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January 22, 2021 59 mins

Everyone's favorite movie fan, Cole Stratton, is back to chat about his latest pick, Defending Your Life.

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Movie Crush, a production of I Heart Radio.

(00:28):
Hey everybody, and welcome to Movie Crush Friday Interview edition
with our old friend, our old pal, everyone's favorite, number
one movie fan and poster collector and improv comedian Cold Stratton.
It's with us. I wish that claim was true, but
thank you. Check which part is untrue? I mean everybody's favorite.

(00:50):
I don't know about that, but I think you're among
the favorites. I love that. Thank you. It's fun being
on the show, I'll say that much. So before we
get going in to the movie coal, we want to
talk a little bit about you know I talked to
when the first time you were on the show. For
those of you who did not hear that episode, we
met at San Francisco sketch Fest. Uh to me, for

(01:12):
my money, the greatest and best, most robust comedy festival
in the country, and I guess in the world, because
America is the only country where anything funny happens. And um,
that's where we became pals and where we first met.
And you you're one of the co founders and run
Sketch Fest is a big part of your job. But

(01:33):
very sadly, UH, this year. Uh, there are Yeah, I
guess this year there's no sketch Fest going on. It
should be going on right now in January. Obviously you
guys aren't doing it because of COVID, but you have
something else going on, and I would love to turn
people onto this. Yeah. So it's weird because we would
be in the middle of the festival right now, right

(01:55):
and then in fact, this would probably be my weekend.
I'm usually the second week end. Yeah, this will be
the second weekend. We always notice the three day weekend
because of Martin Luther King Day and stuff. This is
gonna be weird that this will be the I realized
this will be the first January I've spent in Los
Angeles and twenty years. Oh wow, that's crazy. Yeah, it's not.
It's well, I guess eighteen years because it was year

(02:16):
two that I moved down or whatever. But still, like,
I've never been here for January. I've always been up
there for the bulk of the month. So it's a
little I don't know what to do with myself, So
there's that. But yeah, we're doing this. We realized that
we weren't gonna be able to do it in person,
festival pretty early on last year. We kept like delaying
making the decision because every week would be different information

(02:37):
about the virus and what was happening and stuff. So finally,
like late summer, we decided to officially pull the plug
because we figured there's just no what it was gonna happen. Um,
so we did. So we're hoping to do another live
show like festival next year, which that's crazy to say
next year and we just went into this one but two.
So we try to figure out what we could do

(02:57):
to kind of mark the festival occasion this year and
also raise some money for us so we could operate
going into next year and have some capital to you know,
put down venue deposits, et cetera, go over to the
next one. I mean it's a business, you know. Yeah,
it's uh as everybody knows there's a lot of money
at festivals, so uh yeah, there's not. But so yeah,

(03:18):
it would also be our twentie year. That's one of
the biggest bummers too, is you know, it will be
the big celebration of making it to twenty. So um,
what we decided to do instead was do like one
giant kind of we are the world ish online benefit
show with a ton of alumni from the festival. Um.
So they ended up being over a hundred performers, which

(03:38):
is crazy. It's amazing. It's gonna be a little over
three hours. We're editing everything and it's gonna be long,
but it'll be funny. Um, and that lineup is pretty insane.
We you know, we're looking at the kids in the hall.
We have the State all eleven of them, which is
around Yeah, so they're doing something. Um, Bobo and Kirk
and David Cross, Upper Citizen's Brigade, triumphty and Cel Comic

(04:02):
Dog weird Al, John Ham, Aisha Tyler, Margaret Choe, Uh,
Doug Benson, Uptown Showdown, Debates, Judge John Hodgman. Um. This
is just off the top of my head, so I'm
sure I'm missing tons of great people, but UM, music
from like Paullen Storm and Jonathan Colton and Rhet Miller
and UM, it's gonna be pretty amazing. So tickets are

(04:24):
over at s F sketch Fest dot com, guest f
and then sketch Fest dot com. Uh. They started twenty
bucks uh for a live stream on January five o'clock
pm Pacific time. Eight o'clock PM Eastern and whatever PM
wherever you live or am. I don't know where you're
gonna be doing this from UM, but it's gonna be
pretty fantastic and everything goes to helping the festival move

(04:46):
forward and be a festival UM next year. So that's great.
Come check it out if you can. Well, I'm gonna
buy my ticket. Twenty dollars is not a lot of
money to spend on some great comedy. I would pay.
Don't tell anyone this, but I would paid twenty dollars
just to see the state reunion getting. I mean, that's
it's there, some of those legendary UM Sketch performers and

(05:10):
I don't know, man, they just hold a very special
place in my heart. I was a big fan UH
in real time from the MTV days, and you know,
they're one of the ones who, like every single one
of them, went on to do something great and continue
to do great things. It's pretty crazy. Like we did
a reunion with them in like I want to say

(05:31):
where we got them all in person to San Francisco,
all of and them, and they did a new Sketch
show and they very intimate. UM then Eureka Theater, which
is two hundred seats. They just did two shows. Wow,
that sketch Show and that was it. So they sold
out in a minute, of course. And then we also
did like a big tribute conversation thing with them the
next day. Um, so that was really cool just to

(05:51):
get you know, us with all love and them, which
is like that doesn't really happen that often that they're
in the same room together. So we're honored that they're
taking part. Yeah, that's so cool. I would pay twenty
books just for that. I do like knowing that I'm
not among the top one hundred alumni. That's fine, hurt
I did you were on the table for that, and

(06:12):
it's for reels. Like I was like, we gotta figure
out something for Chuck to do. And then we also
looked at our lineup and we're like, oh boy, a
lot of white men are saying, yes, you gotta keep
this diverse. It's fine. I love the diversity. And uh,
you know, Josh and I kind of as far as
I mean, stuff you should know would be the biggest draw.
Um And I don't know, man, we're not into I

(06:33):
don't think we would translate well to a virtual thing
like that. So I'm genuinely did not have my feelings,
sir it I was just givving a hard time. Okay, cool,
because I love you and seriously you were you were
discussed so and there's like the room. There's also like
a ticket that gives you to this virtual after party
thing which is like through gather Town, which is pretty
interesting software stuff. Are you kind of a build an

(06:56):
eight bit version of Cano Fight which is a theater
in San Francisco, And then everybody gets a litt avatar
when you move in and when you when you move
close to somebody, your video and audio move on so
you can have a conversation sort of like on zoom.
And then when you walk away, you fade away and
there's stuff happening within the theater and stuff like that
too and stuff. So I we should get you into
that involved in that because some of the performances will

(07:16):
be hanging out and stuff and it's man, that is amazing.
You should have posted it that virtually at Adam Savage's warehouse.
I know, God, that would be amazing if they could
build that out the old Man Cave. Yeah, for those
of you listening, Adam Savage of the Missbusters has myth
Busters has a sort of this legendary warehouse man cave

