Off Mike - The Devil Wears Prada 2, Mortal Kombat II, Hokum, and more!

[00:00:02] Let's get together, talk about the movies that we saw this week. We'll have discussions, talk film news, we'll laugh a lot and act like geeks. Sometimes we'll have a guest or two, sometimes it's just the two of us. Let's crack some jokes and tell some folks to come along and hang with us! Mike and... Chosen wisely. Hello and welcome to the podcast that is about to enter.

[00:00:35] Nice, nice, nice. That was not as good as I think I could have done it, but I am kind of sick right now, so that's my excuse for that. That's your, we've traded sicknesses, I think last episode, last Mike and Mike, I might have been sick or two episodes ago, I don't remember podcast time travel anymore. Yeah, no, I was on a plane this past weekend and obviously I was at my sister's wedding, which was a huge great event, but also a lot of people there and then flight back, all that stuff. I definitely started to feel it like on my flight back.

[00:01:02] And then today I was at work at the baseball stadium and it was a cold and rainy day and I didn't get to leave the stadium at all and it was very chilly, so I don't think it helped. But that's not great. You don't like, you don't want to see that. Yeah, exactly. But it's Mike and Mike go to the movies. I'm Mike Smith and joining me as always is a music critic writing a book about Atlantis Morissette in the summer of 2011. Mike Decretio? I'm trying to fit together whatever that is, but I don't want to know. I'll discover it later.

[00:01:28] Yeah, it's a movie I'll be talking about in a little bit. It's very, very good. It's a good time. How are you doing today, Mike? I'm doing good. I'm excited. I actually have some stuff to discuss on today's episode, which is nice. Normally you outpace me a lot, but when you had a wedding, two, you're sick. So in your face, I watch stuff. I'm catching up.

[00:01:47] Yeah, absolutely. I had a wedding and also like increasingly with, you know, I've talked about this in the past in my new job. I'm working for the local Missoula baseball organization. Baseball season starting up and I'm really worried about my movie watching time as a result. I have been working a lot and it feels like that's not stopping anytime soon. So we're gonna see how that goes. Yeah, it'll be interesting to see your your stats at the end of the year. Now that you're a baseball boy, you have to get really into stats.

[00:02:11] But we already already keep detailed notes and logs of your movie watching. So we'll see if it affects your your end of year totals. Yeah, absolutely. Last year for my letterbox like year in review, I had more movies than there were days in the year. And I am going to be kind of bummed if I fell below that number, which I think I might. Because I just don't have time to watch stuff. It's it's it's a problem. And I'm also like trying to figure out when to watch movies in theaters and try. And now I'm having to make some tough decisions about what I can and can't see. You know, it's it's a bummer.

[00:02:41] That's that's just a struggle. I'm sorry that you have to go through that. Yes. In any case, there are there is stuff to talk about. I have seen things. There are movies. We will talk about them. And let's do it now. All right. Yeah, no, it's a it's a Mike and Mike off Mike episode. This is one of our bonus episodes just where we talk about some of the stuff that we've been watching lately where Mike D's got some stuff. I've got some stuff. Yeah. It sounds like Mike D. You've had a pretty chill few days. Your Internet went out for a few days.

[00:03:08] Yeah. Yeah. My Internet went out. I was smote by the Internet gods and then fixed by some nice guy named Pat came to my house. It was like lines broken. And I was like, cool. And so he hooked it up. But in those couple of days, I was just like those those pictures of like Quentin Tarantino looking at stuff in his house. You know, I was just like standing around like, what do I do?

[00:03:32] Now what? Yeah, absolutely. And normally we would have been doing a podcast that week, but we had already canceled it because of my sister's wedding. So, yeah, that kind of worked out. We couldn't have done a podcast if your Internet was gone. Shout out to your sister and brother-in-law for the assist on that. Yes. Planning their wedding the weekend by Internet went out. So very nice of them. Yes. They were taking that into consideration when they did this week. Yeah, exactly. But then so I was like, wait a second. Half of my online personality is Blu-ray boy.

[00:04:01] I should watch some of these Blu-rays. There you go. Yeah. And so I recently just bought that. Vinegar Syndrome has also announced a partnership with Barnes and Noble's just like Criterion. They have a 50 percent off sale. I don't know if it's still going on. I forget the date range for it. I think it's going for like a full month. So I think it's happening until like mid-June. Yeah. So I was like, let me go take a look on there and just look at some stuff. And they had some stuff on there that, you know, I haven't bought some of the more recent things that like,

[00:04:28] I don't know, is this worth a $60 4K Blu-ray thing? Like, I don't know, but I was on sale for like 25. I was like, sick. I'm in. So I picked up Walter Hill's Southern Comfort. Okay, cool. Nice. Are you just launching into your discussion right now? I'm just going right into it. It feels like it was appropriate. Yeah, we got to play the theme song first. We got to say. Oh my gosh, fine. All right. It felt like we already did. I mean, we haven't even done that yet. It's time for some discussion. Watch this.

[00:04:58] These are my discussions. Just when I thought I said all I could say, my buddy and I talk about movies we see. These are my discussions. There is so much to see, you and me. So we're going to talk about movies for our discussions. All right. There it is. It's time for some discussions here on Mike, Mike, out of the movies. All right, Mike, now you can launch into Southern Comfort. Gosh darn. Walter Hill's Southern Comfort from 1981. What a picture is what I'm saying. Have you ever heard about this movie? Ever seen this movie?

[00:05:27] You know anything about it? I have heard of it, but I've actually never seen it. This is another one of those Walter Hill joints that is a blind spot for me. Yeah. And I feel like he's a director who we have each been filling in each other's Walter Hill gaps over the years with Mike Makes Mike Watch, I Made You Watch, I Think Streets of Fire, and The Driver. You Made Me Watch, Extreme Prejudice, and Trespass. Trespass, yes. I think it was also a Walter Hill joint. I feel like there even might have been one or two more that were in the mix somewhere. But yeah, a director that we've talked about many times over the years. Yes. Yeah, he's coming up. He's a Mike and Mike fave for sure.

[00:05:57] 48 hours recently. Yes, I was just remembering. Yeah, 48 hours also. And this is great. It's one of those movies where you've talked about, I think it was actually Extreme. No, it wasn't Extreme Prejudice. It was Frailty, where the opening credits are happening and you're like, Bill Paxton, doing the Vince McMahon meme. Yep. And I believe that had Powers Booth in it, right? I believe it did.

[00:06:22] I think it was like I saw Bill Paxton and then McConaughey and then Powers Booth and yeah, I was losing my mind. Yeah. And so this movie stars Keith Carradine, Fred Ward, Powers Booth. Hell yeah. So it's happening again. And then who else is in here? There's a couple other guys. It's filled with just guys. The guy that plays the cook in the thing with the roller skates, he's in this. Okay. He's great. And this is about a, I believe, I think it's a Louisiana.

[00:06:50] They're definitely in Louisiana, but it's a National Guard unit doing jungle training. It's set in during the Vietnam War. But so it's in Louisiana doing jungle training in the bayou, in the swamps. And this unit gets lost and they can't figure out what to do. So they're like, what if we just steal these canoes that we find? And they kind of like tramps over and there's a camp and they kind of like run roughshod over it, steal these canoes, paddle out into the bayou, into the swamps to try to get back to where they need to go.

[00:07:18] And run afoul of the, you know, the Cajun swamp people, basically. And then it just becomes a cat and mouse survival guerrilla warfare thing in the swamps, in the bayou. And it's incredible. It's so good. It's a bunch of guys, like I said, a bunch of dudes being dudes. And it's got the like big juicy Walter Hill action squibs. But it's not like it's not like fun action because it's like really fucked up what's happening.

[00:07:46] You know, obviously it's, you know, Vietnam War allegory stuff. But it's also it's just like sort of imperialism stuff like having, you know, the National Guard just steal these people's properties and run like blow up a house eventually. And like all this stuff and just like these people that don't belong in this, this area, in this community, just thinking they do. And that like this is all mine because I'm a representative of the U.S. government, goddammit, and all this stuff. And it's just really good. It's tight.

[00:08:16] Keith Carradine and Powers Booth are great together. I forget who did the music for it, but it's somebody notable who's all and it's also a really great score, you know, kind of Cajun plucky banjo type deal. Similar to like, you know, the deliverance and all that stuff. That's Southern Comfort from 1981. Really, really high recommend. OK, this sounds great. It sounds like a future Mike Makes Mike Watch, honestly. It feels like something that might get thrown in the mix in 2027 or something. Yeah, it's possible. We'll see what happens. But all right, that is Southern Comfort from Walter Hill.

[00:08:46] Moving on into my stuff. Mine's all mostly new releases for the most part. And I wanted to talk about this same Michaela Cole double feature that I got to do recently. Michaela Cole, who I feel like I know from something else, but I'm blanking on what it is. But I mostly now know her for these two movies. British actress. She had like a TV show or something. I feel like I remember. I can't remember. That sounds correct. But anyway, one of those movies is the new film from Steven Soderbergh. And that is The Christophers, which, you know, new year, new Soderbergh joint is that's how it works. He makes a lot of movies.

[00:09:16] And this one is really terrific. This stars Michaela Cole alongside Ian McKellen. Ian McKellen is this renowned legendary painter, like, you know, one of the great artists of our time. OK. And Michaela Cole, also an artist who has been hired by Ian McKellen's children to forge some paintings from Ian McKellen. Basically, some unfinished works that like legendary unfinished works from Ian McKellen's artist character.

[00:09:41] She's been hired to forge finished versions of these paintings so that when he dies, the kids can act as if they like discovered them in the attic. And suddenly they'll be worth a lot of money, essentially. And yeah, the movie is very, very fun. It's very sharp. Ian McKellen, unbelievably good in this movie. Like Ian McKellen, great all the time. You know, always terrific. You know, he's Ian McKellen. He's great. But he is excellent in The Christophers, like totally in top form. Michaela Cole, also terrific in this movie. And so much of it is just a two-hander between the two of them.

[00:10:10] And they're kind of gradually growing mutual respect for each other, which at first has kind of disdain. Turns out she has sort of a past with Ian McKellen's character. Ian McKellen, he's an artist, but he's also used to be like the judge on this like art reality show and was like the Simon Cowell of that show. And so it has like that kind of background to him, too. So, yeah, the movie is a lot of fun. It's very breezy. It's like 90 minutes. It's much like Black Bag. It just kind of gets in and out.

