September 30, 2024 • 47 mins
Mike sits down with director Kerry Bellessa and producer Summer Bellessa to talk about their new movie Amber Alert starring Starring: Hayden Panettiere (Heroes, Nashville) and Tyler James Williams (Abbot Elementary). The movie is about how a rideshare becomes a high-stakes game of cat and mouse when two people receive an Amber Alert on their phones and then spot the kidnapper’s car. They share how this movie has been 10 years in the making, working together as husband and wife, how the inspiration came from seeing an Amber Alert on the highway and why they hope this movie starts a conversation. In the Movie Review, Mike talks about The Substance starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid. He shares why it’s already one of his favorite movies of the year, Demi’s amazing performance, the bizarre visuals and how it raises the question of if you’d take a black market drug to create a better version of yourself. In the Trailer Park, Mike gives his thoughts on Thunderbolts and why it has one of the worst MCU posters to date and what he thinks is the reason for certain Marvel movies tanking.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, and welcome back to movie Mike's movie podcast. I
am your host Movie Mike. Today, I'm sitting down with
director Carrie Belessa and his wife, slash producer Summer Blessa.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
We're gonna talk about.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Their brand new movie, Amber Alert, why this movie took
ten years for them to make, how they handle their
professional and personal life as husband and wife, and why
this movie changed my perspective on Amber Alerts. In the
movie review, I'm going to tell you about the Substance.
It stars Demi Moore and she gave a fantastic performance
in this movie. Can't wait to tell you about that one.
(00:29):
And in the trailer park, why I am underwhelmed after
watching the Thunderbolts trailer? What is Marvel doing right now?
So thank you for being here, thank you for being subscribed,
and now let's talk movies.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
In a world where everyone and their mother has a podcast,
one man stands to infiltrate the ears of listeners like
never before in a movie podcast. A man with so
much movie knowledge, he's basically like a walking IMTB with
glasses from the Nashville Podcast Network. Is this Movie Mike
(01:01):
Movie Podcast I've bout.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
To get into my conversation with Carrie and Summer Blessa
their new movie Amberlert, which is in select theaters and
on demand now. It stars Hayden pennety Yeer and Tyler
James Williams, who you would know from Avid Elementary. Here's
what this movie is about. Now. I've always wanted to
do a true crime podcast. My problem with true crime
podcast is I always feel it's a little icky to
(01:25):
cover cases when there are still people alive, so I
feel bad even listening to them or watching specials on Netflix.
So a movie like Amber Alert is a little bit
more my speed because it kind of has that same
vibe even though it's not based on a true story.
So I've never done a true crime podcast. But this
is how I want to do this intro. Let's see
how as it goes. I sat down with director Carrie
(01:48):
Blessa and his wife, Summer Blessa at the Kimpten Arts
and Hotel in downtown Nashville. It was the night before
the premiere of their new movie Amber Alert at the
Nashville Film Festival. Carrie and Summer met after an accidental
double day because everybody that we're going out with ended
up bailing, so it was just them too at the
batting cages in Sherman Oaks, California. That's what they consider
(02:08):
their first day. They got married four months after.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
And had been together over twenty years.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
They have three kids together, so this is a very
personal movie for them, and it took ten years to
get made. Amberler is about an ordinary ride share that
becomes a high state game of cat and mouse when
Hayden Pittedtier's character and Tyler James Williams's character receive an
Amberler of a.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Child abduction on their phones.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Quickly realizing that a car behind them matches the description
of the kidnappers, they desperately race against time to save
the child's life. Amberler is in select theaters and on
demand now. So let's sit down now with the filmmakers,
director Carrie Blessa and producer Summer Blessa. Here's our conversation.
All right, So I just watched the movie last night,
and I have to say I have so much anxiety.
(02:54):
I woke up with my heart pounding still. As two
of my favorite things movies that start conversation, but also
movies that you put yourself in that situation and think
what exactly am I going to do? And I was
watching it last night with my wife, and the whole
time we watched thrillers, I'm trying to figure out what
is going to happen, and she is trying to shield
herself because she does not want to know what is
going to happen. She likes thrillers, but there's that emotion
(03:17):
that it gives off that she's like, I can't watch this,
but I'm going to keep watching it because it's so irritating.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
That's great, That's exactly what we want. We want that
suspence that you're invested in these people and wanting to
know what happens. I am also I can relate to
your wife's too much to handle it even I know
what happens.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I'm like, okay, yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
I Also I love kind of like ordinary people I
guess that are just in extraordinary situations and do they
what do they do? Is there right answers that wrong answer?
Do they set the challenge? I find that like fascinating
and things that I'm drawn too, like realism, that things
that could happen.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Yeah, I think you're able to put yourself in a
situation easier when they're not like jumping off the car
over a bridge. You know, like there are things that
you as a human being couldn't do. They're not like
you don't have to be a superhero.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
And the thing about this movie is I loved how
you get right into the action and it sucks you
in from the very beginning. Is that because like, did
you want this movie like an under ninety minute runtime?
Because I clocked it like one twenty four. I'm like
really big on just how long movie times run. And
I also love movies with very like limited cast because
I think it puts an emphasis on the story and
(04:29):
it really puts a big emphasis on your actors because
it's so dependent on their performances on how this movie
is going to carry out. Was there like okay, we
got to make this under ninety minutes.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
I think films like.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
This like you want to this chop off the spat,
you know, and we don't want to board the audience sall.
We wanted to be a roller coaster, right, you know
those ups and down to we're ramping it up and
then you you know, you drop down the roller coaster.
Then we ratteted back off. So I think this is
a good run time for a film like that, and
we also have it years to rate this thing, you know,
(05:02):
different iterations. It was optioned here, it was going to
get made there, so we had had a lot of
time to really think about this, and so I think
it all kind of started with the concept and then
just a super strong script a few.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Little moments that we ended up cutting in the beginning
because we felt like we didn't necessarily need it. We
wanted to get right in and we wanted it just
to be like, feel that action from the get go.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I wondered about that because I don't know if it
would be a time thing or also a maybe this
is going a little bit too far, because what I
do enjoy about it is they have to go a
little bit further, a little bit further, like like me
in that situation, I'd be like, yeah, Carlic sim like,
I'm not going to follow it. I'm not doing anything.
I probably wouldn't even call it in just because you
see those amber alerts and you don't really think too
(05:48):
much about it. After watching this movie, I think my
perspective has changed. But now I put myself in that
situation of having to move it further further, like Okay,
we're gonna chase this car, We're to call it in.
We're gonna keep going kind of following them. They just
the characters keep having to go further and further.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
The great thing that I love about this story is
my partner crime Josh, who I wrote it with.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
He is just like you.
Speaker 5 (06:11):
He is like, there's no way I'm getting involved with anything.
I don't even I'll call. Maybe I will, but I
don't want to be, you know, jammed up in any
type of situation. I'm the complete office where I'll probably
use up a stupid thinking to not doing something great,
and then summer it's great about her as she is
right down the middle. So it was nice to have
like these three perspectives what we're putting it all together,
(06:34):
so it wasn't too far.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
You know.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
We didn't want to like like make a film that
was like, you know, some moral dilemma in the sense
of we're not trying to tell you what is right
or what is wrong, but we want to put some
things out there to have you, as the audience member,
think about it and what would you do. Like, I
love that your perspective about amber alerts now have changed
a little, so I think that is great, and you wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
I mean, they're obviously be a movie if it's like
the Lobster in the hot Water, Like if you know
what's gonna happen at the end, men, you wouldn't have
you wouldn't have done all those steps.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
But in each.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Moment you're like, Okay, yeah, I guess, I have I
guess I'll do Yeah, okay, I'll guess, and then it
just keeps going.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I think that's the thing of a great movie is
because I think I put myself in the situation of
watching it in theaters, and I love the commentary from
other people, like I enjoyed that aspect of going to
the movie. And Amberler is a movie like that where
you go in and you hear the other people reacting like,
don't do that, But it's that don't do that moment
that it's all I'm actually watching something compelling here and
worthy of like, Okay, they have to do something outlandish
(07:35):
in order to make a movie.
Speaker 5 (07:37):
Yeah, I mean, you know, the end of the day's entertainment.
But we still wanted to, you know. So when I
have three kids, you know, to me, this is our
worst namemare you know I'm not worried about Freddy or
Jameson or anyone like that. Like this gives me anxiety,
and you know, worries me. I lost my kid at
(07:57):
the time in the supermarket for like a minute and
it felt like four hours, and my heart was racing
and pounding and I was like screaming. I felt this
adrenaline for a minute that was you know, I don't
know how you could you can sustain that.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Which I think what the movie shows from the very
beginning of it can happen so fast. Not wanting to
give away anything about the end, but the last slate
of like the actual stats of what the Amberiller has
done that also kind of opens your eyes too, of
like changing my perspective on that actually has them effeck
there and what you were talking about that like that
fear you don't fear Jason or like Chucky or anything.
(08:33):
I feel like there was a moment in the movie
where almost shifted tones a little bit where I think
every great movie like this has that oh hell no
moment where it's like, Okay, this is the part where
they're like kind of going way over the edge and me,
as a normal human thing, I would not do that.
That is the oh hell no moment. That movie has
this and it almost feels like it's just from a thriller,
(08:56):
almost a full on a horror movie. Was that intentional this?
I think it is a horror movie for me. I
think it's a horror movie for parents.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
I mean, we've invited so many people that are film
and I have so many like moms especially who are like,
I'm a little worried, and that is I mean, the
sad thing is is there's people out there, those things
that have happened that are for horific and I think
we ramped it up enough, but it didn't like go
too far.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Yeah, I think a lot of moms will enjoy it,
and it does put that different perspective and one of
our ferens like I'm bringing my guard because I want
her to see, like, you never know it's out there.
