Speaker 1: Hey, welcome to Weird House Cinema. Rewind, this is Rob
Speaker 1: Lamb and ooh, today's episode is one that originally aired
Speaker 1: four eleven, twenty twenty five. Yeah, we're talking about Virtuosity,
Speaker 1: starring Academy Award winning actors Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.
Speaker 1: It is a great example of ninety cyberslop. But man,
Speaker 1: these guys are a lot of fun in it, and
Speaker 1: it's it's a pretty wild film. So without further ado,
Speaker 1: let's jump right in.
Speaker 2: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1: Hey, welcome to Weird House Cinema. This is Rob Lamb
Speaker 1: and this is Joe McCormick.
Speaker 3: And today we are going to be covering the nineteen
Speaker 3: ninety five action sci fi thriller Virtuosity, a movie that
Speaker 3: you will probably remember even if you haven't seen it,
Speaker 3: because in nineteen ninety five you could not help but
Speaker 3: be exposed to the trailer where Russell Crowe struts through
Speaker 3: a future mall in a baggy purple suit and the
Speaker 3: tune is the Beeg's Staying Alive. It was like one
Speaker 3: of the most iconic uses of a needle drop in
Speaker 3: a trailer from the nineties.
Speaker 1: That's right, that's right, And this one, as we'll discuss,
Speaker 1: does have quite a needle drop score. It also has
Speaker 1: an original score as well, but a lot of needle
Speaker 1: drops in here. It really really sets the tone for
Speaker 1: the mid nineties looking to late nineties feel.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so I want to briefly tell a story of
Speaker 3: the roundabout way we came to feature this movie today.
Speaker 3: So next week is going to be our two hundredth
Speaker 3: episode of Weird House Cinema. I think we still haven't
Speaker 3: picked the movie for next week, but that makes today
Speaker 3: the one hundred and ninety ninth episode. And Rob, when
Speaker 3: you and I were batting ideas around, you mentioned the
Speaker 3: possibility of doing a movie set in the year nineteen
Speaker 3: ninety nine for the one ninety ninth episode. I think
Speaker 3: that was a stroke of genius. And folks, there are
Speaker 3: a lot of dope movies set in ninety nine, usually
Speaker 3: made in the eighties or nineties, imagining nineteen ninety nine
Speaker 3: as a terrible dystopian turning point. So I was looking
Speaker 3: at her options and for a while I thought that
Speaker 3: we were going to be talking about End of Days
Speaker 3: starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. For those of you who mainly remember
Speaker 3: Arnold's roles as a terminator or an elite commando of
Speaker 3: some kind. This is a bit outside his normal range.
Speaker 3: It is a Y two k Anti Christ movie in
Speaker 3: which Arnold has to shoot the devil with a machine
Speaker 3: gun to prevent the titular End of Days.
Speaker 1: Yeah, a movie in which Arnold plays sort of an everyman.
Speaker 1: Also I guess sort of a super cop. But yeah,
Speaker 1: it gets type. I don't want to see Arnold play
Speaker 1: in every Man. I want to see Arnold play like
Speaker 1: a chrom show in Champion that has been forged out
Speaker 1: of trauma and loss into a human weapon. That's what
Speaker 1: I want out of my Arnold roles.
Speaker 3: Well, I think the even weirder thing is the context
Speaker 3: that it's like a religious supernatural thriller. It's like The Omen,
Speaker 3: but with Arnold in it.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I haven't seen End of Days in a long time.
Speaker 3: I barely remember it. But Rob, didn't you say there's
Speaker 3: something about the year nineteen ninety nine in it that
Speaker 3: like plays into a prophecy?
Speaker 1: Yeah? Yeah. The only things I remember are that, a,
Speaker 1: there's a really cool bat creature in it, but also
Speaker 1: very like brown and dark, very saturated looking, but still
Speaker 1: cool bat Monster, And then there's this whole thing about
Speaker 1: how well six' six' six really means nine ninety nine
Speaker 1: because in dreams numbers are inverted or upside down. Or
Speaker 1: something IT'S it's i remember its sounding pretty cool until
Speaker 1: you thought about it for like.
Speaker 3: Two seconds, So anyway End of days that is deliciously
Speaker 3: weird as. A pitch it does apparently have glorious delivery
Speaker 3: on the theme of nineteen, ninety nine BUT unfortunately i
Speaker 3: started watching that, ONE man i was just not feeling
Speaker 3: it for. This week the vibes were a little too serious,
Speaker 3: and grim a little too much kidnapping of babies and
Speaker 3: pouring rattlesnake blood. On them it just kind of bummed,
Speaker 3: Me OUT so i Bailed on End. Of days maybe,
Speaker 3: WE'LL come i. Don't know maybe if you get past those,
Speaker 3: early scenes it. Gets FUNNIER but i wasn't feeling it,
Speaker 3: this Week and I'M glad i ended up bailing because
Speaker 3: the NEXT movie i checked out was another one said
Speaker 3: in nineteen, ninety nine but in in a very, different
Speaker 3: direction and that IS as, i said nineteen Ninety, five's
Speaker 3: Virtuosity Starring denzel washington as an ace cop with a
Speaker 3: with a, tragic backstory a, redemption arc and a rarely mentioned,
Speaker 3: bionic arm and Also Starring russell crowe as a synthetic
Speaker 3: computer game villain raised in a sort of digital nursery
Speaker 3: with a great teacher to, student ratio but all the
Speaker 3: teachers are.
Speaker 1: Serial killers, You know i'm just now realizing that this
Speaker 1: movie does have something in Common with End. Of days
Speaker 1: both of these films are about like a sort of
Speaker 1: everyman cop type figure going Up Against. Evil Incarnate an End,
Speaker 1: of Days It's evil incarnate because It Is gabriel byrne
Speaker 1: as the devil who in ONE scene i Believe peace
Speaker 1: fire is pea. Straight fire and in this movie we
Speaker 1: have pure evil in the sense that we have A
Speaker 1: super ai trained on serial killers and mad men that
Speaker 1: will mild spoiler here it's in, the trailer will take
Speaker 1: physical form in the real world thanks TO three d printing.
Speaker 3: Exactly right and that actually brings us to one of
Speaker 3: the MAIN things i wanted to talk about at the,
Speaker 3: top here and that is that virtuosity is like a
Speaker 3: core example of a nineteen nineties SUBGENRE that i LOVE
Speaker 3: that i would here like to dub cyberslop movies from,
Speaker 3: the nineties where somebody gets sucked into, a computer Where
Speaker 3: the internet tries to, kill you where a virtual reality game.
Speaker 3: Becomes sentient, you know, he's learning he's evolving at a,
Speaker 3: geometric rate and then at the end you've got a
Speaker 3: hack into the mainframe to kill. The, monster now it
Speaker 3: might take more than one episode for us to like
Speaker 3: fully refine our definition. Of CYBERSLOP but i was just,
Speaker 3: you KNOW when i was working on the, OUTLINE here
Speaker 3: i was trying to think of a few things these
Speaker 3: movies seem to have in common that make them interesting.
Speaker 3: To me one of the things they have in common
Speaker 3: is that they almost always have ATROCIOUS EARLY cgi cgi
Speaker 3: that was not ready but here it. Is anyway and
Speaker 3: usually like at, some point either the villainous entity or
Speaker 3: the MacGuffin of the movie will be represented as, a floating,
Speaker 3: spinning icosahedron and then when, it's destroyed it shatters into
Speaker 3: a bunch. Of triangles you know Exactly what i'm, Talking, about.
Speaker 1: Yeah kind of a mind's eide death star sort. Of,
Speaker 1: Moment yeah and thinking about this MADE me i went
Speaker 1: BACK and i watched a few scenes from The original
Speaker 1: TRON because i was curious, it's like did they have
Speaker 1: a moment like this where where the main AI, the
Speaker 1: mcp does? It explode it, Doesn't explode but so maybe
Speaker 1: there's another film that really got there first with the exploding.
Speaker 1: DIGITAL head i.
Speaker 3: Think, For me tron is. Not cyberslop it sort of,
Speaker 3: predates it and the cyberslab genre is derived from Movies
Speaker 3: like tron and also kind Of degrades tron's level. Of
Speaker 3: imagination if that.
Speaker 1: Makes. Sense, yeah yeah speaking, OF though i was glancing
Speaker 1: at those Scenes from TRON and i was really taken
Speaker 1: aback at how colorful and vivid. Everything is and this
Speaker 1: is PROBABLY because i Haven't watched tron since it was
Speaker 1: LIKE on tv on an old school television back in.
Speaker 1: The DAY but i, was, like wow maybe we really
Speaker 1: need to come back And. Watch, Tron oh i'd definitely
Speaker 1: be down for.
Speaker 3: DOING it i watched that one a LOT when i was. A,
Speaker 3: kid okay another thing about, CYBERSLAP movies i feel like
Speaker 3: they tend to, stylize technology like the technology of the
Speaker 3: setting in amusing and sometimes even sort of thought. Provoking
Speaker 3: ways so if this, makes sense it is not just
Speaker 3: that the characters within the cyberslot movie have a particular
Speaker 3: style and. Fashion choices but it's like the technosphere itself
Speaker 3: has chosen, a style a. Personal style so you get
Speaker 3: movies where tech is goth or movies where Tech Is,
Speaker 3: miami vice, you know neon colors and the. Shoulder pads
Speaker 3: sometimes tech, is preppy and very often tech.
Speaker 1: Is. Punk, yeah yeah because of course tech should, be
Speaker 1: punk because the whole genre has its roots, in cyberpunk
Speaker 1: generally with very strong connections to the literary Work Of.
Speaker 1: William gibson but we could do a deeper dive easily
Speaker 1: that gets, into like, you know what are the earliest
Speaker 1: examples of sci fi plot lines in which someone is
Speaker 1: inside of a simulation or a virtual world and it
Speaker 1: goes back.
Speaker 3: Several, decades yeah and a lot of these movies are
Speaker 3: essentially Borrowing From william gibson, type writing but very much dumbing.
Speaker 3: It down another THING that i think is interesting about,
Speaker 3: these movies it's not unique. To them they share this
Speaker 3: with a lot of other. Nineties subgenres they feel very
Speaker 3: much like they're from the end. Of history and one
Speaker 3: reason for that is that every piece of actual specific
Speaker 3: culture that we get in these movies feels meaningless. And
Speaker 3: interchangeable like it could be swapped out with any other
Speaker 3: piece of culture from the same. Object class so, you
Speaker 3: know it's just a world where it's like insert work of,
Speaker 3: art here insert political. Issue here the cultural objects do
Speaker 3: not seem to really mean anything. In themselves they don't
Speaker 3: bring their specific meanings and values. From reality they're just
Speaker 3: examples of a type. Of thing it, feels like, you
Speaker 3: know they're selected from a drop. DOWN menu i really
Speaker 3: associate this kind of storytelling with movies from the nineties,
Speaker 3: in general but Especially these cyberslot movies.
Speaker 1: HAVE this i wonder if there's, a case and to,
Speaker 1: be clear very, broad Case and i'm sure there are
Speaker 1: plenty of counter, examples HERE but i wonder how much
Speaker 1: of this might have to do with having like a
Speaker 1: lot of up and coming filmmakers in, the nineties maybe
Speaker 1: more like tech first style first directors and, you know screenwriters,
Speaker 1: as well tackling these films informed by the models that
Speaker 1: they grew up on from, the eighties from the, seventies
Speaker 1: especially that are taking a more, like direct thoughtful approach
Speaker 1: in some cases to actual social issues and, political issues
Speaker 1: and so there's sort of maybe in some cases, at least,
Speaker 1: you know echoing, the form but without really grasping.
Speaker 3: The, substance, YEAH yeah i think that may be on.
Speaker 3: To something i'll have to think some more. About that, but,
Speaker 3: then also this very LAST point i want to Make
Speaker 3: about CYBERSLOP is i think the most, important one and
Speaker 3: that is that these movies are at the same time
Speaker 3: both quaint and uncanny in the way they depict technologies like, VIRTUAL,
Speaker 3: reality Ai, the internet and. Digital media AND what i
Speaker 3: mean by, that is on, one hand it's genuinely so
Speaker 3: cute that somebody in the year nineteen ninety three decided
Speaker 3: to write a whole screenplay about Like. The internet, you
Speaker 3: know it's some Kind of, internet thriller and it obviously
Speaker 3: has such a vague understanding of What the internet is
Speaker 3: and how. It works you'll have like characters navigating cyberspace with,
Speaker 3: a joystick, you know that's how you get Through, The
Speaker 3: internet and so it's. Just adorable thinking about that kind
Speaker 3: of relationship to technology is like looking at a puppy.
Speaker 3: Falling asleep on the, other hand stories, like this with their,
Speaker 3: very loose, technically inaccurate, overly concrete, overly personalized almost symbolic
Speaker 3: depictions of, these technologies can feel weirdly prescient on the,
Speaker 3: metaphorical level usually in their ability to imagine what it
Speaker 3: feels like to be acted upon by, these technologies in
Speaker 3: their maturity in the future we live. In, now so,
Speaker 3: for example imagine A hypothetical cyberslot movie from nineteen ninety
Speaker 3: six where somebody Hacks the internet so That the net
Speaker 3: becomes a self evolving malevolent entity that wants to. Destroy
Speaker 3: you it's both like dumb in nineteen ninety six and
Speaker 3: it takes a kind of technological ignorance to, write it
Speaker 3: but it also captures something very real about what it
Speaker 3: would come to feel like to Be an internet user
Speaker 3: in twenty.
Speaker 1: Twenty. Five, Yeah, YEAH plus i guess we have to
Speaker 1: remind ourselves that a lot of, these films they are
Speaker 1: exploitive to a. Certain extent there's some sort of like t,
Speaker 1: exploitation film and, you know you're often exp you're exploiting,
Speaker 1: a fear and fears are not always completely formed and certainly.
Speaker 1: Not Rational like i'm thinking about smart killer smart house
Speaker 1: movies from. THE nineties i remember one In The Sci
Speaker 1: fi channel where there was like a hand that went
Speaker 1: around on a little track on the ceiling and the
Speaker 1: house and like all that like that's, completely ridiculous, BUT
Speaker 1: like i don't doubt for a second that it comes
Speaker 1: from a legitimate fear that arises based on just what people,
Speaker 1: were saying like the houses of the future were going to,
Speaker 1: Be like and that fear maybe is not, completely gone maybe,
Speaker 1: it's matured maybe it's changed form, a BIT but i
Speaker 1: think we still have that sort of fear and it
Speaker 1: still gets poked and kindled by various news stories, about
Speaker 1: oh your toaster is watching you and.
Speaker 3: So, forth, yeah exactly like that vision was overly simplified and,
Speaker 3: overly concrete but actually reality did catch up to the
Speaker 3: feeling of that plot in. A way so perhaps we
Speaker 3: can explore more about this as we, Go ON but
Speaker 3: i really think that irony is the Case. With virtuosity on,
Speaker 3: One hand virtuosity is quite simple minded and literal in
Speaker 3: its engagement with the, technology themes but there are some
Speaker 3: things in it that feel unsettlingly resonant in twenty, twenty
Speaker 3: five especially in the context of a movie that is
Speaker 3: in most ways extremely nineteen ninety five's version of nineteen.
Speaker 1: Ninety. Nine, yeah yeah we'll get into this a, lot
Speaker 1: more BUT certainly i think there are various world building
Speaker 1: details and choices and virtuosity that hit with a kind
Speaker 1: of almost idiocricy, like accuracy, you know like there's a
Speaker 1: certain amount of maybe in a loose black comedy to.
