1 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:16,279 Speaker 1: I'm Anny, I'm Noah, And this is no such thing. 2 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: The show where we settle our dumb arguments and yours 3 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 1: by actually doing the research. On today's episode, we're getting 4 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 1: to the bottom of the twin film phenomenon. 5 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 2: No, there's no no such thing. 6 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:31,639 Speaker 1: No touch than. 7 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 3: Touch, thank. 8 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: Touch, thank. 9 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 4: Touch, thank you. 10 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 1: Okay, we're here to talk about twin films and why 11 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: they happen so frequently. But first, obviously we have to 12 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: know what a twin film is. So we're talking about 13 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:04,680 Speaker 1: a pair of movies that have extraordinarily similar premises. Uh, 14 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: like that I like that pronunciation, and that release within 15 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: a year of each other. There there are some outliers 16 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: with this, like there are some twin films that come 17 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:17,919 Speaker 1: out more than a year apart. 18 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 5: Uh. 19 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 1: And there are some outliers that have to do with 20 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: the plot as well, Like there are some movies that 21 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: seem similar at first, but then when you watch them, 22 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 1: they're not really that similar. We're dealing with that right 23 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: now with Gerrameal del Toros Frankenstein in this movie coming 24 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: out next year from Maggie Gillenhall. I think it's called 25 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 1: The Bride. Sometimes both of the twin films are popular, 26 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: like Finding Nemo and a Sharks Tale. 27 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 6: Oh yeah, well I forgot about the Sharks two. I 28 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 6: was defining Nemo home, so we didn't. We didn't watch Sharks. 29 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: Finding Nemo was definitely I think the more popular one. Yeah, 30 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: you know was a classic, like Substitute Teacher. 31 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's like I remember renting that. I think renting 32 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 3: the DVD or something. 33 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, you weren't going to theater that, you know, Finding 34 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: Nemo we had the tape. 35 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah. 36 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 1: And Will Smith delivers a masterclass in Shark Tale. 37 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 6: And my man's psyched has just begged me not to 38 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 6: myrtalize all. 39 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 5: Y'all up in here right now. 40 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 2: I might listen to him, but I might not. 41 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 6: And that depends on individual behavior of all the individuals 42 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 6: in here individually. 43 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: In other instances, one twin film is just way more 44 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:30,519 Speaker 1: popular than the other one to the to the point 45 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: where you might not have even heard of the other one. 46 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: So one example is Madagascar. We all know and love 47 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: ye I'm I'm movement movement, movement, movement, not knocked up. 48 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: There was a Disney movie that came out the same 49 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: year called The Wild, which was the same plot. Animals 50 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: from the Central Park zoo end up in Africa. Oh, 51 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: and it had like I had, like a real cast 52 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 1: wild Have you ever heard of this movie? No? Oh, 53 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: I need to see it. Let me see some imagery. 54 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,679 Speaker 1: It just it looks like a generic, like a less 55 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,239 Speaker 1: stylized version of Madagascar. But in the cast we had 56 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 1: Key for Sutherland, Eddie Lizard, Richard Kind was in there, 57 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,839 Speaker 1: William Shatner. And it's like the same animals too. There's 58 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: a graft. 59 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 5: Who's the zebra? 60 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: There's no zebra? Okay, there's a draft in this one. Anyway, 61 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 1: I thought that was interesting making a zoom movie, it 62 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:30,239 Speaker 1: would have a draft in line. But of course, the 63 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: most referred to example of twin films is of course 64 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: Armageddon and Deep Impact. Uh, we're gonna save that one 65 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: for later when we talked to the what went wrong folks, 66 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: But from my recollection, I think like Armageddon was like 67 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 1: the big, dumb, loud one, and Deep Impact was supposed 68 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 1: to be the higher brow, smartly written one. We'll see 69 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: if that holds up. But before we get into like 70 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: why exactly twin films happened so regularly with so much frequency, 71 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: what are some other ones that I'm missing? Like, what 72 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: are some big twin films. 73 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 6: There was the like rom coms of no Strings attached, 74 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 6: Oh yeah, and then friends with Benefits. 75 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: I'm a doctor, I worked eighty hours a week. I 76 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: need someone who's going to be in my bed at 77 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 1: two am, who I don't have to eat breakfast with. 78 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: I'm emotionally unavailable. 79 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:20,479 Speaker 2: I'm emotionally damaged. 80 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,160 Speaker 4: You know what I'm saying, No emotions, just sux. 81 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 6: Those came out around the same time, around you know, 82 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 6: like friends who are love interests or artists. 83 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:37,040 Speaker 1: You were the two Kutcher and uh who Natalie Portman 84 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: Natalie Portman, and then the other one was Myla Cunis 85 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: and Timberlake. And that's funny because Ashton Kutcher is married 86 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: to me Lacunas. They should have just had them in 87 00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 1: the same movie. 88 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 5: Yeah. I don't know if they were married at the time. 89 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:51,279 Speaker 6: I don't think they were, probably not, but they were 90 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 6: on that seventies show together, which is how. 91 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: They since then more than oh you're someone someone looked 92 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 1: this up, Jame not not now? 93 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 5: Yeah? 94 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:04,480 Speaker 1: What are some other ones? Like one I remember is 95 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: Dante's Peak. Yeah, I was just thinking that in. 96 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 3: The tone of Dante's Peak, a volcano is turning nature into. 97 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:20,840 Speaker 1: A nightmare, which was Pierce Brosnan like disaster movie that 98 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: takes place in the Pacific Northwest. You know, they're escaping 99 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: from a volcanic a volcanic eruption. And this was an 100 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: example of one that was way more popular than the 101 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:32,599 Speaker 1: other one, I think because I hadn't even known about 102 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 1: this movie Volcano with Tommy Lee Jones in a. 103 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 2: City where anything can happen on April twenty fifth. 104 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:48,280 Speaker 1: It will same year or within a year of each other, 105 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: and same exact plot. But just I had not heard 106 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:53,799 Speaker 1: of that one. Have you guys heard of Volcano? 107 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, but definitely Dante's peak was like always on, like yeah, TBS, yeah, 108 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:02,120 Speaker 3: TVs like constantly. 109 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: Another classic one that's more recent is Olympus has Fallen, 110 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: White House Down. 111 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,280 Speaker 6: Yeah, we're talking about the safety of the president of 112 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 6: the United States. 113 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:15,600 Speaker 5: We're talking about all of them more than. 114 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 1: That, sir, Which is funny because they also both have 115 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 1: black presidents in them. Hey, what's funny? 116 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 5: We had run all right? People forget there's been one. 117 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 1: We did have one here. It made sense. Yes, I 118 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:30,720 Speaker 1: think Morgan Freeman is the president in one of them, 119 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: and Jamie Fox is the president and I'm pretty sure 120 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:38,720 Speaker 1: right whichever one say, yeah, that's crazy, that's my president 121 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: right there. 122 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 5: It's like he's young. 