[00:10:35] This is, I think, a very strong effort from Steven Soderbergh and I hope indicative of the future as well. Because, you know, Steven Soderbergh recently made some headlines for kind of being like pro-AI. Yeah. Or like trying to like kind of check out the technology and see how he can use it and stuff like that, which is so weird when you look at The Christophers. And it's such a, you know, an examination of what makes art art and, you know, very specifically like what makes it human and all that kind of stuff.

[00:10:59] So it's very weird that he has become an AI guy, but also like not that surprising considering like who Steven Soderbergh is as a filmmaker and all that stuff. I hope he discards it very quickly. You know, all that stuff. But if this is the last true Soderbergh movie, it's a very good one to go out of. Yeah. I mean, that's the that's the thing. Like, yeah, I know he's that's like obviously he's been his whole thing. He was one of the early make a movie on an iPhone guys, right? Like, yeah, he always like wants to experiment with new technology and all that stuff. Yeah. But the moral imperative on AI is so clear.

[00:11:29] I don't think that's a very, very like good enough excuse anymore for this to destroy the data centers, you know? Yeah. But it looks like Michaela Cole was in Black Panther Wakanda forever. So maybe that is. Oh, really? OK. Yeah. I never saw that. So I have no idea what size role she has in it. But she's got a named character. I saw that movie and it's been a while. So I don't remember exactly. But yeah, The Christophers, terrific. Really enjoyed it. And Michaela Cole also in another movie that came out that same weekend, actually.

[00:11:58] And that is Mother Mary, which is the new film from David Lowery, director of films like The Green Knight and A Ghost Story and Pete's Dragon. The only good Disney live action remake. And yeah, Mother Mary's terrific. I really love this. This stars Michaela Cole alongside Anne Hathaway. Anne Hathaway plays this Taylor Swift slash Lady Gaga esque, like gigantic pop star. And Michaela Cole is like a costume designer, like and they have had a history together. They've had a past, but they don't work together anymore.

[00:12:26] But Anne Hathaway is struggling to come up with like the perfect costume, the perfect dress to wear at this like wild show that kicks off her tour. It's like a midnight New Year's Eve type thing, all that stuff. And so she like goes and they have like a night together where they just kind of work out their dress, but also work out all their different emotional issues. And then there's a supernatural turn that it kind of takes as well. I really loved it. I think the movie looks great. I think it's really two powerhouse performances again from Michaela Cole and Anne Hathaway.

[00:12:54] These songs are actually really strong. They're written by Jack Antonoff and Charlie XCX. And yeah, no, it's really good. Hunter Schaefer pops up in this movie for a minute. And it has this like beautifully earnest ending, which I think will rub some viewers as really dumb, but I thought was really, really great. So yeah, Mother Mary, I thought was great. I feel like I've seen less acclaim for this one than I have like other David Lowery films. I feel like The Green Knight was the one that like everybody rallied around. Yeah.

[00:13:21] And this one, I feel like has kind of come and went without like a ton of fanfare, but I think it's really excellent. So Mother Mary, high praise. Nice. Yeah, I did want to see that. I didn't get around to it. There's a lot of recent movies I haven't gotten the chance to actually go out to the theaters and see. But yeah, I agree. I feel like this was like in and out, you know, got its two week window or whatever and didn't get much legs. Even though it looked really great, like visually it seemed very appealing. I mean, David Lowery, of course, makes great looking movies. Yeah. So I do want to keep an eye out for when this hits VOD so I can finally watch it. Nice. All right.

[00:13:50] That is The Christopher's and Mother Mary. What's your next movie on the docket, Mike? I actually want to pivot to some TV, which is unlikely for me. I feel like in the last couple discussion episodes and stuff, I've been like, ah, fuck TV. Nobody watches them other than The Pit. The Pit is the only true TV show. That's the only one left. And then I was like, what if TV? I discovered some TV shows.

[00:14:11] Not really discovered, but one of them is Gangs of London season three, which is a English show from the UK that I had heard about, like in the action Twitter circles, you know, action movie circles and stuff. Because season one is many of the episodes are directed by Gareth Evans. OK. The raid guy. Yes. Not the Godzilla guy. You got it right. Not Gareth Edwards. Gareth Evans. Gareth Evans. Yeah. Acclaimed director of Havoc starring Tom Hardy. Exactly. Yeah. And he's a producer.

[00:14:40] So he's still a producer on the other seasons, but he directed a bunch of episodes and he might have done like one or two in the later seasons. I forget. But he directed a bunch in season one. And when season three was coming out last year, I was like, oh, shit, there we go. Like my I've been hearing about this. So there's a third season. Let's lock in. And my friends and I kind of being, you know, over maybe two months, the first two seasons. And they're really good. Season one is like incredible. Season two is like, OK.

[00:15:06] And that really took the wind out of our sails of like season three is dropping right now. Let's go. And we were like, we'll get to it, you know, and now it's been another year. So we watched season three and season three is way better than two. Nothing's going to hit the highs of one. It seems like unless Gareth Evans comes back, you know, as it becomes much more heavily involved like he was in that season. But it's cool.

[00:15:28] And then the show follows the story of in season one is the this the head of the this crime family played by Cole Meany is killed in like the cold open. And you find out that he sort of had brokered to this kind of peace deal kind of thing between all the gangs in London of like, well, if we all work together, we're all going to just make billions of dollars. And his death leaves a power vacuum and everything crumbles and gang wars break out, basically.

[00:15:55] And this is an undercover cop is using this opportunity to get in undercover in one of these crime families to, you know, do his investigation. And that's season one. And it's great. Twisty turny. You find out, you know, who's really behind lots of stuff and pulling the strings and who's who in City Hall is involved. And like, you know, like all that kind of stuff, the intrigue on top of great Gareth Evans action. And then it kind of loses the thread a little bit in season two. And you're like, well, what's going on? Hold on. It ends in a really cool, exciting way. And season three picks up from that.

[00:16:25] So it's definitely an improvement over two, but it's still not the highs of one, like I said. So we'll see. We'll see. Season four, it turns out, is happening because they kill a ton of major characters in season three that we were like, this has got to be the last scene. Like there's going to be nobody left. What the hell's going on? Yeah. And then we looked it up and it turns out it's it is season four is happening. But in 2027, and this is the problem with television in its current iteration. Granted, it's also a UK TV thing.

[00:16:52] That's always been the case there or much more often the case where it's like, we'll see you in five years or whatever. Like that one is a community or whatever. That one joke you we talk, I remember talking about with you where it's like, oh, the UK is longest running TV show. They almost made 20 episodes. The Good Place. It's like it ran for 30 years. It ran nearly 20 episodes or something. Yeah.

[00:17:39] Yeah. Like mountain climber guy. Okay. So if you've ever seen a free solo, that's Alex Honnell. Yes. This is the guy that inspired Alex Honnell, Dean Potter. This is the guy Alex Honnell grew up watching in. And it turns out there's like, you know, the equivalent of skate videos, you know, where it's like skate porn and all this cool shit, but for mountain climbing. And that's sort of where Dean Potter blew up.

[00:18:05] He was this, you know, he was this guy in the mountain climbing world, rock climbing world. And this is fascinating. I love these kinds of things. These documentaries. Like, did you ever watch like 100 foot wave on HBO? Have you ever watched any of that? I've not. Oh, man. That shit rules. That's about surfing where they found this beach in Portugal specifically where they have the natural formations make 100 foot waves. And they're like, what if we surf that shit? And it's a whole series about that.

[00:18:35] There's actually like three seasons of it now, which is crazy. But I only watched the first one. But I love these kind of just extreme sports documentaries, deep dives into these people that just don't have fear or whatever. Like, I don't understand. Like, I can't go up a high building on the inside. Right. And these guys are like, what if I climb this without a rope? You're like, what the what's wrong with you people? And this is really fascinating. I think Dark Wizard he's got. Dean Potter seemed to have been. He it's also made very clear that he is. He's dead.

[00:19:01] He did die in a it's a wingsuit accident. OK. And that's sort of the trajectory of the series where he has this this kind of like drive, this need to exist at that edge. They call it the death consequence, like the people in the in the documentary. And he wrote extensive journals and all this stuff and was friends with all these filmmakers and documentaries, documentarians and stuff. So there's like tons of archival footage of interviews and just him doing these rock climbing things and his journals and stuff.

[00:19:31] But that that need to exist at that edge where you need to be 100 percent perfect. You need to be beyond the the the the limits of human capabilities and you need to be perfect or you die. Right. Basically. And he sort of had this drive that he needed to live there. Everything he did was towards that end. So he starts with rock climbing, eventually gets into free soloing or just, you know, climbing without ropes, without gear. Then base jumping and then wingsuit jump dives or whatever.

[00:20:00] And, you know, eventually kind of goes too far and ends up in dying in Yosemite. And it's fucking insane. It's just a crazy like dive through that through that world, through those people that did know him, did did did did survive. Because a bunch of obviously a bunch of them die. It's like crazy doing this shit. So it's really fascinating. I really recommend the Dark Wizard. And it has this this really interesting, like philosophical bent to it.

[00:20:28] You know, it's he had this like connection with ravens and stuff that are like, you know, would would follow him around while he was climbing. And like, you know, and like would call, obviously just like call at them and they would call back. It was like this whole it's this whole like weird, like, you know, they they called they called him the Dark Wizard. He had this like weird connection to nature and the and stuff. And this like kind of, you know, he's kind of like acidy mushroom trip stuff. Like, you know, yeah, man, like that kind of vibe.

[00:20:55] But was also like one of the best rock climbers that ever lived, apparently. So, yeah, really, really fascinating. So I big recommend on the Dark Wizard if you're interested in that kind of exploration of that that stuff. Like I am because I could I would like I said, would never come even close. I don't want to go near Yosemite. I don't want to be anywhere near that shit. Yeah. And and here they are, you know, jumping off cliffs. Like what the hell? Right. Yeah. I did watch Free Solo when that came out. And yeah, like if you were into Free Solo. I did like it. Yeah. It's really funny. Alex Honnold is in the Dark Wizard a lot.

[00:21:25] Obviously, because I feel like he's kind of the at least modern day like layman to me, like us. The face of mountain climbing or whatever. Who the hell are we to know? Who any of these people are other than him? And he's sort of like this antagonist in the in the in the documentary, which is really fascinating because he's sort of presenting as the presented as the kind of like complete antithesis of Dean Potter. But once Alex Honnold, like, you know, emerges on the scene in Yosemite and the rock climbing world and stuff. Yeah.

