Revisiting the Classic Boogie Nights

Before we begin, a quick reminder that you can become a vanguard Easter and get an extra episode every Thursday, includluding bonus reviews. Era viewing suggestions. Viewing recommendations at home and in cinemas. Plus your film and non film questions answered as best you can in Qions schmestens. You can get all that extra stuff via Apple podcasts or head to exttakes dot com for non fruit related devices. There's never been a better time to become a vanguard Easter. Free offer now available wherever you get your podcasts. and if you're already a Vanguard Easter We salute you Hello Hello, Simon Mayo. It's Mark Kermo Password. Sorry. State the password Password. exactly what an impostor would say. So mean it's Mark. We host a podcast together, public information You've been watching Mission Imossible again, havent you? Right, well, you are not Ethan Hunt and most people don't need a team of agents to protect their information. They just need NordVPN, the all in one digital security solution which combines VPN and multiple other cybersecurity features into one subscription. Antivirus? Yep, built in Privacy first, next gen antivirus that blocks threats before they reach your device, not after Anti phishing Yep and protection against malware, dangerous websites, ads and much more. It works on up to ten of your devices and there's a thirty day money back guarantee. Listterers can unwrap a huge discount on NordVPN by heading to NordvPN dot com slash take. Plus, with our link, you'll get an extra four months free on the two year plan and it's risk free with Nord's thirty day money backack guarantee Cck the link in the description The biggest tournament in soccer is finally here and I've already started planning my watch parties. My go to move before kickoff is stopping at tootal wine and more to grab drinks for the whole crew. wine, beer, seelters, maybe a few ready to drink options, everything we need for a full day of matches. With this many games, it definitely helps knowing you're getting the lowest prices Total wine makes it so easy because I can grab everything I need in one stop. Get Match dayay ready with total wine and more today. So you're set from kickoff to the final whistle. Spirits are not sold in Virginia and North Carolina. drrink responsibly must be twenty one I say, Mark, that's a jolly good couple of is that like a poster and an Elvis Presley drawing No, that that's a it's that's that's photograph but's not it's it's an old Elvis Presley poster. It's kind of like a you know, it it's quite a classic Presley image And then below it is this fantastic photo of Elvis combing his hair. I thought it was Morrisy. yeah veryery good. because somebody wrote underneath I went below the line on YouTube. I'm really sorry I always feel like you and McGreg are diving down the toilet in trainpot corct in order to retrieve the suppository. And the suppository that I found was someone going Oh Mark Komo says he doesn't listen to Morry anymore. Why has he got a big pictures of him on the wall Not Morracy, it's Elvis Presley, you Dimwit. You could make your life so much better by not doing that Except we have a whole feature in our special live show, which we're doing after this in which members of the production team Act out below the line comments. So they do it so you don't have to May I just say to anybody, if you're not already, you ultra vanguard Easter Patreon, if you're not already tuned into this Every other week, Simon and I do a live show after the recorded show. It's a lunchime's a nughty lunchtime treatet And the highlight of it is that members of the production team reenact comments below the line comments from our YouTube channel and they're basically just versions of I hate Mark because But they're all left by persons who probably should should have just walked away from the screen rather than letting us know what they think, but peopleople who should be banned by the new government The government's only looking at banning under sixteen s. It should also ban all those people who go leave messages on websites below the line. It always reminds me of that brilliant bit from Bazing saddles when u Jim Wilder says, lookook D sa You know These are ordinary people, you know, salt of the earth More of The be letters Can I apologize in advance Today appears to be hedgecutting day in this particular part of Shobbys, North London, where all the hedgehutters are hedge cut I'm not sure how many there are. How many hedgecutters would a hedgeutter cut if a hedge cut would cut Hedges Yeah, well, they're all here. So if there's a kind of a buzz, then And you kind yourself thinking, what's the buzz? Tell me what's happening. When do we ride into Jerusalem Anyway, that's it's the hedgecutters of North London. They're all here It does sound like it like a Billy Bragg song, The Hedgecuts of North London Hedgehoppers anonymous. They were good. They had one hit. It's good newews week and then that was it. And then they moved on. Sorry How did that go Hedgehoppers anonymous. They had one hit. It was Hedge hoppers. Hedgehoppers anonymous. That was what they were called. It's like a piece of sixties bubble gum I don't remember at all It's good news Wek. Someone's let off a bomb somewhere contaminating the atmosphere. It's good news week. You know It was one of those eve of destruction songs in the mid sixties. I can't remember anything. I have no memory of that at all. Well, you wouldn't have because it was before your time. It's before my time as well. It's just, you know kind of thing that you inhale over the years. What a bit like asbestos really? You just can't get rid of it and it's not good for anyone. and I would never play it on the radio. When we get to discussing movies and things like that, what are you interested in today? It's an interesting week. We have The Fall of Douglas Weatherford, which is a strange sort of bitterseet black comedy starring Peter Mullin. There is a resue of Boogy Kights, the Paul Thomas Anderson movie about which I have much to say because I love that film. And You may have noticed that there's a new Stehven Spielberg movie. Oh yes. It's called Disclosure Day and that brings us to our very special guests plural Yes, we have Colm Domingo and Emily Blunt two of the many stars of the new Spielberg film. Although Emily Blunt is kind of I think, you know, she's the one that's getting the right reviews, I would say on balance and Josh Iiconic fact it's Britits everywhere in's Brit in every way. With only Colin Furth allowed to do his own accent. but because he's because he's a paddy. s right. But Josh O'Conn and Emily Blunt are very American and Coleman D Migo is American and playing in American, and you'll hearvers my conversation with them fairly shortly. U What else I've got strictly ballroom here, but I can't remember what in take two So in take two there's a reisssue of Baz Lhman's breakthrough feature. We'll be doing that? Yeah. We will also, I have to say when we come to five question three questuestions, Your Majesty Film Club We're going to be doing an absolute treat of a film in which I have asked you He. by bringing along a book that we co wrote. And I hope you've done that Well done, although that's the Korean edition. It's the one I'm going to be reading from. Are you okay, fine. Well, that will be particularly that'll be a particular treat. Simon reads his own review of a film in Korean Or if I pick up the wrong version, it'll be Chinese. But anyway A reminder, you can get Take two with no more of our brilliant ads. Some people really, really like the ads that we do and some people don't. But anyway, on takeake two, you can get none of them by heading off to our Patreon page and we're running a ninety percent off ninety percent Why don't you just give it away Give it away, give it away now. Anyway, it's a ninety percent off promotion until the end of the month. You use the code june ninety, which is almost like june ninety, but that won't get you anything. June ninety gets you ninety ninety ninety percent was June nineth, Joe ninety sister That you had her own a spinoff series. very that would I'd watch that Yeah I would definitely watch that. I loved Joe ninety I so wanted to have the thing when, you know, you get in a revolving ball and then you put a pair of glasses on and you know stuff That would just that would honestly, that would have been so great, wouldn't? Do you think that is that's that's the kind of AI That's essentially what you're going to be able to do. You're going to have all this knowledge, you're going to put on a special set of glasses, And suddenly you'll know exactly how to do open heart surgery But also the other thing about Joe ninety that was brilliant was There was some reason that it was the kid that they could do it to. and it was something like because his brain wasn't already full of rubbish He had more space to know all this stuff. And it was just like What a strange idea. Yeahes We you know, with the child with the superglasses and the super knowowledge because his brain has got enough space in it. It wass like the kind of Johnynemonic idea. I loved that show and I loved the theme. I loved all the Jerry Anderson shows. I loved all the Jerry Anderson theme tunes An email from Matt Woodhouse who says, Dear it ends on and a brighter note. Long term listener secondcond time emailer first in the egg and spoon race in twenty eighteen aged forty four Already a lot of information. Thank you, Mat as if camping wasn't bad enough G friends and a bar make it just about bearable A trip to a campsite near Ross on Y a few years ago was marred by us being woken in the night. You'll see how this ties into the show, by the way. Okay very shortly Being woken in the night by a kaleidoscope of blue flashing lights and the sound of many vehicles We chosen this site as it was on the river, and you could hire canoes for a day as a way of exploring the waterways, which meant the children might be happy and entertained for a few minutes before the endless moaning resumed Ms it Jaded, I think. Astonishingly, a lovely time had been had by all Though the sobering realization of what was now happening changed the atmosphere for all They were clearly searching for a body Thankfully After a few hours of our emergency services searching the river in the surrounding area. It turned out that it was just What do you think attention seeking horny peacock, which had been heard and reported by another camper Sout help. Not used to the sound of said feathered show off, trying to attract a mate They'd mistaken their scream for that of a child callalling for help Fair play to them for trying to avert a disaster though. neverever mind the