But yeah, I feel like most parents will really enjoy
it because they have those moments where the fired, it
was lost, or that you've you know, had moments like
(09:44):
this where you're like, would never want to experience that,
And I think they'll be able to relate to the
characters a lot.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
You know, you don't just need to be a parent
to enjoy this film. My wife and I don't have kids,
but we felt ourselves like feeling this that is Sayida
also are awesome nine one one operator. We talked to
her a lot about that she doesn't have children, but
had some good insights about you know, these things and
(10:10):
not having kids that it's still you know, freaked her
out and made her a little more aware.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
And so I think I really felt it through Katie's performance,
who plays Charlotte's mom. The moment that got me was
whenever daughter goes missing and she asked to bring the
photos of them having a good time. It's kind of
a dark question, but you talked about your family. What
is like the best photo you have of your family
that just represents like this is us, that our happiest.
(10:38):
There's a great one on Summer's computer that she gave
to me. Summer always gets the new stuff and I.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Get the hand me downs. We were on the beach,
we were all holding hands and jumping together. I remember
that one. It was another good one that I have
on my phone.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
And Yeah, how sad is it to think that one
of those happy memories would be something that you have
to pull to like identify what your child is wearying
or terrible.
Speaker 5 (11:02):
And the other part that like kind of think gets
is when she, you know, everyone gets Amberlewers and then
the mom gets Katie gets an Amberler, and that's an
Amberler of your daughter and a picture of you two
Like that seems surreal and.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
That also puts into perspective of you thinking I've seen
these Amberlers all the time, but that is actually that
is my kid.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
And was weird doing research for this too?
Speaker 5 (11:29):
Uh there was this nine or and one operator that
may in a good little relationship, but she worked there
for fifteen years. She said, in the fifteen years that
she has put out Amberlerts, there hasn't been one person
that actually got a correct meaning she had thousands and
thousands of calls because everyone wants to think that they
saw so call with the right car, but they would
(11:50):
miss a license plate number. But everyone would call in
thinking that this is it, but when you know it
was never it, but everyone is kind of like, I
want to help. So I found that interesting.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Yeah, I never really thought of that before until watching
this movie of them even being hesitant to put out
amor Alert with such a generic car that is literally
everybody's going to call in because it's going to cause
an influx of people not necessarily wanting to do anything wrong.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
They're just trying to help, even how sad before the
system was in play, knowing that there literally was nothing
that you could do, where at least we have this
technology that I think it's getting even more accurate, and
I think, thank goodness and have stuff like that, and
I think the more serious we take it, the better
it will do in finding and helping solve primes. But
(12:38):
even before that, be a milk curtain, you have to
wait for a milk carton to be printed and the
pictures would be on there, like by then, It's like,
this doesn't seem very helpful.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
I'm curious enough about your dynamic as a couple, how
you balance working together but also being married and having kids.
Is it like right now in the situation, it's all
work and as soon as you go home it's completely
shut off, or you still talk about work at home.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
I was that we enjoy working together and we enjoy
discussing work, but we enjoy pitching each other ideas, talking
about scripts, talking about different after for different things. We
constantly are discussing work, but in a way that we
both really enjoy.
Speaker 5 (13:21):
Yeah, I agree with that and love work with Summer
because she I trust her more than anyone. She's got
a great eye, and you know, sometimes it's a blessing
and curse. Like she'll be the first one to say
like that sucks.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Don't you kind of want that though, because it usually
there's a lot of yestimen and the yet a lot
of yes wing and Summer has no problem with just
and that the truth and that's great.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
You clear do you when you know it is good
and we're like, yes, we work with this. It was
amazing that you know.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
That it is. Yeah, yeah, and your script has to
be so good. You know, making movies and get in
a movie made is so hard.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
It is.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
It is so hard.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
It's so difficult. You're just pushing that boulder up the hill,
and you have some control over the script, so it's like,
let's take the time, let's get it right, and you know,
it's fun to rewrite stuff at times, or but then
you just find gems and it's like, I can't believe
we're going to try to make that movie without that.
But it doesn't the ego sometimes but that'll good.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I'm learning, But then you know, when you have something good,
she says it's good, and it's actually good. I feel
like a lot of being a filmmaker, being an artist
is observing the world around you. I feel like that's
really the thing that defines like somebody who's actually going
to follow through with it is you observe it, also
write it down and then execute it. Like you've been
talking about the filmmaking process. Just like the inspiration of
(14:44):
this movie, it came from seeing the Amber learning thinking, WHOA,
that should be a movie. Are you constantly observing things
and writing things down? Because the other day, like I
was on a flight and I sat down on the
exit rod and they're like, hey, if you know something
to do that whole thing something goes wrong, like are
you willing to help? And I just, you know, willing
to say, ah, yeah, thinking in that moment of like
(15:05):
what if I actually had something actually went down and
I was put in that situation of I actually have
to do something now, and I was like, hey, that
could be something. Are you constantly observing things like that?
I made it.
Speaker 5 (15:17):
I definitely, yeah. Truth does a lot more interesting than fiction.
Just reading the news, I mean I have a whole
little bookleted news art culseut are just freezing for me personally.
I like things that should possibly happen and that are real.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
How about you, Oh, I mean I feel like I
kind of going more in the fantasy or the romance
brom calm world burns less. I mean, it's still human nature,
it's still based on you know, relationships, but maybe the
less less news driven or reality.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
I like observing it, seeing things and like, oh, that
might have to be all filmed. But like what you're
talking about is like it's like some type of little
scene there or set up.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
You know, you just got to write it. Yeah, the
next step.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
As a filmmaker, what would be my next step on
that idea? Is it writing a title, writing a synopsis?
What is that when you sit down to like you
just had this idea, what is that next step to
flesh out a script?
Speaker 5 (16:14):
You just need to put it in the paper, like everything.
I mean that that's the hardest thing is just getting
and even if you don't have the entire film down,
or you just might have a scene, write the scene.
You know, if you have a first act, rite the
first act, I just think and it's still difficult to
like sit down, you know, a blank piece of paper.
(16:36):
It can be so overwhelming and so but it's just
it's just couldn't in the work.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Yeah, No one will make a film of just an idea,
So you need to have eventually it flushed out into
a full script and then you can share it and
have people give you insight and hopefully up people who
are like, yeah, I see the vision too, let's go
maink it.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
That's the great thing about art, though, You literally just
start with a blank piece of paper, like nothing, and
then it's all the ideas that you could in there
that actually turns into something that people can feel.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
Yeah, especially this, I mean, this has been a crazy ride.
Like this has been over ten years trying to get maimed,
and you know, lots of different meanings. There's been tears
of joy, tears of sadness. There's been are you good enough?
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Are you?
Speaker 5 (17:25):
All of those things? And the fact you know that
we're finally here is kind of that, you know, and
we talk about this like, oh, this is so awesome.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
We finally made it.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Like you know, I think it's just about the journey,
you know, it's about the hang, It's about all of
those ups and downs. I don't think there's gonna be
on September twenty seventh, the release date, and we're gonna
look at each other and just it's like, ah, the
heavens are going to open and it's like we're being
elevated somew.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
But you do have to take the time to celebrate,
celebrate twins. And it took so much hard work to
get near. And I think as artists, we all want more.
We want that next film, Like we already have a
next script that we're pitching and developing, and you know,
I think it's our nature to keep wanting more and
keep wanting to create more. And so it's going to
(18:16):
really look at your successes and be, you know, grateful
the moment for what you have, because this September twenty
seventh is your ten year ago thousand, only a dream
that you could possibly be here with a film that's
you know, awesome, and people are going to get to
watch it and experience it.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
That leaves me to my final or two questions. We're
sitting here the night before the premiere here in Nashville,
are you feeling the overwhelming joy of it finally being
out after ten years? Or are you feeling nervous about
people are going to react to it this week? Because
I know, as somebody who deals with reading the comments,
reading getting all the messages, I don't see the ones
(18:57):
they say, hey, and that was a great episode you did,
I was a great interview. I see the ones they
say this sucks, like why did you put this hell?
Like I used to feel terrible.
Speaker 5 (19:04):
The positive things and then some ding dong says you suck, yeah,
and you just focus.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
We feel it so hard. Yeah, it's definitely human nature.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
I mean, I think now, being the old wise man
that I am, that I don't read comments. I read
comments and before I remember specifically a long time ago,
and like the comments made me feel like I was
like the grade I was Spielberg. You know, some of
these people are like this so bazy. I don't ever
(19:34):
read comments. You take it with the great to take
it with a grain of salt, like I love what
we do, and I love this path that we've chosen
his career, but I just love so many other things
in life that bring me joy that no one's going
to take us down over some comments that you're not doing.
You know, yeah, you're not going to.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
Make everybody happy with every film. Yeah, you know, there's
films that we love that changed our lives that some
people don't like. At the end of the day, that's
we just want to make something that's entertaining, to make
it people thinking and talking.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
And we're like risk takers and gamblers. I'd rather you
absolutely hate my film and talk about it and be
so passionate about your disdain instead of just making something
that they're like, uh, it's okay, like it was like forgettable.
But yeah, we're we're excited to just get it out
there and hear what people think and their response. And
(20:29):
we're very confident in the film too. We think it's
a great film. The feedback's been really good, and I.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
Think people are really gonna enjoy seeing Hayden and Tyler
and the Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yeah it's Tyler, like I've really never seen it, Like
I've been watching one have an elementary and it's like, oh,
this is a totally different side of it.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
Yeah. Yeah, he's a killer, Like he is just so
locked in. It's so good, so insightful at Hayden too,
like they were just like we're the perfect people at
the right time to have this, you know, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
They both brought such humanity the roles and personality, and
it was really really fun to work with them and
see what, you know, their perspectives on their characters, and
they s brought so much.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
And my final question is why Louisville, Kentucky. I'll give
you why I think you picked it. After watching the movie,
I feel like that city which I've been to, I
love Louisville. It makes it feel so much more real,
like you.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Could happen to anybody.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
If you said this movie in La, it would feel like, oh,
it's just another movie in LA where crazy things happen
all the time, or in New York. But for me,
like just seeing them, like at the beginning, they just
had a random park and that's where it happens. Is
that the reason why it's in Louisville or is it
just I just want to say Louisville, Kentucky is awesome,
great people.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
Our crew was like we missed those those people they
were so awesome and just like genuine down the earth
and they kind of knew our story like that we've
been hustling for ten years, that we were gonna make it,
that we were no one's gonna let us and they
just like got behind us like family and really helped
us make an amazing film.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
As the producer, I will say was because of there
was a few different places that have great test incentives
that we were debating over. And I think exactly what
you said though, is you know, one of the strengths
of the film is that it could be anywhere except
maybe La but in general, like this happens all over
the country.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
And it was originally written in Phoenix, Arizona, because the
Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the country.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
Yeah, we wanted to make sure it didn't feel like
it could be anybody.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
Yes, so we just kind of tweaked it a little
and it was couldn't I couldn't imagine anywhere else now.