(07:36):
in San Francisco that is, I mean he has parties
there and stuff around the time of Sketch Fest, and
it's just sort of like a nerd paradise. Uh. You know,
whether or not you want to see like a life
size Bubba fette or a real perfect recreation of the
Blade Runner gun or like a little R two D
two whirling around the party, it's pretty insane. It's like
the good kind of hoarding. Yeah, it's just wall to

(08:00):
wall props from things that either he traded for or
he built himself. Um, it's pretty amazing. And you know,
we have photos of like I'm sitting in Captain Kirk's chair,
I'm holding a Hall Boys gun Like it's unbelievable, pretty phenomenal,
very cool. So one more time, When is it in?
What time? And where can you get tickets? So it's Saturday,
January thirty five o'clock PM Pacific, eight o'clock Eastern and

(08:23):
whatever time wherever you are. Um, and you can get
tickets at s F Sketch Fest dot com. It's gonna
be really great. That's great. And is it one of
those things where if you pay per ticket you can
watch it a couple of days later or is it
only live? Yeah, so it'll be live stream, but you
have access if you buy a ticket to um watch
a replay of it for like twenty four hours or
forty eight hours afterwards, I believe. So you have a

(08:44):
little bit. It's great. So yeah, yeah, no, that's that's
a great way to do it, because in I've done
a couple of little concerts like that where I could
not necessarily be there right at the time, but then
I watched it the next day. Right. Also, you know,
three hours of one sitting of anything, it can be
a little hard. So you know, I'm sure some people
will break it up. But well I can't wait. Man,
I'll be there, thanks in as an audience member. All right,

(09:05):
So we're gonna move along to your latest movie, Crush,
which is the Albert Brooks written, directed, and starring film
from Defending Your Life. Great movie, classic movie. And until
I watched it today, I didn't realize that I had
never seen this movie. You've never seen it? No, man,

(09:28):
I caught I thought I had. I caught bits of
it on HBO here and there, And it's one of
those movies like that I thought I had seen, but
as I was watching it, because I knew all about it,
was like, wait a minute, I don't think I've actually
ever sat down and watched this. It's probably it's my
favorite Brooks movie, and I love them all pretty much. Yeah,
I don't know. There's just something about it that, like,

(09:49):
his neuroses are still on display, but it's not necessarily
the driving force of the entire picture like it is
in his other things which I started like that. It
was definitely the air and it you know, obviously deals
a lot with fear and and things like that, but
and like how you're still judged even after you die.
But but it's you know, I don't know it's for me.

(10:10):
It's just like it's his only real like romantic comedy.
I guess you could say. Yeah, I mean it is
a love story at heart. I mean we're gonna get
into the sort of allegory of the whole thing with
being judged and your acts on life and and fear.
And one thing I thought was really interesting was the
notion that the the goal in the afterlife is to

(10:34):
to keep gaining knowledge. Uh, and to get smarter and
smarter and to use more of your brain. And that's
sort of kind of the only like they met. Two
things really is your goal is to keep gaining knowledge,
and then the one great thing is you can eat
however much without gaining weight, which is just funny. I
think that's sort of everyone's idea of like a perfect afterlife,

(10:56):
right to be sort of like what we're all doing
the pandemic now, but we don't have a pandemic twenty
pounds after Uh. So it was you know, it's considered
a cult classic, like so many of his films, and
he's only made uh she's what like five or six yeah,
something like that. Let's there's real life. There's lots of

(11:16):
America mask in your life, looking for comedy in the
Muslim world, mothers mother, Um, I think that's right. Yeah. So,
I mean he's a filmmaker and this is over the
course of I mean since I think his first movie
is like the early eighties, so he's I think real
life was like seventy nine or something. Yeah, So he's

(11:39):
judicious with his time and he's not a filmmaker who
wants to make movies every two or three years. He
takes long gaps in between, and like most of his movies,
they don't this one included. They don't perform terribly well
at the box office. Uh, they're always reviewed kindly and

(11:59):
they usually are cable TV and sort of DVD cult classics.
This one only made like. I looked up the box
office on it because I'm always curious like it. In
its entire theatrical run, I made sixteen million dollars, which
was still not that much funny. Um, and when it opened, um,

(12:20):
it was kind of unlimited release at first, so the
weekend it opened it was against Okay, this is just
even an idea of what was happening in the world
of cinema the week it was released. Here's your top
ten movies. Uh, the live action Teenage Mutant, Ninja Turtles Okay,
I didn't see it. Um, I kind of love it.
But Silence of the Lambs, Oh Boy, Dances with Wolves.
Number four was New Jack City Okay. Five class Action,

(12:43):
which is that Gene Hackman, Mary Elizabeth Mastro Antonio six
Sleeping with the Enemy. Seven in its nineteenth week of release,
Home Alone, that thing was nuts. Uh. Number eight The
Doors number nine, The Perfect Upon that Jeff Speakman action movie.
I had no idea what that is. It was like

(13:04):
he was a guy that put out like one or
two action movies, like they're trying to bring him the
next new thing. And ten was Guilty by Suspicion, which
I think was a Denero thing. I'm not Yeah, I
think that was about the McCarthy era. I think it's
a Hollywood screenwriter in the Blacklist eraff and that that
sounds right. So the most I ever did was in

(13:24):
its like third weekend. It was like I kind of
went wider and it was like it was number six
and it made like four million that weekend or something.
So I'm looking up the Perfect Weapon now. And I
definitely do not know this movie, but I sort of
recognized that guy. Was he trying to be um obviously
trying to be like a Steven Seagal type. Yeah, that's

(13:45):
Kevin Pollock was a whole bit about it on his
UM one of his old comedy specials where he's like
sal and Jeff Speakman. So I got two quick little
asides to tell you. Um. One is when I lived
in l A, my friend John was a uh dated

(14:08):
the personal assistant to meet Loaf's wife. We all did
Hollywood story. Yeah, you know how that stuff happens in
LA that's like these weird things. So I ended up
hanging out at Meats House, which is what you called
them by the way, um two or three times. He
was never there, but um Steven Segal lived in the
house behind him, and there were, you know, these big

(14:29):
fences and stuff. But if you kind of walk up
the stairs to Meats House, you can see over the fence.
And he had all these little um Asian gazebos. They
all look like sort of Indian miniature Indian temples sort
of all over his backyard of his property, which I
thought was very interesting. It's so weird for somebody that's
like his whole persona is just like he's peaceful, he's serene,

(14:51):
he's spiritual, but he's a total prick from what I understand. So, like,
I don't think he's a nice guy. Right, So where
did where does all that? How does that fit in there?
I don't know. On SNL, like he was really upset
about the Hans and Franz sketch about him. He's just
like kick these guys, ask Like he was mad that
they're dunking on him, when that's the whole ideas. It's

(15:15):
just like he's he's humorless and not a nice guy
from what I understand. Yeah, humorless is one of my
least favorite character qualities in a celebrity. And he's here today.
Let's Oh my god, you're great. I love you. Uh
and the other quick story. And I think I've told
this before on the one of my favorite murder ladies
joined me for Silence of the Lambs. But I saw

(15:36):
that movie as a double bill at my student center.
How they would in college, they would show a movie
and then say, hey, if you want to stick around
and watch this other new movie, you can. So I
went to see Dances with Wolves and they said, if
you want to stick around and watch this new movie
with Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster called Silence and the Lambs,
then you can do so. And I was like, all right.

