WEBVTT - Ep01 - Seth Rogen / "Sausage Party” 0:00:22.800 --> 0:00:26.000 Welcome to Playback, a new weekly podcast here at Variety. 0:00:26.239 --> 0:00:28.960 I'm your host, Chris Tapley, Awards editor of Variety, and 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:31.560 on today's show, with the film Awards season around the corner, 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:33.760 we break down a few oscar possibilities from the first 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:36.040 half of the year. A little bit later, I'll be 0:00:36.040 --> 0:00:38.839 talking to Seth Rogan about his raunchy new animated comedy 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:50.840 Sausage Party, opening in theaters tomorrow, So stick around. Welcome everyone, 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:54.160 I'm here with Janelle Riley, Variety's deputy Awards and Features editor. 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:56.920 I got your title right, didn't Yes, I'm sorry. It's 0:00:56.960 --> 0:00:59.319 a very it's a long, one convoluted title. Yeah, well, 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:02.480 but it sounds very important. I can arrest people. You know, 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:05.640 I'm a deput your deputy. You've been deputized by Variety 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:08.280 and uh you know, yeah, weekly podcast here. This is 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:10.720 our pilot. Things might be a little rusty. We're gonna 0:01:10.720 --> 0:01:14.319 give it a shot. But this being uh the kind 0:01:14.319 --> 0:01:18.920 of cusp of awards season that makes that makes the 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:21.280 it makes all the sense in the world to start there, right, 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:25.759 So let's look at some deserving contenders from the first 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:28.360 eight months of the year. We're in August now, already 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:29.600 if you can believe it. And as you say, the 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:32.520 season is here already. It seems like every year that 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:36.840 offseason gets smaller, but here we are. And as we 0:01:36.840 --> 0:01:39.040 wrote in a column recently, there's you know a number 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:42.600 of films every year that tend to just get forgotten 0:01:42.680 --> 0:01:47.840 because the studios back backload the year and before you 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:49.440 know it. You know, every once in a while there's 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:51.600 a Grand Budapest Hotel that can stick out, but there's 0:01:51.640 --> 0:01:54.440 just great stuff from earlier in the year that deserves 0:01:54.440 --> 0:01:56.840 a shout out. So I heard that now some people 0:01:56.880 --> 0:01:59.520 want to follow the Grand Budapest model and actually come 0:01:59.520 --> 0:02:02.000 out early year in the year so that they can 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:04.480 you know, be in the awards race later in the year, 0:02:04.480 --> 0:02:07.040 which I don't know that that really works unless you're 0:02:07.040 --> 0:02:10.680 Grand Budapest Hotel. It's hard. It's like it's alchemy, right, 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:12.280 Like you can never tell how it works out. I 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:14.519 don't think anyone thought that Grant Budapest was going to 0:02:14.600 --> 0:02:16.320 do what it did when it released, even when it 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:19.359 was a huge, critically acclaimed movie in March of that year. 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:21.880 And so I think it would be wiser to push 0:02:21.880 --> 0:02:24.760 stuff off because a it keeps you from just having 0:02:24.760 --> 0:02:26.200 that bottleneck at the end of the year and be 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:28.760 it gives you an opportunity to have your film breathe 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:31.240 in its own space. Yeah. Absolutely, just in general, like 0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:33.880 if a movie can pop, Like you know, Hail Caesar 0:02:33.960 --> 0:02:36.200 had its fans in February of this year. Was one 0:02:36.240 --> 0:02:38.000 of them, and you were one of them. We were 0:02:38.000 --> 0:02:43.720 just talking about. Okay, now his his name old we 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:47.640 know is his first name, Reich is the gentleman's name 0:02:47.680 --> 0:02:50.720 playing Han solo? And you found out what his uh, 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:55.040 his his DJ name was. No, that's an See, there 0:02:55.040 --> 0:02:57.240 we go. I'm confused. That's why you were confused. That's 0:02:57.240 --> 0:03:00.920 why I was like, had was Oh no, Ansel El Courts. 0:03:01.919 --> 0:03:04.399 I hope I'm pronouncing Ansel's name right. Apparently his DJ 0:03:04.560 --> 0:03:07.840 name is on solo. That's interesting. So that that's what 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:11.280 Now you know why I was confusing it because who 0:03:11.280 --> 0:03:16.480 will be? He sounds so old Ansel El Gordon Hell 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:22.360 Caesar Alden erin right, gentleman, those kids those kids today off. 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:28.000 But speaking of Alden, he's awesome, but a fantastic breakthrough performance. Yeah. 