And I love the lushness, the beautiful degree, Like I mean,
I do want to fight a lot with the rain.
The weird day, we didn't shoot for a whole morning
because the rain that you know, it was. It were
some challenges, but it worked out worked out well.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
I really appreciate the time. I hope everybody goes to
check out the movie. I feel like anxiety feel like
this is perfect for that. But you also I feel
you still learn from it. It's going to change your
perspective on live. It's gonna start a conversation. So I
really enjoyed it, really enjoyed talking to you guys.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Let's get into it now.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
A spoiler free movie review of The Substance. I'm gonna
say at the beginning of this review already putting The
Substance in the running for horror movie of the Year.
It is a movie that completely blew me away. I
knew very little going into it. I'm actually recording this
review the night after opening night. I went to go
see it on September nineteenth, right when it came out,
(23:39):
and I wanted to capture this energy and this feeling
that I have right now because I am so enamored
with this movie. There are very few things I did
not like about it. And obviously you're watching this and
hearing this at a later date, maybe it has picked
up more steam on social media through word of mouth.
That is actually how I was reminded of this movie.
I was getting a haircut yesterday and the person who
(24:01):
cuts my hair we always talk horror movies, and she
told me about this movie, and I kind of forgot
about it. The only thing I'd really saw before was
like an article and maybe not even the full trailer,
and I thought I'll go check it out. I like
Margaret Quaeley. She's been in some good movies this year,
like Drive Away, Dolls, Kinds of Kindness. I can't remember
the last Demi Moore movie I saw. Dennis quay to me,
(24:21):
he kind of gives me the ick. I don't really
enjoy any particular movie that he's in except for The
Day After Tomorrow The Rookie, But outside of that, his
movies don't really speak to me. Don't get me wrong,
he's a great actor. I just think his movies aren't
really geared towards what I like. But he blew me
away in this movie, and all I really knew about
it it was Demi Moore taking some kind of drug
(24:44):
that made her younger.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
So yeah, just a reminder. I know. I share it
with you guys all the time.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
But there are original movies like this coming out every
single week, but they don't have the same marketing as
some of these other movies from the Big Studio, so
they don't get the Burger King meal tie in. You
don't see them at the grocery store on cereal boxes.
These are movies you do kind of have to seek
out a little bit. But if you are not going
(25:09):
to see and support movies like this, you are missing out.
And you also can't be in that conversation to saying
everything's a remake, everything's a reboot, everything's a sequel, because
this is proof that great original movies are being put
out every single week. And I will say at the
beginning of this review too, that don't think it's a
movie for everybody. It has a lot of nudity, has
(25:30):
some blood and guts, So if that's not your thing,
I get it. But man, if that is your thing,
you have to put this on your list immediately. So
that's why I'm recording this review now to share with
you later, to capture this energy and hopefully by now
it has generated some more word of mouth, because I
think this is a movie that we do have some
(25:50):
more horror movies coming out later this month and in October,
but it's in the running for my favorite horror movie
of the year and possibly my top ten movies of
the year. So what is the substance about. Well, Demi
Moore plays a character who just turned fifty years old
and she is struggling with the process of aging. She
(26:11):
was a big star maybe a decade or two decades
ago at the start of the movie, and she is
looking back on all those times she is working in
this morning show, doing this aerobic style workout class that
is aired on TV, and she walks through the halls
of all the memories.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Of her when she is younger.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Dennis Quaid plays this big executive who is over the top,
very hokey, very campy, and on her fiftieth birthday, he
essentially wants to get rid of her because she's not
young and vibrant anymore, and that is something that greatly
affects Demi Moore's character. So what does she decide to do. Well,
she finds out about something called the substance, and the
(26:49):
substance allows herself to create a better version of herself.
So it's this black market drug that you take and
another version of yourself is spawned from you. But you
together are one the catches that every seven days you
have to switch back. So for a week you are
your old self and for another week you are the
(27:11):
better version of you. But you have to keep this
balance in order to keep everything right. So that's the
question that this movie asks you. Have you ever dreamt
of a better version of yourself? The movie is rooted
in feminism and the pressure that women have to look young,
which is unfair as guys we don't have the same pressure.
I don't know about me specifically, but guys are supposed
(27:33):
to get.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Better looking with age.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
I've never been good looking whatsoever, so maybe I'll just
get less atrocious as time moves on. But I know
that there is this pressure on women, especially in Hollywood,
for women to look young, and women in Hollywood always
get compared to the younger version of themselves. Again, it's
unfair because it doesn't happen to men in Hollywood as much.
(27:55):
The roles that are pitched to women as they age
get smaller and smaller, a little bit more pigeonholed. And
again this is completely unfair, and that is what this
movie is focusing on, and it does it in a
very disturbing and unique way. And this movie felt so
original to me, even though it pulled a lot of
inspiration from old monster movies, and I wouldn't even consider
(28:17):
it a traditional horror movie.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
It very much feels.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Like a scary fairy Tale kind of like an episode
of Black Mirror, but expanded on and add so much
more visual substance. And depending on who you are, you
could see this movie as corny or you could see
it as campy, and there is a very fine line
in between those, and I think it comes down to intent,
and I could see how some of these scenes could
(28:40):
be viewed as being a little cheesy, but I think
it's all intentional. It's from French director Cory Lee Farjas,
who did an amazing job with this movie, and for
me personally, I think it's the best movie I've seen.
Demi Moore in Above Ghosts, Above Gi Jane, because I
feel that she took this movie for a very specific reason,
(29:01):
because she digs really deep in this movie, gets very vulnerable,
and I think that's something you would only do if
you felt a very personal connection with wanting to bring
this character to life, and maybe a little bit the
character mirrors her career and her experiences in Hollywood. If
you see this movie and all the things that her
character goes through, it is pretty brutal to watch at times,
(29:25):
and to think of being an actor putting yourself in
those situations, putting it all out there and just giving
an amazing I would even dare to say Oscar worthy performance.
This isn't traditionally what I would think of an easy
Oscar contender. I think it would have a pretty uphill
battle to be in contention for an Oscar. Horror movies
are often unfairly left out of that conversation, even though
(29:48):
I think it's movies like this that spawn a conversation
that really have something to say and do it in
a very stylistic way.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
They need to be considered more. Horror movies often get
the shaft.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Maybe it's because they usually come out in September in
October that by the time Oscar season runs around, everybody
forgets about him. But I think if there was one
horror movie in the last five years that really needed
to be considered, it would definitely be the Substance. And
then you have Dennis Quaid, who plays this executive very.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Over the top.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
He's like this little burst of energy, this kind of
gnat that's always in your face throughout the entire film,
saying these things that will make your blood boil. And
it's so over the top and so superficial that it
really works. And I didn't really know that he had
a performance like this in him or even want to
do a movie like this. And even though I don't
love a whole lot of his recent work, I think
(30:39):
The Long Game was the last movie I enjoyed him in,
even though his character was probably my least favorite in
that movie. I will go back to his OG movies
like The Rookie, The Day Actor Tomorrow. He's great in those,
but I know he's a great actor, and it really
shows in the Substance. And then you have Margaret Coiley,
who kind of won me over in her show made
on Netflix and since then it's at a pretty good
(31:01):
run just this year alone. I think as an actor
she is still on the search for her one signature film.
The Substance is definitely in contention, but I think Demi
Moore steals the show overall.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
The only real.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Criticism I have with this movie is I do feel
it goes on a little bit too long at two
hours in almost twenty minutes. There are also a couple
of moments that I feel in the movie goes a
little bit off the rails and confuses you just a
little bit as the viewer and kind of loses its
identity and at times it kind of does feel like
this free fall that it goes on, But I think
(31:34):
director Corley was trying to capture that chaos, and it
is a risk to do that to say, I don't
care how absurd this is going to be, how some
people might feel disturbed. I might even lose some people,
maybe even run the risk of have people leave the
theater a little bit early. But she committed to it,
and I can respect that. For the substance. I give
(31:55):
it a strong four point five out of five syringes.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
It's time to head down to movie. Mike Traylor Paul
My three.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Word reaction after I saw the trailer and the poster
to Thunderbolts. This looks terrible, so uninspired, so flat. It's
like taking all the worst parts, and maybe all the
worst parts a lot of the BC level characters.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
And putting them into a movie.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
And I think at this point in superhero movies, I
am so tired of the formula of it's just a
bunch of rag tag group of individuals, all these outcasts
who don't get along with each other.
Speaker 6 (32:46):
You got an evil boss pitting them against each other,
using them for their personal gain, and it's gonna be
real messy in the beginning, and then eventually they're gonna
bond and become real strong. And this movie is going
to leave you with cinematic blue balls because it's gonna
be all of the building really just trying to gear
up to the next movie. That is exactly how I
(33:08):
feel and what I know. The Thunderbolt is going to
do nothing about. This trailer feels exciting to me, which
is a bummer. And I am a long time Marvel
stand The only reason I.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Do this podcast is because of the MCU, and I'm
just growing to accept that there are going to be
a level Marvel movies, the ones I would consider top tier,
the gold standard, and then they are going to be silver.
I would almost contribute those to the Marvel shows on
Disney Plus, which are really great, they just don't quite
(33:42):
have the budget. They kind of reach their capacity there.
