171: One Battle After Another (2025)

There are no spoilers in this episode. As Alex and Nick give their glowing review of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” topics include attending an LA premiere, the film’s Oscar chances, Alex’s recent brush with death, Nick’s recent brush with death, Top 5 Leonardo DiCaprio performances, re-ranking PTA’s filmography, meeting Colin Farrell, and much more.

For WAYW, the guys review new movies from Daniel Day-Lewis(!), Derek Cianfrance, Kathryn Bigelow, Luca Guadagnino, Rebecca Miller, Paul Greengrass, Edward Berger, and more.

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Transcript

0:14

I'm a fool to do your dirty work. Oh, yeah. I don't wanna do your dirty work no more. I'm a fool to do your dirty work. Oh, yeah. I want this episode to go back to the way we used to. You remember? We had fun. Yeah. Okay. You got it open with that. Okay. That should be before anything. Listen, I want this to go back to the way it used to be. Ocean waves, baby. Ocean waves. Ocean waves. Courage, Bob. Courage. Hey, everyone. Welcome to. What are you watching? I'm Alex Withrow, and I'm joined by my best man, Nick dill. So, how are you doing there, Conrad? Josh. Oh, life. Man. Life. You're fucking intolerable, man. That. Oh, God. This is this one. Today is a long time coming. Wow. Yeah. Wow. Yep. Probably in the history of this part, this is the most, hard fought episode to record, ever in five years. Because it has to be get to. Yeah. You know, in the time since we planned recording this, we've had to delay a few times. I, almost died, Nick. Almost died. Independent events got a few days apart. Could have could have, but we're we're here. Oh, man. I'm very excited to talk about this movie. New movie from Paul Thomas Anderson. One battle after another. How do you feel to be here? I mean, I it's so funny that you even say, like, it feels like it's been one battle after another to get to this battle after another, which has nothing at all to do with the quality of the film, which I think we are both, in agreement on that we think is very high, the quality. Well, I mean, we're at that point, this is this is that time of the year where, these are these are the movies that, or I mean, in a year like we have right now, I mean, good Lord, but, but, you know, we we made a point last year when a Nora came out because when we saw Nora, we were just sort of like, okay, this needs to be talked about. It needs to. And the thing is, is, like with this one, I feel like, you know, we're not at we're, you know, we're a drop in the bucket because everyone is talking about how good this is. That's why I thought it would be okay if we're a little late recording this because yeah, you're right. It is being well-received. It's well received and well deserved. Receive reception, receive a reception that I, got there all right. Almost right before you did. Yep. Yeah. Almost there. I was just helping you out. Some people need a little assist. Some people need to drive to the to the desert. Need a little help? I like receiving an. Oh, Jesus. Bad one battle after another is my first prompt. Is, is this a great film to me? Yeah. I knew watching it. Like, even though this is well seen, like, I don't want to, you know, in minute three, start talking about spoilers. But there is a sequence toward the end that is getting a lot of attention that involves cars driving on a road, and I was the first time I was watching it. My mouth. I saw it in Imax. My mouth was my jaw was just dropped the whole time, and in my head I went, this is what you're talking about when you refer to pure cinema, this is it right here. There's no dialog. It is music editing, camera composition. Wow. And yeah, I said, okay, I'm in the midst of greatness. I've seen the film more than once, I'll say, and I love it, and I want everyone to go see it. Well, I, I agree, completely agree. And I think I believe even after I because I know you've seen this more than I have, I've seen it twice now, and this did even get better for me. And a second view. Much better, much better. And so I'm going to how many times have you seen it? Five. Five. Yeah. So exactly. So so does it keep getting better. Does it keep enriching. Yeah. And honestly I don't know if we're an an Oppenheimer situation I'm not going for like that. That streak still maintains I saw that fucker in the theater a week and a half ago or like two weeks ago. I love Oppenheimer. Oh, I know you're so it's. But the thing is to explain the four viewings really quick, I just saw it in every format I could as quickly as possible. Yeah, because around here I had it in Imax. I couldn't even see it in Imax. 70 millimeter does not exist. Closest theaters in New York could not get up there for reasons. We're going to explain it a little bit. So I did Imax at at AMC. I did 70 millimeter at AFI in Silver Spring, Maryland. Love that theater. And then I did true Imax at Air and Space Museum. So those are all the different formats. And then I took Ali to see it. She loved it. That was viewing for viewing. So I was just a few days ago and that was that was my first, like, hey, fuck it, I want to hang out with my friends viewing. And it's it's amazing. It definitely has that like up and I was on a hangout movie, but Hollywood, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is and you go and you're about the same length and you just, I'm going to get to some of the pacing and the structure of one battle after another, and how it never slows down because about every 30 minutes, not about like literally every 30 minutes, a major change happens. And that completely it either changes the film's direction or it adds a new layer to it. And it is exciting as all hell. And yeah, it just keeps getting better. I'm still learning things about it. I'm still seeing little things and I'm like, oh wow. But the second time was like watching a new movie because I was so overwhelmed the first time in all the best ways. And the second time I went, okay, wow, fuck. There's a lot just of nuance that I missed. How funny it is. Jesus Christ. Oh, it's so it's so funny. I mean, I guess a question could be, is this PETA's funniest movie? Yeah, that's a prompt that you and I were voice memos about. And, the you offered that to me the second time I had seen it. So in my third viewing, I'm like, I'm really going to pay attention to this. And particularly like third viewing, somewhat stuff your crowded Air and Space museum, fourth viewing Friday night. Best seat in the house packed Alamo Drafthouse. Everyone is hysterical and an alley is hysterical. And it's just I look at his other work like sickos like me think, you know, Magnolia is funny. Like I'm fucking hammered. Burt, we love sake of fun. Yeah, well, that magnolia is fucking hilarious. What is it? In aid of. In aid of what? Like it's so fucking funny. See? You're laughing because I'm a sicko. Boogie nights has so many funny sequences that I think are hysterical. Punch-Drunk love. Shut, shut, shut. That's funny. There are. Yeah, very small aspects of humor. There Will be blood. The master Inherent Vice is kind of silly. I have said that is funniest. Was, Phantom Thread because I think that movie is fucking hysterical. But again, that's just for sickos like me. So yes, long answer it is. It is his. And and is it his most accessible movie? It's his 10th film. Oh, I have shown Ali, Boogie Nights and Magnolia not the biggest fan, particularly of Magnolia. They're hard sells Punch-Drunk love. It's not even Magnolia. It's hard won. Punch-Drunk love is not a necessarily easy sell if you're pitching it as like, oh, rom com, there will be blood, there will be blood in the master have their challenges of sorts. Inherent vice is just challenging for everyone. Phantom thread is like this acid romance, but I do think it has appeal. Licorice pizza, we know damn well, did not appeal to a lot of people. This may be too early to say, but I'm I'm seeing a universal appeal not from everyone, but from people who like movies, not from like political commentators who have no business discussing the art of film. Frankly, yeah. I think among people who really like movies, you're going to be hard pressed to find someone who has legitimate, valid criticisms against this that are like huge and gaping criticisms. I don't think it's going to happen, you know, from the second that this movie starts, you're thrown into the world that is already existing. Yep, you're thrown into it. And that pacing, especially in like that first chunk, like until we get to I probably we're skipping ahead right here. But that's all right. It's how we do it here. Yes. And what are you watching? Oh, until like everyone disbands. And we go to the time gap which by the way I love that this movie does not have an actual time. 16 years go by. She tells you the only clue. Exactly. Yeah. It is A11 line. 16 years later not much has changed. That's it. And she's right because it's like the the the movie opens in what appears to be 2024, 2025. They have new iPhones and it is not like, hey, we're jumping to what would that be, 2040 cheese. It's like, it doesn't it doesn't do that. It kind of sets it. And that's part of the just the magic about it. And part of what I loved about it. And the point is though, this like when you have one line that does this, you know, I mean, I have to really give credit to moviegoing audiences for liking this movie because as accessible as we're saying that this might be for PETA's work, he does not spoon feed you anything. No, this, these the way that he's cutting and editing, especially that first act, I would say you're not given any information. It's well or is it's all information. It's this is this is what's happening. Keep up. This is what's happening. It's visual. Don't ask any questions. Yes. Visual information. But he's not spelling anything for us. It's like, here you go. And it's not confusing. No. You're able to understand all of it. And in a time frame now where this is where, you know, we're always encouraging, audience members to check out movies where it's like, hey, put the phone down. Yeah, have a cup of coffee, sit with this. Pay attention. And it's weird because you are in a place especially for that first act of complete unknown. You're. You're like, okay, now they're going on this bank robbery. Okay? Now this, now that, and there's no time to sit and ask and kind of, okay, wait, back up a second. How is, You don't ever ask that. You don't need it. So it's kind of amazing to have this kind of this is all to kind of bring up the your question of, is this PETA's most accessible when he has structured a movie that is not exactly an easy structure to as a selling point, but yet somehow you just get it. And so it probably is his most accessible in this way. Yeah. And it is awesome. I know, I know, it's it's crazy. And I mean, this is his 10th movie and that's a very kind of specific number, only because Tarantino said his next movie is his last. His 10th is his last. It's just a really dumb thing to say. It's really, oh, that's such a and I'm getting more and more annoyed with it. So all my time, so am I because it's, it's surpassed annoyance. It's like, why did you do this to yourself? And now, like you're being a little cavalier and like talking about it as this I, I it's just being built up so much in PTA kind of sits they it's fair to compare them. They are friends. They started making movies for years apart. They both grew up in California or at least Tarantino spent significant time growing up there. And they're contemporary filmmakers. I've been chatting you a lot, like since we're on this prompt, like, yeah, it's his most accessible film, it's his funniest film, one battle after another. And then just like pound for pound, looking at if we for now count Tarantino's movies as ten, let's split the kill bills up. So we're counting ten. We got ten. Verse ten here. Which director is more rewatchable? Which one can you just put on? More noting that Pulp Fiction is one of the most watched movies I've ever seen. When I think about it, it's actually PTA. I actually spend more time going back to his work because Tarantino has the Tarantino isms. You're going to get that dialog some. I think his movies is longer ones. I think The Hateful Eight feels as long as it is. I think that is an intentionally long feeling big movie. And PTA just has this different sensibility, this pacing, this non fussiness where, yeah, you're moving and you're nothing is hermetically sealed. We're just like out here running out. You're doing it and I yeah that's what I one of the things I'm so drawn to and one of the things that makes the movie so rewatchable because you are always going to get new shit. Well, the. Yeah, it's the variety of PTA. Yeah. Like, and and this is not a knock on on Quentin at all. It's what makes Quentin Clinton exactly is that it's the voice and every one of his movies has that voice. It's the dialog. It's the attitude. It's the energy. Now, all of his movies are about different things, but you can't escape that tone. Like, it's just there. And that's what makes him so great. PTA, however, I mean, Boogie Nights and Punch-Drunk love couldn't be two different types of movies. They're harder to watch. Quentin is a lot more fun. I would I would kind of say, where is in terms of rewatch ability, if I just want to go and have a good time, I can put on any Quentin Tarantino