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:30.680 I spent the whole movie just going who is this guy? 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:32.720 And then you know, look at me, I'm up. I 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:35.920 guess he'd done like some episodic TV. And you know, 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:39.080 obviously I was not alone because after that he booked 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:42.120 the Han solo role. He has the Warren Baby movie 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:44.839 coming out, um, and I think he has like three 0:03:44.960 --> 0:03:47.240 other things. He's everywhere. He's on the rise. He's one 0:03:47.280 --> 0:03:49.320 of these like like seven or eight guys that were 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:50.920 up for Han solo and it's like who was going 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:52.360 to pop out of all of them? I'm a big 0:03:52.360 --> 0:03:55.119 Emery Cohen fan. Oh sure, I was kind of kind 0:03:55.120 --> 0:03:57.240 of holding out for him. But this guy has the 0:03:57.240 --> 0:04:00.360 face and he has the disposition. And then Hale Caesar, 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:03.720 he just holds his own against Ray finds tearing down 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:07.080 the scenery with you know. That's That's the other thing 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:10.040 Ray finds is like found like a new He's a 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:14.640 comedy god like between this and I think he's amazing 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:17.280 and Bigger Splash, which is was someone that I was 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:20.479 going to mention in this conversation as well. And uh, 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:23.240 he's in then Grant Budapest, speaking of earlier, He's just 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:26.360 got this timing that's like impeccable. Who knew the Nazi 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:29.440 from Schindler's list would be so amazing in the comedy room. 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:32.600 Although this is a little embarrassing. I met him during 0:04:32.680 --> 0:04:36.080 press for the movie he directed, Um, the one where 0:04:36.080 --> 0:04:39.120 he played Charles Dickens. Was it not Oh yes, no, no, 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:43.159 you're right. Uh the Unknown Woman Woman, Yeah, look, I 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:47.320 really am it played te d speaking of festivals, and uh. 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:49.239 I had to tell him, as silly as it sounds, 0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:50.520 I was like, you know what you were really great 0:04:50.600 --> 0:04:53.440 in was Maide in Manhattan And it sounds like a joke, 0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:55.640 and he like, but he understood what I was saying, 0:04:55.640 --> 0:04:59.440 which was that it is hard to do that light comedy, 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:01.080 especially and you know how the movie is going to 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:03.480 end and make it work. And he is very light 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:07.160 and funny and charming. Invisible Woman, Invisible Woman. Oh, I'm 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:11.120 so embarrassed. Great Felicity Jones. Between Alden and Ansel and 0:05:11.120 --> 0:05:13.640 Invisible and Unknown. I mean, we we can be forgiven, 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:16.559 I think. But yeah, he's just found this new calling 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:18.560 as a comedian. I hope he keeps going. I remember 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:21.640 interviewing interviewing him this year about that, and he he 0:05:21.680 --> 0:05:24.560 certainly doesn't come at it with a comedian comedians approach. 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:27.719 He just he's still very serious and just plays what's 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:29.680 on the page, and he just finds the right kind 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:32.800 of spots to nail it. And uh, if you watch 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:35.719 our Actors on Actors episode with him and Christoph Waltz, 0:05:36.160 --> 0:05:38.600 it is two people talking about comedy in the most 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:43.560 deadly serious terms and almost unintentionally being hilarious because they'll 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:46.880 they'll go off on these like long philosophical discussions and 0:05:46.920 --> 0:05:50.440 then end by saying and that's why it's funny. It 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:52.240 almost makes you wonder for deep down they know exactly 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:56.400 what they're doing exactly. They're smart guys. Well, I think 0:05:56.400 --> 0:05:58.560 we're both fans of ten Cloverfield Lane, and I wanted 0:05:58.600 --> 0:06:00.880 to talk about that because her a movie and genre 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:03.279 movies are not really taking that seriously when it comes to, 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:06.640 you know, major awards, and I think that both Mary 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:09.560 Elizabeth