They're good and forty two to forty four minute increments
and they don't necessarily move the entire MCU along, but
they are enjoyable and they're more bite sized. That's like
my silver level, and then the bronze level is going
to be this level of movie where I would also
(34:02):
put movies like the Marvels and the Thunderbolts is supposed
to close out Phase five, which is in most people's eyes,
been not great. I feel that it's been pretty weak
overall if you look at what's in Phase five. Kicked
it off in twenty twenty three in February with ant
Man and the Wasp Quantum Mania. I thought that was
a pretty decent theater experience. Haven't really thought about that
(34:26):
movie much since. But then we got Guardians of the
Galaxy Volume three in May twenty twenty three, one of
the best conclusions to a trilogy of all time, not
even just in the MCU then took a down turn
with the Marvels.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
So if you look in my theory here, it kind
of goes back and forth between those levels.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
And I know there's that meme that always goes around
like MCU is dead, MCU is back. I don't think
it is dying and coming back to life. I just
think they have to kind of space out their movies
and in effort to have everything still have this cohesion,
have this synergy, you're gonna have have to go back
and forth.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
It's the same.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Way that a Sony, a Warner Brothers Universal aren't going
to continuously put out good movie after good movie. Marvel
is just its own giant entity now, so I think
what they are trying to do is just introduce so
many new characters and build back this level of Avengers
that we had in that first phase, and I don't
(35:24):
think we're gonna quite get there yet.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
But then this year we only had Dead Poole and Wolverine.
That was it.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
That was fun and I think a big win that
Marvel needed. And I enjoyed that movie at that time,
but it didn't really stick with me, and it was,
I don't want to say forgettable. It just didn't really
have a lasting effect on me like Guardians of the
Galaxy Volume three did. Then after this next year, in February,
we're gonna get Captain America Brave New World. That looks
(35:51):
top level. That trailer looks fantastic. I am excited for
that one. And Thunderbolts is coming out after that on
May second, twenty twenty five, and that will mark the
end of phase five. We'll get into more about what's
going on with Marble after that, but we're gonna break
down this trailer first, and before I do that, here's
just a little bit of the Marble's trailer for Thunderbolts,
(36:12):
and it does have an asterisk which I think is
gonna lead to something.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
But here's just a little bit of that. Now, who
are you? I'm Bob.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Who sent you? Bob?
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Nobody were you all? You were all sent?
Speaker 4 (36:29):
Everyone here has done bad things, shadow ops, robbing, government labs.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Contract kills. Yeah, so someone once has gone.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
So this movie is going to center around Yolena, who
is played by Florence Pugh. And in order to understand
this movie, you have to watch a few projects. To
fully get it. You of course had to have seen
Black Widow. It would also help if you watch Hawkeye
and then the Disney Plus series Falcon in the Winter Soldier.
(37:03):
Also would help if you saw at Man in the
Wasp because some of the side characters came from that,
And then you kind of have to see all the
Captain America movies because Bucky Barnes is back with Sebastian
stand back in that role. And then really it just
kind of helps at this point to watch all the
Avengers movies. So does feel like a little bit of homework,
which I think is going to hurt this movie in
(37:24):
the long run. And it's also just focusing on a
lot of characters that aren't that familiar. And my theory
right now as to why some of these Marvel movies
aren't doing as well for me, it honestly comes down
to the design of these characters. And I looked really
closely at the poster for The Thunderbolts. It's all the
(37:46):
characters on top of each other, very photo shopped. And
what stick out to me about that poster is the
fact that nothing stuck out to me. It is so
flat and monochromatic, and none of these heroes and I
know that this is a movie where it's supposed to
be a bunch of anti heroes. Even in the trailer
here they talk about they are all sent there because
(38:08):
they've all done bad things, stealing from government agencies, killing people,
doing secret black ops. They're all not technically superheroes. But
looking at that poster, looking at this trailer, none of
the designs of these characters really pop out to you,
and that makes it a little less exciting.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
And in order to create.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
A spectacle again at the theater, Marvel can't rely on
all of the things that made their movies spectacles in
the twenty tens, and I think they're trying to resort
to having a little bit more of a gritty style,
which is some of the glimpses that we have here
with the action.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
That's probably the one redeeming.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
Factor that this trailer has, but it doesn't feel like
anything new. Just to see a bunch of people fighting
against each other using B level special ability is task Master.
You have ghosts in this trailer who is back from
ant Man in the Wasp, who has the ability to
face through objects. It looks fine, but you don't really
(39:10):
have that big star power from a superhero. You don't
have the cool superhero abilities, and you also don't have
a signature look here, which is why all of those
movies in the early phases of the MCU.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
Stuck out so much.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
Becaustor has a very distinct look, Captain America has a
very distinct look.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
Iron Man.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
Obviously that all of those characters pop out of the screen,
they pop out on the promotional materials, and they have
people identify those characters with those movies combined with the
actor who is portraying them, and that is so important
that draws your eye into wanting to see more things
(39:53):
about it.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
Online.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
It draws kids to want to see and want to
go watch it in a theater, which is super important. Otherwise,
to me, this feels like something that should just be
dropped on Disney plus spend less money on it and
instead focus more on the bigger projects. And I think
in a genre where we're already having a bit of fatigue,
we're over the superhero formula, and obviously they're trying to
(40:18):
do something different from that, but it feels like trying
to do their own suicide squad when that has been
done twice already in DC. We also have the Peacemakers
show in its second season, which also kind of feels
in that Sam Vein. You also have TV shows now
like The Boys that does it the best when it
comes to R rated gritty nature in a superhero show
(40:42):
or movie. So this, no matter how gritty it is,
is going to feel like even a watered down version
of that.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
So I know they are working within their.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
Own world, but they also need to look at and
focus on what's going on around them and all these
other universes, because you are essentially battling for attention, and
why is somebody gonna focus on a movie like this?
Speaker 2 (41:06):
With even though you have an A.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
List actor with Florence Pugh, maybe in the general public
she's a minus, but she gets fantastic and doesn't have
to do a movie like this.
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Even with her star power.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
I don't think that is enough to get people to
want to go watch this movie, and she is by
far the most famous person in the cast. Even with
Sebastian stand returning as Bucky Barnes, I kind of just
view him as Captain America's sidekick. I honestly think that
character has kind of run his course, and supposedly he
is going to be the one in charge of the Thunderbolts,
(41:45):
but I feel like all his best movies have already
happened before him, and unless it's him and Chris Evans,
I don't really think it works the same way that
it did back with those Captain America movies. The one
character that has my curiosity is Century, who is finally
shown in this trailer. He is played by Louis Pullman,
who is the son of Bill Pullman, and he is
(42:07):
said to be Marvel's superman of sorts. He has the
power of a million exploding suns and the serum that
gave him his power actually came from the same super
soldier serum that was given to Captain America back in
that first movie, but it's said to be one hundred
times stronger. You see him in this trailer whenever they're
(42:29):
all gathered into this one location and start fighting against
each other, he kind of falls out of a crate.
It's almost like he's this experiment maybe made by Julia
Louis Drevis's character who was placed in this box not
supposed to get out because he has this crazy super
powerful ability, said to be at least in theory, quite
possibly the strongest character now in the MCU. I really
(42:52):
take that with a grain of salt, because in the MCU,
it really doesn't matter how powerful you are, it matters
how good of a story that they can write for you.
Speaker 2 (43:02):
Because by no.
Speaker 1 (43:03):
Means was Iron Man the most powerful Avenger, but he
is the one that is the most memorable. So I'm
not really going to get super hype on the fact
that he has this crazy superhuman ability. There's this point
in the trailer where all these guns are pointed towards him,
they all fire and all the bullets fall and he
doesn't even have a scratch on him. So it's kind
of cool and probably the most unique part of this trailer,
(43:26):
but that for me is really nothing to write home
about at this point. So the way I see this
is a new Captain America movie next February is going
to be great. It's gonna be that real high point
that we need going into phase six. This is kind
of going to be the closing action and really set
up what is coming. Because the title Thunderbolts even has
that asterisk, which leads me to believe that they're either
(43:48):
going to change the title by the time this movie
comes out, or at the end of the movie they're
gonna go by a different name, because really, Thunderbolts is
a terrible name, and if you look at all that
Marvel has built and putting so much into this movie,
and having a name that not a lot of people
are going to recognize, that really tells you nothing about
(44:11):
the movie whatsoever. And it would probably be more beneficial
to them to put the word Avenger in there in
some capacity. The New Avengers, the Young Avengers, they have
to be building towards something else, especially if they have
that asterisk on the title, which is intentional. So that's
how I envision Phase five closing out Phase six. We'll
(44:31):
start with a Fantastic four on July twenty fifth, twenty
twenty five. After that we're supposed to get a Blade movie.
I haven't seen a whole lot of details about that,
but nothing else is announced until May twenty twenty six
with Avengers Doomsday that is bringing back Robert Downey Junior,
and then Secret Wars in twenty twenty seven. After that, Man,
(44:54):
I gotta stay alive until twenty twenty seven because I
have to see that movie. But again, this movie is
coming out on May second, twenty twenty five, so I
don't think it's gonna have the best time at the
box office next summer. And hopefully we get at least
a B level story and a B level amount of action,
and then let's close it out and move on to
Phase six.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
And that was this week's edition of Movie Line Tramer
par and.
Speaker 1 (45:18):
Is that is gonna do it for another episode here
of the podcast. But before I go, I got to
give my listeners shout out of the week this week.
I'm going over to my Instagram dms and Vicky six
two nine, you are this week's listener shout Out of
the week, Vicky, you sent me a DM replying to
the story I posted about last week's episode where I
did a Hispanic Heritage Month episode and shared all of
(45:41):
my favorite Mexican American movies that I identified with growing up,
shared a lot of stories about my family. So if
you missed that episode, just go back one in the
feed and VICKI wrote, I love it when you talk
about you and your parents' story. Now you have movie
crew listeners that get to see themselves in you. I
appreciate that, Vicky, and when and I do those episodes,
sometimes I wonder is anybody else goingna care about this?
(46:04):
And actually had a lot of nice messages saying, hey,
I'm glad you talk about these movies and share your
story because this was also the way that I grew up.
And those messages means so much to me hearing other
people who not even just their parents are from Mexico,
but then themselves immigrated here from a very young age,
which is also a whole other crazy level that I
(46:26):
love hearing those stories as well. So thank you Vicky
for that DM. Thank you right now for listening. Shout
out to the entire movie crew. Next week is a
really great episode I'm having on Robert England, the one
and only Freddy Krueger.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
Here's a little tease of how that interview went. Thank
you lot a math in that interview. There you go,
So be sure you subscribe.