123 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 1: So Olympus has fallen? Is the Gerard Butler one, Yeah, okay? 124 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 1: And Channing Tatum's in White Houstone, I think, so White 125 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 1: House Down will be Channing Tatum and Jamie Fox. Is 126 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 1: Jamie Fox the president or is he just any president? 127 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:53,920 Speaker 1: James Sawyer? 128 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 5: Oh wow? 129 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 1: And before any Olympus has fallen heads send me angry emails. 130 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,919 Speaker 1: I should clear that Morgan Freeman's character is only technically 131 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:08,679 Speaker 1: acting president. The elected president is Aaron Eckert. But of course, 132 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: there is one pair of twin films that the three 133 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 1: of us have spent a lot of time debating way back, 134 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: starting in twenty sixteen, and that is a Bugs Life 135 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: for the colony and for a press but everywhere versus Ants. 136 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: He's willing to live for the colony, to fight for 137 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,120 Speaker 1: the colony, to die. 138 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 5: For the colony. 139 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 2: This guy's crazy. 140 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 3: Now. 141 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 1: The reason we've been debating this is that Noah and 142 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: I feel like Ants is the obvious better movie, and 143 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 1: Devin thinks that we're crazy, of course, and I actually 144 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 1: want to break the differences between these movies down for 145 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 1: the listeners, because I think understanding the differences between these 146 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:58,960 Speaker 1: movies might actually be useful for us in terms of 147 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 1: trying to figure out why films happen in the first place. 148 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: So let's start with the plot. Both movies are about 149 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: ants that spark a revolution of sorts against their oppressors. 150 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: In a bug's life, the oppressors are grasshoppers, evil grasshoppers. 151 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:17,160 Speaker 1: They're not really dynamic. They're just evil. They just come 152 00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 1: and bully and eat everything. So where is it? 153 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:23,800 Speaker 5: Where's my phone? 154 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 2: It's a little more interesting. 155 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: In Ants, the ants are in a war with these 156 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:32,920 Speaker 1: termites that are encroaching on their territory. But the war 157 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 1: general for the ants is like sending the ants that 158 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: are loyal to the queen off to war on a 159 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: suicide mission so that he and the remaining ants can 160 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:47,280 Speaker 1: enact at coup d'eta damite colonies. 161 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 2: Sir, that's suicide exactly. 162 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 3: You have the list I asked for, Yes, General, these 163 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:57,160 Speaker 3: are the units loyal to the queen. 164 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 1: So, Devin, why don't you tell us a little bit 165 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: about why you're wrong to think that a bugs life 166 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: is better and more interesting than that? Plot. 167 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:09,000 Speaker 5: Well, first of all, both of these are supposed to 168 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:09,680 Speaker 5: be kids movies. 169 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: That's true allegedly. 170 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:17,560 Speaker 6: Okay, uh so A Bugs Life is picture our universe. Basically, 171 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 6: A Bugs Life looks like I don't know if there 172 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:21,880 Speaker 6: is some sort of like Easter Egg. It looks like 173 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:26,439 Speaker 6: it's a toy story. Yeah, like that style, very similar style. 174 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,079 Speaker 6: You zoom in on want to Andy's Toys in the 175 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 6: grass somewhere, and you saw A bug Life happening, You'd 176 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:35,599 Speaker 6: like this makes sense. Yes, so toy story iconic, A 177 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 6: Bugs Life iconic. Okay, they live in the same world. 178 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 6: Just just remember that. The thing that I love about 179 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 6: A Bugs Life is it has so many memorable scenes. 180 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 6: We did it back to backwashing of A Bugs Life 181 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:51,319 Speaker 6: and Ants. You know, I had not watched this film 182 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 6: since I don't know, well, I was a child. 183 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:56,280 Speaker 5: A long time ago. 184 00:09:56,679 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 6: That tracks and I had rememb scenes from A Bug's Life, 185 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,160 Speaker 6: which is crazy all these years. It's not something that 186 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 6: really comes up, you know, in pop culture or anything 187 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 6: that you're like, you know, I'm not, And I was like, 188 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:16,080 Speaker 6: oh my god. I remember the rain, specifically that rain 189 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 6: scene where the ants are running for their lives because 190 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:22,480 Speaker 6: the rain drops are like, yes, and it is a 191 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 6: thing that, like, from my childhood to now, I thought 192 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,560 Speaker 6: about and I didn't realize that I was thinking about 193 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 6: it because of A bugs lif When it rains and 194 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 6: I'm outside and I see bugs, I thought like, oh, shoot, 195 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:36,559 Speaker 6: it's to go down. And then when I just watched 196 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:38,719 Speaker 6: it more recently, it's like, oh, it's because of a 197 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 6: Bug's life. And that, I think is when you think 198 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 6: of childhood movies, those scenes that stay with you, that change. 199 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:49,160 Speaker 5: The way you view the world. 200 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 6: Wow, okay, this is why we make films. And when 201 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 6: we watched ants if it felt like some weird Woody 202 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:09,200 Speaker 6: Allen nightmare. Okay, yeah, well it's dark, it's very moody. 203 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,760 Speaker 6: It's just like, I'm like, what, this is not for kids. 204 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:14,800 Speaker 6: This feels like some adult was going through something and 205 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:16,719 Speaker 6: they're forcing their kids to sit down and watch this. 206 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 6: It's like it feels like divorce dad energy. 207 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: A bugs Life is certainly more colorful and easier on 208 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: the eyes. And it's funny. 209 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 6: A Buzs Life is hilarious. Scene the scene, every line 210 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:31,920 Speaker 6: is a joke. I'm watching ANTS, I'm like, what, nothing, 211 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:33,400 Speaker 6: It really is not funny. 212 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:36,840 Speaker 3: It's kind of depressing, and it's funny because there's an 213 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 3: there's PTSD. 214 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,160 Speaker 1: It's that's it's funny. It's kind of cob you know, 215 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: it's it's funny that the Ants have trauma. 216 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 5: I'm sorry, I don't think trauma is funny, but you 217 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 5: know some of us, some of us, I guess. 218 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: So let's go cast for cast. Here. You got Kevin 219 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: Spacey obviously as the villain Hopper. 220 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:01,160 Speaker 5: Playing the proper role. Yeah, Evan Spacey, the villain, a 221 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,839 Speaker 5: bad guy playing exactly great casting if you think about it. 222 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:06,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, but this was the way before he was They 223 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: knew there's something darkening. Yeah. 224 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:09,960 Speaker 5: Uh. 225 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 1: Julia Luis Dreyfus plays Atta. 226 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 5: Yeah, love interest. 227 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:17,199 Speaker 1: Hayden Penny Tier is a dot the I think the 228 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:22,559 Speaker 1: Little Girl aunt Richard Kind. You've got Dennis Leary. So 229 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 1: you know, it's pretty stacked cast. But let's look at 230 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 1: Ants because Ants has some fucking hitters in the cast. 231 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: Woody Allen obviously. 232 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:32,720 Speaker 5: Woody Allen, it's a voice. 233 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, your boy, Kevin space no problem. 234 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:39,440 Speaker 2: Okay, we don't need to go there. 235 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 1: Both films have problematic actors and memory. This is a wash. Yeah, 236 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:47,760 Speaker 1: they cancel each other out. Gene Hackman is Mandible, who 237 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:50,840 Speaker 1: I believe is like the War General r P. Sharon 238 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:55,360 Speaker 1: Stone is Bala. You got Dan Ackroyd, You've got Danny Glover. 