Closing Thoughts and Future Drafts

F. I'manda Dav. and this is the Big Picture Conversation Show about toys and friendriendship. On today's show, we are talking about two new releases, Toy Story five and the deeath of Robinhood, as well as ranking all five Toy Story movies. and we're recommending the best cinematic Robinhoods. But first let's talk about some movie news Right after this Okay, Amanda Disaster strikes Luca Guadanino Island. This This is some fascinating news to take apart this morning. Is it I mean, it's not good for those of us who are looking forward to this film and or have this in our movie auction for twenty twenty six. You have it in your movie aion. I have artificial. Listen, I've ride for my guy. Okay. so evenven when he comes out and he's like topop Gun Maverick is terrible. you know? Yeah, I was hoping to address that here as well. So Luca Guarardino's new film Artificial, which is a sort of biopic, a social network style biopic of Sam Alman, the co founder of AI is no longer going to be released by Amazon MGM. They are offloading the movie to whom we do not know yet This is a movie that we originally speculated. it would be a fall twenty twenty six release. A couple months ago somebody was telling us that the movie' not coming out this year. Yeah, well, it wasn't in the Cinemac Con Amazon presentation. Yeah. And that's when I got a little nervous. Yes. And so now it has been made clear that presumably in part because of an open AI partnership, though that's not been clarified. Amazon doesn't feel it's the right studio to release this movie, which stars Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman Um, Hmm It' certainly a sus corporate situation here. Absolutely. I mean that that is kind of my top line reaction. This is also from the studio that yes, brought you Project Hll Mary, but also brought you Melania. so And it does seem like these decisions are being made at a corporate partnership synergistic Bezos and various other Silicon Valley people calling each other level rather than at a creative level. Yes. So I I don't worry about this as much in terms of the quality of the movie. I worry about this in terms of tech overlords who know nothing about art once again being in charge of creative decisions. N making good ones or making ones that suit themselves rather than artistic or the ideological integrity. I agree with you about that. Matt Bellany broke the story and he's reporting he got a quote that noted that Amazon hopes to work with Luca Guardanino again. I don't know if that's going to happen anytime soon, especially in the aftermath after the hunt, not performing very well Um This is an interesting one because you know this does happen sometimes. I believe Foccus previously had the rights to make Paper Tiger, James Grace's forthcoming new movie. I thought immediately of the bike riders, which was a film that was originally with Fo. and then they offloaded it to Focus does happen It's very rarely as politically charged as something like this. And so now I feel like it puts an interesting gloss on the film in general. 'a does it create like a new expectation for what kind of movie we think this is gonna be? Yeah, now you think it's gonna to be like a real truth to power searing indictment of the evils of this AI chapter of Silicon Valley, social Network two situation And We don't know if that's to be true. Matt Bellamy's reporting also said that the script, which is written by Simon Rich U got a little darker or that the final product was maybe not as like cheeky or whimsical as as what Amazon thought that they were Green lighting And M Simon's writing style is obviously very humorous, but you could see that even as the news has evolved in the twelve months since this film was green led our relationship to AI and companies like Open AI has changed And Sam Altan himself has become more of a character and a mouthpiece for a certain type of thinking about this technology and also about the way that Silicon Valley interacts with our lives Yeah and also open AI and its relationship to the White House and the current presidential administration. So this is a really, I mean, it's a fascinating movie business story I'm still looking forward to this film, of course I don't know. I mean I think it's unlikely that we'll see it this year. It's going to take a little while. you know, Jack and I were just talking about the fact that whole new marketing campaign is going to have to be established and you have a brand new company figuring out to sell the movie Now do you sell against this? I I didn't want I do think that it opens up a possibility for the right distributor Now who is that? and who doesn't have somebody like pulling their pocket strings in a way that they're going to be able to take this on and market it as like the anti open AI, anti Sam Alaltman I mean, let's go through it. It doesn't really seem like Paramount Warner Bros. Certainly not wouldould be in that mix Netflix, reallyally doubt it? I don't see that. Let's see. So Disney No no way? Definitely not. Who I mean, not that they would take this on anyway. Sony already has the social reckoning, so that's already in a similar vein. I don't think it's an A twenty four movie. It seems a little bit more glossy than that. Yeah. I do they're, you know, widening a little bit. and have had recent successes now of both, you know, the hide the ball. this isn't what you think this is, but also the, you know, the This is so taboo that we don't know if we can release it with the drama and true paid out for them. So they can at least do it in terms of corporate structure for now. Yeah. Now if they're trying to get bought then they don't want, you know, that then that becomes a whole other issue. The thing is that All of these companies in ways that are both big and small are if not fully invested are keeping their eye on the AI evolution within this industry. And so whether or not infuriating one of these potential partners or potentially, I mean, It's possible that Sam Alman is just the Bill Gates of AI, and that thirty years from now, He is going to be seen as one of the most important technological innovor entrepreneurs in recent American history. It's also possible that he flames out dramatically and we never hear from him again and this becomes you the first chapter in his downfall. Probably not. So I don't know, it's interesting I mean Neon also I think is probably worth considering guess MUvie is worth considering as well in just in terms of companies that are capitalize that could pay for a big movie like this because that's other thing is like Y Borisov's in the film, Monica Barbaro is in the film. Like it's got a it's got a solid cast. It's got a, you know a young and interesting cast. It definitely seems like it could be marketable And you've got Andrew Garfield, King of the Internet. Yeah Yeah. This is quote unquote buzzy subject. And I think there's absolutely an audience, but and a way to sell it, you just have to be able to You have to have the independent money to be able to finance that. And I don't know who does. What a strange five years for Luca You know, you got the you got the canannibal romance with Timmy. That was good. I enjoy that movie but didn't make a lot of noise because of COVID You've got the success of challengers. you've got after the Hunt foras didn't work. And now this movie, it's been really interesting for one of our guys. Well, I hope to see the film.. I mean, it's possible that nobody buys it And then what do you do? Can we buy it Yeah. What I think I So like fifty two bucks.use let's talk our finance structures and instead of opportunity. How were we distributeed via this channel Yeah, which is in my house. Okay you know technically technically it would be a Netflix release in that case. Spotify's first ever' to having the well, speaking of AI O not. let's keep moving. Let's keep moving. Curry Barker's next film lands at Universal Blumhouse Atomic Monster. look at that. eight figure deal I't what fil is about. M maybe it's about Sam Altan. Maybe it's a prequ That would be great. We didn't say universal in the in the and focus, but it doesn't really agency focus. that's not that's not out of the realm of possibility really lean into controversy historically. Tue. You know, the idea of speaking of Curry Barker being one of their u Oscar campaigns this year. That is interesting. It actually makes the likelihood of focus swooping in and grabbing an artificial a lot less likely. because I was thinking about what are their Oscar prospects focus this year They've got the sense and sensibility Reboot Yeah reboot. What's the word we're gonna to use? the newest inerms ofation. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's just awesome it's like it's it's like Shakespeare's, you know. there's not as much catalogue there, but it's a leega sequel No,'s it's not a sequel. It J just the newel version. It's a prequel. You know? no, it's not because it's the same thing that's happening real time. Have you read Is a re imagin? Have haveave you read the Emman Thompson Diaries yet?'t read it?ill you? literally it's right there on the. I'm happy to let it stay there. Its So they've got the sense and Sensibility film You've got Robert Eggers' wereerewolf, which, you know, obviously I'm looking forward to that film. I'm looking forward to a wolf just tearing flesh off of a human Is that an Oscar movie? I don't Maybe We say that every year and then you know It hits likeate December. Box office is pretty big You weirdos kind of get in the mix and you're just like fourteen Oscar nominations. A we sure? Well, I think what's possible is that They look at it, and even if it isn't quite what Nosferatu was, which is like classical Ghic romance. they might make up for. I mean it was. it was It was. think of the last shot. It was Nos Fghtu. Anyway. Maybe they'll make up for it by not acknowledging that film of the B Picture race. But that's not like a super strong slate of potential best picture nominees. So maybe they look at a movie like artificial and say, hey, this could be an option, orr maybe they say, hey, we had the best year ever with obstruction. Why make trouble? Right? Why make trouble with artificial? Well, but then also just Does what universal is pushing in a larger academy sense affect what your aud says? Well, no, I know, that's what I'm saying. So like are we How's the budgeting working U As far as I know, they're separate. separate but related. I do think that a lot of the weight will go towards the Odyssey. I do as well. Anyay, looking forward to Curry's next film. So that sounds like I the next nine films planned. Yeah. It must be nice. I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow Oh That's really not true. What am I doing tomorrow? Tomorrow we have soccer practice? Yeah. That's all I got on the slate, but it is Fatherur'sday weekend. so I'll whatever watching you'll be watching golf. Yeah U More news. Wagner