The Creator

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

[00:00:06] This is the mesh.

[00:00:10] What you want, when you want it, where you want it.

[00:00:14] This is the mesh.

[00:00:19] Foot Candle Films.

[00:00:20] Film news and reviews from two with you. Today's movie review is going to be the latest from director

[00:01:44] Gareth Edwards. It is the film The Creator, ago today, the artificial intelligence created to protect us, detonated a nuclear

[00:03:01] warhead in Los Angeles. So, a couple things on this. I've been going just lay it on out there. I really, really like this film. I had a really good time with this film. There are some issues we'll discuss later, but overall my general impression is I did like what this film was doing.

[00:04:21] We have a science fiction film that felt real, I think they were really trying to figure out a way to weave this story together and to come to a satisfying ending and it didn't quite get there the way I'd hoped that I was led to believe the first two thirds of the film but it was not that it was a bad ending,

[00:05:40] it just, I felt like it got very clunky

[00:05:41] and it got a little more over complicated

[00:05:43] than it needed to be story wise.

[00:05:45] But overall, I really enjoy this film. I can go into more details in a bit, but I want to hear your take first the worldbuilding of the film is extremely successful and notable to me because as has been noted in the press and I'll do air quotes it was made on

[00:07:02] The cheap so to speak as compared with other big budget superhero movies that are happening

[00:08:06] plays a great villain unlike the recent Blue Beetle movie where Susan Sarandon was playing a female antagonist and she was just like, it wasn't believable.

[00:08:10] We kind of joked that we didn't even know she knew she was in that movie.

[00:08:13] Alison Janney is in this film and I think does a great, a great job.

[00:08:18] So that worked for me.

[00:08:20] Ken Watanabe, I always liked him.

[00:08:22] Granted, he was very brief in here, but I liked, he didn't have a whole lot to do, but

[00:08:27] what he could do, Rogue One. Of all his films, this definitely ranks the lowest out of all the ones that he's made. But I do appreciate the fact that it was trying to be original. It's just so sad that it just ended up seeming so derivative to me. But if people really like sci-fi and maybe if you haven't geeked out to as many sci-fi movies,

[00:09:44] maybe you would like this better because it wouldn't. So I like seeing them here as well. You know that the robots are they very similar to other AI or Android robots we've seen? Yeah, but I also feel like that's my complaint. Absolutely. None of that's my complaint. I wasn't even talking about gunfire battles or no. I'm talking about the fact that AI being bad. Okay. That's the Terminator. And we've had hundreds, like not hundreds, it

[00:11:03] feels like hundreds of movies about yes, in the first half

[00:12:23] of the film, I felt like, yeah, okay, that for spoiler, I guess. Okay, yeah, we can do that. Yeah, so I did like this film quite a bit. Sounds like more than you. Let me call it a few more specific things here. Jimi Chan as Maya, very, very small role,

[00:13:41] but I thought was good.

[00:13:43] That's the wife that I'm speaking of, I spoke of you.

[00:13:46] Yeah, you mentioned Alice and Jenny, I had a good time with this. I think it's great. I think Gareth Edwards has a, he's got a good capability of creating a world that feels real and feels lived in. It feels practical while also exploring some really interesting high concept

[00:15:02] science fiction elements.

[00:15:04] So there were some use, and wasn't in it that much and it was a lot of humans talking But he knew how to build up to something that was really gonna be interesting and and thrilling to watch here I felt we had the same kind of thing and We didn't mention the child but uh Madeline Yuna, I believe playing Alfie who is the

[00:16:23] Young child if you've seen the trailer, you know, there's a child involved

[00:17:23] But I was not always the biggest fan of Rogue One. I mean, I loved it.

[00:17:24] I know you did.

[00:17:25] And I liked it,

[00:17:28] but I think I was in a weird Star Wars place at that time.

[00:17:31] And I've only seen it once.

[00:17:33] I probably need to go back and review it again.

[00:17:37] But I do really like his Godzilla.

[00:17:39] So,

[00:17:40] I mean, the only thing bad I can say about Rogue One

[00:17:42] is it was possibly one of the first movies

[00:17:46] to do the whole face replacement on people and quote an original film. I got to give it kudos for that. I mean, I love the fact that it is something original. The shame of it is, unfortunately, it's bombed at the box office, which is a shame to me because that just means that. I don't think it's deserving of that. You know, it's not great, but it didn't. Yeah, at least it's original. It it's like their kid died or whatever So something that could have saved the film because I kind of saw that coming a mile away as soon as that happened Because it's just coincidental that there's this young child and he had an unborn child like it just too coincidental

[00:20:20] Okay

[00:20:21] Now granted this is science fiction. I don't know how this would have worked but something that could have

[00:21:23] And that would have somehow been something that would have been like next level.

