Nightbitch Will & Harper

[00:00:02] What you want, when you want it, where you want it. 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. For a schedule of upcoming screenings and membership information, visit the Society's website at www.footcandle.org.

[00:00:34] Hello and welcome to Footcandle Films here on The MESH.TV Podcast Network.

[00:00:40] My name is Alan Jackson and as always with me, Chris Fry.

[00:00:44] We are both with the Footcandle Film Society and the annual Footcandle Film Festival held right here in Western North Carolina.

[00:00:51] But we are here today to talk about this podcast, Footcandle Films. So we got some films to review, some things to talk about.

[00:00:58] Chris, how are you doing?

[00:00:59] Doing good. I like it when our lineup includes two films that are A, different, and this time we actually have a narrative and a documentary.

[00:01:07] So it's like a little something for everyone, hopefully.

[00:01:10] A little something for everyone. That is the tagline for our podcast going forward.

[00:01:14] We do have two reviews, as Chris was just alluding to, for our discussion today.

[00:01:19] We're going to be reviewing the films Night Bitch that is starring Amy Adams and directed by Mario Heller.

[00:01:25] And then we'll be reviewing the documentary Will and Harper, a Netflix exclusive documentary that we'll be discussing featuring a Mr. Will Ferrell and a Harper Steele.

[00:01:37] So, Chris, we have lots to get into. I think we're going to talk a little Golden Globes nominations towards the end of the show.

[00:01:43] It might even kick it over to you to see if we've got time for our recommendation before we wrap up today.

[00:01:48] Does that sound like a good plan?

[00:01:49] Sounds good.

[00:01:50] All right, let's get right into it with our first review, which is Night Bitch.

[00:01:55] It's super cute.

[00:01:56] Do you just love getting to be home with them all the time?

[00:02:02] Yeah, I do. I love it.

[00:02:06] You're an artist, right?

[00:02:07] Well, I used to be a stripper.

[00:02:08] Oh, wow!

[00:02:10] But that feels like a lifetime ago.

[00:02:12] Yeah, yeah.

[00:02:12] Totally, definitely.

[00:02:13] We get it.

[00:02:14] I used to be a stripper.

[00:02:16] The before times.

[00:02:18] Yes.

[00:02:22] Family can clean their own butts.

[00:02:24] No, no, no, all that's okay.

[00:02:27] If you wake him up, I will rip your throat out.

[00:02:31] Okay.

[00:02:31] For what it's worth, I would kill to stay home with him every day.

[00:02:37] Director Amirio Heller is best known for Die of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

[00:02:44] Three of those, or two of those three films center around a female protagonist.

[00:02:50] Die of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

[00:02:52] But maybe her biggest hit was Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which was Mr. Rogers.

[00:02:58] The kind of film that Tom Hanks played Mr. Rogers and talking about his life story.

[00:03:03] But if you look at each of these three previous films that she made prior to Night Pitch, you can see how they kind of focus on an individual and kind of at an important period in their life.

[00:03:17] Die of a Teenage Girl, she's coming of age, having all these things happen to her.

[00:03:21] Can You Ever Forgive Me?

[00:03:23] And then, Melissa McCarthy played a writer who basically is struggling for importance and fakes some sources and stuff to get her out of the way.

[00:03:32] So that was that film.

[00:03:33] Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Mr. Rogers just struggling with being famous but also trying to make a difference in children's television.

[00:03:39] Okay.

[00:03:40] So, here with Night Bitch, Mary O'Heller adapts writer Rachel Yoder's novel.

[00:03:46] And it's the story of a film where a woman, or a story, the film is the story of a woman who's pursuing her career and then has to stop.

[00:03:55] And she was doing art, like doing, running a museum, also doing art herself.

[00:03:59] And she stops to be a stay-at-home mom.

[00:04:03] But, as she is struggling with being a stay-at-home mom, her husband is going off doing business trips, she starts to feel like she is turning into a dog.

[00:04:15] Specifically, a lot of times at night, hence the title of the film, Night Bitch.

[00:04:20] Right.

[00:04:22] This film is kind of unusual in that, you know, it does have some surreal aspects to it, some fantastical elements.

[00:04:30] Based on a novel, Amy Adams plays the mom struggling to this with this occurrence.

[00:04:38] Scoot McNary plays her husband.

[00:04:40] Alan, what were your thoughts on Night Bitch?

[00:04:44] Which is oddly kind of a fun title to say.

[00:04:47] It is.

[00:04:48] And just keeping in mind, we're saying it in terms of the, it's got the little double meaning obviously worked in the title, but obviously the whole canine perspective.

[00:04:57] That's the way I'm saying it.

[00:04:58] Female dog.

[00:04:58] I want to make sure I'm clear.

[00:04:59] I'm saying it from a female dog perspective.

[00:05:01] We're not cussing because we think it's fun.

[00:05:03] Right, right.

[00:05:03] We're not middle schoolers.

[00:05:05] No, I really, I did really like this film.

[00:05:08] Okay.

[00:05:09] Mainly because I really liked Amy Adams' performance in this film.

[00:05:12] I think, I mean, it is her film.

[00:05:16] It is pretty much, she, she has to do the heavy lifting in this film.

[00:05:19] Agreed.

[00:05:20] And she, it's probably my favorite performance of hers.

[00:05:24] I can think of as far as, you know, I've always thought she's really good.

[00:05:28] I've enjoyed her performances in general, but this one, it's like, no, she, she got the assignment.

[00:05:33] She knew what she was going for.

[00:05:35] And I think, I think her performance is, in my mind, there's a lot of reasons to watch this movie, but I think that's probably the number one in my books.

[00:05:44] I think what this film is, is obviously trying to say, not even trying to say, is saying, it's pretty clear cut.

[00:05:51] I, and I, and I'm okay with that.

[00:05:53] I mean, it's not trying to be super overly clever.

[00:05:56] It's not trying to, it's, it's not trying to, you don't have to think very hard to kind of really understand what it is they're trying to convey with this message.

[00:06:04] The themes are hidden.

[00:06:05] Right.

[00:06:06] No, they're not.

[00:06:06] It's pretty on the serve.

[00:06:08] Sure.

[00:06:08] Yes.

[00:06:09] But I like the fact that the film, okay, you take the high concept of when you describe it and we say, Hey, it's, she's think she's turning into a dog in the film definitely has that concept behind it.

[00:06:21] But there's, there's almost a poetic essence to the film that I'm glad that the film kind of comes back to and ends on an, on a, on a note that has more of this, more of this reflection, more of this poetry about this time period that she's going through what she's going through in her career and her life.

[00:06:44] And not leaning so heavy on this high concept of, of, of the dog thing.

[00:06:49] I mean, the dog thing is interesting, but that's not the film, you know, by the end of the film.

[00:06:53] And I'm, I was happy about that.

[00:06:55] So I think in general, yeah, I really did like this.

[00:06:58] I respected this film quite a bit.

[00:07:00] Um, I think it's an important film.

[00:07:02] I think it's a film every, I think any, uh, couple getting into having children should be required to watch.

[00:07:09] And I think it's like required viewing the minute you say you're going to have a child.

[00:07:13] It's like, okay, understand the impacts this is going to have, especially on the mother.

[00:07:18] I mean, absolutely.

[00:07:19] I mean, there's impacts on the father in this situation too, but no, this is all about understanding the, the, the,

[00:07:28] understanding the risk, understanding the, the trade-offs, understanding what people have to give up,

[00:07:32] what people are going through when making the decision to, to raise another human being.

[00:07:37] And I think it's important for people to see and know.

[00:07:39] So with that, Chris, I really liked it.

[00:07:42] I want to hear from you.

[00:07:43] What did you think of this film?

[00:07:45] I really liked the film as well.

[00:07:47] It helped.

[00:07:48] Um, it, you mentioned like how the film wraps up at the end county and that, that helps, you know, obviously a strong ending or a good,

[00:07:56] solid ending.

[00:07:56] You're like, okay, I feel good about this.

[00:07:58] Even if maybe you wavered other points in the film.

[00:08:00] Same for me.

[00:08:01] I appreciate the ending.

[00:08:02] The beginning, uh, scenes like just couldn't have been more on my wavelength and couldn't have hit me more.

[00:08:09] I'm like, oh yeah, I like this film.

[00:08:10] I'm on board.

[00:08:11] Specifically.

[00:08:12] It's a scene in a grocery store.

[00:08:14] Oh, and she, it was with her young child, Amy Adams with the young child.

[00:08:18] And she encounters another mother and she goes off on this kind of diatribe, kind of saying how she's feeling, how she's tired, how she's

[00:08:26] drained.

[00:08:26] She just doesn't know about her career all this time, just kind of going off, you know, understandably.

[00:08:30] So, you know, just pouring out our emotions and then it cuts and it's like, oh, I'm fine.

[00:08:35] How are you?

[00:08:35] And you can tell like, no, she was holding all that in.

[00:08:38] She didn't actually say any of that stuff.

[00:08:39] And you're like, but you know, it's done not in a heavy handed way, but in a clever kind of funny way.

[00:08:44] And you're like, and I'm like, okay, yes, I like this very next scene.

