Episode 13 - Magnolia

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hey everyone. Welcome, truly welcome to watch this. Now normally we start our shows with a song, a song that is either connected directly or vaguely connected to the movie that we are talking about. We are going to do that today, but I'm going to do it a little bit different and I'm going to do something that's a little bit unexpected because we're talking About Magnolia, the 1999 three hour epic by Paul Thomas Anderson. And the movie was inspired by songs from Amy Mann. And some of her lyrics are actually used as dialogue in the movie. So it would make a lot of sense to start with an Amy Mann song before we go into talking about Magnolia. But we're not going to do that. Okay. So that's going to go on for about another minute and a half. Because this is progressive metal. I'm turning down your microphone. [00:00:54] Speaker B: I'm sorry. [00:00:57] Speaker A: Now it's turning down Stephanie's microphone. So that's gonna go on for a little bit. Now you guys are probably wondering why the fuck is Paul playing progressive metal when we're talking about Magnolia? I'm gonna give you a hint first. Oh. First of all, this is Dream Theater, who are a progressive metal band. And the name of the song is Honor Thy Father. And I'm gonna scrabble a little bit forward to the important part. I like that word scrobble. [00:01:21] Speaker B: It's not a real word. [00:01:21] Speaker A: It is actually when you fast forward or rewind like in digitally, like that's scrabbling. Yeah. All right, let's go to a five and a half minute mark. Let's listen some more. [00:01:32] Speaker B: We're gonna get banned from Spotify. [00:01:34] Speaker A: I know. But we're talking over it, so I think it should be okay. [00:01:37] Speaker B: True. [00:01:39] Speaker A: I kind of want you to hear the guy's voice. Cause it's like the one reason. Let me duck myself. It's one of the reasons that I actually don't love Dream theaters. That I hate the lead singer's voice. This is fine. Okay. I gotta. I'm gonna go ahead and jump ahead. So this is why I actually picked the song. Also, Does it sound familiar? Maybe it's buried too far in the mix. [00:02:23] Speaker B: Is that voice sounds like the guy from Magnolia. The guy talking. It's Jason Robarts. Right. [00:02:28] Speaker A: It's his monologue about regrets. [00:02:30] Speaker B: Oh, dude, that's. I got it. [00:02:34] Speaker A: And you also hear Tom Cruise in the background. [00:02:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:02:38] Speaker A: So yeah, I. I came across this in, in the trivia. So I. I do listen to Dream Theater or it's. They're one of those bands. I really try to get into. I like the musicianship is fantastic. I just don't like the guy's voice. [00:02:50] Speaker B: Yeah, he's got like. You know when someone tries to make their voice sound deeper and it's like [00:02:54] Speaker A: crackly, it doesn't work. Yeah, he's. It's very cheesy. And I mean, a good portion of progressive metal can be cheesiness, especially for Dream Theater. They can cheesy, but they have amazing drummers and they have an amazing guitarist. But. But yeah. So I didn't actually know. I listened to this album recently, like about a year ago. I didn't. The song didn't. It didn't click at the time because it's been 25 years since I've seen Magnolia up until now. So I got it from the trivia and I was like, no way. And I put it on and I was like, oh, yeah, this is what we're starting with. So there you go. We have a fitting song, a song based on Magnolia from Dream Theater as opening us up. As we said, we are talking about Magnolia today. Before we get into that, maybe I should tell us, our viewers who might be new, what this show is. This is. Watch this, a movie review and discussion podcast. I am your host, Paul Klein. Standing in front of me is Stephanie Caplano. [00:03:48] Speaker B: Oh, here comes. Watch out. [00:03:51] Speaker C: Look out, Caplano. Man. [00:03:56] Speaker B: Well, it's been a while since we used this. [00:03:58] Speaker A: I know. [00:03:58] Speaker B: I like it. [00:03:58] Speaker A: It's kind of quiet. And then to my left is Alexander Graham Bello. [00:04:03] Speaker B: What up? [00:04:03] Speaker A: I feel like I just spoke for you. That's fine. I don't mind. Yeah. Alex Bello. Say your name. Say your name. [00:04:08] Speaker B: Alex Bellow. [00:04:10] Speaker A: Wait, what's your million, Williams? [00:04:12] Speaker C: William. [00:04:12] Speaker B: Cool. [00:04:13] Speaker C: William would not have guessed that. [00:04:15] Speaker A: Yeah. At least they gave you a full middle name. [00:04:17] Speaker B: Yeah, they gave me a. A half a first name, but yeah, it's just Alex. If it was Alexander William Bellow, it would sound kind of like, you know, pretty regal, but they just kind of posh. Yeah, kind of posh. [00:04:26] Speaker A: He would write poetry about the woods. [00:04:28] Speaker B: Yeah. A.W. bellow. Yeah. [00:04:30] Speaker A: A.W. bellow. [00:04:31] Speaker B: As in P.T. anderson. [00:04:33] Speaker A: Huh? [00:04:33] Speaker B: Paul Thomas Anderson. He uses that abbreviation? [00:04:35] Speaker A: Yes, because it's a long name. And we're not Talking about Paul W.S. anderson, the director of Mortal Kombat and the Resident Evil movies. [00:04:42] Speaker B: I didn't even know who the fuck that is. [00:04:45] Speaker A: It was just Paul Anderson. But then once they made the. He had to add something to it so he wouldn't be confused with Paul Thomas Anderson. So he added WS which we're like, what the fuck is that? So you've seen all the Resident Evil movies, I'm sure. I'm sure. Like, when you were younger. Oh, that's it. [00:05:01] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:05:02] Speaker A: I kind of figured you'd be like, the person who goes to, like, Comic Cons and is like, I love Resident Evil. [00:05:06] Speaker C: Demonism messes me up a little bit. So. But I was forced to watch it. [00:05:12] Speaker A: But they. But it's mutants. Like, like they're created in a lab, I believe. It's not. It's not. It's zombies and monsters that are created in a lab. That's why I'm okay with. Yeah, Resident Evil. The Umbrella Corporation. [00:05:22] Speaker C: I don't know. I had that twang in my voice. [00:05:25] Speaker B: We're talking about the same thing. [00:05:28] Speaker A: Cowboy hat. [00:05:28] Speaker B: Just 10 gallon hat. [00:05:31] Speaker A: 10 gallon hat. [00:05:33] Speaker B: How you made Stephanie sound when she goes to Comic Con and she goes, I love Resident Evil. [00:05:39] Speaker A: I love you, King Julian. Open up my. What was it? [00:05:42] Speaker B: This is a little guy from I love you, King Julian. [00:05:46] Speaker A: I love the little guy. [00:05:47] Speaker C: Oh, please don't make me more. [00:05:50] Speaker B: Dude, you're Mort, dude. Oh, God, you're mort. [00:05:53] Speaker A: I'm going to go ahead and open my can of Warhead's Ghost of Alcohol. [00:05:57] Speaker B: Paul is drinking alcohol. [00:05:58] Speaker A: Alcohol doesn't usually go. You're right. [00:06:04] Speaker B: Oh, that was crisp. Crispy. [00:06:08] Speaker A: So now I'm gonna. Oh, smell that? Oh, that water. Oh, my God, it smells like a 70s. [00:06:14] Speaker B: Keep it together. [00:06:17] Speaker A: It smells like a shag carpet from [00:06:18] Speaker B: the 70s, which is, you know. Oh, no, it's not fitting. If we were doing one of his earlier movies, it'd be kind of fitting, but never mind. [00:06:25] Speaker A: Actually, it's not bad at all. Yeah, it's a Warheads. [00:06:30] Speaker C: Oh, watching you drink that has my caffeine addiction. I'm like, right now all I could think about is a Red Bull, but I can't have it. [00:06:38] Speaker B: Oh, I googled why. Like, caffeine makes me sweat profusely. So apparently I'm drinking too much caffeine without eating anything, and my body's struggling to metabolize it, so I'm sweating profusely. [00:06:48] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, Alex Bello. [00:06:53] Speaker B: That's my debut album. Sweating profusely. [00:06:57] Speaker A: And on the COVID it's like, Andrew W.K. [00:06:58] Speaker B: you're just sweat dripping down my forehead. [00:07:02] Speaker A: Dripping down your forehead. [00:07:03] Speaker C: Eye twitching. [00:07:06] Speaker B: We are eight minutes in and we start. [00:07:08] Speaker A: There's time. [00:07:09] Speaker B: There's time. [00:07:10] Speaker A: It's a three hour movie. We can do a three hour podcast. [00:07:12] Speaker B: Hell, yeah. [00:07:13] Speaker C: I will say I did like the playlist. For Magnolia. Every song, like, kind of Had Me. [00:07:19] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:07:19] Speaker C: You know. [00:07:19] Speaker A: That's a great soundtrack, both the score and the music. All right. I don't know right now where to start, because there's so many places we can start, so. Do you have an idea, Alex? [00:07:30] Speaker B: I have an idea. I think first, before we get into actually, like, figuring out Magnolia or attempting to. I think we should first talk about Paul Thomas Anderson and just get, like, a brief idea of who he is, because his background has a heavy influence on the movie. [00:07:43] Speaker A: Yeah, it is Paul Thomas. [00:07:44] Speaker B: It is Paul Thomas. Most people here probably know Paul Thomas. You think do Most. [00:07:49] Speaker A: I hope so. But I, like. I know Jessica does not. [00:07:52] Speaker B: Okay, Stephanie. Okay. You're familiar with some of his work. You probably just don't know him by name. [00:07:57] Speaker C: What are some of his work? [00:07:58] Speaker A: Stephanie, could you go fudge yourself right now? Because, like, that just pisses me off. Oh, could you please step out? [00:08:04] Speaker C: Sorry. [00:08:04] Speaker A: Go fuck yourself. Okay, so only one of the greatest living directors of our time, but that's fine. You don't know his movies. That's fine. [00:08:14] Speaker C: I'm. I'm the people's person. All right. [00:08:16] Speaker A: You are absolutely right. [00:08:17] Speaker C: The general audience of listeners, the plebs. All right. You basically just told our general audience to go fuck themselves. [00:08:25] Speaker A: Dear audience, please go fuck yourself. [00:08:28] Speaker B: You need it. You need to do, like in the movie when. When he. What's his name? The older gentleman, the one that's sick. The actor. [00:08:34] Speaker A: I just said it. And. And Jason roars when. [00:08:37] Speaker B: Jason roars when Phil's character. When he tells Phil's character, hey, can you go do me a favor? And Phil goes, what? Go myself. [00:08:43] Speaker A: Go myself. [00:08:44] Speaker C: You got it. [00:08:44] Speaker A: You should have. You should have known. [00:08:45] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:08:46] Speaker A: You should have known. Yeah. From now on, when I say, can you do me a favor? You're gonna have to say, go myself. And I go, yeah. [00:08:52] Speaker B: All right, so let's just really quick establish who Paul Thomas Anderson is. Probably the best American filmmaker alive right now up there with Quentin Tarantino. It's up to debate. I don't like to compare them because they're both really good in their own way. [00:09:03] Speaker A: But you just brought it up. [00:09:04] Speaker B: But I just brought it up. He has done There Will Be Blood, Phantom Thread, Inherent Vice, Boogie Nights. So that means that we need to do a PTA series later on down the line. [00:09:15] Speaker A: I agree. I agree. And there's one. There's. There's two. I have not seen. I have not seen Hard Eight, which apparently was called Sydney, you know, from the interview. But I didn't take it to heart until I hear him always referring to it as Sydney. He doesn't refer to as Hard Eight. Yeah. Because it was. It was a name forced upon him by the studio. But I kind of. I think Hard eight's a better name than Sydney. [00:09:35] Speaker B: I like Sydney better. [00:09:36] Speaker A: Really? [00:09:36] Speaker B: I like Sydney. [00:09:37] Speaker A: Generic. I feel it's like about Australia. [00:09:39] Speaker B: Yes. [00:09:40] Speaker A: Why did I say it was an Australian Australia? My drinking of Fosters. What am I drinking? The. [00:09:46] Speaker B: Oh, and licorice pizza. [00:09:47] Speaker A: You haven't seen liquor? No, I saw. [00:09:49] Speaker B: Oh, you saw the. [00:09:49] Speaker A: No, I love licorice pizza. [00:09:50] Speaker B: Sorry. [00:09:50] Speaker A: Yeah, I made Soul watch it. [00:09:52] Speaker B: Oh, that's right. [00:09:52] Speaker A: Yeah. No, the master. [00:09:54] Speaker B: The master. [00:09:54] Speaker A: See the master. [00:09:55] Speaker B: The master. Another fantasy that. [00:09:58] Speaker A: Yeah. He is. He not just that, like he's considered to be. I mean, I think I can speak for Alex here also. He is like one of our favorite directors. He has a movie coming out this year, actually. I just saw the trailer for it yesterday before F1. What's the name of it? One Battle. [00:10:11] Speaker B: One Battle after another. Yes. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio. [00:10:15] Speaker A: Leonardo DiCaprio and Benio del Toro. [00:10:16] Speaker B: Yes. [00:10:19] Speaker C: I feel like this side of film is completely out of my realm. [00:10:22] Speaker B: But you found a blind spot in here. [00:10:24] Speaker C: Yeah, it's a blind. This is like a huge blind spot. The spot. Because I've never heard of any of [00:10:27] Speaker A: these, but I think they're right up your alley. Well, we'll find out, actually, depending on what you thought about Magnolia. Yeah. And you know, your position here in the podcast does depend on what you thought about Magnolia. So basically, if you don't like it, can you do me a favor? [00:10:43] Speaker C: Go bug myself. [00:10:44] Speaker A: Exactly. Exactly. [00:10:46] Speaker C: Would you say that all of his movies kind of have the same vibe as Magnolia? [00:10:50] Speaker A: Yes and no. And I think we're going to get into that. [00:10:52] Speaker B: Yeah. He's a big slow burn guy in a way. In many ways. [00:10:56] Speaker A: His style changed, I think quite like he matured a lot post Magnolia. [00:11:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:02] Speaker C: Okay. [00:11:02] Speaker A: Magnolia has like a. Has that like jittery energy of someone taking cocaine where the camera just will not stop moving, the music will not stop playing. He definitely changed after this movie. And I think because of this movie, like, it was a joke, like I was watching. I don't know how far you got into it. There's the. The behind the scenes documentary. Yeah. On the movie called this Moment. Right. [00:11:23] Speaker B: That moment. [00:11:23] Speaker A: That moment. [00:11:24] Speaker B: That moment. [00:11:25] Speaker A: And they. The running gag. He himself from the front. I think from the first day of production. He's like, this is a three hour movie and they're all talking about how. Because he had been bragging that he's gonna make this short intimate film with just a few characters and not many locations. And then he just kept writing and writing and writing and kind of like expanded to this major thing. And his follow up movie to this was Punch Drunk Love, which was the. Adam Sandler is kind of one of his first forays into kind of more serious films. And he specifically was like, I want to make a 90 minute movie. [00:11:57] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:58] Speaker A: Because how long was Boogie Nights? Was over two hours. [00:12:00] Speaker B: Boogie Nights was over two hours. Yeah. And then this was his second feature. Second or third? Third. Sorry, third feature. Sydney. Sydney. Boogie Nights. And then this. [00:12:08] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:08] Speaker B: And yeah, this is just fucking like you were saying in the, in the documentary, there's like a moment where they were joking about like something that they could cut out that would be like five seconds shorter. They're like, oh, so your movie will be three hours, six minutes and 55 seconds. So, yeah, he. How do I. I have something I want to say about him, but I don't know how to say it. [00:12:27] Speaker A: What do you. What are you dancing around? What are you trying to. About his style. [00:12:31] Speaker B: About his, about his style? [00:12:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:34] Speaker B: Like you said, he's matured greatly. But in a way this movie is the most. Him. Like it, like personal to him. [00:12:42] Speaker A: It's very personal. [00:12:43] Speaker B: He's from the Valley where the movie is shot, like in la, originally his idea for this. And I, I heard Julianne Moore, who plays Linda in the movie, in the, in the behind the scenes, she's saying how he pitched it as like, oh yeah, I just want to get a few friends together and make a movie about some people in the Valley. And then like Paul says, it ended up becoming this long ass, three hour movie. Epic. Yeah. And so, yeah, that's really all I can say about him for now. I mean, his career kind of speaks for him, for itself. [00:13:12] Speaker A: And yeah, yeah, he's kind of considered like the modern Robert Altman. So Robert Altman did like McCabe and Mrs. Miller, the MASH movie that the TV show was based on. Nashville, which were these. Nashville especially is very much like Magnolia, where it's these long movies with a lot of characters and they all kind of intersect. And Robert Altman, I mean, to really kind of boil him down, he was one of the guys who, one of the main guys who would allow overlapping dialogue where people would just speak over each other as they do in real life, and had a varied long career. And one of his last movies, he was getting so old that the Insurance wouldn't cover him. And so they had to get. So they basically said, if you die making this movie, Paul Thomas Anderson will take over for you. So, you know, like he, he volunteered because. And so, because they were kind of like, if anybody can do his style, it's. It's Paul. Paul Thomas Anderson. But he's changed, as we said, quite a bit. I think he's much more. He's. I think you said it. He's sparser. [00:14:16] Speaker B: He's a lot more like laid back and chill now and like not so coked up. Yeah. [00:14:21] Speaker A: We both listened to an interview. He did a podcast interview with Marc Maron. And like, he's like, you said, he's, he seems very chill now. This was from 2015, actually. He's married, has three children. Four children. [00:14:32] Speaker B: Maybe by this point, quite a few children. Yeah. [00:14:34] Speaker A: And. And he's calm. And then we watch the making of documentary from 1999 and he's all like, my hands. He's like gesticulating and everything. And I'm like, that dude's coked up. [00:14:44] Speaker B: He looks coked. And he just looks like. [00:14:47] Speaker A: I think. [00:14:48] Speaker B: How old was he when he did this movie? [00:14:49] Speaker A: I think he said 20. In his mid to late 20s. [00:14:53] Speaker B: Yeah, I think he's like 26 or something. And it's just like if you give a 26 year old final cut on a Hollywood movie and give them this amount of money to make it, like, this is the shit you're going to get, you know? Like what, he's like a couple, six years older than me. What, you're 22? 