think it's very good. Um, you know, it's in Eure2 and and like the the star power is so good, like I think Brad Pitt is like so and Kate Winslet, like it's you know, it's Blanchette. Fanta fan or uh not Winslet, yeah, I'm sorry, Blanchett. Um fantastic in so many aspects, but um yeah, I I don't know. It it I don't know if um and the ending the ending scene I don't know if it earns it in a sense and I think it comes off a little silly, but I think all of the individual plot lines are worthwhile. So it it's one of those things where I feel like if this if this existed today as almost like a mini series, I almost I don't know if it would have worked a bit better, but um yeah, no, I overall I I'm positive on it. So yeah, um that's my thought.

SPEAKER_02 19:12

What do you think? That'd be an interesting cut of the movie, like um like recutting it where it's what is it? It so it's it's Morocco, Japan, Mexico, right? Yes, yeah. And so each episode is just like in one location the whole time. Yeah, that'd be an interesting cut, that'd be an interesting cut.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

Um I was just gonna say I wouldn't I don't think a miniseries is right. Um, because I know before I was like, I don't know if the non-linear storytelling is is like helping this, you know. Um I would just I would just recut it into a conventional um yeah, and make it make it a little more um straight straight going. Um because I think a miniseries like like what he's going for, right, like calling it babble, is he's kind of like saying like the world is smaller than you think, right? And how like all of these seemingly separate events in different parts of the world are actually interconnected in this way. Um and we are united, you know, in our suffering apparently, um, across language and culture um and geography. Um and I just and so you're you know, you're supposed to feel a bit of the juxtaposition. I think you lose that when you're when you're segmented off into like isolated episodes, you know. Um so I I I don't know if a mini-series would be my preferred um my preferred take. Uh but yeah, like like um so but yeah, so so so to me, like, like it wasn't like are we get to me it was like when I was watching this, did I feel like I was gaining something when watching the film uh as in Yuritu has it, where it's like, oh, it starts at the end, you know, you know, you know, once once once we once we once we find out that like did I feel that that earned me anything? Like, like no no, I I I I I didn't think that like um added anything to know to knowing it. But but I also think in the trilogy that this is like um the least uh the the smallest offender in terms of uh nonlinear storytelling that I don't think is necessarily adding something to the narrative. Um because they're all ever all of them in the trilogy are are nonlinear in in that respect. This is just the least nonlinear of of the th of the three, even though it is still nonlinear.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Um well what did what did you think of it? What do you what did you think of it, Gene? I'm curious.

SPEAKER_02 21:45

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, so what's like Dan I uh I don't I don't know if it enhances it. To me, I was kind of like, okay, yeah, this is like the framing, just like this the structure for the film. That's cool. Um, I quite enjoyed it. I don't know if I loved it, but I Did quite enjoy it if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 22:01

Um, we're all basically there, we're in the same place on this, I think.

SPEAKER_02 22:06

Yeah, and watching it, um, like yeah, like Remington said, like, you know, the overall theme is like, you know, the world's smaller than you think. And so I'm watching it, and I it, you know, it's a lot of like, I mean, it's from the start, it shows you it's the rifle, right? So I but I'm sitting there thinking, okay, like how's everything related to each other, right? And I do like how uh I I I enjoyed how they they conveyed like the news reports, right? It's like little so like where like the care the characters we're following are all having their own little like things, so they don't even realize that it's all like connected because they don't it doesn't sound affecting their day-to-day life. I enjoyed that portion of it. Um but I'm watching it and like I'm sitting there and like I kept thinking, okay, like what is like what is uh what is what is the the like each each character the the the conflict for each individual story? Like I I felt like by not by design, but a fault of it is like okay, like like the Japanese girl story, like what's her like her conflict took a little bit to get going in my opinion, versus like all the other characters who are having all these serious conflicts, like Brad Pitts, his wife's like dying, you know, and then little boys deemed the trauma of having he thinks he killed a woman, and then I'm like, okay, she's deaf, and like she's not very popular, and kids bullied her because of it, but like I don't know, girl, like apples and oranges. And then you talk and then they talk a little more about like her mother's suicide, and I think maybe that could have been expanded upon a little bit. So I struggled a little bit with that, right? With like the the the the the gravity of everyone's kind of like conflict, right? And I'm sitting there thinking, like, well, how is this all gonna resolve? Like, I can't tell if this movie wants to have like a happy resolve versus not, and I'm not sure, I'm not sure if it sticks to landing because I have a lot of thoughts on how everyone's story wraps up. And like someone on Reddit, a people on Reddit called it uh like torture porn or like no misery porn. And I'm like, I don't know if I quite agree with that, but I can see why they think so.

SPEAKER_00 24:02

No. I under I understand where it where it that comes from, but nah, like nah.

SPEAKER_01 24:10

Like if you've seen like the trilogy is about exploring grief in a way, like death as grief, right? Like yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:19

And I I don't inherently agree with that assessment. Like, I I don't, but I can see where I can see where they're coming from because a part of me also felt like, okay, like these things keep escalating and escalating. We are like, and I'm like, I don't and I I feel like the story wants to have a more hopeful ending, but are we gonna get that? I don't know. Um and I and I wasn't sure if they if like they knew how to convey that. Um I thought of children children of men a lot, another 2006 movie, you know, and that's by Alfonso Cuaron, who is a well-known like friend and uh like buddy, and you know, like with um Inaritu. And I and I I can't I could I and I and I felt like that movie had a little more of like a I don't know I felt like that stuff landing a lot better with the hopeful message, but also still going for like ambiguous ending than this one did. You know?

SPEAKER_01 25:17

I was also reminded of children of men.

SPEAKER_02 25:19

Yeah, and like and they're they're well-known friends. Uh the Del Toro, uh Cuaron and um Inarito are like they're all filmmakers that came up around the same time, and they're all open, they're they're all friends of each other, and they collaborate on like production projects together.

SPEAKER_01 25:34

The Toro also had a movie come out in 06. Name that movie. Was it Labyrinth? Yeah, it's Panther Labyrinth, yeah. Yeah, Panth.

SPEAKER_02 25:41

Yeah. Another very psychological movie, right? Um that's one of my wife's uh favorite movies. Um, she's the one who showed me that movie. Um man, what a year that would have been. I didn't watch all three of those in the in the movie theater. That would have been crazy. Um and it and then for a palette cleanser, you can go watch At World's End.

SPEAKER_01 25:58

Right? Was that not 2006? Uh the the Edgar Wright film. I thought that was 07. No, no, no, no. Paris of the Caribbean. Oh no, that's definitely 07.

SPEAKER_02 26:08

Oh, seven? Oh, damn it, I was close. Yeah, Cars? Was Cars 2006?

SPEAKER_01 26:14

Yeah, Cars is 2006. All right, you can go watch Little Miss Sunshine, you can watch The Departed. Okay, uh Inland Empire, Inland Empire boys. Let's go watch Inland Empire. Let's see.

SPEAKER_02 26:28

It is. I like Little Miss Sunshine. Okay, Cars is our palette cleanser. That's what I'm trying to get at. We just need a palette cleanser. We're gonna go watch cars.

SPEAKER_01 26:35

Yeah, palette cleanser, Inland Empire, three-hour experimental horror film.

SPEAKER_02 26:43

Okay, yeah. So I'm glad that Remison also kind of kept like you like like realized you kind of you kept like keep thinking of children of men in a way, right?

SPEAKER_01 26:50

Um, yeah, no, I I did because actually what made me think of children of men is I was like sitting there trying to be like, okay, so what kind of like connects all of these? And I'm like, is the answer just it's all George Bush's fault? In which case, Children of Men is like, it's all George Bush's fault. And I was like, sure, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 27:08

Like well, yeah, so so okay, so so I actually want to jump on that. Okay, so that like so um we're talking about how they're basically one of the issues that's preventing uh Brad Pitt from getting help is like they're like it's a political issue because the US immediately caused an act of terrorism, right? And Morocco is like, no, no, there's no terrorism in this country, and it's like you know, it I I was like, okay, there's like a little little commentary on how dogmatic the US can get, right? And then you have all the what like the English tourists like on a bus who were like, This is a village of brown people, they're gonna get our throats cut open, basically. What happened?

SPEAKER_01 27:47

I was agreeing with you, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'm watching it and I'm like, okay, like I see what you're doing here, and like like I it that I don't know, if if you'll see maybe a little too many things in the blender. I don't know. What do you think, Armington? Like you're having what's up?

SPEAKER_06 28:03

No, continue.

SPEAKER_02 28:04

So, like, yeah, so you have you have you have touches of that, and I you know, to set the scene, Remington, right? It's 2006, it's the height of the Bush administration, right? The U.S. has been bogging in Iraq and Afghanistan for years, very unpopular wars, and it's you know, war on terrorism, right? We all know what it is, it it it it's it's all-encompassing. So is this I mean we do trying to say, like, well, no, they're just people, right? And he's showing that by having the the village man help Brad Pitt, right? He lets him stay in his house, uh, the elderly woman prays for for them and gives him assistance. Like, you know, I got the vibe like he was trying to show, like, like not, like they're not, they're just they're just people, right? How did you what's your takeaway from that?

