The Sun Never Sets — Plus Trailers for Artificial, Remain, and You Can See Everything

[00:00:00] Listen, Watch, Connect. This is The MESH. Footcandle Films. Film news and reviews from two guys who really like movies. Hello everyone and welcome to Footcandle Films here on the MESH.TV podcast network. My name is Alan Jackson. Across from me on this table is Chris Fry. [00:00:28] Hi, we are both co-directors of the Footcandle Films Society and co-directors of the annual Footcandle Film Festival and co-host on this podcast, Footcandle Films. Chris, how are you doing today? Good to see you. Our publication schedule has been a little screwy the last few weeks. I just realized this morning that we had even posted last week's episode, which was already delayed as it was. It was. [00:00:55] So, we're way off on things, but anyway, it's fine. We're not doing anything, so we're really just falling down because we have no excuse. Oh, right. Our festival's coming up. September tends to get a little chaotic. A little nutty. A little nutty around here and, you know, plus we do have jobs and other things we do. So, yeah, there's all that going on. But we're going to try to get back on schedule here, get back on track. I'm sorry, I skipped right over. How are you doing? I'm doing okay. [00:01:24] You're doing okay? A little busy, but doing okay. Yeah, yeah. All right. You sleeping okay? We're catching up on our sleep? Are we doing okay with that? I'll do that probably October 1. So, but yeah, it's okay. It's good to be busy, so. Well, and see, I'm a little struggling this morning, just to be candidly honest. Because not only is it festival planning, not only is it work is very busy. The coffee machine didn't break, did it? What's that? The coffee machine. Oh, no, no, no. [00:01:53] Don't, don't, don't even joke about that. Okay. Because that can happen. No, this is also U.S. Open time. Oh. Which I'm a big fan of. And unfortunately, the U.S. Open, even though it's in New York, it's in the same time zone as us. Games are super, super late at night. So, there was a match that was last night, a really good match, that started at 11 o'clock p.m., ended at 3.30 a.m. Now, I fell asleep on the couch. [00:02:21] I did not stay up until the end. This is tennis, by the way. I'm talking about U.S. Open tennis. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I just, it's always late games at the Open. Is that because it's so hot? I don't know. I think they start the games at like seven, you know, like most of the key matches, but they stack them. They were like have one big match and then they'll have another big match after that. But the second match can't start until the first match is done. [00:02:48] And if the first match is really long or the ones before it were long, everything gets bumped down the schedule. So, like they stack them on a court. They're like, okay, we're going to start the first match. You know, maybe they start one at one and then they have one at four. And then it's like, but if those run really long, then everything gets pushed back. So, then last night we didn't have a match starting until like 11 something p.m., almost like 1130. Whoa. And it ended at 330 in the morning. So, yes. [00:03:16] Did they provide like pillows and sleeping bags to people? No, but there's like still a big crowd out there, like even at 330 in the morning. So, anyway. So, all that together, yeah, September's always a little hairy. That was more detail than I really should have probably gotten into on that. But just to give a little insight, if I do trail off or seem like I'm kind of in a daze at points in this podcast, that is hard. For no reason you start like moving your head back and forth as if you were following tennis ball. Yes. [00:03:44] My gut reaction, my natural reaction to things now is to pivot my head back and forth quickly. Fair enough. Okay. Let's get to what we're here to talk about, which is movies. This is Foot Candle Films. This is not U.S. Open Daily or Alan and Chris's Sleep Schedule podcast. This is, we're talking about movies here on Foot Candle Films. We have a review of the new film by writer-director Joe Swanberg called The Sun Never Sets. We actually talked about this movie just last episode. That's right. [00:04:14] Which I still haven't published yet. So, people probably haven't heard it. So, no one actually knows. Well, if you've heard this episode, luckily I would have published this episode after I published the last one. So, yes, there is a chance you heard us talk about this movie in the last episode. Anyway, we teased about this movie. Now we're going to review it. We've also got some trailers to discuss for some upcoming new movies. All three of them, Chris, I find to be fascinating films. [00:04:41] I'm extremely curious about all three of them. So, I'm excited to talk about all three of these upcoming films. How many of the trailers have you seen? I have seen 0.5. Oh, okay. No, no. 1.5. Oh, okay. Yes, I've seen one of them. And then I've seen half of another one. Okay. I've only seen one of them. Okay. All right. So, we will discuss these three films a little bit after our main review. [00:05:07] And then, Chris, you also do have a recommendation for us for this episode, as usual. We'll look forward to that at the end of the episode before we close out. But let's go ahead and jump into our main film review, Chris. It is the film The Sun Never Sets. You and I used to talk about doing it alongside each other, but do you still want it? Hey, Dad. Yeah. Can Wendy spend the night tonight? Yes. [00:05:41] You don't want to get married again. You don't want to have any more kids. And I used to want that. I don't want you to wake up in eight years and hate me for it. I think you need to spend the summer and see what else is out there. If you love us, you've got to find who you were before we started dating. I was in a full-blown relationship. The plot rundown for The Sun Never Sets is a woman's relationship with her older, divorced boyfriend [00:06:07] hits a rough patch just as her ex reappears in her life, leading to complicated emotions and messy entanglements. Alan mentioned in the intro there, writer-director Joe Swanberg gives us this film, starring Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, and Corey Michael Smith. Alan, we've talked about, just in this recording year, these episodes have come out, so listeners will know what I'm talking about. We've discussed the drama, and we've discussed the invite. [00:06:37] Both different types of films on this, this is more of a drama-drama than those other two were. Invite also, like, obviously doing some comedy there. But both of those other films deal with people's relationships, couple relationships. This film, also couple relationships, a love triangle, if you will, which the others didn't really... Well, I guess invite could maybe be considered that. Not really sure. [00:07:02] But with this film, a quieter film by director Joe Swanberg, who's known for the whole mumblecore idea that, you know, the Duplass brothers are also known for... Which explain mumblecore for people that may not be familiar with that. Right. So, basically, I think The Puffy Chair was one of the first movies that these fellows put out. And then there's some other ones that... Hump Day and some other... But, basically, improvised, maybe sometimes. [00:07:31] I mean, I think they have plot outlines, but they're kind of improvised. And it's more about the mood or just how characters