21. [00:15:08] Speaker A: 21. [00:15:08] Speaker B: He's five years older than you. So like, just imagine being given all this stuff and like, go do what you want. [00:15:14] Speaker A: So because Boogie Nights was such a success, that New Line Cinema basically said, we're going to give you money, you do whatever you want and you have final cut, meaning that they cannot step in and do something to the movie. [00:15:24] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:15:25] Speaker A: So he's like, all right. He's like. And he said himself, he was like, I know I'm not going to get this again. Which is not true. I think he actually has final cut nowadays. But he, it was not guaranteed. So he wasn't that hubristic to be like, you know, I get to do this all time. He's like, I'm this my chance to do it. So he went for it. Do we want to discuss the length? If it's worth it. I think we kind of have to save that for the end. Right. Like, or towards the middle as we kind of get more into. [00:15:48] Speaker B: Yeah, we'll save that towards the middle. Should I give a synopsis? [00:15:52] Speaker A: I think it would be good to start to give a synopsis. [00:15:55] Speaker B: So Magnolia, as we alluded to earlier, is several stories kind of bunched into one set in the Valley in la where all these people are residing. And the stories are, like, loosely related, but also very thematically fun. [00:16:11] Speaker A: Is finding how. How they relate. [00:16:12] Speaker B: Is finding out how they relate. But it's not like a Pulp Fiction. Oh. These stories are all come together at the end. They come together around a. A event that I can only say is of biblical proportions because I don't want to give away what the event is. [00:16:28] Speaker A: Yeah. And we can. Well, yeah, okay, we'll go with that. We'll get to it. And I. I think. And I cut you off there. So I'm sorry. Because you were saying it. They're very much thematically connected. [00:16:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:16:40] Speaker A: And it. Let's go into it right now. The way I'm seeing it, I'm kind of curious how you guys saw it, but thematically there's a lot of doubling in the movie. You have two fathers with cancer with estranged children. You have the game show kid from the present. You have the game show kid from the past who's now grown up and isn't. Isn't a shitty situation. [00:17:00] Speaker B: I used to be smart. Now I'm just stupid. [00:17:02] Speaker A: Stupid. What else are. What else do we have as far [00:17:06] Speaker B: as two children abusing women in their 20s and 30s? [00:17:11] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely. [00:17:13] Speaker B: Claudia and Linda. [00:17:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:15] Speaker B: And we have. Who both have difficult relationships with father figures in their life. And then we don't really have another counterpart to Jim. John C. Reilly's care. [00:17:27] Speaker A: Yeah. But I think he sort of acts as almost like a mediator. [00:17:30] Speaker B: Yeah. He's kind of like. He's almost like the most normal person in the movie. And then who. What else do we have in there that I can pinpoint now? Let's roll with that for now. [00:17:41] Speaker A: Let's roll with that for now. And so. And then the movie is also about cycles. And I. And I believe the attempt to break those cycles or how people either just kind of give in to them or they try to break out of them a generational trauma from generational trauma. And, you know, I mean, Claudia even has the big monologue when she goes on. On the date with Jim finally, where she says, you know, it's. She's like, let's just get things out in the open so we don't have this sort of resentment later. [00:18:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:09] Speaker A: And it's that's almost her way of saying, like, I've been through this so many times, let's just try to do something differently. And I'm kind of. Yeah, I don't want to blow it all too early. So we're just going to sort of continue on with that. [00:18:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:22] Speaker A: So it's not a light movie. [00:18:24] Speaker C: No. [00:18:24] Speaker A: Even though I think Paul Thomas Henderson, of course he would say this instead he was like, yeah, it kind of is a comedy, you know, like there are, of course, I mean any good drama is going to have light moments. [00:18:33] Speaker B: Yeah. And there's very comedic moments. I mean, I think when we were watching it out here in the lab, we were both like laughing at certain [00:18:39] Speaker A: points should be laughing. [00:18:40] Speaker B: Oh, when Tom Cruise comes out, dude, I fucking hate his character. But he's so funny. I hated him less. I hate him less at the end every time I watch the movie. Sure. But yeah, anyway, I kind of derailed that. [00:18:53] Speaker A: No, no, it's good. I. Let's kind of talk about Tom Cruise because, you know, when this movie came out he was kind of at the height of his power. He's still pretty damn powerful now. Yeah, I mean, but it's kind of more based on. It's really based on the Mission Impossible franchise. I don't think he has anything else that's nearly as successful and even that sort of running out of steam a little bit here in the States, at least not internationally. But this was back in the day when he was like Tom Cruise. Oh my gosh. And he played very much against character. I find this the most interesting. He played very much against type when he made this movie. But I really feel that he has turned into Frank Mackie in real life. That the performance he gave here almost seems to have stuck with him. And the way that he talks to people and that sort of weird energy that he has, that almost weird creepy energy he has was honed in this movie and for some reason he turned into this character. Not with the horrible things he says, with the way he says them. [00:19:51] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:51] Speaker A: The way he behaves, the way he talks to people is. It's, you know, this unearned. Not unearned. Yeah, I don't think it unearned at all. This sort of confidence, but almost like using it to get what you want. In that case it's very evil because it's all about. His whole shtick is that he is like the self help guru. But what does he help people with is he's helping them to get laid. Yeah. And he has that Wonderful phrase. Which I will say now when he comes out and he says, respect the cunt. And I think he does the. [00:20:27] Speaker B: At one point, he just starts humping the air, like, grinding on the air. [00:20:31] Speaker A: It's so bad. [00:20:32] Speaker B: It's so bad. I just want to say, before we get any further into this, I put on the movie thinking. Forget. Forgetting that there was nudity at the beginning. Like, in the opening montage. There's the scene where what's her name, Claudia, is having sex with the. With Rey. With the older guy. And then we cut really quickly to where Jimmy Gator is having sex with his secretary. [00:20:56] Speaker A: Oh. And I even forgot about him. I just watched it. [00:20:59] Speaker B: I forgot about that. And I put that on. And right as I put it on, no Maribel comes in. I wanted to die. I was like, this lady. [00:21:09] Speaker A: Maribel is a classy lady who. Yeah, let's leave it at that. [00:21:14] Speaker B: She's like the lab mom. [00:21:15] Speaker A: We called her the lab mom. Yeah, yeah. And yeah. So we're talking about Tom Cruise, and I think we should also kind of talk about the performances in general. [00:21:24] Speaker B: Yes. [00:21:24] Speaker A: We have so many characters. I think it's a good place to start. Right. [00:21:27] Speaker B: Can I ask, now that we're here, who was. Who was everybody's favorite performance or, like, favorite storyline? And we'll go in order. Yeah. Stephanie, you could go first if you had to define. Okay. [00:21:39] Speaker A: Stephanie's been last. [00:21:40] Speaker C: No, I'm in between two. [00:21:42] Speaker A: Okay. [00:21:43] Speaker C: Because I really liked Tom Cruise's character because I hated him. And I never wanted to punch anyone in the face more in my life, but it kept me locked in because it was so, like, out there. [00:21:56] Speaker A: It's a large performance. [00:21:57] Speaker C: Yeah. So in between that and Claudia. Because Claudia's character put me on a roller coaster. Because at first I was like, this crazy bitch is out of her mind. [00:22:09] Speaker A: She's coked up for most of the [00:22:10] Speaker C: movie, but even when her. Can I talk about that? [00:22:13] Speaker A: Yeah, go for it. [00:22:14] Speaker B: Go for it. [00:22:15] Speaker C: Yeah. Like when her dad walks in. [00:22:16] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Because we don't know the situation. [00:22:18] Speaker C: And she just goes off. [00:22:20] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:21] Speaker C: And, like, I have no idea what was happening. So, like, he's just trying to talk calmly. And she's like, get out of my house. Get out of my house. [00:22:31] Speaker A: And he tells her, like, I'm dying of cancer, I have two months to live. And she's like, get the out of the house. [00:22:36] Speaker C: She's, like, swinging her head around. Like, I was like, she is out of her mind. And then, like, her who? Pathway. With Jimmy. [00:22:45] Speaker B: Jimmy. [00:22:46] Speaker C: With Jimmy. And Then I was just like. I was like. I felt bad and I was like, oh, she's so sweet. So she just kept me, like, on this emotional roller coaster. [00:22:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:54] Speaker C: So I might have to say Claudia just because of what she did to me emotionally. [00:22:57] Speaker B: Okay. [00:22:59] Speaker A: It was funny because I was taking lunch and extended lunch because I. The movie traumatized me. So I can't really watch it again right now. And especially not here at work for some reason, like, it just made it worse. [00:23:08] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:08] Speaker A: But. But I could. I would hear it coming through my door and like. And I was just like, taking a bite on my sandwich. I hear get. And I was like, oh, okay. I know where they are now. Movie just started. Do you want to go next or shall I go? [00:23:21] Speaker B: You could go. I'll go last. [00:23:22] Speaker A: Yeah. Claudia. I am absolutely. I love the performance. It's funny. I. And I'm going to have to look up her name again. I had to look it up because she hasn't really. She's been in a lot of movies since, but nothing that really stood out. Like, I think, like, this one does. [00:23:37] Speaker B: She's fantastic. [00:23:38] Speaker A: She is a fantastic actress. And I really am like, why did she not kind of go big after this? [00:23:42] Speaker C: This. [00:23:43] Speaker A: And she should have been nominated for an Oscar, I think. Oh, my God. Milora Walters. [00:23:49] Speaker B: Laura Walters. Okay. [00:23:51] Speaker A: And I love her performance. I love how she does the coked out and. But like, tough in a. In. In her own way. But. Okay, I'm gonna point to the thing. I just. I love that part where she. So, Jim. So what happens is. I think we'll set it up, right? Yeah, we'll set it up. So Claudia is in her apartment. She listened to Amy Mann music really loud. Jim is a police officer. He comes to the house because there was noise complaints. And he knocks on the door. And the moment she opens the door, he kind of like falls in love. He just sees her and he's like, oh. And he. And it's. It's funny because it is kind of creepy. I kind of wanted to have soul here because I wanted to hear her take on this because his behavior is. Well, it's not professional at all. And. And so he keeps kind of like finding excuses to stay there. But she's coked out, and so she has coke on a table. And so. So is there's like this sort of like dramatic push and pull where she's trying to get him to leave because she wants to hide all this stuff. But I think once she makes sure to hide it, she kind of wants him to Stay. Or she's not really sure, or she feels that she has to kind of like she doesn't really know why he's still hanging around. And I think she's coked up and she doesn't know what's going on. I mean, not directly. And she does this thing where they're in the kitchen together, and she kind of puts her arms up and she goes, do you want some coffee? And it just. I don't know. I was like, I fell in love with her at that point. And. And so her. And I think Jimmy, I mean, John C. Reilly is such a sweetheart in the movie, but a flawed human being, as we said. They do address it. When he asks her out. Eventually, after being there for, I don't know, for, like, two hours, he asks her out, and she's like, is this unprofessional? He's like, oh, I'm pretty sure it is. He's like, most definitely. But he's like, I don't care right now. I kind of. Actually, I did want to ask this question to you guys the first time we were really. We were introduced to Jimmy talking to the camera. Right. Talking about his life and how important being a police officer and how dangerous it is. Then it's kind of shown that he's talking to himself. [00:25:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:25:48] Speaker A: That he kind of imagines like, someone, like, there. Like a documentary crew. And he doesn't have a partner, which I don't know how that. Does that really work? Happen a lot with. I thought you always have to have a partner to watch your back. [00:25:59] Speaker B: I don't think so. So I have a. Like a family. Like my cousin's husband, he's a cop, and he has like. Like people that patrol with him, like, in separate cars. But he typically doesn't have. I think it depends on the area that you're in. So if you're, like, in a high crime area, you're, like, doing like a night patrol. Maybe you'll have a partner, but I think for the most part, you're kind of just driving around on your own. Okay, but what were you gonna ask about him? Because I think I have an answer. [00:26:23] Speaker A: So after that, like, he. He goes to his first call. [00:26:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:26:26] Speaker A: And it's another noise dispute. And kind of like a whole thing kind of derives out of this, which is a weird thing, which made a lot more sense to me watching it now than it did 25 years ago. [00:26:35] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. [00:26:36] Speaker A: But the way he speaks, the way he handles that situation, and I think the things that we know or the reputation that LA police have. Have. [00:26:46] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:26:47] Speaker A: Do you. Was he professional there? Do you think he handled that. That situation correctly? Could he done it. Done it better? [00:26:54] Speaker B: You want to go first when he goes to the lady's house, the first lady, where they find the body in the closet. [00:27:01] Speaker C: Oh, okay. Okay. [00:27:01] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:03] Speaker C: Um. I. As I was watching it, I was confused as to why he was handling it that way. Like, it seemed unprofessional. But then, like, what else can you do? [00:27:15] Speaker A: Right? [00:27:16] Speaker C: I mean, like, I. Because he also kind of, like, walked into her house, which, like, you can't really do. [00:27:22] Speaker B: I think if the door's open. [00:27:23] Speaker A: I think the way. I think the way he explained it was, I think, correct. Yeah. [00:27:27] Speaker C: And she was, like, being completely just, like, undone. [00:27:31] Speaker B: Cooperative. [00:27:32] Speaker C: Yeah. Uncooperative. [00:27:33] Speaker A: Just yelling at him and screaming and, [00:27:36] Speaker C: like, she obviously knew what was happening. [00:27:38] Speaker A: Right. [00:27:39] Speaker C: So I. I think he handled it in the best way you can without inflicting violence on the person. [00:27:45] Speaker A: Sure. Which happens, unfortunately, too often. Yeah. [00:27:51] Speaker C: And, like, you know, he found it and he called for backup. Like, I. I think he. It happened in the best way it could. Like, I was watching. I was like. I was like, how. How are you supposed to handle these situations? [00:28:01] Speaker A: I don't know. There was there certain phrases that stood out to me that sort of seemed like he might be escalating. There were certain things that he said where I was like, dude, you know what I mean? But I'm just curious. That might be more 25 years after and sort of all these things that kind of come out about police corruption and things like that. I guess I'm bringing up more in the question of, like, was