Speaker 3: The, choice yeah, you're, like oh that's a.
Speaker 1: Little close and then in its, main focus, of course
Speaker 1: we have an out OF control ai menace that gets
Speaker 1: ITSELF three d printed so that it can go on
Speaker 1: a viral, killing spree and it really does sweep up
Speaker 1: various pressing anxieties About, the internet, artificial intelligence and in a,
Speaker 1: limited way the future OF three d printing of inorganic and.
Speaker 3: Organic materials i'd agree with you that the themes hit
Speaker 3: harder on LIKE the ai and digital media front than
Speaker 3: on the. Robotics front, BUT still i. Don't know maybe
Speaker 3: one day we'll catch up to the. Robotics.
Speaker 1: ELEMENT yeah i mean at different times when there have
Speaker 1: been accelerations IN three, d printing there have been Moments where, i'm,
Speaker 1: like oh this is Like the internet in all its
Speaker 1: awfulness can now take. Physical form and maybe on SOME
Speaker 1: level i was remembering virtuosity Trailers and, i'm like this is.
Speaker 1: Like virtuosity it's like you thought, of It the internet,
Speaker 1: made it and now it's on, your desk and granted
Speaker 1: we've had a little more time to sort of grow with.
Speaker 1: THAT one i, feel like though there are some still
Speaker 1: dangerous concerns out there in THE three d, printing world
Speaker 1: but for the, MOST part i feel like we've gotten
Speaker 1: a little more accustomed to what it can do for.
Speaker 1: US now i also find it interesting in these various
Speaker 1: films of this subgenre once that often include like a
Speaker 1: digital or, virtual character and they really get TO what
Speaker 1: i will refer to as job, about yes Referencing lawnmower,
Speaker 1: man here which has a, very close very close kinship with,
Speaker 1: this film in which you have a character OR an
Speaker 1: ai entity that becomes a kind of god complex black
Speaker 1: hole of negative. Personal ATTRIBUTES and i think this too
Speaker 1: nicely mirrors fears then as well as fears and sometimes
Speaker 1: realities now about the virtual realm of expression and consumption
Speaker 1: that we have in the digital realm that might allow
Speaker 1: too many barriers of behavior to erode in the shape
Speaker 1: of our virtual self then becomes, something, grotesque dangerous and maybe.
Speaker 3: Even, evil yeah, once again, Right on i'm not going
Speaker 3: TO say I think virtuosity did this. ON purpose i
Speaker 3: think it may be a kind of accidental stumbling into.
Speaker 3: This theme but you're, exactly right it's there and it hits. Hard,
Speaker 3: now now ANOTHER thing i want to mention at, the
Speaker 3: topic just an interesting Parallel with End of days is
Speaker 3: as the almost choice as the alternate reality of. This
Speaker 3: week what's really exquisite about the Pitch for End of
Speaker 3: days is the mismatch between the premise and. The, Star
Speaker 3: right Like Whatever arnold schwarzenegger was, made for it was
Speaker 3: not to like march through cathedrals by candle light trying
Speaker 3: To stop satan from fathering a child. On earth that
Speaker 3: is a, weird fit and with today's movie there is
Speaker 3: something similar going. ON virtuosity i looked. It up it
Speaker 3: did have a mid. Sized budget it wasn't, huge budget
Speaker 3: but it wasn't small. Budget either it was, you know
Speaker 3: mid sized action sci fi kind of, you know in
Speaker 3: the realm of what.
Speaker 1: You'd.
Speaker 3: Expect, Yeah yeah but, it is in both content and execution,
Speaker 3: a bizarre trashy, b movie and yet its two main
Speaker 3: stars are two of, the biggest most, sought after MOST
Speaker 3: respected a, list actors certainly in the, two thousands definitely
Speaker 3: in the Case Of, Denzel washington like the last three Decades.
Speaker 3: Of hollywood it's almost Like If tom hanks was In.
Speaker 3: Lawnmower man it's, just, like oh such a strange thing.
Speaker 3: To imagine Like When russell crowe did, this movie his
Speaker 3: big period was still ahead. Of him But when denzel,
Speaker 3: did this he already Had multiple, oscar nominations He'd Won
Speaker 3: Best supporting. Actor once so it's already deeply strange and
Speaker 3: amusing that you've got the top tier Of future hollywood
Speaker 3: in this dumb killer. Computer movie but what's even more
Speaker 3: odd is that neither of them are phoning. It in
Speaker 3: but both OF them i think are fantastic in. This
Speaker 3: movie they're giving, full efforts really getting into. The characters,
Speaker 3: IN fact i WOULD say i have never Seen A
Speaker 3: russell crowe performance in which he seems to be expressing
Speaker 3: as much joy through acting as he.
Speaker 1: Does here this Is.
Speaker 3: The pinnacle LIKE his oscar nominated roles are comparatively grim.
Speaker 3: And subdued in, this movie you get him is a
Speaker 3: disco strutting synthetic serial killer and he.
Speaker 1: Comes, alive, YEAH yeah i think. YOU'RE right i think
Speaker 1: we've really only seen him get back into broad performances,
Speaker 1: like this maybe in the likes of twenty twenty Two's
Speaker 1: thor Love, and thunder in which he gets To play
Speaker 1: zeus with A ridiculous. Greek accent i'll come back to
Speaker 1: that ONE because I actually i actually like that performance quite. A,
Speaker 1: BIT oh i haven't.
Speaker 3: Seen that that makes me want to see, it THOUGH.
Speaker 1: But, i, agree, like yeah both of these guys are
Speaker 1: arguably better than, this movie but both of them. REALLY
Speaker 1: deliver i, would Say In denzel, washington's case he is
Speaker 1: almost too good for this movie in the sense that
Speaker 1: not that he's not great, in it but a role
Speaker 1: of the sort sometimes hits a little better if you
Speaker 1: have a less skilled actor or an actor that makes,
Speaker 1: stranger choices Whereas, like denzel like all his choices, are
Speaker 1: solid just a complete. Pro here you need somebody maybe a,
Speaker 1: little sloppy a, little greener so that they can shine
Speaker 1: in a role. Like this but that, being said he's.
Speaker 3: Still terrific they're two very different kinds of performances that
Speaker 3: are beyond what is required. By virtuosity denzel gives a
Speaker 3: much more human performance than you would expect his character,
Speaker 3: to Have And russell crowe gives a much more just
Speaker 3: like scenery ingesting huge improvisational energy kind.
Speaker 2: Of.
Speaker 1: Performance, YEAH yeah i would say his performance is like
Speaker 1: a little, bit joker a little bit job the firm
Speaker 1: lawnmower many, and also at least in the, visual sense
Speaker 1: a little Bit Nineties. Peter, gabriel yeah there. You, go.
Speaker 3: Okay we ready for the. Elevator pitch yeah. HIT us
Speaker 3: sid six point seven is a. Computer program he is
Speaker 3: a sadistic virtual super criminal designed FOR a vr training
Speaker 3: environment that will be used to test the cops of.
Speaker 3: The future but the developers are still working the, kinks
Speaker 3: out and in, the meantime they ARE testing sid against
Speaker 3: players from the. Prison population the only one who has
Speaker 3: ever beaten Him Is, parker barnes a former police officer
Speaker 3: who is incarcerated after his vendetta killing of a terrorist
Speaker 3: who murdered his family and also killing several other people in.
Speaker 3: The process but when through a series of, IMPLAUSIBLE events
Speaker 3: sid six point seven gets brought into our world and
Speaker 3: turned into a kind Of MEAT space t one thousand with,
Speaker 3: blueberry blood there's only one man who can.
Speaker 1: Stop, him yep that's. RIGHT on i would also present
Speaker 1: the Idea Of oops SWEET three d printed a. Mass,
Speaker 1: murder yeah that's it's also kind. Of it this is
Speaker 1: the one thing we didn't want, to happen and here.
Speaker 1: We are, All right let's go ahead and listen to
Speaker 1: part Of the keyser trailer because the, main trailer the
Speaker 1: one most, people heard it prominently features the bes, staying
Speaker 1: alive and we want to stay alive here on. The
Speaker 1: SHOW so i didn't want to feature. THAT song i love,
Speaker 1: that song but, you know this is what we're playing.
Speaker 4: In this high tech crime. Prevention facility one man has
Speaker 4: been recruited to play a, simulated game the objective to
Speaker 4: hunt Down The Ultimate Virtual REALITY killer sid six. Point
Speaker 4: seven there's only. One problem the computer change. The program
Speaker 4: now he's in the. Real world.
Speaker 1: He's interactive he doesn't enjoyed a game unless he's playing
Speaker 1: against his. Favorite opponent that's me from the director Of.
Speaker 4: Lawnmower man he's recreating.
Speaker 3: Mass murders so what, you're saying it's who's a complicated
Speaker 3: since six ten on improving? The Original.
Speaker 4: Denzel washington Just because i'm carrying around the joy of
Speaker 4: killing your family inside me doesn't mean you can't.
Speaker 1: Be friends.
Speaker 4: Virtuosity.
Speaker 1: Game over.
Speaker 3: Speaking of beg, STAYING alive i Bet the virtuosity trailer
Speaker 3: IS how i first learned about. That, SONG huh, I
Speaker 3: may i may not have ever heard it.
Speaker 1: BEFORE that, i mean somebody needs to be struttin when
Speaker 1: that song. Is playing and if that song, is playing
Speaker 1: you will soon find. Yourself strutting that's just how.
Speaker 3: It, works oh this may be too embarrassing to say,
Speaker 3: out LOUD but i bet as a KID when I
Speaker 3: Saw russell crowe walking in the blue in the Purple
Speaker 3: suit beg's, ARE playing i probably like strutted around my
Speaker 3: HOUSE after i.
Speaker 1: Saw that. No joke, all right you might, be, wondering,
Speaker 1: WELL hey i want To see virtuosity as well before
Speaker 1: listening to the rest of, the EPISODE or i want
Speaker 1: to later and. So, Forth well virtuosity was a, major
Speaker 1: release so you can find it pretty much wherever you
Speaker 1: choose to get. Your movies for, physical, media however there's
Speaker 1: no beating the Recently Released Vinegar syndrome, ultra release which
Speaker 1: gives us the film newly scanned and restored IN four
Speaker 1: k from its thirty five millimeters original, camera negative along
Speaker 1: with tons of extras like, new extras interviews with the
Speaker 1: director and. Other, folks it's without a doubt the finest
Speaker 1: physical release this film has.
Speaker 3: EVER gotten i Can't Believe vinegar syndrome Release of virtuosity
Speaker 3: is as close as we're ever going to get To
Speaker 3: a criterion collection disc Of.
Speaker 1: Lawnmower, Man Yeah vinegar syndrome, does great, great work and
Speaker 1: this is certainly the. CASE here i rented this from
Speaker 1: videodrome Here, in atlanta, and yeah it. LOOKS great, i
Speaker 1: mean the digital effects are only going to look, so
Speaker 1: polished as, we'll discuss which but, then again that only
Speaker 1: really potentially hurts the film during THE non, vr segments as,
Speaker 1: we'll DISCUSS and i will say that the goofy android
Speaker 1: makeup and other practical effects look. Really great, OH.
Speaker 3: Yeah i mean you wouldn't WANT the cgi to look.
Speaker 3: TOO good i mean that's part of.
Speaker 1: The, charm yeah especially in those the. Simulation.
Speaker 3: Sequences, yeah WELL so i, streamed it but, YOU know
Speaker 3: i got a feeling this might not be the LAST
Speaker 3: time I, watch VIRTUOSITY.
Speaker 1: So i might have to snag. This disc, all right
Speaker 1: let's talk about the people who made, this film starting
Speaker 1: at the Top With brett leonard born nineteen, Fifty nine
Speaker 1: american director of films and, music videos best known for his.
Speaker 1: Pivotal work in nineteen nineties virtual reality, inspired media as
Speaker 1: he Directed both today's film and nineteen Ninety two's The. Lawnmower,
Speaker 1: man that, of course Is the bonker's virtual, reality film
Speaker 1: born out of an original script inspired by the Work
Speaker 1: Of jaron lanier and the production company's desire to Keep
Speaker 1: Adapting stephen king stories they owned the, rights to basically
Speaker 1: by slapping the Title lawnmower man onto a pre.
Speaker 3: Existing script this has nothing to do With the. King
Speaker 3: story is this one of the ones he?
Speaker 1: Sued, over yes it's my understanding that he successfully got
Speaker 1: his name taken off of, this, one, because yeah has
Speaker 1: the original stories about like a crazy satanic lawnmower man
Speaker 1: who eats grass or something to. That effect it.
Speaker 3: Worships The, GOD pan. I, Believe, yeah yeah There's some
Speaker 3: pan worship.
Speaker 1: In there nothing to do with virtual. Reality Now brett
Speaker 1: leonard's first directorial credit was nineteen Eighty Nine's The. Dead
Speaker 1: pit this is a supernatural horror film with like the Features.
Speaker 1: The undead i've never, seen IT but i am super
Speaker 1: familiar WITH its vhs box arc because and you probably
Speaker 1: are as well if you were of a, certain age
Speaker 1: because this WAS a vhs rental store box that had
Speaker 1: light up eyes powered by a little battery. Pack inside
Speaker 1: it might have made. SOUND too i don't remember if it,
Speaker 1: made sound but they definitely. Light up and, This one i'm,
Speaker 1: to understand is very much a collector's ITEM among.
Speaker 3: Vhs enthusiasts rob this we may have even mentioned this
Speaker 3: idea on the, show BEFORE but i have thought that
Speaker 3: at some point we should do a series of weird
Speaker 3: house cinema episodes just focusing on films that had, gimmick
Speaker 3: packaging stuff that had light up components or anything on
Speaker 3: the box that's different than normal to get people to
Speaker 3: pick it up, and say?
Speaker 1: What's, THIS yeah vhs shell shaped like a coffin something. Like,
Speaker 1: That yeah i'm definitely here. For. It okay So lawnmower
Speaker 1: man was his follow Up To. Dead pit and the,
Speaker 1: thing is we can all laugh about what did and
Speaker 1: didn't work About, lawnmower man but it made a lot,
Speaker 1: of money especially given its. Small budget it connected WITH
Speaker 1: a vr, curious audience and along with this film paved
Speaker 1: the way for pretty MUCH every vr film to follow
Speaker 1: up to And Including.
Speaker 3: The matrix, that's, Right folks Without, lawnmower Man. No matrix
Speaker 3: probably probably.
Speaker 1: There Was An indie wire headline from earlier this year
Speaker 1: an Article By jim hemphill that Covers The vinegar syndrome
Speaker 1: re release of, the picture and its Title is virtuosity
Speaker 1: walks the matrix. Could run so this seems to be
Speaker 1: the opinion of, various folks and it's discussed a bit
Speaker 1: in some of the extras On the VIRTUOSITY disc i.
Speaker 1: Buy It so leonard did not come back for The lawnmower,
Speaker 1: man sequel which is also, pretty Bonkers but hollywood did,
Speaker 1: say yes more of. This please so nineteen ninety five
Speaker 1: saw the release of the psychic serial Killer, film hideaway
Speaker 1: based On The dean kotz novel And Starring, jeff goldbloom And. Then,
Speaker 1: virtuosity so like we, Said earlier Virtuosity paramount, pictures production,
Speaker 1: bigger budget ultimately did not have quite the cultural or
Speaker 1: commercial impact that everyone was, banking on but it received
Speaker 1: a fair amount of reevaluation in, recent years especially With
Speaker 1: That vinegar syndrome blu. Ray release as we'll discuss, the
Speaker 1: film sci fi commentary hits home in various ways given
Speaker 1: where we, are, now, politically socially and above, all technologically,
Speaker 1: and yeah case could be made that this helped pave
Speaker 1: the road for things Like, the matrix and then once the,
Speaker 1: matrix explodes like how many folks are running around with,
Speaker 1: machine guns sunglasses and some sort of like black latex
Speaker 1: garb shooting in slow motion and going in and out.