SPEAKER_01 28:45

Um, yeah, I do I do think that's true to a certain extent. Um to me, where I was like looking at the at the at the Bush connective tissue, um, yes, it's it's it's it's very much there in the Morocco storyline, right? Like a big part of that storyline is they keep getting messages from the embassy being like essentially that they're not getting aid because the United States the Bush administration has decided to pick a fight with the Moroccan government because they believe this was an act of terrorism and they want the Moroccan government to acknowledge that for like basically geopolitical aims. Um, and so that's why his wife is laying there bleeding out and not getting the help she needs because the two governments won't agree and therefore no aid is coming in. Um, and so like that's very that's very much there. Um, where I would then tie it later on is obviously the Mexico plot, like that's a story of like the politics of immigration, right? And while George W. Bush, compared to other Republican politicians, is actually more of a moderate on the immigration issue. This being 2006, immigration was a very hot issue around that time. There's actually like a huge, like a historically very huge um pro-immigration protest around that time trying to demonstrate to get immigration reform um passed, uh, which created backlash within his party um because not everyone went along with his more moderate agenda. But basically, the there were no reform came. And so, you know, there was still like very strict enforcement, and there were definitely folks within his administration who viewed immigration as um one more vector in the war on terror. And so it's kind of like this comp like I think the movie is like saying, you know, the world is a lot smaller than you think it is. Um, but you know, because of that, we all share in a common misery. And part of that is like um misdeeds by the first world, mostly the Bush administration, but also like Japanese tourists who leave their guns behind, right? Like, you know, so um the so it's all kind of uh this interrelated misery, I guess, I guess I guess you could say, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:58

Yeah, and I mean to go back into the misdeeds about the first world, I mean the entire and so in the Mexico plot, the entire reason she takes the kids is because Brad Pitt's like, no, you can't take this day off for your son's wedding.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

As we find out, very understandable for him to feel that way.

SPEAKER_02 31:15

Um other choice, and she just and like, you know, it's like very like you know, it's like very I was like, well, she cares for these kids, she doesn't want to risk losing her job.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

Yeah, no, it's an unfortunate situation, right? Because it's like because we also know that he tried to get her cover, he tried to get her coverage by getting his someone's sister, I don't know if it's his sister or her sister, to come and like take over, but that couldn't we don't know why that fell through, but we do know it fell through, which is why he's stuck in the situation of being like, Oh, actually, you can't go, sorry. Um, because then someone has to watch the kids and it can't be him and his wife, right? So it's like, yeah, it's very unfortunate. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:52

But so I took that like like I don't want to skip to the end, but I I had a bit of like a laugh because I'm like, well, you know, like it shows that his wife's gonna make a recovery, and all as well as that ends well for him and his wife, but not for her. She gets the no, she's deported, yeah. And I'm sitting there and I'm like, so everything worked out for the white people.

SPEAKER_00 32:14

And it sucks too because Yeah, kind of, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:17

Yeah, and it sucks too because it's like, you know, the parents would not have been home in time. Like she could have just stayed the night with her son, like he asked, and the kids would have been fine, and she could have taken them back like in the morning where everyone's heads would have been far more level, you know?

SPEAKER_02 32:31

Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. And I'm sitting there and I'm like, I mean, okay, like I'm watching this and I'm like having all these like logistical things because I'm like they say that she was working in the US illegally. So I'm like, are you an undocumented migrant? You you there's no fucking shot you would have gone across the border. There's no fucking way. Yeah, you can't leave the United States because the minute they check, they're gonna be like, Oh, you have left the US, okay, you come back in, like, like like you're you're going, you're crossing a border checkpoint. And like, and I thought it was funny how um how easy it was for them to just exit the US. Like, I mean, they didn't show them getting their passport sector or anything, and then you know, uh Gaia uh character even says, like, with you know, how easy it is to get into paradise. And I'm like, I guess I've never gone into Mexico, so is it that easy? I don't know. I thought that was pretty funny.

SPEAKER_01 33:26

It's not to say that like Mexico has no border security of its own, but like it's uh you know, you know, like it's not unheard of for like American kids in like San Diego to go in Mexico, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:39

Yeah, my buddy, I have a buddy in San Diego. He he goes into Tijuana all the time, he just goes on like day trips.

SPEAKER_01 33:44

Uh same thing is in Texas if you live in El Paso, you know, like I was a mess.

SPEAKER_02 33:49

I have a buddy who I have a very good friend who lives in El Paso when he tells me, like, there are literally people who like just live in Mexico and come and work in El Paso for the day. Like, like it's like a very common thing. Like, absolutely. It's uh that El Paso and uh uh what is it? Juarez are just one giant city, which is the yes, they just have to have they just have a new capital border going through them. And it's so funny how the real world life of that that those two cities completely eviscerates every single argument about against immigration because those cities have like a symbolic relationship that is that is very well known by the Texas government because it has to, but they just don't they never mention it, and they're like, nope, dog, these illegals are ruining our country, you know. Like it's it's it's it's like if you look at a map, it's just one giant fucking city. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:33

Um yeah, it should also be said there's actually a very long, bloody, violent, and racist history to preserve that particular border that cuts through the city. Um functionally, it is one city.

SPEAKER_02 34:45

Um Robert Evans have talked about a lot about that uh the uh US expansions of Texas uh interesting and how that relates to police and history. Give me one just like died. No, I'm here. I'm here. I'm just switching to uh can you hear me?

SPEAKER_00 35:05

Yes, sound good.

SPEAKER_02 35:06

I just switched I switched to my computer. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 35:10

Well, uh let's um let's uh I think I think the way I kind of in my mind wanted to break down the movie was in each individual storyline. Um so why don't we go first with the um the first storyline that we see is the um the Moroccan kids, right? And their family um and how that kind of factors into the story. Um so we get the opening of, you know, i I I I appreciate a lot it's really it's really hard because I think a lot of this movie I was appreciating a lot of like the different ways of life that I was seeing on screen, um, of where we have these two brothers and they're very young and they live in the middle of bum fuck nowhere Morocco. Um Morocco, right? That's where they are?

SPEAKER_02 36:13

Again, where's Morocco on a map? Tell me. Okay, I'm kidding.

SPEAKER_00 36:16

I have no okay. Can I can I ask the dumbest fucking question in the world? I'll ask it. I don't know. I'm not afraid. I'm a fucking dumb American. I'm a white man. I don't fucking know.

SPEAKER_05 36:28

Uh is Morocco in the Middle East? No. Where is Morocco? In Africa. It's like North Africa.

SPEAKER_00 36:40

It's North Africa. Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_01 36:44

It's in the Islamic world, but it's not like North Africa. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:48

I have a globe over because I was literally like, I I actually like thought to myself, I'm like, I don't actually know where Morocco is.

SPEAKER_02 36:56

Think think of Libya, how that's also in Northern Africa, and it's still in the Islamic world. A lot of north North Africa, like same thing with Egypt, yeah. Yeah, Egypt. There's still Mediterranean, like coastal uh countries, but they're they're not in the Middle East, but like there's they're still Islamic. It's because that influence spread, you know?

SPEAKER_00 37:17

Um that makes a lot of sense because I wasn't trying to be ignorant, but it's like, all right, like I get it. I'm an American that watches movies, like you see a desert, you see brown people, you think Middle East. Um, you know.

SPEAKER_01 37:31

Um that's just how you're watching Casa Blanco, like, where's that at?

SPEAKER_00 37:35

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:36

Where's that at?

SPEAKER_00 37:38

So, okay, no, but so that so that storyline, um, I thought there were a lot of it it it's it's really tough because I feel like there were so many interesting tidbits throughout this movie between all of the characters and all of the relationships. Um I just don't I don't know if this really fits together as like a movie. Like so, okay, so we see the brothers, they get the rifle, um they they shoot at the bus just from their perspective, and then you know, they don't know what happens, and you know, the cops come after them, and I and and it's very tragic. Like all the the conclusions of a lot of these storylines are very tragic. And um, you know, and uh they end up it's they they end up you know getting shot at by the cops in a very crazy um uh third act shootout at the end, and the guy and the kid like um I thought he died.

SPEAKER_02 38:44

I guess he didn't.

SPEAKER_00 38:45

He did apparently he didn't die, the one brother. Um yeah, no, uh, but oh I thought he died too. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 38:53

Everything everything I read said that he just he he just got seriously injured. I'm like, I thought this kid fucking died.

SPEAKER_01 38:58

Like it was like he like bought out in his dad's arms. That's what I that's what I thought.

SPEAKER_00 39:04

You know, you know what this movie, you know what this movie kind of felt like to me? It kind of felt like um it was doing like slice of life stuff between all of the storylines. And it was like, oh, but what if there was this connective tissue between all of the slice of life storylines?

SPEAKER_02 39:26

Uh yeah, I mean slice of life in the yeah, I get it.

SPEAKER_00 39:29

Like it didn't feel like I don't I don't know the biggest connective tissue is the Brad Pitt and Kate Blanchett storyline. Um but everyone and everything else, like like the the the um whatchamacallit, the the Moroccan family, the brothers, is the cause, and Kate Blanchett and Brad Pitt are the effect of of the actions, and everything around Well technically the cause is before the movie starts when Koji Yaku show leaves his rifle with uh with their neighbor. Yeah, but but but the but the Asian all of the Japanese girl, like all of that storyline, I felt like that like I actually thought that was the best storyline. Yeah, but I enjoyed it, but a lot of it had the least to do. No, no, but it had the least wait.

SPEAKER_03 40:33

Have you guys watched The Boys for this week's The Boys yet? No, I haven't. I haven't seen any of the man there's there's such a good joke that relates to what Ryan just said.

SPEAKER_02 40:41

Oh man. I just I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 40:44

It it just felt like a lot of slice of like uh again. I don't I almost I really do almost feel like this movie would almost make better sense as a miniseries, um, where you just see Quentin Tarantino, where you just see every storyline from start to finish in in sequence, and then like you reveal, like I thought that um I thought there were scenes that connected the different tissues of the storylines to be a little forced, like where um Brad I I I can I can believe it.

SPEAKER_02 41:22

Like I'm like, you know, I accept the way they ignored it all.

SPEAKER_00 41:26

I didn't find it like obnoxious, but I thought it to be a bit like okay, like I get like like when um the the scene when Brad Pitt is sitting there with Kate Blanchett, um and they're sitting in the in the in the in the house and he goes like oh do you have kids? And he goes, Yeah, I have kids. And he pulls out his like I knew well before that scene. I'm like, those are obviously Brad Pitt's and Kate Blanchett's kids, right? Like I kind of picked up on that. Yeah, and um, and the and like when he pulls the and it's like the picture, it it's framed as like this moment to be like, oh wow, for the audience, like this big reveal.