Mora and talks to play the main villain in the Oceanss prequel, which is starring and directed by Bradley Cooper alongside Margot Robbie This is a this is This is a tricky one Is it you arere you firing? I just have I feel no complications. I say okay. Okay. I say There's a lot of shenanigans going on in the world. Yeah. and I generally like, if don't totally understand the choices of Bradley Cooper's directing career and I like Oceans's movies. I like Margot Robbie. I like Vagnamora I'll watch it I don't I don't need to complicate this. It's not one of these wise Bradley Cooper spending twenty twenty years of his career doing blue alien stuff You know, I don't Wagner Mora can dip in, dip out doing some artisticad stuff on the side Avatar for. if he wanted to step in on that. if he followed up Oceans ten or whatever it's going to be called with with Avatar four, that would be fire Is anything would start in it as well. This would be nine. Oceans nine? Well, they had Oceans eight because there were eight of them, but then I guess this would be Oceans three Oceans too. What about just the ocean Beautiful o. O oceans. I was gonna say. what about the oceans The oceans. Yeah There we go. Okay. That's it. I like it. Do you think that Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper biochemically would create George Clooney Uh, it 'use they'reant to be Danny or parents? Sure, right. So just from a because you know, that's a lot of Italian going on with Cloononey, right? There's a lot of Yeah I'm thinking through it, listen, they beautiful skin tonone. They can do a lot with eyebrows right now, you know? Eyebrows. Yeah. Okay. What can they do? Oh my gosh, there's so much laminating, filling at You never touched my eyebrows. then they look nice. Congratulations to you. Yeah, there but in terms of, you know, ' that's one of Clooney's signatures So his eyebrows. Yeah. Okay. And you don't really see a genetic A link link between Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper. but you could achieve the cloney thing with You know, with modern technology. Do you think it's just that there's a kind of like a unified hotness amongst the three of them that we're like, okay, sure they would make. That's fine. And also like the voice probably because Marga Robbie, you know, has this slightly Lower voice. A voice How of the vocal tone of a mother inform the vocal tone of a son? I don't know is the mother of a boy Not as best I can tell, there was just a lot of squeaking at my house this morning, which I guess many listeners of this podcast will say is right on. But and that's why you guys don't have podcasts. and that's why you're getting blocked. Is it just distinction? A distinct voice. I see. I'll tell you one thing, I love the sound of Oman's voice Great. Okay. Okay more news. Daniel Kui is reeaming with Shaka King, who is the director of Judas and the Black Messiah for a film called The Parleay, which is a great name for a movie. I just want to say. This is going to Amazon MGM. so apparently it's not about Sam Alman. Teiana Taylor circling to star as well. And I believe it was six months ago where we were wondering, what the hell's going on with Shaka King? Why has he not been able to make a movie since Judas and the Black Messiah, which is a movie you and I and Chris Reionall really really, really loved on this show and that kind of came out in that sliding door period and it did get a best picture nomination and it did win an Academy Award, but it was kind of in an awkward period of time. So I'm very excited about this. and it sounds like it's a crime thriller. It sounds like it's an original script And Im pumped in, Klely actually has a bunch of stuff planned right now, like in the offings soon. I was reading about one movie that he has coming called Hotel Hotel, Hotel Hotel. Okay which is written and directed by Michael Shanks who made Tether, together the Alison Bri and Dave Franco thriller from last year U That sounded kind of interesting. The hotel film He had something else he's producing an adaptation of Barney Barney the Purple Dy. Right. But that's been in the works for a while.. There's one other large, I can't, I don't know what the next he's got one other big project coming. and Cah, he's pretty chewsy. He takes his time with his projects, he's only made like five movies in the last ten years. I guess he's also writing a spider punk movie, he plays the British punk Spider Man in the Spiderverse films. Okay. U I don't know what the other movie is. I wish I could remember his I just googled it, but it's not. Okay C it now Love Cua Looking forward to seeing him more. Charles Melton is in talks to join Matt Damon in the Secret Daniels event pick from Universal Charles Milon, did you watch beef season two? Of course not Did you? I'm in the middle of it. Okay. K kind of enjoying it So because Widows Bay is over and so now. that's pretty much it You you nailed that. Yeah Yeah. But you can kind of do one show at a time, Eileen and I We' on to beef season two Terrific cast, Melton, Kayley Spaney. Oscar Isaac, Carry Mulligan, on a lot of your people. I enjoy these people. I don't know how to watch TV.. It's done for me. Zack tried to watch a TV show while he was like on day two of surgery recovery And then turned to me forty minutes and it was just like, I just don't know how to watch. It not loock, What show? No. It was a spinoff of the for all mankind that Chris and Andy very city. Yeah couldn't get But it's not that it was bad. it's just that it's TV. It's not our language. Okay. Yeah. I mean, look, Chris is very persuasive. I do want to watch Star City, but can find the time. don't have. I'm busy watching in seearch of Darkness, nineteen ninety to nineteen ninety four, which is a six hour compilation of people talking about all of the horror films that were released in those four years. That's what I'm. I'm slowly chipping away at that. That's beautiful. Thank you. Last story Wow Speaking of Bradley Cooper. So Seaan Penn has written and plans to direct a film about january sixth. The film, I guess is seeing through the eyes police officer who was there on the day of the insurrection at the Capitol Um, Sean Penn wants Bradley Cooper to star in the film as the police officer Warner Brros is gonna to make this movie You say, what? American Sniper two. The plastic baby returns. Oh wow er Maybe it's maybe it's the plastic baby all grown up. So then it's a plastic U Q Saman or whatever. Nos it's a Pinocchio situation where he's become a real boy. They just they couldn't get Q Saman, Damn who's gonna play Q Shaman? I really had to like pull from the reaches of my brain. to remember that who's gonna to play Chrisyan suggested that Try Letutzs Tracy Letut's face play Q Saaman. That sounds wonderful. Why am I not on that text exchange? Well there's a lot of other things going on there that you don't wantan to be a part of. You know. All right it's the plastic textchange. Yeah yeah. yeah. yeah. makes it sound insidious. It's not insidious. It's just dorky Uh, this is this sounds deranged And ye, it sounds like a real like let's get this under the line before the Paramount merger closes. L this doesn't sound like a paramount movie to me. Yeah, this doesn't sound like anyone's paying attention No No, no, lot of movie news What's going on? Yeah. Why do you think that is The business is booming. is hot Everybody wants a piece of it. Everyoneone wants to put out their press releases. There's a lot of movie news in that like people had meetings and like issued press releases. So we'll see how much of this actually happens. Should I start doing press releases based on conversations we have about a future episodes? That is what this podcast is called. Yeah ye Yeah, Sean and Amanda are strongly considering a Robin Williams Hall of Fame in July Could we get that out? Can we alert our PR team U Okay, let's talk about the Death of Robinhood first. We'll do Toy Story five second. So the Death of Robinhood is the new movie and original written by Michael Sarnosky. It is inspired by Robinhood's death, which is an anonymous poem. Did you revisit this poem? No. Have you ever read it? No, I think I'm learning right now that Robin Hood The whole legend. Oh, Robin Hood's death is a poem Not the legend of Robin Hood. No, because I have a book about the Yeah, didn't you give knox for Christmas? Yeahah, whichich is very nice. So we have some original texts Okay of of Robin Hood, the mythology. I'm not scholar Nor am I? It's quite quite an odd Yeah the history of it, its origins. I tried to study up on it a little bit for this conversation to try to understand it a little bit better. This new film, which stars Hugh Jackman Jodie Comer, Bill Sarars, Gard Murray Bartlet and Noah Juke is set in twelve forty seven and the story is as follows. Grappling with his violent past, Robinhood finds himself gravely injured after a battle that he thought would be his last. He soon gets a chance at salvation when he meets a mysterious woman and a young girl Now Sarnoskiy, who is the director of Pig and a Quiet Place Day onene movies I like quite a bit. Name. What did you think of the death of Robin Hood? Right At the potluck last night, I was talking to a friend who called a quuiet place day one, quiet time zero zero, which is the funniest day I've ever. That's what I say to my daughter when be. Quet time zero zero and then I immediately thought of the last shot of a quuiet place part one and the needle draft, which is Really quite cringey in my opinion.t remember no. It's Lapita like plugging her Phone back in. remember that? And it's Nina Simone's feeling good. and then it cuts to black Also remember how they didn't have the fentanyl locked up, like at all Yeah, that I that I stay with me. it was still. It was not moving I saw this film last night with a large glass of Kim Crawford. I opted for the nine ouns. Thank you to everyone at Regal Paceo And It was okay. I like everybody involved. I think that this is a fine movie about having regrets at the end of your life and a not really a Robin Hood movie at all. I agree with. So that is sort of my if you want to watch Q Jackman Be violent and grapple with his choices in a medieval setting Two thumbs up Yeah, I think if you want to see that you should just watch Logan. Yeah. that's my But that's not my. So maybe maybe you're really into maybe you want Game of Thrones minus The magic and drag. Yeah Yeah, I think I think well Game of Thnce is not set in a real Timeline on Earth. Well, Bill Simmons and I disagree. Okay. You guys can hold that I was not a big fan of this film. I was a little disappointed by this one. I think I don't fully understand whyyat exists Now I mean, I agree with you completely. I'm not an expert on the Robin Hood tale, but I've seen almost all the iconic films. probably I've seen all the iconic films. I watched the nineteen twenty two version yesterday And you know, Robinhood is of course robed from the rich and