Winstead and John Goodman her friend so great. She 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:12.960 should have been nominated for Smashed. Yeah, yeah, that was 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:15.839 that was a shame. Um. And she just consistently does 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:18.080 great work. And I think for a long time I 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:21.440 sort of dismissed her as you know, just a you know, 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:24.600 a generic starlet, and she's proven to be so much 0:06:24.640 --> 0:06:26.839 more than that, and as good as John Goodman is 0:06:26.960 --> 0:06:28.960 in ten Cloverfield Lane, and no one's going to argue 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:33.560 that he's fantastic. Men's never been nominated. Yeah, it is, 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:36.479 um you know, she's there holding her own with him well. 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:37.960 On top of which, I don't think he would be 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:40.320 as like have the impact that he has in the 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:43.400 performance if she wasn't doing what she's doing, because you know, 0:06:43.520 --> 0:06:47.640 this is a very claustrophobic movie and she has to 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:51.480 play a lot of internal just strife, kind of just 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:54.680 just trying to understand the situation she's in, what kind 0:06:54.680 --> 0:06:56.719 of danger she might really be in, or maybe she's 0:06:56.720 --> 0:06:58.839 not in as much dangerous she thought she was in. 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:02.320 It's a consistent discovery that she's going through the whole movie, 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:05.400 and it's fascinating to watch her play it. John Yellow Jr. 0:07:05.440 --> 0:07:08.200 Is also very good. I feel bad there's three people 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:10.520 in this movie and everyone keeps praising the other two. 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:13.320 It's like when Brooke Back Mountain came out and everyone 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:16.440 but Anne Hathaway got nominated, although she, you know, probably 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:20.080 had the last laugh there. So indeed, uh, you know 0:07:20.320 --> 0:07:22.800 a recent movie that is actually I'm gonna I'm gonna 0:07:22.800 --> 0:07:24.680 plug it because later on I'll be talking to Seth 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:27.840 Rogan is a sausage party. Have you had a chance 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:29.160 to see that yet? Oh, you don't know my feelings 0:07:29.200 --> 0:07:31.480 about sausage. I don't know your feelings. I'm you know what, 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:33.920 I Am going to see it. I'm sure it's hilarious. 0:07:34.000 --> 0:07:36.520 I will probably really like it. I have a problem 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:39.760 with thinking about my food having us all, or for 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:42.480 that matter, my food having sex. Well, the soul part 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:45.240 is interesting because the entire movie is kind of it 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:50.680 ends up going in theological directions, and the idea is, 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:52.520 you know, if food doesn't think that it gets eaten, 0:07:52.640 --> 0:07:55.320 what does food think happens to it? Well? And also 0:07:55.440 --> 0:07:57.560 if food is made of other things like hot dogs 0:07:57.560 --> 0:07:59.600 are made out of well, you know, we don't know 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:01.320 what they're made it out of. But like, so do 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:03.320 all those things have a soul? And I'm sure these 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:06.960 are way deeper than the movie bothers to get. But 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:10.080 it becomes a just like Preacher and just like this 0:08:10.120 --> 0:08:11.520 is the end, it becomes a way for him to 0:08:11.560 --> 0:08:15.440 explore like ideas of religion, and I like those pology. 0:08:15.520 --> 0:08:17.840 It's it's very it's a very interesting movie, a very 0:08:18.120 --> 0:08:20.680 standout movie in animated race. Not not a chance in 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:25.440 hell of getting the nomination from the animators. What about screenplay? Nah, 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:29.880 you know, I mean, it's just you're dealing with pushing 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:32.400 a rock uphill at that point. But I'm gonna be 0:08:32.480 --> 0:08:35.480 sitting here banging the gong. Really I love the movie. 