Paul Thomas Anderson. Was it. What were his intentions with that scene? Were we just supposed to take it sort of at face value and be like, this is a good copy, or are we taking it as. There might be some slight undertones of, like, weirdness here? [00:28:36] Speaker B: My answer is yeah, is no. I don't think he was trying to do anything there. I think what he was trying to do, which he's also trying to establish in. In the. Him driving around in the car, talking to himself. [00:28:48] Speaker A: He. [00:28:49] Speaker B: And. And this is something that I'll draw out perfectly. Mediocre individual. But he takes his job very seriously because as we see, his job is a big part of his identity. When he's doing the phone call where he's, like, making the job, like, when he's talking about, like, trying to get a date over the phone on that, like. Like, thing on the. In the newspaper. [00:29:03] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:04] Speaker B: He talks about his Job. One of the first things he talks about is his job. And you could tell he takes his job very seriously. And it's a big part of his character, like I said. And I think the way he handled it was actually pretty good, if you think about it. He's by himself. He responds to a disturbance call. He walks in because the door was a jar. [00:29:20] Speaker A: That was fine. [00:29:20] Speaker B: That was fine. And then the lady starts screaming. He did say some things where he's like, oh, that wasn't a. When she. When he was telling her to sit down. [00:29:27] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:27] Speaker B: She was like, oh, I don't want to sit down. I'd rather stand. He's like, oh, that wasn't a. I wasn't asking. Like, he said something like that. But then when she is refusing to cooperate and he. And he goes to handcuff her, she starts hitting him. And he doesn't, like, get, like, rough with her. He just handcuffs her to the chair. [00:29:42] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:42] Speaker B: And then you also have to think about it. If you're hearing something in the house and you're going to check. I mean, even before he goes into the room, he warns the person. He's like, if you're in there, come out. I'm not. I'm going to have to shoot you. [00:29:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:52] Speaker B: So, like, he warned. Which is a lot more than a lot of cops do. [00:29:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:55] Speaker B: I think if we. If he was trying to make him seem like a corrupt cop, he would have walked in maybe. [00:30:00] Speaker A: Like, I would never imagine that Paul Thomas Anderson would just be like, he's a corrupt cop. I was just wondering if he was maybe. Maybe making suggestions that he's a human being and he's. And he's not exactly the best. [00:30:10] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, he's definitely not the best. [00:30:11] Speaker B: I don't think he's the best cop. He lost his. [00:30:14] Speaker C: Yeah, he's a weird. He's a weird guy. [00:30:16] Speaker A: I don't know if the. If the gun is his fault. [00:30:18] Speaker B: I mean, we'll get to that. [00:30:20] Speaker C: Yeah, I have to. [00:30:22] Speaker A: Okay. Okay, perfect. So go. And then, Alex, you'll tell us my favorite character. [00:30:26] Speaker B: Okay, cool. Yeah, I'll do that. In the meantime. Okay. So when I first watched the movie, which was about two and a half, three weeks ago, my favorite characters. [00:30:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:30:35] Speaker B: That was the first time I had seen it. I had tried watching. Watching it twice, rented it twice, and never was able to get through it because it was just like, I would rent it on, like, a weekday and, like, just give up watching it and then never get back to it. [00:30:46] Speaker A: Where would you stop? [00:30:48] Speaker B: Like, an Hour in or something like that. Like the first time I was like an hour and then I was like 25 minutes in and I completely forgot. And then like recently, for like two weeks ago when I first mentioned it to you. Two, three weeks ago. Yeah, it was the first time I saw it. That time I was still trying to grasp the whole picture of the movie. So my favorite character was Jim. Yeah, Officer Jim, John C. Reilly's character. And Claudia, like their storyline together was my favorite. [00:31:12] Speaker A: Yeah, same. [00:31:12] Speaker B: And it's like almost the most light hearted storyline and like the most romantic as well. [00:31:17] Speaker A: Certainly. [00:31:18] Speaker B: And it's the, the final thing that we see in the movie is Claudia smiling at the camera when their whole thing comes back together. So it's what stuck with me the most. And I don't know, for whatever reason, I related to both of them in many ways. [00:31:30] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh yeah. [00:31:30] Speaker B: Like very strongly. [00:31:32] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:31:33] Speaker B: But then this time around, watching it this time that I already had like the big picture of the movie and I was more like watching it, trying to grab like little details from here and there. What stood out to me the most was the situation with the Partridges. So Linda, Earl and Phil and then Frankie who comes in later. So like the four of them were the most interesting part of the movie to me this time. And without getting too far ahead, because I want Stephanie to be here when we talk about this part because she said that she cried. I have like a really weird relationship with sickness. When I was younger, like my grandmother got really sick with cancer and like I was like, I was like really little. Yeah. So it was like really weird for me, like being around sickness and like that and then, and then there's only been two movies that have like, made me realize my. How weird my relationship is with sickness. And it's this movie and one that I watched a little while back that I told you about. Cries and Whispers by Ingmar Bergman, which is like a chamber drama about sickness and about family. I haven't watched it and man, it like really like, like made me look at myself in a mirror and like realize how weird my relationship is with sickness and how like, put off I am by it. And that scene where Linda is at the pharmacy and even though she's on all types of drugs and she's having like a manic episode where the guy is like, oh, ma', am. Like, this is a lot of drugs. And she's like, I'm surrounded by sickness. There's sickness in my house. I'm sick. How dare you ask. And I was like, man, that scene really, really got me and everything. [00:33:02] Speaker A: Good scene. [00:33:02] Speaker B: Everything with Phil and Earl was just like, man, hit something that, like. We don't think about that often. Like when we're just going about our life, we don't think about that stuff unless, unfortunately, we are faced with. [00:33:13] Speaker A: So. Yeah, yeah, that was. I'm waiting for Stephan to get back, cuz this is kind of heavy. [00:33:18] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. We'll tow around this for now. We'll let this linger. What else do we want to talk about in the meantime? Can edit this out? [00:33:27] Speaker A: Oh, for sure. Yeah. But I kind of want to keep the energy going. [00:33:33] Speaker B: Let's see. [00:33:33] Speaker A: Really? My notes. [00:33:35] Speaker B: I had some stuff that I wanted to talk about. Stephanie's taking a long time. I'm not gonna say anything else. So that way we don't have to be cutting. Like jump cutting. [00:33:51] Speaker A: Exactly. Is Stephanie taking a. This is taking a long time. This is not a. This is not a PP luck. [00:34:09] Speaker B: We just get a fart sound on the board. [00:34:10] Speaker A: We need a fart sound for my sense of humor especially. We need a fart sound down here. But imagine when the kids find it, when the students find it, that's all we're going to hear. Stephanie, don't listen to the. To the unedited version of this podcast. [00:34:32] Speaker C: Oh, God. [00:34:36] Speaker A: I was questioning what took you so long. And I was quite blunt in my supposition. [00:34:42] Speaker B: Paul thought you were doing number two. [00:34:47] Speaker A: It was quiet and I just go. Stephanie taking a. [00:34:52] Speaker B: This. All right, so we're back. [00:34:55] Speaker C: Dude, I can't. Can't just go in the corner. [00:34:59] Speaker B: All right, so we're back. No, we have Mirabell inside. Oh, no. [00:35:05] Speaker A: What does she need? [00:35:05] Speaker B: She's just freaking out in front of the window. [00:35:07] Speaker A: Do you have to. Hello. Hi. [00:35:10] Speaker C: Hi. [00:35:10] Speaker B: Hi. [00:35:12] Speaker A: Do you want to sit down and talk about Magnolia? [00:35:14] Speaker C: No, because I didn't watch the movie. I. I wasn't invited to watch the movie. [00:35:19] Speaker A: I. I spent lunch in the. I wasn't there. I. I didn't want to watch it. Oh, thank you. [00:35:24] Speaker B: Thank you. Okay, so this is where the podcast is going to pick back up. Alex, when you're editing this later, or whoever it is at 38 minutes and 50 seconds, this is where we're picking back up. [00:35:34] Speaker A: Okay. [00:35:34] Speaker B: Okay. Stephanie, so you missed the part where I was saying that my favorite part of the movie, my favorite characters or storyline when I first saw the movie were Jim and Claudia and Claudia. And I was saying how, in like a lot of ways I related to both of them. Very much so. And I thought there was like the cutest story. Although it was really sad at times, I thought it was really romantic in a way, especially. [00:35:56] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:35:57] Speaker B: And it was romantic. Did you watch the end of the movie? [00:36:00] Speaker C: Yeah, but. Okay. [00:36:02] Speaker B: Okay. [00:36:03] Speaker A: Oh, great. [00:36:03] Speaker C: I mean, I thought the ending was romantic. [00:36:05] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:06] Speaker C: Like the. The foundations of their relationship. [00:36:10] Speaker A: Weird. [00:36:10] Speaker B: They were weird. Yeah. [00:36:11] Speaker C: To be honest, they. They're both a lot weird. Yeah. [00:36:14] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:15] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:36:15] Speaker C: So I guess it's kind of romantic. They're both just. I don't know. They give me weird vibes. [00:36:19] Speaker A: The dinner scene, I. I thought was romantic. [00:36:20] Speaker B: It was certainly weird. She f. Yeah. Yeah. [00:36:23] Speaker A: Claudia. [00:36:23] Speaker B: However, I was saying how this time around, when I watched it for the second time, that I already grasped the big picture of the movie. What resonated with me the most was the story with the Partridges. So Earl, the sick older gentleman. His wife Linda. [00:36:37] Speaker C: Phil. [00:36:38] Speaker B: Phil. And then later on, Frank, when Frank is introduced. And I was saying how, like, I have a really weird relationship with sickness and how, like, I had a family member who was sick when I was younger, and it was just, like, really weird for me to understand. And so ever since then, I've had, like, a really odd thing about S. Darkness, and only two movies have ever made me face that, and it's this and Cries and Whispers by Ingmar Bergman, which I've talked about before. But, yeah. So that was basically it. And then Paul, I think, was gonna share something. [00:37:05] Speaker A: Yeah. So I think it's a good time to reveal why I was like, I don't want to watch this again. So. Okay. So when in that interview with Paul Thomas Anderson, he would. Mark Marin would ask him every movie, he would say, what's the movie about? And he would kind of be demure and sort of be like, I don't know. I don't know. I think he was sort of messing with him because he. Because I think a lot of people don't want to explain. They're sort of like, the movie speaks for itself. [00:37:27] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:27] Speaker A: But when he asked about Magnolia, he said, oh, it's about my dad. It's about the death of my dad. [00:37:31] Speaker B: Oh. [00:37:33] Speaker A: My dad died two years ago. [00:37:35] Speaker B: Okay. [00:37:35] Speaker A: And I was at his deathbed very much like Frank TJ Mackie was for. With his dad. And my dad and I are kind of. Were kind of not as bad. No, nowhere near as bad as them, too. [00:37:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:50] Speaker A: But we had a complicated relationship and drifted apart. And I think he sort of tried to, in his own way, try to sort of get back in touch with me and my brothers and everything, but we sort of Weren't receptive to it. And so, yeah, like, it just kind of. It hurt. But. And some things were just a little bit too real for me. I think when his father actually does wake up and sort of. I kind of reckon may have recognized his son that he was there during the. Well in the finale. Like I remember when, when I went to, to. So my dad was actually in, in intensive care and I took his hand and he was not cognizant. He was basically being kept alive on, on machines and set the fly to Pennsylvania and. And I took his hand and I squeezed and he squeezed back, back. And it just kind of was like that, you know, it was at that moment of recogn. He recognized. I mean, granted, again when I squeezed a couple more times later, he didn't, he didn't squeeze back. But that first time there was some sort of. I felt recognition and so it was tough to watch those things. But the interesting thing was that. Yeah, okay, I'm going to go back just a little bit. Like when I first saw Jason Robards in the bed, I was like, I don't know. I was. I have that same relationship as you do. Like, it's, it's. And it's just sounds like so weird, but like, like my relationship with Death a lot of times has been through my pets. And it's. Some people may laugh and say it's not a one to one comparison, but I think it's pretty close. You know, like when she was yelling, you were saying how Julianne Moore's character, when she's like yelling like there's death in my house, like there's sickness everywhere, [00:39:35] Speaker B: there's sickness all around me. [00:39:35] Speaker A: Like when my pets are sick, you know, like I, I have that same feeling and I'm like, oh my God. And so when I saw Jason Roberts on the bed, he's dying of cancer. And like cancer always kind of freaks me out. [00:39:45] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:39:45] Speaker A: I was like, I don't know if I can watch this, this. And, and. But I was like, shut the fuck up and watch it. And the thing that happened though, like, I didn't actually find myself crying throughout the movie. And I really, I want to put it on Paul Thomas Anderson's feet. Because I think the reason, there's many reasons why I like him, but the thing that I like about him is that I think his character, he always, I think he has such genuine affection and love for his character that it never comes off like poverty porn or misery porn where he's. Or he never seems judgmental of his Characters, even when they're not being their best. [00:40:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:24] Speaker A: And that's what I really love about him is. And so even though these really things that affect me now in ways that did not 25 years ago, I still was like, I can watch this. And I sort of actually felt elated. Kind of like, this guy gets it or this guy gets me. Like, we've been through. I really thought it was. It was cool when he said it's like, yeah, it's about my dad and his death and let me go and give it away now. So there's the. Because he says it in the interview, I think this is a good time to sort of put it out there. The movie builds to a sort of biblical ending. [00:40:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:59] Speaker A: With a rain of frogs. And Mark Marin asked him, like, what's up with the reign of frogs? And he said. Well, he said the death of my father seems so bizarre, so absurd. And. Yeah. And he was like. And so does a rain of frogs. So he kind of put that together. I don't know if I like that much. I don't think that I. If you want, like, on my. In my most doubting moments, I'm not sure that the frog reign really pays off other than a dramatic ending, like a dramatic visual for everything. [00:41:32] Speaker B: Okay. [00:41:34] Speaker A: I would be happily dissuaded of that. But. But. And they have a lot of fun alluding to it throughout the movie. Should we talk about the illusions to. [00:41:42] Speaker B: We should. Well, which illusions, though? Let's see. Because there are many. The whole movie. [00:41:47] Speaker A: I think they said it was like 100 and something in the movie. So. [00:41:50] Speaker B: Yeah. Should we talk about the sign? [00:41:52] Speaker A: Let's actually build up to the sign. The sign is great. Yeah. So, of course, the reign of frogs in the Bible is in Exodus 8. 