[00:08:49] It is at a story time session at a library.

[00:08:53] And I think many of us who have been parents, which I'm still a parent, but not parent of a young kid have been in this situation where you're at a library.

[00:09:01] It's all about the kids.

[00:09:02] It's not about you.

[00:09:03] You may be bored out of your mind and may find it kind of redundant, repetitive, and maybe a little irritating, but you're there for your kid because you love your kids.

[00:09:13] And at the conclusion of this one little session, they seeing a goodbye song and they go around, they ask all the kids their names.

[00:09:20] They say like, Alan, Chris.

[00:09:22] And he's like, goodbye, Alan.

[00:09:23] Goodbye, Chris.

[00:09:24] Well, the storyteller gets to Amy Adams's character's son, which by the way, interesting in the film, she's referred to as mother.

[00:09:34] There's father, there's child.

[00:09:36] They're not given names.

[00:09:37] Oh, that's true.

[00:09:38] Yeah.

[00:09:38] That's right.

[00:09:39] Which is an interesting thing.

[00:09:40] Yeah.

[00:09:40] So really to kind of make it more of a universal type thing.

[00:09:44] Universal application to it.

[00:09:45] Sorry, husband.

[00:09:45] It was mother, husband, and then son, but not given a name.

[00:09:48] No first names.

[00:09:49] Huh.

[00:09:49] That's true.

[00:09:49] So interesting.

[00:09:50] And I'm assuming that's carrying over from the book.

[00:09:52] I haven't read the book, but I'm assuming that's a carryover.

[00:09:55] But they get to the son's for him time to, you know, her son's time to tell his name.

[00:10:01] And he says the F word.

[00:10:04] Yeah.

[00:10:05] So it is just like, and of course, all the other mothers are whore tied.

[00:10:09] The storyteller just kind of paused like, huh?

[00:10:12] And, you know, Amy Adams just, she doesn't panic.

[00:10:15] She doesn't, you know, be like, oh my gosh, now everybody's going to stare at me as much.

[00:10:19] She just kind of, kind of nods a little bit.

[00:10:22] And then the film moves on.

[00:10:23] And I'm like, yeah.

[00:10:24] And I, of course, thought that was really funny because it was unexpected that that was going to happen.

[00:10:29] And just in those two scenes, it sets up so much about the film.

[00:10:33] So much more like she's going through a lot.

[00:10:37] And like, why does this son say the F word?

[00:10:39] Probably because he's heard her say it.

[00:10:40] Yeah.

[00:10:41] So it's just, but it communicates so much just in those two scenes that open the film that, yeah, I, I really like this film.

[00:10:48] Uh, it, I've, I feel like you're, you're saying it's, it's important for people.

[00:10:52] I feel like maybe in marriage counseling before you get married, they should watch this film.

[00:10:58] It's like, I'm going to be like, okay, are we going to have kids?

[00:11:00] And if so, let's just be aware of, or, you know, because yeah, it's just a very good, honest look at, you may love your child a lot, but when they decide to paint on the walls, that that's, that's a problem.

[00:11:10] Yeah.

[00:11:11] So, and the loss of sleep and all that kind of, and especially like you're saying specifically for the female who has to carry this child.

[00:11:19] And a lot of times get stuck being the parent, the mother figure.

[00:11:24] Yes.

[00:11:24] But sometimes the apparent because dad goes off and is on business trips.

[00:11:28] So yeah, there's a lot there.

[00:11:30] Um, I appreciate it.

[00:11:32] And I think people, if you're going in to, you see the poster where Amy Adams's face is surrounded by dogs and you hear the title of the movie night bitch and you're thinking, Oh, this is going to be like an American werewolf in London.

[00:11:45] Or so you do, there is some dog transformation stuff there, but the emphasis of the film obviously is on, it's definitely more of a symbolic.

[00:11:56] I mean, it has some of those moments, but that's why I'm happy is that the film just wasn't leading into that concept.

[00:12:02] For the duration of the film as making it.

[00:12:04] That's what this film is really about.

[00:12:06] No, it's, this is a much bigger topic.

[00:12:08] And I think the, the dog transformation, it was just a really unique perspective again.

[00:12:15] And even, even the scenes you refer to at the beginning of the film that you liked the first one where this conversation she's having was happening kind of in her mind.

[00:12:24] And sure.

[00:12:25] And sure.

[00:12:25] Not really saying that.

[00:12:26] Yeah.

[00:12:26] Of course you do wonder by the end of the film, what, what did we see?

[00:12:30] How, how much of it is all in her head?

[00:12:32] How much not?

[00:12:33] And again, it doesn't matter.

[00:12:34] That's not the point.

[00:12:35] The point is we're getting a visceral feeling of what it is she is going through.

[00:12:40] And I think if you have to have it be a transformation to some sort of animal to get that point across, it worked.

[00:12:47] I mean, it totally gave me the essence of what it is she's feeling.

[00:12:50] And I think it, it helped to make the film more interesting.

[00:12:53] Let's say you separated this film and you just had a film about a, a struggling mother, or you had a film about somebody who thought they were turning into a dog, maybe a horror body horror type film on their own.

[00:13:06] Definitely probably would have been interested in the dog film, but struggling mother, I'd be interested to see it, but I think it could risk, not risk, but run, be a chance that it would just be very heavy handed and kind of be a slog to get through because it,

[00:13:23] you know, you know, the weight that's coming down on this mom, but using that transformational kind of side theme helps make it a little lighter for me.

[00:13:34] I mean, it's still dark, you know, dark comedy about, you know, what's happening to the relationship in this family, even between the husband and the mom, you know, there's, there's, they're struggling.

[00:13:43] They're not always seeing eye to eye.

[00:13:44] There's problems there, but it helps it not be just a slog to get through.

[00:13:49] It helped it be a little lighter, a little more entertaining.

[00:13:52] And for me made it overall a better film.

[00:13:56] There's reckoning on the mother's part, Amy Adams, Adam's reflecting on her own childhood.

[00:14:02] And there's a dot line of dialogue that I actually wrote down in my notes where she says, there was a great forgetting when I left him because to forget childhood meant that I'd survived it.

[00:14:14] So also kind of learning about knowing your situation as a mother now, but your upbringing kind of how you saw your parents making sacrifices or how they did certain things.

[00:14:24] I think in the film, her mom was going to be, was it a singer or was it also an artist?

[00:14:29] I can't remember.

[00:14:29] I think it was a singer.

[00:14:30] Okay.

[00:14:31] We see her.

[00:14:33] Oh yeah.

[00:14:33] In the church choir.

[00:14:34] Church choir.

[00:14:35] Right.

[00:14:35] Yeah.

[00:14:36] So, you know, it's just kind of realizing sacrifices people make, not only sacrifices you're making, but maybe sacrifices that were made for you that you don't truly kind of realize maybe until you get to be a parent yourself.

[00:14:50] So those, those things kind of really rang those recollections, those flashback recollections really were nicely done.

[00:14:56] So I thought they were, they were appropriate and handled really well within the film as well.

[00:15:00] Um, again, I'm just going to come back to Amy Adams.

[00:15:03] I mean, I think she just, in my mind, she just, she made this work and I absolutely made this work.

[00:15:09] She's like you've mentioned, she's been in several films.

[00:15:12] She was nominated for June bug a long time ago, you know, kind of at the start of her career.

[00:15:15] Um, I, I have to say, yeah, I guess maybe it's her showiest performance.

[00:15:22] I mean, my favorite film that she's probably been in up to this point was probably arrival.

[00:15:26] Um, but that's not a, it's kind of a subdued performance.

[00:15:31] Her performance was good, but it didn't make the film be the film that it was where this, I felt like she, she brought this thing home.

[00:15:40] Right.

[00:15:40] She, she, she did heavy lifting in both films, I think to care, but yeah, you're right.

[00:15:44] You just, she's so integral and because it's about a mom, you know, the mother, you know?

[00:15:48] So yeah, I, I think it is probably.

[00:15:50] Well, I just believed her performance all the way through.

[00:15:51] I mean, there was never a moment where I doubted who she was or what she was feeling at that moment.

[00:15:57] So that, that was, that's what you want out of a good performance.

[00:16:00] And, uh, that was good.

[00:16:01] Uh, Scoot McNary, I'll say as her, as the husband, also very good, uh, much, a much smaller part, but very impactful as well.

[00:16:08] And I think it worked also, um, even the kid, I mean, so I understand that it was actually two boys that played twins that played, which is something fairly common in a lot of movies.

[00:16:17] Uh, just because of like work, the time involved and energy.

[00:16:21] Yeah.

[00:16:21] But the kids were great.

[00:16:22] I mean, I was playing with the son and, uh, I mean, very good.

[00:16:26] So like they were, there were many, many moments I'm watching.

[00:16:30] I'm like, yep.

[00:16:31] Uh, that has happened.

[00:16:33] That has happened.

[00:16:34] Yep.

[00:16:34] I understand that scene as well.

[00:16:36] So yeah.

