S1: Hey, I'm Osman Farooqui and this is the drop a
S1: culture show from the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age,
S1: where we dive into the latest in the world of
S1: pop culture and entertainment. I'm here with Thomas Mitchell, Mel Cambrai,
S1: how things goes pretty good.
S2: Yeah. So far so good.
S3: Happy days here at the moment. How about you?
S1: I'm a bit overwhelmed. There's a enormous amount of like,
S1: activity happening as we get towards the end of the year.
S1: As you guys know, I'm not the best planner and
S1: organiser of life and a lot of shows happening. I
S1: feel like this is like a post-Covid thing. There's such
S1: a backlog of like artists who want a tour Australia,
S1: and you used to have like 2 or 3 big
S1: name acts here and now. It's like every weekend there
S1: is something happening, like, I'm going to go see Christina
S1: Aguilera this weekend. That is pretty exciting. GI pole, one
S1: of my favorite artists of all time, is coming to
S1: do Melbourne shows in the next couple of weeks. Zach
S1: Bryan is coming. There's a lot happening. I'm getting kind
S1: of both excited and quite stressed about the amount of
S1: things going on in life.
S3: What's your favorite Christina Aguilera song?
S1: I mean, Genie in a bottle. I think it's just
S1: like the the one that stands out. Also, I think
S1: I've said this before to you guys, my very first
S1: album ever was the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. So Lady Marmalade,
S1: that's a great one too.
S2: I have found that without fail, if you put come
S2: On over on at a party, then you're a fucking legend.
S3: Yeah. That is so good. Oz, what's your kind of.
S3: I know we like to talk about when we see
S3: things out, the etiquette surrounding it. Or at least what's
S3: your what will be your concert going etiquette at Christina Aguilera? Like,
S3: are you going to be out of your chair? Will
S3: you be singing out loud or just mouthing, what's your
S3: kind of vibe?
S1: It's a really good question. This one is going to
S1: be a pretty stoic, chill vibe because I am also
S1: there in a, I guess, like slightly reporting capacity. So
S1: Christina's been brought out to Australia as part of this
S1: program by the Victorian government called Always Live with a
S1: pay artists like a lot of money to come to
S1: Melbourne or to Victoria and play one off shows. There's
S1: been a little bit of like discussion about the merit
S1: of bringing Christina Aguilera out. I'm very interested to see
S1: how many tickets have been sold, like what the vibe is,
S1: what the demographic is, whether this is like a good
S1: bang for buck in terms of government art spending. So
S1: I'll be there like, you know, like nodding along but
S1: a little bit like.
S2: With the discerning.
S1: Unfolded, surveying the landscape, nodding with.
S3: A side eye.
S1: Exactly, exactly. But, you know, maybe it'll go off and
S1: I'll just have to, you know.
S3: Release the genie in your bottle.
S1: Exactly.
S2: Is she like, is this a menu log involved in this?
S2: Isn't she?
S1: Like, it's a really good question, Thomas. I don't think
S1: Menulog are involved in the show, but as she's here,
S1: she seems to be double dipping a little bit and
S1: is like, cool. The money I'm getting to perform from
S1: the Victorian government's not enough. I may as well shoot
S1: a menulog ad as well. So she's really making the
S1: most of a trip down Under.
S3: Yeah, see, that's a woman who knows how to plan
S3: a life.
S2: Yeah, she is not double booking.
S1: Well, I look forward to sharing my review next week
S1: on the show. Probably. But today we've got a big one.
S1: We're going to discuss one of the most divisive films
S1: I'll say of the years. So far it is Saltburn
S1: Emerald Fennell's follow up to Promising Young Woman. We're also
S1: going to cover the second episode of The Curse, which
S1: is quickly becoming one of the weirdest, most fascinating and,
S1: to be honest, insane TV shows I think we've seen
S1: so far in 2023. And on our Impress Your Friend segment.
S1: Sorry to step on this one a bit. We're going
S1: to touch on the latest season of The Crown. I
S1: just thought I'd sizzle that one, because I know a
S1: lot of people are very excited for this season. Starring
S1: Elizabeth Debicki, Australia's own wonderful, wonderful actress as Princess Diana.
S1: But first guys, we're going to talk about politicians. And boy,
S1: do they love to be relatable. Did you guys catch
S1: the Good Weekend cover story? The profile on Jim Chalmers,
S1: the federal Treasurer, this past weekend I did.
S2: I was very like I mean, look, I'll be honest,
S2: the headline got me. It was like, he loves hip hop,
S2: the Broncos. And I was like, oh my gosh, this
S2: is just like me. Yeah. So yes, I was I
S2: was pretty much hooked in from the get go.
S3: And you're famously always explaining inflation to everyone.
S2: Exactly. And you know, what was the current cost of
S2: living crisis which we can get into. And the stage
S2: three tax cuts. It just felt like a timely read. Yeah.
S3: And as with all good profiles, I felt like it
S3: was all in the details in this one. Like the
S3: idea that he can't just have a square of chocolate,
S3: he has to have the whole block. He's kind of
S3: compulsion about squeezing the most out of every day, looking
S3: at the clock all the time. I loved all the
S3: details from it.
S1: Well, just to reassure listeners, we are not going to
S1: be talking about Jim Chalmers economic policy or the stage
S1: three tax cuts. The bit that stood out to me
S1: in the piece, which was written by the wonderful Deborah Snow.
S1: Same with you, Thomas. The the kind of like headline
S1: which referenced his. Love of hip hop, basketball and the Broncos.
S1: And I'm like, okay, this is going to be interesting.
S1: Let's see how this guy pulls off being the cool,
S1: fun like youngish treasurer. So he was described in the
S1: profile as a hip hop aficionado, right? I'm like cool, cool.
S1: You know, I'm pretty into hip hop myself. This is fun.
S1: Let's let's see what this goes. I wonder what he's into.
S1: Turns out, you know, when he listed his favorite hip
S1: hop acts of of all time, there was the Notorious B.I.G.
S1: AKA Biggie Smalls. There was two Pac and there was
S1: Snoop Dogg, which are all in high rotation Jim Chalmers playlist,
S1: according to the piece. I mean, my initial reaction to
S1: that was, it's like if you Wikipedia like popular hip
S1: hop acts that like the three biggest hip hop artists
S1: of all time, particularly in the 90s, like, not not
S1: that surprising or interesting from from Jim there.
S2: Yeah. I don't know if those three make you in aficionados.
S1: Like if he had.
S3: Said one fall that would have been that would have
S3: been something.
S2: Yeah it did. It did feel a bit like a
S2: credibility grab or something. And I just think it's so
S2: funny because he goes on about Biggie Smalls. That seems
S2: to be Biggie and Tupac, I think. Obviously famous famously
S2: rivals rest in peace to both. But like the fact
S2: that he he loves those two so much, it's just
S2: so funny because like, he's this guy from Logan City,
S2: which actually has produced some pretty good hip hop acts itself,
S2: but like, I just can't quite see it. And then
S2: also I thought, it's quite funny because, you know, like
S2: he talks about Biggie Smalls a lot and stuff and
S2: just like trying to imagine him like bumping Biggie Smalls
S2: like in Parliament House. Like, is he playing like mo money,
S2: mo problems and just looking at the fucking budget like,
S2: what's going on?
S3: I also worry that he's setting himself up for a
S3: gotcha moment. Like it just takes, you know, a small
S3: question that a basic hip hop aficionado, like both of
S3: you would know the answer to, to kind of unravel
S3: this personality?
S1: Well, Mel, I'm so glad you brought that up because
S1: the gotcha moment is coming. They Got Your Moment is
S1: coming on this podcast right now. Don't you worry about that.
S1: Don't you worry about that. It's not the first time
S1: this profile that Chalmers has talked about his love of
S1: hip hop. It's not the first time it's been reported either.
S1: In another piece in the Herald from March by a
S1: political reporter, James Mazzola, it was reported that Chalmers was
S1: a big hip hop guy and again mentioned Tupac and Biggie,
S1: but this time it also mentioned Jay-Z and NAS. Like,
S1: I guess that's page two when you look at them
S1: as rappers. Also famously rivals. Is there a rapper from
S1: the 90s that Chalmers doesn't like? I feel like he's
S1: just listing every single rapper who had a hit.
S2: I do think it was weird that he like, left
S2: out Eminem. I know Eminem is more of like a
S2: 2000 rapper, but he's probably the other one in that set.
S2: But Eminem is like a bit more like, I don't know,
S2: I guess he's still kind of more relevant and alive
S2: than being in Tupac. I mean, maybe.
S3: Ladies would have been nice too, don't you think?
S2: Yeah. That's true. So I mean, who are your favorite
S2: female rappers? Oh, where do I start anyway?
S4: He's your gotcha moment.
S1: I mean, there's Lena, we're talking about Lady Marmalade, Lil Kim,
S1: you know, she's she was of that era from from Brooklyn,
S1: I think. Yeah.
S2: But yeah, it was very funny and I guess like
S2: his appearance on Q&A.
S1: Oh my God, I'm glad you mentioned this. So in,
S1: in in my research, I spent a lot of this
S1: week trying to figure out, I guess, the the true
S1: origin story of our treasurer's hip hop obsession. And he
S1: did on an episode of Q and A, I believe,
S1: earlier this year list even more rappers he likes. I
S1: think he was asked a question about like whether it
S1: was appropriate to like hip hop because of, you know,
S1: the lyrics and whatever. And, you know, to his credit,
S1: he defended it and talked about why he thought it
S1: was a good and valid musical genre. So he listed
S1: all the ones we've mentioned. He also talked about the
S1: fact he grew up listening to Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys.
