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 Mel Kambouris and
S1: Thomas Mitchell. What's up team.
S2: Good Osman, maybe you can solve a debate for us
S2: this morning. We've just been to get coffee and the
S2: server has asked for the name to go with the
S2: coffee order, and I've said it's Mel. Mel and Thomas
S2: here has said that the spelling out of the name
S2: was unnecessary.
S3: I think when your name is Mel, it's unnecessary.
S2: I think that it's better to be clear to avoid
S2: the the follow up question.
S1: I'm the wrong person to ask because I have a
S1: name that is often miswritten and mispronounced by baristas. So
S1: I use a coffee name and I do spell it out.
S1: So I'm definitely on Mel's side. It's, you know, if
S1: she didn't spell it out, perhaps the barista might have
S1: written it down as Mel. And then you've got a
S1: mel Malcolm situation. So how many.
S3: Mal's are out there? Really?
S1: How many Aussies are out there? Not that many. But
S1: you still get. You still get.
S2: What's your coffee name cropping up?
S1: Mine is just Oz o Zed, but it occasionally leads
S1: to funny situations like a Vietnamese coffee shop I went
S1: to once the guy took my order o Zed. He
S1: was fine with that. The person reading it out was
S1: not the same person who took the name down, so
S1: she looked at it and read out zero z, zero z. Um,
S1: and it took me a minute to realize she thought
S1: you were like.
S3: Elon Musk child or something.
S1: Exactly, exactly. Because good. Other than your coffee mishaps.
S3: Yeah. All good, all good. How are you going? It's
S3: been a big week for you.
S1: Yes, I'm on leave. I've sort of come back in specially.
S1: Parachuted myself back into the podcast to, uh, keep you
S1: guys on track. Clearly didn't trust what you would do
S1: without me either. Um, but I got a question for you, Mel.
S1: Last week when we talked about Furiosa, the new mad
S1: Max movie. You hadn't seen it yet. It's fine. You know,
S1: life comes up. That's okay. You have a very busy schedule.
S1: You're a busy person. It was a Sydney Writers Festival
S1: that wrapped up on the weekend. It's now been a
S1: week since the movie's out. So how did you how
S1: did you find it?
S2: I'm sorry to confess that I haven't actually seen it yet,
S2: but what is this call out culture?
S1: Well, I mean, I think it's important to to just
S1: sit on this one for a second, because you might
S1: not be aware, but you are contributing to the slow
S1: and gradual death of the medium of cinema. Add it to.
S2: The list of the things I'm doing wrong.
S1: Well, well. Last week we talked about how it was
S1: one of the few blockbusters on the film schedule of 2024,
S1: but despite being the most expensive Australian film ever made
S1: and not really having much competition at the box office,
S1: it's failed to get big numbers in its opening weekend
S1: in America, which fell on Memorial Day, which is historically
S1: a pretty big day for the US box office. Furious
S1: had just managed to outdo Garfield for the top spot.
S1: It took in 48 million AUD over those four days,
S1: compared to Garfield's $46 million not a great result. In
S1: total terms, it's the lowest Memorial Day opening in 30
S1: years since 1995, and you wouldn't be stoked if you're
S1: George Miller, that after spending ten years making this movie,
S1: you just beat the cartoon cat. Voiced by Chris Pratt,
S1: who voices every cartoon creature. It seems by a couple
S1: of million dollars. It's not a great result, is it?
S3: No, it's a bit grim. Uh, I love Garfield, by
S3: the way. Like, I've always been a fan of the Garfield,
S3: so I can see, you know, Garfield's got a big
S3: built in audience out there, and George Miller didn't see
S3: that coming.
S2: I can feel that you would appreciate Garfield's whole vibe.
S3: Yeah, man, he fucking eats lasagna every day. That's like the.
S2: Dream. Hungry cat.
S3: Uh, yeah. So it is. It is a bit grim. And,
S3: you know, we kind of flagged last week that there
S3: wasn't a bunch of, you know, big block. There's lots
S3: of good stuff to come this year, but not a
S3: bunch of blockbusters that level. And I definitely was surprised
S3: to see I thought it was going to do, you know,
S3: kind of like June numbers. But yeah, here we are.
S3: And I think there's lots of people kind of like
S3: navel gazing now to be like, oh, what does this
S3: mean about the future of cinema? Not just as we
S3: are right now, but yeah, I'm sure it'll bounce back,
S3: but definitely an interesting kind of an interesting situation for
S3: the Furiosa fans to find themselves in. Except for Mel,
S3: who refuses to see the movie.
S2: I feel like maybe we've all got a ahead of
S2: ourselves with Barbie and Oppenheimer. We were all so excited
S2: about the return and the saving of cinema, and then unfortunately,
S2: it's not really played out as we would have hoped
S2: back then.
S3: This is worse than when I refuse to see anyone
S3: but you.
S2: It's been a week. I'm going to see it.
S1: There are so many different factors behind the performance of
S1: the box office at the moment. I mean, one of
S1: them is just we are living in the shadow of
S1: the strikes last year that that took out production for
S1: such a long period of time. So we don't have
S1: a very busy schedule. You've probably noticed that TV and
S1: film is pretty. Quiet. I'm sure like me, you guys
S1: have friends in your life that message you when it's
S1: the weekend and they're like, hey, what should I see?
S1: The the movies, what's on streaming right now? I've kind
S1: of struggled in the last couple of weeks to recommend
S1: much film. Yeah, we've mentioned that Ferris is the big
S1: one for a while. TV wise, House of the Dragon
S1: season two comes out in the middle of June, and
S1: then The bear comes out at the end of that
S1: month for its third season. So very excited about that.
S1: But until then, there's not heaps, and that presents a
S1: bit of a predicament for people like us whose job
S1: it is, is to talk about TV and film that
S1: is coming out. Uh, the good news is we have
S1: a solution. Today on the podcast, we're going back to
S1: the past 25 years, back in time to 1999. Cue
S1: the Prince song.
UU: So tonight on the party like it's 1999.
S1: One of the greatest years in movie history. We're going
S1: to build our Hall of Fame for cinema in 1999.
S1: Each of us is going to pick our favorite films
S1: of that year. We're going to talk about why we
S1: love them, discuss our favorite scenes, what held up the best,
S1: what maybe didn't hold up, and whether these movies stand
S1: the test of time. It's going to be a lot
S1: of fun. And let me just say, there are an
S1: incredible amount of like, not just like good, but like
S1: five star movies from this year. Our group chat for
S1: the past few days has just been what this came
S1: out in 1999 and that what? That's crazy. Very excited
S1: about this one.
S3: Yes, I am very excited to talk about a bunch
S3: of films that Leonardo DiCaprio would no longer date because
S3: they are 25 years old. But it is true. Like
S3: the more we kind of got into it and we're
S3: going through the process of selecting our movies, it became
S3: that thing of like, oh my God, how do you
S3: just choose three? And I'm sure if you went and
S3: looked back at like 98 or 2000, they'd also be
S3: like so many great films. But it does feel that
S3: 99 specifically, probably something to do with Y2K, I imagine
S3: is like stacked with great films across every single genre too.
S3: So yeah, it was a special time in film and
S3: I'm keen a special time in film. Not a special
S3: time for me personally, because that was an awkward age
S3: for me, but I am keen to revisit them.
S2: I'm also keen to revisit a time before I single
S2: handedly ruined cinema.
S1: Yeah, they're going to talk about you in history, in
S1: the history books, Mel. Um, no, I'm really excited about it.
S1: It's it's a new format for us, a bit of
S1: a risk. Hopefully it pays off. I'm really looking forward
S1: to it. But before we get there, a couple of
S1: bits of news to talk about. Thomas, our guy, Robert
S1: De Niro, managed to involve himself in the Donald Trump trial.
S1: Can you tell us what the hell's going on here?
S3: Yeah, I was very excited when my De Niro Google
S3: alert went off this morning. Um, it's been.
S1: And it wasn't another.
S3: Trial. It's been pretty quiet. Yeah, I know he's obviously
S3: been in the depths of new fatherhood. Uh, at however old.
S3: He's 79. Um, so he's really in it just at
S3: that and obviously, um, whatever else he has gout, I presume.
S3: But but yeah, he rocked up at the Trump trial.
S4: I owe the city a lot. And that's why it's
S4: so weird that Donald Trump is just across the street,
S4: because he doesn't belong in my city.
S3: And basically gave this really impassioned speech. And he did.
S3: He was like, you know, lots of writers are saying this.
S3: He went full Goodfellas. Like, this was De Niro at
S3: his most gangster. He called Trump a tyrant.
S4: Just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot,
S4: a two bit Playboy lying his way into the tabloids.
S3: And that is just like, man, the guys just left
S3: Trump for dead there. Uh, and basically, yeah, he he's
S3: kind of stolen the limelight out of this insane trial
S3: that's happening. Um, but it's very exciting to see De
S3: Niro fired up again because he's been in a bit
S3: of a run of just like I'm here playing a
S3: filthy grandpa again. But now this was the De Niro
S3: we know and love. He was impassioned. He was a
S3: little bit scary. He was full Italian. I'm fucking here
S3: for it.
S2: Oh, and it was so good. Once he had given
S2: stopped his actual speech and he was walking back in,
S2: the crowd was heckling him and they were like, your
S2: movies suck. And he says this line, he's like, we're
S2: trying to be gentlemen. You are gangsters. And it's just
S2: so good hearing him to call them gangsters.
S1: Also, who are these Trump fans saying De Niro's movie suck?
S1: Like they just objectively do not suck?
S2: It's amazing. I've watched it so many times.
S3: He's obviously concerned about, um, you know, the future for
S3: his young child and what kind of world they'll be
S3: living in. Uh, so yeah, De Niro is back, baby.
S1: I went back and rewatched killers of the Flower Moon
S1: a couple of weeks ago, and we we all really
S1: enjoyed that movie and thought it was brilliant. I remember
S1: at the time, Thomas, you and I were a bit
S1: down on De Niro's performance. I think we said that
S1: it was maybe one of the weaker ones in the film.
S1: I mean, I think that's not totally unfair because the
S1: other performances are just so overpoweringly and overwhelmingly brilliant. But
S1: I think that was a little bit too harsh on him.
S1: I think he actually is doing something very, very, very
S1: special in that movie. And when you're saying, you know,
S1: he's channeling some of that Goodfellas energy, I think he
S1: was doing a little bit of that. In Kills of
S1: Flowmon two, and I wonder whether, being in that movie,
S1: the discourse around it where America has gone a hundred
S1: years since the events depicted in that film, sort of
S1: reawoken the fire in his belly in terms of wanting
S1: to intervene and send out a signal that America is
S1: potentially headed down a dark path.
S3: Yeah, I went back and rewatched Bad Grandpa and felt
S3: the same thing. Um, and now I mean, look. And
S3: now he's taking on a very famous bad grandpa and
S3: Donald Trump, so everything comes full circle. Uh, look, I
S3: obviously never walk back. My takes. They're always right at
S3: the time, and I stand by them forever. But, I mean,
S3: you are one of the few people I know that
S3: would actually go and rewatch killers of the Flower Moon,
S3: great as it is, but it's like, that's that's why
S3: Osborne's actually taken leave this week. Yeah.
S1: I've just been rewatching that and Eyes Wide Shut, surely.
S2: Oppenheimer.
S1: Um, the the other thing that we wanted to talk about,
S1: there was a story in The Hollywood Reporter this week
S1: that got all three of us pretty excited. It's called
S1: Meet the New A-list. The ten young movie stars taking
S1: Hollywood by Storm now, as well as being a list
S1: of who The Hollywood Reporter believes are the biggest movie
S1: stars of their generation, the story had some pretty interesting
S1: insight into how modern movie stars are being made and
S1: how they're managing their careers. According to the piece, young
S1: stars are less formulaic than their predecessors, including just those
S1: from the past decade who generally used indie debuts and
S1: a lot of awards buzz to, I guess, sort of
S1: leverage that into big picture IP and Oscar worthy films.
S1: These movie stars of this generation are more agnostic. They're
S1: moving between studio to studio, they're less keen on big
S1: picture IP. Uh, they're moving between film and television a
S1: bit more regularly as well. And it was a really
S1: interesting quote from Glenn Powell, who is on the list.
S1: And the cover of, uh, is the cover star of
S1: this issue of The Hollywood Reporter. He says, are we
S1: like this generation of movie star is going to find
S1: ourselves going after the same roles? Absolutely. But are we
S1: ever in competition? No. We do different things. So a
S1: bit less cutthroat, a bit more friendly vibes from this crew,
S1: I guess that reflects the kind of current social era
S1: that we are in. Anyway, I might just run through
S1: the list and get your guys initial takes on who
S1: The Hollywood Reporter has dubbed the ten greatest movie stars
S1: of their generation. It's Austin Butler, Timothee Chalamet, Jacob Elordi,
S1: Paul Mescal, Jenna Ortega, Glen Powell was mentioned, Florence Pugh,
S1: Sydney Sweeney, Anya Taylor-Joy and Zendaya. First reactions to those
S1: being the ten biggest movie stars of their generation. Give
S1: it to me.