[00:16:37] And I'm saying it from the, from the father perspective, I obviously can't speak to the, the mother situation, but I, I absolutely feel like it was very authentic and captured the captured the spirit correctly.

[00:16:50] So yeah, no, I thought I was really good.

[00:16:54] Really good.

[00:16:55] Really surprised me.

[00:16:55] I expected it to be good.

[00:16:57] I was surprised at how much I was taken, taken with this film.

[00:17:01] Um, I feel like it's not getting, I guess, you know, here we are at the end of the year where we normally do one film per podcast.

[00:17:07] We're doing two, which we have done for the past two podcasts, just cause there's so many films coming out.

[00:17:12] I've I'm surprised this film isn't getting a little more.

[00:17:15] I am love, but it just came out wide release this past weekend.

[00:17:20] So I guess maybe that's why, but it mean wide release, but it's not here in Hickory.

[00:17:25] So I don't know.

[00:17:27] I'm, I'm kind of surprised cause I feel like it's a solid film.

[00:17:30] I absolutely do.

[00:17:32] Um, I do notice that on IMDB when it has this little categories thrown up there, body horror is one of them, which I will say, look, there are a couple of scenes.

[00:17:41] It's no substance.

[00:17:42] Yeah.

[00:17:43] There are a couple of scenes.

[00:17:44] It was, it was squeamish.

[00:17:45] It was tough.

[00:17:46] And, uh, but, um, that's not, that's not the film.

[00:17:50] That's not the film where we're talking about.

[00:17:51] And maybe marketing is playing a little bit of a problem with it because yeah, people horror film and they're like, okay, we're not going to be doing that.

[00:18:00] Not in December when it's Oscar time, but that's not really.

[00:18:02] Well, even the kind of branding, I think some of the marketing is trying to make it look almost a little comedic, almost like, uh, yeah, this woman's turning into a dog and she's kind of losing her mind about it.

[00:18:13] And it's, I mean, yeah, there are moments, but that's not right.

[00:18:16] There are moments of that, but that's not this film.

[00:18:18] And I see, I do think maybe it's got a little bit of a branding marketing issue and the IMDB categories are not helping like not as body, hard, dark comedy, comedy, horror.

[00:18:29] I'm like, none of those four really worked for me for this film.

[00:18:32] So I don't really see that as the qualification I would use, but, um, well, apparently doing a little bit of internet research, uh, originally it was going to be released straight to streaming on Hulu.

[00:18:44] Hmm.

[00:18:45] And then because of receptions that it did get at test screens, you're like, no, we'll go ahead and have a, a theatrical release.

[00:18:51] So I guess maybe considering what it was done originally for, maybe it's good.

[00:18:57] It did hit the ears, but I'm just surprised that it's not getting to more like kind of like what you're saying.

[00:19:02] So agreed.

[00:19:02] Agreed.

[00:19:03] No, I thought, I thought really good.

[00:19:05] I am kind of curious about the original source material.

[00:19:09] Just how, again, not being familiar with it, with the novel, this is based on by Rachel Yoder.

[00:19:14] I'm just not sure how much they closely adapted to that or, or kind of just use as a jumping off point to kind of make this film kind of curious now.

[00:19:23] Cause I think it'd be an interesting read.

[00:19:25] Sure.

[00:19:25] And, uh, so yeah, I am a, I'm a pretty big fan of night to bitch bonus points for me too.

[00:19:32] I'll say that, uh, they have a needle drop for dare to be stupid, but yeah.

[00:19:36] Yeah.

[00:19:37] And it took me a few seconds.

[00:19:38] I'm like, okay, is this, is this Devo?

[00:19:42] I'm trying to remember.

[00:19:42] And then as soon as I heard weird out singing, I'm like, wow, I have not heard this song.

[00:19:46] Like honestly, like 30 years, which nerd trivia, apparently Devo has told weird out that they're mad that he was able to parody them and do the best Devo song ever.

[00:19:57] And they didn't do it.

[00:19:58] I mean, cause it sounds, yes, it sounds just like, but that wasn't such a random song, but I love the way it was used in the film.

[00:20:06] And it just kind of a, it's awesome showing a little bit of state of mind at the moment.

[00:20:10] And just, I don't know, just, it gave you more insight to the character, which was great to hear that blaring out of the car stereo.

[00:20:16] So it was good.

[00:20:17] That was very, very fun.

[00:20:18] Good.

[00:20:19] All right.

[00:20:19] Well, night bitch is in theaters, some theaters, some theaters, um, not streaming yet, not available online yet, but, uh, hopefully soon.

[00:20:28] Soon.

[00:20:28] And I'm assuming because Hulu originally had, I'm assuming that I swear it'll pop up first.

[00:20:32] It's probably Hulu.

[00:20:33] But it sounds like Chris and I are both pretty, uh, pretty favorable and pretty high on night bitch.

[00:20:37] So we're definitely recommending it for sure.

[00:20:40] All right, let's go ahead and roll into our second review, Chris, which is the documentary will and Harper.

[00:20:49] Hi there.

[00:20:50] I'm Will Ferrell, one of the greatest actors in the world.

[00:20:53] A long time ago, back when I was at Saturday Night Live, I met a guy who was hired as a writer the same week I was hired.

[00:21:00] He wrote a bunch of sketches for me and eventually became the head writer of SNL.

[00:21:05] And over the years, he became one of my closest friends.

[00:21:09] And then one day I got this email.

[00:21:12] Hey, Will, something I need you to know.

[00:21:15] I'll be transitioning to live as a woman.

[00:21:21] In the Netflix documentary, Will and Harper, we have the story or the, the following the journey of two friends, Will Ferrell and Harper Steele.

[00:21:32] Harper Steele, um, worked with Will Ferrell back during their Saturday Night Live days.

[00:21:38] Um, was a writer on the show and has recently transitioned into the Harper Steele as a female.

[00:21:46] And coming to recollection with that, Will Ferrell, the documentary is supposed to show us a little bit of Will meeting Harper for the first time in person and then going on a road trip because this is something that Harper back in her previous life as, uh,

[00:22:02] I think supposedly like every, I don't know, every summer, but most summers would travel across country.

[00:22:08] Right. Yeah.

[00:22:09] So she's very curious to know if now that she has transitioned and kind of exploring her true woman self, if that experience is going to be different traveling across the country, stopping at CD bars and, and, and, and breakfast joints in the morning.

[00:22:25] Which is something she's always, always done.

[00:22:27] And now she's willing to try it again, but Will Ferrell being a friend that worked with her during her time as a writer, uh, wants to go along on this trip actually in the documentary suggests a trip idea.

[00:22:38] So this camera crew follows the two of them as they go across country, uh, exploring different aspects of the, the former life that Harper still used to have.

[00:22:49] Uh, but also getting to have some bonding time between the two of them.

[00:22:53] And we see those experiences, Chris, uh, you know, we showed the trailer for this in news like months ago.

[00:22:59] Yes.

[00:23:00] And you and I both got a little misty eyed even just watching the trailer.

[00:23:03] Yes.

[00:23:04] So I, I hate even asking this question because this is all down to how it's marketed and how it's packaged, but did the film in your mind live up to that trailer?

[00:23:14] Cause I know the trailer impacted us.

[00:23:15] Yeah.

[00:23:16] Did the film succeed?

[00:23:17] It was the film give you what you wanted out of this experience and gave you the insight you were hoping it would based on what we saw in that little morsel of the trailer.

[00:23:26] Sure.

[00:23:27] Um, yes.

[00:23:28] I mean, short answer.

[00:23:29] Yes.

[00:23:30] I, I enjoyed the film.

[00:23:32] I think it's important for people like, you know, I am, I'll see if I can get there.

[00:23:37] I'm terrible with the terms, but I am a cisgender man.

[00:23:40] Um, so I, the whole trend notions of transgender and things that have come into the, you know, the being more aware of that happening now in today's world.

[00:23:52] I have had questions or have been curious about certain things and never wanting to tread on anybody's toes or offend people.

[00:24:00] I'm always, I have been curious about things.

[00:24:03] So this was kind of a perfect classroom for me to be like, okay, so this is what this means.

[00:24:10] And this is how this, how, or this, you know, just kind of trying to understand through Harper's willingness to, and tells Will Ferrell early.

[00:24:19] I think they get in the car when Harper just says, ask, ask me anything.

[00:24:23] Yeah.

[00:24:24] There's, you know, I, this is the whole point of this.

[00:24:26] I want you to ask me anything you want to ask.

[00:24:29] Nothing is off limits.

[00:24:30] Ask away.

[00:24:32] Um, and I think if I had a disappointment in the film, I just wish there was a way for me to ask Harper questions.

[00:24:40] Channel through Will.

[00:24:41] Just because I, yeah, because it's just like, that's such an amazing, okay.

[00:24:45] It's, it's such an amazing gift that Harper gave Will Ferrell, but like, Hey, yeah, we've been friends for 20, 30 years or whatever.

[00:24:53] Awesome.

[00:24:53] I realized this is a big change in my life and you and I want us to still be friends.

[00:25:00] I'm just going to say, there's nothing you can't ask me.

[00:25:03] That's like such an amazing gift to give somebody that's a friend, you know, so such an amazing opportunity.