movie and and I can sit and relax and enjoy it. But if I'm trying to talk about variety because like, Magnolia is, you know, when you sit down to watch Magnolia, as funny as you think it is, it is fucking hysterical. There's oh, come on, it's so fun. No, it is, but there's a lot of drama that you got to like that you're you're dealing with here. And, I could be a good friend to you, but if you were to say you're on a desert island and you can only take one film from Malaga for his work with you, and this is all that you could watch for your life. And there are two directors there to Quentin. I am going to take PTA. So am I, because that filmography is so varied. And there's something in it like you like. And you can, you can, you can rewatch a PTA movie and just get something new out of it every single time. Yeah. And I'm saying this is Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is my second favorite movie that is my most like. I can watch that movie all the time, but if I'm spending the rest of my life pulp is my second favorite. Yeah, yeah, that where it's like, okay, this is all I have to study. This is all I have to kind of like, sit and watch. There's more here. No. Yeah. It's just it's fun to compare them and just kind of Tarantino just kind of shut up and get this thing rolling, man. You know, make this, make this next movie. But I hope PTA keeps doing what he does, which is every, you know, few years he releases a film and any kind of he'll do the this will he will be writing the awards circuit whether or not this merits and he wins. I hope it does, but he will. And then he'll go away for a little bit. He'll go away and like do some stuff and then he'll make another movie in 3 or 4 years. I hope he does that for the rest of his career. Alex. Yes, it's October 8th, it's exact. It's October 18th, 2025. I know we're in the season. I'm going to tell you this right now. We got to put on a t shirt. Nick Doe. So what are you watching? It's a lock. Which one? It's a lock. All of it. He's winning PTA. PTA is winning best director. Okay, one better left, another is winning. Best picture. Okay. As we go from there, I don't know. What about the acting? I'm not talking about not actors yet. Just. Let's just focus on him. I'm not disagreeing with you yet. I just want to. Let's. So he could potentially get nominated for picture as a producer, for director and for adapted screenplay. So you're saying he you think he could win all three of those or picture in director right now I think picture and director are like a screenplay very, very possible. I think we need to see what else comes out. Though I'll be honest with you, I mean, this is a conversation for another time. But we might as well bring it up now. Why not? I believe that this year of 2025 is the worst movie year of my life. I will say thus far that with the exception of 2020, I agree. I mean, this is this has been this has been abysmal. Like, we're going to end this episode with some, just new stuff in theaters, all this stuff that you've seen previews for, you know, all that and you know, some of it is good, but nothing. You and I have been qualifying our messages to each other after we see a film with. That was good dot dot dot for a 2025 movie like that is our bar. One bottle after another is a good movie. It's a good film for any year, and it's the only one I've seen so far this year that breaks through that. It's like, that will stand the test of time. That is like a really great movie. This is the only one. So yeah, that can be a good thing or a bad thing because Chloe Zhao, who did win a bunch of Oscars for Nomadland, has a movie, and that makes me scary. It's apparently the story that, like hamlet was based on, it's called Hamnet, and that she'll be up for adapted screenplay as well. There are other things. It's if what you say happens, then that will be the third year in a row that my favorite movie of the year wins Best Picture. When in 2023, that had never happened. And then Oppenheimer won and then and Nora then this. That is something that will be very hard for me to believe and well, let's okay. Let's just do it a little. Now he has 11 nominations. That's a lot. He has 11 fucking nominations. No wins. The man does not have a Golden Globe. I mean, he doesn't have a Directors Guild, a Writers Guild, a Producers Guild. He doesn't have a fucking Indie Spirit award. Like it's crazy. There is a wholesale awards rejection of his work that just bear with me here. If I can try to qualify some of this boogie Nights and Magnolia both get nominated for screenplay. Those are weird movies and they were weird when they were. They were considered very odd when they were released. I think those nominations are their gift. Okay, there Will be Blood picture, director and screenplay nominations that they just got steamrolled by. No Country for Old Men. Yeah, everyone agrees that both of those are great films. It's just the way it goes sometimes. That was the closest he came to winning, I'm sure, and it unfortunately one of those should have gone to him. But unfortunately they all went to No Country or not. Unfortunately, No Country is a great movie. Yeah, Inherent Vice is his next nomination. That's another weird one. It wasn't going to win Phantom Thread. He's nominated for picture in director. That was that was a late bloomer movie. And it is far better received and far more seen now than it was then. It wasn't really in the running against the bigger movies of that year. And then Licorice Pizza, which he got three independent nominations for and was just one of the I really felt that had a chance at original screenplay. But I mean, it was met. That movie was met with some of the oddest controversy I've ever seen a film be met with. And, I mean, it resulted in just a terrible Oscars. Truly bizarre. I mean, Bad Year. Will Smith slapped a guy like it. Will Smith was a bet. So here's my point. There honestly is no excuse. Now there's one battle after another being very well received. I just mentioned that Hamnett movie that is not No Country for Old Men. There is no no country for old men brewing. There is no massive controversy. The likes, the like. What followed around Licorice Pizza that isn't here. Filmmakers like this audience is like this. It's a big, expensive studio movie, a studio that is based in Los Angeles, and the movie will have legs. It's going to keep playing. It might go away for a little bit, but it'll come back on Imax, Imax, 70 millimeter, this division. I know you can't do that at a lot of theaters, but it'll linger around. And then when the 4K comes out, I know he'll treat it well and it'll be an insane thing. So he'll ride this wave if they say no to him for picture, director and or screenplay, all three of them, that will be the biggest fuck you by the Academy Awards that I have witnessed so far this century. I don't I don't think it'll happen, but okay. You know, in hearing everything that you're saying, we'll see. But I'm telling you, it's a lock, baby. Oh, yeah, and it's okay. So take this, people. Every single lock that my dutiful co-host has called in the Academy Awards. None of them have ever happened. No, never. No, I said Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer. I was like, it's a lock, I stand corrected. You are. You are right. You are right. You did say that. Yeah. You did. I could not believe because I had a warped brain, a twisted mind. I could not believe it. And I could not say that about a Nora, because I did not think that what happens would ever happen with with a Nora sweeping the way that it did, which was still a magical, magical thing. That's my favorite. That's my favorite Oscar still, because Oppenheimer, I do love that movie, but that's a $100 million movie made by a major studio. A Nora had nothing whatsoever to do with the Hollywood motion picture ecosystem at all.$6 million independent money, all in tiny distributor Neon. And it went that that will be like, even if this wins Best Picture. What you're saying, that would be amazing. It still wouldn't happen, Nora. It wouldn't. That thing is, that's like, no, no, no, it's it's that there's a masterpiece. There's a fucking masterpiece right there. Number 25. Well, I'm just going to say it. I'm just going to say it. If we recorded today, that is that would be my number 25 and our top 25 of the century so far. I, I was too afraid to do it back then. It absolutely would be. Come at me, come at me. I have I have two things I need to tell you that I'm sure everyone on this podcast is ready to hear is is completely side questing, but I have been revising my top ten of all time. Oh yeah. No, I, I I'm, I'm I don't know what prompted this. Right here there's a siren. That's my ride. Yeah, yeah. Just wait wait for that story so I can ride. Jesus. I don't know why I've been doing it, but I've been looking at it, and I go, you know, I feel like a lot of this is rooted in just, you know, me as me, as, like, you know, old things. And I've seen too many movies between from so many of those top ten originals that I have that I'm like, I really need to kind of like, think about at the age that I'm at what would really be my top ten right now if I was to like, kind of like maybe let go of some of these, like just sort of like roots. Not that I'm not saying I don't love those movies, but I've been feeling like there needs to be a change. I'm. I'm always here for it. Yeah. You. That's when you are crafting that list like you have to have. It has to be subjective and objective to a degree like you want it to be known. Like you can't just put fucking yes, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Godfather, like you want. Like, who's going to, you know that? Okay, okay. There's no you're not showing me any of you. You're not showing me any of your voice or your taste. So I want to see some of that. But also, I don't necessarily think one needs to be married to how to the history of how a movie made them feel the first or second time they saw it. While that can be profound, I think anything in the top ten is something you have to have seen and examined and assessed. And maybe even at one point, is it really that good? Like you have had to have done that, to scrutinize it, pick it apart. That's what I think you do. Just me. Yeah. And, and and there's a few of them in there that I, that I like because I've, you know, thinking about like since we've been doing this podcast, I have announced publicly that John Cassavetes and Ingmar Bergman are my two favorite filmmakers, and Christophe Kozlowski is slowly inching his way into that third. And when we started this to begin with, Stanley Kubrick was who I gave that name to. And I don't have any John Cassavetes movies or Ingmar Bergman movies in my top ten. So it's like in thinking about this, it's like there. And so all I'm saying is, I think at the end of the year when we do our top ten of the year, I'm, I'm going to come back to this pod with a revised top ten of all time. We I can shape mine up, too. We did it. That was our first ever episode, our top ten of all time. And then on our one year anniversary, we revised them. You only made one change. I made a few. I don't know if I would change anything. I'm pretty satisfied, but I where you're at, I was at, you know, when I was like 18. I mean, where I do like this massive overhaul and go, no, like scream one and two don't need to be in my top ten of all time like that. But you seen a lot more movies out, dude. Like, I know you love those, but like two as well. Like come on, come on and yeah yeah, yeah, it's seeing more and it's just getting more respect and gaining more respect in some in a top ten that it's a little more modern based. When you spend years discovering the art form, you start to see movies that influence that those and you're like, well, wait, exactly. And it doesn't mean that they are inferior or like you have to go with the original, but there's definitely validity that way. You're like, okay, if my favorite movie I like if someone loved his movies, he would always go, yeah, but go back and watch Jonathan do me, because that's my guy. Go back and watch Robert Altman. Yeah, like one battle after another is just that's my Robert Altman. I've heard him say, you know, stuff like that. So you may watch one battle after another and then go watch, I don't know, like the player or shortcuts. And you just see these parallels and that's then you go off. That's what Cassavetes does. Birdman. You keep going back and seeing all this shit. So I love it. Yeah, we'll we'll touch base on that. We'll, we'll talk about either toward the end of this year or we usually release our top ten in like February. Yeah. Whenever we record it. So. All right. But going back to this conversation, yes, I wanted to bring that this point up as well, is that maybe outside of there Will Be Blood because there Will Be blood got very critically well received, and it got all those Oscar nominees for the most part, PETA's movies have always kind of grown after the fact. Yes. Like everyone started coming around to like, you know, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk love. You know, I mean, even seeing some Licorice Pizza love now, which is pretty cool that it people have calm the fuck down, which is what I hoped would happen. And now people are starting to take that back and that that movie is going to be considered very, very good. Like in 20, 31, ten years after