thousands wasted conducting the search, lives risked and more importantly, our already terrible night's sleep ruins. Wow. loveove the show, Steve. Yours grumpily and still sleep deprived. Matt Wood, who's still not caught up by the sound of it from that interrupted. So last week know it was two weeks ago we would talk about the sign of peacock. sounding like someone crying for help. Then to prove the point we had the actual no, we did it in the same week. Our presumion team was so ono that I said in the introduction that a peacock sounds like a child shouting help And I did an impression of it, which is And you said ridiculous. And I said, I bet you are top production team can get a sound of the peacock And they did really swiftly and they played it and it sounded uncannily like my impression of it. and you then went onto a whole riff about how I'm better at impersonating animals than human beings Yeah, whichich it seems fair enough, I think. But also that is You could imagine how, I suppose, if you're camping and you hear that sound and you're not used to it. Do you ignore it if you think that sounded like a kid shouting for help But what do I say? It's remarkable. It really does sound like that. And you said what it actually says help And I said, Well, when you play it, you listen to it. it is remarkable. In fact, our top production team have it queued right now. That's amazing H I don't think I call nine hundred nine nine on the basis of that. But anyway, it's a very it's a very good thing. And Matt, thank you very much, indeed for pointing that out So we'll talk Spielberg shortly, but there's another film which is just I suppose most films are not coming out this week because Spielberg is coming out this week. And so we get some other interesting kind of quirky little films. Would that be right or is that patronising? No not patronising at all because there is a very well respected tradition of counter programming which is that if there is a really, really big movie out The thing you don't want to do is to release a moderately big movie against it. What you do is you release something that's completely the other end of the scale because it's like not everyone will want to see Disclosure D. So they may want to see the fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford, which is this new film by Jean Dunn, who is a filmmaker born and raised in Edinburgh made a splash with British by the Grace of God and Kingdom Calm. This is his featuure debut and it is a Stange melancholy, wistful drifting in the thirird act into something eerily surreal sort of black comedy. So Peter Mullin stars. and if Peter Mullin starring is not a recommendation enough for you, you're listening to the wrong show. Okaykay? So Peter Mullin stars, he is Kenneth. He is a widow devotee of the titular, sir ghost incidentally provides a kind of from beyond the grave narration them The narration tells us that although this character has been forgotten, Kenneth is his last chance to redeem his name and place in history. What we know of Sir Douglas Weatherford, we know from Kenneth because Kenneth works in this visitor center as a tour guide and his tours involve him dressing as Sir Douglas Weatherford, who he reveres as an eighteenth century philosopher from whom he says He is descended So he's very, very proud of the fact that he's actually connected to this guy. And according to Kenneth So Douglas Weetatherord was a great man, not least due to his breakthroughs in medical science, images of which adorn the local pub. Although as the film plays out, we discover that his version of that character may be somewhat rose tinted, because actually when we hear from the character, he's very dyspeepic But no one cares much about Kenneth or Weatherford until. in the middle of one of his tours explaining the history, a van pulls up containing this kind of game of Thrones style TV show which is shipped up into the village and is going to take over the village thereby usurping Tennis And his love of real history with this whole fictional game of Thrones style thing. H's a clip So Douglas Weatherford played a central role in world history I am actually a descendant of Sir Douglas We actually shared a bus day Alough I things for myself, I think I'm looking pretty good for her two hundred eighty j old Thus, it is the question on the E T's keen to capitalize on the show's arrival. fair All that fantasy was of dragons. You are standing in history But no one cares that they're standing in history. All they care about is the Game of Rron stle TV show. So Kenneth is outraged. partarticularly outraged when the visitor center is effectively taken over byy this television show and he's now asked to take part in all this Sord and sorcery nonsense. so He sets about mounting his own rival homemade video production to tell the real story of Douglas Weatherford and put his new generation of the fans to shape. Now, according to the official description of the film, it says, Fall of Douglas Weeatherfood is a dark comedy exploring the thin line between history and fantasy. I would say that it's also about The intransigency of old age burden of grief and loneliness because a lot of it is about somebody who has lost things and is trying to invest everything they have in something else It's partly about the anxiety of kids caring for parents who seem to be losing the plot And also the sort of the cosmic tragedy of a feeling that you're the only person who remembers history in a world in which everyone's attention span is about five seconds. It's a very odd film. And when I said this thing about counter programming It is a perfect example of counter prorogramming Because believe me, it could not be further from being disclosure day And on the one hand, if you've got big science fiction movie happening over here This seems like the perfect time to saying, no that's not what I want. What I want is something different. And whether you like this movie or not, and actually I did for the most part You can pretty much guarantee it's not like anything else that's playing on screen Clearly, Sean Darey wrote and directed it has got a very singular sense. It was at times I was reminded of the kind of the pointed scaabrousness of Martin McDonough, for example This has got a real kind of there is a real sense of melancholia under it and a lot of that comes from fact, I think Peter Mullins performance is so great. I mean, whenever Whenever you seeet, you've said this before, you see an actor's name on something and you think, okay, there's going to be something of interest in here because it's that person. You know, you know it's going to be of value. And what he does is really sort of embodies that on the one hand, he's cantankerous. On the other hand, he's sad and lonely. and and' and there's a lot of very dark humor and dark comedy in the piece. But you kind of go into the story because of his involvement in it. The way it's shot, the DP is David Galgo, remindeding me a little bit Remember when we were talking about Savage House last week saying that it was kind of like Barry Lindon with leeches It was that was very much your lineup. It wass very much my line, which I'm very proud of, which is why I just brought it out again. But it's that thing about downtrodden majesty, something that was once grand and is now not so grand. And there is this kind of going on in the film, there's this tension between this apparently grand history and then this thoroughly mundane and quuididian modernity. And the other thing that I really liked about the film is this The score is by Gazelle twwin. Now do you know Gazelle twwins work at all? No Okay, so Gazelle twwin is Elizabeth Bern Holz He was Ivan Nvello nominated composer, producer, vocalist who On her website is described as multidisciplinary artist whose experimental composition and unconventional production style draws on diverse musical routes from sacred choral to early electronic and contemporary dance music and combines the sound of some ancient choral hymn with something altogether more modern and uncertain. Now the thing is I really like Gazelllee Twin's work I had interviewed Gazelle twwin when I was doing the show at Scala and I promise you that if I still had the Scala showh, I would be playing Gazelle twin's contribution to this film over and over again because It's got this score, which is really eerie. It sounds like voices, but there's synths and other things involved in there. And the whole there's a particular track called Tempest Lament And it's really eerie and really kind of strangely ethereal and sad and cronky and off kilter And I know that I am particularly interested in how much music can bring to a film But I was really conscious watching this and an awful lot of the strange off kilter atmosphere of it was working because of this terrific score by by Gazelltin. it reminded me actually quite lot of the vocal sc from there's film, Mouth Peace that I reviewed on this show a few years ago. And that score gives it a real sense of heart and soul and also sadness. and that combined with Peter Mullin were the things that really, really drew me in. And As I said, it's an odd film. It is definitely not for everyone. And there's a kind of point about two thirds of the way through in which it tips over much more sort of heavily into a kind of surreal sensibility. And it is really strange, but I saw it immediately after watching Disclosure Day And it was the perfect kind of counterpoint because it was so much a different sensibility of as I said, it does have a very distinct sensibility A while back I wrote down phrase quQotidian modernity. Did you say that? I think I did, I'm sorry But I am nothing, if not pretentious. Just look below the line on the YouTube channel. Yes, Sudes Corner, there you go. I've been in Sudess Corner quite a few times. Is it still a feature I don't know. I mean, I confess that I haven't I haven't haven't bought private eye for a little while. I can't' not had a bath 's that is not it's a very good callack I I a moment of a beer in private eye, yeah, yeah yeah Yeah although that makes it sound definitely slightly dodgy It does, it does. But no I have been in I have been in Sit' corner many, many times and it's a badge I wear with great pride. Allright, still to come boox offffice Top ten plus Mark talking about Booy Nights and Disclosure Day, spepecial guest Emily Bunt Coleman Domingo talking Spilberg in just a moment. Hello, Simon Mayo. Hello Mark. I see your lovely new bookshelves haven't buckled yet. There's a particularly weighty and wise looking one by name Kermode on there too. True, but getting them up nearly buckled me. Even giving up and hiring someone was a full time job. You should have used Task Grabbit. It's an online marketplace available in the UK that connects you with skilled, reliable local freelancers T taskers who can help with everything from furniture assembly and home repairs to moving, gardening and more. You can search for a tasker based on cost, skill set, availability, and past client reviews so you know exactly who's showing up and can have confidence that they know what they're doing. 