American Fiction

[00:00:00] What you want, when you want it, where you want it, this is the mesh.

[00:00:08] Footcandal Films

[00:00:13] Film news and reviews from two guys who really like movies.

[00:00:18] This episode is brought to you by the Footcandal Film Society.

[00:00:22] For a schedule of upcoming screenings and membership information, here in a moment, and will be the ones to decide where the nominations justified or not. I think we have that power, right, Chris? I mean, that is kind of what we do here on the show. We are the arbiter of truth when it comes to these nominations. So we're gonna give our opinion on American fiction here in just a moment. But after that, we're also gonna dig into

[00:01:40] a little bit of movie news.

[00:01:41] I've got a couple of production, movie production updates

[00:01:45] and news to share.

[00:01:46] And Chris has a recommendation of a film Dan's rapper's crack. You said you wanted black stuff. That's black, right? I know you are a fan of this film. I am. And I've actually, this is a rare instance where normally we're reviewing films and typically I've seen it once. I actually was able to watch this film twice. I saw it once, unlike you, I saw it when I knew nothing about it.

[00:04:20] And I was kind of confused.

[00:04:21] I was like, why haven't I heard of this film?

[00:04:23] It's Jeffrey Wright.

[00:04:24] It seems very timely.

[00:04:25] And then after I watched it, I'm like,

[00:04:27] yeah, this thing's great. and deliver on. So ultimately I walked away disappointed because I thought they really had an opportunity here in my mind for them to tell a really interesting story around a really interesting subject and I feel like it was I feel like it was danced around I feel like it was it was well and I'm gonna do this without getting too deep into the plot of the film because I mean I do

[00:05:43] think that you know you and I have somebody else who's like, nope, I've already seen, I only listen if I've seen the film. Like, yeah. And I actually asked the person who normally, they were about to watch American fiction and then I was like, hey, do you have anything you want us to bring up in our view? Like, oh, I'm not watching it till this weekend. I was like, oh, well, then you better hold off on listening to the podcast.

[00:07:00] So I think we can do enough without

[00:07:05] like maybe getting into spoilers.

[00:07:06] So here, so you kind of,

[00:07:08] you did a little that, you know, people, he could write what he considers to be crap, you know, just pandering a version of a typical black American story. And people eat it up and sure enough, they do. And that's where kind of the film goes from there.

[00:08:21] I love that concept.

[00:08:23] I love the theme.

[00:08:25] I love the messaging behind.

[00:08:26] I love everything it's trying to do with that. This isn't spallering. It's first 30 minutes, I guess. There is a subplot or a portion involving his sister in the film that I still can't tell you why that was there and what that means for the film, what the means for the story, what that means for what this was about. And I feel like that was symbolic of what was going

[00:09:44] on the rest of the film.

[00:09:45] So I enjoy the film, I go ahead. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this film and tell me how I'm wrong on this. Well it's from the way I saw the film, one film would have been kind over the head with it. And I think if the family film had just been done that way, it probably wouldn't have been as successful because, I mean, I also thought the film was really funny.

[00:12:22] There's a lot of really funny one getting frustrated and doing things, you know. Okay. But there's a point towards the end of the opening that, yeah, one of my top fill, I have favorite films and I really, really liked it. So okay. Yeah, and like, you know, you called out that conversation. Yes, I completely agree. I think that conversation with the two of them, that is what I wanted out of this film. That is that kind of discussion and dialogue.

[00:15:01] And I felt, I just felt like the rest of the film

[00:15:04] danced around it.

[00:15:06] And before it would get anywhere interesting with it, I felt like the film kind of lost a little bit of its vision with that. It had the right things to say and in those scenes, like the dialogue with S.A. Ray's character you brought up, which I thought was great. Some of the elements where we're playing with this whole conceit of him having a pen name and having to kind of like put on an act.

[00:16:20] And you can almost say a little sitcom-y in the way that it's done.

[00:16:26] I thought it worked great.