2. And so the number 8 and 2 show up throughout the movie. Movie. [00:42:03] Speaker B: Many times. [00:42:03] Speaker A: Did you notice any. [00:42:04] Speaker C: I did not notice. [00:42:05] Speaker A: Okay. What were some. That you noticed? [00:42:07] Speaker B: Okay. So do I go to the sign already? Can I go to the sign or do I wait? I'll wait for the sign. [00:42:12] Speaker A: You don't have anything before design before. [00:42:14] Speaker B: No, but right before a couple of minutes before the frog rain starts that we get a shot of the valley turning, the lights coming on in the entire. The rain stops breezy overnight. As it says on the screen. All the. The screens where the bus stops are. [00:42:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:42:33] Speaker B: Light up. And they all say Exodus 8:2. [00:42:35] Speaker A: Thought it was too obvious. [00:42:36] Speaker B: Yeah, it was a little too obvious. I didn't notice that one the first time. The first one that the first time I noticed it was in. In the sign that I was alluding to, but I haven't seen it. [00:42:44] Speaker A: Okay. So rather than me acting like, oh, I saw all of these, I'm gonna tell you the ones I noticed. Okay. There are a hundred. So I missed a lot because I was in the trivia, they were saying it was like 100 and something. Allusions to 8 and 2 to the first one. I. And it's really funny that it stuck with me for 25 years. I remember it when I saw it 25 years ago. And then when I saw it again now, I was like, ah, there it is. What? In the. The opening interlude, sort of the prologue about. About the chance encounters and. And sort of weird things. [00:43:14] Speaker B: Greenberry Hill. [00:43:15] Speaker A: Yeah. You guys, of course, caught Patton Oswalt as the. As the car dealer, right? [00:43:20] Speaker B: No. Oh, blackjack dealer. The guy that gets the scuba diver. [00:43:23] Speaker A: The scuba diver, yeah. That was Patton Oswald. [00:43:24] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:43:25] Speaker A: There. When the. Remember, like, the feuding mom and dad. [00:43:29] Speaker B: Uhhuh. [00:43:29] Speaker A: And then the son kills himself. He jumps off the building. Yeah. So the camera's moving in. There's a bunch of wires on the ground. And, like, the wires are shaped as Aiden 2. [00:43:37] Speaker B: Huh. That's pretty cool. [00:43:38] Speaker A: And when Jim is giving. Leaving his. His voicemail for the dating service, he's like, oh, I'm chapter 82 or something like that. He. He kind of says, like, you know, I'm number 82. Oh, I. I'm surprised you guys didn't catch this one. The. The humidity, the. The. The. [00:43:52] Speaker B: The 82%. [00:43:54] Speaker A: Yeah. So 8 and 2 are. Are throughout the movie. And then the big one. You want to go ahead and tell us? During the kids game show. [00:44:01] Speaker B: So when the what Do Kids Know? Show starts and the camera pans to the audience, you see in the back, there's a guy holding a sign that says Exodus 82. And then he's very quickly pulled off of the. Off of the screen. [00:44:13] Speaker A: Well, the guy comes down and pulls the card away. He. [00:44:16] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, he keeps him there. And the guy that was holding the sign is actually. [00:44:20] Speaker A: Actually. No, the guy taking the sign. [00:44:22] Speaker B: The guy taking the sign. Sorry. The guy taking the sign from the woman. It was a woman holding the sign. [00:44:25] Speaker A: Old man, I believe. [00:44:26] Speaker B: An old man. All right, let me reset. [00:44:28] Speaker A: Okay. [00:44:28] Speaker B: When the camera turns to the audience, somebody's holding a sign. It says Exodus 8, 2. Somebody comes and pulls the sign off camera, and that somebody is Paul Thomas Anderson. And then I think he's there the rest of the movie in the back as, like, an usher yeah. He would be clapping and stuff whenever they cut to the audience. [00:44:43] Speaker C: So cool. I wasn't looking for any of this stuff. [00:44:45] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:46] Speaker C: So I didn't see any of the. It. [00:44:48] Speaker A: There's a lot to take in this whole three hour movie that it's like nobody would another one that it's really funny. I don't know. Trivia. People were saying. I probably. It probably wouldn't say every scene, but they say every single scene. And I only. This is the second time I watched it and I only noticed it at the end that I was like, oh, is that. Is that something? So every single scene has a. Has either a picture of a magnolia or a picture of a flower somewhere in the background. I only noticed it towards the end, I think in Joe. No, Joe. Jimmy Gator. [00:45:17] Speaker B: Jimmy Gator. [00:45:18] Speaker A: In Jimmy Gator's house there was a. It just kind of was there and I was like, is that a magnolia? [00:45:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:45:22] Speaker A: And then apparently there's flowers throughout and I. And I have no memory. Like I did not catch any of the other flowers. So it's one of those movies again where the director is really trying to like have fun with the audience supposedly. And I don't know how. How much we can really prove this or where the information came from. Again, like in the trivia that I saw, they claim that Paul Thomas Anderson, when he actually wrote the script. Script he was taking it from. He didn't even know about the biblical. The plague of the. Of the raining frogs and that he was more basing it. There is. I. And I should have done the research on this guy. I meant to, but then it kind of like he seemed kind of weird and I didn't really want to get into it. A guy called Charles Fort. [00:46:03] Speaker B: Yeah, Charles Ford. He wrote one of the books that's on the table. [00:46:07] Speaker A: Yeah. And the genius child is. [00:46:10] Speaker B: The genius child is reading. And the book talks about a thing called Magonium. Right. Which is. [00:46:15] Speaker A: Right. [00:46:16] Speaker B: What he talks about in the book as like where things that fall out of the sky are held. So like a thing in the sky that holds the stuff that falls out of the sky. I don't know enough about the heat. [00:46:28] Speaker A: Sort of like a lot of the stuff that he talks about chance and freak encounters and freak coincidences I believe is coming from Charles Ford's writing. And that's. And in that writing he was talking about the actual moments where frogs were like picked up by a tornado and then dumped off somewhere else and so literally rained frogs. And that I believe after he wrote the screenplay that Somebody else was reading it and they said, somebody he showed it to said oh well this is like the plague of frogs in the Bible. And he was like, oh really? [00:46:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:57] Speaker A: So then he looked it up and then he was like oh, Exodus 8, 2. And so that's when he started putting it all into the movie. Sort of make allusions to what's going to happen. [00:47:04] Speaker B: And there's also like. Which we're not. We shouldn't linger too much on this because I don't know anything about Freemasonry except that apparently my great grandfather. I found this out through like some dad lore that got dropped recently. My great grandfather was like a top ranking Freemason mason in Cuba, like the head of his lodge of Freemasonry. So shout out Freemasons. [00:47:22] Speaker C: I guess. [00:47:23] Speaker B: I don't know. [00:47:23] Speaker A: Give it some context because so. [00:47:25] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So there's a bunch of allusions to Freemasonry throughout the movie. [00:47:29] Speaker A: Really only kind of in having. Around the game show. [00:47:33] Speaker B: Around the game show and especially there's one specific shot where Jimmy Gator's being shot like a three fourths, three quarter view behind. And then over here on the left the, the table where the. Oh, we're talking about. [00:47:47] Speaker A: I thought you. Oh yeah, go ahead. [00:47:48] Speaker B: The table that spins that the kids are on. You know how there's a bunch of like symbols on the blue glass. One of them has the compass of the. Not the compass, but yeah. Is it a compass? I don't know what you call that. [00:47:58] Speaker A: The, like the protractor with the two arms. [00:48:00] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:48:01] Speaker A: Of make circles with. [00:48:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:48:03] Speaker C: Isn't that called compass protractor? [00:48:04] Speaker B: A protractor. [00:48:05] Speaker A: Is that a protractor? [00:48:06] Speaker B: Yeah. Of the Freemason civil. [00:48:08] Speaker A: Is there a contractor protractor. Good. Okay, continue. [00:48:14] Speaker B: Then there's the. What's it called? Ricky J's ring which also has the Freemason symbol. And then there's a lot of illusions to actually saying like stuff from the books of Freemason. [00:48:24] Speaker A: Ricky J. Like when, when he has the ring and you see the shot from behind and he's about to step out, he sort of, he gives him the, the ritualistic line that they say at the beginning of every or at the end of every Freemason meeting. [00:48:37] Speaker B: I think it's at the, at the. Be at the beginning. Yeah, it's we, we. We. Some. We passed. We passed in the square, something like that. We met in the. We met in the park and we passed in the square or something. It's like some Freemason stuff. I don't know much about Freemasonry. [00:48:51] Speaker A: I looked it up, and I'm still. Not that. It's just. It's a. Loosely. No, it's a bunch of guilds, but they don't sort of interact with each other. So they. They all have rules, and they kind of are the same, but then some do not have the same rules. Rules. And basically they say it's a fraternity, it's a guild. It's mostly for men only. There are some that allow women, but mostly it's for men. And it's supposed to be for men to better themselves and make the world better around them is kind of the idea. [00:49:18] Speaker B: People think they're the Illuminati, and people [00:49:20] Speaker A: think they're the Illuminati. The other major one, of course, is when Sidney is the kid. Sidney, right. [00:49:26] Speaker B: The kid is Stanley. [00:49:27] Speaker A: Stanley. I was thinking of Sidney from Heartache. When Stanley is trying to read up and he has all the books on the table. One of the books is History of Freemasonry. Yeah, they. You. They in the podcast, they asked him about it and, you know, like. Like, Mark Mar is like, what's up with all the Freemasonry? And he was like, oh, that was Michael Penn's idea. [00:49:46] Speaker B: Yeah, Michael Penn got me into, like, Freemasonry stuff, and then I just put it all in the movie, which Michael Pen just is such a weird guy from everything. [00:49:52] Speaker A: Well, he's Sean Penn's brother, so. And also Amy Man's husband, so. Oh, really? Yeah, that's the connection. Action. [00:49:57] Speaker B: Okay. [00:49:58] Speaker A: Yeah, because I was trying. After he said Michael Penn, I was like, who is Michael Payne? What does he have to do with the movies? I had to look it up and I was like, oh, okay. So, yeah, there's. There's some Freemasonry stuff, but I. Again, I think he's just kind of having a laugh or kind of not maybe a. You have a laugh. He's. He's kind of having like. Like a little fun with us with that one. I think he's trying to be almost maybe trying to mess with us and be like, look how deep we are. This is hidden in the background. But I don't think it really has much to do with anything. [00:50:27] Speaker B: Okay. So I think we've set up all, like, the. The perimeter stuff. So I feel like now we're ready to. To cut into the meat of this movie, cut into some of the. The plot. [00:50:36] Speaker A: This flower pie. [00:50:38] Speaker B: Flower pie. [00:50:39] Speaker A: Cut into the pie. Move on. Pretend I didn't say it. [00:50:44] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't know what? [00:50:44] Speaker A: That's what editing's for. [00:50:46] Speaker B: Okay, give me a second. I'm thinking. Does anybody have anything here before I. [00:50:56] Speaker A: Okay, I'm just trying to stay quiet. [00:50:58] Speaker B: Let's go quiet. And I'm gonna go. Okay, we could cut out the music now, because I'm ready. Okay. So I think. And this is my personal take here, now that we're. We're actually trying to get into meat and potatoes of it all. A lot of meat illusions here. [00:51:15] Speaker A: We're hungry. [00:51:15] Speaker B: This movie's like all of Paul Thomas Anderson's movies, and this is kind of like a blanket term, but I think you guys will understand saying this movie is about relationships more than anything else. And really, at the core of all these relationships that we see in the movie is love. Either the lack of it or the misplacement of it or the embracing of it. And we see how all these different characters. Also. It's about chance, which we kind of get told pretty early on in the movie. With that said, though, [00:51:49] Speaker A: I don't know [00:51:49] Speaker B: where I'm taking this, so I'm gonna wait. If somebody picks it up. [00:51:53] Speaker A: Why did you. Why? You were saying. With that said, it's like you wanted to say something opposite of that. What? Did you have something? [00:51:59] Speaker B: Yes. Okay. With that said, though, the movie and a lot of the characters are very melodramatic in the sense. [00:52:06] Speaker A: So glad you said that. [00:52:07] Speaker B: In the sense that, like, the whole movie feels like a Shakespearean tragedy and. And I didn't feel this the first time, but there's. I did feel it the first time, but I couldn't tell why. There's this constant sense of, like, urgency and that something bad is about to happen throughout the whole movie where, like, I felt like I was on the edge of my seat and, like. Like, I felt, like, pressure, and I couldn't tell why the first time. And then this time around, watching it, where I wasn't trying to figure everything out. I was just trying to take in the movie. It is the soundtrack of this movie, which is just constant and relentless. And the music is always going. And there's times where, like, the music hits a little lull and it stops and people are talking, but then the music picks right back up, and it is so operatic. And the movie, at one point, even becomes an opera where there's a musical number. Yeah, but I love the musical number. Yeah, that was a lot that I just threw at you guys. But those are, like, my main thoughts so far. So I want to see if you guys felt the same way about the music where you felt like it was like, pressuring you 100%. The. [00:53:13] Speaker A: The music. I noticed it that the moment when Jimmy starts to walk over to Claudia's door, it's almost like this jazzy music is playing. And I was like, what the is that? And then it just kind of keeps going and going. It's almost like the bolero. Like, it just kind of keeps going. It's like the same thing being repeated over and over again, but getting louder and louder with different instrumentation. But I think it does relent. And it does relent. I'm trying to remember when it's sort of like, once I think the game show ends, it sort of calms down a little bit, and there are moments where it dips, as you said. Also, I think, like, when we were watching it here, when Tom Cruise is on the phone and being told that his dad is dying. Like, I think that there's no music or. Or very little, if any. [00:53:53] Speaker B: No, there's just him screaming. I. It's so fucked up when he says this, but I love when his assistant's like, what do you want me to do? And he's like, I want you to do your fucking job. [00:54:01] Speaker A: I love that she comes back and she said, I am doing my fucking job. [00:54:05] Speaker B: But, Stephanie, I think you were going to say something. [00:54:07] Speaker C: I think watching the movie itself is just an uncomfortable experience. Like, that's what. Like, the whole time watching it, it was like the music and the intensity of the characters acting and the situations that they were in. Like, it all brought you into this. Like, you were. It's like. It's tense and uncomfortable, and it, like, forces you to feel things you don't want to feel and, like, kind of bring your walls down a little bit. Like, as I was watching, like, I was trying to, like, separate myself from this movie and just, like, watch it as, like, this separate thing. But it kept, like, drawing me back in and being like, oh, my gosh, why are you making me have these feelings? I don't want to be here. I don't want to watch this. And just, like, in, like, the soundtrack and the characters and, like, they're screaming and, like, feeling. And like, people are dying and people are like, you know, like, there's coke on tables and there's a police officer running around. Around. [00:55:00] Speaker A: There's a dead body. [00:55:01] Speaker C: There's, like, a dead body. [00:55:02] Speaker A: Like, there's, like, a murder mystery in the middle of it that he. Well, he cut it out, apparently, a lot of it. So, yeah, the character of Worm Was Orlando Jones, poor guy is in the movie and. And you only see him with a hoodie. Like you never see his face. [00:55:16] Speaker C: There's just so much like going on in this movie. [00:55:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:55:18] Speaker C: That it just, it's really intense and [00:55:20] Speaker A: the camera's always moving. [00:55:21] Speaker C: Yeah. And there's, it's always a different shot and like someone's close up face. [00:55:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:55:25] Speaker C: And like I really do think that the actor. Actors that they had in this movie made it because they're great actors. They're capable of having these expressions on their face that relay so much emotion that you can't help but feel what they're feeling. Like especially Linda. Oh my gosh. That woman was able to like, well, [00:55:48] Speaker A: Julianne Moore is one of our greatest actresses. [00:55:50] Speaker C: But like in this movie, like there were moments where you would see her face and you just feel like her dread. And like as I'm watching it, like, you guys know I'm weird but like. [00:56:02] Speaker B: Oh, we know, we know. [00:56:04] Speaker A: You're in good company. You're fine. [00:56:06] Speaker C: Growing up, like there was so much death around me, like that it was just something that I've had a weird relationship and like not something that I've felt like scared about but just something that's been there. So like seeing this one crash out over like this pharmacist and like her husband and this nurse that's like getting really like involved in her family at like this worst time. I was like crashing out with her. [00:56:34] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:56:35] Speaker C: Which was like a weird experience for me. So like I felt that intensity