S1: So I guess that's like, you know, two of the
S1: biggest artists from the 80s as well. We're getting like
S1: the chronology of Jim Chalmers is, you know, discovery of
S1: rap music. But he mentioned a couple of Australian rappers,
S1: which was pretty interesting. The first one was Illy and
S1: his favorite Aly song, Same Number, Same Hood, which samples
S1: Biggie Smalls Juicy. So it's just like every he catches
S1: a glimpse of biggie. He's like, I love that. I
S1: love that. He also mentioned one of our favorite acts,
S1: Thomas Spit Syndicate. Yes, in a West's own shout out
S1: to our guy Nick Lupi, one day Sundays reunited on
S1: the weekend. Very exciting for them. That was cool to
S1: see him shut them out. But you mentioned Logan City rappers. Thomas.
S1: Like there's a great hip hop crew out of Logan
S1: City called Enemy No. Many enterprise hasn't made it to
S1: Jim Chalmers playlist.
S2: Yeah, weird because like, you know, Logan City proud. And
S2: he obviously has an awareness of Australian hip hop. So
S2: I mean, look maybe deeper in the playlist once he
S2: goes through like, you know, the two park early era
S2: and all the B stuff. There's some enemy there. But
S2: it's funny. Because on Q&A they eventually said him like,
S2: what is your absolute favorite hip hop song of all time?
S2: And husband? What does he say?
S1: He says, it's this kills me, man. I've got to say,
S1: this is the bit where it's old. This is like
S1: the icing on the cake. The cherry on top, his
S1: favorite song of all time, is a song by Tupac.
S1: It is called changes. Right? And this is so funny.
S1: Not because the songs are good. Don't get me wrong,
S1: I love this song. Honestly, it's probably my favorite Tupac song.
S1: It's probably one of my favorite hip hop songs of
S1: all time, but I do think this is where the
S1: gotcha bit comes into it. Melle I do think it
S1: is weird to admit to this song being your favorite
S1: when you are one of the most powerful men in
S1: the country with the ability, with literally the waving of
S1: a finger, the signing of a document with a pen,
S1: the ability to transform the lives of millions of people
S1: incarcerated in the prison system, struggling with poverty, racial problems. Obviously,
S1: Jim Chalmers can't fix every single thing, but he's in
S1: a very powerful position as the treasurer of Australia. Like,
S1: should we talk about this song and unpack why exactly
S1: this is so weird?
S2: Absolutely.
S1: So this is how this is how changes opens, right?
S1: I see no changes. Wake up in the morning and
S1: I ask myself, is life worth living? Should I blast myself?
S1: I'm tired of being poor. And even worse, I'm black.
S1: My stomach hurts so much I'm looking for a purse
S1: to snatch, right? That sets up the whole premise of
S1: this song, which is about generational poverty. It's about the
S1: marginalization of black people in America, the overlapping socioeconomic factors
S1: with race, the fact that people are forced to turn
S1: to crime to put food on the table. Great. Chalmers
S1: is like 1617 when he's listening to this, he's like, yeah,
S1: this is awesome, man. Like the worlds fuck, we've got
S1: to fix the system. He's still saying that's his favorite
S1: song when he's the Treasurer of Australia. That's wild to me,
S1: I think.
S2: Yeah, I mean it is absolutely crazy. And I think
S2: also more importantly for me, it's like changes is the
S2: song that's your favorite Tupac song when you don't know
S2: many Tupac songs?
S1: Yeah. Also true.
S2: Like I know that you just said it's your favorite
S2: and I know that you know Tupac, but.
S1: For me, because I'm like so into the material analysis
S1: of Tupac, I'm like, this is good.
S2: Shit. Yeah. But this that's like kind of hip hop.
S2: What I want. It's like saying, oh, my favorite Eminem
S2: song is like the real Slim Shady. It's just kind
S2: of says to me, oh, like, I love Kanye because
S2: Gold Digger is so great. Like, it just says to
S2: me that maybe he's not as much of like, a
S2: park guy as he pretends to be. And like, you know,
S2: someone's put him on a spot. He's been like, yeah, changes. 100% changes.
S2: That's mine. Yeah, I feel like.
S1: He'd say that and he'd say, California girls, right?
S2: Yeah, exactly, exactly. So yeah, I don't know. It's just
S2: very funny. And maybe I do feel for him a
S2: little bit because it is a tricky area. Like if
S2: you're a politician, it's, it's big, like big areas for
S2: you to slip up. And maybe he really is a
S2: hip hop fan, but as soon as you say like
S2: it's a baiting question, you know, like as soon as
S2: you give an answer, everyone's going to be like, are
S2: you just saying that to be cool?
S3: Yeah, I agree, and I think you're being too hard.
S3: Like it's easy. It's like shooting fish in a barrel
S3: to make fun of a white guy in his 40s
S3: who's pretty clear cut for liking hip hop. Like, that's
S3: so obvious. And also this dude here, he's on a
S3: one for a documentary saying we don't appreciate hip hop enough.
S3: We need hip hop more in the mainstream. White people
S3: don't appreciate it. Someone takes a huge public platform and
S3: they are saying, I like hip hop music, and then
S3: you throw them under the bus like, look, isn't it
S3: good to have a treasurer who at least says the
S3: lyrics mean something to people and to him than to
S3: have police in New South Wales, a government in New
S3: South Wales who is like, this is just about crime.
S3: Like you should be celebrating that he's on a platform. Well, I.
S1: Think I mean, look, there's a valid point there, Mel.
S1: I think if Jim Chalmers was to unite his love
S1: of this genre of music and the artists that he
S1: says he loves, who went through similar kinds of police repression,
S1: if he was to unite those instincts with the enormous
S1: power he wields to perhaps say something about the ongoing
S1: censorship of hip hop in Australia right now, I would
S1: pat him on the back. I would applaud him for
S1: doing so. But when he doesn't want to do that,
S1: but wants to get the cred for saying he loves
S1: the song like changes, which, by the way, also includes
S1: the line it ain't a secret. Don't conceal the fact
S1: that the penitentiary is packed and it's filled with blacks. Like,
S1: I mean, that's a lyric that resonates in Australia, which
S1: has a high incarceration rate of indigenous people. Then America
S1: does of blacks. Like, does Jim Chalmers want to raise
S1: the age, for example? I don't know and has this
S1: how about this one, Mel? You know, pretty topical right now.
S1: It's a war on the streets and the war in
S1: the Middle East instead of a war on poverty. They've
S1: got a war on drugs so the police can bother me.
S1: I mean, again, is Jim Chalmers suggesting that we need
S1: to change the way that we police and treat drug
S1: crime and instead maybe invest more on lifting people out
S1: of poverty? I don't think he is. I don't think, you.
S3: Know, just because you like a song doesn't mean you
S3: back every lyric. Also, like it's not that easy. You
S3: think like systemic inequality. The treasurer can fix that with
S3: one sign of his pen. And I will say, I
S3: don't think I literally.
S1: Mel. I'm sorry. I think I do, I think I do.
S1: I don't think I could. You could. I think the
S1: treasurer kind of can, I think.
S3: I think also I feel like Barack Obama. You're holding
S3: him to the same standard. He wasn't a flawless president.
S3: And he was. He always put out his kind of
S3: cultural list of favorite songs, TV shows, books. Did we
S3: go through that and say, oh, you liked this Lauren
S3: Groff book, but did you action the kind of moral
S3: meaning behind that?
S1: I don't know if you know much about me, but
S1: I absolutely do do that every every year, every year
S1: Obama puts out his list. I'm like, oh, you say
S1: you like this, but what about the politics of it? Yeah. Look, okay.
S1: Fair enough. I mean, like the other politician, when you
S1: think about their obsession with music is clearly Anthony Albanese,
S1: like he's someone I mean, for the record, I think
S1: his love of music is very genuine. I don't think
S1: elbow's lying about, like, all the random pub in, like,
S1: punk stuff that he loves from the Brisbane scene. There
S1: is obviously some kind of weird clashes. Like he says
S1: he loves Bruce Springsteen and Midnight Oil and it's just like,
S1: okay dude again, now you're the Prime minister. Like, you
S1: can do the things that these guys have been singing
S1: about for decades and decades, I think. Look, to your point,
S1: it's not a hanging crime. It's not like they should
S1: be obliterated for this stance. It's just this funny disconnect
S1: between these Gen X guys who grew up with punk
S1: music or pretty radical hip hop, and think that they
S1: still connect to that in some way, and maybe they
S1: don't even realize the disconnect between now being some of
S1: the most powerful people in the country. I just think
S1: there's a world in which you have politicians. You've got
S1: the prime minister and the treasurer who grew up on
S1: lefty rock and like pretty radical hip hop and what
S1: their politics are now and what they espouse kind of
S1: couldn't be further from that. It's pretty interesting to me.
S2: I think that I think is the funniest. I can
S2: just imagine, like the Parliament House, like Christmas party. I
S2: know Jim Chalmers is sober now and if he has one,
S2: he has 100, so he won't be drinking. But like
S2: I could just see a full blown Kendall moment like
S2: L to the OG. Yeah. What's the jacket on? He's like,
S2: it was all a dream. And everyone's like, yeah, Chalmers.
S4: Chalmers.
S3: And like, I completely agree with you about the level
S3: of posturing. This probably is like, this is a government
S3: that wants to present themselves as young and in touch
S3: and remarkably different to what has come before. So like,
S3: it's not like I don't think that this is an
S3: act of branding for the Labour Party and for Chalmers.
S1: All right. Let's move on and talk about movies. That's
S1: what people are here to listen to. Saltburn, the second
S1: feature film by Emerald Fennell following 2020s Promising Young Woman,
S1: stars Barry Keoghan, our own Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard
S1: E Grant great stacked cast in this film have been
S1: excited about it for a while. It was kind of
S1: getting touted as having some Oscar buzz when it was
S1: first unveiled. It's a psychological thriller slash black comedy, I guess.
S1: It's set in England in 2006. It follows a young
S1: university student, Oliver, played by Kieran, who becomes obsessed with
S1: his very, very wealthy schoolmate Felix, played by Elordi. They eventually,
S1: through a series of, I guess, very strategic moves by Oliver,
S1: become friends. Soon enough, Felix invites him to spend Summer
S1: at his family's very, very lavish estate, which is called Saltburn,
S1: the titular Saltburn. That's where we meet the rest of
S1: Felix's family his mum Rosamund Pike, his dad Richard E Grant.