[00:16:27] I thought it was really funny and fun at, as well as the trap of thinking sometimes that I'm above it like monk. And so it's like, you know, it makes you, it's humbling, you know, the film is entertaining, but it's also humbling

[00:17:43] in a way that it, it made me think about how him local and involved with his family. There's a, more than he would have been if it hadn't happened. And I think that's a domino that falls, but for me, the story was engaging enough. I didn't see it was like, oh, well, that's convenient. The only reason that happened is because he needs to stay around and stay local with his family. And, but like, again, didn't bother me.

[00:19:02] But I can see that Chris, I'm like, oh, well,

[00:19:04] that's just convenient.

[00:19:05] I don't see what I had to do with anything,

[00:19:06] but it was necessary to that mattered to the story, what that mattered to anything. I mean, if they're forcing him to have to become not aloof because he is the son of the family that went off and kind of became aloof, whereas the daughter, the sister stayed local and kept engaged with her mother.

[00:20:21] And yeah, and his brother for other reasons distanced himself, which I will not get into

[00:20:27] those because I feel like there's also a place for everything. And so this, I think, and I think that's kind of the confrontation which getting into details that he has with Issa Rae's character is kind of like, she's like, I don't think you have a problem with, I think you have a problem with the audiences of receiving it and that's kind of a you problem. And I think that's, that's what,

[00:21:40] there's room in arts and entertainment,

[00:21:42] but as long as it's not harmful,

[00:21:44] and her point is, I don't to make the thing, what do I want to do? How do I want to use my gift? He's obviously a talented writer because he has books. He is published, but when he panders, he gets this book that's extremely successful.

[00:23:03] So it's a choice but he's having a conference call after his book has been sold and he is unhappy that I didn't, and in disbelief, cause it's like, why did this sell when some of my other ideas for books haven't?

[00:24:22] And he knows why, but he, and he's really irritated by it.

[00:24:24] So he tries to basically screw everything up because he's just so like,

[00:25:24] chose to relish on that is my takeaway. But yes, I completely agree. I think all the scenes you're talking about in that that level of that moment that phone call that conference call was great

[00:25:29] because that's exactly what I wanted out of this film. And I think the film wanted to give

[00:25:35] and what the ultimate messaging of the film kind of the way we look at art and the way we let

[00:25:39] describe it. It's just again, I think it kind of complicated and people are it's very awkward forcing some people to be together and she says you can't impose your family and another comment that's

[00:27:02] made by somebody during that same time is it's just, it's just by the end, I just, I'm just like, okay, I don't, I don't understand why a third of this film existed to tell the story that I really,

[00:28:23] I really think we wanted to see.

[00:28:25] So, and again, it's make a perfect pairing with American fiction. And it would be a crazy double feature, but there's elements in both. I mean, just in your fact that like you're saying there, there's the drama piece and the reenactment piece,

[00:29:41] and in this you have the comedy piece and the drama piece.

[00:29:44] It's a writer and it's writer kind of wrestling

[00:29:46] with the subject matter that they're dealing with. I still feel like it's divided and I still feel like it's not a complete. So how excited are you for plantation annihilation? That's my question. Yeah. Yeah, that's good. That's a good title. And I thought the ending of the film, and I will say, I will say, if I'm not condemning something, but if I was saying a concern I had about the film, this film could have ended, I like the way it ended better than what I was afraid was gonna be the alternative. And I felt like when I was watching it, the typical Hollywood ending and how things were kind of winding down, I was like, oh dear. It definitely steered clear of that, which was good.

[00:32:20] And I appreciated that for sure.

[00:32:23] Yeah, real quick, we've talked so much about just

[00:32:26] the content of the performance. You meant to

[00:33:40] Starling King Brown. I thought he was great. Okay great. You not as much. I mean

[00:34:43] It's a much smaller role than I expected. Yeah, and I agree I know it's a supporting role, but it's still it was he was in it a lot less than I expected

[00:34:47] So anyway, I I think acting is good all the way across so

[00:34:53] Yeah, and just to clear the air. I like this movie. I just don't don't I get your emails reading that out there

[00:35:01] I like this movie. I just

[00:35:04] Yeah, I'm starting to realize I mean for that complete film where I feel like okay. I understand why the elements are there I understand why the characters are there. I understand the role everybody plays I understand the development that the characters are going through

[00:36:22] If there's parts of it, I don't feel like match or work or connect or drive anything by the end. It's like

[00:37:21] I was like, whoa. So maybe subconsciously you having put this in your top five.