S3: Well, the writers obviously watch euphoria because there are three
S3: euphoria stars. No, I mean, it's I guess it's the
S3: obvious list. Um, I don't know. I think the whole
S3: concept is really interesting, but I feel like the list
S3: is almost a bit too predictable.
S2: Yeah. My first feeling looking at this list is how
S2: little actual acting a lot of these people are doing. Like,
S2: I reckon we should look at some of the films
S2: they've been in and what they got paid for it,
S2: and figure out how much each word a cake like
S2: equates for financially. Because a lot of these actors and
S2: it's not I'm not saying that they're not also doing
S2: kind of more substantial roles, but they're gravitating towards sweeping
S2: epics like we were talking about and Anya Taylor-Joy. Unfortunately,
S2: I haven't yet seen Furiosa yet about how few words
S2: she has in that film. Um, and Zendaya is doing big,
S2: sweeping epics. Timothee Chalamet is doing musicals and also films
S2: like Dune, Florence Pugh like they are gravitating towards these
S2: sweeping sci fi where they don't actually have to do
S2: any character acting, and they're getting paid big bucks. Yeah, and.
S1: It's also odd that The Hollywood Reporter said, you know,
S1: unlike previous generations, they haven't turned their indie debuts into
S1: big IP backed films. They almost all have, if not
S1: literally all of them are either already in or soon
S1: to be in big blockbuster franchise kinds of movies. But
S1: I guess to me, what the obvious question that it
S1: raised was like, what does it mean to be a
S1: movie star? Right? Is it to your point, Mel, clearly
S1: not just about acting skills and charisma and the ability
S1: to deliver a award winning performance? It seems like it's
S1: also about being a big enough name that regardless of
S1: the film, regardless of anything anyone might know about a
S1: movie coming out, you want to go see them because
S1: you want to see the new Zendaya movie. You want
S1: to see the new Glen Powell movie, you want to
S1: see the new Anya Taylor Joy movie. And I think
S1: for some of these people, that is like, clearly true.
S1: Zendaya is a really interesting one. You know, my trainer
S1: at the gym the other day, we're talking about movies,
S1: and he's like, I saw challengers. I didn't really like it,
S1: but I will see anything Zendaya is in. And it
S1: feels like since euphoria, since the Spider-Man stuff, she's a
S1: name that people just go and see, even if the
S1: film seems not quite their speed. I'm not sure that's
S1: the case for Florence Pugh or Paul Mescal, and I'm
S1: not just saying that because of my long running beef
S1: with you.
S3: Exclusively won't see anything that Paul Mescal is in.
S1: No, I mean, like Paul Mescal is a good actor
S1: and Aftersun was a great film, but that didn't blow
S1: up the box office because people were desperate to see
S1: Paul Mescal. And I think when he's in Gladiator two
S1: later this year or next year, people will go see
S1: that movie because it's Gladiator two, not because it's a
S1: Paul Mescal film.
S3: I think the only two ones on that maybe, like
S3: for me it would be probably Timothy. Sydney Sweeney and
S3: Zendaya are the three who really have that power. I
S3: would say like, no one's rushing off to see a
S3: Glen Powell movie, so I don't.
S1: I don't agree with that. I feel like Glen Powell
S1: has the most evidence behind him, like Top Gun Maverick
S1: and then anyone but two movies. Two. Yeah. Okay. But
S1: what does Timothy have?
S3: He's done a bunch of more movies, I would say.
S3: And I think.
S2: Timothy has the kind of I don't really know much
S2: about Glen Powell off screen. Um, like, I kind of
S2: don't know what his personality is, whereas I think Timothy
S2: has Paul, like, he's got this personality. He's got a
S2: shtick around him that people are drawn to him as
S2: a figure. Whereas I think Glen Powell is still kind
S2: of an actor. I don't know if he's quite transcended that,
S2: and I would probably say the same for Jenna Ortega
S2: as well, who I thought was a bit of an
S2: unusual addition to the list.
S1: Yeah. Jenna Ortega is someone who is very, very popular
S1: amongst Gen Zs, and she's huge on Netflix on Wednesday.
S1: I don't think she's she's managed to translate that to like,
S1: movie box office success. But do you guys think that
S1: Timothy is the reason people are going to see movies
S1: that star Timothy? Like, do you think they got to
S1: see Wonka because they love Timothee Chalamet? Or they saw
S1: Dune because they love Timothee Chalamet?
S3: I definitely think with something like Wonka Dunes will be
S3: different because it is such a bigger prospect and people
S3: want to go and see that. But I think Wonka
S3: like I mean that's probably why they cast him like
S3: people went to see it, even though it wasn't meant
S3: to be awful interesting. Yeah, yeah, you might be right, Paul.
S3: And like the same thing with this Bob Dylan. Like,
S3: how many photos from set have we seen of this
S3: new Bob Dylan biopic? Because it's like Timothee Chalamet playing him.
S3: I definitely think he's got more pull power. Aside from
S3: the fact he's like criminally dating a Kardashian, he's also
S3: like he he those three that I mentioned, I reckon Zendaya,
S3: Sydney and Timothy have like harnessed the power of the
S3: internet the best they've got. Like, you know, like they're
S3: kind of like been memed and they've done SNL and
S3: they've all done Hot Wing like, you know this. Yeah.
S3: Like I reckon they have figured out the modern, like,
S3: path to stardom the best. And I think they're the
S3: real three standouts for me.
S2: Yeah, they kind of have this whole paratext thing going
S2: on where they're creating a thing outside of the films
S2: that then kind of translates and into interplays with what
S2: they're doing on screen.
S1: It's so interesting. Again, just to sit on Timothy on
S1: that one, because you're right, there is like this meta
S1: narrative around Timothy, but he's like not an online person. Like,
S1: it's not like people are reacting to what he's saying.
S1: He's just sort of part of the conversation, I guess,
S1: partly because of, you know, his relationship with your long
S1: lost love.
S3: Thomas. Whereas then I would say, I hate to obviously
S3: bring all conversations back to Sydney Sweeney. She is the opposite,
S3: in which she is very much an online person. She's
S3: like very active on social media and she engages with
S3: a lot of like, I guess, the meme and narrative
S3: around her and stuff. So they're both, I would say
S3: two of the most like prominent and. Powerful young actors
S3: in Hollywood, but they have very much taken a different approach.
S2: Yeah, I feel like I've kind of lost track of
S2: just how big Sydney Sweeney is, because I feel like
S2: it's all we talk about on the podcast that maybe
S2: I do sometimes wonder wonder how much she cut like,
S2: cuts through elsewhere.
S3: Oh no, she definitely does. I think there's been so
S3: many like, articles. You know, we've talked about calling her
S3: the new Julia Roberts. She's like producing. Directing, like she's
S3: like starring in so many different genres of films. Like,
S3: I think we actually, you know, Mel, you'll hate this.
S3: Perhaps we're reaching Sydney Sweeney. Saturation.
S2: Yes, of course, we can only let a woman get
S2: so successful, but.
S3: Yeah. Interesting. Listen, I guess we'll see where they all
S3: are in the next few years. And also, you.
S2: Know what's interesting with Timothy and Sydney in particular, that
S2: they're actually really being pulled into discussions about like femininity
S2: and masculinity and in this kind of MeToo world, because
S2: everyone's talking about Timothy style of masculinity, everyone's talking about
S2: Sydney Sweeney's kind of, you know, reclamation of the bombshell
S2: figure as feminist empowerment. Um, so, like, I wonder if
S2: that's also why they're so relevant? Because they're playing into
S2: these think pieces that are going on and broader conversations
S2: that we're having in culture at the moment.
S1: Yeah. I mean, hearing you guys talk about this, I'm
S1: kind of shifting my view again. I think maybe someone
S1: like Sydney Sweeney is someone who people will go to
S1: see a movie because it's the new Sydney Sweeney movie,
S1: the movie Immaculate, which she produced and starred in the
S1: sort of non-horror movie that cost $9 million. It made
S1: $25 million US at the global box office. That's a
S1: good result for what is like a kind of schlocky
S1: horror film, and I feel like almost all of that
S1: is because people like Sydney Sweeney is in a new movie.
S1: I feel like she can do that. I still am
S1: not totally convinced about Timothy's box office pull. Maybe this
S1: is like just a crazy take that I will. I
S1: will finish this podcast and look at some numbers and
S1: be like, I was so wrong. But he was in
S1: the he was in the cannibal movie. And that might
S1: have been like a post-Covid thing, but no one saw
S1: that movie. Like, there are Timothy projects that no one
S1: has seen, which to me suggests that he isn't the
S1: main pull in the big films that he's in that
S1: people go and see.
S2: Yeah, I mean, maybe that it says something about us
S2: and our relationship to Timothy. Well, I.
S3: Guess we can we can revisit Glen Powell next week
S3: because he's going to be starring in the new Richard
S3: Linklater film about a hit man, which I know we're
S3: all quite excited about. It comes out on Netflix next week.
S3: So I mean, that's kind of his first big, like,
S3: I guess, Glen Powell project. And obviously people there's always
S3: going to be a curiosity about Linklater, um, given he
S3: releases so few films. So yeah, I guess we'll see.
S1: An annoyingly not being released in cinemas so he won't
S1: really be able to track the numbers, which seems kind
S1: of crazy and annoying to me. The other thing I
S1: just want to say about the list, you know, the
S1: real winner of this is Denis Villeneuve. There are five
S1: people on this list that were in the last June film.
S1: That is crazy. And I think that is partly, you know,
S1: they're on this list because they were in June, too,
S1: and partly they're in June 2nd, because they're the kinds
S1: of actors that directors want to catch before they become super,
S1: super superstars. Uh, and the other thing that stood out
S1: to me, I think, is and The Hollywood Reporter piece
S1: mentions this explicitly, it's a very white list. Eight of
S1: those names are white. I don't think that is like
S1: the fault of The Hollywood Reporter. They're sort of making
S1: the case that studios, you know, for all the talk
S1: of diversity over the last five, ten years, that kind
S1: of is not really a focus for them anymore. There
S1: is this narrative within Hollywood and the arts more generally,
S1: particularly commercial arts, that, you know, when everything's going well
S1: economically and movies are making heaps of money. That's when
S1: we have, you know, the quote unquote freedom to just like,
S1: play around with ideas of diversity and give everyone a
S1: go when things get a bit dicey, we just retreat
S1: back to something that we're more comfortable and familiar with.
S1: So the handsome white guy and the hot white girl
S1: in a movie together with each other, I think that
S1: is a pretty like, reductive perspective. And I think there's
S1: a lot of evidence that putting movie stars in films
S1: who come from different backgrounds, particularly black Latinx backgrounds in America,
S1: is a box office draw. Jenna Ortega clearly has a
S1: broad multicultural fan base, as does Zendaya. So hopefully if
S1: we do a list like this in the future, there
S1: is a bit more diversity. I just don't think it's
S1: great that we seem to be going backwards in this space.
S2: Yeah, it's pretty stark looking at that list, and it
S2: is a reminder that for, as you say, for all
S2: the talk of diversity, you know, and including diverse characters,
S2: who is actually taking the leading roles, who is actually
S2: being cast in the films with the biggest budgets, with
S2: the biggest payrolls? Um, and yeah, I mean, you would
S2: hope it continues to change.
S1: It's time for the 1999 movie Hall of Fame. I
S1: think for a lot of the movies that we're going
S1: to talk about, we will probably a bit too young
S1: to see them in the cinema for the first time,
S1: probably to watch them on DVD. A few years later,
S1: when we were all teenagers and had nothing else to
S1: do but watch films. But I want to ask you guys,
S1: do you have any memories of going to the cinema
S1: in this year? Well, I imagine your eyeshadow was blue
S1: and Thomas, your hair was gelled and bleached.
S2: I don't know how old you think we are.
S3: My my hair actually was.
S2: I was not wearing eyeshadow then, but I will tell
S2: you what I was doing in 1999. Um, Thomas is
S2: familiar with the publication. Let me guess. That Thomas is
S2: familiar with the publication I ran at the time, the
S2: Copy Cove News, which I. Yeah, run it from my
S2: cubby house. It cost three gumnuts. I distributed it to
S2: the houses in my cul de sac. Um, but I
S2: was running a real fear campaign about Y2K. So much
S2: so that neighbours intervened because I was causing a level
S2: of distress for the children.