are reacting to each other. Maybe not necessarily about attention to the dialogue that's being said. So, even the term mumble... It's like, it's okay if you're just hearing people kind of make noises, vocal noises, but you're maybe not always... It's not as interesting as exactly what it is they're saying, and it's how they're saying it, the way, the manner they're saying it. Right. And just very realistic. Yeah, right. Realistic title. [00:07:59] People may talk over one another. Sure. Yeah. So, at least that's my understanding of what the term mumblecore meant. But, anyways, that's something that's thrown around when Joe Swanberg's name is usually brought up. So, all that to say, third relationship maybe that I can think of off the top of my head that we're going to review here on the show. Alan, what was your take on The Sun Never Sets? Which, spoiler, I do know that you don't really care for the title. No, I don't care for the title. I think the title's a mismatch for this film and doesn't work. [00:08:29] It implies a much heavier film and a much more dramatic film than I think we got, and good, because I didn't really want that. I wanted the film we got out of this. Got you. So, Chris, this is a tricky one to review, because if I want to review it on the merits of the filmmaking and the acting and all the technical aspects of making a film and, you know, performances and all that, yeah, it's great. [00:08:58] I think it's a good film. I struggle with it because I have some major misgivings with the story it's telling. Okay. And certain characters' decisions and certain characters' actions. But again, I also get that that's also part of the story. [00:09:25] There are characters are making really dumb moves, but at least in the film, they also acknowledge they're making very dumb moves. So, I get it. But it is a frustrating watch for me. Can I just say, Chris, that, and I'll do this without spoiling the plot of the film, but I think our two male leads in this film, which we have, we have Jake Johnson and we [00:09:54] have Corey Michael Smith. Playing Jack and Chuck. Yeah. Might be two of the worst characters ever written that I've seen. As far as, no, no, they're acting great. Depending on good performances. I'm talking about the actual characters themselves. I think are bad people. Okay. And that's my opinion. And I love the main character, Dakota Fanning's Wendy. [00:10:24] Oh, yeah. See, we're going to have a disagreement on this. We are. This is good. We are. Because I think, I think this film is, for me, is torture watching this, this, this character, Wendy. The situation she is put, she has been put in. Yes. She doesn't choose to get into. She is put in by the people around her and she is doing her best to deal with the cards being dealt to her by one of the two men. [00:10:49] And anyway, it's just, it's a tough movie for me because the whole time I'm wincing and I'm just like, oh no, no, no, no. This, please don't do this to Wendy. Please don't put Wendy in this situation. Please. And it's like, luckily Wendy's powerful enough, a character that by the end, I mean, I know she's fine, but boy, it was just, it was, it's a tough watch. Okay. And again, it's nothing against the film. That's what the film wants us to believe. It wants me to feel. So it did it and the film worked on that level. [00:11:19] Man, I just, I was very uncomfortable with all the mechanics of the film because I, I did not like two thirds of our, of our main character trio there. So anyway, and the, the, the positions they put Wendy in were very uncomfortable for me. So anyway, Chris, I'll say I liked it. Technically speaking, I think it's a good film. I really liked Dakota Fanning's performance as Wendy. I think she's very, very good. Um, and it makes me want to see her in more things. [00:11:48] So with that, I'm going to turn it over to you. I want to hear your thoughts on the sun never sets. Sure. Which rather than was title coming from, this is set in Alaska, which we don't think I actually. Oh yeah. So set in Alaska. So the whole idea that they have days where the sun doesn't go down. That has a little bit of legitimacy to it. Also, you could say, you know, I mentioned how it's like a love triangle and these people, things kind of expand outward, involves other people. So like, you know, sun never sets on this relationship. [00:12:17] I mean, but no, I agree. It's kind of a weird title. Um, off the bat, one of the first, I will save my first thing that I made a note of, but my second note, just as important is I wanted to give Swanberg his props because the three central figures for me, Fanning's Wendy, Johnson's Jack and Michael Smith's Chuck are all perfectly flawed. [00:12:42] I don't feel like there was an enemy, which would have been way, way, way too easy for him to do. Yes. The majority of the film is Wendy's. You know, she's the central figure. She has, you know, the boyfriend that tells her, Hey, you need to go out and live life. I'm, I don't want to have more kids. And let's clarify just for people on that, just expand on what you're describing there. Yes. He is the boyfriend. He is a, I think we're supposed to apply it maybe a little bit older. He's divorced. [00:13:11] He has children. He is a more settled in his life. He is happy with his position in life where he is. Boyfriend. Okay. So just to kind of, I got to put the framework on there. Please continue with your descriptions. And so then, uh, yeah. Yeah. And so Michael, Corey Michael Smith's character, he's the former boyfriend who is a pilot and that flies like, you know, tourists around, lets them see the beautiful landscapes of Alaska. [00:13:40] And he's, they, their previous relationship was broken off. He was kind of immature. She feels, meets him again, feels like he's changed. They go camping and, you know, you see, he seems to be more carefree and all this kind of stuff. Okay. So at first in the film, which there again, this is what I credit for me. Yes. You're kind of irritated at Jack and then you think Chuck's awesome, but then you kind of get irritated at him for some of the things he does. However. [00:14:10] I never thought Chuck was awesome, but anyway. Oh, I did. But maybe that's just because I like Corey Michael Smith. Yeah. He's amazing. It's the whole Chevy Chase thing that I talked about on the show. You may or may not have heard yet, but Dakota Fanning's character, I did feel sorry for her until Brad. The way she treats Brad. Oh no, no. Brad got done dirty. No, you're right. And I'll just leave that be. And so, and so that, that to me. [00:14:38] And then I can't remember the guy's name. I tried looking him up to see, but they show her talking to somebody else and I'll just refer to him as boat guy. Right. And so there again, that's what I kind of admire is I don't necessarily, yes, I do feel sorry for her more than I feel sorry or more than I sympathize with Jack and Chuck, because I understand what you're saying. She makes some bad choices with them, but she also. I know. [00:15:08] Like at some point she's got to take ownership of what she's doing too. I'm going to take it back. Like I'm going to defend her situation with Brad. And the reason is. Okay. Okay. Brad, just so we're all clear, everybody listening, because I mean, very few of you have probably seen this movie, listened to this episode. Brad is someone who we understand is a friend. Yep. That has known Wendy for a while. Wendy gets put in the situation. We can say this, this setup of