[00:21:26] And I've been like, OK, thank you.

[00:21:29] That's something like that.

[00:21:30] Whereas.

[00:21:34] Yeah, but so that's something I don't want to spoil anything. That's why we did this.

[00:21:35] But like that would have helped elevate it a little bit.

[00:21:37] I could see that being an interesting view.

[00:21:40] I actually thought at one point maybe that's where they were going to go.

[00:21:45] Yeah, no, the mystery of my was not.

[00:22:44] is the kind of the, you know, when you're building to this point of there's a giant climactic action sequence

[00:22:48] and there's a timer on a bomb involved

[00:22:51] and it's just, you know, you kind of know

[00:22:54] what's gonna happen, you know that the child's gonna be saved

[00:22:57] because that's what's gonna happen.

[00:22:59] You kind of get the impression

[00:23:00] that John David Washington character Joshua

[00:23:02] is going to sacrifice himself.

[00:23:05] But they still somehow found time

[00:23:07] with like a minute left in a bomb Instead of just letting a more natural ending happen. So I will say that was disappointed with the way it wrapped up. But up until that point, I was totally digging it. And I still ultimately really did like the movie at the end of the day. So yeah. No, I think your take could have been interesting. Yes, I think there's a lot of different ways they could have made this more interesting.

[00:24:21] I just appreciate it since we're in Sporlaring,

[00:24:23] I can go in.

[00:24:24] I just will say I appreciated the fact that

[00:25:25] So AI is good. Humans are bad. We basically are turning this into avatar, a much better version of avatar, which is good for me. So, I mean, really, it became avatar after that point.

[00:25:31] This is better than avatar. Yes.

[00:25:33] Yes. If the humans are chasing down the AI versions because they are threatened by them

[00:25:40] and they want to eradicate them and, you know, and then you've got one guy who's a rebel.

[00:25:43] So what you're saying is it was a little let down, but we felt like we said what we had to say about it. So why did I not feel satisfied with that? I don't know. I think we wanted a little something more to dig into

[00:27:01] and with the promise of being an original film,

[00:27:05] not a franchise, that've got male, Harry, Matt, Sally. And then just kind of dropped off, now trying to make a little bit of a resurgence actually directing a film. So kind of curious about that. Another person that kind of falls in that category for me and probably even more so for a lot of reasons is Kevin Costner.

[00:28:21] Okay, Kevin Costner, early to mid 90s, I mean.

[00:28:26] That was the Wolves, I mean The Untouchables was one of the first ones he did. So many great films that he was a part of. Then he started kinda getting to a lot of smaller B-movie projects or ones that just didn't make any money and you just didn't really hear from him that much. I think after directing The Postman, that was a film he did.

[00:29:40] That might have kinda sent him downward

[00:29:42] because that movie just tanked and nobody liked it.

[00:29:46] So he was involved with some other projects. It's being released by Warner Brothers and New Line. So the idea is that... Did he write this as well? I believe so. Okay. Initially, the concept for this film project was that it was going to be four different movies released every three months. Oh. But then all they really kind of clarified right now is that there's going to be two of them.

[00:31:03] And he is directing, I mean, it's not even worth really showing. It's just title cards saying the date and like one shot of Kevin Costner on a horse whipping around with a gun. And that was it. So I was wondering why we didn't show a little bit. No, it's not worth breaking for. I mean, it really is a teaser

[00:32:20] in the most teaser as possible way.

[00:32:22] Okay.

[00:32:23] But I gotta tell you, I'm super intrigued.

[00:32:27] You know, Kevin Costner had a short, before we commit. So kind of like what they did with George Lucas when he pitched Star Wars, like tell you what buddy, we're not gonna give you six films, we'll give you three. Yeah, here's three, knock yourself out, we'll see if we do another three or not. I mean, westerns are one of those things that, it's kind of like, I mean I guess it is a period piece, but it's a specific type of period piece, not really my bag.

[00:33:41] I have seen some and some,

[00:33:43] but it's just not something I'm gonna go out for.

[00:33:45] If I hear this is really back, but that was like a little bit of his building him back up as being in movies, but he still hasn't quite gotten back into it. Like I kind of hoped he would. Sure. So Kevin Costner is also in that bank of people for me. So I'm excited to see it. Hopeful it's good. Hopeful it takes off.

[00:35:00] Hopeful it kind of re-estalishes him.

