Here

[00:00:02] What you want, when you want it, where you want it.

[00:00:06] This is The MESH.

[00:00:10] Footcandle Films. Film news and reviews from two guys who really like movies.

[00:00:17] This episode is brought to you by the Footcandle Film Society.

[00:00:21] For a schedule of upcoming screenings and membership information, visit the Society's website at www.footcandle.org.

[00:00:33] Hello, welcome to Footcandle Films here on the MESH.TV Podcast Network.

[00:00:38] My name is Alan Jackson. With me, Chris Fry, we of the Footcandle Film Society and the annual Footcandle Film Festival, which just completed in September.

[00:00:49] So we don't, we're a little early pimping the one for 2025, but just know as the months go on, yes, you will start to hear us talk about the next year of the film festival, but that's all good.

[00:01:00] We're still in 2024. Yes. We have successfully finished this year's festival.

[00:01:04] So now we can shift all of our attention into movies that are coming out as of, you know, as if the festival wasn't already a lot of movies to watch, but now we're actually watching movies in the theaters that are coming out.

[00:01:16] So, Chris, how are you doing? I'm doing okay.

[00:01:18] That was a lot of lead up for no reason. I don't understand.

[00:01:21] I'm doing okay. I'm curious. I think we, we did talk about the movie we're reviewing today, I think in a trailer top us.

[00:01:27] We did. Yeah. We have discussed this film. The film is going to be that we're going to be reviewing today is the latest from filmmaker, Robert Zemeckis starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright.

[00:01:39] It is the film here. And yes, Chris, I believe a few months ago we showed the trailer for this.

[00:01:46] We talked about this film. So I'm looking forward to getting into our review in just a minute.

[00:01:51] But after the review of here, we'll be going into a little bit of trailer top us, our trailer section.

[00:01:57] We got two trailers to watch and then dissect and talk about for, for films that will be coming out in the coming months.

[00:02:04] And then I think Chris has an interesting recommendation for us this week as well in the Christopher I patented film recommendation section of the podcast.

[00:02:13] So that is what we have on tap. Chris, are you ready to talk about here?

[00:02:21] Yes. Yeah. So it's such an interesting title.

[00:02:24] It is.

[00:02:24] But it makes, we'll get to why it makes sense.

[00:02:26] We'll, we'll, we will discuss that. So here let's talk about here.

[00:02:33] Hey dad, I couldn't meet Margaret.

[00:02:36] Nice to meet you, Margaret.

[00:02:38] Nice to meet you, Mr. Young.

[00:02:40] Time sure does fly, doesn't it?

[00:02:45] Sure does.

[00:02:46] Take a straight and stronger course to the corner of your life.

[00:03:07] If I use the trusty IMDB, Chris, our, our favorite website that I use for researching and reading about films.

[00:03:15] The tagline for this film here is a generational story about families and the special place they inhabit sharing in love, loss, laughter, and life.

[00:03:25] As you alluded to earlier in the show, this is a film that we did talk about a few months ago.

[00:03:31] And we showed the trailer and we really spent time talking about it from the novelty of what this film seemed to be yearning to do, which was, as we understood it at the time, the film was shot all from one camera angle, one specific location that just happens to be in the corner of this, the living room of this house.

[00:03:54] And that is where the house gets built there.

[00:03:56] When the house gets built.

[00:03:57] But I mean, the camera's fixed through generations, through time.

[00:04:02] Yeah.

[00:04:02] But the camera's fixed.

[00:04:04] And we're watching everything transpire over many, many, many time periods, but predominantly within the 1950s to modern day time period where we're following some different families in different generations that all are living in this house.

[00:04:22] So when I set it up, Chris, in the news and I kind of showed us the trailer and I said, look, I said, this is a film I'm a little wary of because.

[00:04:35] Because my concern is, is the is the technique going to outweigh the film, meaning is this going to be a film that the only thing we really can say about it is the technique and we can talk about the way it was constructed.

[00:04:50] But it is at the sacrifice of being a good movie.

[00:04:54] That was my concern at the time.

[00:04:56] So, Chris, I'm turning it over to you first and I want to hear from you.

[00:04:59] Did I have any justification in saying that or did Robert Zemeckis succeed in making a film that both had an interesting technical novel approach, but also was a good movie?

[00:05:13] Chris.

[00:05:14] So the question is, did you have a reason to be concerned?

[00:05:20] Yeah, basically.

[00:05:21] Okay.

[00:05:21] Where are my concerns?

[00:05:22] Where are the concerns I voiced a few months ago?

[00:05:26] Where are they founded?

[00:05:27] Were they legit concerns about this film?

[00:05:30] Yes.

[00:05:30] And we're done.

[00:05:32] Yeah.

[00:05:32] Okay.

[00:05:33] And I agree.

[00:05:34] Okay, go ahead, Chris.

[00:05:37] Fortunately, I saw this movie a couple of days ago where I think you just saw it last night.

[00:05:41] I saw it last night.

[00:05:42] So I've had a little time to kind of process it.

[00:05:46] And these, I'll just kind of, you know, stop me when I've talked for too long.

[00:05:50] But I went in expecting something kind of like, in a way, tree of life mixed with cloud Atlas.

[00:05:59] Now, let me explain what I mean by that.

[00:06:01] I could tell from the trailer that we were going to kind of get something centered around a family dynamics.

[00:06:07] Love.

[00:06:07] I think one of the taglines of the movie is even like love, loss, learning or something.

[00:06:12] You know, it's like.

[00:06:12] It's joy, hope, loss, love, life happens.

[00:06:16] Okay, there we go.

[00:06:17] So to me, if you made a less commercial version of this by Terrence Malick, it would be tree of life.

[00:06:25] Okay.

[00:06:26] So in tree of life, even had some dinosaur sequences in it that really threw some people for a loop and had creation of the universe sequences.

[00:06:32] Okay.

[00:06:33] Now, then we get to the cloud Atlas aspect and Tom Hanks was in cloud Atlas.

[00:06:39] But the reason I said it on that one was that kind of had not that it used a bunch of CGI and technology and did a bunch of jumping around in time and was a lot.

[00:06:50] And so that's kind of where and the ambition of cloud Atlas, which not that that film really worked overall for me, but I admired the ambition of it, whereas I'm a big fan of tree of life.

[00:06:59] So that that film worked for me.

[00:07:00] But that's kind of what I felt like I might be getting into going into here.

[00:07:08] And I did have a little bit of fear, just like you did with like, okay, that is very ambitious to set this thing where in theory, pretend that there was a camera that was set in one place all the way back when the dinosaurs were there, even before the dinosaurs, actually, when the earth was like being formed.

[00:07:25] And just spans all the way, I think until at least 2020, if not maybe up to modern day.

[00:07:32] I think I got the impression it's supposed to be modern day.

[00:07:35] Like I think that the code of the book and sequences are meant to be like.

[00:07:38] Because there's definitely a reference to COVID.

[00:07:40] So that means at least went up to 2020.

[00:07:42] Okay.

[00:07:42] So I was like, okay, you know, that was that sounds very ambitious.

[00:07:45] I got that.

[00:07:46] Um, my experience, I wouldn't say it was exactly cloud Atlas tree of life because those had kind of what you were alluding to where there was a stronger narrative arc as opposed to just like a visual arc of what you were saying.

[00:08:02] I actually had the experience that I was sitting watching an art installation at a museum.

[00:08:09] That's kind of what I felt like I was the imagery that I saw up in the screen and the sound design were engaging the technical wizardry and swing for the fences approach air quotes, lockdown camera idea where they would section off the screen.

[00:08:23] Kind of like the screen would start doing kind of like a honeycomb type effect where it's locked down.

[00:08:28] But in one little window that you see on the screen, you see something from prehistoric times.

[00:08:33] And then they kind of dissolve the rest of the screen to match that and the way they would kind of manipulate different things back and forth.

[00:08:40] It was interesting.

[00:08:42] But the reason I say it's kind of like an art installation in a museum, let's say I walked in 15 minutes into the movie and I sat down and I kind of saw this.

[00:08:52] I'd be like, okay.

[00:08:53] And then if I saw only maybe 10 minutes of this, if I sat and watched 10 minutes of this art installation, he's like, you know what?

[00:09:00] I got to go.

[00:09:01] I got to go catch a bus.

[00:09:02] I got to go back to work with it.

[00:09:04] And I got up and walked out.

[00:09:05] I don't think I really would have missed anything because.

[00:09:10] Well, you've never sat at an art installation for an hour and 42 minutes.

[00:09:13] No, no.

[00:09:14] I have set up some like some NC Escher and some different.

[00:09:16] Yeah.

[00:09:17] I love art museums where I did sit there for maybe a half hour.