S1: You were like a Alex Jones conspiracy blogger before the internet.
S2: I sold those papers. I sold them good.
S1: How did I not know this? You had your own
S1: little neighborhood publication absolutely. Decades before you edited Australia's leading cultural.
S2: Section was where I grew my chops. Um, I had to.
S2: It was a full end to end operation. Really. I
S2: did it all. Um, but yes, it did cause a
S2: bit of controversy because children were packing go bags because
S2: they thought the world was going to collapse. So unfortunately,
S2: much like the sun, we had to close down in disgrace.
S3: Yes. And it's so sad that those small print presses
S3: around the country are closing down. And obviously you were
S3: part of that movement.
S2: Um, meanwhile, you were getting your hair dyed.
S3: Yeah. Look, I was experimenting with a lot of different
S3: things in this age. I desperately wanted to be allowed
S3: to actually, like, properly bleach my hair. My mum was like,
S3: I mean, credit to her, you look like a fucking idiot.
S3: And so I just was allowed to have like, sun in,
S3: you know, like the it looked, it also looked bad,
S3: but I guess less worse than had I really committed.
S1: And why did you want to go blonde, Thomas? A
S1: young Greek boy like you with your Mediterranean features in hair.
S1: What was it about growing up in that part of
S1: Australia at that point in time that made you feel
S1: like you wanted to make your hair blonde?
S3: Well, if you were to look at like the Aryan
S3: photo of my year six like cohort at oyster Bay
S3: Primary School deep in the Sutherland Shire, famous for the
S3: Cronulla riots, uh, you probably understand, but yes, uh, I
S3: mean that I can blame on that. I don't know
S3: who to blame the S&P belt on. Uh, and also
S3: the shell choker necklace.
S2: What was Baby Osmond doing?
S1: Well, you know, what I was doing this year was
S1: watching Star Wars Episode one The Phantom Menace in cinemas. Like,
S1: like nine times I went so much.
S2: He went the exact same person then as you are now.
S1: Um, I think, like, you know, when I was a kid,
S1: we had the Star Wars films on VHS, and so
S1: I just kind of grew up watching them all. And
S1: they're from this era. That was clearly before I was around,
S1: but they still felt like the coolest, sickest films to me.
S1: And then when they announced that this new one was coming,
S1: it's like, they can do that. They can like take
S1: a franchise that ended two plus decades ago and bring
S1: it back in cinemas with a new story and new
S1: cast and new fancy CGI. And at the age of
S1: like nine, I was too stupid to realize that the
S1: movie's like, not that great, but it was great to
S1: just sort of experience cinema and that kind of scale,
S1: that sort of event movie stuff. And I just kept going.
S1: I went and went and went, and it was probably
S1: a depressingly like where I fell in love with going
S1: to the movie theaters. Um, because it's not really a
S1: film I think about too much, but it's my main
S1: cinema memory from that year.
S3: It was a special.
S2: Time in pathology. Started young. Yeah.
S1: Um, let's run through the ten biggest films at the
S1: box office that year to give us a bit of
S1: a sense of the lay of the land. Number one
S1: was Star Wars The Phantom Menace. Half of that box
S1: office was probably me. Um, just going repeat visits. Uh,
S1: number two was The Sixth Sense. Very iconic M Night
S1: Shyamalan movie with Bruce Willis, toy story two, The Matrix, Tarzan,
S1: The Mummy, Notting Hill, The World Is Not Enough, the
S1: James Bond film American Beauty, and Austin Powers The Spy
S1: Who Shagged Me. Any highlights for you guys on that list?
S3: Oh my God, where to begin? Notting Hill is like.
S3: I mean, one of the all time greats, obviously. Uh,
S3: The Sixth Sense, I feel like, you know, before, like,
S3: meme culture was a thing. It became that before we
S3: had a word for it. Like it like just had
S3: this chokehold on the pop culture, like people quoting it. And,
S3: you know, once everyone knew this, the spoiler, um, it
S3: was just like this kind of like language that you
S3: would use with people.
S1: Probably like where our generation learnt the idea of a
S1: movie twist.
S3: Pretty much.
S2: All the full postmodernism of the 90s with The Matrix
S2: and Being John Malkovich coming to the forefront. Maybe the
S2: start of the Disney Renaissance with Toy Story two.
S1: I mean, The Matrix was pretty hostile to tech and
S1: the internet. Mel, was this something that you wrote about
S1: in your music?
S2: Yeah. No doubt, no doubt. Um, also, I feel like
S2: it was the last of the kind of real classic
S2: rom com Notting Hill. Ten things I Hate About You.
S2: She's All That Never Been Kissed. This kind of genre
S2: of of rom com that I think so many of
S2: us probably watched at sleepovers or I know I did,
S2: were on the VHS at sleepovers. I feel like it
S2: kind of marked the end of that era as well.
S3: I didn't pick you for getting invited to many sleepovers,
S3: if I'm honest.
S2: Well, it was a distribution network for the publication I
S2: had to network back then. Was hustle.
S1: The other thing? The other thing that stood out to
S1: me looking at this list, we talk a lot now
S1: about how sequels and prequels and IP dominate the box
S1: office in the kind of the current era of moviegoing,
S1: but five of these top ten movies are based on
S1: existing IP. They're either direct sequels or, in the case
S1: of something like Tarzan, based on earlier films and earlier
S1: books and things like that. So it is interesting, isn't it,
S1: to kind of we often look back at previous eras
S1: of cinema with these rose colored glasses. Like that was
S1: a good old days when every story was original. And
S1: there's certainly a decent chunk of original stories here, and
S1: stories like The Matrix and The Mummy, which then became
S1: big franchises. But we had heaps of sequels like Disney
S1: was in its, uh, you know, let's, let's take what
S1: we've done well and make heaps more of it era
S1: as well. The Oscars that year, it was like an
S1: American beauty, absolute clean up. Uh, it won best film,
S1: best director for Sam Mendes, Best actor for Kevin Spacey.
S1: There were heaps of interesting debuts in terms of actors
S1: that year as well. Amy Adams made her first appearance
S1: in Drop Dead Gorgeous James Franco. First time we saw
S1: him on screen and never been kissed Zach Galifianakis, Kathryn Hahn,
S1: Brie Larson, Michael B Jordan, Hugh Jackman, Dakota Johnson, the
S1: list goes on and on. A lot of actors hitting
S1: the screens. In 1999, we had some of the best
S1: teen films of all time. Ten things I Hate About
S1: You American Pie. Lots of great films. Stanley Kubrick's final film,
S1: Eyes Wide Shut. One of the best Australian films ever made.
S1: Heath Ledger's two hands. This was a special year. What
S1: was in the water in 1999?
S3: I don't know, but Y2K obviously wiped it out.
S2: Yeah, I think maybe it was that kind of looming
S2: sense of the new millennium was going on. And you
S2: do see that. I think in a lot of these
S2: films that is there, there is a kind of underlying
S2: sense of unease and standing on the precipice. Not in
S2: all of them, obviously, but in some of them. And also,
S2: the other thing I noticed about that list was, um,
S2: maybe it's the tech that's coming to the forefront as well.
S2: Like CGI is getting way better, which you see in
S2: things like The Matrix, Star Wars, um, The Mummy. Like
S2: there is that kind of starting of that tech as
S2: well as you're kind of seeing a lot of the
S2: indie films still on the list.
S1: Yeah, that's a really good point. I feel like we're
S1: kind of at this midpoint where we still had in
S1: big independent studios, it was easier for writers and directors
S1: to get funding for projects that were original and perhaps
S1: a bit wacky. And then we had big blockbuster franchise
S1: stuff at the same time, too. And it's interesting to
S1: think about the impact of technology. I mean, obviously it's
S1: disrupted the business model of how films work, but you
S1: hear a lot of directors and writers talk about how
S1: the advent of the internet and mobile phones really made
S1: it much harder to write good scripts, because so much
S1: uncertainty and intrigue and kind of plot mystery is wiped
S1: away when you can just call or text or look
S1: something up on a screen or on a phone. So
S1: when you don't have that and everything has to revolve
S1: around conversations and there's a bit more of a sense
S1: of like, well, what, what what could happen here? Like
S1: where has that person gone and how do we find them?
S1: Kind of makes for more thrilling films that directors now
S1: have to work very, very, very hard to create that
S1: sense of intrigue when everything can be solved by googling it. Basically.
S2: Yeah, it's so true. And you do hear a surprising
S2: number of directors and writers talk about setting shows in
S2: the 1990s purely for the point of avoiding that.
S1: Mhm. All right. Let's start building our 1999 movie Hall
S1: of Fame. Here's how it's going to work. Each of
S1: us has picked three films from 1999. We're going to
S1: talk about the movie, why we chose it and then
S1: break it down into some categories. We're going to talk
S1: about the best scene from the movie. What holds up
S1: the best since it was released 25 years ago? What
S1: doesn't hold up, and if the film could or would
S1: be made today? We're also going to share some fun
S1: facts along the way, and Thomas has promised us some
S1: kind of quiz that may also occur at some random point.
S2: I was briefed. I did not study. I'm not prepared.
S3: It's more just like the occasional question keep you on
S3: your toes. You know what I mean? You love. You
S3: love like exam conditions.
S2: So I prep hard.
S1: Look, as I said earlier, this is the first time
S1: we've done something like this. Hopefully it works. Hopefully, you know,
S1: we come up with a great list of films for
S1: people to think about and perhaps watch and learn some
S1: things along the way, and hopefully we have fun as well.
S1: That's the that's the goal of this exercise. Before we
S1: get into it, each of us also gets an honorable mention,
S1: a film that we didn't necessarily want to totally unpack,
S1: but thought was worth a shout out. Thomas Joiner kicked
S1: this one off.
S3: Yes, well, I mean, this one actually ties quite nicely
S3: into what we've already discussed on the pod. Now, as
S3: you both know, 1999 was the year The Sopranos also premiered. Uh,
S3: of course, the story about a mobster who has a.
S2: Great TV show.
S3: Who has a crisis and finds himself, you know, seeing
S3: a therapist. But I'm going to take the film version
S3: of that, which, of course, is analyze This.
S5: Meet Paul Vitti. I don't.
S6: Feel great. Never felt better.
S5: A mob boss with a problem. Yeah, I got stress.
S3: The Robert De Niro film. Uh, he plays, you know,
S3: the classic mobster who then goes to see a psychiatrist
S3: played by Billy Crystal. It's a crime comedy. Lisa Kudrow
S3: is also in it. Uh, it's such a fun film.
S3: It was directed by Harold Ramis. You know, it did
S3: crazy numbers as well and then led to the sequel
S3: Analyze That. But yeah, my dad, uh, who is really
S3: into gangster films, um, we loved this film. We got
S3: a chance to meet Billy Crystal, uh, one day. And
S3: my dad basically likes. Wow. Quoted his own lines back
S3: at him for five minutes, which I'm sure Billy Crystal
S3: absolutely loved. Uh, but yeah, that's one that, you know,
S3: it doesn't make the best of 99 films, you know, lists.
S3: But analyze this is a really fun, like, you know,
S3: Mafia film.
S2: Yeah. Good one. Okay, I went with ten things I
S2: Hate About You.
S7: It's a widely known fact that the Stratford sisters aren't
S7: allowed to date.
S5: For every girl who's ever hoped.
S8: Daddy, as you know, it's the prom.
S5: Every guy who's ever tried.
S9: You never give up, do you? Was that a yes? No.
S5: And anyone concentrating? Awfully hard, considering it's gym class who's
S5: ever been taken completely by surprise.
S2: Obviously there's some issues with this film, some emotionally unavailable characters.
S2: There's some kind of, uh, adoration of bad boys. But anyway,
S2: beside that, well, let's.
S1: Not say canceling movies this early into this process.
S2: But I will say it's hard to get by the
S2: piece of modern poetry, the excellence that is that final
S2: delivery of I Hate the Way You talk to me
S2: and the way you cut your hair, which, I mean,
S2: you can't surpass that. So that's my honorable mention, one of.
S1: The best diss tracks.
S3: Just shout out to Drake for bringing that back. Uh,
S3: during the Kendrick.
S1: Totally. I also have the other Heath ledger film from
S1: this year, Mel two hands.
S10: I got a new job, and, uh, you could say
S10: I'm moving on. Yeah.
S11: What are you doing? Everyone's. Damn. There's a fucking hold up.
S10: I'm, um. I'm being a fucking girl. Oh, maybe. Open
S10: your drawers. I'm waiting for a guy just doing odd
S10: jobs here and there. Right.
S1: Give me a key. I think one of my favorite
S1: Australian films, Heath ledger and Rose Byrne. Uh, sort of
S1: like a gangster crime caper set across Sydney iconic soundtrack.