its release, people are going to understand that they were just on one for no reason, and they're going to go do it for what it is. But yeah, I mean, one battle after another is already his biggest box office hit. So it's. Yeah. Exactly. Right. So so this is a different beast altogether. And you kind of couple that into a year that's just really quite frankly. And the reason I bring up this whole entire thing about 2025, no one is taking any risks anymore. No one is being bullied. None in their work. And and this is the problem that I have. So it's not like I'm shitting on artists or I'm not shitting, I'm just. I'm shitting on the times. Yeah. Like we live in a time right now where? Damn it, we need to be bolder. Like, we need to, like, there's so much shit going on, and we're playing it safe in everything. And we did just get in this movie a truly unique artistic film expression. Yeah. And it has everything. It's got action, it's got humor, it's got real drama. It's got real love. And a lot of it is actually you know, I mean, there's not really I mean, you think about what's going on right now. There is not a movie that has even come close to touching in real time what is currently going on in our country right now. Yeah. And this movie doesn't I mean, it doesn't even make a big point about it. Nope. But it is just being like, hey, that kind of seem familiar, you know? So I mean, I'm all I'm saying is, is like when I'm looking at what's coming out this year in terms of movies, and you look like I did a Wikipedia like drop down of like, all right, give me all the 2025 movies. And I talked about this to you early before because you've obviously seen so much more than I have. But even when you look at the titles and you look at like, who the fuck is greenlighting these? Like, why? Like who is making who? Where is this money coming from that people are like, yes, let's go with this. And clearly it's not working. So it's like, why not throw some crazy shit at the wall and see if it sticks? Because movies can be better. Movies can be better. We're we're I yes, I absolutely endorse that. This generation coming up, these Gen Zs, they are the ones selling out the repertory theaters. Like when I go still see movies at Alamo, when I go to the older movies, those are always way more crowded than the new stuff, not one battle after another that was in there, but that's a post Covid thing, I think. I think that indicate. And we'll see. Like it's very, very interesting what's happened. What I'm seeing kind of happen to Licorice Pizza. I am seeing in a way that I've never seen before, Annie Hall be embraced in a way that is really kind of affirming because, you know, rest in peace, Diane Keaton. Very sad. Yeah, but there are a lot of people who are just out on Woody Allen for their own reasons. They have their opinions. Maybe they've researched it to death. Maybe they haven't at all. My wife happens to be one of those people. But after Diane Keaton died, I put Annie Hall on. She was my wife was just walking around the house, and five minutes in, she sat down and watched the whole thing. And she often throughout was like, this movie is fucking hilarious. And I went, I know, like it is. You may not like him, but it's good. And I'm seeing a lot of people go, you know, Annie Hall, really good movie. So I everything you're talking about like who's greenlighting this and everything just feels so commercialized and bright and it's really just an art form about making money. Now, more than anything, that's what it feels like to me. And we have to. I mean, we use this podcast when we talk about contemporary movies to pick out those what we consider diamonds in the rough, the onerous, the I mean, yeah, you know, these are like hard to find. They go on to win Oscars. But a lot of the movies, the new movies that we rep, they are few and far between. That is why we started the way. Why do Hollywood Film Project? Because I looked at the 2025 calendar and I'm like, there's not enough here to sustain. We have to go back. We have to. And yeah, you know, it's been a lot of fun, but yeah, thank God one battle after another is a diamond in the rough. Two. Yes. Yes, absolutely. And I think to and what's great is that it because it is so well received. But let's press on. Let's press on. Yes. Let's do it because, what's the movie about? You never really, you know, just to be crude because there's some people who may not know. It's about a, very crude, a former revolutionary who has to save his daughter. Yeah. I've heard Leo describe his character as this. Imagine the sixth most important person of a revolutionary group, and you meet up with that guy years later, like he's not the 1 or 2 most important person. He's, like, way down the line. And what is he doing years later? He's just like, bumming around, getting high, watching The Battle of Algiers for the 50th time. God, I love it. Yeah, and that's so great. We're going to go on as long as we can without any significant spoilers. But that's I mean, that's essentially what it's about. You know, that Leonardo DiCaprio is the star of it. It also stars Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor, newcomer Chase infinity is remarkable. We'll get into all those people. But I first did we've kind of touched on how we both, you know, solid are I've touched on how I saw it. Why don't we start with, since we know how we felt about the movie, how you saw it for the first time and just what we're going to this is going to be just the story time portion of the part. And I don't want to go too long. I want to do like five minutes per story because mine can be long. Your yours both could be long, but yeah, mine could be long. Yeah. Let's we'll try to tell you no time about it like five minutes. But this is really cool. Like, tell us how how you. I don't even know how you got tickets to this thing. I don't know what was done after. Give it to us. My acting class, which is an amazing frickin thing. There there was this woman in the class who was like, hey, I'm a part of the SAG voting committee, and they're having, like, a SAG members only, but it's like even more exclusive type thing to wear this. We saw this in the very beginning of September. Yeah. So the movie came out in September 26th. I probably saw this like the second or the third and so knew nothing about the movie. And I think we saw it in 70 millimeter. It was not Imax, but it was a really great looking theater. Probably one of the most comfortable theaters I've ever been into is right on the Warner Brothers lot. And, and I did not know that the entire cast and crew were going to be there or like PTA and the entire cast was there. And it was run by a really, really good and competent, question. Interviewer. Person very important, you know, because those Q&A is very important. I, I experienced two last night that were grade A. He knew what he was doing. It was very, very deep. You get someone up there who doesn't know or is nervous and it's hell. It's absolute hell. So yes. So we sat down to watch this thing and, you know, that first viewing of this is just as you're putting all those pieces together for yourself and going on the ride. And I think part of the greatness of this movie is that you're discovering for yourself in real time what it is. Yeah. And in anyone who knows too much about it, they put together things too quickly. Whereas with this, like when you're sort of like, wait, is this a comedy? Is this an action? Like, what exactly is this? But you don't have enough time to kind of let you just keep going, and the movie just takes care of you every step of the way, as a good filmmaker does. And then. So, yeah, and then the, cast comes out to they talk for like an hour. God, that's so cool. The casting director was there. They talked about. I mean, the thing is, is, like, I've come to find that this is, like, these are the same stories I'm hearing and, like, all these interviews, like how it took a very long time for Leo and PTA to finally work together. That this movie was waiting for Chase. According to PTA, he was like, we we tried casting this movie before Licorice Pizza. Yeah, I heard that, too. And we just could not find her. And he goes, we can't do this movie if she's not right. And so I think it's beautiful that, you know, this filmmaker of PTA who's in his 50s has been doing this for a while, says that this movie was waiting for Chase. And I was like, that's such a beautiful thing to say. And she really is like, everyone in the cast was like, she's just magic. You can just tell that radiating or her first shot, it radiates. You're like, yeah, who the fuck are you? Yeah. Yep, yep. And then Leo, he was even sort of like, yeah, as much as we wanted to do this, he's like, my dad worked with you before I. And Licorice Pizza and the waterbed salesman. Yeah. Yep. And and and then. But there was, there was this thing where, there was a crew member, and I forgot who he was. Adam. Some, the producer. Yeah. Who the who won battle after another is dedicated to because he died, unfortunately. And he produced a few of his last few movies. Yeah. And he was the, the champion of it. Trying to get the ball over, you know, the finish line. Yep. And and he terrible sports because he communicated that both to Leo and PTA, before he passed. And that was where they kind of were like, fuck it. He was like he's like, you guys got to fucking do this. Like. Like, if not now when? Yeah. And you know, I love that too, because sometimes that is what it is. It's sometimes it's sort of like, yes is a great idea. We'd love to do it. We're we're trying, we're trying. But then to like, be like, all right, let's fucking do this. The Revenant was ten years ago, and that was a grueling experience. Like, no one here is getting younger is what I think. It's kind of the, you know, this is a physically demanding movie on him. It just it really is. And no one's getting younger. So yeah, let's get out here and play. And did they have. Yeah. And so yeah. So that was my experience watching it. I got to take some cool photos with with the like there was a very I mean now they're everywhere, but like Leo with the booth, the telephone. Yeah. Yeah. So I had some cool shots doing that. Yeah. So that was my first experience seeing it and then not being able to talk about it for so long that was one battle. Yep. Bad. And you were very good. You didn't say a word to me. You just said, yeah. No, I know how this game goes. Yeah, it's going to be yay or nay. And I'm God damn. I was excited, and I went with, my buddy Igor. We. And we loved it first time. And he's gone back, once or twice. He. No, he's done three and I have five under me, and I'm not. I'm just going to say like, I'm not done. I don't even feel close to being done. My we're going to New York for a day in, in a few weeks. If it's only playing in two VistaVision theaters in the country, the one near you in the vista, which we'll get to in second, and then, one in New York. So I'm like, if I can if it's still there, I'm absolutely going to go to that. But what a great experience to see it with the cast and crew. They're like, you're in the same room as like PTA Leo fucking Sean Penn was there. Sean Penn's been a really good sport in the press about it. He's he's been, un cranky, which is nice to see. He's just kind of out there celebrating it. And he's a dude who loves, like, you know, he loves this art form, too. He doesn't like the bullshit that it's been commercialized into. But, you know, so yes, you saw it. The once and then I knocked out a few viewings. And then for your second viewing and my fourth, we were, oh God, we had such a fun thing planned. We're going to go to the Vista Theater. Theater? Tarantino owned to his hometown theater in my own neighborhood, Los Feliz. Your stomping ground. I was so excited. We had a few things planned. So on Saturday, I, What is this? Is that a week ago now? Two weeks ago. Jesus Christ, I'm telling you, I can't. Yeah, it had to be. Yeah. Two weeks ago. Took some medication for the first time and had a pretty severe allergic reaction to it that, you know, Sunday I'm like, I don't know, things are weird. Monday I'm like, taking naps, which I never do, but I'm that exhausted. I'm like, what's going on Tuesday? I wake up and I'm like, with Paltrow in Contagion, like, I'm not done. I'm fucking, I, I'm out of my body. I don't know what's going on. I fall over in the bathroom like just trying to get ready. I'm like, what the fuck is going on? When my wife eventually sees me, the first thing she says is we're calling 911, not. I'm taking you to the hospital like she. She's never seen me look like that. I hadn't looked at myself in the mirror because I was just so, like, out of it. And days extremely sick. Just I don't know what the fuck is going on. And in my bathroom, I had, like, this attack where because I couldn't really breathe and everything kind of cramped up. And I was like, man, that was weird. So that kind of brushed off. And then she said, I'm calling the ambulance I got. I was like, no, that cost too much money. This is how my brain works. Just drive me. Oh, they do. They fucking. Yes, they do that fucking bill. So we get in the car and I start to cramp up in a way, you know? And your foot's asleep. My whole body is like that, like that tingling thing. And then I have my. She's trying to talk to me, and I'm incoherent, and I have my head resting on her window