the film, because I think this sets it up okay without spoiling things. Okay. [00:15:37] Where Jack, her boyfriend, again, divorced, two kids. Yes. Kind of set in his career or set in his life. He's good. He's happy. He is dating Wendy. Mm-hmm. Wendy. For two years? Yeah. Couple years. [00:15:56] But then he puts out the edict to her, which I think is, again, don't, there was not enough background information for me to understand why his character, Jack, would do this to her. Basically saying, I want you out for six months and you go basically sell your wild oats. [00:16:22] You go figure out what you want, what you need, what you're not getting, whatever. And then you'll probably come back to me in six months. And she resisted. She fights it. She's like, no, I don't want that. That's not what I want. And he's like, yeah, no, it is. And you got to do it. And I'm just, the whole time I'm like, this to me came out of nowhere because I didn't feel like we got any setup to understand why Jack would have that perspective that this is what Wendy needed. [00:16:50] We get one moment where Wendy is expressing frustration through a silent yelling in the car after finding out one of her closest friends, one of her last remaining adventurous friends that she could go and have fun with is now pregnant. And so she's upset. And I totally get that. And Jack is picking up on that. And Jack's already said, look, I'm not really interested in more kids. I'm, you know, all that. I'm pretty good with where I am, you know? [00:17:18] So he pushes Wendy out basically to say, go, go do your thing. And I mean, she doesn't want to, but she kind of gets made to. And so it's like, so her going out with Brad. Yeah. It sucked because she didn't want to go out with Brad. Well, she didn't want to go out with Brad. All right. She did it because she's like, she basically got told by her boyfriend. Now you got to go out and like date people and meet people. I'm saying it's still not fair to Brad. No. Okay. [00:17:45] Brad, it's not fair to Brad, but it was not fair to Wendy either. It's like, Wendy got put in a situation. It's like, you're going to go out and date and you're going to go. And she's like, I don't. Well, and specifically what she does to Brad on the date, which. Well, yeah. Come on. Look, there is a perfect world where at the end of this film, she's with Brad. That doesn't happen. I can go ahead and spoil that. She doesn't get with Brad. Okay. Brad probably would have been the best bet for her at the end of the film, given all the other situations she ran into. But whatever. [00:18:15] And Brad was a little annoying. Okay. He got her, brought her a gift on a first. He's a sad, desperate dude. I mean, I feel for Brad. He brought her a gift. He's kind of a nerd. That made no sense. No. She didn't understand. Anyway. All right. We're getting into like personal nitpicking on this, but. All right. Look, I get what you're saying is that yes, none of the three characters are villains and the bad person. And I agree. [00:18:41] I just, I, I, I don't see Wendy as at fault for anything, unfortunately. I mean, I think she just, in my mind, she just got put into a very, very difficult position when she was already at a very little more introspective moment of her life anyway. Gets thrust in this ridiculous situation and boundaries to be put on her. [00:19:04] And she just happens to meet back up with an old flame, you know, in that Chuck character with Corey Michael Smith's character. And it's just, it creates a awkward, unique, confrontational situation that she was not in any way, shape or form creating. You know, she got thrust into it. Anyway. I guess how you feel about Corey Michael Smith's character, I feel about Jake Johnson's character. Because. Fair enough. I think. I mean, dude, like, yeah. Yeah. [00:19:34] The way he, Jake Johnson's equivalent of Brad is Sarah. Yeah. And the way he treats Sarah is terrible. No, it's ridiculous. It's horrible how others are treated in this film because of this love triangle going on. Again, a love triangle that did not need to exist. That is my whole thing is like, that triangle did not exist, did not need to exist. Wendy was happy, more or less, with the relationship she was in. [00:19:59] Maybe she was yearning for something else or needing, but she, she was happy in the relationship she had. Jack was happy in the relationship. Why did they torch it to the ground other than. He just didn't want the nagging of her always being like, oh, I wish we would have had kids. Oh, but I mean, but you're willing to throw your girlfriend out for months. Yes. And then, I mean, granted. And it also kind of messes up your kids because your kids have been really attached to her. Yeah, yeah. [00:20:27] So the only saving grace there is that within a few minutes of that decision being made and Wendy leaving, you know, he's on a Zoom call with his friend played by Lamor Morris. And he's already like, yeah, that was stupid. I don't know why I did that. I'm like, yes, it was. That was stupid. It was very stupid. You need to go fix it right now. Right. Because then I guess we don't have a movie. Right. Anyway, these are all, again, this is not a fault of the film. Sure. This is a fault of the characters. And I get it. [00:20:57] We're supposed to understand that these are people making bad decisions and bad choices at times given the situations they are being put in or find themselves in. And I get it. That's part of the film. And on that side, the film works because I felt uncomfortable. I felt sad for them the whole time. I felt really upset, you know, about the situation when it was in. So, the film worked for me in that regard. And I think I'm still on the same page. [00:21:24] Like, a film where the three leads, I'm like, for me at least, I was kind of equally irritated with all of them. Okay. Yeah. Because just when I, like you said, I was more on Team Chuck, but then he does something stupid where he just kind of disappears. You're like, okay, you're an idiot too. Oh, yeah. Dude, all three of these people I'm just equally frustrated with. I think you're kind of making stupid choices. You're treating people horribly at different points. Or not horribly, I should, but poorly. [00:21:51] But I kind of like, we've known people who make unwise decisions. Sometimes, Alan, we've made unwise decisions. Yeah. Not like this, but you know. So, I admire it. And I think if this was a commonplace film where you saw, like, these relationships, and they were, but this is kind of unique in that way in that there is no villain, but they're all three people that have some good qualities, but then have some bad ones as well. So, I admire it just because of how it was kind of different. Now, if I started seeing bunches of movies like this, then I'd be like, oh, this is just nothing. [00:22:19] But it was, it was something more unique. Did you like it? I did like it. Okay. It was more unique than I thought it would be. I liked it too. Because, again, I'll make reference to the episode that you may or may not have heard. When we saw the trailer, I was like, man, this film looks beautiful. And I hadn't brought that up. That was the first note I had was, what a glorious travel perimeter for Alaska. Because it just, a lot of the scenery, you know, Corey Michael Smith flying over in his old plane. Just really, really beautiful landscapes in Alaska. [00:22:48] So, really, really awesome. But I remember after we watched the trailer, I was like, you