S1: The Powderfinger song. Amazing performances from people that you just
S1: knew were going to be stars, shepherded by Bryan Brown.
S1: Like one of the best Australian actors of all time,
S1: this is just a really awesome film, and if you've
S1: never seen it, go watch it. It's not that long.
S1: It's funny, it's dark, it's fascinating. It captures a perfect
S1: slice of 1990s Australia. If you have seen it, go
S1: watch it again. This is great. Yeah.
S2: Agreed. That's a very good one.
S1: Time to get cracking. Mel, you get to go first.
S1: What is your first pick for our 1999 Hall of Fame?
S2: Drum roll straight into the list. Pete Anderson's Magnolia. You can.
S5: Sing it.
S12: I'm Stanley Spector.
S13: There is the story of a boy genius.
S12: Thomas Kid, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, Moliere.
S13: And the game show host.
S5: Jimmy Gator live from Burbank, California.
S7: First question for 25, this French playwright and actor joined
S7: the bizarre troupe of actors and the.
S13: Ex-boy genius Chris Kid Donnie Smith.
S14: I used to be smart. Now I'm just.
S13: Stupid.
S2: The saddest film potentially ever made. Very miserable. It was
S2: his third film. He was only 30 years old when
S2: he made it, which is kind of insane. Set over
S2: one day in the San Fernando Valley, it is very
S2: much about alienation, loneliness, failed connection, which is very kinda
S2: Y2K ish end of an era moment. Pretty much everyone's
S2: in crisis, so it's multiple stories, all kind of interlinked,
S2: loosely around a quiz game show. But the cast is
S2: so stacked. You've got Tom cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John
S2: C Reilly, Julianne Moore, to name a few. And you
S2: also have one of the weirdest kind of final thirds
S2: of a film that maybe exists.
S1: Great choice, great film, great director, great to have the
S1: woman on the pod bring up Paul Thomas Anderson. I've
S1: got to say, you know, break, break the expectations.
S2: Well, I was going to pick girl interrupted being my
S2: kind of status on the pod, but I thought I'd
S2: mix it up.
S1: It's an awesome film. It's like kind of a Boogie
S1: Nights reunion in terms of the cast. You know, P.J.
S1: going back to the San Fernando Valley. Also, interestingly, like
S1: quite a few actors in multiple films this year, Tom
S1: Cruise in Magnolia and in Eyes Wide Shut, Philip Seymour
S1: Hoffman in this film and in The Talented Mr. Ripley,
S1: there's a bit of that going on. It was like
S1: a big year for a handful of actors. What is
S1: your favorite scene from this film?
S2: Okay, my favorite scene has to be Julianne Moore. She
S2: plays a carer for her husband, who is dying of cancer.
S2: She goes to the pharmacist to get drugs, and it's
S2: quite this monumental scene where the pharmacist is talking to her,
S2: and this patronizing tone about the drugs and how strong
S2: they are and why are you buying them. And she
S2: gets slowly more angry and angry and angry. And then
S2: all of a sudden she launches into this kind of
S2: insane monologue. Do you think you are? I come in here,
S2: you don't know me.
S8: You don't know who I am, what my life is,
S8: and you have the balls. The indecency to ask me
S8: a question about my life.
S5: What do.
S8: You do? Don't you call me lady.
UU: I come in here, I give these things to you.
UU: You check, you make your phone calls, look suspicious, ask questions.
UU: I'm sick. Me and you fucking ask me my life.
UU: What's wrong? Have you seen death in your bed? In
UU: your house? Where's your.
S8: Fucking decency? And then I met fucking questions. What's. Wrong.
S8: Suck my dick.
UU: That's what's wrong with you. You fucking call me lady.
UU: Shame on you.
S2: It's such a good scene. Like, doesn't make sense that
S2: she would do that. Maybe not. Is it a bit
S2: overacted and melodramatic? Probably. I mean.
S1: It's one of the most overacted scenes.
S2: I mean, I get it, but still, I think it
S2: stands up. I love watching it every time.
S1: Awesome. And what do you think holds up the best?
S2: Tom cruise, for sure. And I actually think that if
S2: it wasn't the Julianne Moore scene, I would pick any
S2: of Tom Cruise's scenes in this film. I love his respect.
S2: The cock moment. I love his deathbed catharsis scene. I
S2: love when he's preparing for his interview. He displays his
S2: completely unhinged character, and the film's actually, like, quite ahead
S2: of its time in looking at, you know, the men's
S2: rights movement and toxic masculinity, which is what he comes
S2: to represent, playing this character who is teaching men how
S2: to seduce women and essentially trick them into having sex
S2: with them. I think that holds up pretty well. And
S2: also Aimee Mann's soundtrack, which, um, P.T. Anderson has said,
S2: he kind of structured the film around. I think that
S2: holds up well to you. Do save me wise up
S2: like great, great songs.
S1: Tom Cruise's filmography. I've just got a I know Thomas
S1: is worried that we're going to blow out of time
S1: on this segment, but like A Few Good Men, The Firm,
S1: interview with the vampire, Mission Impossible, Jerry Maguire, Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia,
S1: that that's crazy. That's what he was doing in the
S1: lead up to this movie. What a guy. Great, great
S1: pick for what holds up the best.
S2: Give him give him the Oscar. His best was.
S3: Yet to come as well. Obviously with Mission Impossible two.
S15: And.
S1: Um, Mel Watt doesn't hold up quite as well in Magnolia.
S2: Look, I think it's a very long film, and even P.T.
S2: Anderson said it goes for three hours.
S1: Also, I like that you call him P.T. Anderson, like P.T. Barnum.
S1: I feel like he's either PTA or Paul Thomas Anderson.
S2: Scored in P.T. Anderson. Is that.
S3: Wrong? I never talk about him. Yeah.
S2: Um, Paul Thomas Anderson. Then to give him his full name. Uh, yeah,
S2: it's a long film, and I think even he has
S2: said he probably should have cut 35 minutes from it.
S2: Some characters, some are less developed than others, and it
S2: does stretch on I we've got to talk about the ending.
S2: And I think we're allowed to give spoilers on here
S2: because you know, yeah.
S1: It's been 25 years. If you don't want Magnolia spoiled,
S1: skip ahead.
S2: Here we go. Frogs come down from the sky.
S1: It's very biblical. Yeah, it.
S2: Is biblical, I loved it. I think it was all
S2: about kind of cleansing. New beginnings 1999 2000. Um, you know, revelation.
S2: I think the frogs worked, but I know a lot
S2: of people didn't. Do you guys have a take on
S2: the frogs?
S1: I loved it, it was a big swing. It worked
S1: for me.
S2: Yeah.
S3: I've actually never seen Magnolia.
S2: Oh, I know.
S3: I thought I might be able to skate by with
S3: that if I just laughed along at the right moments. Um,
S3: but you mean you forced me right into it by
S3: asking me about the frogs? But you had.
S2: Such a strong take on it not being Tom Cruise's best.
S2: I know that.
S3: Nothing is better than Mission Impossible two. It's like, I.
S1: Think anyone who mentions a movie that the others haven't
S1: watched has to watch it in the next week.
S3: Okay. That's fair.
S2: Yeah. Okay, cool.
S1: And now, final question. Could this film, would this film
S1: be made in 2024?
S2: Look, I think it speaks to a lot of themes
S2: that are relevant today. You know, there is this kind
S2: of idea of abuse of power for men in Hollywood.
S2: There's a men's rights thing. Would it get made today?
S2: I don't know if we would accept the melodrama of it,
S2: and maybe The Frogs and the singalong would kind of
S2: look a bit, a bit naff so many years on. Um,
S2: so I don't know if we would do that, and
S2: I think it would get made quite differently. Like the
S2: female characters are very much all victims and suffering men
S2: in their lives who are controlling and abusive. Um, so
S2: that might be different. And also it's again, very a
S2: very white film. So it would probably get made differently,
S2: but I think it would still I think it would
S2: still holds today. Yeah.
S1: You're right that there was a lot of movies in
S1: this year that were very melodramatic, very focused on themes
S1: of alienation and kind of suburban malaise. Uh, I feel
S1: like one of the movies I'm going to talk about
S1: is like that American Beauty is like that, very famously.
S1: Don't know what was happening. Maybe it was just like
S1: the only people allowed to make movies were men of
S1: a certain age and of a certain background, and.
S15: That's all they wanted to talk about.
S1: Um, is there anything else you wanted to say about Magnolia?
S2: Mel, could I give you a fun fact? Absolutely must. So,
S2: you know Kevin Smith, the esteemed director of Mallrats, Chasing Amy, dogma.
S2: So at the time, Bob. Yeah. At the time that
S2: this came out, um, he absolutely destroyed it. He posted
S2: it online that he'd received an Academy screener of the DVD,
S2: and he'll keep it right on his desk as a
S2: constant reminder that a bloated sense of self-importance is the
S2: most unattractive quality in a person or their work. And
S2: he compared watching Magnolia to having root canal. Now, 25
S2: years later, Kevin Smith change of heart. Wow. He's posted
S2: that 20 years ago he dissed Magnolia. It was largely
S2: because critics were giving it more attention than dogma. Which
S2: was he his film? Now he loves Magnolia, and he
S2: wants to go back in time and explain to the
S2: young Kevin Smith that it's a good film and that
S2: he was a petulant asshat. So there you go.
S1: I can relate to that. I can. We all have
S1: dumb takes in our 20s that we probably shouldn't have
S1: put on the internet. Really? Well, Mel, I mean, that
S1: was for our first entry into the Hall of Fame.
S1: I think you nailed it. Great choice, great explanations, great takes.
S1: Loved it.
S2: Thank you. It was high risk, but hopefully high reward.
S15: Thomas.
S1: Your turn. What have you got for your number one pick?
S3: Uh, yes. Well, luckily, my first pick doesn't fit into this.
S3: You know, kind of like movies being made by men,
S3: suburban malaise, disaffected, and, in fact, is a celebration of
S3: men's rights. It is Fight club. Uh, look, I think
S3: we all knew this movie was going to pop up somewhere,
S3: and I had to do the honorable thing. Um, obviously
S3: David Fincher, based on Chuck Palahniuk's 1996 novel, um, about,
S3: I guess, you know, all of those things we've already
S3: talked about, um, this like living a life of authenticity,
S3: what it means, um, what it means when to be
S3: consumed by consumerism.
S16: I want you to hit me as hard as you can. Why?
S16: How much can you know about yourself? You've never been
S16: in a fight.
S13: Wait. Let me start earlier. Like many of you, I
S13: was stuck. You want me to deprioritize my current reports?
S13: Until you guys have a status upgrade, make.
S17: These your primary action items I.
S13: Couldn't sleep.
S18: No, you can't die from insomnia.
S13: I'd flip through catalogs and wonder what kind of dining
S13: set defines me as a person. This is your life,
S13: and it's ending one minute at a time. Welcome. I
S13: prayed for a different life.
S3: So it was such a huge, actually flop at the
S3: box office. And then it became one of those films
S3: that took off on DVD. Um, obviously it follows an
S3: unnamed protagonist, played by Edward Norton, who kind of lives
S3: this very dull life. His, you know, apartment is famously
S3: full of Ikea furniture. Nothing brings him satisfaction. Nothing brings
S3: him joy until he meets the mysterious Tyler Durden, played
S3: by Brad Pitt, with perhaps the best body ever committed
S3: to screen. Um, and, you know, they then kind of
S3: find themselves in this weird, symbiotic relationship, which is punctuated
S3: by the arrival of an underground fight club and, you know,
S3: the intertwining of their lives. Uh, look where to begin
S3: with Fight Club. Really, it is actually tailor made for
S3: a conversation like this. And obviously lots of people have
S3: beaten us to it. You know, when it was the
S3: 20th anniversary, there were countless thinkpieces about, you know, what
S3: does Fight Club mean in the in the 21st century? Uh,
S3: but I stand by the fact that, you know, it
S3: has been championed by this weird kind of like incel movement.
S3: But these are the people who do not understand the movie. Uh,
S3: the joke is on them. I rewatched the film yesterday. Uh,
S3: it really, really holds up. But look, I'm happy to
S3: get into it. And someone hit me with the favorite
S3: scene question.
S1: Well, I mean, just just firstly on that sort of
S1: top line, you know, view about it being a MRA,
S1: incel sort of film. I think you're right that, like,
S1: this film suffers from the fact that its most vocal,
S1: the most vocal part of its fan base are the
S1: ones that clearly don't understand the movie is making fun
S1: of them, and you see this happen time and time
S1: again throughout cinema and art as well. I think the
S1: movie stands on its own as a, you know, as
S1: what it's trying to grapple with. I think Fincher is
S1: like a master at Smyrna, a master at skewering certain
S1: kinds of masculinity in a way that is perhaps too
S1: subtle for some people. That's fine. People can take from
S1: the movie what they want, but I do think it's
S1: sort of unfair the way that the movie's become synonymous
S1: with a toxic kind of man, when that is clearly
S1: not what Fincher or the actors in the movie are
S1: trying to do.