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Prices may vary by stor excus supp price see Home Depot com priceash for details Right then we have a box office top ten at number thirteen Savage House. whichich we were just talking about in the previous review of Sir Douglas Weatherford. I mean I really enjoyed it. I thought that Richard E Grant was having terrific fun. I thought that Claire Foy was was the real heart and soul of the film. And again, mean As with Sir Douglas Weetatherford, this is out in cinemas at the same time that Disclosure dayay is going to be out in cinemas. So it it is classic counter programing. Void stuff on Patreon Hello, Mrter Stuff or Mr Stuff. I'm M Stuff who this is from? someomeone called Void, first name, stuff, second name. Okay. is that a real name do you think? I suspect. Well, let's say that it is. Okay, And someone has gone through life, Hello, I'm Void stuff. I'm glad to see Savage House got filmed of the week last week as I had a blast watching it on Saturday. Wh a rather top heavy opening dumps exposition like a Dickensian novel, The characters that populate the film's bleak house are memorable enough to keep everything zipping along nicely even with a two hour runtime. I'd love to see with Nail with the Richard E. Grant's character here Chauuncey J character here. Jauncey, go head to head somehow. I think this is the first character in Grant's repertoire that could give that miserable old accidental holidaymaker a run for his money in a battle of pretentiousness. and I say that as a major compliment Stehan on Patreon The film may have taken inspiration from too many sources. It also seems to want to make sure this does not go unnoticed. what initially is amusing becomes tiring over time. The ending is fundamentally unsatisfactory, trying too hard to be a moral tale. End a little bit earlier and spare us what is another example of Peter Glan', the director write basically saying just in case you missed what I was trying to say and do I wish the film had been more condensed. The acting keeps the film alive, sadly, the edit does not Savage house number thirteen. I really enjoyed it, you know? Pedy is at number eleven. Yeahes, so this is a teelegam language Indian Sports action drama wasn't press screened. If anybody's seen it, let us know Correspondent to codemed. comot Tuner is at number ten, which I think both you and I enjoyed. obbviously hasn't set the box office alight But I do think the performances the performances are good and it was a last week we had an email from somebody who said that it ought to have been called Um, Baby Grand driver, which I thought was a joke that I wish that I had made I think China will be watched for a long time. I think, you know, it'll have its life and maybe it'll be gone next week, but I think when it turns up on a streaming service, people think, o, this is good. I'm enjoying this. I also suspect it's one of the films that when Leo Woodall is absolutely everywhere in some blockbuster movie, people will go Did you ever see Tuna because that was actually one of his best performances. And it's kind of a timeless thriller, really? Yeah. It's not essentially based in any period, but I do think it's very good. Devil wears Prada two at number nine. It's number ten in America. Sixth week of release has done very, very well. I don't I think it's great. sorry you. I was just zipping on here. Sheep detectives are number eight Enjoy it very much, really liked it. very odd Michael is at seven here and seven there. Didn't enjoy it very much, really didn't like it, not odd Number six, Star Wars, the Mandalorian and Baby Odor orr Michael Bentine's Potty timee in Space, I refer everybody to the finest review of the film, which was delivered by Your Ch onene who was a great fan of the series and concluded that the film was basically a bunch of TV episodes strung together every half an hour Yes, he enjoyed it also. Yeah he enjoyed it.' from. Number five, number two in America is obsession Obsession is now How much money has it taken at the box office? Read that figure, Simon ten million three hundred and thirty three thousand five hundred and sixteen pounds twenty one pence. and it cost very, very little And it is now sort of part of this discussion that everyone's having about Has the world changed so profoundly that it's now possible for these movies to do this well? And the answer seems to be well, it hasn't happened suddenly. I mean, it has been happening for a while. But yeah, I mean, I thought obsession was terrific But I think it's great that it's done as well as it had. we still have the number four ahead of it, which is is which is backrooms, whichich in its second week of release has taken how much? It has taken eight million, six no eight thousand o, eight million, six hundred fifty one thousand eight hundred and eighty one pounds and three p. It's I'd just like to add to everybody. Simon is adding the pence numbers could be true. It could be true, but it isn't true. But that is, I mean, just look at that. numberum five and number four Those two films which between them wouldn't fill the catering budget of the biggest movies that are being released at the moment, have between them taken eighteen million It's astonishing So backrooms at Ford number three in America. The backrooms says Charlotte aged thirty eight in London, which is how she signs her email. The backrooms left me feeling completely discombobulated. unsettling and genuinely frightening and it made me feel scared in a way I don't think I've ever experienced before What a remarkable achievement for a film. More than that though, it gave me a real surge of excitement about the potential of YouTube as a platform for discovering diverse hidden talent. It offers young artists and filmmakers opportunities to showcase their work in ways that might once have been impossible, openening doors for people who may otherwise have been overlooked or never had access to the film industry backrooms isn' it number four? There's more on backrooms in the overflow car park signign up for extra takes on patreon. com. And you use june ninety until the end of the month for ninety percent off, this is going to be repeated until you're fed up with the And you actually just go, o, okay, I'll just up then. All right. And number three is Masters of the Unise. is a new entry Nathan Pavey on Patreon says Masters of the Universe was silly fun, lotots of throwbacks to the original cartoon Tyline. It's not going to win any awards, especially not in CGO, but sometimes you need a bit of nostalgic ridiculous fun Eddie says, What I can't quite pin down is why I liked it so much. Perhaps it was the mood or simply a strong hit of nostalgia, not just for Han, but for the broader eighties fantasy stylt channels, unashamedly camp un bothothered by seriousness, runun down as I may be, I was swept up in it and even got chills when Adam finally power. It made me feel like a kid again, something I haven't experienced in a cinema for quite a while. And Aimman says for one listener The real magic of this Masters of the Universe film isn't just nostalgia. It's that it captures the spirit of the original filmmation cartoon, where action always came with a moral core. Director Travis Knight leans into that tone delivering something that's big, strange, and joyfully sincere, with wild characters bombastic synth heavy scoring, and a cast that's fully committed particularly a standout skeletor. The result is a film that feels like a Less like a cynical reboot and more like a heartfelt continuation, one that lands especially well for those who grew up still has enough energy and imagination to pull in new audiences Finally, Dr. Smith. this I thought the soundtrack was phenomenal. Brian May's guitarists were epic, The lush rock lines pushed the film along, the needle drops were spot on. The music pushed the heroism through the whole story. The soundtrack needs some critical acclaim. loveo the movie as a whole, but let's show some love for the music. So that is for Masters of the universe at number three Well we did ch some love for the music when reviewing the film and I agree, I think it's colorful fun, entertaining, throwaway stuff. It is half an hour too long. Um But it's You know, it's jolly and it is Jared Leto's best performance Ag to repeat, you can't see his face and his voice doesn't sound like him. but it is his best performance. I thought it was Perfectly fine. don't feel strongly about it either way, but it's very nice to hear that people have had such positive reactions to it. becausecause if you are a devotee of Masters of the Universe and you have an emotional investment in it, then it's great that it seems to have paid that back. So good. I'm really pleased. Number two is the amazing digital circus. Colon the last act and it looks as if it' taken like two hundred quid more than masters of the Universe. Yeah. so basically this is the final installment of this animated web series, Australian animated web series, of which I knew nothing at all until it turned up in cinemas Partly inspired apparently by the writings of Harlan Ellison, it's going to come to streaming on the nineteenth So Just last night, I just dipped into a little bit of the previous series, which seemed very strange and I will then review this when it comes when it comes, but it was basically because it's the last installment. they put it into cinemas. and it's done astonishingly big business. So Once again, everything is in flux the rules do seem to have changed quite profoundly. Funnily enough, I bumped into a A friend of mine who works in distribution just in Oxford Street just yesterday And I said, how' it going And they were saying, well, a particular film had opened and completely tanked And they'd been surprised because they thought the film would do quite well and it really hadn't at all, hadn't touched the sides of the box office. And he said But in the meantime Um Amazing digital circcus is cleaned up and I said because I'm me amazing digital circus. that was the first I heard of it David on Patreon, the amazing digital circus was, unfortunately for me, a letdown ending to a very good and promising TV series. I have to admit though, that because I came to the series very late literally like two days