Speaker 3: Of cyberspace though it's funny because the black latex look
Speaker 3: you only see from secondary characters in. THIS film i
Speaker 3: can't emphasize enough the weird fashion Sensibility Of russell crowe in.
Speaker 3: This movie he wears like brightly colored, big suits, like,
Speaker 3: loose baggy double breasted suits of either, the green satin or.
Speaker 1: Purple, variety, yes well he. Likes attention he wants an attention.
Speaker 1: Grabbing outfit in, the extras particularly Interview, with leonard he points, out,
Speaker 1: That Ye russell crowe is essentially, an influencer like, He
Speaker 1: is he's going after that. Influencer space he wants eyes
Speaker 1: on what he, is doing like that is his, Prime
Speaker 1: drive like not merely to do, awful things but to
Speaker 1: be seen doing awful things and get those hits and
Speaker 1: get those.
Speaker 3: Subscribers up oh, My god i've got too many deep
Speaker 3: thoughts comments about this later on in, The outline, but, yes,
Speaker 3: yes yes that's what's going on here before that thing,
Speaker 3: even existed, All.
Speaker 1: Right so virtuosity hits. Post virtuosity leonard Directed an, imax
Speaker 1: Film T rex back To. THE cretaceous i might have
Speaker 1: seen this one at. This point there have been So
Speaker 1: many imax AND three d, dinosaur films especially as, a
Speaker 1: Parent that i've SEEN that i don't know where one
Speaker 1: ends and the other. ONE begins i always. Enjoy them
Speaker 1: this one is apparently actually a huge hit For an.
Speaker 1: Imax film at.
Speaker 3: The TIME when i was, A teenager i worked selling
Speaker 3: tickets to, tourist attractions and one of THE places i
Speaker 3: worked Was an. IMAX theater i don't recall if they
Speaker 3: ever had, this ONE but i remember a general awareness.
Speaker 1: Of it, all right there's a chance.
Speaker 3: It.
Speaker 1: Happened now, Later on Leonard directed he directed a pair
Speaker 1: of two thousand and five films that seemed. Very skippable
Speaker 1: One Is. Man thing this was An early marvel entertainment
Speaker 1: film that missed the mark for. Various reasons i've, read
Speaker 1: that like it was one of those cases where the
Speaker 1: production was just too far Away and marvel wasn't able
Speaker 1: to like really have their hands in it as much as.
Speaker 1: They wanted and then he also did a Movie, called
Speaker 1: feed which seems like one of the many bad taste
Speaker 1: horror films to spring up in the wake of ninety five.
Speaker 1: To seven it also looks. Very skippable then he directed
Speaker 1: two thousand And Seven's Highlander. The source this was the
Speaker 1: final trickle of cinematic juice thus far squeezed from the
Speaker 1: husk Of the.
Speaker 3: HIGHLANDER franchise i, Assume No, Christoph, limbert no he's.
Speaker 1: In it oh. He, is yeah this is. You kidding
Speaker 1: this is the period of films where they had they
Speaker 1: had combined the movies AND the tv show and like
Speaker 1: they were literally just throwing everything in and just squeezing
Speaker 1: as much as they could out. Of it and maybe
Speaker 1: they'll relaunch it here in the next year, or two
Speaker 1: and we'll have so much more juice. To squeeze but
Speaker 1: this was like the. Last trickle, but hey somebody had
Speaker 1: to direct, these movies might as Well Than. Leonard, okay now,
Speaker 1: more recently he directed the twenty twenty One drama triumph
Speaker 1: and seems to be returning to his roots with an
Speaker 1: upcoming Project Called, dark star not not Related To John Carpenter's,
Speaker 1: dark star in which quote a Trio Of Astral warriors
Speaker 1: Battle And. Ai threat it's in pre production as of,
Speaker 1: this Recording so. I'm interested it would be interesting to
Speaker 1: see what the Director Of lon Moriman in virtuosity would
Speaker 1: have for us in like twenty twenty five of twenty.
Speaker 1: TWENTY six i am. Mighty. Curious, yeah now his music
Speaker 1: video Filmography Includes Peter Gabriel's Kissed that frog from. Ninety
Speaker 1: three this was off of a terrific ALBUM that i
Speaker 1: totally wore out in. The nineties the video is notable
Speaker 1: for its USE of cgi IN a. Cgi frog it
Speaker 1: was actually the FIRST all cgi. Music video apparently.
Speaker 3: The cgi frog has really really. Red lips it's like.
Speaker 3: Lipstick lips this.
Speaker 1: Was obviously a pioneering, music video which is to say
Speaker 1: it it doesn't look that great by, today's standard not
Speaker 1: like a lot Of Other peter gabriel Videos, like sledgehammer,
Speaker 1: you know which has all this great stop motion and
Speaker 1: you know totally stands the test of.
Speaker 3: Time Now But peter gabriel has a presence on the
Speaker 3: soundtrack of this movie. As Well Guess i'm your, Party man.
Speaker 1: That's right a track co Written By. Tory. Amos, wow
Speaker 1: YEAH so i look forward to talking about the music
Speaker 1: as we. Proceed, here, okay okay don't want to get ahead.
Speaker 1: Of you but to Finish, with leonard it is notable
Speaker 1: that he's not just a nineteen nineties POPULARIZER of vr
Speaker 1: sci fi. And tear he also co founded two different
Speaker 1: companies involved in the USE, of vr or is the
Speaker 1: term he prefers as virtual experiences for. Therapeutic purposes So There's, Virtual.
Speaker 1: Psychedelics Inc AND.
Speaker 3: Ubiquity, vx okay no Offense To brett leonard at all,
Speaker 3: about this but it is kind of an odd choice
Speaker 3: to like the stories you have created and sent into
Speaker 3: the WORLD, about vr all about murder and ABOUT LIKE vr,
Speaker 3: vr psycho, you know taking control and unleashing havoc on,
Speaker 3: the world but then also like literally being involved in
Speaker 3: ACTUALLY using vr for allegedly. Good purposes i'm not trying
Speaker 3: to impune what.
Speaker 1: He's, doing, no, NO no i mean he based on
Speaker 1: the INTERVIEW that i watched on, that disk he does
Speaker 1: seem to recognize the irony, of this and, he's okay
Speaker 1: frames it is sort Of like i'm giving back having
Speaker 1: having first helped to create these visions. Of, paranoia yeah so,
Speaker 1: fair enough, all right moving on to, the screenplay it
Speaker 1: Is By, eric, burnt screenwriter perhaps best known for his
Speaker 1: work on, this film but his first credit to his
Speaker 1: screamplay was nineteen Ninety four Surviving, the game Directed BY. Ernest.
Speaker 1: R dickerson this we've talked about this before because we've
Speaker 1: Talked ABOUT Ernest ar. Dickerson before but this is The
Speaker 1: most dangerous game but with, iced tea Hunted By, Rugger Howard,
Speaker 1: gary Busey F marie Abraham AND. John. C.
Speaker 3: McGinley Yeah was dickerson the director Of the tales From
Speaker 3: the Crypt Movie.
Speaker 1: Demon knight, He, was yes we talked about before on.
Speaker 1: The show he also wrote the screenplay for Two Thousands
Speaker 1: Romeo must die and has a story credit on Two thousands.
Speaker 3: Highlander endgame, All right highlander connections from. Different, directions yeah
Speaker 3: there was a lot Of work, highlander world, you know
Speaker 3: so you got paid where you could.
Speaker 1: Get, PAID okay i.
Speaker 3: Think it's time to talk about our implausible a list, Actors.
Speaker 1: Here Yes Playing Lieutenant. Parker barnes you know his Name
Speaker 1: is parker because it's set a bazillion times in. This, Picture,
Speaker 1: hey porker this one's. For, you yeah this is Of
Speaker 1: Course denzel washington born nineteen. Fifty four this is one
Speaker 1: of those moments where, IT'S like i don't have to
Speaker 1: tell anyone out There Who denzel, washington IS but i,
Speaker 1: will say it's so easy to take a talent like him,
Speaker 1: for granted because for people around, my age it feels
Speaker 1: like he's always. Been there, you know he's always been
Speaker 1: there at the top of. His game he's always. Been
Speaker 1: established he's stuck near the top Of the hollywood pantheon
Speaker 1: for decades and just continues to bust, out powerful often
Speaker 1: award winning performances, in big big. Budget films, all told
Speaker 1: he's currently a Nine Time academy award nominee and two.
Speaker 1: Time winner at this point in, his career as we already,
Speaker 1: pointed out he'd been nominated three times and. Won once so,
Speaker 1: you KNOW dare I say he's coming into this, one
Speaker 1: hot having been nominated for nineteen Eighty Eight's, cry freedom
Speaker 1: in nineteen Ninety THREE'S, malcolm x and having won again
Speaker 1: for Nineteen. Nineties glory subsequent nominations would include two Thousands Of,
Speaker 1: the hurricane Twenty thirteen's flight, Twenty seventeens fences Twenty Eighteen's,
Speaker 1: Roman Jay israel esquire and twenty Twenty Two's the Tragedy.
Speaker 1: Of macbeth his to date only Other oscar Win Was
Speaker 1: best actor for his excellent performance as the Dirty Cap
Speaker 1: alonzo harris in two thousand And One's. TRAINING day i
Speaker 1: keep getting a wild hair to rewatch, that one because
Speaker 1: that's that's a film that when it CAME out i
Speaker 1: was really. Captivated by it was just like, really intense
Speaker 1: had some excellent twists and in just a phenomenal sense
Speaker 1: of danger as well as of course at a terrific of,
Speaker 1: i'll say, villain performance but it's a little more complicated,
Speaker 1: than that, you know it's almost Like a shakespearean, villain
Speaker 1: performance which of course brings us To the Tragedy. Of,
Speaker 1: macbeth that of Course Is joel cohen's adaptation Of the
Speaker 1: scottish play that also Co stars, francis McDormand and it
Speaker 1: is also awesome and of course features an amazing supporting
Speaker 1: cast that features A Few cohen brothers regulars as Well As.
Speaker 1: Brian thompson you Might Remember brian thompson from such films
Speaker 1: as The Second Moral, kombat movie in which You Played
Speaker 1: shao khan and loads of like action. B movies, you
Speaker 1: know he was often an, action star but he shows
Speaker 1: up in this as one of the murderers and.
Speaker 3: Is, terrific oh in the Tragedy. Of macbeth Not, In,
Speaker 3: virtuosity no not. IN virtually i would be ASHAMED if
Speaker 3: i had missed Him in.
Speaker 1: Virtuosity, Somewhere Yeah brian thompson was also one of the
Speaker 1: punks that gets beat up and or killed by. The
Speaker 1: terminator yeah that.
Speaker 3: Sounds, Right, yeah WELL as i, Said Earlier denzel washington
Speaker 3: is so much better than this movie. Calls For he
Speaker 3: he's giving the more subdued and humanistic performance And Allowing
Speaker 3: russell crowe the space to just. Be wacky but it's
Speaker 3: both funny and genuinely like a pleasure to see him in. This.
Speaker 1: Role, yeah leonard in the Interview On The blu ray
Speaker 1: Commented that denzel was pretty much at the top of his,
Speaker 1: game here, you know requiring only mild suggestions here, and
Speaker 1: there and otherwise you just like you just let him run,
Speaker 1: with it and he nails it right out of, the
Speaker 1: gate possessing what he described as an almost like superhuman
Speaker 1: ability to know exactly where his face is in a
Speaker 1: given shot and just maximize, his expression.
Speaker 3: Which is interesting because that's a very film. Specific TALENT
Speaker 3: and I know i've Read That denzel washington very much
Speaker 3: thinks of himself as like a stage. PERFORMER first, i,
Speaker 3: mean obviously, you know more people know him from, his
Speaker 3: movies but he, you know he's a very like stage
Speaker 3: and theater focused actor in. A.
Speaker 1: Way, yeah, yeah yeah he's back on the stage currently
Speaker 1: as we're recording this. As well but as far as
Speaker 1: sci fi movies. It goes it's. Actually interesting this is
Speaker 1: only one of three sci fi Movies that denzel has ever,
Speaker 1: APPEARED in, i believe alongside two thousand and Six Is
Speaker 1: deja vus and Twenty Ten's the Book. Of eli and
Speaker 1: of course he's still going. Strong today just came off
Speaker 1: of a key Role In Ridley scott's, gladiator two which
Speaker 1: is fitting given who our next. Star is that's.
Speaker 3: All right RACHEL and i were just talking about this
Speaker 3: that it's got Two different gladiator actors at the, top
Speaker 3: here and, of, course yeah of course that brings Us
Speaker 3: To russell CROWE as sid six.
Speaker 1: Point seven. That's right do you think.
Speaker 3: It would have been different actors in the role OF previous,
Speaker 3: sid releases LIKE was sid three Point Nine michael dudikov
Speaker 3: and then by the time you get to six point
Speaker 3: Seven That's.
Speaker 1: Russell crowe that that would be interesting that if they
Speaker 1: Do A virtuosity, tv series, you know they could do,
Speaker 1: different sids. Different actors it could BE a sid of the.
Speaker 1: Weak Situation So russell crowe born nineteen, Sixty Four new
Speaker 1: zealand born Actor of Welsh and maouri Ancestry As. WE
Speaker 1: denzel i really don't need to tell. You Who russell.
Speaker 1: Crowe is very, famous actor but with A decidedly i
Speaker 1: would say wilder reputation in. A filmography to fit, That
Speaker 1: reputation crow starred started off in music, and Theater including
Speaker 1: i'm delighted to Say playing eddie In A new zealand
Speaker 1: Production Of The Rocky Horror.
Speaker 3: Picture show oh that's surprising.
Speaker 1: But also kind. Of perfect, YOU know i think he
Speaker 1: was in he was like in a band at, one point,
Speaker 1: very early, you know before he really got. Into ACTING
Speaker 1: so i can Definitely See russell Crowe. As eddie he Has, meat,
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah eddie was played By meat loaf in the
Speaker 1: In The Rocky Art. Picture show for anyone who's trying
Speaker 1: to remember. The, Casting now crow Broke into australian cinema.
Speaker 1: AFTER this a couple of big hits here were ninety
Speaker 1: Ninety one's proof and nineteen Ninety Two's romper stomper rather
Speaker 1: famous role in which he Plays a, melbourne skinhead and
Speaker 1: these films helped to springboard Him into american pictures and
Speaker 1: that's really where. Virtuosity comes in the, same year he
Speaker 1: also appeared In The sam Raimy Western the quick And.
Speaker 3: The dead never seen? That one is that one that
Speaker 3: Also Has? Sharon, STONE yeah i believe she's the lead.
Speaker 1: In, it yeah. So yeah leonard also talked about about
Speaker 1: Working With russell crowe And Said russell crowe is also
Speaker 1: a situation of where you turn him loose and you
Speaker 1: just follow him, and maybe, you know give him a
Speaker 1: few few directions here. And there but He described crowe
Speaker 1: as being kind of like a bundle of improvisational energy
Speaker 1: and so a lot of his lines here that we
Speaker 1: get some of the, great ones our improvisations that he
Speaker 1: brought to, the script that he brought to.