[00:09:21] Maybe.

[00:09:21] But I mean, I know I have up in New York.

[00:09:24] Yeah, yeah.

[00:09:24] No, I'm saying, but yeah.

[00:09:25] In general, that's.

[00:09:26] I never did sit in one place for an hour and 42 minutes.

[00:09:30] So I admire what Zemeckis, like the thought that he had.

[00:09:37] But like, yeah, you alluded to the hour and 42 minutes.

[00:09:40] I just at the end of it all, I was like, OK, that's it.

[00:09:44] And granted, I don't know how you would weave a story unless you went kind of fantastical like Cloud Atlas route.

[00:09:49] But there just wasn't enough there to keep me engaged.

[00:09:54] And I felt sorry for the actors because in a way, we've got Tom Hanks, Paul Bettany, Robin Wright.

[00:10:03] And they're just really kind of window dressing for this huge experiment that he was doing.

[00:10:10] And they're they're good.

[00:10:12] And there is some true, you know, loss, sadness aspects in there.

[00:10:16] It did.

[00:10:17] And here's a praise for Mr. Zemeckis.

[00:10:20] Yes.

[00:10:22] We've talked before about de-aging most, I think, critically when the Irishman was done with Martin Scorsese and what they had to do with Robert De Niro and how just overall it was just so jarring.

[00:10:33] Just use different actors, different aged actors that don't really aren't the same person or whatever.

[00:10:39] This film, one of the things that we talked about when we saw the trailer is you could tell, yes, Robin Wright and Tom Hanks were de-aged.

[00:10:46] They could, in theory, be teenage looking and then go all the way up to where they're, you know, older, elderly, an elderly couple.

[00:10:54] That aspect of the movie, for me, it worked.

[00:10:57] It was fine.

[00:10:58] The one thing that I'll say was a little jarring, even though I'm not aware of the age of Mr. Paul Bettany or the age of Tom Hanks.

[00:11:05] But in my mind, Tom Hanks is older than Paul Bettany.

[00:11:09] Maybe I'm wrong.

[00:11:10] I don't know.

[00:11:10] I haven't looked it up on IMDb.

[00:11:12] The intern didn't get me the information before the show started.

[00:11:14] But it was just weird.

[00:11:16] Paul Bettany plays Tom Hanks' dad in the film.

[00:11:20] And to me, I was like, do what?

[00:11:21] Like, granted.

[00:11:23] Yeah, Tom Hanks is about 15 years older than Paul Bettany.

[00:11:26] Okay.

[00:11:26] So that to me, I was like, how hard would it have been just to get somebody older to play his dad to begin with?

[00:11:33] But they have to start off with Paul Bettany being younger.

[00:11:36] You've got to figure out, okay, well, I think it's more a matter of, like, who's the actor we want to have?

[00:11:40] And then what's going to be the process for either de-aging them or aging them to get them where we need them to be?

[00:11:47] And I get that.

[00:11:49] But that was – okay.

[00:11:50] So, you know, I was following the movie.

[00:11:54] And we were, you know, 15 minutes in.

[00:11:55] They do all these different time periods like Renaissance time or like Colonial America.

[00:12:01] And they're like, the development of the Lazy Boy chair.

[00:12:07] And I was kind of, you know, I was semi with it.

[00:12:09] But then for some reason, and I think it's just, you know, movie nerd in me, it really was jarring to have Paul Bettany be the dad of Tom Hanks.

[00:12:17] Well, I think –

[00:12:18] Was it something stupid to get hung up on?

[00:12:20] I think the casting was problematic given the premise of the film.

[00:12:27] I mean, look, I'm going to go backwards and kind of give my view.

[00:12:31] Go backwards, forwards, and all over the place.

[00:12:32] Right, all over the place.

[00:12:33] But just to hone in on the note about the Paul Bettany character.

[00:12:37] Okay.

[00:12:38] Yeah, I think it was a bad move to have Tom Hanks play a 18-year-old version of himself, de-aged.

[00:12:47] And Paul Bettany then in turn having to play a 70, 80-year-old version and then coexist.

[00:12:54] And it didn't work for me at all.

[00:12:56] I thought it was actually poor decision-making on how to set up the casting.

[00:13:01] But not the actor's faults.

[00:13:03] I didn't feel like – it was the casting.

[00:13:05] Well, all right.

[00:13:06] That's a whole other point for me.

[00:13:07] Okay, okay.

[00:13:08] I really hated the acting in this movie.

[00:13:12] Really?

[00:13:12] Absolutely.

[00:13:13] And I think it's more dialogue and writing than it was acting.

[00:13:16] But, boy, I felt this movie was just horribly, horribly written.

[00:13:21] I was cringing at half the dialogue that was coming out of these characters' mouths.

[00:13:25] It was so obvious.

[00:13:27] It was so – look, I love theater productions.

[00:13:31] I do.

[00:13:32] And I love community theater productions.

[00:13:35] But we also understand that community theater productions, you kind of – you are using volunteer actors from your community to put on a play.

[00:13:44] So they are reciting the lines.

[00:13:46] I felt like half the time in this movie, I'm watching a community theater production of people, like, getting up on a stage, reciting their lines.

[00:13:53] I did not feel like anybody believed anything they were saying, and I didn't believe any of the lines made sense of what people would say in a real situation.

[00:14:01] It was just so – I like where your comment of it was like an art installation.

[00:14:06] Because I'll admit, for the first 10, 15 minutes, I'm just like, okay, I'm processing what's going on here.

[00:14:12] And I like the ambition that's happening here.

[00:14:15] I like the concept of it.

[00:14:17] But after about 10, 15 minutes, I'm like, I'm done.

[00:14:20] I'm like, I got it.

[00:14:22] I got it.

[00:14:22] I got what you're trying to show me.

[00:14:24] And now I've got to go through another hour with these characters.

[00:14:28] And any sense of emotion that this film tried to play up or tried to build towards felt so forced.

[00:14:36] It felt so on the nose.

[00:14:39] Like, I don't want to spoil things about things of the character.

[00:14:43] Yeah, there's not really a surprise because the bookends you mentioned and the trajectory of Tom Hanks' character

[00:14:51] and Robin Wright.

[00:14:53] They kind of – they really telegraph at that at the beginning.

[00:14:57] And sure enough, that's –

[00:14:58] Yeah, well, and I mean, not even that.

[00:15:01] That telegraph at least is like trying to be subtle with it.

[00:15:03] Or trying to be.

[00:15:04] It's not.

[00:15:05] But when there's a fact where there's a line of dialogue where somebody – okay, because of this premise where you are at this fixed camera and it's in this one room.

[00:15:12] Yes.

[00:15:14] I really believe there were some creative ways to have actions take place inside that room where we could actually see and experience it instead of just being told by a character walking in the room,

[00:15:24] hey, this just happened.

[00:15:26] Or I just felt this way.

[00:15:28] Or this just happened.

[00:15:29] And they just basically just tell us as an audience something that happened off screen.

[00:15:34] And we're supposed to have some sort of reaction to it.

[00:15:36] And it's like, no, you don't earn that.

[00:15:39] There is a way creatively in this premise to have things transpire in front of the camera that I can actually feel something about the relationships of these people.

[00:15:48] I can feel like I learn who these characters are without it just being somebody walking into a room and saying, hey, our daughter just got accepted into law school.

[00:15:57] And now isn't she brilliant?

[00:15:58] And she's great.

[00:15:59] She's turned her life on such a positive path.

[00:16:02] I'm like, okay.

[00:16:03] I think there's a way I could have gotten that from you in the film without you having to basically walk in the room and tell me.

[00:16:09] Right.

[00:16:10] So there is just – I almost just kind of lost it when one character walks in the room and is like, a funny thing happened to me a little bit ago.

[00:16:20] I was standing somewhere and then I was forgetting where I was and type of thing.

[00:16:23] I'm like, oh, my God.

[00:16:25] Yeah.

[00:16:26] Are you kidding me?

[00:16:27] It's like you cannot come up with some creative way to let me learn this about these characters, even in this forced premise you put us in, without it just being a, no, we're just going to write it.

[00:16:39] They're just going to walk in the room and tell somebody else this.

[00:16:41] And now we're supposed to start building this emotional impact from this film.

[00:16:46] It's like, oh, my God.

[00:16:47] This is – I actually kind of hated this film.

[00:16:50] Yeah.

[00:16:51] My reaction is not that strong, but I hear what you're saying.

[00:16:54] I feel like you're completely justified.

[00:16:58] I allowed myself to be taken more by kind of the ambition.

[00:17:04] So not that I gave it a pass, but that I allowed myself to try to say like, okay, yeah, the dialogue is – I'm not going to spoil anything because I'm not going to get into detail.