know, it looks really beautiful, but I wonder if what the movie's about is going to be anything more than me. I'll just be like, yeah, it was okay. And no, I'm a little bit, I'm more than just it was okay. I think it was pretty good. And just how you and I feel about the different relationships and how things got really complicated and messy. I thought it was well-acted, well-directed. And so, yeah, there was more there than I thought there was going to be. No, it worked. [00:23:18] I think it evoked the reactions it meant to evoke. I think you're supposed to come out of this movie not necessarily liking or agreeing with any of the three main characters. And you probably, I think any person walking out of this movie is going to find themselves more supportive of one of the three of them than others. It's like, it just lends itself to that. You could just walk out of there and say, yeah, I totally get Chuck's perspective. I get why maybe he was the way he was. [00:23:47] I can maybe understand this isn't she made a little bit. I don't agree with them, but I at least understand them. You come out of that with that feeling of all three of the characters. And I think it worked from that angle. Can I just point out a couple quick moments of things? There's a scene that I just love. I love because it felt, well, so much of this film feels real. I think the dialogue and the way. You like the trivia scene in the bar? [00:24:12] I do like the trivia scene in the bar, but even more than that, in the bathroom at the bar where Wendy and Jack have a confrontation. And then just kind of just burst out laughing in the middle of this confrontation. I'm like, that is so real and is so authentic. And it's like, yes, she stormed into the men's bathroom. Right. And they're yelling. And then they just realize they both just start laughing. [00:24:39] And I'm like, I want to see more of that in films because that's what really happens in some of these situations. Not, it just escalates and escalates and it just gets ridiculous or whatever. I mean, granted, the night still ended on a contentious note for them. But at least there was that moment I'm like, nah, these, they get it. These are real people. And this is kind of how this happens sometimes. [00:25:03] And I just felt, I felt so many of the performances and the dialogue and all that was just felt very real. Frustrating because, unfortunately, we as human beings are frustrating and we do dumb things and we make poor choices. And I think this film exemplifies that. But I love the fact that it was real. And it just felt very natural with these performances. So, yeah. Let me clarify. I said boat guy. I want to say boat buyer guy, not boat seller guy. So, there was an interesting. Oh, right, right, right. [00:25:32] Because there was a seller of a boat and there was a buyer of a boat. So, you were focusing on, you wanted to point out the buyer of the boat. Correct. Kind of an interesting thing. And without, there again, we don't want to spoil anything. I am curious what you will, maybe we'll go into, let's say, I mean, spoiler territory for this movie. Alan, do you have anything else you wanted to touch on? Um, the only thing I'll just say, probably the only negative of the film. Okay. Yeah. [00:26:00] I love Lamorne Morris and he's in the film. And for anybody who used to watch the TV show New Girl with the Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson and Lamorne Morris were both in that show. Okay. And they had a great rapport on the show. So, when I heard he was in this film, I'm like, oh, cool. I really like that because, yeah, he's in the film, but he's on a Zoom call in like two scenes. And that was it. And like, it was a little bit of a letdown. [00:26:26] It's like, uh, I don't know if it was just a scheduling situation where they couldn't get him on the set. Or there was a reason why Jack's friend had to be only on virtual connection with him. But that was a little bit of a disappointment. But otherwise, no, I thought the film was good. Yeah. You want to get into spoilers? You want to talk about the ending? Yeah. I want to talk about the ending. Okay. Sure. I think we can do that. If you haven't seen the film or whatever, you know, just skip ahead to our news. Yeah. [00:26:53] Just hit the little plus 30 seconds, maybe four or five times. Yeah. And you'll hear us starting to talk about news or trailers. Okay, good. So, um, I'm curious with the end of the film, which was something that kind of irritated me. I didn't want to spoil it about Wendy, but she has a meeting with Jack where she gets a drawing from the kid. And you're like, okay, maybe they're back together. But then she goes to, um, Chuck's apartment. Doesn't actually go to his apartment because he has someone else over because he's trying to move on. [00:27:23] And she like kind of not leads him on, but it's just kind of a weird, weird thing. Then she goes to look at the boat that she's lost because she didn't have the money or whatever and sees the guy who ended up buying it. And it's one of the guys that she was kind of rude to on the day, not paying attention to him. And then agrees to go on this boat journey with him. You're like, okay, so are we supposed to, what's our take on that? My take is, and I'm so happy that it ended the way it did. Okay. [00:27:52] Because I did not want her to be with either of these two men by the end of the movie. Fair enough. And I wanted it to be her choice to say, you know what? This sucks. This whole situation sucks. I don't like it. I'm leaving it. Now, I think both of the two scenes you commented on were her just cleaning up. Okay. Both of them are just being like, I don't want to talk to you, but just kind of putting a nice. I think she's putting a vibe out there of like, I, I care for you, but. [00:28:21] And, you know, I'm not looking for a relationship any further where we're, I'm, I'm ready to move on. I'm, I've realized that you both have created very poor situations for me and I don't have great choices at this point. Right. And so I'm moving on. I got the restaurant scene where she got the picture given to her as a reminder that these two people do care for each other, her and Jack. [00:28:45] And there's a relationship there, but it's not going to be a, it's not going to be a, it's not going to be a, it's not going to be a romantic, you know, committed relationship. Again, I guess if I had to point to an enemy or a bad guy, it would definitely be Jack because I feel like he's just using the kids to keep her. He's like, oh, here's this picture. Remember, this is the first time we met and blah, blah, blah. I'm like, yeah. Well, again, those, those two scenes are sandwiched in between with her going to visit her friend and where she built a crib for. [00:29:14] So in other words, it's almost like her saying, yeah, it was a very cool crib. I think it's her saying to Jack, hey, look, I love you. We were probably at some point could have been meant for each other, but it's just not there. Yeah. We're, you know, he apologized and I'm sorry for how this all went down. And she's like, you know, and so she's kind of getting amends from him. And she goes to visit Chuck and she's basically saying, hey, look, are you cool? I'm sorry that this all. I've got somebody else upstairs. [00:29:44] I know he does. Yeah. And she's like, okay, I just want to kind of make sure you were all good. Right. I want peace with this. I want to feel comfortable with this. And then her going to visit