S1: Things at that point get pretty weird. Loose, insane, cringey, grotesque, violent, messy.
S1: A lot of stuff happens. I want to keep most
S1: of our conversation around this film spoiler free. And then
S1: I think at the end of that we'll go into
S1: a bit of a spoiler section because. I think we
S1: need to talk about some of the things that that
S1: are in this movie. Before I go too deep on
S1: on my thoughts on this film, I want to hear
S1: from you guys. How did you how did you find Saltburn?
S3: And I'm grieving. I'm grieving the film that I think
S3: this could have been, but it wasn't. I'm if you
S3: on paper, this film is it's everything for me. I
S3: love campus novels. I love summer vacation stories. And I
S3: love kind of the idea, you know, Brideshead Revisited, This
S3: Side of Paradise. These are some of my favorite novels.
S3: And this film just it was all over the place
S3: and it didn't deliver. And I feel it had all
S3: these right ingredients, but it just couldn't get them into
S3: some kind of coherent story. In saying that, I think
S3: there is still a lot to like about this film,
S3: and I think it's still worth watching, and it's still
S3: an enjoyable watch, even if it doesn't quite work in
S3: the way I feel. It had the potential to work
S3: on paper.
S2: Yeah, I just thought it was the definition of like
S2: style over substance. And it's really funny because it obviously
S2: stars Jacob Elordi, the Australian actor who is like having
S2: a moment. I suppose we would. Everyone seems to agree
S2: he's going to be starring Priscilla. He's obviously in euphoria.
S2: Very tall, attractive man recently spotted at Sydney Airport reading
S2: like 50 different books the one time. But it's weird
S2: because I couldn't actually couldn't separate. Almost like the hype
S2: around Jacob Elordi and the hype around this film. It
S2: all felt like very similar to me. It's like this.
S2: You're like, supposed to be dazzled before you even know
S2: what you're in for. Like, and Jacob Elordi is this
S2: like he's everywhere right now. He's like doing the GQ profiles.
S2: He's so good looking. This film looks great. Like it
S2: was kind of like I can see why people are
S2: walking out being like, great movie because it kind of
S2: tricks you like. Everything's there. The music is good, the
S2: people are hot. The scene is amazing. It's an era
S2: we all remember. And like, if you're not paying attention,
S2: you might get fooled into it. But yeah, I just
S2: thought it was like it was quite shallow and it
S2: cherry picked it like kind of current buzzy themes without
S2: actually doing anything with them.
S1: Yeah, really good points, I think, from both of you.
S1: I think, Mel, you put it pretty, pretty aptly. It's like.
S1: A movie that seems like it's going to be what
S1: you like. It's a high bar, right? Because it either
S1: like meets your expectations, which are in your head, which
S1: is going to be really hard to meet, or a dozen,
S1: in which case you're really disappointed because it was so
S1: close to being something you love. And that was that
S1: was kind of what happened with me. Like, this movie
S1: is so similar in both premise and execution to The
S1: Talented Mr. Ripley, which is one of my favorite movies
S1: of all time. And so I think it was it
S1: was a hard one for me to, to go into,
S1: like liking, because I was going to always compare it
S1: to this film that I've got this fascination with. And
S1: I rewatched Talented Mr. Ripley after watching Saltburn, just to
S1: sort of like make sure that I wasn't being unfair
S1: on Saltburn. But honestly, it became even more clear to
S1: me how derivative it is of that film. But it's
S1: much less subtle, it's less compelling, it's less interesting. And
S1: obviously that's not the only valid reason to dislike it. Like,
S1: I'm not just saying it's not good because it's not Ripley. Generally,
S1: I thought this film was a mess. I thought it
S1: was all over the place. I thought the characters, their
S1: motivations didn't make any sense. I thought the plot didn't
S1: really hold together. There was these huge shifts and revelations
S1: about what characters are actually trying to do that just
S1: did not feel urgent to me at all. And I think,
S1: like you said, Thomas, yeah, the style is what is prioritized.
S1: Like it is shot beautifully. A lot of the performances
S1: are quite good, and at least every main character gets
S1: 1 or 2 great scenes where they can really shine
S1: and embody the kinds of, you know, almost satires of
S1: the characters that they are playing. But overall, none of
S1: that fit together for me. And I think and I'm
S1: interested to talk about this with you guys and also
S1: Finnell more generally as a director, I felt like this
S1: movie was more concerned about how it was going to
S1: be received by a particular audience, particularly online, than it
S1: was about hanging together coherently as a film. Like there
S1: were these scenes in these moments that you can tell
S1: that they're like, that's going to go big on TikTok.
S1: That's going to be a great talking point. That's going
S1: to be a fun thing people talk about on Tumblr
S1: and Twitter. And sure, that's maybe a valid way to
S1: make a movie, but that is not what delivers a
S1: satisfying kind of two hour long project for me.
S3: Yeah, I almost kind of thought that was like, for now,
S3: had all these individual ideas in her mind and all
S3: these scenes that maybe she wanted to see on screen
S3: that had been bubbling away, all these thoughts and then
S3: just tried to glue them all together, because there are
S3: really cool moments in this and really well shot scenes,
S3: but then they just don't work in this movie. It's
S3: like that scene could have been built up to. But
S3: you know, the way it was just in there, it
S3: didn't work. It felt flat, it felt funny, but not
S3: in a good way. It felt awkward. And I kind
S3: of wondered if, like, she just tried to do so
S3: much that it all became too much.
S2: I think you're definitely right. I think there were certain
S2: scenes where you're like, okay, cool. Like, we know this
S2: will get a reaction on TikTok and you can like,
S2: you can almost like see the reaction videos, like taking
S2: place with some of the more like red hot scenes,
S2: but also like we're coming off the back of this,
S2: like long trend of eat the Rich, you know, films
S2: and TV shows that have been so good. Like we
S2: all love Triangle of Sadness. The White Lotus has been
S2: doing it like really sharply for like two seasons, and
S2: I feel like Emerald Fennell was trying to jump on
S2: that and slightly take it from a different angle. But
S2: there is this confusion around like, is this another like
S2: satire of the rich? But it's not really. And it
S2: just felt like a light jump onto a trend that
S2: is possible by.
S3: But then I was even wondering if it was like
S3: a satire of the satire at some point, because I
S3: was like, are we making fun of the films that
S3: do this? Like, is it a satire of Brideshead Revisited
S3: in which there is, like, Charles Ryder Goes to Oxford,
S3: he meets a famous family, he goes back to their castle.
S3: He has relationships with the daughter and the son. Like,
S3: I was like, are we making fun of these films?
S3: Have we got so meta now that that's what's happening?
S3: But I don't actually think that was it at some
S3: point that just crossed my mind. But then I don't
S3: really think it worked effectively on that.
S1: I think that speaks to the confusion of the movie,
S1: and I'm not totally convinced that Finnell knew what she
S1: was trying to say across. I think if you read her,
S1: it's always difficult because, you know, I really enjoy it
S1: when directors don't telegraph what they're trying to do. I
S1: think there's something really interesting in discovering yourself and the
S1: ambiguity around it. She has been pretty upfront in interviews
S1: that she is trying to satirize the rich. And, you know,
S1: Rosamund Pike is pretty, you know, open about that. That's
S1: what this movie is trying to do. I don't think
S1: that really works. Like there is a third of this movie,
S1: which is a kind of comedy of manners sort of thing.
S1: When Barry Coon's character goes to Saltburn and oh, Rich
S1: people don't know the names of their butlers and they
S1: eat food. So Wheatley sure, great. Like, cool. That's not
S1: something new or exciting we haven't seen before. Richard Grant,
S1: Rosamund Pike are particularly good at doing it, like I'll
S1: grant you that. But then by the end of the
S1: movie and we'll talk about this more in the spoiler section,
S1: I think the movie forgets that it's trying to satirize
S1: the rich, and who you end up sympathizing with gets
S1: pretty messy. A lot of people, though, do like this.
S1: Maybe I put up something on my Instagram where I
S1: said I really didn't like it, and Emerald Fennell should
S1: go to Director Jail having made this movie. But, you know,
S1: a lot of people who I like and respect said, oh, really? Like,
S1: I thought this was really fun. I had a really
S1: good time in the movie, and I wanted to ask
S1: you guys about that, like, what do you think there
S1: is to like in this film? And do you think
S1: even if we're all a bit, oh my God, that
S1: it's still worth people checking out?
S2: Yeah, I had a really weird experience because I went
S2: to a screener and it was pretty busy, and there
S2: were people like, it was like such an interactive experience.
S2: People were like cheering and like, woo! And there was
S2: like this big group of girls having like the fucking
S2: best night of their like completely different experience to me.
S2: And I guess there are a lot of scenes in
S2: the film that warrant that, like there are some kind
S2: of like shocking, provocative scenes. But again, it's like, I
S2: don't know, I don't want to say that these people
S2: didn't get the film on the level that I did,
S2: even though I am very smart. But like, they stretch. Yeah,
S2: I do love hip hop, but like, yeah, I think
S2: that some people are just going in and being like, oh,
S2: this is really fun. And we said this kind of
S2: earlier today, like off this film, I would like way more,
S2: I reckon if it just dropped onto Netflix and I
S2: watched it on like a Saturday afternoon, I'd be like,
S2: that's pretty good Netflix film. But to go into it
S2: with all the context of like Saltburn, one of the
S2: buzziest films of the year, like, is there going to
S2: be an Oscar? Like, is this the new Talented Mr. Ripley? Like,
S2: there was so much hype around it that you can't, like,
S2: leave that out. So that really changed things for me. Yeah,
S2: I don't know. People just seem to be people wanted
S2: so badly to like this film. And I think they're
S2: like letting themselves do that.
S3: Okay, what would I tell people say that people would
S3: like about this film?
S2: Also, Jacob Elordi like hot as fuck.