Speaker 1 (46:45):
If you have a friend or a family member who
is a big Nightmare on ELM Street fan, a big
Freddie fan, you gotta tell them about next week's episode
because we went in hard on the history because it's
celebrating its fortieth anniversary. So thank you for listening, thank
you for being subscribed, and until next week, go out
and watch good movies and I will talk to you later.
Speaker 2 (47:08):
M
Hello, and welcome back to movie Mike's movie podcast. I
am your host Movie Mike. Today, I'm sitting down with
director Carrie Belessa and his wife, slash producer Summer Blessa.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
We're gonna talk about.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Their brand new movie, Amber Alert, why this movie took
ten years for them to make, how they handle their
professional and personal life as husband and wife, and why
this movie changed my perspective on Amber Alerts. In the
movie review, I'm going to tell you about the Substance.
It stars Demi Moore and she gave a fantastic performance
in this movie. Can't wait to tell you about that one.
(00:29):
And in the trailer park, why I am underwhelmed after
watching the Thunderbolts trailer? What is Marvel doing right now?
So thank you for being here, thank you for being subscribed,
and now let's talk movies.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
In a world where everyone and their mother has a podcast,
one man stands to infiltrate the ears of listeners like
never before in a movie podcast. A man with so
much movie knowledge, he's basically like a walking IMTB with
glasses from the Nashville Podcast Network. Is this Movie Mike
(01:01):
Movie Podcast I've bout.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
To get into my conversation with Carrie and Summer Blessa
their new movie Amberlert, which is in select theaters and
on demand now. It stars Hayden pennety Yeer and Tyler
James Williams, who you would know from Avid Elementary. Here's
what this movie is about. Now. I've always wanted to
do a true crime podcast. My problem with true crime
podcast is I always feel it's a little icky to
(01:25):
cover cases when there are still people alive, so I
feel bad even listening to them or watching specials on Netflix.
So a movie like Amber Alert is a little bit
more my speed because it kind of has that same
vibe even though it's not based on a true story.
So I've never done a true crime podcast. But this
is how I want to do this intro. Let's see
how as it goes. I sat down with director Carrie
(01:48):
Blessa and his wife, Summer Blessa at the Kimpten Arts
and Hotel in downtown Nashville. It was the night before
the premiere of their new movie Amber Alert at the
Nashville Film Festival. Carrie and Summer met after an accidental
double day because everybody that we're going out with ended
up bailing, so it was just them too at the
batting cages in Sherman Oaks, California. That's what they consider
(02:08):
their first day. They got married four months after.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
And had been together over twenty years.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
They have three kids together, so this is a very
personal movie for them, and it took ten years to
get made. Amberler is about an ordinary ride share that
becomes a high state game of cat and mouse when
Hayden Pittedtier's character and Tyler James Williams's character receive an
Amberler of a.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Child abduction on their phones.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Quickly realizing that a car behind them matches the description
of the kidnappers, they desperately race against time to save
the child's life. Amberler is in select theaters and on
demand now. So let's sit down now with the filmmakers,
director Carrie Blessa and producer Summer Blessa. Here's our conversation.
All right, So I just watched the movie last night,
and I have to say I have so much anxiety.
(02:54):
I woke up with my heart pounding still. As two
of my favorite things movies that start conversation, but also
movies that you put yourself in that situation and think
what exactly am I going to do? And I was
watching it last night with my wife, and the whole
time we watched thrillers, I'm trying to figure out what
is going to happen, and she is trying to shield
herself because she does not want to know what is
going to happen. She likes thrillers, but there's that emotion
(03:17):
that it gives off that she's like, I can't watch this,
but I'm going to keep watching it because it's so irritating.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
That's great, That's exactly what we want. We want that
suspence that you're invested in these people and wanting to
know what happens. I am also I can relate to
your wife's too much to handle it even I know
what happens.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I'm like, okay, yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
I Also I love kind of like ordinary people I
guess that are just in extraordinary situations and do they
what do they do? Is there right answers that wrong answer?
Do they set the challenge? I find that like fascinating
and things that I'm drawn too, like realism, that things
that could happen.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Yeah, I think you're able to put yourself in a
situation easier when they're not like jumping off the car
over a bridge. You know, like there are things that
you as a human being couldn't do. They're not like
you don't have to be a superhero.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
And the thing about this movie is I loved how
you get right into the action and it sucks you
in from the very beginning. Is that because like, did
you want this movie like an under ninety minute runtime?
Because I clocked it like one twenty four. I'm like
really big on just how long movie times run. And
I also love movies with very like limited cast because
I think it puts an emphasis on the story and
(04:29):
it really puts a big emphasis on your actors because
it's so dependent on their performances on how this movie
is going to carry out. Was there like okay, we
got to make this under ninety minutes.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
I think films like.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
This like you want to this chop off the spat,
you know, and we don't want to board the audience sall.
We wanted to be a roller coaster, right, you know
those ups and down to we're ramping it up and
then you you know, you drop down the roller coaster.
Then we ratteted back off. So I think this is
a good run time for a film like that, and
we also have it years to rate this thing, you know,
(05:02):
different iterations. It was optioned here, it was going to
get made there, so we had had a lot of
time to really think about this, and so I think
it all kind of started with the concept and then
just a super strong script a few.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Little moments that we ended up cutting in the beginning
because we felt like we didn't necessarily need it. We
wanted to get right in and we wanted it just
to be like, feel that action from the get go.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I wondered about that because I don't know if it
would be a time thing or also a maybe this
is going a little bit too far, because what I
do enjoy about it is they have to go a
little bit further, a little bit further, like like me
in that situation, I'd be like, yeah, Carlic sim like,
I'm not going to follow it. I'm not doing anything.
I probably wouldn't even call it in just because you
see those amber alerts and you don't really think too
(05:48):
much about it. After watching this movie, I think my
perspective has changed. But now I put myself in that
situation of having to move it further further, like Okay,
we're gonna chase this car, We're to call it in.
We're gonna keep going kind of following them. They just
the characters keep having to go further and further.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
The great thing that I love about this story is
my partner crime Josh, who I wrote it with.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
He is just like you.
Speaker 5 (06:11):
He is like, there's no way I'm getting involved with anything.
I don't even I'll call. Maybe I will, but I
don't want to be, you know, jammed up in any
type of situation. I'm the complete office where I'll probably
use up a stupid thinking to not doing something great,
and then summer it's great about her as she is
right down the middle. So it was nice to have
like these three perspectives what we're putting it all together,
(06:34):
so it wasn't too far.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
You know.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
We didn't want to like like make a film that
was like, you know, some moral dilemma in the sense
of we're not trying to tell you what is right
or what is wrong, but we want to put some
things out there to have you, as the audience member,
think about it and what would you do. Like, I
love that your perspective about amber alerts now have changed
a little, so I think that is great, and you wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
I mean, they're obviously be a movie if it's like
the Lobster in the hot Water, Like if you know
what's gonna happen at the end, men, you wouldn't have
you wouldn't have done all those steps.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
But in each.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Moment you're like, Okay, yeah, I guess, I have I
guess I'll do Yeah, okay, I'll guess, and then it
just keeps going.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I think that's the thing of a great movie is
because I think I put myself in the situation of
watching it in theaters, and I love the commentary from
other people, like I enjoyed that aspect of going to
the movie. And Amberler is a movie like that where
you go in and you hear the other people reacting like,
don't do that, But it's that don't do that moment
that it's all I'm actually watching something compelling here and
worthy of like, Okay, they have to do something outlandish
(07:35):
in order to make a movie.
Speaker 5 (07:37):
Yeah, I mean, you know, the end of the day's entertainment.
But we still wanted to, you know. So when I
have three kids, you know, to me, this is our
worst namemare you know I'm not worried about Freddy or
Jameson or anyone like that. Like this gives me anxiety,
and you know, worries me. I lost my kid at
(07:57):
the time in the supermarket for like a minute and
it felt like four hours, and my heart was racing
and pounding and I was like screaming. I felt this
adrenaline for a minute that was you know, I don't
know how you could you can sustain that.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Which I think what the movie shows from the very
beginning of it can happen so fast. Not wanting to
give away anything about the end, but the last slate
of like the actual stats of what the Amberiller has
done that also kind of opens your eyes too, of
like changing my perspective on that actually has them effeck
there and what you were talking about that like that
fear you don't fear Jason or like Chucky or anything.
(08:33):
I feel like there was a moment in the movie
where almost shifted tones a little bit where I think
every great movie like this has that oh hell no
moment where it's like, Okay, this is the part where
they're like kind of going way over the edge and me,
as a normal human thing, I would not do that.
That is the oh hell no moment. That movie has
this and it almost feels like it's just from a thriller,
(08:56):
almost a full on a horror movie. Was that intentional this?
I think it is a horror movie for me. I
think it's a horror movie for parents.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
I mean, we've invited so many people that are film
and I have so many like moms especially who are like,
I'm a little worried, and that is I mean, the
sad thing is is there's people out there, those things
that have happened that are for horific and I think
we ramped it up enough, but it didn't like go
too far.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Yeah, I think a lot of moms will enjoy it,
and it does put that different perspective and one of
our ferens like I'm bringing my guard because I want
her to see, like, you never know it's out there.
But yeah, I feel like most parents will really enjoy
it because they have those moments where the fired, it
was lost, or that you've you know, had moments like
(09:44):
this where you're like, would never want to experience that,
And I think they'll be able to relate to the
characters a lot.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
You know, you don't just need to be a parent
to enjoy this film. My wife and I don't have kids,
but we felt ourselves like feeling this that is Sayida
also are awesome nine one one operator. We talked to
her a lot about that she doesn't have children, but
had some good insights about you know, these things and
(10:10):
not having kids that it's still you know, freaked her
out and made her a little more aware.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
And so I think I really felt it through Katie's performance,
who plays Charlotte's mom. The moment that got me was
whenever daughter goes missing and she asked to bring the
photos of them having a good time. It's kind of
a dark question, but you talked about your family. What
is like the best photo you have of your family
that just represents like this is us, that our happiest.