[00:17:16] But Robin Wright's memory loss problem – she starts having problems with memory loss.

[00:17:20] Yes, that was poorly handled.

[00:17:21] Very poorly handled.

[00:17:22] And I'll one-up you on that.

[00:17:25] Not only was it poorly handled, but I feel like it's almost offensive in the way it's handled because it was such like, okay, we need something.

[00:17:34] Yeah.

[00:17:35] And we're going to use this –

[00:17:36] We need some drama.

[00:17:37] We're going to use this something.

[00:17:38] And then there wasn't really a good – I don't want to say payoff for it.

[00:17:42] No.

[00:17:43] But it was just kind of like a lazy payoff or something that just – and it didn't work.

[00:17:47] Chris, let me expand on that even a little bit more.

[00:17:49] Sure, sure, sure.

[00:17:51] I think Robin Wright's character of Margaret is so poorly handled all the way through the film.

[00:17:58] Actually, by the end of the film, I was kind of mad because they do have an interesting – I feel like where the movie started to have a little bit of an interest to me.

[00:18:09] It was about two-thirds of the way through the film.

[00:18:11] And it has to do with the relationship between Tom Hanks and Margaret.

[00:18:15] It's not a smooth, rose-colored glasses relationship.

[00:18:17] No.

[00:18:17] And when I realized that was the path it was going to take, I'm like, oh, okay, good.

[00:18:22] Thank you.

[00:18:23] You're not just going to be a – it's just a typical nuclear family and everybody's happy and we're just going to talk about our kids as they get – whatever.

[00:18:30] I'm like, no, show me a little – show me some strife.

[00:18:33] Show me some actual drama.

[00:18:34] And they did.

[00:18:35] And it started to get a little bit interesting just for a few minutes.

[00:18:39] Sure.

[00:18:40] But then the minute they started trickling in, oh, but, you know – yeah.

[00:18:44] So the idea is that, you know, Margaret and this couple of Richard and Margaret, you start to learn over time that she's kind of had some – there's some resentment there about the fact that her husband's basically had them living in this house, which was their parents' house.

[00:19:00] They lived with his parents for many, many years.

[00:19:02] Right.

[00:19:03] And then they finally were given – she has a lot of resentment because all the way through the film we're hearing her say,

[00:19:09] hey, I'd like to do more.

[00:19:10] I'd like to go live – I'd like our own place and all.

[00:19:12] And he was always the one saying no.

[00:19:13] So you know that's going to cause some sort of rift in their relationship over time.

[00:19:18] But then to kind of wipe all that away with – you already mentioned the memory loss – the memory loss that she experiences.

[00:19:26] And to try to give us a button-up ending where everybody's – she's happy because she's forgotten that she was resentful about things in her life that she didn't get to do.

[00:19:36] Yeah.

[00:19:37] And it's like we're supposed to all be happy now and the Tom Hanks character is the hero somehow.

[00:19:42] And it's like, man, that was such a – such a disservice.

[00:19:46] It was just – it really – I think that's why I walked out of the theater kind of angry at this film because you took an interesting premise.

[00:19:54] I think the premise is interesting.

[00:19:56] But let's be honest.

[00:19:57] Technically speaking, it's pretty easy to do once you have the premise locked down.

[00:20:02] It's like, all right, we're just going to film all these scenes from all these time periods with all these different characters.

[00:20:08] Right.

[00:20:08] With a camera in the fixed position in the same room in the house.

[00:20:10] Now when we edit, let's just figure out where we want to fade in or out different blocks from different time periods and try to make some sort of cohesive story.

[00:20:18] And I thought it failed miserably.

[00:20:20] I don't think the story was cohesive at all.

[00:20:22] It was flipping different times that had no bearing.

[00:20:25] I still don't understand what Ben Franklin had to do with anything going on in this film.

[00:20:29] But he is a character in this film.

[00:20:31] And it's like – I just felt it was very like, oh, let's touch on a little bit of that Forrest Gump thing that we had going on where we're going to touch on and bring in –

[00:20:40] With Robin Wright and Tom Hanks.

[00:20:41] Well, and Robert Zemeckis directing it.

[00:20:43] Right.

[00:20:43] You know, the lazy boy.

[00:20:45] The Ben Franklin.

[00:20:46] It's like, really?

[00:20:47] I mean, why couldn't this just be a house?

[00:20:50] Like, why does it have to have like this historical semblance and weave in historical characters or things into it?

[00:20:57] It just – it felt so forced.

[00:20:59] It felt so, I think, lazy.

[00:21:01] I think they had the premise, which I admired.

[00:21:03] And I liked the concept that they stuck to it.

[00:21:06] Admired that.

[00:21:07] But then it's like, okay, but what did you actually do with it to make it interesting other than a 10-minute art exhibition visualization?

[00:21:16] Which, again, I think it worked for that.

[00:21:18] But it didn't work as a movie.

[00:21:20] And, man, yeah.

[00:21:22] I was – like I said, I'm disappointed because I walked in very trepidatious about this film.

[00:21:27] I think the conceit concerned me to the point where could this actually be a good movie or is it just going to be about the conceit?

[00:21:34] And I was disappointed that it was actually worse than I thought it could have been.

[00:21:41] This could have been a know-nothing film.

[00:21:43] Just say, hey, let's watch for an hour and a half.

[00:21:45] And it's a cool concept of watching this.

[00:21:47] And you see different actors go in and out of scenes.

[00:21:50] But to try to build the drama they built and to try to build the emotional impact that wasn't there.

[00:21:56] And then I think doing a real disservice to the story by the ending.

[00:22:01] Yeah.

[00:22:01] I was actually kind of mad at it.

[00:22:03] So, all right.

[00:22:04] I've ranted enough.

[00:22:05] Well, I'll say – so, likewise, you mentioned the whole Ben Franklin thing.

[00:22:09] I was left kind of scratching my head about that too because I was – how are they weaving what things they're showing us other than just to give us a break from the Hank's timeline?

[00:22:20] Hank's Bettany Wright timeline.

[00:22:21] Other than that, what purpose?

[00:22:23] And the Ben Franklin thing was confusing.

[00:22:25] And they had, at one point, Hanks and his son dressed up as Ben Franklin at a Halloween party.

[00:22:31] And I was like, that's it?

[00:22:32] Yeah.

[00:22:33] That's your connection.

[00:22:33] And so, I was kind of irritated at that.

[00:22:35] However, there was another time frame.

[00:22:38] There's like a – I'm really bad with history.

[00:22:40] So, all I'll just say is when aviation was getting to be a thing.

[00:22:44] Yeah.

[00:22:44] There's some people living in this house and the husband is a pilot and the wife doesn't really like it.

[00:22:50] And she's always worried about safety.

[00:22:52] He takes the daughter up in a plane at one point.

[00:22:53] She's just like chewing him out.

[00:22:55] Like, how did you know you weren't going to die on anything?

[00:22:57] Well, we see a scene where he's dead and everyone in the theater – you just seem like, okay, he died in a plane crash.

[00:23:04] And no, he actually died of the flu.

[00:23:06] Yeah.

[00:23:07] And then they tie that to a 2020 scene where a housekeeper ends up not being there and they get a phone.

[00:23:15] You see her at first and you see her like not being able to smell stuff.

[00:23:18] She's like, oh, that's weird.

[00:23:19] Yeah.

[00:23:21] Sorry.

[00:23:21] Oh, he's laughing at something terrible.

[00:23:23] No, no.

[00:23:23] I don't mean to be laughing at the con.

[00:23:25] It's just, again, it was so lazy.

[00:23:28] It was almost – I think she was actually standing in a room by herself.

[00:23:31] She was.

[00:23:31] She was cleaning.

[00:23:32] She was cleaning.

[00:23:33] She says out loud to herself, huh, that's weird.

[00:23:36] I can't smell anything.

[00:23:37] Like, oh my God.

[00:23:40] There is another way to tell us this.

[00:23:42] I get you.

[00:23:42] Without it just having to be somebody standing in a room and telling us what's happening.

[00:23:46] And then like later you kind of see the couple getting a phone call and like, you know, she's passed away.

[00:23:52] Right.

[00:23:52] She's passed away.

[00:23:52] People are wearing masks.

[00:23:53] Yes.

[00:23:53] So I thought that – not that it was, I guess, executed because you are pointing out it was laughable that she like talks to the empty room.

[00:23:59] Not the concept.

[00:24:00] No, no.

[00:24:00] Not the actual – obviously the story.

[00:24:02] Like I thought I admired that threading of the needle with those two storylines whereas I thought that Ben Franklin was just lazy or just didn't work and was kind of silly.

[00:24:12] Or a lazy boy.

[00:24:13] So –

[00:24:13] There you go.