[00:25:08] And then for the willingness to make that into a film and shit, like it's pretty, pretty gutsy because obviously it's going to, you know, it's, they do show now whether, you know, things do go well for them.

[00:25:20] In certain instances, visiting certain towns or dive bars.

[00:25:24] And then sometimes in other places, not as well as you could, you could expect.

[00:25:29] I mean, it's, some people are not going to embrace this way of life or this change.

[00:25:35] And so I thought it was important that they showed that and I didn't feel it was forced.

[00:25:39] I thought it was pretty honest.

[00:25:40] Actually, they get a, which I think anybody who's ever traveled out West has heard about the restaurant you can stop at.

[00:25:47] And if you eat this ginormous steak, which would be, I don't know, three or $400 or whatever, it'd be really expensive.

[00:25:54] But if you eat the whole thing in a certain time, you get it for free.

[00:25:58] And so like, can you get your picture put up on the wall and stuff?

[00:26:01] Well, they decide to go to this restaurant and Will Ferrell dresses up in a costume from the Sherlock Holmes movie that he was in.

[00:26:09] You know, just really ridiculous, but puts himself, both he and Harper put themselves in the middle of this restaurant, all eyes on them.

[00:26:17] Kind of a spotlight on them.

[00:26:18] Spotlight.

[00:26:19] And things don't necessarily go well.

[00:26:22] There's a lot of blowback.

[00:26:23] We don't really see maybe how much blowback there was at the restaurant, but definitely it was noted online.

[00:26:30] There's a lot of social media blowback about this.

[00:26:34] And I thought that was an important part to show like, no, it's not just like, okay, everything's awesome.

[00:26:40] Everything's awesome because you have a media personality like Will Ferrell, who most people like.

[00:26:46] And they'll be like, oh, he's a celebrity.

[00:26:47] He can do whatever he wants.

[00:26:48] And they also go to a basketball game, which Harper was also a big and still is, I think, a big professional basketball NBA fan.

[00:26:58] And they have some complications with that.

[00:27:01] So I thought it was, it actually got a little bit more complicated sometimes than I thought it would.

[00:27:08] Yeah.

[00:27:09] So what were your take?

[00:27:11] No, I really like this film also a lot too.

[00:27:14] I do think the film works extremely well when it's allowed to be very authentic.

[00:27:20] There are some times, and I think it's just the fact of the premise where Harper's traveling across country with Will Ferrell.

[00:27:29] And for someone that Harper wanting to know how is the country going to respond to me, it does put a different slant on it and where I don't think that it was always the most authentic take.

[00:27:42] Because everybody's Will Ferrell sitting right here.

[00:27:44] Yeah, everybody's being super cool to Will Ferrell because it's Will Ferrell and they want to have their pictures taken.

[00:27:48] And I felt like when it didn't, when it just kind of let those moments go, I don't feel like the film worked as well.

[00:27:55] When the film was allowed to be authentic with the steak eating the giant steak.

[00:28:02] Yeah, that was my favorite scene of the film.

[00:28:04] Yeah.

[00:28:04] Because it's like, it's setting up that, oh, Will Ferrell's coming in with this silly costume.

[00:28:07] And I'm like, okay, here we go again.

[00:28:09] Everybody's just going to respond to him.

[00:28:11] Like, oh no, this is actually a bad thing.

[00:28:14] And this is showing how this is what people were really reacting with.

[00:28:18] And their reactions afterwards and the car afterwards kind of disseminating that situation.

[00:28:23] That was real.

[00:28:24] I'm like, that was, that was really good.

[00:28:27] There's a, there's a scene towards the end of the film.

[00:28:30] I'm not going to kind of give too many details, but kind of, it kind of upset me a little bit because I felt like it was an opportunity to fix something that I felt like was just the only problem with the film.

[00:28:41] I could give it, it's a dinner scene late in the film.

[00:28:45] It's taking place in Las Vegas.

[00:28:48] And it is a, you know, the idea is that, hey, they're going to have this really nice kind of final dinner as they're traveling.

[00:28:56] And it's in Las Vegas and Harper gets really dressed.

[00:28:59] I mean, beautiful dress and really done up well.

[00:29:02] Yes.

[00:29:02] And the idea was, well, we want, we want, we want Harper to kind of be who people pay attention to, not Will Ferrell.

[00:29:10] But unfortunately, Will Ferrell still kind of went and did his Will Ferrell thing.

[00:29:16] He wears a disguise.

[00:29:19] Yeah.

[00:29:20] But I mean, it was a disguise except determined to get attention.

[00:29:24] And it was, I just like, oh, that would have been a perfect time for like Will Ferrell to go in the background and be like, truly, I'm going to put on a disguise and nobody knows who it's me.

[00:29:32] But not a disguise that looks like Austin Powers.

[00:29:34] It looks ridiculous.

[00:29:35] And of course, telling everybody he's, he was somebody's agent or, you know, just make it a big, it turned into a Will Ferrell thing.

[00:29:43] He's funny.

[00:29:44] I think he's great.

[00:29:45] But at that moment, I'm like, oh, you just, you just missed that one moment.

[00:29:49] You could have just given us that one time to see how people truly authentically were responding to Harper.

[00:29:55] I got you.

[00:29:55] Not being overshadowed by having this big caricature character around her again.

[00:30:00] Fair point.

[00:30:01] Yeah.

[00:30:01] Fair point.

[00:30:01] But I think for 95% of the movie, I think it worked.

[00:30:04] It's just, I just wish they would allow the authenticity of moments to go through.

[00:30:09] It's already tough enough that everywhere Harper is going, there's a camera crew following her around.

[00:30:15] Which automatically says like, okay, what's going on here?

[00:30:17] Yeah, that's going to make reactions a little more artificial, unfortunately.

[00:30:21] But that's, you know, you can't get around that.

[00:30:23] You're making a documentary.

[00:30:24] It is what it is.

[00:30:25] When Will Ferrell's there, it's like, you kind of have to just realize people are responding to him.

[00:30:30] And I wanted to see more of the responses to her.

[00:30:32] There's a moment where she goes into a bar by herself, which was another great scene.

[00:30:36] And waits.

[00:30:37] And waits.

[00:30:37] And I'm like, yes, this is what I want to see.

[00:30:41] And seeing her interact with people.

[00:30:42] Which is the camera crew, obviously.

[00:30:43] Yeah, there's a camera crew there, but at least it's not him.

[00:30:46] Sure.

[00:30:46] And that worked for me as well, too.

[00:30:49] The moments where Harper and Will are getting to talk were great.

[00:30:53] Because I love the fact that, I mean, A, Will Ferrell seems like a really good friend.

[00:30:58] I mean, it's just like, you know, seems like just, hey, look, I'm on board.

[00:31:03] I'm totally down with what you're doing.

[00:31:04] Let's go.

[00:31:05] Let's go.

[00:31:06] I have curiosities, but I'm not making a big deal about it.

[00:31:08] We're not going to go on and on about it.

[00:31:11] And I thought that was great.

[00:31:12] So I think the film really worked well.

[00:31:15] I agree with you.

[00:31:16] I did find myself really intrigued by the film and just wanting to hear more of this honest dialogue.

[00:31:22] Sure.

[00:31:22] And when the film let itself be authentic, it was really good.

[00:31:25] When it did feel a little, the premise itself just kind of hampered that authenticity.

[00:31:31] It lost a little bit for me.

[00:31:33] But overall, I'm still really high on it.

[00:31:36] Yeah.

[00:31:36] Yeah.

[00:31:37] I think I'm not pushing back because I'd forgotten kind of the outcome of the Vegas thing, the Vegas dinner, which I'll give you that.

[00:31:47] I agree.

[00:31:50] I think if I was to try to justify a little bit of why it had to be, why Will Ferrell has to be there, I guess.

[00:32:01] And they state this early on.

[00:32:02] And I feel like maybe it's true, maybe it's not true.

[00:32:06] But Harper wants to make this trip, but it says, I cannot do it the way I've always done it because I don't feel like I would be safe.

[00:32:15] And I think Harper is 100% correct about that to do it.

[00:32:20] And I think having Will Ferrell there, yeah, it's the star power a little bit helps kind of numb that in some instances makes it inauthentic.

[00:32:28] But it allows Harper to be able to go to these dive places and everything and like not go into a five-star hotel, but go into a motel and like kind of, yeah, just kind of take the back roads and it allows it to be a little safer.

[00:32:42] And I feel like if it's the shared gift that Will is giving.

[00:32:46] So Harper's giving Will the opportunity to ask anything.

[00:32:50] And that's such a gift in their friendship.

[00:32:51] Will's giving her like, hey, I'll be your buddy on this film.

[00:32:54] You usually do it alone.

[00:32:55] Right.

[00:32:56] But I will help be there just in case things get kind of.

[00:32:59] And that's why I like the progression where it's like the first few places they go, they're side by side.

[00:33:05] Will Ferrell's kind of acting as a buffer a little bit.

[00:33:07] She even says, hey, thanks.

[00:33:08] You're kind of taking a little of the attention off of me, which is good.