before the film came out, I wasn't as emotionally invested in the characters as many people are. The show deals with a lot of issues such as anxiety, and abandonment and so on All things that I'm lucky enough not to have in my life, so I'm very much aware that I'm not the target audience for the show. and whilst I enjoyed the series, the finale didn't quite deliver on the potential darkness teased before They did the description of it is follows a group of humans trapped inside a circus themed virtual reality simulation where they're overseen by an erratic artificial intelligence while coping with personal traumas and psychological tendencies. And from the brief bit that I've seen, it looks quite interesting Num one is Scary moovies S. This from Tom in Doncaster Dar Marked Simon, since COVID it's been rare for me to be in a truly full screening. Dune part two, Oppenheimer, Barbie Wicked. So it was a real surprise booking sccary movie and finding the screen nearly sold out Critics haven't been kind, so expectations were low, and yes, the film itself is only okay. There are a few laughs, especially the get out parody, but nothing remarkable What was remarkable was the audience. It's been a long time since I've watched a comedy with a full house and the film clearly landed, bigig laughs, people sharing moments, quoting lines as they left. ed out with a spring in my step, not because the film was great, but because of the shared joy in the room A reminder that sometimes the magic isn't on screen but in the audience around you Colin Scott says this latest instalment is the most miserable experience I've ever had in the cinema. So on the one hand literally zero laughs. I could make a funnier parody in my own front room and I am not a funny person. So I disagree with Mark's assertion that this is probably the best in the series. It really isn't Please never let Aans anywhere near this sort of Word processor or camera ever again. More discussion on current films in the oververflow car park, but that's scary movies six at number one Well, interestingly enough, a critic friend of mine just as I was going into the screening of Disclosure D dayay said to me, you know, you were very kind to Scary Movie Six And I said, well, I don't know that I was because what I was saying was I do think it's probably the best of the series. I know that obviously one of the listeners doesn't agree with that but because I could see that there were jokes in it that would be crowd pleasing Friday night fare. And from that first email, and I'm again, just nothing but delighted that you had such a great experience. And I love the fact that you've described it as being, you know, the magic isn't on the screen, the magic is in the room because there are jokes in it that I could see would land well with an audio. And I called it right when I said, you know, I don't like it at all, but I can see that it may may well have a big opening weekend. My suspicion is I remain to we may see how this plays out that next week it'll be virtually gone Like it will have dropped three or four places and then that'll be it. that it was it was absolutely the Friday that it opened weekend Again, I'll say the key issue for me is that all the things in it that are funny park back to the old Wayans's Brothers back catalogue back to things like Hollywood Suffle, I'm going to get you suck at that kind of stuff. and they have nothing to do with horror movies it's just a shame that this has to be strapped around a horror movie spooook because that is the one thing that the Scary movie series has never understood these scary movies And box office fans, don't forget that takeake Ultra, which is available exclusively Patreon ultras We have a feature called Grossly Remarkable, which is a monthly box office feature Well you get to sound like ariot clever clogs when you go down the pub because you'll have lots of facts and figures. And of course, Mark, don't forget you can use your June ninety, not June ninety, but use your june ninety to get ninety percent off until the end of the month Center I mean, not just A be fiveine ready Anway, that's enough corporate nonsense We talk with Emily Blunt and Coleman Domingo at Spielberg It's Dclosure day and everything is next Study and play. come together on a Windows eleven PC. And for a limited time, college students get the best of both worlds. Get the unreal college deal, everything you need to study and play with select Windows eleven PCs. Eligible students get a year of Microsoft three hundred sixty five premium and a year of Xbox GamePass ultimate with a custom color Xbox wireless controller. Learn more at windows dot com slash student offer Whw supppplies last ends june thirtieth turnerms at aka. mS slash collllege PC This summer, Prime V videoide takes you back before legally blonde, before law school, and into the world of Elle Woods in high school. Set in nineteen ninety five, this Gemini vegetarian knows exactly who she is until her family moves from Bela Air to Seattle. packed with iconic fashion, nineties nostalgia, and a throwback soundtrack, Elle proves one thing Law school was hard. High school was harder. From the world of legally blonde, watch Al, a new original series only on Prime videoideo july first So our guests this week are two of the stars of the new Steven Spuberug film Disclosure Day. Emily Blnt and Cleman Domingo. Do we need to go so? Sicario, of course, young Victoria, Devil Wears Prada, Loopper, Mary Poppins returns into the woods a quiet place, Oppenheimer and so on Colman Domingo, two time Tony Winner Far of the Walking deead, Mah rain is Back bottom Rustin sing sing or Emmy for euphoria, Oscin noms for Rustin and for singing. So these are two class performers and they are about to perform for you after this clip from Disclosure Day If this is all their plan, you can be sure it's in their interest, not our That's a very lonely way to look said to me. I'm listening to you, Noah. Something I've learned quite a bit about A your friends? Yes. They regard empathy as an evolutionary advantage, as the foremost evolutionary advantage, in fact, the core of animate existence Our rejection of this understanding is leading us to our extinction That is a clip from Disclosure Tay. I'm delighted to say that Cen dominger, Emily Budz have joined us. Welcome to the show. Thank you, H. What are you eating? Be honest. I was eating a Percy pig before. What were you eating before you started huffing? I actually have a Percy pig in my hand as well. just w outside with a big bag of Pcy pigs. Listen, whenever I'm in the UK, gummies are my thing gonna be best gummies. She's very worried about my energy today. insane So on the subject of the film Is there anything in your career that is as buzzy and as exciting as a new Spielberg film with the hint of science fiction and aliens? I mean, it's just extraordinary. I mean, come on, Stehven Spielberg to find this genre. Tu. This is his genre. And so we we screamed with excitement when we got the call to meet him. Then when we read the scripts. you say we Me and Colman Yeah because Colman and I are together. We joined the arm. Congratulations,. John and Growl are fine. Absolutely.' absolutely fine with it. Yeah, we were just just why were we just like Tuly delighted. Really? Blown backwards. Tuly because the idea, I mean, it's such a huge film. I mean, it's typical Spielberg. He takes you to the wildest parts of your imagination, that innocent child in you, but also it takes you to worlds that you that are unknown, that the anticipation that he has in his movies, and now we're actually in it. so it's kind of cool. Coman, tell us about Hugo, tellell us about your character. Hugo is someone who knows way more than everyone else. He sort of puppeteering and really there' the whole film is basically a race for information whether or not we want to expose information or withhold it. And he's on the side of he believes he has reasons why it should be out there in the world. And so you'll find that out in the movie. But he's someone who's a bit more I think he's the philosopher and the heart in that way of this whole idea And I think there's other sides who are looking at more, you know, commercializing things get about rules Emily, tell us about Margaret. So you present the weather on the local So we're in Kansas. so it's a thriller, It's the present day, it's Kansas. You're on the telly. She is the weather girl at a TV station in Kansas City And I think she's a restless Satty, tangentle person trying to find her sense of belonging, sense of self Um can't quite grasp purchase of what she wants in life And I think she's just looking for really what she was made for and I don't think she ever anticipated she was made for the kind of journey that she goes on Disclosure Day, but I think she's a very classic Spielberg character, those people who are in a situation where they're way over their heads. I think Stehven loves outsiders. He loves people who are sort of white knuckling their way through something extraordinary. What can you say about the gift that your character has because very early on in the film, we see you turning up at the TV station, you start to speak and then you start making noises. I've spoken about this. But what can you tell us about that gift and what on earth you're doing Well, it's sort of what to say so I don't give too much away, you know, as I talk to you. but she has a gift has been bestowed upon her. somethingomething has been triggered from An experience she had in her childhood that she has a foggy, blurry recollection of And everything is suddenly exposed on national television And really at the core She sort of represents the theme of empathy in the film. She has really bestowed the most amplified version of this. The film is kind of about empathy, really, and your character com seems to be also one of the most empathetic characters out there. I know Steven Spiberg has talked about empathy being a superpower whichich kind of means that Elon Musk is not going to like this film, but who cares, But you are You are both, you represent very powerful examples Hugo believes in the possibility of leaning into the other and not being afraid of it. because I think there's always some thoughts about like, oh, the things outside of ourselves are going to harm us in some way. But that's actually not the reality. We have to actually lean into it and get to understand and know. And so I think we can parcel that out whether it's about like non human life form, UAPs, or could be your neighbor. Yeah You know what I mean to lean into the thing Don't be afraid of the things that you don't know. lean into it. Is there any extent to which Cin you are sort of representing