239 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:00,920 Speaker 1: Jennifer Lopez plays ass Teca Celeste Stallone. I mean this 240 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:04,640 Speaker 1: is nuts. Christopher Walking Jim Yeah, I'm gonna say that 241 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,439 Speaker 1: the Ants cast edges out A Bugs Life cast in 242 00:13:07,559 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 1: terms of, you know, real hitters. 243 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,000 Speaker 5: If you just want to put names on the board, sure, yeah, 244 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:15,599 Speaker 5: what in the world? Okay, but can you name what 245 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 5: happened these people did in the movie? 246 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: Gene Hackman is Manda. 247 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 5: Jennifer Lopez was. 248 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,959 Speaker 1: Well, you know that's true. I don't have a I 249 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: don't have an argument against that. Sly Stallone is in 250 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:28,679 Speaker 1: there as a character that looks like him. 251 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 3: I remember this, and I believe Chris Walking too is 252 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:33,560 Speaker 3: kind of Yeah, they do tell me that's what Sharks 253 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:37,160 Speaker 3: did too, which I think all animated movies should do that. No, well, 254 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 3: could you talk a little bit about why you like 255 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 3: Ants the film better than A Bug's Life. 256 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm just I like more mature sorts of things. 257 00:13:43,559 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 5: I like a PG movie. 258 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:46,079 Speaker 1: If I can get one, you know. 259 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:50,199 Speaker 3: I like kind of edgy humor, like that, So, you know, 260 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:52,559 Speaker 3: I was, you know, kind of refreshing myself on Ants, 261 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:55,960 Speaker 3: and you know, it's it really is a proper war movie. 262 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 3: There's nods to Apocalypse now there's there was one scene 263 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:01,280 Speaker 3: that really set up to me, especially on our rewatch, 264 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:04,640 Speaker 3: was there's this huge, real pretty serious battle scene and 265 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:07,040 Speaker 3: then the leader he's decapitated. 266 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:08,320 Speaker 1: The second I remember this. 267 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 3: Don't make my mistake, don't follow it as your whole 268 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:21,240 Speaker 3: life thinking for yourself anyway, the bodyless head is you know, 269 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 3: kind of giving his final words of like whoa this is? 270 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 5: Is wild? 271 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 1: That's a dark movie. 272 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:27,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's just a little for me as an adult 273 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:30,920 Speaker 3: watching this, not sharing it with kids, it's more interesting 274 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 3: to watch today. Oh grant, I didn't really watch Bugs 275 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 3: Life as a kid. I watched it, but it was 276 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 3: never like on rotation for. 277 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:40,400 Speaker 1: Me for whatever reason. So it didn't imprint the way 278 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:42,560 Speaker 1: where it's like these certain little scenes. 279 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 5: You didn't have a good watch I say that? Did 280 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:46,000 Speaker 5: I say that? 281 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: I did not say that. I enjoyed watching both of them. 282 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 2: I like picking we're picking one. 283 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 5: That's the prompt. 284 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 2: I simply enjoy the. 285 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,880 Speaker 5: More, And I like you had more fun watching Ants. 286 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: There's a little bit more of I guess they kind 287 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:03,800 Speaker 1: of have different goals. And that's what's tough about this is, 288 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: despite the fact that they're twin films, they're not necessarily 289 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 1: one for want. They're not so easy to compare. And 290 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 1: I like the kind of ugly, garish art style of ANTS. Yeah, 291 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 1: they look like something to look at. 292 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 3: And I appreciate the kind of neurotic witticisms of you know, 293 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:20,120 Speaker 3: the Woody Allen esque character. 294 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 5: Yeah. 295 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 1: I think here in New York the humor was really interesting. 296 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:26,920 Speaker 1: But that's not to say I disliked A Bug's Life. 297 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 1: I mean, it's definitely I. 298 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 6: Know, I know you two didn't dislike it because y'all 299 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 6: were cracking up, gigglin the whole time. 300 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: Again, not much being said. You think about sitting with 301 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 1: when we're watching ANTS, taking notes. 302 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 5: I watched movies to be entertained. 303 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: Okay, you can do both ideally, you get both ideally. 304 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:48,320 Speaker 2: Okay. 305 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 1: So now we know what a twin film is and 306 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: we've been through many, many examples. After the break, we're 307 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: gonna chat with the hosts of the What Went Wrong 308 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:00,920 Speaker 1: podcast the show about the film and and see if 309 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: we can get their thoughts on why twin films happened 310 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:17,880 Speaker 1: so regularly in the first place. All right, We're now 311 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: joined by Lizzie and Chris from the popular What Went 312 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 1: Wrong podcast. Thank you guys for joining us. Thank you 313 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:26,800 Speaker 1: so much for having us. It's an honor to be here. 314 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:28,480 Speaker 1: You guys are so much fancier than us. 315 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 2: You have mugste Yeah, yeah, we try, we try. 316 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:41,960 Speaker 1: Before you guys joined us, we were talking about this 317 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: phenomenon of the twin films. We had just ended a 318 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 1: rigorous debate about whether A Bugs Life or Ants is 319 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: the better film. Noah and I are on the ants 320 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: on team Ants, and Devin is team of Bugs Life. 321 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: I'm just curious what your guys take. Are you have 322 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: a strong opinion you too. 323 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:05,199 Speaker 4: With your Aunts defending I am I'm done. I'm very 324 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 4: interested to I can't wait to hear what your argument 325 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,040 Speaker 4: was for both sides. But now I'm mad. 326 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:16,199 Speaker 2: I would also lean a Bugs Life, although not as 327 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 2: hard as Lizzie. I appreciate as the manifestation of Jeffrey 328 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 2: Katzenberg in a movie, but I still prefer I think, overall, 329 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:28,159 Speaker 2: a Bugs Life. But I have kids that age like 330 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 2: I would show my daughter a Bugs Life. I probably 331 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 2: wouldn't show her aunts At this point. 332 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 1: I agree with that. 333 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:39,680 Speaker 6: It's an enjoyable film. It's so much fun, so memorable. Yeah, 334 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 6: and it feels like, you. 335 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:43,280 Speaker 2: Know, I don't have to think of Alan marrying his 336 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:46,359 Speaker 2: stepdaughter while I'm watching it, exactly. 337 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:48,320 Speaker 1: It's you have to do you have to think about 338 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 1: Kevin Spacey. 339 00:17:57,280 --> 00:17:59,480 Speaker 4: Yeah, I don't need Woody Allen as the romantic lead. 340 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:01,200 Speaker 4: And you want to know, my biggest problem with Ants 341 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 4: was that I literally screamed at the TV when I 342 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,160 Speaker 4: was rewatching it for this episode they're human teeth. It's 343 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:11,479 Speaker 4: the most horrible, Yeah, says so creepy horrible when he's 344 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:13,680 Speaker 4: chewing on the plastic. I was like, I'm this sit, 345 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 4: I'm done. 346 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: Yes, So Chris and Lizzie. When it comes to Ants 347 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:21,680 Speaker 1: and A Bug's Life coming out at the same time, 348 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:26,480 Speaker 1: is it true that there was an alleged intellectual property theft? 349 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:27,920 Speaker 1: Can you tell us a little bit about that? 350 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 2: Well, my understanding is so development on A Bug's Life 351 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:41,000 Speaker 2: began before development on Ants, and so John Lassiter was 352 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:43,439 Speaker 2: the director of A Bug's Life, who was written by 353 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:46,440 Speaker 2: Andrew Stanton. Joe Ranft, who actually does the voice of 354 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:50,440 Speaker 2: Heimlich in the movie. Was co story creator with those two, 355 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:54,480 Speaker 2: and this was a well known project within the animation community. 