(15:56):
And I thought it was like a because I heard
Jodie Foster and Pinny Hopkins and Signlence of the Lands.
I thought it was going to fully be like a
merchant ivory thing, right, nothing about it, And like cut
to fifteen minutes later when I'm just like you know,
terrified sitting in my seat. Uh, and it definitely overperformed
Dances with Wolves at Night. I left, and I was like,

(16:17):
oh man, I have like a new favorite sort of
thriller movie that is kind of magical those days in
college when they like host screenings on campus because they
have to because they have that budget and stuff, and
like I remember seeing like Strange Days that way, and
then Trapped in Paradise, that Nicholas Cage Dana Carvey Lovetts
movie where they're like bank robbers sort to get out
of some all time and uh Shawshank Redemption and Frank

(16:40):
Darramant was there. This is like three months for it
actually opened because his niece went to s S State
San Francisco State where I was. So I have like
a signed promotional Shaw shankate by ten that he signed
for me backstage at that thing. But yeah, that's like
I got to see that for free before it opened.
And of course that movie is magical. So you strike
me as the kind of person who might have worked
at the student at theater. Did I worked at Video

(17:02):
Stars any video starts for like a decade, but yeah,
yeah I did do. Uh So yeah, Cult Classic Defending
Your Life. Um. If you don't know about the movie,
a go and watch it at streaming on HBO Max
if you have that. But it is a movie about
Albert Brooks. He plays a um AD executive who five
minutes into the film dies. He gets hit by a

(17:24):
bus in his brand new BMW and UM and goes
to his immediate afterlife, which is uh, what's it called
the Judgment City? Where the idea is that you have
to defend your life in a sort of UM court
where they pick out days of your life, examine those

(17:46):
and then decide whether or not you should be allowed
to go on uh and gain more and more knowledge,
or the hell which is to be sent back to Earth,
which I thought was pretty interesting. How did you love
that line when he's talking to his layer ripped arm
where he's like, is this heaven? No? Doesn't happen? Is
this hell? No? There is no hell? Though here Los
Angeles is getting pretty close? Yeah, uh yeah, you know,

(18:09):
the Great Ripped Horn. I think it's interesting. Aside from
a cameo by Shirley McLain and uh kind of a
cameo by Buck Henry, the really only few recognizable characters
are Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep and Ripped Horn. I guess
if you sort of know your movies, he would recognize
Lee Grant as the prosecutor. But otherwise it's just sort

(18:29):
of peppered with these sort of no names and great
little supporting roles too. He's Albert does a good job
of like writing bits for people to do. I mean
that has comes back from like his days of you know, work,
stand up in the clubs, and his dad and all
that stuff like that too. So I feel like they're
they're biddy things in these movies, but they are great,

(18:50):
you know, because everybody a little something to do that's
really fun and aren't necessarily plot devices, but more so
just something kind of interesting to move the plot along
but be fun. Yeah. Mean, Albert Brooks always struck me
as a sort of a Woody Allen adjacent filmmaker, and
that is, like I said, his movies don't make a
ton of money, kind of like Woody Allen's movies. But
I think Albert Brooks could always get a movie made. Um.

(19:13):
I'm sure he would laugh if I said, you know,
with Little Trouble. Um, you know, behind the scenes, there's
probably a lot of trouble trying to get films finance.
But it seems like he's just one of those filmmakers
with the credibility in the cache where when he's ready
to jump back in, someone will say, sure, we'll make
the next Probably he has his fan base that love
him and his movies are so funny and that he

(19:35):
does such a good job in this and every movie
does kind of poking fun at the industry in Los
Angeles and stuff too. So anybody that has any experience
in the industry or like interest in it, um will
love it. Little side jokes and things here and there,
Like I remember, I think it was a muse where um,
he's taking a meeting with Steven Spielberg's cousin or whatever.
But he's on the lot or whatever, and he's talking

(19:57):
to this kind of power agent guy and um, and
he's got like a office just kind of full of
little props and things like that, and he's like, oh,
you love saving Private Ryan and he's like, yeah, I do.
That's the couch from the movie, which just kills me.
It's like so funny that what couch would like is

(20:17):
there a couch in that movie? And he just bragging
about the fact that he's sitting on the couch and
saving private Ryan, Like it's that's pretty funny. Like in
the background of the scene with the mom where they
tell her that her sons have died or something, it's
like the only couch in that movie. Uh. And you know,
even before he dies, in that first five minutes, there's
so many funny little lines. When he's going to buy

(20:40):
the BMW and Uh. He's just so great at that
sort of skewering satire, whether it's a car salesman or
someone in the industry. And the car salesman's case keeps
telling him how much weight he's lost, and he goes,
I saw you three days ago. He's like, what is
this weight loss? And he went, oh, I wrote you
a check for thirty nine thousand dollars. That's what it is. Yeah.

(21:04):
Doing that first five minutes, it's great too with the
whole like what is what these jeeps? What's the fascination
with these things? Are floods coming? Yeah? What do you
know that I don't know? Uh? And even the car
wreck is pretty funny, like he gets this a compact
displayer in his car that he didn't ask for. He's
got those long boxes. It's really dates in and he's

(21:25):
listening to Barber streisand uh, is that yentle? What is that? Well,
the song Something's Coming, but exactly what was from it
might be, but yeah, I mean it's the irony of
that whole thing too. Something's coming. I don't know what
it is, and that's a bus because you're serving into
the other lane. Yeah. For like a really kind of
hysterically long period of time. He he's goes down into

(21:49):
the floorboard of the passenger seat trying to pick up
the CDs that have slid off for like seven eight seconds,
that great shot of the car fully going on into
the other lane, and then you know it's a bus.
It's all over your six minutes into the movie and
just launching into the premise that quickly. I loved. It
didn't need to be one of those things where the

(22:10):
whole first act you kind of get to know this person,
and I think that's kind of the point is you
shouldn't know that much about what kind of person he
was going into this Judgment City, right, Yeah, I make
us right to it, which I definitely appreciate, um because
a lot of movies, like you said, like takes, so
like take the first act or take the first three
minutes or whatever, you get into the meat of it,
and it's sort of like okay, but like the meat