SPEAKER_02 42:13

And I kept thinking, well, I I kind of I kind of did you notice did you notice when they reveal the picture in the the the Japanese father's house, like that's like as like a big reveal, but you can tell when they show it the first time. That's when I first noticed it.

SPEAKER_00 42:27

Yeah, I I I thought to myself, yeah, of course that's gonna end up being her dad. Yes, I did.

SPEAKER_02 42:33

Yeah, so when they did it as like a big reveal later, I'm like, wait, we knew that already. Why is this like being placed as a big reveal like in this guy's apartment, real quick? I just very clear, I don't know. I thought it was interesting that they did that.

SPEAKER_00 42:43

I I I agree. It it's kind of it's a little, you know what? And I think uh uh I wonder if part of this is because what when is this movie? No, I just think when is this movie? 2006, yeah. And and it's and it's a little bit before like a lot of like Netflix and streaming and more experimentation stuff, or I don't know, like that's mainstream. Like to I feel like watching this now, a lot of this stuff feels so much more obvious. Where I wonder, I don't know for sure, but I wonder if back then it was seen more as a novel thing. Um where I understand, I understand um the the story choices, and I get it, and I and I do like it. I do like the idea of you know one small action in this person's life could affect could have like the butterfly effect, could have a lot of different effects on some other person's life. Um I did have a lot of appreach, but like I I just I felt a lot of the connections to be a little like pointing to themselves and being a little too obvious. I don't know. Just like a picture.

SPEAKER_02 43:57

Well, I didn't think I didn't think that.

SPEAKER_00 43:58

You don't think so? Okay. No, maybe.

SPEAKER_02 44:02

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 44:03

That's where I struggled with it. Oh, not to be convoluted.

SPEAKER_02 44:12

And it's like slowly explained that, okay, you know, cool. Um well, so like did you find yourself more invested in like the Japanese plot line? Sounds like you like that one more.

SPEAKER_00 44:23

I think I think the Japanese plot line I don't want to say it was the most interesting because I don't but it I like it is it's fine. I I think that her story if let's put it this way. I think if with in her case if it was if it wasn't her dad that gave them the rifle, um I feel like a lot of her story would have kind of played out the same way without the cops, I get it, like in a lot of ways, but like the story of her her story was more focused on her struggles with her and her mother's death and her disability. Her need her disability, her needing to be wanted. It felt less affected. Yeah, the coming of age, like other other stuff or I thought there was so much more going, like it was so uneven of with the freedom.

SPEAKER_02 45:31

He's just like this.

SPEAKER_00 45:33

It was sorry, it was so much more uneven where like um the the Kate Blanchett and Brad Pitt storyline and the Moroccan brother family storyline was the main crux of the movie, and it felt like here we have the um their kids and the Mexican um whatchamacallit?

SPEAKER_02 46:01

Like the nan like the nanny the nanny, she's like a nanny.

SPEAKER_00 46:04

That was like due to like one phone call, like her whole debacle, like which was I thought was great, but and then the whole Asian connection was a lot of it was like it really didn't have much to it. I felt like I felt like here's here's the thing. It felt like they wrote the Asian characters, like they wrote her storyline first, and then they had to be like, okay, so how do we connect this to the rest of the movie? Like I don't know, that's kind of how it felt to me.

SPEAKER_02 46:36

Um I was gonna say the opposite, where they wrote everything else first, and then they needed to tie in the rifle somehow. No, no, no, that's what's the plot.

SPEAKER_00 46:45

That's what I'm saying. Like, how did like they just it felt like they just kind of rode in at the end, like, well, it was her father that owned the rifle. Like it found like it felt like her entire storyline was so independent of the rest of the plot. Um, I don't know. What do you think, right? Like, uh, do do you have any do you have any thoughts about that, Remington? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 47:07

Wait, wait, let me just piggyback on that real quick. Let me just real quick, Remington, because I want to join this too.

SPEAKER_00 47:12

That's all where I was just kind of struggling a little bit with it.

SPEAKER_02 47:15

Well, so like like speaking of like the like the the plot, like so like do you to me personally, the hardest part to rattle story is the ending. I always find it. And sure, like I don't know, what about you guys? So that's why I can see the Asian plot being like we need to wrap up all these storylines, but I want to connect them, and then you have to figure it out, right? Um I've heard Zach Kregard talk about this on a podcast, uh too. Um how do you end something, right? Um, or how do you get to the ending you have in mind? Um what do you think, Remington?

SPEAKER_01 47:48

Um I mean, so the heart of the story is the Morocco story. That's where like the heart of the action is, and that's what's like causing everything. Um I would say and then I feel like the next most fleshed out thing would be the Mexico story. Because like obviously we said Inerita didn't write this, but like you know, that's where it's that's where he's drawing from in the in this period. He's very grounded in the fact that from his experiences as a Mexican man and and he's known as as this Mexican O'Tor. Um, and so I don't I I I I would tend to lean more with Gene, I think, as far as like how that works. Um, but I could also see it where these were like um separate stories that were then edited into one whole story, you know, and then they just kind of came up with like the MacGuffin of the rifle to link them together, um, once like common ideas and themes were identified that could be worked into something. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 48:58

Um I I and I and I sorry, I don't I don't want to like I like the idea. I don't need I like the um I really like the simple structure of the rifle as the and like this just this one thing can connect all of these plot lines and can uh have this major effect on all these people's lives across the globe. I actually really appreciate that. Like it's simple, it's simple in my mind, but I I feel like the movie was present like I feel like again, I I I almost feel like this movie was a little bit more of the time where you know, 2006, post-9-11, um like I don't know, it's kind of like um I I just I don't know um if it's as profound as I thought the movie was presenting it to be. If that's insist upon itself, a little a little bit, a little bit. I will I love it.

SPEAKER_01 50:02

I mean, I mean, in a way, this is what people say about all of Inorito's movies, right? So, like after you know, prior to Bardo, you know, yeah, a lot of people liked him, but and then after Bardo, because a lot of people didn't like Bardo, I actually am a Bardo defender for the record.

SPEAKER_04 50:17

Fuck, I need to watch more of his movies.

SPEAKER_01 50:19

But because after people saw Bardo, like the number one criticism that a lot of people in like you know, film Twitter spaces have of him is that he has his head up his ass, that he's like too self-indulgent, you know.

SPEAKER_04 50:32

And so the idea that his films Yeah, like I like Yeah, like it's pretentious.

SPEAKER_01 50:36

Like the idea that so the idea that his films is like that you feel like it insists upon itself kind of like captures that you know, you know what I you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 50:44

Like I didn't think I didn't think it was like I I get I got what they were going, I got what he was going for, and I liked it. Like I thought it was good. I thought it was a like the execution then that you have an issue with, or like the ending, like the way it was presented, like just the the music, it won best score, but like the um the like Brad Pitt and Kate, like great performances, but like I just felt like in like if this movie was made today, if this script was made today, wanted as a miniseries, it would be a Netflix miniseries, it might not be starring the same caliber of cast. Um, I don't know, like it was good, but like I just the weight that it was pulling on itself, like I don't know, and I I will admit the ending, uh especially with the um with the nanny, that was the most heartbreaking. I mean, that whole thing.

SPEAKER_01 51:43

But yeah, that that storyline was my favorite, actually. Yeah of the three. Yeah, it was so it was maybe just because as an American, like I can relate to that more. Obviously, immigration is still as like profound an issue now as it as it as it was then, perhaps even uh demonstrate more so. Yeah, yeah. Um so like you know, you know, like like also just like you know, take take take race, take immigration out of it. Just like the idea of like trying to logistically manage your life around children, like that's a very like universal experience, you know, you know. So um sure.

SPEAKER_02 52:18

You know, it even like logistically around children, like it's just very much like uh she's just trying to do her job, you know, and she wants to go to her school's wedding. Like she's just put in these in this difficult situation, and she's like, I and like you see her trying to find people to watch them. And then what is it? Well, one of her one of her friends is like, I can't because my boss is gonna be like, what are you doing? Like, you know, it's yeah, it's it's people beholden to their circumstances. And you know, I get it, like they're they're they're very likely undocumented migrants who just they need this work, right? They don't want to lose this this this this good job. And like, I mean they could be doing hard, they could be doing hard, they could be doing like farm work, they could be doing much harder labor, right?

SPEAKER_01 52:53

It's not just a job, it's housing for her, right? She said she has a room in the house.

SPEAKER_02 52:58

Yeah, yeah, I know exactly. Like it's uh and I mean, do you see that all you see it a lot at the horse tracks up in Schenectady? Um if you're familiar with that, Remington, like you know, that this is it's it's work and housing for them. Like you get in a situation like that, like you don't lose that, right? You you hold on to that. Um, and I get it, you know. Um it's um so did you find Remington the ending like the message ultimately hopeful or like bleak? Because that was my issue with the people saying it's misery porn. Because I'm like I don't think it's meant to be a bleak message, I thought it was a little more hopeful at the end. Like that was the idea.

SPEAKER_01 53:31

Yeah, I do I do think it's hopeful because like if it was supposed to be bleak, then obviously Kate Blanchard would not have made it, the kids would not have survived being left in the city. Everyone like Yeah, and also like the girl found a little bit of closure so and reunited with and like rekindled things with her dad. So, like, yeah, it's it's meant to be hopeful.