S3: Yeah, it's true. But then like, I swear, at one
S3: point there was a shot where he had like carpe
S3: diem tattooed on his arm, and I was like, I
S3: don't think a genuine Oxbridge guy is getting carpe diem
S3: tattooed onto his arm. Like, there are a few things
S3: about his character that threw me, too. I think I
S3: liked the I like, I like attractive people lazing, attractive
S3: rich people lazing by the pool in summer with their
S3: linen shirts open. Yeah, that's what.
S2: We all want for our lives, obviously.
S3: Yeah, yeah.
S1: But I also, I agree with you. I'm sorry I
S1: asked you a question, Mel, and I'm interrupting you, but, like,
S1: I just the way you described it, I was like, yeah,
S1: I will, I will tell people to watch Call Me
S1: By Your Name in that instance, you know, which is
S1: like hot people wearing linen shirts, lazing by the pool.
S1: A lot of sexual tension done masterfully, unlike this one.
S2: Yes, and I do watching it. I think we spoke
S2: about it after, like, I reckon Emerald Fennell's watch Call
S2: Me By Your Name a few times.
S3: Yeah, for sure there are. And I think actually in
S3: all of this there are like derivative elements, as we
S3: were saying before, like there's this kind of pretty incredible
S3: scene with the maze. And I was like, oh, Orlando
S3: did this way better. Like, that was a great main scene.
S3: And then there's some incredible party shots at this castle.
S3: And then I was like, oh, Baz, do this better
S3: in Great Gatsby. So like, there are all these scenes
S3: which are pretty remarkable in themselves. But yeah, if you
S3: don't want to go see this film, we can give
S3: you a watch instead option for most of them.
S1: Yeah. We basically have named like six films and books
S1: that are more compelling and interesting than this one. The
S1: things that people said they liked, like, I think a
S1: lot of people enjoy that I spoke. I mean, this
S1: is a funny review, isn't it? I'm just sort of
S1: passing what other people said. I think it's because it's
S1: unusual for the three of us to really not vibe it.
S1: So I don't want to seem too dismissive of the
S1: fact that people do seem to like it. A lot
S1: of people liked some of the big swings that are
S1: in this movie, and I don't really want to spoil them,
S1: but there are a couple of like, sex scenes or
S1: sex adjacent scenes that you know, you don't often see
S1: on on screen. And I think, you know, in a
S1: year where there's been a lot of annoying discourse around,
S1: do movies still ever need sex scenes? I think it's
S1: nice to see a director and actors up for doing
S1: something pretty interesting and wild. But again, like to me,
S1: there was no cohesion to them. Like it was just
S1: I want a scene that will like go ballistic on Twitter.
S1: For this reason, I want a scene that will be like,
S1: tick tock for this reason. And maybe that's just where
S1: we're at. And, you know, final is not like Gen Z,
S1: but I think she's very across where the cultural conversation
S1: is and how stuff is consumed. I think this movie
S1: also has one of these things that you see in
S1: a lot of films made for younger audiences. Now I
S1: call it kind of like the YouTube effect, right? Like
S1: if you watch a YouTube video, the first 30s or
S1: a minute is basically like this montage snapshot of the
S1: whole thing. So you're like, I know what's going to happen,
S1: and I'm hooked, and I want to see it play
S1: out over a period of time. This movie has that.
S1: It starts with all of this stuff that you know
S1: is going to play out. It kind of tells you
S1: the end before you've even seen it because of the
S1: structure of it, and then you're kind of hooked and
S1: you're on your way. And I think that goes to
S1: your point on this about maybe it's more of a
S1: streaming hit because as you're flicking through, you don't want
S1: a slow burn film because you're being, like pulled in
S1: so many different directions. You want to sit down on
S1: Netflix within a minute you're like. Wow, this movie is
S1: going to have like violence, death, sex, potty scenes. Let's
S1: watch this whole thing unfold again. Like that's a legitimate
S1: way to tell a story. But it's not a way
S1: that I really enjoy watching, particularly when I'm sitting down
S1: in the cinema. That makes sense. Yeah, I.
S3: Completely agree with you on that. And I think if
S3: I really loved A Promising Young Woman, and I think
S3: if we didn't come to this with such hype around
S3: Emerald Fennell as a director and what she did with
S3: that film, and we just stumbled upon this one night
S3: on Netflix, like, I'm sure that our kind of criticisms
S3: would be less less strong because maybe we would would
S3: have had lesser expectations of it.
S2: Yeah, for sure. And Promising Young Women was such a
S2: great film. And the thing is, like, there are. So
S2: I mean, obviously she won like the best original Screenplay
S2: for that. Like it's famously good, but like, there are
S2: so many things from that film where I'm like, oh,
S2: she really has tried to recreate some of that, but like,
S2: it's turned out poorly. So like, yeah, I do. I
S2: think it's impossible with this film to ignore, like the
S2: context around which it comes in to the viewing landscape
S2: because it has been so massively hyped. She's coming off winning,
S2: you know, like an Oscar for her debut film.
S1: She's also nominated for Best Director for her debut, which
S1: is extraordinary.
S2: Yeah, she created killing Eve like she's she hasn't really
S2: slipped up yet. Insert into that Barry Keoghan like star
S2: of one of the best films last year in Banshees
S2: of Inisherin. Jacob Elordi hottest actor in the world right
S2: now Rosamund Pike. Like, it's just got every element. And
S2: so it's set itself up, I think, for the fail.
S2: And that's why I also think, like so many of
S2: the reviews, which I would say the reviews are right now,
S2: like probably mixed skewing bad. So many of them are like,
S2: oh damn, like such high hopes.
S1: Yeah, I think that's right. I think Promising Young Woman
S1: did so well commercially and critically. People really excited to
S1: see where she takes things next. Maybe this is going
S1: to sound like really mean the first time I watch
S1: promising a woman. I really liked it, and every time
S1: I've watched it since then, I start to really question
S1: and wonder what exact point she's trying to tell. I
S1: think that's a good looking movie with a great performance
S1: at its core from Carey Mulligan and a couple of
S1: great set pieces like that. Stars a blind sequence in
S1: the convenience store is really fun. But yeah, I just
S1: don't think that movie holds up as well as it
S1: did when it first came out in 2020. And I
S1: think you're right, Tom, is that she's leant into the
S1: worst bits of that film for this one, or just
S1: tried to recreate moments rather than have something that you
S1: really thought through. Like, one of the things I wanted
S1: to talk about with Saltburn is this movie set in 2006,
S1: and when that flashed up at the start, I thought, oh,
S1: this is interesting. Like, I wonder if she will use
S1: that time frame to talk about what social media or
S1: technology was like, or create some particular sequence or plot
S1: around 2006 versus 2023. Maybe she'll talk about like the
S1: political environment at the time, like there at Oxbridge. Like
S1: it's reasonable that they'd be debating, you know, a bomber
S1: or whatever, like who knows? And none of that was
S1: in this movie. The only reason it seemed to be
S1: set in 2006 was so she could have the characters
S1: reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and have a
S1: montage with Mgmt and Arcade Fire tracks and like, I
S1: like those songs, I was there, I had a good time,
S1: you know, singing along to Florida's Low, but it felt
S1: like a really lazy attempt to activate, like millennial nostalgia.
S1: And again, just like throw some red meat to people
S1: on social media. I did not find that to be
S1: smart or good at all.
S2: Yeah, I found it really weird that there was no
S2: like social media in this because, I mean, we all
S2: kind of grew up in that era, and like, none
S2: of these people are, you know, even you maybe see
S2: one phone once or something like a few times, maybe
S2: like there are phones mentioned, but there's no talk of
S2: like Facebook or like Myspace or anything like that. And yeah,
S2: loves hearing the killers. Loved hearing Block Party. I did
S2: see a funny thing where Emerald Fennell said in an
S2: interview that she specifically chose not to, like, include Arctic
S2: Monkeys because they're still too relevant. She only wanted to
S2: include bands that, like, didn't make it out of the era,
S2: which I thought was quite funny. But yeah, it was
S2: very odd that it was kind of like ostensibly set
S2: in 2006, but then also it felt at times like
S2: the family was from like the 1930 or something. Like
S2: it was weird.
S3: Yeah, I agree with you was I reckon it was
S3: a way of nostalgia, gives everything a golden glow, and
S3: it was a way of trying to bring the audience
S3: that glow through the soundtrack. And I also wonder if
S3: it was just a technical problem to like. She wanted
S3: to create a sense of a close community. So you
S3: put it not in now you put it in a
S3: time where we kind of can't really remember exactly what
S3: was going on then, but just the feeling of it,
S3: which was all of our heydays of our youth. But
S3: then she doesn't have to put it too far back
S3: in the past, that she has to deal with historical
S3: inaccuracies to too much of an extent. So I wonder
S3: if it was just an easy way to get around
S3: that problem and also get the nostalgia effect.
S1: Yeah, I actually find this trend of setting things in
S1: the 90s or 2000. It's really grating on me now. And.
S1: You know, I like dairy girls. I think Dairy Girls
S1: is a great story. Shows like class of nine, like,
S1: there's lots of reasons why you would choose to do that,
S1: but I think it's gone on for a really long time.
S1: And now I think it's a crutch. And I think
S1: what it reveals is a lot of directors or storytellers
S1: want to tell. A discrete story and not really grapple
S1: with the world that they are in at the moment.
S1: And I think that is a shame. I think, like,
S1: of course, Emerald Fennell doesn't have to make something I
S1: wanted to make. But if she is a lauded, Oscar nominated,
S1: Oscar winning writer director who wants to make a movie
S1: about class relations in the year 2023, I think it's
S1: a cop out to like, rewind this back to 2006,
S1: not have to grapple with anything happening in the world
S1: right now. Basically, strip a movie of any kind of
S1: real politics just to tell a story about a guy
S1: who is confusingly jealous of and angry with. This other
S1: guy that he now goes to the house like, that's
S1: a really bad summary of the movie, but I but
S1: I really I think that's when I try to think
S1: about it. How would I describe what this movie is about?