(22:31):
is what we're here for, so there's gotta be ways
to get right into the action, as they say, um,
which this movie is a good job with. Yeah, and
you know this, it's a familiar concept. People have made
movie like Heaven Can Wait and uh, or you know
The Christmas the Christmas one where you see your life
flash before your eyes. I'm blanking on everything today, it's

(22:51):
a wonderful life, or sure The Family Man, uh and uh,
well sure, I mean all these movies. It's a familiar conceit,
but he he does something a little different with it.
And it's kind of proof that you can use a
familiar concept and still make a great movie if you
have a little bit of a spin and there's just
good writing in good performances totally, which is definitely does

(23:13):
amazing on all fronts. I want him to make another movie.
I know me too. He's I think it's like seventy
three years old. Uh and I think him like good health,
so he's could. But his last movie, I mean, I
didn't see it the Muslim world. It's it's okay, it's
not bad. It's it's not it doesn't deserve the skewering

(23:34):
it gets, but it's not good like it's you know,
it's definitely one of those like two and a half
star movies like it's is that his least good movie? Probably.
It's definitely watchable, and there's some really funny things in it.
It just doesn't quite work as a whole. Gotcha, but
that was like fifteen years ago, wasn't it something like that? Yeah,
he needs to get going. Um, I love the part.

(23:55):
And you know, of course some of this because it's
such a funny movie. It's just gonna be like the
funniest lines and funny of scenes. But right with her
on the tram, you know, one of the gags is
he's he's the only person under the age of like
seventy five, like everywhere he goes, almost and the lady
on the trams, how many of you like to play golf?
And everyone just sort of sits there and you don't

(24:16):
know at the time that they're still adjusting to their
afterlife body. I guess because no one raises their hand.
She says, you won't be able to get your hands
up just yet, but good. And just that whole conversation
he has with the old lady on the tram a
little bit later just kills me to like, you remind
me of my little poodle, so young aids No, No,

(24:36):
I was in a carrect. Okay, I'll tell you about
my dog. You have a while. Yeah, And she feels
his hair. It's a little curly afro. Uh. That is
a funny bit though, that he's always surrounded by old
people and that's why he and Meryl Streep, you know,
get they sort of lock eyes at that. That comedy

(24:57):
club comedic, that comedy of sequence to is like such
homage to his dad. And like a lot of people
realized that as his dad died on stage, like that's uh,
you know Harry really literally um like Harry park or
Parky artists was I think that's what he's called. He
was a Friar's Club roast for Lucille Ball and he

(25:18):
did his act, and right when he was done with
his act, like somebody said like, oh, he should be
on primetime, way isn't he? And he turned to Milton
Burl only, yeah, why is that? And then he just
collapsed in Milton Burle's lap, and they took his heart
failure and they took him backstage and tried to revive
him and all this stuff, but um, and they weren't
short to do because the friar's roast. And so they're backstage.
I think Milton Burle said, is there a doctor in

(25:39):
the house? And people thought he was kidding what he
wasn't And then they tried to revive him backstage and
they you know, couldn't do it. And meanwhile they're like,
what should we do? And they asked Tony Martin to
sing a song, but he he chose unfortunately there's no tomorrow. Um,
that's happening. And yeah, so like he really did die
on stage. So like that whole sequence is like, it's

(25:59):
really funny where this comic is just kind of hacky
on stage doing his bit and he's like trying to
do his crowd work and he's like you, how did
you die? And Albert says on stage like you yeah, wow,
that was a slide nod. Then and then when they
go into the alley, him and Meryl Streep and they're
walking together, he's like, I had to go back in
that's my father. She's like, oh my god. Really He's like, no,

(26:20):
how sad that would be for me, But really, like,
that's what happened to his dad, and so it's like
very much. You wouldn't know it, but I think he's
worked little references into his movies about his father in
the past and stuff like that too, just kind of
deal with how that went down, because you think he's
eleven when his dad died. She Sai's terrible. Yeah, I
mean he came from a show of his family and

(26:41):
grew up in Beverly Hills and his dad, I mean
he wasn't like the biggest star in the world, but
very much a working comedian and well respected comedian. I
think his mom was in the business too, right, you know,
I'm that I'm not sure if it's very possible. It
feels like they're very Hollywood from the beginning. Yeah, and
you grew up with Rob Reiner and there was one other,

(27:02):
um god who was it, kind of famous comedian. You know,
these Beverly Hills kids sons of legends. Right, It's a
very interesting way to grow up. I guess what do
you think the statement of this movie is. I mean,

(27:22):
there's a lot going on here, sort of metaphysically speaking, Yeah,
I mean there's a lot of things. I think one
it has it's sort of the messages that like you
only live once and face your fears, like do things
and take you out of your comfort zone. Do things
because only extraordinary things will happen if you do that. Um.
I think that's kind of one of the underlying things
and the kind of whole reason that everybody's having their

(27:44):
lives looked at as if they haven't overcome those things,
they send them back until they do. Um. And that's
actually like a big kind of running joke between him
and Meryl Streep is that like she lives a like
perfect life and everything she's staying. He's basically staying at
a kind of okay motel, sick kind of looking hotel,
and she's basically the Four Seasons and she's like, where
are you saying? He's like, the Continental, come over, we'll

(28:05):
paint it. Yeah. He's so good with just those. I
mean they're very quick jokes, you know, like sometimes just
a couple of words that he just nails. It's it's
a real talent to be able to write a funny
joke like that totally. I mean, he's so good at
little aside. It's a very quotable movie. I mean most
of his movies are quotable to me, but this one especially,

(28:27):
I think it's just so many good little asides and
quips and stuff. So, yeah, Mother was always one of
my favorites of his. It was I mean, it's just
one of those movies where there're certain moms and and
if you have one of them and you see that movie,
it's just like there was a lot of my mom
in uh in Debbie Reynolds in that movie. It was

(28:48):
pretty funny. I love it. Go ahead, and I was
just say, it's just like Debbie Reynolds and that whole thing,
Like it's just kind of funny that. I mean. That's
how Meryl Streep got on this movie was that they
were doing Postcards in the from the Edge around the
same time, which you know is Carrie Fisher and Honor
and something like that and carry they were all friends.
So Herr. Albert went to dinner with Carrie Fisher and

(29:10):
Meryl Streep and talked to me about the new movie.
And Meryl Streep was like, well, is there a role
for me in that? And he's kind of laughed and
then he's like, well, do you want to be in it?
And she's like yeah, So like that's kind of how
like it wasn't she was never targeted for that role.
It was just one of those things where like she
said she wanted to do it, so he's kind of
rewrote it a little bit and tailed it to tailed
or tailored it to her, which is very phenomenal. Yeah,