[00:33:11] Right.

[00:33:11] And all that.

[00:33:12] And then it gets a little bit more where she goes into the bar by herself later in the film.

[00:33:16] I'm like, okay, we're showing a little.

[00:33:18] We're seeing her progress a little bit.

[00:33:19] And it's just unfortunate.

[00:33:20] I just, I wish that Las Vegas dinner would allow that, that progression to continue a little bit more.

[00:33:25] But yeah.

[00:33:26] No, but I agree.

[00:33:27] I mean, the premise of the film works.

[00:33:29] It's like she needs him to, for her to have that comfort level and going out there.

[00:33:37] And I get, they needed each other in this situation.

[00:33:39] So that totally works.

[00:33:40] So I ultimately, I'm, I'm very high on the film.

[00:33:43] Um, I, for me to kind of like I mentioned with my bitch, if this had just been, it helped

[00:33:51] give me an entry point and hopefully we'll give other people an entry point because you

[00:33:55] see the will fair on him.

[00:33:56] You're like, Oh, cool.

[00:33:57] And it's like, Oh, it's a documentary.

[00:33:58] And it's true.

[00:33:58] Yeah.

[00:33:59] There's nothing about this premise that doesn't sound awesome where it makes you feel more

[00:34:03] comfortable stuff.

[00:34:04] And it doesn't come across, at least for me, heavy handed because Will Ferrell and Harper

[00:34:10] still clearly have a very open relationship and very funny relationship.

[00:34:15] Like the things they'll say back and forth to each other, joking with them because they

[00:34:18] know they can.

[00:34:19] And we'll make slights, which are, you know, it's like the easiest dig that you can do to

[00:34:25] a woman when she's driving a car is comment about, and like, you knew he was just doing

[00:34:30] it just to kind of like, and like Harper's just like, uh, whatever, you know, just like,

[00:34:34] you know, but the way they go back and forth about it, it's just, it helps the film move

[00:34:38] along.

[00:34:39] And they're, they're bits of Will Ferrell is our entry.

[00:34:42] It just like Will is there to kind of help her feel comfortable in this, this journey.

[00:34:48] He's there as the viewer to kind of help us feel comfortable too, into exploring this,

[00:34:52] this topic in this territory, which I think was great.

[00:34:54] So, um, no, I've, I, I think this is really good.

[00:34:57] I've actually seen it twice.

[00:34:58] I watched it again just because I'm really found myself taken with some parts of the film

[00:35:03] and, uh, will you join me in my campaign, which I'm sure all Oscar voters are going

[00:35:09] to pay attention to this best original song for Harper and will because I think, and

[00:35:14] Christine Wig or Christine Wig does the song and they kind of tease that throughout the

[00:35:18] film and then she plays it.

[00:35:20] And I think it goes, which is always one of the soapbox issues.

[00:35:24] I say, like I need it to be somehow an important song used in the film, but mean something.

[00:35:29] Yeah.

[00:35:30] And the lyrics in the song, of course, coming from Christine Wig, of course they're funny,

[00:35:34] but they actually mean something.

[00:35:36] Oh, no, that is there.

[00:35:37] It's a great song.

[00:35:38] Yeah.

[00:35:38] I actually, I was so disappointed for a brief second because the film ends with credits

[00:35:44] on the screen.

[00:35:45] I'm like, oh, wait a minute.

[00:35:46] Are we not going to get a song?

[00:35:48] Like they've been teasing our original song written by Christine Wig, this whole movie

[00:35:52] and we're not going to get it.

[00:35:53] And then immediately they go to the, the credits on the side scrolling and then you've got the

[00:35:57] little inset video and there's the song.

[00:35:59] And I'm like, okay, good, good, good.

[00:36:01] And it's totally was worth, it was worth the wait.

[00:36:03] It was such a good song.

[00:36:04] It's great.

[00:36:04] So yeah, no, I want that for original song.

[00:36:06] Absolutely.

[00:36:06] Right now.

[00:36:07] Usually I say, I don't want it just to be a song playing the credits, but they mentioned

[00:36:11] it during the film.

[00:36:11] You can tell.

[00:36:12] It was such a part of them.

[00:36:13] Right.

[00:36:13] I mean, it's a song written in the context of the documentary.

[00:36:17] That's pretty, that's pretty cool.

[00:36:19] So, um, no, it was great.

[00:36:21] And I mean, of course, you know, me being a Saturday night live guy, I love kind of the,

[00:36:27] the cameos with some different, uh, other performers.

[00:36:29] They stopped in New York as one of their first stops and went by the studios there to visit.

[00:36:33] And it was just, it was fun to see as well.

[00:36:35] And, um, I think Will Forte is in the, the film in one scene.

[00:36:41] I think they're in New Mexico somewhere, Albuquerque or something where they meet up with them.

[00:36:45] And he was, he was a lot of fun too.

[00:36:48] So I just, yeah, the film, the film's great.

[00:36:50] It's a fun time while also really giving some great insight into, you know, um, a topic, uh,

[00:36:59] a way of life that, you know, a lot of us are not as aware of or as, as in tune

[00:37:05] with or as, yeah, unfortunately some people not as comfortable with either.

[00:37:09] And I think this film does a lot to help bridge that and to help us all feel a little more,

[00:37:14] uh, knowledgeable about people's decision to transition like they do and, uh, understanding

[00:37:21] the reasoning, seeing some of the backstory with it was just, it was good.

[00:37:24] It was just really good.

[00:37:25] I think it was an important film to have around these days.

[00:37:28] So kind of thrown it to night pitch as well.

[00:37:33] Kind of surprised that I don't feel like this film has gotten as much of a, because we were

[00:37:39] beginning screeners and stuff from Netflix and stuff to try to encourage us to see films

[00:37:43] kind of surprised that this, but grant so much original content Netflix films come there

[00:37:48] and then are just lost.

[00:37:50] Um, I feel like it's a shame.

[00:37:52] This one is kind of getting lost.

[00:37:53] It did have a brief theatrical release before it came out on Netflix, but, uh, yeah, hopefully

[00:37:58] people may at least consider it around Oscar time, if not for best documentary, at least

[00:38:04] her best original song.

[00:38:05] I want it nominated for both.

[00:38:06] I think it needs to be in the mix for both of them for sure.

[00:38:09] I agree.

[00:38:10] All right.

[00:38:10] Well, that is Will and Harper on Netflix, uh, streaming right now.

[00:38:14] Again, another recommendation is two, two, two solid films with two solid recommendations

[00:38:20] from both of us.

[00:38:20] Uh, that doesn't happen terribly often.

[00:38:23] True.

[00:38:24] Um, so let's reward ourselves on having two really good films to be reviewed.

[00:38:29] It's the holiday season.

[00:38:30] Yeah.

[00:38:30] We're in the, look, we're all got some good stuff to watch right now.

[00:38:34] So a couple of good films to check out.

[00:38:35] All right.

[00:38:36] We're going to take a very, very quick break.

[00:38:37] When we come back, we're going to mention the golden globes that were just recently nominated.

[00:38:42] The nominations were announced.

[00:38:44] Just see how we're feeling about that.

[00:38:46] I mean, I know we're not big golden globes fans.

[00:38:48] I don't even think it's always the biggest predictor of like Oscars or any of that, but

[00:38:53] it's, it's a good little pulse reading to get a sense of.

[00:38:55] And then also Chris is going to have a recommendation for us of a film before we wrap up.

[00:39:00] So stay tuned.

[00:39:01] You're listening to foot candle films.

[00:39:02] We'll be right back.

[00:39:04] Welcome back to foot candle films here on the mesh.tv podcast network.

[00:39:08] We had our reviews of night bitch and Will and Harper in the first half of the show.

[00:39:13] We're back here, Chris, uh, in our new section, the golden globes were

[00:39:18] the nominations were announced.

[00:39:20] I think over the weekend, any look, I, they're the ones that always for me have, well, for

[00:39:26] lots of others have confusing categories.

[00:39:28] Very confusing.

[00:39:29] Okay.

[00:39:29] Well, they break everything into drama or musical slash comedy.

[00:39:33] And only that, but they do both TV and movies.

[00:39:35] They do.

[00:39:35] Right.

[00:39:35] Yeah.

[00:39:35] We're not going to talk about it.

[00:39:36] Right.

[00:39:37] We're talking about just the movie.

[00:39:38] Yeah.

[00:39:39] It's a big award show.

[00:39:40] A lot of very expensive in the film areas of TV and, uh, in film.

[00:39:44] Uh, I just want to mention, even though I, I do hate the way they break it into drama

[00:39:49] or musical comedy, because it's sometimes, it's sometimes funny just to look and see what

[00:39:55] films they put into what category and how you describe that.

[00:39:58] Uh, I think it's actually more of a challenge to say, all right, do we qualify this as a

[00:40:02] drama or do we qualify it as a comedy?

[00:40:04] What do we do?

[00:40:05] Please tell me that wicked and Emilia Perez and a complete unknown are all competing for

[00:40:13] drama comedy because that's funny because they're so like wicked and a complete unknown

[00:40:18] in the same category is bizarre.