her friend in between is kind of to say, hey, look, I don't know if kids are in my future or not. That's a choice I will make on my own. But I want to be a supportive friend to you going through this point in your life. So she did this. And then she meets Boat Guy and we don't know what happens. Boat Buyer. Boat Buyer. [00:30:10] Well, is that the film's way of saying from the very beginning, I think maybe the opening scene, she goes to look at a boat. Well, I don't know the opening scene, but she goes to look at this boat, talks to the guy about the boat. Because she has a personal history with the boat. Right. I guess her family or somebody used to own it. Her dad used to either own it or used to ride it or drive it. And then Jack says, I'm not going to go on a boat. I'm not going to live on a boat. I'm not going to do that. Right. And then also Chuck says, like, yeah, I fly planes. I'm not also going to do it. [00:30:39] But so this is something that she seems to want. Right. But then she kind of misses the opportunity, but goes to bid the boat farewell. And who's there but handsome guy that she missed. Boat Buyer. Right. A guy that she had had a date with earlier in the film and was very dismissive of. Right. Because her head was not in the game. She was already, like, tormented by what had been placed on her and what she was going through. So I'm wondering if the film's like, okay, maybe this is where she ends up. Maybe. [00:31:08] And I don't think we're supposed to know. I took it as more of she was making a choice of saying, you know what? Yeah. The guy invited me on the boat. Sure, I'll go. I'm going to go on the boat. And because I can. And that's what I want to do at this moment. And, you know. So maybe the first time she's actually doing something she wants to do rather than being guided by either Chuck or Jack. She's like, this is something I want to do. I want to say goodbye to the boat. You're inviting me on the boat? Yeah, I'm going to do it. Sure. Why not? Yeah. Again, that's the impression I got from it. [00:31:37] She kind of made her peace both with her two suitors and her friend. Kind of got them in a good space. She feels like she's good with those relationships. And now she's ready to go on on something that's going to make her happy and fulfill her. Yeah. I just hope Brad and Sarah get together. So, all right. Brad. Yeah. Brad was the one that she kind of dissed. Yes. In the middle of a date. And then Sarah was the one that Jack was dating. And dissed in the middle of karaoke date or whatever. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [00:32:07] She's like, you know what? But she decides, she's like, you're a hot mess. I'm out. So, she kind of, I mean, he. Well, yeah. The Jack and Sarah one, I thought, was a little more egregious because they had been together. Right. Like, for a little while there. Yes. And then just for him to, like, just up in the middle of the, outside the bar, be like, ah, yeah. I think we're done. Type of thing. Well, it kind of sucked. With Brad early on, look. Brad. Brad kind of did it to himself a little bit. Oh, Brad. And look, I think, I think in our society. There's somebody out there for Brad. [00:32:37] We should be more open and honest. If somebody's on a date and it's just not working. You should be able to stop and say, look, time out. I think we're done. It's okay. We're just going to move on. But what I didn't understand is he said he had already put money down on reservations. So, is there restaurants that you have to pay money in advance to get a reservation? Because he made it sound like he was out money for the reservation they were going to have for dinner. She offered to Venmo him some of the money. Right. Okay. [00:33:07] Yeah. No restaurant that I've been to. See, I think Brad was lying about that just to give her a guilt trip, which makes me say it's probably a good move to not be with Brad. Oh. Well, yeah. I don't know. I don't know. All right. Well, I think we've explored this film enough. No, I did like it. I thought it was good. I thought it was, again, I liked it because I really liked the performances. [00:33:30] And I just, I had a good time watching these three plus individuals interact and work around each other, even though I found myself incredibly frustrated by the choices they're making and the situations they're putting each other in. So, okay. So that is The Sun Never Sets. I'm going to keep thinking of a better title that would be more painful to this film. [00:33:57] But anyway, it is, where can people even see it? Well, it did come out, you know, you and I were talking about it like last on the show that, oh, it's supposed to have already been released, but we hadn't seen it in theaters. It has been out in theaters. It may still be in theaters, maybe. But I think it was kind of like a limited scattered release. So I'm not sure how much longer it will be in theaters, but we'll see. It'll probably be streaming at some point soon. Okay. All right. Let's take a quick break. [00:34:27] And when we come back, we're going to get into some trailers that we want to discuss here. So you're listening to Foot Candle Films. We'll be right back in a moment. 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. Welcome back to Foot Candle Films here on the Mesh.TV podcast network. [00:34:57] We had a review of The Sun Never Sets, first half of the show. And now let's turn our attention to some upcoming films. As I tease at the beginning of the episode, Chris, we have three trailers that I'm very curious about all three films. So let's jump right into the first one we're going to talk about. This one is the teaser trailer for the film Artificial. This is a film we have discussed on a previous news section. [00:35:24] This is the Luca Guadagnino movie about Sam Altman and open AI. And basically about AI in general and the business side of the AI industry. Andrew Garfield stars as Sam Altman. Now, this was a film that was supposed to have been delivered by Amazon. As I said, delivered. I mean, it's a film. Gotcha. You release it, but still. Sure. It's Amazon. [00:35:54] The distributor had picked up the movie, had invested in it, and decided after the film was basically made that they were going to drop it and not actually release the film. It just so notably happened to happen right about the time that Amazon also announced a $50 billion investment in open AI. So go figure. But we have Neon. [00:36:19] The studio Neon has purchased the film and is now going to be distributing it going forward. So, Artificial. Let's take a look at the teaser trailer for this and let's see if we can pick up any hints of why Amazon maybe felt a little uncomfortable or decided not to actually release this film. Here we go. [00:36:50] What is the image of the future that you see? We've created a machine that will solve the world's problems. We don't ditch it. It ditches itself. We're going to call it ChatGPT. We open Pandora's box together. The future is inevitable. Countries will fall. [00:37:19] Industries are going to collapse. And we get to be the ones to shepherd people in to this new world. I'm so excited to see it. [00:37:48] All right, and there you have it. That was the teaser trailer for Artificial. Again, starring Andrew Garfield, Adira, Borisov, Monica Barbaro, and many others. Cooper Hoffman, several, several others. Chris, any just quick initial gut checks on this? I can't think of a better movie to go watch on Christmas Day. That is coming out on