[00:24:15] And so then too like just – okay, from the very beginning when you see the couple and he's working on this recliner and he calls it a relaxy boy.

[00:24:25] You're like, yeah, I know this is going to be lazy.

[00:24:28] And they kept saying it over and over again.

[00:24:30] You're like, yeah, I know.

[00:24:31] But we all know – everyone who sees this movie is like, yes, and that's going to be the lazy boy.

[00:24:37] So when it finally does get to be that, you're just like, okay, I knew this.

[00:24:42] So that was kind of a frustration point.

[00:24:44] And again, it was such a forced, poorly written scenes.

[00:24:48] And I think there to provide or try to provide a little bit of comedic relief and stuff because the rest of the film, you know, you have couples having struggles in their marriage.

[00:24:58] You have – you do everything.

[00:24:59] So that was there to try to provide a little comedic relief.

[00:25:03] But unfortunately, as we've said, overall, it just didn't all work.

[00:25:08] I think would have made this an interesting film.

[00:25:12] Okay.

[00:25:13] Because there's the nugget of an interesting film.

[00:25:16] I think the fact that they spend so much time with the Richard and Margaret, Tom Hanks, and then their parents, Alan Rose.

[00:25:27] Got you.

[00:25:27] Where all of the other families from different time periods and different walks of life get very, very, very minimal time.

[00:25:33] It's almost like those are like little mini subplots while Richard and Margaret are our main one we're watching.

[00:25:41] I feel like there's a better film here if you strip away the historical interesting trivia bits, the Ben Franklin, the Lazy Boy.

[00:25:50] Get rid of that.

[00:25:51] Okay.

[00:25:51] I'm with you on that.

[00:25:52] All right.

[00:25:53] You can have a storyline where there is a couple back in, I guess, the 1930s or 40s, back when the Lazy Boy was being developed.

[00:26:00] I mean, I guess it was 40s?

[00:26:02] Yeah.

[00:26:02] Yeah.

[00:26:03] I'm bad with time.

[00:26:03] Anyway, you could have a fun storyline where it's a couple that just kind of has some very light thing happening in their life.

[00:26:11] And you could explore that for a little bit.

[00:26:13] I think there's a couple that moves in after Richard and Margaret that we see in the future.

[00:26:18] And they get so little time frame.

[00:26:20] But it's like, okay, they're kind of interesting.

[00:26:23] I'd kind of like to explore that a little bit too.

[00:26:25] And I get it.

[00:26:25] You don't want to water down your storylines to where you just have these random storylines happening concurrently.

[00:26:30] But there is a thematic way you could find to tie them together.

[00:26:35] Like matching the funeral scene for the one guy that dies of the flu and somehow having that better match what we see with the COVID situation.

[00:26:46] Because tying that together like flu pandemic.

[00:26:48] You could build these themes where it's like you could build these themes and really make it impactful by following these characters.

[00:26:54] But the fact that we just spend so much time with Margaret and Richard, which I think is a flawed story to begin with, that really doesn't know where to go by the end.

[00:27:05] And then there's the whole de-aging thing that I – look, I get it.

[00:27:10] It's what you had to do to make this work.

[00:27:12] I get it.

[00:27:13] I'm not going to fault them for the de-aging.

[00:27:14] I don't think the de-aging worked that great in some situations.

[00:27:17] And I think the casting of ages of the characters anyway made it problematic to begin with.

[00:27:24] But I don't know.

[00:27:26] I think there was a better film here for sure if they got rid of the gimmickry, gimmickry of the historical connections.

[00:27:35] And let things actually happen on screen as opposed to just telling us what's happening.

[00:27:41] Because then I just felt like all we're doing is – it's just like on a community theater production.

[00:27:45] Somebody walks on the stage and says, this just happened off screen because we don't have the methods to show you this on a stage.

[00:27:51] So I'm just going to tell you what happened.

[00:27:53] Here, creatively, there would have been some ways to show us more inside this room.

[00:27:58] And I don't really feel like anything really happened in this room.

[00:28:01] We just got told what was happening in this room.

[00:28:05] You see what I'm saying?

[00:28:06] Yeah.

[00:28:06] So anyway, that's – I am – I'm not a fan of the film.

[00:28:11] I don't think it worked.

[00:28:12] Sure.

[00:28:13] I will at least give it a credit for the concept and sticking to the conceit for the most part.

[00:28:20] You know.

[00:28:21] And I'll say –

[00:28:22] For the most part.

[00:28:23] I mean, it breaks – it breaks at a point.

[00:28:26] And I was okay with that.

[00:28:29] You weren't –

[00:28:29] I was not.

[00:28:30] Okay.

[00:28:30] I'll say, if you have an interest in seeing this film after Alan and I basically just run over it with a truck,

[00:28:37] I would say go see it in the theater because seeing what he's trying to do on a big screen for me may entertain.

[00:28:43] Like, you know, I was saying it's like an art exhibition up on a huge wall and watching this place.

[00:28:47] Like, if you do want to see it, I say see it in the theater.

[00:28:51] You mentioned the convention.

[00:28:53] And I didn't like at one point where I felt like they were cheating because they set up something.

[00:28:58] So there was like a mirror so you could see like –

[00:29:00] Oh, yeah.

[00:29:01] The mirror.

[00:29:01] Like, that irritated me, especially when it switched time periods.

[00:29:04] It was one thing when it was in the time period.

[00:29:06] But then when they used it to like reflect back a passing, I was like, okay, that's –

[00:29:10] If you're going to do a conceit, I don't want you to cheat because it's lazy to cheat.

[00:29:14] Yeah.

[00:29:14] And they cheated in and then the ending when they do a push in from the camera position.

[00:29:19] I was just like – but you probably checked out way before that point.

[00:29:23] Oh, I was way checked out.

[00:29:24] I'm just like at least, you know.

[00:29:25] But that made me mad where they broke the convention again.

[00:29:29] Oh, yeah.

[00:29:29] I think they absolutely broke it at that point.

[00:29:31] And they were doing it totally for emotion.

[00:29:32] One was a cheat and one was just like, no, we're done with it.

[00:29:35] We're throwing it out.

[00:29:36] That made me cranky.

[00:29:37] But you had a CGI hummingbird break, Chris.

[00:29:39] I mean, come on.

[00:29:40] That was, you know.

[00:29:41] It's like, you know, it was almost like it's the feather from the Forrest Gump.

[00:29:47] It is.

[00:29:47] It was –

[00:29:48] Totally.

[00:29:49] And I like – you know, he's made a lot of films that I really like.

[00:29:54] Oh, yeah.

[00:29:54] Absolutely.

[00:29:55] I liked Cast Away.

[00:29:55] I liked – you know, you actually championed Forrest Gump more than I do.

[00:29:59] I still think Forrest Gump has flaws, but I think ultimately it's a good movie.

[00:30:04] We both love Back to the Future.

[00:30:06] Oh, yeah.

[00:30:07] I like – I remember recommending on an earlier show a long time ago.

[00:30:10] Oh, Flight, the Denzel Washington.

[00:30:12] That I've never seen.

[00:30:13] Oh, man.

[00:30:14] It's great.

[00:30:14] So he can make good films.

[00:30:16] I just – you know, sometimes like I think the visuals kind of get away or take up too

[00:30:23] much of his directing mind and then the narrative falls down.

[00:30:26] Well, you think about it.

[00:30:27] A film like Flight, I have not seen it, but I know the premise and the idea of the film.

[00:30:31] And I know that there is a sequence that uses a lot of technology and all.

[00:30:37] Right.

[00:30:38] But for the most part, that film is acting and story and, you know, drama.

[00:30:43] Right.

[00:30:44] Right.

[00:30:44] Right.

[00:30:44] I think when – I think Zemeckis really is good in one or the other at a time.

[00:30:52] Okay.

[00:30:52] You take the CGI movies he's done, the –

[00:30:56] Polar Express.

[00:30:57] Christmas Story – A Christmas Carol and the Polar Express.

[00:30:59] I think he did Beowulf.

[00:31:14] Beowulf he did.

[00:31:15] It's a movie that's a movie that's a movie that's a movie that's a movie that's a movie

[00:31:15] and it just seems to be a visual spectacle to watch.

[00:31:18] And then when he makes a film that is not rooted in visual spectacle, he does pretty

[00:31:22] good with those two.

[00:31:23] I don't think Back to the Future is a visual spectacle movie.

[00:31:25] It's got some obviously interesting special effects to it at times, but it's mostly

[00:31:31] a human story.

[00:31:32] It's mostly people and acting and storytelling.

[00:31:36] I think when he tries to blend them, and he's trying that so hard in here, is to blend

[00:31:41] it and to have both a technically interesting film and also have a well-told story in it

[00:31:48] and it didn't work.