[00:37:26] And even if I didn't like completely, you know,

[00:37:29] recall and resonate, it was still bouncing around my head.

[00:37:32] So as I start to watch this, I'm like,

[00:37:33] oh, people have this as their top five film the year.

[00:37:36] So I'm gonna be great.

[00:37:37] Well, you've done all those awesome nominations.

[00:37:38] Well, yeah, it's all that.

[00:37:39] So I mean, that's just, yeah.

[00:37:41] Definitely there for you.

[00:37:42] I like this film.

[00:37:44] Okay. I wish I loved it, but I like it.

[00:37:47] I'm just gonna leave it at that.

[00:37:48] Fair enough. Yeah, it's gonna live on Amazon eventually, but just. And had it not gotten a nominations, it may have already been. It may be there already. I think they're understandably. No, it got a best picture nomination. It got a best supporting actor. Did it get anything for writing? Yeah, I got a screenplay. Because it is based off of a book, correct? Okay, yeah. So, all right. And I think the screenplay, I think that's warranted.

[00:39:01] And yeah, I'm happy with it being in the 10

[00:39:05] best picture nominations.

[00:39:06] I do think that that's,

[00:39:07] I'm happy with dumb us down a little bit and talk about some projects that maybe don't require as much thinking and dialogue or yeah, we'll see. We'll get into some interesting news here in just a moment. Plus, Chris does have a recommendation of a film to share with us that we'll get to at the end of the show. So stay tuned. You're listening to footcandalfilms here on the mesh.tv and we'll be right back.

[00:40:24] This podcast is sponsored by Jackson Creative, a custom communication agency located at news with you. Okay. Because I like to dig into the movie news. Sure. I'm trying my hardest not to watch trailers. So I'm not going to talk about any trailers. And we do it here on the show. And I like to just sometimes. Well, it's just yeah, I will watch a trailer if I know it's a film that I have no interest in seeing and I just want to see how the trailer decides to depict it. Or if I know that the trailer is a true teaser,

[00:41:41] meaning it's just going to give me just enough of a taste of the

[00:41:44] film to know the style half. That to me is the way you handle a trailer. Now I wish that was, I wish that was a rule, but that's not going to happen. So okay.

[00:43:01] Nothing I'm talking about has anything to do with trailers.

[00:43:04] Okay.

[00:43:04] I don't know why I got it on to that it. And this last year too, I have been disappointed last couple of years really with a lot of the stuff we've seen. I think the only film I can think of that really worked was Matt Reeves, The Batman,

[00:44:27] from a few years ago.

[00:44:28] Okay. then I feel like it kind of went off the rails. Yes, exactly. But I understand it's like they're trying to make money, something's making money, go for it. I feel like DC and Marvel kind of, you know, it's like, oh, and then the quality, quantity goes up and quality goes down. And I feel like unfortunately that's what happens. It's not surprising because you want to strike

[00:45:41] while the iron's hot, get the money while you can,

[00:45:43] but unfortunately things suffer.

[00:45:45] And none more, I, you they were not under the Marvel umbrella. Sitting out of the umbrella. They were, I forget who made those films. It was Fox maybe, maybe made those. Anyway, they were not guided by, I think, people who really loved the property

[00:47:00] and really knew what to do with it.

[00:47:02] Okay.