(29:33):
I saw that that. He was very um obviously even
you know, in her reputation was just so cemented as
like one of the great leading actors of all time,
and uh, he was. He would he said he never
would have thought, like did even try and get somebody
like Meryl Streep, But he said once he met her,
he said she was just so funny and cool and

(29:54):
like so not what he thought she would be. And
he said that he had never really seen her the
movie where she could just kind of beat herself in
fun and uh and smiling and you know, uh and
just sort of laid back, and so he wanted to
give her a part like that. And it's my favorite
Meryl Street performance, to be honest. I mean she's great
and everything, Like she's argue with the greatest living actor

(30:17):
right now. Like she's pretty phenomenal, but it's just something
about like the charm and the easy going but she's
totally in control of the performance and has great chemistry
with Albert, which you know, I don't know on paper,
i'd be like, oh, those two definitely a couple, But
in my mind I thought about, like, it actually would
have been kind of cool if her part was Holly
Hunter to kind of sort of rekindle the broadcast news angle. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

(30:42):
that would have been cool. Yeah, but definitely, I think
Meryl is so good in this and yeah, I love it. Yeah,
I mean just physically the way she carries herself in
this movie. I mean it's not a flashy performance at all.
But um, you know, Albert Brooks does one face kind
of uh in the best way possible, which is just uneasiness. Basically,

(31:04):
he just has a face that always reads like he's
a little worried about something, and he's he plays a
sort of a stiffness an anxiety in this movie. But
it's not overdone at all. He's not, like you were
saying earlier, not supermanic about you know, everything that's going on.
It's not like to the Woody Allen levels, but it's

(31:26):
just enough to play against her complete comfort in her
body and in her life, and even the way she
pulls her feet up on the couch when she sits,
or in the scene in the scene where she is
he pops in on her trial where she's defending her
life and she's sitting in that chair with her kind
of legs pulled up and just smiling, and it really

(31:48):
is sort of a stark difference, very subtle, but very stark,
especially when, like, you know, his trial is very contentious
with like you know, Bob Diamond and well that's the
lawyer five ever of torn and Lee Grant are just
really going head to head and there's a lot of
like he just feels he has a hard time defending
everything that they show and the footage is very damning.
And then you know the moment that he's in Meryl

(32:09):
Stream staying as they show her like rescuing people from
a fire or whatever, and then then judged cat out
of the fire, right, and then the judge is like,
I just wanted to watch that again, but it's already
a preconceived notion that she's moving on. Everybody loves her.
She calls her lawyer Sam like it's yeah, yeah. And
at the end of that scene, it's great too because

(32:30):
the two judges, um, one of them says like, well,
let's meet back tomorrow mainly just to uh, mainly just
to enjoy it again, like like they know she's going on,
there's really no need for any more days, but they
really just like being around her totally. It's really great.
I love the fact that kids don't have to defend themselves.
It's sort of a small touch, but a very sweet one.

(32:53):
And then he's you know, ripped torns, his kids don't
have to defend themselves, and then albre Bronks immediately goes,
what about teenage two? Roundbunctious trying it um um. He's
so good in this movie, Like this is my favorite
ripped torn thing too. Um so good And it's actually

(33:13):
kind of funny Tay read that, like so you know,
as you know, Albert's a little obsessed with Easy Rider,
which is like kind of the whole thing with in
um Lost in America, which the whole thing like let's
just pick up and live on, you know, live free.
So for the role Bob Diamond, he wanted um Dennis
Hopper at first, who turned it down to the scheduling,

(33:35):
and then he was offered to Jack Nicholson and Nicholson
passed on it, and then he thought about Easy Rider,
which originally Ripped Torn was on in the Nickelson role,
but he got fired from it because he pulled a
knife on Dennis Hopper, so so that he just thought
about that, like, oh, there's there's my next easy writer connection,

(33:56):
and then then he hired Ripped Torn from this. You know, Yeah,
I did see the Ripped Torn was. He said something
about him not working a lot that much preceding this movie,
I think, and I really didn't get it, and the
knife kind of explains that he was sort of problematic
in some ways, But was that this deal was he
just kind of hard to work with. I think he's

(34:17):
kind of hard to work with and just really I
think he was kind of paranoid and a bit of
a drunk from what I understand, So he had definitely
had substance to use problems and things. Um, but yeah,
I mean, you wouldn't know it from this thing, like
he's he's playing such a charming blow hard. Yeah, it
kind of against type. If you're you know if you

(34:37):
know ripped torn from Larry Sanders. Uh, and just that
face of his, Like he's got one of the great
scowls in movie history. And I think we're used to
him playing the heavy and kind of the asshole, so
it was nice to see that flipped here. Yeah, totally.
It's Yeah, he's so good. Uh. And Lee Grant, who
played the prosecutor, she had been in a lot of stuff,

(34:58):
but I didn't know the she was a filmmaker. To
she she was blacklisted for twelve years and then came
back and she directed a lot of TV a lot
of TV movies, but also a lot of documentaries. Um
that we're about causes very important to her, which is
really cool. Yeah. And she's really good in this too,
Like how tough she was you wouldn't sleep. Yeah, that's right.

(35:22):
Also like sort of the non religious aspect, and I
imagine that was something. You know, if you go to
make a movie about the afterlife, you gotta decide that's
one of the first things you have to decide is
how how religious is this going to be? And this
wasn't at all. I mean the whole the whole basic
concept of how they did it is it just kind
of looks like kind of a suburb like you know,

(35:44):
holiday ends kind of place that kind of drab um
and made to be that way so it would be
something that people would feel comfortable in because it's basic
plane earth stuff, um, which is you know, it goes
whole idea of like you know, if you got, you know,
kidnapped by aliens, they would probably put you in something

(36:05):
like that because they you wouldn't be as alarmed as
then if he's got different like places to look so
to speak. Yeah, um, so, yeah, it's made that way
to keep them comfortable, and it's just so drab and
pouring everywhere they go. Yeah, and he has I mean,
he always gets in a couple of little um shots
here and there, a commentary about just the world and

(36:27):
in this case about Earth in the United States. When
he says kind of early in the movie, they take
suggestions in the suggestion box about how it could be
more comfortable and more earthlike, and he said, you should
put in some of those mini malls. And the lady's
response was something about, uh, she likes to do her
own nails and and doesn't need a tax accounting or
something like that. She doesn't like frozen yogurt or yeah,

(36:52):
likes to do her own nails. Um, I guess let's
talk about the you know, everyone is has a certain
amount of day days that are plucked from their life
that they have to be judged against. One of the
running jokes is he has nine days, and he's constantly
he's constantly trying to figure out if that's a lot
of days or not, because you know, rip Torn is