[00:21:53] Like I said, his Dean's journals all have this like there there there's tons of doodles and sketches and it's all kind of like philosophical ruminations and like, you know, all this stuff. And then Alex Honnold shows up and he just takes this really like science, almost scientific, methodical, like just pure, like kind of like pure stats metrics athlete approach to all this stuff where like Dean Potter is in like cut off jeans, you know, like and like, you know.

[00:22:20] And then they show Alex Honnold like he's like, oh, yeah, here's my my climbing journal from that season. And it's just a like list of routes and times and weather conditions. Like there's no no editorializing, no emotion, no like no personal anything. It's just pure stats and metrics. And so it's like the complete opposite of the style that Dean Potter had.

[00:22:42] And he would they kind of had this competition where, you know, Dean would be working on all these routes and figuring out studying and planning and coming up with this these stuff to like beat like the speed records or whatever their ascent records or whatever they're called. And like, you know, a week before he would finally attempt, I'm ready to do this. Alex Honnold would just figure it out and do it and just like snipe it right from under him. And so they kind of like chart that that they sort of had this tit for tat back and forth thing where, you know, you're the you new head.

[00:23:12] You kids don't understand like what this is really all about, man. And Alex Honnold's like, yeah, so I just I just did it faster. Basically, it's like, what the hell? So that that rivalry is very interesting. It just charted through the whole the whole series. Nice. All right. What's the name again, Mike? That's The Dark Wizard. And that's on HBO. All right. That's The Dark Wizard. For my next stuff, I wanted to talk about two movies from the same director that both came out on the same day. Whoa. And that is the two new films from director Chandler Levesque.

[00:23:40] Now, Chandler Levesque, somebody who I've been very excited about over the last couple of years because her debut film was a little movie called I Like Movies. Mike Smith favorite. Yes. A movie that I helped program for the Montana Film Festival a few years back. A movie that I really, really love. And so basically ever since that movie came out, I actually recently bought I Like Movies on DVD because there is no Blu-ray of it. There's only a DVD. Whoa. And so I recently bought it. I have that now, which I'm very excited about.

[00:24:07] But yeah, she had two new movies that came out, one of which was one I was very highly anticipating. The other one I was very curious about. The one I was very highly anticipating is called Mile End Kicks. And so this is her newest film. And this is the more personal film of the two. This, and it feels like the follow-up to I Like Movies in some ways. Actually, the kid from I Like Movies is also in a supporting role, Isaiah LeTenon, which is cool to see. But this movie stars Barbie Ferreira from Euphoria and also from the new Faces of Death.

[00:24:32] She plays a music critic in 2011 who lives in Toronto. And she moves out to Montreal to sort of find herself, but also to get research and kind of be part of the burgeoning indie scene that is happening out there. While also simultaneously writing a book about Alanis Morissette. And she is out there doing her thing and ultimately kind of ends up entangled in a couple of different relationships within the same band. And there's a very heavy, like almost famous influence on this film.

[00:25:02] And it very much just feels like what I liked about I Like Movies so much is, A, I like movies. So, you know, I like a movie called I Like Movies. But one thing I really love about the movie is it takes place in like 2002. And it really does a good job of like capturing 2002 in a very specific way. And it does that again with 2011 and the music scene kind of around that time. And yeah, I really loved it. I think it's a lot of fun. It's very funny. It's very charming. Barbie Ferreira is great in it. And Devin Bostic, who is the one of the older brother in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies.

[00:25:31] He's one of the love interests in this. And he's very fun. A lot of people in this movie, because a lot of it is like dirtbag art kids who are in their early 20s. And a lot of people in this movie I was able to point to and be like, I know that guy. I know that guy. I know that guy. Yeah. Which was very fun to see. So Myland Kicks, a high recommend. I think it's really terrific. Okay, interesting. Yeah, I might have to give it a try. I didn't finish I Love Movies. I'll be honest. I tried to watch it. I remember. Yeah.

[00:26:01] I hated that kid and that character and was like, I'm out. But maybe I'll go back to it. Give it a try. That's not really a fair reflection on the movie. That's just how I was like graded. And I was like, no, thank you. So I'll go back to it eventually. I think you should. Yeah, it's really good. But yeah, Myland Kicks is good. And then Chandler in the back also had a new film. So Myland Kicks played in theaters, got a limited release in theaters. But on the same day that it got its limited release in North America, Chandler Levesque also directed a movie on Netflix that came out on the same day. And this is a Happy Madison production. Okay.

[00:26:31] And it's called Roommates. And this is a movie starring Adam Sandler's daughter, Sadie Sandler, who is kind of a sheltered kid who doesn't really have a lot of friends in high school, goes off to college and meets her roommate who because they become fast friends very early on and they become roommates and then they turn on each other. They become like roommates from hell kind of thing. And yeah, it's pretty fun. I had a good time with it. It's a pretty funny movie. A lot of funny people that pop up throughout. Sarah Sherman's in this. Nick Kroll is in this. That kind of thing.

[00:26:58] And it's a pretty standard like college comedy, Happy Madison movie. You know, there's a very good like recurring bit with Martin Hurley. He from Please Don't Destroy who pops up throughout the movie as like this guy who runs a party that they go to early on, but also is like the leader of a Frisbee club and hates them for not joining the Frisbee team and all that stuff. It's very fun. Nice. But yeah, no, I had a pretty good time with roommates, but I think it's interesting that Chandler Levac ended up doing that as well, only because if you watched all of I Like

[00:27:27] Movies, I'm not sure if it's in the first half hour, there's a very clear love of Adam Sandler that's in that movie. I don't remember. I remember there being SNL stuff, but that's past the Sandler era. Yeah. Well, they talk about Sandler and there's a scene in I Like Movies where they very specifically watch the episode of SNL where Adam Sandler came out doing promotion for Eight Crazy Nights and did the Hanukkah song part three. Yes. And Rob Schneider comes out, right? And that was one moment in I Like Movies where I was like, I've seen that episode of SNL. Like I have memories of watching that when I was that age. I remember that. Yes.

[00:27:57] So there's that. And there's also the scene in I Like Movies where they go see Punch Drunk Love in the theater and the kid is like explaining to the other kid like, well, this isn't going to be your typical Adam Sandler fest, you know, that kind of thing. Yeah. So yeah, it's a very clear love of the Sandler filmography, I think. And so I think it's interesting that Chandler Levac ended up making a Happy Madison movie right after. I feel like it's a situation where, you know, Mylon Kicks was the movie that like she was like working on, the movie that she was like getting ready to make.

[00:28:24] But then the opportunity came around to also do a Happy Madison. And she was such a huge Adam Sandler fan that she was like, yeah, absolutely. I'll do that. How many zeros are on that check I've been? I mean, that too. Yeah, I'm sure that helps. But yeah, but Rubies is pretty solid. Mylon Kicks is really good. So I recommend both. They were both a lot of fun. Hell yeah. Yeah, I do feel bad about doing that. I love movies. So I know how important it was to you that year. I remember. It was my number two movie of the year behind, I think it was 2022, 23.

[00:28:54] 23 that that movie you like came out. I think I had it on my list a year before it actually got a US release because it was in the MTFF and I didn't think it was getting a US release at the time. So I think it was 23 though. So it was behind past lives was my number one that year. But but the more the more time that goes by, the more I'm like, but what if I like movies is my number one of that year? I don't know. It's really good. I like it a lot. Good. I'm glad. You know what? I like a lot. Some old movies sometimes. Yeah, there you go. There it is. So I started doing this thing. It's crazy. You know, Sunday morning criterions. I don't know.

[00:29:23] I kind of had this like, you know what? I feel like I need some more classic movies in my life. I want to kind of specifically carve out some time to watch these movies. And it's not necessarily criterion collection films, but stuff on the criterion channel, you know, whatever it is. Sometimes that could be Yes, Madam or whatever, whatever the Hooper. Is that the name of the movie you're talking about? Yeah. The Burt Reynolds stuntman movie. Did you watch that? I didn't watch it, but that's on the criterion channel. It would have counted and be eligible for my made up criteria of this thing that I'm doing.

[00:29:53] But the first one that I watched in this, you know, this mode Sunday morning, sit down, have my bagel and my coffee and throw on Brute Force from 1947 directed by Jules Dassen, who made The Naked City and some other noir films. And this stars Burt Lancaster as a prisoner, like a prisoner. It's a prison movie. Okay. And oh, baby, you know, do you know that Burt Lancaster is like good? Yeah.

[00:30:23] Burt Lancaster rocks. He's so fucking good. He's incredible. And I feel like he's somebody who I've only been like appreciating in the last couple of years. Yeah. But every time we watch a Burt Lancaster movie, like The Train. The Train. Or something like that. Recently, I watched Judgment of Nuremberg and he's amazing in that movie also. Just yeah. Yeah. Burt Lancaster. What a guy. What a guy. Yeah. And this is a, you know, it's 1947. So I guess it's, I don't know. I don't really know the like, you know, technicalities of the noir genre. Like what, you know, when that thing, but it's right on the cusp of that.

[00:30:51] And this is a, it's a prison movie about the brutality, the brute force that goes on inside prisons. It's kind of like, you know, a Shawshank type deal or he's, he, Burt Lancaster is kind of playing a character like Steve McQueen, the cooler King, you know, in Grayscape. He's like the guy that's in charge. Everyone, all the prisoners look up to him. He's the one that's always telling off the guard and the warden and getting in trouble for it and taking the abuse on in the system upon himself to spare his fellow inmates kind of thing.

[00:31:21] Um, but it, it sort of, um, is this kind of just slow boil where eventually that reaches a point where he can't take it anymore. We're going to stage a breakout. The there's, you know, stool pigeons and informants, and there's like a prison newspaper journalist guy that's getting involved. And it's like really cool. It's just about the workings of, of, of, of the prison and, um, staging this breakout attempt basically. Right. And it's just great. It's just great.

[00:31:51] A guy turning to the camera and being like, and wouldn't society be better if there were no prison? Like it's kind of like, has that kind of, that kind of moment, um, at the very end where we just kind of state the thesis of the film direct to camera. But like, damn, that works in a movie from 1947. Sure. Absolutely. Uh, Burt Lancaster, this was his second movie, by the way. Whoa. I'm looking it up now. Yeah. This was the second movie he ever starred in, which is pretty wild. That's nuts. Yeah. Other recent ones that I watched, I watched Gunfight at the OK Corral not that long ago, I feel like. Uh, and also, uh, The Swimmer.