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:37.240 It's really I feel like I haven't the choice but 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:38.679 to put it on my top ten list at the 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:42.280 end of the year. But I was a huge This 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:45.080 is the End fan too, and I put that on 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:47.480 my top ten. But I just again, I think that 0:08:47.600 --> 0:08:50.280 in the realm of comedy, he's he's playing with interesting 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:53.680 ideas that no one else is so in any case, 0:08:54.320 --> 0:08:59.040 Also coming out this month is Florence Foster Jenkins poor 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:02.040 opposite of Sausage Party. But but and yet we both 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:05.440 love it, don't we. It's undeniably charming. It's I think 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:08.080 it's the first real um. We can talk about Captain 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:10.439 Fantastic later, but that's a dark horse, whereas I think 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:13.680 Florence Foster Jenkins has the opportunity to go all the 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:16.319 way in all the major categories. It really does. I mean, 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:18.559 I was a little surprised. It opened in the UK 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:21.240 in April, so it's been around and I just thought oh, 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:23.520 this will be a golden Globe thing. It'll maybe maybe 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:26.040 it'll be a play for Meryl, which it obviously will 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:28.080 be that, but it can go further than that. I 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:30.120 mean you could get screenplay, it could get Best Picture 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:33.720 for Paramount, who has tons of movies this year director 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:38.319 Stephen fa I mean, it's better than stuff like uh, 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:41.000 you know Phil Amina, I think, oh, how dare you? 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:45.000 I'm sorry? I mean in terms of just softer plays 0:09:45.040 --> 0:09:46.680 for for lack of a better term, that that have 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:48.920 managed to make it through in the past. It's better 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:51.400 than for years, did uh miss Henderson Presents, which was 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:54.720 a nomination for Judy Denser. He did. Then he also 0:09:54.760 --> 0:09:58.679 did the m Lance Armstrong movie that nobody saw from 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:01.920 last year, which I even remember the title of either 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:04.680 Isn't that terrible? We really do know our stuff were, Yeah, 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:06.679 we're on top of it here. But in addition to Meryl, 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:10.200 I mean, how what a revelation is Simon Helberg And 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:12.920 of course you know that I for years have found 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:15.120 Hugh Grant one of the most underrated actors on the planet, 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:17.320 and I would love to see him get nominated for this. 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:20.880 He is so charming and he does that light thing. 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:24.439 He also does some heavy things. He's just fantastic across 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:26.040 the board. He's really the heart of the movie. He 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:30.840 I mean, just the love he has for her, you know, 0:10:30.960 --> 0:10:33.640 the relationship they have together, how much he protects her. 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:36.400 It's like it kind of can choke you up at 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:38.640 times just to really understand what the character is going 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:42.720 through with her. And did you cry? No, I but 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:45.000 I'm I'm a little heartless, so don't use me as 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:48.520 a gauge. But I was thoroughly I thoroughly enjoyed them. 0:10:48.559 --> 0:10:51.920 It was so charmed. I just walked away smiling. I 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:53.560 was really I thought it would be good, but I 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:56.319 was surprised by just how good. And once again, I'll 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:58.520 be talking about this more in a column, probably later 0:10:58.559 --> 0:11:00.240 this week. I don't know when this comes out, but 0:11:00.440 --> 0:11:03.640 um yeah, Hugh Grant is is really the secret ingredient. 0:11:03.640 --> 0:11:07.120 And I was thinking about Meryl Streep's leading men and 0:11:07.160 --> 0:11:09.960 how a lot of times they just don't register. It's 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:13.240 like Stanley Tucci in Julie and Julia. That's the last 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:15.760 time I really remember thinking about her amazing chemistry and 0:11:16.040 --> 0:11:17.800 Hugh Grant is up there. Why do you think that is? 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:21.480 She just dominates maybe, or it's also the stories she 0:11:21.559 --> 0:11:24.400 tends to pick I think are very central on a woman. 