(37:13):
always very stingy with the information, and he's like, some
people have more, some people have less, you have nine.
But most people's reaction is like, whoa nine days? It
seems like a lot everybody who like lives or works there,
so to speak, in the area. And it's really funny too,
because it just always gets like a little reaction. Like
there's a whole scene in the sushi restaurant where um,

(37:34):
you know, they do the sushi thing where they call
the orders out and everybody repeats it and says in yeah,
that too, but he did sushi chef asked, you know
how many days you're looking at and he says nine days,
and he goes, oh my god, nine days, and then
everyone starts repeating nine days, And especially like with probably
My favorite side character in this movie is Eduardo. The

(37:54):
Italian Waiter's great. He's so funny and when they ask him,
you know how many days we're looking at nine? It
makes so good. Yeah, I mean there's some you know,
these are all very much ethnic stereotypes, but they are
pretty funny. Um. And the Italian restaurant scene is great
because again, like what could be the best thing in

(38:18):
the world is to eat everything in the world, to
have three pounds of pasta or thirty shrimp and I'm
gonna bring you nine pies each day? What nine pie?
And just the whole idea too that in that scene,
like he's embarrassed in front of Julia of like having
all this food come to him when like, you don't
need to be. She's loving this, like it's the whole thing.

(38:39):
But he's still paranoid and he's still like is afraid
of what she'll think of him, which is kind of
the whole thing in the movie is like he's very
concerned with what people will think of him, like yeah,
the fear, Yeah, how does he live up to this thing?
Or what were other people doing? How can I live
up to that? Which is shown a lot and stuff
he does in the past two and like that's one
of the moments where it's really display as like, you know,

(39:01):
she's slurping noodles out of her mouth and he's just
kind of like, ever gonna end, Bite it off, Bite
it off, bite it all off, bite down, bite down.
And I love Edwardo's line to or her. He's like,
I'm gonna bring you thirty shrimp and he's like they're
so fresh to they're crawling it up under your plate,
aren't shrimp? Aren't they hiring cholesterol? I don't know what

(39:21):
you're talking about, but they had and everything. You believe me,
don't worry about it. Yeah, And you know, they use
that against him, the fact that he's still carrying around
that fear of what people think, um or just fear
of taking that leap, uh, and they use it against
him on that final day when he when he doesn't

(39:41):
he chooses not to sleep with Meryl Streep kind of
for all the good reasons, uh, it seems like, and
they use that against him, saying like he's still afraid
to take that leap, right, which is like totally It's
that's a tough moment because like, really he is trying
to be like gentlemanly and not rush it and try
to you know, ruin it all those things. But yeah,

(40:02):
I mean it's and then has a nice little you
know ending to like the way they do finally resolve
all that stuff is pretty pretty nice, pretty good for
a Brooks movie, because they often just kind of I
don't want to say peter out, but they just kind
of end a lot of the times that they feel
that this one's wrapped up in a little bow pretty nicely. Yeah.
I mean it's a very satisfying ending. Uh. And you're right,

(40:24):
he doesn't because that's sort of a I think he
never wants to do sort of the cheap, sort of
feel good movie ending, but he allowed it in this
case because they had such good chemistry. You really do
want them to be together and to for him not
to get sent back to Earth. Uh. But you know,
as far as let's get back to those nine days,

(40:45):
he they're pulling up these scenes from his childhood, and
I love that they're not too overdone, like he could
have made them really uh super super awful or indefensible,
but they're all sort of normal things that kids go through. Uh.
And that that one brutal scene where that he's a
baby in the or like a toddler in the crib
and his parents are fighting. Is just bawling. Is like that,

(41:09):
especially now as an adult and apparent really kind of
hard to see. Oh totally. I mean it's it. It
borders on melodrama, but it also hits all the right
notes at the same time too. Of like them this
totally heated argument and them just he's about to strike
his wife or so it seems like, as dad, and
then they see the kid out of the corner of

(41:30):
their eye who's just kind of crying, and the pen
looking at them, and they just kind of realized in
that moment, like what the hell are we doing? And
Grace like it's yeah, it's tough and ripped, torn always
has his back, which is great. Yeah, he's always like listen,
this guy's is trying to do the right thing. And
then Lee Grant as a prosecutor, will come in right
behind him and say we have it. Then let's fast

(41:51):
forward to later that day when he doesn't do the
right thing and it's just it's so unfair, you know,
it really is. I Mean, there's the whole thing where
like his classmate forgot his paints and is um, you
know one of those kids. It's like they're gonna suspend me,
They're gonna kick me out. I can't. Oh my gosh,
I don't have my paints. And so Daniel decides in
that moment to be like, you know, I'll use mine

(42:14):
and then tells his teacher like I lost him, I
forgot him or whatever. And so it's like like a
wonderful little act. And then of course Lee Grant throws
it in his face later on when he's talking to
his dad and his dad's like, I can't believe it.
No TV. And then he's like, I didn't do it,
Steve lost it. Yeah, you want to punish him. Punished,
punish you punish him. So it's the whole like he

(42:35):
made a nice act to try to help his friend,
but then he's a kid, so obviously when he's threatened
with you know things from his father, back pedals and
throws his friend under the bus. So it's you know,
double sighted. Yeah, great casting there too is for the
kid and his dad totally. You know, they just basically
said give me someone with a brown afro. Um. There's

(43:05):
so much comedy. One of My favorite things in funny
movies is when you can get multiple laughs out of
the same um like sound effect or something um that's
not like a line. And in his uh, in his
trial scenes, I laughed every single time that chair turned
around and it's on you know, he's sitting in this

(43:26):
chair and it's on a on a an electric spindle
that will turn him around and then watch the screen,
and then after it's over, it turns him back around
to face judges and just the sound effect they use
every single time, and you're waiting for the reveal of
his face even though you know exactly what his face
is going to be, which is that Albert Brooks face

(43:47):
of unease. But somehow it was just it was funny
every single time. Yeah, and you gotta wait for it.
Like it's not a fast swivel, it's just kind of time.
And he slumped down his chair and he's just so
like uncomfortable with having to look back at his life
at all, much less defend it. There's that funny and

(44:10):
you know it's a movie with allegory and some sort
of heavier themes, but it is Albert Brooks, so you're
also going to get some fun stuff. Like the Blooper
real basically of of his kind of dumb things he
did in this life, and that it's the only time
this movie kind of veers into that kind of comedy.
But that's a pretty fun sequence. I know, it's like
there's no reason for them to show it, but they

(44:31):
just do. Anyways. It's kind of embarrassing and I just
love like the chainsaw on the parasol on the outside
the world. So stupid, but so it was great. Yeah,
he just you know, his car is uh, sort of
rolling out of the gas station and instead of trying
to jump in the door and stop it, he jumps
on the hood of the car. It's all like very