Christmas Day. It's very heartwarming. Make you feel very good about the state of the nation, state of the world. Wow. [00:38:18] Yeah, you know, I think we talked recently. There was Prime Time, the one that's going to be about To Catch a Predator. And then there was Inc., which is going to talk about Rupert Murdoch. So now we have another. We are in the heyday, Chris, of let's take some really interesting, high-profile, influential people, and let's figure them out a little bit. So, yeah. [00:38:44] Yeah, this looks to be what David Fincher's The Social Network was to Facebook. Yeah. This looks like it's going to be to open AI and that whole thing, because it looks pretty brutal and very condemning of the tech bro lifestyle. So, no, it looks good. I can't imagine the acting is not going to be good with the cast he has. So, yeah, artificial. [00:39:13] It seems weird to say looking forward to it, but I am. It looks like it's going to be a good film. No, I'm totally looking forward to it. So, I'm glad. And we also previously had touched on this, too. You know, Coyote versus Acme, there was kind of like Warner Brothers deep six. It seems like we were never going to see it, and we got to see it. You and I, when we had talked about this film, it was like, nope, that's never going to happen. It's not going to come out. It's been like, poof, it's gone. Thankfully, hooray to Neon for picking it up, and they're going to make it happen. [00:39:40] So, yeah, I'm glad we're going to get a chance to see it. Same here. I am also very happy about that, too. Okay. So, yeah, Christmas Day, artificial, coming to movie theaters, hopefully. I hope so. All right. Let's change gears with something very different. Okay. This is a film called Remain. Do you know anything about Remain? I do not. Okay. At least I don't think, like, well, I'll see once I see the teaser, but no. [00:40:10] So, I think we actually covered this in a news story a long time ago as well. Okay. But I don't think the title of the film was decided upon. Okay. Warner Brothers has released a trailer for the film Remain, the feature adaptation of M. Night Shyamalan's best-selling book he co-wrote with Nicholas Sparks. Okay. Okay. So, we'll just let that sentence sink in a little bit. This is vaguely, yeah. Nicholas Sparks aware. [00:40:40] He did, like, The Notebook and stuff like that. Yes. Yeah. And then, yeah, it seems like this was, this has been a couple years ago, I feel like. No, maybe like last year we talked about it. Okay. But it is, it is now a thing. It is now a created film. We have a trailer for it. It's called Remain. Remain. [00:41:00] The collaboration between Shyamalan and Sparks, this is according to Deadline, stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a reclusive architect who moves to a small coastal town in Cape Cod to finish his latest project. There he meets an alluring young woman who pulls him out of his shell and into the heart of a deadly mystery that hangs over the town. Okay. Okay. Okay. We also have Phoebe Devenor. Denever. Okay. [00:41:27] Need to work on the pronunciation myself on the last name, but Phoebe Devenor starring as the said young woman he meets. Gotcha. This is coming out February. Okay. 2027. Okay. It was supposed to come out in October, but I got moved. Okay. Pushed. Not sure why. Okay. Yep. So, with that, let's watch the teaser trailer for this film, Remain. And let's see what we think about this collaboration. [00:41:57] Again, M. Night Shyamalan. We all know him and his films that he's done over the years. But most of his films, with a couple of exceptions, have been ones that were original films he wrote. Right. The ones he didn't write or he adapted have had kind of mixed results. And even the ones he wrote himself have obviously had mixed results, too. Sure. But this being, again, I'm just curious. So, it's a book that Shyamalan wrote, co-wrote with Nicholas Sparks. Okay. [00:42:27] I need to learn more about this book, but before I dig into the movie, the book, I want to see the movie and then go backwards. And it's just interesting because Nicholas Sparks, like, you know, not the genres that they dabble in don't seem like they would ever, you know, combine. So, that's interesting that, yeah. This is the one part of a trailer I have seen. I've seen part of this trailer. Okay. So, I think I understand why these two are working together. Okay. We'll see it. Well, I'll leave it at that. [00:42:56] Let's see the trailer for Remain. I brought you something. You did? What is it? I got us a game. [00:43:31] You worried? You should be. I'm a little rusty. You're playing these games for me, aren't you? Truth is run. You're not like anybody I've ever met. My love is mine. Why can't we be together and take you? Thank you, no. [00:44:43] Okay. So, there we go. That is the trailer for Remain. Story by M. Night Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks. Screenplay by M. Night Shyamalan. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Chris, what you got? You know, I guess this was a teaser or maybe this is a full trailer. Yeah, I think that it does kind of reveal kind of the vibe they're going for. [00:45:12] I'm curious if hopefully there's something more than what I saw because otherwise I think I've kind of got the gist of what's going on. Especially how they keep saying things like otherworldly, trust the unknown. I'm like, okay. Those are the texts that shows up on the screen. Right. So, I like Jake Gyllenhaal. I'm unfamiliar with the actor, so I don't know if this is like her debut or big film debut. Not sure. Yeah, I'll give it a shot. It does seem curious or, I guess, understandable. [00:45:40] It got bumped from October, which I guess could have been a ghost story or spooky season, to February and Valentine's Day. I'm like, okay. So, kind of leaning into maybe the Nicholas Sparks side of things as opposed to the M. Night Shyamalan side of things, which would have made it come out in October. I don't know. It'll be interesting. I'll give it a shot when it comes out, but I'm curious. I am curious. [00:46:05] And to me, this trailer does what Shyamalan's films do very well, which is they set up an interesting premise to a film or at least a conceit or a mystery or something questionable in a story in a trailer. And it gets you kind of intrigued. And I'm normally intrigued after I see an M. Night Shyamalan trailer. He's good at that. And then you see the film. And what was his last film? Was it Trap? Trap. [00:46:35] The one with... I believe so. Yeah. Yeah. The one where the father took his daughter to a concert. That film ultimately didn't work for me. Yeah, Trap was his last director one. So, anyway, we'll see. I don't know. I honestly don't know with this guy anymore. I can't, you know. Yes, he has created the right environment with this trailer. It looks interesting, but could not tell you if this is going to be a movie. [00:47:04] I don't know if this is going to be good or not. I have no idea. Right. I mean, he did Trap, which I thought was kind of a miss by the end of the film. Interesting premise. I like the setup, but just failed it, I thought. Sure. Before that, on the movie side, he did Knock at the Cabin, which is also kind of an interesting premise, but ultimately just didn't work as well. Then it was old before that. So, yeah, these last three, it's like take an interesting conceit. [00:47:34] I think the trailer always packaged them pretty good in all three of those films, but all three I