(10:38):
There's a great one on Summer's computer that she gave
to me. Summer always gets the new stuff and I.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Get the hand me downs. We were on the beach,
we were all holding hands and jumping together. I remember
that one. It was another good one that I have
on my phone.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
And Yeah, how sad is it to think that one
of those happy memories would be something that you have
to pull to like identify what your child is wearying
or terrible.
Speaker 5 (11:02):
And the other part that like kind of think gets
is when she, you know, everyone gets Amberlewers and then
the mom gets Katie gets an Amberler, and that's an
Amberler of your daughter and a picture of you two
Like that seems surreal and.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
That also puts into perspective of you thinking I've seen
these Amberlers all the time, but that is actually that
is my kid.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
And was weird doing research for this too?
Speaker 5 (11:29):
Uh there was this nine or and one operator that
may in a good little relationship, but she worked there
for fifteen years. She said, in the fifteen years that
she has put out Amberlerts, there hasn't been one person
that actually got a correct meaning she had thousands and
thousands of calls because everyone wants to think that they
saw so call with the right car, but they would
(11:50):
miss a license plate number. But everyone would call in
thinking that this is it, but when you know it
was never it, but everyone is kind of like, I
want to help. So I found that interesting.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Yeah, I never really thought of that before until watching
this movie of them even being hesitant to put out
amor Alert with such a generic car that is literally
everybody's going to call in because it's going to cause
an influx of people not necessarily wanting to do anything wrong.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
They're just trying to help, even how sad before the
system was in play, knowing that there literally was nothing
that you could do, where at least we have this
technology that I think it's getting even more accurate, and
I think, thank goodness and have stuff like that, and
I think the more serious we take it, the better
it will do in finding and helping solve primes. But
(12:38):
even before that, be a milk curtain, you have to
wait for a milk carton to be printed and the
pictures would be on there, like by then, It's like,
this doesn't seem very helpful.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
I'm curious enough about your dynamic as a couple, how
you balance working together but also being married and having kids.
Is it like right now in the situation, it's all
work and as soon as you go home it's completely
shut off, or you still talk about work at home.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
I was that we enjoy working together and we enjoy
discussing work, but we enjoy pitching each other ideas, talking
about scripts, talking about different after for different things. We
constantly are discussing work, but in a way that we
both really enjoy.
Speaker 5 (13:21):
Yeah, I agree with that and love work with Summer
because she I trust her more than anyone. She's got
a great eye, and you know, sometimes it's a blessing
and curse. Like she'll be the first one to say
like that sucks.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Don't you kind of want that though, because it usually
there's a lot of yestimen and the yet a lot
of yes wing and Summer has no problem with just
and that the truth and that's great.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
You clear do you when you know it is good
and we're like, yes, we work with this. It was
amazing that you know.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
That it is. Yeah, yeah, and your script has to
be so good. You know, making movies and get in
a movie made is so hard.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
It is.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
It is so hard.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
It's so difficult. You're just pushing that boulder up the hill,
and you have some control over the script, so it's like,
let's take the time, let's get it right, and you know,
it's fun to rewrite stuff at times, or but then
you just find gems and it's like, I can't believe
we're going to try to make that movie without that.
But it doesn't the ego sometimes but that'll good.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I'm learning, But then you know, when you have something good,
she says it's good, and it's actually good. I feel
like a lot of being a filmmaker, being an artist
is observing the world around you. I feel like that's
really the thing that defines like somebody who's actually going
to follow through with it is you observe it, also
write it down and then execute it. Like you've been
talking about the filmmaking process. Just like the inspiration of
(14:44):
this movie, it came from seeing the Amber learning thinking, WHOA,
that should be a movie. Are you constantly observing things
and writing things down? Because the other day, like I
was on a flight and I sat down on the
exit rod and they're like, hey, if you know something
to do that whole thing something goes wrong, like are
you willing to help? And I just, you know, willing
to say, ah, yeah, thinking in that moment of like
(15:05):
what if I actually had something actually went down and
I was put in that situation of I actually have
to do something now, and I was like, hey, that
could be something. Are you constantly observing things like that?
I made it.
Speaker 5 (15:17):
I definitely, yeah. Truth does a lot more interesting than fiction.
Just reading the news, I mean I have a whole
little bookleted news art culseut are just freezing for me personally.
I like things that should possibly happen and that are real.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
How about you, Oh, I mean I feel like I
kind of going more in the fantasy or the romance
brom calm world burns less. I mean, it's still human nature,
it's still based on you know, relationships, but maybe the
less less news driven or reality.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
I like observing it, seeing things and like, oh, that
might have to be all filmed. But like what you're
talking about is like it's like some type of little
scene there or set up.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
You know, you just got to write it. Yeah, the
next step.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
As a filmmaker, what would be my next step on
that idea? Is it writing a title, writing a synopsis?
What is that when you sit down to like you
just had this idea, what is that next step to
flesh out a script?
Speaker 5 (16:14):
You just need to put it in the paper, like everything.
I mean that that's the hardest thing is just getting
and even if you don't have the entire film down,
or you just might have a scene, write the scene.
You know, if you have a first act, rite the
first act, I just think and it's still difficult to
like sit down, you know, a blank piece of paper.
(16:36):
It can be so overwhelming and so but it's just
it's just couldn't in the work.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Yeah, No one will make a film of just an idea,
So you need to have eventually it flushed out into
a full script and then you can share it and
have people give you insight and hopefully up people who
are like, yeah, I see the vision too, let's go
maink it.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
That's the great thing about art, though, You literally just
start with a blank piece of paper, like nothing, and
then it's all the ideas that you could in there
that actually turns into something that people can feel.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
Yeah, especially this, I mean, this has been a crazy ride.
Like this has been over ten years trying to get maimed,
and you know, lots of different meanings. There's been tears
of joy, tears of sadness. There's been are you good enough?
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Are you?
Speaker 5 (17:25):
All of those things? And the fact you know that
we're finally here is kind of that, you know, and
we talk about this like, oh, this is so awesome.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
We finally made it.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Like you know, I think it's just about the journey,
you know, it's about the hang, It's about all of
those ups and downs. I don't think there's gonna be
on September twenty seventh, the release date, and we're gonna
look at each other and just it's like, ah, the
heavens are going to open and it's like we're being
elevated somew.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
But you do have to take the time to celebrate,
celebrate twins. And it took so much hard work to
get near. And I think as artists, we all want more.
We want that next film, Like we already have a
next script that we're pitching and developing, and you know,
I think it's our nature to keep wanting more and
keep wanting to create more. And so it's going to
(18:16):
really look at your successes and be, you know, grateful
the moment for what you have, because this September twenty
seventh is your ten year ago thousand, only a dream
that you could possibly be here with a film that's
you know, awesome, and people are going to get to
watch it and experience it.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
That leaves me to my final or two questions. We're
sitting here the night before the premiere here in Nashville,
are you feeling the overwhelming joy of it finally being
out after ten years? Or are you feeling nervous about
people are going to react to it this week? Because
I know, as somebody who deals with reading the comments,
reading getting all the messages, I don't see the ones
(18:57):
they say, hey, and that was a great episode you did,
I was a great interview. I see the ones they
say this sucks, like why did you put this hell?
Like I used to feel terrible.
Speaker 5 (19:04):
The positive things and then some ding dong says you suck, yeah,
and you just focus.
Speaker 4 (19:10):
We feel it so hard. Yeah, it's definitely human nature.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
I mean, I think now, being the old wise man
that I am, that I don't read comments. I read
comments and before I remember specifically a long time ago,
and like the comments made me feel like I was
like the grade I was Spielberg. You know, some of
these people are like this so bazy. I don't ever
(19:34):
read comments. You take it with the great to take
it with a grain of salt, like I love what
we do, and I love this path that we've chosen
his career, but I just love so many other things
in life that bring me joy that no one's going
to take us down over some comments that you're not doing.
You know, yeah, you're not going to.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
Make everybody happy with every film. Yeah, you know, there's
films that we love that changed our lives that some
people don't like. At the end of the day, that's
we just want to make something that's entertaining, to make
it people thinking and talking.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
And we're like risk takers and gamblers. I'd rather you
absolutely hate my film and talk about it and be
so passionate about your disdain instead of just making something
that they're like, uh, it's okay, like it was like forgettable.
But yeah, we're we're excited to just get it out
there and hear what people think and their response. And
(20:29):
we're very confident in the film too. We think it's
a great film. The feedback's been really good, and I.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
Think people are really gonna enjoy seeing Hayden and Tyler
and the Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yeah it's Tyler, like I've really never seen it, Like
I've been watching one have an elementary and it's like, oh,
this is a totally different side of it.
Speaker 5 (20:43):
Yeah. Yeah, he's a killer, Like he is just so
locked in. It's so good, so insightful at Hayden too,
like they were just like we're the perfect people at
the right time to have this, you know, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
They both brought such humanity the roles and personality, and
it was really really fun to work with them and
see what, you know, their perspectives on their characters, and
they s brought so much.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
And my final question is why Louisville, Kentucky. I'll give
you why I think you picked it. After watching the movie,
I feel like that city which I've been to, I
love Louisville. It makes it feel so much more real,
like you.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Could happen to anybody.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
If you said this movie in La, it would feel like, oh,
it's just another movie in LA where crazy things happen
all the time, or in New York. But for me,
like just seeing them, like at the beginning, they just
had a random park and that's where it happens. Is
that the reason why it's in Louisville or is it
just I just want to say Louisville, Kentucky is awesome,
great people.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
Our crew was like we missed those those people they
were so awesome and just like genuine down the earth
and they kind of knew our story like that we've
been hustling for ten years, that we were gonna make it,
that we were no one's gonna let us and they
just like got behind us like family and really helped
us make an amazing film.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
As the producer, I will say was because of there
was a few different places that have great test incentives
that we were debating over. And I think exactly what
you said though, is you know, one of the strengths
of the film is that it could be anywhere except
maybe La but in general, like this happens all over
the country.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
And it was originally written in Phoenix, Arizona, because the
Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the country.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
Yeah, we wanted to make sure it didn't feel like
it could be anybody.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
Yes, so we just kind of tweaked it a little
and it was couldn't I couldn't imagine anywhere else now.