356 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,640 Speaker 2: And I have a slightly different thesis as to why 357 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:01,000 Speaker 2: these two movies are both around bugs. Lizz about Toy 358 00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:03,280 Speaker 2: Story on our podcast, and one of the reasons that 359 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:07,639 Speaker 2: they chose toys was because highly reflective surfaces as a 360 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,360 Speaker 2: texture are a lot easier to animate. At this point 361 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:14,560 Speaker 2: in the technologies, like maturation process in the mid nineteen nineties, 362 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:17,200 Speaker 2: it's really hard to do hair. This is why like Monsters, Inc. 363 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:19,680 Speaker 2: And Shrek don't come until the early two thousands. A 364 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:21,719 Speaker 2: bug's Life makes a lot of sense because, okay, well 365 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:25,440 Speaker 2: we can animate bugs, right they have these they're exoskeletons, 366 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:28,959 Speaker 2: they're shiny. This makes sense. Also, it's ants. We can 367 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:31,200 Speaker 2: make one model and then we can clone it a 368 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 2: bunch of times, and it's like Andy and all his 369 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:37,840 Speaker 2: friends at the birthday party and Toy Story. So the 370 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:43,680 Speaker 2: allegations were that Lasseter and Katzenberg had more unfriendly terms. 371 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:49,399 Speaker 2: Katzenberg acrimoniously left Disney. He felt he had been owed 372 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:54,240 Speaker 2: a higher position by then CEO Michael Eisner. He was 373 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:58,120 Speaker 2: looked over after Lizzie remind David Wells or Frank Wells. 374 00:19:58,160 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 2: I can never remember. 375 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:00,879 Speaker 4: Oh man, I want I say it's Frank Wells, but 376 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 4: let me double check. He's the he was the head 377 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,240 Speaker 4: of Disney who I'm sure you guys know about this, 378 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:09,080 Speaker 4: But he died unexpectedly in helicopter crash. 379 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:10,960 Speaker 2: It's Frank Wells, so frankly. 380 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:15,200 Speaker 4: And it's pretty wild because you know, we talked about 381 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:17,080 Speaker 4: this in Toy Story, but this guy dies in a 382 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:20,720 Speaker 4: helicopter crash. And then Jeffrey Katzenberg is like, oh, he's dead. 383 00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:22,640 Speaker 4: Is it my turn? Is it my turn? 384 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 5: Now? 385 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:26,840 Speaker 2: What's up with the promotion? Let's get this going? 386 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:28,040 Speaker 1: Oh my god. 387 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:31,120 Speaker 2: Katzenberg leaves. He ends up suing Disney for an unpaid 388 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:33,680 Speaker 2: bonus of well over one hundred million dollars. He also 389 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,359 Speaker 2: was on the you know, Michael Ovitz, formerly of CAAA, 390 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:39,160 Speaker 2: is coming in. It's a very messy time. DreamWorks gets built, 391 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:42,760 Speaker 2: and obviously Pixar starts working with Disney for their distribution 392 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:45,320 Speaker 2: of Toy Story and then A Bug's Life. And so 393 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:51,240 Speaker 2: the accusation is that that Katzenberg stole the idea for 394 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:54,160 Speaker 2: A Bug's Life or ants from a Bug's Life after 395 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:58,120 Speaker 2: having soundboard conversations with Lassiter, who felt that he could 396 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:03,640 Speaker 2: trust Katzenberg. On Katzenberg's side, my understanding is he has asserted, 397 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:06,440 Speaker 2: although I've heard also that he has kind of admitted 398 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 2: as much that he may have taken this idea from Lassitter. 399 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:12,240 Speaker 2: He has asserted that there was a pitch for a 400 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:15,960 Speaker 2: movie called Army Ants back in nineteen eighty eight while 401 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 2: he was at Disney Animation that was about a worker 402 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:23,239 Speaker 2: aunt trying to bestow the benefits of individuality upon their 403 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:27,120 Speaker 2: colony that went nowhere, and that that's kind of where 404 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 2: the idea originated, and then. 405 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:30,240 Speaker 5: He picked it up. 406 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,480 Speaker 2: My guess, my best guess, and you guys can tell me, like, 407 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 2: I don't know if we know the truth, but my 408 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 2: best guess is there are technological limitations in place, and 409 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:42,159 Speaker 2: there's only so many types of characters that you can 410 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 2: do at this point in time. And Toy Story had 411 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:48,520 Speaker 2: already come out, and I think Toy Soldiers is maybe 412 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 2: around this time as well, and so like the DreamWorks 413 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,359 Speaker 2: is this upstart, we probably don't want to do toys. Okay, 414 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,800 Speaker 2: we'll do bugs, and we could probably come close to 415 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 2: doing bugs. Pixars doing bugs. They just bought PDI. I'd 416 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:02,640 Speaker 2: also heard that PDI specific data Imaging had a BUGS 417 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 2: treatment in the works as well that was also different 418 00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 2: than a bugs life. So again, my instinct in this 419 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 2: could get come to my big unifying theory about twin 420 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:15,879 Speaker 2: films is that maybe Katzenberg stole it, or maybe he 421 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 2: was mulling on this and he saw Pixar as proof 422 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:23,200 Speaker 2: that this was a good direction for DreamWorks to go. 423 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:27,960 Speaker 1: Before we get your guys's thoughts and theories about why 424 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:31,840 Speaker 1: twin films kind of occur so regularly, or at least 425 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:34,800 Speaker 1: they seem to occur so regularly. I wanted to talk 426 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:36,760 Speaker 1: a little bit about Armageddon. 427 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 2: Hitting a rock from the outside and we'll be the 428 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,680 Speaker 2: job so we knew this thing from the inside. Ah, 429 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 2: we drill from bringing the World's prest. 430 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:48,960 Speaker 1: Dave Cordriller and Deep Impact, two comments were discovered. Is 431 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:51,160 Speaker 1: on a collision course with Earth. 432 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:52,320 Speaker 4: Oh my god. 433 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:54,960 Speaker 1: I haven't seen those movies in a very long time, 434 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:56,919 Speaker 1: but from what I recall, I want to see if 435 00:22:56,960 --> 00:22:59,919 Speaker 1: this is accurate. Armageddon is kind of like the big, 436 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,920 Speaker 1: big dumb blockbuster, and Deep Impact is a slightly more, 437 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 1: slightly smarter, higher brow disaster film. 438 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:08,320 Speaker 5: Is that right? 439 00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:09,879 Speaker 1: Am I making that out? No? No, you're right. 440 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:11,159 Speaker 4: But here's what's funny. 441 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:14,160 Speaker 2: They're closer than we remember. Yea, they are. 442 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:17,239 Speaker 4: Closer and honestly, I so we did this for our 443 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:19,800 Speaker 4: live show, which was a blast. We did these two movies, 444 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,359 Speaker 4: and I went into it remembering the same thing, Like 445 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:24,720 Speaker 4: I loved Deep Impact when I was a kid, and 446 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:26,879 Speaker 4: I was like, this is the smart movie. This is 447 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:29,760 Speaker 4: the movie that carries about science, and I can't wait 448 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 4: to rewatch this. And I rewatched it and I was like, God, 449 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:35,560 Speaker 4: I'm bored. I miss Armageddon and you watch Armageddon and 450 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:38,680 Speaker 4: it's just insane. It's completely insane. I loved it. 451 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,440 Speaker 1: Can you show us about the similarities and the differences 452 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:42,400 Speaker 1: between these two movies? 453 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 4: Sure? So you you know, you have an asteroid that 454 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,320 Speaker 4: is hurtling towards Earth and the only way to get 455 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:49,159 Speaker 4: rid of it is to blow it up, and then 456 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:54,399 Speaker 4: from there, from there it just the paths diverge in 457 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:54,840 Speaker 4: the wood. 458 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 2: But the how they're going to deal with it is 459 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:01,520 Speaker 2: the same blow it up. They're gonna blow it up 460 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 2: by drilling and sticking a nuke in the hole, right, 461 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 2: and with. 462 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 4: Deep Impact, it makes like a decent amount of sense 463 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 4: how they're gonna go about this. They're gonna use astronauts, 464 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:13,040 Speaker 4: which you know they're going to space, so that that tracks. 465 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:17,440 Speaker 4: And then you have Armageddon where. 466 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 2: This is where Lizzie and I differ in our opinions. 