[00:31:49] I mean, he kind of erred in favor of one or the other.

[00:31:53] And yeah, so.

[00:31:56] Yeah.

[00:31:57] I wish – because I mentioned we're a fan of several of his films.

[00:32:01] Sure.

[00:32:02] And I would have liked for this to kind of be a return champion, but I'm afraid it just –

[00:32:07] so have you heard what his next project is?

[00:32:10] Is it There?

[00:32:12] No.

[00:32:13] Oh, it's a sequel to Here.

[00:32:15] He's directing it.

[00:32:16] I don't – he's not writing it, but he's directing it.

[00:32:18] Stars Dwayne Johnson.

[00:32:20] Sorry.

[00:32:20] Dwayne the Rock Johnson is called The King.

[00:32:24] And it tells the story of King Kamahema – sorry, I'm mispronouncing that obviously.

[00:32:30] Fulfills his lifelong prophecy of uniting the Hawaiian Islands.

[00:32:34] So I'm assuming it's a personal story for The Rock.

[00:32:37] And that's what he's wanting to do or that's what he's working on next.

[00:32:41] Which will be interesting because it's like a biopic.

[00:32:43] Well, and here's what I'm already interested in.

[00:32:46] Okay.

[00:32:47] Does that sound like, at least from the summary, that there's any visual technological advances in this film

[00:32:56] or some sort of visual conceit that he's playing into?

[00:32:59] It sounds like a human story.

[00:33:03] And, you know, now I may be surprised when the trailer comes out and they've animated half the characters in the film

[00:33:09] or some other visual spectacles going on that I'm not aware of.

[00:33:12] But it sounds like it's a movie that's not going to rely on technology or some sort of visual conceit to work.

[00:33:18] So I just think that's – I think that's the issue with here for me is it just – it had a concept.

[00:33:26] It had an idea.

[00:33:27] It's like, all right, we're going to make this work.

[00:33:28] And it may mean just really, really having some poorly written dialogue that's hurriedly presented on screen.

[00:33:36] Characters walking in and out.

[00:33:38] Not really being able to tie it together into a cohesive story.

[00:33:41] But, hey, isn't it cool that we pulled this off with this fixed camera and one room in the house?

[00:33:46] You know?

[00:33:47] Yeah.

[00:33:47] That's kind of the way I felt like it was at the end of the day.

[00:33:50] So, okay.

[00:33:53] I never liked bashing a film, Chris.

[00:33:55] And it's times like this.

[00:33:56] It's like, ah, I don't really like reviewing movies because I don't like talking trash about a film.

[00:34:02] Because, I mean, there's a lot of people that went into making this.

[00:34:05] And it's like –

[00:34:05] Sure, sure.

[00:34:06] There's going to be some people who love this film, and I totally get that.

[00:34:08] I mean, but –

[00:34:10] Anyway, it's just I'm not a fan.

[00:34:12] I think if you want to see something that is ambitious, you know, we've talked about –

[00:34:17] What was the Sparks Brothers movie?

[00:34:19] Annette.

[00:34:19] We talked about that.

[00:34:20] Right.

[00:34:20] And that was ambitious.

[00:34:21] Did not work.

[00:34:22] But I thought it was interesting.

[00:34:23] I talked – you know, I actually recommend it, even though I admit it didn't work, didn't love it.

[00:34:27] Megalopolis that came out this year.

[00:34:29] That was just a huge swing by Francis Ford Coppola.

[00:34:31] I think Zemeckis is really going for something here.

[00:34:34] It did not work.

[00:34:35] But I think there is some interest there.

[00:34:39] So, yeah.

[00:34:41] I can – yeah.

[00:34:42] There are some things I can admire, but overall it didn't work.

[00:34:46] All right.

[00:34:46] Well, that is Here by Robert Zemeckis.

[00:34:49] Again, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, and Kelly Riley.

[00:34:53] Those are our four main cast members we follow.

[00:34:56] Not doing so great in box office-wise.

[00:34:59] So, I'd say if you do want to see it in the theater, as Chris recommended,

[00:35:03] you may want to hustle on out there and do it now.

[00:35:05] Probably not going to be around after another week or two.

[00:35:09] But, yeah.

[00:35:09] That is that.

[00:35:11] I say you can skip it unless you're just fascinated with the concept and you're okay watching an hour and a half plus,

[00:35:20] like Chris said, an art installation.

[00:35:22] Watching it from an interest of what visually is being presented on the screen as opposed to getting any kind of engagement with what actually is happening.

[00:35:31] So, anyway.

[00:35:32] Okay.

[00:35:34] Chris, let's take a quick break.

[00:35:35] When we come back, we've got a couple trailers in our trailer tapas section to go through to share with the audience

[00:35:41] and play audibly for the audience, and then we will talk about the said trailers.

[00:35:46] And, of course, we encourage people to go watch the trailers themselves if they hear it and it sounds interesting,

[00:35:51] and then play back our feedback and see how you match your opinion stars.

[00:35:56] And then we'll have a recommendation from Chris at the end of the episode as well.

[00:35:59] Stay tuned.

[00:36:00] You're listening to Foot Candle Films here on TheMesh.TV.

[00:36:03] We'll be right back.

[00:36:05] This podcast is sponsored by Jackson Creative, a custom communication agency located in downtown Hickory, North Carolina,

[00:36:13] specializing in online content creation.

[00:36:16] To learn more, visit TheJacksonCreative.com.

[00:36:20] Jackson Creative.

[00:36:21] We tell your story.

[00:36:24] Welcome back to Foot Candle Films here on TheMesh.TV Podcast Network.

[00:36:29] We had our review of Robert Zemeckis' here.

[00:36:34] Luckily, I don't think our editor is going to include all of my ranting during the break about the film,

[00:36:40] although maybe we should release that at some point.

[00:36:42] It's like a little bonus episode or something.

[00:36:45] Bonus rant.

[00:36:45] At the end.

[00:36:45] Yeah.

[00:36:46] It's just I kind of got back on my rant.

[00:36:48] I apologize, Chris.

[00:36:49] I didn't mean to fill your ear with my anger and vitriol.

[00:36:53] I told you the film.

[00:36:54] But I got madder, actually, the more I started talking about it.

[00:36:56] So it's probably good we're moving on.

[00:36:58] And let's talk about some other things.

[00:37:01] Sure.

[00:37:02] Chris, we do like to dip into the trailer world, trailers for films coming up,

[00:37:07] although we understand and acknowledge there is sometimes a necessary evil with watching trailers for films

[00:37:12] and that it may give away too much, may set up too much expectations for us, all of that.

[00:37:18] So it is with a grain of salt we do watch trailers.

[00:37:21] And I think it's more we'll watch the trailers if we really don't know anything about a film

[00:37:26] and we're just looking for some little nugget of where that film is going to be going

[00:37:31] to see where our interest level lies.

[00:37:33] And I think that's going to fit for these two trailers we're going to talk about today as well.

[00:37:38] Chris, do you want to – you suggested one of these, which I completely agree I think is one we should watch and talk about.

[00:37:44] Do you want to set it up or do you want me to – I'm happy to set it up,

[00:37:48] but I don't know if you had some thoughts about it before we do.

[00:37:50] I can start.

[00:37:51] The Oppenheimer film?

[00:37:52] Yeah, you can kind of paint in some of the details.

[00:37:54] So I saw that a trailer had been released for the latest film from Joshua Oppenheimer,

[00:37:59] which I believe is his first narrative film.

[00:38:02] Correct.

[00:38:03] He played The Act of Killing, which we talked about on the show a long time ago.

[00:38:07] The Look of Silence also.

[00:38:09] And then The Look of Silence.

[00:38:09] Both documentaries, both very taking an interesting tack on doing a documentary.

[00:38:15] Kind of just very interesting the way they would interview the subjects.

[00:38:19] They're just very, very interesting.

[00:38:21] Very political.

[00:38:22] Oh, yeah.

[00:38:23] But interesting documentaries.

[00:38:25] So with this, his new film, it is called The End.

[00:38:30] It is a musical, which is interesting.

[00:38:32] It is a narrative.

[00:38:33] And as you can probably guess from the title, I'm not sure exact plot description,

[00:38:38] but basically it's taking place kind of like after an apocalypse.

[00:38:42] So things are pretty grim.

[00:38:44] It stars a huge cast.

[00:38:47] The one that I can remember off the top of my head is Michael Shannon is in this.

[00:38:50] I believe Tilda Swinton is as well.

[00:38:52] Yes.

[00:38:52] So it's just interesting to see the shift that he has made from documentary filmmaking to narrative filmmaking.

[00:38:58] And then add in that, it's a musical, which I am confused.