S2: And I also don't necessarily know, while he is taking
S2: on masculinity, what he's really what is really his target
S2: is the society, the kind of alienation created by 1,000,000%
S2: capitalism that has created this type of man, which is
S2: the real target of what I see as the real
S2: target of Fight Club.
S3: Yeah, like it is. And it's so funny. Obviously we
S3: live in this era now of like, you know, the
S3: Rogans and the Tates and the Petersons who have very
S3: much cultivated their own, you know, similar, I guess, communities
S3: to what Tyler Durden creates. And like, there's so many
S3: different speeches in this film from Brad Pitt, but when
S3: he talks about, like, an entire generation pumping gas and
S3: waiting tables and slaves with white collars and it's just
S3: like you can see, it's crazy to see how the
S3: people who now do follow the likes of, you know,
S3: like an Andrew Tate, for instance, the most extreme example
S3: of that, they've like completely bit into what, you know,
S3: he is skewering without realizing what's actually being said in
S3: the subtext. It's amazing.
S1: And you wanted someone to ask you what your favorite
S1: scene was.
S3: Well, I guess it's hard to talk about Fight Club
S3: without talking about, uh, you know, the most famous scene,
S3: which is. Gentlemen, welcome to Fight Club, gentlemen.
S19: Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club
S19: is you do not talk about Fight Club. The second
S19: rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about
S19: Fight Club.
S3: It's such a great scene. It's like firstly the rewatching this.
S3: You notice like they really have Brad Pitt eating a
S3: lot in this film, which he does in lots of
S3: his films. It's become like a kind of trademark. Yeah,
S3: the Ocean's films.
S1: He loves to eat.
S3: Yes, he's he's he I don't know, he is quite
S3: like watchable when he's chewing. He's actually not eating in
S3: this film. Uh, I would firstly. Okay. This is the
S3: first of my surprise quizzes. How many rules are there
S3: in Fight Club?
S2: Seven two.
S3: There are eight.
S15: Close.
S3: The first rule is that you don't talk about Fight Club.
S3: That's also the second rule. Uh, the third rule, if
S3: someone yells stop, goes limp, taps out, the fight is over.
S3: Fourth rule only two guys to a fight. Fifth rule.
S3: One fight at a time. Six rule. No shirts, no shoes.
S3: Seventh rule fights go on as long as they have to.
S3: And the eighth and final rule. If this is your
S3: first time at Fight Club, you have to fight. I can't.
S1: Believe you ran through all the.
S15: Rules.
S2: Yeah, I didn't think you would. I thought I did
S2: not think he would keep growing.
S1: Thomas has been pointing at his watch when Mel was talking,
S1: when I was talking earlier, and he just really wanted
S1: to get to listing out every single rule. All eight
S1: of the rules of Fight Club.
S3: They're good rules. Um, so, yeah, I think that that
S3: scene obviously like it really. We meet Tyler a bit
S3: earlier on the plane. You know, he's a soap salesman,
S3: but this is really the iconic, you know, Tyler Durden scene.
S3: As we touched on earlier, Brad Pitt is there like
S3: shirtless smoking just looking like this absolute anti-hero. Um, yeah.
S3: Even rewatching it back now, it's still a scene that
S3: you have to kind of like pause on. Although I
S3: would give a special mention to the final scene when like,
S3: the world is kind of imploding and the Pixies Where
S3: Is Your Mind plays?
S1: Yeah, it's one of my favorite scenes that that needle
S1: drop is also.
S2: Surely a beautiful Jared Leto. Having his beautiful face destroyed is. Yeah, yeah,
S2: that's a standout scene.
S1: Um, what holds up the best? Thomas?
S3: Well, I think we kind of talked about it, but
S3: the fact that, you know, this is released 25 years ago, um,
S3: and looking at it through the lens of 2024, the
S3: fact that Tyler Durden is kind of this figure who
S3: we're supposed to see, as, you know, a symbol of
S3: everything that really is wrong with the world, even though
S3: he thinks he's the opposite. And I think living in
S3: this particular time that we live in now with all
S3: those people that we've just spoken about, the fact that
S3: Fincher tapped into, I guess even more so, like, not
S3: just what was happening, but where we were really headed. Um,
S3: I think that's pretty impressive from a guy, you know,
S3: who managed to see into the future.
S1: Totally agree. And what? There may be another long list coming.
S1: What didn't necessarily hold up so well from this film?
S3: Uh, I mean, look, there are a few things I
S3: would say that like possibly when I was rewatching it
S3: and like, you know, Edward Norton was talking about his
S3: really nice apartment with all the Ikea furniture and, like,
S3: he's got a boring night, but nice enough job where
S3: he gets to travel a lot. I'm like, man, living in,
S3: you know, 2024, the cost of living crisis, everything going
S3: on in the world. I'm like this. If this is
S3: your biggest problem, perhaps it feels a little.
S15: Bit hollow.
S3: Right now. Like I'm like, he's like, oh, look at
S3: all this. Like new shit I've got for my kid.
S3: I'm like, look, man, that's not too bad. Like, things
S3: could be worse. And again, maybe it does speak to
S3: who was really dominating, like the storytelling at that time.
S3: You know, obviously it was a big, you know, this
S3: whole kind of like emptiness and malaise that everyone was
S3: feeling was a big issue. But like, I think now
S3: we all are maybe a bit more tapped in. So
S3: to like watch Edward Norton being like, I'm so sad
S3: about all this shit I have, it means nothing to me.
S3: I'm like, well, I wouldn't mind some of that shit.
S3: So yeah, I felt like that didn't hold up as
S3: strong for me in terms of the messaging in Fight Club. Yeah, it's.
S1: Interesting that whole era, it felt like if you were
S1: a white middle class guy in particular, it's like the
S1: end of history. American triumphalism is like the theme of
S1: of global politics. What do you have to worry about?
S1: You know, the economy is going great. Life's pretty great
S1: for me. I might just turn my angst inwards. And
S1: that's why you ended up with such a focus on
S1: those sorts of issues. Everyone else was not having such
S1: a great time, but we didn't let them make movies,
S1: so it was okay. Um, yeah, exactly. Could Fight Club
S1: be made in 2024?
S3: I don't really know. Like, I saw Fincher did an
S3: interview with The Guardian last year and he said, um,
S3: you know, he talked about the fact that, weirdly, Tyler
S3: Durden has been misunderstood and now has, like, seen he's
S3: seen as a hero to people who who don't understand him.
S3: And he kind of said, it's impossible for me to
S3: imagine that people don't understand. Tyler is a negative influence.
S3: I don't know how to help them. And I think
S3: that speaks to a general feeling that perhaps like given
S3: that we are really living in this moment, um, when
S3: there are like real people like Tyler Durden out there, um,
S3: maybe it would be less impactful. I don't know, like
S3: I personally would probably be very sad if they did
S3: it reboot.
S2: I think it could be made. And I think the killer,
S2: which was the Fincher film, and we talked about it
S2: on the pod that came out in 2023, is just
S2: really an updated version of exactly the same themes, you know, masculinity, disassociation, capitalism.
S2: I think Fincher still teasing at everything he was doing
S2: in Fight Club, just in a more modern way now.
S2: I think most.
S1: Of his films have have been exploring those same sorts
S1: of ideas, and I think probably doing them in updated
S1: and smarter ways that make sense for the for the
S1: kind of modern era. Okay, I'm up with my first choice.
S2: Tell me it's not Star Wars.
S1: Could you imagine? Um, so 25 years before Alexander Payne
S1: went back to school to make the holdovers, the director
S1: did it for the first time with a little film
S1: called election, starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick.
S20: In the nation's capital, a new leader has found a
S20: place in the halls of power. But her story began.
S20: In the halls of high school.
S21: We'll move on now to the presidential race with three
S21: candidates running. The first is Tracy Flick.
S22: One thing that's important to know about me is that
S22: I'm an only child. My mom is really devoted to me.
S22: She likes to write letters to successful women like Elizabeth
S22: Dole and Connie Chung and ask them, what advice do
S22: they have for me? Tracy, her daughter.
S1: This movie is awesome and completely insane. So Matthew Broderick
S1: plays a teacher, Mr. McAllister? Uh, he's a teacher at
S1: a high school in Omaha, Nebraska. They're in the middle
S1: of an election race to determine who will become the
S1: student council president. Unfortunately, Mel Kembery was not available. The
S1: front runner is another goody two shoes and seemingly model
S1: student Tracy Flick, played by Reese Witherspoon. But after Michaela's
S1: best friend's life falls apart when he's caught out having
S1: an affair with his student Tracy. Matthew Broderick's character becomes
S1: determined to stop her winning at all costs. He drafts
S1: in the high school jock, played by Chris Klein, to
S1: run against her. So apparently Alexander Payne passed on directing
S1: this movie initially because he didn't want to do a
S1: high school movie, but then he kind of read the
S1: script properly and was like, oh, this is not a
S1: high school movie. This is a movie set in a
S1: high school. But this is like American Beauty meets The
S1: Ides of March. It is an incredibly dark and cynical
S1: take on US politics, middle age, modern America. It's very
S1: funny as well as being pretty confronting. It's probably one
S1: of Matthew Broderick's last good performances, and alongside Cruel Intentions,
S1: which also came out the same year, put Reese Witherspoon
S1: on the cinema map. This is an awesome film. You
S1: guys have much of a relationship to election.
S3: Yeah, I always really liked it growing up. Um, but
S3: it was weird because, like, it was obviously when I revisited,
S3: like when I was a bit older and understood it more,
S3: I was more like into the Cruel Intentions camp of
S3: Reese Witherspoon films at that time. But yeah, uh, I
S3: always thought it was really interesting and I guess, like, again,
S3: you see this young cast that now we have such
S3: a different context for who they are, but it was
S3: all kind of there for them.
S2: Yeah. I haven't gone back and seen it in some time,
S2: but I reckon it probably would have aged quite well.
S2: So I'm interested in hearing what you think worked best,
S2: because I remember the darkness of all the characters, and
S2: that not a lot of them had redeeming qualities, and
S2: that was part of the joy of it was their
S2: kind of soullessness.
S1: Yeah, I think when the movie opens, the way that
S1: it sort of shot and the way that it looks,
S1: it makes you think it's one of these 80s type
S1: of high school dramas. And it just is not that
S1: at all. It is very like sexually explicit in a
S1: quite uncomfortable way, given the ages of of the people involved.
S1: And I'm going to talk about that a little bit
S1: later in one of the categories. And it is 100%
S1: just a movie about how demented the American political system is.
S1: So I think it's one that really does get better
S1: with age, particularly as you get older and start to
S1: realize what they're really trying to do. My favorite scene
S1: in this movie is towards the end of the film,
S1: about two thirds of the way in, Matthew Broderick's character
S1: gets stung by a bee. And so for the final
S1: like half an hour of the movie, one of his
S1: eyes is just closed over and he's in constant pain
S1: and his life is, like, crumbling around him as he's
S1: been caught out having an affair. He's in charge of
S1: counting the ballots, the student election, and he's just watching
S1: these two kids. He doesn't care anymore. He's over it all.
S1: And it's just such a funny scene because these two
S1: kids are acting their hearts out and they're like, you know,
S1: we've got to do this by the book. And he's like,
S1: we're not electing the fucking Pope. Just tell me the results.
S1: It's like, it's such a funny scene. He looks hilarious
S1: in it. And when he says that, it's like, yeah,
S1: the stakes of this are completely meaningless. This is a
S1: high school election. You're a teacher. Why do you care
S1: so much? And at that moment, I think the kind
S1: of thesis of the film is revealed. It's awesome.
S3: All right, so what holds up the best from election?
S1: I think it is the deep cynicism about the political system.
S1: Everyone is either corrupt or a moron. And this is
S1: so clearly supposed to be an analogy to the way
S1: that US presidential elections work. The only vaguely redeemable character
S1: is Peter, who's Chris Klein, the jocks sister. She runs
S1: a third party campaign out of spite, and then gets
S1: herself expelled so she can go to a Catholic all
S1: girls school and explore her burgeoning queer sexuality. She's like
S1: the only character that you're like, you're in this for, like,
S1: vaguely interesting reasons. The rest of these people just totally
S1: suck the soundtrack. When I rewatch this, there's like a
S1: morricone like bit to the soundtrack. One of Australia's great bands,
S1: Taxi Ride, features on the soundtrack. It, like a lot
S1: of 90s movies sonically like really, really holds up. I
S1: think what doesn't hold up as well, the very casual
S1: way that teachers having sex with school kids is discussed
S1: in the movie, like the characters face some consequences, but
S1: like half of the characters in this film should be
S1: like jailed for what is going on.