stealed from the poor and is considered a sort of, you know Underdog bandit fighting on behalf of the Saxons against the evil Prince John and faithful to King Richard and you know battling the shheriff of Nottingham, and This movie obviously dispenses with all of that. None of that is really a part of this story. This is very much about older man who has done a lot of terrible things, as you said, feeling regret. and feeling a kind of pain. you know, it seems like the overarching conceit of the story is maybe distrust the myth You know that there is something about stories that we tell each other and why we tell them and why we change details and redefine how people are remembered over time, which I understand as a conceent. one thousand percent but The film does not engage with the myth in any way, shape or form. It starts at the very, very end. and I mean it has some gnarly battle scenes. doesn't engage in the mytholog the myth or the ideology of Robinhood in any way. it doesn't give you any sense of his life and backstory beyond him I'm just saying actually, my name is Robin Hood a few times You don't. To dispel the myth, you have to if not portray it, then at least communicate it. Yeah. And the film does not at all. Yeah it was if the name of the movie was the death of Steve McGilla Cutty And And Hugh Aackman said Hello, young squire. My name is Steve McGilla Cutty. We'd just be like, this is a weird movie about a really angry old man who keeps killing people and has some regrets at the end of his life Um, and You could have maybe swapped in any number of different, you could have said This is about King Arthur or Merlin or any number of kind of sacred folkloric figures and and had a similar point But I'm not sure if that point is super well told. The movie's very well made and it gives a kind of like in the mud in the dirt vision of this time in history, which I think is probably more period accurate than the Michael Crtiz film from nineteen thirty eight, which is teechnic cololor and beautiful and so colorful and swash buckling right? That isn't really probably what that period of time looked like But I'm not sure if that necessarily makes it any more valuable. And I found the film to have a very odd shape where it is extremely intense and violent and savage in the first thirty minutes And then it really downshifts for the next hour and fifteen minutes And it's very slow and methodical and very contemplative And so it just kind of feels a little lumping to me.'t, I was surprised. I was hoping to love this because I think Sarnoski's super talented, but this one was not really for me Yeah, to me, it's all The flaw is in the concept. O and then it just wasn't really pinned down what was happening here because I agree with you, the opening thirty minutes, the filmmaking is very gnarly. and I was kind of pissed at you when I was watching it because I was like, o I don't really enjoy this. Is this what it's going to be the whole time? which is an achievement in its way that you're grossed out and freaked out by it And then, you know, I like Jodie Comer very much The huge Amen is fine. Listen, I thought all the scenery was very beautiful. You know? It's well shot. It looks nice. So it's not Is that S schoolola? who that? Yeah, who did sing worker? Really good cinematographer. It's just a real why issue. I feel very similarly. And it's kind of interesting that Jackman Wh as you know, I love He's really got two gears. One gear is, I'm putting on a show. Yeah and the consummate you know Hucks with tails. handsome man of the stage, which he like kind of moves around that persona in different ways from hosting the Oscars to the greatest showman. Um Even movies like Australia, where he's kind of like an adventuring, smiling figure, right to Wolverine. And this prisoners and the sort of like the anguished angry, violent Id of the maail And I just feel like a lot of what he's doing here, he's just done before and done in better movies. I mean, prisoners and Logan are just better movies. They're just more interesting movies. So I don't know, I wass kind of like, why man Whyd you want this Hu I don't know M maybe he wanted to be Robin Hood. I guess it is appeing to Robin. Well, sure, but he thought he was Robinood. You know, he thought he was being You know, their correct corrective roobinhood. Yeah. Well, what do you think makes good roobinhood? Charisma. just being the myth. I mean, this is this is the other thing about that project, which is to dismantle the idea of Robinhood Wh is nobody wants the real Robinhood or I don't anyway. You want Just what's on the label, stealing from the rich, giving to the poor. You want the hot fox from Disney, which is how so many of us were introduced to it I It's Like it's a concept. There's a reason that Robin Hood has become a shorthand for It's just like an against you know, authority view of the world and or like a a trading platform that I do not endorse. But. I forgot about that. Yeah, but like it is Nobody really cares what's going on in the What is your trading platform chice? My trading platform's called the Re Real Okay. It's so still on eBay. Are you do how much time you spend on eBay Thanks for asking. once every other day But checking out what's on what's on there. Blue's yeah, it's only bllue rays because that that that's your marketplace. L the Yeah, Blue rays and Ancient artacts like the Testeract. Okay for that. Checking in to see if they have the Testoract. I how much it is. You do some vintage shopping on eBay and that's where the true heads go, but you know, It's a It's a person to person, like a vendor to consumer things. So You can't do returns. Okay. You know, you can't you have to be really sure as opposed to something like the real real where. There's also true of Robinhood, the trrading app, by the way. So you know, you can't really do returns and be like, whoops, shouldn't have bought that. But you don't need to do a return on a Blue ray usually How often have you returned to Blue Ray? How often have you returned to Blue Ray? This happened tellell me how often? I I buy a lot of blue r. I Well, sure. One out of every one hundred. What is One out of every one thousand Yout get one and it's not functioning. And so you say, send me another. I start crying immediately. I start stamping my feet like a child And then I I I can't drive because I'm so upset and I make my wife drive me to the post office. Okay, C I say fix this. And then they fix it. Wh just okay. You don't wantan to have an honest conversation with me about the real real right now. I don't. Okay. But I want you to have as many conversations about it with yourself as you possibly I do. don't worry. No, but Robin Hood, you want the figurehead. You don't want you want just the person who embodies the idea. You don't want a real man. Well Well I don't.t I don't care about his grandparents. I'm sorry. Forgive me for making this so movie nerdy, but I think Batman is an interesting thing to compare him to because filmmakers are famous for reinterpreting Batman. But there are certain things about Batman that you can't change, right? You can't change the iconography of the cume. You can tweak it But you can't change. You can't have a batman who doesn't have the bat ears. If you do that The audience and the movie studio was going to be like This is not Batman. Right. You know. And so Robinhood doesn't wear the Robin Hood hat Yeah with the feather. And you know, there's no the bow and arrow is not used in quite the same way. L So once you strip the character of some of those core things that give us that emotional association with the character I don't know it does lose something. Well, it's, you know, it's non licensed IP It's right''s in the public domain. Well, exactly. But so there is no one controlling The use of the name, the image, whether or not it has the bat ears, how many things you're allowed to sell? Is Batman going in the public domain soon I think he is. Okay mouse is in the p. So what will you do Make my own Batman. Okay. Beautiful Yeah. It will be called Will it be done before or after Batman two? Batman two? It's a really good. What if I just made the Batman two I played Batman. Okay. I'm playing Batman and the Joker. Sure and Bane And Well, no, Chris is playing babe Right Chris is playing babe. I'm playing Raal Goul And also Talia Al Gul. Yeah. and I'm playing pooison Ivy Great And Harley Quinn Beautiful. I'm playing Clayface Wow, you got the rights to that. Yeah. So it's cllayface in the public domain, though. N Yeah or any of the rest of these characters and that so that's gonna to be a while for some of those villains. Yeah. So you just you just have Batman'm also playing commommissioner of Gordon. Okay. playing Barbara Gordon. AK Bat girl. Okay. I didn't know that. his daughter mr. Frez. His daughter Alylicia Silverone was his daughter. I don't know if that's Canon in the Schumacher film. Okay. I can't remember. I can't even remember who plays Commissioner Gordon in the showck I'm also playing the Penguin. What what's the legal status of these characters? You only have Batman. You know, you know I'm playing the ridder. I got a riddle What els on my plane? I'm trying to think of some other bing. remember.s one man show comoming to the Edberurg. That sounds good. That sounds great. I'd see it. Thank you. Thanks for your support. Batman I would like to see the death of Batman BeCcauseuse know they killed Batman or they broke Batman's back and Batman went away in the nineties when I was books, Spain broke his back that inspired the film, The Dark Kight Risees They killed Jimess Bond. Yeah, spoiler alert. Well. What's that film called? No Time to Die? Yes, which came out in twenty twenty two And they're also going to bring him back to life. so it's fine. It's too bad Uh Robinhood No I haven't read all the texts. Okay. Which texts have you read U none of them, I think. Have you read the text? I mean I gave your s. we did start it. I thank you for thinking that he's at a middle school reading level, which he's not quite you are though. I am. Okay. you can read to him? I would I did. We did actually start reading it and I wouldn't say that his attention held. Got it For that one yet. And there was also a lot of like spkcus You know, which Yes. Old English. She's not there yet. Well,, I don't know if it's old English. Did you have to do Beowulf in oldld English? I did. So did we. I did. you guys have to did you guys have to do that at school? I never did Beowulf. Lucas I did not. Okay Not at all, not even in modern English. Negative. Okay Yeah. well, we'll talk about education and how it's declined in the following segment. No we certainly will. It sounds like the thirteen seventies was when Robin Hood first kicked up Okay, in the alliterative poem Piers Plumman, this is what I read And There was a quotation that later became a common proverb that many men speak of Romenhood and never shot his bow. And then the earliest surviving