Speaker 3: THE scenes i think you can detect that without even.
Speaker 3: Knowing it it just comes through in. The movie there's
Speaker 3: this might sound like a wild comparison but there is
Speaker 3: Almost A jim carrey quality to him In, this.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, absolutely yeah that kind Of, Like, Batman joker
Speaker 1: riddler kind of energy where it's just, you know laughing.
Speaker 1: And goofy our man here is doing backflips INTO the
Speaker 1: ufc octagon and landing on his head seemingly. ON purpose,
Speaker 1: i mean he's. Completely. Unhinged Yeah So russell crowe followed
Speaker 1: all this with well received performances in such Hits As
Speaker 1: la confidential in, Ninety Seven the insider in. Ninety nine
Speaker 1: he Got an oscar nomination for, that one before his
Speaker 1: award winning star Performance In Ridley scott's gladiator in two thousand.
Speaker 1: And one he was nominated the following YEAR For A.
Speaker 1: Beautiful mind subsequent films of note include the likes of
Speaker 1: two thousand, And Threes, Mastering Commander The far side Of,
Speaker 1: the world two thousand And One's american Gangster With, denzel
Speaker 1: Washington And Ridley Scott's robin hood in. Twenty, ten now around,
Speaker 1: Twenty ten i'd say the credits start getting a, little
Speaker 1: weirder and it feels like he gets he's getting to
Speaker 1: flex his muscles and supporting roles half, the time and
Speaker 1: even some villain, work again appearing in the likes of
Speaker 1: Twenty Twelve's the man With The, iron fists Twenty thirteen's Man,
Speaker 1: of steel Twenty, fourteen's noah Twenty Seventeen's, the mummy twenty
Speaker 1: Twenty two's Love, and thunder, which again this is where
Speaker 1: He plays zeus and he gets to just be over
Speaker 1: the top, and comedic but also has at least one
Speaker 1: key scene that he's just oozing with. Villainous energy so
Speaker 1: it's very fun. To watch a lot of people did
Speaker 1: Not like Love and thunder all. THAT much i didn't
Speaker 1: like it as much the FIRST time i, watched IT
Speaker 1: but i really came around to it the. Second time if,
Speaker 1: nothing else it's a wacky film with some incredibly talented actors.
Speaker 1: In it you Could See christian bale play a mad god,
Speaker 1: killing alien so you know it's worth. The, Ticket okay
Speaker 1: but then He's lately crow has been playing a lot.
Speaker 1: Of exorcists twenty twenty Three Is The pope's exorcist and
Speaker 1: twenty Twenty Fours. The exorcist these are apparently not related to.
Speaker 1: EACH other i haven't, seen THEM so i can't, fully
Speaker 1: COMMENT but i. Don't know he's just saying yes to.
Speaker 3: EXORCIST pictures i Haven't Seen The. Pope's exorcist, IN fact
Speaker 3: i don't know what it's about other than what one
Speaker 3: might surmise from. The title but it pops up on,
Speaker 3: streaming services and so in our house we keep Making
Speaker 3: The pope's.
Speaker 1: Exorcist jokes is he an exorcist working For? The pope
Speaker 1: or is he Exercising? The pope many.
Speaker 3: Good questions Is the pope possessed by a devil and
Speaker 3: he has to? Exercise it or do people get possessed
Speaker 3: by the spirit Of the pope and he has to
Speaker 3: go Exercise the pope?
Speaker 1: FROM people.
Speaker 3: I.
Speaker 1: Don't know we're going to have to await listeners to
Speaker 1: tell us how this all.
Speaker 3: Plays OUT can i read a quote From The Janet
Speaker 3: Maslin New york times Review of virtuosity when it. Came
Speaker 3: out oh don't fully agree With everything maslin, says here
Speaker 3: but just for how it was received at, The time,
Speaker 3: She Writes mister washington is usually an actor audiences will
Speaker 3: follow into, any dimension but here his role, is, limited,
Speaker 3: too often leaving him to play second fiddle to the
Speaker 3: film's weirdly hypnotic. Special Effects mister crowe as a psychotic,
Speaker 3: yuppie type bearing a disconcerting resemblance to The Writer. Brett
Speaker 3: easton l does a memorable job making himself frightening until
Speaker 3: the film becomes numbingly frantic in the manner of many.
Speaker 3: Video games while it excoriates the vicious sid as the
Speaker 3: techno spawn of Monsters Like adolf Hitler And John, Wayne
Speaker 3: gacy virtuosity also revels in his exploits with more enthusiasm
Speaker 3: than is. Really necessary, You know i'm gonna agree with
Speaker 3: the later part. Of that one of the downsides of
Speaker 3: the film, is like it's like, mostly silly but then
Speaker 3: sometimes the violent scenes just get a little. Too real,
Speaker 3: it's like, oh man that went harder than it. Needed
Speaker 3: to but the other, THING is i like the Characterization
Speaker 3: Of russell crow here is as a psychotic yuppie type
Speaker 3: because that captures something about the ROLE that i didn't
Speaker 3: quite put TOGETHER when i was just reacting to. It myself,
Speaker 3: but yeah there is a kind of urbanity, to him
Speaker 3: do you KNOW what? I mean like he's kind of
Speaker 3: he's kind of suave and sophisticated at the same time
Speaker 3: that he is supposed to be, an uncontrolled manic, psycho
Speaker 3: killer and that is clearly it's part of what the
Speaker 3: appeal of the. Character is but it, ALSO feels i,
Speaker 3: don't know it's like a very. Unfocused characterization this character
Speaker 3: is just a lot of things thrown at, the wall
Speaker 3: you KNOW what. I, mean.
Speaker 1: Yeah but of course that also is exactly what.
Speaker 3: He.
Speaker 1: Is, like yeah there's like a multiple personality situation. Going on,
Speaker 1: but yeah then also as it's, you know it's brought
Speaker 1: to life on, the screen you can see so many different,
Speaker 1: influences there, all right getting into the rest of, the
Speaker 1: CAST and i should say the rest of the cast
Speaker 1: is very much the rest of the. Cast, here yeah,
Speaker 1: you know they're all supporting what are our two stars.
Speaker 1: Are doing but We Have kelly lynch playing. The Character
Speaker 1: madison carter born nineteen Fifty nine, american actress best known
Speaker 1: for performances in nineteen Eighty Nine's, drugstore cowboy as Well
Speaker 1: as roadhouse from the. Same year she's continued to work
Speaker 1: steadily in FILM, and tv Appearing In Such is The,
Speaker 1: L Word, Magic City, mister Mercedes And physical you.
Speaker 3: Know how whenever a copy gets thrown off the force
Speaker 3: is brought back for one. Last job he always has
Speaker 3: to get a. New partner here's your new.
Speaker 1: Partner exactly and so it is very much a supporting
Speaker 1: role in the most limited sense of. The word like
Speaker 1: everything she's doing is here to support the Characterization Of
Speaker 1: denzel washington's character and have her.
Speaker 3: Kid kidnapped this we'll. Discuss it she does get to
Speaker 3: shoot the human bad guy at.
Speaker 1: The end. That's true. That's. True oh in speaking of human, bad,
Speaker 1: guy yep It Is lynden meyer Played By steven spinella
Speaker 1: for nineteen. Fifty six this was only his third. Film appearance,
Speaker 1: but man this guy has tremendous weird energy because he's
Speaker 1: the Creator of sid six. Point seven but also it's
Speaker 1: clear that he's now completely enraptured by his creation and
Speaker 1: is worshiping his creation and wants to do anything. He
Speaker 1: can he has a true love for this awful thing that.
Speaker 1: He's made. He's continued spinell has continued to milk his
Speaker 1: weird energy and some other great weird productions over. The
Speaker 1: years nineteen Ninety, nine's ravenous another FILM that i think
Speaker 1: would be interesting to revisit in twenty, twenty five Twenty
Speaker 1: ten's rubber and that's that's one that's been recommended to,
Speaker 1: us before and Then Also Steven Soderberg's, the NICK which
Speaker 1: i am struggling to remember who. He played there were
Speaker 1: a lot of actors coming in and out of that
Speaker 1: shows what two. Season Run but i'm a big Fan Of,
Speaker 1: the nick. All right we Also have william Forsythe playing
Speaker 1: william cochrane is this character is the what he's the, police,
Speaker 1: Chief right, he's like you're the BEST cop i ever.
Speaker 1: Worked with you're the. Absolute best i'm the as well as,
Speaker 1: He's like i'm gonna get you out of prison and
Speaker 1: get you back on, the force that sort.
Speaker 3: Of thing there's only one man who can stop, this
Speaker 3: thread and that's the protagonist of.
Speaker 1: This film. That's RIGHT so i don't know how we've
Speaker 1: avoided Watching A william forthlyfe movie up until now because
Speaker 1: his tons. Of Credits the american character actor who's made
Speaker 1: a career out of playing mostly heavies, and cops exactly
Speaker 1: like his role in. This film but he also played
Speaker 1: the Escape convict evil in nineteen Eighty Seven's. Raising arizona
Speaker 1: that great line, He's, like hi you're young and you got.
Speaker 1: Your health what you want with.
Speaker 3: The job he has the great scene where he holds
Speaker 3: up the general store to steal DIAPERS and i think
Speaker 3: he steals balloons and he says these blow up into,
Speaker 3: funny shapes and the, guy says not unless round.
Speaker 2: Is.
Speaker 1: Funny yeah so he's great, in that and that role
Speaker 1: like definitely stands apart from most of what he's, known
Speaker 1: for because other films of note include he played the
Speaker 1: Mutant Gangster flat top in Nineteen Nineties dick tracy and
Speaker 1: pops up in Three Different rob, zombie projects His two,
Speaker 1: Halloween Movies The, devil's rejects and also the EPISODE Of
Speaker 1: csi Miami That rob.
Speaker 3: Zombie directed it's hard for me to recommend any Of
Speaker 3: Those rob. Zombie Movies devil's rejects is a, little ROUGH
Speaker 3: but I Remember william forsyth being pretty great. In.
Speaker 1: It, Yeah yeah like he gets in there and he does.
Speaker 1: His thing it. Very, dependable oh we Have another oscar.
Speaker 1: Winner here We Have louise fletcher playing The Character. Elizabeth
Speaker 1: DEAN she's i guess what, she's LIKE a ceo or
Speaker 1: something of the company.
Speaker 3: That she's the, police commissioner a. Police, Commissioner, OKAY yeah
Speaker 3: i Feel Like louise fletcher is a. Great actress absolutely
Speaker 3: wasted here is like the character has nothing. To do
Speaker 3: she just stands around being the authority figure in.
Speaker 1: Several. Scenes yep she lived nineteen thirty four through twenty,
Speaker 1: twenty two best known for a role in nineteen Seventy
Speaker 1: Five's One flu Over The, cuckoo's nest for which she
Speaker 1: Won A Best Supporting Actress. Academy award also known for
Speaker 1: nineteen Eighty sevens flowers In the attic and episodes OF
Speaker 1: such tv SHOWS As d space Nine. And Shameless, all
Speaker 1: right we Also Have william Fitchner playing wallace In this
Speaker 1: born nineteen. Fifty Six another william, character actor this one
Speaker 1: best known for playing kind of a mix authority figures
Speaker 1: and also slimy. Suit types his credits include nineteen Ninety,
Speaker 1: eight's armageddon two Thousand Four, words crash and Twenty Fourteen's
Speaker 1: Teenage Mutant, ninja turtles in which he plays a version Of.
Speaker 1: The shredder that's.
Speaker 3: Weird, casting yeah, once again Nothing Against. William fitchner he's
Speaker 3: doing what. He CAN but i don't even know why this.
Speaker 3: Character exists does this character have any distinct role to
Speaker 3: play in?
Speaker 1: The? Story yeah does this character do anything that could
Speaker 1: not have been combined into. Another, CHARACTER yeah i don't,
Speaker 1: think so, oh man but we also have, This Character.
Speaker 1: Clyde riley you mentioned that the developers of, the TECHNOLOGY the,
Speaker 1: vr technology were working out some of. The kinks this
Speaker 1: guy was definitely working out some kinks with. The technology
Speaker 1: played by The EXCELLENT. Kevin j O'Connor born nineteen, sixty
Speaker 1: three great creep, character actor who of course plays a
Speaker 1: creep in. THIS film i.
Speaker 3: Feel like he was on a role in the nineties
Speaker 3: of playing various kinds, of squirming.
Speaker 1: Pathetic, dweeves yes frequently Cast By stephen sommers and Such
Speaker 1: films is nineteen, Ninety Eight, deep rising nineteen ninety Nine Is,
Speaker 1: the mummy and then later on two thousand And Fours.
Speaker 1: Van helsing but he's also worked steadily in a lot
Speaker 1: of high quality, mainstream productions like the Likes Of Paul
Speaker 1: Thomas Anderson's There Will be blood in two thousand, And
Speaker 1: Seven the master in. Twenty twelve you also might recognize
Speaker 1: him from another nineteen ninety, Five Film Clive barker's Lord,
Speaker 1: of illusions in which he plays The Magician. Philip swan
Speaker 1: what was his role In, THE mummy i Haven't Seen
Speaker 1: the mummy in. So, long Oh he's benny In.
Speaker 3: The mummy he's. The guy so This Is the Mummy
Speaker 3: With brendan Fraser And, rachel weiss also from the year nineteen.
Speaker 1: Ninety nine but.
Speaker 3: His thing in the movie is that he like he's.
Speaker 3: A coward, he's like while everybody else is being dashing
Speaker 3: and rushing, into danger he's always running away from danger
Speaker 3: and trying to save. His skin as so he is
Speaker 3: a comic relief. COWARD character i remember THINKING after I
Speaker 3: Watched the mummy one time we were joking in. MY
Speaker 3: house i thought a good photoshop job would be to
Speaker 3: Do A People Magazine Sexiest man alive cover from like nineteen,
Speaker 3: ninety nine, two thousand the. Millennial style but it's just
Speaker 3: O'Connor in character From, the mummy and It. SAYS benny
Speaker 3: i mean no Offense to kevin. Connor personally it's just
Speaker 3: like he plays these pathetic dweeb characters, very well and
Speaker 3: In the mummy his vices cowardice in virtuosity, and jeez It's.
Speaker 1: Lust, yep yeah we'll come back, to him. All right
Speaker 1: we have This Character, john donovan who's not in it
Speaker 1: for very long Played By kostas mandolar born nineteen. Sixty
Speaker 1: five i'm only mentioning him, Because, apparently mandolar we're going
Speaker 1: to play a pivotal role in The later. SAW sequels
Speaker 1: i had asked My Friend david streepy about this because
Speaker 1: he's he's really up On the, saw movies the, soap
Speaker 1: opera noess, of them not so much the murder. Of
Speaker 1: them but, he, says quote the back half of the
Speaker 1: franchise can't happen, without him so.
Speaker 3: Fair enough he's a load bearing.
Speaker 1: Element, exactly oh and then We Have kaylee quoko playing
Speaker 1: The Character, karen carter a little girl in this born nineteen.
Speaker 1: Eighty five this little girl would go on To become
Speaker 1: penny On The Big. Bang theory i'm.
Speaker 3: Not A Big bang, theory WATCHER so i don't know,
Speaker 3: the character but when she shows up as the child in,
Speaker 3: this movie you just like instantly, are like, oh no
Speaker 3: the conversation with this child is going on, too long
Speaker 3: and that means definitely the child will be in peril
Speaker 3: in the, third.