(44:52):
broad comedy. It's pretty fun stuff, really silly, but so good.
So we talked a little bit about the chemistry between
Meryl Streep and Albert Brooks. Uh. It's really very natural.
It happens pretty quickly, and there's the idea that maybe
they may have known each other in a past life
and the past lives pavilion. She was a he's a

(45:12):
dressmaker and dinner right, and she's like Prince Valiant. Yeah,
like she did all these great things. Um, but they
you know it culminates in what I think is really
one of the better first kiss scenes in movies. It's
really really great. Yeah, if they're so sweet together, it's like,
that's the thing is. It feels very like an old
fashioned courtship, but under extraordinary circumstances where and a very

(45:37):
abbreviated timeline you're only there for a couple of days
or whatever. So, um, they're just so sweet together. I
love it so much. And the whole Past Lives Pavilion too,
Like that whole sequence cracks me up. Like surely McClain
is the one in introduces it, which you know, at
that time she's very much known for like out on
a limb and like all those like weird spiritual things.
And just the fact that when she says welcome to

(45:59):
the past a Pavilion, you hear off screen some woman go,
oh my god, it's so good. Like just little moments
like that. It just cracked me up. Yeah, And I
saw where he was talking about using special effects. He
had a big a little bit bigger budget for this
movie than he normally had, and um was able to
do some things that now, you know, look very sort

(46:21):
of rudimentary, but back then it was it was a
bit of cutting edge stuff showing those kind of hologram
like people in the past lives, and he talks about
the trams were all miniatures except for the ones that
they were writing on obviously. Uh and they used you know,
uh Matt paintings and stuff, which is not special well
it is special effects, but not c G I. And

(46:43):
those trams are the same ones that they use at
Universal Studios, so that really I wondered where they got those.
I thought it was kind of cool too, how they
all had to wear these were the same outfit um,
which is this sort of just white smock basically. Yeah,
they call him what tupas or two guys tupas. Yeah,

(47:07):
that's not how comfortable they are. Yeah, there's it's just
like the lounge where that they're basically all walking around
and and when he tried to tip the guy early on,
that shows a mystery. Right before he can really like speak, right,
you can't really move, He's reaching for his pockets that
aren't there and stuff. Just yeah, it's so good. I
read a Rolling Stone um twenty five years after article,

(47:30):
which was in where Albert Brooks basically wrote a piece
for Rolling Stone and it's cool. It's like he really
you can tell he cares a lot about this movie
and that he loves that it is. Um had a
second life sort of as a cult classic. He talked
about this one kid whose parents his parents wrote him
and said that he was like a twelve year old
who'd memorize the movie. And he said, you know, I

(47:52):
know not obviously people aren't out there memorizing it. And
he said, but he said, it's interesting that it played
really well too young younger people, and that that's something
you never thought would happen. It wasn't a movie made
for young people, but in the when they did the
test screenings, it performed best in people eighteen, which was
kind of surprising. I think, I mean I was I think,
wasn't any one. So I was like fifteen or sixteen

(48:14):
at the time when I came out and then I did, Yeah,
I saw it right away. But that also helped that,
Like my dad was a big out Brooks fans, so
and that was like it was PG Brooks so of
chrsty All went and saw that. But yeah, I loved
it then and it resonated with me then. But like
also like I just I love like clever dialogue and
quips and stuff like that too, and this movie is
just full of it. So it's one of those things
that I just gravitated towards it naturally. But I'm not

(48:36):
surprised it resonates with people because I feel like a
lot it's very family friendly and it is um it's
even I think it's PG. Thirteen, but there's not really
anything I don't see why that in it. But um,
you know, it's the kind of thing you would watch,
you know, you show to your kids and they would
probably find the concept kind of funny or whatever if
they're old enough. I think you have to be at
least you know, seven, eight, nine years old. But I

(48:57):
think it's one of one of those things that would
resonate with kids. It's it's very funny and very charming. Yeah,
and also a movie I think that a kid could
watch and get one take from it and then an
adult you know, or if you watch it years later,
like you you know, it's one of those movies that
kind of can change what you get out of it
as you get older. Totally. It's got a great score too,

(49:20):
Like I think that's one of the ones that's really
talk about but the music is pretty phenomenal. Um. Michael Gordon,
the music who like he did scores for like Pretty
and Pink and Fame in terms of endearment and stuff,
a lot of anis he's still doing music producing stuff today. Um.
But I really really enjoyed the score on the field
of it too. Yeah. It's sort of a good, old
fashioned eighties nineties movie score. It's not too flashy or anything,

(49:46):
but I like movies that have scores. Um, I think
it's a bit of a lost art other than big,
big sort of epics. Obviously you think about the score.
But um, that's one thing I always loved about Alexander
Payne movies is he has very little popular music or songs,
and he's a sort of a modern filmmaker who uses

(50:08):
these kind of old fashioned feeling scores. And I don't
know this, there's something about it from our childhood. I
guess it just it feels like a movie. Yeah. I
like that. I mean I think it's a nice, like
good theme that kind of recurs throughout and then obviously
incidental music in between. Um. And I think a lot
of that had to do with like John Williams and
the eighties and all those iconic scores that he did

(50:29):
and James Horner and people like that too. Yeah, you know,
it's just it definitely is I mean, obviously we're both
like eighties movie people that grew up on that stuff,
so it definitely does sort of take you back to
the field that kind of feel on the movie instead
of like a freaking like scrillic score like they had
in The Mandalorian one week. Um. But yeah, it's so good. Yeah,

(50:53):
I don't even know. I mean, I know who scrillics is,
but I know just enough to laugh at that. You know.
It's just, you know, dub stuff isn't necessarily the best
choice for something, but I mean I don't mind it
in certain scenarios. But um, so yeah, let's you know,
let's hit the ending again, because I think, like I said,
Brooks isn't known for doing these sort of saccharin endings. Um.