a lot. [00:56:39] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:56:40] Speaker B: And what's so special about her care? Paul? I'm sorry if I'm. [00:56:42] Speaker A: No, no, no, no. I'm gonna make a joke. So go ahead. [00:56:44] Speaker B: What's so special about her performance? And she says it in the behind the scenes sort of documentary that we were talking about is that she says that she says it herself that she usually likes to like underperform and go like so subtle. But Paul Thomas Anderson asked her to like over perform in a way. And so she was saying how like it was almost difficult for her and like I, I keep using the word mellow drama. But it is a lot like a melodrama. Like the performance, it's over the top and like. But it still feels so real and like I feel for her character so much. Like I. She's one of my favorite characters. Even though she's like really up like in a way. But she knows, knows it. Yeah. [00:57:22] Speaker A: It's fucked up in a human way that we all. That's all of them and again, it's that sort of, like, generosity of spirit that he sort of has towards these characters that, like, if you can get me liking Frank T.J. fucking Mackie, you know, you're. You're doing something right. I do want to say I. And again, this is probably me just trying to find levity in this, but, like, the thing that stood out to me, like, you were absolutely. I'm glad you brought up what Julianne Moore said about the acting, because she does. There's a. The part in a pharmacy is fantastic. Flawless to me. [00:57:51] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:57:51] Speaker A: When she's yelling at her lawyer too much. [00:57:54] Speaker B: You think so? [00:57:55] Speaker A: No, because there's that one part where she's like, I sucked cops. So many cops sucks. She said it so melodramatically, and she's like. Like, to her side, I sucked so many cs. [00:58:07] Speaker B: And then she's like, shut the up. Shut the up. [00:58:10] Speaker A: And I think from what we saw from the documentary, that probably was the first. First one of the first scenes they shot, because it was what they were showing. The first was a tracking shot in that building. So she might have been still trying to get a hold of that character. And so I think she. She kind of misjudged or was sort of like. Like, she. I think, or PTA kind of gave her the wrong direction or something. It doesn't ruin anything, but it was kind of a moment where I was like, you're going a little too far for that. [00:58:35] Speaker C: I think that these actors reacted in the way that. That almost every person wants to react in those situations. But does it, like, you know, when, like, somebody just, like, really says something to upset you in public and, like, in the back of your mind, like, you want to do what she did. [00:58:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:58:51] Speaker C: And just absolutely go ballistic in a public place and, like, scream at these people. But you don't. [00:58:57] Speaker A: Right. [00:58:58] Speaker C: Because you have to, like, well, the [00:59:00] Speaker A: pharmacist is way out of line. Yeah. Way out of line. [00:59:03] Speaker B: Then you call her lady, and she's like, you call me lady? [00:59:06] Speaker C: But even, like, with the lawyer, like, she's just like, fuck you. Like, every person wants to do that at some point in their lives, but they just want to drop the act and, like, say what they're really thinking. And every. Every character in this movie had their moment to say what they really wanted to say. [00:59:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:59:24] Speaker C: And I think that's what made it for me was, like, being able to watch these characters, like, tell. Like, tell their parents and, like, you know, like, they're like the pharmacist at the store and, like, Their lawyer like, hey, fuck you, budd, and everything that you just said. [00:59:40] Speaker B: And it's in that. Sorry. Go, go, go, guys. Our listeners, we're all trying to still figure out like giving each other turns to talk because we have so much [00:59:48] Speaker A: to say, especially with this movie. [00:59:49] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's in that that you're referring to that really WINS Over Frank T.J. mackey for me at the end and like redeems him because although he sucks and he's a horrible person and he gives this like really actually kind of fantastic silent treatment to Guinevere, the, the, the, [01:00:09] Speaker A: the journalist. [01:00:09] Speaker B: He's like, I'm quietly judging you. [01:00:11] Speaker C: But I love that I say that to so many people all the time. [01:00:16] Speaker B: When he's like dancing around naked and not naked, but in his underwear. [01:00:20] Speaker A: I was upset how much he was packing in those tiny ones. Yeah. [01:00:23] Speaker C: I looked, I put my hand over [01:00:25] Speaker B: the screen and he was fucking shredded. I was like, this guy should not be allowed to be this good looking. Yeah. [01:00:30] Speaker A: Anyway, I wonder if they put something in there just to probably like if the idea is that Frank T.J. mackie, the character would put something in there to make it look huge. It sort of seems like a detail Paul Thomas Anderson would do. [01:00:41] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. But when that, like you're saying, when like people just say what they want to say in that final scene when he's with his dad and he's like, he's like cursing him up, but at the same time he doesn't want him to go, man, that, that just. Yeah, that was like one of the heaviest moments in the movie. [01:00:56] Speaker A: But it's, it's too, it's 100 heavy. But like, I just feel the way he does it. I find it more freeing than depressing. Like, I, I don't know. I. Yeah, that's all I can say for that. I do want to also point out to kind of go back to the pharmacist again, that generosity of spirit he has towards the characters that even though the pharmacist is out of line, I think he means well because he sees her, has all these things and he's like, you're going to kill yourself if you take all these things. And he's trying to warn her, he's doing it stupidly and he's saying things that he shouldn't be. But again, you can sort of shift off to the right a little bit. Go. I think he means well. He just fucking was stupid. Deserved what he got. [01:01:39] Speaker C: And like you had mentioned like a Shakespearean tragedy and that's so accurate because of the complexity and the humanity of these characters that we rarely see. I feel like with. It's really easy to make characters one dimensional and just be like, this is the hero. This is the bad guy. This person is awesome. This person sucks. And everyone here is so complex. And they're just these. They're not great at anything. They don't. They're not awful, but they're just kind of human. [01:02:10] Speaker A: There's a couple characters who are awful, but. [01:02:11] Speaker C: Well, you know, but even. [01:02:13] Speaker A: Even Stanley's father, I don't think he has anything redeeming in the movie that we see. [01:02:17] Speaker C: No, that guy sucks. [01:02:18] Speaker A: Felicity Hoffman's character doesn't. She's a. [01:02:20] Speaker B: Who is Felicity Hoffman? [01:02:21] Speaker A: The one who actually. William H. Macy's wife, eventually. That's kind of funny. She was the. I don't know what she would be. She was on the game show and she was the one. Well, she was the one that was like, ushering the kids around. There you go. [01:02:34] Speaker B: She didn't let Stanley go to the [01:02:35] Speaker A: bathroom and even like, chastising him, like, this is not the time, dude. [01:02:39] Speaker C: She needs to rot in the ninth ring of hell. [01:02:41] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [01:02:42] Speaker C: But like, the. [01:02:44] Speaker A: She has to wear Stanley's pants. Piss pants for eternity. On her head. [01:02:49] Speaker C: She's just for eternity, pissing her own pants. [01:02:51] Speaker A: Okay. While wearing Sydney's. Stanley's. His pants for her head for eternity. I just like that picture. [01:02:57] Speaker B: We have Dante over here. [01:03:00] Speaker A: Dante over here coming up with the hell stuff. [01:03:04] Speaker C: But, like, our. Our, like, main people that we're looking at, like, they're. [01:03:08] Speaker A: Yes. [01:03:08] Speaker C: They're all just, like, so human. And I think that's what makes it so interesting. [01:03:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:03:13] Speaker C: Because like, even, like, we're looking at Linda and like, this woman is out of her mind. Cheated on her husband. Didn't love her husband at first, but [01:03:21] Speaker A: then, like, sucked so many guys. [01:03:24] Speaker C: So many. But then, like, you get to this point in her life where she's just, like, in pain and, like, doesn't want her husband to die. [01:03:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:03:33] Speaker C: And that is such a real intense feeling that is being captured here. That's like. It's like you're watching. You're like, what the. Why are you doing this to me? [01:03:44] Speaker A: I. That is one of the main things I remember from when I watched the movie the first time. So like 25 fucking years ago. That really surprised me because I was watching again at this point. This is only his third movie, so I'm not like, used to. We still don't really know. Know Paul Thomas Anderson and. And I took Linda at such face value where I was like, she's just another. She married him for money. She doesn't care about him. And when she reveals, she's like, no. I actually. She's like, no, I didn't love him. I married him for the money, and now I love him. I remember that shocked me, and I was like, this is so different. This is not your typical melodrama. This is. This is digging a little deeper where it's like, what an irony that, you know, she's at that very moment. And I guess irony tends to play a big role in the movie also. And so, like, that's one of the big ones, is that she married this guy for money, and then she fell in love with him, and then he's dying slowly of cancer in front of her. [01:04:37] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think even in the interview that we. That we were listening to with Marc Maron, Paul Thomas Anderson talks about how later in his life, his own father, who was. Who the movie's based on, had another wife or another girlfriend. I don't want to take his words out of context, but the relationship was sort of similar, I think, in many ways to what happens with Linda and Earl at the end. And so he said that that was a heavy inspiration for the. For the character. But I think what. What you're talking about how, like, all these characters are so human and complex. It feels like every character is a reflection of Paul Thomas Anderson, especially because we know his background and, like, what happens, what influenced the movie. And it feels like every. Every character is him sort of being vulnerable through the vessel of a character. And I think that's what makes the character so special. [01:05:28] Speaker A: Just maybe why he has such sympathy for him, because it's kind of him. [01:05:30] Speaker B: Exactly. Like, this whole movie to me. And I was talking about this with my best friend Evan, who's the person that recommended me this movie. This is like. Yeah, shout out, Evan. This is like Paul Thomas Anderson's therapy session. He's, like, letting out all his emotions. Emotions onto these characters, onto the screen. [01:05:46] Speaker A: And, like, it ends up being our therapy for us. [01:05:49] Speaker B: For us as well. [01:05:50] Speaker A: And. [01:05:50] Speaker B: And we see it now how, when we're talking about it, we all end up discovering that we all have these relationships with death and sickness, which, like, we never knew about each other, but, like, we all ultimately do have. And I think it's a very human thing. [01:06:03] Speaker A: It's a great point. [01:06:04] Speaker B: And, like, whether it's. You've been faced with death a lot or sickness, whatever it is, it's just Something that's so hard to grapple with. And the only character that you would think would be comfortable, because he's a hospice nurse would comfortable with death is Phil's character. [01:06:18] Speaker A: And he is. Don't you think? [01:06:19] Speaker B: And he is. But he develops. [01:06:21] Speaker A: He's so beautiful with, with, with Earl. Like. [01:06:24] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:06:24] Speaker A: When he even comes in the first time he kisses him on the head. And I was like, what nurse does that? [01:06:28] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:06:28] Speaker A: Maybe it's out of line, but I don't know. I liked it. [01:06:30] Speaker B: Exactly. And it might be out of line, but he develops this beautiful relationship with the family and he even gets emotional for the whole family, which a lot of, like the times you would imagine somebody who deals with death and like families dealing with death all the time. Time that you would become sort of numb to it or like, apathetic. Apathetic. Apathetic to it. But he doesn't. He still has that, like, humanity. And then he goes the extra mile to sort of, you know, as we see, try to help him out. And then it makes it even sadder when we know that Paul Thomas Anderson and Philip Seymour Hoffman had such a close relationship and that Philip Seymour Hoffman was like his duo, like actor, director duo. And Philip Seymour Hoffman tragically passes away way. What, like, well, 15 years later. [01:07:12] Speaker A: Yeah. Right. Because I think the interview was 2015 and it happened recently. [01:07:15] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:07:16] Speaker A: And so I remember when it happened, but I can't remember what year. [01:07:18] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:07:19] Speaker A: Because I remember we were just like, what? [01:07:20] Speaker B: And it's really sad because Philip Seymour Hoffman is in almost all his movies and he is just. [01:07:24] Speaker A: It's. That was a painful reminder for me because I. I've kind of taken Philip Seymour Hoffman for granted. [01:07:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:07:29] Speaker A: You know, and when I saw his performance here and then especially to find out that PTA has said specifically that the character of Phil Parma is. Is Philip Seymour Hoffman that. That kind, gentle, you know, caring person that he was. Like, I just wrote him as him. [01:07:44] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:07:45] Speaker A: You know, and you're like. And he's. He's. He's such an MVP in the movie. He's. He's such a kind. And it's like, I love that scene where he's ordering all the porno bags and like. And I'm like, what, is he going. Is he going to go jerk off while this guy's dying in the bed? And then it's like, no, he's trying to find Frank T.J. mackie's phone number. And I love when he orders, like, the bread and the rice and he orders all the porno Stuff. And then the woman goes, do you still want the first stuff? And he's like, what? Yeah, I want the rice, I want the bread. This wasn't just to order porns. [01:08:14] Speaker C: My favorite scene with Phil Farma was after Earl dies and Linda is crashing out. And it's just a close up of his face and he turns around, turns his back to Linda, and you just see his eyes and he's quietly breaking down. And it gives you such like an insight on these nurses because when, when my great grandfather was dealing with Alzheimer's, my family had hired like an in house nurse to like take care of him. And these nurses have become family. They live in the house, they help cook the food, they help. They're so close. They're playing games with these people that are ill. Like they become part of the family and they feel this intense grief, but they just can't show, show it right? Because they have to be the professional. They have to be professional, they have to deal with the death. So to show him specifically turning his back to Linda and like crying so quietly to himself, that was such like a specific moment of grief. [01:09:17] Speaker A: That's a great point. And I think, especially from what you guys were saying of how everybody has their moment to shine and scream at somebody that, that because, you know, this is his character, this is who he is, this is his job. By all accounts, he should be kind of getting up and screaming and going, you know, she's slapping him. You know, like she's. Linda starts slapping him and he turns around and sort of just takes it and then swallows it down and, and keeps going. [01:09:41] Speaker B: And the only person that we really see Linda be like soft and kind to is Earl. But then later towards Phil as well, after she slaps him and she apologizes is that's probably like the only other moment where we see her kind of be sort of kind and vulnerable and like not just be yelling at somebody like she does to, you know, the other doctors, the other, the lawyers. The lawyers. [01:10:01] Speaker A: I just, it kind of felt to me a little bit like, you know, when the abusive husband apologizes after hitting me, I was like, I was like, oh, no, Linda. Yeah, there's a couple things that I'm going to put it off track, but I, I have to get them out, otherwise it's just going to bug me. We were. Okay, so you were talking about the music and I, and I noticed in my notes I actually wrote, because I said the music is non stop. When did it start? I couldn't quite tell when it started then. But I think it was when Jim goes to the door. But I made a note that constant music is disrupted when Stanley sings Carmen. [01:10:29] Speaker B: Yes. And then the car. [01:10:30] Speaker A: And then it drops. [01:10:31] Speaker B: Starts to play, though. [01:10:32] Speaker A: Exactly, exactly. But, like, that's. That sort of bolero, you know what I mean? Like, kind of goes away for a