S1: And I really struggle with doing that. And I want
S1: more from people like her, like I think they can
S1: do more. Killing Eve was really good. There were bits
S1: of Promising Woman that I still think are really good,
S1: and I want to see smart people, given the resources
S1: to tell us about the world that we live in now.
S1: Like that is what really good art and cinema does.
S1: And it was. I nearly groaned out loud when it
S1: said oh six. I was like, oh really? Like, why
S1: are we 20 years ago? Like, who cares?
S3: Yeah. Which was so different to Promising Young Woman in
S3: a way which spoke felt like it was it was
S3: trying to engage with the MeToo moment. Yeah. And there
S3: was I think there was a missed opportunity because there
S3: is one kind of main person of color in this,
S3: the Farley character. And she kind of danced. They dance
S3: around the fact that everyone else is white, and the
S3: system is set up to benefit white people, but she
S3: just wouldn't really go there. There fully.
S1: Do we want to talk about the fact that Fennell
S1: is herself like a very, very, very, very wealthy person? Well, I.
S2: Was going to say, like, her father is like a
S2: super famous jeweler, and he's like an old boy from Eton,
S2: which is like her father's.
S1: A jeweler and her name is Emerald. Like, that's a bit.
S2: I know, but like, she's. Yeah, like she's like. And
S2: she grew up in, like, Hammersmith and Chelsea, like, these
S2: are like posh area.
S3: She played Camilla on The Crown.
S2: She did. And then her mother this is I found
S2: quite funny research. Her mother, Louise Fennell, is an author
S2: and she wrote this book called dead Rich, which is
S2: about Britain's favorite rich family. They are glamorous, rich, very,
S2: very rich, and they live in a series of exquisite houses,
S2: but they hide a darker reality. So it's like she's
S2: written like a shit version of Saltburn. I think her
S2: books are not like, you know, they're not the type
S2: of books that Mel would read. Mel would put them
S2: on the free table at work. But yeah, like she's
S2: from like, you know, I guess to use a Saltburn term,
S2: she's from good stock, you know. And so that's what
S2: I think again. And maybe we should kind of get
S2: into semi spoiler territory. Now when we look at like
S2: what this film is trying to say, the messaging, it
S2: even gets murkier or like clouds up further when you
S2: look at where she comes from and like, who is
S2: the butt of this joke?
S1: Yeah, let's do that. Let's, um, let's flag if you
S1: haven't seen Sopa and we will ruin key scenes and
S1: the ending. Now come back in five minutes for our
S1: conversations about the curse and various other things. Okay, so
S1: maybe let's just start with like our thoughts on those
S1: scenes before we talk about the end.
S3: Will you describe them to us first?
S1: I'm happy to. I'm not queasy about talking about this
S1: sort of stuff. We can.
S2: Go. Well. How many? There's three scenes would do. One each. Yeah.
S5: Cool.
S3: All right. I'll see you get first go.
S1: I'll do the first one, I guess. So there is
S1: a scene where Oliver Barry, Ken's character, has a romantic
S1: encounter with Felix's sister. She's trying to seduce him. She's
S1: wearing like a see through nightie, and he goes to
S1: find her underneath his window and they start fooling around
S1: and she says, oh, you know, it's like that time
S1: of the month. And he's like, why do you think
S1: that bothers me? And they kind of go for it,
S1: you know? And it gets pretty bloody. And his face
S1: is covered in blood and his hands are covered in blood.
S1: And he rubs the blood on her face and it's
S1: on his face. My issue with this scene is not
S1: that it's a sex scene. It's not that it's even
S1: a particularly like, kind of graphic sex scene. Fair play,
S1: the movie that you and I talked about earlier this year, Thomas,
S1: that has a similar scene where there's a sex moment
S1: between two characters and she's on a period and it's
S1: a little bit weird, but for some reason, that one
S1: I found to be like quite sexy, quite funny, quite cheeky, like,
S1: like really interesting way of doing it. This just seemed
S1: like Finnell was like, I'm going to shock people for
S1: the sake of shocking people. This doesn't really make sense
S1: in the context of Barry Cullen's character. Like he has
S1: spent the first half of this movie kind of being
S1: an incel, like not being able to get girls, which
S1: is sort of why he's enamored with Felix. Women don't
S1: want to hang out with him. They make fun of him.
S1: Then all of a sudden he's this, like, super sexually
S1: fucked up guy, kind of like the weekend from the
S1: idol who's just like, let's go. So incoherent character motivation
S1: through a scene that I didn't think was fun or
S1: sexy and just there to shock. That's my take on that.
S3: One and completely agree with you that his character is
S3: completely inconsistent, and the development of that character is it
S3: doesn't make any logical sense. And that is one of
S3: the real flaws of this. I just found it.
S2: Like. Period six is the thing.
S3: Oh, dear.
S2: Here we go. No, but it is the thing that
S2: people like. It's a big talking point. And again, I
S2: feel like Emerald Fennell has purposely included this, but like. Yeah,
S2: what you said is so true. I mean, like the
S2: fair play thing, it did like, make it kind of
S2: like sexy and interesting, like way to frame that and
S2: make people think about it. Whereas this was like it
S2: was like she was trying to gross you out with it.
S2: Like in terms of it was very especially when, like,
S2: he's putting the blood on her face because he's like,
S2: I mean, let's be honest, he's like going down on her.
S2: It's not just like they're having sex. And then he
S2: puts the blood on her face and it's so like
S2: they linger so long on that scene. And I think
S2: there's like, you know, there's kind of like all sorts
S2: of stuff going on. And it it forces you to
S2: just be grossed out by something that's not grow. It's
S2: like it's like it's doing the inverse of what I
S2: think she was trying to do. That's how I read it.
S1: No, I think that's right. And like, we'll talk about
S1: this when we get into these other specific scenes. But
S1: overall this movie is like very anti-sex in a way.
S1: Like there's something very not sexy or like romantic about
S1: any of it. And it's kind of the same Promising
S1: Young Woman. Obviously, the politics of that movie are clear,
S1: but there's a lot of sex in that movie. It's
S1: all pretty violent and anxiety inducing and like, abrupt and cold.
S1: And it's the same in this movie. Even when characters
S1: are seemingly attracted to each other, you end up feeling
S1: repulsed and repelled by it. And I wonder what's going
S1: on there with her. Like why she seems so. Trying
S1: to make the point that, like sex is bad and
S1: like you should feel grossed out by it. Which brings
S1: us probably to the next scene. Yes.
S2: So the next scene, that's one of the scenes of
S2: the film. We've kind of been set up that all
S2: of our Barry Kierans character is obsessed with Felix Jacob Elordi. And,
S2: you know, they've arrived at Saltburn. They're they're in two
S2: separate bedrooms, but sharing a joint bathroom. And one night
S2: before Oliver goes to bed, he spies Felix in the
S2: bath and he can hear some kind of rustling. And
S2: as we follow all of his character, we see Felix
S2: pleasuring himself in the bath. Like Felix is masturbating. He comes,
S2: and then he leaves the bathroom, and then all of
S2: his character creeps in, kind of like runs his hands
S2: through the bathwater. The bath water is like running down
S2: the drain, and then he basically slurps up the remnants
S2: of the bathwater, which is mixed with Felix's ejaculate. And again,
S2: like the camera zooms in so close to watch Barry
S2: Keoghan like drinking. This guy's like second hand cum, which
S2: is just like, again, like the audience reaction in the
S2: screening I was in was just like. Chaos, but like
S2: it felt to me. And we discussed this earlier. We
S2: talked about Call Me By Your Name and, and I
S2: feel like that was an important film for Emerald Fennell
S2: that famously had, you know, the peach scene where Timothee Chalamet, like,
S2: ejaculates into a peach, but it's like actually pretty beautiful.
S2: And like there's something to that.
S1: That's a hot and romantic scene.
S2: Yes. And like you like and does like great PR
S2: for peaches. But like you came out of that scene thinking, okay,
S2: this is like, I get it. And that was kind
S2: of sexy and like, I'm into it. This I felt
S2: like was like her version of that. And again, like
S2: opposite effect. It was it was like gross. Yeah.
S3: And I don't know if like this one stuck like
S3: felt more in character with Oliver than the period sex scene.
S3: Like if they were trying to paint a picture of
S3: him as kind of a bit.
S1: Yeah, a bit pathetic and obsessed.
S3: Yeah, it did more of that. And I mean, I
S3: guess it's just the kind of talented Mr. Ripley. Tom
S3: Ripley wearing Dickies clothes taken to the nth degree. Yeah,
S3: I don't, but then he also did a lot of
S3: tonguing around the drain as well. Yeah. So it did
S3: take it a bit far and I just didn't. I
S3: also didn't really know what he was getting out of
S3: that because like there wasn't that much bathwater left. Like
S3: he was really getting the dregs.
S1: I mean, and even I'm glad you brought up Ripley.
S1: So there is like a very similar bath scene in
S1: that movie where Matt Damon's character, who's obsessed with Jude
S1: Law and it's basically Matt Damon, is Oliver and Jude
S1: Law as Felix, and they're playing chess and drools in
S1: the bath. And Damon says, you know, oh, can I
S1: get in? And Jude Law looks at him like disgusted.
S1: And there's like this tension. He's disgusted, but he's thinking
S1: about it. He's like, no, that's disgusting. And Damon says, well,
S1: not with you in it. And he gets out. And
S1: then Damon gets in his bathwater and like, looks at
S1: Jude Laws but in the mirror. And that's interesting because
S1: you get the same idea. You get this sort of
S1: pathetic guy who's obsessed. You get that sense of tension.
S1: But it's done quite beautifully and interestingly and sexily. As
S1: weird as it is, this movie again, that none of
S1: that was there in this scene.
S3: That's true. And then it culminates in this third scene,
S3: which I think here we go. This point in the movie,
S3: this actually really I kind of laughed out loud. I
S3: was like, okay, like, we've gone here.