[00:35:02] I could just see him definitely later in his life being a really interesting actor,

[00:35:08] putting on some interesting projects. at least if they're doing a part one, part two, right now they're planning on them only being three months apart. So I'm like, that's good. I do think these one year apart, part ones, part twos is a long wait on things. I will say though, back to our comment on AI in the previous review, it will be opening

[00:36:20] when it opens up and June 28th currently is set to open

[00:36:23] against Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible,

[00:36:26] dead reckoning part two. threaten her future while forcing her to deal with her past. Basically, it's an alien home invasion movie instead of just a home invasion movie because she has a house and people are trying to break in. It's not just anybody, it's aliens. And what, so if you have heard, you may have heard a little bit of buzz about this movie. Basically it doesn't have any dialogue.

[00:37:40] It's because a lot of it's she's not going isolated and then have this happen and no one is willing to help her with whatever, like, you know, she kind of tries to go into town and get help and people are just like, yeah, you're an idiot or like just, it's really interesting this like outside of perspective of something like that. You could say that it does steal a little bit

[00:39:01] from things like a quiet place maybe with how the alien,

[00:39:05] but, because that was kind of scary. But if they had released it, they think it would have stood to made some pretty decent money in the theater. Well, that's the thing is that horror movies, especially, I'm not, I'm not saying this one's necessarily a low budget. I don't know what the budget is on this, but I'm assuming it's a lower, lower budget film. I mean,

[00:40:21] you'd be correct. I think some of the, some of the alien stuff I thought was okay,

[00:40:25] but you could say it was a little,

[00:41:26] to see probably will be seeing this weekend. No one will save you. It is on Hulu. So you do have to have a Hulu subscription. It came out September 22nd, so it's available for

[00:41:30] everybody to see now. Chris is recommending it and I am looking forward to seeing it.

[00:41:36] So the event like if you saw the creator and maybe were a little let down like me,

[00:41:40] see no one will save you. It's on Hulu. Or if you're looking for kind of a

[00:42:42] An American saga or something like that. Frontier would have been better.

[00:42:43] Frontier.

[00:42:45] I agree.

[00:42:46] Horizon has a little sci-fi feel to it.

[00:42:50] It does.

[00:42:51] Anyway, Horizon, An American Tale,

[00:42:53] comes out next year in two parts with Kevin Costner.

[00:42:56] And then Chris gave the recommendation

[00:42:58] of a Hulu exclusive movie that is worth seeing called

[00:43:02] No One Will Save You.

[00:43:04] And so that is our show.

[00:43:06] So Chris, we did have kind of a music documentary of sorts called Dusty and Stones. And it told the story of two guys from Africa that form, they want to do country music and kind of how their

[00:44:21] struggle to kind of, you know, persevere as country musicians. So that was good.

[00:44:25] Very, you know, kind of a heartwarminge who's trying to find her birth family in Korea and her dealing with her adopted family in doing so. And very good, audience loved it. Great feedback there, both films, both of those two films I think audience really connected with. So some good winners there for us.

[00:45:41] Then we had some short films.

[00:45:42] I won some awards too, right?

[00:45:44] Absolutely, the documentary short,

[00:45:46] best documentary short,. But the audience favorite short film was actually a one minute film called First Memory that played during our Friday night short film showcase directed by Chip Hackler from here in North Carolina.

[00:47:00] And that one just again, one minute long,

[00:47:04] super effective though it worked and people loved it. and then had until Sunday evening to give us a completed film. So we got six completed films there, and Chris, who was the winner on this one? This one was Lullaby of the Lost, which we were happy to be able to have the competition, have so many teams in her, and then they were able to be at the awards ceremony, and they were happy to get the awards. And the teams wanna go, well, September 20th through the 28th. Go ahead and mark your calendars now. You really have no excuse, because I don't know anybody who makes plans more than a year in advance. So look, put it on your calendar, you really, that way you just can't back out of it. You can't overschedule something or double book something. You may have a son or daughter

[00:49:40] that's planning on getting married

[00:49:41] and you'd be like, look, make it in October,

[00:49:43] or early September.

[00:49:44] Look, October's are much better for weddings,

[00:49:46] I think, than September.

[00:49:48] Sure. It'll help us reach new listeners. We always would appreciate that. Okay, oh, that was it. That was it. Sorry, that was your ending. Normally I give the festival dates, but I'd already done that. Right, exactly. Yes, I guess that's what I was used to. I'm just waiting for you to go and roll into that. But yeah, we don't need to do that. All right, well that will do it for Foot Candle Films today. Thanks for listening, and we will look forward to talking to you next time.

[00:51:00] Take care.

[00:51:01] See you in the ticket line.

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