[00:32:21] There's another, uh, Burt Lancaster joint. Yeah. The Swimmer. Wow. That of course we watched because we had to talk about the surfer. Yes. In Nicolas Cage. Yes, exactly. So yeah, big recommend on Brute Force. This movie's just great. Uh, and it just looks so good. And, and it has all this weird, you know, they, they kind of play with the, um, you know, the weird like artificiality of the, of the prison bars, the bars on the windows and the shadows they cast over these people. And like, you know, it's expressionistic noir kind of stuff going on in this movie. Uh, so big, big recommend on Brute Force. All right.

[00:32:49] Uh, what else have you been watching on your Criterion Channel Sundays, Mike? My Criterion Channel Sundays, I also watched, um, Out of the Past, which is, uh, also from 1947. Um, this one is directed by Jacques Tourneur who made the original Cat People and, uh, a couple other movies. And then did a, produced a ton of like just really interesting kind of noir horror thriller type movies from this era.

[00:33:11] But this is a, just kind of straight up noir starring, uh, Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas as just a fucking, Kirk Douglas is just like an evil monster. Uh, which is so funny that the, you know, uh, the, the out, uh, no, not the outlaw. What was the movie? Yeah. The outlaw. Uh, what was the movie we watched that David made this one? The villain. Ah, I was so close. Where it's like, oh, you know, this is sort of, the villain is kind of like playing on the persona of Kirk Douglas being this kind of hapless, you know, Daffy Duck, whatever.

[00:33:36] But like, this is the kind of stuff that Kirk Douglas is doing where he's just an evil, uh, you know, criminal guy. But out of the past is about Robert Mitchum who is kind of this small town guy. He runs a gas station. He's kind of in love with this woman, girl, this townie lady. And they're going to like get married even though her parents don't really want him to and all this stuff. And all of a sudden some guy in a fedora and a trench coat rolls into town and it's like, hey, you look familiar, buddy. And comes out of his past.

[00:34:06] And pulls him, but just when he thought he was out, they pull him back in. And then he's got to do one last job. And you find out, um, that, uh, Robert Mitchum in his past life was a private detective, I think in New York or something. The big city. And did a job for Kirk Douglas to sort of, uh, to find his missing mistress? Wife? I forget exactly. His mistress, his missing lady friend. Yeah. Who ran out on him with $50,000 cash. And I'm hiring you to track her down and get that money back for me. And, uh, he finds this lady and what, what if they fall in love?

[00:34:35] And what if we don't, what if we run away with this $50,000? Oh, interesting. Um, and so twisty turny stuff. He's, he's left that life behind. Things go, have gone wrong. He, he, between him and that lady. And he's ran off, started a new life in this small town. Um, and, uh, Kirk Douglas has caught up with him, pulls him back into this web. Uh, and, and it's great. Have you ever seen out of the past? I don't know. I have, but it's been a very long time, like probably at least 10 years. And so I remember liking it, but I don't really remember that much about it.

[00:35:05] I remember, I think the Roxy played it for one of their like noir Vember series or something a while back. Uh, and I couldn't make it for whatever reason, but, uh, I remember liking it. I remember thinking it was good. Yeah. It's really great. Uh, you know, similar thing. Robert Mitchum, real good actor, real good. Kirk Douglas, real good actor. Um, they're so great. Uh, and so it's been fun kind of, I guess, just kind of by the nature of what's available in the criteria and I've channel right now, currently kind of like watching noir-ish movies. I think, I can't remember. I think this was in, they have a like three by Jacques Tenure collection or something.

[00:35:35] Okay. Uh, so that's where I watched that one or that's like, you know, the collection that it was in. So big, big recommend on, uh, out of the past, but I have two more in this category. So we, what else do you have? We'll go, we'll come back to them. Sure. I'll also say, uh, if you haven't seen the original cat people, it's also pretty good. Uh, so good. Yeah. There's, there's, there's a scene in, in the original cat people where, cause they're like, he's like an art, the main guy's like an architect or something. I think so. Yeah. And there's a scene where they're like in the like architect draft room and they're all

[00:36:01] standing around these architect drafting tables that are lit from the bottom. So everybody's just like, got these really harsh, crazy lights pointing directly up at them for like right under their chin, you know, kind of when you would do the like, Ooh, I'm telling a scary story with the flashlight kind of thing, that kind of vibe. And they do a similar thing and out of the past. And it's just like, Whoa, it's just like, just like a Jacques Tenure touch that he does in all of his movies, uh, out of the, the two movies I've seen. It's that fucking tweet. What is it? Like, you know, only guy that's ever seen boss baby getting boss baby vibes from this.

[00:36:31] Yeah. Yeah. And I'm like, Whoa, getting cat people vibes from this other Jacques Tenure movie I've seen. Um, but, uh, yeah, it looks, looks really good. Nice. All right. So, uh, next on my list, another few new releases, uh, I saw over your dead body, which is the new film from Yorma Ticone, uh, from the Lonely Island director of, uh, a Mike, Mike classic, or at least a Mike classic MacGruber. Didn't he also do the, the, what's the, uh, the naked gun or no, that was a Kiva Schaefer. That's the other guy. The other guy.

[00:37:01] The other Lonely Island guy. Yes. Yes. Yes. Uh, so Yorma directed MacGruber and also directed or co-directed with Akiva pop star. Never stopped, never stopping. Right. Right. Uh, but, uh, yeah, over your dead body is a new horror comedy, uh, starring Jason Siegel and Samara weaving. And they are playing a couple who go out to a, you know, a remote cabin in the woods. Uh, but unbeknownst to each other, each one has a plan to murder the other one. And yeah, it's a, it's a pretty good concept for a movie. It's a lot of fun.

[00:37:28] Uh, and Jason Siegel and Samara weaving are both really committed to it. They're, they're very fun in the movie. Uh, it's not as good as MacGruber or pop star, which, you know, unimpeachable classics, but it, uh, does a pretty good job of like being pretty funny. Also being really violent. There's some really gory, violent, bloody stuff happening in this movie and taking some turns that, uh, I think were unexpected. There are some second act twists, some other people that kind of enter the scene, including actors like Timothy Oliphant, who pops up in this movie, uh, that, uh, yeah, it takes some unexpected places.

[00:37:57] So enjoyed over your dead body. Also Yorma worked in a pop star reference in the movie, a little island reference, which was great. There's a scene where somebody says you're a motherfucking titty sucking two ball bitch. And, uh, that's, that's a line from a style boys song in, uh, in pop star. And, uh, I think I'm the only one that picked up on it. Nice. At least in my theater. Uh, and I was very excited to see it. So, uh, yeah. Over your dead body. It's pretty good. Cool. Yeah. I wanted to see this. I mean, we're living in the, the Samara weaving year, it seems, uh, ready or not to.

[00:38:27] Yeah. Samara weaving. People are always trying to kill her. I don't, I don't know. Always. She is just like a hangout movie. Uh, yeah. Well, she's also in Bill and Ted three, Mike, last we forget. She plays, uh, she plays Bill's daughter. So she has that, but yeah, no, I think, uh, I mean, obviously she has a niche and she does very well on that. She's great in that, in that kind of role. Uh, she's got another movie. Uh, I think it's coming out this year with Kyle Garner from smile and other movies. Uh, okay. Yeah. Where it's like a crime lovers on the run thing. So it's going to be a similar vibe.

[00:38:57] People are always trying to kill Samara weaving. Yeah. Yeah. But all right. Yeah. Over your dead body is pretty good. And I also want to go see, uh, the devil wears Prada too. Uh, which of course, uh, they got the band bat together. Same director. Surprisingly gory. Just like everyone's always trying to kill Anne Hathaway and kill the killer with work with stress. You know? Yeah. Devil wears Prada too. So I actually watched the first devil wears Prada for the first time last year and I watched it on a plane and, uh, I had a pretty good time with it. I liked the first devil wears Prada actually way more than I expected to.

[00:39:26] I think it's a very charming movie. Like you look back on that and it's like, Oh yeah, this is like perfect. It's like pop entertainment in 2006 kind of thing, you know? Uh, and now 20 years later, devil wears Prada too comes out. I don't think it's quite as good as the first one, but, uh, I think it avoids a lot of the pitfalls of like the long delayed, like a sequel kind of thing. You know, there's obviously an element of nostalgia. This movie is playing on and it has Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci all back in their roles. It did not bring back the guy from Entourage, uh, Adrian Grenier, uh, who plays remembering him.

[00:39:56] He was Anne Hathaway's boyfriend in a devil wears Prada. He was the main love interest. And, uh, yeah, he's not in this movie. She has new love interest in this one. But, uh, I think one thing that's really interesting about this movie is that it's actually like a surprisingly solemn look at the state of journalism in 2026. And I found that to be kind of the most interesting thing about it. The movie opens. So I don't know how familiar you are with the devil wears Prada, Mike. I think I've seen it once way back when, when it first came out, but I definitely am not

[00:40:21] like other than gird your loins, which is like absolutely entered the lexicon for me. There's no other cultural impact from this movie. Fair enough. But, uh, so you may remember that, uh, Anne Hathaway's character is like a serious journalist in that movie. She's like somebody who is trying to be like a, an actual published journalist, like working for real newspapers, stuff like that. And ends up getting stuck working at, uh, this fashion magazine, right. As like Miranda's assistant as Meryl Streep's assistant. Uh, and ultimately like works her way up through that movie and like gains a lot of insight

[00:40:51] and all that stuff. But by the end of that movie, she does leave and like, she goes off and like leaves and starts working for a new, like, you know, some kind of newspaper or whatever it is, uh, you know, doing real journalism. And now it's 20 years later, she has not been back to the magazine since. Okay. Uh, and the movie opens and it's one of the first things that happens is Anne Hathaway and her journalist colleagues are at like an awards dinner and they're all receiving an award for all the great journalism that they do and all that stuff.

[00:41:18] And as Anne Hathaway is like about to go up and accept her speech, everybody's phones go off that she's on the table with. And they had all, they've all been laid off simultaneously. Whoa. Uh, and you know, the, the newspaper was like shutting down suddenly and like, you know, uh, and it is very much about, you know, corporate greed, buying out, uh, like small newspapers and, or small websites and running them into the ground and, you know, firing all the journalistic staff and all that stuff. Uh, which is an actual like thing that is happening, uh, over the last 20 years. Like that's, that's been a thing.