because she's driving and that's the first time I see my face. And I know I was just trying to be funny with, like, the Gwyneth Paltrow Contagion thing. I'm not trying to be funny here. Like, I'm not the only reference point. I have my face looks exactly like the guy's face when he's having a stroke. And the diving bell and the butterfly. It is contorted in that horrific way. My mouth is like all. But it looks like I'm like possessed. My eyes are fluttering back. Then I got scared. I wasn't really like scared before, but I went. I didn't even recognize myself. And, And she's like, I'm. So she did, you know, this crazy illegal U-turn? Go home. She calls 911 because an ambulance needs to come. I get out of her car and somehow make it to my garage and just crash out. I'm done. Like, I'm, folded out on the garage floor. Fire truck. Paramedics, they all come. I can't, move any appendage, like everything's stuck in place, like. And my only reference point in life is movies. But what's going through my head is I'm like, I'm having a stroke. I mean, I can't, I can't. It's going to say I can't move, I can't breathe really stilted breathing, man. I mean, if you go in my garage, it fucking looks like Rocky Balboa lives here. Okay? I have all these different shit to punch, like. Oh, yeah, be like boxer guy. And then I'm just crashed out on the garage floor. So the paramedic is like you. You seem like you're in pretty good shape. He's like looking around. He goes, can you squeeze my hand? I couldn't, and he goes, no squeeze. And I went, I can't, man, but and I couldn't talk because my jaw wouldn't move. So I had to talk like this sounds bad. I have, never been more scared in my entire life. Never. I'm someone who prides myself on my on my health. I take good care of myself within, you know, reason I. But I do like I do workout every morning. I eat reasonably healthy. We both do. It's important to both of us and to crash out like that for no like I mean real reason. It was it was extremely scary. Second time I've been in an ambulance in my life. That was it. If anyone's listened to our most listened episode, the John Wick four podcast, where I solo recounted how I fainted in John Wick four. It's our number one. No, no, it's like a please listen to. I guess I'm just fucking rambling about. I'm like, fainted out of nowhere when that episode and that episode, as soon as they. I went to the E.R., Ali drove me to the E.R.. As soon as they hooked me up to the IV, that was like. It was like someone turned, black and white to color. I immediately felt better. So I'm really hoping that's what's going to happen, because tomorrow, the next day, this is happening. Me, this health scare on a Tuesday, Wednesday, 7 a.m., I'm flying out to Los Angeles to do a multiple a multitude of things with you least of which see my second favorite band, Haim and fucking La Kia Forum. Goddamn it. So that is in my head two and I am really up against that. Like fighting. I have to make it. Nothing helped. I didn't help nothing. It was. And I looked at my darling wife and I went, there's I can't get on a plane. She's like, but if you can just get on the plane, all you have to do is sit on the planet. I'm like, you don't understand. I can't walk the amount that it takes in the airport. Like you have to, like, walk in an airport. You can't help that. I'm not going to get a wheelchair. I mean, and even if I did, you still have to do some. I wouldn't be able to walk from wherever the hell an Uber let us out to the Kia forum. Like how I couldn't walk, I couldn't do anything. And, you know, they ran every test imaginable and diagnosed me with. Are you ready? Generalized weakness. Thanks, guys. Oh my God. Go home and relax. They said that all my lab tests were. I was one of the healthiest people I've had that day. Like, everything is flying colors. You everything you pass with. So I don't know. And the reason why I'm bringing this up, the main reason is I want to talk about the the feeling that I was having a stroke and not being able to move. That was because of hyperventilation. I pride myself again on breathing. I don't meditate every day, but I wish I did. I know how to breathe through the nose, hold out like I know how to do that. And this. I was stuck in this stilted pattern because my brain would not let me calm down. So doing. I get that for an hour. You deplete. You just deplete all your. I think you said carbon monoxide. So then everything cramped up. So I was the cause of my own cramping and my own panicking. And at one I learned that I felt much better and I just wanted to share that information. Just, you know, if that happens to anyone. And and what happened in the garage is I had a full blown panic attack. That's what, like, the worst I've ever had, where I mean, I did change my shirt because I sweat through it and I, I've had panic attacks before, but I have never had. It was thinking you are. You are in the midst of a stroke. You're going to die when really it was. Bro, just control your breathing. And by the time I got to the E.R., the paramedic had help control my breathing. And it was, you know, I still left in rough shape, but I couldn't travel anywhere that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the concert was on Thursday. Where that's all like one day to me. I mean, I've never slept that much. I've never. There were a lot of tears. It was it was rough. And I'm still not at 100%, so can't eat a full meal. Still, you know, I'm so glad to be talking about this with you. But yeah, it was it was really hard because with that excitement of like going to the concert, going in the movie comes with me. A when that gets taken away, a fucking crippling depression that I just have to lean into and I cannot help it. And it really got it got me far more than it would a quote unquote normal person. And I was fucking devastated. I was so hurt. And it's, you know, whatever, first world problems, whatever. But I, I accepted that it happened. You still got to go to the show. You got to take friend of the pod. Anthony I love Anthony. And I'm like, go, please have fun. And you did. And then for the next part of the adventure, when we were supposed to go to the Vista Theater, I'll just say, well, I'll let you talk about that and then I'll share my opinions on that. But maybe it was a good idea that I wasn't there. I'll just say that. But yeah, it was, when it slowed me down. I've never had a bigger. I've ever had a bigger health scare in my life. I've never it it just it's one of those things, you know, I'm, freshly 40, been 40 for a few months. I'm a healthy guy, and it just hit me out of nowhere during the workweek, during the worst week. Like, I'm busy as shit at work, too. I already had the time scheduled to be off, but like that Tuesday, I had a lot of shit to do and I did none of it. And it just happens. Sometimes it's wild and ever. You were really great, you know, via text. And my dad was great. My wife had to take care of me. It's just not a role. I'm very I'm not out like that. I've never been out like that. And, I mean, it's also the worst pain I've ever felt. Like the pain of that. I've never felt like when you get a fucking Charley horse in your foot or something, that was all over my body was in my jaw, and my brain was like, you're fucking dying. Like you are in shut down mode. It's over. And, you know, here we are. We're here October 18th. We're both alive. And yeah, that. So that is, just how I've been lately. That's why the pod has been a little irregular with releasing stuff. It was. It was crazy. I'll tell you what, though. I crushed some great tape. Great people, epic, epic films. Because when I am sick, I will. I do not want it easy. I want grueling, long, tough, hard. I'll go real quick to. And then you can tell us your story. Here we go. Sorcerer. Treasure of the Sierra madre. 12 Years a Slave. The Revenant, Fincher's girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Apocalypse Now, The Battle of Algiers, Z. The Wages of Fear, Executive action, JFK, what a great double feature. Fuck. Inglorious Bastards, Three Days of the Condor, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Django Unchained in the Wild Bunch finished it with Annie Hall. That was my sick binge. It was great. So yeah, you know, here we are. Here we are. We're we made it. Oh my God. But yeah. What a what a fucking time, man. Oh, Jesus. Well, man I mean yeah we were like that from my end. I mean, I'm just so happy that you're doing better and that you're here. Yeah. Because that's that's about as scary as it gets, to be honest. Like, it does like it. Yeah. You like you said, like first world problems and things like that. But at the end of the day, when you're having that kind of physical reaction, that's real. That's. And, yeah, we were in communication. But I also knew, you know, you were only kind of like capable of texting the way that you could and when you could and trying to figure out plans. And to me, like, like I was texting you, I was like, it, nothing matters except you being healthy. That's. Yeah. And at the end of the day, like, and it's just it's still true. And and texting with Allie and and things like that. Yeah. Like we were all there to do what needed to be done in every single regard and, and, Yeah. And I was worried, and I also knew and I don't think is probably out of line for me to say too, like, I just know you so well, and I know when you're dealing with depression that sometimes, like, there's, there's like, I could kind of tell, like you were just giving me, like, the facts and the information. And I knew now to kind of like, press anything and just sort of, kind of just like let you voice it out and then just like, let you know that it's, you know, as best I could, it's all good. And just to kind of tread that line and, because that's another thing about like, depression is like, you know, for anyone out there that knows people that go through it, it's very important to know, like how to be there for that person in the ways that they need it. I'll just say, yeah, I'll just say this. You are the best I've ever met at it. It's something it's a little I mean, for me personally, it's a little harder. There are challenges when it's your romantic partner and I know it's very it can be challenging for Allie sometimes because you can't see that shit. You can't see it. And I if I'm in a spell, I'm not good at communicating it. And now she is. Now we're nine and a half years into this. She's like expert at pulling it. But yeah, it's not like don't try to you just got to let the person spin out a little bit and go like, I'm going to be safe. I'm not. There's not going to be any harm that's going to come. It's just like I need to kind of spin out and being like, no, it's going to be okay. No, it's it's like not, it's not, it's not, it's not like it's going to fucking suck for like 4 or 5 days. That's up. Yeah. Yeah. And and and to and also knowing that like even when you were going through that if you needed to text about something that you would. Yeah. And and so it's like okay let, let let's let let this process happen. And but yeah, time was great. I'm so glad you got to. I did get to I got to see him at Madison Square Garden with Taylor, and then I got to see him at Merriweather Post Pavilion, two great venues with Ali. So I did get two shows, but they're I mean, they're already done. They're in Europe now, so if I, I don't know if they're going to come back or if it was a pretty quick tour. They didn't do too many. But, you know, I'm so glad you got to go. I wanted to see them with you again, obviously, but I'm so glad. Oh, man. And and and honestly, like, you know, thinking about, like, if you were to brave it out that day would have been impossible because, yes. Of how much walking of how much standing, like they really they kept us, like, in, like, like sectioned off. We could only go to certain areas. And there was a lot of waiting there, but there was nowhere to sit. There was nowhere to do anything. But all that being said, Anthony, who is, the my friend that I took in your stead was unbelievably appreciative and grateful, as was I. And I told him I was like, listen, this is a big deal that we're here. And, to just. And he was familiar with Haim. He just didn't understand. It wasn't until he was experiencing them live. And we had been actually going to shows at the forum all throughout this entire summer. And he went to me and he goes, dude, this is the best show. Like, I he's like, you're insane. He's like, I can't believe how great they are. And and I looked over remarkable a couple times and he was just like jaw dropped into it. He didn't know all the lyrics and that's okay. You don't even I don't know like all the lyrics for some things, but he was so into it in the way that I hadn't seen him in any show that we've been to the entire summer. So that's a testament to him, but also a testament to you that those tickets did not go to waste and that fun was had. And, and then and then it's a good thing you weren't at the Vista. Let's go right into it the next day when I'm in bed still and. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I just I got a text from you right as I was going to bed Saturday night, and then I woke up to another long message from you. And I was like, what the fuck is this? So hit it with a hit us with, I mean, I, I wrote, I wrote a very well eloquently said story about this that I sent to you and like a couple of other people, like my stepdad and not my mom, because my mom would not my mom would still and she still doesn't know she listens to this pod shoulder. But so, I don't know, I feel like I know that this is a very, like, touchy subject because this is a fear a lot of people have. And it's a it's just a it's just a real fucking thing. So I go to see one battle after another at the Vista Theater. The only the only theaters is playing from the tickets that you got went by myself. It's about 250 in the afternoon show. I'm like, third row onto this side. There's two exits. And I feel like the fact that I'm even referencing where there's exits, maybe. But people can kind of understand what might happen here. We're about two thirds into the movie, and we're actually weirdly, right before the scene, there was a police sequence going on, and then all I hear that wasn't the sound from the movie. It was something deeper and more alive. Was a bellowing police coming down the aisle way, and everyone around me jolted by the fucking police here, like, what's happening? Yeah. And then this wiry off, woman, walks erratically down the aisle away. And it was her that yelled this. She sits in the front row. She's got this backpack. She's in the front row. No one else is there. And she's yelling at the movie. And so everyone sort of is like, all right, this is the thing. And I'm sort of like, all right, so there's a thing happening here. Someone goes to try to get somebody, these two ushers come down and they try to get this woman to leave. She goes on the defense, she's yelling at them. Now, no one is watching the movie. Everyone is watching what's happening right here. Now. She's like standing up, facing the audience. And she's literally got like one hand pointed in one direction at one usher, one at the other. She's like, back the fuck up. You go that way, you go that way. This, that, this, that. She reaches into her back, she goes, there's a bomb in here, and I have a gun and I'm going to shoot everyone. Oh. Boy, before she could even finish all of that, the rumble that I felt of that theater started in the back, and it was like a ripple wave. Like it was sound movement that all of a sudden was coming from behind me. And so. And I just didn't even look. I go, oh, everyone is getting the fuck out of here. So I start fucking duck walking under like behind the row that I'm in. I make a run for the exit door. And there, there was a couple that was right next to me. They went off in a different direction than they saw the direction I was going in, and they changed pass. I bolt in through this curtain to the exit, but in this exit it's pitch black, can't see shit. And I was like, well, there's so yeah. And I was like, I'm making out that there's like tools and tables and ladders and I was like a goddamn fucking maintenance closet in here. There's got to be a fucking exit. But there's no sign, there's no light, there's no anything. And I'm leading the way. And I can feel that there's people behind me. So I'm like, all right, I got to fucking find this goddamn fucking door. It's here somewhere. Has to be. But people are tripping over my feet. And I remember I like, felt somebody. And I was like, holding their arm up and. And then I find a little light crack front coming from the bottom. It like that has to be the door. So I was like, it's over here, guys, go press open this door. We go out. There's no way to know which way to go, because all we're seeing is like recycle bins, trash bins, a giant fence and two different directions to go in and neither of them look like real exits. I make a left and there was no way out. We got to the end of this little like corridor where there's still this fence that there's no way to climb. You can't. Yeah, yeah, like we could like I was I was like, all right, fuck it. If I got to try it. But they're just bars. There's no traction. There's no way. It's not like, you know, something where you could really kind of grab a hold. They can grip. Yeah, yeah. And, and then at the very top there, it curved down. And then the only other door, there was no handles. So there were four of us now. And we're sort of just with each other. And I was like, well, there's really no move here because either we try to trip, but like, meanwhile I'm thinking is, you know, that, you know, I don't think this person has a bomb, but going off the given information, I'm like bracing for an impact. I'm thinking about like what? And I'm like, based on it, it wouldn't actually be safe to try to go back. We have to just sort of sit here and sort of like, wait this out. We're huddling together, not talking, but there's like a shared sort of like understanding of what's happening. Then the fucking lady comes down our way. And I was like, oh, all right, well, this is how this is it. This is going to go. And then me and the other guy, we just both of us stand. We're not being confrontational. We're just telling her there's no way out of here. You're looking for an exit like this. It's not this way. Just calm down and try to find another way out. Like trying to speak to her is a way to get her to realize, like, we're not here to fight. We're. We're like. But there, if you are looking for a way out, we're telling you there is no way out here. You have to go back home. She was muttering a bunch of shit, and she was like, reaching into the bag. And I was like, fuck, fuck, fuck. So but all we could do is then my head, the only thing we can do is try to make her feel safe. She went out. Don't know where she went. We're hearing police sirens and then the usher comes and finds us and he goes, it's safe. We go out with him and he escorts us to the very front of the theater, where everyone from the theater is gathering. The cops are there. Everyone is sort of trying to assess how they are. I got a fucking hand it to all of those people in that theater. It's a scary situation where no one knows what to do. And I mean, everyone did the right thing, like a threat was assessed, but no one got hurt. No one trampled over anybody, no one, fought no one. You know, we were all sort of doing what we needed to do, but we were also kind of there for another. And all I knew was I didn't want to leave, which is crazy. That was the feeling that I was having. I don't know if they're going to restart this movie, but I really don't want to just walk home right now. Like, that's what I don't want to do.

I it's only like 4: 1:02:39

00 in the afternoon, still light out, but I just don't want to walk. I just want to. And then they, they, they the people came out and they're like, all right, everyone, for anyone interested, we're going to pick up the movie from where it left off. Everyone is welcome. We're going to lock the doors. The police are here. A lot of people did not want to stay. And it's understandable. I remember walking back in and like, thanking like the staff. Yeah, very, very glad personally that we're starting the movie again because I just need to kind of decompress and chill here. And it took like 10 or 15 minutes for the movie to start. But I got to like ground myself in my seat. Movie started back up and by the end of that fucking movie, I was in it and I was very happy. I was thinking cinema for being able to, in an immediate situation, transport me back to its world so I could take a break. Show must go on, show must go on and when it was over, I went to our favorite spot. Desert Rose, got myself a hookah, got myself a drink, got myself your favorite pizza. Which I think is the worst pizza in all of L.A. but I did it for you. Every bite of that fucking shitty pizza. We think it's like, the only thing I can eat there. I know, but I like kabobs and shit. I can't, and it's just by order, by default. And so I just typed out a story about this, which I sent to you and a few people and, and then, of course, I was sort of like, you know, Roof man comes out this weekend. Think I'm going to go and see that right now. So like literally at the end of like, this crazy situation, I spent three hours eating and drinking and smoking hookah alone and then get a ticket to go to the AMC to go see Roof Man later that night, or talk about roof and when we get there. But when I told the story that you just told to my wife. Oh, and that's her fear. I know it as well. That. Yeah, that's a fear of her, but, of hers. But especially that you came face to face with the culprit outside. She put her head down and said, I'm sorry that you couldn't go on your trip, but I am so happy you were not there for this, because you would have gotten yourself arrested, like you would have overreacted. And I'm like, I don't know. I would have assessed, but you can't, it seems. And just a few clarifying points. You believe she snuck in and was under the influence. Maybe, chronically one of a person like that, which is not uncommon in that neighborhood. You'll see some people running around screaming, but I don't think they would have sold her a ticket. No, I think she snuck in. It's up for what it sounds like. Maybe she like, I don't know, heard the police sirens in the movie and that, like, triggered her. And then she went in and was, like, kind of went off on you can't. But they took her and and and everyone was safe and. Yeah, I'm I'm glad. I'm, I'm glad no one overreacted. That's. Yes. Good. We both had crazy ass weeks. That's really the only way to like, sum it up. It was, you know, we were supposed to have fun together, and then we were separated by illness in a country, and that's just the way it goes. But, you know, I'm glad we had some fun story time there. We're gonna get back to the movie. Was it five minutes for each of us? I know, I know, I know, but you know what? It's one battle after one battle after another baby. Like I said, this is his 10th film. It's his first film since since Punch-Drunk love 23 years ago, to be set now in a contemporary setting. Pretty crazy to think about, he wrote this for 20 years. It is his biggest film by far in terms of budget, a reported 150 million or 140 million. You know, it's kind of in that range, but that's 100 million more than any other movies made. This is based on a Thomas Pynchon novel like Inherent Vice. What I am gathering I have not read Inherent Vice, but you've told me this because I think your mom read it. That movie is a literal like word for word adaptation. Adaptation of it, which is probably what makes the movie challenging. Intentionally, though I will say every time I go back to it now that I'm like, hey, whatever. Like I put it on, I find it extremely enjoyable, way more than I did when it came out as a hangout movie, not as something to figure out and pick apart. I was so impressed by one battle after another, and by character names such as Perfidy of Beverly Hills, Stephen J. Lockjaw. I'm like, man, Pynchon must be just like this genius. Like, this is hilarious. So I, I bought Vineland, the audiobook that it is based on, and I made it one chapter and went, this is nothing like the movie. Nothing. I mean, he has taken I see I'm almost done with it now, but I mean, no character names are the same. There are lines of dialog here and there, like the like when the nun says you, you know, have to make your own food and clean up your own shit. That stuff's in there. There are little things, but it is not. It's not even it's not set at the same time. It's set in the 80s. It's so completely different. What I've heard him say, PTA, is that Pynchon kind of gave him the license. Like just you know, adapt the vibe of it. The movie, like, you don't have to. It doesn't have to be literal. I mean, the book as written is completely Unadaptable wouldn't even be. It wouldn't even be good. And I'll say he even though it's an audiobook, it's not. I get what he's doing. I get his style. The style is not for me. I can't necessarily say I find it enjoyable. It's a lot of doubling back, a lot of very satirical writing, like I get it, but it's extremely verbose, just his writing style. And so if anything, I know you said like he it's a lock, but for his Oscar stuff, Best Adapted Screenplay is the one that I think is the most obvious here. And it's like people. I mean, he adapted an Unadaptable novel and it has wide appeal and reminds me of L.A. confidential. When I read that book, I was like, Jesus, how did they adapt this? And I mean, the book is it's so much bigger than the movie, and they've crammed it all in the movie. So that's just amazing. It's amazing how it's not literal that the adaptation, the, at the screening with, PTA, he talked about, I think he's gone on to say this where he was like, this was an original idea of his that he hit, but there were just too many things about this book, Vineland that he loved and one to incorporate to make his original idea complete. But he's like, so he's like, in no way is this like an adaptation, like Inherent Vice was. But he's like, but I feel like I borrowed enough from Vineland to where it had to be, like credit needed to be given, just like there will be blood. I read oil by Upton Sinclair. He basically borrows like it takes a few of the plot mechanics. And then that. Ladies and gentlemen, I traveled over a half hour saying he takes like that monologue, but there's yeah, boy is not there will be blood. But it is enough that you have to give it credit. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I mean, that would be street thievery. He'd get sued. So yeah. But then I guess that also leads to like the if you're talking about adaptation, where do you really give the award? Do you give the award for like, oh, here's just like a little bit of, like I have to like, sort of like include this as an inspiration or do you award something that's like, truly adapted from the source material into a film that works on a level of an Academy Award? The easy answer here is it'll just come down to popularity. That's what it comes down to. These these voters. These voters aren't seeing the movies, let alone reading the source material. Are we fucking kidding? They're not doing that at all. So it just, you know, that's why I'm nervous about this, Hamnett. I'm worried about. I'm worried about a lot. Because, you know, if one battle after another does not win either picture, director or screenplay, I'm not even going to throw a fit because they've given me Oppenheimer and Nora. Like, truly, I'll be a little upset, but honestly, I'll just go, wow, they do not like him. The opposite of Sally field, like they do not like this guy. They do not like his films. And that's I mean, there are a lot of the biggest directors who don't have a director. Oscar, or they have one picture. Fincher, Tarantino. It'll just be so blatantly obvious. So we'll we'll see. Row eye on it. It's a lot. It's a lot. It's a lock jaw. In addition to Leo playing Bob Ferguson, a former revolutionary who's thrust into action and has to save his daughter, played by newcomer Chase infinity. But Leo is fantastic, as you might guess. Yes, Teyana Taylor is remarkable as his onetime flame prophet of Beverly Hills Sean Penn is Sean fucking Stephen Jay Lockjaw. Wow. Chewing the hell out of every single scene, knowing exactly what he's doing. And this is I mean, this dude does not do comedy a lot and it is fucking great. And we all know Sean Penn is we all know the Sean Penn ness of it all, the outspokenness. We all know that. And this dude is probably going to get nominated for it. Oh dude, I think he's going to go there. Look look at like hey UB here, I mean it. He is so good. And there are I've seen it five times now. Five different audiences there are at least two guaranteed laugh lines in the movie and both involve him. If we're just talking from like, pure acting right here, you know, I know you said he doesn't do comedy, but, you know, this is the thing about this is the way that Leo treats comedy. This is the way that every actor should treat comedy is that it's not funny to them. Exactly. They are living the true drama of their situation, of their circumstances. But when you look at what Sean Penn's done here, like the characterization, the walk that he's formed, the the the the the the the, isms, because he does this thing with his mouth, he does this thing, he's got these little twitches. This is a truly full, fleshed out human being. Oh, yeah. And it's what makes his performance so compelling is because you just believe every single thing of it. And when you're presented with the audience, with those contradictions, those hypocrisies, it just adds to the overall point of the movie. It's just a brilliant, brilliant performance. And and to go to Leo to, another thing where here's a great example of when the movie really starts for Leo. He's just got one goal. It's one thing. Yeah. Get his daughter. Yeah. That's it. Get his daughter back. He's letting all of that. Like that roller coaster. Sometimes he's brave, sometimes he's not. Sometimes he's frustrated. Sometimes he's sad. Like, I mean, he's just the guy just going and. But not once does the comedy happens. But it's not. It's at his expense. Knotted his doing. Yes. Absolutely. And and the other the flip side of the Stephen Jay Lockjaw coin is sensei, played by the great Benicio Del Toro and just one of the coolest, smoothest, like, apparently he brought a lot to this character. All of his stuff was him. The, you know, Latino Harriet Tubman here. All free men, all free. No cash. Like just ocean waves. Ocean waves. He comes in in a brilliant way. And all other members of their group, the French 75, we have Regina Hall, wood Harris, Alana, Haim, God and my wife love seeing Alana Haim make out with Avon Barksdale and Shaina McHale. She was great. And then you get some other people who show up like Tony Goldwyn, who could come in for two scenes and just absolutely fucking kill it. Jim Downey, two guys I had never seen before. George, who can knocker as this guy? Tim. And I'm not even going to say any more about him. And then my man, my main fucking man. James Waterman as Danvers, the guy who's in charge of all the interrogations. Oh, yeah, that guy. I'm getting chills right now. He has never been in a movie. And as soon as he started and he started interviewing, interrogating the first guy, I leaned back in my chair and I went, that guy is real, that he is not acting and, you know, hi. And then when he makes a joke and he's like, I love it, motherfucker. Sitting on plastic in a container and he's still got jokes. It's someone who is so quietly menacing. But even when he's interrogating the kids, he never insults their appearance. You know, some of them have names you probably used to. Some of them are. He probably isn't used to seeing a lot of boys and make up stuff like that. He never pokes fun at that. Nothing ever. He just says, tell me the truth, you're out of here in 10s, lie to me and we have a problem. And he has this authority and this weight behind him that I thought was so believable. And I loved him. I fucking loved this guy. He's like, you know. Yeah, I'm not afraid of you. He goes, you know, I appreciate that. If I was in this situation, I don't think I'd be afraid of me either. But your sister might be it just. And he knows he has this ace. I'm going to threaten your sister, and I'm going to threaten her in a way that I'll send my guys there to go capture her and bury her in a fucking desert, and you'll never know. Like no one will ever know. You know, it's. It's the reason why that hand is played all the time. It's because it's it's. You start threatening somebody that you care about. Then everything that you defend and protects it all of a sudden becomes expendable real fast. Yep. Think about like they go break up a dance, a high school dance, and they start interviewing the kids. Police officers are not allowed to interrogate minors without a parent present or guardian present. But this is a military. They're just throwing all that out. They don't give a shit. There's. Yeah, it's I mean, the military mobilization, the tactics they're using, it's all very, pertinent to now. And I've been I went on an IMDb tear. A lot of those military guys, I'm talking about the guys who have lines there. Clearly, this is what they do because this is their first movie. Like this is that one guy, when they break into the shop and he's like, I need to go kinetic. It's just a great line delivery. But they sound so military. And Sean Penn fits in where I'm like, believe me, I know people like this just in my personal work. I know the types, I know the types I do, and I've seen them. The key is that the casting director has said that for all of these types of roles, they did just go to the occupation. Okay, so every nurse in those hospitals, they just you can tell. You can tell. Yeah. It's the way they talk. Yeah. And then Jim Downey, the guy, we want to get rid of lunatics, haters and punk trash. Do you know who that is? No, but I love him. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having. Listen. No, there's no point. Oh my God. Yeah. So he also plays. Don't be in front of me, al. And there will be blood. He's al, the real estate guy in there. But now that lot can be God. No, I'll go to him myself. Don't be thick in front of me, al. Yeah, it's that great. He's so good. He's so good that that's. That's a line that got a laugh in every single screen. But the two of them, you got to like, we got to this, this. And punk trash and punk trash. No lunatics. Score by the great Jonny Greenwood. Not as bombastic as other stuff. In the first time I heard it, I was like, okay, I don't know how much, and now I'm just obsessed. Like, it is. So propulsive and it still has quieter themes. But I mean, they are these two are married. This is the sixth movie in a row that he's done the score well, like you, I it's hard to imagine a movie without him. And and this is a movie that's very similar. And Oppenheimer where there's, I mean, you you would know a little bit better, but I was trying to clock it. There's always music. Is it my am I am I wrong? Almost always not. Not like a couple sets. That's a PTA thing. No. You go rewatch Magnolia. Oh, yeah. Yeah. The music does not stop a lot. Yeah. Like, Dun dun dun dun, yeah, that goes on for, like, fucking 20 minutes. Like they're just going. So it is, there's a lot of score throughout, like in conversations. But also of course, he knows exactly when to withhold it and take it away. Yeah. Just to hear the the silence. Yeah. The cinematography. Let's focus on that for a little bit by Michael Baumann. He was the co DP with PTA on Licorice Pizza. But he's done a lot of gassing and lighting since the mid 90s. He worked on The Master, Inherent Vice and Phantom Thread. One battle after another was shot on 35mm. Film using VistaVision cameras VistaVision basically a higher resolution kind of 35 millimeter film originally created by Paramount in the 50s. Normally, a film camera, the film runs through vertical, so picture like an eye, but in VistaVision the film is turned sideways and it runs horizontally, lets the camera capture a much larger image on the negative, about twice the amount of film per frame nerd stuff over, but it looks great. And then the editing by Andy Jurgensen, who has edited all of the high music videos, which means so much to me. He edited Licorice Pizza. This is a movie that understands just Mason salt, the when to hold a shot like which shot to have when to cut away from it. The pure cinema scene that I referenced way in the beginning. It you want those shots to go on for longer, but they don't and it's great. They just keep I mean, it is so well taken care of. I mean, the editing is just truly great because of just the way that they structure this whole entire pacing of this movie. It's yeah, that's what I'm going to get into next, just a little bit without spoilers. But yeah, yeah, it's so well paced. You never I mean, the first part is 30 minutes and it's a very distinct like part. That's it's 30 minutes. And then the second part is another 30 minutes when we see, you know, Chase for the first time and we see her until Leo gets the phone call, that's a 30 minute block, the phone call that starts the plot in motion, happens an hour in and we have 100 minutes of movie left. So you're seeing like a feature length film of this very simple plot. Father needs to save daughter. You're seeing that go out in motion. But exactly 35 minutes after he gets the phone call, we have a scene that takes place, a secret meeting in a basement, which kicks off a whole other plot gear. And then 35 minutes after that, we have the pure cinema moment that I'm talking about. And then there's about 15 minutes left in the movie, and you're done. And it's these great and nothing. No scene takes too long like it just you're moving, moving, moving. It's fantastic. It's it really is so well assembled. So yes, we're giving this our highest endorsement. We're going to jump some fun categories here. We're going to do top five Leo updated and to updated rankings 10 to 1. All of them. Where will one battle after another fit away. We're oh we do. Are we doing are we doing all of PETA's movies? Is an updated ranking or thought we just top five doom all? Nicolas oh fuck. Dude, I gotta we gotta get some time. I thought it was top five. I saw, I saw top five. Leo. And then I was like, oh, it must be top five. All right, I got you. I got you all right. Are you okay? Are you okay? Yeah. Have your four. I have your former ones here. What we did, I listened to our Peter. So good episode. I was very happy with. It was one of our. I love that one. Okay. And held up. All right. Cool. Let's do top five. Leo. First, because I had some fun with this. Well, it doesn't matter what we do, but I need to preface this Leo conversation with a quick nick dose still situation. Is this going to take ten minutes? I hope not. Okay, so do I. When I look back at like my younger self and who has been the actor in my life that I have probably grown up watching and idolizing? And even before I knew I wanted to be an actor, it's Leo. I saw Basketball Diaries and at a very young age, something switched for me when I saw his performance and I didn't really have like a revelation of it's like, oh, I think this is what I want to do. I looked for everything he did. This boy's life was such a huge movie for me growing up. Romeo and Juliet, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, young Leo I have to say that because if we're doing a top five, Leo, then it really needs to be understood. For all the mad movie buffs that this is a guy for me, this is like probably the guy. I dig it, I dig it, then just go right into it and give me your 5 to 1, and then I'll do my 5 to 1. I don't care for this movie very much, but god damn it. Actually, that means a lot when you put that performance there. It does. Yeah. If you can separate the movie from the performance because