[00:47:03] My hopes are this will be because this week,

[00:47:05] we finally got an actual announcement I think they were owned property by the other studios and now that Marvel has the right to use them now They've made this movie So they've announced the actors for the the four leaves obviously there's four people. It's fantastic for And it's the four that I think were rumored a few months ago And we talked about I may even mention as a rumor these four people as actors, but it is actually these four

[00:48:24] So Pedro Pascal will be the lead as m hothead is kind of the idea. Sure. And then you have Eben Moss Barak, always have a tough time with his last day. Bockrock, Moss Bockrock, Eben Moss Bockrock as Ben Graham. Eben Moss Bockrock, most people would know him announcement of the cast. Okay And it is a hand-drawn picture of the four actors in their roles. Okay in a living room This was released on Valentine's Day, which was two days ago So there was you know that kind of appropriate they made that casting call because this is a family film

[00:51:02] It's about a you know the the two leads do eventually in the comics Mary and kind of form a family Nature is all very 60s vibe to it. So I'm like, okay, if that's where they're going with this, a period piece at that time, I'm down with that. That just works. Now, they will obviously, because this is Marvel and Marvel has to have everybody be able to cross over with one another. Obviously there will be some sort of time travel element

[00:52:22] at some point in the future for these characters

[00:52:24] because they have to bring in a modern day

[00:52:26] and have them fight alongside Spider-Man Okay, so that's my comic book nerd news item for you. Okay. The other news item I have for you, Chris, is one of the things very interesting. So the Bee Gees, you're familiar with them? Yes. Singing group. Yes, yes. Is it Australia or New Zealand? Oh, I don't know.

[00:53:42] I need a biopic.

[00:53:44] I know it wouldn't, yes.

[00:53:46] You have questions about the Bee Gees.

[00:53:47] I know't know. That's a good question. Well, so this film initially was, well, I don't know if he was the first one, but the one that got some news behind him. Kenneth Branagh was initially tapped to direct this film for Paramount in 2021.

[00:55:00] He stepped away.

[00:55:01] He directed a lot of films.

[00:55:02] He made a lot of films.

[00:55:03] Has he ever done a biopic?

[00:55:06] I can't remember off the top of my head,

[00:55:07] but I wonder if was a perfect fit, but he departed due to quote scheduling conflicts. Okay. He was replaced by Lorraine Scarfaria, who was the director of Hustlers. So I don't see, I mean, yeah,

[00:56:20] that doesn't seem to be as a match made in heaven

[00:56:22] as much as John Carnell.

[00:56:23] Not as much, but again, other than Hustlers,

[00:56:25] I'm not really familiar with anything else.

[00:56:27] She's done work-wise. Napoleon. So maybe it's just from the pure biopic side, but I would think music. I don't think of him as a musical like I don't I don't think of him as that side of it. Yeah, I don't know. I'm on the BGs, it's not gonna be, not gonna dig too, too deep into anything too, too scandalous or controversial. Sure. All right, well that's, yeah, I thought that was interesting. I thought that was a very, very interesting announcement.

[00:59:01] You know, as far as on the biopic side,

[00:59:03] I know that the Bob Marley biopic is out right now.

[00:59:06] Yes.

[00:59:07] Not hearing great things about it right now, have recommendations of films that we all to check out, something you want to share with the group. So I'm going to turn it over to you. What film do you have to recommend for us our audience today? So I'm going to recommend a documentary from 2022. It actually won the Academy Award for the Oscars that were giving credit to films from that year. It's Navalny and it's directed by

[01:00:21] Daniel Rower and one of the reasons I'm but it's just it is fascinating to see this person's real life and how he was trying to make a difference politically and it's just one of the most interesting parts is they I'm not spoiling anything but he is able to get on the phone and have phone conversations basically with the people who attempted to poison him and

[01:02:44] Max Max HBO Max. Okay.

[01:02:45] All right.

[01:02:46] Well, that wraps up our show for today.

[01:02:47] We had our spirited discussion on American fiction.

[01:02:52] We had news on the fantastic horror film.

[01:02:55] We had news on the Bee Gees film.

[01:02:58] And we had the recommendation of the documentary

[01:03:00] Nivani all in this episode.

[01:03:02] Chris, if anybody has some thoughts,

[01:03:04] if they want to jump into our American fiction dialogue