[00:41:47] Uh, and so, and the movie does chart like the evolution of like, you know, runway was a magazine in the first, uh, movie and now it's a website. Like there's barely any print editions of it left and it's very much more driven by like what's going to get clicks. How do we do, you know, all that stuff. Like there's, they're going by digital metrics as opposed to like any kind of like actual integrity behind the writing and all that stuff. And so the movie actually does a pretty good job of like illustrating the state of journalism and like kind of makes a case for itself as a 20 years later, like sequel to what you saw in the first movie.

[00:42:17] Wow. That's interesting. Is the, is the movie like about that though? Or is that just a thing going on in the movie? You know, I think, I think the movie's about that. I think that's okay. Cool. That's cool. Yeah. That's key. That's a key part of it. I mean, it's why Anne Hathaway ends up back at the fashion magazine. Right. So yeah, devil's part of two. I had a pretty good time with it. There's some fun stuff in there. I think it is way too long, but it's a pretty good time. Nice. Cool. Yeah. Maybe I'll have to refresh the first one and then watch the second one. The first one, I think still like, again, I watched it.

[00:42:44] I have now seen it one time on a plane about a year ago, but I liked it quite a bit when I watched it. Nice. Yeah. So there you go. Devil's part of two. Mike D. What are your other two Criterion Channel Sunday movies? The other two movies, as I'm thinking about them now, are actually not on the Criterion Channel, but they were kind of inspired. They're from looking at the Criterion Barnes & Noble sale and being like, oh, I don't know if I'm going to get this. And then I was thinking, I was like, oh yeah, I should watch that. Let me check that out.

[00:43:11] So it's two adaptations of the same Ernest Hemingway novel, which is To Have and Have Not. So this movie, this book is actually, it's really fascinating. I don't really know the whole, there was a whole backstory thing. It's originally the first one is from 1944 starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It's the first Bogie and Bacall directed by Howard Hawks to have and have not. And there's like a whole story where I guess like Hawks and Hemingway were like fishing buddies. And Hawks was like, I bet I can make a movie out of your worst book.

[00:43:39] Uh, and, and the whatever. So it's actually, it was interesting. Uh, they wrote the screenplay together, sort of first draft vibes. And then it got passed down to the studio or whatever, where William Faulkner was working as a screenwriter. So he did a pass on this. And this is the only movie that's ever been worked on by two Pulitzer Prize winners. Hemingway and Faulkner both wrote screenplay for like drafts on this movie. That's, um, actually it might not be Pulitzer Prize winners, Nobel laureates or something,

[00:44:08] something insane, like, you know, whatever it was. But so yeah, to have and have not from 1944, the first Bogie and Bacall movie. I throw this on cause I know it's the precursor. It's the first version of this, which is, uh, this, the next movie is the one I wanted to like is like, Oh, I'm going to watch that version. But I was looking at the Wikipedia and it was like, Oh, interesting. There's a Hawks version of this. Let me watch that too. Okay. Um, and I had no idea it's the first Bogie and Bacall movie. I didn't know this is the movie with the, you know, how to whistle. Don't you put your lips together and blow. Oh really? You didn't know any of this? Okay.

[00:44:37] Like I obviously knew that stuff, but I didn't know it was this movie. So like I'm sitting there like drinking my coffee and then she says that and I like fall out of my chair. Like, Oh my God. Like, Holy shit. That's the, that's this movie. Yeah. I think it's her debut film too. I think it's the first movie she ever made. And she's like 19 years old. It's crazy. God. And she steps in the doorway and asks for a match to light the cigarette. It's just like the celluloid that doesn't exist. Cause it's a Blu-ray lights on flyer. Like, Oh my God. Yeah.

[00:45:03] And, uh, yeah, it's a, you know, this one is, uh, Humphrey Bogart plays a boat captain, fishing boat captain who gets run out on by a customer who's chartered him for three weeks and owes him like a thousand dollars in 1944 bucks. And, uh, he, that guy hops on a plane and skips out on his bill. So he's broke and he needs money. And it's, uh, set in, I think they're in Martinique, uh, which is like a French colony Island thing off the coast of South America during the Vichy, like the Nazi occupation.

[00:45:30] And so he gets wrapped up in, uh, smuggling people, but, uh, yeah, people, um, French resistance folks, um, onto the Island. And, uh, and it's because he's so desperate for money and it's, it's really, I mean, it's, it's interesting to see like the adaptation versions. So there's actually three, I didn't get to the third one yet, but I'm going to because so, so this one is 1944. It's during the war, right? It's, uh, Howard Hawks. It's about the romance. It's about Bogie and Bacall basically.

[00:45:58] Like it's not necessarily about the like social situation and economic structure that allows him that forces him into having to do this kind of thing. Cause they make, they go to great lengths in the movie for, uh, Bogart's character to explain that, you know, I'm not taking sides. I'm purely in this for the financial reasons. Uh, you know, he doesn't care about your war kind of thing. Um, which is a weird character trait to put in a movie about, about World War II of like of all the, I mean, granted it's 44. It's all, but it's very, so it's, it's just funny that like it, it's, it's a Hawks movie.

[00:46:28] So it's more about the romance and the heat and the, you know, the, the relationship and it's great. One of the best movies of all time. Like it's wild. Um, yeah, it's incredible. I haven't seen this in a very long time either, but this one like really stuck with me. I remember like, I loved this movie when I saw it. Yeah. It's really great. Um, it's just interesting too, because, um, so the next adaptation, this was the movie that I was like, Oh, I want to, I'm going to watch this, which is from 1950. It's called the breaking point directed by Michael Curtiz. Okay. Of course directed Casablanca, which has Humphrey Bogart, but he's not in this one, but he's not in this one.

[00:46:57] But to have and have not is a lot like Casablanca because it's, it's, you know, uh, Humphrey Bogart obviously, but he's also this kind of guy that doesn't want to get involved in the, in the war and he's going to help with the criminal underground anyway, because he needs the money kind of stuff. Um, so it's interesting, but the breaking point stars, who's the lead guy in this John Garfield, uh, and he's great. And this one is much more, it's the same, obviously it's adapted from the same novel. So it's the same situation. He's a charter boat fishing guy. It's set in San Diego.

[00:47:23] He gets chartered to go to Mexico on a fishing trip by this guy, runs up a huge bill who flees the, you know, disappears on him. So now he's broke, stranded in Mexico. Um, and he gets wrapped up in this plot to smuggle Chinese immigrants, illegal Chinese immigrants back to America from Mexico. And it's much more about the social situation and economic situation. He's one of those characters in this movie where every time he gets a little bit of money,

[00:47:49] some debt collector guy, somebody he owes money to from a past favor comes and has to take all of it. And he never has money and he can't afford to pay the, uh, like visa, the, I forget what the, the like docking fee or whatever to like leave Mexico unless he does this illegal immigrant thing, the smuggling, uh, human trafficking. Um, and it's much more about that like economic anxiety and the structures of capitalism that have forced this guy to the bottom, uh, cause he's a world war two veteran, damn it.

[00:48:15] And that's part of the, this whole thing, you know, he was, uh, uh, a war hero boat, like a PT boat or whatever they're called. I forget. Um, captain. And, uh, he's, you know, should have a fleet of fishing vessels and a whole booming company by now, but he's just the, the, the, the country's abandoned its veterans. You know, it's like kind of that kind of thing. Um, so it's just interesting to see the two different like aspects that the adaptations focus on. And the other one is about the relationship and romance.

[00:48:42] And this is about the kind of economic action, you know, and all that stuff. Uh, and it's great. I mean, I, I've probably seen a couple other Michael Curtiz movies, but I can't name them off the top of my head other than obviously Casablanca, but it's fascinating. Uh, it's really good. This, this movie ends, I, somebody pointed out in, in the, um, you know, it's also, so it's 1950. So it's six years later. We're from the other adaptation. We're squarely in the noir stuff now, I think. And this movie ends with the same exact shot, um, as Casablanca, like the same structure

[00:49:09] where it's, you know, it's, uh, what's the Louie and Rick, right? Or whatever the guy. Yeah. Walking off down the thing into the fog and the camera pulls back on this big crane. And this movie ends in the same structure of that, where it's a newly orphaned child in a fog haze on a dock and the camera pulls back on the crane. Uh, and it's like same kind of thing. And somebody pointed out that it's like Curtiz refuting the, like, what's the word I'm thinking of?

[00:49:35] Like romanticism that he created in Casablanca and like reusing it for like the harsh reality of what post-war America is about. And it's like, whoa, that's intense. Um, so yeah, that's the breaking point, uh, which is great. I really, so I really loved both of these movies. I loved, I liked breaking point a little bit more cause I just, just that kind of like mean, meanness. Sure. Okay. Thing, uh, strikes a little more, it's a little more for me than the like swoony romance of Bogie and Bacall, but that's also very great. Um, and then, so that's these two movies.

[00:50:03] This movie was also, this book was adapted one more time in 1958. So I think it's interesting. It's 44, 50 and 58. Yeah. These are pretty like quick, uh, adaptations. Like that's less than 10 years apart. Each one. Exactly. Um, and so I want to, I want to get to that third one. I haven't watched it yet, but so it's Howard Hawks, Michael Curtiz. And then the third one is called the gun runners directed by Don Siegel. Oh shit. Okay. It's just like, that's crazy. Three of these like incredible, you know, legendary directors did the same book within a decade of each other. Um, yeah.

[00:50:33] So I've planned to watch that too. Uh, but I've, I've, what I've gleaned is that some like, you know, low budget schlocky Don Siegel action-y kind of thing. Uh, but Hey, that sounds cool too. Um, yeah. So yeah, that's my journey with Ernest Hemingway is to have and have not adaptations. Nice. Have you read the book? No, which is crazy. Cause in, in, in grad school, I took a whole class on, uh, it was Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Um, uh, where we, that was, that was it. Those two guys for a whole semester.

[00:51:01] Um, but I think I, from what I've been reading, I kind of do want to check it out. Um, but it seems to be like widely considered the worst Hemingway novel. And that was like part of, part of the like Hawks Hemingway, like bit thing. They were like, I bet I could take your worst book and make a movie out of it. Um, but I don't know. It sounds interesting. Sounds cool. So definitely a couple other Michael Curtiz movies since you mentioned like, you know, for an able to think of any, uh, Adventures of Robin Hood, Therall Flynn, 1938. Oh shit. Yeah. Great movie. Love that. Casablanca, of course. Mildred Pierce, which is an incredible movie. Uh, I've never seen that, but I've heard of it.