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:26.880 And and this is a good thing. I guess, like 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:29.560 a relationship is secondary if they're at all. So it's 0:11:29.600 --> 0:11:32.640 really kind of fun to see her in like a 0:11:32.640 --> 0:11:37.160 loving relationship or playing a romance. Yeah, well, she's probably 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:41.360 all set for her twentieth nomination. Let's see a few 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:43.079 more here. You know something. Have you seen Hell or 0:11:43.120 --> 0:11:45.320 High Water yet? You know, I haven't. I heard. It's fun, 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:48.600 It's really fun. It's you know, it's Taylor Sheridan wrote it, 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:54.800 the writer of Cicario, and it's it's it's kind of 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:59.800 this playground for the actors like Jeff Bridges, especially Ben Foster, 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:02.959 specially great actor who was Lance Armstrong in The Steven 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:08.200 There you go synergy that that's these guys just chew 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:10.960 on everything in this movie. It's just they really dig 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:12.920 into the characters. And I really liked it for that 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:16.240 um particularly Bridges. I feel like Jeff Bridges hasn't wanted 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:18.199 to be to be the oldest man in the world 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:23.040 for so long he was born so well, he just 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:27.440 just wallows inside this character with this like stilted gruff 0:12:27.520 --> 0:12:30.920 like Texas accent, and he plays a sheriff that's after 0:12:31.000 --> 0:12:33.800 these two bank robbers played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster, 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:35.960 and it's it's just a really good genre movie for August, 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:37.560 I do want to see it. I'm hearing really good 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:40.679 things and I and Ben Foster is an amazing actors. 0:12:41.200 --> 0:12:43.400 A lot of mustaches in that movie. I notice there's 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:46.400 a lot. And Foster put on some weight too, because 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:51.280 he's he's chunking, so I didn't even know it was 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:55.800 him at first because so check that out. You know. Again, 0:12:56.000 --> 0:12:58.320 not sure if a movie like that can can stick around, 0:12:58.360 --> 0:13:01.200 but you know, you never know how actors take to performances. 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:03.440 SAG as you know, is its own beast when it 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:07.280 comes to awards. So I think SAG is gonna love 0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:10.439 Florence Foster Jenkins. Oh god, yeah there again. I think 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:13.760 ensemble nomination is absolutely possible, just just with the handful 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:15.679 of people that spark in the movie. You know, it 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:18.439 would be enough for the actors and it's about performing 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:23.800 and just and they love that. Have you seen Indignation? 0:13:24.320 --> 0:13:27.320 I have not, but I am really like James Samis. Well, 0:13:27.360 --> 0:13:29.679 let's skip it and go to UH one. Of your 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:33.440 favorites recently, Captain fantastic. Oh now have you seen this yet? 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:38.480 You finally saw it? What did you think? Uh? I 0:13:38.520 --> 0:13:44.000 struggled with the the characters, not that they weren't well wrought, 0:13:44.120 --> 0:13:47.400 but just that they annoyed the hell out of me. Um, sure, 0:13:47.480 --> 0:13:50.160 I can see that. But did you think Vego was great? 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:51.640 I mean, no one else could have played that role? 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:54.120 That role, It was like it was written for hid, 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:56.199 which it wasn't. But um, you know, more or less 0:13:56.200 --> 0:13:59.360 should have been Matt Ross, the writer director. Uh told 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:00.960 me that, you know, he's sent Viege. Morton sent a 0:14:00.960 --> 0:14:03.960 bunch of books on philosophy and nature to prayer for 0:14:04.000 --> 0:14:07.480 the character, and Vigo already owned almost all of them. 