text is fifteenth century, Robinhood and the monk Okay, I assume is a reference to Friar Tuck or that's where sort of where the Friyar Tuck figure came from Um, typically seen as a contemporary supporter of the late twelfth century king King Richard the Leinehard. You're a Linehart, gal, right? Yeah. I mean, who's gonna to be King John What are her dos ye him. The tale has been told many times, you know, there's a lot of films. The films There's not a lot of great ones. No You know, I'd never seen the nineteen twenty two film until I looked at itesterday. It's on Tube. Okay. Directed by Alan Duan, one of the early pioneers of filmmaking. It stars Douglas Fairbanks, one of the great Silence Green stars. It's pretty interesting. It's over two hour silent film that features, I think a lot of the like It establishes these cinematic tropes of Robinood. So when you go back and if you look at the nineteen thirty eight version starring Erryl Flyn, directed by Michael Curtiz. I think it's one of the last movies he makes before Casablanca Um You can see that movie riffing on the twenty two Robinhood. You can see in the seventy three animated Robin H that you were referencing the Disney cllassic, that movie is pulling from the Ctiz version. If you look at Robin and Marion which is a Richard Lester movie with Sean Connery that came out seventy six, Sean Connery and And Audrey Hepburn. That movie is kind of riffing on the Curtiz version as well If you look at Robin Hood starring Prick Berggin in ninety one, or Prince of Thieves, which also came out in ninety one starring Kevin Costner Those movies are trying to kind of keep the framework arin jumpsuit. Rob from the rich sureir. Ste from or steal from the rich give to the poor. Bone and arrow Mc Marion Battling the sheriff Things are unsettled in the Middle ages Yes, there's a lot of The Saxons are feeling rebellious, but they don't have a leader to inspire. This is the second time youve said Saxons? That's a huge thing in the adventures of Robert. Yeah, I know, but I just like Ariflyn says the word Saxon like three hundred times And you know, they deserve to be free. Okay In the face of Prince John. Prince John played magnificently by Claude Rains in that film, I must say, what a shit heel he was. And we just talked about Robin Hood Men and Tights, we did The Mel Brooks film, which is clearly riffing on Prince of Thebes among other things, including this ancient myth. And so I feel like This more or less fifty five year history between the Curtiz film and Robin Hood Men andites. This kind of forms two or three movie going generations, our idea of what Robinhood is N not just what Robinhood is on the page, but just generally What Robinhood. Right? the basic our understanding. I think you're right to point out that the Disney film kind of codifies it at a very young age You know, it's Bin thirty three years since since men in tights It's been thirty five years since the Kevin Costner film, which famously features the worst accent in the history of movies. But it was like wasn't a huge hit. isn an entertaining enough blockbuster, though very flawed And since then, we've had two major US releases. One Redley Scott did his version of it in twenty ten where he tries to like It's almost like Avengers ofying Robinhood, you know, where like all the Avengers characters in the Avengers movies like are not as bright and shiny, they're all wearing like black leather. Right. And it is like a more stripped down, more serious Um We're getting down to business. Yeah here. Yeah, and like a bare no. Not all fun in games and playing Shuttlecock in the Badm Badmin Yeah. That's what they play in Robinhood kids and then Mid Marryian That's back. Yeah. It's it's it's Robin Hood Cing Gladiator. That's the idea of that movie. And then in twenty eighteen, Tarn Edgerton played Robin Hood and another adaptation which I thought was very unsuccessful. And there have been a lot of other, you know, many countries around the world have done their adaptations of these movies, but I would argue this is actually not a very impressive history No, relative to Shakespearean adaptation, for example, or what's another story like this that you think of that feels the same vein of like a long time folktale that we've seen a lot of different iterations of Well, until you said a lot of different iterations of, which we have in its own way, but I've been thinking a lot about the Odyssey because I'm trying my best. I don't know if I'm going to get through the whole text of the Odyssey. I'm reading the Emily Wilson translation before the Christopher Nolan adaptation Um And also it has a great introduction, which is just kind of like putting me through the paces of college again And there's a lot about how this a this was a common like an oral tradition, as we know, that was eventually written down in one way by. you know, there are lots of authorship questions. Homer, quote, unquote, but was it many people, was it pull together different excerpts? Was it one person? who speaks and another person who writes. Anyway. Was it Time magazine's Joe Kleine? Yeah, it was. It's good. That was a good one. I liked it. U S But anyway, like a story a framework of a story that has been handed down for years and years and years and years and then reinterpreted, put in different situations in the case of the Odyssey, you know, just like a man trying to get home becomes the backbone of many, many different types of stories. and In that case , you know, until we see Christopher Nolan's the Odyssey which seems to be like incredibly faithful and is set in and is using the same names as the characters. It's not an inspiration. it is they're just making the Odyssey. Y It feels like a proper out whichich is kind of what has the Robinhood strategy has been? and I think that's a challenge. And I think if you're not someone at Christopher Nolan or, you know, Michael Curtiz' level then you run into trouble and using mythology as inspiration rather than literal text tends to works better with stories of this kind. I mean, Shakespeare is the same way where there have been a lot of very bad literal adaptations of Shakespeare and then you know, many great oh, it's, you know the taming of the shrew, but actually you know, in a in a nineties workplace or whatever. Right. Yeah Oh Right that was contemporary. Yeah, that was not good, but I remember that Yeah Come on There are a lot of versions of this. I'm forgetting the ones that were at the tip of my tongue, but you know, a lot of the Hans Chrushion Anderson stories are like this where you see these reimaginings. Disney has done this for years years of taking these kind of like sacred and ancient stories and filing them down. I mean, Horror does this all the time. This is Dracula, this is Frankenstein. These like they become these foundational ideas that you can iterate upon, but if you stray too far from what makes us feel safe. about the concept Right. feel like a little like you violated something. Right. Well, I mean, it's it's how much are you using it as story guidance or inspiration and how much we're using it as IP. Right? Because as soon as the and all of these are they're trying to use free IP. And Robinhood is in the title. And so when you hear Robinhood or you hear Batman, or you hear of Dracula. You know, you expect to see certain things, but then that sets in a whole level of expectations that you have to execute against and it gets trickier This one this one is tough. Robinhood. I don't. I feel like it's maybe just dead IP. You know, I think sometimes maybe it can come back in some way. Well. I think he is dead According to the latest text, The deeath of Robin Hood. Do you think everyone will now acknowledge his death Yes so he'll stay dead. You don't think they'll revive him like Tony Stark. Tony's going gonna get revived, do you think? I don't know people were screaming too loud for me to really catch on to the the granular details of what we saw in c of my. I still haven't releas that trailer. Okay. What do you think's going on there of for Avengers Doomsday Your guess is as good as mine. I don't understand why it's going up against Doe three. I don't understand the infinity Vision. I don't know what's going on confused and I was not impressed by the presentation. Thanks for winging. Speaking of Disney. Toy story five. Yeah We should be interesting in conversation. Directed by Andrew Ston It is co written by Stanton Kenna Harris This is Stan has been involved, as I understand, in every single Toy story film to one extent or another. also know famously worked on F finding Nemo and Wally and is one of the icons of Pixar history Um wholeo gang is back for this movie. including Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim M Allen his Buzz lightightyar, Joan Q Sacks back as Jesse. She's sort of Jesse's movie, this film some new additions to the cast, including Gretta Lee, who plays Lily or Lily Pad A device Conan O'Brien is smarty pants which is a Was a real toy The sort of like toilet paper roll toy, as I recall, I think it's inspired by a real toy. Craig Robinson is Atlas. And Shelby Ribara is snappy. These are three new toys that are introduced in another home that we visit Uh here's the story After Woody left Bonnie to stay with Beau Peep and help help abandon toys find owners. This is at the end of Toy Story four, Jesse becomes the leader of Bonnie's room with Buzz Light Year as her second in command. and now eight year old Bonnie has become enamored with her new favorite playth a frog like tablet named Lilyad causing a crisis among traditional toys and prompting Buzz to call on Woody to return What did you think of Toy Story five You want me to go first? You always go first. So well, would you like to go first? I first time, goo ahead. I thought the movie was beautiful. I loved it so much. I had the best time at this movie. That's nice. Do I think it has flaws? Sure Yeah. I don't give a fuck about the flaws. I was so happy to be back with my friends And I was so happy to watch my daughter watch this movie Yeah And uh I thought this was a fascinating movie about female friendship And I'm not afraid to say it I agree with that. Okay. hereere's what I say, four children I think that this is a a great and important movie with lessons about friendship and creativity and technology and also think you know, the voice performances, the characterization, the there are several kind of dream or imagination sequences in this movie. They're wonderful. L it The funny and creative and the tooy story story universe is A plus As a parent who saw this by herself at two PM As a thinking adult, there is some There's some nonsensical and also some deeply craven stuff in the construction of the morals of this movie that I think will go over kids' heads and doesn't matter, but that I alone ing was A little irked by. It's kind of it's probably a good thing that you and I viewed this in different wayays. Yeah. I saw this with with