And I love the lushness, the beautiful degree, Like I mean,
I do want to fight a lot with the rain.
The weird day, we didn't shoot for a whole morning
because the rain that you know, it was. It were
some challenges, but it worked out worked out well.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
I really appreciate the time. I hope everybody goes to
check out the movie. I feel like anxiety feel like
this is perfect for that. But you also I feel
you still learn from it. It's going to change your
perspective on live. It's gonna start a conversation. So I
really enjoyed it, really enjoyed talking to you guys.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Let's get into it now.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
A spoiler free movie review of The Substance. I'm gonna
say at the beginning of this review already putting The
Substance in the running for horror movie of the Year.
It is a movie that completely blew me away. I
knew very little going into it. I'm actually recording this
review the night after opening night. I went to go
see it on September nineteenth, right when it came out,
(23:39):
and I wanted to capture this energy and this feeling
that I have right now because I am so enamored
with this movie. There are very few things I did
not like about it. And obviously you're watching this and
hearing this at a later date, maybe it has picked
up more steam on social media through word of mouth.
That is actually how I was reminded of this movie.
I was getting a haircut yesterday and the person who
(24:01):
cuts my hair we always talk horror movies, and she
told me about this movie, and I kind of forgot
about it. The only thing I'd really saw before was
like an article and maybe not even the full trailer,
and I thought I'll go check it out. I like
Margaret Quaeley. She's been in some good movies this year,
like Drive Away, Dolls, Kinds of Kindness. I can't remember
the last Demi Moore movie I saw. Dennis quay to me,
(24:21):
he kind of gives me the ick. I don't really
enjoy any particular movie that he's in except for The
Day After Tomorrow The Rookie, But outside of that, his
movies don't really speak to me. Don't get me wrong,
he's a great actor. I just think his movies aren't
really geared towards what I like. But he blew me
away in this movie, and all I really knew about
it it was Demi Moore taking some kind of drug
(24:44):
that made her younger.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
So yeah, just a reminder. I know. I share it
with you guys all the time.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
But there are original movies like this coming out every
single week, but they don't have the same marketing as
some of these other movies from the Big Studio, so
they don't get the Burger King meal tie in. You
don't see them at the grocery store on cereal boxes.
These are movies you do kind of have to seek
out a little bit. But if you are not going
(25:09):
to see and support movies like this, you are missing out.
And you also can't be in that conversation to saying
everything's a remake, everything's a reboot, everything's a sequel, because
this is proof that great original movies are being put
out every single week. And I will say at the
beginning of this review too, that don't think it's a
movie for everybody. It has a lot of nudity, has
(25:30):
some blood and guts, So if that's not your thing,
I get it. But man, if that is your thing,
you have to put this on your list immediately. So
that's why I'm recording this review now to share with
you later, to capture this energy and hopefully by now
it has generated some more word of mouth, because I
think this is a movie that we do have some
(25:50):
more horror movies coming out later this month and in October,
but it's in the running for my favorite horror movie
of the year and possibly my top ten movies of
the year. So what is the substance about. Well, Demi
Moore plays a character who just turned fifty years old
and she is struggling with the process of aging. She
(26:11):
was a big star maybe a decade or two decades
ago at the start of the movie, and she is
looking back on all those times she is working in
this morning show, doing this aerobic style workout class that
is aired on TV, and she walks through the halls
of all the memories.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Of her when she is younger.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Dennis Quaid plays this big executive who is over the top,
very hokey, very campy, and on her fiftieth birthday, he
essentially wants to get rid of her because she's not
young and vibrant anymore, and that is something that greatly
affects Demi Moore's character. So what does she decide to do. Well,
she finds out about something called the substance, and the
(26:49):
substance allows herself to create a better version of herself.
So it's this black market drug that you take and
another version of yourself is spawned from you. But you
together are one the catches that every seven days you
have to switch back. So for a week you are
your old self and for another week you are the
(27:11):
better version of you. But you have to keep this
balance in order to keep everything right. So that's the
question that this movie asks you. Have you ever dreamt
of a better version of yourself? The movie is rooted
in feminism and the pressure that women have to look young,
which is unfair as guys we don't have the same pressure.
I don't know about me specifically, but guys are supposed
(27:33):
to get.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Better looking with age.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
I've never been good looking whatsoever, so maybe I'll just
get less atrocious as time moves on. But I know
that there is this pressure on women, especially in Hollywood,
for women to look young, and women in Hollywood always
get compared to the younger version of themselves. Again, it's
unfair because it doesn't happen to men in Hollywood as much.
(27:55):
The roles that are pitched to women as they age
get smaller and smaller, a little bit more pigeonholed. And
again this is completely unfair, and that is what this
movie is focusing on, and it does it in a
very disturbing and unique way. And this movie felt so
original to me, even though it pulled a lot of
inspiration from old monster movies, and I wouldn't even consider
(28:17):
it a traditional horror movie.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
It very much feels.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Like a scary fairy Tale kind of like an episode
of Black Mirror, but expanded on and add so much
more visual substance. And depending on who you are, you
could see this movie as corny or you could see
it as campy, and there is a very fine line
in between those, and I think it comes down to intent,
and I could see how some of these scenes could
(28:40):
be viewed as being a little cheesy, but I think
it's all intentional. It's from French director Cory Lee Farjas,
who did an amazing job with this movie, and for
me personally, I think it's the best movie I've seen.
Demi Moore in Above Ghosts, Above Gi Jane, because I
feel that she took this movie for a very specific reason,
(29:01):
because she digs really deep in this movie, gets very vulnerable,
and I think that's something you would only do if
you felt a very personal connection with wanting to bring
this character to life, and maybe a little bit the
character mirrors her career and her experiences in Hollywood. If
you see this movie and all the things that her
character goes through, it is pretty brutal to watch at times,
(29:25):
and to think of being an actor putting yourself in
those situations, putting it all out there and just giving
an amazing I would even dare to say Oscar worthy performance.
This isn't traditionally what I would think of an easy
Oscar contender. I think it would have a pretty uphill
battle to be in contention for an Oscar. Horror movies
are often unfairly left out of that conversation, even though
(29:48):
I think it's movies like this that spawn a conversation
that really have something to say and do it in
a very stylistic way.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
They need to be considered more. Horror movies often get
the shaft.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Maybe it's because they usually come out in September in
October that by the time Oscar season runs around, everybody
forgets about him. But I think if there was one
horror movie in the last five years that really needed
to be considered, it would definitely be the Substance. And
then you have Dennis Quaid, who plays this executive very.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Over the top.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
He's like this little burst of energy, this kind of
gnat that's always in your face throughout the entire film,
saying these things that will make your blood boil. And
it's so over the top and so superficial that it
really works. And I didn't really know that he had
a performance like this in him or even want to
do a movie like this. And even though I don't
love a whole lot of his recent work, I think
(30:39):
The Long Game was the last movie I enjoyed him in,
even though his character was probably my least favorite in
that movie. I will go back to his OG movies
like The Rookie, The Day Actor Tomorrow. He's great in those,
but I know he's a great actor, and it really
shows in the Substance. And then you have Margaret Coiley,
who kind of won me over in her show made
on Netflix and since then it's at a pretty good
(31:01):
run just this year alone. I think as an actor
she is still on the search for her one signature film.
The Substance is definitely in contention, but I think Demi
Moore steals the show overall.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
The only real.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Criticism I have with this movie is I do feel
it goes on a little bit too long at two
hours in almost twenty minutes. There are also a couple
of moments that I feel in the movie goes a
little bit off the rails and confuses you just a
little bit as the viewer and kind of loses its
identity and at times it kind of does feel like
this free fall that it goes on, But I think
(31:34):
director Corley was trying to capture that chaos, and it
is a risk to do that to say, I don't
care how absurd this is going to be, how some
people might feel disturbed. I might even lose some people,
maybe even run the risk of have people leave the
theater a little bit early. But she committed to it,
and I can respect that. For the substance. I give
(31:55):
it a strong four point five out of five syringes.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
It's time to head down to movie. Mike Traylor Paul
My three.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Word reaction after I saw the trailer and the poster
to Thunderbolts. This looks terrible, so uninspired, so flat. It's
like taking all the worst parts, and maybe all the
worst parts a lot of the BC level characters.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
And putting them into a movie.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
And I think at this point in superhero movies, I
am so tired of the formula of it's just a
bunch of rag tag group of individuals, all these outcasts
who don't get along with each other.
Speaker 6 (32:46):
You got an evil boss pitting them against each other,
using them for their personal gain, and it's gonna be
real messy in the beginning, and then eventually they're gonna
bond and become real strong. And this movie is going
to leave you with cinematic blue balls because it's gonna
be all of the building really just trying to gear
up to the next movie. That is exactly how I
(33:08):
feel and what I know. The Thunderbolt is going to
do nothing about. This trailer feels exciting to me, which
is a bummer. And I am a long time Marvel
stand The only reason I.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Do this podcast is because of the MCU, and I'm
just growing to accept that there are going to be
a level Marvel movies, the ones I would consider top tier,
the gold standard, and then they are going to be silver.
I would almost contribute those to the Marvel shows on
Disney Plus, which are really great, they just don't quite
(33:42):
have the budget. They kind of reach their capacity there.
They're good and forty two to forty four minute increments
and they don't necessarily move the entire MCU along, but
they are enjoyable and they're more bite sized. That's like
my silver level, and then the bronze level is going
to be this level of movie where I would also
(34:02):
put movies like the Marvels and the Thunderbolts is supposed
to close out Phase five, which is in most people's eyes,
been not great. I feel that it's been pretty weak
overall if you look at what's in Phase five. Kicked
it off in twenty twenty three in February with ant
Man and the Wasp Quantum Mania. I thought that was
a pretty decent theater experience. Haven't really thought about that
(34:26):
movie much since. But then we got Guardians of the
Galaxy Volume three in May twenty twenty three, one of
the best conclusions to a trilogy of all time, not
even just in the MCU then took a down turn
with the Marvels.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
So if you look in my theory here, it kind
of goes back and forth between those levels.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
And I know there's that meme that always goes around
like MCU is dead, MCU is back. I don't think
it is dying and coming back to life. I just
think they have to kind of space out their movies
and in effort to have everything still have this cohesion,
have this synergy, you're gonna have have to go back
and forth.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
It's the same.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Way that a Sony, a Warner Brothers Universal aren't going
to continuously put out good movie after good movie. Marvel
is just its own giant entity now, so I think
what they are trying to do is just introduce so
many new characters and build back this level of Avengers
that we had in that first phase, and I don't
(35:24):
think we're gonna quite get there yet.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
But then this year we only had Dead Poole and Wolverine.