Steven Spielberg? That's a great question. Are you Stehven Spielberg in this fook?cause It felt to me as though you were the director of this thing. This is your show. He's like the puppeteer. in many ways I think I don't know what Stehen would say to that, but I do feel that I am a surrogate for Stephven's philosophy. I feel like that's him. He's got that sparkle, that belief that Hope and humanity, really. hope and humanity. truly. So I feel like possibly a surrogate, I'd like to believe so. When Stehven would direct me in certain scenes, I would see that sparkle in his eye and that hope and belief. And I literally would just zone in on that and I' play a little bit of that Can I ask you both what it's like to be honest on the set and being directed by one of the all time greats? He just walked out, walked down the corridor, the thrill and excitement of people just as they see him. But when you're being directed, when you're in the set, whether it be an intimate close up scene or whether it be an action scene that what is that like? I just feel he maintains the intimacy and he protects you very much. He's sort of shields you from the iconography that comes with him. You know, he sort of wants you to be blind to that And it's just in his incredibly humanistic tendencies, you know, he just is able to Be a friend to you, be emboldening to you And he's obsessed with actors. He's very curious about them about what you might bring There's great spontaneity to his sets. You don't feel straight jacketed by him Nothing seems overwhelming, even though some of those sets were absolutely ginormous and extraordinary. But it's his, it's his nature that protects you from the ripple effect that you just felt as he walk walks down down the corridor. He wants to be one of you I did find his spontaneity so exciting. You know would you would come in every day. And you'd kind of walk through it and stagger through it and he'd watch what you wanted to do in the scene. And then he'd walk away for a bit and he goes, okay, this is what we're going to do. And he knows exactly the shots and how to convey. J wondering can be spontaneous. in a movie like this Fr the outside, we' imagine that it's allrigid You say this He's still prepp Of course, I'm sure he's prepped for a year for this film, but made a lot of decisions with his department heads, et cetera. But in the day as well, he's sort of looking for that special, that magic, that thing that you can only get when the divine resides on set. You're like, oh, this is now I'm in the room with all these people with Emily and Coleman and Josh and Colin and this is what's now sparking him He's always looking for an in. and like what's the thing that has surprised him that he hadn't anticipated? And he's just learnt over the years that that is his superpower is to spot something. And you see he just drops in on it. Yes. I'm going to focus on this. I'm going to rack focus to that. And that wasn't set up A lot of it was set up, but he said, oh, no, now I see You're giving me other ideas of what the story is Yeah. A what stage did you Say, Emily that Geors is your favorite film I mean, I think probably from about the age of like my early twenties was actually when I came back to it because I remember being absolutely traumatized by it when my dad brought it home when I was about eight, I think ' he wanted to watch it. ' he'd seen it many times. He loves that movie. I was horrified, terrified by it. I was definitely a victim of Spielberg when it came to the ocean. and I' still I'm still really uncomfortable in the ocean. I'm like But then I started watching it in my early twenties and then John and I my husband and I became completely obsessed with watching it. And we've watched every behind the scenes you could imagine on it And I think what I love about it is it's not about a shark It's about fear and it's about and it's about the unknown. And I think it's about not only is there this three hundred sixty, you feel it visually, there isolation at sea, but it's their own emotional isolation and how they deal with fear. That it became a performance piece for me more than anything Finally, there's so many things that we could pick up on. but when you got to see this picture With everything added in with the effects and John Williams score to me what it Did you watch it alone? I watched it alone. I watched it alone in the Steven Spubergs Theater at Universal. Did you have Percy Pigs with you? I didn't have any Percy Pigs. so I was w out I was too nervous. But I really was nervous. and really I was jumping out of my seat and I was filled with it's as if I didn't read the script. I knew what was gonna happen, but there was so much things that I didn't know And then by the time I got to the end I just sat there and I sat there overwhelmed with emotion And I was trying to figure out why was I sobbing like this? And I called Stehven immediately and I said, than you so much. You really believe in our humanity. That's the most beautiful thing that I. And I remember when you saw it all put together? I saw it with Josh and the two of us sat there gripping each other and yelling and laughing. And I think we forgot that it's a real gift where as an actor you can go, o, I forget I'm even in that movie because you're just swept along for the ride. It was I felt limbless. I couldn't even walk. It was I was so ri It's a fantastic ride. I can'tait to go and see it again. Oh good Thank you. Emily Colmen, thank you so much for talking. Thanks so much. Thank you so much Get your posty pigs out. Done. The Spielberg junket is just astonishing. The numbers of people that were around there were absolutely incredible. You're used to them And then you see a movie like this in your real It a military operation, isn't it? Oh yeah yeah. Oh yeah. and I said to as I was sort of taking a long time gathering my stuff together, I said to Emily just by saying Jaws is not about a shark. you do realize that you've just lit again, which we had sorted and put to bed because Stephven did tell Mark and I that it is about a shark. Of course it's about a shark. And then then you come on and then you say that and you just spoilt it for everybody anyway So we had a love. And clearly I know that they're very good at what they're doing, but there was a great atmosphere. in the room Coleman was strific hadn't met him before They just just seem to be like a very Um bunch of people who clearly enjoyed being part of one of the movies of the year, you know Yeah. ye Okay. so I'd like to take a chunk of time for us to discuss this if that's okay, because obviously it is the big movie of the week and you've seen it and we've just done that interview. so This won't be brief. Okay. So disclosure day, Alien encounter a sci fi adventure from Steven Spielberg, of course, whose back catalog includes The genre defining ET close encounters, more recently AI in that I say more recently more recently to those films So apparently, Spielberg was inspired to return to the alien visitation theme after reading an article in the New York Times called Glowing Aur asm Black Money, the Pentagon's Mysterious UFO prorogram, which had rekindled his interest in the subject. There's been a lot of about Spielberg saying you know, I do believe in alien visitation. Um On the case of this, he originated the story as he did on things like you know pololtergeist and Gonies But the script is by David Kepp David kepts writing credits. he has some great writing credits where they include Indiana Jones and the Kingom of with Crystal Skulge co wrote, The Dan Brown adaptations, Angels and Demons, and Inferno, which as you know I'm not a fan of. And most recently, Jurassic Park Rebirth, which as I said when we read the film is one of the worst written films I've ever seen Apparently for Disclosure Day, he did forty T draft What of the screenplay? Yeah, it's incredible which leaves one wondering what the forty third one would have been like so As you said brilliantly in that interview, it's an action movie about empathy in which aliens, as we heard in that clip, so this isn't a plot spoiler, consider empathy as the strongest evolutionary power. So Emily Blunt is Kansas Kansas City TV weather anchor. Margaret Fairchild, when I hear Margaret Fairchild, I hear Morgan La Fa. I don't know whether that's just me But it seems to me, you know,, the sort of enchantress from the King the Arthurian legend Anyway, she has an encounter with an exotic bird Bird flies in through the window and looks at her After this, she suddenly finds herself the human equivalent of the babelfish from Hitchker's guide, She can speak and understand any language. More importantly, she appears to be able to almost read people's minds and know exactly what they're thinking and how they're feeling and what they need. So she becomes the most profoundly empathetic person in the room. emmpathy is a superpower. Josh O'Connor, meanwhile, is this nerdy cyber specialist Dan who seems to be at the beginning, we meet him at a wrestling match. He's on the run from the authorities having somehow Coined something of great value to them which is to do with the disclosure or enclosure of information about alien landings Then we have Coman Domingo, who is Hugo, who is the disclosure advocate who is he described the story as being a race for information story and Emily Blunt's character calls him in the film, The man who knows everything. So basically, you know, the most the ultimate Basil exposition Domingo himself described the character as a puppeteer. and you described him as being the Stehven Spielberg on screen. He's basically I think he's the author. He's theuthor.s he's the director He's the guy who was there to to explain everything. Then you have Colin Firth at his most sinister with a sinister beard as Noah Scanlon, who is this spook who is on Josh O'Connor's trail clearly has hidden issues of his own And he's is deeply deeply beardy and weird. And then you have Josh O'Connor's partner, Jane, who's got a secret of her own about her own past and Her past directly links to one of the things thatclure Disclosure Day does, which is a discussion about If we discovered that there are aliens wouldould it cause all religion on Earth to basically have an existential meltdown, which incidentally is a subject which is addressed quite profoundly in contact, which is a film that you and I both love There is the very clear thing set up about Jodody Foster, the scientist and Matthew Mconaughy, the kind of the evangelical character. and can science and religion coexist? So First things first, this is a Spielberg movie. No one does grandcale adventure in action like Steven Spielberg. There is a scene in this film involving