[00:40:20] I'm sorry to disappoint, but you will not get that from me.

[00:40:22] Oh, let me, let me tell you.

[00:40:24] Since they won't agree to break those categories.

[00:40:26] Right.

[00:40:26] Oh man.

[00:40:27] No, I'm just going to tell you.

[00:40:28] Okay.

[00:40:28] Let's, let's break down.

[00:40:29] Sure.

[00:40:30] Just the motion pictures.

[00:40:32] Yeah.

[00:40:32] It's going to give you the highlights of the main categories, the nominations.

[00:40:35] Again, these are just the nominations, the award ceremony.

[00:40:37] I don't remember when it's coming up.

[00:40:39] I don't really care.

[00:40:40] I don't really care who wins this.

[00:40:42] I'm more curious about the names that are in the contention right now.

[00:40:45] Sure.

[00:40:46] It does give us maybe a little insight as to where the voting public is kind of leaning

[00:40:51] towards in terms of films.

[00:40:52] Okay.

[00:40:53] So we have six films in the best motion picture drama category.

[00:40:58] Okay.

[00:40:58] So this is drama.

[00:40:59] So there's comedy musical and this is just drama.

[00:41:01] The other one is musical or comedy.

[00:41:03] Okay.

[00:41:04] This is drama.

[00:41:05] Which still could have.

[00:41:05] I know.

[00:41:06] Here we go.

[00:41:07] Yeah.

[00:41:07] The drama, the six nominees are The Brutalist.

[00:41:10] Okay.

[00:41:11] Which we've understood to be also in the running on the Academy Awards.

[00:41:14] Mm-hmm.

[00:41:15] A Complete Unknown is in the drama, not musical.

[00:41:18] Okay.

[00:41:19] Okay.

[00:41:19] I think the idea of them either being musical biopics still puts it more in a drama category

[00:41:23] than a musical.

[00:41:25] Okay.

[00:41:26] Conclave.

[00:41:27] Dune Part 2.

[00:41:29] Okay.

[00:41:30] Nickel Boys.

[00:41:31] Now this is a film that we have not kind of brought up in our Oscars kind of premonitions

[00:41:36] yet because it's honestly one that's getting a lot more love very, very recently.

[00:41:40] I don't think it's quite made it.

[00:41:42] And the release for that is Christmas?

[00:41:45] Maybe so.

[00:41:46] Okay.

[00:41:46] Yeah.

[00:41:46] Have you seen Nickel Boys?

[00:41:48] I have not yet.

[00:41:48] I saw it.

[00:41:49] Okay.

[00:41:50] And I will vouch for it being on this list.

[00:41:53] Okay.

[00:41:53] Okay.

[00:41:53] So I think it's a very-

[00:41:56] It's from a first-time director, right?

[00:41:57] Yes, it is.

[00:41:58] Well, he's done documentaries.

[00:41:59] Yeah.

[00:42:00] He's done documentaries.

[00:42:01] Okay.

[00:42:02] But this is his first narrative.

[00:42:03] Gotcha.

[00:42:04] And very interesting.

[00:42:06] Okay.

[00:42:06] Do you know anything about the premise of the film?

[00:42:08] I know it's based on a book.

[00:42:10] So I know, and I know a little bit about what the book's about.

[00:42:12] Okay.

[00:42:12] But do you all know the filmmaking style that's involved?

[00:42:16] Actually, I think that was ruined for me.

[00:42:18] Oh, that's a shame.

[00:42:19] I think, but let me wonder about that.

[00:42:22] No, you need to-

[00:42:23] I'm very, very anxious to hear that you saw this movie and we talk about it.

[00:42:28] So Nickel Boys is on the list for best motion picture drama.

[00:42:31] And then rounding up September 5, which we haven't really talked about.

[00:42:36] Hasn't been getting a lot of love.

[00:42:37] That's one of those films, Chris, where I think it's not going to be in the round of

[00:42:41] nine or ten nominations for Academy Award.

[00:42:44] But since we've got like 12 nominations on Golden Globes and you're splitting up the two

[00:42:49] categories, it squeaks its way in to that drama category.

[00:42:54] So that is the six nominations for best motion picture drama.

[00:42:58] The Brutalist, we have still not had a chance to see.

[00:43:01] You have seen The Complete Unknown.

[00:43:03] I have not yet.

[00:43:04] I have seen Nickel Boys.

[00:43:06] You have not.

[00:43:06] And I don't think either of us have seen September 5 yet.

[00:43:10] No.

[00:43:10] Biggest thing holding me back from that.

[00:43:12] I think we may have mentioned when you mentioned the frontrunner from Variety.

[00:43:16] It's just the fact that it's the same event that was covered in Munich.

[00:43:21] Right.

[00:43:21] And so I liked Munich.

[00:43:23] And, you know, and I'm sure this film might be, but it's a little bit more from the media

[00:43:26] perspective you were saying.

[00:43:27] But I don't know.

[00:43:28] I just haven't been as pushed.

[00:43:30] So, but I mean, I do want to see it at some point.

[00:43:32] All right.

[00:43:33] Well, that is the drama category.

[00:43:35] Those six.

[00:43:35] I'd say, you know, I don't think any of them are surprises to me.

[00:43:38] September 5 is one from what I'm hearing.

[00:43:42] And again, I haven't seen it.

[00:43:43] So I can't vouch for this.

[00:43:44] It's probably the one that slid in just to fill out the category.

[00:43:48] I'm very happy to see Nickel Boys on there.

[00:43:50] The other four I kind of expected.

[00:43:52] So I think we're, we're on the right path there.

[00:43:55] So interestingly, it has not been, there is not a release date for the U.S. for Nickel

[00:44:02] Boys.

[00:44:02] Really?

[00:44:03] Yet.

[00:44:03] It has played at several film festivals, Telluride, New York, Hamptons, Santa Fe.

[00:44:09] It's played in London at a film festival, like in October.

[00:44:11] But there's not a release date set.

[00:44:13] I'm wondering if Oscar nominations, which come out December 17th, something like that,

[00:44:21] nominations.

[00:44:22] I'm wondering if maybe that'll play on trying to push to have a release in December,

[00:44:26] whether they do it in January, February.

[00:44:28] I don't know.

[00:44:28] But interesting.

[00:44:30] Yep.

[00:44:30] Yep.

[00:44:30] So let's roll into the musical or comedy best motion picture.

[00:44:34] This is always the one that's kind of fun.

[00:44:37] Yeah.

[00:44:38] Okay.

[00:44:39] Anora.

[00:44:42] Which that is going up against Wicked?

[00:44:44] Surely Wicked's nominated.

[00:44:45] Okay.

[00:44:46] Okay.

[00:44:47] Anora is in the quote comedy category, which again, I mean, there are some comedic moments,

[00:44:54] but it's definitely, I would, if you ask me what genre Anora belongs into, I would not

[00:44:58] say it's a straight comedy.

[00:45:00] And I'm interested if I get a chance, which I will at some point probably watch it again.

[00:45:04] If the comedy, I can appreciate it more because it was so tense for me that I think a lot of

[00:45:09] the comedic moments didn't play that way, you know, because it was so tense.

[00:45:12] Right.

[00:45:12] And it's a perfect blend of that.

[00:45:14] Sure.

[00:45:15] There is humor involved, but it's definitely couched around a lot, much more dramatic tense

[00:45:20] situation.

[00:45:21] So, yeah.

[00:45:24] Challengers.

[00:45:27] Which I have a real issue with that.

[00:45:29] Well, it's definitely not a musical.

[00:45:31] It's not a musical.

[00:45:32] I mean, it's, it's a drama.

[00:45:35] I don't get comedy out of it.

[00:45:37] I mean, other than I think, you know, if you want to, I don't know.

[00:45:41] I know.

[00:45:42] I'm sorry.

[00:45:42] I'm going to argue on that one.

[00:45:44] I think that's ridiculous.

[00:45:45] Yeah.

[00:45:46] Yeah.

[00:45:46] This, this points out the flaw in this whole, we got to put everything in a bucket of drama

[00:45:50] or music comedy.

[00:45:51] Because honestly, Challengers, I don't really think cleanly falls into any of those, but

[00:45:55] it doesn't really need to have a label to be nominated as a good film.

[00:46:00] So it's like, but now this idea of, well, do we put it in one or the other category?

[00:46:03] They're basically saying there's more comedy there than there is drama, which I don't.

[00:46:07] I would not agree with that.

[00:46:08] But anyway, Amelia Perez.

[00:46:11] Okay.

[00:46:12] Which again, on the musical side, I think, honestly, I get that.

[00:46:17] A Real Pain.

[00:46:18] Okay.

[00:46:19] Which, you know, yes, there's drama in A Real Pain, but I mean, ultimately I could label

[00:46:23] that as comedy, I guess, if I had to.

[00:46:25] I mean.

[00:46:25] It's not, it's not a Will Ferrell comedy, but there is, there is comedic stuff there.

[00:46:29] Yeah.

[00:46:29] Okay.

[00:46:30] The Substance.

[00:46:32] The Substance, which I'll go comedy.