SPEAKER_02 53:52

Yeah, so that's what that was my issue, too. That was my qualm exactly with the reading. Cause I'm like, well, no, like you know, the woman gets deported, but it's like it's okay, like her son's there, you know, she'll figure some life still in Mexico, exactly. And and and it shows you that because she says to like, I have an apartment here, I have a life here, but like you also have life in Mexico, like you have a family there, like it's not like you have nothing. Yeah, you know, and you'll you'll you'll and I mean like let's be honest, I remembering she just went right back, she's she's going right back over the border. It's it's yeah, or you know what's very common.

SPEAKER_01 54:23

That's very common. You know what's gonna happen? Her son just got married, she's probably gonna become a grandmother soon. And you know, we know plenty of people like this in real life who just go become full-time grandma, right? And and you could easily see this woman doing something like that.

SPEAKER_02 54:35

Oh, dude, I just love it in a movie when it's like, oh, they were deported. That's the end. I'm like, buddy, do you know how often they come right for the fuck back? It's not actually the next fucking day you're back in the US. Like it's not it's not that big of a deal. Um you know, exactly, yeah. And like Kate Banshee survives, and I guess the assumption is the children survive because they say that they were found, right? Um, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:56

No, they said the children are fine um when she's talking to the border patrol guy.

SPEAKER_02 55:01

And and um, and again, we all assume that the brother died, but I guess he didn't. So again, everyone has uh at least a more positive ending, right? After all the trauma. One kid does go to jail, we think, yeah. Right? Because they show it was like mugshot, like in the Japanese. Yeah, yeah. He shot a cop, so probably.

SPEAKER_01 55:23

Yeah, because even if like the yeah, because he did shoot those cops, yeah. So it's so even if like like Brad Pitt and Kate Blanchett weren't were made to like understand the situation. Also the fact this became like an international incident, Morocco would probably feel pressure to like do something, you know, you know, you know, you know, um to show they're taking it seriously. Like we're gonna find these culprits and punish them. Yeah, that's why the police were acting like that, because they were getting like probably like downward pressure from the from the government being like you have to find these motherfuckers, you have to do something right now, right now, right now. Yeah, or else we're just gonna like invade us or something.

SPEAKER_02 55:56

Like, you know, like it's exactly and I think that is a theme too, right? Where you have like these like large forces at play that just unfortunately you're you're a small cognitive, and you see that with the Mexican plot, right? Like they're just trying to get back across the border, but you know, immigration is a customs, and you know, like that that's a huge machine, right? You you you're at the whim, right? It's the same thing on the rocket.

SPEAKER_01 56:16

It's in Japan too, right? Because like the girl is like, oh, the cops just won't lose this alone, and she thinks it's because of the of the murder of the well of the case surrounding her mom, her mom's death. It turns out to be something else, but like the fact that she had can recount these repeated like police interactions through um it's similar idea.

SPEAKER_02 56:34

Yeah, no, exactly. It's it's it's a prevalent uh it's a it's a recurring thing in everyone's story. Um what do you think she wrote on the letter to the cop? Please fuck me. I thought it was her admitting like I lied about the balcony thing or some shit. I don't know. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 56:57

I don't I don't I I actually don't know what the whole thing was about that ending with the father. I didn't get that. I didn't get what the fuck he what what that was all about.

SPEAKER_02 57:09

What do you mean? Like why she got naked? Or no, when like she's seeking validation and the locker room, they're like, oh, she's she's the one who hasn't gotten laid out of her friends or whatever, and then she likes the boy, but the boy likes her friend. Yeah, it's a coming of age story.

SPEAKER_00 57:25

Yeah, like I said, I think I loved that storyline. So like that was actually my favorite storyline. The only thing that I didn't really understand was when the father comes home, so she says to the cop, Okay, uh I actually my mother jumped off the balcony and I saw it while I was asleep, and then the father comes home and he goes, Well, no, she shot herself in the head, and all I think to myself is what's the significance of that? I don't know. I literally was like, I don't know. I threw my hands up. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 58:07

It's not I mean we don't need to I don't think we need to know why the mom killed herself.

SPEAKER_00 58:13

Like, like I don't know what the what what is the purpose of saying that why? Here's the thing here's the thing too.

SPEAKER_02 58:20

I'm gonna see I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna take it at least from what's unsaid. So like it's very well known that Japan has like a really harsh work culture, right? Yeah, and we see that the that the father is a very successful man, he has a high-rise apartment, beautiful view of the city. There's like a doorman. So he he's clearly very successful. What I'm saying, so like he's very successful. So he probably works a lot, right? And you we see that because you know he leaves the bental box for her, he's messaging her, like, don't forget your appointment, you know, and like like he's he that she she has to take care of herself pretty pretty often, right? So maybe maybe mom felt neglected, right? And now we see it, you see it in the in the car ride uh when they're going uh back home after he picks her up, right? Um and you know, he's and it's also like uh it's not uh it's not exactly uncommon to be like a reserved, quiet Japanese man, you know, like who's not showing like PDA, you know, like that's not uncommon. Uh suicide there's a reason suicide rates are pretty high in that country. So I just see it as like a like and and that's that's that's that's the thing too that that that he's doing with this movie. He's showing you little snippets of just the culture of these countries, right? I mean, in Morocco, these boys, they Dan, they only have one set of clothes. They live, they they they have like a dirt floor, and they they like like their house is like a little hut, and it's just showing like Dan, a grown man gives them a rifle.

unknown 59:45

I know.

SPEAKER_02 59:47

Okay, boys, you have never shot this before except that one time just now, go shoot the jackals. Like it's just showing you like you this is just your life, you know, like and there's the circumstance. You know, you're very you're like you're you're you live in poverty, you're like a goat farmer, I guess, and you gotta go to work too. So, like, hey boys, go shoot the jackals. It's like, and I understand you guys are like middle schoolers. Well, too fucking bad. This is the hand you're dealt with.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:13

I love that as a slice of life. I mean, like, I don't know what the fuck Morocco is. I just learned Morocco's in fucking Africa. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:21

Like, and so juxtapose that too, like when you see Casablanca at the end, too. Like Casablanca's this like modern city, yeah, juxtaposed with like the tiny little village. And again, like Dan, they can't get an animal.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:34

You do know that Casablanca's in Morocco, right? That's why we keep saying Casablanca.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:39

No, not until you just told me. I don't fucking know. Yeah, that's the one. I have a globe, dude. I have a globe in my background. Do you think that's because I know where our countries is? That's for sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:51

It's the capital city of Morocco, so it's showing you like this massive this modern city with a hospital versus this tiny little village about a fucking doctor who has they have a vet, right? You know, it's like Brad Pitt being like the most American man ever. Like, I want an ambulance here now. It's like, buddy, we're not in, we're not in, we're not in America anymore. Like, you're not gonna get a fucking ambulance. We're gonna get a call 911 and America.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:11

And they're even like, yeah, we have one ambulance and it can't come right now.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:16

It's like it's like, buddy, we have one ambulance in the whole fucking province, probably. Like, we're not we're not back in San Diego. And like, again, slice of life, right? And that about just a quick side note, Brad Pitt being the most tourist American at home movie is so fucking funny to me. Like, um, I'm an American and I'm inconvenienced. I need this resolved like right now.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:35

I did, oh, thank you. Thank you for bringing this up. I did find it very interesting how much um how much he uh Brad Pitt's character, you know, he goes to like they stop in this town after uh Kate Blanchett gets shot. They go into this room, like the the Tor Bus bus driver is like tending to them, and he like has this moment with them about how um you know uh like shows them the kids' pictures, and then and then as soon as they say the ambulance is not coming, he gets angry and he goes, Fuck you, fuck you, and he starts pushing him. And that was I felt that is like such an American like uh you guys know what I mean? Yeah, like where he where he got like he got like an American like entitlement of like no fuck you, like my wife have you have you ever left the country?

SPEAKER_02 1:02:40

I don't I generally don't know if you ever have.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:42

No, the only time I've ever left the country was um on a cruise. Um and I went to um where do cruises go to? Um water no, what the fuck's the um Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:59

Thomas, um Alaska, Mexico, oh fucking Mediterranean? No, you have the whitest bands ever you've ever met. There's no way in Puerto Rico.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:12

Not whole not Puerto Rico, um um but the Bahamas.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:16

Bermuda? The Bahamas, okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:19

So so we went to the Bahamas, and have I told you this story, Gene? When was this? It was like 2019.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:31

So the only time the Bahamas.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:35

So the only time I've ever been out of the country was like 2019, technically. I don't even consider it that, like on a cruise, and um we went to the Bahamas, and they go to this thing, and it's like the first island is clearly a little sandbar that's owned by the cruise company. And our I felt I felt very uncomfortable the entire time on the cruise, um, because all of the staff was like I'm sorry, it felt like slave labor. Um, like not to not to live out. I will live out, um, but it just really felt like I don't know, man. Like these people, like, and then when you get to like the actual, I think it was Nassau was the island that we went to. Yeah. Three other three other like a Disney cruise, a Disney cruise was parked there, and then we went onto the island, and like there's certain places where like we went to a single city. And that was it. And then like we walk, we stumbled back to the cruise. Like, I don't know, I don't know, man.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:47

I just feel really weird about like well, so so you so you've left the US, but your experience is the very it's it's it's it's it's the it's still the it's it's the it's the tailored tourists. Yeah, he didn't leave the resort. Yeah, how about you, Remy?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:01

I have not experienced outside the US.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:03

Yeah, I've been to Canada and Mexico. Oh, cool. Like like vacation or like what's the occasion?