S15: There's a lot of that in 1999.
S1: Yeah, and there's some stuff with Alexander Payne. If you
S1: look into it, his relationship with, uh, Rose McGowan and
S1: how old she was and him sort of saying anytime
S1: someone has to say it was legal in this state
S1: for us to be in a relationship, you know, that
S1: things are like are not going well. This is not
S1: a great era for sexual politics.
S2: I'd say taking that on board. Do you think it
S2: would be made today?
S1: I don't know, I think it's like exactly the kind
S1: of film we need more of, like the kind of
S1: mid-budget sort of internal dramedy. I guess The Holdovers was
S1: kind of that, and that did pretty well. I would
S1: love to see like 20 more of these films in
S1: cinemas all the time, but it just doesn't seem like
S1: we get them, like we get very like budget versions
S1: of this on streamers, or we get giant, expensive films.
S1: But this kind of tier of film just seems to
S1: have vanished, which is a little bit sad, I think.
S3: It's funny to note that what Clinton was the president
S3: in 1999 being impeached. And then here we are.
S15: Hmm.
S3: Another 25 years.
S15: Later. Joy. Joy. More things change.
S1: The more things change. Um, I've got a fun fact
S1: for you guys. So Chris Klein, who plays the jock Peter,
S1: he was a student at one of the schools, being
S1: scouted as a location when he successfully auditioned for the part,
S1: which is exactly how Dominic Sessa, who was the lead
S1: in The Holdovers, got his part as well. So Payne
S1: knows how to find kids in schools, which now, as
S1: I say that out loud, is kind of worrying considering
S1: what we discussed earlier. The other little fun fact about this,
S1: and Chris Klein said this was Chris Klein's film debut.
S1: What other 1999 film was Chris Klein in Thomas?
S3: He was in American Pie. Um.
S1: And who did he play in American Pie?
S3: Uh, what's his name? Oz.
S15: Oh, yeah.
S3: Yeah, that is weird. It is all. I mean, I
S3: suppose this is the time to also discuss, uh, his
S3: co-star in American Pie, Mena Suvari, who was also in
S3: American Beauty.
S1: Well, we've talked about a few of these. I actually
S1: started writing a list as I was doing some research.
S1: So we mentioned Reese Witherspoon and Cruel Intentions and Election,
S1: Chris Klein and this and American Pie. You mentioned Mena Suvari,
S1: Heath ledger in those two movies, Tom Cruise in Magnolia
S1: and Eyes Wide Shut, Philip Seymour Hoffman in Magnolia and
S1: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tim Allen in Galaxy Quest and
S1: Toy Story two. What a fucking year. What was going on?
S3: Yeah, and you know what's actually really weird? This. I mean,
S3: I'm going to lift some trivia from one of my
S3: later entries, the fact that there was a conversation between
S3: the studios because Mena was in both American Pie and
S3: American Beauty. Originally American Pie was titled First Piece.
S15: Wow.
S3: But they changed the name to tap into Wow.
S15: The whole America thing going on. Yes, that is so fascinating.
S15: I know, fucking.
S3: Fun fact the shit out of it.
S2: So I'm so glad you bump that up.
S15: Yeah, I know, me too.
S3: Great call right in the moment too. But yeah. So
S3: that basically explains the origins of American Pie. I imagine
S3: it'd been called first piece. We wouldn't have probably had
S3: all the other ones that we didn't need. Yeah, good
S3: pun though.
S1: I guess.
S3: It is. It is a good pun. Uh, I guess
S3: just one other thing I wanted to add. Um, years ago,
S3: when I was a young, up and coming journalist, I
S3: went to the junket for American Pie reunion or American Reunion, uh,
S3: I think possibly the last one in the franchise. All
S3: the stars were there. I was obviously desperate to talk
S3: to either Mena Suvari or Tara Reid. I fucking got
S3: Chris Klein. I know, and like, I think everyone was
S3: sitting in the little holding room where they keep journalists
S3: and because we hadn't been told, which is like, weird.
S3: You're given someone on the day. Yeah. And everyone was like, oh, well,
S3: I obviously don't want Chris Klein. Hopefully he's not listening
S3: to this pod. No disrespect to Chris Klein, I'd love
S3: to talk to him now, but at the time I
S3: was like, oh, anyway, lo and behold, I walk in
S3: and there's Oz, the Oz maester, lacrosse stick in the air. Um, yeah.
S3: So I just asked him like ten questions I'd written
S3: for Mena Suvari. Great.
S2: I think you got exactly what you deserved.
S15: Um, and that is.
S1: Not the last time media junkets will be discussed.
S15: On this podcast.
S1: It's a bit of a clue for a movie coming up. Um,
S1: all right, we probably need to be a little bit
S1: quicker with these others, even though I'm actually loving this,
S1: but I just feel like we need to probably move
S1: a little bit quicker. All right. Time for your second pick,
S1: Mel Kambouris.
S2: Okay, this is The Virgin Suicides, Sofia Coppola's first feature debut,
S2: the OG Sad Girls.
S13: So much has been said about the girls over the years.
S23: Those girls have a bright future ahead of them, but
S23: we have never.
S5: Found an answer. Her act was a cry for help.
S5: I heard there was an accident.
S13: Even then, as teens.
S14: As we tried to put the pieces together. We still can't.
S13: Get a full tank of gas. We'll take you anywhere
S13: you want.
S24: That time. We've been waiting for you guys.
S2: Based on the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, Five Teen Sisters
S2: in Detroit in 1967 are. Kirsten Dunst is probably the
S2: biggest star of the film. Plays Lux. This very cool, cold, callous,
S2: sexy older sister, and Josh Hartnett plays the heartthrob. Two
S2: of the big names that came out of it. A
S2: group of men are reflecting on their memories of the
S2: Lisbon sisters, the five of them who all killed themselves,
S2: which is the part of this film that we probably
S2: need to discuss a bit. But why don't I tell
S2: you what's good?
S3: I mean, yeah, this will be the breakfast. So. Yeah.
S2: Look, I think it's depicting of adolescence is very good.
S2: There's a lot of love, nervousness, awkwardness, the kind of
S2: mystery of that time Sofia Coppola does very well. It's
S2: got a lot of the kind of interest in suburbia,
S2: which we're seeing in a lot of these films, and
S2: the kind of darkness behind the picture perfect frame. And also,
S2: I really like it because it is a marker of
S2: where Coppola goes in her future, her interest in womanhood,
S2: her style. Something like The Beguiled is very clearly in
S2: conversation with the Virgin Suicide. So even just as an
S2: example of Coppola's development as a director, it's really useful.
S2: What doesn't work? The suicides are a are a lot.
S15: And that's a bit a pretty.
S3: Dark editor's letter in Cubby Cove after your first.
S15: Watch.
S2: Yeah, the there is a kind of suicidal ideation, I think,
S2: going on in this film and things like one of
S2: the sisters falling on a garden pike. I just can't
S2: imagine that shot being made today. There is this kind
S2: of idealization of them. They're they're five blonde white sisters
S2: all wearing these long white gowns. And there's this weird
S2: tone which is part coming of age, part tragedy that
S2: is very unusual to watch back now, Wolf.
S1: Yeah, I this is like tricky because I don't when
S1: I think about this movie, I don't think of necessarily
S1: like a standout, like super fun or, you know, beautifully
S1: shot scene. But what is your favorite scene from this film?
S1: One of the.
S2: Best scenes is when Coppola is reveling in adolescence, and
S2: it's when the group of girls and the group of
S2: guys are talking to each other via the phone, and
S2: they're playing songs to each other. And it's it's really beautiful,
S2: sweet scene where they each play a record to each other,
S2: and they sit there over hours and the screen is cut.
S2: So you're moving between the two of them. It is
S2: a moment that captures the kind of wonder of adolescence
S2: and the discovery of it. So it's quite a good scene.
S2: That is the film kind of when it's at its best.
S1: And you kind of ran us through what you thought
S1: worked best and held up best and what didn't. So
S1: what do you think about whether this movie could or
S1: would be made today?
S2: Well, it has been rereleased with a trigger warning. Given
S2: the content, would it be made today? I don't are.
S1: We all laughed at that?
S15: Aren't trigger warnings suicide? No, I.
S2: Would it get made today? I don't think so. And
S2: I'm not obviously laughing about the suicide. It's just it
S2: is a very curious film. And no, I don't think
S2: it would be made today because also the point the suicides,
S2: I don't know, it's kind of unclear what point they're
S2: making in the film. So I don't think this film
S2: would get made today. Um, or if it did, it
S2: would be obviously a very different film. I had a
S2: fun fact, but now I'm going to make it a
S2: quiz because, you know, are.
S3: You because you're.
S2: Yeah, we like a quiz. Okay. Sofia Coppola offered an
S2: actress a role in the film. The actress considered it,
S2: but she thought it was too intense and she turned
S2: it down. And she since starred in a Coppola film. Who?
S2: I mean, it's a big question. What female actress do
S2: you think is.
S15: Worse on some.
S1: Of those windy, good week end quiz questions? The ones
S1: that are like, name a thing and then work backwards
S1: to just, can you just tell us who this person is?
S2: I didn't know it was so belabored. It was Scarlett Johansson, um.
S1: When I was at school. I don't know if you
S1: guys experienced this. There was a whole bit of discourse that, like,
S1: this was based on a true story, and people were like, oh,
S1: did you hear about those girls up the road that
S1: all killed themselves? I'm like, what? That's crazy. It's not right.
S1: Like Eugen Eugenides just wrote a fictional story.
S2: I don't know, as discussed on the Baby Reindeer episode,
S2: I do not do the fact v fiction, but no,
S2: it is a it is just a fictional novel.
S1: Um, okay. Thank you for that, Mel. Great choice. Great couple.
S1: Maybe my favorite.
S15: Really? Yeah.
S2: Be cool. What about Lost in Translation?
S1: I think we did this conversation, didn't we? When Priscilla
S1: came out. I can't remember what I said, but but
S1: when I was rewatching 99 movies and I rewatched this,
S1: I was like, this is fucking awesome. Thomas, what have
S1: you got for your second choice?
S3: Uh, look, 1999 was a big year for sex bets.
S2: Bets or pests?
S15: Bets, bets and pests.
S3: But sex bets.
S15: In sex bet.
S3: Well, okay, we've all seen She's All That, right, which
S3: is essentially a film about how wearing overalls makes you ugly.
S3: And Freddie Prinze Jr basically bets his friends that he
S3: can turn the ugly girl into a prom queen. And,
S3: you know, that's a bit weird, but I will bench
S3: that as much as it's a great film and present
S3: to you perhaps the most, uh, toxic but sexy film
S3: of the 90s. Ladies and gentlemen. It is, of course,
S3: Cruel Intentions. You know.
S25: You could be a model. It's too bad you're not sexy.
S26: I can be sexy.
S27: You know what would be super duper sexy?
S25: If you lost all the clothes. Huh?
S3: What a film.
S15: What a what?
S1: A build up to the reveal.
S15: Mhm.
S3: Yeah. Well, I mean, it's worth it. It's worth the wait,
S3: which is something we learn about a lot in this film. Um,
S3: we speak about Reese Witherspoon. She plays the headmaster's daughter Annette.
S3: And then basically we meet these toxic stepsiblings. Uh, Mel,
S3: this is based on a famous French novel. I can't
S3: remember what it is, but you probably know, of.
S2: Course, dangerous liaisons.
S3: Basically, we have Sarah Michelle Gellar, who, of course, was, like,
S3: very hot property in the 90s, uh, playing Catherine and Sebastian,
S3: her stepbrother, played by Ryan Phillippe, who was very also
S3: hot property in the 90s, which ended in like 1999.
S3: And then and then he became Reese Witherspoon's husband and
S3: then ex-husband anyway. But they play these kind of like,
S3: weird Upper East Side toxic stepsiblings. This is well before
S3: the days of, you know, um, Gossip Girl and stuff
S3: like that. They're manipulative step siblings who, you know, have
S3: very kind of like, strange relationship. This was really the
S3: first film that showed us that incest was possibly going
S3: to be a popular topic of discussion. Um, but basically
S3: you have like so much going on in this film.
S3: Sebastian is like a bad boy. He has really cool
S3: sunglasses and drives and drives a nice Jaguar. He, he
S3: wants to.
S15: He wants.
S2: Character.
S15: Description.