while after that. Yeah. The Carmen starts, and then the. We were talking about cycles, and I. I made a couple notes of cycles. I saw him here, so clearly. So Earl cheated on his wife. No, sorry. Linda cheated on Earl. And then we find out Jimmy Gator cheated on his wife. [01:10:55] Speaker B: And he also. [01:10:56] Speaker A: Well, what is the mirror on that one? I think he's the only molester in the. [01:11:01] Speaker B: Well, no. Well, he did, as we find out later on, unfortunately, did molest Claudio when she was. [01:11:08] Speaker A: He doesn't know. [01:11:08] Speaker B: He says he doesn't know, but we get the idea. [01:11:11] Speaker A: No, I was saying that ironically because it's like, you know, his. His wife is correctly. Kind of calls him out where she's like. It's almost like he's trying to give himself an out where he's like, oh, I feel so bad. Yeah. But I really don't know. And. And it's kind of. She's like, how can that be your answer? Yeah, that's just as bad as saying I've done it. Or maybe even worse than saying I've done it, because it's sort of like, I don't know if I did it. [01:11:29] Speaker C: You're not taking accountability. [01:11:31] Speaker A: You're not taking accountability. And. And. And I think he's coming from an honest place at that moment, you know, where he's sort of like. He can't think straight, and he's like, I don't know, but it's. It's just as bad. And then I think the other thing I had was I just said that they cheated. Yeah, he cheated. She cheated. There was another one that was good. Oh. Linda can't be there for Earl when he dies. Right. The same way Earl couldn't be there for Lily, his first wife, when she died. [01:11:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:11:56] Speaker A: So there's that sort of cyclical nature again, like. Sort of like this. The thing that he did happens to the person who loves him now. And he says himself that he loved Lily but couldn't. [01:12:06] Speaker B: And Frank sort of breaks that cycle. Cycle at the end by being there for him when he does. [01:12:10] Speaker A: That's the thing. I think that there are these small things, these small things that they all do that suggest the breaking of the cycle. [01:12:19] Speaker B: Yeah. And in the same way that Jimmy Gator sort of, I'll use the word exploit, exploits his daughter and from what we understand, molest her. He also does not does it directly, but the show sort of takes advantage of the kids. And in the same way Stanley's dad exploits him to further his own career as an actor and to fund their life. [01:12:43] Speaker A: Yes. [01:12:44] Speaker B: But then instead we see Stanley break that cycle, going back to breaking cycles. And he, he tells him, you have to be nicer to me. [01:12:52] Speaker A: It's. It's such a small thing. Jesse and I were talking about it today and. And it's, it's such a small thing. But it, I think the. What's behind it is huge. Where he does the research on historical. The history of geniuses. And I think he sort of sees the lineage of what's going to happen. And we see the lineage with William H. Macy. What's going to happen. You know what I mean? Like, his life turns to shit because his parents took his money. And it's such a small moment. And it's funny because you. I don't know about you guys. Maybe for me there's. I forgot what his father's reaction was. And I thought that in my memory, I thought he said something half asleep where he would be like, yeah, okay, right. You know what I mean? Or, yeah, okay, I'll try. And it's such a gut punch when his dad's like, go back to bed, Stanley. And says it twice. But I still think it's such a moment of triumph because it doesn't matter what his father says at this point. And exactly as you said, that's such an important moment of breaking the cycle where just him standing up to his father and saying, you have to treat me better, mean he's going to. But it means that Stanley knows that he's worth something and that, that his father has to act better and it's okay. Like, even if he doesn't, he's made that first move to I'm going to be okay. Because I, I took ownership of this. I started the. I broke the cycle. And, and I, I love that. And I think that that's sort of the ending has a lot of those miniature victories. [01:14:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:14:22] Speaker A: That. That in one sense, when I first watch it, because the movie's so big, I was a little disappointed by the ending. [01:14:30] Speaker B: Okay. [01:14:31] Speaker A: Certain moments in the ending, like I wanted more, but when I'm thinking about it and I was going through every single one and I was like, what more would you want? And if you, if I would have gotten the more, it would. If the more. Because that's the whole thing. Everything is just that first step. Right. If. And you can't show. If you would suddenly spell it out and be like, now they're fine, it would feel fake. Right. Because we don't know if they're going to be fine. But they at least made that right step in the right direction. That stuff takes time. Right. And so he very wisely just shows you the first step of this. Frank TJ Mackie going to the hospital to see Linda. [01:15:14] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:15:14] Speaker A: We don't need to see them talking to each other. It's enough that he made the journey that he's there and they're going to [01:15:20] Speaker B: reconcile, we think, because they're brought together by. By the death of Earl. [01:15:24] Speaker A: It's. And again, it's not something you could show at the end of a movie that would have any meaning because either you would show them and it would just be developed. Yeah, no, like what an anti climax. You know, because this is going to be like they. I'm sure they would still yell at each other. Right. But it could develop into something else that's going to take time for it to actually happen. So. And if they would go and she would be like, oh, you know, you came to see Earl, now I care about you. It would be such a lie. And so he kind of does that smart thing where he just shows that first step and makes suggestions that like, not just some kind of blanket, they're all going to be okay. It's all going to be fine. But they've given themselves the chance to break free of that cycle and to be okay. [01:16:06] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:16:07] Speaker A: That behavior said. I still think that there's probably a few stories that are undercooked. [01:16:13] Speaker B: Can I bring one? Stephanie, you have something. [01:16:15] Speaker C: I mean, I was thinking about the relationship between Claire and Jimmy and that you guys were saying that it was romantic. Because I was conflicted about that fact. I couldn't figure out if it was romantic or just a bad idea in general. Still romantic, because you have this cocaine addict who is now dating a police officer that's obviously going to invite some conflict. But then we have the end where he says this whole speech to her about how he's not gonna allow her to think about herself like that. This whole speech that everybody wishes their significant other would say to them when they're not feeling worthy of any. Anything. [01:17:01] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:17:01] Speaker C: And like in her. Her face is kind of like registering and like she's like nodding obediently and like. [01:17:06] Speaker A: Yes, obediently is the word. I like that. Yeah. [01:17:09] Speaker C: But in the back of my mind, all I'm thinking is, like, something is going to either go really wrong here or this is going to be amazing. And I think that's it for all of these characters. Like, they took that step. [01:17:20] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:17:20] Speaker C: But I think if they showed us that everything was going to be okay, it wouldn't. It wouldn't have the same impact as you continuously thinking. [01:17:28] Speaker A: It would feel false. [01:17:29] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. Like, this could go either way. And I like that. Like, I like that these characters lives could go either way because that's how humans live. Like, we can make these steps. You can go to therapy, you can confront your parents. You can, you know, you can do all this stuff. But like, that it's. It takes like that journey. And like, I don't want this director to show us the journey. [01:17:51] Speaker A: It's three hours already. You know, you can't add. It would have to be another three hours to show that journey to the end of. Of. And again, like, we. It's never over until you're dead. Right. So. [01:18:00] Speaker C: But like, it's good enough that they started that. [01:18:04] Speaker A: Exactly. So to me, it's like a positive. [01:18:06] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. [01:18:08] Speaker B: And to that point, like, what you're saying, we do these things. We. The whole movie. And the final monologue that Jim gives is, I try to do the best I can, basically, is what he's saying when he's speaking to the camera again, which I don't know if you guys ever do this, but I do what he does. Sometimes I like, narrate my life like I'm in a documentary, especially when I'm driving, driving, or like I'm just doing. And he says, you know, this is what being a cop is about, basically. Or. But, you know, I try to do the best I can. And we know how mediocre his character is. He's a normal person, but he still tries to do the best he can. And when he tells Claudia that, that she. When you're saying she's like, listening obediently and he tells her, you know, I'm not gonna let you say that about. About yourself anymore. You're a good, beautiful person. And that's the first time she smiles. And she never got that from her father, father or. Or anybody for as far as we know. And even her other relationship that we see in the movie, taking advantage of her, it's not a relationship. And I just have to point out, and maybe this is me, like, reaching, but both her father and Jim are both named Jim, go by Jimmy. And they're at the end oh, my gosh. [01:19:15] Speaker A: Yes, of course. [01:19:16] Speaker B: Yeah. And the first time she calls him. Mirroring the first time she calls him Jimmy is when they're having the argument at the diner and she's like, I'm sorry, Jimmy, I can't. And then she runs off. [01:19:27] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:19:27] Speaker B: And that's when we first hear her call him that. And we're kind of like. We see what you're doing here, pta. Like you're. You're making that connection. She has this flawed relationship with all the men in her life, but now she finally, in a way, has a potential for something better, something honest, which is what we kind of get out of it. [01:19:43] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:19:43] Speaker B: And I'm sorry, because I know that you were talking about a minute and 25, but that's an hour and 25. I know you were talking about how there's some storylines that aren't developed, and I kind of want to follow that and connect Jimmy, Jim to it. When we first. When Jim first arrives at the. At the crime scene and he leaves, we see Dixon, which is the little boy's name, and he comes up to him and he's telling him, oh, you know, I can tell you. I can tell you what. What happened. And do you want to. [01:20:11] Speaker A: I just want to inter. Interject on this one because this is just one of those things where for 25 years, it has bothered. Bothered me because I didn't understand what he was saying in the rap, and I didn't know what it meant. [01:20:21] Speaker B: Okay. [01:20:22] Speaker A: And this time when I watched it, I was like, I put the. I put the subtitles up and I read the rap and I was like, okay, I still don't understand what he said, but I put it together. [01:20:30] Speaker B: Okay. [01:20:31] Speaker A: And it actually was like, oh, it was actually really simple. Yeah, but. But, but, yeah, good. [01:20:35] Speaker B: And I'm not gonna sit here and pretend like this is an original thought, because I had the same problem when I first watched the movie. I didn't know what the. He was rapping about. [01:20:41] Speaker C: I still don't. [01:20:42] Speaker B: And. And then I googled it, and then I rewatched the movie, and now I kind of understand. So Dixon's character, in a way, is like a prophetic figure. He. He tells Jimmy. [01:20:51] Speaker A: He's. [01:20:51] Speaker B: He tells Jimmy. He's like, I'm gonna tell you what happened. And he actually does. He actually tells you the whole plot of the movie in many ways. He talks about. [01:20:59] Speaker A: Of them. I mean, he's telling him of the murder, what everything happened, and he did it. [01:21:03] Speaker B: And in doing so, he's also alluding to other things that happen in the movie, other story lines. So in a way his character is like in my head, like a prophet. And he also prophesizes the frog rain because the last lyric of the is and when the, and when the something, something. The good Lord brings the rain in. [01:21:21] Speaker A: Right. [01:21:21] Speaker B: And like sort of the rain like washing away the sins. [01:21:24] Speaker A: Right. [01:21:25] Speaker B: Which William H. Macy's character says when he's throwing up, he goes, the sins of the father are washed away. Or something like that. [01:21:31] Speaker A: That's weird. When he has like the characters kind of stop what they're doing and suddenly announce something. [01:21:34] Speaker B: And announce something. Yeah, but not sure I like that. [01:21:37] Speaker A: But go ahead. [01:21:38] Speaker B: In how, in, in noting how sort of mediocre Jimmy's characters and maybe we're mediocre. Mediocre. He is being told what the happened. [01:21:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:21:45] Speaker B: And that it was Worm that's behind all this. [01:21:48] Speaker A: Exactly. [01:21:48] Speaker B: That you know, the, the long time oppressor. Whatever, whatever. He doesn't understand, he doesn't listen. [01:21:56] Speaker A: All he cares about is that he's cussing. [01:21:57] Speaker B: Is that he's cussing. Yeah. And so that kind of shows, you know, his mediocrity. He's being given, fed the answers again. [01:22:02] Speaker A: It's that duality. [01:22:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:22:04] Speaker A: It's almost like he's a knight in shining armor in the movie. Like, like how he is towards William H. Macy's character. Character. How he kind of finds forgiveness for him. Doesn't put him in jail for what he did. And he's kind of like, it almost seems like he's going to be like his life coach. Like that ending, he's kind of going around like, I'm going to save William H. Macy. And then he's like, oh, and now I'm going to save Claudia. And then you're like, dude, this guy is so untouchable. He's awesome. And then you're like, oh yeah, but he's a shitty cop. [01:22:26] Speaker B: Yeah. And so what we kind of get from that, I think, I think PTA tried to develop that storyline with the little kid and, and with his brother Worm. Who, who we, we hear about his brother. Well, remember when, when they're talking about the murder, the cops are taking the report and they're saying that the lady had a son and there was a little kid that also ran around with him. So I don't know if it's his brother. [01:22:46] Speaker A: I took it to mean that the, so Worm is her son and then, and then the kid is his grandson. But I, I, it doesn't matter. [01:22:52] Speaker B: I mean, I Took it as brother. I don't know. [01:22:53] Speaker A: They're. They're related is what is the important part. They cut all that out? [01:22:57] Speaker B: Yeah, they cut it out. And like, he tries to develop and he tries to tie. Tie it back in. At the end when the kid takes the money from Linda after she died. [01:23:04] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, you saw the whole behind the scenes. [01:23:07] Speaker B: I didn't get that far. [01:23:08] Speaker C: Okay, So I saw that part where the. The kid took her money. [01:23:11] Speaker A: Yeah, Right. But it's. So what happens is in the diner around. Okay, so the kid finds Linda in the car. Right before that. The reason he's outside and he runs into that car is that he's in a diner where she's parked. Stanley is there, and for some reason, he's talking to Worm. We only see the background on. You read some of it. He's talking to Worm, and he wants to give Worm his prize money that he won from the game show. This is where it gets unclear because I don't know why this happens. Like, so the prophet kid, Dixon, he does the whole thing with Linda, you know, basically saves her life, still takes the money, and then goes back inside and he. He has the gun he stole from Jimmy and he. You see this in the behind the scenes. He pulls the gun on Stanley and is like, give him your money. Give him all the money. Or. Or. I think that's why I think he's. It's his dad, because I think he says, dad, did you. Did you get the money? I don't really understand the whole thing. [01:24:07] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:24:08] Speaker A: But then Worm kind of picks him up and he's like, don't ever point a gun at somebody or something. Right. Apparently, PTA just couldn't get the scene to work where he liked it, and so he just took it out completely. So it's just kind of like a fun thing to know about that. Like, when he goes out outside and he runs into Linda, it's because she's parked in a diner where he's having that scene. And I think he's. He's. I think what happened was he's yelling at Stanley to get the money. And so he actually says, go outside. And so then he goes outside, and that's where he finds Linda. [01:24:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:24:37] Speaker A: And so, like, they're desperate for this money. So again, it kind of also explains why, you know, like, you know, he does that good thing of calling 911 for her, but he takes the money from the wall. [01:24:47] Speaker