S1: Yeah, we've lost the plot. Everyone has lost their minds
S1: making this movie, watching this movie, what is going on? Yeah.
S3: And it kind of really made me tap out for
S3: the last third of the movie because I just thought, yeah,
S3: I just didn't really understand it. So this is Jacob
S3: Elordi has died. Felix has died at the hands of
S3: Oliver Quick. And he is buried. Yeah. He's buried. He's
S3: in his grave. The dirt is fresh on the mound.
S3: Oliver goes on to it and he's sad. And he
S3: lays on the grave very dirty. And he starts to cry.
S3: And I thought, okay, okay. And then he gets a
S3: bit cuddly, cuddles the grave, and then he takes off
S3: your shirt and I was like, okay, all right, all right.
S3: We're going to get maybe we're getting a bit nude here.
S3: That's cool. And then alas, we do not stop there.
S3: He then I believe, removes his well, he opens his fly,
S3: the penis comes out, and then he appears to be.
S3: I don't want to call it making love to the grave.
S3: He is then having sex with the grave or.
S1: Liking the jerking, I should say the grave, because that's
S1: what he's doing. Yeah, he.
S3: Is fucking the grave and like, which is just a
S3: mound of dirt at this point. And it is just
S3: not a scene that really it was very hard to understand.
S3: It went on for a long time. It felt ludicrous
S3: and silly, not meaningful, but it didn't feel like it
S3: was intentionally meant to be funny. It just felt silly
S3: to me.
S1: Yeah, I'm glad you said it went on for a
S1: long time. That's the other thing all three of these
S1: have in common is that they all go on way
S1: too long, like the point's been made. And now it's
S1: just like, come on, this is not fun. This is
S1: not exciting. This is weird. And it's just dragging.
S2: Yeah. And again, these are the ones that will probably
S2: end up like on TikTok and stuff because people will
S2: be like, oh my God. And then they'll be like
S2: some like 15 year old reacting to the grave fucking scene,
S2: and then that'll go viral and like etcetera.
S3: But then like there is some merit directors in holding
S3: something back. Right? Like even if she had just stopped
S3: at him kind of doing the weird but intimate cuddle
S3: of the grave mound, like that would have been enough
S3: and probably more poignant than to go all the way.
S6: Out of.
S1: Everyone in this movie. I feel the most sorry for
S1: Barry Keoghan because I think he's a really good actor.
S1: I think he tries really hard in this movie and
S1: final like pushes him to the limit, right? Like drinking
S1: the bath water, fucking a grave. That scene at the
S1: end where he's nude and you see his penis and
S1: he's dancing to murder on the dance floor like he's
S1: going for it. And he's like, put in a lot
S1: of work. He's pretty ripped in this film. Like, I
S1: think he's trying really hard. I just think all these,
S1: the script, the directing cues just do not land at all.
S1: And we mentioned at the very start of this convo,
S1: this film was getting like Oscar buzz for the script,
S1: potentially for the directing, for the performances of Barry that
S1: is evaporated. Like no one serious thinks that anyone in
S1: this movie is going to get anything. Maybe like in
S1: the crafts for production design, for Soul Burn and costuming
S1: or something like that. But I feel bad for him.
S3: So do I. And like I feel and I don't
S3: know if it was intentional, like, was he meant to
S3: be this kind of blank character that we can't really
S3: understand the intentions? Because if it was intentional, it didn't work.
S3: But otherwise, I do feel like the directing means that
S3: you don't understand why he's doing anything. And like we're
S3: talking about Talented Mr. Ripley in that film, they make
S3: you understand Matt Damon's motivations so clearly, and we're smitten
S3: by Dickie Lord's characters and we understand Matt Damon's resentment,
S3: and they build it up slowly and steadily how he
S3: kind of falls for Jude Law, how he gets kicked
S3: out of the limelight and then feels resentful. We understand it,
S3: but there is just not that consistent, clear pacing and
S3: story in this film, so you don't really understand all
S3: of it quick at the end of it, which is
S3: a shame for for Barry.
S2: Yeah. And I mean, this is what it brings back
S2: to the whole messaging of this film. Like, I don't
S2: at the end of like when the end credits roll,
S2: I kind of felt bad for like, Felix and his family.
S1: Yeah, yeah. So let's talk about what happens. Right. So
S1: so the start of the film was sort of told
S1: that Oliver is the scholarship kid whose parents are really poor.
S1: His dad's a drug dealer, his mom is an addict.
S1: And he's like, you know, escape that to come to
S1: Oxford at the end of the movie, we realized that's
S1: all a lie. His parents are just like, seemingly nice
S1: middle class people, and he's confected all of this to
S1: get close to Felix and like, worm his way in.
S1: It's then revealed that he has been knocking off members
S1: of the family one by one to somehow end up
S1: with Saltburn. Honestly, none of that makes sense. Like, none
S1: of the decisions made make any sense to me. I
S1: agree with you, Thomas. Like by the end of the movie,
S1: there's a little bit about these rich people being annoying
S1: and dismissive of their friends and like a little bit
S1: dismissive to their help. But by the end of it,
S1: I'm like, none of these people have done anything bad
S1: enough to warrant being killed, that, like some of them
S1: are killed in extremely violent ways, and Kaitlyn's character just
S1: is revealed to be total psychopath and he wins. And
S1: I'm like, I feel sorry for the rich people he killed.
S1: So therefore this is not really a satire about them anymore.
S1: This is a story about a middle class guy who
S1: lied and just killed a bunch of rich people, who
S1: is clearly has something really wrong with him. And if
S1: that's the point of the movie, that is a shit point,
S1: I'm sorry to say completely.
S3: And the revelation that he's not poor and he seems
S3: to just be from quite a nice middle class family
S3: where his mum and dad love him and make him
S3: birthday cakes and they really want to hear from him
S3: and they're really proud of him. Like he's not even
S3: got a bad upbringing to kind of explain in a
S3: socioeconomic way his actions.
S2: Yeah. And like we've talked a lot about thrillers on
S2: this part and like we all love thrillers. But if
S2: the big reveal in your thriller is that the main
S2: character is a psychopath, but we've been hiding that from you,
S2: and now we're going to quickly show you all the
S2: times we hid it from you. That's not like a
S2: good reveal. Yeah. When that happened towards the end of
S2: the movie, we basically get like a, like a 62nd
S2: refresh of different moments from earlier in the film. But
S2: we get like, the behind the scenes look to show
S2: what Barry Keenan's character really did. Like, you know, these like,
S2: engineering different meetings with Felix lies he told like crazy
S2: acts from this psychopath that we didn't know was a psychopath.
S2: But like, well, of course we didn't know because they
S2: were hidden from us. And now you're just, like, giving
S2: us all this exposition about it. And the end result
S2: is he's just crazy. Yeah, but.
S1: Even if we didn't know, like, you know, we didn't know.
S1: For example, he deflated the bike tyre to get to
S1: meet Felix. Originally, you got the sense that something was
S1: wrong with this character and he was involved. You kind
S1: of already knew that. And Finnell then is like, oh,
S1: I'm lifting the lid on this just in case. As
S1: you thought. He was a good guy. He's a bad guy.
S1: I'm like, you think you're a step ahead of us?
S1: But we've figured most of this out, and all the
S1: things you're revealing to us now are inconsequential or lame.
S1: Because I do like a bit of ambiguity. Like, I
S1: felt pretty confident that he was responsible for a bunch
S1: of stuff. When it's revealed that he's lying about his family,
S1: that's enough of a reveal to understand that he's up
S1: to no good. And then being like, not only will
S1: we show you killing these people will even show you him.
S1: Like using the razor blades will show him putting the
S1: drugs in the champagne. It just. It's deflating rather than
S1: like a revelation.
S2: Yeah, definitely the final third, I think. Like, by the
S2: time we got to the very last scene of the
S2: film features Barry. And is that a prosthetic? I think
S2: it might be a prosthetic.
S1: And are you looking at mouth mean?
S2: No, because.
S3: I mean, it might not be. I think it could.
S3: I think there was there was.
S2: Some prosthetic chest.
S3: Kind of situation. No.
S2: Yeah. But basically dancing through the House to that great
S2: song by Sophie Baxter. But by the time that came,
S2: I was just like, I was getting me out here, man.
S3: I loved that scene. Just not in this film. Like,
S3: I was like, that's a really cool. I like the
S3: idea of it. I like the vibe, I like the moves.
S3: I really loved that. And then it just didn't work
S3: in this film.
S1: Yeah definitely. It's a nice like again he's taking a
S1: big swing to his opponent and it's a fun song
S1: and it's a fun saying. It didn't it annoyed me
S1: because it's like a waste. It's like if I'm seeing
S1: an actor I really like do something that mad and
S1: out there. I want it to mean something. And in interviews,
S1: finals been like, yeah, I really wanted that to show
S1: how like he owned the house, like the house was
S1: his now. And I'm like, great. It's not really a metaphor.
S1: If he's literally just naked running around the house, that's
S1: you're not kind of showing it as much as you
S1: were just telling us that he now owns the house.
S3: Yeah. And he at the end is as evil as
S3: the evil people he killed who.
S2: Aren't really that evil.
S5: But yeah.
S3: So maybe she's criticizing the pretension to like, class jump,
S3: which is.
S1: I think I think it's really nice, Mel, that you
S1: were trying to figure out all the smart things this
S1: movie could be about. I'm not convinced it is about
S1: any of those things.
S3: Yeah, I think we should all just go home and watch, like,
S3: Call Me by your name, Talented Mr. Ripley. Brideshead. Exactly.
S5: Yeah, yeah.
S1: Those are three great movies. If if you're wondering, like,
S1: what we're talking about were just boring old people who
S1: want to watch old movies. Those. Those are three really
S1: good ones to watch. Like, set aside a few hours
S1: on a weekend. It hit them all. You have a
S1: better time.
S3: What do you reckon Jim Chalmers take would be on Saltburn?
S1: Let's not do that. Well, from something not great to
S1: something that I think the three of us are really
S1: vibing at the moment. Let's talk about the curse second episode.