467 00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:23,400 Speaker 2: By the way, this is the good, good idea. 468 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:26,280 Speaker 4: You have Armageddon where Bruce Willis walks in to Billy 469 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:29,159 Speaker 4: Bob Thornton at NASA and he's like, I believe the 470 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:31,720 Speaker 4: line is something along the lines of, you know, you 471 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:32,080 Speaker 4: want to. 472 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,560 Speaker 2: Send these boys into space. Fine, I'm sure they'll make 473 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:35,359 Speaker 2: good astronauts. 474 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 1: They don't know. 475 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:39,760 Speaker 2: Jack about drilling. They don't know jack about drilling. I 476 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,000 Speaker 2: haven't drilling for forty years. And then he basically says, look, 477 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:47,639 Speaker 2: you need less astronauts, more oil drillers, and they send like. 478 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:50,159 Speaker 4: One William Fickner into space, and then the rest are 479 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:54,240 Speaker 4: all oil drillers and you know what they do it, guys, 480 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:55,360 Speaker 4: They get it done. 481 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:57,640 Speaker 2: So they're very similar in a lot of ways, they're 482 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:00,480 Speaker 2: very structurally different. What's interesting is obviously army and presents 483 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:02,720 Speaker 2: itself as an action movie. Deep Impact is effectively a 484 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:04,840 Speaker 2: soap opera. It's a melodrama at the end of the day. 485 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,520 Speaker 2: But it is interesting both were very successful. Armageddon was 486 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:11,320 Speaker 2: more successful at the box office ultimately, and the I 487 00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:12,920 Speaker 2: don't know if you guys came across this advice. Some 488 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:15,200 Speaker 2: executive at one point say, you know, when you're dealing 489 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:17,119 Speaker 2: with the twin film situation, the key is to come 490 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:20,280 Speaker 2: out first. But the more I looked into it, I 491 00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:22,919 Speaker 2: don't think that's really the case. The key is, if 492 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,439 Speaker 2: you're the lesser of the two films, come out. 493 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:27,360 Speaker 5: Come out first. 494 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 2: What's more important, meaning like, if you don't have the 495 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 2: star power, if you don't think you have the marketing punch, 496 00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:35,440 Speaker 2: maybe you don't think your movies is good, you should 497 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:38,240 Speaker 2: probably land first. That that might be good advice. 498 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,119 Speaker 4: You know, as I was watching Ants and a Bugs 499 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:43,920 Speaker 4: Life and also thinking about Deep In, Back to Armageddon 500 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:45,719 Speaker 4: and so many of these other twin films, it does 501 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:49,920 Speaker 4: seem to me that the dichotomy is often one of them. 502 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:52,840 Speaker 4: As you explain this, Manny, one of them is set 503 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:55,399 Speaker 4: up as like this is the smart movie, like this 504 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:57,560 Speaker 4: is the one for all the smart people, and the 505 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:00,200 Speaker 4: other ones like this is the big dumb one, this 506 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:02,600 Speaker 4: is the big dump gun one, And that seems to 507 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:04,840 Speaker 4: be true kind of across a lot of these, and 508 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,040 Speaker 4: I just wonder why, Like, is that just how they 509 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 4: start to differentiate them as they realize that they're on 510 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:11,240 Speaker 4: parallel paths. 511 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 5: But I don't know. 512 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:13,160 Speaker 4: I'm curious what you guys think. 513 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:15,440 Speaker 1: It's a great question, especially thinking about some of the 514 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: other popular twin films examples, Like we were talking earlier 515 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:24,960 Speaker 1: about Dante's Peak versus Volcano and talking about how like 516 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:27,760 Speaker 1: in some of these instances, one of the movie just 517 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:30,480 Speaker 1: becomes way more popular and famous than the other one. 518 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:33,800 Speaker 1: I actually hadn't heard of Volcano until I was researching 519 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:36,880 Speaker 1: twin films movies. But it's not like a no name 520 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:39,240 Speaker 1: movie like Tommy Lee Jones is the star of it. 521 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:41,280 Speaker 1: So I haven't seen Volcano. I don't know if that 522 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: one is branded or marketed as like a dumber or okay, dumb? 523 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:48,080 Speaker 4: Is it as dumb as Dante's Peak. 524 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:51,240 Speaker 2: It's dumber in the sense that Dante's Peak is making 525 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,160 Speaker 2: an attempt to model itself after the eruption of Mount 526 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,920 Speaker 2: Saint Helens and Volcano is there's a volcano in La 527 00:26:58,200 --> 00:26:59,399 Speaker 2: This is crazy. 528 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:03,800 Speaker 1: That come from? So wait, what is the story behind 529 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:06,639 Speaker 1: Armageddon and Deep Impact? How did those come out at 530 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:07,200 Speaker 1: the same time. 531 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:09,639 Speaker 2: Well, this one's really interesting. A lot of twin films 532 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:14,480 Speaker 2: are disaster films, not surprisingly, and you know, Hollywood, the 533 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:17,119 Speaker 2: peak of disaster films in Hollywood was the nineteen seventies, right. 534 00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:20,800 Speaker 2: You had Airport exclamation Point in nineteen seventy, which shockingly 535 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,679 Speaker 2: made a ton of money. Things kind of hit their 536 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:28,119 Speaker 2: zenis with Towering Inferno, which actually was competing twin films 537 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:31,240 Speaker 2: that came together from two different studios. Irwin Allen was 538 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:34,200 Speaker 2: the producer behind a lot of these big, big disaster movies, 539 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:36,480 Speaker 2: and they were really an exploration of the peak of 540 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:40,680 Speaker 2: what could be done with modern special effects, miniatures, incredible 541 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:43,359 Speaker 2: stage builds, et cetera. That tails off at the end 542 00:27:43,359 --> 00:27:45,600 Speaker 2: of the nineteen seventies. You have some attempts at eco 543 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 2: horror like Swarm and stuff like that, and then we 544 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:50,439 Speaker 2: get into like action blockbusters of the eighties. But then 545 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:53,200 Speaker 2: you have a new technological revolution with Jurassic Park in 546 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:54,879 Speaker 2: the early nineteen nineties, and all of a sudden, we 547 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:56,800 Speaker 2: have all these new tools in our toolbox that we 548 00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:59,000 Speaker 2: can play with, and so then you get this new 549 00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 2: renaissance of disaster films. You know, Twister with Jon Debant, 550 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:05,880 Speaker 2: Titanic for example, and obviously Deep Impact and Army Again. 551 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 2: And so what's interesting is one of the films has 552 00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:12,399 Speaker 2: its roots in the nineteen seventies. Deep Impact is Xanak 553 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,000 Speaker 2: and Brown who had produced Jaws and a number of 554 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 2: other films, and they were going to do an adaptation 555 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:19,480 Speaker 2: of When World's Collide, which was a very famous book 556 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:23,359 Speaker 2: about another planet hitting Earth. And I think the problem 557 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:28,399 Speaker 2: was development kind of spiraled until the disaster film renaissance 558 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:30,119 Speaker 2: had run its course at the end of the seventies. 559 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:33,399 Speaker 2: They put the script in a drawer. Early nineties, they 560 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:35,480 Speaker 2: pulled the script out of the drawer. They kind of 561 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 2: stopped working together, but they say, hey, we're going to 562 00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:38,800 Speaker 2: come back for one last hurrah. They take it to 563 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:42,440 Speaker 2: Steven Spielberg at DreamWorks, who says, great, I'm going to 564 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 2: direct this, and we have all these brand new technological tools. 565 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:47,800 Speaker 2: He's just done Jurassic Park, like, we can actually show 566 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:51,360 Speaker 2: an asteroid hitting the Earth. And then Lizzie, maybe you 567 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:53,880 Speaker 2: can talk a little bit about how this idea may 568 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:57,680 Speaker 2: have found its way to rival Studio Disney in the 569 00:28:57,760 --> 00:28:58,760 Speaker 2: mid nineteen nineties. 570 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:03,000 Speaker 4: This is another dream Works in Disney rivalry across these 571 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:07,520 Speaker 4: two movies, but so unconfirmed, but there is reason to 572 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:11,600 Speaker 4: believe that the screenwriter for Uh, Deep Impact, one of 573 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:16,760 Speaker 4: the screenwriters may have had lunch with Michael Ovitz. 