sometimes it's different. I'm not the biggest fan of J. Edgar either, but I know you love it. So that's for number five. Really bad man. And you're going to think I'm crazy because a lot of people like this movie, but I, I'm not a very big fan of it. Django Unchained number. Really I same for me. That's my number one. Yep. Oh, Candy. Let's go. I mean the performances you kind gonna. You're to be careful here because you said you can put on any well, cute movie any time you put it on and I. That's the one I can't put on Hateful Eight any time. And I cannot put on Django any time. And as I've learned, just showing my wife Inglorious Bastards for the first time in 4K, which she liked. But that chapter three, when we meet the movie theater owner and that that is long ending with her with Shoshanna meeting Landa again, which is a great scene. But she said, like, that's stretching me. I mean, that's a that's German and French in the middle of a Tarantino movie for like 35 minutes, and it kind of lags a little bit. I love all of his movies. Don't get me wrong, but I agree with you. With Django, I think I like it more than you, but it is. It's Tarantino like flex and gone. Now that I got the money, watch what I'm going to fucking do. And it doesn't. I don't know if it makes for the most exciting rewatches over and over and over, but when I tell you folks how many times I've seen Phantom Thread, wow, like I can, that's an any time thing, any time. But you know, we're so that's the I'm I'm just surprised because that is not only my number five. I'm surprised that you qualified it that way too. When you're like, that's not really for me, but I get it. I get but no, that's the performance of his that's truly undeniable. Like, he really, really is great in that. Yeah. The meanest thing he did I think so. All right, all right. Number four, a movie that I fucking champion over and over again and I don't care. To me, it's actually his most vulnerable performance. Well, no, I don't know if I can say that, but I love his performance in Revolutionary Road. Great pick, great pick that the sequel to Titanic isn't. Well, so if you lived if Jack survived, that was their future and didn't age for a little bit. Yeah, well, then I'm glad he died. I'll put it that way. You're glad you sank, buddy, because that is a fucking grueling. Yeah, that he's great in that. Yep. Oh. Are you going to do. We already started this. Okay, yeah. I'll go. I've actually watched my top five in the past two weeks. I don't know why. I just did my number for The Revenant. I don't want to keep qualifying it. I thought I was tired. Yeah, I thought I'd put it a little higher. Great performance. It is. It is a grueling performance of physicality. There is virtually no range in the performance at all, which is not the design of it. There's no you know, it's like, yeah, one mode, I get it. But it's as far as like Mountain Man performances go, Jeremy Johnson, things like that. It's it's great. I love it I, you know, perfect performance. But when I've gone back and rewatch his stuff I'm like, I like him personally more in other things, which I'll get to. Did you know he won the Academy Award for that? Okay, I do, I do. That was ten years ago. It's fucking took long enough. Should have done it two years earlier. All right. This is one that I have given a lot of thought to this. And the same amount of thought that I've given to why it's my second favorite movie of all time. His performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is my number three. It's just fantastic. It's just like when I go every time I go back and rewatch him in that. And I've seen this movie now we're probably really into we're into the 20s, for sure. I love everything about that movie, but that performance is something that for me, watching him gets better and better and better every time he's he's doing so much there and there's so much, a lot. And it's all working. It's he's he's firing on all cylinders with that performance. And it's my number three. Love it, love it. My number three from here on out it's one battle after another. Wow I love it. Oh yeah I love the top five. It did. There is you do you're going to. People might catch a vibe of my 321. There is an accessibility. He has played a dad before Revolutionary Road. He's a dad. He's played a dad. Not like this. This was so I mean, I oh, God, I just believed everything I get, I it was, it was really quite beautiful. I thought the relationship he and Chase had, it's really, really beautiful and I it's not a word I would attribute much to his acting beauty. Not necessarily. And I really thought, I mean, he's a fucking idiot, don't get me wrong. But I love that to you. As messy, like he was fucking, you know? Well, I got a little high. I mean, he's great and yeah, I, I say that knowing that it's a brand new movie, but I loved him in it. I love him as Bob Ferguson. I do too, I really do. It was, I watching him mature as an actor over these years, he's gotten to a level of honesty in his work over the last couple of performances. That is just really beautiful to watch. And so I know what you mean when you say beautiful because this is just an honest perform everything he's doing. Yeah, yeah. Like he's not the like once upon a time. Like there's a lot of character driven stuff that he's doing. But this is just a guy that's just. I've spent the last 30 of my years smoking and drinking, and I kind of forgotten a lot of shit. And so when all of this is just pure honesty and it's just Leo being as honest in his work as I've ever seen. Can't disagree with it. Can't deny it. Love it. I am a drug and alcohol alcohol lover. Yeah. The number two, Leo. Number two. Number two. It's the movie I brought up in the beginning of this conversation. Basketball diaries. Yeah. I challenge everyone to go and watch that movie. It's an indie from 1995. It was. It was the movie that kind of put him on the map a little bit. I think without it he doesn't get Romeo and Juliet, which then you don't get to Titanic. So this was the movie that sort of made him, an actor to a young actor to look out for. I mean, there's still to me, will never be a more emotionally gut wrenching, ripping scene than when he's chained out to his mom, which is an inside trying to get into to get money from his mom. And she locks him out. That right there is just I, I man, great pic, great pic. It's hard for me to it was hard for me to let go of that one in the top five and not include it for all the reasons you mentioned. My number two, for all the reasons you mentioned. Once upon a Time in Hollywood. Yeah. Abby Holden, Rick fucking Dalton. Yeah. Number one, will it be the same? It absolutely will. What will it be? And what say you? Oh, I already know what Wall Street. Yeah. Jordan fucking Belfort. So what I've noticed and what I never put together until this month. His first comedic performance was The Wolf of Wall Street. That I never really put together that it like it was then. Since then, he's done a few. I consider Hollywood one. I consider one battle after another. Yeah, performance and don't look up. And I am clearly much more drawn to his comedy. Not not much more. I love Basketball Diaries, but you said it like there is a maturity. We've seen him grow as an actor and he is raw to the bone. The Basketball Diaries, and I love that performance and I love that scene. You said, but he's just in a whole new league now. I mean, he's remarkable. And Wolf of Wall Street was way when it was released. I was surprised it even got nominated for Oscars. It didn't win any. It was just too crazy. But that was his Oscar. He should have won for that. I'm glad he won for The Revenant, but he should have won for that. And it is an endlessly rewatchable movie. And, yeah, I mean, that made my top 25 of the century. I love a bit it it's, But again, there's another example of him, not all the time, but he's not playing the comedy. He he. Yeah. No, he's not, he's not just playing the material. Just playing the material like you like. And things are very funny. And he's being as outlandish as possible, but, like, he's not going for the joke. Like there's no joke to go for. He's just living the truth of this guy. Leo did not really start kind of incorporating this type of truth, because I think he spent a long time trying to be that dramatic actor and like, no, no, I'm a man. I'm a they I'm going to I'm going to prove it. Yeah. You see that kind of break with J. Edgar honestly. Like, I mean, yeah, well-intentioned movie with a great Oscar winning director, but it's like, all right, I don't know, there's just more of, like, an ease to him. Not that he's not taking it seriously. I think he's taking it even more seriously than he ever used to. But yeah. Oh, yeah, it's been. I'm so glad. I mean, he's 50, he's freshly 50. So I'm so glad that he appears to be getting better. And, you know, he he might be in heat two and heat two might get made just because of him. Yeah. Because he agrees to do something cool if he just wants to work with Peta Scorsese, he like awesome. Also like, let's do it. Great pics. Let's go through the updated PTA rankings. I don't want to take too long with these because we have done and we've justified everything in the past. So 10 to 1 you go first and we'll volley back and forth again. All right. Number ten Inherent Vice. Yeah that that's never to change. That's never gonna change my ten a lot of mine didn't change from our previous episode. My ten. No slight to any of them. Love all these movies. Hard eight. Very nice I listen, all right. I don't want to fucking hear it. All right. My number nine. One battle after another. Only because. Oh, this is a movie that needs to. I need to grow with this. I'm saying the next time that we do our updated rankings, this will probably be a lot higher. But I've seen it twice. I love it, we're talking about it, but I've spent a lot more time with every other one of these movies. That's fair. So that's the only reason I'm putting it. Number nine. It's a not definitive, but as we're talking right now, I need to be with this movie more. But I guarantee you this will go up the rankings that you're doing exactly what I did with Oppenheimer. I put Oppenheimer at eight when we did our updated rankings in the moment. Now, it just wouldn't be that. So I get it, I guess. Yeah. I'm really curious to hear the rest of yours. My my number nine Inherent vice. You like Inherent Vice? Where do you like hard eight? It was the same when we did this in 2021. Yep. All right. Number number eight. Hard eight. Hard eight is a better movie than one battle after another. My fucking ass. Number eight for me. Punch-Drunk love. Oh. Number seven. Magnolia. Wow. Okay, okay. Yeah, yeah. Number seven for me. Licorice pizza? Yep. Very good, very good. Six. Boogie. All right. Boogie for you. Yeah. My six is the master. Oh, so we're a little flipped around here. All right, five top five. Licorice pizza baby. So okay. That is the one I was most curious about because in our PTA episode, you do you remember what you put? That is. I don't think it was. No, I don't two, two. Oh, they put it that number fucking two. And you had seen it once and I was like, dude, like, come on, this is wait a minute. So your rankings are actually a lot. They're different. I'm going to go through your previous ones when we're done. Yeah. All right. Well there you go. So yeah he's that one's nestled at number five. Number five for me from here on out it is one battle after another. Love it. And it might even get higher. Number four for me, Phantom thread. Wow. What am I on? Number four. My number four. Magnolia. Okay. Yeah. And I was kind of. I didn't know if I wanted to put one battle before Magnolia, but yeah. Five one battle for Magnolia. Your number three punch drunk. Okay, okay. Yeah, that's pretty close to where you had it before. My number three Boogie Nights. Yeah, yeah. Number two, the master. Okay, so that got bumped up for you. Yeah, that got bumped up my number two. My darling Phantom thread. God, I love that movie. And our shared number one, naturally, is there will be blood, baby. Oh, there it is. Best title ever. So it's an amazing title. Here is your, your previous list. Yeah. Tell me about this. Nine Inherent vice eight Phantom thread seven. Boogie nights six. Heart eight five. The master four. Punch-Drunk love three. Magnolia. That's a strong future. Yeah two. Licorice pizza one. There Will be blood. And I didn't really I actually didn't move anything. I just slid one bottle after another. I yeah, I didn't think anything needed to be changed from my previous list. I feel pretty good about it. I feel like this is it. This list sort of reflects, I think, a bit of my the reason why I'm doing my top ten over again, because I'm sort of just assessing what, what I'm kind of just feeling right now and honoring that. That's what it is. And knowing that these things can change. The Magnolia Drop is crazy. That that that's a that's a pretty that's a pretty drastic one. I rewatched all of his work leading up to one battle after another. And that one like I. It's a thing where I've seen it so many times and I love it, but you know it. I don't know. It's funny how these things work, like Phantom Thread. Man, that thing is just such a miracle to me. I was also more drawn to the master on this repeat viewing. I think that gets better with age. Like a lot better. I think that's what it did because