S3: And that kind of sums him up. He wants to
S3: bed Annette, who is played by Reese Witherspoon. She's a
S3: kind of virginal daughter of the headmaster. Annette doesn't want to, like,
S3: have sex until she's married. So basically, Catherine makes a
S3: bet with Sebastian that he will not be able to
S3: have sex with her if Catherine wins. She gets his
S3: vintage 1959 Jaguar Roadster. If Sebastian wins, he gets to
S3: have sex with his stepsister Catherine, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar.
S3: Also in plays is Cecile, played by Selma Blair. Uh,
S3: she's kind of like a naive new girl at school. Um, however,
S3: she falls in with Catherine, who kind of, like, takes
S3: her under her wing as Cecile tries to bed her
S3: own piano teacher. But actually, Catherine's intentions are nefarious because
S3: she wants to ruin Cecile's life because Cecile stole her boyfriend.
S1: You say the intentions are cruel here.
S3: The intentions are cruel, but they're also so, so sexy. Uh,
S3: it is a strange film. Uh, rewatching it, you can
S3: see why people are like, oh my God. But that
S3: being said, they did make a second. And of course,
S3: Cruel Intentions has now been a stage show. Uh, it
S3: is kind of the quintessential 90s film in so many ways. Uh,
S3: it was edgy. It was sexy. It was messed up.
S3: It is very problematic in the cold light of 2024.
S3: But yeah, Cruel Intentions deserves a spot on this list,
S3: I would say.
S1: Yeah, it's so interesting because it was not very critically
S1: acclaimed at the time, but I think for people of
S1: our generation, it just became like one of these really
S1: iconic movies. You saw people your age at school living
S1: these flashy New York lives with drugs and fancy cars,
S1: and it seemed like they weren't really at school. They
S1: were kind of adults at the age of school kids.
S1: It was kind of weirdly like inspirational in like a
S1: sort of fucked up way. Um, yeah, a really good choice.
S15: Yeah.
S3: And I think, I mean, there's no denying that when
S3: you're at that age or like, if you're a young person.
S1: I should say aspirational rather than inspirational.
S15: Yeah.
S2: I did wonder.
S15: When you're.
S3: At that age, uh, like when sex is still so
S3: taboo and yet, you know, often people think about it
S3: a lot. Uh, and a movie comes out like this,
S3: which just, like, puts it so front and center and
S3: not even just like sex as a concept, but the
S3: really kind of fringe areas of sex that you don't
S3: normally see in movies, uh, it is like inevitably going
S3: to become something that people talk about.
S2: And oh my gosh, the fashion in this is so incredible.
S2: And I do think you see the direct influence on
S2: this film on things like O.C., Gossip Girl, even more recently,
S2: do Revenge. I think it has inspired more than we
S2: maybe give it credit for. Yeah, the.
S1: OC coming out like three years after this film. I
S1: think it's like it sort of changed what teen dramas
S1: could be and how explicit they could be. Thomas. What?
S15: Come on.
S3: Say it so I can say my bit.
S1: What is your favorite scene from Cruel Intentions?
S3: Uh, I mean, this is obviously a no brainer for
S3: anyone who was stressed about learning to kiss in the
S3: late 90s and early noughties have like, are there five
S3: words that had a more of a stranglehold on me
S3: than massaged my tongue with yours? Uh, obviously the scene
S3: between Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar where she, uh,
S3: Sarah Michelle Gellar teaches Selma Blair to kiss is iconic.
S3: Not just in my own teenage mind.
S2: Don't look at me as you're saying this.
S3: Mel is silently judging me. Um, it's I mean, the
S3: scene is hilarious. They basically are sitting in a park. Uh,
S3: it's funny, I read Sarah Michelle Gellar saying, like, it's,
S3: you know, it's one of her favorite scenes, and they
S3: often recreated it like MTV Movie Awards and stuff. But like,
S3: there were 300 people on set that day watching this
S3: play out. Um, but basically, she teaches Selma Blair how
S3: to kiss. She says, let's try it again. Only this
S3: time stick your tongue in my mouth, massage my tongue
S3: with yours. And then the thing that's so interesting about
S3: this scene, you know, obviously it existed for shock value,
S3: but it like the way they actually do linger on
S3: the two of them having this quite deep, passionate kiss.
S3: Like it even goes so far as to have like
S3: a single strand of saliva that connects them until it breaks. Uh,
S3: it was, you know, it really summed up the film
S3: in that it was designed to shock, uh, it was
S3: designed for people to, you know, walk out of the theater.
S3: And that's exactly what happened. It's become this kind of like,
S3: you know, part of the iconography of the film. But weirdly,
S3: even though it's easy for you both to be like, Thomas,
S3: you're so gross and horny. Hahaha. Which is true, but
S3: like the if you go and look at like, kind
S3: of like the discourse around this film, lots of people
S3: have been like, oh, that was actually kind of important
S3: for me as like a young queer person, to see
S3: these two women on screen, like they weren't doing it
S3: because they were exploring each other, but they were, you know,
S3: it was still representation at a time when there wasn't
S3: a great deal of that. Yeah.
S1: Yeah, I think that that's when people talk about representation
S1: of queer characters. That's exactly what they're talking about.
S15: No, I'm not saying that's I'm.
S3: Just saying there are lots of people who said that.
S3: Like in terms of what holds, don't sit here.
S15: Done enough, my friend. Yeah. Um, no.
S1: You're a look, this is, uh, everyone's allowed to pick
S1: their favorite scenes. It is obviously the most iconic scene
S1: from that film. It's not a crazy thing for him
S1: to say, Mel.
S2: No, I just don't want you to say massage my
S2: tongue again.
S15: Wait. So.
S3: Okay, Mel, you obviously hate this scene.
S15: Then I don't hate this scene.
S2: I can see how you could argue it in all
S2: different ways. Am I am I surprised it's your favorite scene?
S15: I'm not well, but, I mean, I haven't seen.
S2: It in ages.
S3: You couldn't choose a different scene from this movie, to
S3: be honest.
S1: We have so many more films to talk about. I
S1: don't think we can get bogged down into this scene more.
S15: Thomas, why.
S2: Don't you tell us whether sex bits stand up today?
S3: No, no, no. So you've actually kind of touched on
S3: what holds up the best from this film. And it
S3: actually is the fashion. Uh, these guys look amazing. You know,
S3: you've got Selma Blair kind of like, in her J.Crew
S3: cardigan very of the time, very preppy. Ryan Phillippe actually
S3: had a connection at Prada. So despite the fact that
S3: this film, you know, celebrated these rich kids, apparently they
S3: didn't really have much budget, especially when it came to Wardrobing.
S3: He had a connection at Prada because he was still,
S3: like famous then. And so they decked out his character.
S3: He's got the kind of like sleek 90s glasses. He
S3: wears a lot of turtlenecks. And of course, you know,
S3: his slick car. So the film like is, you know,
S3: in terms of what holds up the worst, we can
S3: spend an hour on that. But in terms of what
S3: holds up the best, it still looks pretty cool. Um,
S3: and the way they dress and stuff is all like, yeah,
S3: quite aspirational. What holds up the worst? I mean, again,
S3: where to really begin with this film? Essentially, at the
S3: crux of it, you've got like a stepbrother who is
S3: like trying to sleep with a virgin so that then
S3: he can have anal sex with his sister. That's essentially
S3: what the film is about. Um, it is like, just problematic.
S1: So what holds up the worst is the entire concept.
S15: Over the film, correct? Yes, correct. Uh, which brings me to,
S15: of course.
S3: Could this be released in 2024? Uh, not a chance. Yeah.
S1: All right. That probably I'm loath to say this. Maybe
S1: the wildest, uh, conversation will have. Um, my second film.
S1: We had to do it, The Talented Mr. Ripley.
S28: Dickie Greenleaf, it's tom. Tom Ripley. Tom Ripley. We were
S28: at Princeton together.
S29: Did we know each other? Sorry. What is it, Ripley?
S30: How do you do?
S5: It would just be for a little while.
S30: No, I like him.
S31: Marge, you like everybody, Marge.
S28: You like everybody?
S32: You stay at Dickie's house.
S1: It's kind of become the theme of the year for
S1: this podcast. We discussed it first when we were talking
S1: about Saltburn, which tried to do the same thing and
S1: didn't really succeed, and then more recently with the really incredible,
S1: I think, Andrew Scott Netflix series based on the character.
S1: This film is one of my favorite films of all time,
S1: set in the 1950s. Matt Damon is Tom Ripley, a
S1: con artist sent from New York to Italy to try
S1: and convince Dickie Greenleaf, a rich Playboy, to come back home.
S1: The cast of this movie Matt Damon, Jude Law, Philip
S1: Seymour Hoffman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett all kind of just
S1: before they became ballistically famous. So they're amazing actors and
S1: they have this kind of like naivety to them that
S1: really works for the film. My favorite scene this was
S1: a tricky one because there's a couple that I like, but.
S1: I think I landed on the right one. It's the
S1: introduction to Freddy. Philip Seymour Hoffman's character. He pulls up
S1: to this cafe in Rome in a red convertible, jumps
S1: out of the car, waltzes down to where Damon and
S1: Jude Law are having coffee, and delivers one of the
S1: most iconic first lines any character has delivered in a movie.
S32: Oh God, don't you want to fuck everyone when you
S32: see just once?
S33: Only once. Absolutely.
S29: Once. Child. Tom. Ripley. Freddy. Myers. Tom.
S1: It is crazy stuff. It is an awesome performance from
S1: Philip Seymour Hoffman. I think I give a special shout
S1: out to the Naples jazz club scene as well, where
S1: the guys are all singing and playing saxophone. That is
S1: super fun. That's like from a part of the movie
S1: where you're like, this is great. I'm just hanging out
S1: with these cool hot people as I have an awesome
S1: holiday in Italy. And then obviously the movie gets like
S1: significantly darker later on. Um, the hold up the best.
S1: I've said this already, the cast, like you, just can't
S1: think of another example where this many A-list actors who
S1: wanted to so much success were caught at their just
S1: before their peak in their prime. In this way, uh,
S1: they're all used perfectly. And I think it is so
S1: hard to think about these characters that have been portrayed
S1: in film and television so many times, without thinking of
S1: the guys who played them in this film. Like, it's
S1: hard to think of Ripley not as Damon. It's hard
S1: to think of Freddy, not as Philip Seymour Hoffman. What
S1: holds up the worst in this film? This is kind
S1: of complicated to explain, but like basically the idea of
S1: being a con artist in the 50s seemed so easy.
S1: And I just don't think you can do that anymore.
S1: Like there are scenes in this movie, there are entire
S1: plot points in this movie that just work, because Matt
S1: Damon's looks a bit like Jude Law's passport photo now.
S1: They're like fingerprinting and they're using face ID you just
S1: couldn't get away with that. But maybe that's what makes
S1: the movie work so well is that we've all seen
S1: this before about films in the 90s. You just have
S1: none of that stuff, so you just have a lot
S1: more fun. What's possible seems much more boundless. And could
S1: it be made in 2024? Guess what it was? It
S1: was made for Netflix and it was fucking awesome. Another
S1: reason why this movie absolutely rules.
S2: Oh man, this would be probably my number one of
S2: the 1999 sect. I just think it's when I think
S2: of like if I was to create a work of art,
S2: the vibe of this movie, I can't explain it, but
S2: the vibe, everything of it, I'm like, that's what I
S2: would want. The feelings it gives you, the atmosphere, the tone. I,
S2: I love it.
S3: Yeah. We have so much love for Ripley on this pod.
S1: Yeah, I mean, I loved it so much. I went
S1: to Ischia, where they shot half the movie last year
S1: for a holiday, just because it was where they shot
S1: the movie.
S2: Was it as good as it looks in the film?
S2: It was.
S1: Amazing. It was amazing. Yeah. The castle is there. Very cool. Mel,
S1: we're up to your final pick for the 1999 movie
S1: Hall of Fame.
S2: And it's a bit late to kind of get into
S2: the terms that were set for our choices, but when
S2: we said the kind of famous films of 1999, I
S2: took that to also maybe mean infamous as well, because
S2: I don't know if this is like one of the
S2: best films, but I think it was important and it's
S2: worth discussing that is Never Been Kissed.
S29: Welcome to Shakespeare's As You Like It. Are you sure
S29: you're 17?
S34: I'm 17.
S5: She's never been hip hop.
S35: This is where the stories are.
S27: She's never been cool.
S35: You'll become friends with these people.
S34: Houston. Kristen. Gibby. What's that girl?
S25: Are you in special ed?
S27: And she's never been sexy.
S35: You will party with them. You'll rave with them. You're
S35: going to get jiggy with them.
S27: Until now.
S2: All you need. It was directed by Raja Gosnell, who
S2: went on to do Big Momma's House. Smurfs, Scooby-Doo. If
S2: that says anything, this is Drew Barrymore. She plays Josie Geller,
S2: who's an insecure 25 year old reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times.