Eileen An Alice. Eileen and I of course, love the Toy Story franchise have grown up on the Toy Story of franchise They were twelve years old when the first film came out Um you know, I have very fond place in my heart for this. In some ways, this is not a typical Toy story movie because Woody and Buzz are to some extent more sidelined than they are in other films. It's kind of it's sort of evolving past them in some ways. They're still important to the third act of the movie and being a part of the big save that always happens in one of these films. But like I said, this is really Jesse's movie, It's really Not to put too find a point on it, but it's really a movie about girls. Yeah. And And even though Bonnie was in the last film, I wouldn't say that this is movie franchise that is focused on story of girls as much. It started with Andy, a lot of the heroes are male, even some of the female figures that are introduced into it, like Bea Peep or Mrs. Potato Head, like They really had a center on that And so for me to see it, And for me to also be in a period in my life where my daughter is figuring out how to make friends. Yeah. and kind of like what that means to make friends and what are going to be established and long running friendships, and what are friendships that are more transient And if you're a little bit eccentric How does some people receive your eccentricity socially It's just something I think even adults still think about. As someone who was just a large gathering with our families yesterday. and I was like, which of these parents W to talk to me and who do I want to talk to? I found the movie to be like really warm and really thoughtful and considered about all those things.'m I think I'll probably agree with a lot of the notes that you have Yeah about some of the complications and confusions and like This sort of like corner cutting, I think there's some corner cutting in the movie to get the story rolling in certain places I'm also really glad that you circled those moments of sort of imagination that the movie, which they've done versions of this before, but it does it really well in this movie, which is when kids are playing with toys, when Bonnie is playing with her toys And we see her vision. of what's happening in the world of her mind with these characters. And it's much more elevated and gorgeous and it has a different animation style That stuff to me is like top shelf Animated movie storytelling. I loved two major sequences that did that Um So yeah, I had a really, really great time with the movie. I really liked it Um, But I want to hear some of your M alone viewing. Well, well, let's talk about The female friendship and the way it uses the Bonnie character and then there's a new character Blaze and they're positioned against All the other kids in the universe to Both. are glued to their screens, like, you know, the people in You I thought of Wally, but but there's also some ready player one to it. Definitely. And then they're all real assholes Yeah. I think the insinuation there is if you're locked in yourre. Great. And there's also a little bit of insinuation of that like because they are the screen and the social media, the lily pad in this case is what is organizing their communication and their relationship, that that method of or that vessel of friendship kind of sullies it and brings out the worsen people, which I think is very true. Yeah. But I do think you're speaking of shortcuts that there is sort of the The bad tech equals bad people. Simplification is just A little lazy. Right. And these girls haven't found the real yet so they't don't know wers that can be There have been mean girls since the beginning of time. True. And they organize in packs and they prey upon the you know, the more creative or just the people who don't conform. And in this case she's not conforming to technology, but it almost like simplifies what I think is a complex thing between young people where they're just and girls in particular are really mean and they pick out the people who are quote unquote different. No, I know so the back oneone of the story is is that This young girl, Bonnie, has some struggles making friends. There's a very poignant moment early in the film where she playing with her dolls and of neighbor kids see her Yeah. and they see her playing with these analog toys. And she has a moment where she tries to engage them with one of the toys and they laugh at her And that sends her into kind of an emotional tailspin about Why don't I have friends And she learns that You know, some of her other friends from dance class all have these screens. and so her parents get her a screen. She is the one that her parents. herer parents learn resespond to this. She goes in to her parents and she says like why don't I have any friends? And they like good engaged parents You know freak out, give furt hus, you're so special, et cetera. and then immediately panic by an iPad. It's called a lily pad in this context.. Who can blame them? It's one thousand percent relatable is I know. I know I want to have a screen time conversation with you eventually. Yeah mayaybe let's wait until we get through the movie. Um This this iPad is is a portal to to to community and then negativity, which is frankly what a lot of screens are in general for us as well, for adults as well and she connects with these girls from her dance class and she's invited over for a sleepover, but it becomes very clear early on that One, these kids are only engaged in what's happening on their screens, even when they're together in person, and two that there is a kind of like competitiveness. to the experience where one, they're always playing games and two, if you're not spepeaking on their level about living inside of this world that you're going to feel alienated. And Bonnie is the least experienced in this space and quickly becomes alienated And she's trapped between this feeling of wanting to play with her toys and wanting to have friends and beyond her lily pad Um, you know Because it's a tooy story movie, the liilyipad, of course has a mind of its own and is its own character. I thought Grta Lee's performance was very good and very veryy good. funny written very well. the clip of You know, Jessse saying, you were even listening and the liily pad saying, I'm always listening and then playing it and translating it into Spanish. it's very funny you know this movie understands all of its subjects very well. and in trying to simplify it for kids, I do think just kind of It skips over some things or oversimplifies. It does. The looming specter, the sort of how nine thousand quality of Lily Pad is very, very funy in the movie and effective. It is a very powerful device though in the film. That's one thing is that it's capable of doing a lot of things that I would imagine were I to give my child an iPad, Wh which is not something that I have done yet It would certainly not be connected to the interternet, at least not. So I mean, there' just the concept of parental controls or parental settings does not exist. It doesn't come up in this universe.. And the kids are just doing whatever they want And then the toys are also doing whatever they want because at some point the toys in an effort to help Bonnie make friends and to, you know, wr wrongs and, you know, connect people who should be friends in real life toys jail brereak The lily pad and various other devices and invite parents to random addresses and there's just and there's a level of scam and internet like notat What's the Internet danger that is completely unxamined and unbelievable in this movie. I can't argue at that point. Yeah. there's definitely some stuff for you're like I wouldn't go to that person's house if I got a message on my daughter's iPad that I should come to that house. That's not enough to go on a long drive to a stranger's home on a horse ranch. Now I will say one of the things I really like about the movie is that the iPad, the Lily pad character is contrasted with another young girl, this Blaze character that you're talking about who is a horse girl, who's living on a ranch and who is really in the real world.. She is really like, she is still a kid who plays with her toys. She's a little older than Bonnie, maybe a year or so older than Bonnie. And she ' they're kindred spirits. They're like minded. They don't know each other. they haven't met, but they're meant to see this connection and Blaze is like also kind of longing for connection and friendship, but also feels like maybe a little more confidence in liking the things that she likes. She has this huge collection of horse dolls And she kind of like she She identifies as a person that is comfortable in this world. And she somehow comes upon ownership of Jesse and B now. So Blaze lives at Jesse's first kid's old home which we see in flashback. Yes And Jessie has Blaze's address, the address of her first kid's home. the horse ranch written on the inside of her boot So she is returned by some really old people along with the h Forgive me, I've forgotten the horse's name Bulls eye. Bullsseye, along with buullseye to the original ranch, which is where Blaze lives in because Baze also, you know, understands the power of childhood immmediately I takes these friends in, plays with them makes these toys her own. She's not above toys like the other mean girls. Blaze also does get dumped Un ceremonouslyep unceremoniously by a lily pad by a friend who's just like, Lol, I'm not coming over and that's all you get. Again, some of the characterization here. As's me canceling plans. Sorry, I can't come Well, haa. I mean it is true. So then Baze and Bonnie are connected via the toys and the internet. by their love of Yes. sense of wonder. One onene of my favorite revelations in the movie is when Woody and Buz, Woody eventually returns home.. He's called back Yeah by Buzz because they need to team up the old gang And when they realize that the Si like apparatus within Lipad in which Lipad has to do everything that they ask it is if it uses direct address, is extremely funny. But using that tool that allows them to connect Bonnie and Blaze allows for A friendship allows for the potential of a friendship at least I don't know, I thought the movie was really, really sensitive and thoughtful about this. And now a couple things about this O You know, my daughter's about to be five, your's turned four this year. Yeah. your oldest We haven't gotten to this point these characters are in. So our relationship even with what we let what we let our kids do is screens, kind of what The nature of friendship, and I'm obviously very attuned now to female friendship and My daughter has this really like expanding world of friends and every day I hear about a new person and I can't tell if this person is my daughter's favorite person on Eth or somebody she started talking to yesterday. Right. But I feel like a real sensitivity towards it. My wife feels a real sensitivity