SPEAKER_01 1:05:09

Yeah, yeah. Uh so like uh well in terms of Canada, yes, multiple vacations. Also, when I was in college, I did model United Nations, and one of the conferences we went to was in Montreal. So yeah. Um so yeah, so I I've been to I've I've been to like can't I've been to like Montreal multiple times, I've been to Prince Edward Island, um to random parts of Ontario. Um have you been to Mexico? Uh just uh well that that's more the tourist experience. So like uh I was on a cruise and they took us to Cozumel, which is a Mexican island.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:47

I've been to Cosimo, yeah. Uh same thing as a cruise to Cozumel. Um yeah, um it's a very touristy. It's like Mexico, basically.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:54

Yes, it's very touristy. Um, I mean, like genuinely the culture of the island is tourism. their only like source of like employment uh you know in it you know they they they can't grow things on that island everything's imported you know but like it's it's very um small but you know I mean I think we get points because like our original my my group and I our our original excursion that we had planned got canceled because of the weather um we were gonna go on like a catamaran and be catered and like wined and dined it was gonna be great but it got canceled so we found this like random little tour and it like took us to like this random ass hotel on the opposite side of the island where we had like a whiskey tasting um and we got to use their like we got like access to like their beachfront you know so like and we we had some uh oh I'm sorry it wasn't a whiskey it was a tequila tasting because there was a local um like agave yeah there's like an agave farm nearby that was like that's like a deal with that hotel that was like here you can like sample our our our uh tequila um we didn't get hammered on a on a Mexican day yeah so like that's my only like like Mexican experience um I want I've always wanted to travel more um yeah it's great yeah um okay so but yeah like I mean I mean but like you know uh it's I think it's a good it's a good example of like just like I mean there's a lot of shit dude like when I'm in Colombia like even just like cell phone service like they're all still like you like they're filling up their phones of like like they're getting minute cards and I'm like oh no man I have my fucking I have my unlimited 5G that I pay for monthly you know and they all have um was it Huawei's like the Chinese phone so like you know you know me having my my iPhone 17 would be like you know I they think like you're wealthy and I'm like no man like this just everyone has iPhones back home like it's just you know it's it's immediately different right um and you know it's not as bad as like it's not as bad as like we can't call an ambulance like no Medellin's a major city but like it would probably take a little while Medagin's a very congested city um you know like um I'd go to Colombia no dude it's fine I want I want I I that's like the one place I want to take like my my friends to like it's it you the American dollar goes such a long way it's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:03

That's that's what I always said to myself I said one of the only things I will ever you know tr I think you know in the next like couple of years if I ever travel outside of the country anywhere it it will be with Gene to go to still yeah we should we should long term spend on like within the next like five years that'd be fun yeah and I would love to if Ollie goes and like you know I I just he wants to take his girlfriend apparently I I guess he's been on a Costa Rica trip.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:31

Costa Rica's too I would be but I just I just hate how much I would be cling to you it's it's a very modern city Medellin's very modern city and then when you go to the country if Remington went I would feel like um if we all went and we'll do an I'll remember club trip. Dan uh Cartagena is a the the northern part of Colombia is Caribbean like every other country that has a Caribbean coast it's all been bought by fucking hotels. And like sure you know you know why they want their people to be safe because the economy depends on it over there. So the government's always Miramano Espanol yeah like it's it's the same thing where it's like that you know that whole strip of beach is just has been sold off to hotels and like the locals can't even use it because fuck them right it's it's you see it in all the Caribbean. And the government is very much invested in keeping uh American tourists safe no yeah like you'd be fine I mean it's fun and in Medellin too like you know yeah like there's parts that I I wouldn't recommend going to at night but like it's very modern too like I mean I was at my uncle for a day and it was like am I in fucking Brooklyn like what is going on I mean but it's fun it's it's really I remember I I watched I watched Narcos on Netflix and I thought to myself Columbia that was 1980s Medellin wouldn't recommend it but 2020 is way better.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:55

Okay anyway back on topic anyway um so okay so so alright so we so we talked about the uh we talked about the um the um what in god's name the Moroccan family all right so we get into the to the to the story of Brad Pitt and Kate Kate and Kate Blanchett you're right yeah we're jumping around but so so what did we think of the Kate Blanchett Brad Pitt narrative of it all um was she like a germophobe because her son died of sudden infant death syndrome their son died of SIDS yes on infant death syndrome no I don't think she's a germophobe also that's not how SIDS works um but no I know it's not no no no no I know I have had an I don't infant Remington I know that's how SIDs works um but I don't think it's saying that was like a mortal fear of mine that whole first year of her life it's like the thing you just think about all the fucking time it's crazy like it's like it's insane how prevalent it exists in the back of your head.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:02

Anyway no I know but I got the vibe like with the coke she's like nothing with fat with fats in it she was like deathly terrified of having this like needle like like I was like is she like like a like is she like wants to exist in a bubble? Like what is going on here?

SPEAKER_01 1:11:17

She could be a little anxious. I I guess I didn't interpret it as like her being a germaphobe um but I I just I just took it as her being like more sensible than him because right because like a lot of the story is that like they're they're dealing with like their grief over the loss of their child in their own way and so he's not I took it as him be behaving a bit more irrationally because given the things you're pointing out maybe maybe germophobia is not like a bad read.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:44

I don't know yeah it was just I found that interesting how like like like you know when she first said like the whole like if something that's not fatty right and like I thought again very American of you like that's not how it works. That's not how it works for like it's anyway so then you know she gets to fry that yeah but like the comment about like the coke versus the water like or like the ice like that that's common sense actually when you drop it exactly that's very yeah when she said that I was like yeah you get you get shit your pants out and again like you can shit your pants regardless like this is what happens your your yeah your American biome is not used to it um but then like when she's like freaking out about the needle and I'm like ma'am you're gonna fucking bleed to death but she's like so mortified of this like you know I understand it's that the is that the cleanest practice but you know he was sterilizing it with fucking lighter and I'm sitting I think it's also more like you know that's gonna hurt right like because there's no there's there's no no and uh Remington I'm sorry if I'm bleeding to death I'll be like yeah it's gonna hurt but fuck it I don't want to die like okay but also like no you wouldn't because when you're shot and you're like afraid of dying you don't think rationally so when someone's like I'm gonna stab you with a needle too you're you know it's not unreasonable for me that some people might freak out in that situation and not necessarily be having the most like rational thought pattern. Given everything else about her I just really took it as like she has like like something about like I don't know like health and cleanliness and like I don't know like it like and you know like again the movie doesn't touch upon it right and we know that it's due from the trauma of losing their infant so we don't you know like you said she's compar she's compar compartmentalizing it. And we don't know how, right? Maybe she's blaming herself right maybe she thought like maybe I wasn't clean enough maybe he wasn't healthy enough I don't know we don't know how she's trying to rationalize it in her head right trying to trying to ask blame on something and I I get it that because I mean fuck it I don't know what the fuck I would have done either like it's it's it's you know same with Brad Pitt right he's a little more like you said he he's more rash right um and he's using like a Morocco trip I guess to like that was kind of funny I'm not gonna lie like why Morocco anyway um I just took I found interesting um I don't know I would have been like how about like a beach man I mean you live in San Diego so I guess you're around a beach and sun all day um um they could have I mean I mean they could have been like staying actually like based in Casablanca and this was just like a an excursion they had planned to like it was a tour bus the bus that tours yeah yeah I mean that's true that's true um but yeah so I I found her character very interesting and then she's kind of sidelined like after she gets shot because she's like dying um it's it's things like that like little s little like these little like these these little glimpses into their slice of life right into like their life and like their who they are as people which I found very fascinating which I guess that's what I would let in clemency Dan's miniseries thing right like expand more on these characters. So their sister like she's not their bio sister I guess I don't know I think she is their sister.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:43

I I thought at one point I thought one of them well one of them says she's like a a street kid but I thought so I I'm I'm like was he just trying to insult her or like is that hinting that like they like adopted her like I I couldn't really tell Oh yeah you know it is like a thing in some cultures where like you know like if you're just like an orphan that like random families will like take you in and basically turn you into a domestic servant.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:05

You know so I wasn't sure what that was because then but they said like she's your sister and I'm well so like is it your biosister like did they take you in and you're like you know you're being raised with her as your sister like I I wasn't sure about that. Yeah I mean I mean either way like it would seem that she would have equal footing to them as as like a sibling because like the father is certainly like treating it as a disgusting thing that's being done and not just like normal boy horniness like this is not how siblings should be um you know in the way that he's talking you know I took it more as also like you know very religious right like they're very they're Islamic so he's the patriarch right he's very firm to the patriarch of the family and you know women are lesser then and and the whole the whole cast totem pole system right so I took it as that too where he's like you're a woman not supposed to be doing that that's disgusting you know you get to be covered up and yeah that's true there's a lot there's a lot of religious overtones to it right um um I so I wasn't sure about that um so again like it there's a lot of interesting little tidbits that we get into like their family dynamics that I would like expanded upon and I guess this is my fucking Dan's Ryan making mini series no Remington will not green light this at all costs he will stop it actually I think it should just be a greeting card that we sell at Hallmark this is greetings from Morocco it's a book horseman reference going on it.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:31

No fuck is it yeah yeah when they're like that episode where they where um Todd is like collaborating with like that world's version of Quentin Tarantino Quentin Tarantula yeah yeah yeah and and the the whole joke is how like it was like lampooning uh Tarantino and like how his creative process works like actually it's this actually it's that um kind of like how Hateful 8 is like it's a movie actually it's a mini series now you know you know you know you know um and so like the and so the episode ends with them being like actually it wasn't a movie at all it's a Hallmark gift greeting card and he like fires everyone on the set yeah it's it's great.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:11