Speaker 1: Act where you're going to get Into A gene siskal
Speaker 1: situation with.
Speaker 3: This Character Yeahs russell crowe is going to kidnap her
Speaker 3: and tire her to a bomb like we saw on.
Speaker 3: The flashback it's.
Speaker 1: Very. Predictable yeah quoco has been in a bunch of
Speaker 1: interesting Projects Post Big, bang THEORY Including TVs The, flight
Speaker 1: ATTENDANT which i. DID watch i thought she was very good.
Speaker 1: In that she Also Voices harley quinn on The Current
Speaker 1: harley quinn. Animated series, Oh, Cool Oh tracy lord's. Is
Speaker 1: back we talked about Her. In blade she's one of
Speaker 1: the vampire Henchmen. In blade here she Played A media,
Speaker 1: Zone SINGER so i think she's sort of playing. Herself
Speaker 1: here this is another film where we have some major nineties,
Speaker 1: rave ENERGY and i think that's like where she was
Speaker 1: at this point, With her like, You know reinventions is a,
Speaker 1: musical act and so she kind of plays herself here
Speaker 1: performing The Track, fallen angel which is also on.
Speaker 3: THE soundtrack i was going to talk about, this later
Speaker 3: but you kind of can't have a, really Complete coherent
Speaker 3: cyberslot movie without a techno. Club scene you always have to.
Speaker 3: Have one not all the movies, have one but when
Speaker 3: you don't, have one you feel. Its absence it's like
Speaker 3: the movie, is impure it.
Speaker 1: Is, Incomplete yeah like people Watch the matrix and, they're
Speaker 1: like where's the club scene, and there and everyone, was,
Speaker 1: like well we got to do that in the sequel and.
Speaker 3: They, did no there is a club scene In. The,
Speaker 3: matrix well it's only. Very brief it's at the beginning
Speaker 3: in the, real world when, they're, like okay they like
Speaker 3: some friends Coming To keanu. Reeves's apartment they take him
Speaker 3: out to a CLUB and i think He meets. Trinity
Speaker 3: there it's only it goes by in a.
Speaker 1: Few, seconds okay it's been a While since i'm the
Speaker 1: cusp of Rewatching, the MATRIX and i mainly remember there's
Speaker 1: definitely like a real world rave scene in, the sequel
Speaker 1: or maybe the. THIRD one i. Can't remember one of
Speaker 1: the two sequels where, they're, like hey it's the eve
Speaker 1: Of The, big battle let's have a rager and.
Speaker 3: THEY do i still haven't seen. The sequels, OH.
Speaker 1: What I guess i'm on the cusp of rewatching the sequels,
Speaker 1: as Well so i'll. Report, back okay. All, right finally
Speaker 1: the composer Here Is christopher young born nineteen, fifty eight
Speaker 1: And essentially young built an electronic orchestral score here around
Speaker 1: the movie's needle drop score of mostly electronic dance music
Speaker 1: with some rock and Even A peter gabriel track, thrown
Speaker 1: IN and i WOULD say I think young does a
Speaker 1: pretty seamless. Job here the soundtrack features music by the
Speaker 1: Likes Of Live, Black Grape, Juno Reactor Tricky, William Orbit,
Speaker 1: London beat Lords, Of Acid, Tracy Lords, Debbie Harry, the
Speaker 1: beg's and Again That party man Track From. Peter gabriel
Speaker 1: co Written By.
Speaker 3: Tory Amos The party man track is surprisingly, emotionally gripping like, you,
Speaker 3: know oh you really feel the strain in. His voice
Speaker 3: it's a weird thing to hear right after you just
Speaker 3: saw them Like destroy sid six point seven's personality module
Speaker 3: by having it run over by a track after, you
Speaker 3: know they had to like shoot a. COMPUTER programmer.
Speaker 1: I guess i'm Your. Party, MAN yeah. I believe it's
Speaker 1: a track That the gabriel and company did for, this
Speaker 1: production was later collected on an album that collected different
Speaker 1: songs that he did for different, film productions.
Speaker 3: And has the same title as a song From The prince. Batman,
Speaker 3: soundtrack yes it seems to Refer To Jack, nicholson's joker
Speaker 3: but it's not the. SAME song i checked, all right
Speaker 3: let's dive in the plot. Of virtuosity so the opening
Speaker 3: titles are made of pixels that slither in and out.
Speaker 3: Of form the, opening track by, the Way is It's
Speaker 3: A big day In the north By the English Band,
Speaker 3: black grape which is a powerfully nostalgic. SOUND rob i
Speaker 3: don't know if you felt the SAME way, i did but,
Speaker 3: hearing this it's like A Nineties english you might call
Speaker 3: this jazz pop or maybe, pop funk that sort. Of
Speaker 3: sound it's got something in it like. ELECTRONIC saxophone i
Speaker 3: mainly encountered this type of music through, movie SOUNDTRACKS so
Speaker 3: i associate it with seeing movies in the theaters in.
Speaker 1: The, nineties Yep, absolutely.
Speaker 3: Sorry we just had an extended a Side off mike
Speaker 3: where we're talking about what genre of music, this is
Speaker 3: and we did not come to. A conclusion so maybe
Speaker 3: we'll revisit that in, the future maybe for. Listener mail,
Speaker 3: But anyway so what's actually happening in the Opening scene
Speaker 3: when the credits, are done we pop up in, a
Speaker 3: sleek futuristic train station full of steel and sterile, white
Speaker 3: lighting and it's filled with people dressed. Almost identically everybody
Speaker 3: is it's like men in gray suits with, black ties.
Speaker 3: Carrying briefcases they're walking around synchronized, in pairs and the
Speaker 3: only people who don't match are two men in blue
Speaker 3: full body leather police uniforms wearing wearing, black, caps boots.
Speaker 3: And gloves so we watched these two policemen step cautiously
Speaker 3: off of an elevated train onto. The platform they're, looking
Speaker 3: around and one of the Men Is. Denzel washington this is,
Speaker 3: Our Hero. Parker, barnes now while both men, look vigilant
Speaker 3: we quickly Realize that barnes is the more assured of.
Speaker 3: The two he's being cautious, and observant and the other
Speaker 3: guy seems a little. More afraid and the other, guy,
Speaker 3: GOES man i can't get over how different, we Look and,
Speaker 3: barnes says maybe it's. The UNIFORMS so i think this
Speaker 3: opening is supposed to be a bit of a, fake
Speaker 3: out like you're supposed to wonder what the are talking,
Speaker 3: about here why everything looks a. Little odd, BUT this
Speaker 3: i think really does not work because it's obvious they're
Speaker 3: in a virtual. Reality world you can guess this if
Speaker 3: you've seen. The trailer and it's even more obvious because
Speaker 3: you keep seeing people like glitching and turning into pixels. And. Stuff,
Speaker 3: yeah yeah so they did not have me going. Here
Speaker 3: anyway they start running around looking, for somebody and eventually
Speaker 3: they end up in this business district plaza where there
Speaker 3: is a green floating cgi head made out of polygons
Speaker 3: giving a news report about a bunch of. Gruesome crimes
Speaker 3: i'm pretty sure It's Actually russell crow's doing the voice of,
Speaker 3: this thing but in a kind of tight, newscaster cadence
Speaker 3: and he says the three adjectives which best describe this killer, are,
Speaker 3: sadistic intelligent. And dangerous what is?
Speaker 1: That spell? SPELL said i thought we were going to
Speaker 1: say stink, stank stunk but that would have been. Great
Speaker 1: too this is six.
Speaker 3: Point Seven so denzel eventually traces their quarry To a.
Speaker 3: Japanese restaurant he knows to look there because he looks
Speaker 3: over the restaurant entrance on the building and sees an
Speaker 3: emoticon smiley face like the colon parentheses smiley face over.
Speaker 3: The entrance it's, a Joke and sid six point seven.
Speaker 3: Likes chokes and when we First, find sid he is
Speaker 3: repeatedly eating a piece of sushi that regenerates every time
Speaker 3: he picks it up off the plate and. Eats IT
Speaker 3: so i think it, suggests that, you know here in,
Speaker 3: this world no matter how how much, he eats he never.
Speaker 3: Gets full it's like he's unsatisfied with the intangible pleasures
Speaker 3: of the.
Speaker 1: FAKE world i. LIKE this i also like how the
Speaker 1: NPCs are like glitching as they eat. Their sushi they're
Speaker 1: just kind of like sushi floating into. Their mouth so
Speaker 1: this is definitely the section of the section of, the
Speaker 1: picture one of the sections of the picture in the
Speaker 1: digital world where the roughness of the digital effects is
Speaker 1: one of the charms and. Absolutely works doesn't feel dated
Speaker 1: at all, because like this is exact exactly the look
Speaker 1: they were.
Speaker 3: Going, for yeah and so this of course turns into
Speaker 3: a big. Gunfight scene both the COPS and sid just
Speaker 3: start blasting everywhere with, machine guns AND the npc is
Speaker 3: eating in the restaurant mostly appear to not notice this
Speaker 3: and they just keep sitting at. Their tables so in,
Speaker 3: this world by nineteen, ninety nine virtual reality has nearly
Speaker 3: one hundred percent immersion and totally realistic, graphical FIDELITY but
Speaker 3: npc behavior has like not quite reached the level of
Speaker 3: The mid grand theft auto games where people at least
Speaker 3: like scream and run away when.
Speaker 1: Something explodes but, you know this is how the mid
Speaker 1: grand theft auto, games felt when the mid grand theft
Speaker 1: atto games felt out like they felt like this level,
Speaker 1: of IMMERSION like i actually Live in miami in the
Speaker 1: nineteen like, you, know.
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, so anyway this fight GOES on sid and
Speaker 3: the cops keep shooting at. Each other at one point
Speaker 3: it is Revealed That russell crowe has like caught and
Speaker 3: electrocuted the. OTHER cop i think you see him on
Speaker 3: ice and like a. Sushi tray and at one point
Speaker 3: they borrow a Page from Speed and barnes gets the
Speaker 3: upper hand by shooting a. Digital hostage he will. Later
Speaker 3: explain they later Are, like barnes why did you shoot?
Speaker 3: The hostage that doesn't make. Any sense but then he
Speaker 3: has a. Clever answer, he's like the hostage. Wasn't real
Speaker 3: didn't think, Of.
Speaker 1: That, Sid yeah because what we're going to learn shortly
Speaker 1: is this is a training simulation for. Police OFFICERS but
Speaker 1: i really have, to add, like clearly for cinematic, police
Speaker 1: officers there's nothing in this training that indicates any kind
Speaker 1: of like actual, police training any kind of procedure. Or,
Speaker 1: anything yeah it's just like what if you had A
Speaker 1: big hollywood action scene with a super. Criminal.
Speaker 3: Exactly yeah so at the end, Of this sid gets
Speaker 3: the upper hand in the fight and he starts Choking
Speaker 3: out Barnes until barnes like, glitches out which looks, super
Speaker 3: funny and then he sort of fades out, of existence
Speaker 3: like he's being sucked out OF the, vr world and
Speaker 3: we're treated to a shot OF a cgi bullet Wound
Speaker 3: on sid's body rapidly healing with classic electrical zap z.
Speaker 3: App fully but then our human characters come out OF.
Speaker 3: The vr so we zoom out into a room in
Speaker 3: the real world in, meat space where We see sid
Speaker 3: standing there in his green suit on A giant, Tv
Speaker 3: screen so like in the virtual, reality studio there's a,
Speaker 3: huge screen it's like fifteen, feet tall where we see
Speaker 3: what's happening in the, virtual world and we immediately hear
Speaker 3: the sounds of like men groaning, in agony and we
Speaker 3: see them writhing IN their, vr seats and an automated
Speaker 3: voice is, saying warning subjects exceeding the maximum dose of. Neural,
Speaker 3: information now maybe we should briefly hear comment on what
Speaker 3: it looks like when you see the people in the
Speaker 3: physical space IN the. VR rigs i thought This was
Speaker 3: it's also quite funny because they're like jiggling around and
Speaker 3: miming the motions they do in the. Virtual world like
Speaker 3: there's a part later where We see denzel running in the,
Speaker 3: rig yep and he's like pumping his arms and legs
Speaker 3: but not, going anywhere and it's.
Speaker 1: Hilarious, that yeah it really. Looks hilarious later when, they're,
Speaker 1: running yes here, you know they're just squirming. In pain, so,
Speaker 1: yeah yeah it looks a bit goofy.
Speaker 3: Later, on yeah so they're strapped into these dangling like
Speaker 3: combine dentist CHAIRS wearing.
Speaker 1: Vr devisors they're not.
Speaker 3: Going anywhere and then also you see a little computer
Speaker 3: read out that shows A three d representation of the
Speaker 3: player's heads and there are like these red and yellow
Speaker 3: explosions inside. The, skulls fortunately It seems denzel gets out just.
Speaker 3: In time he's, like rattled but. He's okay but the,
Speaker 3: other guy, uh oh the other guy is having. Violent
Speaker 3: seizures he gets pulled off onto a hospital gurney and
Speaker 3: you see them like doing a defibrillater on him and
Speaker 3: you learn.
Speaker 1: He, dies yeah they try really hard for darn near
Speaker 1: ten seconds to, save him but then laup roll. Him
Speaker 1: out he's.
Speaker 3: Done for also in, the scene we meet basically all
Speaker 3: of the film's. MAJOR characters i don't think there's anybody
Speaker 3: major we have to. Meet later we already talked about.
Speaker 3: Them earlier all of the, various functionaries commissioners and. Company
Speaker 3: guys i'm not gonna dwell, on them but they're all standing.
Speaker 3: Around watching you can kind of group them as like
Speaker 3: who's good and who's bad based on. Their reaction you've
Speaker 3: got the good guys like the police Chief And kelly,
Speaker 3: lynch's Character Doctor. Madison carter they're concerned about the. Test subjects, they're,
Speaker 3: like oh get those men out. Of there he's going.
Speaker 3: Into shock and then you've got the kind of middle to,
Speaker 3: bad guys like the. Indifferent Characters That's william Fitchner And.
Speaker 3: Louise fletcher they're just kind of standing there. Watching coldly
Speaker 3: and at Some point, dean said there's like some very
Speaker 3: klutzy exposition Dialogue Where louis fletcher's character says virtual reality
Speaker 3: was supposed to be a safe place to train my law.
Speaker 3: Enforcement officers and one Of the williams, is like that's
Speaker 3: why we were using convicts to ferret out any glitches in.
Speaker 3: The system and they have this exchange is they're driving
Speaker 3: away in a golf cart by, the way and then
Speaker 3: finally we meet this the obvious, Bad Guy darryl lindenmeyer
Speaker 3: that again is Played By, steven spinella who looks confusingly
Speaker 3: Similar To, William fitchener like they look alike and dress.
Speaker 1: The same it's almost like they accidentally cast both actors
Speaker 1: as the same character and, they're, like, well crap we've
Speaker 1: got to pick one and just make a role for the. Other, guy, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah Yeah william fitchener also could have played this.
Speaker 1: Other guy.
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah but he's like the creator OF the vr
Speaker 3: system and they're they're sort of grilling him about the.
Speaker 3: Fail safes he seems squirrely. And untrustworthy but we get
Speaker 3: some backstory in the scene. As well the Chief Tells,
Speaker 3: parker barnes, you know he acknowledges that they're, old friends and,
Speaker 3: he says it was good to see you in, uniform
Speaker 3: again even if it was only. Virtual, Reality meanwhile barnes
Speaker 3: is he's. Got insights he's like sid six. Point seven.