Two cars and a train that is properly nail biting in a kind of Jel. meets the French connection kind of way. I mean, it was really, really gripping and it's it's you know, no one does this stuff as well as Spielberg. There are tenense chases There are equally tense standoffs. There is mystery and intrigue aplenty. There is even a moment in which it effectively does the invisibility cloak from Harry Potter. And incidentally The thing, the alien artifact that is being passed around is clearly a Harry Potter wand, isn't it? I mean, they hold it like a wand, it glows like a wand. Yes. Let's get Ray Fes in to explain it one little to explain that what is it? was it the Elder wand? was it called? think? The thing that he had clearly never heard of when you asked him where it came from. So it's kind of Yes, it's space Aliens, but it's also Harry Potter. Now all this and I want to be absolutely clear about this from the outset, okay This is all really good. you know, popcorn, Friday night, multiplex pleasing. And I don't mean any of this is a negative. Go along to see a Spielberg movie with action and adventure and stuff and you are going to get it because he delivers a big screen get the biggest screen and the best sound system you can find. Yeah and get it, you know get it get there early, you know, stock up And the performances are terrific. I have always absolutely loved Emily Blunt, but I think I think Colin Furth is really terrific in this. I think he's I think he is doing sinister bidy really, really well. So So the first thing to say is it's a good romping adventure movie. Now we get into the the more problematic area for me The story clearly has echoes of close encounters. inas muchuch as you have central characters who due to an earlier engagement with aliens find themselves possessed of some mysterious knowledge That is driving them nuts until they discover what the purpose of that knowledge is. Now that is basically the plot of close encounters, okay? But in close encounters The knowledge that is given to Richard Drefus's character it's the He has the image of Tevil's tabablet but he doesn't know what it is. He's just got this shape in his head. It's got this, you know, it's this distinctively shaped landmark thing in I think it's north Wyoming And this image obsesses him so much that his life falls apart. The character's life falls apart, He starts making it out of mashed potato, then he starts making it out of mud Everything falls apart. The family completely collapse because he's been driven nuts. And it's a really, really haunting idea with a kind of somewhat bleak ending. I think spoiling close encounters is perfectly fine, which is that in the end, the character leaves his family and goes off in the spaceship because it's the only way he can be happy is having this knowledge explained to him finally. Now in this c You have this the weird thing, which is that Josh O'Connorss Knowledge Is is an incredible he can speak the language of maths Emily Blunts. ability is that she's this incredible empath who can understand everybody in any language and what they need and and somehow These two things are the kind of key element to explaining what is going on with the plot. someomehow these two disparate elements will 'll figure out how the mystery is going to unravel itself. So my problems are these Firstly, I think that in the third act, The action of the third act makes no sense at all I mean, I think it's perfectly fine. I'm not Bother and I don't want to give anything away about what happens in the third act, but I think I think it's like it's an action adventure rom and you go, no, hang on, hang on. that does not. Were you surprised when Jesus? I was surprised when Jesus turned up And it was played by Jared Letto It' a shock. was it just a I mean, a you know, obvious obvious bit of casting, but well done. The fact that he was speaking fllu and Aramaic and Emily Blunt's character understood him, I thought was a good callback joke, you know, well done for that If you thought that At the end of close encounters, it required a willing suspension of disbelief to believe that the authorities would allow the Richard Drayfers' character to wander onto the spaceship Honestly, this this requires a whole levitation lifting system of disbelief to believe that this is how the end thing would But it doesn't matter. That's okay. I can kind of, you know, Clock your logic at the door and let your emotions do the talking and for a film which has got this kind of empathy thing going on I can just about Do that The bigger problem is this that when we finally get to the the Denimon the explanations. did feel to me an awful lot like a very, very old fashioned kind of series of revelations. You remember in close encounters, there's the thing when the Mir and come back from they they disappear in the Bermuda triangle or something. There's like a really weird thing with all these airen have suddenly turned up from nowhere. And it's like, wow Wow, that's amazing The point is we now live in an age in which In two thousand six, Anton Deck made a Roswell movie called Alien Autopsy And we live in a world in which in two thousand two, M. Kight Shimelan made a crop circles movie, Signs And I think that when we think of Spielberg and Spielberg imagining alien encounters What we think is, you know, give me something amazing, give me something that I hadn't imagined. giveive me something two thousand one and you don't get that. What you get is a A late entry in Spielberg's filmography I mean, He's a filmmaker in his late seventies Honestly, the sensibility of Disclosure Day is it's a film that could be from the late seventies It's very old fashioned And its ideas are very old fashioned outside of that central, you know, central thing about What happens if we disclose this information He's the film shot by Janish Kaminsky, he's shot, you know, worked with many times before, thirty five mil There is a lot of lens flare. It's interesting that the lens fllare particularly happens in a particular circumstance in a particular set that has because of its nature in the plot, a nostalgic thing. But it is almost at times like JJ. Abrams doing a parody of Steven Spielberg, which is, you know, Steven Spielberg likes lens flare. Let's do a ton of lens fllare And I I also think that in an age in which Arival talked about the way in which we'd have to redefine language to communicate with aliens. under the skin talked about the way in which you'd have to rethink the concept of humanity to talk about aliens It's just not satisfying profoundly to have something which is so old fashioned in its revelations and finally, this I throw this open to the audience When you see it, The music at the beginning of the end credits literally sounded to me like a quote from the X files And I thought, o Okay, that's the thing. That's that's That's what it's doing. It's almost throwing back. and this is from the guy who kind of invented this genre of filmmaking. It's almost throwing back to a TV series from a previous century So the key thing is I enjoyed it. I thought it was fine. I thought the performances were terrific and there were some nice ideas in it. Ultimately suchuch an old fashioned movie and not in a wonderfully nostalgic way, but in a kind of Okay, I think I need something better than that at the end of this because I think we've moved too far. And what I really need is the heartbreak of Richard Dreyfus's character getting into the spaceship and turning his back on humanity because of what's happened as a result of this encounter rather than what we get here. I throw this to you now. what do you feel? becausecause I know you loved it. I mean, I agree with most of what you're saying. It was old fashioned, but I think it was old fashioned in a way that would if the kids were still in the house I would say, right, let's all go and see this because there is some magic that is happening here I think what I would say is I enjoyed it because there was enough Spielbergian magic to make this film happen You are absolutely correct. I was disappointed about Roswell and crop circles, which we know are fate with Done with that. We have moved on Even A and Dck no theyre f. It's not a it's not this is not a genre defining film in the way Close E encounters was. and you're absolutely right to mention a arrival, which is a masterpiece. and It did make you think, wow, I have never seen this before. This is wonderful. And every time I watch it, I kind of forgotten about the twists and have forgotten quite how brilliant it is And Also the digital animals were not Yeah, now quite good enough. Can I can I just embarrassed to say we' can I just o, so can I just raise this very quickly? Yeah. So the shonky digital animals, which I said, I can't believe you can spend this much money on a movie and get shonky digital foot.re like,, how hard is it to do a fox I mean, you know, Lars vonrier did a talking Fox in anntichrist. It's not that hard And somebody said to me, Ah On purpose because as the plot reveals They're not What you think they are. All right. And I and yeah and I went, yeah, no They're shonky digital ans. But I left but I left I left the screening with a smile because of because I think you can and there's a reason that I apologize for this in case it drives people mad, but there is a reason I mentioned Elon Musk in that interview becausecause he has said that empathy is a weakness, The fact that it is this film this time Yes, means that I mean, imagine. so we're here, we live in the UK. That's great. Imagine if you live in the country that has this sour cruel White House running things.. That's not how we were that's not they are not the values that we have. These this Yeah. here is here is a guy who's been doing this for fifty years and he has He is still enchanted with the world. He still believes in compassion, that empathy is a superpower This. So this. so this film at this time works and I would like to take the family to go and see it. With all of the reservations that you have quite correctly analyzed I left feeling that the world was a better place for this film. And I would say that actually that is You and I have done this version of this show together for several decades And I've always felt privileged to work with you on it And I think that Best. It's this It's that I can go as a critic, I think all these things are true and you can say what you just said because you're absolutely right becausecause in a world in which Elon Musk and the rest of it' happening. a film whose headline The plot is empathy is a superpower is on the side of things that are good. So in the same way that War of the Worlds, the Spielberg version has to be seen in the