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:10.760 Not surprising. He is another It sounds crazy to say 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:13.040 underrated when he, you know, started the Lord of the 0:14:13.080 --> 0:14:15.240 Rings movies. But you know, he's a guy who I 0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:17.360 don't think really has any interest in stardom. I think 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:20.920 that's pretty obvious. And you start him as an opportunity 0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:24.960 to do movies like this in the Road and Eastern Promises, 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:29.240 and he makes this movie. He plays a father who 0:14:29.320 --> 0:14:32.000 is raising his six children off the grid in the 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:34.840 Pacific Northwest and they're sort of forced to go back 0:14:34.880 --> 0:14:40.760 into society for um, their mother's funeral. And it's but 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:43.520 it is funny, though, isn't it. I Mean, like I 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:47.160 laughed a lot, and it's weird and offbeat and everyone 0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:49.920 is so good in it. Um, Frank Angela, you know, 0:14:50.320 --> 0:14:53.440 plays his father in law. Like it's just it's a 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:56.320 movie made with like so much love and heart and yeah, 0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:59.000 I was really taken by it, and um, I really 0:14:59.040 --> 0:15:01.080 hope that people remember it at the end of the year, 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:04.200 especially for Vigo. Yeah, for me, as much as the characters, 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:09.320 just as people annoyed me, the the interpersonal relationships are 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:11.520 really well crafted on the page, you know, it's a 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:14.240 great script for that. And did that start at Sundance 0:15:14.280 --> 0:15:16.480 or south by Southwest Sundance and then what I think 0:15:16.560 --> 0:15:18.960 was the only other Sundance movie to go to can Okay? 0:15:19.080 --> 0:15:21.360 Well really? Yeah, We're won an award for Matt Ross, 0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:24.400 one of our ten directors to Watch this year, best 0:15:24.440 --> 0:15:27.600 known as Gavin Belson on Silicon Valley. There he goes, 0:15:29.160 --> 0:15:31.640 probably my favorite show on TV. It's the best show 0:15:31.640 --> 0:15:34.640 on TV, and he is like one of my favorite actors. 0:15:34.960 --> 0:15:37.120 I didn't know his name until recently, but he was 0:15:37.160 --> 0:15:40.440 one of my favorite actors just by his face. Yeah, 0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:42.560 it's it's you know, that's the kind of thing that 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:46.360 could find a pocket of support, get a screenplay nomination maybe, 0:15:46.480 --> 0:15:49.280 or people love it certainly when it comes to independent 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:52.880 uh you know, like the Indie Spirits or the Gotham Awards, 0:15:52.920 --> 0:15:55.680 you know, those become terrain where films like that can 0:15:55.840 --> 0:15:57.800 can stand out and maybe get a second win later 0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:00.800 in the year. So yeah, and again v go for Vigo. 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:03.480 The word that always comes to mind with him when 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:06.320 I think about him is just commitment. I mean, he 0:16:06.360 --> 0:16:09.800 commits to everything. And to this day he's the only 0:16:09.840 --> 0:16:12.000 guy that I interviewed him at a junket for History 0:16:12.000 --> 0:16:15.880 of violence eleven years ago. Now, God and we were 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:18.800 Katrina stuff was on the news as we were talking, 0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:21.840 and we started talking about politics or whatever, and then 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:25.200 I don't remember the nuance of the discussion, but it was, 0:16:25.680 --> 0:16:28.560 you know, not about the movie, talking about politics discussion. 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:29.760 And we talked for a while and then it was 0:16:29.800 --> 0:16:31.560 over and I left and I'm getting on the elevator 0:16:32.240 --> 0:16:34.680 and he like ran me down because he wanted to 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:36.720 make another point, like he had more he wanted to 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:40.400 talk more, not talking soundbites. No, no, yeah, he is 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:46.600 a very smart, soft spoken intelligence, very thoughtful. Yeah, which 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:49.600 doesn't lend itself well to say talk shows, right, but 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:51.720 he was just on something where oh it is Bill Maher. 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:54.080 Really he just kept he just kept kind of going 0:16:54.160 --> 0:16:56.320 on and on and you could tell Bill Maher wanted 0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:59.080 to just move on to the next bit. But yeah, 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:01.520 you're right, he just he has he's very thoughtful and 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:04.680 uh does not talk in sound bites. I appreciate that personally. 0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:08.120 Do the characters bother you because they're hippies or yeah, 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:11.080 it's literally just a philosophical thing. I'm just like, shut up, Like, 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:15.600 but what else have we had this year? I was 0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:19.000 gonna talk about Indignation. It's it's a recent release as well. 