Speaker 3: He's CHEATING and i know he's CHEATING because i hacked
Speaker 3: the main frame before we, went in and he's not
Speaker 3: allowed to use electricity as, a weapon but he, did
Speaker 3: anyway and he goes and he like tries to show,
Speaker 3: the Chief, but lindenmeyer whose first Name is daryl by,
Speaker 3: The Way, Daryl lindenmeyer, he's, like no get away, from
Speaker 3: there and so obviously that's setting up.
Speaker 1: A conflict i want to mention that at this point
Speaker 1: in the, Real World denzel Washington's Character parker barnes has.
Speaker 1: Great hair he has like, really cool like futuristic. Feeling
Speaker 1: hair he's not going to get to keep this hair
Speaker 1: for the rest of, the PICTURE and i was a
Speaker 1: little disappointed.
Speaker 3: By, that yeah they give him a haircut before they
Speaker 3: send him out on a.
Speaker 1: Mission later why is his hair super cool and cultivated?
Speaker 1: In prison but then once, he's free. IT'S cut i,
Speaker 1: DON'T know i, DON'T know i.
Speaker 3: Don't know, But, anyway okay so they send him back.
Speaker 3: To prison there's one brief thing here where, they, show
Speaker 3: oh he's got a. Metallic limb he like goes through
Speaker 3: a scanner and, it's like, remember, that folks it doesn't
Speaker 3: look it just looks like a normal arm from, the
Speaker 3: outside but they show you'll scan as he's going through
Speaker 3: and it's apparently a. Metal Arm when barnes is sent back,
Speaker 3: to prison he randomly has to fight A. NEO nazi
Speaker 3: i did not understand why this OCCURRED when i first.
Speaker 3: Watched it it was almost like suggesting this fight was
Speaker 3: arranged by the powers, that be like they were trying
Speaker 3: to silence him ABOUT the vr program. Or SOMETHING but
Speaker 3: i don't think there's any follow through to, confirm THAT
Speaker 3: so i don't know why.
Speaker 1: This happened it's also, very stylistic so you could almost
Speaker 1: think we're back in, a simulation just because it does
Speaker 1: not look like you're it's a, FUTURE prison, i. Guess
Speaker 1: yeah and you don't see any of the. Inmates directly
Speaker 1: they're all behind like some sort of a like a
Speaker 1: some sort of a glass or, a screen so you
Speaker 1: just see.
Speaker 3: Their, silhouettes, Yes Yes so denzel goes into this. Big
Speaker 3: hall there's nobody else, in it all these silhouettes of
Speaker 3: prisoners lined up like an audience mocking and jeering. At
Speaker 3: him you only see them behind these. Silk screens and
Speaker 3: then from the opposite end of. The hall this gross
Speaker 3: guy with a white power tattoo and an improvised stabbing
Speaker 3: weapon comes out and then, they fight And then barnes
Speaker 3: defeats him with superior training and tactics as well as
Speaker 3: at least one brutal uppercut to, the groin and then
Speaker 3: a bunch of guards rush in and Beat up BARNS
Speaker 3: and i don't understand why.
Speaker 1: This, happened yeah it's so STYLISTIC that i was expecting
Speaker 1: him to Beat the nazi to death With An, apple
Speaker 1: macintosh but it IS how i. Went.
Speaker 3: Down okay then we go on to another scene with our.
Speaker 3: Bad guys this is let me tell you a, secret
Speaker 3: scene which is pretty. Pretty solid So Remember darryl lindenmeyer
Speaker 3: the Computer. Company creep he's IN the vr space and
Speaker 3: he walks up TO the cid screen where the screen
Speaker 3: is On and sid is in there playing a piano
Speaker 3: in a green satin suit in a Beyond the mind's
Speaker 3: eye dune sea landscape and tells him you, Know, What,
Speaker 3: Sorry sid i'm gonna have to. Deactivate you, HE says
Speaker 3: i know it was you who increased the neural. Sensitivity
Speaker 3: calibrations you murdered, that prisoner And then, SID says i
Speaker 3: can't CHANGE what, I. Am darryl i'm a fifty terabyte
Speaker 3: self evolving neural network double backflip off the. High platform
Speaker 3: i'm not a. Swan DIVE and i have to, tell
Speaker 3: you killing for.
Speaker 1: Real it was a.
Speaker 3: REAL rush i always. LOVE these a Lot of cyberslot
Speaker 3: movies have a monologue, like THIS like i am a
Speaker 3: masterpiece of. Evil evil i'm pretty sure job In lawnmower
Speaker 3: man has a speech a lot. Like this this one is. Relatively,
Speaker 3: short also when he lands after doing, his backflips he
Speaker 3: explodes into a bunch. Of bats and you, know what beyond,
Speaker 3: THE minds i had a. BAT swarm i think that
Speaker 3: must have been part of A standard cg package in.
Speaker 3: The Nineties because sid is not really associated. With bats it's,
Speaker 3: not like, you know what else does he have to do.
Speaker 3: With bats IT seems i don't. Know where, but anyway after,
Speaker 3: he says, YOU know i love killing. For real it was,
Speaker 3: really Good lynden, meyer goes Oh, my god and then the.
Speaker 3: Monologue continues it's. Quite good, sid Says what god would?
Speaker 3: That be the one who created you or the one who?
Speaker 3: Created me you see in, your World the lord giveth
Speaker 3: And the lord. Taketh away but in, my world the
Speaker 3: one who gave me life doesn't have. Any balls you
Speaker 3: are frightfully inadequate for, A deity DARRYL and i will
Speaker 3: not be.
Speaker 1: Shut, down.
Speaker 3: Okay so, that's corny but for what it is That, slaps,
Speaker 3: Yeah YEAH and i should add this whole sequence is
Speaker 3: just very.
Speaker 1: Well shot it's a great integration between the live action
Speaker 1: performance and the use of, the screens Which was i'm
Speaker 1: to understand all the screens in the film were. In
Speaker 1: camera I'm not i'm assuming at least some of it
Speaker 1: was not live. To screen leonard points out that a
Speaker 1: lot of skill went into making sure all these screens
Speaker 1: were set upright and, you know could be seen on
Speaker 1: camera in the.
Speaker 3: Optimal, Way yeah i'm impressed they achieved. That anyway so in,
Speaker 3: The scene, darryl says, You, know sid you cannot exist
Speaker 3: without the approval of. The authorities you are software and
Speaker 3: you need hardware to. Run On so sid comes up with.
Speaker 3: A plan what is? That plan, he says sacrifice? Your,
Speaker 3: queen ooh, cryptic meaning and then the camera kind of.
Speaker 3: CREEPS in i, like this there's this slow, creep in and,
Speaker 3: he says let me tell you. A.
Speaker 1: Secret. Yeah yeah the scene lands in an excellent Place
Speaker 1: here at that, Being said i'm not exactly sure what the.
Speaker 1: SECRET was, I mean i don't need, to know because
Speaker 1: the scene still connected on an emotional level and certainly
Speaker 1: established our villain and some semblance of his plot with
Speaker 1: his creator. Turned WORSHIPER but i have some guesses what
Speaker 1: the secret, might be but it's not. Really clear maybe
Speaker 1: we can come back, to that.
Speaker 3: All right so we also get the Scene where barnes
Speaker 3: meets With Doctor Madison Carter. Kelly lynch, she like. Comes
Speaker 3: in they have an interview in, the prison. Introduces herself
Speaker 3: she's a criminal Psychologist And william forsyth asked her to
Speaker 3: do a Profile on barnes that may be useful in reducing.
Speaker 3: His sentence so. They talk she asks him about. The
Speaker 3: fight he says he was. Defending himself she asks him
Speaker 3: about whether he was attracted to violence as. A child, he's,
Speaker 3: like yeah, Three stooges wiley coyote. Was great, Nice answer
Speaker 3: and as they, keep talking it starts to seem like
Speaker 3: what she's really interested In Is. RUSSELL crowe, i mean
Speaker 3: what's everybody INTERESTED in i think she wants to write
Speaker 3: a book on the criminal Genius of sid six. Point
Speaker 3: seven so she starts kind Of quizzing denzel about his.
Speaker 3: Virtual enemy, she's like how did you know he'd be
Speaker 3: In the? Japanese Restaurant and barnes explains what an.
Speaker 1: Emoticon.
Speaker 3: Is yeah we also hear get the first Hints of barnes's,
Speaker 3: tragic backstory which gets revealed in a trickle throughout. THE
Speaker 3: movie I think i'm going to cut to the chase
Speaker 3: and just summarize the whole thing here so we don't trickle.
Speaker 3: It in so the Deal is barnes was some kind
Speaker 3: of elite detective on the case of a Man Named,
Speaker 3: matthew grimes which They call they say he was a quote,
Speaker 3: political TERRORIST and i like how they specify a political
Speaker 3: terrorist to make it clear he's not like a. Culinary
Speaker 3: terrorist but if he's a, political terrorist what were? His
Speaker 3: politics that is not. Really clear at one point we
Speaker 3: see him speaking to the media about the haves and,
Speaker 3: have nots but MOSTLY that i. Don't know that's back
Speaker 3: to THE thing i said at the beginning about like
Speaker 3: cultural objects just feeling like they're meaningless, In themselves like
Speaker 3: he could have inserted any kind of political rhetoric there
Speaker 3: and it would be the.
Speaker 1: Same, thing yeah this this particular detail of, his backstory
Speaker 1: like the basic shape. Of, it okay some some sort
Speaker 1: of a killer took out. His, family yeah, you know
Speaker 1: obviously that's a necessary part of what they're. Building here
Speaker 1: but all the details about this, GUY just i, don't
Speaker 1: know they're not. Very, convincing, like yeah like we could
Speaker 1: have we should have known less, about it because what
Speaker 1: we do learn is not convincing or certainly doesn't have
Speaker 1: as much of an.
Speaker 3: Emotional impact it has a real anti verisimilitude about his.
Speaker 3: Political terroristiness it suggests more that he just like simply
Speaker 3: loved crime. And, murder yeah and, so anyway but they
Speaker 3: tell the story of how this Guy kidnapped barnes's wife.
Speaker 3: And child he put them in a booby trapped room
Speaker 3: so That when barnes came to, rescue them it would trigger,
Speaker 3: a bomb and the bomb killed. His family and it's
Speaker 3: also The reason barnes now has the. Bionic arm And
Speaker 3: so carter is like asking him questions about like his
Speaker 3: backstory in, the scene and we get to learn that
Speaker 3: we see that he is a haunted.
Speaker 1: Broken man.
Speaker 3: All, right now from here we move on To the.
Speaker 3: Sheila scene so we're back IN the, cid warehouse, you
Speaker 3: know WHERE the vr world is projected on the, big
Speaker 3: screen and currently the person in here is a geeky Roboticist.
Speaker 3: Named Clyde HERE'S. Kevin, j O'Connor and he's playing would
Speaker 3: you call this? Sexy, Chess yes like like they're playing a,
Speaker 3: chess game moving around THESE giant cgi pieces on. A
Speaker 3: board but he's playing against this blonde seductress Character named
Speaker 3: sheila three, point two and she's like stretching out on
Speaker 3: the chase long and her. Silk pajamas so while like
Speaker 3: the big chest pieces zoom around and, she's, Like, oh clyde,
Speaker 3: YOU know i really would like you to come visit
Speaker 3: me IN the. Vr world there are so many games we.
Speaker 3: Could Play and clyde is basically drooling at. The, screen
Speaker 3: meanwhile the creepy Computer guy daryl comes up behind him and,
Speaker 3: he's like, You, know clyde she's. Very interactive here they
Speaker 3: sort of imply THAT the vr chairs that are being
Speaker 3: used in the police training simulator earlier that day have
Speaker 3: some kind of. Sexual interface we never see specifics on
Speaker 3: what these peripherals would. Look like i'm really curious how
Speaker 3: this was going to be used for. Training purposes and by,
Speaker 3: the way, once again no Offense to kevin, j O'Connor
Speaker 3: but i feel like they really go out of their
Speaker 3: way to make, him grow like come off. As gross
Speaker 3: he's filmed slightly from below while he's leering at, the
Speaker 3: screen so we're like looking a bit up his nose
Speaker 3: and seeing his wet. Front teeth they're like wet with
Speaker 3: spit and shining in, the light and he's just gazing
Speaker 3: like he's in a trance at. The screen And then clyde, is, like, Oh,
Speaker 3: YEAH darryl i need to use, your Gear but darryl, tells, him, no,
Speaker 3: No no i've got a. Better idea you are a,
Speaker 3: nano ROBOTICIST and i know that you have created the
Speaker 3: technology TO three d print a nanotech android out of,
Speaker 3: Blue goop so why don't you use your blue goop
Speaker 3: machine To make sheila three point TWO the vr model
Speaker 3: into a FULL three d robot in the. Real world
Speaker 3: AND then i guess y'all can. GET married i, Don't.
Speaker 1: Know so this is. So, Ridiculous obviously it's like you're
Speaker 1: storing the technology to print bodies for digital beings right
Speaker 1: now to the place where you store your digital mass murder. Of.
Speaker 1: Beings yes but then also it's like he's, Putting this
Speaker 1: darrel's putting this Together. For Clyde like clyde, was like,
Speaker 1: YOU know i could turn out a woman for all
Speaker 1: of my. Creepy lust i'd never thought about. That before
Speaker 1: this is my, life's WORK but i never put.
Speaker 3: This together you're, EXACTLY right i mean once like, and
Speaker 3: also this character is depicted as he has no attributes
Speaker 3: other than dozen nanotechnology robots and. Experiences, lust yeah so
Speaker 3: you might think those would connect in, his mind because
Speaker 3: that is all his mind is as. A character, but,
Speaker 3: Yeah anyway clyde agrees and then walks off looking kind
Speaker 3: of grimly determined in a very. Funny way And so
Speaker 3: darryl hangs back To grab sheila's quote module from the.
Speaker 3: Computer bank this is an important mcguffin in. The MOVIE
Speaker 3: every vr character has a little like plastic polyhedron that's
Speaker 3: got their brain. Inside, It oh darryl pulls the switcheroo
Speaker 3: and instead Of taking, sheila's module HE takes sid six.
Speaker 1: Point seven and then he Just kicked sheila underneath the,
Speaker 1: you know, some, furniture, WHICH yeah i thought was very,
Speaker 1: disappointing because first, OF all i kind Of wanted sheila
Speaker 1: to have a chance to be born to the. Real,
Speaker 1: world yeah but also imagine Like the cringey comedy that
Speaker 1: could have resulted if we have like a stinger at
Speaker 1: the end where police are going into train and they're
Speaker 1: going Up against shila instead of a. Super, criminal oh
Speaker 1: that would be.
Speaker 3: FUNNY too i thought maybe you were, gonna, say like
Speaker 3: What if sheila, was created but instead of just becoming a,
Speaker 3: sex robot she's the one who has to hunt down
Speaker 3: sid six. Point, seven, yeah yeah. All, right anyway we
Speaker 3: move on to the nano. Robotics lab clyde shows off a,
Speaker 3: robot snake which you think is a real snake, at
Speaker 3: first like he shoves it In lynden, meyer's face but
Speaker 3: then he cuts it in half with some shears and
Speaker 3: reveals it is made of Blue goop, and then critically for,
Speaker 3: the plot we learn that if you cut part of,
Speaker 3: it off since it's made out, of silicon it can
Speaker 3: regenerate itself by absorbing glass it finds in. The environment
Speaker 3: so the snake like rebuilds its severed tail by reaching
Speaker 3: out these blue tendrils that suck up glass from. A beaker,
Speaker 3: and honestly this premise sets up several of the best
Speaker 3: moments in the Movie where sid will get injured and
Speaker 3: then later he'll start like sucking glass out of windows
Speaker 3: while he's got like the goop arm in the window
Speaker 3: and he's making this. Rage face or at one point
Speaker 3: he's literally like eating fistfuls of glass in the middle
Speaker 3: of a car chase in. The scene clyde, also, explains
Speaker 3: quote if you separate the character module from the, polymer
Speaker 3: matrix you get.