towards it too. and you just want your kid to be happy. You just want your kid to feel accepted and connected and I think this is I have not seen a lot of movies that do this this well that like that really allow Bonnie to be sad in the way that she's sad that like let you sit inside of Blaze's sadness when that friend breaks a plan And so This is kind of like disisclosure dayay for me where I'm like, I'm willing to overlook some of the jankkiness otting because I felt very moved by what the movie really has on its mind. And in an effort to get there, it kind of has to elide some natural logic. I'm also I'm very open to the criticis. Did Alice respond to it Did she understand like why those girls were being mean? and not really because she doesn't have a screen. So she did I think she didn't really like see that that can like, but she didn't but the basic mean girls st No no, she knows about that. Yeah, well, sure Yeah, they all do. But like did she, did she understand that those were the mean girls and that it's more like, did that connect with? that she was touched by seeing Bonnie and Blaze eventually find a way to make a connection. You know, I think the The film's final thirty minutes as with all of these Toy Story movies, you know, whether it is a manipulative manipulative formula or a hard earned Right sllice of imaginative storytelling You can say it's both the Pixar brand at this point There's a moment where Jessie has a realization when she discovers something about the impact that silly, but Oh my Godd. I was you were crying? Bawling. I was so moved by that. I look at that. I don't won't spoil it. I thought it was listeners. I thought it was pretty unearned. Oh my go. Just because it's another character. It's, you know, I know but the whole point of these movies is These toys are having existential crises about their value in the world because the kids discard them. Right So that's that's like something we've seen happen to Woody. It's something we've seen happen to Buzz over the years. I think giving Jessie her chance to also a character who is has this existential doubt about her value of being like passed down and discarded over time. So I really likek that. And then I think Alice got it. I think she understood. I mean, I think it's a little bit less psychological at four and five around like, am I valued? am I accepted? What do I like and what do my friends like Yeah. We've been talking with her a little bit about that recently about sort of like, what are the kinds of people that you're Interested in and drawn to and why do you like them? And that's like a very new concept for all of us Um, I thought the movie was pretty sophisticated about that We also Al doesn't have an iPad In fact, I don't know if she's ever held an iPad other than on a plane. Um, She's not allowed to watch TV during the week M retty stringent. Now we may not be stringent like any year. It was definitely a holdover of like, donon't let your kids watch TV until they're three. And like we kind of tried to follow some of those guidelines I'm not saying we're right or wrong. everyverybody's point of view on this is different. We also only have one kid I think when you have two kids or five kids or whatever, it's like it's a lot harder to manage these things. So I try to be not judgmental about this at all And also the movie is also conflating a lot of screen things. It's not just that like there is a screen, it's not an iPad, it's not You know, there's social media, there's the interternet aspect of it. There's a lot of gaming, there's a lot of We don't actually see her watching a TV show through a movie. It's true. The irony while watching a movie So It's not just that it's like a literal technological screen. It's what's happening on it. And it to me was geared much more towards social media. like And interactive behaviors and and like life lived on a screen. Totally As opposed to entertainment. whichich, you know, I heard I heard Andy Greenwell talking about this. Um with his daughters on the watch recently because they went to go see the last digital circus because his younger daughter is really interested in that film in that that YouTube series And his older daughter was not interested in it. but like That's a thing where you reach a certain age and you are allowed access to a device. Right. And it can kind of change your world. I mean it can change how you want to spend all your time and I think it's persuasive. I think it's the plotting is a little ricky of the story, but I think the idea is on point which is Yeah of course if you let kids into this world It can take over and it can make you a little meaner. It can make you a little bit more callous. one thousand percent, I think with the overall message and moral. Also just the basic idea that The more a child, the more time a child spends on these like programs and in these types of screen life that are as absorbing that are meant to take you away from the actual world, that you lose the ability to connect in the real world and to whether it's playing with toys or talking to someone or likeike having a sense of imagination, you know, they the animation style of Bonnie's eyes when she's looking at the screen is very smart and perceptive and communicates the way your brain and just like sense of focus. Yes. adjusts these programs so or, you know, the games or whatever. I think it's one hundred percent right. It is like again, it's overs simplified and I think that It's not really it's, you know, it's not all or nothing for anyone and they they do. there are many shots where Tys are beholding the entire neighborhood And every window is lit up with a child staring at its screen all the time. And listen, like kids are looking at screens. I left the house this morning and my two sons and husband were watching the US open because our nanny is sick and he has one arm and like what's life? So if you looked inside through our window, it would also be lit up the same way U I do feel like there is people may disagree with me, but I do feel like there is a delineation between watching television and watching a screen because that even though they're watching, that's still a communal event Individualization of staring at a screen, I do see as different. M Maybe it's a thin difference. Maybe it's not all that meaningful. but watching sports with people is social. I mean, I agree. I also think there's a major difference between watching movies and watching television, which you know, she, the person who doesn't know how to watch television would say, but there's something about like the episodic watch, especially in the streaming era. and we know that everything is engineered more. Okay, hereere's another one. watch another one. watch another one that's training your brain in a different way as opposed to sitting down and watching a story. So the movie doesn't get in all of that. Do it need to for a seven year old to understand that you know, it's probably better to go outside and play with your toys or your friends than stare at a screen all the time. No. So it does it doesn't matter. I had some I had some issues with the second and third act and the resolution and the way it incorporates the way the film tries to have it both ways. specifically introduces three kind of Mid tier devices Uh the Conan toy is it's a toilet paper toy. It's a Battery operated potty training toy. Did you use one of these? I did not. We did not either. But it will be familiar to any parent or aunt or uncle or anyone of the just a very loud toy that won't shut up. Yeah. We've got a vacuum that I just I don't know how you turn it off. We don't have very many of those in our house. I mean, and we have so many trucks and, you know, we've got a tractor, we've got a recycling truck. We have a Barbie plane. Oh yeah. Well, I mean, my sons go to your house and immediately turn on the barbie planane. we have and there are some toys that don't turn on and Sy, who's not even two. We'll bring it over and hand it to you and just say on, on, on because he wants it to make noise like all the other toys. Yeah. You know, but that's already, that's an example of that is a tiny child who doesn't have a full vocabulary but understands that there are some toys that have lights and sound and they're more interesting to him than the other toys. Y Then there's a digital a kids digital camera. This is something, by the way that really started around our you. Yeah, where this kind of digitized toy was really first starting to hit.' obviously become now more dereger. Right. And so there's a kids digital camera, which is a thing. Sppy. Y, Snappy. And then what is the third one Let' Oh, sure And is it a hippos's mouth? I think it's a hippo's mouth that operates as an Alas and can tell you like locations Well, that's creepy from a basic GPS location situation, which, you know, it's sort ofume they're all based in danger, stranger or danger, like a little bit. but then these devices are all also communicating through with Lipad. There is like. There's some step skipping going on in terms of how these exactly to be connected. Well, you know, the fact that the toilet training paper Toilet paper roll can communicate with a liily pad makes no sense and it is also an indictment of like you know, the smart app home systems that we have, I don't need my air conditioner to talk to the internet. You know, I just don't. I know you have it and I disabled mine. No thank you. But it's really more of a All of the climate stuff in our home is all connected. The house came that way. I don't know. I didn' I didn't install that. But you know, it's like the dishwashers now also that Yeah. Yeah, like our our washer dryer got a new one a few years ago and you could hook it up to the internet. Why would I need to do that? but also presumably my children and their toys with the right tools could hook it up to Lily pad and then invite strangers over to our house to communicate with toys, which is a real thing that happens onexamined anyway So these devices are lying forgotten in a hall drawer and they haven't been charged in a while, which is very apt and funny. and they get reanimated by Jesie in order to try She charges them. She charges them ' she wants them to help her get home And so then They become invested in this goal of reuniting Blaze and Bonnie and helping them conf find friendship. And so It's like, oh actually The smart toys can be used for good. And then Lily Pad has like a real sudden out of nowhere existential nightmare. Right. just shuts herself down. tries to give herself away. I don't know I thought this was pure sci fi. I enjoyed it. You know, it's like when the AI becomes conscious and realizes that it too is fallible and it kind of melts. that is kind of in two thousand one. We talked about this with Spielberg. No, I know, But like we all know that that's not actually what that's No. Well also toys are not real, Amanda. So this is a film. But this is a movie made by an