Yeah that's good that's good um uh yeah I actually I actually um I don't know if I even read the maybe I missed it maybe I missed the Moroccan plot is like the the one girl not potentially being their biological sister it's like a quick like line they mention because I'm not gonna lie at first I thought she was like a neighbor or something when he's first like peeping I just assume after the information yeah it was assumed that they're like oh shit is either is she their sister like I can't really tell and then they mentioned that line so I'm like well okay she's like a uh so then like they mentioned like she's like a street kid so I thought oh I I don't know like it's again there's just like you get these glimpses right into everyone's individual lives. Um yeah like um you know like we're jumping all over the place because the movie kind of does the same thing so I'm fine with that. Um did anyone when they were in Mexico we're at they're at the the wedding and they they they introduced the two little kids to like all the other like little like local kids like playing around running around and they're like hey go play with them right and they're like they have to catch the chickens and the two little white kids are like the fuck do you mean like we're white we're not catching a chicken I'm watching this and I'm like that would be Maya. That would be my kid like going to Mexico and meeting like like long this like you know distant relatives from like an aunt you know like an aunt like twice removed or some shit and like okay Maya we're now in Mexico go catch the chicken and she looked she would look at me she'd look she looked at me like the fuck are we doing dad like can we go back to America please I think it depends on the kid like I think there are some like loudy American kids who you could be like go chase a chicken and like yeah like they would do it.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:03

No Maya's really shy like around a group of kids that should be like she'd look at me like I'm not doing that um I just and then and then the kid gets like and then once they catch it I was like oh this this chicken's gonna get his head cut off like I immediately knew it was coming yeah me too I was I was like oh and then part two is like something there you know so I thought like once he did that he was gonna go and take it to cook it and then he lets it go and I was like hold on there's a part three that was crazy that was some unk behavior that was no that is some pure like Mexico like fucking who cares behavior. That was so good. Your crazy Mexican uncle who just like like yes slaughters a chicken in front of you and thinks it's funny like listen the I've had a lot of modellos I'm good to drive like that is true Mexican party uncle behavior.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:59

Alright alright can was I the only one I know I'm not the only one like were you guys when you know after the wedding that's that's all right we'll talk about this storyline with with the with my sweet abuela um that's the only word I know in Spanish with the sweet with the sweet Mexican abuela um she goes to the wedding she brings the kids and number one number one was I the only one I didn't check the cast list but I was looking at the one kid and I go is that L Fanning that is L Fanning yes Academy Award nominated actress L Fanning did you guys did you guys check the cast or like were you no I checked the cast I I just I had no idea I got the and that because you look at her and be like wait a minute wait a minute is that a fanning sister and then I like looked it up I was like yeah yeah yeah because like her and Dakota were like in everything back then if you remember like yeah yeah I kept looking at her and being like wait a minute that looks like El Fanning um yeah but anyway um she's been there for a very long time great but anyway so um when um oh fuck what was I gonna say um no when um they okay so they go over the border they go to the yeah so they go to the um they go to the wedding she goes to the wedding and then like oh my god the sense of dread I just had when the when the nephew goes like no I can drive and I'm like oh yeah I know me too no I'm gonna die in a fiery crash like I was no unironically I was a little it was good it was really good objectively but watching it as a movie I thought to myself oh fuck you in your retail like don't put me through this I don't know what this is gonna I was pissed through the rest of that storyline it's okay to drink and drive in the desert you can't hit anyone your car just keeps it just keeps going that way you no one's gonna get hit it's physically no it made me so physically stressed and when they had to get out of the car with the kids and I just thought of a dumb joke like hey man you're you're you're you're drunk you're in no shape to drive in Mexico he's like that's how I'm gonna drive in America dumbass by the way by the way by the way I'm gonna be I'm gonna be so woke right now um the the the the the the lovely abuela um when she when she went to the to the they had to go to the to the immigration office and they told her she was deported she got an an Oscar nomination for that she did I don't know I don't know who this actress is by the way should have won don't care fuck you she was that was that that that brought me to tears yeah andorito has a good track record of getting actors nominated for Oscars um yeah brought me to tears the bitch should have won fuck the Academy I don't even know if she's like a she lost to I don't even know if she's whoever tell me yes please tell me I would love to know because that was so heartbreaking did you guys did your heart's not break she lost to Jennifer Hudson and Dream Girls.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:01

Okay okay Jennifer Hudson she could jump off a bridge I don't want to hear it disgusting um I like how I I I I I enjoy the ambiguity like they don't tell her what they like they don't tell her what happens to her like they don't know what happens to her nephew which like I mean realistically get probably gets arrested spends a few sent does some time in prison and then gets deported like what else is they gonna do with him yeah well they don't even know if they caught the nephew like they just refused to give any information when she asked he was good too he just he he he just says we don't know like I he says we don't know what happened to him um so I took it as like either they truly don't know or if another unit caught him they just don't know about it yet.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:43

Oh yeah so like her circling back so uh her uh Amelia Hernandez the grandma as as Dan was saying she uh Adriana Barraza's the actress name she got nominated and also Rinko Kikuchi uh got nominated too that's the that's the daughter in the Japan story.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:01

She was great they both got nominated for supporting actors for supporting actress is she actually deaf do you know um I don't know let me let me look I don't think so let me Dan was very invested in the Mexican plot line Dan was like they did nothing wrong let them go no no I'm not to sound I I I hate I I'm not I'm not as woke as I sound I'm not I promise but like the like but the but the when she said like like when they were like you're gonna be deported I I I just my heart broke so hard and I and like I kind of teared up a little bit when I saw that.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:50

Yeah no it was emotional I mean like you know they get I mean like these she loves these kids she's raised them like she's they're she's like their nanny she probably spends a lot of time with them.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:59

She's kids and she genuinely cared and goddamn it like she should have got the fucking award I I don't know I just I was like I just remember thinking I don't even know if this woman's like I feel like this woman's not an actress in the most complimentary way we're like I just believe this like I believe this woman is this person and I I don't know she was really good yeah you know you know what the funny thing I mean yeah can I can I ask you guys this you know what's so funny? Genuinely in the entire movie I feel like the storyline that I was the least invested in was the one that the movie was kind of trying to make me the most invested in was the Brad Pitt and the Kate Blanchett storyline I kind of didn't give a shit I I I I I I Brad Pitt I didn't hate it.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:04

Well I didn't hate it like I don't like Remington it's the heart of the story um in a way too I think I think the two boys are the heart of the story more Remington personally but whatever.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:13

But um like the whole thing is the heart of the story and you're the heart of the story Remington Remington what'd you say I said the whole me meaning the whole Morocco plot is the heart of the story.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:25

So not just Brad Pitt and Kate Metro but also Remy yeah that's right Remy doesn't everything's not around the white people I get it I agree with you.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:33

I I I truly felt like they were more plot devices like I just didn't really and it's like here are the greatest actors that we have in America and they are meant to be the out of the whole cast which are the two marquee names right and they're good I mean they were great no and I love that too I mean same with Gal Garcia Bernal like I didn't realize like oh he's the he's the uncle uh he's the he's an FM

SPEAKER_02 1:28:00

And like, you know, whatever. Um, I mean, yeah. He's in a Morris Paris, by the way. He's like the main character. Yeah, I saw that. Um, what was I gonna say? Uh yeah, I mean, overall, I think we're all pretty like normal. Like I feel like we're all like pretty like had the same opinion of it. Like we liked it, not like a love, not a hate. Like we liked it, we enjoyed it for what it was.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:22

I thought it was a very good exercise, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:25

Yes, I like that. Okay, yeah. And I mean, and I'm I'm glad. Um, I you know, it was uh because it seems it's a critically acclaimed movie from what I've seen, and like I can see why it what it got into Best Picture that year. Yeah, oh exactly, for sure. What won that year? 2006. Departed. Oh, okay. Yeah, interesting. Um, so that's you know, I enjoy why I I I actually kind of I I kind of enjoy when this happens. Like when I watch a movie that's like acclaimed, and I don't come away like loving it, but I do come, but I'm like, okay, like I I enjoyed it, I can see why, but like, hmm, do I love it? No. I can see why it got all these merits, but maybe not for me in that regard. You know, I think it's a fun exercise. Yeah, I like being contrarian, is what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:14

No, no, no, no. I completely, I completely agree. I was looking at um all the people I follow on Letterboxd. Um, most people gave it like an eight to a nine out of ten. Uh, YMS gave it an eight, who's a critic that I really you know uh adore and and trust. But it's funny, um Patrick Willems, who's a great um video essayist online that I follow on Letterboxd, he gave it he gave it a six, and then David Sims, who's a critic for The Atlantic and one half of Blank Check podcast, he gave it like a one and a half. So among people that I actually really trust, it's a little divisive, uh you know, but um but I get it, but I get why it is a little bit, um, why it can't work. I like I said, I think the I think the I think the the reveals of the pictures of how characters connect and how storylines connect is very forced and very much pointing to itself. I think overall it it it what did you guys here's the last I don't know if you guys but but the one last thing I really wanted to ask you guys about is how did you think of that ending? Um the the ending the ending left me very wait, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:39

The last name of the of the Zoe Rose Bryant gave it an eight, and I think that's the only opinion that matters.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:46

Zoe Rose Bryant gave it an eight. That's fair. Yeah, yeah. Zoe Rose Bryant gave it an eight. Um Charlie XCX watched it, and you can respond.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:53

Hey, hey, hey, buddy. I'm waiting for you, one of you, to invite Zoe Rose Byant Brian onto the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:01

Can one ivey? It's your it's not it's not Gene Ivey or Remy Ivey, it's Dan Ivey. You're the one who started this whole endeavor. Why do we have to do it?

SPEAKER_00 1:31:10

Oh my god, both of you need to do it. Um, all right.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:13

Well both three of us, we will write a letter of introduction. Message her.

SPEAKER_00 1:31:21

Do you know by the way? By the way, hey, no, Gene, I need you to shut the fuck up for a minute. Remington. Um, do you know? Do you know who we can get on? We can get so many people on this show, it's insane. Do you know who just went out and was like, please, anyone that wants me on a podcast, just let me know. The one person you would never want. Um Jeff. Jeff Snyder.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:45

Really? Remind me. Who is that? I don't want him on. I don't want to talk to him. Who is who is Jeff Snyder? I have a special place in my heart for him. Well, I know. Who is Jeff Snyder?