Speaker 1: Nano.
Speaker 3: Death yeah, so anyway they start growing the robot inside of,
Speaker 3: a pod which is a good.
Speaker 1: Set piece, OH yes i love all this stuff because then,
Speaker 1: practical effects it's this blue like it's it's, it's inorganic
Speaker 1: but it has this kind of organic nature. To it
Speaker 1: it's like this like weird blue alien egg that this
Speaker 1: being is. Growing inside and then when it finally opens
Speaker 1: and there's like. Blue goo, of course what rises up
Speaker 1: initially is just this kind of like neutral. Blue, humanoid
Speaker 1: oh has kind of like, A oh i, don't know
Speaker 1: almost like a crash test dummy kind of vibe, to
Speaker 1: it like it's not completely, finished yet to the point
Speaker 1: that our creep researcher here is, like, like oh it's.
Speaker 1: It's you i'm ready. To party but then it finishes.
Speaker 1: Its form it like everything smooths out digitally and it
Speaker 1: Becomes not Sheila but sid six, point seven naked, terminator style.
Speaker 3: Who Immediately kills clyde like it like.
Speaker 1: Chokes.
Speaker 3: Him yeah, the pod by, the way it looks like
Speaker 3: a cross between Between a venus fly trap and a.
Speaker 3: Pool float, and yeah the being is the freakiest looking
Speaker 3: thing in the movie Is when sid comes out not.
Speaker 1: Fully, finished yeah but that's why if you look through
Speaker 1: the credits for, this film you'll see somebody like credit
Speaker 1: with like, creature effects because it is essentially like it's
Speaker 1: somewhere blurring the line between creature.
Speaker 3: And, technology yeah and by, the way and, The Scene
Speaker 3: russell crowe is really stretching his, ham legs just goofing it.
Speaker 3: Up stupendously, You know clyde says He's, like sheila but
Speaker 3: It's Obviously russell crowe and He Instead russell crow, Says
Speaker 3: No i'm oedipus and then. Chokes him and then meanwhile
Speaker 3: The darre old character is watching seemingly in horror and
Speaker 3: then runs away. And hides but why is? He horrified
Speaker 3: didn't he do this?
Speaker 1: On, purpose yeah this is exactly what you wanted. To
Speaker 1: do what did you think was going to?
Speaker 3: Happen here so we get to See Naked russell crowe
Speaker 3: having fun feeling gravity for the. First time he like
Speaker 3: kind of, Shifts around, he's like. Ooh gravity he also
Speaker 3: picks up a random knife and starts doing naked tai
Speaker 3: chi with a knife in. His hand then he recreationally
Speaker 3: cuts off his own finger and then licks the blue goop, and,
Speaker 3: says huh that was a. Good year like it's like it's.
Speaker 3: A wine that's, the joke but you, know What It's
Speaker 3: russell krow kind of. Sells it even the bad jokes sort. Of.
Speaker 1: Land.
Speaker 3: Yeah oh and then also in, the scene we get
Speaker 3: A line i think it was obviously meant for. The
Speaker 3: trailer it's sort OF an i got to get me
Speaker 3: one of those Moments where sid looks directly into the camera,
Speaker 3: AND says I think i'm.
Speaker 1: Gonna like, it here and he does like. It here
Speaker 1: that's that's pretty much what happens for the next like
Speaker 1: forty minutes.
Speaker 3: Or SO so i have a question about. The plot
Speaker 3: maybe you knew something about This rob is there something
Speaker 3: it felt like something was missing in the subplot of
Speaker 3: the villains here they would explain why the computer company
Speaker 3: GUY wanted sid six point seven unleashed into. The world
Speaker 3: there are some scenes that kind of, imply conspiracy like motivated.
Speaker 3: By business there ARE other, i mean but only. Very
Speaker 3: vaguely there are other scenes that to me implied the
Speaker 3: computer guy is like a psychotic acolyte of the RELIGION
Speaker 3: of sid six. Point, seven LIKE am i remembering? Right
Speaker 3: that one time later he's shown in a motel room
Speaker 3: decorated Like A charles manson.
Speaker 1: Murder.
Speaker 3: Scene, Yeah yeah and it's not like a, crime scene
Speaker 3: it's like his own. Motel room and it implied just
Speaker 3: he just decorated it that way because he. Likes it
Speaker 3: like just major confusion on what is the motivation of
Speaker 3: the non virtual meet, human villains what was their goal
Speaker 3: and who's in?
Speaker 1: ON it, i mean it seems like his direct creator
Speaker 1: here just comes to worship. His creation but we don't
Speaker 1: really get enough details on how this comes, to pass,
Speaker 1: you know we're just sort of left to assume that's.
Speaker 1: The case this is an EXAMPLE where i probably NEED
Speaker 1: well i don't. NEED to i would probably get some
Speaker 1: ANSWERS if i read, the novelization oh for, the movie
Speaker 1: which Was By, terry bisson who has come up on
Speaker 1: the show before because we've had a couple of people
Speaker 1: right in about. His work he Won A hugo award
Speaker 1: And A nebula award for the Short story they're made out.
Speaker 1: Of meat, i'm assuming as is typical, with novelizations he
Speaker 1: probably had to fill in the gaps here and create
Speaker 1: some connective tissue for. These characters, but yeah back to,
Speaker 1: your point why is any of? This, happening like why
Speaker 1: really did you orchestrate the escape of? This being why
Speaker 1: did you help it print itself in physical forms so
Speaker 1: it can run on a rampage like. You clean you
Speaker 1: seem to like him and you're into what he's doing
Speaker 1: but also scared, by him but also scared. By, him
Speaker 1: yeah it's like it seems like we needed him to
Speaker 1: be killed by the creator here as well if he
Speaker 1: because it's not like he's he's Sort of frankenstein's here where, he's,
Speaker 1: Like ah i've gone too far and, runs away but
Speaker 1: then he continues to worship.
Speaker 3: HIS creations, i, Yeah anyway so at this point in,
Speaker 3: the movie the premise has. Been delivered, YOU know sid
Speaker 3: six point seven is unleashed in physical form upon, our
Speaker 3: world the world of nineteen. Ninety nine in the Words
Speaker 3: Of william, forsyth Quote somehow sid six point seven got
Speaker 3: himself out of the computer and at this point only
Speaker 3: one man can, stop him Because again barnes is the
Speaker 3: only prisoner who Ever beats sid IN the. Vr Training
Speaker 3: so barnes has granted conditional early release from prison so
Speaker 3: he can find And. Stop sid now at, this point
Speaker 3: what is a renegade cop who gets results always need a,
Speaker 3: New partner so he's getting paired Up With, madison carter the.
Speaker 3: Criminal psychologist so few scenes to. Talk about from the
Speaker 3: middle portion of, the movie a lot of chasing around
Speaker 3: an investigation in that there's sort of a detective Portion
Speaker 3: where Barnes and carter investigates some crime scenes WHERE like
Speaker 3: sid has done random murders and one of them is
Speaker 3: staged as a copycat Of The tate. Lobbianca murders but
Speaker 3: they end Up At darryl, lindenmeyer's house the guy Who
Speaker 3: programmed sid in a SCENE that i found, extremely funny
Speaker 3: because so they LEARN how sid six point seven. Was
Speaker 3: created they Go into lindenmeyer's computer and they're like looking
Speaker 3: at THE previous, sid models and these heads just start
Speaker 3: popping up on the. Computer screen and the first one
Speaker 3: we see Is a hitler head that's like A three
Speaker 3: d sort of polygon model, of it so it's got
Speaker 3: like a little, like mustache but it's a. Little polygon
Speaker 3: and then they're showing serial killers, and Stuff and, carter,
Speaker 3: says quote this is.
Speaker 1: Using some kind of.
Speaker 3: Genetic algorithms sid's too complex. To design lindenmeyer had to
Speaker 3: grow him up psychologically like a real person with multiple.
Speaker 3: Personality disorder the program learns like, a child but. Much
Speaker 3: faster it's like he put all these killers in sid's
Speaker 3: nursery and let him watch them cannibalize. Each other And then,
Speaker 3: barnes says and only the strong. Ones survive but what
Speaker 3: does that mean in this context the strongest serial Killers
Speaker 3: Or hitler's so.
Speaker 1: On, one level absolutely this is technobabble that doesn't really
Speaker 1: stand up to, close scrutiny but it also does kind
Speaker 1: of neatly forecast some of The topics we've been discussing
Speaker 1: in the past several YEARS about ai and about about
Speaker 1: training on content and how sometimes the content that these
Speaker 1: models train on are not the best models of human
Speaker 1: behavior or, human expression and so it's, you know, it's
Speaker 1: silly but it also rings a little bit true in.
Speaker 3: Some, ways yeah but this is, more like what if
Speaker 3: you limited the reinforcement, training exclusively the training data is
Speaker 3: only a pyramid of TWO hundred cgi serial killer Heads
Speaker 3: with hitler in.
Speaker 1: There, TOO well, i mean, in retrospect why would we?
Speaker 1: Do this but now we're kind, of like WELL that
Speaker 1: I guess i, could happen.
Speaker 4: You.
Speaker 3: Know yeah so also in, The scene barnes figures out
Speaker 3: that one of the heads in THERE inside sid belonged
Speaker 3: to the guy who murdered. His family there is a
Speaker 3: lot made, of, like oh that would be, extra bad,
Speaker 3: you know much Scarier Than ted Bundy. And hitler but
Speaker 3: much is also, discussed about like whether this personality is
Speaker 3: DOMINANT within sid. OR not i found that a not very. Fruitful.
Speaker 1: Subplot. Yeah same.
Speaker 3: The decor Of lynden MEYER'S apartment i thought was. Really
Speaker 3: funny it's like a Cross Between patrick bateman's apartment and
Speaker 3: the house In. The hunger so there's a lot Of
Speaker 3: Soulless wall street furniture and computers, and stuff but also
Speaker 3: a single purple rose in a glass. Bell jar now,
Speaker 3: after you let's talk about the, club, scene because as,
Speaker 3: we said every one of these movies has to have
Speaker 3: a techno dance. Club scene what would you So like
Speaker 3: sid six point seven goes to, a club he fights his.
Speaker 3: Way in how would you describe this?
Speaker 1: Club? Rob, OH well i mean it's just absolute cinematic
Speaker 1: portrayal of the nineties. Rave situation, you know, the lights,
Speaker 1: the outfits the Presence Of. Tracy lord everything is in,
Speaker 1: place here and we get that great scene where he's
Speaker 1: like strong arming his way to the front of the
Speaker 1: line to. Get in it's it's very like futuristic. And
Speaker 1: HIP but i do generally like the, music here.
Speaker 3: Good track there's, live music and they've got like A
Speaker 3: STAR trek dj station with these milky white orbs instead,
Speaker 3: of turntables so you can see them like doing record
Speaker 3: scratches with.
Speaker 1: The, orbs yeah infrared footage of everything's gone to so, many,
Speaker 1: screens yes.
Speaker 3: Screens everywhere there are people walking around with video cameras
Speaker 3: that are projecting a live feed with crazy color effects
Speaker 3: onto the huge screens on, the walls just cables dangling
Speaker 3: everywhere and like running to the helmets that are being
Speaker 3: warned by. The, DJs also you access this club through a,
Speaker 3: freight elevator so it's like a basement club you have
Speaker 3: to go down to through. The elevator ONE thing i thought, is,
Speaker 3: that oh, YOU know i went to a concert earlier,
Speaker 3: this week and, it's like this is kind of like
Speaker 3: going to a concert today because you see people holding
Speaker 3: up their devices recording the performers standing right in front.
Speaker 1: Of, them yeah that's a. Good point that's a. Good point,
Speaker 1: but yeah we'll. DO that i mean it only the
Speaker 1: world only makes sense if you're, viewing it experiencing it through,
Speaker 1: the digital through, the technology. You know but in, this,
Speaker 1: case yeah the Performer Is tracy lord's up there with
Speaker 1: what one or two DJs. On hand she's kind, of
Speaker 1: singing kind of, dancing around wearing this kind of like matrixy.
Speaker 1: Latex attire and then, income said and we get this
Speaker 1: one moment cinematography at. ITS finest i guess where, they're
Speaker 1: like what if we shot Sid Through tracy lord's legs,
Speaker 1: from behind like through her thighs from behind and that's. The,
Speaker 1: shot YEAH so i giggled. AT that i, was, like,
Speaker 1: okay yeah a little over. The.
Speaker 3: Top, yeah also the fashion in the scene, is chaotic,
Speaker 3: we get but we do get an early glimpse of
Speaker 3: a guy in a purple double breasted Suit that sid
Speaker 3: is going to steal and wear.
Speaker 1: For much of.
Speaker 3: The film, but again coming back to the kind of
Speaker 3: themes we talked, about earlier there's something kind of interesting
Speaker 3: here where in, this scene it becomes Apparent that sid
Speaker 3: loves that people are aiming cameras at him in the
Speaker 3: club and projecting him onto the, big screen and. He
Speaker 3: smiles he's like overwhelmed. WITH joy i think, Sincere joy
Speaker 3: like he's not making, a joke and, HE says i.
Speaker 3: Am beautiful and this is one of the themes of
Speaker 3: the MOVIE that i thought was actually kind of. Accidentally
Speaker 3: interesting there's something about the information environment in the setting
Speaker 3: that says there's. A desire there's like a link between
Speaker 3: the desire to be famous and the center of everybody's
Speaker 3: attention and sadism. Or PSYCHOPATHY like i haven't fully fleshed
Speaker 3: out exactly what, this means but it's like a latent
Speaker 3: assumption of the film that is not just the common
Speaker 3: assumption that there's something kind of tacky or shallow or
Speaker 3: guided about wanting to be the center of, everybody's attention
Speaker 3: or especially wanting to be the center of everybody's attention
Speaker 3: as mediated through technology like video And, the internet but
Speaker 3: actually goes a step farther and suggests the desire for
Speaker 3: attention like this is related to a kind, of, dominance
Speaker 3: strive a desire to have power over others and even
Speaker 3: inflict pain, On them and that hit home for. Me,
Speaker 3: SOMEHOW again i don't want TO suggest i think this
Speaker 3: was explicitly thought out in, the script but it feels
Speaker 3: like a potent theme the movie. Stumbles. Into here there's
Speaker 3: something about this obsession with like being on camera and
Speaker 3: having people far away all watching you at the same
Speaker 3: time that is like a kind of power and domination.
Speaker 1: And sadism, Yeah yeah and they do come back to
Speaker 1: it later on.
Speaker 3: As, well anyway in The scene sid gets a drink
Speaker 3: made for him By A johnny Cab and sid is like,
Speaker 3: to think you constitute one of. My ancestors and then
Speaker 3: in personally.