animation company that was founded by a tech company that engineering all the plots so that the toys and the devices can team up together and act for good in support of this child. And so the devices help and this leads to the final spoiler al. I knew you were not going to enjoy this part. Yeahah Okay, first of all, there are like forty five Buzz lightightyears. There's like and that creeped me out. There are a lot of them series of buzz lightears clearly in a shipping container, crash land somewhere, they all come online. Sure they all need to F Star command Yeah. And so they team up together and they travel and they find the mainland They find themselves entrenched in this bonnie blaze. Sure, union effort. But it just a lot of buzz lightightears all at once is like pretty creepy to me Yeah yeah, it's on purpose. Yeah, so good job And then they get Lily pad back, everyverybody's syncing up, charging, sharing data, locations, you know, it's a free communication universe And The final thing they have to do in order to get Bonnie and Blaze together. is that they got to scan a QR code so that Buzz can get an app update, an IOS update And that is when I almost walked out of the theater. Okay. because I just Hinging all of this around IOS update, a software update being essential to our human life is both existentially depressing and also The most ridiculous Propaganda from these fucking companies that just need to make us update less. Like I can't, I can't be updating all the time. Fucking figure it out. Get stuff right at the beginning so I don't have to update every five minutes. You sloppy idiots The end What I'm hearing here is you don't like updates. I hate updates. I don't understand why this why is this is controversial Why Why are updates controversial? Yeah. Why do we have to do it every five minutes? Sonos is asking me to update every single day. Spotify shuts down my laptop once a week to give engineering updates that I don't need as I what I need is an internet connection and my mind. Okaykay? We We got to get you a Nix championship in your life. You got to let go of this Just this doesn't drive you absolutely. How often are you updating all of your As soon as they pop up? Are you you're opening the app store every day and being like, sure update? I think I have everything set on auto update. You're letting them control your phone? Yeah. Sure. They're controlling everything already. Why? This is, I mean, this is cookiess off. What do you think you're in you think you're in charge of anything? Sure sureurely you justess Why are you letting them get into your phone? and update everything? You're buying clothes on the internet every day They have everything they'll ever need. They have your face, they have your sizing, they have your credit card, they have your ID numbers. Yeah. You put your social security number in when you're flying on a plane, it's over You lost.ud? Do I realize have my social security? I'm certain that they do. I don't. I mean, I'm sure that they do, but not because of me. Yeah. You know who has all of your personal and private information? Donald Trump. I know But still, what are we fighting on here? theates from I don't I just fromom the Buzz Lightearra. It It's It's not an idea. It's not I know they have everything. That's fine. Um I know that AI is trained on Sight listening to this episode. I know anything no it. them not very well U, I think you guys should using your t to overthrow a nation right now We are accepting their checks. No, we're not Here's my thing is that I just It's so frequent. It's so annoying. I really just need them to handle their business. This is part of my like, I don't like, I don't like process. I don't like why don't you figure it out and get it right? and then you can ask for my time and attention. Okay. That's what I have donestand. And so because of that, Buzzlight you're developing the ability to fly due to an app update I did you want to leave the It's the theater. It is it's the justification So it is centering your entire movie around the justification of fucking updates every five minutes. sure I saw it that way, but I understand what we were This is a movie about playing with toys, so shouldn't the children be helping him fly Perhaps There you go. Perhaps. I think we do eventually get there in the story. and do we think we eventually see that the purpose of toys is to be a portal to imagination. is to be able to It's true You know, access partart of your mind Yeah and a part of your true self. Listen, I was a toy kid It will come as no surprise. I love toys. T try to give my daughter toys because to H five toys, Jesus, fucking Christ. Well, it's like, what speaks to you And did you have did you have like a special? I mean, I had a batmobile. that was awesome. Yeah, of course. That was truly awesome I Here's what I collected Hean. Okay Star Wars. Yeah, figures from Kenner Um, G.I Joe, of course T teeenagage Ninja Turtles. I had WWF uh wrestlers. Okay Poseable wrestlers. Probably my core. Okay. And did you have one special? I was a human kid. I was I know, but like but did you have? I mean, like no And I didn't have lovey. I didn't have like a stuffed animal or I No, I't have that. I didn't have my one. You didn't have I did. No, did you U Yeah, my wife still has her her teddy bear that she grew up with. And Kox has sort of like a blanket that is his thing. he's linus coodated But Sy has Leo, you know? and like I had I had to import Well this is a real thing I think that's part why this franchise is so good. Yeah like this is real get it. This is an actual thing that as now that we are child rearer like we know that this is something, this is a rite of passage that you develop a relationship with a physical object and that thing gives you a sense of peace, grace, creativity Um, you know This franchise has also always been a little bit of trying to have it both ways where on the one hand, you've got Woody and Buzz, these created characters who are not based on anything real, but then you also like Barbie has appeared in this franchise. you know, Mr. Potatahead is a real toy. There are real toys Echaketch, for example, is a real toy that was part of this franchise. So it has always been trying to walk the line between No. branded content component of Toy purchase and then also these original characters that they now own and cont whoever content branded. Yes I really liked it. Sounds like you're a little bit more mixed I understand your nototes are fair. I also I don't know that I'm gonna take my son to see it. Oh She Really just from a hum perspective, you think this is better thanions of this isn't better than millions of monsters. I I guess it is, but I had way more fun. E Minions and monsters. That's like It's my type It's like the two genders of movie taste right there. My type of comedy this was like charming and ex Twistter is not that funyny. It's not very it's very, very emotional. Uh and it's not very funny, you're right You know, do I prefer movie references to tech references? Yes, I do. That's just one woman's opinion. Okay. Well, we'll come back to M minions of Monstress when it's released Before we talk about u The Toy Story franchise Yeah. Pixar now Mhm So we spoke about Hoppers earlier this year. It's coming just under four hundred million dollars, which is low on the Pixar end, but for an original animated movie, it's pretty good the highest grossing Pixar original since Coco, which is almost ten years ago U Inside out to Toy Story four and Incredibles two are the billion dollar movies in the last ten years This movie is clearly going to be a billion dollar movie Um It does feel like My sense of things right now is that Pixar is kind of where Marvel was like five or six years ago You know, where it was like the big brands are still very big, and will continue to be big. And if Marvel put out a Captain America movie starring Chris Evans It would make eight hundred million dollars. Right But if they try to tweak it or change it or launch something new, there are much bigger challenges Fantastic four, Thunderbolts, SXhangqQi, Black Widow. Those movies are not as big as what Avengers Doomsday is going to be. Do that make sense? or Guardians three isn't it? Well, it's you know, they have their established IP now and they did they did manage to create real IP themselves. A bunch of thing. I mean, they've got a bunch of them that they can go back to. But we're in the threes and fours and choy story fives now for and and that is what makes money just as it does You know, it's superhero movies really anywhere else at the box office. It's true There's not a lot of great movies that are the fifth installment of a franchise I I've always intended to do an episode The best fours, fives and sixes. Okay. I was just having a conversation yesterday with somebody about the Friday of the thirteenth franchise. Got it And how I think four four, five and six in that franchise is quite good Um V very in commommon If you're if you're rebooting a franchise, I don't think that counts. That counts. more like just the lineart count. Yeah. I think just the linear execution of a franchise. like even that's my Well, that has been that was cited actually when we were talking that fast five would be one of the, you know, I'm not as big on the tast five but I acknowledge that it is like the best in that franchise and that's unusual for that to happen It would just be a good episode one day, I think. Yeah This is pretty good and then Gato which has a teaser now is coming in the spring, and that's an original, that's more like hoppers And then Incredibles three is the film that follows that in twenty twenty eight, which is not directed by bird is directed by Peter Sone, who directed Elemental and The Good Dinosaur U Bird's new movie is coming from Netflix later this year, which is called Raygun which I believe is a film he started developing at Pixar And is like his it's an animated noir film. It's like a detective movie. Okay. that is supposed to be terrific. it was like one of the considered one of the best unmade scripts in Hollywood for a really long time But he's not directing Incredibles three is Quite fascinating. Yeah Um So yeah, Pixar I don't know. if they can make Hoppers and Gatto If they keep making those, if they don't stop, alsoso if they can reach like a middle tier of success. Yeah, right? Yeah I think you'd probably want to be more like five, six hundred million dollars for movies like that. but Hoppers did pretty good And it's like we do have a hoppper Bever. Thankk you, sorry. was Walrus hedgehog. I was doing a lot of tea things. Yeah beaver in our home that I think that my mom brought that I don't know she knew that it was hoppers related. It was just cute. So in terms of toys and franchiseability, but I don't really know whether you're going to get a hoppers two Yeah. The thing I was thinking about related to this is we were at Disney in the spring Disneyland, I should say. and