(51:17):
But and I'm curious if there was ever a different
ending written for this that's a little more cynical. Yeah,
I wonder about that because it would kind of seem
like they would if it was typical Brooks thing, they
would just send him back down and just be you
show him in a minimal or something right and uh,
but it does get that happy ending you want, and

(51:38):
it doesn't in a nice little kind of twist in
a sense too, because basically, like she's leaving and he
finally overcomes his fear to try to go be with her. Yeah,
and um, he's you know, running and trying to get
inside the tram. And if you guys don't know want
this ends, then don't listen to this. But it's not
a huge revelation. But he's trying to get inside this

(52:00):
tram and like it won't open and there's kind of
electricity on the ground. It's kind of shocking him as
he goes trying to get into this thing, saying I
love you, want to be with you. And he said,
She's like, I want to be with you. Two and
and then the camera pulls back and it's inside the
courtroom and that the judges are watching him, and then
they look at each other. They all kind of the
grant stuff do They all just kind of nod, And

(52:21):
then the one judge goes let him go, and then
the tram doors open and he gets on the tram
to go into the you know, the next step with her,
which is it's just really nice. Yeah, it was super
sweet and I thought that, like, I didn't see that
part coming with the court. I thought it was sweet
enough that he was going after the woman he loves
and in the scene that we've all seen a million times,

(52:42):
whether they're chasing a train or a bus or whatever,
and in this case is the tram, which was kind
of a funny little spin on it, right, But um,
I thought that was sweet enough. And I didn't even
know that he was going to get in for a
second there. I thought that he was not, and he
would just see her drive off, but it would have
been enough that he showed that bravery. So when they

(53:04):
pulled back to the court and showed it in real time,
I was like, oh, I did not see that coming.
Very cool. Yeah, it was a nice little twist and
a good little bow from the movie, which you know,
it doesn't always happen, like I said, And it's pretty well.
I mean, it was pretty well acclaimed, but like not
overwhelmingly so like Roddery, but really liked it a lot.

(53:25):
Um but like Owen Glieberman said, quote a lackluster affair,
so boo oh and Glieberman, um, and I actually read
his review because I was curious. But he said that
like he's a he was a big Albert Brooks fan,
which is prized me that he would then say that
this is a lackluster affair, because I feel like, I
feel like this is typical Albert Brooks cannon just a
little sweeter totally. It's right in the wheelhouse right exactly.

(53:48):
So that surprised me so, but um, you know, it
wasn't It wasn't really panned by anybody. The worst reviews
are just like it's okay, it doesn't have enough bite
or whatever, which is like, I don't understand that argument either,
because I don't think that's the point of the movie. Yeah,
I think if it would make if it were made today,
it would be so much more overdone. From the sets,

(54:09):
in the costumes, and what the afterlife it would look like,
to to just what happens and in the in the
days that they go back and look at for each
of them, I think they would be way more overdone
and sort of sensationalized. It's a subtle movie in a
lot of ways. Yeah, And it's also one of those
movies that's just very sweet and fun to watch, not

(54:31):
a chore, not not a homework movie, is I call
some movies that come out there just like but it's
two and a half hours and oh boy, Um it's
just a pleasant diversion, I guess you could say, And
especially nowadays when things are so like all the time,
it's just nice to have something, which is I think
that's the reason I love ted Lassa so much, which
I know you guys have talked about recently. But it's

(54:55):
just like it's just his unwavering optimism and positivity. It
is really good, feels really good in especially you know,
going into this issue. So I when we watched the
whole thing twice once with my parents, and um, I
don't know, it's just like something about entertainment that's a
little more not saccarin, but like just a little more
positive and a little more sweet that you know, it's entertainment.

(55:17):
It's to do you away from things, which is like
I never understand the argument when people are like this
isn't realistic because blah blah blah. I was like, yeah,
it's a it's a fucking movie, like there's life around you,
Like it's not it's not a documentary Like I get it.
But yeah, I mean, you know, I love my uh
my dark serial killer content and a good black comedy. Um,

(55:40):
and there's a time for all that stuff. But like
you said, especially this past year, like give me better things,
give me catastrophe, give me ted Lasso, uh one, Mississippi
Master of None. Like these movies that just have so
or TV shows that have so much heart. Defending your life,
you know, put me in that same zone. I just

(56:00):
I'll take all that stuff right now. Yeah, me too,
as much as like it on me. I mean, I
love I loved Sound of Metal as well as you did.
But like, like that's that movie is. It's a little tough,
but like it's rewarding. It's super super rewarding. I didn't
feel tough watching it, but like there's just a lot
of stuff coming out of that vein that are just
like I guess because it's like now it would be

(56:21):
Oscar time so speaking. So there's just a lot of
like really heavy dramas with like characters going on very
harrowing journeys and tough situations. So it's just kind of
nice to see sing sometimes that are just a little
more sweet. I totally agree. Defending your life is that. Uh,
I got nothing else do you have anything on your list? Um,

(56:44):
I don't think so. And we didn't talk about how
Meryl Streep died. Her little monologue about how she passed
on because everybody else is you know, old, she's one
of the youngest people there. But yeah, her. It's just
just kind of funny that this person who's super altruistic
and just you know, so on charge of everything died
by like tripping next to her pool and hitting her

(57:07):
head and then just rolling into the pool, I guess,
and drowning. And she was angry. She's angry, Yeah, how
did you die? Pissed? You mean you're pissed. And Albert
of course equips it's like, well, what do the East
German judge give you? You gotta negotiate the patio furniture.
They take that very seriously. Yeah, I thought that wasn't
interesting because she uh, I mean, that's sort of one

(57:28):
of the little mysteries of the movie. You wonder what
she did and how she died, And I thought it
was an interesting turn to have her die angry because
she's such a pleasant person in uh in the afterlife, right, Yeah,
it's kind of funny that that's what, you know, It
just goes to show you that, like, you can be

(57:48):
as in control of your life as you think you are,
but you never are. Like that's that's one of the
things that they kind of saying this thing too, is
like you gotta do the best you can. Like you're
not in control. No one's in control. It doesn't matter
how together you are, how good you are, Like, you
are not in control life. Life happens around you. You
don't control life. Yeah, absolutely, Uh well those are great

(58:11):
parting words, my friend, Go watch Defending Your Life on HBO,
max Um, go watch any Albert Brooks movie. Let's hope
he makes another one soon. I want to hope. I
don't know. I wonder if he's got something in the
in the work, so it would be great, awesome. I
would like to see him to do at least, especially
if the Searching for Comedy The Muzzlemoor wasn't great, I'd

(58:34):
like to see him go out on a better note
than that. I mean, you should don't take a look
at it. It's it's definitely watchable, and it's Albert, and
it's got good, good Albert moments in it. But well,
there's always gonna be great lines, all right, dude, Well,
go to what's the website, s F Sketch Fest s
F sketch Fest dot com. Yes, by your tickets. Yeah,

(58:54):
they're all up there. Jan is the day. But it's
gonna be it's gonna be pretty amazing. There's some really
fun surprises and things cooked up because in addition to
the hundred performers, there's like some surprise guests that pop
on into things too, So there's gonna be there's gonna
to be some fun surprises in there as well. That's awesome,
all right, Thanks buddy, Yeah, thanks Chuck, and thanks everyone
for listening. We'll see you next week. Movie Crash is

(59:18):
produced and written by Charles Bryant and Meel Brown, edited
and engineered by Seth Nicholas Johnson, and scored by Noel
Brown here in our home studio at Pontsty Market, Atlanta, Georgia.
For I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for my Heart Radio,
visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.

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