context of nine elevenle know, it didn't just appear out of nowhere This film didn't just appear out of nowhere. And you will never get Th you know, Spielberg or any of these actors to talk about this because that's not what they do. But when I mentioned Elon Musk, Coleman particularly, you know smiled and nodded. I think that's fair enough to say Yeah. you know, because because they know because this is their world, where empathy is under attack and people, you know, that it's seen as a weakness by a lot of very noisy and wealthy people. So for a film to come out and say You know what Actually, it's the thing that makes us human you know, is Quite a gift, I think. And may I just say having just said that impassionately about and I do I honestly do feel that about working with you, Simon, it is a privilege for exactly this reason. one of our top production team on the nerdier side of the thing have just put a message which says Chaos reigns You know, you know So I just one final point which I don't think is and I think I've got the name of this person, right? Okay. There is one person sort of overlooked And it's difficult to talk about because this is literally in the last T minutes of the film. Okay. There is an actor who I think he's called Courtney Grace plays the NBC news anchor. right? Who is covering All the stuff that Markxs just explained, all of that, is happening and being explained in the last ten minutes. Yes, because that's the role of the Des. And she is the anchor who is interrupting coverage of what appears to be like almost nuclear war. Im Okay careful. bad stuff happening abroad She has to break away from that to bring you this story. And she's and she's the anchor thingking, what are we watching? And then she has to react to the film that comes up And I thought she was fantastic I thought she met That is, you know, first of all, this is the story that a news anchor would dream of getting. We move away from this huge story to bring you this what? What is this we're watching? And I just I thought I thought she got it absolutely right. and And I should say, Courtney once again that you you do know that because As we've spoken about before, you were on air live. when nine eleven happened and the instruction that you were given was Just describe what you're seeing. Well that and that had been told me, you know when we started the whole thing. But to be able to react, I mean, obviously she's an actor and it's a scri. No, no, I understand. But it's easy to get that wrong, you know, and go all bombastic or whatever. But I thought she had the right balance of humanity and general can't believe quite what we're seeing Yes. and I would say and I would say that if you think that, then that means that that is a job well done because you actually know what that's like Yeah, okay. that' well, that's very kind. I mean but to do it whilst being envisioned is something else altogether. So I think we've done a good job because I think I want people to go and see it because it's amazing and there's so much and Emily Blunt is can do anything. She She walks on water She's like, you know, earlier, we're talking about actors who who if they're a moie you're going to go, okay well, there's going to be something interesting in there. Yeah. She is definitely one like Florence Pugh is another one Yeah abbsolutely. She was I was talking to Matt Hig, the author, who's wrote a book called The Midnight Library, Huge International hit and it's going to be a movie and Florence Pgh is going to be at the heart of it. You go, okay, well, That's going to be good then, isn't it? because it's got Florence Puure in it. And Emily Blunt is definitely one of those people who, you know, you can do Sicario and you can do this. so this is Let's something to see Well, it maybe, it's movie of the week I, you know, I dad I dread to think and you're going dread to think. I dread to think what you're going to say when we get to the end But anyway obviously once you' se disclosures, I'm sure there'll be lot of correspondence on that correspondence at Kurbanamo. comot Do we have time should we do the laugher lift? Yeah, go ahead. Do you have a sense of gay abandon at the moment? I do. I feel both of those things. Okay, so here we go then. Let's step in and play the music Now I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to say this properly because this is like A written joke probably. But heymar, what fruit did Romeo and Juliet eat D don't know what fruit did Romeo and Julia eat Ctaloupe can't elope It doesn't really work. It doesn't, because actually the fruit that they talk about is pomegranate. So that's the correct answer. It's just not funny I can'tter loop It's on our loop. Not good. Mark, did you know that Mortal Combat was actually based on a Scandinavian church song? I didn't. It was a Fnish hymn Nay. And with all this talk about Warwick stududent radio reminds me of my Japes during those years. I once went to a Once went to a fancy dress party with a girl on my back Who are you supposed to be? said the host. I'm a turtle. saidid I Well, who's that on your back then Oh, I said that's Missichelle. What's still to come? This is where Mark says my review of Boogy Nights plus. I was gonna do that. I knew I knew that's what it was. Okay, what's to come, Mark? It's a reisssue of Boogy Nights. Oh, excellent, on the way You thought this was your run cllub era Turns out It was more of a thinking about runun Club era Good news Someone's marathon training is about to start Sell your workout gear on Depot Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest They get their race day fit And you get a payout for trying Someone on Dep hop wants what you've got Start selling now Deepop, where taste recognizes taste This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a fifty page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online makes sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responssees setup required compatibility and availability varies eighteen plus Okay, so we've got some boogy night stuff to come. But first of all, an email from a name withheld person this is there's quite a long version of this, but this is the shortened version. But it raises some interesting points which I think you might be interested Okay, it says I am Name W Held, a film graduate with a particular interest in censorship history So this is very much your strong. Okay, topic. I'm writing because I'm concerned about what feels like a quiet but significant shift at the BBFC in recent years. spepecifically, a move away from transparency under Natasha Kollinsky's presidency. ly the BBC continues to promote its classifications as quote trusted, particularly across streaming platforms However, there's growing evidence of increased reliance on AI assisted tools, which appear to prioritize isolated flagged moments over a full viewing of context and tone. This can lead to odd inconsistencies, such as material previously rated eighteen being downgraded without clear or detailed justification and raises questions about how much of the process is now automated At the same time, it's become much harder to understand how decisions are actually made. Content warnings can emit key thematic elements, especially when they're subtextual while inquiries to the BBFC tend to yield brief generic responses that don't fully address the question. Resources that were once invaluable to researchers and enthusiasts, such as quotes recently rated listings, detailed case studies, and access to archival material, have also been quietly reduced or removed. For those of us interested in film history and classification, this feels like a notable step backwards fromr an organization that once highlighted its processes openly to one where key aspects are now increasingly opaque Given your longstanding engagement with the BBFC and your work on its history, I wondered if this is something that you might consider exploring or raising publicly says nameame withheld person, but film graduate with an interest in this sort of thing Okay, well, I confess that I have not heard of this before I have been a great admirer of the BBFC since the kind of the turn of the century reJig, and I think that they've done terrific work. I know nothing about what you seem to be talking about is AI being used to flag specific moments, which is a were it a thing would be a return to a previous more box ticky age and also the stuff that you're saying about access to online information and archive stuff. Now I am not aware of any of this happening I do know is that I still have some contacts with the BBFC when Natasha Kapinsky took over, I thought she was a a very good appointment I did a launch event with them So I will pass this on to them for comment and I'll also I'll speak to a couple of people that I know who know something about the workings of the BBFC. So so genuinely, I don't know anything about this and I am not aware of it happening But I will make some inquiries and see what I can find out and see if we can maybe get a reply from the BBFC because you you know, this is clearly something which is a matter of concern. thank you for sending me the email, but I stress again, this is the first time I'm hearing this. So I'll look into it more I'm sure there'll be more on this story in future weeks and your thoughts at correspondence at Kermmanabo. comot So there is something that's back out which I suspect you're going to enjoy talking about Well, so Boogy Nights is being reissued. It is a four K restoration. this is happening sort of more and more at moment, sort of four K restorations of films are coming back into cinemas and doing very well. As you know, I was talking recently about the fact that we are very soon going to have a four K restoration of Ken Russell's The Devils in cinemas in the Full Director's cart and. So in Take two, there's a four K restoration of Stictly Ballroom. So Honestly, I'm always delighted when older movies make reappearances in cinema, particularly when it's Booooky Night. So Booooky Nights is kind of the film that broke Paul Thomasanter not broke him as he broke him in half, but kind of broke him big because he'd made which sounds weird in the film that broke him because he'd made hard eightights, which was ninety six, which is the year before. and then Boogy Kights came out. and I remember really clearly Being in Cann the year before Boogy Kights came out and people were talking about it. because there was a lot of buzz about this film. If you haven't seen it, it is a sprawling Good feells inflected drama set in the San Fernando Valley Following the rise of a young hustler who makes his name in the adult film industry, first in the nostalgic