SPEAKER_00 1:31:58

What I know that he's in he's a reporter.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:00

He's like an asshole film critic. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:02

No, he's a reporter. He's a he's a Hollywood reporter guy, but he's a film critic.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:06

He's both. But yeah, he write he's a scooper. He's he works for Hollywood reporters.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:11

No, he's an independent scooper. He has a newsletter, he does scoops.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:16

He does the In Snyder report. And he does the Hollywood report. And he also does not like, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:20

Which I love. I love. Um, I do have a I do have a special place in my heart for both of them, but but Jeff is he's such a cocksucker. Um, but um he sucks. He sucks. But he genuinely loves film, and I do respect a lot of the like doing no signal then. But anyway, anyway, anyway, but he was literally.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:42

Actually, if you did like if you did get him on No Signal, I would listen to the episode. I just don't want to talk to him.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:47

No, and but he was literally like, he's like, yo, he's like, anyone that wants me to have their on their podcast, like, I'll do it. And then literally the next week, some podcast with like 200, like god knows how many subs was like Jeff Snyder. And I was like, okay. Um, anyway, um, I want on just message someone.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:06

They'll do it.marcus. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:09

Ask me, they'll do it, they'll do it. I just don't have the time to schedule it. What do you mean? How do you know who what?

SPEAKER_06 1:33:20

Oh, wait, what? Get Shea Frillis on.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:26

I don't know who that is.

SPEAKER_05 1:33:28

You know who Shea Frillis is? No.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:32

He's like one of the most successful YouTubers.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:36

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:37

Um Jamie Loftus, Remington. That'd be fun. You can get Jamie Loftus, that'd be cool. No, I'd be nervous to talk to her.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:46

Yeah, actually, she would be really cool, but I also would be nervous.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:50

Yeah, no, she'd be cool, but it'd be like, no, like I love your work. Sorry. Like, I don't want to be like a fanboy, but like I love your work. Also, here's my copy of your raw dog. All right. The one last thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:59

Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Loftus. I just, I just I just can't really look women in the eye. I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:04

That'd be me exactly. That's right. And she and she would fucking roast me and it'd be like, I deserve it. I deserve it.

SPEAKER_00 1:34:10

The one last thing I wanted to ask you guys about this movie is um, what did you think of the ending scenes of the Asian the father going to the detective? And the balcony. What did you think of that? That's right.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:30

I was not expecting that to be the ending for that plot, right? So, like, everything's resolving, and I'm like, okay, like everything's resolving like the way I more expect expected to. So as the dad's going upstairs, I'm like, okay, like, what is he gonna find? I'm not gonna lie, I thought he was gonna find her trying to jump off the fucking balcony. I was like, it's just gonna go real bleak. Um, and it didn't. And I was like, this is lovely. Also, she's still naked, okay. Whatever. I thought it's like a robe on. And I thought I thought it was really cute. Like, you know, it's like the same thing. Like, he they they they they they're finding they're finding common ground, right? Because like their mom died and they haven't really been there for each other, it seems like, and they need to be, right? They're still a family, and it's nice to see like they're you get that you get the hope that they're gonna start working it out together, right? As opposed to trying to handle the grief and process the grief in their own ways, which probably hasn't been working, right? Dad's probably just throwing himself into his work, right? And yeah, she's trying to figure this out while also all the other coming of age shit, right? She's still like a fucking teenager, she still has her regular teenage problems, right? Like interested in boys. Also, she has a full-on disability. Like, she's got a lot, she's got a lot going on. Um, so I I think that was really nice. I I really enjoyed that. And like it it I like how he like doesn't question like, oh, like why did you lie to the cop? Like, why did you make up a story? Like, he doesn't have to. It seems like he understood he gets it, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:35:59

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:00

Um I I and I really enjoyed that. Um, and I wasn't expecting like, and like, you know, it starts to zoom out, and I'm like, oh shit, I shot. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:36:08

I like it. What uh uh what about you, Ryan Tim? What did you think of the the ending?

SPEAKER_01 1:36:13

Oh, everything Gene said, you know, like that storyline is basically about like the fact that it's the effect of the mother's death that it's had on those two characters. Um, so the fact that like they were able to rekindle something at the end is kind of like the payoff to all of that. Um I know before you had made an issue about like the discrepancy over like how the mom actually died and what that means towards the story. Um when I saw that, I had wondered if um when we find out that that like like what actually happened to the mother is different from what the girl said, I took that to mean that maybe the maybe the girl told the cop that story because she was worried that the actual true answer makes her dad look guilty for some reason. Um and so like she was trying to like give a believable story to the cops. Um, you know, you know, you know, um, and that's what happened there. But then the fact that like hurting, right? Um, because like, you know, telling people like, hey, I saw my mom jump off the balcony is a lot different than I witnessed might not even see the exact moment of death, right? When the jump happens, you know, you know, you know, whereas like you know, witnessing your mom like like shoot herself at the that's like oh it's horrible. That's like that's like so that's so bad. Um, you know, and the fact that like maybe there's like some underlying issues and shows that she's not dealing with as well as maybe he might have thought. Um so that that was my interpretation of like of that dynamic. It ultimately is what allows him to like uh reach out to her when he gets home.

SPEAKER_00 1:38:24

And then um yeah, no, it it um I I thought um I don't know. I just thought the ending was a little um I don't know if it earned it. I don't know if it earned the the weird reveal of um she actually shot herself, and I don't know what impact that has on the story. And then I thought the the door I just told you. Sorry, you froze out. I'm gonna be honest, you froze out a little bit. Um but but and then like her on the balcony naked, I don't know if that really that felt a little silly for me, uh personally, but um but I under but I think but I think um but I think her storyline was the most compelling uh to be fair, but but like I said, I I it it it does really feel like one of those movies where in the end sorry, I don't know if we're this is my like kind of my closing thought. Um yeah, so I just feel like um I thought this was a very interesting, very good movie. Love Inyuritu, uh have so much respect for him, but I do feel like this really was one of those movies where if this was made today, I feel like it almost would have been better as a mini-series and um a little bit less of a movie, but uh my heart was broken, tragedy porn, I just feel like the idea of the all the storylines being connected through a through some nebulous like a rifle. Like I just I understand what they were going for, it just feels a little stretched, and I don't know. That that that's kind of all I have to say. Like, I you know, and the the performances were fantastic. I think Brad Pitt and Kate Blanchette give amazing performances, but at the same time, I feel like their storyline was at least interesting. I don't know. Um, so I'm a solid seven out of ten for this one. So, but I overall enjoyed it, and um, I cannot wait, I cannot wait for Digger boys. I'm so excited. And I just dig dig and I don't dig and I do not and I do not like that in your ritu and Tom Cruise are promoting a movie where the title is so close to the N-word, and I don't like it. But I'm excited. Anyway, um Remington final thoughts.

SPEAKER_05 1:41:39

Um yeah movie good no, um movie good.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:48

But uh no, I uh yeah, I I enjoyed it. Um for me, like having seen all three of them, the the I don't agree that it should that it should be a miniseries. I I don't agree with that. I think that there's a reason why it's a film, and I think the medium of film best suits the um conveyance of like the emotions and impressions that Inurito is going for that I think a miniseries would lose. Um that said, uh after three movies of like non-linear in a row of nonlinear storytelling with stories that I don't think needed to be nonlinear, um, you know, you know, I don't know if it fully worked for me either in that respect. Um, but I do think it was a well-made movie. I agree that um Adriana Barraza's performance as as as the grandmother um was really good. Um, and that is definitely my favorite of the three storylines, the Mexico story. Um, and yeah, no, I I I think it I think it's a good movie. I gave it an eight out of ten on Letterboxd. I am tempted to drop it to a seven. Wow. After talking about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:43:06

What is your I'm so curious, wait, what is your favorite out of the the um the trilogy?

SPEAKER_01 1:43:12

Oh, out of the trilogy? Um it's hard to say. I'd have to I'd have to dwell on this more to really know on there. I kind of feel similarly about all three, if I'm being real. But there are things that I like respect a lot out of like each of them. Like like Amoris Paris is probably like his grittiest film that he that he's ever that he's ever done in his career because it's like first movie too. Yeah, it's all like handheld cameras and it's like really gory and it's like it's like it's like yeah, it's and it's nonlinear, but also like it's also like very frenetic, too. Like it's it's it's like it's like kind of crazy. Um and so like there's a there's a lot I there's a lot to like admire in that. Um also like the fact that he was like trying to like authentically portray Mexico City to like a broad audience, you know, you know, is is like interesting. Um 21 Grams has like a really good Sean Penn performance in it, really um, which was cool to watch not that long after his Oscar win. Um also a really good Benicio del Toro performance, I'll add too. Um did he win for that one? Yeah, I think he did. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 1:44:26

I'd have to double check. I'd have to double check, but it was around that time that he that he's gone for traffic. Yeah, no, he went for traffic.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:46

I want to do the Soderberg 2000 double feature of traffic and Aaron Brockovich one of these days. Um he left. We lost his ass.

SPEAKER_06 1:45:00

He just got up, he just got up, he just got up and left. Oh, Daniel. You fuck. Uh that's funny. I'm sorry, I just found it really funny. Yeah. Um thinking about which one you like the best?

SPEAKER_01 1:45:22

Yeah, uh, I think I think I like Amores Paris the best of the consideration. It has more things that I like in it, like it like its constituent parts, you know. Um even though, again, I still feel like I feel very similarly about like all three of them looking looking from above. Did you watch them in order?