felt like, boy, it just missed. It just didn't land the film. Well, and you mentioned, I think, in the setup that it was supposed to be like a mystery that she kind of draws them into. I hope there is something. I hope the trailer hasn't revealed too much that I already know the mystery. So hopefully there's a little bit more. Well, let me. I'll just say this as a forewarning. Okay. [00:48:03] Don't visit the IMDB page. Oh, okay. Because the one two-line description of the film gives some element of a descriptor that was not in the trailer that I think will automatically help you understand what the movie is going to be. Got you. So don't go to the page. Don't do that. Or don't read the page if you go to it. Don't read the description of the film because I do feel like it gives away a little more. Okay. And I think the trailer gave just enough. Okay. [00:48:32] Let's leave it at that. We don't need to know or see anything more. We'll see the film when it comes out, Valentine's Day. Take your loved one. Go see this movie. I think they are leaning into that it is going to be a relationship film. And I could honestly see it being a Shyamalan twist where it's not even a creepy, scary thing, even though the trailer tried to lean into that by the end. I could see it just being a true romantic film. [00:49:01] That just has a supernatural element to it. Okay. Could be. Could be. That could be why they said let's move from October to February. Let's do Valentine's Day because that will be an interesting time to release this. Sure. Let's see. Okay. So that is Remain. All right. Last one we got to talk about. Let's do this. This is a very interesting teaser. I have seen most of this. Okay. This is the third one I wanted to talk about that I think you wanted to talk about as well. [00:49:31] It is a film titled You Can See Everything. Mm-hmm. So a little background on this film. This is a documentary. We think. About Elizabeth Holmes. Yes. Who, if you're not familiar with her, she is the one who started up the technology company Theranos at age 19. That came to find out was defrauding investors and did not do what it said it could do in the healthcare space. [00:50:01] And resulting in guilty verdicts on four counts of defrauding investors. She was sentenced in 2022 to 11 years of prison for her crimes, giving birth to her second child just before entering prison. So this is a documentary that is directed by Lance Oppenheim, who also did Primetime, which is a film we'll be talking about. And soon, because it's coming out. And that's a narrative film as opposed to the documentary, right? Yeah. [00:50:27] But Lance Oppenheim directed Primetime and also the documentary Some Kind of Heaven back in 2020. Has now made this film alongside Nathan Fielder, who you may know from the TV show Nathan For You or the TV show The Rehearsal. He also did the TV show The Curse. I think that's, everything's been TV. Has he done anything in the movie space? I don't believe so. [00:50:53] And he, maybe I've had a couple of standup specials before that, maybe. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But a very creative, innovative character, I believe. I'm a big fan of a lot of his work and his style of faux documentary, kind of faux reality show. Well, reality shows, but with some scripted elements to kind of move them along. Anyway, it's a very, they're a mind trip, his shows. Yeah. [00:51:21] And so, knowing that and seeing that this film has now been announced, I mean, nobody even knew this film existed until like a week ago. Right. And it's already shown, like it's premiered. Yes. People have seen it. It's already done, edited, everything's done. Yeah. And supposedly it's a documentary about an interview or spending time with Elizabeth Holmes before she went off to prison. Right. [00:51:48] And Nathan Fielder is, according to the trailer, the interviewer and interviewing her. So, with that, let's take a look at this trailer and then we'll talk afterwards what we think is the deal with this film. If we even know or if we even want to know. So, here we go. If I'm not that person, I can promise you that. I don't have anything to deceive you on. Of course I'm not deceiving you. I'm engaging with you as a human being. Huh? [00:52:20] Why would I deceive you? There's no, there's no reason for me to do that. Okay. Alright. Okay. Okay, good shot. You're being real right now? [00:52:51] I'm always being real. Okay. That was it. True teaser trailer. But, yeah. You can see everything. Textbook example of a teaser trailer. Right. Just enough. And, um. Yeah. Chris, as I see this, I mean, on the surface, you could just look at this trailer and be like, okay, yeah. So, it is a documentary. [00:53:18] It's basically an interview discussion with Elizabeth Holmes before she came out. She goes off to prison. She's got a child in the room with her newborn baby we just mentioned. And that may be what it is. It may be an hour and a half long or longer discussion, interview with that. Or it could be more. Or it could be something different. We don't know. And that's what I love about this is I don't know what we're getting with this. What was your takeaway when you saw this? [00:53:47] So, you know, I remember the whole scandal and the fact that this was done completely in secret. He was given access to her, you know, to have this full interview before she went to prison. Like, nobody knew about all this stuff. It's fascinating the process of how this got made. [00:54:06] Nathan Fielder, like, just in that little clip, just in that little teaser, trying to imagine what is going on in his head or how his mind works or what is going on. And I think he wouldn't be interested in just doing a 60 Minutes interview with, you know, Elizabeth Holmes, although, you know, she probably does have interesting things she wants to say. But to tell her side of the story, I don't think he'd be interested in that. [00:54:31] But the way his mind works and what he is trying to pull out of the experience, just like with his show, The Rehearsal. And, you know, I just, Elizabeth Holmes, for what little I know about, obviously a very intelligent person. [00:54:59] And I feel like Nathan Fielder is as well. So it's kind of like, okay, these two are going to play a game of chess. And what exactly are they thinking is the objective of the game of chess that they're entering into? Looks fascinating. I do look forward to seeing it. And I don't think I'd ever, maybe I'd seen pictures of her, but I'd definitely never heard her talk or seen her. [00:55:27] But the way they have her framed and the way she is acting in this is, and the sound design does not help, makes it very, very creepy to me. All right. So obviously, yes, the movie has played. Some people have seen it. There are reviews that are very cryptic reviews online about it, just saying it is three hours long. Oh my gosh, really? Mm-hmm. Huh. Three, nearly three hours long. [00:55:57] Wow. Shot in 2023 in top secrecy. Yeah, yeah. I'm not saying anything else. That's it. I mean, the reviews are just, yes, there is more to this than just an interview. So I think, suffice it to say, yes, I think we are in for something different and unique. And that's where we're going to leave it. So, yeah, 174-minute running time. Wow. Which surprised me. [00:56:25] A24 has done, I can't think, I think they did Beef, some of the, they were responsible for, like, putting that out. And it went to Netflix. But I'm surprised, considering the running time, that