celluloid driven days of the nineteen seventies, which was the kind of the days of Porno chic days of you know, deep throat and all that stuff kind of you know, became the subject of Time magazine articles. And then in the eighties, as that gives way to the rise of video driven imperatives and the world this is a world in which as one of the character says, we just, we just keep shooting and performative sex gives way to drugs, violence, nastiness. So the film starts with our anti hero He's played by Mark Wahlberg and this was a breakthrough role for Mark Wahallberg Ding dishes before being spotted as a potential talent by adult filmmaker Jack Horner here as a clip. Okay. W are here long month M always giveing a job? Yeah If I'm around here, I mean, Koga, you see that U No, you know where Torres is? Yeah. How do you get it? Take the bus Where do you want to be? Excuse me? Well, I mean, you take the bus from Torrrenance to come here to proceed this job. Can't you get a job like this in Torance Yeah, but I don't want to. My name is Jack. Eddie, Edie Adams. Eddie Adams from Torce. Yep Jack one something. Really? I make it Adult films, exotic pictures. I' to come back to the table and you know have a drink He makes adult films, exotic pictures So the character at that point that Wberg is playing is called Eddie, but not for long because he is going to transform himself as Dirk Diggler Now The roots of boogy nights are in a short that Paul Thomson made in the nineteen eighties, called the Dirk Diggler Story. and you can find it on YouTube. It's not very long. it's like, you know, half an hour, forty minutes or something And it's really worth seeing if you're a Boogyights enthusiast. I'm sure it'll be on the I'm sure it's on the DVDs. That's probably how it's how it's on YouTube The story also draws on the real life stories of people like John Holmes And on the Wonderland murders, which themselves were the subject of a James Cox film start with Val Kilmer in from two thousand three called Wonderland Boogy Kights was a career defining film for Mark Wlberurg. The role you discussed this with Paul Thomas Andson when you were talking about one battle after another was originally offered to. Can you remember U Oh now you got me there Yeah go on. You were talking to him about one battle after another and you said you finally got to work with Leonardo DiCapria, because he was originally going to re the role. And he said inive because what happened was he turned it down in order to go and do a movie about a boat that sinks, right So instead, it falls to Mark Wlberg and then in the end, Paul Thom Andanderson and Leonardo DiCaprio make one battle after another, which goes on to win bestest picture As for Wallberg He gets, I think his greatest role as Dirk Diggler Incidentally, a role for which he has subsequently apologized He has literally apologized for making Boogy Kights saying I just always hope that God is a movie fan and also forgiving because I've made some poor choices in my past Boogy Kight is up there at the top of that list. Nope, I didn't know that. topop of that list in the Bad movie Choices mark, is your roles in transformers the Last night, or the happening or the truth about Charlie, or the Daddy's H moovieies are most recently flight risk. whichich you'll remember is the movie in which he's actually got a bald head, but he plays bald so badly that it looks like he's wearing a bald wig. I mean, how about Mark, you apologize for those films first? Be you start apologizing for the best film you ever made and will ever make. weird thing is What did he say? What was he worried about oral a moral thing It's a moral thing. Yeah. It was the fact that he'd made a movie about in which he played Dirk Digler, this porn star who rises up through the industry in the nineteen seventies and in the eighties, and he thought, well, that was, you know was a terrible career choice. It isn't a terrible career choice. And we'll get also to why it isn't in terms of the the morality of the film in a little bit, but I interviewed Mark Woolbg for Radio One when Boogy Nights came out and he was he was lovely. I mean Back then He said he was using Boogy night as a way of apologizing for his role in Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch And those, is it Calvin Klein underwear that he was advertising? He said, yeah, no, finally, this is great because you know, I've put a lot of stuff behind me. And I said, What what sort of stuff he said, Well, like running around in your underpants? I mean, that's not something to be proud of. I think firstirstly, Mark Walllberg needs to gaze priorities straight and sort out what you should be proud of and what you shouldn't be proud of, frankly. fununky bunch you know, they're okay. My own feeling is that like Allon Wells, Mart Woollberg has kind of lived his career backwards and started out with his best work and then slowly reversing into this kind of ever more depressing catalog of flatulent ring kissing nonsense. The thing is Booky Knight is brilliant because it is a brilliant role and he is far from the best thing in the movie. He's terrific in it But he's far from the best thing because there are so many great things. I mean, the other cast members include, get this, right Phillipsey More Hoffman, John C. Rilly, William H. Macy and Oscar nominated Julianne Moore. That core group incidentally then went on to be the core team with Paul Thomas Anderson in Magnolia, which follows very hardot on the heels of Boogy Kights, and which I know you're a huge fan of Magnolia. Yeah yeah. abbsolutely. I mean, it's, you know, as ensemble casts go, it's amazing. The other Nominations that it got along for with Julianne Moore was got a nomination for Best Original sccreenplay and Best supportupporting actctor for Burt Reynolds Who in another one of these sort of weird twists of faith swiveered about doing the role for ages, didn't want to do it, didn't think it was a good idea and then ends up getting all important Oscar nomination. Now in terms of that thing about you know, I want to apologize because it was a bad choice It would be easy to think that a film about the porn industry would be, you know, somehow Suzzy and downbeat and you know, and and all those all those things that Woolberg appears to be worrying about If you ever listen to the commentary track of Boogie Nights on DVD, there is a moment in it in which Heather Graham who who plays Rolller girl in the film. He's terrific in again, one one of her best roles as well says that despite the fact that the film is set in the porn industry, it has a very kind of sweet family drama subtext and she says, and you know, the interesting thing is that that is highlighted in a really good review of the film that was written in Sight and Sound magazine., you know, the British Film Initute, Sight and Sound Magazine Well, guess who wrote that review? I can't possibly Take a pu Um wasas it u James Boy King? No He's the only one I can think of. Go on, who do you think? whoo dod you think wrote that review? Pe Bradsaill. No, go on. J stop doing the funny answers. Aarry what you think? No, obviously. No. Oh The good lady prorofessor her indoors right' it? Oh okay. Well, I wouldn't have thought that that was exactly you But the point is she's right. I mean both Heather Graham and well the good ladyfess her Iors is always right. off course. Heather Graham, in this particular case is right because what she's doing is highlighting something which is absolutely central to the film is that at the heart of it does have this real sweetness and there is a a morality which is a human thing, it's about people together in circumstances that you know that are changing in strange and sometimes terrible ways There is a scene in the later part of the film in which they visit home of this character played by Alfred Melina, which is one of the scariest things I've ever seen. because as this scene is playing out, there is a character wandering around randomly throwing cherry bombs onto the wall making these banging noises that are absolutely terrifying. I mean, it is an astonishingly accomplished film People talk about the you know the steady cam work at the beginning and the kind of very good feells thing about coming into the house, the pool, all that sort of stuff. fine. Okay, yes, stylistically, we know that Paul Thomas Anderson is an amazing visual stylist. I mean look at one battle after another, look at the River of Hills sequence. He always has been Booky Kight has got heart, it's got soul, it's got humor. It's the period detail is astonishing And it is the work of a master craftsman filmmaker spreading his wings And from here, as I said, to Magnolia, and from Magnolia to punch drrunk love and Just what a joy that it' it's back to love I love Boogy Kights. I think it's just a wonderful movie. And and Markkey Mark is absolutely brilliant in it. It is the best thing he ever did, he ever will do. And it remains one of my favorite Paul Thomas Anderson movies, and how thrilling that it's back in cinemas Correspondence at Coonare. com before we go, we have a little what's on here from Una from View Digital community media in Bulfast. On Thursday the eighteenth of june at seven PM, we'll be at the Indie bookstore, the bookshelf in Nury County Down, along with our friends at Nury. IE. willll be hosting a screening of a short documentary spotlighting the voices of migrant women in Northern Ireland Migrant women seen and heard was co created with migrant women themselves It highlights the hidden cultural barriers that they face every day at marks both Refugee Week and Indie News Week in Northern Ireland tickets are free and available on the viewdigital. org website Fantastic. When Oona sent is that she couldn't possibly have known what be unfolding in Northern Ireland in the last few days So if ever there was a time to go and support this particular film. I think it's it's now is the time to do that. Ua, thank you very much indeed As she says, tickets are free and available on the viewdigital. org website A very timely suggestion. Fruna, that's it for this week. This has been a Sony Music enttertainment production. This week's team, Jen Eric Josh and Heather. Producer was Dom Redactor Simon Paul who is briefly back in the country, but he'll be gone soon. In Take two, we're directing you to the Overflow carpark for more chat about current film releases. more on Tuna, more the baby Yoda film, you know whatever it's called. More Rich D Grant Swazand or as as as Watini, I think you have to call it now chat existential horror and in questions Smestens will be asked withith all the different versions of the Odyssey coming up, Are we all in fact watching the same film