[00:39:04] But I don't know.

[00:39:05] So talking about a film that might be taking a big swing.

[00:39:09] So yeah, I definitely think this is a big swing film.

[00:39:12] I've seen the trailer already.

[00:39:13] I'm excited for you to see it.

[00:39:16] Yeah.

[00:39:16] I know we talked about this in our news section several months ago as well, too.

[00:39:20] And just the concept of it sounded really interesting.

[00:39:23] And I'm always fascinated when a documentary documentarian moves into narrative or narrative goes documentary just to see them change that storytelling style and filmmaking style.

[00:39:35] So I'm very, very curious about this.

[00:39:38] Comes out December 6th.

[00:39:39] Oh, so it is coming out this year.

[00:39:41] Okay.

[00:39:42] In theaters, I can't imagine it's going to be a wide release in December.

[00:39:45] I wouldn't think so.

[00:39:46] But who knows?

[00:39:48] I mean, I don't know what other really big movies are slated for the holiday season.

[00:39:53] So there might be some theater space open for plugging in a film like this.

[00:39:56] But we'll see.

[00:39:57] Let's go and watch the trailer for The End.

[00:40:02] Mom, in the beginning, did you ever consider inviting more people?

[00:40:07] Who could we trust?

[00:40:08] We had to think about you.

[00:40:13] The seconds ticking pass so fast.

[00:40:18] Before you notice them, they're gone.

[00:40:22] Someone's here.

[00:40:24] Forever.

[00:40:25] Can you see how she got in?

[00:40:28] More.

[00:40:29] And it's half a mile of rock and boat.

[00:40:33] So, Chris.

[00:40:34] Wow, that looks good.

[00:40:36] Yeah.

[00:40:36] It is currently my most anticipated film.

[00:40:40] Anticipated film.

[00:40:40] I'll say, you know, there again, you know, you just heard the audio from that.

[00:40:45] So you don't get a lot of.

[00:40:45] But for me, the kind of the takeaway, kind of like, you know, going into here, I thought,

[00:40:50] okay, this is somehow like a weird mashup of Castaway.

[00:40:53] Not Castaway.

[00:40:54] But what was the other?

[00:40:58] The Michael.

[00:41:00] Dang.

[00:41:01] Whatever I said at the beginning of the podcast.

[00:41:03] Just remember how I was saying that here was basically a mashup of Tree of Life.

[00:41:08] Oh, Tree of Life.

[00:41:09] It was Tree of Life and Cloud Atlas.

[00:41:11] Okay.

[00:41:11] From watching the trailer.

[00:41:13] So from this trailer, I feel like in a way, it's like West Side Story meets a Mad Max film,

[00:41:21] except it's all underground.

[00:41:21] That's what I was going to say.

[00:41:22] It actually is a Romeo and Juliet, which obviously was the infamous for West Side Story as well.

[00:41:27] Same idea.

[00:41:28] Right.

[00:41:28] But put in an apocalyptic kind of very unique setting.

[00:41:33] This underground ice cavern looking area around their house.

[00:41:37] So it's a mashup of West Side Story and the TV series Fallout, which was based on a video game.

[00:41:42] Oh, see.

[00:41:43] I haven't seen that.

[00:41:44] Oh, man.

[00:41:44] It's good.

[00:41:45] Yeah, I hear it's good.

[00:41:46] But yeah, so you have that.

[00:41:49] Yeah.

[00:41:50] It looks awesome.

[00:41:52] It does.

[00:41:52] But I also can understand how it may not work.

[00:41:59] So, you know, but I think it's going to be interesting watch to find out no matter what.

[00:42:02] Right.

[00:42:02] And I will say there, I hope somehow despite, I mean, it says like an amazing experience about a musical set at the end of the world.

[00:42:12] You're like, oh, yeah, that sounds like something I really want to see.

[00:42:14] But the trailer does make me want to see it.

[00:42:17] I hope there's a little bit of hope.

[00:42:20] Yeah.

[00:42:21] I don't feel like it.

[00:42:23] I mean, that's just my gut feel.

[00:42:24] Right.

[00:42:25] And also knowing the other, the filmmaker's previous works.

[00:42:29] Sure.

[00:42:30] I'm not really holding out for a happy, hopeful ending.

[00:42:33] But we'll see.

[00:42:34] Maybe it could be wrong.

[00:42:35] I don't know.

[00:42:36] I just think the premise, the end of the conceit, it all looks really interesting.

[00:42:40] And I like the actors.

[00:42:41] I can't wait to hear Michael Shannon sing.

[00:42:43] I think that's going to be fun.

[00:42:44] Right.

[00:42:45] And Tilda Swinton.

[00:42:46] Yeah.

[00:42:46] Yeah.

[00:42:46] And I feel like I've heard her sing before.

[00:42:48] Okay.

[00:42:49] I'm cool with that.

[00:42:49] But Michael Shannon is not somebody I could expect doing a musical.

[00:42:53] But.

[00:42:53] And the two other leads that play the young man and the young woman.

[00:42:57] Yeah.

[00:42:57] Not familiar with the young woman.

[00:42:59] Moses Ingram.

[00:43:00] She was.

[00:43:01] Oh, gosh.

[00:43:01] She's got an amazing voice.

[00:43:03] Yeah, she does.

[00:43:04] And she's been in.

[00:43:05] Has she?

[00:43:06] I just don't.

[00:43:06] I can't remember what she has.

[00:43:09] And the guy, the lead for, he was in, was it 1918 or whatever?

[00:43:17] 1917.

[00:43:17] Wasn't that the name of the film?

[00:43:18] So I was one year old.

[00:43:19] Yeah, yeah.

[00:43:20] 1917.

[00:43:20] Yeah.

[00:43:20] George McKay.

[00:43:21] Yeah.

[00:43:21] Yeah.

[00:43:21] I recognize him from that.

[00:43:23] So, yeah.

[00:43:25] So.

[00:43:25] Moses Ingram was in, hold tight.

[00:43:30] Was she in another like musical?

[00:43:33] I don't believe so.

[00:43:35] Okay.

[00:43:36] Where's her?

[00:43:37] Sorry.

[00:43:38] I'm on a new iPad here and I can't navigate things very good.

[00:43:43] I know she was in.

[00:43:44] Did you watch the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show?

[00:43:46] Yes.

[00:43:47] She was the.

[00:43:48] Oh.

[00:43:48] Bad.

[00:43:49] The villain in that.

[00:43:51] Oh, okay.

[00:43:52] Inquisitor Eribe.

[00:43:53] Yeah, okay.

[00:43:54] And she was also in The Tragedy of Macbeth.

[00:43:56] Okay.

[00:43:57] She was Lady Macduff in that film.

[00:44:00] Okay.

[00:44:01] And I think her.

[00:44:03] Yeah, she was also in The Queen's Gambit, that TV show.

[00:44:06] Okay.

[00:44:07] So.

[00:44:07] It's been a few things, but enough.

[00:44:09] This will be her.

[00:44:09] And all three of those were like good performance, but this is going to be, I think,

[00:44:12] more of a, yeah, center screen time.

[00:44:15] So.

[00:44:16] Yeah.

[00:44:16] Cool.

[00:44:16] Agreed.

[00:44:18] I'm insanely curious, insanely excited, trying not to get expectations up either high.

[00:44:24] We just need to go into this with a fresh slate mind and see what comes out.

[00:44:29] Sure.

[00:44:29] That's the end.

[00:44:30] It's going to be in some theaters December 6th.

[00:44:32] We'll see how wide the release is, given the competition at the time.

[00:44:36] But that's what we've got there.

[00:44:38] Okay.

[00:44:39] Let's go and watch our second trailer, Chris.

[00:44:41] This is actually one we're cheating a little bit because I never liked for us to show two

[00:44:46] trailers for the same film in our show because it just seems like a little overdone.

[00:44:51] Yeah.

[00:44:51] And over hyping something.

[00:44:52] But when we showed the first trailer for this a few months ago, we were both a little

[00:44:57] underwhelmed that it was like the most teasery trailer ever seen.

[00:45:01] And this is the problem.

[00:45:02] When I bring trailers, like I brought the end, I was like, Hey, let's do this.

[00:45:06] I haven't seen it.

[00:45:06] And you're like, well, I've seen it proves the point where maybe it would be a good idea

[00:45:10] that one of us has seen it because I was the one who was like, Hey, Alan, let's do,

[00:45:15] let's see.

[00:45:15] Steven Soderbergh.

[00:45:16] He's doing a horror film.

[00:45:17] We're a presence.

[00:45:18] Let's do it.

[00:45:18] And you're like, okay.

[00:45:19] And you hadn't seen the trailer and neither died.