[00:46:35] I'll go comedy on.

[00:46:35] It's satire.

[00:46:36] Very dark satire comedy.

[00:46:38] Yeah, I could see that.

[00:46:40] And then Wicked, obviously from the musical side.

[00:46:42] So Nora, Challengers, Amelia Perez, A Real Pain, The Substance, and Wicked.

[00:46:49] I'll just tell you with those two categories.

[00:46:53] Best Motion Picture.

[00:46:55] The Drama, I think is either going to go, I mean, my feeling is this is Golden Globes.

[00:46:59] This is a little more, a little more populist voting.

[00:47:02] Okay.

[00:47:02] Then it is like an academy of other filmmakers and other people in the business.

[00:47:07] Right.

[00:47:08] I think it's either going to be Conclave or Complete Unknown.

[00:47:11] Those are the two, I think, that are kind of, in my mind, have the potential in the public

[00:47:17] to win this.

[00:47:18] Okay.

[00:47:18] And on the musical comedy, it's Wicked.

[00:47:20] Right.

[00:47:21] I mean, I would be shocked.

[00:47:22] I would be shocked if it was anything but Wicked.

[00:47:25] Right.

[00:47:25] I've.

[00:47:26] Again, because again, this is not the academy.

[00:47:29] Right.

[00:47:29] The academy, I'm going to say, I think there's a little more willingness to look outside of

[00:47:33] the populist choices.

[00:47:35] But Golden Globes, it's Wicked.

[00:47:37] Okay.

[00:47:37] I think it's going to be Wicked.

[00:47:38] So.

[00:47:39] Okay.

[00:47:40] Real quick, let me just bring up quick performances.

[00:47:44] I'm just going to run these down real fast.

[00:47:47] Best Performance by a Female in a Motion Picture on the Drama Side.

[00:47:51] God, they do this for the acting too.

[00:47:53] Pamela Anderson for The Last Showgirl.

[00:47:56] Okay.

[00:47:57] Angelina Jolie for Maria.

[00:47:59] Nicole Kidman for Baby Girl.

[00:48:02] Tilda Swinton for The Room Next Door.

[00:48:05] Fernando Torres for I'm Still Here.

[00:48:08] Not familiar with that performance at all.

[00:48:12] Okay.

[00:48:13] Yeah.

[00:48:13] And then Kate Winslet for Lee.

[00:48:17] I'm Still Here.

[00:48:18] That's four.

[00:48:19] It's a foreign film?

[00:48:20] Don't know.

[00:48:21] Okay.

[00:48:22] Yeah.

[00:48:22] Don't know.

[00:48:23] But that's the one film I've heard mentioned in all this award talk that I'm just, I have

[00:48:28] no knowledge of.

[00:48:29] Yeah.

[00:48:30] Best Performance by a Male in a Motion Picture Drama.

[00:48:34] Adrian Brody for The Brutalist.

[00:48:36] Timothy Chalamet, Complete Unknown.

[00:48:38] Daniel Craig for Queer.

[00:48:40] Coleman Domingo for Sing Sing.

[00:48:42] Ray Fiennes for Conclave.

[00:48:44] And Squeaking in the Sixth Spot, which I'm very happy about.

[00:48:47] Sebastian Stan for, oh, wait a minute.

[00:48:50] Never mind.

[00:48:50] Sebastian Stan for The Apprentice.

[00:48:54] Not A Different Man.

[00:48:55] Right.

[00:48:56] Oh.

[00:48:57] Yeah.

[00:48:57] Okay.

[00:48:59] It's tough.

[00:48:59] It's tough.

[00:49:00] Because having seen both films, both A Different Man and Apprentice, I would have rather him,

[00:49:08] because I think it's more challenging.

[00:49:10] There's a lot more to it and everything.

[00:49:11] With A Different Man, but I can totally see why people would gravitate.

[00:49:15] Well, I haven't seen The Apprentice.

[00:49:16] I have seen A Different Man.

[00:49:17] I'm a big fan of his performance in A Different Man.

[00:49:20] So I didn't see that, but oh well.

[00:49:22] Okay.

[00:49:24] All right.

[00:49:25] And then Best Performance by a Female in a Musical or Comedy.

[00:49:30] Oh, I see where we're going with this.

[00:49:32] Okay.

[00:49:32] I got it.

[00:49:33] Now things are making sense.

[00:49:34] Let's make a sense.

[00:49:35] Female Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

[00:49:38] Amy Adams for Night Bitch.

[00:49:41] Musical or Comedy.

[00:49:43] Okay.

[00:49:44] Cynthia Urvio for Wicked.

[00:49:46] Sure.

[00:49:47] Or Cynthia Urvio.

[00:49:48] Sorry.

[00:49:49] Carla Sofia Gascon for Emilia Perez.

[00:49:52] Huh.

[00:49:52] Mikey Madison for Nora.

[00:49:55] Demi Moore for The Substance.

[00:49:57] And Zendaya for Challengers.

[00:49:59] I do not understand Challengers in the Comedy, but anyway.

[00:50:03] Okay.

[00:50:04] And then Best Performance by a Male in a Musical or Comedy.

[00:50:08] Here we go.

[00:50:09] Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain.

[00:50:10] Okay.

[00:50:11] Hugh Grant for Heretic.

[00:50:12] Oh.

[00:50:13] Musical or Comedy.

[00:50:16] Okay.

[00:50:17] There are some references made to music.

[00:50:22] Right.

[00:50:23] Yeah.

[00:50:23] So there are some laughs, but it's very, very dark.

[00:50:29] It's a harf.

[00:50:30] Right.

[00:50:30] Heretic's harf.

[00:50:30] But Hugh Grant's character.

[00:50:32] Okay.

[00:50:33] Imagine like the, yeah, yeah.

[00:50:35] Yeah.

[00:50:35] It's an interesting, interesting classification.

[00:50:38] It is an interesting classification.

[00:50:39] Gabrielle Lebel for Saturday Night.

[00:50:42] Jesse Plemons for Kinds of Kindness.

[00:50:44] Interesting.

[00:50:46] Glenn Power for Hitman.

[00:50:48] Oh.

[00:50:48] Okay.

[00:50:49] And then there's my Sebastian Stan for A Different Man.

[00:50:52] So Sebastian Stan nominated in both the drama and the comedy musical.

[00:50:58] One for The Apprentice, one for A Different Man.

[00:51:01] But A Different Man would mean that's falling in.

[00:51:04] Musical or Comedy.

[00:51:06] Obviously, Chris.

[00:51:06] Come on.

[00:51:07] Right.

[00:51:10] I know.

[00:51:10] It's funny.

[00:51:12] Right.

[00:51:13] I mean, I'm happy to see the film get nominated.

[00:51:14] No, no, yeah, yeah.

[00:51:15] Me too.

[00:51:15] I am too.

[00:51:16] But again, it just shows the fallacy of this whole thing.

[00:51:20] Okay.

[00:51:20] A Different Man.

[00:51:21] I can kind of see the comedy, maybe, but comedy in A Different Man?

[00:51:25] A Different Man, I think they're saying there's a bit of absurdist.

[00:51:30] Because of what his character has.

[00:51:31] A bit of absurdist.

[00:51:32] Like a Charlie Kaufman absurdist.

[00:51:34] Okay.

[00:51:35] Okay.

[00:51:35] Okay.

[00:51:35] I think that's where they're going with that.

[00:51:37] Okay.

[00:51:37] I don't agree.

[00:51:38] But I'm just saying that's, I think that's where they're trying to lean on that.

[00:51:41] Sure.

[00:51:42] Okay.

[00:51:42] Interesting.

[00:51:42] Yeah.

[00:51:43] Putting Challengers, A Different Man, and a Nora in the comedy categories doesn't work

[00:51:49] for me at all.

[00:51:50] Anyway.

[00:51:51] Yeah.

[00:51:52] Last ones.

[00:51:53] Supporting role by a female in any motion picture.

[00:51:56] So they don't break down supporting by any of these stupid categories.

[00:52:01] So it's all for one here.

[00:52:04] Selena Gomez for Amelia Perez.

[00:52:06] I think it's good.

[00:52:07] Ariana Grande for Wicked.

[00:52:08] Yep.

[00:52:10] Felicity Jones for The Brutalist.

[00:52:11] Still haven't seen it.

[00:52:13] We'll take his word for it.

[00:52:14] Sure.

[00:52:15] Margaret Qualley for The Substance.

[00:52:18] Isabella Russelini for Conclave.

[00:52:20] And Zoe Saldana for Amelia Perez.

[00:52:23] Yeah.

[00:52:24] Okay.

[00:52:24] I'm, I feel pretty good about those.

[00:52:26] Okay.

[00:52:27] Because a good, good group of supporting roles.

[00:52:29] So Amelia Perez is getting a lot more, at least from Golden Globes, is getting a lot

[00:52:32] more love than I might have thought.

[00:52:34] Well, we don't know.

[00:52:35] We don't know if the Academy is going to, as far as what variety and other publications

[00:52:39] are predicting.

[00:52:40] But nomination wise.

[00:52:41] Nomination wise, Golden Globes is doing pretty good with it.