We went on radiator springs for the first time The cars ride? Oh, okay. And great ride And You know, there's a whole Cars land there. Like they have developed an entire area of the theme park that is dedicated to cars and Cars is one of the most successful franchises that they have Will there ever be a hopper'sand, You know? W there ever's what I' Even a Cocoa land. Like that's the thing that is related to all this is because they're not starting new uniververses new IP. Yeah. They don't have it yet. Yeah. I don't know, mayaybe they will. We'll see. Maybe Go will be the start of massive cat land, but probably not. office for this movie. Yeah L looks like it's going to do pretty darn good. It's seventeen point five million dollars in previews and recording on Friday morning I was I saw it yesterday and was with a bunch of families. S crowd. Yeah Um It looks like it may make as one hundred and eighty million dollars this weekend, which makes it on track for being one of the biggest movies of the year. Yeah. Well, Disney needs the money, as we know, so. They're gonna be okay. I think they' be just fine. I feel like Oscars in play? Sure You know they like the Toy Story franchise. I mean, a lot the performances are great The animation itself is great. I open to you picture If you want, It's I mean, you and I were doing our lists the other day and it's a It's an interesting year. fununky year. Yeah. But we always we always say that in June. We do We do because it's always lopsided. And there are always a couple things that we don't see coming. and there are also always a couple things that we've already seen that we don't expect to go as far as it did. Absolutely. I mean, is this your F one do it right now I don't think it is. I don't know what. I don't know what this year' F one is. Yeah. Well, you don't don't know what it was last year either. Yeah Uh Okaykay, the Toy Story movie rankings tricky one here. Yeah. One of the complicated components of this is many people who love this franchise love Toy Story two Toy Story twoo has never been one of my number ones So Your number ones are One and three One and three, I think are the best. Okay And then you were very moved by five, but five canan I give you my gut ranking right now? Yeah Be's that's what we'll go with. I'm just gonna I'm going to be a sidekick and a sounding board. Okay.s that's kind of you. But I want your input. I seek your input Um I would go Toy Story, Toy Story three. So you're going from one to five right now Yes, from one to five, Toy Story from nineteen eighty five, the original. Um So story three at number two. which is a masterpiece. Yeah I think it's tooy story two here, followed by tooy story five, followed by Toy story four. Now I was very high on Toy story four when I saw it that I think it is among the more controversial. Okay.'s not a it's not one that people love M. I don't know what the vibe is going to be on Toy Story five I know like I cherish what Griffin Newman thinks of the Tooy Sver franchise. This is his favorite franchise. And I know he liked this movie. Yeah, which makes me think that the die hardards will get and be on board with five And even just seeing Duke Kaboom for like one minute, which is the Keano Reeves motorcycle character in this movie, I was like, oh yeah F' cool Maybe not as memorable as I thought it was going to be. Obviously forky is an icon. We didn't really get enough forky and Nifey in this movie in my opinion in the new one They had a couple good one liners. They did I thought they might be a bigger part of this. Well I mean, this is this is the thing that pretty much everyone but Jesse and Lily Patter sidelines. You're right. E even Buzz and Woody. Really Woody Who's just kind of out on the road saying jokes is expensive. I mean, those were funny. Somebody needs a brown marker. And ye you know, listen It's hard for all of us.y had you thinkking about how many people who had voiced characters from the ninet ninety five film have passed away? You know, Don Rickles, Jim Varney. Doris Roberts, like Is John Ratzberger still with us? I don't you know, Wall as Seaan is still alive mercifully to voice Rex, but You know, A lot this's thirty one years ago when this movie came out, which is so crazy. But my instinct is to say Toy Story, Toy Story three, Toy story two tooy story five, tooy story four If it was your personal ranking, would you flip five and two I got a rewatch too. Okay. Last time we did this I was really I was yelled at by the masses about my misunderstanding of two U And I'm open to that. And you didn't, but you didn't revisit it as a result of that. And you know, a huge part of it, this is all very personal. I was still young enough to watch Toy Story when it came out, even though I was twelve and really get invested in it and love it. and be like blown away by the animation style, which was so different and new In ninety nine, I was watching the Matrix I was just in a different place of my life. Okay. You know, I was just I was very interested in a certain kind of movie, and it wasn't Toy Story too. So I don' I'm sure I saw it that year but it didn't quite make the emotional connectionereas if you were seven. You were more of a dream girl on the lily pad than a bonnie at that point. No, I wasn't trying to take you. don't away with toys? No, I'm not that kind of person. I want people to be happy Um Unless it's you I forgot there's one other thing we didn't mion. Yeah Tayorwif Oh yeah I left the theatater. You didn't stay for the song? No Go I had we had the potlock. Okay ken, I have a life. Okay. I'm a parent to kidsen. also it's tacked on You know, the song is tacked on Can I be honest? thought I was good You're really soft. Well, it's not about my moral opposition to Taylor Swift. It's about art. Is that art is good. And it's obviously I think it is a collaboration with Randy Newman, who's of course an icon to me And We're in a month, We're in a month Yeah in which both John Williams and Randy Newman have new musical scores This is still happening. Yeah. These men. Now if it were politics, I would say get out of office But if they're in the room conducting musicians, I say stay forever. It's the year of Sean, and you accept It's just wonderful to see. Yeah, Tayorift. Yeahah sure. The other day there was a terrible playlist in our office that featured her song from Cats. Oh sure. Do you remember this? I do. Yeah. Not my favorite of her songs. No, it's atrocious. The Toy Story five song is called I knew it, I New You. Maybe I'll turn it on the way home. Maybe M maybe I'll zag on Taylor Mbe's a tailor error for me now. Yeah. The day she gets married. Yeah, you're gonna be at MSG Yeah, mayaybe I'll be the efficient Should I marry Taylor? Yeah, I think that's in line with That person get paid for that job I don't know how it works when you're Taylor S. I don't believe that they're actually getting married at Madison Square Garden. That's my personal take. Okay. Where do you think they're getting married? I think I don't know But Lincoln financial field Probably. Yeah. I think Be she's been so good to the Phy community know. I mean, a home of Jason Kelsey. he'll be the best man, presumably. I think so. I mayaybe they'll use MSG as a staging venue. that's something that Juliette Lippman heard or as like a as a staging Or like a gathering point And then everyone will And like everyone's ask off to the canon of heroes. I think everyone aftermath of year Eone's I think maybe everyone's asked to make their way to Madison Square Garden because there's a lot of entrances, exits, there's a lot of privacy, and then they'll be taken to the location from Madison Square Garden. Via hovercraft. What are you talking about? No, listen, this is not what I do. First of all, I'm not a party planner. of not a wedding planner. I am a party planner. and I throw great parties that would never happen at Madison Square Garden because I believe in windows. Number two. Okay. I That's the Mecca. I'll have you know. and it is the home of the champion New Yor. I think that's a wonderful place to win a championship.. I don't think didn't win there. We won in San Antonio. Yeah that good. Yeah That's tough I don't think that I would not choose to get married in a place without windows. that's just me ronic because there was a single window at the venue where you got married. Side. That's right. Not a single window to be seen Uh Taylorwift Yeah, maybe it's time. Okay, it is. This is a really exciting year for you. I just I feel great. Yeah. Everything has going great. Toy story five, crying like a baby. I saw it U twelve hours after the next one. That was the other thing to consider. All right You know, it was Sunday morning I was in the best state I've ever been in in my life So maybe you should consider that when you go see the film, Listeners of this show. My bad if it's not good. I don't really know. I could have watched the worst slop of all time and been like, interesting ideas here. I really like the thematic elements that they were after in this film U Okaykay, I think we're done. Yeah, I feel done Okay Uh USA. will they win today I don't know. Our friend Connor was like, do you guys want to come watch in an Australian bar? And I was like, I don't really think that Risky. That's the energy I can bring my two sons into. Risky although they kind of have Aussy madmen But I just, you know, they're ready to fight at the drop of a hat. So we can't put them in a situation like that. It's true. Um Okay, well, this was emotionally valuable. Thanks for making this time Thanks to our producer, Jack Sanders for his work on this episode. Thanks to Lucas Kavanaugh for his production support. Ne week, we're drafting again It's been a minute since we've had a draft. We recorded the nineteen seventy six draft roughly three years ago We're doing our first was a long time. We're doing our first ever. redraft We're redrafting from the year twenty ten, which was the very first movie traraft that we ever did on this show But this time we're doing it with the whole gang, the big team. It's every June, I know you don't know this, but I know this. Every June, we do a mega movie trash. I do know that. Okay, do know. Yeah. so Last year, I absolutely Trushed. Perfect Was it two thousand, right? And I had Brg it O on, Virgin Suicides, Coyote Ugly, Center stage One more. I mean, it was legend There are literally threerees of women at home shaking their heads and saying yes, amen. Iard I heard for more than three people. Rob Mahoney, the. Joinna Robinson Malory Rubin Van Lathan CR you twenty ten Is there going to be a table? Well, I meant to ask you this and we'll just do it live. So is table? I just need to know what pants and shoes to wear. There's going to be table. I believe you will be sitting directly in the middle of said table. Okay good Like Jesus H himself at the last Ser. I'll be offs screen the whole time Uh Thanks for listening. Enjoy Toy Story fiveive. We'll see next week.