[00:45:21] And then we play it.

[00:45:22] And all it was, was like spooky music, music and some texts on the screen.

[00:45:25] And that was basically, okay.

[00:45:26] So I will say we do have a quote official trailer.

[00:45:30] Okay.

[00:45:31] Uh, yes, I'm going to show it to you.

[00:45:33] I'm not going to say it's going to give you a whole lot more than the teaser did, but I

[00:45:37] mean, it's not just spooky, but it's something, it's something.

[00:45:40] Um, this is Steven Soderbergh as Chris just said, his latest film coming out called presence.

[00:45:46] And it is a quote ghost horror film, supposedly.

[00:45:50] Okay.

[00:45:50] Although I think the trailer might make us wonder exactly what, what's going on.

[00:45:55] And that's good.

[00:45:56] I want some mystery.

[00:45:57] I don't want to be spoon fed everything from a trailer.

[00:46:00] So we will watch this and then we will talk about it on the other side.

[00:46:04] So here we go.

[00:46:04] The trailer for presence.

[00:46:13] What's it like?

[00:46:20] What's what like?

[00:46:22] Did anybody die?

[00:46:31] Scary.

[00:46:36] And it goes on.

[00:46:38] What do you mean?

[00:46:46] All right.

[00:46:47] That is the trailer for presence coming out January 24th in theaters.

[00:46:52] Chris, this do anything for you?

[00:46:55] Yeah.

[00:46:56] I mean, there, there again, you kind of get it, did get a sense because you at least heard

[00:47:01] not only some scary music, but some lines of dialogue that are kind of vague, but yet kind

[00:47:06] of haunting.

[00:47:07] Um, some of the text on screen that you did not see was things like flipping the horror

[00:47:12] haunted house sub genre on its head.

[00:47:16] Soderbergh's best combination of form and function.

[00:47:19] Um, all these, you know, one of the scariest films you'll see this year.

[00:47:22] All this kind.

[00:47:23] So, you know, building it up, which is what trailers supposed to do.

[00:47:26] I will say it does make me more excited than the previous disappointing teaser did.

[00:47:32] Um, I, it's going to be, I think I can tell from the trailer, it's going to be well

[00:47:38] made.

[00:47:38] Yes.

[00:47:39] Well shot.

[00:47:40] And there does seem to be some sort of visual concept going on.

[00:47:45] Right.

[00:47:45] I have a guess what it is, but no, I think, I think, but I mean, I don't think we're spoiling

[00:47:50] anything.

[00:47:50] I think in theory it's supposed to be the camera is basically providing the point of

[00:47:55] view of said presence.

[00:47:56] Yes.

[00:47:57] I think, I think that's, I think that's what it looks like it is.

[00:48:00] I mean, it may or may not be, but that seems to be where they're going with the visuals

[00:48:03] we've seen so far.

[00:48:05] And if so, that's interesting.

[00:48:07] Cool.

[00:48:07] I'm all for that.

[00:48:08] Um, yeah.

[00:48:09] And I, yeah, I am interested to see it.

[00:48:12] Um, he's Soderbergh's such a capable filmmaker.

[00:48:16] So, you know, I kind of worry because if it holds true on the premise of it's one of

[00:48:22] the scariest things I've seen this year, I'm like, I don't, I mean, you and I, we will

[00:48:25] go see horror films or, you know, scary, but usually there's something more going on there.

[00:48:30] So, you know, Soderbergh, yeah, I'm going to go, I'm going to go see whatever he makes,

[00:48:33] especially if I can see it on the big screen, but it does make me a little nervous because

[00:48:37] I don't like being that scared.

[00:48:39] Well, I mean, but it'd be interesting.

[00:48:41] I think.

[00:48:42] Is that what just they're saying to get butts in seats?

[00:48:44] I think there's a little bit of that.

[00:48:45] It's kind of interesting that both the trailers we showed were really heavy on the quotes,

[00:48:50] you know, kind of peppering all the way through, just trying to really build up the unique experience

[00:48:54] that these films are going to be.

[00:48:56] Right.

[00:48:56] Look, I, I, I have gotten in the last few months, Chris, I've gotten a little more into

[00:49:02] horror films.

[00:49:04] Okay.

[00:49:04] I don't know if it was just leading up to Halloween.

[00:49:06] I'm just like, you know, I'm just trying to, trying to embrace more horror films or at

[00:49:10] least good horror films.

[00:49:11] I'm just trying to be okay with it.

[00:49:14] Cause yeah, I've, I've always kind of been a scaredy cat on some of these horror films,

[00:49:17] but I've tried to embrace them a little bit more.

[00:49:19] So I am more open and eager to watching some horror films, but it has to be well-made, well-constructed,

[00:49:26] interesting horror films.

[00:49:27] And this looks like it's going to be in that category.

[00:49:30] So I think so.

[00:49:31] I am all for it.

[00:49:32] I'm excited.

[00:49:34] Um, I will say, I think we maybe commented on this and we did the teaser cause it was

[00:49:38] one of the pieces of text that we saw on screen.

[00:49:41] We definitely saw it on screen this time.

[00:49:42] If you had showed me this trailer, but removed neon's name from it, I would have swore it

[00:49:49] was an a 24 film.

[00:49:51] Um, but it's not.

[00:49:52] So I think it's interesting.

[00:49:53] We've talked to the past about how a 24 kind of has house style and also does a lot of horror

[00:49:58] films.

[00:49:58] How, you know, and now here we have this and I don't remember off the top of my head

[00:50:03] if neon has really ever done a like quote, quote horror film before.

[00:50:08] So it's interesting that they're kind of veering into that genre as well.

[00:50:12] Well, what's where the money is right now?

[00:50:14] I mean, I think there's a little bit of a thinking of, Oh, Hey, we've got, you know,

[00:50:18] um, um, shoot.

[00:50:20] Um, the director's name Soderbergh, Soderbergh.

[00:50:23] We asked Steven Soderbergh and he wants to do a horror film and horror's big right now.

[00:50:28] Like low budget horror.

[00:50:29] This looks like this is going to be a relatively inexpensive horror film because I don't think

[00:50:33] there's any big name actors in it.

[00:50:35] Um, so yeah.

[00:50:38] So I mean, I can see neon jumping on that wagon too.

[00:50:40] It's like, Oh, Hey, we got an opportunity to do a artsy horror film, right?

[00:50:44] Which would be great.

[00:50:45] Speaking of artsy horror films, maybe artsy.

[00:50:47] I don't know.

[00:50:47] It is a 24.

[00:50:48] I know we've got heretic coming out this weekend.

[00:50:51] That's the one with a Hugh Grant and we've showed the trailer for that as well.

[00:50:56] Believe so.

[00:50:56] Yeah.

[00:50:57] So I'm kind of curious to see how that's going to perform critically and, and financially

[00:51:01] just to see if that, uh, indie or art house art, a horror film concept keeps going strong

[00:51:08] for them.

[00:51:09] So sure.

[00:51:10] Yeah.

[00:51:11] All right, Chris.

[00:51:11] Well, that's our two trailers we wanted to share with everybody.

[00:51:14] So both of them intriguing, interesting.

[00:51:17] We've got the end coming up in early December and then we've got a presence in, I think late

[00:51:22] January coming out for us to check out.

[00:51:26] All right.

[00:51:27] So Chris, let's move into the final bit of our show, which is the recommendation period.

[00:51:31] Uh, almost without, without missing a week, Chris tends to have a recommendation for us

[00:51:38] of a film that he thinks we all to check out.

[00:51:41] My understanding is, uh, you're going to turn the recommendation just a little bit this

[00:51:45] time.

[00:51:45] So I'm going to turn it over to you and tell me what you've got in store for us as far

[00:51:48] as the recommendation this week.

[00:51:50] Sure.

[00:51:50] So this recommendation, I am recommending it, but this is an exception.

[00:51:54] I have actually not seen this film.

[00:51:58] It is a 2024 release.

[00:52:00] It is still in theaters.

[00:52:02] So if this sounds interesting, you can probably go out to the theater and see it.

[00:52:05] It is the animated film, the wild robot.

[00:52:08] Um, the reason I'm recommending it is a listener of the show.

[00:52:12] My nephew Cooper, he was, we were had a birthday party this past weekend and we were kind of

[00:52:16] talking and he asked me some questions about the podcast and he asked me, had I seen the

[00:52:21] wild robot?

[00:52:21] I was like, no.

[00:52:22] And then I kind of gave one of the reasons, one of the main reasons actually, not that

[00:52:27] I'll, you know, I'll go watch animation and stuff, but I said, well, is it, it's just

[00:52:31] like the iron giant, right?

[00:52:33] He's like, Oh, and he loves the iron giant.