[00:52:44] So yeah.

[00:52:45] And then supporting by a male actor in any motion picture.

[00:52:49] Yura Borisov for Anora.

[00:52:50] Very happy with that one.

[00:52:52] Agreed.

[00:52:52] Uh, Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain.

[00:52:54] Okay.

[00:52:55] Edward Norton for A Complete Unknown.

[00:52:57] Okay.

[00:52:57] Guy Pearce for The Brutalist.

[00:53:00] I haven't seen it, but yeah.

[00:53:01] Uh, Jeremy Strong for The Apprentice.

[00:53:04] Wow.

[00:53:04] Can you, could you give a, would you be able to echo that?

[00:53:07] That's a tough, okay.

[00:53:07] I can't speak for Guy Pearce, like, cause you haven't seen it.

[00:53:10] But that is a, that's a, that's a tough category.

[00:53:11] Oh, I still got one more.

[00:53:12] Oh, wow.

[00:53:13] Uh, Denzel Washington for Gladiator 2.

[00:53:15] Yeah.

[00:53:15] That's a tough category.

[00:53:16] It is.

[00:53:17] That is a tough category.

[00:53:18] I'd actually, I know I haven't seen A Complete Unknown or The Brutalist or The Apprentice,

[00:53:23] but the ones I have seen, I'd be happy with any of those winning.

[00:53:26] Sure.

[00:53:26] And, uh, yeah.

[00:53:29] And, uh, all right, I'll do, we'll do one more category.

[00:53:32] Okay.

[00:53:33] We got a minute before we go to your recommendation.

[00:53:35] Sure.

[00:53:35] Best Director nomination.

[00:53:37] Oh, okay.

[00:53:37] There are actually six.

[00:53:38] I don't know what it is with six.

[00:53:39] They have six in every category.

[00:53:41] Academy usually has the magic number of five.

[00:53:43] Yeah, this one has six.

[00:53:44] Okay.

[00:53:44] Best Director, Motion Picture.

[00:53:45] It doesn't matter, comedy, drama.

[00:53:47] They're doing it the right way for the director role.

[00:53:50] Everybody's all in this in one category.

[00:53:52] Gotcha.

[00:53:52] Uh, Jacques Audillard for Amelia Perez.

[00:53:55] Sean Baker for Nora.

[00:53:57] Edward Berger for Conclave.

[00:54:00] Brady Corbet for The Brutalist.

[00:54:03] Uh, Coralie Fargo for The Substance.

[00:54:06] Hmm.

[00:54:06] And Payal Capadia for All We Imagine as Light.

[00:54:10] Okay.

[00:54:11] So All We Imagine is Light.

[00:54:13] That is a foreign film from India, I believe.

[00:54:15] Okay.

[00:54:15] That's interesting that that snuck in there.

[00:54:17] I did, in turn, ran in with a little bit of research.

[00:54:19] I'm Still Here is foreign film.

[00:54:21] Okay.

[00:54:22] So Golden Globes, good.

[00:54:23] Weaving in, uh, weaving in some foreign films into some of their major categories, which is

[00:54:27] great.

[00:54:28] Um, so yeah, interesting list of directors there.

[00:54:31] I love the fact that all six of the directors listed are either relatively, quote, unknown or

[00:54:40] relatively new, or at least relatively new to the awards conversation in general.

[00:54:47] You know, we don't think we talked about this.

[00:54:48] This is not a year where you had a lot of big established directors putting out work this

[00:54:54] year.

[00:54:54] And I think that shows in the list of what we're looking at here.

[00:54:58] That was the best director.

[00:54:59] I'd say, you know, Edward Berger, I know has been directing films for a little while.

[00:55:03] Sean Baker has been making films for a while.

[00:55:04] I'm sure all of these have been making films.

[00:55:06] But as far as hearing them listed as a best director in a Golden Globes nomination, it's

[00:55:11] pretty impressive list of kind of unique names and names we're not as always familiar with.

[00:55:17] So that's good.

[00:55:19] Okay.

[00:55:20] That's all we're going to do with Golden Globes.

[00:55:21] Golden Globes are kind of dumb.

[00:55:22] I think in a way, the way they're handling those categories.

[00:55:26] But it does give us a little bit of insight as to all right, this is where some people

[00:55:31] have these films in the overall conversation.

[00:55:34] So all right, Chris, I'm going to roll it over to you to wrap us up here.

[00:55:38] What do you have for us as a recommendation of a film that you recently caught up with

[00:55:43] and you think is worth our time checking out as well?

[00:55:45] So this is a film from 2018 that we actually reviewed on the show, probably I assume back

[00:55:51] in 2018 when it came out.

[00:55:52] I think we actually had it as a foot candle screening for our film society, but it is the

[00:55:58] Jason Reitman film Tully, star Charlize Theron and Ron Livingston.

[00:56:03] And it is about a struggling mother.

[00:56:06] And she is a mother of three and her husband is kind of all over the place.

[00:56:11] She forms an unexpected bond with a night nanny that is hired by her brother to try to help

[00:56:17] her with the newborn baby.

[00:56:18] So the youngest of the three kids is like a newborn.

[00:56:21] And the film takes some unexpected twists and turns.

[00:56:25] But when I was watching Night Bitch, I was reminded of Tully because it's one of those rare Hollywood

[00:56:31] films that focuses on this is what motherhood is like.

[00:56:35] These are some challenges.

[00:56:37] And it's not that the mother doesn't love the children, but it's challenging.

[00:56:41] So I really, and Tully was completely unexpected for me.

[00:56:45] I didn't really knew where it was going and stuff.

[00:56:47] So listen back to our review.

[00:56:49] If you want to hear more about the film or you want spoiled or what, but was it Diablo Cody?

[00:56:54] She wrote it.

[00:56:55] She wrote it.

[00:56:55] She was the writer and Jason Reitman directed it, but it was based on her, her script.

[00:57:00] I guess that was their second collaboration because Juno was the first one they did together.

[00:57:04] So yeah.

[00:57:04] But Tully, it's streaming on Netflix.

[00:57:07] Oh, good.

[00:57:07] So if you subscribe to that service.

[00:57:08] I love Tully.

[00:57:09] I thought that was a great movie.

[00:57:10] Yeah.

[00:57:10] Really, really good.

[00:57:11] Nice surprise.

[00:57:12] I did not expect to quite appreciate it and enjoy it as much as I did when we saw it.

[00:57:16] But yeah, it definitely does weave in really, really easily to the story in Night Bitch.

[00:57:22] Yeah.

[00:57:22] So if you've seen Tully and you liked it, then that might give you an idea of what you're in store for.

[00:57:28] A little bit more humor, I guess, wouldn't be involved in Night Bitch, but still kind of similar, similar films.

[00:57:33] Because Night Bitch is a comedy.

[00:57:35] I mean, that's what we just learned from the Golden Globes.

[00:57:37] Likewise, if you have, or if you live in a city where you can see Night Bitch and you do enjoy it and you haven't seen Tully, then look it up on Netflix.

[00:57:45] There you go.

[00:57:45] It's good.

[00:57:46] All right.

[00:57:47] Chris, what category would our show fall in if it was a Golden Globe nominee?

[00:57:51] Would it be the drama?

[00:57:53] Would it be a comedy musical?

[00:57:55] We don't sing anything, so that rules out musical.

[00:57:57] Right.

[00:57:57] I guess just probably drama because I don't think you and I are funny enough to be considered.

[00:58:02] No, I don't think so either.

[00:58:03] Although degree of comedy apparently is not that important, so maybe we would be considered a comedy.

[00:58:08] It feels like sarcastic comedy or like a dark comedy, maybe.

[00:58:12] Sure.

[00:58:12] Yeah, it's tough to say.

[00:58:13] There's no telling.

[00:58:14] I mean, the Globes are obviously on their own wavelength of deciding what films and productions go into what category.

[00:58:20] All right.

[00:58:21] Well, we are going to wrap it up for today.

[00:58:23] We had our reviews of Will and Harper, our reviews of Night Bitch, and then we also had our discussions of the Golden Globes nominations.

[00:58:31] And, Chris, if anybody has any thoughts, feedback for us, oh, and also the recommendation of Tully, anything for us as a means of feedback, how can they get a hold of us and engage with us?

[00:58:42] You can send an email to info at footcandle.org.

[00:58:46] You can follow us on the multi, not multimedia services, but social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky.

[00:58:55] We're on all those.

[00:58:56] Al and I are also on Letterboxd.

[00:58:58] We try to track what we're seeing.

[00:58:59] Sometimes we're not always successful.

[00:59:01] We can sometimes leave quick reviews there.

[00:59:03] Do us a favor.

[00:59:03] If you like this show, consider giving us a star rating, write a review, share with friends on whatever service you receive your favorite podcasts on because it'll help us reach new listeners.

[00:59:14] And we'd appreciate that.

[00:59:15] All right.

[00:59:16] Thank you, everybody, so much for your time listening.

[00:59:18] And we'll look forward to talking to you next time.

[00:59:20] Take care.

[00:59:21] See you in the Ticket Bomb.

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