[00:51:31] Yeah. It's real, real good. I watched that for the first time, like my film noir class in, uh, in college. I think recently got the Criterion Blu-ray actually. It's really good. Okay. Uh, Yankee Doodle Dandy, which, uh, is a good movie. I liked Yankee Doodle Dandy when I saw it back in the day. Uh, also White Christmas is a, is a, is a, oh yeah. I do know White Christmas. Yeah. Not to be confused with Holiday Inn where they also sing the song White Christmas. There you go. Yes. But all right. Those are your have and have not adaptations. Uh, I got two more movies here. Uh, is that the end of your list, Mike? Did we get through all yours? Um, I have a, one more TV show. Okay. Gotcha.

[00:52:00] I'll, I'll do my two movies. You do your show. And then I got my airplane movies and then we'll wrap up the episode. Perfect. So, uh, other two new releases that I saw recently. Uh, first of which, uh, is a new horror movie called Hocum, which is from the director of Oddity, uh, which I was huge Oddity fan. Uh, that movie is incredible. Uh, and this movie is the followup, which stars Adam Scott, who I'm a big fan of, uh, obviously from his, uh, you know, Parks and Rec, Comedy Bang Bang, all that stuff, but also dramatic work. Severance. He's very good.

[00:52:27] And Hocum stars Adam Scott as this like Stephen King-esque writer who, you know, is a fairly well-known, uh, author who, uh, has a traumatic past and goes to this hotel to, uh, kind of get away from everything, but also to spread his mother's ashes. And while he's there, some troubling things start happening. Whoa. Uh, I have not played the video game Alan Wake, but while watching it, I was like, this feels like Alan Wake. Interesting. This feels like Alan Wake. I haven't played it, but I think I get the gist.

[00:52:56] But I get it. And so, yeah, no, I think this movie is, uh, is very, very solid. Uh, basically what happens to like this inciting incident, uh, is that, uh, one girl who works at the hotel while Adam Scott is there suddenly goes missing. Uh, and everybody suspects like the drunk man who lives in the woods. Uh, but, uh, there are. Seems like a logical guess. Yes. I mean, you know, on the surface. So it would seem, uh, but yeah, there are more twists and turns that, uh, kind of get reveal as the movie goes on. Uh, some very spooky stuff.

[00:53:25] I don't think it's quite as strong as oddity, uh, which, uh, I thought was great, but I think it's very, very solid. There's some really good set pieces. Adam Scott is a really great, like central figure for the whole thing. Uh, so yeah, how come I thought it was pretty good? Cool. Yeah. I wanted to see this also didn't get around to it. Um, but, uh, it's cool to see Adam Scott, you know, kind of getting involved in the horror genre stuff. I mean, he was in the monkey. If you saw the monkey for a hot second, he shows up. Yeah, he was. Uh, I know he's got his origins there. He's in one of the early hellraisers, I think, or, well, I think so he's, he's in like a,

[00:53:54] like a hellraiser sequel, like hellraiser four or something. And recently there was a, recently there was a story going around about how he, how he auditioned for hellraiser six despite having been killed in hellraiser four, because he was like, I don't think they're going to check. I think that's really funny. Uh, which is very funny. Yeah. But yeah. I saw somebody recently tweets, uh, that hokum is the scariest movie they've ever seen starring a guy who's been on comedy bang bang 14 times.

[00:54:20] I do think about, um, oddity almost every time I like go to take the garbage out or something like that. And I just think about that scene when the guy shows up at the door to the manor house and is like, somebody's got it. When you went out to your car, somebody went in your house. I think about that shit all the time. That's crazy. Yeah. That opening scene of oddity is terrifying. Yeah, absolutely. It's so good. So yeah. Hokum, uh, it's out in theaters, go check it out. And then, uh, the last movie I wanted to discuss, uh, is mortal combat two, which, you know, we did a whole episode last week.

[00:54:48] Let's rank video game movies in honor of mortal combat two. I finally went to go see it. So I'm going to give this the caveat. So I mentioned before sister's wedding was this weekend. Right. Had a blast. Congrats to Megan. Congrats to a past and future guests. And now my brother-in-law, Nick Wormuth, who, uh, is now, I guess I have to introduce him in that way. Um, but so had their wedding on the, on that Friday night, which is great. Definitely past and future guests first. Yes, exactly. Exactly. But I had their wedding on Friday night. It was great.

[00:55:15] Uh, and then on Saturday I had like that day to recoup and I ended up hanging out with, uh, our good buddy, Kyle Cullen, uh, music supervisor slash editor of this show, as well as one of our other friends. Uh, so we were hanging out for a while and we ended up going to see mortal combat too. Uh, and I was up until four in the morning the previous night and drank a lot that night and I was doing pretty good throughout the day. But like once we got sat down in that theater, like the entire wave of like the previous night just like hit me all at once. Yeah.

[00:55:43] Uh, so I'm going to talk about mortal combat too, but the caveat that I was kind of dozing off for the first half hour of this movie. Okay. Once the lights go down, it's dark. You never stood a chance. Oh, we were in the reclining seats, the Roosevelt theater and Hyde park. It wasn't, it wasn't going to happen, you know, but we did go. And, uh, I, I think even if I was fully conscious, I think I would have probably been pretty mixed on this movie. Uh, yeah, I don't, I don't think it's. Very good, which is a shame because I actually did like the first one quite a bit. The first one which came out in 2021, we have not gone back to watch.

[00:56:13] And I think we mentioned this last week because I saw it was one of my first like post vaccine COVID movies, right? I could go, I could go back to theaters again and I went to go see mortal combat. And so it was like, even if this movie's bad, I don't notice. Like it's like, this is a great time. Best movie ever. I'm sitting in the theater watching people fight each other. It's great. And so mortal combat too, doesn't have that post vaccine bump. Uh, and, uh, you know, there's some fun stuff in here. The big development here is that, uh, Johnny Cage is in this one and he's played by Carl Urban. Uh, also Katana is one of the lead characters in this one as well.

[00:56:43] She was also not in the first movie. The main character of the first movie is now like the 10th most important character. He's kind of barely in it. And spoilers, he gets killed off like halfway through the movie. Incredible. Uh, it's very clear that like, okay, people don't care about this guy. Like we got, we can get rid of him and just kind of bring back the fan favorite characters, all that stuff. Yeah. He was like a original creation guy from the first movie, right? Like he, I don't think he's a mortal combat character. Yeah. I think so. Yeah. And so, yeah, this does continue the story from the first movie.

[00:57:10] And, uh, now there's actually a mortal combat tournament, uh, that they have to do. So cool. That's good points for that. There's some fun fights in here. Uh, and you know, all the characters are back. So it's Sonya blade, it's Jax, it's Raiden and all that stuff. And even characters who died in the last movie, like Scorpion, uh, is, is also back in here somehow. I mean, they, they go to hell and like bring a scorpion back. I think scorpion's a demon. So like, whatever. Yeah, exactly. Like there's not really a ton of logic. I'm not looking for a ton of logic in Mortal Kombat too. You know? So I think the fights are okay.

[00:57:39] I think Carl Urban as Johnny Cage is kind of the highlight of this movie. He's a lot of fun in this, but, uh, yeah, overall experience. I had fun watching it with the boys, you know, uh, when I was conscious and awake watching it, but otherwise I think it's, it's pretty forgettable. Uh, and, uh, an unfortunate, you know, I, again, I liked the first one kind of bit. I'm never going to go rewatch it cause I want to preserve that memory in my mind. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I've watched the first one a couple of times, uh, and I re I still really like it. I haven't watched it in a while though. Um, and I think I watched it like twice.

[00:58:09] I remember, I forget like in, into within the two hours or something. Like I remember when it first came out, I was like, Oh, this just dropped on HBO max sick. And I watched it. And then I was like, Hey friends, do you want to watch this together? Like as soon as I finished it, like, uh, so, um, and then I remember like, I think we've talked about last time, this was supposed to be like a winter release, the end of 25. And they were like, we're testing so high. This is going to be a summer blockbuster. And I was just like, Oh no. Oh God. What are they doing? I think it is doing pretty well. I think it's making a ton of money though. Yeah.

[00:58:38] So they might've been onto something, which is great. But yeah, I haven't gotten around to see this cause I did see kind of like mixed like, yeah, it's whatever kind of reaction. So I kind of was like, ah, whatever. I'll see it eventually now. Um, but, uh, what was, I should have went when my internet was out now that I'm thinking about it. What did I do? I was standing around looking out the window and I could have been in a movie. You could have done a bunch of movies. You couldn't see my land kicks, Mike. Jesus. It was probably not playing any of you anymore, but still, uh, but yeah, that is mortal combat too. Uh, and that's the end of my, uh, discussions for the most part.

[00:59:07] But Mike D what's your last TV show? Yes. My last TV show is the new Apple TV smash breakout hits widow's Bay. Okay. Which this is, this is Mike Taylor made Mike D probably also Mike Smith in a lab TV show. Okay. Um, so this stars, uh, Matthew Reese, uh, and Steven Root amongst, among others. I'm in say no more. Say literally Steven Root playing a like salty dog, see, see town, crazy guy.

[00:59:35] That's the role he was born to play, baby. Literally. Yeah. Um, and this is basically, um, what if I've seen it described a couple different ways. What if the mayor from jaws was in charge of night veil, the welcome to night veil podcast. If you're familiar with that kind of weird. Yeah. You used to talk about that a lot. I used to talk about that a lot. Right. So this is, um, or also I saw what if, um, Michael Bluth was the mayor of a Steven King town basically from rest development.

[01:00:04] So this is, um, yeah. Matthew Reese plays this newly elected or recently elected, uh, mayor of, of widow's Bay, this island off the coast of new England, and he's not an Islander. He's from the mainland. I used to come here for the summer. So of course it's got that vibe where everyone's like, get that really from here kind of thing. And everyone on the Island knows the Island is cursed a hundred percent locked in guaranteed. This Island is cursed. Horror shit happens here. And Matt Reese, Matthew Reese's character is like, that's not real. No, it doesn't.

[01:00:34] Um, and so, uh, that's kind of the journey so far is like every episode sort of is kind of like a new type of horror thing starts happening. And he's just like trying to be the normal guy holding it all together. Um, amidst all these kinds of crazy salty dog, new England, uh, town townie folks guys. And Steven Root is like the oldest, uh, you know, he's the real, he's the guy that knows the truth that nobody listens to, um, thing. And it's just hilarious.