574 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 2: We lunch with an unnamed president of Disney, yes, and 575 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:25,640 Speaker 2: we believe it might be Michael Ovitz. 576 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:29,000 Speaker 4: Right, and this is Bruce Joel Rubin. It could be 577 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:32,840 Speaker 4: Michael Ovitz. But regardless, they sat down, they had lunch, 578 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 4: and you know, he asks Bruce what he's working on? 579 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:39,040 Speaker 4: What are you working on? And Bruce is like, wow, 580 00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:41,800 Speaker 4: you know, I probably shouldn't tell you. It's for dream 581 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:45,240 Speaker 4: for It's for DreamWorks. And he's like, we're buddies. We're 582 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:47,200 Speaker 4: buddies here, you know, we're just guys, just a couple 583 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 4: of guys. 584 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:52,920 Speaker 2: Michael Ovitz formerly Steven Spielberg's agent, so maybe said to him, Hey, 585 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 2: I've worked with Steve for you know, twenty years. We're friends. 586 00:29:57,120 --> 00:29:59,680 Speaker 4: I'm a safe space. So anyway, they have this lunch, 587 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:03,240 Speaker 4: Bruce explains what he's working on. He you know, gives 588 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:07,520 Speaker 4: the full elevator pitch and more for Deep Impact, and 589 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:15,040 Speaker 4: then taking notes during the lunch, which at that point 590 00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:21,120 Speaker 4: you should probably stop talking yes, that's how I remember 591 00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:25,280 Speaker 4: what I like about my friends. You know, it's so 592 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 4: funny because shortly thereafter, Michael Bay and Jonathan Hensley go 593 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:37,800 Speaker 4: in to pitch Armageddon and they have like the loosest 594 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:43,719 Speaker 4: of loose napkin scribbled ideas for this movie and they 595 00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:48,520 Speaker 4: go in and the pitch is so fast. Disney's like, yes, Greenlit, 596 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:51,440 Speaker 4: it's happening. We're doing it. And by the way, it's 597 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:53,280 Speaker 4: called Armageddon, and you're gonna be in the theaters in 598 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:56,440 Speaker 4: you know, a year. And the theory is that, you know, 599 00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 4: perhaps they were already noodling this after that lunch, and 600 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:01,840 Speaker 4: so when Michael Bay came in and he was like, uh, 601 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 4: what about astronauts and oil drillers, they were like, done, done, Michael, 602 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:05,800 Speaker 4: we love it. 603 00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 5: I can't wait. 604 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:09,560 Speaker 2: And what's funny is Armageddon is the production that worked 605 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:12,160 Speaker 2: closely with NASA, and so it's. 606 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:14,320 Speaker 4: The one that they had to have approved by NASA 607 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:16,040 Speaker 4: for scientific accuracy. 608 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 2: And what is interesting too, Lizzie, you know, as we 609 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 2: talked about in our episode, is there were two other 610 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 2: asteroid related projects in development. So James Cameron's Bright Angel 611 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:27,760 Speaker 2: Falling was set up at I believe twentieth century Fox 612 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:31,120 Speaker 2: at the time, with Peter Hyams maybe set to direct. 613 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:33,440 Speaker 2: That never went anywhere, but if you can read the script. 614 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:36,400 Speaker 2: I found a copy of it, and it's clear somebody 615 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:39,840 Speaker 2: ripped off somebody because between Armagedon, armag has thown so 616 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:43,680 Speaker 2: much from Bright Angel Falling or vice versa. And then 617 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:47,240 Speaker 2: you also have Asteroid, which becomes an NBC mini series 618 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:49,320 Speaker 2: that's released I think in the back half of nineteen 619 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:49,880 Speaker 2: ninety seven. 620 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: And all of this isn't coming out of thin air, right, 621 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:54,640 Speaker 1: Like all of these all of these movies and TV 622 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:58,320 Speaker 1: shows about asteroids were inspired by the news of a 623 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 1: comet that NASA foundin Yeah. 624 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:04,600 Speaker 2: The Shoemaker Levy comet had hit Jupiter, and there was 625 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:05,960 Speaker 2: all of this imagery of it, and we all of 626 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 2: a sudden, really is holy shit. Outer space is like 627 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,880 Speaker 2: a shooting gallery, and there are asteroids flying by us 628 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,120 Speaker 2: and comets flying by us all the time that we've 629 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:16,960 Speaker 2: been unaware of. And also, you know, this hypothesis that 630 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:20,520 Speaker 2: the dinosaurs had been destroyed by asteroid or comet hitting 631 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:23,760 Speaker 2: the Earth had been formulated in nineteen eighty five, but 632 00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:27,800 Speaker 2: I think had really permeated the popular culture in the 633 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:30,560 Speaker 2: early nineties with the advent of something like Jurassic Park, 634 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:33,280 Speaker 2: for example, dinosaurs ares top of mind. So again, I 635 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:36,120 Speaker 2: do think it's there are a lot of minds in 636 00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:39,120 Speaker 2: Hollywood and we're all processing the same information at the 637 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:41,080 Speaker 2: end of the day, and so it does make sense 638 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 2: that these ideas, maybe they're stolen from time to time. 639 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:48,120 Speaker 2: But what seems more likely is, like asteroids, there are 640 00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:50,560 Speaker 2: so many hurling past us in any given moment, and 641 00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:54,600 Speaker 2: what's more unusual is that two studios have the hubris 642 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,360 Speaker 2: to play the game of chicken and decide to go 643 00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:01,320 Speaker 2: head to head with developing these movies. And so to me, 644 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:03,600 Speaker 2: it's like the way possibly to think about it is 645 00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:06,240 Speaker 2: that there is actually a lot of potential for twin 646 00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:08,720 Speaker 2: films at any given moment, and the reason that we 647 00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:11,320 Speaker 2: don't have them is that studios tend to back away 648 00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:14,000 Speaker 2: from going head to head with one another with a 649 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:17,080 Speaker 2: given film because it's incredibly risky. And I mean, Lizzie 650 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:18,600 Speaker 2: and I talk about this all the time. Studios, you know, 651 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:21,240 Speaker 2: they move movies off of certain weekends because they don't 652 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:24,080 Speaker 2: want to compete with a different movie that may overlap 653 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:27,320 Speaker 2: in terms of audience. And so one way to think 654 00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:30,000 Speaker 2: about it might be less I'm going to shoot another bullet, 655 00:33:30,080 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 2: you know, with my gun in mid air, and instead say, 656 00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,000 Speaker 2: there are so many bullets traveling through the air at 657 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:38,040 Speaker 2: all times, I'm actually going to remove my other bullets, 658 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:39,880 Speaker 2: you know, from time to time, so they don't you 659 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:41,320 Speaker 2: interfere with the other studio. 660 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 4: I actually really like twin films. I like watching them. 661 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:46,480 Speaker 4: I'm not mad at their existence at all because there's 662 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:50,840 Speaker 4: such a great example of it's not about the story 663 00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:53,560 Speaker 4: or the idea, it's how you tell it. And it's 664 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:57,800 Speaker 4: so fascinating to see two completely different directors like Michael 665 00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:00,120 Speaker 4: Bay and Mimi Leader. You can't get more different than 666 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:03,600 Speaker 4: those two in terms of armageddon and deep impact telling 667 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:06,920 Speaker 4: what is a very similar story, and yet the movies 668 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:11,640 Speaker 4: are so different and they are individually enjoyable, And I 669 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:15,600 Speaker 4: like when studios plow ahead with this and like, yes, 670 00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:18,840 Speaker 4: I'm sure there's borrowing, you know, there's osmosis of ideas 671 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:22,480 Speaker 4: all the time everywhere. I don't know that that's necessarily 672 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:24,279 Speaker 4: a bad thing, because they're not going to be the 673 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:26,600 Speaker 4: same movie if it's different people making them. 674 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:31,280 Speaker 1: So what I'm hearing is that to us it feels 675 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:35,480 Speaker 1: like twin films are happening so frequently, But what you 676 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:39,520 Speaker 1: two are saying is that, actually, considering the way films 677 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:44,759 Speaker 1: are produced, twin films could be occurring way more frequently 678 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:45,359 Speaker 1: than they are. 679 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:52,040 Speaker 2: So the way I maybe encourage people to think about 680 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:54,040 Speaker 2: it after looking into this a bit is, you know, 681 00:34:54,239 --> 00:34:56,960 Speaker 2: historically a classic form of twin film has been like 682 00:34:57,040 --> 00:34:59,160 Speaker 2: the A feature in the B feature, right, and so 683 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:01,800 Speaker 2: sometimes this has been on the big screen, and sometimes 684 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:04,200 Speaker 2: it's either the big screen versus the small screen. So 685 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:08,719 Speaker 2: like post disaster film renaissance, you would oftentimes see an 686 00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:11,560 Speaker 2: A picture in theaters and either a mini series or 687 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:14,920 Speaker 2: a television B picture on television. And I think the 688 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:18,360 Speaker 2: thinking here is there is an idea that has seemingly 689 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:23,040 Speaker 2: captured the zeitgeist, and the television corollary to the studio 690 00:35:23,239 --> 00:35:26,320 Speaker 2: is saying, we are going to make our low budget, 691 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:29,120 Speaker 2: very fast, cheap and dirty version of this, you know, 692 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:32,880 Speaker 2: Tornado versus Twister, the television two part mini series of 693 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:36,040 Speaker 2: Titanic in ninety six versus James Cameron's epic in ninety seven. 