they didn't try to make this episodic, like some of Nathan Wilder's other stuff and sold it to, like, Netflix or Amazon or Hulu. I'm surprised. Well, so, supposedly, and this is background, this doesn't spoil anything. Sure. [00:56:51] It was initially pitched to A24, which, who told them if it didn't work out and they wanted to ditch the project and just toss it in the garbage can. In other words, it gave them freedom to say, look, give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. Throw it away. It's all good. So that's why it was all secrecy shot, you know. Which I think. Not letting anybody know what was going on with it because it, supposedly, there's a point where everybody understood if this did not work. It could very easily fall apart. [00:57:19] It could fall apart, and if so, we're just going to toss it, and nobody will know about it. So, I think A24 had worked with Theodore on The Curse, which was with one of the Safdies, and I can't remember where that came out. But I feel like they worked, it may have been, it may have HBO, maybe, I can't remember. But I think so. It came out on, yeah, I think it was HBO. Okay, so it was like, they've kind of had this thing before, but that was a little safer than obviously this. [00:57:49] And the production of it. So. All right. So that is coming out. Well, I mean, it's out. It's just a matter of when are we going to get to see it. It was surprise premiered at the recent. Telluride. Telluride. Yeah, it was like. It premiered at Telluride. That's where people got their first view of it. People did have to go in and see it. Locking away their cell phones. They had the NDAs and everything. Sure. Nobody could talk about it, but the film has got a release date of October. Okay. Like next month. Sure. [00:58:19] So, very interesting. Yes. Also very interesting is, it has a cast listed. Really? Nathan Fielder, Elizabeth Holmes, Billy Evans, and Christopher Abbott. You know Christopher Abbott? He was. I think I can picture what his face looks like. The name definitely sounds so familiar. He was. I know he was in that Wolfman movie. Oh, yes. Okay. [00:58:48] We reviewed on the show. He also just recently got cast as Charles Xavier in the new X-Men movie. Okay. That they're working on. So, anyway. I'm just leaving that out there. It's interesting that on the log line for the film, it has a cast. Make of that. Well, that to me does expand a little bit. Kind of the rehearsal idea that there are going to be reenactments and actors. And things like that. So. I think that's very possible. Wow. Yes. I'm very excited. [00:59:18] Yes. Me too. All right. That's enough. Three very interesting projects. I'm very curious about all three of them to see what they end up being. So, with that, Chris, we're done with our news. Unless you didn't have any other news, did you? No, no. You're good. That'll do it. Let's wrap this up. Let's go into your recommendation. Chris, what film do you want to recommend for us today for this episode? Sure. I'm going to recommend a documentary that came out this year. [00:59:48] I went straight to Netflix. It's Louis Theroux Inside the Manosphere. Kind of surprising to me, not as much as the Nathan Fielder with Access to Elizabeth Holmes. But Louis Theroux, he's done different types of documentaries, but they all kind of expose something or show something, and he's kind of interested in revealing sides of things that maybe people haven't examined. [01:00:12] This one in particular, as the title suggests, it talks about the kind of hyper-masculine world that's on the internet. The logline is, with rare access and no holds barred, the acclaimed documentarian investigates a growing ultra-masculine network and its controversial influencers. So, these are people I'm not familiar with because I'm not on things like TikTok. But he does Myron Gaines, Sneeko, Justin Waller, HS Tiki-Taki, which I wasn't aware who that [01:00:41] was, but after seeing this, I am. And then, I do know who these people weren't aware of their influence, really, but had heard their names, Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate, who are now arrested and are going to serve time and stuff. So, but this whole idea of TikTok stars and the image they promote online, the dealings they have, the money they make, and just kind of, and how they are influencing young people. [01:01:10] And that was specifically Louis Thoreau's kind of concern is like, wait a second, you know, the image you're portraying and just kind of a warning sign. And so, yeah, a fascinating documentary. It does give me a little bit of hope that now the Tates are, have been finally caught up with. They had not been caught up with as of when this documentary was made, but they mentioned kind of how they're going to be in trouble. [01:01:34] So, fascinating documentary about, yeah, some internet and how it can be, obviously can be good, but in this case can be kind of bad. So, Louis Thoreau, Inside the Manosphere, it's on Netflix. Any more hot button topics we want to throw out films about, you know, going outside. Right. Yeah, yeah, really. Interesting. Okay, so you say it's on Netflix? It is. All right. So, you are recommending as worth a watch. Yes. Check out. All right. [01:02:03] Good deal. Well, then that wraps us up for today. Thanks, Chris, for the recommendation. Thank you for everybody for listening. We did our review of The Sun Never Sets. It's our trailers for, oh my gosh, well, one of the films we just discussed remain artificial and You Can See Everything. Yes. Right? That was the name of it. You Can See Everything. Mm-hmm. Okay. Which, briefly, kind of interesting. I'm curious as to what that title is going to end up meaning. So, we'll see. [01:02:33] Very curious. Yeah. All right. Chris, if anybody wants to chat with us about anything we talked about, how can they go about doing so? If you'd like to contact us, you can send an email to info at footcandle.org or leave us a voicemail at the mesh.tv website, where you can also check out past Footcandle film episodes as well as other podcasts on various subjects from barbecue to comedy to mental health. We're also on Facebook at Footcandle Film Society and other social platforms as Footcandle Film. Do us a favor. [01:03:00] If you like the show, consider leading us a review on whatever platform you receive your favorite podcasts on because it will help us reach new listeners, and we'd appreciate that. We'd also appreciate it if you feel like visiting Western North Carolina September 18th through the 27th. We are going to have the Footcandle Film Festival. It's going to be a great time. Lots of great filmmakers coming into town for the festival, and we'll be showing a lot of great films. So, come check it out. All right. That sounds great. [01:03:27] Thanks, everybody, for checking us out today, and we'll look forward to talking to you next time we record, hopefully soon, and we'll get back on schedule. Thanks, everyone. See you in the Ticket Line. [01:03:37] Film Society. Special thanks to Carpal Tuller for the show-themed music. [01:04:06] For more about Carpal Tuller, visit www.carpaltuller.com. You've been listening to The Mesh, an online media network of shows and programs ranging from business to arts, sports to entertainment, music to community. All programs are available on the website as well as through iTunes and YouTube. Check us out online at themesh.tv. [01:04:32] Discover other network shows and give us feedback on what you just heard.