C: That was my one qualm with the movie, was that his character was. It just seemed like he was running around in the background of the movie. [01:24:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:24:54] Speaker C: And, like, you never see, like, any depth with him or what, why he's there. [01:25:01] Speaker A: I kind of. I like the fact that he's trying to tell Jimmy that his own father did it. You know, he's like, I'm telling you. And then also that duality of, like, I'm going to save your life, but I'm also going to take the money because I need it. But. Yes. [01:25:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:25:13] Speaker C: I just feel like every other character, like, had their moment and like, he never really got his moment. [01:25:18] Speaker A: It's almost. And it's. He's kind of almost like a magical figure. And you know how, like, how, like, in Hollywood they have. And I even. I don't even want to say that word, but, like, they have that thing, like the magical black person, you know, like, where they're not a character. They just exist to come in and help everybody else. Yeah. It has little shades of that because I think he couldn't figure out how to really put him into the movie and he cut things out. That. It is a little weird. [01:25:40] Speaker C: Yeah, it felt a little weird. [01:25:41] Speaker A: It felt a little 1999. [01:25:42] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, it is. Yeah. It was a weird thing. I kind of like. This is just me being nice to the movie because I do love it so much as I think you guys have probably figured out by now. I like how he's sort of, like, mystical and, like, floating around, and it feels like he's, like, connecting the stories in a way. [01:26:01] Speaker A: Could have been done better. [01:26:02] Speaker B: Could have been done way better. But I. I love it. And I'm just a big fan of the movie overall and to. I want to. Do you have something else before Just. [01:26:10] Speaker A: Just. Just to kind of just finish that one off. I just think the William H. Macy character just doesn't quite resonate in his. Yeah, the. The stuff in the bar. I just. I didn't. He's like. He only kind of makes sense as a counterpart that you have to have in there as a counterpart to Stanley. [01:26:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:26:27] Speaker A: But his own story seems underdeveloped to me also. [01:26:30] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:26:30] Speaker A: A little bit. [01:26:31] Speaker C: I just didn't like him. He bothered. [01:26:33] Speaker B: The whiz kid, Donnie Smith. [01:26:34] Speaker C: He's. [01:26:34] Speaker A: He's. He's a broken dude, you know? And I mean, like, that. That childish way of how he's trying to. Trying to, like. Like he crush on this guy. And. And he thinks the way to get his attention because he has braces that he gets to get braces himself is such a childish thing. And it's so sad that he's. He's a grown man. He doesn't understand. [01:26:53] Speaker B: I mean, he comes around like he's like still child stuck in an adult body. [01:26:56] Speaker C: See, that's what I. I was in between the ideas that, like people say that you stopped or I think this wasn't betterment you stopped developing at the age where you became famous. [01:27:06] Speaker A: Never, never take. Even though it does work in this case. So, yeah, go for it. [01:27:13] Speaker C: I thought, like, that's what happening. Like he became famous as like a little kid. So he never grew up from being a little kid. [01:27:19] Speaker A: I think that's kept. [01:27:21] Speaker C: They kept bringing up the lightning and I was like, did he get struck by lightning? And that's what made him. [01:27:30] Speaker B: I don't have an answer for you, [01:27:32] Speaker A: but that was just something funny. [01:27:33] Speaker B: I thought it was so funny. And with Alfred Bellina playing Solomon, the owner of the store, when they're sitting there and he's like, don't get rough with me, Donnie. Then he's like, I need to get my oral corrective surgery. And the guy in the back is like, but Donnie, you got struck by lightning. I don't think braces are a good idea. [01:27:52] Speaker A: No, I actually wrote down. Because then after, he just keeps saying while, while Donnie's talking, he's like, no need for braces, Donnie. No need for braces, Donnie. [01:28:00] Speaker B: Don't get strong with me. [01:28:01] Speaker C: Like, they were at the bar and then those guys were like, hey, didn't you get struck by lightning? [01:28:07] Speaker A: Like, first they're like, you know, oh, are you the guy from the TV show? And then it's like, no. Well, he's more famous for being the guy who got struck by life. [01:28:14] Speaker B: Also the guy. Not the main guy that said that. Like the two guys that are sitting there, the one that's further off screen when the camera's pulling into them for the first time. He's drinking a drink and he's like eating the straw. You guys need to watch the movie back. He's just like chewing the straw. And then when they turn to him, he has the most, like deadpan, like, impressed look on his face. It's just hilarious. And sorry, just one more illusion to Cycles Thurston, the weird sort of eccentric old man in the restaurant. He's so, so random. He's another kind of like mythical figure in the movie. [01:28:40] Speaker A: Yes. That actor always kind of plays creepy people. Yeah. [01:28:43] Speaker B: He tells Donnie the Quiz Kid. He's like, oh, my friend, you're just another spoke in the wheel. Get it? Like a cycle, Like a Bicycle. [01:28:50] Speaker A: Good one. Yeah. Nice. What was I. I wanted to. Oh, it's just a weird thing. What's up? Like every time. Every time they cut to Donnie in the. In the bar, they're playing Super Tramp music. [01:29:00] Speaker B: I. [01:29:00] Speaker A: There's two Super Tramp songs. [01:29:02] Speaker B: When he comes into Goodbye Stranger. [01:29:04] Speaker A: Goodbye Stranger. [01:29:04] Speaker B: Man, it's so good. [01:29:05] Speaker A: Can I just like. Okay, I want to say this. I. It's so ridiculous. But I. I want to say it anyway. When they were. When I was reading up, so I was looking up other A2 occurrences, so. And I didn't want to mention any here that I didn't catch myself. But there was this one that they brought up that is so ludicrous, but it kind of has a kernel of it. Could be they said that when Donnie walks into the bar and Super Tramps Goodbye Stranger starts to play. It starts to play at the exact 28 second mark. [01:29:35] Speaker B: Oh my gosh. [01:29:36] Speaker A: But that's 2 8, not 82 so. [01:29:38] Speaker B: But still, there's a two way earlier in the movie though. [01:29:40] Speaker A: Is there? [01:29:41] Speaker B: When the. They're showing the casino. [01:29:43] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [01:29:44] Speaker B: He's like, I need a two. And then he. The dealer puts the card on. [01:29:49] Speaker A: Yeah, that's an eight. [01:29:51] Speaker B: And he jumps and beats that. [01:29:52] Speaker A: See, I missed that one. Actually. I had to read up on that. That's why I didn't want to mention it because I'm like, I didn't catch that. What, what else? Yeah, there's a weird moment where when Donnie is talking to the guy, the, the mystical figure, you Thirsten. That is such a perfect name for that guy. I don't know if it was a screw up or what, but Donnie was slightly out of focus. Did you guys notice that? [01:30:14] Speaker B: Was he. I didn't know. [01:30:15] Speaker A: I was like, why is he out of focus? I don't know. Anyway, I noticed. I put it in my notes and I was just like, why is he out of focus? [01:30:20] Speaker C: That guy just creeped me out. [01:30:21] Speaker A: Yeah, he always plays. That's. Yeah, yeah, he's. He's a creepy dude. [01:30:26] Speaker B: Yeah, he was weird. He also. I felt like they were like fighting over the kid. Over. [01:30:31] Speaker C: He was waving money. [01:30:32] Speaker B: He would pull out the money. It felt so inappropriate. [01:30:35] Speaker A: I mean, that's why he comes over to him. He's jealous, you know? Yeah. Yeah. [01:30:39] Speaker C: And then like the, the. You guys just said his name. The old man. [01:30:43] Speaker A: Thirston. [01:30:44] Speaker C: Thurston. He just goes. He goes, oh, I think you have a little crush over there. Like, I'm like, are you school kids fighting over. Yes, like little Stacy or what is [01:30:54] Speaker A: a weird dude with braces. [01:30:55] Speaker C: What is happening? Of course it's like the big like jockey, like bartender guy with like adult braces. Like that's so random. [01:31:04] Speaker B: So random. [01:31:05] Speaker A: Such a random thing. [01:31:07] Speaker B: I just love how he just keeps going. I used to be smart. Now I'm just stupid. [01:31:11] Speaker C: I genuinely thought for the whole movie that he got stupid because he got struck by lightning. And they never made any connection as to why he kept saying why he was acting like that. And I was just like, I feel like they could have. Not because I want to be spoon fed information, but I feel like they could have done a little more work on his character just to make him more likable. Because it was really hard for me to watch him. [01:31:41] Speaker B: He was just a loser. [01:31:42] Speaker A: I just like William H. Macy. So I loved just way he delivers lines I think is great. And, and again I, he breaks his own cycle where he's like, I'm not going to steal the money. And then, and then he kind of has to get braces. And you hear Jimmy being like, I know a guy, he's like, he's going to get you a deal on those braces. What was I. I would be remiss not to. Okay. There's a couple of things I want to mention. You were talking about how when Jimmy is talking in the, in the car to nobody, that that's sort of like that's something you do. Yeah. That is when I kind of realized I love Paul Thomas Anderson's films. Was like, as I've been watching, watching them, it sort of feels like he has like a connection to my brain sometimes where I'm like, dude, I thought only I thought that. [01:32:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:32:21] Speaker A: And there are moments where characters do things where, where I'm like, oh my God. Like, that's hits too close to home. When Jimmy, we watched it all together yesterday and like I almost kind of, I was like, I had to leave. When Jimmy, when he loses his, his gun and he's pre. He's going, he's talking to God and being like, what did I do wrong? Well, I'll, I'll fix it. I swear. I'm like, oh my God. Like I've had those, I've had those moments and it's too real. Like, I'm like, fuck. The same happened to and, and both There Will Be Blood. I, I, I connected way too much to. I forget the character's name. [01:32:53] Speaker B: The main character. [01:32:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:32:54] Speaker B: Daniel Plainview. [01:32:55] Speaker A: Yeah. Daniel Plu. Just, I, I understood him way too well. I'm like, oh boy. [01:33:00] Speaker B: And that's a rough one to understand. Very well. [01:33:03] Speaker A: Not the murderous impulses. Actually, one of them, I. I like the competition. Not the competition. [01:33:10] Speaker B: Should we say this for another episode? [01:33:12] Speaker A: I think. I think we should do that one. But, yeah, there were just certain things that he said. I was like, oh, shit. You know, like, I understand where he's coming from. And then the ending, of course, of Phantom Thread. I blew my fucking mind. Like, I was like, that's so brilliant. I've thought about that. So there was that, and then the. We were talking about the last shot of the movie. And I think this is a proper time to talk about the last shot of the movie, right? It's weird. It's weird in a great way. But I kind of wanted to get your takes on. Why do you think he did it that way? Because we were talking about the things that Jimmy says, but on the soundtrack, you can barely hear what he's saying. I had to have the subtitles up to actually know what he was saying because I almost feel Paul Thomas Anderson didn't necessarily want us to know 100% what he was saying. But also the fact that Jimmy walks into the scene and you don't see him. You sort of see his checkered shirt kind of come into the frame, and you hear him speaking softly that you kind of put together. It's him. We know it's him, but he doesn't make it clear. Clear. And then it's just. It's a weird choice, right, to kind of. The camera's focused on Claudia. The mom leaves the frame. This person walks in. You start to put together that it's Jimmy. You don't really hear what he's saying. And then she. It's a lovely. I almost feel like it was a mistake. I wonder that, like. I wonder if he almost was like, hey, Claudia. Like, off camera to make her look at the camera. And that's why she laughs. Like, it's. It's almost kind of breaks the movie. Like, breaks the reality of the movie. And I just think it's such a wonderful way to end it. But it's that shot just the way the. And I'm gonna say it, the mise en song. [01:34:44] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. [01:34:45] Speaker A: Of the. Of the shot was unexpected. And I wonder what. Why he did it that way and what we gained out of it. And that's not to say that we didn't gain out of it. I'm not saying it as a negative. I'm just wondering. It stood out to me so much that I'm Like, I kind of would like to hear your guys's take on why he filmed that last shot. That way. [01:35:05] Speaker C: It stood out to me too, but because, like, Claudia was such a priority character for me, I almost felt like I was sitting in her place and this was just like a faceless character talking to me. Like, it was a very intimate moment, like, out of the whole movie. Like, it just. It felt like it was like, I don't know, in this little box of, like, comfort. And it's almost like all of these characters in this movie, like you had said before, like, it's about love and people's relationships with love. And like, that speech that he gave was about her ability to accept love [01:35:48] Speaker A: or love herself or love her. [01:35:49] Speaker C: But even, like. Even then, like, to love herself and accept his love for her and believe that she deserved it. [01:35:56] Speaker A: Right. [01:35:56] Speaker C: And I think that the way he shot it was his way of speaking to his audience in that. That moment. A little bit. Like, you like, basically telling Zardians, like, you are here. You are these people. You deserve this love as well. [01:36:09] Speaker A: But shouldn't we have heard it more then? [01:36:11] Speaker C: I mean, I didn't have a problem hearing it. Like, I was kind. I was pretty locked in in that scene. [01:36:16] Speaker B: Okay. [01:36:17] Speaker C: That I was like. I don't know. It felt very intimate for me. I don't know if that was just me. [01:36:21] Speaker A: It. I think that's exactly it, is that it feels intimate because he's saying it so lowly. [01:36:25] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:36:26] Speaker A: That I. It was. I almost felt like I wasn't supposed to hear the specifics. It's almost like I'm supposed to hear the. The tone rather than the words. [01:36:35] Speaker C: Oh, I was very opposite. I felt like he was speaking directly to me. [01:36:38] Speaker A: But then, I don't know, I thought I would. I would hear it more clearly. [01:36:42] Speaker C: I don't know. I think the way that he was speaking so low, like, it made him feel like he was, like, almost whispering in my ear. Like, it was really. It was a really weird scene for me. [01:36:54] Speaker A: It is. It is weird. And that's kind of why I kind of. And especially it's the last shot of the movie. Like, it's so important. And I think. I really do think it works. I'm just trying to figure out why the choices we're making and why it works. [01:37:05] Speaker B: Let me try to navigate this and. And try to mediate it a little bit, because I do have some thoughts on this. So the. The music starts to pick up before he actually goes to Claudia's room. It picks up when he's talking to. To William H. Macy's character with the whiz kid, Donnie Smith. And he's already helping him out. Yeah, up to this point, at least for me. The movie. The entire movie. It feels like you're a fly on the wall watching all of these things unfold. Oh, my gosh. [01:37:34] Speaker C: That sounded like an ogre burp into the mic. [01:37:38] Speaker A: I don't know. I'm kind of ogresque. [01:37:40] Speaker C: Disgusting. That was so loud. [01:37:43] Speaker A: Anyway, I've been holding it all episode. [01:37:46] Speaker B: It feels like you're like a fly on the wall the entire movie. And in this final sort of moment, it's like there's even a narrator talking to you. Like, you specifically. And it feels like that final moment is where we sort of. Paul Thomas Anderson is sort of like, all right, you've been uninvolved in the movie just watching this happen. Now I'm gonna put you in the room with these people. And like, yes, the music is loud. You kind of have to listen closely to make out what he is trying to say. The sound editing is a little weird. I don't know if it was. It was definitely on purpose. But, like, then again, the sound editing is weird throughout the whole movie. There's just blaring loud music throughout the whole movie. Here. Maybe. I don't know. I don't want to say that it was not deliberate by pta, because I think the whole movie is deliberate. But that said, even. [01:38:35] Speaker A: Oh. Because in the behind the scenes, they. They showed a filming of that scene, and he's whispering it in the scene. [01:38:40] Speaker B: He's whispering it. [01:38:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:38:41] Speaker B: Yeah. I think there's. There's something there about what Stephanie's saying where it's, like. It's meant to be very intimate, and you kind of have to, like, listen, like, be aware that you're listening. It feels like you're in the room and there's really