694 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:41,000 Speaker 2: Because a we think that if an audience is interested 695 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:43,080 Speaker 2: in the big feature version, maybe they'll just watch this 696 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:46,320 Speaker 2: because they're also interested in this, but also be we 697 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:49,840 Speaker 2: could capture a section of the market that that studio 698 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:51,480 Speaker 2: is not going to be able to capitalize on, which 699 00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:52,759 Speaker 2: are the people that are not going to go to 700 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:54,680 Speaker 2: the theater necessarily, the people that are just going to 701 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:57,400 Speaker 2: stay home and watch it on television. And this is 702 00:35:57,480 --> 00:36:01,560 Speaker 2: kind of morphed over time into the Blockbuster more recently, 703 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:04,600 Speaker 2: which you guys might you know the guys who do Sharknado, etc. 704 00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:08,120 Speaker 2: And they do things like transmorphers and paranormal entity and 705 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:10,440 Speaker 2: it almost seems like the movie, but it's not the 706 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:13,160 Speaker 2: movie that was really born out of two thousand and 707 00:36:13,160 --> 00:36:15,160 Speaker 2: six as War of the World. Spielberg was doing an 708 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:17,080 Speaker 2: adaptation of World the World's at the same time that 709 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:20,279 Speaker 2: these producers, who are kind of Roger kormanesque are trying 710 00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:22,279 Speaker 2: to do their version of War the Worlds because it's 711 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:27,279 Speaker 2: public domain. This ip they realize, wait, a second Blockbuster 712 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:31,759 Speaker 2: has ordered one hundred thousand copies of our vhs, mistakenly 713 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:35,239 Speaker 2: thinking they've ordered the Steven at Bilberg one. There's a 714 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:38,799 Speaker 2: business opportunity here, and so I think that's that makes 715 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:41,200 Speaker 2: sense from a business perspective, and like what you're saying, 716 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:46,120 Speaker 2: is the more rare instances to kaiju, you know, going 717 00:36:46,239 --> 00:36:49,640 Speaker 2: at it in the water, like Olympus has fallen and 718 00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:54,560 Speaker 2: White House down, for example, And those are rare. I 719 00:36:54,680 --> 00:36:59,919 Speaker 2: think again, not because the inception of those ideas is rare. 720 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:02,880 Speaker 2: They're actually incredibly common. It's that usually one of the 721 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:05,520 Speaker 2: drivers pulls out of the skin and says like, I 722 00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:06,960 Speaker 2: don't want our cars to hit head on. 723 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:13,560 Speaker 1: Just to kind of distill the reasons why we think 724 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:17,520 Speaker 1: twin films are happening in two kind of easily consumable explanations. 725 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:20,600 Speaker 1: What I'm hearing so far in this conversation is one 726 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:26,600 Speaker 1: reason is, you know, literal intellectual theft. Another reason is 727 00:37:26,719 --> 00:37:30,600 Speaker 1: that something happened in the Zeitgei said influenced multiple films 728 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:33,560 Speaker 1: to be developed at the same time. Example of that 729 00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:36,239 Speaker 1: would be like Steve Jobs dying and then there's two 730 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:39,479 Speaker 1: biopics happening all of a sudden. And then the third 731 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:41,239 Speaker 1: reason we were talking about is kind of just like 732 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:46,680 Speaker 1: technological limitations or breakthroughs, like on the breakthroughs. 733 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:48,880 Speaker 4: I think that's exactly right. I think it's a confluence 734 00:37:48,920 --> 00:37:51,640 Speaker 4: of those three things. And I also just think, you know, 735 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:56,000 Speaker 4: it's it's so tempting to think you stole my idea. 736 00:37:56,960 --> 00:37:59,840 Speaker 4: You know, it's something that we've probably all experienced. But 737 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:02,640 Speaker 4: the thing that's harder to come to terms with is 738 00:38:02,719 --> 00:38:05,680 Speaker 4: that I don't know that any of our ideas are 739 00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:10,000 Speaker 4: actually that individual when you break them down, and there's 740 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:12,640 Speaker 4: there is kind of a collective, unconscious pool I think 741 00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:15,200 Speaker 4: we're always pulling from, and I do think that's where 742 00:38:15,239 --> 00:38:18,320 Speaker 4: twin films come from. Like, yes, sometimes you go to 743 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:21,600 Speaker 4: lunch with your quote unquote friend who's taking notes, probably 744 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:26,239 Speaker 4: kicking your idea, but there's other times where it's just 745 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,480 Speaker 4: asteroids and comments are in the news, or it's something 746 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:31,480 Speaker 4: people are thinking about. It's something that's in the back 747 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:33,160 Speaker 4: of your mind. It's something and that's in the back 748 00:38:33,200 --> 00:38:36,200 Speaker 4: of millions of people's minds, and it's something that you realize, hey, 749 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:38,440 Speaker 4: I could make money on this, and the fact that 750 00:38:38,560 --> 00:38:41,040 Speaker 4: somebody else has that idea does not necessarily mean they 751 00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:44,720 Speaker 4: took it from you. And I think that we underestimate 752 00:38:45,239 --> 00:38:48,080 Speaker 4: our sort of common brain a bit. 753 00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:51,680 Speaker 2: There are also you know, anniversaries, for example, this would 754 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:53,440 Speaker 2: tie into the zeitgeist thing. You know, you had fourteen 755 00:38:53,520 --> 00:38:56,960 Speaker 2: ninety two conquest of Paradise Ridley Scott. You know Christopher Columbus, 756 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,080 Speaker 2: nobody saw it, and then you have Christopher Columbus the 757 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:02,279 Speaker 2: Discovery from the producers of a bunch of Superman films. 758 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:05,000 Speaker 2: Also nobody saw that movie. So like, nobody was really 759 00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:07,880 Speaker 2: interested in the five hundredth Anniversary of Chris, but it 760 00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:10,240 Speaker 2: was there. It was embraced by a couple of studios 761 00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:12,560 Speaker 2: to the tune of one hundred million dollars, Like Lizzie 762 00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:16,840 Speaker 2: is saying, we are all collectively filtering the same information 763 00:39:17,160 --> 00:39:20,440 Speaker 2: and looking for stories in a lot of these places, 764 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:24,960 Speaker 2: and sometimes it's influenced by twin events inside of other 765 00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:27,040 Speaker 2: forms of media. So you know, you have like the 766 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:33,080 Speaker 2: mid odds to twenty thirteen sort of ya dystopian future phenomena, 767 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:36,160 Speaker 2: right where you have the Hunger Games, and you have Divergent, 768 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:38,719 Speaker 2: and you have the Maize Runner and these are all 769 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:42,640 Speaker 2: based on like they're all literary adaptations. But that's because 770 00:39:42,719 --> 00:39:46,920 Speaker 2: the literary landscape was very much riddled with ya dystopian 771 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:50,600 Speaker 2: and you know novels. Well, Okay, why is the literature 772 00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:54,120 Speaker 2: landscape riddled with that? Okay, maybe it's because we're in 773 00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:56,040 Speaker 2: the middle of a recession. Right now, and all of 774 00:39:56,080 --> 00:39:58,960 Speaker 2: the you know, hope and change that everybody said Obama 775 00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:00,600 Speaker 2: is going to bring, it doesn't see to be happening 776 00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:02,359 Speaker 2: all of a sudden, and it's gonna be the Hunger Games. 777 00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:04,560 Speaker 2: And so these books are really resonant. Who knows, but 778 00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:08,440 Speaker 2: I do think Hollywood is very reactionary. At the end 779 00:40:08,440 --> 00:40:11,320 Speaker 2: of the day, We're simultaneously incredibly unique, and that the 780 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:14,400 Speaker 2: scene to scene differences in these movies could not be 781 00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:17,640 Speaker 2: more drastic, and yet the big picture ideas that we're 782 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:19,919 Speaker 2: coming to are very universal. I think. Yeah. 783 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:23,480 Speaker 1: And if, for example, Devin and I wanted to make 784 00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:27,680 Speaker 1: a movie about ants separately, of course they're both gonna 785 00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:29,839 Speaker 1: have the Queen Aunt. They're both gonna have the ant 786 00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:34,680 Speaker 1: colony or the army. They're both gonna you know exactly, 787 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:38,279 Speaker 1: I'll go. I'll see if I can get I don't know. 788 00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:41,560 Speaker 2: Who Kevin Spacey problematic. 