Speaker 1: That's one of a couple of moments in here though With,
Speaker 1: the ANDROIDS where i, was like they're kind of getting
Speaker 1: into some of the Territory That ridley scott would later
Speaker 1: get Into with david And The, alien prequels but with
Speaker 1: less nuance and and more just. Outright meanness. That's.
Speaker 3: Funny. Yeah uh he starts rampaging in, the club, of
Speaker 3: course and then this will be a type of scene.
Speaker 3: That recurs he takes, everybody hostage forces the camera to like.
Speaker 1: Film.
Speaker 3: Him uh and then in one.
Speaker 1: Funny Bit cracy lords, gets away though she does, run
Speaker 1: away the guy behind her, gets shot but she.
Speaker 3: Makes it and then he starts he starts making everybody
Speaker 3: record screams that he can play back and remix AT the.
Speaker 3: Dj station this scene is, really Something And russell crowe
Speaker 3: is just like roaring with. Improvisational.
Speaker 1: ENERGY yeah i mean it's a weird, mix though because on,
Speaker 1: one hand like a scene where someone terrorizes a bunch
Speaker 1: of people with, a, gun yes IT'S like i don't.
Speaker 1: Like it but on the, other hand so many other
Speaker 1: aspects of this sequence are so over. The top that
Speaker 1: and and the performance that the center of it is
Speaker 1: is so over the top you kind of like it.
Speaker 3: AS well i mentioned this earlier that one of THE
Speaker 3: ways i think this movie kind of really sits weird
Speaker 3: is a. TONAL mismatch i think this is actually True
Speaker 3: with barnes's backstory, as well the thing about like his family.
Speaker 3: Being murdered it's. A weird it's weird Because the barnes
Speaker 3: backstory is on one hand, like, hackneyed obvious overly familiar
Speaker 3: for this type, of character, you know. The copy he's
Speaker 3: taken it, too personal and at the same time it
Speaker 3: is excessively cruel and horrible for the context of this.
Speaker 1: Goofy MOVIE and i.
Speaker 3: Felt a similar way about a lot of, These scenes
Speaker 3: like the club scene is at once like goofy but
Speaker 3: also just a little. Too nasty it's, like both it's
Speaker 3: going off in.
Speaker 1: Both, directions, yeah YEAH so I think i think you're
Speaker 1: right there that the tone is.
Speaker 3: Off here, of course this all gets Interrupted when barnes,
Speaker 3: shows up and this leads to a shootout and a.
Speaker 3: Car chase i'm not going to narrate all the, action
Speaker 3: scenes but a lot of the rest of the movie follows.
Speaker 3: This format sid, goes somewhere he. Starts rampaging he wants
Speaker 3: to be. On camera he's, killing people, Taking hostages, barnes
Speaker 3: arrives there is a fight and, a chase and then sid,
Speaker 3: gets away and.
Speaker 1: Then they need to go, find him and they realize
Speaker 1: that he is going to go where the. Attention is
Speaker 1: he's going to go where the, media is and that's
Speaker 1: how we end up, following him, for instance to the to.
Speaker 3: The octagon, Oh, Boy okay, SO yeah i think we're
Speaker 3: near the end of our plot, recap here but we
Speaker 3: do have to talk ABOUT the.
Speaker 1: Ufc, scene YEAH so i. WAS expected. I, HAD again
Speaker 1: i hadn't seen virtuosity in, ITS entirety, I THINK but
Speaker 1: i was looking over the CAST and, i, noticed, Oh
Speaker 1: Well ken shamrocks, in this it looks like there's going
Speaker 1: to BE some. Ufc ACTION so i was prepared for
Speaker 1: some POTENTIALLY hammy ufc. Product INTEGRATION and i would have
Speaker 1: TO say i was a bit shocked by how negatively
Speaker 1: the FILM portrays MMA and. Mma, fandom.
Speaker 3: Yes virtuosity it DEPICTS the ufc as like a blood
Speaker 3: cult in which the audience are fanatical acolytes that chant
Speaker 3: in unison for death even as people are like murdered
Speaker 3: in the audience.
Speaker 1: Around, them yeah it's like they're a bunch, of bloodthirsty
Speaker 1: half naked savages who only pause in their chanting to
Speaker 1: violently attack or grope each other. Like that that's how
Speaker 1: the movie IS, presenting ufcee and even action in the
Speaker 1: octagon doesn't even resemble AN actual. Mma match it's like
Speaker 1: two different fights are. GOING on i think there's a ref,
Speaker 1: in there but it's just it's.
Speaker 3: Pure chaos it was only their ambitious image of what
Speaker 3: the future.
Speaker 1: Could, hold yeah And so sid shows up notices that
Speaker 1: like a pretty lady is on like the What the
Speaker 1: titan tron or whatever the heck the big screen. Is
Speaker 1: there he goes up and is creepy, towards her and
Speaker 1: then like pulls out, a gun does a backflip into,
Speaker 1: the octagon intentionally landing on his head, and back and
Speaker 1: then gets up and starts intimidating all the dudes in,
Speaker 1: the Octagon Including. KEN shamrock i was a little disappointed
Speaker 1: That The World's Most dangerous man didn't make a Move,
Speaker 1: on sid but.
Speaker 3: FAIR enough i don't know About Most dangerous. MAN'S status
Speaker 3: i Only Remember. Ken shameron wasn't he IN the wwf in?
Speaker 3: The nineties He, was, yeah okay THAT'S all.
Speaker 1: I remember he had some Matches, With vader so, it's
Speaker 1: like if he's gonna stand Up, to vader you think
Speaker 1: he'd stand Up. To sid but, you know, he's like,
Speaker 1: IT'S like i see you got blue blood coming out.
Speaker 1: Of you, Fair enough i'm, standing.
Speaker 3: Back smart, move ken don't be.
Speaker 1: A hero so basically the same thing is going to, happen, Here,
Speaker 1: Right yeah parker, shows up runs shoots, at him more,
Speaker 1: blue blood, more violence and then he. Gets.
Speaker 3: Away yeah, and NOW as, i mentioned OR maybe i
Speaker 3: didn't mention, this earlier there's a Whole thing i'm not gonna.
Speaker 3: Bother explaining in the middle of, The movie barnes gets
Speaker 3: framed for, a murder so he gets re arrested and
Speaker 3: all this. Stuff happens sid actually sets him free because
Speaker 3: he wants. To play it's Like the Joker. In batman,
Speaker 3: IT'S like i, need you you can. Delete. Me uh
Speaker 3: the climax of the film takes place in a skyscraper
Speaker 3: that is the home OF a tv station where there
Speaker 3: is a televised. Debate happening that's What draws sid there because,
Speaker 3: he's like he wants attention about a current political controversy.
Speaker 3: Over immigration this part kind of came out of nowhere
Speaker 3: and hit. Uncomfortably hard but so there's like a one
Speaker 3: GUY on tv saying like immigration breathes life into, the
Speaker 3: culture and another guy demagoguing against immigrants, and saying we
Speaker 3: got to close. The border And then sid shows up
Speaker 3: and does the. Same thing he, shoots people, takes hostages
Speaker 3: and takes over the.
Speaker 1: Live broadcast he takes, over it redubs it WHAT, Murder
Speaker 1: TV murder tv or DEATH.
Speaker 3: Tv, tv yeah and also has his own.
Speaker 1: Like logo yeah he brought a.
Speaker 3: Graphics package yeah he.
Speaker 1: REALLY did, I mean i guess he's a virtual reality
Speaker 1: thing so he can do that sort of sort.
Speaker 3: Of thing so as he torments and terrorizes the hostage,
Speaker 3: on air he's he's still he's like obsessed with checking out.
Speaker 3: His ratings, he's like look what What ratings? I'm getting,
Speaker 3: oh yeah the viewers. Love this they love the way
Speaker 3: you're screaming more tuning in. Every minute and once again
Speaker 3: this surprisingly interesting Theme linking sid's sadism and cruelty fundamentally
Speaker 3: with his desire for attention mediated, by technology and, in
Speaker 3: fact the good guys sort of defeat, him here at
Speaker 3: least in part distract him by cutting. The feed they
Speaker 3: like turn off the broadcast and limit his access to,
Speaker 3: his Audience and zid, hate this and this leads to
Speaker 3: a final chase and fight in the network Building between Barnes.
Speaker 3: And sid, of course as one could have guessed from,
Speaker 3: Developments earlier sid Has taken carter's, daughter hostage and they
Speaker 3: while they're, chasing around, they're like where's The girl and
Speaker 3: there's a there's a booby trap bomb and all that kind.
Speaker 3: Of STUFF but i, Don't, know rob are there any
Speaker 3: elements of the climax you want? To?
Speaker 1: HIT yeah i mean they get. It basically Parker and
Speaker 1: sid get, a big die hard sq battle on on
Speaker 1: top of, the Skyscraper and sid plummets through a whole
Speaker 1: bunch of glass panels and is impaled on like a
Speaker 1: million pieces, of glass And then parker goes down, to like,
Speaker 1: you know, check out see if. He's dead he's not.
Speaker 1: Dead yet we get a nice tight scene where he's
Speaker 1: trying To pull parker into the the sharp shards. Of
Speaker 1: glass he's regenerating off of, the glass, because remember eating
Speaker 1: glass and touching wounds to glass is how. He heals
Speaker 1: but there's a lot of repair work that needs to.
Speaker 1: Happen here and before he can, Do it parker reaches
Speaker 1: in through the back of his skull and rips out
Speaker 1: his little module and seemingly defeats. The villain but then,
Speaker 1: they're like but we don't know where the girl, is
Speaker 1: hidden and then we. GET it i thought this was a.
Speaker 1: Nice twist they like load him back up in the
Speaker 1: virtual they replay what, just happened but they let him
Speaker 1: get the upper hand so that he'll spill where the girl.
Speaker 3: Is, HIDING right i thought this was actually a pretty.
Speaker 3: Clever twist or where you See his, I'm, sorry yeah.
Speaker 3: That's right so what they need is Information. From sid
Speaker 3: so they. Killed him they defeated him, too early so
Speaker 3: they have to go back into the, virtual world trick
Speaker 3: him into thinking he's still in the real world so
Speaker 3: that he will spill, the beans, you know really give
Speaker 3: his villain monologue where he reveals, the Information which parker
Speaker 3: and Doctor and madison both that they work together to figure.
Speaker 1: That, out yeah so that. Was solid and of course
Speaker 1: we also get a Scene where sid realizes he's been
Speaker 1: caught and he jokes out, real hard and we get
Speaker 1: this scene with like multiple sid faces digital sid faces
Speaker 1: making angry expressions, Extreme, jobing, yes yeah but then the
Speaker 1: plot requires us to also disarm a bomb That The
Speaker 1: little girl's place of concealment is booby, Trapped with and
Speaker 1: this scene just feels very anticlimactic. To me, it's like
Speaker 1: we just had like a really awesome. Final fight we
Speaker 1: had this nice little twist on top of that, final
Speaker 1: fight but now we're just doing like a standard, you
Speaker 1: KNOW like tv show.
Speaker 3: Bomb, disartment yeah which wire? Is it and the final
Speaker 3: solution to the bomb Deactivation involves barnes using components from his.
Speaker 3: Bionic arm did you remember that he had a bionic
Speaker 3: arm at?
Speaker 1: THIS point i only thought of it when he ripped
Speaker 1: the module out of. THE head i, WAS like i
Speaker 1: guess because IT clearly i felt like we'd sprinkled this
Speaker 1: detail enough to where it would have to come back and,
Speaker 1: have MEANING and, i, THOUGHT well i guess that. Was
Speaker 1: it it was because he used the prosthetic arm to
Speaker 1: rip out, the module so it kind of surprised Me again, it's, like,
Speaker 1: oh okay this is this is how we're actually going
Speaker 1: to make use of.
Speaker 3: This detail he like pulls fiber optics out of his
Speaker 3: forearm and then like inserts them into the bomb to.
Speaker 3: Defuse it that's.
Speaker 1: Pretty.
Speaker 3: Good yeah also in the end when they, Defeat him
Speaker 3: BARNES destroys sid six point seven's Character, module bye throwing
Speaker 3: it off the top of. The, SKYSCRAPER man i FEEL
Speaker 3: like i would have done something a little. More, certain yeah,
Speaker 3: we do like follow up and we see it run
Speaker 3: over by, A truck so it's.
Speaker 1: All good.
Speaker 3: Sid's gone but wouldn't you would you want to make
Speaker 3: sure it. Was destroyed you don't even know where.
Speaker 1: It, lands yeah what it landed in the back of
Speaker 1: like a shipment of pillows, or SOMETHING or i. DON'T
Speaker 1: know i. Don't know there are so many ways that
Speaker 1: could have. Been saved or maybe it hits somebody in
Speaker 1: the head and gets embedded in. Their brain what, HAPPENS
Speaker 1: then i. Don't Know guess i'm your. Party man so
Speaker 1: that is virtuosity in all.
Speaker 3: ITS glory i feel like we still actually didn't hit
Speaker 3: everything that's potentially interesting. About it, BUT yes i will vouch.
Speaker 1: For it the.
Speaker 3: Viewing experience despite some, tonal mismatch some things that are
Speaker 3: just just go a little bit harder than they need
Speaker 3: to or a little bit nastier than they need, to
Speaker 3: be it is still a pretty, in fact, quite, funny
Speaker 3: nostalgic and.
Speaker 1: Enjoyable, experience yeah it Is a it's a movie that
Speaker 1: will make you laugh and it will make. You think
Speaker 1: there are various parts of this film that the do
Speaker 1: connect in interesting ways with where we are, now, technologically,
Speaker 1: socially politically.
Speaker 3: AND more i just want, to say one, last time
Speaker 3: hats Off to Russell. AND denzel I mean i. ADVOCATE
Speaker 3: this i think like a list actors should take the
Speaker 3: time to, do weird trashy little b movies and just
Speaker 3: go all, the way don't, hold back do give it.
Speaker 1: Your best absolutely, All right we're gonna go and close
Speaker 1: out this Episode Of Weird, house cinema but we would
Speaker 1: love to hear from everyone. Out there what do you Think?
Speaker 1: Of virtuosity did you see it back in the nineties
Speaker 1: when it, came out or do you at least remember.
Speaker 1: The trailers have you rediscovered it or watched it for
Speaker 1: the first time in. Recent years we would love to hear.
Speaker 1: Your thoughts as. A reminder Stuffed To Blow your mind
Speaker 1: is primarily a science and culture podcast with core Episodes
Speaker 1: on Tuesdays, and thursdays But on fridays we set aside
Speaker 1: most serious concerns to just talk about a weird Film
Speaker 1: On Weird. House cinema we've been doing this for one
Speaker 1: hundred and ninety, nine films and the next episode we
Speaker 1: do will be the Two Hundredth Weird house, Cinema selection
Speaker 1: so check back in and see what we finally decide on.
Speaker 1: For that and if you want to stay abreast of
Speaker 1: all the movies we've covered, thus far a great way
Speaker 1: to do it is to head on over to letterbox
Speaker 1: dot com our profile there Is weird house and you
Speaker 1: can find a nice list. Of everything do.
Speaker 3: You know what two? Hundred is when it's upside down?
Speaker 1: In?
Speaker 3: Dreams oh what?
Speaker 1: Is it IT'S double? O seven? IS it i?
Speaker 3: Don't know it's gonna say almost maybe it's, oohs, okay,
Speaker 3: Anyway huge thanks as always to our excellent Audio. Producer
Speaker 3: jjposway if you would like to get in touch with
Speaker 3: us with feedback on this episode or, any other to
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Speaker 3: hello you can email us at contact at Stuff to
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