SPEAKER_02 1:45:48

Yes, I did. It must be interesting too, watching uh like a first movie by this director, right? Set in by Shaku in his in his home city with uh because Gael was a very much like a Mexican actor back then too, fully in Spanish. And then two movies later, it's like, oh, but now this one's Brad Pitt.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:06

You know, like yeah, no, because like and you can see that too, because you can see how this is like a first film in Amores Paris for all the reasons I I described before, how it's like a handheld camera, and how like it's it's like confined to like the streets of Mexico City, and then you can see how like in his second film, because he got like more acclaim because that was a that was it was a Mexican film, but it was like a hit in the US, which allowed him to like pool that success to go and do a Hollywood film with 21 grams, and that was a hit, which then allowed him to go then go and do Babble, and then that got into Best Picture, right? So you can see like the trajectory of his career just by watching just going upward and getting more money now. It's like oh now we can shoot in Morocco and Japan and Mexico, and also Inyorito has a reputation of getting actors nominated for Oscars. Um, I think his only winner was Leo for the Revenant. Um, but like consistently from 21 grams onward, all of his movies have gotten at least one actor nominated except for Bardo.

SPEAKER_02 1:47:09

Did how did Javier Bardam get a nomination for his movie with uh yeah, he got nominated for Beautiful. Yeah, nice. Look at that.

SPEAKER_00 1:47:16

Yeah. I'm so I'm so excited for Digger. It's insane.

SPEAKER_02 1:47:23

Right. Uh I guess my closing thoughts, right? Um yeah, no, I I I I liked it. Um I was kind of hoping, like, I'm I I was hoping I would love it. I didn't love it, um, but I did really like it. I don't like I certainly don't dislike it. Um I I enjoyed more of you know, I definitely enjoyed more of the stuff I that hit for me versus what didn't quite hit. And even what didn't quite hit, like I don't think it's like an issue from it's it's like I don't know, just like maybe like it's like small little things, I guess. I don't know how do I describe it. Um I think too, like maybe like the maybe like the uh maybe in a rewatch, knowing where it ends. Because like I had a lot of dread too during this movie, Dan, like you said, like um like is everyone gonna die in a fucking fiery drunk driving accident? Like what the fuck is that?

SPEAKER_00 1:48:08

The minute she got into that car, I was like, oh no.

SPEAKER_02 1:48:12

And knowing that's not where it goes, I'm like, okay, that's fun. I I you know, whatever. Um, but I did enjoy it. Uh I'll give it like a I don't know, like a three and a half, maybe. Yeah, probably probably a light three, like three and a half.

SPEAKER_00 1:48:26

I think we're all the same around like a seven out of ten.

SPEAKER_02 1:48:29

Yeah. Um, so yeah, I mean I'd recommend it. I I would watch it. Uh I I gotta watch a motor spades. I haven't watched that one. Um, so cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:48:36

Yeah, finish the trilogy, Gene, because it because like I said, like I I think there's like a there's like there's some interesting aspects of like all three of them. And yeah, and I want to. 21 Grams is a good movie, like I will say that. Like, I think I like Morris Paris more because of the greenness, um, and like just like you know, because it because it's like and the creativity that it involved to like make that work. Um, but like yeah, 21 Grams has some really good performance. Like Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro and Naomi Watts are really good in that movie.

SPEAKER_02 1:49:08

Thinking of the other 2006 movies, then uh Children of Men, very, very good. Uh, I really love Pan's Labyrinth. Uh, it's a phenomenal movie, so that that I think you can't Empire.

SPEAKER_01 1:49:22

Who's that by? It's a it's David Lynch's last movie.

SPEAKER_06 1:49:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:49:26

Oh, you know, I've never watched it. Yeah, okay. Um, yeah, it's the last feature film he ever made. I know people like to cope and say that season three of Twin Peaks is a movie, but it's not, it's literally television. So yeah, his last movie.

SPEAKER_00 1:49:41

Not to sound like a woke douchebag, but okay. Roma made me cry like a baby backfit. Roma's Roma's a fucking masterpiece. Uh Pan's Labyrinth is still to this day on my top fifty of all time. Um the best.

SPEAKER_01 1:50:00

uh Del Toro movie and um children of after we watched children of men you guys know how I feel about that that was such a discovery that that rocked my fucking world that movie and because you like children of men I'm gonna recommend a movie to you right now go for it it's called it's a French film it's called Alpha Ooh wait I've heard of this wait really you think so yeah yeah um I know a lot of people think it's like lesser uh Julia DuCorn but when I went and saw it for myself um finally because it finally got a uh US theatrical release like a month ago or something um that movie rocked my world and I think it like does many similar things to children of men um it's like a different kind of story like to to be real it's it's it's like a it's like an AIDS metaphor um but it's just so well directed and there's just yeah it's it's it's so incredible like that that really wowed me in like a lot of ways um so I would encourage you to go check out alpha okay I love it no I yeah when I when I saw children of men I thought oh my literally one of the greatest things I've ever seen um so yeah but all right cool whose turn is it I don't remember uh it's Dan's turn oh it is cool all right it's your turn doofus like oh great Dan's gonna pick a mid 2000s crime thriller or some shit well kidding Dan's like oh we're doing reservoir dogs Dan's just gonna throw a dartboard at a list of George Clooney movie do you guys remember the 2007 movie Wanted that's what we're doing all right so I have a keeps talking about digger and it fuck it's give me a George Clooney movie again watch dude I'm so excited for Digger um and I I don't like saying the title because the title is very um Dan Dan Dan movie pick one let's go sell us pitch us so I'm gonna do I'm gonna do a weird thing are you guys ready for this all right I I gotta I actually have to do this um so I was I I I've thought about this so much um yes we've had it too good on this podcast for too long I like how he did that that was really good that was really good he was foreshadowing this to me I didn't know it like he was foreshadowing this to me like like before we started oh here we go all right all right all right it's it's we've we've we've we've we've had it too good for too long boys okay the time has come the time has come where we watch a bad movie oh god and for May of 2026 we're gonna watch a movie by the master of bad movies can you guess can you guess are we watching the fucking room no we're not watching the fucking room you're no we're not watching the fucking room we're gonna watch the master of bad movies we're gonna watch a movie by this this is this is probably my favorite bad movie of all time and it comes by uh a guy by the name of Mr M Knight Shamalone God damn that was my second guess too are you doing if you make me watch old again I swear to god Dan are we doing after Earth?

SPEAKER_02 1:53:59

Like what are we doing? Are we doing old?

SPEAKER_00 1:54:01

I hated old Cabin in the Woods we're knocking a cabin over it's called no you cocksuckers haven't watched it it's the best bad movie I've ever seen so so years ago I had to I had to like I was going through like director's filmographies and I started with Mnite Shyamalan and the one movie that is not talked about enough but the people that do talk about it they talk about it a lot it's a movie called Nope that's a good one that's a good movie by M. Night Shyamalan we're gonna talk that's a good movie we're talking about the best bad movie I've ever seen the most hilarious bad movie I've ever seen by M. Night Shyamalan The Lady in the water okay okay yeah so you haven't seen this one no no but see but see here's the thing I wouldn't have thought of that as a bad movie because there's like like there's too many like M Nite diehards on film Twitter so like I don't have a good gauge for these things other than the ones that I go and see and then they're like this is the greatest movie ever and I'm like it was fine I don't know if it has to be like the greatest movie ever like no I I'm so excited for this because no I I genuinely had this on the back burden because I actually think this is the greatest bad movie I've ever seen like the funniest like we'll have such a great conversation like you will watch this I'm not kidding Gene you should watch this with Miriam and and like the what the fuck moments of is this meant to be serious and and um when you and and and I just it's gonna be such a fun conversation because we're gonna talk about that and talk about the career of M Knight Shyamalan and the behind the scenes of this movie is just so ripe for conversation.

SPEAKER_02 1:56:00

So I'm I'm excited um like every December Cosmonaut Marcus will do a big video where he either watches all the movies in a franchise or by a director. So this past December's was uh the Superman theatrical releases um he didn't cover the um the one that we watched the cut because he mentioned it but he's like he he strictly cut this like just theatrical releases right um two years ago he did he watched every M night movie and reviewed them and I genuinely don't remember what I do not remember what he said about about this movie so I'm curious I'm gonna have to watch that video again real quick.

SPEAKER_01 1:56:38

Hey hey Gene I'm not kidding why don't you do why don't you DM Cosmo and ask him to come on this episode I don't know maybe can you do it I'm not okay I'm just saying all you just fucking DM him anyway all right watching Lady in the water yeah by our boy M Night Shyamalan we'll talk about this next episode too but what is your well have you watched by M Night Remy I don't I I don't think I know I've watched every one of his movies do you not like him uh no uh I don't like the sixth sense but like every other thing I've seen from him is like either grossly overrated and is just mid or it's like bad you know you know what I'm saying like like maybe it's just like negative polarization because like literally psychos on Twitter are like knock at the cabin is the greatest movie ever the greatest movie ever and I'm like shut the fuck up right now like right now it's it that they're not they're fine they're not people people not excited for this Jake Gyllenhaal movie. I am I love Jake Gyllenhaal so maybe it could be good. I don't know I guess I really won't know until I see how how I feel about him until I see like the village since that's like his other supposedly like really great movie.

SPEAKER_02 1:58:06

Kind of polarizing in a way though but I get what you're saying. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:58:09

It's the one that's considered his most artistic by like a lot of people um so like I like it I like it for what it was personally but I guess the extent and the village are the ones that like criticy people like love the most sorry no I'd love your thoughts in the village yeah I you should watch it do you do you know the twist or no?

SPEAKER_02 1:58:30

Because I think that that's a big no I don't I don't know I don't know anything about it other than it's an energy movie. Keep it that way I I you I I really want to know what you think about it then. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:58:40

Yeah um okay this is this is legitimately like my favorite bad movie ever and it's by the master um and I think I think you like it's so funny. It's the behind the scenes are so funny. It yeah and and we'll have a good conversation about M night you know so I I'm very um I'm very excited so he sign us off this has been a cool zone media no I can't say that we get sued