S2: She's never had a relationship, famously never been kissed. She's
S2: given an assignment to go undercover at a high school.
S2: Off she goes to write about what kids are like today. Now,
S2: what is my favorite scene in this film?
S1: Before we get to that, this is another movie where
S1: an adult goes to a high school to try and
S1: do nefarious things with high schoolers.
S2: Yeah, and I think, what the fuck.
S1: Was happening in America? This is crazy.
S2: Yeah, yeah, you kind of really see, this whole plot
S2: is very messed up, and maybe I'll just jump ahead
S2: to what doesn't work.
S1: Yeah, start with what doesn't work. Let's do.
S15: That. Yeah.
S2: What doesn't work? Well, yes. It's another situation where maybe
S2: the whole plot doesn't work. We've got this 25 year
S2: old who goes to a school. She kind of gets
S2: the hots for a student at the same time as
S2: a teacher, gets the hots for her. And when the
S2: teacher finds out she's actually 25, is more upset at
S2: her than when she was a student. She's also got
S2: her brother, who then somehow enrolls in the school and
S2: has a relationship with a student. Again, an adult man.
S2: I mean, yes, it's completely whacked and also really did
S2: make me wonder why is it so easy to enroll
S2: in schools? There's no one asking for ID what works? Again,
S2: I think it did a pretty good job at capturing
S2: how traumatizing high school can be. And Drew Barrymore, she's lovable, goofy.
S2: She's kind of. She's kind of worth watching just for
S2: her charisma in this.
S1: Yeah. Drew Barrymore was a great part of this movie.
S1: Probably the only reason I revisit it. Really. She's awesome in.
S15: It. Yeah.
S2: It's so weird that it was so big on the
S2: sleepover roster again. But yeah, I don't know why our
S2: parents were letting us watch that.
S15: Uh, what's your.
S1: Favorite scene, Mel?
S2: Uh, I quite like when she's stoned at the party.
S2: She goes dancing on stage. She's like riding a feather
S2: boa at the same time as she's being covertly. Well,
S2: she's being surveilled by her colleagues because she's wearing a camera.
S2: It's fun, it's silly. It's a very ridiculous film.
S1: And could it be made today? Probably not. For the
S1: same reasons why so many of these movies couldn't.
S2: Yeah, yeah, I think I'm happy to leave this 1
S2: in 1999.
S15: Where it belongs.
S1: Uh, Thomas, your last choice for the Hall of Fame.
S1: What is it?
S3: Uh, look, before we get into that, can I just say,
S3: sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel
S3: like I can't take it. Uh, look, someone had to
S3: do it. American Beauty Sam Mendes, famously known as the
S3: worst best picture film of all time.
S36: Why does he dress like a Bible salesman?
S29: Today I quit my job, and then I blackmailed my
S29: boss for almost $60,000. Pass the asparagus.
S36: My dad's actually kind of cute. I think he and
S36: your mother have not slept together in a long time.
S37: Shut up. Do you think you're the only.
S3: It is almost like if you were to type into
S3: an AI generator in 2024. Give me a 1999 film.
S3: This is what it would spit out. Uh, it kind
S3: of like, pulled the greatest trick on everyone at the
S3: time into thinking it was this amazing, searing commentary on
S3: suburban life and, you know, feeling that you haven't amounted
S3: to anything. But really, it was just basically Kevin Spacey grooming, which,
S3: as we know, is not that impressive. Um, wait.
S1: You're telling me this is another movie about an older
S1: man grooming a high school kid?
S3: Yeah, I know, it's like everyone in suburbia was so
S3: bored that they had to fuck teenagers.
S1: So what? What? Despite it being problematic, you recognizing that
S1: what holds up for you in this movie? What makes
S1: this movie when you watch it in 2024 still feel
S1: important or interesting?
S3: Well, I think like for a lot of people, it's
S3: probably the fact that you can't divorce the feeling that
S3: it had on you at the first time of watching,
S3: like it did feel like an important, you know, film
S3: at the time. People often refer to it as a
S3: deep movie for shallow people, which I need to unpack
S3: with myself later. But like, I mean, look, and it
S3: really a lot of it, I guess, can be perfectly
S3: encapsulated in what is both my favorite scene, but I
S3: cringe watching it back, which is, of course, the plastic
S3: bag scene. That's your favorite scene? Well, no, but like
S3: that is that is this. Yeah. The scene, you know
S3: what I mean? Like that is the scene from the movie.
S3: It's either that or like Kevin Spacey thinking about Mena
S3: Suvari as a teenager covered in rose petals. There was like,
S3: you're picking like, fucking pretty grim choices here.
S2: Can I tell you that we're running out of time?
S2: But in 1999, I did a speech to the Assembly,
S2: and I used that scene, and I tied it into
S2: a speech about why we should reuse bags, because, like,
S2: that bag was indestructible. There you go. Really cut through.
S2: I know.
S3: But it's amazing, like, you know, and like that is
S3: the famous line about, you know, some, some, like, beauty
S3: in the world. And we're just watching this guy film rubbish.
S1: Famously paraphrased by Katy Perry, you know, many years later.
S3: Yes, exactly. Um, so look, it's like it is really funny.
S3: 25 years is a long time, but I don't think
S3: any Best Picture winner that scooped all the major categories
S3: has aged so poorly, and is probably a perfect reflection
S3: of just how weird things were in the late 90s.
S3: One part I think has aged well, which is, you know,
S3: there's a famous scene where Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening,
S3: his wife, who he hates, who later, you know, spoiler alert,
S3: kills him. Uh, they're having sex. And she basically is
S3: concerned that he's going to spill something on the couch.
S3: And that kind of like sums up the marital kind
S3: of like depression that had consumed them both. And I
S3: think sometimes, you know, you watch that and you're like, okay,
S3: that's perhaps of all the different things wrong in this movie,
S3: maybe they tapped into something there that is probably pretty
S3: universal for a lot of people. But look, it goes
S3: without saying, could this movie be made? Should this movie
S3: be made in 2024, probably have to recast Kevin Spacey. Uh,
S3: but generally, no, you don't want to see The return
S3: of American Beauty.
S1: I'm glad you picked it because we did have to
S1: talk about it. It is the Best Picture winner of
S1: that year. It is kind of crazy the grip that
S1: it had, it deserved to be unpacked. So thank you
S1: for stepping up to the plate.
S15: Yeah. Once again, another brave choice from Thomas.
S1: I'm all right, all right, I'm bringing it home. I
S1: had to do it. Notting Hill. Yeah.
S38: A very ordinary boy bumps into a girl. Oh my God,
S38: and takes her home. The bathroom's on the top floor.
S38: It happens all the time. But she is no ordinary girl.
S38: She is Anna Scott, the most famous film star in
S38: the world. And when they get every.
S1: Couple of years, I set myself the task of trying
S1: to decide what is the perfect rom com. I watch
S1: them all and I just don't think anything beats Notting Hill.
S1: It's the best of Richard Curtis's films. Hugh Grant and
S1: Julia Roberts just nail it. The supporting cast is great.
S1: The 90s were awesome for rom coms. It feels right
S1: to have something as iconic like this on the list.
S1: The best scene in this movie I didn't know what
S1: a media junket was the first time I saw this film.
S1: This is the scene where Hugh Grant tries to meet, uh,
S1: Julia Roberts to give her some flowers, and he goes
S1: to an event where journalists are interviewing her for upcoming
S1: Weird Space movie, and he has to pretend to be
S1: a journalist from Horse and Hound. This is an awesome,
S1: very funny, very cool scene. It rocked when I was
S1: younger and didn't know what the hell was going on.
S1: Now that I've been to like hundreds of media junkets,
S1: it is even better. It's just crazy to put this
S1: like weird thing that only people in our world really
S1: know about into this big, splashy rom com film. I
S1: think what holds up the best? It's hard because it's
S1: such a perfect movie, but the soundtrack slaps so hard.
S1: Every needle drop in this film is so good. When
S1: I was younger.
S15: Ronan Keating Ronan.
S1: Keating is probably my least favorite on the soundtrack. Um,
S1: when I was a kid, we'd go on a lot
S1: of car trips and there'd be heaps of arguing about
S1: what radio station to listen to, what CDs to put on.
S1: But the one thing that the family all agreed on
S1: was the soundtrack Elvis Costello, Al Green, The Lighthouse Family,
S1: Texas Bill Withers this is like the sound of my
S1: early teens in so many ways. Um, what holds up
S1: the worst? So there's this modern take that's going around.
S1: It's been going around the last couple of years. Mamma mia!
S1: Has published it. Erin Molan, their radio presenter, is like
S1: ranted about this. They say that Julia Roberts sucks because
S1: she lied to Hugh Grant about having a boyfriend and
S1: jerked him around. I got to say, I don't really
S1: care about that at all. Like she meets this guy
S1: in a bookstore. They get carried away, they have some fun.
S1: What do you want her to say? Oh, actually, I'm
S1: dating Alec Baldwin and he sucks. That would be a
S1: terrible movie. Like, I don't want to watch that movie.
S1: It's just a bit of tension for the film. Stop
S1: trying to ruin nice movies from the 90s. What? Actually,
S1: I think age the worst is probably the fact that
S1: Hugh Grant had no idea who this giant movie star was.
S1: Is he the dumbest man in England? That is crazy.
S1: Every single person knows her except for him. Doesn't really
S1: make sense to me.
S3: Yeah, but he just lives in the bookshop and he has.
S15: His special words.
S3: And, you know, he's like a.
S2: Also, I mean, Notting Hill looks absolutely angelic compared to
S2: some of these other films that we've discussed.
S1: Yeah, it's probably Daisy. It's probably got some weird bits
S1: to it, but it, it doesn't seem to be as.
S15: Cooked compared to where we've gone.
S1: So if the bar is, uh, young children groomed this
S1: well and truly, you know, gets over the line, um,
S1: could it be made in 2024? I mean, sort of.
S1: We talked about the idea of you, which was basically
S1: a gender flipped version of this film. I think, though,
S1: what wouldn't be done this way. And we've talked about
S1: this a couple of times. This is shot on location
S1: in Notting Hill. The script is really great. The cast
S1: is really good. Clearly a lot of attention and time
S1: and care was put into this. I think these days
S1: we get sort of the first or second draft iteration
S1: of this, either at the movies or on streamers. And again,
S1: I just think like let creators take time, let writers
S1: take time to make movies this good again. My fun
S1: fact on this is that Nicole Kidman auditioned for the
S1: part that Julia Roberts plays, but was told she wasn't
S1: talented enough. There you go.
S2: I cannot imagine her in that role though. Julia Roberts,
S2: Hugh Grant, their chemistry. Yeah, they were the they were
S2: the right choice.
S1: Um, we are now actually getting kicked out of our
S1: recording because of how long Thomas talked about kissing. Uh,
S1: but I wanted to recap on a Hall of Fame briefly,
S1: because I think we nailed it. Team, how about this
S1: for a list of nine movies from 1999 Magnolia Fight
S1: Club election, The Virgin Suicides, Cruel Intentions, The Talented Mr. Ripley,
S1: Never Been Kissed, American Beauty and Notting Hill. God damn,
S1: that's a list.
S2: It's a good list. But guys, I feel a bit
S2: icky now that really unpacking some of those films and
S2: what was popular? Uh, it kind of it shocked me
S2: hearing all the kind of what was going on in 1999.
S1: It is weird, even though we talked about the strange
S1: themes before we listed all the movies, the fact that
S1: like American Beauty, Cruel Intentions, election, at least all have
S1: these strange themes. Yeah, it's it's it's a weird time.
S1: Let's let's leave it with that.
S2: But we've gone there. We've done it for the listeners.
S15: Yes, correct.
S1: Thomas, I think that worked. I think we had fun.
S15: Yeah, yeah.
S3: I mean, look, I, I get to have horrors about
S3: the discussion around.
S15: Please don't.
S2: Say those words again.
S15: To me.
S3: Massaging terms.
S15: I.
S2: Just.
S3: But yeah. No, I think we nailed it. Yeah.
S1: In lieu of impress Your friends, we've just given you
S1: nine awesome and potentially creepy films to rewatch. Um, some
S1: homework for us to do, but that was fun. I
S1: had a great time, had a great time rewatching these movies.
S1: I had a great time talking to you guys about them.
S1: Maybe we should do something like this again in the future.
S2: Looking forward to it.
S3: 2009 here we come.
S1: Take care guys. Bye. This episode of The Drop was
S1: produced by Kai Wong. If you enjoyed listening to today's
S1: episode of The Drop, make sure to follow us on
S1: your favorite podcast app. Leave us a review or better yet,
S1: share it with a friend! I'm Osman Faruqi. See you
S1: next week.