loud music playing in the. And you have to sort of, like, try to hear what he's saying. But also. [01:38:59] Speaker A: Can I just interrupt that one? [01:39:00] Speaker B: Go for it. [01:39:01] Speaker A: Because I like what you're saying. Because then it really makes the moment where she looks at the camera. Because you say that, it puts us in a room. She's acknowledging us. [01:39:09] Speaker B: Exactly. And that's what I feel happens the whole movie. We see Claudia, which, by the way, you were saying, like, I got chills on that one. Sorry. Yeah, that's good. I've gotten chills, like, three times. What you were saying about how, like, you feel like PTA knows you sometimes and like, characters do stuff which sounds stalkery. [01:39:24] Speaker A: I'm sorry. [01:39:24] Speaker B: No, no, it's. [01:39:26] Speaker C: He's gonna watch this episode and be like, paul, like, it's a little creepy. [01:39:31] Speaker A: I hope not. I. I know it just, like. Because, you know, when people are like, they get me. [01:39:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:39:35] Speaker A: You know, But I'm like, dude, like, he says the things that. That I think a lot of us think that we think that nobody else does and puts it in a movie. And I like that. [01:39:43] Speaker B: And for as much as a standard, Stephanie, while watching the movie, was saying that Claudia was nuts. I, a lot of the time, feel a lot like her. I related to her so, so much. And we see how, like, out of it she is throughout the whole movie. But that final moment when he finally says, you're a good, beautiful person, I think her smiling, looking at the camera is Paul Thomas Anderson saying in the most obvious way possible, in the least subtle way possible, she just snapped out of that. Out of it. Out of that nebulous state that she's in throughout the whole movie. And she finally, like, wakes up, and this is the moment where she's. He's telling the audience, okay, she's gonna be fine. Or, like, all this stuff. This is the most victorious moment in the movie. And I want you to acknowledge this one, because this is where she smiles directly at you. And there's no other way to put it other than, okay, she's snapping out of it. [01:40:32] Speaker A: Yeah, she got it. Yeah. It. It penetrated. [01:40:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:40:36] Speaker C: I have something to say about that shoot, because I feel like she's nuts in the way that, like, people are just inherently, like, quirky. [01:40:45] Speaker A: Yeah. Especially who's been through a trauma. [01:40:46] Speaker C: People are just nuts. [01:40:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:40:48] Speaker A: And they have BO to you. [01:40:50] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:40:50] Speaker A: As we learned today. I'm gonna leave that nebulous people listening. Just figure it out on your own. [01:40:58] Speaker C: But I have a hard time feeling like, by him saying that she's automatically fine. [01:41:05] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Yeah. She's not perfect. She's not fixed. [01:41:08] Speaker A: It's that first step, I think. Yeah. Again, yeah. There's hope. Maybe we should say there's hope is. I think that's what every. Every ending sort of represents, that there's hope for these characters. [01:41:16] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:41:16] Speaker A: And that. That's sort of like a really strong way for that to become. [01:41:19] Speaker C: And I think. I think that is like, a running message through this, is that everybody just needs that one person to tell them that they're good so that they can make those steps. [01:41:31] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:41:32] Speaker C: Because like this. Like. Like Jimmy, like, he does that for a couple people. And Phil does. Does that. And, like, there are these couple of. Of really, like, honest, nice people in this movie that are kind of just going around telling these people, like, you can do this. You are good. And, like, that. I'm trying not to cry about this movie. [01:41:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:41:54] Speaker C: Jesus Christ. Like, that got me at the end. [01:41:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:41:57] Speaker C: He said that. Because I'm like. [01:41:58] Speaker A: And she fucking cries. [01:41:59] Speaker C: And I was like, got me. God, I hate you for making me watch this movie. I've been trying to not break down this whole time. [01:42:04] Speaker B: No. And it's fine. Mine, like, I. I honestly thought I was gonna cry during this app, like, recording this episode, because I cry so much during this movie. [01:42:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:42:12] Speaker B: And I just want to also thank you for, like, not correcting me, but, like, fixing what I was saying, because I. I think the right word was hopeful. [01:42:19] Speaker A: Not. [01:42:20] Speaker B: Not that he. Like, she's perfectly fine now, but that was the glimmer of hope. Yeah. And I just wanted to talk to our main listener, Jessica, really quick because she called me a masochist for watching this movie. And yes, I do think it is a very depressing movie. And like, honestly, I. I don't think it's not depressing. Not depressing, but you know what I mean? [01:42:37] Speaker A: It's a. It is a tough emotional journey. [01:42:40] Speaker C: It's a little torturous. [01:42:41] Speaker B: A little torturous. And PTA even says that the runtime is torturous in an interview. [01:42:45] Speaker A: Can we. I've been dying too. I love that. That, you know, so. So in the interview from 2015, Mark Marin asked him. He's like, you know, if you could go back or re edit the movie, would you? And he was like, yes. He was like, it is way too long. He's like, it is just punishing. [01:42:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:43:00] Speaker A: So I like, again, to kind of go. I would. Would cut. But he's not going to because he knows that that's what he made at that time. He's saying it, I believe, as in, if I were to make it now, I would recut it. But he's still at that moment saying, at that point, that's what I needed to do. And. And again, just kind of connects to how we were talking about how he has changed as a filmmaker where he's like, now I could just do it in 90 minutes. [01:43:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:43:22] Speaker A: Continue on to Jessica. [01:43:23] Speaker B: Yeah. So Jessica was calling me a masochist for. [01:43:25] Speaker A: Oh, I'm sorry. This was a lot of. Sorry, Jess. [01:43:29] Speaker B: Jessica was calling me a masochist for enjoying this movie so much. And yes, it is a heavy, dense movie. That takes a lot out of you when you watch it. But in a way, for me, this movie's so triumphant in the end. And, yeah, was as. I love a movie that makes me cry. I love a sad song when I'm feeling sad. I like to ruminate and simmer in my emotions when I'm feeling something. And this movie makes me feel so, so much and takes a lot out of me, but also gives me so much. It's such a rewarding experience for me to watch this movie. And I don't know, maybe it's where I am in my life right now. I just like this kind of. Maybe this is how I am forever. I don't know. But this movie means so much to me, and it's so special to me. So, yeah, maybe I am a masochist in that way, but I think the movie is in many ways very uplifting. It's telling you, yes, you're gonna have up. That's gonna happen, happening. Your life. We all know how absurd death and sickness and all, how hard these things are, how intangible these feelings are, but we still feel them. But in the end, there's hope, in a way. Yeah. And it's. It's help. You're watching someone cope with one of the hardest times in their life through a movie, and I just think that's very special. [01:44:44] Speaker A: And I think what. What really makes it special is the way Paul Thomas Anderson does. Does it. Because it is very easy for, you know, for these movies to end with, like, but there's hope. But he actually earns it and knows how far to push it without it becoming trickly or sentimental or, you know, preaching. Right. It's not preaching to you. And I feel like if you're not paying attention to the movie, it may end and you might go, oh, my God, that's so depressing. And that's why I kind of like, when we all kind of say that, I'm always like, it's not depressing. Just pay attention to it. But I think we all got that. And I was talking to Jessica about it earlier. Jessica definitely got. Got that. But it is that sort of. It is a great way to sort of open talking about this movie, which is always like, well, thanks for ruining my life. I wanted to do that to you just as a joke. I was just like, oh, I just sat through three hours of Magnolia. Thanks. You know, for a second time. [01:45:31] Speaker C: I would say it's torturous just because I hate feeling my feelings. [01:45:34] Speaker B: Okay. [01:45:35] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [01:45:36] Speaker C: Like, I'm one of Those people where it's like, if you make me feel the things that I feel, like I'm gonna hate you. Because why would you make me do that? [01:45:42] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:45:42] Speaker C: Don't make me feel the things that I feel out loud. So it's torture. Yeah. And at work, screw you. [01:45:48] Speaker A: That's why when you guys were like, we're gonna watch it, I was like, you. I don't want to be here. [01:45:52] Speaker B: It. Man, if I cry, I cry. You guys will see me cry. It's fine. [01:45:55] Speaker A: It's not so much about me. I mean. No, it's weirder for me because I'm like, the manager, so you shouldn't see me cry. [01:46:02] Speaker C: But I just hate crying. [01:46:03] Speaker A: It was. It was just more that, like, I didn't want to go through that again. [01:46:05] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:46:05] Speaker C: I hate crying in front of people. If you see me. Me cry, just go die. Never change. Never. Never let me know that you saw me cry. [01:46:13] Speaker A: Should I go myself? Callback. Two hours. Two hours. [01:46:18] Speaker C: But if you're somebody that likes feeling your feelings and ruminating, I can see how this is, like, an incredible movie. [01:46:25] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:46:25] Speaker C: I would not watch it again because I don't like to cry. [01:46:29] Speaker B: But I'm gonna tell you, I'm gonna recommend that you watch it again because it's such a different experience the second time you. You watch it. You might not ever watch it again. But I. I recommend it. [01:46:38] Speaker C: I'll take that recommendation. [01:46:39] Speaker A: I'm going to put it over here. [01:46:40] Speaker B: Yeah. And you're going to tell me to go myself. [01:46:43] Speaker A: This is such a nice. For me. It's also nice nostalgia, like seeing all these actors, like, in their prime, kind of. And. And. And for me also, just Jason Robards, like, that was his last movie. He actually did die of cancer a year later. [01:46:55] Speaker B: And he was sick before the movie. [01:46:56] Speaker A: Exactly. He was. Yeah. There's an interview. [01:46:58] Speaker B: Did you see? [01:46:59] Speaker A: That's a great interview that he. He's still, you know, he's sickly, but he still has all his faculties, and he still has all these things to say and. And interesting. I just. I love Jason Rors. Okay, I think it's time to start wrapping up. [01:47:11] Speaker B: Yeah, it is. 508. [01:47:13] Speaker A: 508. [01:47:14] Speaker B: All right. [01:47:16] Speaker A: Oh, wait. Before we. Before Beau. I know we want to bring Beau into this. We should go around and do our pause. How many Pauls are we giving you? [01:47:23] Speaker C: Okay. [01:47:23] Speaker B: Should we. Let's keep going this direction that we've been going. So step. Stephanie, Paul, Alex. [01:47:29] Speaker A: All right. [01:47:29] Speaker C: Okay. Okay. [01:47:32] Speaker A: Better than apps. Yeah. [01:47:34] Speaker C: I'm going to give it three and Three quarter polls. [01:47:39] Speaker A: Okay. [01:47:39] Speaker C: I'm happy with that because, again, not a movie that I would watch myself. [01:47:47] Speaker A: Right. [01:47:47] Speaker C: But I can really, really see the value in it. [01:47:50] Speaker A: Good. [01:47:51] Speaker C: Just as a movie, like, in the actors and everything and what it means. So I'm. I'm going to give it three and three, which is the highest rating that I think I've given a movie. [01:47:58] Speaker A: Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. [01:48:00] Speaker C: I think I have never given anything. Four balls. [01:48:03] Speaker A: Not even a substance. [01:48:04] Speaker C: Nope. [01:48:05] Speaker A: Okay. [01:48:05] Speaker C: I gave it, like, three and a half. [01:48:06] Speaker A: All right. Oh, three and three quarters. My math is really pretty bad. [01:48:10] Speaker C: Three and three quarters. I got technical there. [01:48:13] Speaker B: Thank you, Stephanie. That was a fantastic rating. My opinion of you has. Has grown drastically skyrocketed. [01:48:18] Speaker A: It was pretty low. [01:48:19] Speaker C: The thing I care about about more than anything, your guys's opinions, everybody. [01:48:23] Speaker B: That's what. Yeah, yeah, yeah. [01:48:28] Speaker A: I'm sorry. I'm gonna do it again. [01:48:29] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. I'm gonna base boost all of these later. [01:48:32] Speaker A: It's. It's a long podcast. It deserves three. Three burps. [01:48:36] Speaker C: What keeps the listeners listening. [01:48:37] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah. I'm gonna beat Stephanie on this one. Five Pauls out of four. [01:48:43] Speaker B: Yes. [01:48:44] Speaker C: Whoa. [01:48:44] Speaker B: I was gonna break the scale today, and I. I'm glad you did it first. [01:48:47] Speaker C: I feel like that deserves the sound effect. Five out of four polls. [01:48:56] Speaker B: Okay, that's enough. You have. Do you have anything else to say, or is that your final thought? [01:49:01] Speaker A: I think it speaks for itself. [01:49:02] Speaker B: Yeah. You don't have to say anything else. I'm also going to break the scale here, and I'm going to give it 5 out of 4 Pauls. My first serious movie that I ever watched that started my, like, personal film journey was There Will Be Blood. I saw it when I was, like, 16, like, about to turn 16. [01:49:17] Speaker A: That's such a good movie. [01:49:18] Speaker B: And I was just like, this is the greatest thing ever made. And ever since then, I've had a special place in my heart for Paul Thomas Anderson. [01:49:23] Speaker A: And so we should all get together and watch one battle after another. Do. And do a podcast on that one when it comes out, I think in December. [01:49:30] Speaker B: That'd be very cool. [01:49:31] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:49:32] Speaker B: So, yeah, that's my rating. 5 out of 4. Paul's. For Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia. [01:49:37] Speaker A: Excellent. Should we do the bowl first and then end with our watch? This is. [01:49:41] Speaker B: Yes. [01:49:42] Speaker A: Okay. So Bo needs to show up. And Bo has had some vocal surgery. [01:49:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:49:48] Speaker A: So he's a little easier to understand. [01:49:50] Speaker B: Yeah. He was upset about his voice, so he got some speech therapy. Hey, Bull. Bo. [01:49:55] Speaker A: Hey. [01:49:56] Speaker B: What's up, man. You mind if we have a little reach inside of your abyss of a stomach? [01:50:02] Speaker A: Yeah, but you got to warm your hands up. [01:50:05] Speaker B: I got to warm my hands up. Last time was too cold. And then we'll reach. [01:50:08] Speaker A: I was shooting ice for, like, a day, so there. Yeah. Thank you. [01:50:14] Speaker B: All right, you ready? Can we get a drink? Who is ready? [01:50:20] Speaker A: Your hands are cold. [01:50:22] Speaker C: This feels like a weird experience for both. [01:50:24] Speaker A: All right. [01:50:25] Speaker C: I'm still laughing. [01:50:28] Speaker B: Burning 2018. [01:50:29] Speaker A: Put it back in the bowl. [01:50:30] Speaker B: Ah. [01:50:30] Speaker C: We're vetoing Germany. [01:50:32] Speaker B: All right, I'm leave it out so we don't pick it again. [01:50:34] Speaker C: This is like the fourth time we've chosen it. [01:50:36] Speaker B: Veto. [01:50:41] Speaker A: Oh, [01:50:45] Speaker B: the never ending story. Never ending story. Let's see. Let's bring Paul back for a Paul choice. [01:50:54] Speaker A: I. I've been waiting for this moment. I can't. I just want to thank my agent and all my fans who believed in me. And so finally, after 13 episodes, I finally have another movie. And I think, you know what? It's cool that we're all watching a family fantasy movie after all this heaviness. This is a fine moment. I think this was. This is good. [01:51:15] Speaker B: Triumph. [01:51:16] Speaker A: Triumph. [01:51:16] Speaker B: All right, let's. Let's all watch this in. In order. [01:51:21] Speaker C: One more thing. In the spirit of Magnolia, there was hope, Paul, and a movie got picked, so. Good for you. [01:51:26] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [01:51:27] Speaker C: You got your hope. [01:51:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:51:29] Speaker C: All right. [01:51:29] Speaker B: This is something that happens. [01:51:30] Speaker A: We had to go through hell to get to heaven. Yes. [01:51:34] Speaker C: Dante's Inferno. Okay. [01:51:37] Speaker B: All right, Stephanie. [01:51:38] Speaker C: I feel like we could do this one together. We're on the same page. [01:51:41] Speaker B: Yeah, that's true. All right, you ready? All right, in three, two, one. Watch this. [01:51:49] Speaker A: Yay. Oh, goodbye. Everybody [01:51:54] Speaker C: sat down and save me if [01:52:05] Speaker B: you could save me from the ranks of the free.