[01:00:59] It's, uh, created in show run or whatever by, um, Katie Dippold who used to do parts of the rec. Yes. Yes. I believe it's more, is this kind of a comedy show then? It's a hundred percent. It's absolutely laugh out loud, hysterical. Yeah. And then record scratch. I've got goosebumps. That was the scariest thing I've ever, like it's, it's got the perfect blend. So it's very funny. And then you're like, wait, what was that? What the hell? What did they say? Who, what was happening back there? Um, so like the first episode, uh, is, I forget the guy's name, but he's in a ton

[01:01:29] of, you would recognize him immediately. He was, he was the like assistant guy in Top Gun Maverick. Uh, Honda, Hando, Lando, what's his name? I forget his, uh, he's not like the actual, no, is he Lando? I forget. He's not a, he's, he's not like one of the actual pilots. He's like the guy that works with Tom Cruise at the beginning of Top Gun Maverick, uh, in the like test flight. Ed Harris. No. Uh, anyway, don't worry. You'll recognize him. Yeah. He's a New York times travel reporter who's Matthew Reese has finally convinced to come to the Island.

[01:01:59] Um, on the day the, the plot of the fog happens basically. Um, and so it's like that whole thing. He's trying to balance him, like keep him away from the creepy haunted stuff. So he'll write a glowing review for the tourism board. And it's just like very funny stuff. Right. Um, so yeah, huge recommend on Widow's Bay. It's only, I think four or five episodes out so far. Great. It's great stuff. And it's that perfect blend. Like I said, it's, it's hilarious. And then also terrifying.

[01:02:27] The last episode, episode four, um, is one of those classic chef's kiss kind of things where it's like all about this one side character. Like that episode is just about them. And you're like, Oh my God. And you're like crying. Like this part, like do it for her. Like the baggy thing. Like, you know, um, so it's great. Big, huge fan of Widow's Bay. Uh, and that's on, uh, Apple plus. Okay. Yeah. I, uh, I knew that Matthew Reese was in a new show, but I did not know that it was, uh, more of a comedy, which, uh, yeah, that makes me more excited to see it. So yeah, it's great. Widow's Bay. Uh, all right.

[01:02:56] So that mostly brings us to the end. I do want to give a quick shout out to my airplane movies. Uh, I always like to mention, uh, if I'm traveling, the movies that I watched on my flights, as you know, there are four flights from Missoula to New York and back because there's no direct flight. So I got to do connections and all that kind of stuff. Uh, so on my first flight from Missoula to Minneapolis at like three 30 in the morning, okay. I finally watched a movie that, uh, Mike D you talked about on discussions a few weeks ago and that is mercy. Oh yeah.

[01:03:22] The AI movie, the, uh, the AI movie, the new movie from, uh, Timur Beckman, but off director of wanted, uh, and producer of movies like, uh, I think unfriended and missing and searching and all those like screen life movies. Uh, and this very much feels like this is his version of like, we're doing a screen life movie, but let's actually make it sort of a movie this time, you know, that, that kind of thing. Yeah. And it takes place in the future in which Chris Pratt is, uh, being held on trial by the AI judge that he helped create played by Rebecca Ferguson and, uh, love Rebecca Ferguson. However. Yeah.

[01:03:52] The lengths will go to watch Rebecca Ferguson. Yeah. You know, this, uh, this movie's not very good, although I think it is oddly compelling for the first like 40 minutes. Like I was kind of in to the mystery. Like I put it on because I was like, Oh, Hey, mercy's on Delta airlines. This thing it's three 30 in the morning. I'm probably going to fall asleep. And I think to the movie's credit, I didn't fall asleep. Like I was like kind of locked into what the movie was. Yeah. And I think the first 40 minutes are like, it's dumb, but it's like a kind of compelling mystery. You know, you're kind of figuring out what's going on and you're, you're trying to solve

[01:04:22] it along with Chris Pratt. There's also like, you know, he has 90 minutes to solve the case and the movie is like 90 minutes long and there is like a ticking clock at the top right of the screen. So you're, there's like a constant, like, Hey, it's a helpful reminder of how much is left in the movie, but also be it's like, Hey, this is feeling more intense because you're watching the time, like kind of drain down and it's, it's happening in real time. So all of that is like pretty cool. And then like, it just takes dumb story turns. Like every beat in the back half of the movie just feels like, I don't know how you made it to this point. This feels very silly.

[01:04:52] There's this one reveal that like hinges on like, you know, Chris Pratt's like, you know, using the AI judge to look at evidence in somebody's house. And he like sees a childhood frame and there's like a childhood picture and there's a guy and there's another hand in the picture. He's like the hand analyze it or whatever. And it's like, Oh yeah, no, he's the bad guy. And it's like, why would you ever think to do that? I don't know. That doesn't, that doesn't make any sense, you know? And then it has like the kind of action movie climax towards the end. Yeah.

[01:05:19] And it kind of just takes some dumb turns and then it is weirdly pro AI towards the end. Yeah. You know, where most of the movie kind of makes you feel like, you know, the AI parameters that have been like established are like really hurting Chris Pratt. And he's like, but then like the AI starts working with him and all that kind of stuff. And Chris Pratt has this line towards the end that's like, well, humans make mistakes sometimes, but so does AI. And so I guess we got a word learn to live together or whatever. Yeah. And yeah, just really ends the movie on a very sour note.

[01:05:46] So, uh, mercy, not very good, but, uh, weirdly compelling for a while. I remember being really like, like, uh, like, Oh, this is kind of interesting social commentary kind of thing at the beginning where it's like, you know, all of your devices must be connected to the municipal cloud where the government has access to everything that you do and all of your data. And like, I was like, Whoa, that's like kind of prescient. Like that's what's happening. And then, you know, we'd complete lack of user privacy and stuff. And it's, and it's all going to be fed into this AI judge and all this stuff. And I was like, Whoa, that's intense.

[01:06:16] That's like, Whoa, interesting. And then, yeah, it just pivots into like, but if we put guardrails on this, I think it'll be worth the effort. God fucking damn it. Like, come on. Yeah. Which, which makes me appreciate a movie like good luck, have fun, don't die even more where that movie starts with them being like, we're, we're going back in time so we can put guardrails on AI. Yeah. And then, and then by the end, they're like, we have to destroy this for humanity. Exactly. Yeah. But yeah, mercy. It's a weirdly compelling. It's another, it's another one in the, uh, man, I wish Chris Pratt would stop doing serious roles. He's not good at them.

[01:06:47] He's not good at them. Kind of thing. But Rebecca Ferguson is in it. So there's that. She's in it. Uh, I do want to, I do want to cut you off real quick because I looked it up. That actor's name is Bashir Salahuddin. Okay. Who's plays the journalist guy in widow's Bay. And he does play Bernie Hondo Coleman. I was right. I nailed it in top gun Maverick. He's, he's a Maverick's friend. Fair enough. What it says on the Wikipedia page. All right. Uh, fair enough. I think you have seen top gun Maverick more times than I have, I think.

[01:07:15] So that might be why you specifically remember this minor character. Remember that guy's name. Yeah. But yeah, I've seen, I saw top gun Maverick twice in theaters. I haven't seen it since, but I liked it a lot. Those are rookie numbers. It's playing in theaters right now. I could go. Cancel the podcast. Unplug your computer. You gotta go right now. Yeah. I have a, my cousin actually just went and watched both top gun and top gun Maverick for the first time in theaters. So yeah, that's pretty cool. Uh, but all right. Mercy. Not very good.

[01:07:41] On my second flight from Minneapolis to New York, I decided to, uh, go watch a childhood favorite. And that was a, the live action Scooby doo from 2002. Nice. Uh, which, uh, hadn't seen maybe since I was a kid and, uh, it was pretty fun. I had a good time rewatching this one. I think one thing that I think really helps this movie and obviously, you know, I'm nostalgic for it, whatever. I do think it like nails every single performance and nails the feeling of a Scooby doo cartoon in the same way that like speed racer, the Wachowski speed racer, like captures the feeling of watching an episode of speed racer.

[01:08:10] I do think Scooby doo captures the feeling of watching an episode of Scooby doo and Linda Cardellini and Freddie Prince jr. And Sam Michelle Gellar and Matthew Lillard are all just like locked in to, uh, those characters and those performances. And Scooby himself is always a blast. Love, love me some Scoob. Uh, and, uh, it's very fun to rewatch that movie and see written by James Gunn in the credits, you know? Yeah, that's crazy. I mean, it's one of those for sure. Like, like Dawn of the Dead love we did on the last Mike makes Mike watch. It's like, Oh shit, this is James Gunn movie.

[01:08:37] Like, yeah, you know, I don't think we realized at the time, obviously you and I were 12 or whatever, or 11. Uh, yeah, well, I think he was originally hired and obviously this is like post Tromeo and Juliet and all that stuff. I think he was originally hired to make a more like Scooby doo for adults type movie. Like it was going to be like a PG 13. It was going to have, you know, more like explicit innuendo and go for that kind of crowd. Uh, and then they decided to stand it down and make it a PG movie and all that stuff. So there are some elements of it that it's still feel like, huh, this is interesting. This is in this movie, you know, that kind of thing.

[01:09:06] Like the weed jokes and all that, you know, the scantily clad women and all that stuff that, uh, pop up. But yeah, it's, it's very fun to, uh, rewatch, uh, the original Scooby doo. So had a blast with it. Honestly, it kind of made me want to rewatch the Scooby doo two months unleashed as well. Uh, maybe I'll get around to doing that at some point, but had a good time rewatching that on the way back New York to Minneapolis. I watched, uh, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, uh, which I had never seen. And I think is bad. Don't let them hear you say that they'll kill you. Uh, yeah.

[01:09:36] I mean, I've never been a Baz Luhrmann guy, so that was kind of my, it's my fault. We do know that you're not a Baz Luhrmann guy, you know? And I think there is some stuff in this movie that is actually pretty good. Like, I think the opening scene, which is so in your face, which is when like the Capulets of Montague is like first, like fight each other at a gas station or whatever. And they pull out the guns that say sword on them and all that stuff. I think that has like an energy to it. And there is energy throughout the movie. Uh, I do think DiCaprio and Claire Danes are both like not that great in the, in the movie.