S1: We covered the first episode last week. This is the
S1: new show from Nathan Fielder of The Rehearsal and Nathan
S1: For You fame and Emma Stone. The show is getting
S1: both weirder and more compelling. In my opinion. The first
S1: EP was more. It seemed like an overt satire on
S1: this like strain of home renovation focused reality shows. The
S1: second episode, just like, blows everything out of the water.
S1: It's like taking aim at the contemporary art world the
S1: way that rich white people use, like proximity to art,
S1: particularly art made by marginalized people, in this case like
S1: Native Americans, to bolster their credentials. There's this crazy subplot
S1: that is kind of like a casino heist, but totally absurd.
S1: You got you guys still digging this show.
S2: I'm so into the curse. It's fucking it's like batshit crazy.
S2: Probably the weirdest thing on TV for like, a long time,
S2: even weird by A24 standards. And they do some pretty
S2: weird stuff. This is like, it's got. So it's like
S2: five different shows in a show.
S5: Yeah, I.
S3: Loved the second episode. I reckon it was better than
S3: the first. And I agree, I think it has found
S3: and I hope it continues in this way. I think
S3: it's found its pacing and its feet way more than
S3: it kind of showed in the first, which felt like to,
S3: as we were saying last week, felt like two different
S3: shows put together. There are just so many good moments
S3: in this and like, it's not laugh out loud funny
S3: in some ways, but then the moments.
S1: I think I laughed at least once to be honest.
S2: Was a two episode one. I laughed out loud a
S2: lot in episode two. I didn't laugh once, but then
S2: talking about it with you this morning, I was like,
S2: ha ha, that was very funny.
S3: Yeah, like when you think about the moments. One of
S3: my favorite moments in this was when the bird hits
S3: into her house and it dies. And there's like, as
S3: they said in the last episode, there's like no reason
S3: for the house to be a reflective surface. Other than that,
S3: she's kind of parroting Doug Aitken, the the real artist
S3: who designs houses like that. And so it's just so
S3: good that, like, they just continuously get birds flying into
S3: it and dying, and she's trying to sweep them away
S3: from kind of the picture perfect house. Like there are
S3: all these moments like that which I don't know, you
S3: don't laugh out loud at the time, but they're so
S3: funny and dark and good.
S1: Very much so. I mean, if you told me that, like,
S1: it's it's easy because it shows so weird to miss.
S1: Just like kind of how smart I think it is
S1: and how many different things it's grappling with. Like the
S1: first episode being this piss take of the way that
S1: reality TV is made, and then going into a strange
S1: psychosexual drama involving this crazy family. If you told me that,
S1: then the second episode would largely be focused on the
S1: power dynamics between white property developers and native communities, and
S1: also like conversations around exploitation and plagiarism in the arts,
S1: and how rich people want to collect the work of,
S1: like certain marginalized artists to basically use as cover. Like
S1: there's two different shows from two different universes, but it
S1: hangs together in this, in this one show. I mean,
S1: like as far as plot goes, kind of odd to
S1: talk about plot because it feels like nothing really fits together,
S1: like there's a pregnancy at the start of it. Emma
S1: Stone's character is pregnant. By the end, we realize that
S1: it's ectopic and it's not really going to work out
S1: for her. So there's a whole layer of like that,
S1: and she reveals that she's had abortions in the past,
S1: and that's like a bit of a surprise to Asha.
S1: Field is character. So there is like this character stuff
S1: going on there. Nathan's character is trying to get a.
S1: While from a casino. Were not totally sure what's on
S1: this file, but he's using it to kill a story
S1: that is going to come out about his wife. That
S1: is not good. By giving her the story about this
S1: casino that I thought was the funniest bit with the
S1: Gatorade like that was that was.
S5: More of the Russell.
S2: That was like the that was straight from the rehearsal playbook.
S2: What do you say pours it on the other guy's head, like,
S2: and all of that. The way that was all shot
S2: was basically just like, like another episode of The Rehearsal.
S1: And a lot of it is shot like it feels
S1: like you're in a docudrama or reality thing, and it
S1: just blurs that line of like, could the next season
S1: of the rehearsal end up just being like, we made
S1: this insane show, and here's how it happened. Like, I
S1: would not put it past fielder like he's he was
S1: on Kimmel, like doing that interview with Emma Stone where
S1: he's wearing those tiny glasses, looking like a beat poet
S1: from the 60s and making fun of how Emma Stone
S1: can act like he is doing something right now that
S1: I don't think we know and we might not find
S1: out for a year.
S3: Yeah, that's so true. And I think, like.
S5: People I.
S3: Don't really agree. People keep saying that it's uncomfortable to watch,
S3: and I worry that that puts people off of giving
S3: this show a go. And I don't think it is
S3: uncomfortable to watch, but I do think it is. Maybe
S3: the people were saying that because it is so unlike
S3: anything else, and we've kind of been lulled into this nice,
S3: safe spot on the couch that we like to sit in,
S3: and then we've been suddenly given something different. And so
S3: it does feel new and fresh, and we don't really
S3: know how to place it and think about it. So
S3: I think maybe that's why people think it's more uncomfortable
S3: than what it is, though. I get like the scenes
S3: are awkward, like they are long and they are dark,
S3: and they are kind of pressing on a point repeatedly
S3: and giving no mercy. But it still is enjoyable and
S3: engaging to watch. Right? Then you have this.
S2: Whole other like basically a short film with Safdies character
S2: where he just goes on this weird day and talks
S2: about how he basically killed his wife in a car
S2: accident when he was shitfaced. It's just like, oh man.
S1: What is happening there? That's a whole different plot where
S1: he is on a Tinder date, I guess, and just
S1: tells that story and then drives and is too drunk
S1: to drive and him and fielder, like, meet in the casino,
S1: but don't talk at all. It's like, what the fuck
S1: is going on? But it is so interesting. Mel, I
S1: think you nailed it. Like, yeah, I think it's just
S1: different and it's good and it's smart and it's bold
S1: and it's what I think TV should be. I like
S1: could not recommend this more. I'm a bit worried about
S1: it being on Paramount Plus. Like I just feel like
S1: that's probably one of the smaller networks. There was a
S1: bit of chat about, like, this is his first not
S1: HBO show, and it was A24 and A24's had a
S1: lot of shows distributed by HBO, and, you know, there's
S1: some whispers around that. HBO is now owned by, like discovery,
S1: which owns HGTV. So the kinds of things that this
S1: show is parodying are part of now that HBO and Empire.
S1: And I think that's a bit of a shame, because
S1: I think if this was marketed and branded as like
S1: an HBO show, it would go insane. But if you're
S1: listening to this and you're not sure, get the seven
S1: day Paramount Plus trial like give it a crack, it
S1: is so worth your time.
S2: Yes. And also during the week, there were some very fun. Osborne,
S2: you brought this to our attention. Some very fun interplay
S2: between probably the weirdest crossover of the week, some interplay
S2: between Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder, and then the cast
S2: of Anyone But You starring, I believe her name is
S2: Sydney Sweeney.
S5: And.
S2: Glen Powell. Obviously the film shot in Australia, the cast
S2: of The Curse like, took the piss out of the
S2: promo for anyone about you, and it led to this
S2: very funny dialogue between the directors and stuff. So yeah,
S2: check that out. You can find on Twitter.
S1: All right, on to our weekly Impress Your Friends segment.
S1: I already gave yours away, Mel. So why don't you
S1: tell us what you've been enjoying this week, and we
S1: can have a bit of a convo about it.
S5: Yeah, and.
S3: It ties in nicely given that Emerald Fennell was Camilla
S3: in one of the seasons of The Crown. Mine is
S3: the latest season of The Crown, the first four apps
S3: of which have dropped on Netflix, and the last will
S3: come in December. In this season it's Diana, played by Becky,
S3: Australia's own dying. And it's the kind of lead up
S3: to that. It's the kind of hours and days before that.
S3: And her relationship with Dodi, played by Khalid Abdullah, his father.
S3: Obviously we've still got the monarchy element of it. Look,
S3: it copped some bad reviews and then some really bad reviews,
S3: particularly from the Guardian. And then I feel like those
S3: bad reviews became contagious and everyone was talking about how
S3: bad The Crown was. And I've watched all of The Crown.
S3: I've always thought it's like solidly middle ground television, like
S3: I've always found it interesting because of the historical details
S3: and the kind of the actors that are in it.
S3: But it's never been amazing TV. But I did think,
S3: oh no, they must have really done something wrong. But
S3: when I watched it, I do not think it deserves
S3: the heat that it's been copping. I think it's I
S3: wonder if it's because being in Australia, we have a
S3: slightly different relationship and being a bit younger. We also
S3: do to kind of that, to Diana's death.
S1: To the Brits are being a bit harsher on it.
S3: Some elements of the British press I think are being
S3: harsher on it, but I.
S5: Don't think it's that.
S3: Bad. I think it's good. I think it's kind of
S3: solidly middle ground TV. I don't think it's worse or
S3: better than other seasons of The Crown. I think it's
S3: pretty gripping, and it was getting criticism for really focusing
S3: on the Diana Dodi plotline. But like, that's all I'm
S3: interested in. I kind of didn't like The Crown when
S3: it went into its little Step Out episodes, which didn't
S3: fit into a bigger plot, like I wanted those characters.
S3: I wanted that kind of version of history, and I
S3: thought Debicki as Diana was fantastic.
S2: She is very good. I don't like it. I think
S2: almost similar to what we're saying before, like the closer
S2: we inch to like more recent history, the more easy
S2: it is to slip up. Like I think The Crown
S2: was at its best in the first two seasons when
S2: like we were learning more about like what happened, you know,
S2: like a really long time away from us. Whereas now
S2: it's like we're in this era that we actually remember,
S2: like William and Harry are like in it now. And
S2: I just think there's a cringe factor. I also think, unfortunately,
S2: like we've seen Diana on screen a lot of times
S2: now in different iterations. So there is like maybe a fatigue.