[00:52:34] He's like, no, it's different.

[00:52:36] And I was like, okay.

[00:52:37] And he actually said, you know, I like this film and it kind of stands on its own.

[00:52:41] It's kind of a little bit of a sentimental rollercoaster every once in a while, but he

[00:52:45] recommended it.

[00:52:45] And then my niece, Anna, she chained in and was like, Oh yeah, I love the wild robot too.

[00:52:49] So I was like, okay, I'm going to recommend it because it sounds, and I've actually critics

[00:52:54] also seemingly getting really good reviews.

[00:52:57] So it'll just take some of my homework off from the end of the year, the North Carolina

[00:53:02] Film Critics Association.

[00:53:03] We have to do award ballots.

[00:53:05] And so I'm like, you know what?

[00:53:06] Sounds like I'm going to take their recommendation, offer it to our listeners, but I am going to

[00:53:11] check out the wild robot.

[00:53:13] Okay.

[00:53:13] So yeah, it's a, it is a 2024 release.

[00:53:16] Lupita Nyong'o is one of the voices of the film as well as Pedro Pascal.

[00:53:21] But the brief plot synopsis is there's a shipwreck and an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded

[00:53:28] on an uninhabited island to survive the harsh environment.

[00:53:31] Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.

[00:53:36] Lupita Nyong'o is the voice of Roz.

[00:53:39] So, so I saw, you know, I saw the trailer and I saw advertising for this film.

[00:53:44] And yeah, my initial thoughts were, okay, this looks like a Iron Giant kind of ripoff.

[00:53:52] And also I think the studio that put it as it was at Sony animation or do you know what

[00:53:56] the studio?

[00:53:56] I don't have the studio.

[00:53:59] Yeah.

[00:53:59] I don't have that handy here.

[00:54:00] I think that was it.

[00:54:01] I could be wrong.

[00:54:02] Okay.

[00:54:02] Um, and, and generally, you know, a lot of the recent animation that just seems to be

[00:54:09] all can be falling into a formula.

[00:54:11] Dreamworks.

[00:54:11] Okay.

[00:54:11] Sony Dreamworks.

[00:54:12] Yeah.

[00:54:12] So it is.

[00:54:13] Yeah.

[00:54:13] Yeah.

[00:54:14] Uh, in that family.

[00:54:15] And generally I haven't been a terribly big fan of animated youth kids films from that,

[00:54:21] that studio.

[00:54:22] They've never quite reached the Pixar quality or even Disney quality in my mind.

[00:54:26] Gotcha.

[00:54:26] But I have also been hearing some very positive things about it and look, you know, I love

[00:54:32] my robots.

[00:54:34] So even though this isn't a giant robot, it's still a robot and I do love the Iron Giant.

[00:54:40] So even if there's a little passing thematic similarity to it, I'm probably going to enjoy

[00:54:46] it.

[00:54:46] So yes.

[00:54:47] Now having heard Cooper's and I'm sorry, what was your, and Anna's hearing their recommendations.

[00:54:52] Yes.

[00:54:52] I will be checking out the wild robot as well because, uh, you know, if, if a good animated

[00:54:57] film comes out and it hits all the right marks and it works, then I'll be its biggest fan.

[00:55:03] But, um, yeah.

[00:55:05] And I also think it's, I think it would be great if a really, really good classic animated film

[00:55:10] came out from a studio that was not Pixar or Disney and you know, that's good too.

[00:55:15] So let's, let's, we'll see what happens there.

[00:55:17] All right.

[00:55:18] So your recommendation, the wild robot, is that that's still in theaters right now?

[00:55:21] I believe so.

[00:55:22] Yeah.

[00:55:22] Okay.

[00:55:23] So it's not available online quite yet, but it should be soon.

[00:55:27] Typically I would imagine they're going to try to rush this out before the holidays to

[00:55:30] be available online by then.

[00:55:31] So, um, yeah, I'm not sure if they would try to, I guess, depending on if they think they

[00:55:36] could get a lot of butts in seats in the theater cause people are home for the holidays or whether

[00:55:39] they go ahead and make it available so everybody can watch it on the holiday.

[00:55:42] I don't know.

[00:55:43] I'm just checking right now cause I'm kind of curious if, uh, I'm looking to see if it has

[00:55:48] anything.

[00:55:48] Oh, actually, you know what?

[00:55:49] The wild robot, it is available online for purchase.

[00:55:53] Okay.

[00:55:53] It's an expensive, you know, $20 rental, which means probably in another week or two, it'll

[00:55:58] be available for cheaper.

[00:55:59] So if you're looking for something as you go into the holidays, I think definitely come

[00:56:02] Thanksgiving time, it probably would be available for a rental.

[00:56:06] Maybe.

[00:56:07] Um, and that might be a good, good watch.

[00:56:09] So, uh, all right.

[00:56:11] The wild robot is dream works animated film being recommended by Chris's family members.

[00:56:16] And thank you for the recommendation.

[00:56:18] My niece and nephew.

[00:56:19] Yeah.

[00:56:19] You're training your family to be recommenders of films just like you are now.

[00:56:24] So absolutely.

[00:56:25] Good.

[00:56:25] Good.

[00:56:26] Awesome.

[00:56:27] All right.

[00:56:27] Well, that is going to wrap it up for today.

[00:56:29] We had our slightly scathing review of here.

[00:56:32] I mean, scathing from me for sure.

[00:56:34] I think Chris was, Chris gave it a little more grace than I did, a little more credit,

[00:56:39] but we both ultimately were not a fan of the film.

[00:56:43] Right.

[00:56:44] And, um, then we had our trailers for the end and also the trailer for presence, both

[00:56:51] coming out in December and January.

[00:56:52] And then the wild robot available in theaters now, but also should be available online for

[00:56:58] rental here in the coming weeks.

[00:57:00] It looks like so.

[00:57:01] All right, Chris, if anybody has any feedback for us, thoughts, questions, ideas, or their

[00:57:05] own recommendations they'd like to share with us.

[00:57:07] See, I want to open it up to recommendations from other people too, because sure.

[00:57:11] It takes a little pressure off of us.

[00:57:13] Sure.

[00:57:13] If people can give us a recommendation.

[00:57:15] I have no problem.

[00:57:16] Give us a recommendation.

[00:57:17] Even if it's a film we haven't seen.

[00:57:19] Yeah.

[00:57:19] So write us in, tell us the title of the movie and kind of like what you liked about it,

[00:57:23] which is kind of what Anna and Cooper did.

[00:57:25] And yeah, we will absolutely give you a shout out on the show.

[00:57:28] Be happy to do that.

[00:57:29] So Chris, how can they do any of that?

[00:57:30] So you can, sorry, Andrew, probably gonna need to take that out.

[00:57:37] Okay.

[00:57:38] All right.

[00:57:38] Come back.

[00:57:39] Three, two.

[00:57:41] You can send an email to info at footcandle.org.

[00:57:45] You can follow us on Twitter at footcandlefilm, Facebook, footcandlefilmsociety, Instagram

[00:57:51] and threads, just simply footcandlefilm.

[00:57:53] Alan and I are on Letterboxd where we try to track what we're seeing and leave quick

[00:57:57] takes.

[00:57:58] Do us a favor.

[00:57:58] If you like the show, consider writing a review, share with friends, whatever service

[00:58:02] you receive your favorite podcast on, because it'll help us reach new listeners.

[00:58:06] Last but not least, Alan mentioned at the top of the show, it's our job, one of our jobs,

[00:58:11] one of our many jobs.

[00:58:11] Perhaps the 2025 Footcandle Film Festival will be happening September 19th to the 28th.

[00:58:16] Yes, that is a long way away.

[00:58:18] It's, you know, almost a year away.

[00:58:20] Put the date on your calendar.

[00:58:21] Come join us for the festival.

[00:58:23] And if you are a filmmaker and you have a film or a screenplay that you'd like to submit

[00:58:28] for competition in our festival, check out our listing on Film Freeway.

[00:58:32] That's how you can do.

[00:58:33] And if you enter before January 1st, you get like the early bird discount.

[00:58:37] So don't pass that up if you're a filmmaker.

[00:58:40] Okay.

[00:58:41] Hey, you've heard the man.

[00:58:43] You got some jobs in front of you, filmmakers to submit your film.

[00:58:47] And everybody else, go ahead and just put down the last week and weekend of September

[00:58:52] 2025 on your calendars, because we will be having a festival then.

[00:58:55] And we expect you to be there.

[00:58:57] So, all right.

[00:58:58] That'll wrap us up for today.

[00:58:59] Thanks, everybody, for listening.

[00:59:00] We will look forward to talking to everybody next time.

[00:59:03] Take care.

[00:59:03] See you in the ticket line.

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