That was it.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
That was fun and I think a big win that
Marvel needed. And I enjoyed that movie at that time,
but it didn't really stick with me, and it was,
I don't want to say forgettable. It just didn't really
have a lasting effect on me like Guardians of the
Galaxy Volume three did. Then after this next year, in February,
we're gonna get Captain America Brave New World. That looks
(35:51):
top level. That trailer looks fantastic. I am excited for
that one. And Thunderbolts is coming out after that on
May second, twenty twenty five, and that will mark the
end of phase five. We'll get into more about what's
going on with Marble after that, but we're gonna break
down this trailer first, and before I do that, here's
just a little bit of the Marble's trailer for Thunderbolts,
(36:12):
and it does have an asterisk which I think is
gonna lead to something.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
But here's just a little bit of that. Now, who
are you? I'm Bob.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Who sent you? Bob?
Speaker 2 (36:21):
Nobody were you all? You were all sent?
Speaker 4 (36:29):
Everyone here has done bad things, shadow ops, robbing, government labs.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Contract kills. Yeah, so someone once has gone.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
So this movie is going to center around Yolena, who
is played by Florence Pugh. And in order to understand
this movie, you have to watch a few projects. To
fully get it. You of course had to have seen
Black Widow. It would also help if you watch Hawkeye
and then the Disney Plus series Falcon in the Winter Soldier.
(37:03):
Also would help if you saw at Man in the
Wasp because some of the side characters came from that,
And then you kind of have to see all the
Captain America movies because Bucky Barnes is back with Sebastian
stand back in that role. And then really it just
kind of helps at this point to watch all the
Avengers movies. So does feel like a little bit of homework,
which I think is going to hurt this movie in
(37:24):
the long run. And it's also just focusing on a
lot of characters that aren't that familiar. And my theory
right now as to why some of these Marvel movies
aren't doing as well for me, it honestly comes down
to the design of these characters. And I looked really
closely at the poster for The Thunderbolts. It's all the
(37:46):
characters on top of each other, very photo shopped. And
what stick out to me about that poster is the
fact that nothing stuck out to me. It is so
flat and monochromatic, and none of these heroes and I
know that this is a movie where it's supposed to
be a bunch of anti heroes. Even in the trailer
here they talk about they are all sent there because
(38:08):
they've all done bad things, stealing from government agencies, killing people,
doing secret black ops. They're all not technically superheroes. But
looking at that poster, looking at this trailer, none of
the designs of these characters really pop out to you,
and that makes it a little less exciting.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
And in order to create.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
A spectacle again at the theater, Marvel can't rely on
all of the things that made their movies spectacles in
the twenty tens, and I think they're trying to resort
to having a little bit more of a gritty style,
which is some of the glimpses that we have here
with the action.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
That's probably the one redeeming.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
Factor that this trailer has, but it doesn't feel like
anything new. Just to see a bunch of people fighting
against each other using B level special ability is task Master.
You have ghosts in this trailer who is back from
ant Man in the Wasp, who has the ability to
face through objects. It looks fine, but you don't really
(39:10):
have that big star power from a superhero. You don't
have the cool superhero abilities, and you also don't have
a signature look here, which is why all of those
movies in the early phases of the MCU.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
Stuck out so much.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
Becaustor has a very distinct look, Captain America has a
very distinct look.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
Iron Man.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
Obviously that all of those characters pop out of the screen,
they pop out on the promotional materials, and they have
people identify those characters with those movies combined with the
actor who is portraying them, and that is so important
that draws your eye into wanting to see more things
(39:53):
about it.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
Online.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
It draws kids to want to see and want to
go watch it in a theater, which is super important. Otherwise,
to me, this feels like something that should just be
dropped on Disney plus spend less money on it and
instead focus more on the bigger projects. And I think
in a genre where we're already having a bit of fatigue,
we're over the superhero formula, and obviously they're trying to
(40:18):
do something different from that, but it feels like trying
to do their own suicide squad when that has been
done twice already in DC. We also have the Peacemakers
show in its second season, which also kind of feels
in that Sam Vein. You also have TV shows now
like The Boys that does it the best when it
comes to R rated gritty nature in a superhero show
(40:42):
or movie. So this, no matter how gritty it is,
is going to feel like even a watered down version
of that.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
So I know they are working within their.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
Own world, but they also need to look at and
focus on what's going on around them and all these
other universes, because you are essentially battling for attention, and
why is somebody gonna focus on a movie like this?
Speaker 2 (41:06):
With even though you have an A.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
List actor with Florence Pugh, maybe in the general public
she's a minus, but she gets fantastic and doesn't have
to do a movie like this.
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Even with her star power.
Speaker 1 (41:22):
I don't think that is enough to get people to
want to go watch this movie, and she is by
far the most famous person in the cast. Even with
Sebastian stand returning as Bucky Barnes, I kind of just
view him as Captain America's sidekick. I honestly think that
character has kind of run his course, and supposedly he
is going to be the one in charge of the Thunderbolts,
(41:45):
but I feel like all his best movies have already
happened before him, and unless it's him and Chris Evans,
I don't really think it works the same way that
it did back with those Captain America movies. The one
character that has my curiosity is Century, who is finally
shown in this trailer. He is played by Louis Pullman,
who is the son of Bill Pullman, and he is
(42:07):
said to be Marvel's superman of sorts. He has the
power of a million exploding suns and the serum that
gave him his power actually came from the same super
soldier serum that was given to Captain America back in
that first movie, but it's said to be one hundred
times stronger. You see him in this trailer whenever they're
(42:29):
all gathered into this one location and start fighting against
each other, he kind of falls out of a crate.
It's almost like he's this experiment maybe made by Julia
Louis Drevis's character who was placed in this box not
supposed to get out because he has this crazy super
powerful ability, said to be at least in theory, quite
possibly the strongest character now in the MCU. I really
(42:52):
take that with a grain of salt, because in the MCU,
it really doesn't matter how powerful you are, it matters
how good of a story that they can write for you.
Speaker 2 (43:02):
Because by no.
Speaker 1 (43:03):
Means was Iron Man the most powerful Avenger, but he
is the one that is the most memorable. So I'm
not really going to get super hype on the fact
that he has this crazy superhuman ability. There's this point
in the trailer where all these guns are pointed towards him,
they all fire and all the bullets fall and he
doesn't even have a scratch on him. So it's kind
of cool and probably the most unique part of this trailer,
(43:26):
but that for me is really nothing to write home
about at this point. So the way I see this
is a new Captain America movie next February is going
to be great. It's gonna be that real high point
that we need going into phase six. This is kind
of going to be the closing action and really set
up what is coming. Because the title Thunderbolts even has
that asterisk, which leads me to believe that they're either
(43:48):
going to change the title by the time this movie
comes out, or at the end of the movie they're
gonna go by a different name, because really, Thunderbolts is
a terrible name, and if you look at all that
Marvel has built and putting so much into this movie,
and having a name that not a lot of people
are going to recognize, that really tells you nothing about
(44:11):
the movie whatsoever. And it would probably be more beneficial
to them to put the word Avenger in there in
some capacity. The New Avengers, the Young Avengers, they have
to be building towards something else, especially if they have
that asterisk on the title, which is intentional. So that's
how I envision Phase five closing out Phase six. We'll
(44:31):
start with a Fantastic four on July twenty fifth, twenty
twenty five. After that we're supposed to get a Blade movie.
I haven't seen a whole lot of details about that,
but nothing else is announced until May twenty twenty six
with Avengers Doomsday that is bringing back Robert Downey Junior,
and then Secret Wars in twenty twenty seven. After that, Man,
(44:54):
I gotta stay alive until twenty twenty seven because I
have to see that movie. But again, this movie is
coming out on May second, twenty twenty five, so I
don't think it's gonna have the best time at the
box office next summer. And hopefully we get at least
a B level story and a B level amount of action,
and then let's close it out and move on to
Phase six.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
And that was this week's edition of Movie Line Tramer
par and.
Speaker 1 (45:18):
Is that is gonna do it for another episode here
of the podcast. But before I go, I got to
give my listeners shout out of the week this week.
I'm going over to my Instagram dms and Vicky six
two nine, you are this week's listener shout Out of
the week, Vicky, you sent me a DM replying to
the story I posted about last week's episode where I
did a Hispanic Heritage Month episode and shared all of
(45:41):
my favorite Mexican American movies that I identified with growing up,
shared a lot of stories about my family. So if
you missed that episode, just go back one in the
feed and VICKI wrote, I love it when you talk
about you and your parents' story. Now you have movie
crew listeners that get to see themselves in you. I
appreciate that, Vicky, and when and I do those episodes,
sometimes I wonder is anybody else goingna care about this?
(46:04):
And actually had a lot of nice messages saying, hey,
I'm glad you talk about these movies and share your
story because this was also the way that I grew up.
And those messages means so much to me hearing other
people who not even just their parents are from Mexico,
but then themselves immigrated here from a very young age,
which is also a whole other crazy level that I
(46:26):
love hearing those stories as well. So thank you Vicky
for that DM. Thank you right now for listening. Shout
out to the entire movie crew. Next week is a
really great episode I'm having on Robert England, the one
and only Freddy Krueger.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
Here's a little tease of how that interview went. Thank
you lot a math in that interview. There you go,
So be sure you subscribe.
Speaker 1 (46:45):
If you have a friend or a family member who
is a big Nightmare on ELM Street fan, a big
Freddie fan, you gotta tell them about next week's episode
because we went in hard on the history because it's
celebrating its fortieth anniversary. So thank you for listening, thank
you for being subscribed, and until next week, go out
and watch good movies and I will talk to you later.
Speaker 2 (47:08):
M
Host
Mike D
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