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:26.280 Um James Shamus, uh, Logan Lerman fantastic actor. It's Philip Roth, 0:17:26.560 --> 0:17:30.080 a Philip Roth adaptation. Philip Roth is not often given 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:35.120 to cinematic you know, I've seen terrible Philip Roth adaptations 0:17:35.160 --> 0:17:37.920 like The Human Stain. Yeah, yeah, it just it rarely 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:39.919 works out. This one kind of works out. I mean, 0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:44.600 especially because there's there's a great tete a tete between Lerman, 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:46.840 and Tracy Letts in the movie. Oh my god, Tracy 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:48.800 lets is in it. I forgot that. Yeah, Tracy Letts 0:17:48.800 --> 0:17:51.480 plays like the the you know whatever, the head of 0:17:51.520 --> 0:17:55.679 the college, and they have this sparring in their office, 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:59.320 just a sparring of words. That's just delicious. And I 0:17:59.359 --> 0:18:01.879 think partly because of just Tracy Letts knows how to 0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:05.240 make that kind of thing. Land and that kind of 0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:06.919 stuff is really good in the movie, and it's one 0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:09.239 of the better Roth adaptations. There's two Roth movies this year. 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:12.600 There's also American Pastoral coming up, which is you know, 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:15.120 we'll see how Ellan McGregor does with that, but oh 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:18.360 his directorial debut feature. Sure. Yeah. For me, the best 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:21.440 films I've seen, uh so far this year are still 0:18:21.480 --> 0:18:24.720 to Sundance films, The Birth of a Nation in Manchester 0:18:24.800 --> 0:18:27.440 by the Sea. They're both going to be coming back 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:29.720 around in the fall festivals. I think they're both going 0:18:29.760 --> 0:18:31.600 to be dominant players. I mean the amount of money 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:34.800 the Amazon spent on Manchester by the Sea, I mean, 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:37.720 I imagine they will keep spending money. Because Aleck is 0:18:37.760 --> 0:18:40.359 a great actor. You can kind of forget that he's 0:18:41.880 --> 0:18:44.960 the polar opposite of his brother, you know, which is 0:18:45.080 --> 0:18:48.600 fine because Ben Affleck works in populist kind of vain 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:52.560 you know. He he makes Argo, Casey makes uh, you know, 0:18:53.880 --> 0:18:56.280 Assassination of Jesse James with the coward rubber Ford, which 0:18:56.320 --> 0:18:59.159 is one of the best movies ever made. So you know, 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:03.959 they just have come copletely different sensibilities and that seeks 0:19:04.000 --> 0:19:06.439 out into how they how they how they are as 0:19:06.480 --> 0:19:09.080 actors as well, and in Manchester by the scenes working 0:19:09.080 --> 0:19:13.160 with Kenneth Lahnergan, such a great filmmaker who is so 0:19:13.280 --> 0:19:16.040 humanist and you know his his movies really do play 0:19:16.040 --> 0:19:19.160 out like novels. The standout for me and not really 0:19:19.160 --> 0:19:21.359 the standout because Casey is amazing. But I think that 0:19:21.400 --> 0:19:25.280 Michelle Williams, despite having like five minutes of time to 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:28.119 do stuff, she's so good. You never would have guessed 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:30.760 watching Dustin's Creek all those years ago that she was 0:19:30.800 --> 0:19:33.040 going to be like Jen was going to be the 0:19:33.080 --> 0:19:36.840 amazing breakout actress of her generation. Totally she and she 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:40.040 was gonna play this year too. That was very well received. Yes, 0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:45.359 Jerry d she I believe she was nominated. Yeah, I 0:19:45.400 --> 0:19:47.200 didn't see the play. Unfortunately, I didn't make it out 0:19:47.200 --> 0:19:49.520 to New York this year, but I wanted to in 0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:52.720 this again. She has very limited screen time, but it's 0:19:52.720 --> 0:19:56.520 like Bittra Straighten Network. When she gets her moment, it's 0:19:56.560 --> 0:19:58.879 like whoa, Yeah, I mean it stops you dead in 0:19:58.920 --> 0:20:01.200 your tracks. And I do think she could be a 0:20:01.240 --> 0:20:05.280 supporting actress nominating. I absolutely think so, and I hope so. Uh. 0:20:05.480 --> 0:20:08.560 Similar to the Birth of a Nation A, Naomi King 0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:12.359 has a supporting role as um Net Turner's wife, and 0:20:12.440 --> 0:20:14.560 it is also like, you know, she doesn't get as 0:20:14.600 --> 0:20:18.439 many big moments as Nate Parker, who plays Nat Turner 0:20:18.480 --> 0:20:21.080 and also wrote and directed the movie. But in the 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:24.280 scene she has, she's just she's so strong. Yeah, that 0:20:24.359 --> 0:20:26.639 whole cast. I mean, Armie Hammer is great in that movie. 0:20:26.720 --> 0:20:30.080 He is That movie sensational to me, I I was. 0:20:30.480 --> 0:20:34.680 I went into it expecting like I had lowered my expectations. Yeah, 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:36.359 because people were saying, oh, it's not as good as 0:20:36.359 --> 0:20:38.800 everyone said at Sundance. It's traditional to a fault. I 0:20:38.840 --> 0:20:40.480