[01:10:03] Uh, so there's that, you know, a cool supporting cast that kind of helps them out to Emmett Walsh is in this movie and all that stuff. But yeah, I think it's, it's that same like hyperactive Baz Luhrmann style that I just like, I kind of bounce off of, uh, which is a shame, but that's what it is. There was also a moment where, uh, a, a children's choir sings when doves cry by Prince and that got a good laugh out of me. That was pretty good. I like that. I think every movie should have that. Yes, absolutely. Have you seen this movie? Mike, have you seen Baz Luhrmann's version? No, I have not. Okay.

[01:10:31] I think I had seen clips of it in like my high school class when we were watching it when we were reading Romeo and Juliet. Yeah. But we watched, the one that we watched was the Franco Zefrelli version, the 68 version. Hmm. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The only one I remember, uh, I think I've talked about this before is watching the, uh, Roman Polanski Macbeth, which is, uh, co-produced by Playboys. So that's really fun when you're 15 or whatever. Yes. Interesting choice for, uh, your all boys Catholic school to play that one. Yeah. Yeah.

[01:11:00] It really went over very well. I bet. Um, but yeah, so I watched Romeo and Juliet and then on the last flight, which, uh, was a struggle. Like I, I, my first flight was delayed and I landed and when I was landing, my first flight had all was, had already started boarding. So I had to run across the airport, all that stuff. And so I was originally going to take out my laptop and watch North for the complete works podcast. However, I was too exhausted. I couldn't like mentally do that to myself. And I just watched a movie that I thought was bad. I couldn't do a second one, you know?

[01:11:26] So, so I went through Delta airlines, uh, you know, the selections and I ended up rewatching an old favorite and that was fast five. Nice. The fifth fast and furious movie, largely the consensus pick for the best fast and furious. Although I still think furious seven is still my choice, but fast five. I don't think I'd seen it in years. It's like, it had been a long time since I rewatched this movie slaps. It's so good. It's really fun. Yeah. I'm going to try to pull up my list. Cause I don't remember what I put at number one, uh, for, I remember, but I remember we did a ranking episode. So I got it on letterbox somewhere. Yes.

[01:11:56] Um, but, uh, yeah, I mean, it's crazy how good, uh, fast five. And we talk about this all the time with that movie where it's like, it successfully pulls the trick off of like, Oh shit. It's Giselle from fast four, which I fucking hate or vampersand. I hate that movie. Like you get hyped for characters for movies you don't give a shit about. Um, and like when she takes her motorcycle helmet off, you're like, Oh my God. Like it totally pulls that off, which is incredible. Yeah, absolutely.

[01:12:23] And it does a really good job of being that like, this is the oceans 11 movie of the fast five of the fast and furious universe. Right. And so, and the first 30 minutes are like, you know, it's just Vin Diesel and Brian and Mia and also Vince from the first movie. Uh, you know, it's, it's just them. They break, uh, Vin Diesel out of prison. They're pulling off one last job and then the rock gets, uh, gets ahold of them and there, uh, is on their trail and they, they have to pull off one big job to take down the most ruthless corrupt criminal in all of Brazil.

[01:12:49] Uh, Reyes who has every crooked cop on his, on his side, all that stuff. And so they decided to bring in, uh, you know, all the people from the other movies. Uh, and yeah, I remember watching this movie for the first time cause I watched all the fast and furious movies when the furious seven was coming out and we did a review of that back in 2015 on film book cast. But yeah, at the time I watched through all of them and kind of was kind of on the fence about the whole series. Like I thought the first one was fine. I thought too fast was not very good. I thought Tokyo drift was not very good. I thought fast and percent furious was not very good.

[01:13:18] And so I had heard good things about fast five and I was kind of enjoying the first half hour or so. And then the second, the getting the team together montage hits and exactly what you said, Mike, they're bringing in all these characters from movies that I didn't like. And suddenly I'm like, Oh shit, they got Tyrese. Oh shit. They got ludicrous. Oh, this is amazing. It's those two twins. They're back. Like hell yeah. Yes. Uh, and if I have one complaint about the, uh, the series going forward and I have a few complaints about the series going forward, but my major complaint is that the twins aren't in enough of them.

[01:13:45] Uh, I don't know why they don't really pop up that much after five. I think they make a cameo in eight. I want to say sounds correct. Yeah. But, uh, yeah, the twins aren't really in a ton of the movies and, uh, I think that's a bummer cause they're, they're a delight in fast five. They're so much fun, but yeah, fast five, uh, it's tight. It's great. Action's fantastic. The giant climax with the safe in Brazil is wild. You know, the twist at the end where they had the duplicate safe is so great. The ensemble's fantastic. Yeah, no fast five. It rocks. Uh, and it was a perfect movie to watch on my plane back home.

[01:14:15] They prestige the safe. That's pretty cool. Um, they do. Yeah. So I found my lists. My top four are seven, you know, furious seven, fast five, fast and furious six, and then too fast, too furious. Okay. Yeah. This is my number four. I think my top four, I, I think I have the same top three. I think it's seven, five, six. Yeah. Uh, and then I probably had one. Um, I would guess, uh, that sounds right. I think I either had one or I had eight cause I do like eight more than most people do. I think you do like eight. I do remember that. Yeah. I think eight is still very good. It's a lot of fun.

[01:14:45] There's good stuff in there. Vin Diesel's working against the family. You know, it's a, there's drama and all that, but that is the one where it's very clear that like, Oh, Vin Diesel and the rock hate each other and can't stand to be on set at the same time. Yep. Yeah. I do have ampersand as my last, the number 11 cause we included hops and Shaw in our rankings. Yeah. And I, and I also have ampersand dead last. I think that movie sucks. Uh, it's, it almost like derails the entire franchise. Uh, it's, uh, I do often think about how funny it is that they give Dom like detective

[01:15:12] vision in that movie where he can like, he can like see the car. He does the, he does the Arkham asylum, you know, uh, scanning scene for clues. Yeah. But yeah, fast five. It was great. Delta airlines had the option of both fast five and fast X, which I have not rewatched since theaters and I will probably, when they finally get around to making fast X part two or whatever, uh, fast 11, whatever they're going to call it. Fast dead, recommend final recommend.

[01:15:39] I mean, truly like the fast and furious has kind of, has always sort of been chasing the shadow of mission impossible in a weird way. Right. So they're going to be fighting AI in a fast and furious part, part 11. And, uh, uh, we're all going to rally behind it. I think. Yeah. It's going to be the entity, but, or, or it'll be the crossover that that's how Tom Cruz will keep the franchise going as he'll show up in a fast and furious. That'd be cool. Uh, um, but, or, or they bring in, uh, Vin Diesel as Xander cage and have like him playing a dual role. Yeah. I think that'd be pretty cool.

[01:16:07] I think there's, there's room for, for Tom Cruise as like Mr. Nobody's boss. Right. That's Kurt Russell who we haven't seen in forever. Right. Yeah. Well, fast X implies that he like went down, like his plane went down. Oh yeah. And Brie Larson is his daughter. Oh my God. I forgot how many fucking loose threads are in that. So as far as we know, Mr. Nobody is dead. He's probably not. Uh, cause nobody's dead in the fast and furious universe. Uh, including at the end of fast five, you have the post credit scene, the same. Letty is, uh, that, that I think is the first time they pulled that trick and it works that

[01:16:36] time. And I think when they did it with Han, they were pushing it, but I think it worked. And every time since, cause they did the same thing with Giselle and X and it's like, okay guys, what are we doing? Come on. In any case, fast five, a good way to end my trip. Uh, and that brings us to the end of this week's discussions, Mike. Nice. I might go watch fast five when we're done. Honestly, I was like, God, I thought it. I got to do a big franchise rewatch at some point. Cause I don't think I've ever rewatched them all like as a whole since seven came out. Oh shit. And, and that, that wasn't a rewatch that was watching them all for the first time for the most part.

[01:17:05] Cause I think I have done since then I was getting Kyle Cullen, uh, music supervisor slash editor, friend of the show, uh, into the fast and furious movies before eight came out, but he didn't want to watch all of them. So I was like, well, listen, I, we don't have to watch all of them. We can watch five, six and seven and be good. Uh, that was watching the perfect trilogy of action movies. And then we'll go into eight and, uh, that worked out fine. But yeah, I would like to do a whole franchise rewatch, especially because I do feel like I need to give too fast in Tokyo to direct another shot. Yeah. Sorry. I'm just, I'm trying to go back and find them.

[01:17:32] Cause it was 2020 that my friends and I watched like the whole, the whole franchise. Uh, and I'm just trying to look at it. I've logged too fast, too furious more than I've logged like the first one, which is hilarious. Uh, yeah, I agree that you got, you, they deserve, they deserve a second look, you know? Yeah, absolutely. Uh, but all right, Mike D that brings us to the end of the episode. So where can we find you online this week? You can find me at MD film blog on letterboxd and blue sky. You can also donate to support the show on our Kofi page, Kofi.com slash Mike and Mike

[01:18:01] pods, where you can donate $50 and pick a topic of the bonus episodes here on Mike and Mike, go to the movies. You got a specific movie you want us to watch a $50. We'll do it. You want us to watch too fast or furious? Make Michael do make Mike Smith through it. We'll do too fast episode. I'd be down for that. That'd be fun. That'd be great. Um, but we'll do that for $50 on our Kofi page. And if you want merch, we have merch available on a red bubble. Mike and Mike pods dot red bubble.com. All right. You can find me online at M Smith film blog on Twitter and blue sky. Letterboxd radio, Mike sandwich and Instagram. And also you can follow the podcast on Instagram now.

[01:18:31] Oh yeah. At complete works pod Instagram. I started it. It's real. It's happening. You can go check it out. Nice. Good job, Mike. Thank you. Thank you. Hopefully I keep it up. We'll see what happens. But first, uh, I did a post for back to the future. So it's, we're going, we're happening. Thank you so much. Listen to Mike and Mike. I go to the movies on my Spence, my decree show. Don't forget to rate and view the show on Apple podcasts or any other podcast app. And if you want to contact us, hit us up on blue sky at complete works pod. You can find the rest of our podcast and rapture press alongside many other podcasts, what kinds of comic books and movie news and all that good stuff.

[01:18:59] Check out the main podcast to complete works where season five has started. It is happening back to the future. Part two of the first episode of the Elijah Wood season is out right now. It lock in. It's happening for real now. That's what I'm saying. All right. And that is the end of this episode. Mike, my go to the movies. We will see you on the other side. Bye. Bye.