789 00:40:43,880 --> 00:40:45,839 Speaker 1: All right, So we learned a little bit about why 790 00:40:46,239 --> 00:40:49,560 Speaker 1: Twin films happened so regularly. But after the break, I 791 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:52,359 Speaker 1: want to return to a bugs life and see why 792 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:59,360 Speaker 1: Chris and Lizzie think this movie works so well, Okay, 793 00:40:59,520 --> 00:41:02,440 Speaker 1: we're bad. We're still here with the hosts of what 794 00:41:02,680 --> 00:41:06,719 Speaker 1: went wrong Chris and Lizzie. At the top of our discussion, 795 00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:10,520 Speaker 1: we were talking about A Bugs Life Versus Ants, and 796 00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:16,200 Speaker 1: more broadly, these kind of Disney Pixar versus DreamWorks twin films. 797 00:41:16,800 --> 00:41:20,239 Speaker 1: I've always felt like the dream Works titles were a 798 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:24,360 Speaker 1: little more interesting because they were weirder essentially and a 799 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:28,400 Speaker 1: little more nuanced. But I'm curious about what makes the 800 00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:30,319 Speaker 1: Pixar movies click for you two. 801 00:41:30,719 --> 00:41:34,280 Speaker 4: I feel like the it's very tempting to call these Pixar, 802 00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:36,560 Speaker 4: if we're talking about Pixar versus DreamWorks, to call the 803 00:41:36,600 --> 00:41:38,840 Speaker 4: Pixar movies in particular Bugs Life the more sort of 804 00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:43,120 Speaker 4: simplistic ones. I actually think that they're deceptively complicated when 805 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:45,480 Speaker 4: I watched, because I watched both A Bugs Life and 806 00:41:45,640 --> 00:41:51,000 Speaker 4: Ants back to back ahead of this, and honestly, yes, 807 00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:54,240 Speaker 4: A Bugs Life is more geared towards children for sure. However, 808 00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:58,200 Speaker 4: I think that the sort of the complex like emotional 809 00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:01,600 Speaker 4: things you have to wrangle with in A Bugs Life, 810 00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:04,799 Speaker 4: to me are a bit more complex than they are 811 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:07,920 Speaker 4: in Ants and tells you exactly what it is upfront, 812 00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:11,400 Speaker 4: you know, it's yeah, Whitty Allen Aunt is in therapy. 813 00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:15,000 Speaker 4: They literally tell him you're insignificant. He's like, Okay, I 814 00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:17,279 Speaker 4: get it. And then he's like, maybe I'm not insignificant. 815 00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:19,200 Speaker 4: Maybe when you to start a revolution and the people. 816 00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:21,800 Speaker 4: I mean, it's like, it's listen, it's fun. I actually 817 00:42:21,880 --> 00:42:23,480 Speaker 4: I'm not. I shouldn't crap on it too much. It's 818 00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:26,359 Speaker 4: a totally fun movie, but with a bugs life. It's 819 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:30,560 Speaker 4: more like, I think, in making something that is easier 820 00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:34,759 Speaker 4: for children to relate to, but still very smart, they 821 00:42:34,960 --> 00:42:39,200 Speaker 4: actually explore something that to me has a bit more 822 00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:41,920 Speaker 4: depth to it. And in the same and toy story, like, 823 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:45,120 Speaker 4: the characters are actually very complex. You don't you know 824 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:48,480 Speaker 4: Woody is the main character in that he's he's kind 825 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:51,439 Speaker 4: of a jerk to buzz like. He's a great guy 826 00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:55,160 Speaker 4: until he's confronted with someone who could, potentially you stir 827 00:42:55,239 --> 00:42:57,920 Speaker 4: up his position, and then he's not such a great guy. Well, 828 00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:01,320 Speaker 4: if you and shown up your stupid little cardboard spaceship. 829 00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:03,399 Speaker 3: And taking away everything that was important to me, talk 830 00:43:03,440 --> 00:43:05,960 Speaker 3: to me about importance because of you, the security of 831 00:43:05,960 --> 00:43:07,239 Speaker 3: this entire universe. 832 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:07,520 Speaker 5: Is in jeopardy. 833 00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:11,520 Speaker 4: What And it's this question of like having to wrangle 834 00:43:11,600 --> 00:43:14,440 Speaker 4: with yourself in a way that I actually think the 835 00:43:14,520 --> 00:43:17,640 Speaker 4: Pixar films explore better than some of the dream works. 836 00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:21,400 Speaker 1: Interesting. Yeah, it's like it's taking these complicated ideas and 837 00:43:21,480 --> 00:43:25,759 Speaker 1: making it digestible for kids. Is more impressive. You're saying 838 00:43:25,880 --> 00:43:28,160 Speaker 1: than this is music to Devin's ears. 839 00:43:30,080 --> 00:43:34,160 Speaker 5: Is exactly exactly the Bugs Life. They're playing around with gender. 840 00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:36,040 Speaker 5: Remember the lady. 841 00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:43,880 Speaker 4: A real bug being a lady by automatically makes me 842 00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:44,319 Speaker 4: a girl? 843 00:43:44,520 --> 00:43:44,840 Speaker 1: Is that it? 844 00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:45,520 Speaker 5: Fly boy? 845 00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:47,560 Speaker 3: She's a guy. 846 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:50,200 Speaker 1: Time. 847 00:43:50,320 --> 00:43:56,319 Speaker 2: Also, you know self love and embody image. And I agree, 848 00:43:56,360 --> 00:43:57,480 Speaker 2: it's like that was lying. 849 00:43:57,360 --> 00:43:59,239 Speaker 4: Out loud through all of Bugs Life. I gotta tell 850 00:43:59,280 --> 00:44:02,600 Speaker 4: you how laughing. I couldn't believe how funny that was. 851 00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:05,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like in a drama, a line has to 852 00:44:05,600 --> 00:44:08,360 Speaker 2: work dramatically. In a comedy, it has to work dramatically 853 00:44:08,440 --> 00:44:11,200 Speaker 2: and comedically. Right if you're like, a Pixar film has 854 00:44:11,239 --> 00:44:14,000 Speaker 2: to work for children and adults an equal measure. And 855 00:44:14,160 --> 00:44:17,279 Speaker 2: like Lizzie's saying, that's a that's a hard target to hit. 856 00:44:17,360 --> 00:44:18,040 Speaker 1: Yeah it is. 857 00:44:18,120 --> 00:44:21,280 Speaker 4: And I think interestingly enough to me, Aunts the characters 858 00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:25,600 Speaker 4: were less dynamic and more sort of characters versus a 859 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:29,239 Speaker 4: Bugs life. They were very complex, Like you know, the 860 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:33,720 Speaker 4: Julia Louis Dreyfus, Princess Aunt, total jerk to Dave Foley. 861 00:44:33,760 --> 00:44:35,400 Speaker 4: I can't remember any of the actual characters names. I 862 00:44:35,440 --> 00:44:36,279 Speaker 4: just want you guys to know that. 863 00:44:38,400 --> 00:44:39,560 Speaker 2: The main character's name is Flick. 864 00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:43,759 Speaker 4: She's such a jerk to him and and she like 865 00:44:43,920 --> 00:44:46,879 Speaker 4: recognizes that in herself halfway through, which was really nice 866 00:44:46,920 --> 00:44:48,400 Speaker 4: because I was like, man, I hope he doesn't just 867 00:44:48,480 --> 00:44:51,520 Speaker 4: go for her when she's being you know, such as him. 868 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:56,319 Speaker 4: But she turns it around and I just, uh, yeah, man, 869 00:44:56,440 --> 00:44:58,360 Speaker 4: I loved it, And the whole idea of the bird 870 00:44:58,560 --> 00:45:02,200 Speaker 4: is so clever and something you would think. Sorry, guys, 871 00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:03,480 Speaker 4: I'm really sorry. 872 00:45:04,200 --> 00:45:08,920 Speaker 1: Great points. Yeah, something I wanted to make it. Something 873 00:45:09,080 --> 00:45:12,120 Speaker 1: interesting that Noah mentioned earlier was that in the dreams 874 00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:15,880 Speaker 1: works ones like shark Tail and Ants, the characters are 875 00:45:16,120 --> 00:45:19,840 Speaker 1: often caricatures of the people voicing them. Yes, which like 876 00:45:19,960 --> 00:45:25,279 Speaker 1: you got the creator for walking exactly yeah, which I 877 00:45:25,320 --> 00:45:26,640 Speaker 1: don't know. I just thought that was interesting. 878 00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:27,759 Speaker 4: I'm not a fan of that. 879 00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:31,719 Speaker 1: You don't want to see like Christopher walking that. 880 00:45:32,600 --> 00:45:34,399 Speaker 4: I don't want to see Christopher walking and I don't 881 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:35,239 Speaker 4: want to see its teeth. 882 00:45:35,440 --> 00:45:42,040 Speaker 1: I salon was awesome. You have to agree, Uh, well, guys, 883 00:45:42,080 --> 00:45:44,600 Speaker 1: this has been so insightful and useful. Thank you so 884 00:45:44,719 --> 00:45:47,040 Speaker 1: much for joining us and hope to chat to you 885 00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:47,480 Speaker 1: guys soon. 886 00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:49,320 Speaker 2: Thanks so much for having us. This is great. You 887 00:45:49,360 --> 00:45:51,320 Speaker 2: guys have a great show. We will be listening. 888 00:45:56,280 --> 00:45:59,799 Speaker 1: No such thing as a production of Kaleidoscope Content. Our 889 00:46:00,080 --> 00:46:04,680 Speaker 1: executive producers are Kate Osborne and Mangesh Hatakedor. The show 890 00:46:04,800 --> 00:46:08,200 Speaker 1: was created by Manny Fidel, Noah Friedman, and Devin Joseph. 891 00:46:08,640 --> 00:46:11,880 Speaker 1: The theme and credit song is by me Manny. This 892 00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:15,879 Speaker 1: episode was mixed by fran Bandy. Our guests this week 893 00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:19,120 Speaker 1: where Chris and Lizzie from the What Went Wrong Podcast. 894 00:46:19,520 --> 00:46:22,359 Speaker 1: Definitely be sure to go check that show out. It's 895 00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:25,000 Speaker 1: a lot of fun and visit No such Thing dot 896 00:46:25,080 --> 00:46:29,040 Speaker 1: show to subscribe to our newsletter. If you had feedback 897 00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:32,120 Speaker 1: or a question, our email is Manny Noah Devin at 898 00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:35,040 Speaker 1: gmail dot com. Or if you're in the US, you 899 00:46:35,080 --> 00:46:37,680 Speaker 1: can leave us a voicemail by calling the number in 900 00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:40,239 Speaker 1: our show notes. We'll see you next week. 901 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:41,200 Speaker 2: Thay