S2: That being said, I think, yeah, I mean.
S1: There were like two Diana movies last year or something. Yeah, yeah, we've.
S2: We've seen it a lot. And one of the Diana
S2: movies was really good. Like, and I think Debicki is
S2: really good. But I just think generally, you know, and
S2: I know that, like, there's been much made of what's
S2: to come, which is the ghost of Diana. I mean,
S2: she visits Charles, she visits the Queen. And like, I mean,
S2: we can all agree in TV land when you have
S2: a ghost visiting people, then the show has jumped the shark.
S3: Look, I have to say, I don't think the ghost.
S3: I know when you read and you see the ghost
S3: is like, you know, you think.
S5: Oh, spooky, I was going.
S1: To say spoilers, but I know everyone knows Diana's dead.
S3: But the ghost element. Did they need it? Probably not.
S3: But is it as bad as it sounds reading about it? No,
S3: it's not like a hologram kind of ghosty thing. Like
S3: it kind of works. Did they need to do it?
S3: Could have lived without. It. Doesn't really add that much,
S3: but I don't know. I when I read ghost I
S3: was like, oh dear. But it wasn't as bad as
S3: I thought it would be. Right?
S1: I'd say a couple of things. Firstly, huge plot for
S1: my guy Khalid Abdullah, who burst to prominence playing the
S1: head terrorist hijacker in Paul Greengrass United 93, going from
S1: that to playing Dodi Al Fayed, you know, dating Princess.
S1: And it's pretty cool. It's a representation, folks. It's good. Yeah,
S1: I've never been a huge crown head because I, I'm
S1: firmly of the camp that this is all like hagiography
S1: like this. Anyone who pretends that this is like an interesting, insightful,
S1: critical look at the institution of the royals, I think
S1: is getting themselves. It's fine if you want to watch
S1: it and like it. That's interesting. They're an interesting family,
S1: this interesting drama there. I'm not a huge fan of
S1: like the institution of the royal family and didn't enjoy
S1: the amount of time and effort going into try to
S1: create complexity out of, you know, pretty mundane, boring slash
S1: terrible people. So I only really care about this season
S1: if they end up confirming that, like, the royal family
S1: assassinated Diana and Dodi because they did not like Diana
S1: having relationships with brown guys, and if that's not what
S1: this is about, then I don't, I don't care.
S2: I'm so shocked that husbands and royalists. Hi, that one's
S2: caught me off guard. If I'm honest.
S3: I don't know why you don't like the institution, though.
S3: Why you don't find it interesting. Like you like other
S3: big institutions like Disney.
S5: Marvel? Yeah. Why don't you like. What are you talking about?
S5: You love the.
S1: Kardashians and what those guys create because it's relevant to
S1: the culture, the the royals as an institution. I mean, like,
S1: I care enough to know about who the people are,
S1: but I think this has been my issue with the
S1: Crown and this debate about whether or not it is
S1: pro royal or not. I think if you are creating
S1: characters and. Story lines, and you are trying to get
S1: people hooked in to caring about what happens. You are
S1: humanizing them. I think anyone who pretends that this is
S1: like not an attempt, even if at a subconscious level,
S1: to create humanity and complexity around extremely powerful individuals who
S1: have been responsible for and the beneficiaries of lots of
S1: terrible things around the world. I think they kidding themselves.
S1: I just don't really want to participate in that ecosystem.
S1: I can do a couple of hours, you know, like
S1: that Diana movie with Kristen.
S5: Stewart in it.
S1: Yeah, Kristen was really good because that was one an
S1: interesting movie. It sort of filmed like a horror film,
S1: and it was about how the royals are like horrible
S1: people who tried to, like, kill Diana. Great. I'm into that.
S1: I just don't think The Crown wants to take those
S1: kinds of swings.
S2: You did not impress that particular friends.
S3: I'm excited to hear the take on Napoleon.
S5: No, but.
S1: I'm glad we talked about this because it is a
S1: big show and I think lots of people are talking
S1: about it, and I feel like we've got the spectrum
S1: of feelings.
S5: That's awesome. That is true.
S1: Thomas, what have you got for us?
S2: Well, I have another TV show. I think we all
S2: have TV shows this week. Maybe this one is on Stan,
S2: which is probably the best streaming platform. Yeah.
S1: Yeah, we should declare that Stan is owned by nine,
S1: the publisher of the company that we work for, the
S1: Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
S2: So, scrubland. It's based on an award winning novel by
S2: Chris Hammer.
S3: A former Sydney Morning Herald journalist. We should.
S5: Say.
S2: We should say. And had I continue speaking. No. But
S2: the thing is about this show, which we all will love. Basically,
S2: it's set in the small town of river sand, like
S2: a small like country town, rural Victoria. And basically the
S2: episode opens with this young pastor who's kind of help
S2: revitalize the town, played by Jay Ryan. And, you know,
S2: it's a Sunday. He's welcoming his parish into the church.
S2: Everyone seems to love him. And then he walks inside
S2: the church, comes out with a rifle and shoots five
S2: men dead in the car park. And it's very, very shocking.
S2: It's a very strong opening scene. The story opens up
S2: a year later. Kind of. This journalist returns to the town,
S2: played by Luke Arnold, who played Michael Hutchence in the series,
S2: and he's a journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald, which
S2: is great because that's where we work. And he he
S2: is coming to the town to do like a kind
S2: of what his boss is telling him is essentially is
S2: a puff piece, like one year on, like how the
S2: town is healing. But he obviously gets there and starts
S2: to kind of unpick what really happened. You know, there
S2: are all these different kind of like almost in a
S2: Larimer type way, strange people in the country town and
S2: everything is not as it seems. And lo and behold,
S2: he too has his own interesting back story and I
S2: really enjoying the first few episodes. Bella Heathcote is in
S2: it too. It is that classic, like Australian small town drama.
S2: It's eerie, it's uncomfortable. It's really well shot. Yeah, I'm like, look,
S2: we made a joke about Stan. Some of the Stan
S2: offerings have not been amazing. I think we all agreed
S2: court was a misfire. This is, like, really good Australian TV,
S2: so I think everyone should give it a crack.
S3: And did you read the book?
S2: I have not read the book. Okay. Have you read
S2: the book?
S3: I did read the book, so I'd be interested to
S3: see how it. One of the things that stands out
S3: to me from the book was like, he does a
S3: lot of public weeing like, there is so much dedicated
S3: in the book to this man going to the bathroom,
S3: but obviously.
S5: It's not carried on.
S2: But I will let you know.
S1: Yeah, not surprised that they weren't like, okay, cool. We
S1: need like 15 shots of him.
S5: Well, if.
S3: It was Nathan Fielder.
S5: It was Barry. Cool. Yeah.
S1: No. Great. I'm actually really excited to watch that show.
S1: It's probably next on my list after I catch up
S1: with my recommendation, which is one that you actually gave
S1: to me, Thomas, when I was sick last week. I
S1: don't think you've seen it yet, though. It's a Disney+ show.
S1: It's called a murder at the end of the world.
S1: It stars Brit Marling, Emma Corrin, who also played Diana
S1: in the last season of The Crown.
S2: Really is haunting.
S5: Diana.
S1: Yeah, we can't get away from these freaking royals. And
S1: Harris Dickinson, who was in Triangle of Sadness, a movie
S1: that I think we all really liked as well, also
S1: has Clive Owen as kind of the main antagonist, and
S1: there's a really good cast. This is an interesting show.
S1: It has a lot that I really like. It's essentially
S1: about this, like young character played by Emma Corrin called
S1: Darby Hart, who's pitched as this like Gen Z, Sherlock Holmes.
S1: They are like hacker and they solve true crime mysteries
S1: on Reddit, that sort of thing. They get invited to
S1: this tech conference, which is hosted by Clive Owen's characters,
S1: sort of like tech billionaire there. A murder happens and
S1: they have to basically solve it. It's very like Knives
S1: Out in that way. But the show is interesting, odd
S1: in that it also is about a series of flashbacks
S1: and a storyline that takes place in the past, where
S1: Emma Corrin is in a relationship with Harris Dickinson's character,
S1: and they are solving like this true crime murder mystery.
S1: I got to say, I think like it's not quite
S1: a perfect show because those two stories kind of don't
S1: mesh together for me that well. I would prefer if
S1: we just stuck to one, and I really like the
S1: the murder at the end of the world thing, because
S1: that's this tech conference in Iceland. There's a bit of
S1: stuff about I. And tech. It's really interestingly shot and filmed.
S1: The characters that are pretty fun and wacky. That's a
S1: really good bit of the show, and I think it
S1: gets a bit overwhelmed by the the murder that happens
S1: in the past. I'm trying to not get into detail
S1: because I don't want to spoil it for people, but
S1: I think if you're looking for like, some fun, entertaining
S1: murder mystery stuff, this is worth a crack.
S3: Yeah. Okay, next on the list. I really like Emma.
S2: I'll watch anything with Clive Owen. Yeah.
S1: Clive Owen is amazing. There's a lot of weird stuff
S1: that he's doing in this, which I think is also fun.
S1: I think he's having a really good time, which is cool. Yeah.
S1: I feel like we should do a switcheroo and maybe, like,
S1: swap notes on some of these things next week because
S1: I am quite keen to check out Scrub Lands, and
S1: maybe that's worth a bit more of a chat when
S1: we've caught up as well.
S3: Let's do it!
S1: Thomas and Mel a big one from us today. We
S1: really Jim Chalmers, Emerald Fennell, hip Hop, The Crown, the Royals,
S1: what didn't we cover.
S2: So a good baby baby.
S5: That's what we do.
S1: See you guys next week.
S5: Bye.
S1: This episode of The Drop was produced by Chey Wong.
S1: If you enjoyed listening to today's episode of The Drop,
S1: make sure to follow us in your favorite podcast app.
S1: Leave us a review or better yet, share the episode
S1: with a friend, tell them how great it is and
S1: how much you love listening to us on the drop.
S1: I'm Osman Farooqui. See you next week.