I. I was watching a bunch of features on The Master. I hadn't rewatched the whole entire movie, but and I was also thinking about Phil and I was like, man, like, he's so fucking good in this and, and, and, and so when I was doing this list, I was like, it's right now I'm that movie is just fucking like calling me love it. All right. That was a lot of fun. We made it. We survived life and we made it to the record. We're going to do an extended. What are you watching? I'm going to talk about, you know, some of the new movies in the zeitgeist that are out there. I want you to as well. I know you've been seeing some stuff. I haven't like it. Just share, like, your general thoughts, you know? Oh, well, let's start with the one we both seen, sir, with roof man. Derek, Derek and friends. It's, you know, we've covered place on the pines on this pod cover. Blue Valentine. Blue Valentine made our list for top 25 of the century so far. What did we think of Roof Man? Based on a true story starring Channing, Channing Tatum? Yeah, and Kirsten Dunst. What did you think I thought I thought it was a good for 2025 movie. That's exactly what it was. It was a little better than the preview, but this thing, it was just so like it was well shot. There are two things. No. Okay, I'll get to the two good things at the end. The whole time I'm watching, I'm like, okay. And when it ended, I said, I just said aloud, well, okay. Like you get all this talent collected and this is what you want to make, like this. And I just, talk about, like, not taken risks. I mean, it looks good. That's one of the selling points of it. It does have good cinematography, but this is a guy that did Blue Valentine in place beyond the Pines. Like. All right, I just I don't know, it was. I think it'd be fine on streaming. You just kind of put it on and it's, you know, playing and you're paying attention or not. But it was it was a shrug. I meant, okay, fine. I mean, I, I, I'm instantly attracted to every, every bit of his work because like his esthetic, this looks like any one of his movies, which I love. He's got that, he's got that sort of like that East Coast cloudiness that, that, that gray, that blue that like, I love the way that he sees the world in his movies. I think this is a case where a lot of times I see a movie like this and I was like, I think I would rather see a documentary. Yeah, exactly. I'd rather see a documentary on the same subject. But I mean, I will follow Derek, see and France to the end of the world. Yeah. And back. Yeah. And still enjoy it. But yeah. Yeah. Well, here's the big selling point is that Kirsten Dunst is fucking incredible in this. Like, she's playing a mom, a single mom of two girls. And I went, oh, hi. I mean, it's one I think it's one of the best performances she's given. And I would nominate her for it. I just totally humane and totally believable the entire time. I loved her in it. Yeah. She's great. I love the kids. I, I because growing up with like a single mom, like there is something about like when a new guy is being introduced, it's sort of like, all right, what do you. What do you got? What's your deal? And so I like all that. I thought that was very cool. Another one from me. Hey, everyone. Daniel Day-Lewis is in a movie. Hello? No one talked about it. No one's talking about it. Anemone. I saw the film. I saw the film with his son, Ronan Day-Lewis, who directed it. It is a it's a first. It's a movie by first time filmmaker. Well, it wasn't perfect, but surprise, surprise, Daniel Day-Lewis coming out of retirement, his first movie in eight years since Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread, is amazing. And I just don't I don't get how people don't fucking go to this stuff like it was in theaters. I just don't get why people don't go, and I don't I don't know it. It really kind of bums me out that he's done more press for it then he has for any other movie, because he wants to help out his son. I get and he's incredible in it, but it just it has come and gone and I'm like, what in the world? Like, I can't talk to anyone about this fucking performance. It's amazing. I, I've been wanting to see this for all these reasons, but, for whatever reason, the theaters like for, for a few days it was playing where there were a lot of showtimes, but then it just got to a point where it's like, you couldn't see this movie past like 1:00 in the afternoon. Yeah. And I'm like, like that, like I can't get to it. So. So this was a movie that kept falling by the wayside, even though this would be something that I would want to see more performance based movie. It was shot very well, but I really liked it. And I encourage people to go see the new Daniel Day-Lewis movie hello, After the Hunt, I just saw Lucas new movie, Luca Guadagnino, his fourth film in three years. I thought his way better than the trailer. I've seen the trailer like that in Roof Man, like 20 fucking times more. What am I like so many times? And it's getting compared to Tarr a little bit. It was different than I thought, and I liked it more than I thought. It's a little batshit. Not everyone's going to like it. He's just an he's just devious what he'll do with the camera. But it's such odd compositions. It was, I don't know, I liked it more that I thought it, but again, good friends getting crucified. It is in the reviews. It's getting crucified because it is not the it is questioning some of the popular topics of society right now, similarly to how Tarr did. So I just like that we have Luca. I don't love all of his movies, but he takes these swings and it's just it's pumping him out. Hilarious. It's just he got he really is. He already has another one coming out like last year, I think. How's how's my how's my boy girl. He's good. You know, he's in the position of did he or didn't he. He's playing that role and he's like a smarmy kind of asshole. So I, I liked him in it. I like his yeah I like I know he really that. Yeah. Well he was great with Julia Roberts. I just, I like him as a person a lot. And yeah, I thought he did wellness and he always seems like he wants to play around. He always, you know, is down to try new stuff. Yeah. He's he's he's great. A new one that I just got to see. It's going to be this one's going to be on Netflix soon A House of dynamite. Again. No one is talking about that. This is Kathryn Bigelow's first film since Detroit, made in 2017, which put her in director's jail for the second time in her career. She's back. It's her first film in years. It's I loved it. It's a political thriller, a DC set thriller, a lot of screens, but I thought it was really enjoyable and I hope people see it. And I also thought that it was audacious and oh, how it told its story and its conclusion. And I think that will anger a lot of people, which is kind of cool. The last boss on Apple, directed by Paul Greengrass. Watch this. When I was six, starring Matthew McConaughey, this big wildfire in California. And he's got to save a school bus full of kids again, these movies like this is an Oscar winner. This is a guy, a director who's been nominated for best director. Like no cultural relevance. These movies are just fucking coming and going. Like, I haven't heard anyone talk about this. I did see The Smashing Machine. I don't want to say much because I know you haven't. So I don't know even know if I'm allowed to. What I'm allowed to say what I don't know. Well, I did get, I went to a, movie, networking event last night, and I was hanging out with a bunch of people, and they all went in on that movie, and I couldn't stop them because I can't, you know, it's like when you have, like, 12 people and 11 of them all want to talk about it. I can't be like, guys, I haven't seen it, so I just let them run with it. But it was a general consensus across all 11 people that partook in the conversation. So I guess I could just say what they said and you can tell me if you agree. I still plan on seeing it because I still want to see, I mean, I'm going to see this movie. But they all sort of said it's never went anywhere, correct? Okay. Yeah. So yep yep. Yeah yeah yeah. Correct. Correct. I'll withhold comment additional comment until you see it. I got to see two last night at a local film festival and there were some stars there. Train dreams is going to be on Netflix soon. Directed by this guy Clint Bentley, starring Joel Edgerton. I really liked it. It's like a quiet movie about a guy, like living in the mountains, you know, meets a lady. Oh, fucking Jeremiah Johnson in here. Yeah, I think you'll like it. It was good shot in, like a postcard aspect ratio, so. Not quite. You know, it. Yeah. It not quite four by three, but it just, it looks it looks really cool. So I or was really cool. So I enjoyed it. And I got to see Joel Edgerton got to meet him in 2015 as well. That was great. And then Edward Burger, his new film ballad of a Small Player will also be, oh, Netflix. This is a guy who made Conclave and All Quiet on the Western Front. It stars Colin Farrell as a degenerate gambler gambler in Macao. Colin Farrell was there. Got to see him, got to shake his hand. Great guy. Oh, so much fun. Oh. So cool. The movie's nuts. Like, the movie's kind of batshit. And part of the Q&A was a big discussion of did was that scene real? That that was like a general control going. I have no fucking clue. I have no idea. So that type of thing, I don't know how it'll be received, how either movie would, but just wanted to mention them because I watched them and they'll be on Netflix soon. What I am going to be watching is a five part documentary series on Apple called Mr. Scorsese, directed by Rebecca miller. Daniel Day-Lewis, his wife. Oh, now he's on now, and I'm going to be watching all of that. Well, I've got a little run here for you as well. Let's hear it for 2025. Movies I saw splitsville. I was not a fan. I was not a fan. Yeah, but, Dakota Johnson's always captivating. Yeah. Good fortune. I did not know is these Azari both wrote and directed it. So, I love seeing that because I'm a huge master of none fan. Keanu's got some very great. He's got a monologue out of nowhere, and it's hilarious. I don't know if people know how to do comedy anymore. Yeah, that that to me is sort of like the thing. And then the one movie that I really recommend, is the Marc Maron documentary. Are we good? Oh, cool. I haven't seen it, and it's sort of a documentary on him, but it really becomes more of a documentary about how he's been dealing with the grief. Lynn Shelton, Lynn Shelton, his, his his girlfriend that died suddenly. Now that, like, the closest he's ever come to love his career, he's, like, very much being like, what's left, like, like like, can it just be over? Like, I'm good. So I really liked it. Really liked it. Awesome. But yeah, he just ended WTF his part. It's a long running part. Yeah, pretty big deal. In the podcast world, but oh wow. Well, we covered a lot today. Covered great new film. Covered some what near-death experiences. I mean, this is our most and this might be one of our most eclectic episodes. We've almost for 2.5 hours. I know I'll cut it out. Yeah, a little bit. We'll see. Okay. Well, we have the start of, you know, greatness in 2025. We'll see what other if it brings us any other movie greatness this year. We have some stuff to go, but, you know, I don't think anything's bumping this out of the top spot for the year. I think it's here. I think it's after it. Yeah, I think this is good. I mean, it ought to be. There are some things I am very much looking forward to. We do have two Richard Linklater movies. I am excited for Yorgos. I'm always excited for Yorgos, so I'm very excited to see what he's seen that's going, oh, nice. Nice tomorrow. Yeah, yeah. You know, we got Bradley Cooper's new movie coming out. Yeah. Didn't get good play out of festivals. And then where the Smashing Machine didn't get that great of returns. Marty Supreme, the other zap brother is that that's going to be a Christmas Day release starring Timothee Shalom. You and I were texting. We're already calling that he's going to win Best actor. I mean, if it's as good as people say. But we'll see. So yeah, we we have someone still coming. There's some there's some letters. So yeah. So we'll see. But yeah, I mean it's going to be tough to top this. This is a, this is, this is that good of a, of a movie. It's that good. It's his it's his second least favorite PTA film. So it just came out I know. So did Licorice Pizza. What do you two. Gross. That's what we call maturity and growth in your taste. All right, that was a lot of fun. Go see one battle after another in any way that you can in any format that you can find us on socials at Y w underscore podcast. And as always, thanks so much for listening and happy watching. I'm a fool to do your dirty work. Oh yeah, I don't wanna do your dirty work no more. I'm a fool to do your dirty work. Oh, yeah. Hey, everyone. Thanks again for listening. Send us mailbag questions at What Are You Watching? Podcast at gmail.com or find us on Twitter, Instagram and Letterboxd at wri w underscore podcast. Next time it's back to the 1970s with the New Hollywood Film Project. 1973 is next. We have a great movie from the great Sidney Lumet, a film he was never even supposed to direct. Serpico, starring Al Pacino. Stay tuned. I'm a fool to do your dirty work. Oh, yeah. I don't wanna do your dirty work no more. I'm a fool to do your dirty work. Oh, yeah.